Knoxville Smokies force five pitching changes, stomp Trash Pandas 14-6

The Knoxville Smokies bounced back from a shaky opening series at Covenant Health Park with a decisive victory April 7 in the first of six home games against the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

The 14-6 win was a stark contrast to the previous series against the Birmingham Barons, which the Smokies dropped 1-2 − despite some extra help from Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

Suzuki returned Tuesday night for his second series in Knoxville, and the Smokies started strong, earning a modest 2-1 lead over the Trash Pandas in the first inning. But the hole got far deeper for Rocket City in the second when the Smokies added eight runs.

Knoxville outscored Rocket City 14-4 through the first four innings, and the Trash Pandas would score just twice more. The Smokies, capitalizing on a struggling Trash Pandas defense, forced Rocket City to use six pitchers in the game.

Knoxville infielders Edgar Alvarez, Karson Simas and Jefferson Rojas all connected for home runs in the game, while Suzuki had three hits and scored three runs in what was his second-to-last appearance for the Smokies.

The Cubs outfielder is scheduled to play one more Double-A game for the Smokies at 12:30 p.m. April 8 − a rare Wednesday afternoon start time at Covenant Health Park.

Knoxville has one more 12:30 p.m. Wednesday game scheduled for April 22.

"We want to introduce some day games this year and see how the business community responds," Smokies CEO Chris Allen told Knox News in in a text. "Cubs play a lot of day games, so let's give it a try."

Smokies player of the game: Seiya Suzuki

There's no questioning whether Suzuki is ready for a major league return. The Cubs outfielder is only in Knoxville for a short time, and he is making the most of this opportunity to readjust to the game.

Suzuki knocked three hits and scored three runs in the game, bringing his batting average to .462 and his OPS to 1.082 across four Double-A appearances.

Knoxville Smokies standings in Southern League North

Knoxville is now 2-2 in the first half of the season, putting the Smokies in a last-place tie with the Trash Pandas in the Southern League North.

Upcoming games, promotions at Covenant Health Park

The series against the Trash Pandas continues April 8-12. Here are the remaining promotions for the Smokies-Trash Pandas Series:

• 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8: Ticketed buffet for All-You-Can-Eat Wednesday
• 7 p.m. Thursday, April 9: Thirsty Thursday (half-price beer all game), with the first 500 fans receiving a free poker chip rally towel celebrating the new, weekly Knox Vegas uniforms
• 7 p.m. Friday, April 10: Chick-fil-A Friday (ticket and coupon combo)
• 7 p.m. Saturday, April 11: Summer Fireworks Series
• 2 p.m. Sunday, April 12: No promotions scheduled

For more information about Covenant Health Park, explore our Knoxpedia chapter about the stadium.

Joanna Hayes reports on Covenant Health Park for the Knox News business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna's Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville Smokies stomp Trash Pandas 14-6, force five pitching changes