The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, shut out theGwinnett Braves for the second straight night with a 7-0 victory on Sunday at Coolray Field. Starter Jeff Mandel became the second straight Syracuse starter to toss a complete-game shutout, following John Lannan's Saturday-night performance with a 102-pitch masterpiece.
Syracuse (65-71)blasted Braves starter Yohan Flande in the fateful third inning, collectingfive straight hits to score the frame's four runs. With one out, Josh Johnson started the rallywith a single to center field before Chris Marrero singled him to secondbase. Third baseman Carlos Rivero thendrilled the seventh pitch of his at-bat into left field for another single. As Johnson scored, Marrero headed to thirdbase, and third baseman Terry Tiffee couldn't scoop the throw there from leftfielder Josh Kroeger. The missed catch error on Tiffee allowed Marrero to score and Rivero, who had ran to second baseon the throw, to advance to third. Leftfielder Jesus Valdez followed with an RBI single to center field, scoringRivero for a 3-0 lead. Catcher SandyLeon would then deliver the inning's final blow with a double down theleft-field line, giving Syracuse a 4-0 advantage. Two batters later, Flande was removed, after two and two-thirds innings of six-hit, four-run ball.
The Chiefs added some insurance runs in the late innings. In the seventh, Johnson singled to lead off the frame against left-handerRyan Buchter before stealing second base. Two batters later, Rivero singled to center field to knock him home, extendingthe Syracuse lead to five runs.
Syracusethen plated a pair of additional runs in the eighth inning. With two runners aboard and one out, centerfielder Eury Perez laced a triple up the gap in left-center field, scoringBrett Carroll and Mandel for a 7-0 lead. The three-base-hit was Perez' first Triple-A triple.
That runsupport was more than enough for Mandel, who faced minimal trouble in a sensational performance. Gwinnett (61-75) had noanswer for the right-hander, who held the Braves to six hits in his nine innings,striking out four without a single walk. Mandel induced three double plays and faced just two batters over theminimum in the game.
Mandel's complete-game shutout was the third for a Syracuse starter since August 11,when Zach Duke aced the Lehigh Valley IronPigs while allowing just threehits. Lannan, who tossed on Saturdaynight, also surrendered just three hits in his performance. The Chiefs had previously had no completegame-shutouts by an individual pitcher since Garrett Mock on June 22, 2009, beforethis month.
Syracuse stayson the road next to face the Charlotte Knights in a four-game series beginningon Monday night at 7:15. Chiefsright-hander Tanner Roark is scheduled to start against Knights right-handerDylan Axelrod.
