UD/ DE HS and DE Ath News and Blue Rocks

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Betts Homer in Ninth Sinks Rocks Against Salem
Wilmington drops one-run contest in penultimate home game of first half


WILMINGTON, DE – The Blue Rocks never led on Tuesday night, and although the game was tied twice, the Salem Red Sox managed to squeak out a 4-3 victory at Frawley Stadium. Jordan Betts came up with a solo home run with two down in the top of the ninth inning that decided the game. Wilmington fell to 35-30 with the loss, while Salem improved to 34-30. Despite the setback, the magic number for Wilmington to clinch a first-half CL North title dropped to two with losses from both Lynchburg and Frederick.


The Red Sox had to wait until the seventh inning on Monday to collect their first run, but they got on the board early on Tuesday. Betts led off the top of the third inning against Wilmington starter Jakob Junis by popping up a ball in front of the plate. The ball went off of Santiago Nessy’s glove, and Betts reached second on the play. After a Yoilan Cerse sacrifice bunt, Manuel Margot was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners with one down. Tzu-Wei Lin would then get Salem on the board with a double that brought home Betts. Margot tried to score on the play but was tagged out in a rundown between third and home, with Lin advancing to third amongst the confusion. The next batter, Sam Travis, produced an infield single that plated Lin, making it 2-0 Sox.


The Rocks answered in the bottom of the fourth with two runs of their own. Wilmington loaded the bases with nobody out thanks to singles from Mauricio Ramos and Cody Stubbs and a walk from Frank Schwindel. The Blue Crew broke through against starter Kevin McAvoy when Jack Lopez stepped up next. The shortstop grounded one off the leg of McAvoy, allowing Ramos to score to make it a 2-1 game. Nessy followed with a double play that failed to produce a run, but Dexter Kjerstad tied the game with a base hit after the twin-killing.


Salem got the lead back in the top of the seventh in a big way. The frame started well for newest Blue Rock Matthew Strahm, as he got Betts and Cerse to ground out for two quick outs. The inning turned when Margot stepped to the dish and launched one over the left field wall for his second long ball of the season, which gave his team a 3-2 advantage.


The lead didn’t last long for the Sox, however, as Wilmington produced a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh. Carlos Garcia doubled with one out, then two batters later, Ramos scored him with a single to tie the game at three. Stubbs would follow with a strikeout to end the frame.


The Red Sox showed resiliency later on, taking the lead in the top of the ninth. With Matt Alvarez into the game, Forrestt Allday began the frame with a walk. Two batters later, Allday was caught stealing to clear the bases with two down and Betts at the plate. That’s when Betts took matters into his own hands, though, as he cranked a solo shot to push the Sox back in front 4-3. The Rocks put a man at second with one out in the bottom of the frame, but failed to score him.


The Blue Rocks and Red Sox conclude their three-game series on Wednesday at Frawley Stadium. The game will be the final home contest of the first half for Wilmington. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Matthew Strahm made his Adv.-A debut on Tuesday after getting the call from Low-A Lexington earlier this week. In his first game with the Rocks, the lefty went three innings in relief of Jakob Junis, allowing one run on a hit with a single walk and five strikeouts. In 14 contests with Lexington this year, Strahm tossed 26 innings, pitching to a 2-1 record and a 2.08 ERA. He also recorded four saves in five opportunities. Strahm is the third bullpen arm to move up a level to the Blue Rocks this season, joining Kevin McCarthy and Asthon Goudeau in that category.


Despite the offensive struggles for Wilmington, Jack Lopez continues to hit in the month of June. After batting .230 in April and then following that up with a .171 average in May, Lopez has turned it around, batting .429 (18-for-42) in 13 games this month. Lopez has scored nine runs and knocked in four more during the month. He is also wreaking havoc on the base paths, as Lopez is 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts in June. He now has his overall average up to .247 with a homer, 13 RBIs, and an on-base percentage of .326.


The Blue Crew offense has struggled with the bases loaded all season long, and Tuesday provided an uneven performance in such situations. With the sacks full and nobody out in the bottom of the fourth, Lopez produced an infield single that scored the first run of the game for Wilmington. The next batter did not give the Rocks anything positive, however, as Santiago Nessy grounded into a double play that did not bring a run home. Overall, Wilmington is batting .193 (11-for-57) with 36 RBIs with the bases loaded this season. Three of those hits belong to Bubba Starling, who got called up to Double-A back in April.


Rocks pitching allowed two home runs on Tuesday night, only the fourth time this season Wilmington hurlers have given up a pair of long balls. Strahm yielded a solo shot to Manuel Margot in the seventh, then Matt Alvarez served up the game-winning dinger to Jordan Betts in the ninth. Blue Crew pitchers have not allowed more than two homers in a single game in 2015, and the last time their opponent went deep twice off of them was May 30 at Carolina. Jakob Junis surrendered both long balls during that contest, the second time he has done so this year. He is the only Rock to allow multiple homers in a game this season.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan:


“Overall it was a good baseball game. (Salem) hit some balls that they should have hit, we left some balls up, (Matt) Alvarez and (Matthew) Strahm. But they battled the whole game, defense was good. It is just one of those games that we came up short.”


“(Jakob Junis) threw alright, he didn’t have a real good feel on his curveball. He hit two guys with his curveball. (We) don’t normally see that out of him, but he kept us in the game and gave us five innings. I had him last year and this year, even when he doesn’t have his best stuff he still gives you a chance to win.”


“(Matthew Strahm) threw the ball well. It was the first time I have seen him throw. He has a live fastball and curveball, and he has some decent changeups. It is good to have an arm like that down in the (bullpen) when we need it.”


“We have (Nick) Green, (Estarlin) Cordero, and (Matthew) Strahm, three guys that we can match up if we need to. If we need one to come in and face two guys we can do that. It is nice to have that to match up.”


“It is minor league baseball, I think (Santiago Nessy) didn’t hit that ball (into the double play) that poorly, (Jordan Betts) just made a pretty good play, he spun around and got the runner at home. He made a good play but it wasn’t like it was a bad swing.”


Outfielder Logan Moon:


“(In my last at-bat) we were down one in the ninth, it’s kind of a baseball rule. (Brian Buchanan) told me to take until you get a strike, which of course puts a little bit more pressure on (the pitcher) to throw the ball over the plate, and there he didn’t. That was predetermined in the ninth that we were going to take a pitch.”


“We trust (Buchanan) and (Carlos) Garcia is a fantastic bunter. Him and (Ramon) Torres are the best on the team at bunting so you take your chance there. Plus, since I’m in the nine-hole, you’ve got Garcia and then two and three coming up and we like our chances there. If we had to do it over I would want us to bunt there and we’ve got Torres and (Mauricio) Ramos who are hitting good so we’ll take our chances on that right there.”


“It’s tough. We all want to win really bad right now for obvious reasons. It’s tough when we fight back and then give up something and fight back. It’s tough, but (Matt) Alvarez threw great, it was just one pitch on the (only hit). Baseball is weird, man. It’ll knock you down quick if you aren’t ready for it.”


“(Matthew Strahm) gave up the one hit and (struck out most of the guys he faced). He threw the ball well and, from centerfield, it looked like he had some run on it and it looked like they were having a hard time picking it up. It was nice to see him come in for the first time and shut the door pretty much except for that one hit that ended up being a homerun.”

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CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

A Losing Effort Still Good Enough For First-Half Carolina League North Title
Frederick Handed The Blue Rocks A Loss, But A Lynchburg Loss Means A Playoff Berth For Wilmington


FREDERICK, MD – A four-run seventh inning doomed the Wilmington Blue Rocks’ bid for a win on Friday as the Keys took a 4-1 decision at Nymeo Field. It was a still a good night for the Blue Crew, however, as Lynchburg’s loss to Myrtle Beach clinched Wilmington a Carolina League North first-half crown. The title secures the Rocks a place in the Northern Division Championship in September.


Yender Caramo came out for the seventh inning with a 1-0 lead and allowed a one-out double to Adrian Marin who ripped a pitch down the right field line. Caramo got a groundout from Wynston Sawyer, which moved Marin to third. Anthony Caronia then ended Carmo’s day with a sharply hit bouncer up the middle, which ricocheted off of Caramo’s glove and into centerfield to tie the game at one run apiece. Ashton Goudeau replaced Caramo out of the bullpen, and Goudeau was rudely greeted by a Gregory Lorenzo single. With runners on the corners, the leadoff man Josh Hart stepped up and took a 1-0 offering from Goudeau and deposited it over the wall in right field to give Frederick a 4-1 advantage. The long ball was Hart’s first of the season.


The game was injected with controversy before anyone could even break onto the scoreboard. Tucker Nathans blooped one into shallow centerfield, and Dominique Tayor made a diving attempt on the ball. It was initially ruled that Taylor trapped the ball on the grass, much to the chagrin of Rocks’ manager Brian Buchanan. The skipper came out to argue his case, and was thrown out of the game by home plate umpire Chase Eade. In the end, Buchanan got his way, as after Eade convened with base umpire Erich Bacchus, the call was overturned and Nathans was ruled out. Wilmington would escape the inning unscathed.


The Rocks broke onto the scoreboard in the third inning as Ramon Torres led off the frame with a double off of Frederick starter Chris Lee. With Torres at second, Jack Lopez stepped up and laid down a bunt with one strike to move Torres up to third. Mauricio Ramos came up with an RBI opportunity, but Lee could not find the strike zone and he walked Ramos to put runners on the corners. Frank Schwindel was then unable to get the run in as he popped out to Wynston Sawyer at first. At that point, it was up to Santiago Nessy to get the run in, and Nessy took a 1-0 pitch and smacked it into the left-centerfield gap for an RBI double giving Wilmington a 1-0 lead.


The Rocks will play out their final two games of the season with a first-half CL North crown already under their belts. On Saturday, Wilmington will turn to the number 14 prospect in the Royals’ organization according to Baseball America, Eric Skoglund. Skoglund has won his last three decisions. It will not be an easy task for Skoglund as he will have to square-off against Major Leaguer Wei-Yin Chen. Chen was posting a 3-4 record with a good 2.89 ERA this season for the Orioles. First pitch from Frederick, Maryland is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


In the bottom of the second inning, Blue Rocks manager Brian Buchanan was thrown out of the game arguing a call on the field that was eventually overturned. The ejection marked the first one of the season for the Rocks’ skipper, meaning for the first time all season long, bench coach Brian Bocock took over as the third base coach upon Buchanan’s ejection. Hitting coach Abraham Nunez stepped over to the right side of the diamond to coach first base. Wilmington’s manager last year, Darryl Kennedy, was tossed a total of four times a season ago.


With Lynchburg’s loss on Friday, the Blue Rocks officially clinched the first half Carolina League Northern Division title. Wilmington will be playing postseason baseball for the first time since 2012 when they took the Northern Division crown in the season’s second half. The last time Wilmington claimed the division in the first half was back in 2006 as an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. That team included future major leaguers such as Michael Bowden, Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Tommy Hottovy, Jed Lowrie, Justin Masterson, Luis Mendoza, and Carlos Rosa. In the game that clinched the first-half for the Rocks that year, Wilmington sealed the deal on a bases-loaded hit by pitch in the bottom of the ninth, with Ellsbury scoring the game-winning run. The last time the Blue Crew won a first-half crown as an affiliate of the Kansas City Royals was back in 2002, when the Rocks won both halves.


While he may have deserved a better fate, Yender Caramo took his third straight loss on Friday night, setting a team-high for losses in consecutive decisions. On June 9, Caramo took the loss in game-one of the double-header at Winston-Salem. He allowed four runs in just 4.1 innings pitched. He left with the game tied at three, but he was responsible for the go-ahead run on base, which came around to score. Caramo experienced some tough luck his last time out, as well. Caramo got through four innings against Salem, allowing two earned runs. However, the skies opened up in the fifth and it led to a 1:09 rain delay, ending Caramo’s day in a game Wilmington lost 7-0. Caramo was on the way to tying his career-high in innings pitched, but the Caronia single off of his glove tied the game, and when Caronia scored on the Josh Hart homer, it was enough to give Caramo the sour-end of the decision. Caramo is now 3-6, those six losses the most of any pitcher on the Rocks’ pitching staff. Despite the loss, Caramo’s ERA shrank down to a 3.41. He came into Friday with a 3.49 ERA.


The Wilmington Blue Rocks offense has been anemic in the month of June. Over their last 11 contests, the Rocks are batting just .212 (74-for-349) and they have scored just 26 runs (2.4 runs per game) in that stretch. In the month of June, the Rocks are now .500 at 9-9. After going 7-for-31 on Saturday, Wilmington is hitting just .239 (135-for-566). After starting the month on a six-game winning streak, the team proceeded to lose both ends of a double-header, which set the tone for a seven-game road trip, in which the Rocks would lose six games. They came back home, where they have had much more success this season, but they ended up dropping two of three to the Salem Red Sox. Wilmington has scored just 67 runs over 18 games this month. They have lost seven of their last nine games.


THEY SAID IT:


Blue Rocks Pitching Coach Steve Luebber


“I was here a few times when we got in in the second-half…and they didn’t go further, unfortunately. There was a couple of times we should have. To win the first-half is huge because it helps a lot of other things and it takes a lot of pressure off. We had a lot of close games and nail biters, and of course we (clinched) the same way, down to the wire.”


“I’m so proud of what the pitching did (in the first-half). We had some individuals who just ended up here at the right time. It’s tremendous.”


Outfielder Logan Moon


“For most of us, this is our first time experiencing something like this We were on the wrong side of it (tonight). We lost, but we were still able to clinch.”


“It was (special to watch the Lynchburg game in the clubhouse). We were all…in there We started listening (to the game) and getting more and more excited with each inning and each out. It wasn’t what we expected. We came up (to the clubhouse) and we’re getting excited when we lost.”


“We’ve just got a lot of guys who play mature-baseball. We all know what the game is, we all know what our strengths are.”


Manager Brian Buchanan


“It’s awesome. These guys deserve it. They busted their tails all year. It’s a shame we couldn’t win tonight because we would have had a better celebration. They’ve been playing well all year, pitching well all year and getting big hits when we need it. They’re a great bunch of guys. They come out every day, they play the game the right way. I couldn’t think of a more deserving bunch of guys to win this championship.”

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WILMINGTON, DE – The first-half Carolina League North champion Wilmington Blue Rocks started off their second-half on the right foot, picking up a couple of wins over the Potomac Nationals at Frawley Stadium on Friday evening. Game one, the continuation of a game suspended due to rain in the bottom of the third inning on Thursday, was highlighted by a great five innings in relief from Ashton Goudeau and a big offensive day for Carlos Garcia, who drove in three in a 6-4 Wilmington win. Game two, a seven-inning affair, was dominated by the pitching of Matthew Strahm who collected his first Advanced-A victory in a 5-1 Rocks win.


After struggling to find the clutch hit against Lucas Giolito in two innings on Thursday evening, the Rocks offense found their stroke in the continuation of that game on Friday against reliever Tyler Mapes. Mapes made it through two scoreless frames to start his day, but Wilmington got to him in the fifth as Dex Kjerstad led off the frame with a single and moved to second on a Dominique Taylor single with one away. With runners on first and second, Carlos Garcia slapped a ball down the first-base line and into the right field corner. Garcia legged out a triple as two runs scored, giving Wilmington the 2-0 lead. The Rocks were not done, though. Mapes plunked Jack Lopez in the next at-bat to put runners on the corners, still with just one-out. Mauricio Ramos stepped up and kept the train rolling with an RBI single back up the box to make it 3-0 and move Lopez to all the way to third. Cody Stubbs rounded out the scoring with an RBI single into right, giving the Blue Crew a 4-0 lead through five innings in the nine-inning affair.


Meanwhile, Ashotn Goudeau started off the resumed game on Friday in the top of the fourth, and Goudeau was able to pick up right where Yender Caramo left off on Thursday night. Caramo went three perfect innings on Thursday and Goudeau got through five scoreless innings on Friday, striking out two. He did allow six hits, but he did not let up a free pass on the way to his third win of the season. Wilmington’s offense got the bullpen two more runs of insurance on RBI singles by Cam Gallagher and Garcia in the bottom of the eighth, and those runs would end up being huge. Robinson Yambati took over for Goudeau in the ninth, and Yambati struggled. After getting a quick first out, Yambati hit John Wooten with a pitch. Wooten moved to second on defensive indifference and then got up to third base on a Drew Ward groundout to the right side. Then, the floodgates opened on Yambati. He would walk Brandon Miller before Adrian Sanchez broke up the shutout with an RBI single making it 6-1. Another hit batter and a bases loaded walk to Estarlin Martinez would end Yambati’s day and he was replaced by Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy was greeted by a two-RBI single off the bat of Narciso Mesa to make it 6-4, bringing up Stephen Perez as the go-ahead run. McCarthy got Perez to ground back to the mound and end the game as the Rocks narrowly held on for the win in game one.


Game two did not get off to the start the Rocks had hoped for as they fell into an early 1-0 hole, but they climbed out with three runs off of starter Reynaldo Lopez in the bottom of the third. After a single and walk to start the frame, a one-out grounder from Garcia moved the runners up to second and third. Ramon Torres, who had game one off, then stepped up and roped a single into the left field corner, scoring two to give his team the one-run advantage, Ramos added on with an RBI double to make it 3-1 Wilmington through three. The Blue Crew added another run on a double play off the bat of Santiago Nessy in the fourth, scoring Alfredo Escalera to make it 4-1. Garcia brought in his fourth run of the day with an RBI single in the fifth to extend the Wilmington lead to 5-1.


Despite dominating through his first two innings of work, the Nationals got to starter Matthew Strahm in the third inning of game two, getting onto the scoreboard with one swing of the bat. Sanchez followed up his RBI single in the ninth inning of game one with a solo homer off of Strahm, his first of the year, giving Potomac the 1-0 lead. Strahm was able to bare down and get through three frames with six strikeouts. He ended his day by working through the fifth, ending his day with nine strikeouts and a win.


Wilmington will look for the sweep on Saturday night as they take on the Nationals in game three of the three-game set from Frawley Stadium. Royals’ 14th ranked prospect according to Baseball America, Eric Skoglund, makes the start for the Rocks. Skoglund, a CL All-Star, leads the Blue Crew with six wins this season and an impressive 2.74 ERA. Potomac counters with Phillips Valdez who is 1-2 with a 6.35 ERA. First pitch from Delaware is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

 

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Page 2 Blue Rocks Baseball

With his two-RBI triple in the fifth inning of game one, Carlos Garcia extended his total in that category to four. His four triples are the most on the team, which he has collected in just 24 games since getting called-up from Low-A Lexington. In 35 games with the Legends, Garcia did not hit any triples. Garcia’s four RBIs on Friday also give him 12 at Advanced-A, which surpasses the amount he drove in with Lexington (11). He is now batting .277 with 26 hits, eight of them for extra-bases, with the Rocks. Frank Scwhindel has also been an extra-base hit machine, as his double in the eighth inning of game one extended his league-leading total to 25. Schwindel’s 25 doubles are six ahead of Lynchburg’s Nellie Rodriguez, whose 19 two-baggers are good for second in the CL. He is currently batting .275 in 65 games this season, including team-leading totals in doubles and RBIs (29). His slugging percentage (.421) is second on the team, behind just Cody Stubbs and his three homers are tied for the team-lead amongst current Rocks (Jack Lopez).


After terrorizing pitchers in the South Atlantic League for three months, Alfredo Escalera made his Advanced-A debut for Wilmington in game two on Friday night. Escalera batted .313 in 64 games with Low-A Lexington, the best average on the team amongst players with at-least 20 games played. He also led the team in hits (82) and was second on the squad with eight homeruns, well behind the team-leader Ryan O’Hearn who had 16. Escalera was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, but attended high school in Florida. He was drafted in the eighth round of the 2012 draft by Kansas City out of The Pendleton School in Bradenton, Florida. Escalera collected his first Advanced-A hit on Friday with a single off of Lopez in the fourth inning, and he came around to score his first run at this level on the run-scoring double play from Santiago Nessy. He ended his day 1-for-3 with that single and the run scored,


Matthew Strahm made a rare start on Friday for the Rocks, but the lefty looked like a veteran of the starting rotation. The start was just the second of Strahm’s career, his first since August 16 of 2014 when he went three scoreless innings for Rookie-Level Idaho Falls. He tied a career-high with nine strikeouts against Potomac, a total he previously reached on May 27 when he was still at Low-A. His five innings pitched is a new career-high for the southpaw, his previous high being four innings, which he did twice, last on June 20 at Frederick. Strahm got the win on Friday, his first decision since joining the Rocks in mid-June. He is now 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA at Advanced-A. Between the two levels in 2015, Strahm is 3-1 in 17 appearances. He has struck out 58 batters in just 39 innings, while he has only given up 16 hits in those 39 frames.


Ramon Torres’ two-RBI single in the third inning of game two ended a streak of 13.1 scoreless innings pitched by Reynaldo Lopez against the Blue Rocks. Lopez made his first two starts at Advanced-A against Wilmington, throwing five shutout frames in the front-end of a double-header from Potomac on May 7. He followed up that appearance with six scoreless innings against the Rocks on May 12 to move his record to 2-0 after just two appearances for the P-Nats. The long layoff between appearances facing Lopez seemed to make a difference for Wilmington, as they scored five runs on nine hits and a walk off the right-hander whose record moved to 4-4 with the loss. Lopez allowed just six hits to the Rocks in his first two starts combined.


After being the best home-team in the Carolina League during the season’s first-half, the Rocks stayed red-hot at Frawley Stadium with another two wins on Friday. With those wins, Wilmington is now 26-11 this season when playing in the First State, but they are 14-21 at opponent’s ballparks. For most of the first-half, the offensive splits actually favored Wilmington on the road, but recently the bats have come to life at Frawley Stadium, as well. The Blue Crew is now hitting .262 as a team at home, compared to just .251 on the road. As it has been throughout the entire season, the main difference remains the pitching when it comes to comparing the Rocks home and away. Wilmington pitchers are posting a miniscule 2.42 ERA at home, a total that bloats a run higher on the road (3.42).


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan



“(Matthew Strahm) did great for a spot start…He’s got electric stuff. He can throw the ball by guys. He left a changeup up to (Adrian) Sanchez and he (hit) it, but for the most part, he made really good pitches.”


“He did a good job (bouncing back after the home run). He was attacking hitters all night with his fastball, and threw some decent breaking balls. It’s good to see when he gave up the home run and then went back out and didn’t give up anything else.”


“It’s always nice to win two games (to start the second half) right out of the gate. They’ve been doing it all year, and they will continue to work, and they’ve been playing well.”


“We’re not sure (if Strahm will stay in the rotation) yet. We’re still trying to iron some things out. We had some guys go up to Double-A that threw a game there. We’re still trying to get the rotation figured out.”


“(Robinson Yambati) came in (in the ninth inning of the suspended game) and he hadn’t thrown in seven days. I think that was a part of (why he struggled)…It’s tough for relievers when they have four or five or six days off, and he had seven. I think he was just overthrowing a little bit, and he just didn’t have his command, but he’ll be fine. He’s been good all year. I think it was just a matter of him not getting in a game for seven days.”


Starting Pitcher Matthew Strahm



“(In the first inning) I had my fastball being able to back up (my) curveball, getting swings and misses was huge (as well.)”


“It is huge (to get momentum after getting called up, Friday’s game) was a confidence booster for sure. All the guys here were very welcoming and we have great catchers here with (Cam) Gallagher and (Santiago) Nessy helping me out. They know these hitters more than I do so I just put my trust in them right now.”


“It was nice (getting a strike out after Adrian Sanchez’s homerun.) That is actually the second homerun I have given up at (Frawley Stadium.) All of the guys keep telling me that they don’t hit them here but not according to me I guess.”


“It has been great (joining this team after they won the first half.) All of the guys are laid back and they are very welcoming, they showed me the ropes and has been a great time so far.”


“Right now I am mainly two pitches, fastball and curveball, and the one that was hit out (of the park) was a changeup that I have been working on. I look forward to throwing my changeup for strikes. That is what I need.”


“Just recently I have finally gotten comfortable with the relieving mentality; it took a long time and is a huge adjustment from going from starting to relieving but right now I just keep it as a relieving right now. When the coaches see something they will come and get me and that is what they did. I just go out there and give it my best as long as I can.”


“(The relieving mentality) is just being ready to pitch whenever, I am not huge into the sitting around and not doing much. I like to do my throwing rotation every day, unlike some starters who just go out and throw thirty minutes before the game. I have just gotten use to the reliever mentality and I am stuck to it by will and will continue to do it until (the coaches) tell me otherwise.”

 

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CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Big Fifth Inning Helps Keys Hand Rocks First Loss Of Second-Half
Eric Skoglund Struggles Coming Off All-Star Appearance


FREDERICK, MD – The Wilmington Blue Rocks lost for the first time in the second-half on Sunday evening when they fell to the Frederick Keys 6-2 at Nymeo Field. In his first outing since pitching a scoreless inning in the Carolina/California League All-Star game, Eric Skoglund let a 2-1 lead slip away in the fifth when he allowed four runs. His five-inning outing was his shortest since he threw just 3.2 frames against Lynchburg back on May 11. Frederick pounded out six doubles against Wilmington pitchers in the win.


After falling into an early hole, Frederick battled back against Wilmington in the fifth inning. Skoglund got two groundouts to start the inning, but then an Anthony Caronia double started a string of five straight hits by the Keys. Caronia came around on an RBI-single from Josh Hart, who then came in on Adrian Marin’s second double of the game. The inning was capped off by a two-RBI double off the bat of Wynston Sawyer giving his team a 5-2 lead. Frederick added an insurance run in the seventh when Hart, who led off the inning with his fifth double of the season and moved to third on a Marin single, scored on a Matt Alvarez balk. Alvarez replaced Skoglund out of the bullpen to start the sixth.


Skoglund got some early offensive help as his squad cracked the scoreboard in the third inning. After Dex Kjersatd was hit by an 0-2 offering from Keys’ starter Ariel Miranda, Jack Lopez stepped up with two down in the inning and yanked a payoff pitch over the wall in left-center, a two-run shot, his fourth of the season. Frederick got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Marin, who doubled and stole third, came in on a Sawyer groundout.


The Rocks offense let the opportunity for a big inning slip away in the second. Frank Schwindel led off the frame with a double and moved to third on an Alfredo Escalera bloop single, but Schwindel was thrown out at home trying to score on a Robert Pehl fly ball to Brenden Webb in right. Wilmington would not get any runs out of the inning.


With the loss, Skoglund is now 6-3 with a 3.12 ERA, the highest his ERA has been since he gave up five earned against Frederick on April 23. After coming out of the bullpen despite being listed as the probable starter on Saturday, Luis Gonzalez earned the win to move his record to 5-7. He now has a season ERA of 7.62, but it’s just 4.22 against the Rocks.


The Rocks continue their series with the Keys on Monday evening at Nymeo Field. Wilmington’s starter is still to be determined. Frederick will send the CL’s leader in strikeouts, Mitch Horacek, to the mound. Horacek has struck out 83 batters this season, eight ahead of the Rocks’ Alec Mills who has the second-best total in the League. First pitch from Frederick, Maryland is scheduled for 7 p.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Frank Schwindel has continued to be a doubles machine this season, as he extended his league-lead with another two-bagger on Sunday. The double was number 26 this season for the Rocks’ first baseman, who currently sits six doubles ahead of Lynchburg’s Nellie Rodriguez for the best mark in the CL. With his hit, Schwindel also extended his current hitting streak to seven games, making this his fifth hitting streak of at least seven games in 2015. Schwindel’s longest streak of the season was nine games (between April 22 – May 1), a total that was tops on the Rocks until Cody Stubbs hit safely in 11 straight games from May 27 to June 10. He is now batting .276 this season with a .424 slugging percentage. He leads the team in RBIs (29), extra-base hits (30) and is second in hits (69) behind Ramon Torres (71).


Jack Lopez’s bat has been surging over his last four games. Lopez hit three long balls in his last four contests (spanning eight days) after hitting just one in his first 58 games played. All three of his homers have also come against the Frederick Keys. Lopez has nine homeruns in his professional career and four have come against Frederick, three of those at hitter-friendly Nymeo Field. Success against the Keys is nothing new for Jack. After two more hits on Sunday, he is hitting .369 (24-for-65) with the three homers and 12 RBIs in 17 games against Frederick this season. In the month of June, he has batted .343 in 20 games. He has four extra-base hits and 13 RBIS, and his five walks have bumped his on-base percentage to .413 this month. Lopez’s average at the start of the month was just .199, but his hot streak has brought that up to .242 on the season.


It seems as though not much has changed in the second-half of the season when it comes to Wilmington’s lack of success away from Frawley Stadium. With the loss on Sunday, the Blue Crew is 14-22 on the road. The key difference continues to be the struggles of the pitching staff away from the First State. Rocks’ hurlers are pitching to a 3.51 ERA on the road while giving up about a hit per inning (288 in 289.1), good for a .264 opponent batting average. The story is much different at home where Wilmington hurlers are posting a 2.42 ERA. At Frawley Stadium, they’ve allowed just 284 hits in 335.1 innings. After scratching out just five hits on Sunday, the Rocks’ road average also took a hit as they are now batting .249 on the road compared to .262 at home.


Eric Skoglund seems to be the only Blue Rock who does not like facing the Frederick Keys. With the loss on Sunday, he is 1-2 with a 6.17 ERA in five starts against the Keys. He has given up 16 earned runs in just 23.1 innings pitched against the Keys this season. When facing the rest of the Carolina League, Skoglund has given up just 12 runs in 57.1 innings, good for a sparkling 1.88 ERA. Offensively, Wilmington has seven current or former players who batted over .300 against Frederick this season. As a team, the Blue Crew is batting .272 against the Keys, .017 points higher than their season average. On the other side of the ball, Jakob Junis and Kevin McCarthy have stood out against their CL North rivals. Junis is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings pitched against Frederick. He has struck out 11 while walking just a single Keys batter. McCarhty has two wins in two appearances against Frederick, allowing one run in five innings pitched. Prior to getting the call to Double-A, Cody Reed was a Key-killer. He was 2-0 in three games, pitching 14 innings and not allowing a single earned run.

 

[dawrestling]

Page 2 From Sunday's Report
THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan



“(Eric Skoglund) got two outs (in the fifth) and then he started leaving some pitches up. That’s a pretty good hitting team. They’ve been doing it all year, when we leave pitches up they hit them. He got to two outs and left some pitches up over the plate and they got them.”


“I’m not sure (why he struggles against Frederick). Sometimes certain teams can see the ball better off of certain guys and other time they don’t. Those pitches they were hitting were pretty good pitches to hit. He was throwing the ball well and then that fifth inning came along and, like I said, he got two outs and I don’t know if he relaxed a little bit or what. When you leave those pitchers where they were, they’re going to get hit.”


“(Frank Schwindel) has been swinging the bat well all year. He went through a stretch earlier where he was scuffling a little bit, but he made some adjustments. He can hit the fastball so he’s going to swing the bat really well. He’s leading the League in doubles and he’s doing a nice job.”


“(Jack Lopez) has a had a really good June. He’s starting to keep the ball out of the air for the most part. He likes hitting here, obviously. He’s starting to hit with more of a line drive approach and hard groundballs and that’s his game. He needs to continue to do that. In June, he’s been a different player offensively.”


“I don’t think (the hitters) were pressing, I think they just had some long swings. Sometimes when we go on the road, it takes a few at-bats or even a game to get back into the line drive approach. I think if they see that wind blowing out and they’re playing in Frederick they get a little excited. They’ve got to stay within themselves and stay with the line drive approach. If they stay with that approach, balls will leave the yard, they just need to understand that. You hit the ball gap-to-gap, the balls are going to go and you’re going to hit them harder and have better at-bats. I think, tonight, they saw what was going on with the wind and they got a little excited. Some of those pitches we were getting fly balls on should have been hit harder.”


Shortstop Jack Lopez



“I couldn’t tell you (why I hit homeruns in Frederick) but I’ll take it. It’s not part of my game but, lucky enough, I was able to square it up and it got out. Like I said, it’s not something I want to do but if it happens, I’ll take it. That’s not my game. I’ve just got to keep on working on hitting the ball on the ground, that’s part of my game.”


“Just going out there and staying positive (has ben the biggest difference for me in June). My first year (in Wilmington) was alright, and last year didn’t go so well. I just gut-checked myself and said, ‘this is what I love, this what I’ve got to do…If this is what I want to do I have to go out there and give it all I’ve got everyday.’ I’ve got to tip my cap to (Brian Buchanan), (Abraham Nunez), and Coach (Brian Bocock) who are on my butt everyday knowing that I can get out of here and I have to strive for that.”


“Obviously (being here for three years) is in my head, but I don’t think it affected me (on the field). Obviously, I don’t want to be here, I need to keep working my way up to where I want to be, but if that’s what they’ve got planned for me then that’s what they’ve got. I just have to keep working hard and force them to make a change. I don’t want them to get me out of here because they feel bad, I want to work my way out of here.”


“(Eric) Skoglund is a heck of a pitcher, but you’ve got to tip your cap to the Keys. They came out swinging at and they did a lot of damage with two outs. Skoglund is probably our number one guy at the top of the rotation with (Alec Mills). That fifth inning he didn’t have his stuff, but he went out there and battled either way.”


“I think we all (like playing at Nymeo Field). Coming from Frawley Stadium, it’s more of a pitcher-friendly ballpark. We do enjoy playing here but, at the same time, you can’t really think about homeruns. We’ve got to go out there and stick to our plan, which is what we did in the first-half. We don’t have many power hitters, definitely not me, so we’ve just got to go out there and stick to our plan and keep playing our game.”


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[dawrestling]

From: "via RocksMedia" <rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com>
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 8, 2015 6:58:38 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Big First Inning Leads Rocks to Wire-to-Wire Victory Over Keys

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Big First Inning Leads Rocks to Wire-to-Wire Victory Over Keys
Zach Lovvorn picks up win in Advanced-A debut


WILMINGTON, Del. – A night after losing to Frederick at home for the first time since April, the Blue Rocks used a four-run first inning to lead the way in a 6-3 victory over the Keys on Wednesday night. Wilmington moved up to 46-37, while Frederick fell to 38-46. After getting called up to the Advanced-A level earlier in the week, Zach Lovvorn made his Blue Rocks debut against the Keys, throwing seven solid frames on his way to the win.


Wilmington jumped on Frederick starter Ariel Miranda early. In the bottom of the first, Carlos Garcia walked to lead off the frame, then reached third on a stolen base and an error. Mauricio Ramos brought him in with a one-out single to open the scoring. Later on, with the bases loaded and still only one away, Alfredo Escalera produced a single that plated the second run of the frame. Two batters later, Santiago Nessy put an exclamation mark on the inning with a two-run double, making it 4-0 Blue Rocks.


Frederick didn’t waste any time getting back into the ballgame. Lovvorn threw a perfect first inning in his Advanced-A debut, but the second frame was a far different story. Jeff Kemp and Wynston Sawyer singled to greet Lovvorn in the second, and then Brenden Webb cranked a towering home run to bring the Keys back to within one at 4-3. Lovvorn would settle down after that and retire the next three batters.


The Rocks added to their lead in the fourth, although the damage could have been much worse. Wilmington loaded the bases with nobody out for Carlos Garcia. The second baseman came through with a sacrifice fly that scored Humberto Arteaga, although Nessy was thrown out trying to go from second to third on the play. With Jack Lopez at the plate, Logan Moon was picked off of first base to end the inning.


Wilmington would plate one more run before the night was over in the bottom of the seventh. With one down in the frame, Garcia singled, then stole his way to second base. A Lopez ground out moved Garcia to third, and with Ramos at the dish, he came home on a wild pitch from Jon Keller, ending the scoring at 6-3.


The Blue Rocks and Keys conclude their three-game series with the rubber match on Thursday. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Zach Lovvorn had spent his entire season with the Low-A Lexington Legends prior to his call-up earlier in the week. Wednesday saw the righty make his Advanced-A debut against the Frederick Keys. He tossed a career-high-tying seven innings, giving up three runs on four hits with five strikeouts. In 14 games (13 starts) with the Legends this season, Lovvorn pitched to a 5-6 record and a 4.20 ERA over 70.2 innings. Lovvorn didn’t exactly end his Low-A career on a high note, as he allowed the most earned runs in a single start this year in his last time out. He went five innings on June 30 against the Rome Braves, yielding seven earned tallies on season-highs in both hits with 11 and walks with four, while striking out three.


Another player who suited up for the Blue Rocks for the first time on Wednesday was Humberto Arteaga. The former Lexington Legend got the start as the designated hitter in his Advanced-A debut, notching a 1-for-3 day at the plate, including a double and a run. In 70 games with Lexington this season, Arteaga hit .259 with one homer and 28 RBIs. The native of Venezuela played mostly at shortstop at the Low-A level, with some time spent at second base and as a designated hitter.


A night after losing to the Keys at home, Wilmington got back to playing to their trends with a victory over Frederick on Wednesday. The Rocks have now won eight of 10 games at Frawley Stadium against their closest geographic rival this season, and 14 of 21 contests overall. The Blue Crew seems to love hitting against Frederick pitching specifically, as they now hold a .269 batting average versus the Keys. That holds up favorably to their overall season mark of .252. That batting average against Frederick is the highest for the Rocks against any Carolina League opponent this year.


Carlos Garcia continues to be productive at the top of the lineup for the Blue Rocks. The second baseman produced a 1-for-2 night on Wednesday, which included a pair of runs, an RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases. Over his last eight games, Garcia is batting .353 (12-for-34) with two doubles, seven runs, and four RBIs. That stretch also includes four multi-hit games. The middle infielder appears to be destined for more playing time with the promotion of Ramon Torres to Double-A Northwest Arkansas earlier in the week.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan:


“We had a good (first) inning. (Ariel Miranda) was struggling with command a little bit and wasn’t really getting into a rhythm and we took advantage of it. In the past we’ve had guys on the ropes and we’ve either helped the pitcher out or what have you. Tonight we had him on the ropes, got some big hits, and put four (runs) up.”


“(Zach) Lovvorn…threw well. Obviously, he had that inning where he left two pitches up with two strikes that went for singles and then…that homerun wasn’t a good pitch, but he settled down and threw the ball well. He definitely got stronger as the game went on. That’s good to see. I don’t know if he relaxed (after the first). He just made some poor pitches to two of those guys and then the homerun. I don’t know if he was relaxing, but after that he calmed down and kind of sailed through it.”


“Last night we didn’t have a very good approach at the plate and tonight we came out and got to them early.”


Catcher Santiago Nessy:


“I was just trying to get my team onto the scoreboard like everybody is trying to do and I got two RBIs. It was fun.”


“(Games like) yesterday are going to happen. We get some good pitching and we just came back today giving everything we had and that’s the result.”


“(Lovvorn) has some really good stuff. He made one mistake on the three-run homer, but that’s going to happen. When you move up the ladder, the hitters get better and they don’t miss the mistakes. He’s good and we’re glad to have him here.”


“He definitely got better as the game went on. Maybe he was a little bit nervous the first couple of innings. He made adjustments and he ended up throwing a really good game.”


Starting Pitcher Zach Lovvorn:


“It went great, everything was working for me. The defense was outstanding behind me, I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys back there. I felt really great out there.”


“The first inning was a pretty quick one and then I sat down (in the dugout) for a little while. I got back out there and I was trying to find my rhythm again and it happened a little too late. I picked it back up and just carried on. Me and (Santiago) Nessy were on the same page the whole night, it was great. He did a great job behind the plate for me. There were no (pitch) shake-offs. I was just able to string together some good quality pitches.”


“It’s all excitement, pretty much. The nerves didn’t hit me until I started warming up before the game, but I was able to put that past me and take it pitch-by-pitch and batter-by-batter.”

www.bluerocks.com


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[dawrestling]

Date: Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 7:57 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Late Rally Falls Short As Rocks Drop Series Opener To Lynchburg
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2015



CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393


Late Rally Falls Short As Rocks Drop Series Opener To Lynchburg


A Rough Fifth Inning Spelled Disaster For Alec Mills And Wilmington



LYNCHBURG, VA – A late rally in Lynchburg was not enough for the Blue Rocks to overcome a four-run deficit as they fell to the Hillcats in the opener of a four-game series 6-5 at Calvin Falwell Field on Friday night. Alec Mills turned in a rare sub-par outing on the way to his fifth loss of the season, while Yhoxian Medina collected a couple of RBIs in the winning effort for the ‘Cats. Mauricio Ramos did stay hot for the Blue Rocks with two more hits added to his ledger.



The Hillcats fell behind early, but started their comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning. After leaving some balls up in the first four frames, Mills finally got burned by a leadoff double from Paul Hendrix, who then moved to third on a passed ball and scored the first Lynchburg run on a LeVon Washington sacrifice fly. Then two rare walks from Mills put two men on with one out and Medina evened the score at two with an RBI single. Clint Frazier, whose been heating up for the Hillcats, then singled into right field to plate the third Lynchburg run and give them the 3-2 lead. That did it for Mills as he was replaced by Robinson Yambati who got a strikeout and a fly out to avoid further damage.



Despite retiring the first six men he'd face, Yambati gave the Hillcats some insurance in the seventh. Claudio Bautista collected Lynchburg's first hit off of Yambati and he was promptly doubled in by Medina who collected his second RBI. A Bradley Zimmer RBI single and a balk from Estarlin Cordero, who came in out of the bullpen with one out, would give the Hillcats the 6-2 advantage.



In the eighth, the Rocks cut their deficit to two runs but had a chance at more. Dominique Taylor walked and then was thrown out trying to go to third on a single from Humberto Arteaga. That out was followed by RBI hits from Ramos and Cody Stubbs. Elier Hernandez came up later in the inning as the tying run but grounded out to end the frame. Wilmington managed a run in the ninth to bring the deficit down to just a single run, but with the tying run at first base Carlos Garcia would line out to end the game and wrap up a 6-5 victory for Lynchburg.



Wilmington found the scoreboard first on Friday and they did it in the third inning after a couple of quick frames from Hillcats' starter Michael Peoples. Robert Pehl led-off the frame with the first hit of the day for Wilmington and got up to second on a walk to Luis Villegas. After a failed bunt attempt by Taylor led to Villegas being doubled off of first, Garcia stepped up and smacked a single into right to bring Pehl home. Garcia was trapped in a rundown but still made it to second, only to be stranded there. Thanks to some more shoddy defense, the Rocks added another run in the fourth. With Ramos at second, Hernandez singled into left and the ball scooted by the outfielder Mike Papi, which allowed Ramos to come around for the second run of the game.



The Rocks and ‘Cats will continue their series on Saturday evening. Wilmington will send Jakob Junis to the mound. Junis will look to continue his string of quality starts as he’ll come into tomorrow having tossed two in a row in his last two outings. The Hillcats will counter with D.J. Brown who will make his third appearance, second start, against Wilmington this season. First pitch from Calvin Falwell Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.



PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

Luis Villegas made his Advanced-A debut on Saturday night going 0-for-3 with an RBI. What is more intriguing than the stat line is where Villegas was born. The native of Maracay, Venezuela became the sixth Venezuelan born player on the Blue Rocks when he came up from Low-A Lexington last week to replace Cam Gallagher who is taking part in the Pan-American Games in Canada. Those six native Venezuelans (Villegas, Arteaga, Garcia, Santiago Nessy, Luis Rico, Yender Caramo) is tied for most of any affiliated full-season minor league team. Only the Clearwater Threshers (Advanced-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies in the Florida State League) boast as many Venezuelans as the Blue Crew. Five other teams in full-season ball feature five Venezuelan players, one of those being the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, the Omaha Stormchasers. Villegas batted .306 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 19 games with the Legends before getting the call to replace Gallagher while he represents the U.S.A. at the Pan-Am Games.



The week after being named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month in June, Alec Mills may have turned in his worst outing of the season on Friday. The usually reliable right-hander’s 4.1 innings pitched was his shortest outing since he went just four innings on April 22 against the Potomac Nationals. Friday also marked the first time since June 7 Mills was not able to turn in a quality start (six-plus innings pitched, three or less runs). His walk to Eric Haase in the fifth was the first free-pass he had allowed since June 18, and the walk that followed to Bautista meant it was the first multi-walk outing from Mills since that June 7 game against Frederick when he walked two. Despite the struggles, Mills still has not walked more than two batters in a game all season.



Although Michael Peoples kept the Rocks off balance all night, he still had no answer for Robert Pehl and Carlos Garcia who have torn up Lynchburg pitching this season. Garcia finished his day just 1-for-5, but he still managed to produce a run with an RBI single scoring Pehl who reached base twice, going 1-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch. Garcia is now batting .357 against the Hillcats this season, including three RBIs and two runs scored. Since the promotion of Ramon Torres to Double-A, Garcia has become the Rocks’ everyday second baseman and leadoff hitter. He is hitting .293 for the season with 16 runs scored and seven steals. Pehl, on the other hand, has had a bigger sample size against Lynchburg and is batting .409 (9-for-22) with two RBIs, four runs scored, and four walks. While still dealing with utility duties, Pehl has been solid at the plate this season. He is batting just .245 but his patience and ability to work walks has put his on-base percentage at an impressive .346.



After going hitless in his first two games with the Rocks, Elier Hernandez finally found his first hit with Wilmington on Friday. The knock, with the help of an error, would end up bringing in the Blue Crew’s second run of the game. Friday was Hernandez’ first hit, but the outfielder was making solid contact during the Rocks’ last home stand against Frederick, including a deep fly ball that was taken in on the warning track by speedy Keys’ outfielder Josh Hart on Wednesday. Hernandez got the call from Low-A Lexington on June 7 to replace roster spots vacated by the advancing Torres and Frank Schwindel. He played 74 games in Lexington with the Legends putting up Advanced-A worthy numbers. Hernandez batted .290 with 26 extra-base hits (19 doubles, two triples, five homeruns) and 42 RBIs. He is currently ranked by Baseball America as the 22nd best prospect in the Kansas City Royals farm system.



THEY SAID IT:



Designated Hitter Robert Pehl



“This is a great group of guys to play with. We’re never out of a game and I think all of us feel that way. Just to know that the game is never over and anything can happen makes it a lot more enjoyable, especially when you’re down…just keep battling, keep playing hard.”



“I couldn’t even tell you, honestly (why I’m successful against Lynchburg). I don’t really see it as different teams, I just come to the field and keep working. I’ve been feeling good about what I’ve been doing lately, so I think it’s carrying over to the games. I’m getting to see some results, which is nice.”



“I don’t want to make any excuses (for why I was slumping), I just take the opportunity when I’m out playing to get better and make the work earlier in the day count. In the game, just study the game, there’s always something to learn by watching it. With the extra down-time, I just took it as an opportunity to study the game, get better every day and find a way (back into the lineup). That was always the challenge.”



“Getting out there more is nice. I love to play and being in the lineup is a good feeling. To get results one day and show up the next day and keep the rhythm is always nice. When you’re hot, you’re hot. To get in the lineup more is a good feeling and you feel better about what you’re doing …only time to know how good you are and how you’re feeling is to get in the game and see live pitching.”

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[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: via RocksMedia <rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com>
Date: Sat, Jul 11, 2015 at 7:09 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Hillcats Walk-Off On Rocks In Ten For Second Straight Victory
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Hillcats Walk-Off On Rocks In Ten For Second Straight Victory
An Early Pitcher’s Duel Took 10 To Finish In Lynchburg


LYNCHBURG, VA – What was a pitcher’s duel in regulation turned into a heart-breaking 3-2 loss in 10 innings for the Blue Rocks on Saturday night in Lynchburg. After the Hillcats tied the score at two in the seventh, Eric Haase ended it in the tenth with his sixth homerun of the season, a walk-off shot. Despite the loss, the Rocks had a major bright-spot in Cody Stubbs who became the second Wilmington hitter to mash two homeruns in a game this season. The Hillcats have now taken both of the first two games of this four-game wrap-around series against Wilmington.


Ashton Goudeau entered the game for Rocks’ starter Jakob Junis to start the eighth inning and Goudeau worked through two frames allowing just one base runner on a walk. Haase, though, would not let him record an out in the first extra-inning frame as he took a first pitch fastball and hit an absolute no-doubter to left field. For Goudeau, it was his second loss of the season and it was Lynchburg’s 41st win of 2015.


Junis was dealing through four innings when his shutout was snuffed out by the Hillcats in the fifth. With one out, prospect Mike Papi lined a double down the right field line. Junis struck out Paul Hendrix looking, but then LeVon Washington lofted a single over the head of Humberto Arteaga, chasing Papi home to tie the score at one apiece. Washington produced another run in the seventh, tying the score at two with a ball he chopped through the left side of the infield for an RBI single. Washington is batting under the “Mendoza Line” this season, but he has three RBIs in the first two games of this series and now has nine RBIs through his first ten games in Advanced-A.


What was turning into a great evening for Lynchburg starter D.J. Brown was first interrupted by Wilmington's offense in the top of the fourth inning. After Brown retired the first two he would face, Stubbs came to the plate and worked a hitter's count, 2-0. He then took the next pitch and sent it over the outfield wall in center for his third homer of the campaign, giving the Rocks a 1-0 lead. After Junis got out of a jam with runners on the corners to keep the game tied in the bottom of the sixth, his offense gave him a lead in the next half-inning. With one out Stubbs went deep for the second time in the game, this one to right field, giving Wilmington the 2-1 advantage.


The Rocks and Hillcats continue this four-game wrap-around series with a Sunday matinee from Calvin Falwell Field. Wilmington sends Luis Rico to the mound. Rico took a loss in his last outing, coming in out of the ‘pen in relief of his piggyback partner Matthew Strahm. Lynchburg counters with Luis Lugo who is 5-7 with a 4.74 ERA. First pitch on Sunday afternoon is scheduled for 2 p.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Cody Stubbs' homers on Saturday were his third and fourth of the season, but just his first two of the season's second-half. Stubbs, who started his campaign in Advanced-A with an 11-game hitting streak, had cooled down a bit since late June, batting just .219 over his last nine games. However, the now everyday first baseman for the Rocks does seem to love playing on the road. All four of his long balls have come away from big Frawley Stadium. Stubbs is batting for a better average at home (.308), but he has just two extra-base hits in the spacious ballpark in Delaware. On the road, Cody has racked up 10 extra-base hits and 10 RBIs. On Saturday, he also joined exclusive company along with former Rocks’ catcher Zane Evans as the only two Wilmington batters who have cracked two long balls in the same game this season. Evans did it back on April 26 against the Frederick Keys at the hitter-friendly Nymeo Field. Stubbs, currently in his second year as a Rock, tied for the team-lead in homeruns in 2014 (10).


