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| Jeff Suppan in action Friday night at Werner Park. He picked up his ninth win of the season. (Photo: Lee Warren) |
The win was Suppan’s ninth of the season. And the Chasers extended their lead in the PCL American North to three games since Memphis lost in Oklahoma City.
After the game, interim manager Tommy Gregg said he was pleased with everyone’s effort because it was a tough day. The team woke up at 3:30 am in Memphis to catch their plane. They endured a delay at one point and had to fly around a storm at another point. Then, later in the day, they found out that some of their gear was delayed.
“Sometimes a show-and-go is the best thing for a travel day,” Gregg said. “The main thing is the focus part – staying focused and expecting balls to be hit to them.”
Gregg also talked about Lough’s big night.
“You never know,” Gregg said. “He’ll surprise you. Sometimes he looks like he’s just struggling and then sometimes he gets locked in like he was tonight against a lefty which I think is good for him because it makes him not try to do too much – not try to pull the ball. He stays on the ball better. It was just good to see him swinging the bat better.”
Lough took a 3-2 offering from Express starter Zach Jackson over the right field wall in the third inning – a solo shot – to tie the game 2-2. He also had a double in the first inning and a single in the fifth, falling just a triple short of hitting for the cycle. He flashed a little leather too. In the top of the fourth, he showed great hustle and made a good throw from left field to throw out Round Rock catcher Kevin Cash after Cash lined the ball down the left field line and tried to extend a single into a double.
The Chasers erupted for five runs in the fifth inning, sending 10 men to the plate. Jarrod Dyson led off with a double. Johnny Giavotella followed with a single. Lough picked up his third hit of the night – a rocket to left field, driving in Dyson and giving Omaha a 3-2 lead. Lorenzo Cain followed with a two-run triple down the right field line, giving the Chasers a 5-2 lead. Robinson followed him with a single, driving in Cain to make it 6-2, and two hitters later, Lance Zawadzki tripled to center, driving in Robinson. Omaha led 7-2 after the inning was over.
Suppan struggled with his command, walking three guys and hitting one. He ran into trouble in the fifth inning, giving up two singles, walking a guy, and hitting another, but none of them scored – thanks in part to an excellent throw from right field by Cain to gun out Nick Green at home plate, keeping the game tied 2-2.
Suppan also got into trouble in the sixth inning, giving up four hits, but his defense bailed him out again. Manny Pina picked off Leonys Martin at first base and Suppan got Chad Tracy to ground out to end the inning without allowing any runs.
Suppan’s line wasn’t pretty (6.0 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K), but he did what Suppan usually does. He ate innings and found a way to win.
“To me, that’s what pitching is all about,” Suppan said after the game. “Knowing what’s working, knowing what’s not. Changing speeds, trying to work as fast as we can. It’s one of those days where my fastball really wasn’t how I like it to be – down in the zone. Getting on top of the ball, getting underneath it and the cutter a lot, so I was having to change speeds in different ways.
“Threw some more BP fastballs, some more changeups and basically just tried to grind it out and keep it as close as I could.”
He also gave his defense a lot of credit.
“That was the difference in the game,” Suppan said. “It was really the defense’s and offense’s roles tonight and then [Zach] Miner and [Robinson] Tejeda coming in and getting the job done. They’re [Round Rock] a very good team. They can come back at any time. I don’t care how big the lead is.
“The defense played great. It was a travel day today and they were probably a little tired from that, and they came out and they hit and played great defense.”
The Chasers picked up three more runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Manny Pina single to center field and an error by shortstop Nick Green, which allowed two more runs to score.
The series continues tomorrow night at Werner Park. Omaha will send Luis Mendoza (7-3, 2.30) to the mound against RHP Brett Tomko (5-3, 6.79) for Round Rock.
