Home run sparks Hens' road victory

6/21/2008

MOOSIC, Pa. - Brent Clevlen did not need long to fit back into the Toledo Mud Hens lineup.

"He had a real Mud Hen game, four punchouts and a homer," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said after Clevlen produced the game-winning homer last night in an 8-4 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

In just his second at-bat since returning from the Detroit Tigers, Clevlen ripped a two-run homer down the right-field line to break a 3-3 tie.

Clevlen's home run was the last of three that the Mud Hens hit in three innings to start the game. Freddy Guzman and Fernando Seguigno hit homers to lead off each of the first two innings.

When Clevlen left for the Tigers June 6, he had reached base in 42 straight IL games and was hitting .424 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in his last 16 games.

Each team scored in the first and second innings, allowing the Yankees to enter the third with a 3-2 lead.

Max Leon tripled with one out and scored the tying run on a Mike Hessman single. Clevlen then hit his 14th homer of the year on a 1-0 pitch.

Clevlen had plenty of help from a Mud Hens lineup that produced three homers, a triple, and three doubles among its 13 hits while striking out 10 times.

"This is the way we were playing early in the year," said Parrish, who watched the game on television from the clubhouse while Leon "Bull" Durham ran the team as Parrish served the last game of a four-game suspension.

"We may strike out some, but we hit the ball hard."

Matt Joyce had two of the doubles while going 3-for-4 with a run scored and putting together a strong game defensively.

Joyce dived straight ahead while charging toward the infield from right field to steal a hit from Justin Christian with two men on base and two runs already scored in the second inning.

When Juan Miranda led off the third with one of his five hits, Joyce took the ball on a hop off the wall and threw Miranda out, robbing him of a double.

Dane Sardinha, who entered the game at catcher in the bottom of the second after Nick

Trzesniak suffered a rib cage injury, had the other Toledo double.

Sardinha doubled and scored on an error in the fourth as the Mud Hens got runs in each of the first four innings.

"We're probably going to have to make a move," Parrish said. "It's a rib cage, which is one of those things that could be at least a few weeks."

Parrish said Max St. Pierre, who is hitting .250 in 44 games with Double-A Erie, is the player most likely to be added.

Lauren Gagnier (2-1) got the win with the help of four scoreless innings from three relievers.

NOTES: Outfielder Wilkin Ramirez was sent to Double-A Erie to make room on the roster for Clevlen. Ramirez hit just .083 (3-for-36) with the Mud Hens. Clevlen hit .208 in 11 games with the Tigers. The start of last night's game was delayed 25 minutes by rain. Rain returned during the second inning, then stopped for the night. Yorman Bazardo (1-3, 5.17) pitches for the Mud Hens tonight at 7 against Sidney Ponson. It will be the first start in the Yankees system for Ponson, who was released by the Texas Rangers earlier this month despite a 4-1 record. Parrish said it was important to get Aquilino Lopez into the game for two innings during Thursday's win because Lopez will be moved into the starting rotation next time he pitches.