Barons Drop 8-5 Slugfest To Smokies

An early deficit was too much to overcome for the Birmingham Barons (13-14) in an 8-5 loss to their Southern League North division foes, the Tennessee Smokies (13-13) on Thursday night at Smokies Stadium.  

• Moments That Mattered: In the opening frame, the Barons were only able to push across one run on a wild pitch before Matt Rose struck out and Trey Michalczewski popped out to strand a second run on third base. The Smokies were quick to respond as Zack Short and Jason Vosler hit back-to-back home runs to give Tennessee a lead they would not give up.
• Facts And Figures: The Smokies were able to hit two more home runs off Birmingham starter Spencer Adams (L, 1-3), chasing him in the fourth inning. After giving up just one home run in his previous five starts, Adams gave up four in 3.1 innings on Thursday, surrendering seven earned runs while striking out two to suffer his third straight loss.
• Turning Point: After the Barons cut the deficit to a single run in the top of the fourth, the Smokies extended the lead again in the bottom half to take command of the game. After a walk and a single, Short hit his second home run of the night, a three-run shot to center off Adams, to give Tennessee a 7-3 lead.
• By The Numbers: In his third game of the season, Mason Robbins launched his first home run of 2018, a two-run blast in the fourth inning for the Barons' league-leading 30th home run of the season. Zack Collins went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored to extend his season-long hitting streak to nine games.
• Up Next: Jordan Stephens (2-3, 3.67) will look for his third consecutive win on the mound for the Barons in game three on Friday night. He'll be opposed by Tennessee righty Thomas Hatch (3-0, 2.52). First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.