Lester, Mud Hens wallop WooSox, 10-4

WORCESTER, MA.: Josh Lester blasted his fourth home run in as many games, leaving the ballpark twice as part of a 15-hit effort from the Toledo Mud Hens in a 10-4 win over the Worcester Red Sox on Thursday evening at Polar Park.

A five-run second gave the Mud Hens a nice jolt early in the game. Rehabbing Jeimer Candelario started the rally by notching a single in front of Trayce Thompson, who belted a two-run bomb (his eighth of the year) to push the Hens in front. Jamie Westbrook, Dustin Garneau, and Zack Short all reached via base knocks to load the sacks for Derek Hill, who hit a popup to shallow right field that Worcester second baseman Yolmer Sanchez couldn’t quite track, enabling Westbrook to touch home. Brendon Davis singled in Garneau and Riley Greene doubled in Short to cap the damage against Thomas Pannone.

Connor Wong’s RBI single in the bottom of the third gave the WooSox a run back and trimmed Toledo’s lead to 5-1.

Lester provided some fireworks with his first long ball of the night to open the fourth frame. An error from Sanchez allowed Davis to reach and plated Short for a 7-1 Mud Hens edge.

After defeating the Mud Hens back on May 5 at Fifth Third Field, Pannone (4-3) took the loss for Worcester on Thursday, surrendering nine hits and seven runs while mixing in six strikeouts over four innings.

Back-to-back hits from Candelario and Thompson off Taylor Cole put multiple runners on ahead of Lester to begin the fifth. He obliged by slamming his second homer of the evening over the right field fence, his tenth dinger of the season, and expanding the lead to 10-1 in favor of Toledo. He has now recorded a home run in three of his last four assignments, also driving in a total of nine runs during this span.

Candelario reached base three times in the second game of his rehab assignment with the Mud Hens, swatting 2-4 while also drawing a walk in the eighth inning. He is recovering from a left shoulder injury.

Johan Mieses ripped a solo shot to lead-off the bottom of the fifth opposite Elvin Rodriguez, cutting the Mud Hens advantage to 10-2.

That was the final mistake Rodriguez (3-1) would make in a winning effort. He grinded through five stanzas of two-run baseball, scattering four hits, three walks, and four punch outs.

Prized Boston prospect Jeter Downs tied for the WooSox team lead by belting a two-run bomb in the bottom of the sixth, his 11th of the campaign. Both runs yielded by Sam Howard in the frame were unearned.

Logan Shore, Drew Carlton, and Angel De Jesus all spun scoreless stanzas to finish off the game for Toledo.

Geoff Hartlieb, Eduard Bazardo, and Kaleb Ort combined to hold a potent Mud Hens lineup to just a single hit over the final four innings.

Garneau and Davis joined Lester by each slashing 2-5 at the dish. Thompson was 2-4 with a double and a homer. Short led the way with a three-hit effort across five plate appearances.

NEXT UP: The Mud Hens seek their third straight win and continue their series against the Triple-A affiliate of the Red Sox on Friday evening at 6:45 p.m.