Clippers fall to Durham in rain shortened game
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August 7, 2012
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DURHAM - Poor weather caused the game between Columbus and Durham to get called early, but the Clippers weren’t playing well enough to win or mount a comeback anyway.
Columbus fell to the Durham Bulls, 4-1, in North Carolina in a shortened seven-inning contest that had three rain delays. The Clippers struggled at the plate, chalking up only four hits against Bulls’ starter Lance Pendleton and reliever Adam Liberatore. Durham had the success it needed against Columbus right-hander Matt Packer, who made his first start of the season with Columbus after spending time in Double-A and Single-A.
On the mound, Packer had trouble getting into a groove. The left-hander allowed four runs in 5.2 innings of work while giving up eight hits. Packer struck out five and walked three in his first-career start at the Triple-A level. He had made a combined eight starts this season with other Indians’ affiliates.
While the Clippers struggled for most of the game against Pendelton, they had success early. Columbus plated a run in the top of the first inning to take the lead. Second baseman Cord Phelps homered for the 13th time this season with one out in the first. No other Clipper had an extra-base hit in the game.
From then on, Columbus did not get anything going at the plate. Only center fielder Tim Fedroff, first baseman Lars Anderson and third baseman Jared Goedert had hits after Phelps’ homer in the first. Along with the Clippers’ four hits, the club had four walks.
Durham had its main success against Packer in the game’s middle innings. The Bulls plated three-combined runs in the fourth and fifth inning after tying the game in the bottom of the second frame. Durham took the lead in the fourth on a two-run homer by first baseman Brooks Conrad.
For Columbus, it was the club’s third loss in five games.
The Clippers will take on the Bulls in game two of the series at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday.
Andrew Holleran is a third-year journalism student at The Ohio State University. You can follow him on Twitter @andrewjholleran or reach him via e-mail at holleran.9@buckeyemail.osu.edu.
