Hoppers fall short despite 12 hits, two homers
from Bill Hass with Bill on Baseball(Greensboro Grasshoppers) at www.gsohoppers.com
Even an old face in a new position couldn’t help the Hoppers Monday night.
Justin Twine, who played shortstop for the Hoppers last season, joined the team from extended spring training as a second baseman. He had been rehabbing an injured hamstring at the Marlins’ facility in Jupiter.
His presence in the lineup — he’ll be the everyday starter at second — wasn’t enough to help turn the Hoppers’ fortunes. Despite home runs from Stone Garrett and Angel Reyes, four hits from Anfernee Seymour and three more from Josh Naylor, the hoppers fell to Lexington 8-5.
The result dropped the Hoppers to 2-4 in this homestand and 5-12 at NewBridge Bank Park this season. They are 10-21 overall.
Twine had a rough outing. Hitting seventh, he went 0-for-4 and his flyout in the first inning left the bases loaded. In the field, he failed to take a sure out at first base on a ground ball and, instead, made an awkward toss to Seymour that was too late to get the runner. Lexington took advantage of that to score a run and take a 2-1 lead it never surrendered.
“He’s going to take his lumps under the lights for awhile,” Randel said, referring to the day games played in extended spring training. “He’s going to hit seventh until he can earn a spot in the top of the lineup.”
Twine, a second-round draft pick out of high school by the Marlins in 2014, struggled here last season, hitting .206. He did show some raw talent with 20 doubles, three triples, seven homers and 39 RBIs in 117 games. He has never played second base before.
“It’s different,” said Randel, who was an infielder himself. “It’s not as aggressive a position as shortstop. This is his first time over there and he had limited work in the spring. It’s not going to be easy coming back, but he gives us another athlete in the lineup.”
The Hoppers did not get good pitching this time out. Starter Chuck Weaver surrendered seven hits and four runs in five innings. L.J. Brewster was tagged for three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh as Lexington padded its lead to 8-2. Ben Meyer pitched two scoreless innings to finish.
The offense pounded out 12 hits, one of its best outputs of the season. Seymour had four, but nullified one by getting caught stealing. Naylor added three hits and scored twice.
Garrett hit a home run off the batters eye screen, some 410 feet, in the fifth inning. It was his third of the season. Reyes cracked his first, a two-run shot to left-center, in the seventh inning.
“That was impressive,” Randel said pf Garrett’s homer. “It was loud off the bat and he put a great swing on it. Reyes’ homer was a blast and went off the Wrangler sign, so he gets a pair of jeans.”
NOTES: Glenn Hubbard, who played second base for 10 years for the Atlanta Braves and was their third base coach for awhile, is the bench coach for Lexington and also coaches first base … The teams wrap up the series with a 10:45 a.m. schoolkids game Tuesday. Jordan Holloway will be the Hoppers’ starter.