Elite Pitching, Power Lift Majors to Shutout Win Over Baycats
Written by: Evan Frederiksen / Photos By Matt Hiscox and Mason Dawdy
Momentum is one of the hardest things to build during a long baseball season, but once a club finds it, it can become very difficult to stop. The London Majors arrived in Barrie riding a three-game winning streak, knowing every victory carries a little more importance with the calendar now into early August. Against a Baycats club chasing the same playoff aspirations, London continued its strong stretch of baseball, combining a dominant pitching performance with a powerful offensive attack to earn an 8-0 victory over the Barrie Baycats Wednesday night at Athletic Kulture Stadium.
Both teams entered Wednesday's affair with exceptional offensive numbers:
But when a team like the Majors has four players who are among the top ten in home runs and who have an OPS over 1.000, you know you're flirting with fire, and the London offence continued to write their own story.
The first inning of baseball games continues to be the Majors’ best friend, as they got on the board three batters in. Cristian Inoa, who entered the matchup batting .367 against right-handed pitching, blasted his 12th home run of the season to left field, putting the Majors out in front 2-0.
The Baycats handed the ball to 34-year-old Juan Benitez, but the right-hander struggled through three innings of work, allowing five earned runs on six hits without recording a strikeout. Wednesday's outing marked the third time this season Benitez has surrendered five or more earned runs in a start.
Cesilio Pimentel got the nod for the Majors, and the left-hander had one of his best starts as a Major, pitching five impressive scoreless frames and earning his fifth win of the season.
Cesilio Pimentel’s Final Line Against Barrie:
(Photo By Matt Hiscox)
The Baycats struggled to solve Pimentel's fastball, changeup and slider all night. The left-hander consistently commanded all three pitches, mixing them effectively and keeping Barrie's hitters off balance from start to finish. It's the kind of three-pitch arsenal few pitchers possess, and Wednesday's outing was another example of why. Pimentel also raised his ERA+ to 130.
The Majors continued their steady offensive attack in the top of the third inning as Cristian Inoa blasted another two-run home run, his 13th of the season, extending London's lead to 4-0. The 27-year-old continues to swing one of the hottest bats in the CBL, ranking in the 91st percentile in on-base percentage (OBP), the 97th percentile in slugging percentage (SLG) and the 97th percentile in OPS.
Eduardo De Oleo also added an RBI single in the third inning as the fan favourite continued his hot stretch at the plate. Entering Wednesday's matchup, De Oleo was 10-for-35 (.286) over his last 10 games, helping London build a 5-0 lead after three innings. The Baycats' pitching staff continued to struggle against the top half of the Majors' lineup, as Saul Vasquez, who came on in relief of Juan Benitez in the fourth, surrendered a solo home run to Maikol Escotto. It was Escotto's 11th home run of the season, extending London's lead to 6-0.
(Photo By Mason Dawdy)
The Majors' bullpen continued to dominate throughout the late innings, as Caleb Cassie, Kade Douglas and Dustin Davidson combined to keep the Baycats off the scoreboard. The trio each pitched a scoreless inning in relief while striking out three.
London continued to add more insurance late, tacking on two more runs in the eighth and ninth innings to put the game out of reach. Maikol Escotto extended the Majors' lead in the top of the eighth with a sacrifice fly, before Jordan Lewis showcased his elite speed in the ninth inning with an RBI triple, pushing London's advantage to 8-0.
Skylar Janisse was then called upon for the bottom of the ninth, and even though it wasn't a save situation, the league leader in saves displayed his nasty stuff against the Baycats lineup, striking out the side and securing an impressive 8-0 victory.
Majors Key Performers:
Cristian Inoa: Displayed a 2-for-4 night, driving in 4, hitting home runs number 12 @ 13. Inoa is now also second in the CBL home runs, along with being among the top in OBP, SLG and OPS.
Cesilio Pimentel: Pimentel displayed one of his best starts of the season, pitching 5 scoreless innings against one of the top offences in the CBL. Earned his fifth win of the season and improved his MAPLE to 1.5.
Maikol Escotto: Went 2-for-4, drove in 2, hit his 11th homer of the season. Escotto continues to lead the CBL in hits with 64 and is now tied for 4th in the CBL in home runs.
With the win, the Majors are now 5-0 against the Barrie Baycats this season.
London Majors vs Barrie Baycats: (Head-to-Head this season)
| Date: | Season series: | W/L |
| May 15th | Majors def. Baycats 4-2 | W |
| June 20th | Majors def. Baycats 13-4 | W |
| July 1st | Majors def. Baycats 5-4 | W |
| July 24th | Majors def. Baycats 8-4 | W |
| August 5th | Majors def. Baycats 8-0 | W |
Team W-L GB STRK
The Majors will bring their four-game winning streak into their next contest Friday, August 7th, when the Welland Jackfish visit Labatt Memorial Park. First pitch is set for 7:05.