The Chattanooga Lookouts have enjoyed a solid start to the Southern League’s second half, but they haven’t been the Mobile BayBears.
Mobile won its 11th consecutive game Wednesday night, downing the Lookouts 6-3 in the opener of a six-game series at AT&T Field. The BayBears grabbed a 6-1 lead with a four-run seventh inning, which followed a fabulous five innings from starting pitcher Jarrod Parker, the No. 1 prospect in Arizona’s organization for three straight years according to Baseball America.
Parker, a 22-year-old right-hander who missed last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, allowed two hits while striking out five.
“He had good stuff, and we obviously struggled against him,” Lookouts second baseman Jaime Pedroza said. “With these guys coming in here, we knew we had to try and get ahead early, but he challenged us right away.”
Paul Goldschmidt’s two-run home run to right ignited Mobile’s four-run seventh, and Chattanooga’s only answer was Scott Van Slyke’s two-run double down the left-field line in the eighth. Mobile improved to 16-4, while the Lookouts dropped to 12-8.