Bullpen Strong In 8-4 Trash Pandas Win

Rocket City wins fifth game out of six in Birmingham

Kelvin Caceres pitched the final 1.2 innings to earn the save on Saturday night in Birmingham. (Javier Sanchez/Rocket City Trash Pandas)

By Aaron Cheris

August 5, 2023

The Rocket Trash Pandas traded runs early with the Birmingham Barons before taking the lead late and getting a dominant night from the bullpen in an 8-4 win on Saturday night at Regions Field. The win is the Trash Pandas’ fifth in six-games so far this week and improves their

The Rocket Trash Pandas traded runs early with the Birmingham Barons before taking the lead late and getting a dominant night from the bullpen in an 8-4 win on Saturday night at Regions Field.

The win is the Trash Pandas’ fifth in six-games so far this week and improves their second half record back to .500 at 16-16.

Facing their old teammate in southpaw Ky Bush, the Trash Pandas wasted little time in capitalizing to open the scoring. David Calabrese got the game started with a walk. Kyren Paris followed with a double to center but was tagged out when he over slid second base and tried to reach third. Nolan Schanuel then put the Trash Pandas on the board with an RBI single to left, scoring Calabrese.

The Barons quickly responded to take the lead against Trash Pandas starter Houston Harding on RBI singles from Edgar Quero and Wilfred Veras.

Rocket City matched the Birmingham pair in the top of the third to take the lead back. With one out and a runner on first, Mariano Ricciardi hit a ground ball to second that looked to be a double play. The throw to second base was wide, allowing both runners to reach safely. Paris laced a two-out single to right to score the tying run. Veras misplayed the ball in right, allowing Ricciardi to come in with the go-ahead run.

Again, the Barons answered, loading the bases with two outs. Veras tied the game with an infield single to third and Terrell Tatum put the Barons in front with a single to right. Looking to add to the lead, Quero tried to score from second but was thrown out at the plate by Trash Pandas right fielder Tucker Flint, ending the inning with Birmingham up 4-3.

Both starters settled down after the second, matching each other zero for zero from the third to the fifth. In his first home start for the Barons after starting 2023 with the Trash Pandas, Bush allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings.

Harding (W, 1-0) was also pulled after five innings in the longest outing of his professional career, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits with two walks in four strikeouts. A Rocket City rally would earn him the win, his first at the Double-A level and first as a professional starter.

Facing Barons reliever Chase Plymell in the sixth, the Trash Pandas offense went to work. Sonny DiChiara began the inning with a walk while Flint and Jose Gomez singled to load the bases. Tyler Payne followed with a ground ball single up the middle, scoring DiChiara and Flint to put the Trash Pandas back in front 5-4.

Luke Murphy was first out of the Rocket City bullpen and pitched a scoreless sixth to maintain the lead. Nick Jones was next into the game and worked around a two-out walk for a scoreless seventh. A single and a one-out walk in the eighth would bring an end to Jones’ night with runners on first and second with one out. Kelvin Caceres entered and escaped the jam with a strikeout of Jason Matthews and a ground out from Jose Rodriguez to hold the 5-4 lead.

The Trash Pandas then broke the game open at the plate in the ninth. Bryce Teodosio began the rally with an infield single and went to second on an errant pickoff throw. Calabrese walked to put two on with one out. Paris ripped a single to left, plating Teodosio to make it 6-4. Two hitters later, DiChiara crushed a single off the glove of Barons left fielder Luis Mieses, allowing Calabrese and Paris to score and give the Trash Pandas their biggest lead of the night at 8-4.

Caceres (S, 2) returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth and shut the Barons down to finish the win an earn the save, his second of the series.

Paris powered the Rocket City offense, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double, two RBI, and his team-leading 34^th stolen base of the season. Flint went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run while Payne and DiChiara each were 1-for-3 with two RBI.

The Trash Pandas (47-54, 16-16 second half) wrap up the series with the Barons (34-67, 9-23 second half) on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Regions Field is scheduled for 4 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio.