Jake Holton and Chris Meyers power Erie while Gabriel Reyes dominates in Flying Tigers victory

Scores, news, and notes from the Detroit Tigers farm system for Sunday, June 8, 2025.

Toledo Mud Hens 11, Columbus Clippers 9 (box )

The Hens salvaged a four games to two loss in this series with a good win on Sunday. Wilkel Hernandez had a pretty rough go of it in this one but he got plenty of run support.

The game started with Gage Workman reaching on an error. With one out, Justyn-Henry Malloy walked and Jace Jung doubled in Workman. A Brian Serven single scored Malloy and Jung then scored on a passed ball. Another wild offering from Clippers’ starter Vince Velasquez scored Serven and it was 4-0 Hens.

Unfortunately Hernandez couldn’t find the strike zone for parts of his outing and three walks issued in the third led to a four-run inning for Columbus to tie the game and knock Hernandez out of it in favor of lefty PJ Poulin.

Gage Workman blasted a three-run shot in the top of the fourth to recapture the lead, but Poulin allowed two in the bottom half. So it was 7-6 entering the sixth when Andy Ibáñez doubled in Manuel Margot. Workman was thrown out at home to end the inning, but it was 8-6 and the Hens had more in the tank.

Two walks and Jung getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh. A soft serve single from Riley Unroe scored two to make it 10-6.

Dylan Smith allowed a run in the seventh, and two more scored in a long eighth inning for Drew Sommers that was saved only by an inning ending relay from Malloy in right field to Jung and home to cut down Chase DeLauter trying to score the game tying run. Ryan Kreidler doubled and scored on an Andrew Navigato single in the top of the ninth to open some breathing room for Ricky Vanasco, who picked up his first save of the season.

Workman: 3-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR, BB, K

Margot: 1-3, 3 R, 2 BB, K

Hernandez: 2.2 IP, 4 ER, H, 4 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: The 35-28 Hens remain eight games back of the league leading Lehigh Valley IronPigs, but only three back in their division. They’ll welcome in the struggling Omaha Storm Chasers on Tuesday night.

Richmond Flying Squirrels 11, Erie SeaWolves 9 (box )

The SeaWolves lost on Sunday but won the series four games to two over Richmond.

Garrett Burhenn had a rough go in this one as he allowed five runs and was knocked out of the game in a long third inning.

In the second, a leadoff single for Eduardo Valencia was followed by doubles from Jake Holton and Chris Meyers to put two on the board. Meyers came back for more in the third, doubling in Thayron Liranzo and Valencia. So it was 5-4 Squirrels after three innings.

Yosber Sanchez quieted the Squirrels for four outs, but Ryan Boyer allowed a run in the top of the fifth. Liranzo led off the bottom half with a walk and rode home on Jake Holton’s 10th homer of the season, tying the game at 6-6.

The two clubs traded runs in the sixth, but Matt Merrill allowed a pair of runs in the seventh, and RJ Petit a pair in the top of the ninth as Richmond pulled away. Holton added another two-run shot with Liranzo on board in the bottom of the ninth, but the comeback attempt died there.

Holton: 3-5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B, 2 HR, K

Meyers: 2-5, 4 RBI, 2 2B, K

Liranzo: 1-2, 3 R, 3 BB

Jarvis: 3-4, CS

Burhenn: 2.2 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves take their division leading 38-19 record to Altoona to try and straighten out the Curve this week.

Lake County Captains 6, West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (box )

Joe Miller was knocked around on Sunday, and the Whitecaps took a rare series loss to the Captains by a four games to two margin.

Miller wasn’t exactly rocked, but he leaked three runs in the first two innings and then gave up a fourth before departing in the fifth inning.

The Whitecaps got an RBI single from Seth Stephenson in the second inning, and then Peyton Graham doubled in Izaac Pacheco in the fourth before scoring on a Stephenson double to tie the game at 3-3.

A leadoff triple and then an RBI single spelled the end of Miller’s day in the fifth. Joe Adametz finished the inning and Tyler Mattison took over with two outs in the sixth, getting a strikeout to finish the inning. Unfortunately Mattison’s command is still on the comeback trail and he allowed a solo shot and another run later in the seventh.

The Whitecaps loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth when Pacheco led off with a walk, John Peck hit a ground rule double, and Austin Murr was hit by a pitch. Peyton Graham bounced one back to the pitcher, who cut down Pacheco at home. Seth Stephenson was hit by a pitch to force in a run and make it 6-4 Captains, but Luke Gold and Bennett Lee both popped out to spoil their last chance at a rally.

Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle went 0-for-10 in this one with a strikeout apiece on a rare rough day at the plate for the dynamic duo.

Stephenson: 2-3, 3 RBI, 2 2B

Graham: 1-3, R, RBI, 2B, BB

Peck: 2-4, R, 2B, K

Miller (L, 3-2): 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The 38-19 Whitecaps hold a commanding five game lead in the first half divisional race over Lansing, but that will be tested this week as they travel to face the Lugnuts. A good series should all but lock up a playoff berth with 15 games left.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 9, Daytona Tortugas 1 (box )

The Flying Tigers got a very good outing from lefty Gabriel Reyes, and they hit three home runs to split to this series against Daytona.

After a breakout season in 2024, Reyes came to camp apparently dealing with some nagging injuries. The Detroit Tigers held him back a little bit early on and since getting back out there he’s been good for the Flying Tigers but hasn’t really taken a step forward in terms of velocity or development of his changeup, two key goals for him to get through A-ball into the upper minors. He was very good on Sunday, scattering a pair of hits and a pair of walks over five scoreless innings of work, but he still looks pretty unchanged from the version we saw late last season.

The Flying Tigers got on the board when Cristian Santana cranked a homer with Carson Rucker aboard in the second inning. In the third they loaded the bases with one out after Woody Hadeen and Jackson Strong walked with a Samuel Gil single sandwiched between them. Garrett Pennington grounded into a double play, but he’d redeem himself later on

In the fifth, Gil and Strong walked and advanced 90 feet on a passed ball. Pennington lifted a sacrifice fly to score Gil and it was 3-0.

Thomas Bruss took over in the sixth and promptly walked the leadoff hitter but Ricardo Hurtado cut him down trying to steal second. A second walk followed as Bruss just cannot get his control sorted with any consistency. A generous strike three call and then a fly out got him out of the inning and he continues to be effective but not yet consistent enough to start advancing up the levels. His high 90’s fastball and good changeup may yet become a factor for the Tigers eventually, but Bruss really needs to get moving this summer.

The Tortugas wouldn’t really get another chance to get back in the game. A six-run sixth inning followed with an RBI double from Jose De La Cruz, a two-run inside-the-park homer for Woody Hadeen, and a standard edition two-run shot from Pennington landing the big blows.

The bullpen closed it out without much difficulty.

Gil: 2-3, 2 R, 2 BB

Hadeen: 1-4, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, K

Rucker: 2-2, R, SB

Reyes (W, 1-1): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers 33-23 record continues to hold up with about two and a half weeks left in the first half. They have a two-game lead over second place Tampa, the Yankees affiliate, entering a six-game road set against the Palm Beach Cardinals this week.