Jhoan Duran Perfect Through Five, But Barons Get Big Inning In Win

Five innings were complete Friday night and Blue Wahoos pitcher Jhoan Duran was dealing perfection against Birmingham.
No hits, no walks, no hint of relent.
Fate turned fast, however.
The Barons stunned with a five-run rally off Duran in the sixth inning and went on to an 8-5 win against the Blue Wahoos to even the series at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The teams play the third game of their series Saturday night, which includes a post-game fireworks show.
"Obviously, he was pretty nice the first five innings," said Blue Wahoos manager Ramon Borrego. "In the sixth, I think his fastball command was a little off and then he hung a couple pitches instead of executing better.
"I think that was the game right there. He kinda lost a little bit and he couldn't recover after that."
But the 21-year-old Duran, who joined the Blue Wahoos nine days ago from Advanced-A Fort Myers Miracle, also showed why he's a rising talent. Of the first 15 batters he faced Friday, all retired in order, only two hitters got the ball out of the infield.
Signed at 16-years-old by the Arizona Diamondbacks, then acquired July 27, 2018 by the Minnesota Twins, Duran presents a starting pitcher able to hit 100 mph even into the middle innings.
The 6-foot-4 Duran, a Dominican Republic native, provides similarities with 20-year-old Brusdar Graterol, a guy from Venezuela, who dazzled earlier this season in Pensacola until his mid-season injury.
Graterol made his second rehab outing this week in Fort Myers for the Low-A team in the Gulf Coast League.
"We are talking about two, really good, guys," Borrego said. "What we saw in Duran (Friday)… I was still happy. We tried to come back in the game. If the bullpen was able to hold the score right there, we probably get the game."
In the fourth inning, Blue Wahoos first baseman Ryan Costello blasted a pitch from Matt Tomshaw into the right field grass berm. He's been with the Blue Wahoos two days longer than Duran. Both part of the Fort Myers Miracle.
"The way (Duran) was pitching, when Costello hit that ball, you think this game is probably going to end 1-0," Borrego said.
That outlook changed in the sixth, after Duran walked the first two batters, then Luis Basabe followed a sacrifice bunt with a two-run double.
Those were the first two runs Duran allowed since being called up. He threw five scoreless innings in his debut last week against Jacksonville.
With two out, Blake Rutherford singled home Basabe. Cleanup hitter Gavin Sheets then blasted a home run for 5-1 lead.
"He just had one tough inning and it happens," said Costello, who went 2-for-3 in the game and reached base three times. "It's baseball. You never know what's going to happen."
In the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Wahoos' Trevor Larnach blasted a two-run homer off the batter's eye background in straightaway center to trim the deficit.
In the eighth inning, the Blue Wahoos loaded the bases and nearly tied the game at 6-6. Ryan Jeffers and Larnach led off with back-to-back walks. With one out, Costello walked to fill the bases. After a pitching change, Iván De Jesús Jr., the star of Thursday night's win, hit the first pitch up the middle for a RBI single.
With two out, Joe Cronin walked to force in a run. Royce Lewis, the leadoff batter in the order, hit a hard grounder that shortstop Zach Remillard made a backhand stop, threw slightly wide, but ruled a putout when Sheets kept part of his foot on the base on a split-second play.
It ended an inning where the Blue Wahoos had nine batters to the plate.
"It is a huge confidence boost. (Barons) are relentless," Costello said. "They have a good staff. They are bringing guys out of the bullpen throwing 98, 99 (mph) and it's tough.
"But to be able to string some hits together, put some runs across the plate and get back into a game, it's huge. Especially after a deflating inning."
The Barons sealed their win in the ninth with a pair of runs off Hector Lujan.
"We just made too many mistakes on the pitching side," Borrego said. "If we pitch better after the sixth inning, we would be celebrating right now. In baseball, when you make a mistake you pay for it."
BALLPARK MEMORIES
The Hill-Kelly "Hillsdales," a team of Clydesdale horses, made a reappearance Friday night on "Giveway Friday," sponsored by Hill-Kelly Dodge Chrysler Ram Jeep on Pensacola Blvd.
The four horses pulled a red wagon carrying Kazoo for a couple laps around the field. The auto dealership provided a Clydesdale "bobbletail" horse to the first 2,000 fans through the gates.
Nuria Gonzalez, who was discovered on Pensacola's Got Talent in March, performed the National Anthem.
The U.S. Coast Guard had a 200-plus contingent on the right field party deck area.