While he didn't earn a win, Jakob Junis did produce yet another quality start (six-plus innings pitched, three or less runs). For the righty, it is his third consecutive appearance racking up a quality start, and the fifth in his last six Advanced-A games (he made one start with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on June 23). Junis has really put it all together here in the second half. The right-hander entered June with a 4.05 ERA, which he has now brought down to a very respectable 3.28. He is also second in the Carolina League in walks and hits per inning pitched (1.06) just behind Myrtle Beach’s Jonathan Martinez (0.97). His 3.28 ERA is good for eighth in the CL and his 72 strikeouts are tied for fourth.


It appears as though not much has changed in the second-half of the season as the Blue Crew continues to scuffle away from Frawley Stadium. With their loss on Saturday, Wilmington is now 17-26 on the road, a total in stark contrast to their 29-13 record at home, which is best in the Carolina League. The biggest factor for the Rocks on the road continues to be the difference in pitching. Wilmington hurlers are posting an incredible 2.56 ERA at home, while that total bloats to a 3.24 on the road. The struggling offense has not helped either. For most of the season, Wilmington’s team average on the road and at home were very similar, but the difference has widened. The Rocks are now batting .260 at Frawley Stadium compared to just .241 away from the friendly-confines.


Saturday marked a very rare loss for the Rocks when they hit a homerun and when they score first. With the loss, Wilmington is now 19-5 when a hitter belts a long ball and they are 32-17 when they crack the scoreboard first. Saturday was also the second straight loss for Wilmington when they score first. The Rocks now have 34 homers as a team this season, exactly half of last year’s total (68). The Eric Haase homerun also hurt the Blue Crew’s walk-off record. Wilmington is now 4-7 in games decided in the last at-bat. They were last walked-off on on the Fourth of July in 3-2, 14-inning loss to the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge, Virginia.



THEY SAID IT:


Starting Pitcher Jakob Junis


“Yeah, definitely (felt comfortable from the start). I threw a lot of strikes, got a lot of early contact, early groundballs, and a couple of double plays. That was huge to keep my pitch count low and helped me go into the seventh inning.”


“(Humberto) Arteaga…is one of the smoothest infielders there is. I have a lot of confidence with him and (Jack Lopez) up the middle. It was a great double play they turned for me…and that just saves you as a pitcher. It’s definitely a little confidence booster with those guys behind you.”


First Baseman Cody Stubbs


“I needed to see the ball up. I was chasing too many pitches down in the strike zone. I just needed to see a ball up and get a good pitch to hit. Luckily, I made that adjustment the next two at-bats after my first one.”


“(Hitting a homerun) just kind of relaxes you so I can do this. The confidence gets you moving, carries momentum into your next at-bat.”


“I was looking for something up in the zone and, luckily, he put it right there for me.”


“Situational stuff (is why we’re struggling). Just getting bunts down and stuff like that. Sometimes that’s just the way the game goes. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way but you have to be better at the little things, keep working at it and things will be just fine.”


“I’m fine with either (playing first base or outfield). I enjoy both of them…it’s really just wherever they need me and neither one bothers me.”


“Junis was great tonight. Just keeping balls low in the strike zone and making it very difficult on them. It was just great to see. It took me back to when he pitched in the Championship game in Helena, just how unbelievable he threw. It was fun to play defense behind him tonight.”

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[dawrestling]

Date: Sun, Jul 12, 2015 at 2:47 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Offense Comes Alive In The Third To Take Game Three Of Four In Lynchburg
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Offense Comes Alive In The Third To Take Game Three Of Four In Lynchburg

A Four-Run Fourth Would Be All Wilmington Needed To Take Sole Possession Of Second Place


LYNCHBURG, VA – Four runs off of Lynchburg starter Luis Lugo in the third inning proved to be enough for the Blue Rocks who came away with a 5-3 win over the Hillcats on Sunday afternoon at Calvin Falwell Field. Cody Stubbs stayed hot in the series with a double and a couple of RBIs while Luis Rico captured his fifth win of the year. Wilmington now needs a win on Monday to split this weekend series with the ‘Cats.


Trailing by two runs, the Wilmington offense woke up in the top of the third inning. Singles from Dex Kjerstad, Jack Lopez, and Mauricio Ramos loaded the bases for Saturday's offensive standout, Stubbs. He would collect another extra-base hit, this time a double, scoring two and tying the ball game with one out. With two men in scoring position Elier Hernandez hit into a productive out as he skied a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Ramos and giving Wilmington their first lead of the afternoon. Alfredo Escalera rounded out the scoring with an RBI single into center making it 4-2 Blue Crew through two and a half.


After retiring the first two batters of the ballgame, Rico lost his command, walking Clint Frazier. The free pass allowed Nellie Rodriguez, second in the Carolina League in homeruns, to come to the plate and Rodriguez hit a bomb over the wall in left. The long ball was his 11th of the season giving Lynchburg an early 2-0 lead. Rodriguez captured the League-lead with another homer in the eighth, a solo shot, pulling Lynchburg to within one run at 4-3.


Aside from the homer, Rico was solid. He worked through five innings and sat down eight on strikes en route to the victory. Meanwhile, his former piggyback partner Yender Caramo came in behind him out of the bullpen and Caramo picked up right where his lefty counterpart left off. He retired all six batters he faced in two frames. He turned the ball over to Kevin McCarthy in the eighth. McCarthy would allow the homerun to Rodriguez in the eighth but, after his offense got him some insurance in the top of the inning, he would work a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for his fourth save of the season.


The Rocks and Hillcats will finish up this four-game series on Monday evening. Wilmington turns to Zach Lovvorn who will be making his second Advanced-A start. His first time out, Lovvorn impressed going seven strong innings for his first win. Lynchburg counters with Mitch Brown who is 4-8 with a 5.64 ERA, but he has picked up a win in his last two starts including one against the Blue Crew on July 1. First pitch from Calvin Falwell Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


His single leading off the fourth inning was the first at Advanced-A for catcher Luis Villegas. Villegas joined the team last week when Cam Gallagher found out he would be representing the U.S.A. at the Pan-American Games in Toronto. He is currently in his sixth professional season after being signed out of Venezuela in July, 2009. Villegas batted .306 with nine extra-base hits and 12 RBIs in 19 games with Low-A Lexington before getting the call to Wilmington. Villegas also became the sixth Venezuela-born player on the Blue Rocks’ roster when he was called up, a total that ties the Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia Advanced-A affiliate) for most Venezuelan players of any full-season affiliate in the minors. He went 0-for-3 in his Advanced-A debut on Friday and was behind the plate when Eric Haase hit a walk-off homer against the Rocks on Saturday.


Whether it be Nellie or Luigi, the Rodriguez' continue to hurt the Rocks with their power. Coming into Sunday afternoon, Luigi Rodriguez was the only player to homer twice in a game against Wilmington, a feat he accomplished back on May 8 at Frawley Stadium. Those two long balls came off of Saturday’s starter Jakob Junis. On Sunday, Nellie Rodriguez became the second player this season to go deep against Wilmington twice in a game. The two big flies also gave Nellie the League-lead in homers (12), passing his teammate Luigi. The Blue Crew has now given up 35 homers this season as a team. Surprisingly, 20 of those have come at the spacious Frawley Stadium.


Cody Stubbs' double on Sunday was his third extra-base hit in the last two games, which is a welcomed site for the Rocks. Previously, Stubbs had managed just two extra-base hits in his first 36 at-bats of the season’s second-half. He is now up to 13 on the season (eight doubles, a triple, and four homeruns), while batting .294. His two RBIs and a run scored on Sunday also evened his totals in those categories (15). Stubbs joined Wilmington at the end of May after rehabbing an injury at extended Spring Training and started his campaign with an 11-game hitting streak. Stubbs tied for the club lead in homers last season with 10.


Luis Rico continues to be a strikeout machine as of late. His eight strikeouts on Sunday brought his season total to 70, which he has racked up in just 61.1 innings pitched. Those eight punch-outs were also just one shy of his career-high, a total he last set back on July 2 against the Hillcats. Rico has been good against Lynchburg this year as he picked up his second win against the Hillcats this season. He has struck out 23 Lynchburg hitters in 15.1 innings and is posting an impressive 2.93 ERA. He is now 5-4 with a 2.79 ERA at Advanced-A this season.


THEY SAID IT:


Reliever Kevin McCarthy

 

[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: via RocksMedia <rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 13, 2015 at 6:49 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Rocks Homer Twice, But Hillcats Offense Overpowers Wilmington in Loss
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Rocks Homer Twice, But Hillcats Offense Overpowers Wilmington in Loss
Blue Crew drops series finale, and three of four to Hillcats


LYNCHBURG, Va. – Despite a pair of long balls, Wilmington couldn’t keep up with the Lynchburg offense on Monday night, falling in the series finale 8-4. The Blue Rocks dropped to 47-40 with the loss, while the Hillcats improved to 42-45. Jack Lopez and Santiago Nessy each produced solo homers, but Zach Lovvorn gave up seven runs (five earned) on the way to his first loss at the Advanced-A level.


The Rocks managed to take the lead two batters into the game. With one down and the bases empty in the top of the first, Lopez took Lynchburg starter Mitch Brown deep for a solo homer, Lopez’s fifth of the year. Brown retired the next two men to face him, but Wilmington exited the frame with a 1-0 lead.


The Lynchburg offense came alive for three runs in the bottom of the second. Mike Papi doubled to lead off the frame, then was followed by Eric Haase who walked. LeVon Washington got the Hillcats on the scoreboard with a two-bagger of his own that scored Papi and got Haase to third. Yhoxian Medina continued the rally with a single, plating Haase and moving Washington to third, giving Lynchburg their first lead of the night in the process. The ‘Cats got their final run of the frame when Ivan Castillo grounded into a fielder’s choice, as the inning ended with Lynchburg on top 3-1.


Wilmington got a run back in the very next half frame. After Logan Moon walked and Dominique Taylor doubled to set up runners at second and third with nobody out, Carlos Garcia produced a ground out that chased Moon home. That would be all the Blue Crew would get in the frame, though, as the inning ended with the Hillcats in front 3-2.


Lynchburg came up with a quick response of their own in the bottom of the third. Lovvorn got the first two batters of the inning out, but then Papi reached on an error by Lopez with two down and nobody on. The next man up, Haase, doubled to bring Papi home, extending the Hillcats lead to 4-2. Lynchburg would tack on another tally when Washington legged out an infield single and Haase scored from second on the play.


With two runs in the top of the fifth, the Rocks got to within a single score. Santiago Nessy began the frame with a solo homer, his third of the year, cutting into the Hillcats lead at 5-3. Two batters later, Taylor produced another double, and was followed by a Garcia ground out which got Taylor to third base. Lopez would then drop down a bunt single that scored Taylor, making it 5-4 Lynchburg.


The Hillcats would score two more in the fifth inning thanks to a two-run double by Washington, and then one more in the seventh on a Medina RBI-single, capping the scoring at 8-4. After the Blue Rocks enjoy their only off-day of the month on Tuesday, Wilmington will return to Frawley Stadium on Wednesday when they host the Frederick Keys. The two teams will resume a suspended game before playing their regularly scheduled contest afterwards. The resumption of the suspended tilt begins at 5:05 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


For whatever reason, the Blue Rocks can’t seem to figure out the Lynchburg Hillcats. With the loss on Monday, Wilmington drops to 6-8 overall against the Hillcats this year, including a 2-5 mark on the road. Lynchburg is the only Northern Division team the Rocks hold a losing record against, and the biggest difference in the season series seems to be the pitching. Wilmington hurlers are getting torched to the tune of a 4.28 ERA against the Hillcats in 2015, compared to their overall ERA of 2.93. On the other side of the coin, Lynchburg pitchers hold a respectable 3.46 ERA against the Blue Crew this season, a number that holds up favorably against their 4.23 season mark.


With two errors on Monday, Wilmington snapped their streak of five straight contests without committing a defensive miscue. The last time Wilmington was guilty of an error was during their July 6 game at Potomac, which they won 2-1 in 10 innings. Monday also marked the first time Wilmington committed more than one error since July 2, a 3-2 win over the Hillcats at Frawley Stadium. The Rocks produced four defensive mistakes in that contest, their most in a single game this season. The pair of unearned runs the Blue Crew allowed on Monday brought their season total to 38, which is good for second fewest in the league behind only Myrtle Beach.


Jack Lopez and Santiago Nessy went deep in Monday’s contest, continuing Wilmington’s impressive power display in the second half. With two more long balls, the Rocks now have 11 homers since the All-Star break, after hitting just 26 in the entire first half of the season. The two homers on Monday also gave the Blue Crew four in the series against Lynchburg, including the pair hit by Cody Stubbs on Saturday. Stubbs became just the second Wilmington player with multiple homers in a game this season, with the first being Zane Evans. The Blue Rocks didn’t exactly take full advantage of their power output during the four-game set, as all four home runs were solo shots.


Not only was the Wilmington offense powerful on Monday, it was also patient. The Rocks drew three walks against the Hillcats, with one apiece going to Robert Pehl, Logan Moon, and Nessy. For Moon, it was his team-leading 26th free pass of the season. Entering the day, Wilmington was dead last in the Carolina League in regards to walks drawn with 197, which was 19 behind the next closest team, Carolina. The Rocks became the last team in the circuit to reach 200 walks with their trio of free passes on Monday.


Monday proved to be a nice breakout for Dominique Taylor. The Wilmington outfielder produced a 2-for-4 day, including a pair of doubles and a run scored. Taylor entered the contest hitless in his last nine games played. His most recent knock came on June 29 against the Frederick Keys. That game was also the last time he collected an extra base hit. During his nine-game hitless streak, Taylor saw his average drop from .214 to below the Mendoza Line at .199.

www.bluerocks.com

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[dawrestling]

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: via RocksMedia <rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com>
Date: Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 10:32 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Long Evening Ends With Rocks And Keys Splitting Suspension And Regularly Scheduled Game
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Long Evening Ends With Rocks And Keys Splitting Suspension And Regularly Scheduled Game

Big Comebacks For Both Teams Ends In A Win For Both Sides


WILMINGTON, DE – The game between the Blue Rocks and Keys on July 9 entered a rain delay in the fourth inning and took almost a week to find a winner, but once action was resumed it was the Blue Crew who prevailed in a wild game by a 15-10 final on Wednesday evening. In Wednesday’s regularly scheduled action the Keys took what was supposed to be a seven-inning affair 5-2 in 11. Sean Manaea was the Blue Rocks starter in both games, and the third ranked prospect in the Royals’ system according to Baseball America took a no-decision twice on Wednesday.


Back when game one started on July 9, it did not look good for the Blue Crew. Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Santiago Nessy sacrifice fly, the Keys fought back and took a commanding 6-1 lead off of Manaea. With two outs and a runner on second in the fourth, the tarp was pulled and the game was suspended. When the two teams resumed play on Wednesday Frederick added one more with an RBI single from Chance Sisco off of reliever Yender Caramo to make it 7-1.


However, the Rocks would start their comeback after that, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. After the Keys got a tally back in the sixth, the Rocks completed their comeback in the seventh. A walk, a single, and a hit by pitch would load the bases. An Elier Hernandez single, an Alfredo Escalera walk, and a Jack Lopez sacrifice fly made it a one-run ballgame until Logan Moon stepped up and ripped a line drive off the glove of Anthony Caronia at third, plating two and giving Wilmington their first lead in the game since the first inning on July 9. The Rocks were not done, though, as Humberto Arteaga hit a grounder to short with the bases loaded and the ball was booted by Adrian Marin to make it a 10-8 game. Mauricio Ramos then walked on four pitches to bring in Moon. More insurance came in the form of a Nessy two-RBI double that made it 13-8. Wilmington was not done until Hernandez added a sacrifice fly to give the Rocks a 14-8 advantage heading into the eighth.


Wilmington added another insurance run in the bottom of the eighth but they probably would have rather done without it. With the bases loaded Ramos came up and was hit in the head with a pitch to bring in a run. Ramos immediately came out of the game. Andrew Edwards came in out of the bullpen and, despite giving up a couple of runs, Edwards held on as the Rocks won it 15-10.


The regularly scheduled game on Wednesday night was not short of excitement, either. After Manaea collected two quick outs in the top of third in the seven inning contest, he hit Jeff Kemp, who promptly moved to second on a Luis Villegas passed ball. A single by Sisco drove him home to make it 1-0.


The Rocks battled back to take the lead on a two-RBI triple by Cody Stubbs, but the Keys were the "comeback kids" in the nightcap. Ashton Goudeau, who came in for Manaea in the sixth, gave up consecutive singles to start the seventh before being replaced by Estarlin Cordero. A wild pitch moved the lead runner, Austin Wynns, to third and a deep fly ball off the bat of Caronia was good enough to tie the score at two and force extra-innings. The next score would not come until the 11th inning when Tad Gold, with two outs, hit a double down the left field line off of Robinson Yambati. Two men scored and that gave the Keys a 4-2 lead, which they would extend to 5-2 on an Marin single scoring Gold.


The Rocks and Keys may not get much sleep as they hit the field again on Thursday morning for game two of this four-game series from the Riverfront in Wilmington. The Blue Crew looks to Alec Mills to avenge the extra-innings loss on Wednesday. Mills, arguably one of the most solid hurlers in the CL this season, is currently 6-5 with a 2.39 ERA. Frederick counters with Mitch Horacek, one of Mills’ fellow All-Stars, who is 5-9 with a 4.33 ERA. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is scheduled for 11:05 a.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Their 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one set a new season-high for the Blue Rocks whose previous high sat at eight runs in one frame, a total they set against the Lynchburg Hillcats back on July 3. The 10 runs was also the most runs scored in an inning by the Rocks since back on May 1, 1994 against the Durham Bulls when they also scored 10. The Durham Bulls are currently the Triple-A affiliate of the Tamp Bay Rays. The total came just one run away from tying a franchise record (11), though 15 runs is also a new single-game high this season for Wilmington. The Rocks have now scored 323 runs as a team this year, averaging just 3.6 runs per game. The big frame will also help the Rocks’ numbers in the month of July. Coming into play on Wednesday the Blue Crew was batting just .205 during July, a total well under their season-average of .251.


Runs in an inning was not the only season-high the Wilmington offense set in the resumption of July 9’s game on Wednesday. Their eight walks also set a new single-game high, eclipsing their seven walks they drew in three different games this season, most recently on May 11 against Lynchburg. While the Rocks have struggled to find free-passes this season (their 211 walks is last in the Carolina League), they have no trouble finding them against the Keys. Wilmington has drawn 70 of their 211 against Frederick in 2015. However, the Keys are known for doling out walks. Frederick pitchers have walked 378 batters this season, by far the most in the League.


With a win in relief of Sean Manaea in game one, Yender Caramo ended a streak of three consecutive losses in outings where he took a decision. That total is still the most losses in consecutive decisions for any Rocks hurler. Caramo’s unfortunate streak took place during the first-half of the season when he took a loss in three straight appearances from June 9-19. All of those losses were on the road, the last being against the Keys at Nymeo Field. He had opportunities for more decisions, but was moved to the bullpen and made four consecutive appearances without a decision. Caramo is now 4-6 with a good 2.90 ERA, an earned-run average that is currently good for fifth in the Carolina League. While he has been solid in both roles, Caramo has thrived more in relief going 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA when coming out of the bullpen compared to 2-5 with a 3.14 ERA when he starts.


Dominique Taylor collected a double in the regularly scheduled game on Wednesday evening as it looks as though he may finally be finding it at the plate. Taylor, who has been one of just two Rocks outfielders (along with Logan Moon) who have been with the team all season, now has three doubles in his last two games. Monday’s game against the Hillcats was the first contest this season where Taylor was able to collect multiple extra-base hits in the same game. Prior to his two doubles on Monday, he had gone nine straight contests without recording a hit, dropping his season-average to .199. That was the first time his average had been under the “Mendoza-Line” all season. Taylor is now back up to .204 with eight doubles, two triples, a homer, 17 RBIs, and seven steals. Despite struggling at the plate, Taylor has been consistent in the outfield as he is posting a .986 fielding percentage, committing just two error in over 616 innings played in the outfield for Wilmington this season.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan


“The first game (on Wednesday) we were down 7-1, to come back and win that game is huge. The second game we just let it get away from us. It was a long night of baseball.”



“I was pleased that we were having good at bats (in the bottom of the 7th in the first game on Wednesday.) It was good to see them add on (the runs) and continue to add them. At the end (of the inning) we had a pretty good lead. It is good to win games like that, to be down six runs and then to come back and battle back to do what (the players) are supposed to do.”



“(The early morning start on Thursday does not change the plans) we just have to come out and find a way to get through it. Both teams went through the (same long night.) This is where the mental toughness kicks in for minor league baseball.”


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CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Junis Dominates The Keys As Wilmington Coasts To A Victory

Jakob Junis Turned In Arguably His Best Outing Of The Season In The 3-1 Win


WILMINGTON, DE – On the back of a stellar outing from starter Jakob Junis, the Blue Rocks cruised to a 3-1 victory over the Frederick Keys on Friday night at Frawley Stadium. Junis went eight innings, allowing just one run in the fourth. With the win, he improved his record to 4-6, while his ERA deflated to an impressive 3.12 on the season. Meanwhile, the other side of the ball was highlighted by newcomer Ryan O’Hearn who collected a hit and an RBI in his first game at the Advanced-A level.


After four scoreless innings, Wilmington's offense finally showed signs of life against Frederick starter Chris Lee in the bottom of the fifth. After a strikeout to start the frame, Santiago Nessy ripped a double over Josh Hart's head in left field. An infield single from Robert Pehl put runners on the corners and the Rocks' second double of the inning, this one from Logan Moon, brought Nessy home and tied the score at one. A groundball deep in the shortstop hole off the bat of Jack Lopez chased Pehl home and gave Wilmington their first lead of the game, 2-1.


Ahead 2-1 in the eighth inning, the Rocks were looking for some insurance and it came from their newest player. Humberto Arteaga struck a one-out single into centerfield and then advanced to third on two wild pitches from reliever Nik Nowottnick. Nowottnick got a very big out when he struck out the Rocks’ leader in RBIs, Mauricio Ramos, for the second out of the inning. However, O’Hearn salvaged the inning with a groundball single through the right side of the infield to extend the Wilmington lead to 3-1. O’Hearn was 0-for-3 coming into that at-bat in the eighth.


The first score on Friday night did not come until the fourth inning when the Keys would get their first hit off of Junis, as well as their first run. After allowing just one walk through the first three innings, Junis allowed back-to-back singles to Anthony Caronia and Chance Sisco to start the frame. After a fly ball from Jeff Kemp moved Caronia to third, Junis yanked a pitch in the dirt that Nessy could not handle. Caronia came in on the wild pitch and the Keys took the 1-0 lead. Junis worked out of the frame with no further damage and worked through the eighth without allowing another tally. He allowed just four hits and a walk with five strikeouts in the win.


The Rocks and Keys finish up this four-game series on Saturday evening. Wilmington will turn to south-paw Luis Rico. Rico appears to have made a comfortable transition into the starting rotation. He is 5-4 with a 2.79 ERA. Frederick counters with David Hess who has an even 4-4 record with a 4.58 ERA with the Keys this season. Saturday is another 7:05 p.m. first pitch time from Frawley Stadium.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Jakob Junis has been "money in the bank" recently for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. His eight inning, one run performance spelled another quality start for the right-hander. Junis has now recorded four quality outings in a row. He has turned in a quality start in seven of his last eight outings, the only blemish being a start with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on June 23 when he allowed five runs in just four innings. The last time the righty gave up more than three runs in Advanced-A was way back on May 30 when he gave up seven runs in five innings against the Carolina Mudcats. He has now allowed one earned run or less in nine of his 18 starts this season. Junis' 3.12 ERA is good for eighth in the Carolina League and his 1.06 WHIP is second in the eight-team loop, behind just Myrtle Beach’s Jonathan Martinez (0.94).


No one should touch Santiago Nessy right now, he is red-hot. The Rocks' backstop added another double and a run scored to his ledger on Friday evening. In his last six games, the Venezuela-native is batting an even .500 (9-for-18) with a homer, seven RBIs, and three runs scored. This stretch is a nice bounce-back for Nessy who, coming into his last six games, has just three hits in his last 30 at-bats. He now has his average up to .268 at Advanced-A this season. The catcher has mashed three homeruns, eight doubles, and has driven in 18 runs. His eight walks have also put his on-base percentage at a very respectable .327.


After a couple of losses against Frederick to start the series, the Blue Crew got back on track against the Keys on Friday. Wins over their CL North rivals in Frederick is nothing new for the Rocks who are now 16-9 when facing the Keys this season. This year, it has been Wilmington hitters who have feasted off of Keys pitching. As a team, the Rocks are batting .269 against Frederick pitching while the offense is averaging close to four runs a game. Individual standouts include Jack Lopez (.330, three homers, 14 RBIs, eight walks), Logan Moon (.342, five doubles, nine RBIs), and Mauricio Ramos (.342, three homers, 13 RBIs, nine walks). The Rocks will be sad to see the Keys go as Saturday will mark the last time these two clubs meet in 2015 barring a playoff appearance for Frederick.


