The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have waited two weeks for this kind of an offensive display.  The Scrappers amassed 12 hits and scored 11 runs.  Every Scrapper starter scored a run and hits were almost effortless.  Combine that with a good start from Luis DeJesus and the result is a 11-4 thrashing of Aberdeen.

DeJesus, who has been referred to by Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak as a ‘slow starter’, lived up to his billing.  Aberdeen loaded the bases with nobody out in the first inning.  It can’t be much more of a slow start than that.  A strikeout and a heads-up double play by Joey Wendle at third base got DeJesus off the hook with no damage.

In the bottom of the second, the floodgates of offense finally opened. Aberdeen starter Cameron Coffey entered the game with a 10.51 ERA that probably increased to about 12.00 before he exited.  Charlie Valerio got the party started with a single.  Joe Sever followed that with a single.  Valerio and Sever both trotted home when Aaron Siliga doubled.  Erik Gonzalez and Robel Garcia then had back-to-back RBI singles to post the Scrappers to a 5-0 lead.

After the Ironbirds scraped out a run against DeJesus, the Scrappers went back to work in the fourth already leading 5-1.  The big blow in the six-run fourth was a triple by Juan Romero that saw the Scrappers forge ahead to an 11-1 lead by the time the smoke cleared.

One of the best stories of the year has been Joey Wendle.  The sixth-round choice of the Indians in the 2012 Draft has quietly made a very smooth transition to third base.  Ever since Kubiak tried that experiment, Wendle has made a great defensive play to kill the opposing team’s momentum almost each night.  So far it has been a terrific move by Kubiak.  Wendle is also hitting about .400 against left-handed pitching.  He may not be in a Scrappers uniform very long.

Luis Encarnacion relieved DeJesus to start the sixth inning.  DeJesus scattered five hits and walked four.  The Ironbirds seemed to hit the ball hard off of him, but usually right at a Scrapper.  DeJesus has had better outings, but it is a win for the 6′ 3″ rightie.

Aberdeen picked away at the Scrappers bullpen and managed to score a few runs in the sixth to make it 11-4.  Staying focused has to be hard with that big of a lead.

Frustration set in for the Ironbirds when this game was already pretty much decided.  First baseman, Cameron Edmon, was ejected for arguing a called strike three.  Aberdeen Manager, Gary Allenson, followed Edmon to the showers after a lengthy display of dissatisfaction with the umpires.  Later in the same inning, Field Coach, Brad Komminsk, was tossed out for debating a timeout granted to a Scrappers hitter.  I think the bus driver for Aberdeen was calling pitches by the eighth inning.

Things escalated when Valerio hit a long fly to the warning track in center field in the bottom of the eighth.  As the ball was caught and Valerio decelerated between first and second, either the pitcher or second baseman said something to annoy Valerio.  Both bullpens and benches emptied but no punches were thrown

Luis Head pitched a scoreless two innings of relief in a good appearance for the Scrappers.  James Stokes pitched the ninth.