Outlaws continue to roll, sweep the Boulevards
After getting off to a solid start to a tough chapter, the schedule turns to division play. The Kansas City Boulevards flew into Flagstaff to are the first Griffin Division rival posed to take their first shot at the Outlaws.
Game 1: Nola v. Sale – Chris Sale allows a lone walk over his first six innings of work before allowing a single to Avisail Garcia with one out in the seventh. Those would be the only blemishes on Sale’s record.
Meanwhile, Travis Shaw was busy tormenting Kansas City pitching as he cranked two three-run homers in the fourth and seventh to help push Flagstaff to a 8-0 lead.
Pedro Baez was called to mop up the last two innings, but got into a bit of trouble in ninth, giving up four runs, but that is as close as the Boulevards would get as Flagstaff takes the opener, 8-4.
W: Sale (2-0)
L: Nola (1-2)
Sv: None
HRs: KCB – Carrera (1); FLG – Shaw (2, 3).
Game 2: Keuchel v. Greinke – This duel never materializes as Dallas Keuchel comes up lame after getting his first batter out. Zack Godley is pressed into emergency duty for the Boulevards.
Godley pitches well into the fourth, but three straight walks with one out is an ominous sign. Caleb Joseph singles into of those walks while Joe Panik singles in the other and Flagstaff holds a 3-0 lead. Aaron Judge hits a two-run bomb off of Godley in the fifth to push Flagstaff’s advantage to 5-0.
Zack Greinke had pitched well through five, scattering a pair of doubles, but in the sixth he gets into his trouble culminating in a three-run bomb allowed to Robinson Cano. Kansas City scratches together another run in the seventh on an Eric Hosmer RBI single to get the visitors within one.
But Jake McGee gets out of the jam in the seventh and pitches a perfect eighth. Blake Parker is tasked to take on the ninth and he executes perfectly and Flagstaff escapes with a 5-4 victory.
W: Greinke (2-0)
L: Godley (2-2)
Sv: Parker (5)
HRs: KCB – Cano (5); FLG – Judge (3).
Game 3: Chacin v. McHugh – Collin McHugh makes his first start of the year, soaking up innings for Alex Wood, and acquits himself well, going six and striking out nine. But he leaves the game down 2-1 as Jhoulys Chacin scatters 12 runners over the same time frame, but allows just a lone run to score.
In the seventh, Flagstaff manages to tie the game up off of Ryan Madson as Panik singles in George Springer, but neither team can really make any headway and we end up going into extra innings.
Fast forward to the 11th and Wade Davis is on for his second inning of work for Kansas City and Joseph greets him with a double. With no batters left, Flagstaff is forced to go to Greinke to try and move the runner over 90 feet, but he pops up Chris Ianetta. Elvis Andrus steps in and Davis uncorks a wild pitch, allowing Joseph to move to third. Andrus then lifts a ball to medium deep center field and Joseph manages to scamper home for the walk-off sac fly. Flagstaff 3, Kansas City 2.
W: Parker (2-0)
L: Davis (0-1)
Sv: None
HRs: KCB – Ozuna (1); FLG – none.
Game 4: Corbin v. Wacha – The home town Outlaws get on the board first when Shaw drives in his seventh run of the series with an RBI single in the second. But Patrick Corbin manages to keep Flagstaff in check through five innings.
But in the sixth, Corbin loses control, giving up a lead off homer to Springer and a two-run triple to Enrique Hernandez later. In all, Flagstaff scores four times and the Outlaws lead 5-0 after six.
The Boulevards get a pair of solo homers from Turner and Cano late gets KC on the board, but Flagstaff completes the sweep with a 5-2 win.
W: Wacha (1-0)
L: Corbin (0-3)
Sv: None
HRs: KCB – Turner (2), Cano (6); FLG – Springer (4).