Monarchs Bullpen Shuts Down Goldeyes

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By: Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A dominant bullpen performance helped the Kansas City Monarchs to a 6-2 victory over the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Legends Field Wednesday night.

Matt Hartman, Trey Jeans, and Patrick Weigel combined for four perfect innings in relief, striking out five batters.

Monarchs starter Brandon Finnegan kept the Goldeyes in check. Finnegan allowed two unearned runs on five hits, five walks and struck out three in five innings of work.

Chris Herrmann went 2-for-5 for Kansas City, extending his hitting streak to six games to continue his productive 2023 season.

Both teams were quiet at the plate before the Monarchs got on the board in the bottom of the third inning.

Walks from Jacob Robson and Odubel Herrera as well as LJ Hatch being hit by a pitch loaded the bases. Justin Wylie then drew a walk to bring in the first run to make it 1-0 Monarchs.

Herrmann drove in his league-best 69th RBI with a single that scored Robson to make it 2-0. A Jan Hernandez RBI sac fly scored Herrera and made it 3-0 after three innings.

Winnipeg would answer in the top of the fourth inning. A stolen base by Tra Holmes led to a throwing error on Herrmann that brought Holmes in to make it 3-1 Monarchs.

Max Murphy’s single in the top of the fifth set the table for an RBI single for Hidekel Gonzalez. That cut the Monarchs’ lead to one.

The Monarchs would answer in the bottom of the fifth. Justin Wylie started the rally with a double on a ball that Goldeyes left fielder Javeyan Williams lost in the lights. Hernandez continued to heat up at the plate with an RBI single to score Wylie and make it 4-2 through five innings.

The Monarchs would plate two more runs in the eighth inning on two Winnipeg throwing errors to make it 6-2.

After a perfect eighth inning from Jeans, Weigel entered in the ninth to close the door on the Goldeyes. He struck out Dayson Croes to end a 1-2-3 frame.

Finnegan got the win (5-4) and Goldeyes starter Joey Matulovich got the loss (3-8).

UP NEXT: The Monarchs continue a six-game series versus the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Game three is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday night. Jalen Miller will start for Kansas City against Winnipeg’s RJ Martinez.