Lansing - A six-run barrage in the top of the fourth was more than enough cushion for Dayton, as the Dragons downed the Lansing Lugnuts 6-0 at Oldsmobile Park on Thursday evening.
Dayton starting pitcher Brad Salmon (1-1) went eight scoreless innings in picking up the win, giving up just two hits while striking out five and walking none.
Lansing manager Julio Garcia said there’s no question Salmon was the difference.
“He really didn’t give us many good pitches to hit,” Garcia said. “He kept the ball down a lot and kept us off stride.”
The Lugnuts (5-3) had been lighting up opposing pitchers, scoring 25 runs in a four-game series with West Michigan earlier in the week.
Lansing center fielder Mike Mallory said Salmon had a little luck to go along with his excellent pitching.
“We were chasing a lot of pitches and not getting the barrel of the bat on the ball,” he said. “And when we did hit the ball well, it was right at someone.
“There was nothing we could do about it.”
Mallory got the Lugnuts’ first hit - a two-out triple to right field in the second inning. The other Lugnut hit came in the seventh when right fielder J.J. Johnson singled up the middle.
The Lansing pitching wasn’t quite as spectacular, but solid, allowing no runs and four hits in every inning except the crippling fourth.
Lansing starting pitcher Sergio Mitre (1-1) picked up the loss while pitching three and one-third innings and yielding six earned runs on eight hits.
All the Dragon runs came in the fourth inning, as Dayton (2-6) connected for three consecutive doubles that drove in four of the six Dayton runs in the inning.
Garcia said he was proud to see his team continue to fight after going down six runs.
“We couldn’t muster anything to get us back into the game,” he said. “But after that one bad inning, we started playing well again.”
The two teams meet again tonight at 6:05 for the second game of a four-game set. Left-hander Felix Sanchez (0-0, 10.13 ERA) gets the start for Lansing, and righty Steve Kelly (0-0, 5.40) takes the hill for Dayton.
Garcia said he’s confident the team will be able to put the loss behind it.
“It’s just one of those days, and we’ll have to see what happens tomorrow,” he said.
