Early Runs Sink Barons In 7-1 Loss

The Birmingham Barons (4-3) suffered their first home loss of the season, 7-1 to the Montgomery Biscuits (2-5) in front of a sellout crowd of 8,500 at Regions Field on Thursday night. The defeat evens up the five-game series at one game apiece.

• Moments That Mattered: In each of the four innings he pitched, Barons starter Jordan Stephens  (L, 0-2) retired the first batter he faced before the Biscuits were able to push runs across. After a quality start in Chattanooga, Stephens lasted just 4.0 innings, giving up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits with one walk and one strikeout.
• Quotable: "He just didn't have his great stuff. He was behind, and it's difficult to pitch at this level when you're behind," said Barons manager Ryan Newman. "We're going to see a lot of good things out of Jordan this year, that was one outing."
• Turning Point: With two outs in the first, Stephens couldn't get out of the frame unscathed. Dustin Kelly singled and Nathan Lukes doubled to make it 3-0 Biscuits. That was more than enough support for starter Zach Lee (W, 1-0), who pitched 5.2 scoreless innings to earn the win.
• By The Numbers: Offensively, Jameson Fisher  extended his season-opening hitting streak to six games with a single in the sixth inning. In his first career Double-A action, Fisher is batting .300. Tito Polo  also produced his first RBI of the season with a double in the eighth inning.  
• Facts And Figures: Despite the loss, the Birmingham bullpen had another strong night on the mound. First, Brad Goldberg  tossed 2.0 scoreless frames with three strikeouts. Brandon Brennan  followed with 2.0 clean frames before Ryan Burr retired the side in the ninth.
• He Said It: "They've come in, and each and every one of them have done their job," Newman said of the bullpen.
• Up Next: The Barons and Biscuits continue their five-game series with a 7:05 p.m. matchup on Friday night. Left-hander Jordan Guerrero  (1-0, 0.00) is scheduled to start for Birmingham against Montgomery's J.D. Martin (0-1,9.00). Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.