Ryan O’Hearn collected his first hit and his first RBI at Advanced-A on Friday, but run production is nothing new for the Rocks’ first baseman. O’Hearn terrorized South Atlantic League pitching this season during his stint with the Low-A Lexington Legends. He batted .277 in 81 games while leading the team in homeruns (19), RBIs (56), hits (87), and total bases (155). O’Hearn was an eighth round draft pick by the Royals in 2014 out of Sam Houston State. He started his professional career with the Rookie-Level Idaho Falls Chukars, where he was named Pioneer League MVP and Idaho Falls Player of the Year after leading the short-season league in runs (61), hits (90), OPS (1.034), and slugging percentage (.590). He had the highest batting average (.361) of any Royals minor leaguer in 2014.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan



“(Jakob Junis) threw the ball great, he kept the ball down and had his off-speed (pitches) working for him. He has had a few of those games this season. It was good to see.”



“(Ryan O’Hearn) had a few pretty good at bats (in his Wilmington debut.) He had good swings, he had the RBI with two outs (in the eighth inning) which was nice. He was swinging the bat well in Lexington and that is why he is here. He is a left handed bat for us and looked good.”



“(Jakob Junis) has been pretty consistent all year. (Northwest Arkansas) are hurting in double-A. This organization is about pitching so the guys here now are going to take their spots. They will throw the ball well so I don’t think Junis will need to feel like he has to carry this team through the second half. We got some good arms that will fill in where they need to”



“(Alec Mills) will be taking a week off. It is his finger so we have to make sure that it heals up. He is not going to throw for a couple of days and then we will reassess him after that.”



“It is nice to have (a rest period) after the morning games we have the afternoon off and then the morning the next day. I think the guys are still tired from that long first day on (Wednesday.)”



Starting Pitcher Jakob Junis



“I was locating my fastball, and my changeup really good today. I could throw it for a strike, and I threw it for a strikeout pitch, and putting my fastball on each side of the plate really helped me.”



“I don’t know if I’d say (I’m the go-to guy in the rotation with so many pitchers gone), but I’ve always been a starting pitcher that does go deep into games and throw more innings. I think throwing strikes and being able to throw all of my pitches for strikes allows me to do that and go into the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings and rack those innings up.”



“I take pride in (being able to go deep into games). It’s pretty hard to do that, go six, seven, eight innings like that, so I definitely take pride in that.”



“(The long rest between yesterday’s game and tonight’s) definitely (benefited the team). The other day, we had that doubleheader that went really late into the night. Then we had that quick turnaround where we had a morning game at 11 a.m. (yesterday). Getting that afternoon off, that was great. Hopefully we get some rest tomorrow and get another win and head on the road.”


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[dawrestling]

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Doug Raftery <DRaftery@frederickkeys.com>
Date: Sat, Jul 18, 2015 at 7:51 PM
Subject: 7-18-15 FIVE-RUN FIFTH PUSHES KEYS PAST BLUE ROCKS 8-1
To:


Frederick Keys News Release

For Immediate Release: July 18, 2015

FIVE-RUN FIFTH PUSHES KEYS PAST BLUE ROCKS 8-1
KEYS WIN THEIR FIRST SERIES IN WILMINGTON IN 2015

Wilmington, De. – A five-run fifth inning and five frames of one-run baseball from David Hess pushed the Keys past Wilmington 8-1 on Saturday night at Frawley Stadium. With the win, the Keys win their first series in the First State this year in what is the last time the two squads face off in 2015.

The five-run fifth opened up a one-run Keys lead. Luis Rico (5-5), who walked a career-high five in the loss and allowed five runs in 4.1 innings, issued a free pass to Wynston Sawyer to begin the frame. Chance Sisco followed with a single for runners on the corners, and Jeff Kemp lifted a sacrifice fly for a 3-1 Keys lead. After Austin Wynns singled to left field, Rico was removed for Torey Deshazier. He walked Adrian Marin and Conor Beirfeldt, the latter of which brought home a run with the bases loaded. Two batters later, Jay Gonzalez knocked one into center for a two-run single, one of his career-high-tying four hits of the game. Josh Hart would bring in the fifth run for a 7-1 advantage.

Frederick jumped ahead of Rico and the Blue Crew in the first inning. Hart singled, stole second, advanced to third on a Sawyer groundout, and scampered home on an RBI by Kemp. They would add another marker in the second after Marin tripled to right-center and Bierfeldt fouled out to right field.

Hess (5-4), who tossed 25 pitches in the first inning but just 12 in the second, ran into trouble in the third. Dominique Taylor doubled and Carlos Garcia placed a bunt single down to put runners on first and third. Jack Lopez followed with a bunt of his own, which Hess fielded but threw low to first on. Lopez was credited with a sacrifice and RBI, and there were still no outs with Garcia on second and Lopez on first. Mauricio Ramos flied out, but Ryan O’Hearn walked to load them up. Hess utilized his slider to the next two batters, both of whom would strikeout. Alfredo Escalera did it on three pitches, while Humberto Arteaga struck out swinging on the seventh pitch to end the threat and leave them loaded.

The Keys couldn’t add any more in the time, and by that time, the bullpen relieved Hess, who earned his third win over his last five starts. He tossed five innings, allowed four hits, one run, walked three and struck out five.

Jimmy Yacabonis and Donnie Hart both posted two scoreless innings, and the bullpen has allowed just one earned run over their last 15 innings. In the ninth, the Keys received a third RBI from Gonzalez against Robinson Yambati. For Gonzalez, it is the second time in three games he brought home three, which ties his career-high.The Keys return home on Sunday to face off against the Potomac Nationals. Left-hander Ariel Mirando (0-1, 5.63) toes the mound for the Keys and will be countered by Potomac righty Reynaldo Lopez (5-5, 4.30). First pitch is slated for 6:00 p.m. with post-game fireworks presented by American Disposal Systems, and the broadcast can be heard on 1450 AM The Source and frederickkeys.com.

The Frederick Keys are the Advanced-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play their home games at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. For more information about the Frederick Keys please contact Geoff Arnold by phone at (301)-815-9915 or by emailing at garnold@frederickkeys.com.


-www.FrederickKeys.com-

 

[dawrestling]

Date: Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 7:20 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Carolina Wakes Up In The Fifth, Evens Series With Wilmington At A Game Apiece
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONDAY, JULY 20, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Carolina Wakes Up In The Fifth, Evens Series With Wilmington At A Game Apiece

The Mudcats Exploded For Five Runs Off Of Starter Matthew Strahm In The Fifth On Their Way To An 8-2 Win


ZEBULON, NC – Despite a fast start, the Wilmington Blue Rocks could not hold down the Carolina Mudcats who evened their three-game series with an 8-2 win on Monday night from Five County Stadium. The Carolina bullpen worked eight innings of shutout baseball in relief of starter Max Povse who gave up two runs in his lone inning of work. Jacob Schrader keyed the Carolina offense with two extra-base hits and a couple of RBIs, as well.


Rocks’ starter Matthew Strahm was dealing through the first four frames, retiring all 12 batters he faced to start his day. However, Schrader proved that all good things must come to an end when he led off the bottom of the fifth with a towering solo homerun, his ninth of the season, cutting the Wilmington lead down to 2-1. Carolina wasn’t done yet as Carlos Franco followed up the homer with a walk and then, with one out, Jose Briceno lined a ball into centerfield that caromed off the glove of a diving Dominique Taylor, which allowed the tying run to score. A throwing error by shortstop Humberto Arteaga put runners on the corners with one out and a successful safety squeeze from Reed Harper gave the Mudcats their first lead of the day, 3-2. Connor Lien put the proverbial, “cherry on top,” with a two-RBI double ripped down the right field line to make it 5-2. The Mudcats’ offense put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth when they put three runs on the board against reliever Yender Caramo, but because of two errors in the inning they were all unearned.


Carolina’s bullpen was the story of the game. Povse’s day lasted just the first inning before he was taken out in favor of Justin Jackson. Jackson got through four innings, allowing just one base runner on a walk while striking out three. Andrew Waszak was the next arm out of the pen’, and he picked up right where Jackson left off. Waszak went three strong frames, giving up a hit with three strikeouts. Kyle Kinman was the third arm out of the bullpen for Carolina and he would close it out, pitching a scoreless ninth while striking out the side.


Wilmington’s offensive attack started early when they got to Povse in the first inning. He did not help his cause when he hit the first batter of the game, Jack Lopez, on a 1-2 pitch. He proceeded to walk Arteaga and then Mauricio Ramos picked up his fourth RBI in two days when he singled through the left side of the infield. Arteaga, who moved to third on the Ramos single, would come in to score on a groundball double play off the bat of Ryan O’Hearn to make it an early 2-0 lead for the Rocks.


Tuesday morning will be the rubber-match of this three-game series. The matinee game will feature Brooks Pounders making his 2015 Advanced-A debut for the Rocks. Pounders, who spent parts of 2012 and 2014 with Wilmington, posted a 1.00 ERA in five starts between the Arizona League Royals and Idaho Falls Chukars before getting the call. Wes Parsons will take the ball for the Mudcats in the series finale. Parsons will also be making his first appearance at Advanced-A in 2015. He spent all of 2014 with the Lynchburg Hillcats where he went 4-7 with a 5.00 ERA in 23 starts. First pitch from Five County Stadium is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Mauricio Ramos continues to rake in the second half. The third baseman produced a 2-for-4 night on Monday, which included two singles and the lone Wilmington RBI. Since the All-Star break, Ramos is batting an amazing .383 through 21 games, including four homers, seven doubles, 21 RBIs and 14 runs scored. He is the current team-leader in total home runs (6), doubles (16), RBIs (41), and runs (39). He has also played the most games for the Blue Crew this season with appearances in 83 contests. Wilmington’s last four RBIs have all come from Ramos.


Defense, a category the Rocks had excelled at all season, has become a bit of a problem recently. Their four errors on Monday night meant the team has committed multiple errors in four of their last eight games. Those two errors also led to two unearned runs for Matthew Strahm in the fifth inning and three for Yender Caramo in the eighth. Unearned runs are also a rarity for the Rocks who have allowed the third fewest unearned runs of any team in the Carolina League. Coming into Monday, Wilmington was tied with the Mudcats for second-fewest unearned runs (40), 11 behind Myrtle Beach’s 29, which is good for tops in the eight-team League. Defensively, their four-team errors on Monday tied a team-high for errors in a game, a total they last recorded on July 2 against Lynchburg. The Rocks have now committed 79 errors this season, good for a .977 fielding percentage. Jack Lopez’ 15 miscues are by far the most of any current Blue Rock. Ramon Torres committed 10 errors before getting the call to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Wilmington’s defense is clearly missing Cam Gallagher while he is at the Pan-Am Games. Gallagher had a .991 fielding percentage, committing just three errors in 43 games behind the plate.


While Matthew Strahm has shown signs of brilliance, he does exhibit one major weakness: the long ball. The homerun off the bat of Jacob Schrader in the fifth inning was the fourth homer allowed by Strahm at Advanced-A this season in just seven appearances. The trend is certainly an odd one for Strahm, who never allowed more than a single homerun at any level in professional baseball before getting to the Riverfront. The homeruns may be attributed to Strahm’s new role as a starter for Wilmington. In his four relief appearance at Advanced-A, Strahm has allowed just one long ball, while the other three have come in his three starts. The lefty’s numbers are still impressive at Advanced-A. The loss on Monday was his first at this level, where he is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA. In 28.1 innings pitched, he has given up just 17 hits and seven walks while striking out 43.


Humberto Arteaga reached base twice on Monday, a good sign for the middle-infielder who had gotten on base just nine times through his first 38 plate appearances. Arteaga now has his batting average up to .184 at Advanced-A after batting .259 in 70 games with Low-A Lexington this season. What was concerning for Arteaga on Monday was the two errors he committed in the field, a rarity for the second baseman who was ranked as the, “Best Defensive Infielder,” in the Royals organization according to Baseball America. Those errors were his first two since joining Wilmington at the beginning of July. At Low-A, Arteaga made 10 errors in 68 games he played in the field (67 of those at shortstop). His .967 fielding percentage was the best of any Lexington shortstop who had played at least 10 games at short, and it was second to only Corey Toups (.976) among middle-infielders.

 

[dawrestling]

Page 2
THEY SAID IT:


Catcher Santiago Nessy



“Obviously, it was the homer (that made Matthew Strahm’s appearance go south) and then a couple of errors. That becomes a five-run inning. He made his pitches. It’s not like he wasn’t executing his pitches. He executed his pitches, you’ve just got to tip your hat. (The Carolina Mudcats) is there trying to hit the ball and that’s going to happen.”


“After (the first four innings) I think everyone was just like, ‘what’s going on,’ (in the fifth). He was maybe starting to have more stuff in his head and that’s when he made the mistakes. It’s not like he was leaving the ball up or missing his spots, they hit the ball and we weren’t able to make the plays. That’s going to happen, that’s baseball.”


“It was men at first and third and one out and we want to get the groundball and you get the squeeze. I couldn’t catch the ball. That’s going to happen. When things happen like that, it happens fast. You don’t have enough time to think and that’s what is going to happen.”


“After you see that (first) inning, you’re thinking, ‘We’ve got this guy,’ and then we don’t see the same pitcher (in the second). The reliever works different than the starting pitcher. The reliever comes in throwing…everything they have because that is their game. In the second inning, we weren’t prepared for that but we were expecting that.”


“(Ryan O’Hearn) I think figured out that the League is different. Pitching is different. They know he is hitting in the four-hole. He’s not going to get too many cookies like in Lexington. He’ll figure it out. He’s a good guy, good teammate, and he’s a good player, too.”


“Every League is different. They’re going to pitch you different You have a scouting report from you’re pitching coach, but when you’re there you have to figure out how they’re going to pitch you. They pitch everybody different and you need to figure out…how they’re going to pitch you and make adjustments. For example, for me they threw a lot of off-speed today. I only saw one fastball and I got hit in the ribs. You need to make that adjustment and the game is going to dictate what you need to do.”


“I like morning games. I like day games. It kind of reminds me of when I was young and we used to play at 9 a.m. on Sundays. You need to be mentally prepared for that and mentally tough, too. You don’t get enough sleep and you don’t get enough time to recover. We have to mentally tough and mentally prepared for that, it’s going to happen.”


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[dawrestling]

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Delaware State University Baseball <dsuhornets@neulionnetwork.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 11:50 AM
Subject: Article: GET TO KNOW A HORNET - EDITION 8: DARRIEN RAGINS
To: dawvoice@comcast.net


Click here to view as a web page.

Photo courtesy of DSU Athletics/Rodney Adams

GET TO KNOW A HORNET - EDITION 8: DARRIEN RAGINS
Courtesy DSU Athletic Media Relations
Mon, July 20, 2015
Click here to watch the video.
(Dover, Del.) – In the eighth edition of “#GetToKnowAHornet”, exclusively broadcasted on DSUHornets.com, pitcher Darrien Ragins of the DSU baseball team answered 10 questions, including why his favorite all-time baseball player is Satchel Paige and how he could see himself as a sports psychologist once his playing days are over:

DSUHornets.com: Who’s your favorite baseball player of all-time?

DR: Satchel Paige. I followed his career and I like his quotes and philosophy on baseball and just life itself. It helped me become the player I am today, basically.

DSUHornets.com: What’s your favorite baseball movie?

DR: Sugar. It’s about this Dominican kid who grew up on the island and then came to America trying to pursue a minor league career and his struggles with that.

DSUHornets.com: What’s it like spending your summer break pitching for the Silver Spring-Tacoma Thunderbolts in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League?

DR: I pitch a lot of innings, so I’m getting the chance to start. It’s against top collegiate players in the nation. I’m learning how to just focus in and make the best pitches possible and how to have more stamina because I’m trying to start now instead of coming out the bullpen.

DSUHornets.com: What do you to listen to before games?

DR: I like listening to Hip-Hop… Future, Rich Homie Quan, Big Flock, Thrax Gang, King Louie… I like King Louie a lot. So, I got to listen to some drill music before I pitch (laughing).

DSUHornets.com: Do you agree with the comparison between Dontrelle Willis and yourself?

DR: I mean, I don’t know if I agree with it, but I understand why people keep saying that. We got the same type of swag I guess… how we wear our hat to the side and everything. How we both turn our back to the glove and everything. So, I guess I could understand it (laughing).

DSUHornets.com: If you weren’t playing baseball, what other sport would it be?

DR: I’m going to with football I guess, because it’s more of a physical sport and I think I would like it.

DSUHornets.com: Better pitcher right now: Clayton Kershaw, C.C. Sabathia or Felix Hernandez?

DR: If we’re going based off of stats, then Kershaw. I think he has the better overall stats and career, too. C.C. is my favorite, but I’ll go with Kershaw as the better one right now.

DSUHornets.com: What is your ideal dream?

DR: Lamborghini Aventador. Yeah, I’m going to go with that (laughing).

DSUHornets.com: What are your career plans after DSU?

DR: Get drafted and play professionally. After that, further my psychology degree. Probably sports psychology or somewhere along those lines.


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[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: via RocksMedia <rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 11:28 AM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Odom Paces Carolina Offense On Their Way To A Series Win Over Wilmington
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Odom Paces Carolina Offense On Their Way To A Series Win Over Wilmington

Joe Odom Bashed Two Homeruns To Spoil Brooks Pounders’ 2015 Rocks Debut


ZEBULON, NC – The Wilmington Blue Rocks took a first inning lead but two homers catapulted the Carolina Mudcats to an 8-4 victory in the rubber-game of their three-game set from Five County Stadium on Tuesday. Both long balls came from Joe Odom, his sixth and seventh of the season. Brooks Pounders allowed four runs in his first inning back in Advanced-A, but settled down after that to get through 3.2 innings, taking a no decision.


After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the Mudcats fought right back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. After Pounders recorded two quick outs, Carolina strung together four hits in a row. The rally started with singles from Dustin Peterson, Jacob Schrader, and Sal Giardina, Giardina’s accounted for the first two runs of the inning. Odom capped the inning with his sixth homerun of the season, a two-run shot, making it 4-1 after one.


The Blue Crew rallied to tie the game at four apiece, but the Mudcats did not waste any time taking the lead right back. Keith Curcio led off the fifth with a fly ball to centerfield that Logan Moon could not handle, allowing Curcio to get all the way to third. The defensive miscue was marked as three-base error on Moon. Connor Lien then gave Carolina the 5-4 lead with an RBI single. The Muddys put the ballgame out of reach in the bottom of the eighth when Odom smacked his second homer of the afternoon, this one a three-run bomb off of Andrew Edwards to put the Mudcats out in front 8-4. Odom became the third player to hit two homeruns in a game against the Rocks this season, the other two being Lynchburg Hillcats (Luigi Rodriguez and Nellie Rodriguez).


Wilmington chipped away at their 4-1 deficit with runs in the second and third innings. Elier Hernandez led off the second inning with a double and then moved to third on a groundout before being driven in by a Luis Villegas single. In the third, Mauricio Ramos was in the middle of the scoring again when he reached on a two-out single and then came all the way home on a long double off the bat of Ryan O’Hearn that went over the head of Lien in center to cut the Rocks’ deficit to 4-3. The comeback was completed in the fifth when Wilmington tied the score thanks to a wild pitch from starter Wes Parsons with the speedy Carlos Garcia at third. The wild pitch came with two outs. Parsons followed the wild pitch by forcing a pop-out to end the frame.


The Rocks jumped in front in the first inning for the second consecutive game. Garcia, back in the lineup after a day off on Monday, was plunked by Parsons who was making his 2015 Advanced-A debut. Garcia used his speed to swipe second and then moved to third on a productive groundout from Jack Lopez. Ramos, who had Wilmington’s last four RBIs entering Tuesday, made it five in a row as he lined a single into left to make it 1-0 Blue Rocks lead.


The Blue Crew continues their road trip as they head to Salem, Virginia to take on the Salem Red Sox in a three-game series starting on Wednesday night. Game one of the series will see right-hander Jakob Junis take the mound for the Rocks. Junis has been the most solid Wilmington starter in the season’s second-half, going 1-1 with a 1.67 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break. The Red Sox counter with Australian-born lefty Daniel McGrath who is 1-2 with a 1.89 ERA this season at Advanced-A. First pitch from Salem is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Mauricio Ramoscontinues to rake in the second-half. The third baseman produced a 2-for-4 day on Tuesday, which included two singles, a run, and an RBI. Since the All-Star break, Ramos is batting an amazing .388 through 22 games, including four homers, seven doubles, 22 RBIs and 15 runs scored. He is the current team-leader in total home runs (6), doubles (16), RBIs (42), and runs (40). He has also played the most games for the Blue Crew this season with appearances in 84 contests. Prior to Luis Villegas’ RBI in the second inning, Wilmington's last five RBIs had all come from Ramos.



Brooks Pounders made his Advanced-A debut for the Blue Rocks on Tuesday after rehabbing at the Rookie-Levels to start his season. Pounders had Tommy John Surgery in the winter of 2013, which forced him to miss most of the 2014 season. The righty faced another setback this spring when he tore his lat, forcing him to miss the first-half of 2015 as well. Pounders started his rehab in the Rookie-Level Arizona League where he posted a 1.50 ERA in four short starts accounting for six innings pitched. He then moved onto the Idaho Falls Chukars where he made one appearance, pitching three scoreless innings. This stint with Wilmington is his third on the Riverfront. Pounders previously spent time in Wilmington in 2012 and 2014. In his career as a Blue Rock, Pounders is 6-5 with a 4.47 ERA. Originally a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009, the right-hander was acquired by the Royals in a trade on December 7, 2011. He has made it as a far as Double-A in his career. He went 5-7 with a 4.50 ERA for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in 2013. Pounders allowed four runs in the first inning on Tuesday, but really settled in from there, even retiring the last eight men he would face.


Luis Villegas had a productive day on Tuesday. It was so productive, he doubled his hit output. Villegas entered Tuesday 2-for-14 in five games as a Blue Rock, but his 3-for-4 day at the dish brought his averaging all the way up to .278. He also recorded his second Advanced-A RBI, doubling his total in that category as well. The Venezuelan-born catcher started his season with Low-A Lexington, but got a shot with the Blue Rocks when Cam Gallagher was chosen to represent the U.S.A. at the Pan-Am Games in Toronto. Villegas was signed by the Royals as a non-drafted free agent in 2009. In his Minor League career he is a .245 hitter with 53 RBIs. His best trait may be his patience. His 86 career walks have his on-base percentage at a very impressive .365.


Elier Hernandez and Ryan O’Hearn each collected hits for the Rocks on Tuesday, and that will be a big factor in any kind of Wilmington success in the second-half. Both players came up from Lexington looking to help a struggling Wilmington offense, but since their promotions both prospects have batted well under the “Mendoza Line.” Hernandez entered 2015 as the 22nd ranked prospect in the Royals’ organization according to Baseball America, and he had a successful campaign at Low-A before his call-up. He batted .290 with 42 RBIs and 26 extra-base hits. In 13 games with Wilmington, though, the outfielder has produced just four doubles and four RBIs to go along with a .188 average. O’Hearn, the Royals’ 25th prospect according to Baseball America, dominated the Low-A ranks before coming to the Rocks. The first baseman batted .277 in 81 games with the Legends while leading the team in homeruns (19), RBIs (56), hits (87), and total bases (155). Since joining Wilmington, O’Hearn has just three hits in his first 18 at-bats. His double in the third inning was just his first extra-base hit at Advanced-A. He had 30 extra-base hits at Lexington.


With their loss on Tuesday, the Blue Rocks are now under .500 (12-13) in a half for the first time since April 29 when they suffered a 2-1 loss to Myrtle Beach to slip to 9-10. Still, Wilmington finished out the first-half strong with a 38-32 record to capture a first-half Carolina League North title and an automatic playoff berth. The Rocks have slowed down on both sides of the ball in the month of June, batting just .223 while pitching to a 4.15 ERA.


THEY SAID IT:


Catcher Luis Villegas (w/ translation from Alfredo Escalera)


“I was concentrating more on the pitches they were throwing me today. (Pitchers have been approaching me differently), so I adjusted to that.”


“I always try to make the pitcher comfortable so they can control the zone before anything else. Then I’ll mix the pitches up. I’ll see how comfortable the pitcher is throwing each pitch and then I’ll mix them up.”


“(Santiago Nessy) has already been in Double-A, so he taught me a lot. Especially when it comes to who throws certain pitches so that has helped me out a lot.”


“(Brooks Pounders) made the adjustment by keeping the ball down. He made it himself. I’ve never caught Pounders before, so I wasn’t really sure but we talked and he kept the ball down.”


“This clubhouse is very close, which is why I think we won the first-half. Anybody that comes in feels right at home. Everybody plays together.”

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[dawrestling]

Date: Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 8:19 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Pehl And Ramos Power Wilmington To A Series Opening Win Over Salem
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Pehl And Ramos Power Wilmington To A Series Opening Win Over Salem

Mauricio Ramos Added Two More RBIs To His Ledger While Robert Pehl Mashed A Three-Run Bomb


SALEM, VA – After losing five of their first six games against the Salem Red Sox this season, the Wilmington Blue Rocks bounced back to take the first game between the two teams in the second-half 6-5 on Wednesday night at LewisGale Field. Ashton Goudeau was the starter for Wilmington and, despite a four-run third inning for Salem, he got through five innings and picked up the win. Mauricio Ramos led the Wilmington offense again with three hits and a couple of RBIs.


