Barons Drop Both Games in Double-header on Wednesday

Starting pitcher Drew Thorpe threw a shoutout for six innings. Still, the Barons bullpen could not keep the lead as the Birmingham Barons lost 3-2 in the second game of a double-header 3-2 to the Rocket City Trash Pandas before 2,565 at Regions Field on Wednesday night. The Barons lost 5-3 to the Trash Pandas in the first game, breaking the Baron's seven-game winning streak.

Thorpe threw 6.0 innings, only giving up three hits, no runs, and two walks with five strikeouts. Thorpe lowered his ERA to 1.33, which leads the Southern League.

In the bottom of the second inning, Tim Elko singled on a ground ball to right field, and a wild pitch moved Elko to second base. Edgar Quero walks and Tyler Neslony singled on a line drive to left field. Elko scored, and the Barons took an early 1-0 lead. Duke Ellis hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Quero from third base, and the Barons led 2-0.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Neslony was hit by a pitch, Jason Matthews walked, and Terrell Tatum walked to load the bases with two outs. With a pitching change, the Trash Pandas get out of the inning on a strikeout and get out of the bases-loaded jam.

In the top of the seventh, the Barons bullpen gave up five walks and two runs, and the Trash Pandas scored two runs with no hits in the inning. Now the game was tied at 2-2. In the eighth inning, the Barons gave up a run to go down 3-2. Winning pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks gets the win, pitching two scoreless innings. The Baron's defense, which has been pretty good for most of the season, cost the Barons the two losses on Wednesday.

Next, the Barons take on the Trash Pandas on Thirsty Thursday at Regions Field. The Barons get look to break their two-game losing streak as they send RHP Jairo Iriarte (2-3, 2.77) to the mound.