Brooklyn Boro

Struggling Cyclones break out lumber in Tri-City

Score Seven Times in First Two Frames En Route to 10-1 Win

July 6, 2017 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Jose Miguel Medina drove in three runs, including a pair in a big first inning for Brooklyn, as the Cyclones drubbed the Tri-City ValleyCats, 10-1, on Wednesday night in Troy, N.Y. Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Cyclones
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Like an evening thunder shower that breaks a stifling humidity, the Brooklyn Cyclones’ bats finally awoke from their early season slumber Wednesday night and rained down hard on the Tri-City ValleyCats.

Jose Miguel Medina and Ricardo Cespedes each had three RBIs as the previously dormant Brooklyn offense put up seven runs over the first two innings en route to an easy 10-1 victory over Tri-City before a crowd of 4,834 at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, N.Y.

Medina ripped a two-out single and Cespedes chased him home with a base hit soon afterward to highlight a five-run, first-inning outburst for Brooklyn, which collected a season-high 17 hits, including six in the opening frame, and put up its first double-digit run total of the campaign.

Medina added an RBI single in the second and Cespedes contributed a sacrifice fly during the frame as the Baby Bums jumped out to a 7-0 lead on their way to snapping a three-game losing streak and posting just their fourth win overall this summer.

Stanford alums Matt Winaker and Quinn Brodey stroked three hits apiece as Brooklyn (4-11) continued to pump up its previously New York-Penn League-worst batting average to a collective .234 after wallowing beneath the Mendoza Line (.200) for the first two weeks of the season.

Staked to a 9-0 lead before Miguelangel Sierra started the seventh with a line drive homer over the center field wall for Tri-City (5-10), the Cyclones’ staff was up to the task of shutting down the ValleyCats for most of the evening.

Starter Nicolas Debora lowered his ERA to 1.93 by keeping Tri-City off the board for the first 3 2/3 innings before left-hander Gunnar Kines (1-2) picked up his first win in relief, yielding Sierra’s homer and two other hits over 4 1/3 brilliant frames, striking out three without issuing a walk.

Cespedes’ RBI groundout in the eighth capped the scoring before Trey Cobb came out of the bullpen to toss a scoreless ninth for Brooklyn, maintaining his 0.00 ERA through his first four appearances for the ‘Clones.

Perhaps the most heartening aspect of the blowout win was the team’s error-free performance.

Brooklyn, which had committed an eye-popping 26 errors over its first 14 games, didn’t have a single fielding miscue for the second time in four contests, a sign that most of these professional neophytes are finally getting the hang of their respective positions.

First-year manager Edgardo Alfonzo, an All-Star second baseman who ranks as one of the top Mets infielders of all time, told the Albany Times Union before Wednesday’s game that he understands some of the growing pains his Baby Bums are enduring.

“One thing I like about this job is I see myself when I was that age and tell the guys, ‘Hey, that’s going to happen,’ ” he noted. “The sooner you learn stuff about baseball on the field and off the field, it’s going to be a great help for them in the future.”

Though they remain buried in the McNamara Division cellar, and have lost all seven of their division games thus far, the Cyclones certainly aren’t out of the hunt with 61 games remaining on their 76-game regular-season slate.

They were shooting for just their second series win of the summer Thursday night in Tri-City, and will return to MCU Park Friday to kick off a big four-game series with arch rival Staten Island, which currently leads the division with a league-best 12-2 record.

This, That and the Other Thing: CF Cespedes, who is no relation to the Mets’ star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, has made an immediate impact upon his arrival in Brooklyn, hitting .400 (4-for-10) with three RBIs after spending the early portion of his season with the Rookie-level GCL Mets and Class A Columbia. In 11 total Minor League appearances this year, the 19-year-old Bronx native is batting .324 (12-for-37) with six RBIs and two runs scored … LF Brodey, the Mets’ third-round pick in last month’s MLB Draft, is hitting a solid .333 (9-for-27) with four RBIs, seven walks and an .828 OPS (on-base plus slugging average) through his first eight pro games … Friday’s opener against Staten Island at MCU Park will feature a Fonzie Figurine Giveaway to the first 5,000 fans through the gates on Coney Island, and a post-game fireworks display.

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In other local pro sports news, the Islanders on Wednesday signed defenseman Sebastian Aho to a three-year, entry-level contract, securing the services of their fifth-round pick in last month’s NHL Draft.

The 21-year-old Aho put up career bests of 10 goals and 20 assists in 50 games with his Swedish Hockey League team this past season.

Aho has also represented his native Sweden at the 2015 Under-20 World Junior Championships and the 2014 Under-18 World Junior Championships.

 

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