See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Will Bredderman
Brooklyn Daily
Cyclones 1
Lowell Spinners 4
Aug. 8 at Edward A. LeLacheur Park
A lack of action at the plate and a lackluster performance by Clones hurler Luis Mateo let the Lowell Spinners break Brooklyn’s five-game win streak.
Mateo struck out nine batters in six innings, but he gave up four runs — two of them on a throwing error he committed in the bottom of the second. After plunking Spinners second baseman Mookie Betts, who then stole second, Lowell left fielder Aneury Tavarez ripped one into the outfield. Brooklyn left fielder Stefan Sabol scooped it up and threw to home in an attempt to hold Betts off, but the ball got past catcher Jeff Glenn and Mateo, who was providing some backup at the plate. Mateo picked it up and chucked it to third in hopes of catching Betts, but his errant toss went straight to the outfield, allowing Betts and Taverez to score — giving the Spinners a lead they hung onto for the rest of the game.
Mateo’s troubles weren’t over, though. In the sixth, the starter — who just earned a spot in the NY-Penn League’s all -star game — surrendered singles to Spinners first baseman Jake Davies and center fielder Matthew Marquis before Tavarez drove them both in with a triple. Cyclones skipper Rich Donnelly sent in set-up man Timothy Peterson in the seventh, who sent the Spinners down in order. Closer John Mincone pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, but the damage was done.
The Clones only managed four hits in the entire game: a single by shortstop Philip Evans in the first, back-to-back singles from third baseman Alexander Sanchez and catcher Jeffrey Glenn in the second, and another single from center fielder Eudy Pina in the fifth. Two Lowell errors in the seventh helped the Clones put a run on the board, but that’s all the offense had in the tank.
Top Mets prospect Brandon Nimmo, whose bat in the leadoff spot has driven much of the Clones offense in recent weeks, is day-to-day after getting hit by a pitch in Monday’s game against the Auburn Doubledays. He was scratched from Wednesday’s line-up and not pencilled in on Thursday.
The Cyclones fell to three games behind the Hudson Valley Renegades for the top slot in the McNamara division of the NY-Penn League, though they still lead the Wild Card race by a comfortable five games ahead of the State College Spikes.
The Cyclones are home again at MCU Park [1904 Surf Ave. at W. 17th Street in Coney Island, (718) 449–8497, www.brooklyncyclones.com] on Aug. 10 at 7 pm as they take on the Vermont Lake Monsters.