In the fourth inning, the Rocks leap-frogged the Sox to take the lead in Wednesday’s see-saw affair. Trailing 5-4, Carlos Garcia got himself into scoring position as the tying run with a one-out double to left. Ramos then came through with his second RBI of the day on a line-drive single in front of Kevin Heller in left. That RBI-knock ended starter Daniel McGrath’s day. He was replaced by Brandon Show out of the bullpen who promptly walked Robert Pehl. With Ramos now at second, Alfredo Escalera sent an RBI-single to right. On the throw home, Escalera tried advancing to second, but on the slide in he came up limping and would have to be removed from the game in favor of Logan Moon.


The Wilmington offense got started early again on Wednesday as they took a lead in the top of the first. After Jack Lopez smothered a groundball through the left side of the infield for a base hit, Ramos stayed hot with an RBI double over the bag at third to give the Rocks an early 1-0 lead. The Red Sox brought the score back to even in the second when Kevin Heller took a first-pitch offering from Goudeau and put it over the wall in left, a solo-shot tying the game at one.


With the game still tied in the third, the Rocks started another rally as Lopez and Ramos both singled to get back on base for Pehl. Pehl, as usual, worked a deep count and on the third 3-2 offering from McGrath he ripped a fly ball to deep left. Heller initially thought he had a beat on it, but the wind aided the ball out of the park. The three-run blast gave Wilmington a 4-1 advantage. However, the Sox punched right back in the bottom of the inning, tying the game and then taking the lead. With one out, Jordan Weems and Yoilan Cerse reached base via a single and a walk, respectively. Then Forrestt Allday smacked the third homerun of the game to tie the score at four. Two more extra-base hits, including an RBI-double off the bat of Dustin Lawley gave the Red Sox their first lead of the game, 5-4.


The Rocks and Sox continue their three-game series on Thursday evening from Virginia. Luis Rico takes the mound for Wilmington. The left-hander has struggled a bit recently bringing his record to 5-5 and his ERA up to 3.29. Ty Buttrey will counter the south-paw. Buttrey is 7-3 with a solid 3.53 ERA. First pitch from LewisGale Field is scheduled for another 7:05 p.m. start.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Mauricio Ramos continues to rake in the second-half. The third baseman produced a 3-for-5 day on Wednesday, which included two singles, a double, two runs, and two RBIs. Since the All-Star break, Ramos is batting an amazing .400 through 23 games, including four homers, eight doubles, 24 RBIs and 17 runs scored. He is the current team-leader in total home runs (6), doubles (17), RBIs (44), and runs (42). He has also played the most games for the Blue Crew this season with appearances in 85 contests. Prior to Luis Villegas' RBI in the second inning, Wilmington's last five RBIs had all come from Ramos.


On Wednesday, Dominique Taylor continued to heat it up at the plate. Taylor's double in the top of the second inning was his 12th of the season. The outfielder now has six doubles in his last seven games, after hitting just six doubles in his first 74 contests. The Blue Crew will certainly take the recent power-surge from Taylor, who had a stretch from June 30 to July 11 where he did not collect a hit 16 at-bats. After slipping under the Mendoza Line, he has his average back up to .207 after his last seven games. The outfielder now has 15 extra-base hits this season (including two triples and a homer), while his 14 walks have his on-base percentage at .268. Taylor was selected in the 15thround of the 2013 draft out of UC Irvine.


The Blue Rocks managed to find another first-inning score, and this time it led to a victory. Wednesday marked the fourth consecutive game in which the Rocks were the first team to score, it was the 56th time they’ve done it this season. Though they are 2-2 over the last four games in which they have scored first, the Rocks are 35-21 overall when cracking the scoreboard before their opponent. When the opponent scores first, Wilmington is just 16-24. The Blue Crew is currently outscoring opponents 37-28 in the first inning, while their biggest inning has been the fourth when Wilmington is outscoring their foes 53-28. The Rocks, who are now back to .500 (13-13) in the second-half are outscoring their opponents by a 346-336 total.


Ashton Goudeau labored through the third inning, but the right-hander still managed to earn a win and tie a season-high in innings pitched (5.0) on Wednesday. The game against Salem was Goudeau’s third start of the season, the eighth of his career. Goudeau has now gotten through five innings three times this season, but his career-high in innings pitched came on July 10, 2013 when he went six frames against Helena. He now has two wins in three starts this season, the other coming on June 21 against Frederick. Despite the win, Goudeau is definitely not as effective when starting games. He is posting a 3.86 ERA in his three starts, while allowing 15 hits in 14.0 innings. When coming out of the ‘pen, however, Goudeau is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA and he has only given up 27 hits in 28.0 innings.

 

[dawrestling]

Page 2
THEY SAID IT:


First Baseman Robert Pehl



“The key for me is that I stick to my approach. I pick out a spot and I pick out a pitch that I like and try to stay disciplined and only look for that one. (I try to) not give in and swing at marginal pitches. Everybody gives in and chases once in awhile but I try to limit that and really stick to the part of the zone that I’m looking for.”


“A lot of (what I’m looking for) is getting a feel for what the guy is doing to you (pattern-wise) and also what are your strengths and what you can do best. You want to do what you can do, not let the pitcher dictate what you do in the at-bat. You’ve got to stay in control and just stick to what you do best and what you like to hit, especially when you’re ahead in the count.”


“(Daniel McGrath) was throwing a ton a changeups. I was just trying to…see the ball deep. I was thinking fastball the whole way and staying on the off-speed. He kept throwing changeups down and I was seeing the ball well and laying off of them, which I was happy about. When it got to the full-count, he left a changeup up and I was on time with it and I got it.”


“We needed that win tonight. It feels good to start off a series with a win and get back on track, especially after going back and forth and being able to pull it out feels really good.”


“Lineup-wise, there’s just as much talent now (as there was at the beginning of the season). Great guys came up to fill for guys who moved on. I feel like it’s always a difficult adjustment with a new group of guys, it’s almost like a new team personality in the second-half. There’s just too much talent here not to win.”


Catcher Cam Gallagher



“Since I’ve been gone, a lot of pitchers have been going down or leaving for personal reasons, but they called (Ashton Goudeau’s) name and he did what he had to do. He got five innings and got to the bullpen and we scored enough runs to win the game.”


“(Goudeau) was kind of leaving his pitches up a little bit and wasn’t getting ahead and his off-speed wasn’t as good as it usually (is), but the last couple of innings he bared down and threw a lot of strikes…everything he was throwing was down…and he was more efficient.”


“(Matt Alvarez) came in and kind of shut the door, just like our pitching has been doing all year. You’ve got to tip your hat to our guys, they’ve been doing it since day one.”


“(Estarlin Cordero) has been doing well all year. He came in and he was trying to throw a little bit too hard. He wasn’t throwing too many strikes but…he bared down like Alvarez and Goudeau after they struggled a little bit and he did really well.”



“Gene Watson, who is in (the Royals) front office has something to do with U.S.A. baseball. He mentioned something to me and U.S.A. baseball came when I was in big league camp and mentioned that I was on the list of possible catchers that will be playing in the Pan-Am Games…I was helping with a camp at (Frawley Stadium) and J.J. Piccolo, our G.M., texted me and called me and I missed the call because I was doing lessons with the little kids. I saw he texted me and said, ‘Do you have your passport?’ and I was like, ‘Oh gosh, did I get traded?’…I called him back and was a little nervous…and he asked me if I was interested in playing in the Pan-Am Games and I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely,’ kind of thinking that it was at least two or three weeks away and (he told me I’d have to fly the next morning). It was a bit overwhelming…but it was a great experience. It’s a real honor to play for your country and play with the group of guys that was there. A lot of veterans who have been playing in the big leagues for a while and some young guys, so it was a good group. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out on top, but we won silver and it was an experience I’ll never forget. It gave me chills (to put on the U.S.A. jersey), especially going out there and playing Puerto Rico right away. You could kind of tell that other countries had it out for us a little bit because the first game we kind of got into a bench-clearing brawl. The atmosphere was something I’ve never experienced before and probably won’t again unless I play for U.S.A when I’m older.”


“It was good for my body, especially since I’ve been battling injuries all year. It was kind of a good break, but I was still playing baseball. Just being able to lay back and…play for fun and with all your heart was definitely something I’ll never forget.”


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[dawrestling]

Date: Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 7:52 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Rocks Strike First, But Can’t Keep Lead in Loss to Salem
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Rocks Strike First, But Can’t Keep Lead in Loss to Salem
Wilmington strands eight runners in scoring position against Red Sox


SALEM, Va. – Despite scoring in the first inning for the fifth consecutive game, the Blue Rocks dropped a contest to the Salem Red Sox on Thursday by a score of 3-1. Wilmington fell to 51-46 while Salem moved up to 50-48. Elier Hernandez was responsible for the lone tally of the evening for the Blue Crew, but a two-run seventh for the Sox gave them a lead they would not relinquish.


As they had done in their four previous games, the Blue Rocks got on the board in the first inning. With the bases empty and two down, Mauricio Ramos was hit by a Ty Buttrey pitch. Ryan O’Hearn followed with a single to put two men on for Hernandez. The right fielder then produced a single of his own that brought Ramos in, giving the Blue Crew a 1-0 lead after half a frame.


The Red Sox tied the game with a run of their own in the fourth. After Luis Rico struck out the first two men of the inning, Kevin Heller drew a two-out walk. Heller would advance to second on a wild pitch with Cole Sturgeon at the plate, and Sturgeon would make it hurt with a single that plated Heller to knot the game at one apiece.


Salem took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Yoilan Cerse was hit by an Evan Beal pitch to begin the frame, then was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt from Jordan Procyshen. Jordan Betts would follow with a single that got Cerse to third, and the Sox took the lead as the next batter, Mauricio Dubon, produced a base hit of his own. Forrestt Allday gave the Red Sox some insurance with the third straight single of the inning which brought Betts home, making it 3-1 Salem.


The first-half champion Blue Rocks wrap up their three-game series against Salem on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. The Rocks return to Frawley Stadium to open up a three-game set against the Lynchburg Hillcats on Saturday, July 25. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit www.bluerocks.com.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


For whatever reason, the Blue Rocks just cannot figure out the Salem Red Sox. With the loss on Thursday, Wilmington drops to 2-6 overall against their CL South foe, including a 1-4 record at Salem Memorial Ballpark. The Blue Crew offense has really struggled against Salem pitching this year, hitting .212 against the Sox with 10 extra-base hits. The one bright spot appears to be Carlos Garcia, who currently holds a .308 batting average against Salem in seven games against the Sox in 2015. Despite all the losses, the pitching staff has remained solid against Salem, turning in a 3.29 ERA though 68.1 innings pitched.


The Rocks only managed to produce one run on Thursday, even though they had plenty of chances to dent the scoreboard. Wilmington stranded eight runners in scoring position, and turned in an overall 1-for-12 effort with men on second and/or third base. This comes after a game that saw the Blue Crew leave five men in scoring position on Wednesday. The 12 men Wilmington left on base on Thursday fell two shy of their season-high mark, which came back on May 28 against Potomac when they left 14 on the base paths. The Rocks are now batting .266 with runners in scoring position this season, and they have left a total of 594 men on base throughout the 2015 campaign.


For the fifth consecutive game, the Blue Rocks scored in the first inning with a single tally in the top of the frame. Thursday also marked the 57th time the Blue Crew has scored before their opponents this season. Though they are 2-3 over the last five games in which they have scored first, the Rocks are 35-22 overall when cracking the scoreboard before their foes. When the opposition scores first, Wilmington is just 16-24. The Rocks are currently outscoring opponents 38-28 in the first inning, while their biggest inning has been the fourth when Wilmington is outscoring other teams 53-29. Wilmington, who is now 13-14 in the second-half, is outscoring their opponents by a 347-339 total.


Elier Hernandez and Ryan O'Hearn each recorded multi-hit games for the Rocks on Thursday, and that will be a big factor in any kind of Wilmington success in the second-half. Both players came up from Lexington looking to help a struggling Wilmington offense, but since their promotions both prospects have batted around the "Mendoza Line." Hernandez entered 2015 as the 22nd ranked prospect in the Royals' organization according to Baseball America, and he had a successful campaign at Low-A before his call-up. He batted .290 with 42 RBIs and 26 extra-base hits. In 15 games with Wilmington, though, the outfielder has produced just four doubles and five RBIs to go along with a .196 average. O'Hearn, the Royals' 25th-best prospect according to Baseball America, dominated the Low-A ranks before coming to the Rocks. The first baseman batted .277 in 81 games with the Legends while leading the team in homeruns (19), RBIs (56), hits (87), and total bases (155). O’Hearn has been swinging a better bat lately, with his last two contests seeing him produce multiple hits, including his first extra-base hit at the Adv.-A level in the series finale against Carolina on Tuesday. He had 30 extra-base hits at Lexington.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan:


“We had some chances, we just couldn’t come up with a big hit, and that happens. (Luis) Rico threw the ball ok. He had that long one inning. With two outs we’d like for him to get out of that, but I think he threw 30 pitches in that one inning, and if a pitcher does that we’ve got to take him out. We didn’t swing the bats all that great tonight. We left a lot of guys out there that we could have capitalized on.”


“When you get back home, you’ve just got to work on (bunting). Get everyone out there early and get the (pitching) machine and turn it up pretty quick on them and have them bunt. We’ll do that the next home stand. Early on in the year they were doing ok, and I think that was why we were winning some games, because we were getting those down. For whatever reason the past two or three weeks we haven’t been able to do it. It’s a little frustrating. It’s one of those things that’s kind of an attitude. When you’re in there bunting, you’ve got to get it down. There’s no real excuse for it. The pitches they are trying to bunt are good pitches to bunt. They’re just not getting them down, so we’ve got to get that straightened away when we get back (to Wilmington).”


“All those hitters that come up here, and even the pitchers that have been in Lexington, they’ve got to know the (competition) a little bit. It is a little bit of an adjustment (between levels). At this level, guys are starting to throw their breaking balls. I don’t think they throw any harder, it’s just the location is what gets the hitters out. (Elier Hernandez and Ryan O’Hearn) are young guys, and they’re going to come up here and it’s an adjustment period just like when you move up to any level.”


“(Every game is) important. Going into the second half, we want to try and win it. Every game is important, and we’re just going to keep working at it. Guys are going have to start making some adjustments here and there to get guys in from third and get some big hits. Every game is important at this level. You want to try and win every game and develop guys so they’re ready for the playoffs.”

www.bluerocks.com

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[dawrestling]

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: via RocksMedia <rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 24, 2015 at 8:10 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Big Offensive Output From Salem Ensures A Losing Road Trip For Wilmington
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Big Offensive Output From Salem Ensures A Losing Road Trip For Wilmington

The Rocks Scored First Again, But The Red Sox Scored More To Take The Series 2-1


SALEM, VA – Another fast start could not help the Wilmington Blue Rocks take the rubber-game of their three-game set with the Salem Red Sox as they fell 9-4 on Friday night at LewisGale Field. Wilmington jumped out to 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Salem took the lead in the bottom of the inning and then jumped ahead for good with three more runs in the third. A Cole Sturgeon two-run homer in that frame ended up being the decisive factor in the Sox win. The Blue Crew ended their six-game road trip 2-4 after losing both series to Carolina and Salem.


After Robert Pehl’s second homerun of the series tied the game at three in the top of the second, another long ball gave Salem some cushion in the bottom of the third. Forrestt Allday walked to leadoff the frame against Rocks’ starter Zach Lovvorn. A stolen base and two wild pitches then brought Allday all the way around the bases to give the Sox a 4-3 lead. A Mario Martinez single put a man on base for Sturgeon, whose bomb accounted for the next two runs. For Sturgeon, it was just his second homerun of the season and it gave the Red Sox the 6-3 advantage.


Friday night saw another eventful first inning as the Rocks took an early lead, only to have it snuffed out again. Humberto Aretaga singled with one out to become the first base runner of the game and quickly came around on a Mauricio Ramos RBI-double. Elier Hernandez then recorded a first-inning RBI for the second night in a row as he singled Ramos home and Wilmington led 2-0 after a half an inning. Salem battled back against Lovvorn in the bottom of the inning. Lovvorn loaded the bases before recording an out and Kevin Heller cleared them with a double to put the Red Sox on top 3-2 after one.


Arteaga added an RBI single in the top of the fifth. After Robinson Yambati held the Rocks close by throwing four scoreless frames, the Sox put the game out of reach with two more runs in the eighth off of Andrew Edwards. Zach Kapstein had an RBI on a sacrifice fly, his second of the game from the nine-hole in the Salem order.


Wilmington returns home on Saturday for a quick three-game home stand against their CL North rivals, the Lynchburg Hillcats. Matthew Strahm will make the start for the Rocks. The lefty is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA since coming up to Wilmington from Low-A Lexington. The Hillcats will send Dace Kime to the bump in the series opener. Kime is 2-5 with a 4.66 ERA. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


For the sixth consecutive game, the Blue Rocks jumped out to the first lead with runs in the top of the first. Friday also marked the 58th time the Blue Crew has scored before their opponents this season. Though they are 2-4 over the last six games in which they have scored first, the Rocks are 35-23 overall when cracking the scoreboard before their foes. When the opposition scores first, Wilmington is just 16-24. The Rocks are currently outscoring opponents 40-31 in the first inning, while their biggest inning has been the fourth when Wilmington is outscoring other teams 53-30. Wilmington, who is now 13-15 in the second-half, is outscoring their opponents by a 351-348 total.


The Rocks bullpen has seen a lot of action over the last four games. On Tuesday, Kevin MCCarthy and Andrew Edwards combined to go the final 4.1 innings after Brooks Pounders could make it through just 3.2 frames in his 2015 Advanced-A debut. Matt Alvarez and Estarlin Cordero had to combine to get through four on Wednesday after spot-starter Ashton Goudeau got through five. Evan Beal had to complete the final three frames for Luis Rico on Thursday and a combination of Robinson Yambati and Edwards finished the final five frames for Zach Lovvorn on Friday. In that four game stretch, the bullpen went 16.1 innings while going 0-2 with a save. They allowed six earned runs in that span, accounting for a 3.31 ERA. They let up 17 hits and struck out six.


Robert Pehl has been mashing the ball lately. Pehl hit his third homer of the second-half, as well as his second of the series on Friday night. The infielder now has four homeruns this season. Pehl has only had 63 at-bats so far in the second-half accounting for his three homers, while his one first-half homer came in 124 at-bats. He is now batting .241 with 16 RBIs to go along with his four blasts. Pehl’s eye at the plate has been arguably his best asset. His 27 walks have his on-base percentage at .353, a total second-best on the team behind just Mauricio Ramos’ .360 mark.


Mauricio Ramos continues to rake in the second-half. The third baseman produced a 2-for-4 day on Friday, which included two doubles, a run, and an RBI. Since the All-Star break, Ramos is batting an amazing .392 through 25 games, including four homers, 10 doubles, 25 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He is the current team-leader in total home runs (6), doubles (19), RBIs (45), and runs (44). He has also played the most games for the Blue Crew this season with appearances in 87 contests. His series against the Red Sox was particularly memorable as the third baseman went a combined 5-for-12 with four runs scored, two RBIs, and three doubles.


THEY SAID IT:


Starting Pitcher Zach Lovvorn


“Before the game, warming up, everything was working for me. I felt great, but then when I got in the game I just tried to do too much. I tried to be too perfect and that can really hurt you. Stuff didn’t work out for me but I’ve just got to move on to the next day.”


“I’m a firm believer in, ‘Tomorrow is a new day.’ Let the past be the past and move on. This is a part of the game that will make you tougher mentally and physically. I feel like I do a pretty good job of bouncing back after a bad outing.”


“I think we played our butts off (on the road trip). The guys were seeing the ball well at the plate and putting up runs early, which is great for a pitcher. You’ve got that run support so you try to go out and go on that. Overall, I feel like we did fine. The guys gave it their all and that’s all you can ask for.”


“Once we’re all on the same page and we’re all working together I think we can be unstoppable. We’re a great ball team with a lot of guys that are very, very talented. We have what it takes we just have to put it together at the same time.”


“These bus rides are definitely a grind. I’m always trying to sleep so I don’t have to stay up for the entire bus ride. They’re pretty brutal, but it’s just about getting comfortable on the bus.”

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[dawrestling]

Date: Sat, Jul 25, 2015 at 8:24 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Blue Rocks Erase Five-Run Deficit in Ninth, Win on
Arteaga Heroics in 10thTo: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com


*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015*



*CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393 <302-888-5393> *
Blue Rocks Erase Five-Run Deficit in Ninth, Win on Arteaga Heroics in 10th*Wilmington scores final six runs of game to walk off victorious*



*WILMINGTON, Del. *– A 6-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning did
not faze the Blue Rocks on Saturday, as they put up a five-spot in the
frame to send the contest to extras, where they would win it 7-6.
Wilmington improved to 52-47 with the win, while Lynchburg fell to47-53. *Robert
Pehl *tied the game with a bases-clearing double with two down in the ninth
inning, while *Humberto Arteaga *provided the game-winner, a single with
two down in the bottom of the 10th that plated *Logan Moon*.



The Rocks scored in the first inning during every single game of their
six-game road trip, but had to wait until the fourth to crack thescoreboard on Saturday. *Elier Hernandez *began the frame with a single,
then stole his way to second base. Two batters later, *Cam Gallagher *looped
a double down the right field line. The two-bagger scored Hernandez,
although Gallagher was thrown out trying to stretch his hit to a triple.
Moon grounded out to end the inning, and the Rocks exited the fourth with a
1-0 lead.



Lynchburg took the lead with a run apiece in the sixth and seventh innings.In the sixth, Wilmington’s starter, *Matthew Strahm*, left with one out and
runners on first and second. *Yender Caramo *came out of the bullpen, but
gave up a single to the first man to face him, Nellie Rodriguez. The knock
scored Yhoxian Medina to tie the game. The next inning, the Hillcats put a
pair of runners on with two away. Caramo induced a ground ball to third----- Message truncated -----

 

[dawrestling]

CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Garcia Goes Deep, but Rocks Can’t Keep Up with Lynchburg Offense in Loss
Wilmington drops two of three to Hillcats at Frawley Stadium


WILMINGTON, Del. – Despite Carlos Garcia’s first homer since joining Wilmington and the return of Jakob Junis to the rotation following the birth of his twins, the Rocks dropped the rubber-match of a three-game series against Lynchburg on Monday by a score of 8-5. Wilmington fell to 52-49 with the loss, while the Hillcats moved up to 49-53. Garcia ended his day 3-for-5, while Lynchburg was led offensively by Yhoxian Medina and Nellie Rodriguez, who drove in two runs apiece.


Lynchburg didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard against Junis. Luigi Rodriguez began the game with a single, then two outs later found himself at third base. Nellie Rodriguez would then produce a bloop single that plated Luigi to give the Hillcats a 1-0 lead.


Wilmington came up with a quick response to not only tie the game, but take the lead. In the bottom of the first, the Rocks loaded the bases with one away, and Elier Hernandez got the Blue Crew on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly that chased Garcia to the plate. Jack Lopez tagged up from second, getting to third base safely on the play, and Lynchburg third baseman Paul Hendrix was ejected arguing the call. An inning later, Garcia delivered a two-run blast to right field. The long ball was his first of the season with Wilmington, and it gave the Rocks a 3-1 edge.


One quick response was matched by another as Lynchburg struck again in the top of the third. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Medina (who replaced Hendrix in the first inning) produced a single that brought Ivan Castillo home. The next man up was Clint Frazier, and he came away with a run-scoring fielder’s choice that tied the ballgame at three.


Lynchburg continued their barrage with a two-out rally in the fourth. With the bases empty and two down, Sicnarf Loopstok roped a double, then came around to score on Claudio Bautista’s RBI single. Castillo would follow with a two-bagger of his own, and thanks to a throwing error from Hernandez, Bautista managed to score all the way from first base for a 5-3 Hillcats advantage.


The Rocks and Hillcats traded the next two runs of the ballgame. In the bottom of the fourth, a single and a double from Alfredo Escalera and Cam Gallagher respectively put runners on second and third with nobody out. Logan Moon would get a run home with a groundout, but that would be it for Wilmington in the fourth. Later, in the top of the sixth, Mike Papi doubled to lead off the frame, then came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Loopstok, bringing the Lynchburg lead to 6-4.


Wilmington pulled back to within one in the bottom of the seventh courtesy of an RBI single from Mauricio Ramos, but Lynchburg put the game to bed with a sacrifice fly from Nellie Rodriguez in the eighth and a Medina RBI single in the ninth to end the scoring at 8-5. The Blue Rocks travel to Winston-Salem to begin a three-game series with the Dash on Tuesday. First pitch from BB&T Ballpark is scheduled for 7 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.

 

[dawrestling]

Page 2

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:



It has been a crazy week for Jakob Junis. The righty did not travel with the team on their recent six-game road trip, as he left the squad to witness the birth of his twins. On Monday, Junis didn’t arrive at the ballpark until a few hours before game time. His start on Monday was his first in 10 days, with his last time out coming on July 17 against Frederick. Junis went eight innings in that ballgame, allowing only one run and picking up the win. This time around was not as kind to the new father, as he was saddled with the loss in a five-inning, four-earned-run effort against the Hillcats.


