Given the unseasonable high temperatures lately, the Chattanooga Lookouts were in need of a strong starting pitching performance to give some bullpen pitchers a rest. Additionally, they were overdue an offensive explosion.
They got both Sunday afternoon at AT&T Field and Chattanooga defeated Carolina 10-4 in Southern League baseball.
Will Savage (6-2) got the start for the Lookouts in the 90-plus-degree heat. He's been averaging six innings per start and Sunday went seven.
"He did a great job," Lookouts manager Carlos Subero said. "He gave us seven innings, especially when we needed it. Probably six would've been good on a day like today. Himself he wanted to go out in the seventh. He felt good."
After surrendering Cody Puckett's leadoff double in the third inning, the last of four hits the Lookouts' right-hander gave up was James Skelton's two-out single in the third. He retired the last 10 he faced.
"Going into a game, you always want to go seven or eight every time," Savage said. "After that rough first couple of innings, I knew I had to keep my pitch count down. I think my velocity was still about the same in the seventh inning."
After catcher Jessie Mier's throwing error allowed Carolina's first run to score in the second inning, Savage contributed to his own turbulent beginning. He let a popped bunt to drop in front of him with Skelton, who had singled, on the move toward second. He then picked it up and threw wildly to first, allowing Dennis Phipps, who had doubled, to score.
In addition to his regathering, Savage noted the run support he got was what allowed him to have the chance to pitch as deep into the game as he did.
"That helps anytime, but especially on a day like this," he said. "You get a break like that from the heat, plus you're scoring runs."
Chattanooga got RBIs in succession in the third inning on Scott Van Slyke's walk, Wilberto Ortiz's sacrifice fly, Elian Hererra's single and Mier's groundout making it 6-3. Hector Gimenez and Van Slyke each hit run-scoring doubles in the fourth and Hererra doubled in two in the sixth giving him four RBIs on the day.
"We've definitely got a better offense than next-to-last in the league," said Subero, whose team's 4.3 runs-per-game average is eighth among 10 Southern League teams and .253 batting average is better only than the Mudcats' average of 240. "You've got to get the hit that counts."
Aiding the offense, the Lookouts received nine walks. Only the last was intentional and five scored, including all three in third.
The victory was the Lookouts' second in their last 11 games and the offensive production was the most since scoring 12 runs 12 games ago. Chattanooga (26-31) trails first-place Tennessee (36-21) by 10 games in the North Division with 13 to play.
"The big thing is to play quality baseball," Subero said. "We want to finish strong in the first half, then get after it in the second half."
The third in the five-game series is scheduled tonight at 7:15. Carolina's Kyle McCulloch (1-2, 5.09 ERA) and Chattanooga's Allen Webster (0-1, 3.75) are the probable starters.