Catching you up with what went down in some of the lower leagues’ action.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY) 8 – Buffalo (TOR) 0

It was all RailRiders for the first MiLB game of the season as the Bison were let down by pitching early. Brendon Beck shone on the mound as his offense struck early, and Buffalo never really was able to answer back.

SWB Key Factors:

• 8 of the 9 offensive RailRiders’ starters had at least one hit; 7 of the 9 of the offensive starters had at least one run.
• 2021 2nd Round Pick. Brendan Beck shone with 5 innings, 1 hit, and 9 Ks as he earned the win.
• 28-year-old Max Schuemann went 1-2 with 3 BBs, 1 RBI, and a Run scored.

BUF Key Factors Today:

• Bison managed only 3 hits and left 6 total runners on base.
• RH Starter Grant Rogers only managed to throw 55 pitches in 2.1 innings, where he gave up 6 runs on 7 hits.
• RH Reliever Lazaro Estrada came into relief and shone in his 2.2 innings of work, going up no hits and stringing out 3 while only giving up one walk.

Syracuse (NYM) 3 – Worcester (BOS) 1

The AAA Mets took the lead early behind a Jose Rojas 4th inning home run while WooSox never let the Gary away, but never found a response.

SYR Key Factors:

• 22-year-old RH Jonah Tong pitched well in 4 innings to start the game. The former 7th round draft pick out of high school gave up 1 hit, struck out 4, while walking 2 in his opening day start.
• LH Reliever Anderson Severino kept the WooSox off the board in his two innings of 2 hits, 2 BBs, while striking out 4.
• CF Nick Morabito went 2-4 with an RBI single in the 7th give the Mets a 3-0 lead.

WOR Key Factors:

• LH Starter Jake Bennett threw 59 pitches over his 3 innings. Bennett struck out 5, gave up one unearned run as he left a runner after getting pulled early in the 4th inning.
• RH Reliever Devin Sweet came on with traffic on the bases late in the 7th and gave up no runs over 2.1 innings pitched while striking out 6.
• The WooSox were 1-10 last night with runners left in scoring position and left a total of 11 runners on base for the game.

Tacoma (SEA) 7-Reno (ARI) 6

Aces scored early, but Rainiers scored 3 runs late to claim this back-and-forth affair.

TAC Key Factors:

• DH Patrick Wisdom went 2-3 with 2 runs scored, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, and 2 walks.
• SS Colt Emerson went 2-5 with a homer, 2 RBIs, but did strike out three times. His two-run homer gave the Rainiers the lead in the third.
• RH Reliever Alex Hoppe gave up one hit, but stuck out two while remaining the save.

REN Key Factors:

• Tommy Troy, LuJames Groover, Luken Baker, and A.J. Vukovich supplied all the hits and offense for the Aces as the remaining five position players in the lineup all went hitless.
• LH Reliever Philip Abner and RH Isaiah Campbell had a tough 8th and ninth where Abner gave up 1 hit, struck out 1, and walked another but was charged with 3 runs (2 earned). Campbell had a dominant 9th inning but allowed the two inherited runners to score.
• C Aramis Garcia had a key catcher interference call against him, which loaded the bases for an actual lead-changing inning for the Rainiers.