Richmond's Jones too much for Hens

8/19/2008
BY PATRICK JANSSEN
SPECIAL TO THE BLADE
  • Richmond-s-Jones-too-much-for-Hens


    • RICHMOND, Va. - It was just one of those nights.

    Richmond left fielder Brandon Jones had as many RBIs as Toledo had hits, helping the Braves to a 3-0 win over the Mud Hens.

    Toledo starting pitcher Anastacio Martinez (2-5) made few mistakes, but Jones made him pay for each one, driving in all three Richmond runs. Jones produced half of Richmond's six hits - a pair of solo home runs and an RBI single. The 24-year-old has hit three home runs in the last two games against Toledo pitching. He has eight home runs for the entire season.

    "[Martinez] was throwing a lot of strikes," Jones said. "I was able to sit on a couple pitches and make good, solid contact."

    Four Richmond pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout. Making a rehab start, Manny Acosta pitched just one inning. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam before nearly reaching his 30-pitch limit. He threw 25 pitches, 12 for strikes.

    Handling much of the workload for the Braves pitching staff was James Parr (3-3). He struck out five batters over six scoreless innings to pick up the win. Jeff Ridgeway and Jorge Julio held the Mud Hens scoreless over the final two innings. Julio got the final four outs for his ninth save.

    Timo Perez was the only Mud Hen to drop a ball onto the outfield grass at The Diamond. He singled in his first two at-bats. Perez walked in his other two plate appearances.

    The only other Toledo hit was a bunt single by leadoff batter Derek Watham in the fifth

    inning.


    "We just didn't have it tonight," said catcher Dusty Ryan. "Anastacio pitched well enough for us to win. We just couldn't get good contact all night. They threw a lot of pitchers at us, and we couldn't hit any of them."

    The Mud Hens and Braves split the four-game set, with Toledo taking the first and third games of the series.

    Toledo opens another four-game series on the road tonight. The Mud Hens will send right-hander Chris Lambert (12-8, 3.60) against Norfolk's Andy Mitchell (12-7, 4.55).

    NOTES: Richmond center fielder Josh Anderson extended his current league-high hitting streak to 24 games with a double in the first inning. ... If there was one aspect of Toledo's game that outshined that of Richmond, it was base running. The Mud Hens stole three bases, including a pair by Watham, while Ryan caught a pair of Richmond runners attempting to steal. ... With two errors last night, the Mud Hens have committed 100 this season.