Zunino, pitching staff shut down Threshers 7-0

Stone Crabs turn in four-hit shutout of Clearwater

Mike Zunino scored three of the seven Charlotte runs Tuesday. (Photo: Jim Donten)

By John Vittas

May 28, 2019

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (May 28, 2019) - Rays rehabber Mike Zunino reached base five times Tuesday, as the Charlotte Stone Crabs' pitching staff turned in a four-hit shutout of the Clearwater Threshers in a 7-0 win at Charlotte Sports Park. Zunino went 3-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and three

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (May 28, 2019) - Rays rehabber Mike Zunino reached base five times Tuesday, as the Charlotte Stone Crabs' pitching staff turned in a four-hit shutout of the Clearwater Threshers in a 7-0 win at Charlotte Sports Park.
Zunino went 3-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and three runs scored in his first rehab game since injuring his quad on May 10.
The Stone Crabs' (27-24) got outstanding pitching from three different arms to earn a comfortable victory. Tommy Romero started and went four scoreless, allowing just one hit while fanning five. Tobias Myers (5-1) went three shutout to get the win, striking out two. Alex Valverde closed out the team's third shutout with two hitless frames.
The Stone Crabs wasted no time jumping on Threshers (26-25) starter Alejandro Requena (3-3). In a scoreless game in the bottom of the third, Taylor Walls lined a single to left before Zunino walked to put runners at first and second. The next batter was Thomas Milone , who pulled an RBI double to right to give Charlotte a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Moises Gomez dropped a two-run single into left to plate a pair and extend the lead to 3-0.
Still up by that margin in the top of the fifth, Zunino singled to right before Ronaldo Hernandez lined a base hit to left. With two outs, Jim Haley was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Requena then plunked Carl Chester in the head, forcing home a run to make it 4-0.
In the top of the sixth, Walls stroked a double to the wall in left center before Zunino doubled him home to make it 5-0. After a Milone single moved Zunino to third, Hernandez made it 6-0 with a sacrifice fly to left.
The Stone Crabs' added a run in the seventh on a Russ Olive sacrifice fly.
Charlotte has hit extremely well against the Threshers, averaging eight runs on 11 hits in four games against them this season.
The Crabs will go for the series at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Paul Campbell (4-4, 4.70) makes the start for Charlotte, against Andrew Brown (2-3, 6.89) of Clearwater. Coverage begins at 12:45 p.m. on the Stone Crabs Baseball Network.