The Undercards: Victor Mateo Continues Excellent Second Half as Biscuits Shutout Lookouts

Sometimes, a look at a player’s statistics over the course of the season do not give a true indication of how well that player has performed. A look at Victor Mateo‘s stats, for example, would make it look as though he has struggled this season. While Mateo was not great early on, he appears to have turned a corner as of late, and may potentially be developing into more than a minor league arm.

Toledo MudHens (Tigers) 8, Durham Bulls 2

The game started well for the Bulls, as they loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second. After a double play plated a run, Kevin Kiermaier hit an RBI single to center to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead. Toledo came back in the bottom of the inning, as Danny Dorn led off with a home run. Ben Guez followed with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout by Bryan Holaday to tie the game. Durham had a chance to retake the lead in the third, putting runners on first and third with one out, but Leslie Anderson grounded into a double play to end the threat. Anderson also grounded out with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth to end another threat, as the Bulls continued to squander scoring chances. Those wasted opportunities would come back to haunt the Bulls in the sixth, as the MudHens loaded the bases with one out. Holaday followed with a double, clearing the bases to put Toledo on top. A sacrifice bunt plated Holaday, and the MudHens suddenly had a 6-2 lead. Toledo scored twice more in the eighth, pulling away as they sent the Bulls to an 8-2 defeat. Jake Odorizzi took the loss, giving up six earned runs on seven hits and two walks in 5.1 innings of work. Kiermaier and Tim Beckham each had two hits in the loss.

Montgomery Biscuits 7, Chattanooga Lookouts (Dodgers) 0

Since July 2, Montgomery starter Victor Mateo has been on a role. Despite only having a 2-1 record in his last five starts, Mateo had produced an ERA of 1.46 in that time. He continued his strong performance against the Lookouts, holding their offense in check. Montgomery provided plenty of support for Mateo, breaking the game open with six runs in the third. Mikie Mahtook, Kyeong Kang and Curt Casali each had two run singles in the inning. Mateo made those runs hold up, as he cruised through the Chattanooga lineup with relative ease. Montgomery tacked on an insurance run in the sixth, and ran off with an easy 7-0 victory. Mateo allowed only four hits and a walk, striking out three in his seven shutout innings. Mahtook was 2-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Kang was 1-2 with two RBIs, a run scored and two walks in the victory.

Charlotte Stone Crabs 7, Brevard County Manatees (Brewers) 3

The Stone Crabs jumped out early on the Manatees, courtesy of some sloppy fielding. With runners on first and third and two outs, Ryan Brett grounded to short for what appeared to be the inning ending out. However, Yadiel Rivera made an error, allowing a run to score and keeping the inning alive. Jake Hager drove in another run witha  base hit, and the Stoen Crabs seemed poised for a big inning. However, Brett was gunned down at the plate as he attempted to score from second on a base hit by Drew Vettleson. After Jeff Malm homered in the third, the Manatees mounted a comeback in the top of the fourth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Gregory Hopkins hit a two run single, and was followed by an RBI double off the bat of T. J. Mittelstaedt. Brevard County had a chance to take the lead on a ground ball to third, but Hopkins was cut down at the plate attempting to score. After a two out walk loaded the bases, Andrew Bellatti came on in relief, and ended the threat by striking out Mitch Haniger. Charlotte would not be deterred, as Vettleson and Richie Shaffer had back to back doubles to lead off the fifth, putting the Stone Crabs back on top. Charlotte loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, and Hager and Vettleson each had a sacrifice fly as the Stone Crabs extended the lead. Kes Carter drove in an insurance run with a base hit in the seventh, and the Stone Crabs came away with the 7-3 victory. Bellatti picked up the win with 2.2 perfect innings of relief, striking out four. Vettleson was 2-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

Bowling Green Hot Rods 3, Dayton Dragons (Reds) 2

Scoreless through three innings, the Dragons broke through in the top of the fourth. back to back walks put runners on first and second, and a passed ball put both baserunners into scoring position. Beau Amaral had a two run, two out single to give Dayton the lead, but the Hot Rods came back in the bottom of the inning. With runners on first and third, Leonardo Reginatto had an RBI single to cut the lead in half. Bowling Green completed the comeback in the sixth, as the Hot Rods loaded the bases with one out. Following a strikeout, Patrick Leonard singled up the middle, driving in two as Bowling Green took the lead. The Dragons made the game interesting, as Jeff Gelalich was thrown out at the plate to end the top of the eighth; however, the Hot Rods held on for the 3-2 victory. Andrew Hanse picked up the win in relief, giving up a hit and striking out one in 1.1 innings. Thomas Coyle was 2-3 with a triple and two runs scored. Leonard was 2-4 with a double and two RBIs in the victory.

Auburn Doubledays (Nationals) 5, Hudson Valley Renegades 2

For most of the game, it appeared as though the Renegades would end up with the victory. Starter Kevin Brandt held the Doubledays offense in check, allowing only one hit and two walks over the first seven innings, and did not allow a hitter to reach after working out of a jam in the second. With no outs, Auburn put runners on second and third, but Brandt was able to strand both runners. The Renegades got on the board in the bottom of the third, as James Harris singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a base hit by Julian Ridings. That run appeared as though it would hold up until the top of the eighth, when everything fell apart. With one out and runners on first and second, Isaac Ballou doubled to tie the game. Greg Zebrack followed with an RBI single to put Auburn on top, and Wilman Rodriguez followed with a three run home run to put the game out of reach. The Renegades got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly, but were unable to close the gap further as the Doubledays took a 5-2 victory. Tyler Gauthier took the loss, giving up three runs on two hits and a hit batter while recording one out. Ridings had both RBIs, ad he went 1-3 with a sacrifice fly.

Princeton Rays 4, Burlington Royals 3 (Ten Innings)

Scoreless through three innings, the Rays broke through in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on first and third with no outs, Travis Flores singled to right to drive in a run and give the Rays a 1-0 lead. Jesus Araiza had an RBI single in the fifth as the Rays extended the lead, but the Royals came back in the top of the sixth. After a leadoff walk, Ramon Torres homered to tie the game at 2-2. The Rays took the lead right back in the bottom of the frame. Hunter Lockwood tripled, and scored on an error by Javier Reynoso, allowing Yoel Araujo to reach third on the play. However, Araujo was thrown out attempting to score on a ground ball to short. That play would haunt the Rays as Burlington tied the game in the top of the ninth. With two outs, Pedro Gonzalez homered to send the game into extra innings. There, with two outs in the bottom of the tenth, Lockwood came through, belting a walkoff home run to left center to give the Rays a 4-3 victory. Clayton Crum picked up the win, allowing one run on four hits and a walk in three innings of relief. Lockwood was 2-5 with a triple, two runs scored, and the walkoff home run.

GCL Rays 7, GCL Orioles 0

The Rays climbed out to an early lead over the Orioles, putting runners on first and third right out of the gate. An RBI double by Kean Wong and a run scoring groundout gave the Rays a 2-0 lead. Wong factored into the scoring again in the third, as he doubled with two out and moved to third on a base hit by Alexander Simon. Simon was caught in a rundown attempting to steal second, and stayed alive long enough for Wong to score. Meanwhile, Rays starter Mario Fernandez was keeping the Orioles in check, as the Orioles were unable to get a runner to second until the eighth. The Rays put the game away in the top of the eighth, scoring three runs on a pair of errors and a wild pitch. An RBI single by Taylor Hawkins tacked on an insurance run in the ninth, as the Rays coasted to a 7-0 victory. Fernandez warned the win, allowing two hits and three walks over seven shutout innings, striking out five. Wong was 2-5 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI in the win.