Force Not With Barons In 8-0 Defeat

After falling behind early, the Birmingham Barons (19-22) were never able to get their bats going as they fell to the Montgomery Biscuits (17-25) on Friday night at Regions Field.

• Facts And Figures: The Barons could never figure out how to consistently hit Biscuits knuckleballer J.D. Martin (W, 2-6), recording only four hits against the right-hander and drawing two walks over 6.1 innings.
• Turning Point: The first inning seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game as the Barons fell behind, allowing four runs to open the game. The first four Biscuits batters reached base and were able to come around and score, giving Montgomery a 4-0 lead they never gave up.  
• Moments That Mattered: In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Barons bats showed signs of life with back-to-back singles by Seby Zavala and Matt Rose . The threat did not come to pass, as Trey Michaczewski popped out to first base and Jameson Fisher grounded out to first, ending the inning.
• By The Numbers: Barons starter Dane Dunning (L, 2-1) suffered his first career Double-A loss after pitching 4.0 innings, allowed five runs on six hits with two walk and six strikeouts. José Ruiz  entered in relief and tossed 2.0 scoreless innings without a hit while recording two strikeouts.
• Up Next: The Barons and the Biscuits will play game three of the series on Saturday night at Regions Field. Right-hander Spencer Adams (2-4, 6.32) will get the start for the Barons, while Zach Lee (5-1, 2.06) gets the nod for the Biscuits. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Curt Bloom will have the call on 960 WERC News Radio and the iHeart Radio app.