Hoppers lose 3rd in a row; magic number still 4

LAKEWOOD, N.J. ― Nicolas Torres' one-out RBI single in the fifth inning broke a 3-3 tie and sparked the Jersey Shore BlueClaws to an 8-3 victory over the Greensboro Grasshoppers at FirstEnergy Park on Saturday night.

Torres went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and McCarthy Tatum hit a three-run home run for Jersey Shore, which put a dent in the Grasshoppers' playoff chase.

The Hoppers have lost three in a row to the BlueClaws, and their magic number remains at four.

Left fielder Lolo Sanchez went 3-for-3 with a home run and all three RBIs for Greensboro, which wraps up its series at Jersey Shore on Sunday needing a victory to salvage a split.

The Hoppers are playing their 19th six-game series of the season. They have won or split 17 of 18 series so far. Since splitting their first five series of the season, the Grasshoppers are 56-27 (.675 win percentage).

Sanchez leads the league with 29 stolen bases and ranks second with 53 walks. In his last 27 games, Sanchez has batted .347 (35-for-101) with 25 runs scored.

Greensboro (71-42) is still comfortably in front of North Division leader Hudson Valley (67-46). With seven games left in the regular season ― including six head-to-head next week in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. ― the Hoppers lead the Renegades by four games in the chase for the second-best record in the High-A East.

The Grasshoppers trail the first-place Bowling Green Hot Rods (78-35) by seven games in the South Division standings, but the Hoppers still control their own playoff destiny.

That's because the two teams with the best regular-season records ― regardless of division ― qualify for the High-A East's best-of-five championship series.

Any combination of Greensboro wins or Hudson Valley losses adding up to four will clinch a playoff spot for the Grasshoppers.

The championship series begins with two games at the lower seed's home park Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 21 and 22. Thursday is a travel day to the top seed's ballpark, with games Sept. 24, 25 and 26 if necessary.

Mike Jarvis, a utility player promoted from the Florida Complex League on Thursday, went 2-for-3 with a triple in his Hoppers debut, getting the start in center field.

Right-hander Steven Jennings (3-1, 5.254 ERA), who was sent back down from Class-AA Altoona this week to bolster the Hoppers pitching staff, started the game and took the loss, allowing seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Notes

• The Pirates made a flurry of roster moves involving the Hoppers this week. Greensboro pitchers Carmen Mlodzinski, Tahnaj Thomas, J.C. Flowers and Garrett Leonard were all placed on the 7-day injured list on Thursday. ... Pitchers Valentin Linarez, Jack Carey and Jennings, and infielder/outfielder Jarvis were added to the Hoppers.
• Second baseman Nick Gonzales, the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft and a player ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Pirates' No. 4 prospect, was the High-A East's player of the month in August. Gonzales got off to a slow start when he went on the injured list with a broken finger in May, and he was batting just .214 on July 15. In his 44 games since then, Gonzales has raised his batting average to .298 by hitting .351 (66-for-188) with 14 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs.
• In his last 13 games, catcher/DH Blake Sabol is 18-for-53 (.340) with four home runs, four doubles, 12 runs scored and 14 RBIs.