There wasn’t much time for the Columbus Clippers to pull themselves together after a 7-1 loss to the visiting Syracuse Mets Tuesday night. The Clippers and the Mets were back at it with a 12:05 p.m. start Wednesday at Huntington Park.

Columbus pitchers had another rough outing, but their hitters stepped on the accelerator and posted a 12-8 win in front of a good crowd who, along with the players, battled the muggy noontime conditions. 

Besides the team’s offensive performance, the big story of the afternoon for Columbus was the return of outfielder Will Brennan to the lineup. The Cleveland Guardians sent him down to Columbus after they acquired outfielder Lane Thomas from the Washington Nationals Monday, the day before the MLB trade deadline.

Brennan was called up by the Guardians at the end of the 2022 season and hit .357 in 11 games. That earned him a full season in 2023, in which he played 138 games, hitting .266 with five home runs and 41 runs batted in. This season, in 77 games, he was hitting .233 with eight homers and 24 RBIs.

He had actually played one game with the Clippers this season on a rehabilitation assignment. On July 10, he played at Indianapolis but did not record a hit in four at-bats and struck out three times.

On Wednesday afternoon, Brennan reintroduced himself to the Clipper faithful with a stellar performance. He went 4-for-6, knocking in three runs and scoring once. He started in right field, bringing a strong defensive presence as well.

There were two other three-RBI hitters for Columbus on Wednesday. The versatile Juan Brito was at second base against the Mets and went 2-for-4, including his 15th home run of the season, and scored three times. Catcher Bryan Lavastida continued his hot streak with three doubles in four at-bats and scored twice.

Starter Doug Nikhazy (3-1) had his second tough start in a row, giving up five runs on four hits in five innings of work, but it was good enough with the Clippers’ offensive output to earn the win. Mets starter Joey Lucchesi (5-6) was charged with the loss.

Pitching well out of the bullpen for Columbus once again was Anthony Gose, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings. In his last four relief appearances, he has gone 4.1 innings without allowing a run. He has given up just two hits in that span, walking two and striking out 10. In those four games, Gose has earned a win, two saves, and a hold.

The Clippers and Mets resume their series with a night game scheduled for Thursday. The first pitch at Huntington Park is slated for 7:05 p.m.