Chase Dollander sizzles over three innings, Spokane Indians wilt in extra innings
Chase Dollander is not only one of the Colorado Rockies top prospects, but he’s been invited to participate in the 25th annual MLB Future’s Game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
His last tune-up before the national exposure was short, but sweet.
Every out Dollander recorded over three innings on Tuesday came via strikeout, but with a rising pitch count and temperatures in the upper-90s, he wasn’t asked to come back out for the fourth inning.
Dollander was long out of the game by the time it was decided in extras.
Josh Hood and Caleb Cali hit back-to-back run scoring doubles as part of a three-run 10th and the Everett AquaSox outlasted the Spokane Indians 6-3 in the opener of a six-game High-A Northwest League series at Avista Stadium.
With automatic runner Lazaro Montes at second to start the 10th, Hood crushed a double off the base of the wall in right center off reliever Luis Amoroso to make it 4-3. Cali hit one to the same spot with the same result for a two-run lead, then Hunter Fitz-Gerald singled to put Everett up 6-3.
The Indians had runners at second and third with two down in the bottom half, but Juan Guerrero waved at a breaking ball for strike three.
Before the antics of extra innings, Dollander sizzled in the summer heatwave.
The 22-year-old righty struck out the side – with a walk mixed in – in the first inning, including two of the Seattle Mariners top prospects, infielder Michael Arroyo and outfielder Lazaro Montes. He had the same results in the second.
Everett got to Dollander in the third, after two were down, as the starter labored in the excessive heat and high pitch count.
RJ Schreck hit a soft liner to center for a single, then Dollander hit Jared Sundstrom. Dollander got Montes into a 3-2 count, but Montes hit a hard liner to center and Schreck scored without a throw.
Dollander came back to strike out Hood with a 100-mph fastball on his last pitch of the game. He needed 71 pitches to get through three innings and allowed one run on two hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.
With the Spokane offense sleepy in the heat early in the game, it stayed 1-0 until the sixth. With two down, Cali singled and scored on a double by Bill Knight – which just eluded EJ Andrews’ sliding attempt in right. Fitz-Gerald followed with a line-drive single to plate Knight to make it 3-0.
The Indians finally got on the board in the seventh. Guerrero led off with a single off the glove of Cali at third, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Jack Blomgren’s stand-up double. Jose Cordova missed a home run in the right field corner by a couple of feet, but it went as an RBI double off the wall to make it 3-2.
Andrews followed with a single to left and Cordova beat the throw to tie it.
The AquaSox put a runner at second with two down in the eighth and No. 9 hitter Freuddy Batista, hitting .196 this season, at bat. Manager Robinson Cancel came out for a pep talk for reliever Brayan Castillo, and the 23-year-old responded with a three-pitch strikeout to keep it tied.
Kyle Karros led off the eighth with a walk and beat the throw to second on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Jake Snider. But Guerrero struck out after failing to get a bunt down, Bryant Betancourt popped up to the pitcher’s mound and Blomgren struck out on three pitches to end the budding rally.
In the top of the ninth, Everett manager Sergio Plasencia was ejected after arguing a called strike three to RJ Schreck, one pitch after Schreck hit a foul ball down the right field line which he and Plasencia both argued was fair. As Plasencia was being ejected by the home plate umpire, Schreck was tossed by the base ump from the dugout.
The series continues Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. The daytime high is expected to be 103 degrees.