Blue Jays: Gage Stanifer surrenders one earned run in most recent start

Gage Stanifer made his eighth Double-A start for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, striking out four batters, walking one, and allowing three runs with one earned over 4.2 innings. He was most effective in the first two innings, recording multiple strikeouts and ending innings with ground outs and strikeouts. Two unearned runs scored in the third inning after a defensive error kept the inning alive, followed by a home run that put Hartford ahead. He retired three batters in the fourth. In the fifth, he recorded two outs before issuing a walk, and a double later allowed the runner to score. His walk total was low, but his strikeouts were among the lower totals for the season, and his swing-and-miss production declined after the second inning.

"The Toronto Blue Jays' prospect made his eighth start of the season for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Thursday evening, striking out four, walking a batter, and allowing three runs, one earned, over four and two-thirds innings of work. Stanifer's best innings came in the early goings of this game. In the top of the first, he generated two whiffs on the first batter he faced, freezing him on a pitch at the bottom of the strike zone."

"Both unearned runs that Stanifer gave up in this game came in the top of the third. He generated back-to-back ground ball outs, and looked as if he got a third, but Arjun Nimmala committed and error to keep the inning alive. The next batter, Bryant Betancourt, hit his third home run of the series to put the Hartford Yard Goats up 2-1."

"In his final inning, he got the first two outs, but walked the final batter he faced on a pitch that looked to catch the outside part of the plate. That runner came in to score after Kai Peterson surrendered a double. Overall, it wasn't a bad start for Stanifer. The one walk issued is the second-fewest he's allowed in a start this season."

"However, his four strikeouts are tied for the second-fewest of the season. His stuff wasn't as sharp in the third and fourth innings either. Through two, Stanifer generated seven swings and misses on 16 total swings. Then in the third and fourth, Stanifer generated just one whiff on 15 total swings."

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