Bradenton Marauders | Jupiter touches up Gonzalez in 8-3 win

BRADENTON -- By the final days of almost every minor-league season, pitch counts and innings limits become an issue for most young teams.

At a Single-A Advanced, 22- or 23-year-olds, which most of the Marauders' starting pitchers are, aren't expected to log more than 130 innings or so.

A month and a half ago, Michael Ryan decided he'd combat this challenge by expanding his starting rotation to six men. At the time, Clay Holmes, Cody Dickson, Frank Duncan, Tyler Eppler, Luis Heredia and Jayson Aquino gave Bradenton six solid options.

After four turns, though, Aquino was designated for assignment. The past three times through the order, the Marauders have handed the ball to Felipe Gonzalez, the starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter-again.

His first two starts back in the rotation were impressive. First, he surrendered one run on five hits in five innings against the Blue Jays. Next, he went five innings with one run again and only four hits. In the third, he only lasted an inning and a third. The Hammerheads teed off on Gonzalez for five runs before the top of the second was done and finished off a series victory in front of 1,115 at McKechnie Field with an 8-3 win against the Marauders on Thursday.

With fewer than two outs this season, Gonzalez (5-5) has been as strong as any other member of the Bradenton (56-53, 24-15) pitching staff. With no outs, oppo

nents bat under .220 against Gonzalez and his ERA is 1.65. With one, his ERA hovers at a still-solid 2.70. Once he gets two, though, he runs into trouble.

"I've been struggling with finishing batters because of my breaking balls," Gonzalez said. "If I get better with my breaking balls I can finish off batters."

With a runner on first, the pitcher issued a two-out walk to second baseman Avery Romero and served up a double to third baseman Brian Anderson. Shortstop Justin Bohn and Romero dashed home to put Jupiter (51-60, 16-25) ahead 2-0.

He nearly escaped another jam in the second, too, before unraveling with two outs. After giving up a bunt single to James Roberts and hitting catcher Rodrigo Vigil with a pitch, Gonzalez got a force out at second and struck out outfielder Yefri Perez. The next three batters all reached base -- Bohn singled, outfielder Austin Dean walked and Romero singled -- and Gonzalez's day was finished. His ERA with two outs now stands at 6.84.

"He's getting beat on his second- and third-best pitch," manager Michael Ryan said. "He goes to it too often and too early in the count. If you keep doing that to hitter after hitter they're going to start seeing it a little better."

The loss drops Bradenton three games behind the Cardinals in the Florida State League South second-half standings after Palm Beach rallied to beat the Stone Crabs 4-3 on Thursday.

For the second time in three days, the Pirate affiliate sputtered on offense until the game was out of reach -- Bradenton's only inning of offensive production was the seventh, when it was already down 7-0.

Jose Adames was masterful for the Hammerheads, scattering two hits across six innings while allowing one run and striking out four. The starting pitcher walked Junior Sosa to lead off both the first and second inning, and each time he escaped without much trouble. Sosa was the only Marauder to reach scoring position against until Adames (4-3) departed, going to second on a hit by pitch in the first and swiping the bag in the third. No one made it to third against the 22-year-old righthander.

"The opposite of what we did tonight," Ryan said. "We had a couple situations where we could've scored runs with two outs and we didn't. That was the difference."

When Adames left with one out and a runner on first in the seventh, relief pitcher Esmerling De La Rosa gave up Bradenton's only runs on four consecutive singles by utility infielder Chris Diaz, Sosa, and outfielders Austin Meadows and Harold Ramirez.

Sosa, who started in Justin Maffei's spot in left field and atop the order for the second straight game, collected two hits and scored a run for the second straight night. He also walked twice and drove in a run Thursday.

"We're gonna try to spread out some days off for some guys here down the stretch," Ryan said. "Junior's had some really good at-bats, so we want to try to keep that going and get him in there."

This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton Marauders | Jupiter touches up Gonzalez in 8-3 win ."