The Dragons left eight runners on base, had one hit in nine tries with runners in scoring position and finished the night in an all-too-familiar way, losing 3-2 to Great Lakes.
“We get three hits that’s not going to win any games,” Dragons manager Vince Harrison Jr. said. “A part of it is not putting the ball in play with guys in scoring position, or timely bad strikeouts. We got to find a way to put some pressure on them and not walk back to the dugout.”
The last-place Dragons (9-19) lost for the eighth time in 10 games. They lost five straight in Fort Wayne last week before winning 2-0 Sunday. In that series, the Dragons allowed only four runs in the final three games but lost two of them.
The familiar script Tuesday was the opponent scoring at least three runs. The Dragons have won only once this season when the opponent scores more than two runs. That’s not startling from a team that entered the night batting a league-worst .200 and slugging a league-worst .292.
“There’s no mood,” Harrison Jr. said. “We’re fine. Just not producing.”
The first inning held great promise. Carlos Jorge led off with a walk and stole second. Yerlin Confidan followed with a double off the left-field wall to tie the score 1-1. But Leo Balcazar flew out, John Michael Faile struck out and Ariel Almonte struck out the first of four times.
Runners at first and third — a double by Johnny Ascanio and walk to Connor Burns — with one out in the second produced nothing. Three walks in the fourth were stranded. Another runner was stranded at third in the sixth.
The other run came in the fifth on Faile’s fourth homer of the season high off the batter’s eye in center. Faile is the team’s most consistent hitter, is batting .286 and shares the team lead with Confidan with 11 RBIs.
“A big home run there,” Harrison Jr. said. “But he came up his first AB, we had guys on base, and he struck out. So even a guy who’s doing well and it’s not timely because his next at bat he hits a line drive. Put that ball in play and and see if we can make them make a play.”
The Dragons’ lineup took a hit in Fort Wayne when third baseman Ricky Cabrera stretched to reach first base and his left knee buckled.
“He’s probably done for the year,” Harrison Jr. said.
Cabrera was the highest rated prospect on the roster at No. 10 by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. He was batting only .187 with no homers and seven RBIs.
Dragons starter Nestor Lorant allowed three runs in four innings. Then the relief corps of Brody Jessee, Connor Phillips and Cody Adcock shut out the Loons on four hits over five innings.
Phillips made his second rehab appearance with the Dragons after suffering an injury in spring training. He allowed a single and a walk before striking out three. His fastball hit 99 mph. At Fort Wayne he allowed a hit and struck out two in 1⅔ innings. He will pitch again Thursday.
Phillips pitched the first half of the 2022 season in Dayton and posted a 2.95 ERA in 12 starts and struck out 90 in 64 innings. The Reds acquired Phillips from Seattle as part of the trade that sent Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez to the Mariners. He started five games for the Reds in 2023.
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