Wingnuts drop series finale to Gary 9-1

While the Wingnuts held their breath at uncertainty within their pitching staff, Tim Brown was supposed to provide the exhale.

Brown has been arguably Wichita’s most consistent pitcher during his two-plus seasons, but his 2016 has matched the Wingnuts’ with unpredictable swings to both extremes.

Brown and the Wingnuts met the wrong end on Sunday, falling 9-1 to Gary SouthShore on Sunday at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Brown allowed eight runs and 13 hits in five innings, though he helped spare a taxed bullpen.

“I just think it lets everybody know that he’s human,” Wingnuts manager Pete Rose Jr. said. “He’s allowed to have a bad day, just like everybody else is.”

Brown has allowed two earned runs in each of his two best starts this season. In his other two, including Sunday’s, he has surrendered 13 runs and 25 hits in 12 combined innings.

Those starts aren’t complete anomalies for Brown, whose high hits-allowed totals can be conducive for rough outings. But in his each of first two seasons with the Wingnuts, he has made 20 starts with 10 wins and had a combined 3.21 ERA.

On Sunday, Gary never looked uncomfortable against Brown. He allowed hits to three of the first five batters, including a two-run home run by Jesse Sermo as part of a three-run first inning.

Brown allowed at least three hits in three of five innings and two in another. Even many of Gary outs were recorded on hard-hit balls.

“He’ll be back in four days and I’m sure we’ll get back to seeing the guy we’re used to seeing,” Rose said.

Anthony Capra left Saturday’s start with an injured hamstring, forcing the Wingnuts to use their bullpen for 8 1/3 innings. Capra went on the inactive list on Sunday and is expected to miss at least three weeks, and the Wingnuts need a replacement.

The Wingnuts (6-11) have a 5.98 ERA, effectively nullifying a lineup that includes six .300 hitters. Some of the blame can be placed on relievers Carson Goldsmith and Richard Ruff, since released, but every active Wingnuts pitcher with at least 15 innings has an ERA no better than 4.88.

That group includes four starters, including Jon Link and Eddie Medina.

“We’ve got to get better, obviously,” Rose said. “We need to fill some spots. You lose (Capra), that’s a big part not only on the field, but off the field. He’s one of the clubhouse leaders, so it’s a big loss for it. With the guys that we have, we’ll get to work and get someone in here to help us out.”

The Wingnuts haven’t defeated the same opponent in consecutive games and have lost five of six series, splitting the other. They’ve lost six games by at least five runs but won by 14-4, 14-5 and 6-1 margins.

“It’s just a matter of putting a complete game together,” Rose said. “Usually when we’ll pitch we won’t hit and usually when we’ll hit we won’t pitch. Once we just put a solid game together where we hit, we pitch, we play defense, I think our consistency will start to show in the win column.”

This story was originally published June 5, 2016 at 6:45 PM with the headline "Wingnuts drop series finale to Gary 9-1."