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<p>Upon returning to Double-A Trenton two weeks ago, Crestwood alum Matt Wotherspooon has moved to a starting pitching role.</p><p>The right-hander&#8217;s 2016 debut as a starter didn&#8217;t go so well, as he was hit with a loss against a tough Reading squad while allowing six runs on five hits and three walks in just three innings. It was his first loss since dropping a start versus Akron for the Thunder on Aug. 26 of last year in his first career Double-A start.</p><p>Wotherspoon got another start on Friday versus the Fightin&#8217; Phils for the second time and again ran into a buzzsaw. He was hit with another loss while allowing seven earned runs on six hits in four innings.</p><p>The 24-year-old was moved to the rotation to work on his change-up and because his stats as a reliever were phenomenal. In nine relief appearances with the Thunder and RailRiders, Wotherspoon logged 23 innings, allowed just two 2 earned runs and fanned 27 while holding opponents to a batting average of .104.</p><p>Thunder manager Bobby Mitchell told The Trentonian that the move is a good omen for Wotherspoon. &#8220;The reason they&#8217;re doing it is because he&#8217;s opened some eyes,&#8221; he said.</p><p><strong>Mike Papi</strong></p><p>After a few rough weeks, the Tunkhannock alum is getting back on a track in the Cleveland Indians minor league system.</p><p>Over his last eight games, Papi has reached base safely in all eight while picking up eight hits, blasting a pair of homers, driving in three runs and scoring five. In those contests, he&#8217;s boasted a batting average of .333. His batting average for the season has also risen more than 20 points in the last eight games.</p><p>For the season with High-A Lynchburg, Papi has a batting average of .235 with seven home runs and 17 RBI. The 23-year-old is also getting on base at a high clip with an on base percentage of .376, a slugging percentage of .479 for a .855 OPS.</p><p><strong>Ray Black</strong></p><p>The Coughlin grad rebounded from his worst outing of the season on May 13 to tossing two shutout frames against Trenton and Erie last week in three appearances.</p><p>Pitching for Double-A Richmond of the San Francisco Giants system, the 25-year-old tossed one inning against the Thunder on May 17 and allowed just one hit while striking out one. That came just four days after Black gave up a season-high four runs in 2/3 of an inning and took a loss versus Altoona. A few days after that outing, Black took the mound against the Thunder once again and didn&#8217;t fare as well, giving up four earned runs in just 1/3 of an inning. But the next night, he worked a hitless frame against Erie as he threw on consecutive days for the first time this season.</p><p>For the campaign, the right-hander has a record of 0-4 with a 7.98 ERA in 14 2/3 innings. In those frames, he&#8217;s given up 13 earned runs on 10 hits and 15 walks, but has fanned 25.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Black </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Black-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Black </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Papi-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Papi </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Papi-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Papi </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Wotherspoon-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wotherspoon </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Wotherspoon-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wotherspoon </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>drosengrant@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dave Rosengrant at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @tldrosengrant</p></shirttailMeta></div>

WVC GRADS IN THE MINORSWotherspoon joins Trenton’s rotation