Power is not a big part of Carlos Garcia’s game, but he did his best to change that on Monday. The switch hitter lined a two-run homer over the right field wall in the second inning, his first since getting the call to the Advanced-A level this year. Garcia hit two homers with Low-A Lexington prior to the promotion in May, with his most recent gopher-ball coming on May 10 against Kannapolis. Garcia actually hit his two long balls with the Legends in a span of three days, as his first of the year came on May 8 against Charleston. With the hit, he also extended his season-long hitting streak to eight games. Monday was only Garcia’s second contest within the streak that saw him collect multiple hits.


After enduring an extended rough patch earlier in the month, Logan Moon put together a solid series against the Hillcats. The outfielder came into the three-game set mired in a 3-for-35 slump, but broke out for three hits in five at-bats in the series opener on Saturday, which included the game-winning run in the 10th inning. With a 1-for-4 performance on Monday, Moon finished the series with four hits in 11 at-bats. Moon is batting .244 overall with 24 RBIs and a team-leading 31 walks.


With an Elier Hernandez throwing error in the top of the fourth inning on Monday, the Blue Rocks have now committed a defensive miscue in five straight contests. That streak matches a season-long mark for Wilmington, who was guilty of errors in five straight games from May 31 to June 4. Over their past five, the Rocks have committed six defensive mistakes, with their only multi-error performance coming on Saturday with a pair of miscues. The Rocks have now totaled 87 errors on the season.



THEY SAID IT:



Starting Pitcher Jakob Junis:


“The day before I was supposed to make my last in Salem…Ronnie Richardson…allowed me to go home because my girlfriend was in labor with twins. They came the next day and I was there, in Arizona, for a few days. I flew here yesterday and pitched today so it’s been a crazy last five days. I flew home the 21st, we went to the hospital that night and they were born. We spent the last couple of days at home so I got to spend some good time with them. It’s hard to say bye but I had to come back and start getting back to it.”


“The Royals really made it a priority to get me (to Arizona)…I thank them from the bottom of my heart for letting me be there because that was such a great experience. (Their names are) Penelope and Jones Junis. (Penelope) was six pounds, two ounces and Jones was six pounds, 11 ounces so they were a pretty good size for twins. They’re happy, healthy and doing good. They eat, sleep, and get changed and that’s pretty much what they’re doing.”


“I definitely knew (they would be born) during the season, we just didn’t really know when. She went to the doctor and he said it might be a few days and something would happen. I relayed that to the Royals and Ronnie and he jumped on it and said, ‘You need to go home.’ (My girlfriend Brianne Dorenbos) didn’t want me to leave yet, she said I should throw tomorrow and I told (Richardson) that but he thought I should go home….I went home and, four hours later, she’s at the hospital in labor, so thank God he sent me home at that time.”


“My routine was definitely a little off. I was a little tired, sleeping all different times of the day, whenever (the babies) gave us a chance to get rest but that’s part of it, part of being parents.”


“I just didn’t have my stuff tonight. My changeup wasn’t that great and my location on my fastball wasn’t that great. I was leaving balls up and wasn’t pitching that good. I’ll work on it this week, have a good bullpen hopefully and recover from all the travel and come back for my next start ready to go.”


“Maybe a little fatigue (from the travel) but I’m not going to blame it on that. I’ve still got to go out and throw my game and I just didn’t have it tonight.”


“This was just the day I had to come back. They allowed me four or five days in Arizona with my family and I flew back yesterday and was scheduled to throw today. That’s just how it fell. I missed my last start and this was my next start and they wanted me back and pitching on this day.”


Manager Brian Buchanan:


“(Jakob Junis) threw the ball okay. He had a late night and he’s kind of been through an emotional four or five days. He probably could have gone a little longer but we figured, with what he’s gone through missing a start (we’d take him out). He made some good pitches. He could have kept them off the board a couple of times, but I thought he did fine.”


“He’s been in our office and we’re trying to figure out when he’s leaving, when he’s not leaving. You never know how the babies go. We’ve been touch-and-go for about a week and a half. He called right before his last start and thought maybe he had to go then…he finally got to go out there and be there for the birth so it’s good. He got back this morning and he threw a decent game.”


“Family’s first, especially with this kind of thing. Him seeing the birth of his kids is more important than pitching one game in Wilmington. The Royals are fantastic. They’re family-oriented and he should have been there for it. He only missed one start.”


“(My four kids) were all (born) in the off-season so I didn’t have to do any real planning.”


“(Carlos Garcia) has been doing a good job. He’s been leading off all year since he got here and he’s a good leadoff guy. A switch hitter that can run…he sees pitches and he puts the ball in play. He got that routine groundball to short and he beat it out. He does a good job, he’s got a good eye, and he has very professional at-bats.”

www.bluerocks.com


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[dawrestling]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Winston-Salem Hands Wilmington Their Second Sweep Of The Season

The Rocks Are Now 14-20 In The Second-Half


WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Wilmington Blue Rocks suffered just their second sweep of the season on Thursday night as they fell to the Winston-Salem Dash, 7-3 at BB&T Ballpark. Eddy Alvarez was the offensive star for the Dash, collecting four RBIs and a homer in support of starter Brandon Brennan who went six innings for his third win of the season. The Rocks are now six games under .500 (14-20) in the season’s second-half, the worst record they’ve had in a half this season.


After a couple of quick frames from Rocks’ starter Matthew Strahm, he ran into a jam in the bottom of the third. A Nolan Earley single and a walk to Adam Engel put two men on for Alvarez who blasted a fastball from Strahm over the left field wall, a three-run bomb giving the Dash the initial lead in the game. They weren’t done there. Jake Peter followed the homerun with a single and then stole second to get himself into scoring position. Keon Barnum singled into right, driving Peter home and making it 4-0 Winston-Salem after three.


In the fifth, the Rocks ensured they would not have to endure their 13th shutout of the season when Elier Hernandez hit his first Advanced-A homerun. Hernandez came up with one out in the inning and jacked a ball out over the left-field wall off of Brennan. The Blue Crew was still in a 4-1 hole and the Dash would get that run right back in the next half inning with a solo homer of their own. Matt Alvarez came in out of the bullpen for Strahm and he was greeted by Barnum who hit his sixth long ball of the season, giving Winston-Salem their four-run cushion back, 5-1.


In the sixth, the Rocks chipped away some more against Brennan. After a Logan Moon single and a walk to Carlos Garcia, Jack Lopez doubled into the right-centerfield gap. Moon scored and Garcia was held up at third. A Mauricio Ramos groundout got Garcia in, but Lopez would be stranded at second. Again, Winston-Salem answered back in the bottom of the inning when Alvarez recorded his fourth RBI of the day on a groundout to Humberto Arteaga. The second baseman might have had a chance to nab the speedy Engel running home, but a bobble ensured that he would get just the out at first and the Dash would go up 6-3.


Wilmington returns home for a quick three-game set with the Carolina Mudcats before heading off for a six-game, two-city road trip starting next Tuesday. The Rocks open the series with Ashton Goudeau on the mound on Friday evening. Goudeau is 5-2 with a 3.07. He’ll be making his fourth start of the season with Wilmington. Another right-hander, Rob Whalen, takes the ball for the Mudcats. Whalen is 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA so far at Advanced-A. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


While Matthew Strahm has shown signs of brilliance, he does exhibit one major weakness: the long ball. The homerun off the bat of Eddy Alvarez in the third inning was the fifth homer allowed by Strahm at Advanced-A this season in just nine appearances. The trend is certainly an odd one for Strahm, who never allowed more than a single homerun at any level in professional baseball before getting to the Riverfront. The homeruns may be attributed to Strahm's new role as a starter for Wilmington. In his four relief appearance at Advanced-A, Strahm has allowed just one long ball, while the other four have come in his five starts. While his numbers are still good, they are noticeably worse when he starts games. The four earned runs he allowed in four innings on Thursday brought his ERA as a starter up to 3.91, compared to just 2.19 as a reliever. Both of his losses have also come when he starts games.


A 1-for-3 performance in the final game the team’s three-game series with the Dash helped Carlos Garcia extend his hitting streak to ten games, eclipsing his season-high in that category. Garcia had an eight-game hitting streak earlier in the season that lasted from June 21 to July 5. Despite his recent success at the plate, Wednesday was the seventh time over the course of the nine-game hit streak where Garcia only had one knock. The Venezuelan native also produced his first home run at the Advanced-A level during the stretch on July 27 against Lynchburg. During his hitting streak, Garcia is 14-for-39 (.359) with a homer, a double, three RBIs, and nine runs scored.


With the loss on Thursday night, the Rocks were swept for just the second time this season. The first time Wilmington failed to win a single game in a series was back from July 12-14 when they lost three games to the Red Sox in Salem, Virginia. Another losing series also means that Wilmington has now lost their last six consecutive series, dating back to their series in Lynchburg, which started on July 10. Since then, the Blue Crew are nine games under .500 (6-15). The last time they took a series coming in their three-game set with Frederick from July 7-9. Wilmington is now 52-52 overall this season, .500 for the first time since they were 11-11 after a loss to the Dash on May 2.



Despite the sweep, it was a nice series of firsts for three Blue Rocks. Alfredo Escalera, Humberto Arteaga, and Elier Hernandez each hit their first homeruns since coming up from Low-A Lexington. Hernandez, the 22nd best prospect in the Royals’ system according to Baseball America, hit five homers with the Legends, his last coming on June 28 against Savannah. Arteaga is the least powerful of the three, having only hit eight homeruns in his professional career entering play on Wednesday. Arteaga was signed by the Royals on July 2, 2010. Escalera was the first of the three to get the call to Advanced-A from Lexington, where he hit eight long balls this season. He still had just three extra-base hits in his first 27 games with Wilmington after collecting 24 in 64 games at Low-A.


THEY SAID IT:


Starting Pitcher Matthew Strahm


“It’s huge (to get some momentum at home) heading into this last month, especially in the playoffs. We’ve just got to come out and compete with these next three games at home and carry it into Myrtle Beach.”


“Today I struggled keeping the ball down the whole game. (Eddy Alvarez) came up and got a first pitch fastball right at the belt, and a lot of times you don’t get those back. I’ve ran into it quite a few times since I’ve been up here and I’ve just got to work on keeping the ball down. It’s got to be my focus right now.”


“(Homeruns) have never been (an issue for me). I don’t know if I’m over-throwing or what I’m doing. I’ve just got to get back down in the zone. While in Lexington, I was (low in the zone). I don’t what’s going on with me. I’ll figure it out, talk to (Steve Luebber) and he’ll fix me hopefully.”


“(There are) a lot of guys coming up and down. We lost quite a few guys to Double-A. You’ve got to adjust to it. The guys coming up, they’ll fill in. They’re just getting their feet wet right now. We can turn the corner any second.”


“It’s brutal (playing after a bus ride). (Brian Buchanan) does the best he can for us to get us in there and give us as much time as he can when we get home until we have to get to the field. It’s tough. It’s not fun, but it’s part of the grind.”


Designated Hitter Carlos Garcia


“I’ve been working a lot with (Abraham Nunez) about trying to fix some things with my swing and try to be shorter to the ball and try to put the ball in play. Just do my job and get on base for Mauricio (Ramos), (Ryan) O’Hearn and those type of players (so they) can do their job.”


“We have been talking about (taking more pitches) all season long. I know Abraham Nunez from a couple of years ago. That’s what I have to do, see some pitches and let the other players know what pitches we’re facing that night and if he has movement or velocity. I try to help my teammates know about (the pitcher).”


“I have to do the same job anywhere I go. I have to master that, try to be consistent with that. I have to try to make the pitcher throw a lot of pitches. That’s the type of hitter I have to be.”


“I think my first mistake (in the first inning) was when I went to steal third I ran with my head down so I didn’t know where the ball was. Once I got to third base…I saw Mauricio had struck out or something and I heard Lopez saying, ‘Go four!’ and I didn’t see the ball, I just listened to him and left third base kind of late…I didn’t see the ball, I just tried to get home.”

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[dawrestling]

Date: Fri, Jul 31, 2015 at 7:34 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Wilmington Drops Low-Scoring Series Opener To Carolina
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Wilmington Drops Low-Scoring Series Opener To Carolina

The Only Run From The Rocks Came On A Ryan O’Hearn Solo Dinger


WILMINGTON, DE – Another quiet night for the Wilmington Blue Rocks offense led them to a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Carolina Mudcats on Friday night at Frawley Stadium. The Rocks narrowly avoided their 13th shutout of the season thanks to a solo homer from Ryan O’Hearn, but the rest of the offense could not follow suit as they managed just four hits off of Carolina starter Rob Whalen and the Carolina bullpen.


After getting starter Ashton Goudeau out of the game in the sixth, the Mudcats went to work against lefty Estarlin Cordero in the seventh with the game tied at one. With one out, four straight singles would lead to two runs for the ‘Cats. Johan Camargo and Reed Harper got on for Connor Lien, who drove in the first run of the frame. Due up behind Lien was Keith Curcio who singled into right, chasing Harper home and giving Carolina the 3-1 advantage, Cordero intentionally walked Jacob Schrader to load the bases, but he would get out of the jam with a strikeout. The Mudcats added some insurance with a Dustin Peterson sacrifice fly in the ninth to make it a 4-1 ballgame.


After an easy first inning for Carolina starter Rob Whalen, O’Hearn showed him some adversity in the second when he cranked his first homerun at Advanced-A this season. O’Hearn did not waste any time, only seeing one pitch from Wahlen, which he deposited out of Frawley Stadium over the right field wall to give the Rocks a 1-0 lead. The Mudcats got that run right back in the top of the fourth, thanks to a two-out rally against Goudeau. After getting the first two batters of the inning, Goudeau allowed back-to-back singles to Peterson and Jacob Shcrader before Carlos Franco tied the game with a smothered groundball through the right side of the infield.


Wilmington and Carolina pick-up their three-game series on Saturday night from Frawley Stadium. Jakob Junis will make his second start since the birth of his twins. He is 4-7 with a 3.30 ERA. Another right-hander, Brandon Barker, will get the start for the Mudcats. Barker is 5-3 with a 3.05 ERA. First pitch from Delaware is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


Friday night saw another first a Blue Rock as Ryan O’Hearn blasted his first long ball with Wilmington. While homers at Advanced-A are new for the Rocks’ first baseman, homeruns in general certainly are not. O’Hearn came up from Low-A Lexington on July 17 and had gone 44 at-bats before getting one over the wall with Wilmington. With Lexington, he led the squad with 19 homers in 314 at-bats. He also led the Royals’ Low-A team in RBIs (56), hits (87), and total bases (155) while posting a .277 average.



O'Hearn was an eighth round draft pick by the Royals in 2014 out of Sam Houston State. He started his professional career with the Rookie-Level Idaho Falls Chukars, where he was named Pioneer League MVP and Idaho Falls Player of the Year after leading the short-season league in runs (61), hits (90), OPS (1.034), and slugging percentage (.590). He had the highest batting average (.361) of any Royals minor-leaguer in 2014.


Although he took a no decision, Friday’s outing was still one of the best of Ashton Goudeau’s young career. The righty turned in his longest outing as a Blue Rock, going 5.1 innings. His six strikeouts also tied a career-high, a total he last reached on May 9 with the Legends against the Kannapolis Intimidators. His career-best total in innings pitched came two seasons ago when he was still with Rookie-Level Idaho Falls. Goudeau went six innings against the Helena Brewers on July 10, 2013. His impressive performance on Friday brought his ERA down to 2.92.


A loss on Friday meant the longest losing streak of the season for the Blue Rocks who have now dropped six in a row dating back to July 26 when they lost to Lynchburg at Frawley Stadium. Wilmington is now 14-21 in the season’s second-half, their worst record in a half this season. They are also 52-53 overall, the first time they’ve been below .500 since April 29 when they took a loss to Myrtle Beach to move their record to 9-10. With the loss, the Blue Crew is also at risk of losing seven straight series if they cannot win the next two games against Carolina. During their losing skid, Wilmington has been outscored 28-to-13.


Estarlin Coredero was the loser in Friday’s contest, his first loss of the season. Up until Friday, Coredero had been the only Rocks’ pitcher on the Opening Day roster who had not taken a loss yet. He started 2015 with 25 consecutive appearances without a loss. His streak of appearances without a loss goes back 30 games to August 8, 2014 when he was on the losing end against the Johnson City Cardinals while pitching for Rookie-Level Burlington. Cordero is now 3-1 with a 2.59 ERA. He is also the current team-leader in saves (7).


An 0-for-4 performance on Friday night prevented Carlos Garcia from extending his season-high 10-game hitting streak. The infielder was just one game shy of tying a team-high in that category, set from May 27 through June 10 by the since retired Cody Stubbs. Garcia had an eight-game hitting streak earlier in the season that lasted from June 21 to July 5. Despite his recent success at the plate, Wednesday was the seventh time over the course of the nine-game hit streak where Garcia only had one knock. The Venezuelan native also produced his first home run at the Advanced-A level during the stretch on July 27 against Lynchburg. During his hitting streak, Garcia is 14-for-39 (.359) with a homer, a double, three RBIs, and nine runs scored.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan


“(Ashton Goudeau) had a couple of spot starts this year and has done OK with them. (Friday) he gave us innings when we needed it and I thought that he threw the ball pretty well so that is a positive for us (that he is) throwing the ball well.”


“It is good (to see Ryan O’Hearn getting a home run) and he crushed that ball too. All of these guys that have come up from Lexington have a little bit of adjustment with the league and the travel and just the new environment so it will take them a little bit of time to settle in. (O’Hearn) has had decent at bats just not getting the hits.”


“It has been tough (for morale) this week with travel, we got in at Winston-Salem at six in the morning and then came back here (in Wilmington) also at six in the morning but it is part of minor league baseball. We just need to mentally get through it and there is nothing we can do about it so we just have to go out and still play the game.”


“I thought the strike zone was fine (on Friday) we just didn’t have a good approach (at the plate.) We got ourselves out most of the time swinging at bad pitches and if you are going to swing at bad pitches then you are going to have a lot of strike outs, it is the way it works.”


First Baseman Ryan O’Hearn


“(I got) a fastball middle-in (on the home run). It was just good to be on time for a fastball. I struggled doing that over the road trip, so that was a good start to the day. That’s what I’ll take away from this (game), just that swing, and bring it into tomorrow.”


“At times (I was pressing at the plate). You can’t think about (not hitting home runs), because then you get yourself into more trouble. You’ve just got to focus on having good at-bats and the home runs will come. I’m really not worried about that. When they happen, they will happen. The more you think about hitting a home run, the worse you are going to do.”


“(The lack of off-days and lots of travel) is not an excuse (for losing). I think that we just need to get back on the right track, and I think we’re going to do that this series here. That’s what we’re focused on, and we’ve just got to let the past go and worry about the next game.

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[dawrestling]

Date: Sun, Aug 2, 2015 at 5:15 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Wilmington Continues To Scuffle As They Take Their Eighth Straight Loss
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Wilmington Continues To Scuffle As They Take Their Eighth Straight Loss

The Blue Rocks Managed Just Two Hits Against Mudcats’ Pitching


WILMINGTON, DE – Another night where the offense was almost non-existent led the Wilmington Blue Rocks to their eighth loss in as many games, 6-0 against the Carolina Mudcats on Sunday from Frawley Stadium. The loss also marked the 13th time the Blue Rocks have been shutout this season. Wilmington currently has the worst record of any team in the Carolina League in the season’s second-half (14-23). They are now 6.5 games back of the first-place Lynchburg Hillcats in the CL North standings.


The Mudcats put the struggling Rocks’ offense into an early hole as they jumped on top in the top of the second against Pedro Fernandez who was making his Advanced-A debut. Fernandez worked a 1-2-3 first inning, but Jacob Schrader led off the second with Carolina’s first hit, a single. With one out, Joe Odom singled to move Schrader up to second and Joey Meneses drove him in with his 13th double of the season. Odom fell rounding third and had to retreat to the bag. With the bases loaded and two outs, Odom still at third, Keith Curcio ripped a single through the right side of the infield, plating two and giving Carolina a 3-0 lead through one-and-a-half frames.


In the third inning, Carolina piled it on, scoring two more runs to jump out to an early 5-0 advantage. Schrader, for the second inning in a row, led off with a hit, this time a double to get himself into scoring position with no one out. Two consecutive groundouts showed Fernandez a way out of the inning, but Meneses would single off the glove of shortstop Humberto Arteaga to drive in Schrader. A Jose Briceno single and a fielding error by Alfredo Escalera in center would chase Meneses all the way home to make it 5-0 Mudcats.


The big story to come out of Sunday was the performance of Carolina starter Andrew Thurman. The right-hander was nearly perfect over his seven innings of work, allowing just one base runner on a leadoff double by Carlos Garcia. He ended his day by retiring the next 21 Rocks he faced. Wilmington’s second hit did not come until the eighth inning when reliever Carlos Salazar gave up a single to Elier Hernandez. Thurman received his fifth win of the year while his ERA shrank to 3.33.


Wilmington will take a much-needed day off on Monday before heading south for a six-game, two-city road trip starting in Myrtle Beach. On Tuesday, the Rocks will send Luis Rico to the hill. Rico has seen some struggles recently, currently 5-6 with a 3.72 ERA. The Pelicans will send out Jonathan Martinez in the series-opener. Martinez has been solid all year, going 7-2 with a 3.10 ERA. First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from Ticketreturn.com Field.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


A loss on Sunday meant the Blue Rocks extended their longest losing streak of the season to eight games. Prior to Friday’s loss to Carolina, their longest gap without winning a ballgame was five, a streak that lasted from May 28-31 against Potomac and the Mudcats. With the loss, the Blue Crew has also ensured a sweep in their second straight series. They’ve now lost seven consecutive series dating back to their set against Lynchburg, which began on July 10. The Blue Crew is now 14-23 in the season's second-half, good for the worst record in the Carolina League during the half. During their current eight-game skid, they are batting just .210 (49-for-233) while they have also committed five errors. Though they have scored 14 runs in these eight losses, those numbers are skewed by two games in which the Rocks scored nine of those runs. In their three-game sweep at the hands of Carolina, they scored just two runs. Wilmington took their 13th shutout of the season on Sunday night.


It was not the debut for Pedro Fernandez that he would have liked on Sunday. The big righty lasted just four innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk. Fernandez took his first loss with the Blue Rocks and is currently sporting a 9.00 ERA. Sunday marked the first time this season Fernandez had given up five runs in a game. His previous high was four runs in an outing, a total he allowed three times with Low-A Lexington, including in his last outing with the Legends on July 27. The last time the righty allowed five-plus runs in a game was way back on June 6, 2014 with Lexington, when he allowed six runs over two innings in relief against the Augusta Greenjackets. Fernandez is the 19th best prospect in the Royals’ system according to Baseball America.


Most people don’t want to work on their birthday, but Evan Beal did not seem to mind it on Sunday. On the day Beal turned 22 he worked three scoreless frames in relief of Pedro Fernandez. Sunday was the first time in his professional career he had worked on his birthday. The Rocks have had a slew of birthdays over the last month of the season. Ryan O’Hearn celebrated turning 22 on July 26 by going 1-for-4 in a 2-0 loss to Lynchburg. Ashton Goudeau turned 23 on July 23. He did not pitch on his b-day, but the day prior he collected a win going five innings and allowing two earned runs against the Salem Red Sox. Coming up, Dominique Taylor and Yender Caramo will celebrate birthdays in the month of August, Taylor turning 23 on the 11th and Caramo turning 24 on the 25th.


Another loss on Sunday continues the monumental struggles the Blue Rocks have had this season when facing CL South teams. The Blue Crew is now 8-9 against the Mudcats this season. Wilmington’s offense is batting just .231 against Carolina pitching this season, with Mudcats hurlers posting a 2.54 ERA. The only team they are over .500 against in the South is their next opponent, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, whom the Rocks are 4-3 against. With their series sweep at the hands of Winston-Salem, they are now 6-8 against the Dash, but most of their struggles have come against Salem. The Red Sox have handled the Rocks this season, as Wilmington has gone just 2-7 when facing the Sox this season. Six of their last eight losses have come at the hands of CL South teams.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan


“(Pedro Fernandez) wasn’t real good (today). He’s got a good arm, but the location wasn’t his best. His off-speed, he couldn’t throw it for strikes. When he did throw his fastball for strikes they hit it. I had him last year, he’s got a real good arm. It could have been from nerves (today).”


“I didn’t see any changes from (from Fernandez from last year to this year). Obviously today wasn’t his best day. His off-speed is better than what he showed today from what I saw last year. He pitched well in Lexington (this season), so it’s just one of those things where maybe he was overthrowing his off-speed stuff.”


“(Evan) Beal did a nice job, and (Andrew) Edwards came in (and threw well). Beal gave us three good innings and Edwards threw the ball well. The bullpen did a nice job.”


“(Andrew Thurman) had a decent curveball. He could throw it for strikes when he wanted to and kind of bury it when he wanted a strikeout or an out. He threw the ball well.”


“The pitching has been keeping us in games. Offensively, we’re kind of running through a stretch where we’re not getting any hits or scoring runs. We’ve just got to put together some at-bats and some back-to-back hits and get some hits with guys in scoring position to break us out of it.”

