The Kansas City T-Bones issued a season-high 11 walks and fell behind 7-0 in the first inning on the way to a 14-4 loss to the Lincoln Saltdogs on Thursday night at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The T-Bones came into the game trailing Lincoln by three games in the Central Division standings of the American Association, but it was Lincoln that set the tone in the first inning to move back to four games ahead of Kansas City.
T-Bones starter Chris Perry walked the first four batters he faced, allowing the first run of the game to score. Tommy Mendonca hit a sacrifice fly to center to score the second run of the inning.
Rookie Nathanial Maggio then hit a three-run home run to right and it was 5-0 Lincoln. Perry got Randolph Oduber to fly to center for the second out, but then walked Joe Robbins. Brent Dean then drove Robbins in with a two-run homer and it was 7-0 Lincoln.
Kansas City did get a pair of solo home runs in the top of the second from Kyle Petty and Zane Chavez off Lincoln starter Carlos Pimentel to cut the lead to five.
Kansas City did not get any closer as Lincoln got a double from Robbins and a single from Dean to each drive in a run to increase the lead seven once again in the bottom of the third off Perry. Lincoln scored two more on RBI hits from Bradon Jacobs and Matty Johnson to make it 11-2 after three.
The T-Bones brought in rookie reliever Jackson Lowery to get the final out of the third in relief of Perry. Lowery retired all four batters he faced in his first outing with Kansas City. Lowery, who pitched in college at the University of Arkansas, spent the last two years in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
Luis Paula started the fifth for Kansas City and was able to retire one batter before being charged with three earned runs on four walks, a hit batter and a hit. Kansas City trailed 14-2 until the top of the eighth, when Kyle Petty launched his second homer of the night, a two-run shot to make the score 14-4.
Perry (3-3) was charged with the loss, while Pimentel (7-4) picked up the win. Kansas City (41-27) still leads the wild card race by one game while Lincoln (44-26) has the best record in the American Association and leads the season series 6-4 over Kansas City.
The 10-game road trip continues for Kansas City with the second game of a four game series at Lincoln on Friday night. The game is set for 6:45 and can be heard online on the T-Bones Broadcast Network with the pregame starting at 6:40.
Tickets for home games are available online, by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
– Story from T-Bones