The Chattanooga Lookouts’ late-spring swoon continued Tuesday night as the surging Tennessee Smokies scored the game’s first seven runs and cruised to a 9-3 win.
Tennessee (29-23) closed to within a game of Chattanooga (29-21) in the Southern League’s North Division and could tie the Lookouts with a win in today’s 11:15 a.m. AT&T Field finale. The series will continue for three games at Knoxville, part of a 12-game road trip as the Lookouts leave town in time for the Riverbend Festival.
Chattanooga, which was outhit 14-7 Tuesday, has lost five of its last six games after leading the division by as many as five games. Starting pitcher Alex Wimmers (2-1) had his earned run average climb above 6 after allowing seven earned runs and giving up 10 hits in just four innings.
On the other side, the league’s ERA leader, Frank Batista, improved to 6-1 with 5 2/3 innings in which he allowed two earned runs. The Lookouts’ lone bright spot was a two-homer night from Adam Walker, who leads the league with 14 round-trippers.
Tennessee scored three times in the second inning off Wimmers, with Elliott Soto getting the big hit, a two-run double. After getting a single run in the third, the Smokies got the first of three big hits from Wes Darville to break the game open.
Darville replaced first baseman Anthony Giansanti, who left with an apparent leg injury, and hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat to make it 6-0. He added a two-run double, his third hit after entering the game hitting under .100, to make it 9-2.
Chattanooga’s chance to make it a game came in the fourth after Walker’s two-run homer with one out made it 7-2. Mike Gonzales followed with a single and Stuart Turner walked. However, Batista got out of the inning after Heiker Meneses lined into a 6-4 double play.
Lookouts third baseman Miguel Sano left the game in the fifth inning after apparently aggravating an injury to his right index finger.
Today’s morning matinee has Chattanooga’s Jose Berrios (6-2, 2.84) pitching against Tennessee’s Ryan Williams, who is making his Class AA debut with the Chicago Cubs’ affiliate.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.