Espino delivers another scoreless inning as Columbus falls to Toledo

Daniel Espino kept adding to a comeback that is starting to look like more than a rehab detour. The right-hander worked another scoreless inning of relief for Columbus in a 3-1 loss to Toledo on Wednesday night, giving the Clippers a clean frame in a game their offense could not rescue.

That inning mattered because it fit the broader shape of Espino’s season. After injuries and surgery stalled the rise of Cleveland’s former first-round pick, this was his first full season since 2022, and each outing has carried more weight than a routine Triple-A appearance. Espino entered the night with a 3.12 ERA in 10 outings and 10 strikeouts, a steady start for a pitcher still rebuilding a track record after such a long absence from live game action.

For Columbus, the defeat came despite a late push that briefly gave the lineup life. The Clippers managed only two hits before the eighth inning, then finally scratched across a run when newcomer Maick Collado singled and later scored on a Kahlil Watson hit. By then, Toledo had already built enough of an edge to control the game.

Ryan Webb took the loss for Columbus after allowing two runs over 4.0 innings, and the Clippers dropped to 15-14. Toledo moved to 15-14 as well, a reminder of how tight the International League can be from night to night. One clean inning from Espino stood out because the rest of the night left Columbus little room to maneuver.

The larger question around Espino is no longer whether he can simply get back on a mound. It is whether the stuff can continue to play, the workload can keep building, and the results can hold over repeated appearances. A scoreless inning does not settle that, but it does keep the momentum pointed in the right direction. For a pitcher whose climb back began after years lost to injury, another zero on the board was another sign that Columbus may be inching closer to having a legitimate depth option for Cleveland.