Sunday’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers game was aptly titled affiliation day.  Mascots from all branches of the Cleveland Indians organization were present and active.  There were also members of the big team’s production staff.  Hudson Valley also rolled into town for a three game series.  The Scrappers, again, received good starting pitching, this time from Mike Rayl, but stranded way too many base runners in key situations losing the series opener 6-4 in 12 innings.

The Scrappers got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth inning as Moises Montero singled driving Chase Burnette home. The run was all that Hudson Valley starter Wilmer Almonte surrendered before being yanked after five innings.

Scrapper starter Mike Rayl (pictured) had his second consecutive impressive start at home.  Rayl threw 78 pitches over six innings and departed with a 1-0 lead.  As has been the case so many times this season, the bullpen quickly gave up a lead.  Takafumi Nakamura was the bullpen goat of the day as he let a couple of Renegades get on base and then gave up an RBI-groundout to Steve Tinoco in the seventh.

Phil Wunderlich hit a blooper into left field that just barely stayed fair to give the Renegades a 2-1 lead.  Scrapper reliever Nick Kirk then gave up his second run of the inning to put the Scrappers into a 3-1 hole.

The Scrappers pieced together a rally in the ninth.  Tyler Cannon tripled home a run to make it 3-2.  Two batters later with the bases loaded and one out, Burnette delivered again, with a clean single up the middle to tie the game.  Brian Heere came up with two down, but struck out looking at three consecutive pitches.

The Scrappers then proceeded to give up a run in the top of the tenth.  In the bottom of the inning, they again tied the game at 4. Hudson Valley let two on with one out when Jordan Casas hit a grounder between third and short.  The Renegades 3B stopped the ball but backhand flipped it into right field allowing the tying run to score.  Carlos Moncrief grounded out to the pitcher to send the game to an 11th inning.

In the bottom of the 11th, Giovanny Urshela, who recorded three hits and made another highlight reel play at third,  reached base via E-6.  After the shortstop regained control of the hard hit ground ball, he threw it past the first basemen to put Burnette on third with nobody out.  Diego Seastrunk was inserted as a pinch hitter with one out and he chopped one about two feet in front of home but beat the play unchallenged.  Andrew Kinney had his chance with the bases loaded and one out, and he struck out.  Tyler Cannon was next on the hot seat with the bags juiced and two down and he lined a 3-2 pitch to the second basemen to end the threat.

Diogenus Luis hit a scorcher to deep right that a full-speed retreating Moncrief could not handle that plated two in the top of the twelfth inning to give Hudson Valley a 6-4 lead and the visitors held off the never-say-die Scrappers for the win.

After the game, Travis Fryman addressed his team’s poor situational hitting.  “We had a runner on third base eight different times with less than two outs and we could not get the runner home, I’m not sure I have ever seen that before, but I know I never want to see it again.”

Asdrubal Cabrera will be wearing a Scrappers uniform on Monday and Tuesday in starting his rehab process.  Fryman commented on how he will be used over the two game stop.  “He’s got five innings tomorrow and he will DH the second day and get four plate appearances.  That’s all the handling I have to do with it.  My job is to make sure he is ready when he gets out there and then he will move on to his next stop [Akron].”