Otto Kemp experienced more pain Wednesday night by being hit by a baseball.
But the IronPigs infielder delivered the night’s most painful moment for the Columbus Clippers. He delivered a two-out, two-strike single to score Lehigh Valley IronPigs teammate Cade Fergus with the game-winning run in the seventh inning of a 2-1 victory in front of 5,322 fans at Coca-Cola Park.
Fergus, in his Triple-A debut, singled with one out, stole second and scored two batters later on Kemp’s single to right.
Kemp took second on the throw but not before taking the throw from Columbus catcher Dom Nunez between the legs. That came a night after setting a franchise record by being hit by a pitch four times.
Mick Abel pitched seven innings for just the second time in 89 career starts to get the win. He allowed only one earned run on four hits and two walks. He struck out four and threw 52 of 82 pitches for strikes.
Roster moves
INF/OF Weston Wilson was activated from his rehab stint by the Phillies, who then designated INF/OF Kody Clemens for assignment. Clemens was 0 for 6 with a walk in seven plate appearances.
Wilson hit .158 with a double, triple and two RBIs in a combined 10 games with Clearwater and Lehigh Valley.
Fergus was promoted from Double-A Reading to Lehigh Valley, which sent catcher Colton Bender to Reading.
Fergus, 23, hit .185 in 11 games with Reading. The Phillies’ 13th-round pick in 2022 had two homers, three RBIs and 15 strikeouts in 31 plate appearances. He had two hits Wednesday for Lehigh Valley.
Bender has yet to appear in a game this season. He’s never played about high-A ball since being a 2021 10th-round pick of the Padres.
Sunday swan song
LHP Ranger Suarez (lower back) could make his fourth (and final) rehab start Sunday for Lehigh Valley in the series finale against Columbus.
Suarez pitched five scoreless innings Tuesday against the Clippers, allowing two hits and two walks with five strikeouts. He threw only 59 pitches, 40 for strikes.
The 29-year-old lefty yielded a combined one earned run on six hits and three walks with 16 strikeouts in his first three starts.
Familiar faces
Former IronPigs/Phillies Vince Velasquez and Kolby Allard will be the starting pitchers Thursday and Saturday, respectively, for Columbus against Lehigh Valley.
Velasquez has a 5.73 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in three starts this season for the Clippers. The 32-year-old right hander was with the Phillies from 2016-21, then spent 2022 with the White Sox and 2023 with the Pirates. He did not pitch last season.
Allard has a 4.86 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in four starts with Columbus. The 27-year-old lefty split time last season with the IronPigs and Phillies. He had previous stints with the Braves twice and the Rangers.
How they scored
Top 2: Micah Pries tripled to right to lead off then scored on a Mick Abel balk when he declared to pitch from either the stretch or windup then threw the first pitch to Kody Huff from the other position. Clippers 1-0.
Bottom 3: Rafael Lantigua walked to lead off, took third on Justin Crawford’s one-out double and scored on Buddy Kennedy’s groundout. Tied at 1.
Bottom 7: Cade Fergus singled with one out, stole second and scored on Otto Kemp’s two-out, two-strike single. IronPigs 2-1.
Up next
RHP Nabil Crismatt (3-1, 3.43) faces Columbus RHP Vince Velasquez (0-0, 5.73) in a 6:45 p.m. first pitch. Crismatt has allowed a combined three earned runs in his last three starts, all wins.
Morning Call senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
Source: Berkshire mont
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