Thunder fail to win home series for first time this season
TRENTON >> One look in the walks column was enough to know why the Thunder failed to win a home series for the first time this season.
“You combine 10 walks with the way they swung the bats today, and you’re going to run into some trouble,” manager Patrick Osborn said.
Four of the 10 players who walked ended up scoring and the Thunder lost back-to-back home games for the first time this year, falling to the Rumble Ponies, 7-1, on Sunday afternoon at Arm & Hammer Park.
The teams split the fourgame set.
Trenton (23-16) managed just four hits — two each by Zack Zehner and Brandon Wagner — and struck out 12 times against three Rumble Ponies pitchers. Rehabbing Mets starter Jason Vargas threw the first four innings, allowing one run on two hits, walking three and fanning five.
Zehner hit a solo homer in the fourth off Vargas.
Albert Abreu limited Binghamton (23-15) to two runs on seven hits per 5.2 innings. He walked four and struck out five.
“This is three really good starts in a row,” Osborn said. “It’s like he’s turning the page. Right out of the gates, he’s attacking, strikes with all of his pitches. This is what we envisioned from Albert Abreu.”
The Ponies’ first four runs all scored with two outs. Abreu loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single in the fourth and Ali Sanchez knocked in the game’s first run. Abreu walked in the second run before getting a strikeout to end the threat.
Domingo Acevedo struggled again out of the bullpen, allowing three runs in 2.1 innings. He’s conceded at least two earned runs in each of his last four appearances.
“He didn’t have his best command and control,” Osborn said. “The home run he gave up was a change-up that was a little firm — not quite the (velocity) separation he usually has. He has to keep working. I thought he pitched well in some big spots, to clean up Abreu’s runners in the sixth inning and the fly out against Mazeika in the sixth. It went south after that, but there were some positives to take out of this.”
The Thunder dropped a half game behind Binghamton in the EL East standings. They host Portland in a doubleheader (two seveninning games) on Monday that begins at 5 p.m.