Jumbo Shrimp strand 15 on base in 9-1 defeat
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp tallied 13 hits Friday but went just 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position, leaving 15 runners aboard in a 9-1 loss to Durham in front of a reduced capacity sellout crowd of 3,454 at 121 Financial Ballpark.
Jacksonville (13-9) has now lost five in a row, with the club being outscored 40-9 over that stretch. Durham (16-6) belted two more home runs on their way to their seventh consecutive win.
Elieser Hernández (loss, 0-1) retired the first seven men he faced, but ran into an onslaught from the Durham offense in the third. With one out, Tristan Gray singled against the shift, and Joseph Odom followed by reaching on an error. Ryan Boldt doubled into the left field corner to plate both runners and open the scoring.
One batter later, Wander Franco blasted a two-run homer to left to make it 4-0. Josh Lowe and Kevin Padlo followed with back-to-back singles through the right side, and Esteban Quiroz cashed in with a three-run homer to right field to make it 7-0 Durham.
Hernández would bounce back to strike out the final two hitters of the frame before fanning the side in the fourth to notch five consecutive strikeouts. He threw 79 pitches over 4.2 innings.
Durham extended their lead in the late innings. Franco led off the seventh with a double to left-center, and with two outs scored on a Wyatt Mathisen single up the middle to make it 8-0.
Jacksonville responded in the home half of the inning. Lewin Díaz laced a double to the left-center alleyway, and after moving to third on a groundout, scored on a Deven Marrero sacrifice fly to center to make it 8-1. The run for the Jumbo Shrimp snapped a 30-inning scoreless streak.
The Bulls added on one final time in the eighth. Gray and Odom hit back-to-back singles to center to start the frame. Franco collected the RBI on a fielder’s choice groundout to score Gray.
Game five of the six-game series gets underway Saturday at 6:35 p.m., as the Jumbo Shrimp send left-hander Braxton Garrett (2-0, 3.68) to the mound to face off with Durham righty David Hess (2-0, 2.45).
Gates open at 121 Financial Ballpark beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive an LED lantern giveaway, presented by 121 Financial Credit Union and Darley’s Plumbing. Be sure to stick around after the game for Saturday Night Fireworks presented by 121 Financial Credit Union & Darley’s Plumbing.
The broadcast will begin at 6:20 p.m. on ESPN 690 and online at espn690.com, MiLB.tv, and the MiLB First Pitch app.
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at 121 Financial Ballpark. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League’s Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by general manager Harold Craw. The club added its second Promotional Trophy in three years following the 2019 season. The 2021 season marks the return of Triple-A baseball in Jacksonville. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.
