Five Home Runs Power Clippers to Win

Josh Rodriguez homered twice, and the Clippers hit five as a team before hanging on to top Buffalo, 11-8, in another slugfest Thursday night at Huntington Park. The home team scored in seven of their eight innings at the plate.

Columbus hit four solo home runs in the first three innings, including back-to-back shots in the first inning from Michael Brantley and Rodriguez. Lou Marson went deep in the second and Matt McBride hit one in the third, in his Triple-A debut.

Buffalo clawed back, however, scoring twice in the third inning themselves and getting two solo home runs of their own in the fifth to knot the game at four.

The tie was short-lived, though, as the Clippers broke the game open with a three-run fifth. Jordan Brown drove in one run with a single and McBride plated two more with a double down the third-base line. Rodriguez' second homer, a two-run blast in the sixth, gave Columbus a 9-4 lead.

Justin Turner hit his second solo shot of the game in the seventh, but Lou Marson's second RBI of the night, this one on a bases-loaded single, increased the lead back to five runs.

That run would prove to be valuable, as things got interesting in the Buffalo eighth. With two men aboard, Jose Constanza lost a ball in the lights, resulting in a run-scoring double. The next batter grounded to the pitcher's mound, but reliever Shane Lindsay's errant throw to first base allowed two more Bisons to score.

Lindsay would get through the inning with no more damage, the Clippers would add another insurance run on a Brown single in the bottom of that inning and Columbus earned their 66th win of the season.

In total, eight home runs were hit on the night. Starter David Huff, who allowed three of them, worked seven innings to improve to 6-0 as a Clipper. He struck out six, while scattering nine hits. Josh Judy worked the ninth for his first save.

The Clippers conclude their eight-game homestand Friday, with a 7:05 first pitch against the Bisons. Columbus' Yohan Pino (8-5, 5.54) is expected to return from the disabled list to get the ball against Buffalo's Ramon Ortiz (1-3, 4.62).