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[dawrestling]

Date: Tue, Aug 4, 2015 at 7:34 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Pelicans Use Four-Run Sixth to Send Rocks to Ninth Straight Loss
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Pelicans Use Four-Run Sixth to Send Rocks to Ninth Straight Loss
Wilmington turns third triple play of season in losing effort


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Coming off their first scheduled off-day since July 14, the Blue Rocks dropped their series opener to Myrtle Beach 6-1 on Tuesday. Wilmington fell to 52-56 with the loss, while the Pelicans moved up to 63-45. Cael Brockmeyer had a perfect night at the plate for Myrtle Beach, going 2-for-2 with two walks, one RBI, and two runs, while Alfredo Escalera drove in the lone score of the game for the Blue Crew.


Myrtle Beach got the scoring started with a pair of runs in the second. Jason Vosler and Brockmeyer reached to begin the inning with a single and walk respectively. Blue Rocks starter Luis Rico settled down to retire the next two men, but with Vosler and Brockmeyer in scoring position, Carlos Penalver blooped a base hit that scored both runners, giving the Pelicans a 2-0 lead.


The Rocks got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth. Humberto Arteaga got things started with a single to lead off the frame. Mauricio Ramos followed by flying out, and Ryan O’Hearn went down on strikes right after him, so Arteaga still found himself at first with two away. Escalera then came up with some two-out magic, doubling to score Arteaga, cutting the Myrtle Beach lead to 2-1 in the process.


In the bottom of the fourth, the Rocks escaped a big-time jam in a weird way. With runners on first and second with nobody out, Victor Caratini dunked a ball over Arteaga’s head at second base, but Arteaga ran it down. Both runners didn’t realize the ball was caught, and Arteaga, Jack Lopez, and O’Hearn turned in the third triple play of the 2015 season.


The Pelicans broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning. Brockmeyer produced the first run of the frame with a single that plated Vosler. That knock spelled the end of the day for Rico, who was replaced by Matt Alvarez. The next two tallies of the inning came around on a double by Trey Martin, who then scored on a base hit off the bat of Chesney Young. Pin-Chieh Chen grounded out to end the inning, but the Pelicans exited the frame with a 6-1 advantage, where the score would stay to end the ballgame.


The Rocks and Pelicans continue their three-game series on Wednesday. First pitch from Myrtle Beach is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. Wilmington returns home on August 11 when they open up a three-game set against Carolina. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE, or visit www.bluerocks.com.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With a loss on Tuesday, Wilmington has now dropped nine consecutive games. The losing streak began on July 26 against Lynchburg. The Rocks were then swept by Winston-Salem and Carolina before dropping the opener to Myrtle Beach. The nine-game skid is the longest for the Blue Crew since July 14 through July 23 of 2013. The franchise’s longest losing streak is 10 games, which they have done twice. The most recent 10-gamer lasted from May 27 to June 4 of 2000, meaning the Rocks will have a chance to make infamous history with their next game.


Tuesday marked the third time this season that Wilmington turned a triple play. Victor Caratini popped out to Humberto Arteaga with runners on first and second, and with both runners being unaware that the ball was caught, the Rocks were able to collect two force outs to get the tri-killing. The first time the Blue Crew turned three this year was on April 19 in a game against Frederick at Frawley Stadium. Their most recent triple play occurred on June 9 at Winston-Salem. The trio of triple plays are already a franchise record for most in a single season. Wilmington produced one triple play all of last season. They have now turned four triple plays in a two-year span after spinning just a pair in the 16 previous seasons.


For whatever reason, Matt Alvarez does not like pitching in Myrtle Beach. The New Jersey native made his first appearance of the season at Ticketreturn.com Field on April 11. In that contest, Alvarez entered in the bottom of the 10th inning with the Rocks leading by two. The righty yielded three scores to hand the Pelicans a walk-off victory. With two-thirds of an inning and two earned runs on Tuesday, Alvarez has now pitched one full frame at Myrtle Beach this season, allowing five total earned runs, as opposed to seven earned tallies in 37 innings elsewhere in 2015. Alvarez is a product of Boston College, and was signed as a non-drafted free agent in August of 2013.


Although Luis Rico was saddled with the loss, the lefty did give the Rocks some much needed length on Tuesday. Rico’s 5.1 innings against the Pelicans made Tuesday his longest outing since July 2 against Lynchburg, when he worked 5.2 frames. Between those outings, the Venezuelan native tossed five innings twice, and included outings of two, three, and 4.1 frames as well. The longest Rico has worked into a contest this season is six innings, which he has done twice, and most recently on June 9 at Winston-Salem. Command has been the issue for Rico as of late. With three more walks on Tuesday, he has now dished out 16 free passes in his last 21.2 innings pitched.


THEY SAID IT:


Outfielder Alfredo Escalera:


“Yeah (I’m starting to get into a rhythm, at the plate). It’s a new league. I was hitting pretty good in Low-A, and I got here, (and) you put a little bit of pressure on yourself. I’m just trying to get into the rhythm I was (in) down (in Lexington) and trying to get comfortable in this league. It’s definitely a different league.”


“Everything is different; even the uniforms are different. You’ve got to get used to everything. (Hitting Coach Abraham Nunez) was with me last year, so I know how he works and how he likes to work with the guys, so I’ve been working with him. My swing has been feeling good, so it’s more pitch selection than anything.”


“(Lots of hitters fresh from Low-A) is part of (the offensive struggles). We all got up here and we want to do good…We’ve got to do those adjustments and start hitting the way (we can) because we were hitting well down (in Lexington).”


The bus ride (to Myrtle Beach) is not the best one, so the legs get a little bit tired, but we got that day off. I don’t think that has to do much with (the loss tonight), but we’ll shake this game off and take it tomorrow.”


Second Baseman Humberto Arteaga:


“I made the catch (on the triple play). I got hurt on that one, but I hear the guys calling out ‘two, two, two!’ so I threw it to second (base). I wasn’t expecting to make (that kind of play) but it happens.”


“With those fly balls, it’s in-between (myself and Elier Hernandez) and we’re not sure who’s going to catch it…(plays like that) just happen.”


“(The offensive problems are) not really (related to lots of guys recently coming from Low-A). I think everyone can hit on this team. I have seen it. This time of the year, we’re starting to put pressure on ourselves and we want to put too much pressure on ourselves (instead) of just playing the game.”

www.bluerocks.com

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[dawrestling]

Date: Tue, Aug 4, 2015 at 7:34 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Pelicans Use Four-Run Sixth to Send Rocks to Ninth Straight Loss
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Pelicans Use Four-Run Sixth to Send Rocks to Ninth Straight Loss
Wilmington turns third triple play of season in losing effort


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Coming off their first scheduled off-day since July 14, the Blue Rocks dropped their series opener to Myrtle Beach 6-1 on Tuesday. Wilmington fell to 52-56 with the loss, while the Pelicans moved up to 63-45. Cael Brockmeyer had a perfect night at the plate for Myrtle Beach, going 2-for-2 with two walks, one RBI, and two runs, while Alfredo Escalera drove in the lone score of the game for the Blue Crew.


Myrtle Beach got the scoring started with a pair of runs in the second. Jason Vosler and Brockmeyer reached to begin the inning with a single and walk respectively. Blue Rocks starter Luis Rico settled down to retire the next two men, but with Vosler and Brockmeyer in scoring position, Carlos Penalver blooped a base hit that scored both runners, giving the Pelicans a 2-0 lead.


The Rocks got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth. Humberto Arteaga got things started with a single to lead off the frame. Mauricio Ramos followed by flying out, and Ryan O’Hearn went down on strikes right after him, so Arteaga still found himself at first with two away. Escalera then came up with some two-out magic, doubling to score Arteaga, cutting the Myrtle Beach lead to 2-1 in the process.


In the bottom of the fourth, the Rocks escaped a big-time jam in a weird way. With runners on first and second with nobody out, Victor Caratini dunked a ball over Arteaga’s head at second base, but Arteaga ran it down. Both runners didn’t realize the ball was caught, and Arteaga, Jack Lopez, and O’Hearn turned in the third triple play of the 2015 season.


The Pelicans broke the game open with a four-run sixth inning. Brockmeyer produced the first run of the frame with a single that plated Vosler. That knock spelled the end of the day for Rico, who was replaced by Matt Alvarez. The next two tallies of the inning came around on a double by Trey Martin, who then scored on a base hit off the bat of Chesney Young. Pin-Chieh Chen grounded out to end the inning, but the Pelicans exited the frame with a 6-1 advantage, where the score would stay to end the ballgame.


The Rocks and Pelicans continue their three-game series on Wednesday. First pitch from Myrtle Beach is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. Wilmington returns home on August 11 when they open up a three-game set against Carolina. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE, or visit www.bluerocks.com.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With a loss on Tuesday, Wilmington has now dropped nine consecutive games. The losing streak began on July 26 against Lynchburg. The Rocks were then swept by Winston-Salem and Carolina before dropping the opener to Myrtle Beach. The nine-game skid is the longest for the Blue Crew since July 14 through July 23 of 2013. The franchise’s longest losing streak is 10 games, which they have done twice. The most recent 10-gamer lasted from May 27 to June 4 of 2000, meaning the Rocks will have a chance to make infamous history with their next game.


Tuesday marked the third time this season that Wilmington turned a triple play. Victor Caratini popped out to Humberto Arteaga with runners on first and second, and with both runners being unaware that the ball was caught, the Rocks were able to collect two force outs to get the tri-killing. The first time the Blue Crew turned three this year was on April 19 in a game against Frederick at Frawley Stadium. Their most recent triple play occurred on June 9 at Winston-Salem. The trio of triple plays are already a franchise record for most in a single season. Wilmington produced one triple play all of last season. They have now turned four triple plays in a two-year span after spinning just a pair in the 16 previous seasons.


For whatever reason, Matt Alvarez does not like pitching in Myrtle Beach. The New Jersey native made his first appearance of the season at Ticketreturn.com Field on April 11. In that contest, Alvarez entered in the bottom of the 10th inning with the Rocks leading by two. The righty yielded three scores to hand the Pelicans a walk-off victory. With two-thirds of an inning and two earned runs on Tuesday, Alvarez has now pitched one full frame at Myrtle Beach this season, allowing five total earned runs, as opposed to seven earned tallies in 37 innings elsewhere in 2015. Alvarez is a product of Boston College, and was signed as a non-drafted free agent in August of 2013.


Although Luis Rico was saddled with the loss, the lefty did give the Rocks some much needed length on Tuesday. Rico’s 5.1 innings against the Pelicans made Tuesday his longest outing since July 2 against Lynchburg, when he worked 5.2 frames. Between those outings, the Venezuelan native tossed five innings twice, and included outings of two, three, and 4.1 frames as well. The longest Rico has worked into a contest this season is six innings, which he has done twice, and most recently on June 9 at Winston-Salem. Command has been the issue for Rico as of late. With three more walks on Tuesday, he has now dished out 16 free passes in his last 21.2 innings pitched.


THEY SAID IT:


Outfielder Alfredo Escalera:


“Yeah (I’m starting to get into a rhythm, at the plate). It’s a new league. I was hitting pretty good in Low-A, and I got here, (and) you put a little bit of pressure on yourself. I’m just trying to get into the rhythm I was (in) down (in Lexington) and trying to get comfortable in this league. It’s definitely a different league.”


“Everything is different; even the uniforms are different. You’ve got to get used to everything. (Hitting Coach Abraham Nunez) was with me last year, so I know how he works and how he likes to work with the guys, so I’ve been working with him. My swing has been feeling good, so it’s more pitch selection than anything.”


“(Lots of hitters fresh from Low-A) is part of (the offensive struggles). We all got up here and we want to do good…We’ve got to do those adjustments and start hitting the way (we can) because we were hitting well down (in Lexington).”


The bus ride (to Myrtle Beach) is not the best one, so the legs get a little bit tired, but we got that day off. I don’t think that has to do much with (the loss tonight), but we’ll shake this game off and take it tomorrow.”


Second Baseman Humberto Arteaga:


“I made the catch (on the triple play). I got hurt on that one, but I hear the guys calling out ‘two, two, two!’ so I threw it to second (base). I wasn’t expecting to make (that kind of play) but it happens.”


“With those fly balls, it’s in-between (myself and Elier Hernandez) and we’re not sure who’s going to catch it…(plays like that) just happen.”


“(The offensive problems are) not really (related to lots of guys recently coming from Low-A). I think everyone can hit on this team. I have seen it. This time of the year, we’re starting to put pressure on ourselves and we want to put too much pressure on ourselves (instead) of just playing the game.”

www.bluerocks.com

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[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: via RocksMedia <rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com>
Date: Sat, Aug 8, 2015 at 7:08 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Lynchburg Scores Seven in Fifth Inning as Rocks Lose 13th Straight
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Lynchburg Scores Seven in Fifth Inning as Rocks Lose 13th Straight
O’Hearn goes deep in losing effort


LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Blue Rocks jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Saturday, but eight unanswered runs by the Hillcats were too much for Wilmington to overcome, as the Rocks dropped the game 8-4. Lynchburg scored seven of their eight runs in the bottom of the fifth, as Ryan O’Hearn hit his second home run of the season in the losing effort. The defeat pushed the Blue Crew’s losing streak to 13 games, extending the longest losing skid in franchise history.


Much like Friday’s game, Wilmington was the first team to score on Saturday with a big third inning. Dominique Taylor singled with one out off of Lynchburg starter Luis Lugo, then stole second base. Carlos Garcia was next, and he reached base on an error by Paul Hendrix. Jack Lopez would follow with a single that plated Taylor, giving the Rocks a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, O’Hearn cranked a three-run homer over the right field wall, pushing Wilmington out in front 4-0.


Blue Crew starting pitcher Pedro Fernandez was working on a shutout heading into the bottom of the fifth, but the Hillcats ended that bid in a huge way. Fernandez struck out Mike Papi to begin the frame, but the next five men to bat in the frame produced an extra-base hit, tying the game at four in the process. Later, with two outs and two men on base, Yender Caramo replaced Fernandez, and allowed a triple to Dorssys Paulino and a single to Papi to allow Lynchburg to go in front by a score of 7-4.


Lynchburg added one more run in the bottom of the seventh inning. With the bases empty and one out, Nellie Rodriguez blasted his 17th homer of the season off of Caramo, extending the Hillcat lead to 8-4.


The Blue Rocks wrap up their six-game road trip with the series finale against Lynchburg on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. Wilmington returns home on August 11 when they open up a three-game set against Carolina. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE, or visit www.bluerocks.com.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With Saturday’s loss, the Blue Rocks extend their franchise-record losing streak to 13 games. The previous club-high in terms of consecutive defeats was 10, which they had done twice previously. The most recent such occurrence lasted from May 27 to June 4 of the 2000 season. The last time Wilmington won a ballgame was back on July 25 against Lynchburg, a contest that saw the Blue Crew erase a 6-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, eventually winning 7-6 in extra innings. Over the course of the losing streak, Wilmington is batting .204 (74-for-363), scoring just 24 times in those 13 losses. The Rocks hold the worst second-half record in the entire Carolina League at 14-28.


In the bottom of the fifth inning, Lynchburg scored seven times, the most a team has scored against the Blue Rocks in any single frame this season. The previous high allowed in an inning for the Rocks was five, which they had done six times before. The last time Wilmington yielded a five spot was back on July 20 at Carolina. The Hillcats used six extra-base hits in that fifth frame to get their seven runs, including three doubles, two triples, and a homer. They came away with seven hits total in the inning, and walked once as well.


Saturday marked Yender Caramo’s 24th game of the season. Through his first 23 appearances (10 of which were starts), the Venezuelan native had not yielded a single home run all season long. That run came to a close in the bottom of the seventh, when Nellie Rodriguez took him deep for a solo shot. Entering Saturday, Caramo had tossed 90.1 total innings, holding a 2.69 ERA. Caramo simply does not give up home runs, as he yielded only a single long ball in 35 games (four starts) a season ago. The last time the righty allowed a homer was April 23, 2014 in a win against Carolina.


Although the Rocks will be playing postseason baseball thanks in large part to their dominance over the CL North this year, the Lynchburg Hillcats continue to be a thorn in the Blue Crew’s side. Thanks to Saturday’s loss, Wilmington is now 7-12 against Lynchburg this season, which includes seven losses in nine contests at Calvin Falwell Field in 2015. The Rocks finished their season-series with the Frederick Keys holding a 16-10 record, and Wilmington has won nine of 17 games against the Potomac Nationals this year. Though the Hillcats hold the edge in the season series, Wilmington has an advantage in excitement. Two of the Blue Crew’s victories against the Hillcats this season saw the Rocks erase five run deficits in the eighth inning or later. Their most recent such game was actually the last time Wilmington won a contest, which was a 7-6 win in 10 innings on July 25. The Rocks trailed 6-1 entering the ninth when they plated five runs to send it to extras before walking off in the 10th.


THEY SAID IT:


Infielder Jack Lopez:


“We felt good going into that (fifth) inning. We’ve got to tip our caps to them. (Pedro Fernandez) did a hell of a job. they just barreled up some balls. We don’t know how, but they did. He made some good pitches and they put some good swings on them. We can’t take away credit from our pitching, they did a good job.”


“I don’t think (I’ve experienced as rough a stretch as this before). We’ve got to keep coming out here every day and work hard. It can’t get any worse, so we’ve just got to keep coming out here and working hard, and at the end of the day it’ll be alright.”


“I’m coming out here and working hard (at the plate). I’m working hard with (hitting coach Abraham Nunez) in the cage. I’m just trying to transfer it out to the field and trying to finish strong in this last month.”


Infielder Ryan O’Hearn:


“I think (I’m starting to see the ball a little better). The last two games I’ve played in I think I’ve figured something out. Just trying to catch the ball out front and not get too long with the swing. The past two games have been good as far as hitting the ball.”


“Yeah, for the most part (the biggest adjustment between levels is hitting more line drives), and just being on time for the fastball. Being in the four-hole (in the lineup), you’re going to get a lot of breaking balls and changeups and stuff, but you’ve got to stay fastball-minded, because when you get it, you can’t miss it. That’s the pitch to hit. That’s been the main thing: being on time and being able to adjust to mistake pitches.”


“I think that you have to play all 27 outs. Obviously we’re struggling right now and everybody knows that, so there’s going to be pressure no matter what, but I’d rather have pressure being up 4-0 than down 4-0. I think that we just need to try to forget about the pressure as much as possible and come out tomorrow with a positive attitude and just really get after it.”


“Honestly, no (I don’t remember being on a team going through as rough a stretch as this). Baseball is crazy, you’re going to see a lot of ups and downs and things like that. I have no doubt in my mind that we’re going to come out of it and be just fine and go ahead and play hard and play to the best of our ability in the playoffs. It’s just a matter of time, and it’s every day grinding it out and just playing as hard as we can. Hopefully the baseball gods will turn it around soon and we’ll start picking up some wins.”

www.bluerocks.com

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[dawrestling]

Date: Sun, Aug 9, 2015 at 2:10 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Lynchburg Completes Sweep of Rocks, Sends Team to 14th Consecutive Loss
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Lynchburg Completes Sweep of Rocks, Sends Team to 14th Consecutive Loss
Wilmington concludes season series with Hillcats


LYNCHBURG, Va. – After dropping the first two games of their series against Lynchburg, the Rocks fell on Sunday afternoon by a score of 7-4 to complete the sweep. The defeat pushed Wilmington’s losing streak to 14 games, extending their franchise-record losing skid. Carlos Garcia and Jack Lopez each collected multi-hit games on Sunday, while the Hillcats used two separate three-run frames to pace their victory.


Lynchburg opened up the scoring on Sunday with a trio of runs in the third. Luis Rico walked Claudio Bautista to begin the frame, but retired the next two batters. Bautista then stole second with two away, and came in to score when Yhoxian Medina singled. Clint Frazier was next, and he hit his 13th home run of the season to put the Hillcats in front 3-0.


Wilmington came up with a very quick response in the top of the fourth. Garcia led off with a triple, then came home on Lopez’s single. Lynchburg starter Mitch Brown settled down to escape the frame with no further damage, but the Hillcat lead was cut to 3-1.


Lynchburg broke the game open in the fifth with another three-run frame. Rico would be pulled after leading off the inning by hitting Ivan Castillo and walking LeVon Washington. Ashton Goudeau replaced Rico out of the bullpen, and although he struck out Medina to begin his outing, he gave up two walks, a double, and a sacrifice fly throughout the course of the rest of the inning. All of the damage added up to three runs, and the Hillcats led 6-1 at the end of the inning.


After Lynchburg added a run in the sixth to push their lead to 7-1, the Rocks came up with a three-run inning of their own in the top of the seventh. Ryan O’Hearn and Elier Hernandez got the inning going with singles. Alfredo Escalera produced a base hit of his own, and thanks to a throwing error, both O’Hearn and Hernandez came around to score, with Escalera advancing all the way to third base on the play. Humberto Arteaga produced a sacrifice fly that chased Escalera home, making the score 7-4 at the end of the frame.


After a day off on Monday, the Blue Rocks return home for a brief three-game home stand against the Carolina Mudcats which begins on Tuesday. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With Sunday’s loss, the Blue Rocks extend their franchise-record losing streak to 14 games. The previous club-high in terms of consecutive defeats was 10, which they had done twice previously. The most recent such occurrence lasted from May 27 to June 4 of the 2000 season. The last time Wilmington won a ballgame was back on July 25 against Lynchburg, a contest that saw the Blue Crew erase a 6-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, eventually winning 7-6 in extra innings. Over the course of the losing streak, Wilmington is batting .225 (97-for-432), scoring just 28 times in those 14 losses. The Rocks hold the worst second-half record in the entire Carolina League at 14-29.


The double play-ball was a major source of aggravation for the Blue Rocks all Sunday long. Wilmington bounced into five twin-killings through the course of the game, which set a new season-high. Two home stands ago, Wilmington had four twin-killings turned on them by this same Lynchburg squad on July 26. That game was also the beginning of the current 14-game losing streak. With their five double plays on Sunday, the Blue Crew brings its season total to 103, which is tops in entire the Carolina League.


It’s no secret that Lynchburg has a potent offense, and that high-powered attack was able to put up a lot of crooked numbers on the Rocks over the weekend. In game one of the series, the Hillcats scored nine total runs, which they accumulated thanks to three separate three-run frames. During the middle game of the set, Lynchburg dropped seven tallies on the Blue Crew in the bottom of the fifth. That seven-run inning was a season-high for Blue Rocks pitchers, breaking the previous mark of five in a frame done six times prior. On Sunday, Lynchburg produced two three-run innings on the way to a series sweep.


Despite the overall recent struggles of the club, Jack Lopez wrapped up a successful road trip with a couple of hits on Sunday. The middle infielder produced a 2-for-3 contest against the Hillcats, clinching a 6-for-18 road trip which lasted six contests. Over the trip, Lopez produced two doubles, a pair of three RBIs, and two runs. With his two-hit performance on Sunday, Lopez raised his season average to .238 through 95 games played. The third-year Blue Rock is a native of Puerto Rico, and was a 16th round pick by the Royals out of the 2011 draft.


THEY SAID IT:


Infielder Carlos Garcia:


“I think this is the first time I’ve been through (this tough a stretch) where we have been having really tough games. We haven’t been able to pull everything together. Some days we have the pitching, some days we have the hitting, but we haven’t been able to put it together. We have to keep working hard and being smart on the field.”


“In the last month of the season, we’re kind of tired. I think it’s more mental than physical over the last month of the season. I think we have to concentrate more and try to finish the season hard.”


“We have been doing the same things as how we started the season. We try to talk with each other and try to relax during the time we have off in the clubhouse. It’s a tough time for the team right now. We just have to keep working hard and keep doing what we were doing at the start of the season.”


“We all know about the situation that we are going through right now. It’s something you can’t hide. We have been trying to help each other out, trying to cheer for each player at home plate, cheering for the pitcher that is pitching that game. I think we are still together, still like a family. We’re still trying to be the same team that we were at the start of the season. I think we’re going to turn it around soon. All it takes for the team to get through this situation is to keep hustling.”

www.bluerocks.com

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[dawrestling]

Date: Tue, Aug 11, 2015 at 8:01 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Rocks Need 12 Innings, but Finally Snap Longest Losing Streak in Franchise History
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Rocks Need 12 Innings, but Finally Snap Longest Losing Streak in Franchise History
Lopez plays hero for Wilmington in walk-off victory


WILMINGTON, Del. – After 12 innings and almost four hours of baseball, the Blue Rocks walked off victorious against the Carolina Mudcats on Tuesday by a score of 2-1. The win snapped the franchise’s longest losing streak, which reached 14 games prior to Tuesday’s action. Jack Lopez delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the 12th frame with a walk-off single.


The Blue Rocks struck first with a lone run in the bottom of the second. Ryan O’Hearn doubled off of Carolina starter Seth Webster to begin the frame. After Webster retired the next two men to bat against him, Humberto Arteaga singled to plate O’Hearn, giving Wilmington a 1-0 lead.


Carolina tied the ballgame up with a run in the top of the fourth. Carlos Franco and Joey Meneses produced singles off of Wilmington starter Zach Lovvorn, with Franco moving to third base on Meneses’s knock. Lovvorn got the next batter, Jose Briceno, to ground into a double play, though Franco came home with the tying run.


