Detroit Tigers Farm Report Week 2 Recap: 3 early hitting standouts

Double-A: Erie SeaWolves 5-4, Run Diff -9

The sun was shining for the Erie SeaWolves home opener as I was able to get out there for the first two games of the series against the Altoona Curve. Unfortunately for Erie, it took a while before the bats could get going. The Curve, which has the oldest team in the Eastern League, kept a steady stream of breaking pitches as the SeaWolves struck out 14 times on Opening Day in Erie.

On Wednesday, right-hander Wilmer Flores got the start and lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing six runs on four hits. A few of the hardest hit balls for Altoona were on his changeup, which has been a pitch he has been working on. For him to get to the next level, that pitch needs to be much more effective.

But we did see on Wednesday was our second hitting standout of the week, Gage Workman go 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and a triple. That was his first professional multi-home run game. For the week, he hit .444/.545/1.111 (8-for-18) and his strikeout rate, which has been his biggest challenge so far, has dropped early on, to the tune of 22.6%. Workman has been playing second to make room for Colt Keith.

Keith hit his first home run of his Double-A career on Thursday, and it came at the right time.

Sawyer Gipson-Long had a strong performance in the series finale. He was the first SeaWolves pitcher to throw five innings this season. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out nine as his slider was working. His fastball command and feel was much better than his start on Tuesday. Erie travels to Richmond, Virginia to take on the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants, the Flying Squirrels.