The Lamigo Monkeys continued their red-hot form and kept a firm grip on first in the standings after another quality start from US pitcher Zeke Spruill in their defeat of the Brothers Baseball Club 6-4 at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium yesterday.
Spruill, a former Arizona Diamondbacks player, held off the Brothers and gave the Monkeys a 6-3 lead when he was taken out in the seventh inning.
After surrendering a run in the opening frame, Spruill threw five scoreless innings before getting into trouble in the seventh, but had done enough to chalk up his third win of the season.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
New to the Lamigo club this year, the right-hander has found his groove to become a reliable force in the starting rotation.
He has started five games so far this season and is 3-0 with a superb ERA of 1.72.
Spruill finished his outing with three runs on five hits, issuing three walks through 6-2/3 innings.
Lamigo’s hitters lit up the game when the score was 2-1, scoring four runs in a fourth-inning rally highlighted by a three-run homer by second baseman Kuo Yen-wen.
The Brothers got three late runs, included a solo homer by veteran Peng Cheng-min.
In the other contest yesterday — after rain washed out the afternoon game between Lamigo and the Brothers, which itself was to be a catch-up game — Mike Loree of the US tossed a gem to help the Fubon Guardians end a four-game losing skid with a 7-0 shutout of the Uni-President Lions in Tainan.
It was an important victory for the Guardians, who have been in a slump all season, not winning any on the road until last night.
Loree, who was previously with the EDA Rhinos and the Lamigo Monkeys, had 10 strikeouts, while scattering three hits through seven scoreless innings to pick up his first win of the season.
Fubon batters scored seven runs on nine hits, while the Lions could not muster a run against Loree and two relievers.
Despite the loss, the Lions still hold second place, while the Brothers and Guardians are well off the pace, seven and eight games behind respectively.
On Friday, the Lions had a dramatic comeback win, scoring two runs in the last at-bat to defeat the Guardians at the Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium.
The Guardians had a five-run lead going into the seventh inning.
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