Trash Pandas Drop Close One To Smokies 5-4

The Rocket City Trash Pandas let a lead slip away in the middle innings and were unable to mount a comeback against the Tennessee Smokies bullpen in a 5-4 loss in front of a spirited crowd of 5,968 at Toyota Field on Saturday night.

The game began well for the Trash Pandas. Landon Marceaux worked around a one-out walk in the first with a strike him out, throw him out double play behind a strong throw by Edgar Quero to catch Luis Vazquez stealing second base.

Rocket City got the scoring started in the bottom of the inning. Livan Soto reached with a one-out walk. Quero followed with a line drive that stayed fair down the left field line for an RBI double, giving the home team the lead against Tennessee starter Daniel Palencia.

Tennessee got the run back in the third on a solo home run from Pablo Aliendo. The Trash Pandas quickly restored the lead on Kyren Paris’ Southern League-leading seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to left, to start the bottom of the inning. Soto singled and advanced to second on an error, Quero walked, and Orlando Martinez singled to load the bases. Jeremiah Jackson’s sacrifice fly plated Soto, and David Calabrese lined an RBI single to right to score Quero for a 4-1 Rocket City lead.

The Smokies made it a one-run game in the fifth with a sacrifice fly from Pete Crow-Armstrong and an RBI single from Vazquez. Marceaux returned for the sixth and got into an immediate jam with runners on first and second and nobody out. He rebounded to get back-to-back strikeouts to end his night. Ivan Armstrong entered out of the bullpen and was unable to hold the lead, as Aliendo lined a two-run double down the left field line to put the visitors in front 5-4.

Over 5.2 innings, Marceaux allowed five runs, three earned, on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Armstrong kept the deficit at one with a clean seventh. Eric Torres was next into the game and held the one-run deficit with two scoreless innings, striking out five.

But the Trash Pandas were never able to capitalize off the Tennessee bullpen. Palencia was pulled in the third after allowing four runs on four hits. In relief, Blake Whitney (W, 1-0) threw 2.1 scoreless innings, Jake Reindl held the Trash Pandas off the board for 1.2 innings, and Ben Hect (S, 1) did the same for 2.1 innings, working around a baserunner in the ninth to finish the win. Combined, the three relievers struck out eight Trash Pandas over 6.1 innings to clinch a series win for Tennessee.

Marceaux (L, 2-2) was saddled with the loss, his second of the season, and Armstrong was given a blown save for allowing the eventual winning hit in the sixth. Calabrese was the only Rocket City player to record a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Quero scored twice and Paris went 1-for-3 with two walks and the solo homer from the top of the lineup.

The Trash Pandas (13-13) and Smokies (15-11) wrap up their series with a 2:35 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio. The game will also be broadcast on WAAY 31.6, This TV.

Sunday’s game will be the first time the Lunaticos de Rocket City take the field. The Trash Pandas will be playing as the Lunaticos de Rocket City for three games as part of Minor League Baseball’s “Copa de la Diversión” or “Fun Cup.” The Lunaticos moniker pays homage to North Alabama’s growing and diverse Hispanic community, allowing everyone to show off their wild side at Toyota Field. The game will feature a Fiesta in the Outfield, with DJ Raffi Torres performing, food trucks available with Hispanic dishes, and more.