Tampa’s Bullpen falters Late; Clearwater wins 6-3

April 20, 2023 – Florida State League (FSL) – Tampa Tarpons News Release

Tampa Tarpons’ Kenlly Montas in action
(Tampa Tarpons)

TAMPA, Fla. – That was a tough one. The Tampa Tarpons’ (5-7) made things interesting Thursday night, but their bullpen imploded late against the Clearwater Threshers (7-5) to void their rally at GMS Field. RHP Leonardo Pestana (5.0IP, 7H, 3ER, 4K) made his second start of the season and gave the Tarpons five quality innings. Tampa rallied to tie the game in the seventh, but RHP Geoff Gilbert (1-1) surrendered the go-ahead run, and Clearwater did not look back.

The Tarpons started the night off on the wrong foot, as Pestana drilled Emaarion Boyd with his second pitch of the game. On the very next pitch, he took off and swiped his ninth base of the season. A productive groundout off the bat of Gabriel Rincones Jr. moved him 90 feet to third base. Pestana then lost control, throwing a wild pitch over the catcher’s head to bring in the first run of the game.

Cole Moore smoked a leadoff double in the second inning – a screamer into the right-center field gap to put Clearwater in striking distance again. Pestana unleashed his second wild pitch of the night, advancing Moore to third. Just when it looked like Pestana was going to pull a Houdini act to get out of the jam, Freylin Minyety grounded one past the diving 3B Roberto Chirinos to plate Cleawater’s second run of the night.

DH Omar Martinez picked up a leadoff single to start the home half of the second. Following a fielder’s choice, 1B Ronny Rojas squeaked a single past a diving Erick Brito to put runners on the corners. With the Tarpons looking to answer, Chirinos dunked a single into no man’s land in center field to put Tampa on the board.

CF Daury Arias started the third inning with a leadoff walk and advanced to second base on a groundout by RF Anthony Hall. With two away, Arias stole third base and tried advancing when the ball got away from Minyety. As the ball trickled into left field, Rincones Jr. fired a strike to home plate to hold the lead for Clearwater.

A two-out rally in the fourth opened the door for Clearwater’s third run of the night. Cade Fergus singled to left field and stole second base to bring up Minyety. He hugged a grounder down the left-field line to pick up his second RBI of the night, extending the lead to two.

The lone bright spot in the Tampa bullpen was RHP Luis Velasquez. In his two innings of work, he notched two strikeouts without allowing any…