In the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Crew loaded the bases with one out. Reliever Richie Tate managed to avoid the loss by cleaning up his own mess though, as he struck out Arteaga and got Cam Gallagher to fly out. The Rocks left the bases loaded in the ninth, and the game headed to extras.


After going nine full innings without scoring a run, Wilmington finally broke through in the bottom of the 12th. Arteaga led off the frame with an infield single, and two batters later ,with Arteaga at second base, Logan Moon produced an infield knock of his own. The Mudcats then elected to walk Carlos Garcia intentionally to load the bases for Lopez. Lopez would make Carolina pay, as he hammered a ball over the head of Dustin Peterson in left, sending the Rocks to their first victory in 15 games.


The Blue Rocks and Mudcats continue their three-game series on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With Tuesday’s win, the Blue Rocks finally ended their franchise-record losing streak at 14 games. The previous club-high in terms of consecutive defeats was 10, which they had done twice previously. The most recent such occurrence lasted from May 27 to June 4 of the 2000 season. The last time Wilmington won a ballgame prior to Tuesday was back on July 25 against Lynchburg, a contest that saw the Blue Crew erase a 6-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, eventually winning 7-6 in extra innings. Over the course of the losing streak, Wilmington batted .225 (97-for-432), scoring just 28 times in those 14 losses.


The Blue Rocks’ walk-off win over the Carolina Mudcats on Tuesday was the sixth time Wilmington claimed victory on a walk-off this season. Conversely, the Rocks have gone down on nine walk-off losses in 2015, with their most recent one occurring on the previous road trip against Myrtle Beach on August 6. The Blue Crew actually lost in walk-off fashion in two consecutive nights against the Pelicans during the road trip. The last time Wilmington won a game before Tuesday was also a walk-off, a 7-6 victory in 10 innings against Lynchburg at Frawley Stadium on July 25.


It has been a rollercoaster beginning to the Advanced-A career of Zach Lovvorn, and Tuesday saw him get to the top of the ride once again. The righty gave Wilmington six innings of one run-ball, allowing seven hits while walking two and striking out three. Tuesday marked Lovvorn’s seventh start with the Rocks. In two of those outings, he yielded five earned runs or more, though in his other five games Lovvorn allowed three earned runs or less. The Alabama native also came away with his second no-decision in a row (and second total) with the Blue Crew on Tuesday. Lovvorn owns a record of 2-3 with Wilmington, to go along with an ERA of 3.79.


The Blue Rocks managed to keep the Mudcats in check with runners in scoring position all Tuesday long. Carolina finished 1-for-7 with runners on second and/or third base, good for a 143 batting average. This follows a three-game series in which Wilmington pitchers let the Lynchburg Hillcats go 15-for-32 (.469) with runners in scoring position. On the flip side of the coin, Wilmington is batting .262 with runners in scoring position this season, including Tuesday’s contest.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan:


“Anytime you win, especially with the ways things have been going for the past few weeks (you are happy). It was good to get that monkey off our back and now we can…relax and keep going.”


“It’s been a rough stretch. When we don’t hit, we pitch. When we don’t pitch, we get some runs. We got walked-off a couple of times. It’s one of those things where you don’t really know what to do. You’ve got to go out and compete. Tonight, we didn’t swing the bats all that great but I was pleased with how they battled. They hung in there and had some good at-bats late in the game to push that run across. There isn’t really much you can say except you’ve got to find a way and we did it.”


“You never want to go through that kind of stretch. Once you start losing that many games in a row you start getting comfortable with stuff happening to us. I’m not sure what you learn from losing 14 in a row.”


“(Getting out of bases loaded jams) was huge. When you’re going through this stretch you try to do things. We had the infield in and (Joey Meneses) hit a groundball right at Jack (Lopez) and he made the play. Those are the little things you need to do to win games, especially one-run games.”


Infielder Jack Lopez:


“I’m pretty happy. There’s a lot of happy faces inside the clubhouse right now, which you haven’t seen in awhile. I’m just happy to come through for my teammates and have the locker room up again.”


“I believe (this losing streak is the hardest thing I’ve gone through as a ball player), for a lot of (my teammates) too. We’ve got to keep our heads up. We’re going to the playoffs so we had to start turning things around eventually. We haven’t been playing bad ball other than a few games here and there. Our pitchers are doing a great job and the hitters just have to start putting things together. We have to tip our cap to our pitchers and just keep on battling.”


“(The win) will definitely boost us coming into tomorrow knowing that we won a game. It’s been two weeks now since we’ve won a game so now we can come into tomorrow knowing that we won. At the same time it’s a tug-of-war so we’ve got to get ready for tomorrow’s game.”


“(The losing streak) was pretty frustrating…not a lot of the guys have been through something like that so it’s a gut-check…we’ve got to keep on working hard, come out tomorrow and try to get another W.”


“It was either a cutter or slider up in the zone (that Jackson threw me). I was looking for a first-pitch fastball and he threw it to me and I couldn’t pull the trigger. After that I just thought I was going to get something good to hit up in the zone and I was able to.”


“It was like a sigh of relief when I saw my teammates coming out with smiles on their faces. That’s something I haven’t seen in a while.”

www.bluerocks.com

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[dawrestling]

Date: Wed, Aug 12, 2015 at 6:38 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Rocks Held Off Scoreboard as Carolina Evens Series at Frawley Stadium
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Rocks Held Off Scoreboard as Carolina Evens Series at Frawley Stadium
Wilmington held to four hits in loss


WILMINGTON, Del. – The Blue Rocks could not figure out Carolina starter Andrew Waszak on Wednesday, falling 4-0 to the Mudcats at Frawley Stadium. The Rocks dropped to 53-62 with the loss, including a 15-30 second half record. Carolina improved to 59-56 and 25-21 in the second half. The shutout defeat was the 14th of the 2015 campaign for the Blue Crew, and their first since August 2, which also came against Carolina.


Carolina got on the scoreboard early on Wednesday thanks to a pair of runs in the top of the second. Wilmington starter Matthew Strahm retired the first two men of the inning, but Joe Odom doubled with one out and the bases empty. Odom would score when the next batter, Johan Camargo, singled, with Camargo moving to second base on the throw home on the play. Camargo was then chased home by Reed Harper’s single, making it 2-0 Mudcats after the frame.


The top of the seventh inning brought another run for Carolina. With Robinson Yambati into the ballgame, Joey Meneses led off the frame with a single. Two batters later, Camargo came up with his second RBI of the evening, this time courtesy of a triple. The three-bagger scored Meneses, giving Carolina a 3-0 edge.


The Mudcats concluded their offensive output with a final run in the eighth inning. Connor Lien walked to begin the frame, then eventually stole two bags to get to third base with one out. Two batters after Lien got to third, Carlos Franco produced a run-scoring double, which capped the scoring at 4-0 Carolina.


The Rocks and Mudcats will play the rubber match of this three-game series on Thursday at Frawley Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With Wednesday’s loss, the Rocks will need a victory in Thursday’s ballgame to capture the series against the Mudcats. It has been quite some time since Wilmington came away with a series win, with their last one coming in a three-game set lasting from July 7 through July 9 against Frederick. The Blue Crew has dropped its last nine series, and 16 overall on the season. For Wilmington, their next series win will be their 12th. Thursday will be a rubber match for the Rocks, and they are 4-5 in rubber matches in 2015.


The struggles at Frawley Stadium continued on Wednesday for Robinson Yambati. The right-hander allowed two runs against the Mudcats, notching a no-decision in the process. Yambati has now allowed at least one earned run in seven straight home tilts. The last time Yambati produced a scoreless outing on the riverfront came back on June 5 against Frederick. The native of the Dominican Republic tossed two scoreless innings in that contest, a game which the Rocks won 5-1. Yambati is pitching to a 6.55 ERA in 16 home games this season, as opposed to a 4.50 earned run average across 11 road contests this season.


The Blue Rocks for some reason do not like facing Andrew Waszak. The righty has enjoyed many quality outings against Wilmington this season, and Wednesday was certainly no exception. Waszak entered Wednesday’s contest with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 1.47 in five games (two starts) against the Blue Crew this season. The Michigan-native twirled seven scoreless on Wednesday, yielding only two hits and two walks while striking out five. As a result of his shutout effort, Waszak now holds a sparkling 1.07 ERA over 25.1 innings pitched against the Rocks this year.


Wednesday saw Matthew Strahm tie his career-high in terms of innings pitched. The lefty threw six innings against the Mudcats, a mark that he has only reached once before in professional baseball. His only six-frame outing also came in 2015, when he went six against Frederick on July 7, a game which the Blue Crew lost 4-3. Strahm began the year with the Low-A Lexington Legends before getting the call to the Blue Rocks in June. Strahm was born in Fargo, North Dakota, and entered the Royals organization as a 21st round pick in the 2012 Free Agent Draft out of Neosho County Community College.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan:


“(Matthew) Strahm did a decent job, he had a few two out singles that cost us but offensively we hit some balls hard and right at them. That was the only way we could have changed the outcome but, (we have to) tip our hat to (their pitcher,) he did a great job and we couldn’t get anything going.”


“He was throwing his fastball down and his curveball for strikes. He kept us off-balance and we didn’t make too many adjustments (so the outcome) will happen.”


“(Matthew Strahm did a good job,) he had the second inning where he had the two outs. We just have to start finishing (batters) when we have two outs or we will get killed with two out RBI's. He threw some pitches that were up and they were missing but we would like those misses to be down a little bit. For the most part (Strahm) pitched well.”


“It is up to them (to finish off batters.) We cannot throw the ball for them so once they get to two outs they cannot let up and finish the inning. Right now we have been getting hurt a little bit (because of it.)”


Starting Pitcher Matthew Strahm:


“I was up in the zone early. After about the third inning I finally got it back down. I was just efficient with my pitches.”


“(Santiago Nessy) was just trying to slow me down (by coming out to the mound), let me take a breath and get back on top of it. He was doing what he needed to do and I appreciate it.”


“Maybe (I was working too fast). I just wasn’t getting on top of the ball. I fixed it after the third inning, which was about an inning too late. (Nessy) slowed me down a couple of times and it worked.”


“We’re out here competing every day. We’re not out here (feeling bad for ourselves). We competed and fell short. We’ll have to come out tomorrow and get them tomorrow.”

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[dawrestling]

Date: Thu, Aug 13, 2015 at 7:57 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Blue Rocks Fall in 10 Innings in Series Finale with Carolina
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Blue Rocks Fall in 10 Innings in Series Finale with Carolina
Wilmington drops rubber match to lose 10th consecutive series


WILMINGTON, Del. – The Blue Rocks left a season-high 16 runners on base on Thursday, and ended up losing 4-3 in 10 innings to the Carolina Mudcats at Frawley Stadium. With the loss, the Blue Crew dropped to 53-63 overall and 15-31 in the second half, while Carolina moved up to 60-56 on the season with a 26-21 second-half record. The Rocks erased an early two-run deficit to send the game to extras, but Tanner Krietemeier’s two-run double in the top of the 10th proved to be the difference.


The Mudcats offense jumped Jakob Junis in the top of the first inning. On the second pitch of the game, Keith Curcio sent a ball over the right field fence to give Carolina a 1-0 lead. After Junis retired the next two men, he yielded a double to Jacob Schrader, who came home when the following batter, Carlos Franco, produced an infield single, making it 2-0 Mudcats.


Wilmington cut the Carolina lead in half with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Mauricio Ramos got the inning started with a single, then Elier Hernandez was hit by a pitch two batters later. Following another single from Alfredo Escalera, the Rocks cracked the scoreboard thanks to a sacrifice fly from Cam Gallagher. Ramos came home on the play, narrowing the Mudcats advantage to 2-1.


The Rocks pulled even with Carolina in the bottom of the seventh. Carlos Garcia tripled to lead off the frame, then two batters later, scored on Ramos’s RBI double. Ramos ended up being stranded on second base, but the inning concluded with the score tied at two. Neither team would be able to plate a run by the ninth, and the contest headed to extra innings.


In the top of the 10th inning, Yender Caramo yielded singles to Joey Meneses and Schrader to put runners on the corners to begin the frame. After retiring the next two men, Caramo would find himself on the precipice of escaping the jam with Tanner Krietemeier coming to the plate. Krietemeier came up clutch for the Mudcats, however, ripping a two-run double to push Carolina out in front 4-2.


Wilmington produced a major threat in the bottom of the 10th, but could not complete the comeback. Carolina reliever Brad Roney walked the first three men of the inning, which sent Ramos to the dish with a prime opportunity to do damage. Ramos bounced into a double play that scored a run, making it 4-3 Carolina. Ryan O’Hearn would be next, and he would line out to end the ballgame.


The Blue Rocks hit the road for a three-game set at Potomac beginning on Friday. First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. Wilmington returns home on Tuesday, August 18 to begin a six-game home stand at Frawley Stadium. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE, or visit www.bluerocks.com.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With Thursday’s loss, the Rocks lost yet another series. It has been quite some time since Wilmington came away with a series win, with their last one occurring in a three-game set lasting from July 7 through July 9 against Frederick. The Blue Crew has dropped its last 10 series, and 17 overall on the season. For Wilmington, their next series win will be their 12th. Thursday was also the rubber match for the Rocks and Mudcats, and as a result of the defeat, Wilmington now sits at 4-6 in rubber matches during the 2015 campaign.


The Rocks had their fair share of opportunities to score runs on Thursday, but struggled mightily with runners in scoring position. Wilmington put together a 2-for-21 showing with runners on second and/or third base against Carolina, which comes out to a .095 batting average. The struggles lasted the entire series for the Blue Crew, as they went 5-for-35 (.143) against the Mudcats over the course of the three-game set. As a result of Thursday’s action, the Blue Rocks are now batting .258 with runners in scoring position on the season.


Thursday night marked the first time an opposing batter produced a lead-off home run against the Blue Rocks. Carolina’s Keith Curcio took Jakob Junis deep to begin the contest, hitting one out on the second pitch of the contest. The last time an opposing batter went yard off a Wilmington pitcher to lead off a game was on July 31, 2014, when Lyncburg’s David Nick hit one out off of Miguel Almonte. Wilmington has one lead-off shot themselves in 2015, courtesy of Ramon Torres on May 28 at Potomac.


With this home stand completed, the Blue Rocks have hosted their final single-series home stand of the season. It has been a while since Wilmington found themselves at Frawley Stadium for more than one set, with their most recent such stretch running from May 19 to May 25. The first four home stands of the Blue Crew’s season lasted seven games, but they have hosted nothing but single-series home stands since May. The Rocks have enjoyed nine consecutive home stands of either three or four games, but their next one will go six contests, and the final one of the 2015 regular season will run for seven.


THEY SAID IT:


Bench Coach Brian Bocock:


“We had a chance but with games like that you want the middle of your order up with runners on for a chance to take the lead. We had that opportunity but we just came up a little short.”


“(Mauricio Ramos) is probably one of our best hitters. He’s our three-hole hitter and the game is on the line, I’m not going to give him a take there. I’m going to trust him to get a pitch he can handle. He might have got a little over-aggressive, but you have to give the best hitter in your lineup a chance. You get your middle of the order guys up, you’ve got to let them swing.”


“I think we’re doing alright. We’re battling and we’re getting our work in. (Losing) is part of it, that’s what the minors are for. You’ve got to learn to go through stretches like this. It’s unfortunate. You don’t want to and it’s no fun, but it is part of the game. We’ve just got to figure out a way to get back on track. I think they’re okay as a whole. They’re keeping the energy up in the dugout and doing the things you need to do. I think maybe they’re a little frustrated with themselves. As a team, I think we’re holding up pretty good.”


Relief Pitcher Yender Caramo:


“I was looking for a ground ball (in the tenth). When it was hit back to me I jumped and got it bare-handed. I didn’t even think about it. I saw that the guy on third was still on the base so I tried to turn a double play and make the inning quicker.”


“I saw the ball (hit by Krietemeier) was foul. If the umpire says it was a fair ball then it’s a fair ball. There’s nothing you can do about it. I made a good pitch, I hit the spot, and the guy just hit the ball. I got a lazy fly ball down the line.”


Infielder Carlos Garcia:


“I’ve been feeling very good these past two games. I’ve been trying to do my job, just out the ball in play and not trying to do too much…and trying to get on base for Mauricio (Ramos) and (Ryan) O’Hearn. It makes their job easier.”


“(Getting hit with runners in scoring position) is one of the most important things. When we have runners in scoring position, we haven’t been able to drive them in and score runs. I think it’s more momentum sometimes. We try to do too much at home plate. When you’ve been in a long losing streak you’re trying to win and play 100 percent every single game.”

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[dawrestling]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: via RocksMedia<rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com>
Date: Sat, Aug 15, 2015 at 8:29 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Wilmington Offense Explodes For 13 Runs In Win Over Potomac
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Wilmington Offense Explodes For 13 Runs In Win Over Potomac

Ryan O’Hearn’s Two Long Balls Paced The Offense To Much-Needed Victory


WOODBRIDGE, VA – The Wilmington Blue Rocks offense woke up from its three-week long slumber on Saturday night. Ryan O'Hearn had four hits, including two homers, and drove in six runs as the Blue Crew offense used a seven-run sixth inning to beat the Potomac Nationals 13-10 at Pfitzner Stadium. The win was only Wilmington's second in its last 19 games. The Blue Crew had tallied just 37 runs over its previous 18 contests, but scored in six different innings, and registered the team's highest run output since July 9.

Jack Lopez set the tone with a lead-off homer on the game's third pitch, but Potomac wasted little time, responding with three scores in the bottom of the first. The P-Nats were up 6-3 after four when O'Hearn went to work. The slugger slammed a two-run bomb to dead-centerfield that pulled the Rocks to within a single score. For the first time all night, Wilmington scored in the top of a frame and then did not allow a score in the ensuing bottom half of the inning. Luis Rico provided that elusive shutdown frame, which set the stage for some fireworks in the sixth.

The Rocks sent 12 batters to the plate in the frame and were as opportunistic as they were potent. Wilmington had four hits in the inning, but two of them didn't even get out of the infield. Meanwhile, Potomac issued two walks in the frame and committed three defensive miscues.

Robert Pehl got things started with a walk. He then went to second on a wild pitch. After Santiago Nessy struck out trying to sacrifice Pehl to third, Logan Moon reached on an error by shortstop David Masters, which ended the night of Potomac starter Matthew Spann. Lopez greeted reliever Jake Johansen by legging out an infield single to load the bases. That brought up Humberto Arteaga, who hit a chopper back to the mound. Johansen lost his balance as he reached to get his glove on the ball. As he was falling down he threw for the plate, but missed badly. Two runs scored on what was ruled an infield single and an error, as the Rocks took a 7-6 lead.

Mauricio Ramos made it 8-6 Rocks with an RBI single up the middle. Then O'Hearn appeared to blow the game open with a titanic three-run blast that carried well beyond the right-centerfield fence and put the Blue Crew up by five runs. Ellier Hernandez got things going again for the Blue Crew with a walk and that ended Johansen’s night. Jake Walsh entered and induced a grounder to third, which John Wooten booted. Robert Pehl capped the frame with a run-scoring double that gave Wilmington a 12-6 edge.

Still, when a team is struggling like the Blue Rocks have over the last three weeks, nothing comes easy. O'Hearn added an RBI single in the top of the seventh to put his team ahead by seven runs, but Potomac crawled its way back into the game in the bottom of the inning.

Evan Beal entered and struggled mightily with command. The righty threw 27 pitches -- 19 of which missed the strike zone. After getting a pop up to start the inning, Beal walked three straight hitters. He then saw Craig Manuel clear the bases with a three-run double to left-center. Beal's night ended two batters later, following a bloop single and a walk that loaded the bases with still only one out.

Andrew Edwards entered the game and immediately got an out. He then appeared to quell the threat on a John Wooten grounder to short, but Lopez booted it and Potomac was within three runs with the potential go-ahead run coming to the plate. Making matters worse, it was Grant DeBruin, who already owned three RBIs on Saturday and six over the first two games of the series. DeBruin hit the ball hard, but right at left fielder Alfredo Escalera, who made the catch to end the inning.

Edwards faced the potential tying run in the eighth, but worked his way out of a first-and-third jam in the eighth. He worked a more uneventful ninth inning to earn his second save of the season.


Rico earned the win in relief of Mills. Rico went four frames and allowed two runs, but was the benefactor of that huge seven run sixth. The lefty snapped a streak of three consecutive appearances with a loss and moved his record to 6-8. Johansen is now 1-5.


The Rocks and P-Nats will wrap up their series with a rubber match on Sunday evening. Zach Lovvorn is looking to turn in a fourth straight solid outing as he takes the bump for Wilmington. The Nationals will send Brian Rauh to the hill. Rauh has been solid at Advanced-A this season, going 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA. First pitch from Pfitzner Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


The Blue Rocks got their second lead-off home run of the season on Saturday. Jack Lopez sent the third pitch of the game over the left-field fence for his career-high sixth long ball of the year. Carolina League All-Star Ramon Torres hit the other game-opening dinger of the campaign for Wilmington. Ironically enough, that home run also came at Potomac back on May 28. Lopez had five homers total in his four-year professional career entering the season. The 22-year-old Puerto Rico native hit the dinger against lefty starter Matthew Spann. Four of his six long balls this season have come against southpaws. He is also hitting .354 versus lefties this year -- .157 points higher than his average against right-handers.

Ryan O'Hearn is beginning to adjust to life in the Carolina League. The 25th-ranked prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization, according to Baseball America, had just two extra-base hits and no homers in his first 12 Advanced-A games. He then hit his first home run as a Blue Rock on July 31 at Frawley Stadium against the Carolina Mudcats. That was the first of nine extra-base hits from O'Hearn over his last 13 contests. The Dunedin, FL native hit his third and fourth dingers with Wilmington on Saturday at Potomac. The two bombs and an RBI single accounted for six RBIs and increased his Carolina League RBI total to 14 -- 12 of which have come in the last 13 affairs. It is the third time a Blue Rock has hit multiple homers in a game this season -- Cody Stubbs and Zane Evans were the other two. O'Hearn dominated the South Atlantic League before his promotion to Wilmington on July 17.He batted .277 in 81 games while leading the team in homeruns (19), RBIs (56), hits (87), and total bases (155). O'Hearn was an eighth round draft pick by the Royals in 2014 out of Sam Houston State. He started his professional career with the Rookie-Level Idaho Falls Chukars, where he was named Pioneer League MVP and Idaho Falls Player of the Year after leading the short-season league in runs (61), hits (90), OPS (1.034), and slugging percentage (.590). He had the highest batting average (.361) of any Royals minor leaguer in 2014.

Alec Mills returned to the mound for Wilmington on Saturday after spending 30 days on the Disabled List with an injured finger on his throwing hand. Mills showed some early rust, allowing three runs in the first inning, but the right-hander did escape some tough spots. Mills stranded runners at first and third in the first frame and left a man at third in the second. He yielded hits to the first two batters of the third inning, before being pulled by manager Brian Buchanan. One of those runners came home, meaning Mills yielded four runs on seven hits and one walk, while fanning a pair in two-plus innings. Mills was a midseason Carolina League All-Star and was named the eight-team loop's Pitcher of the Month in June. He ranked top five in the CL in strikeouts and earned run average before the injury.

The Rocks have now split the first two game of this three-game series in Woodbridge, Virginia, but it is just the second game of seven in a row the Blue Crew and P-Nats will play into next week. The two teams will have a home-and-home series, meaning they head to Frawley Stadium for four games (including a double-header on Tuesday) after an off-day for both squads on Monday. This will be the second time this season Wilmington has played back-to-back series against the same team. The first time it happened was back from June 12-17 when they played three games against the Salem Red Sox in Salem, Virginia followed by three in Delaware. The Rocks won just one of those six games. Sunday will also be the final time Wilmington plays the Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium (barring a postseason bid for Potomac), where they have gone 5-6 this season. Overall, Wilmington is now 10-9 against the P-Nats. As a team, the Rocks are batting .245 against Nationals’ pitching, with 56 runs scored in 19 contests. Blue Crew pitching has been dominant this season against Potomac, though. Even after the 10 runs scored by the P-Nats on Saturday, Rocks’ hurlers are posting a 2.82 ERA when squaring off against Potomac.

 

[dawrestling]

THEY SAID IT:


First Baseman Ryan O’Hearn



“I think it’s been building up. We haven’t had a lot of luck lately and guys were putting good swings on it today. Guys have been having good ABs and hitting the ball hard. It was good to score a bunch of runs for a change, and hopefully this is something that will spark our offense a little bit.”


“Maybe (that second homerun was the furthest I’ve hit). That was a good one, it’s up there. It was 2-0 and the guy threw hard…I was guessing fastball there and he threw it right down the middle. It was good to get some homeruns, (hopefully I can) keep that up. I’ve been struggling as of late…so hopefully this can spark something for me too, as well as the team and we can get on a little winning streak. That would be nice.”


“(Getting down) is going to happen when you’re not playing too good, but it’s not like we’re not trying. Everyone is going out there and trying and that’s how baseball is sometimes. It was good to get on the other side of it today and hopefully we can keep doing that.”


“The pitchers have been (good) all year so sometimes you’ve got to pick them up because they’ve done that for us. It was a good game for us and it was fun to put some runs on the board.”


“We got some breaks there, too. There was that ball off the handle to (Grant DeBruin) and when the pitcher fell over. Sometimes that happens and you’ve just got to take what they give you. When there’s guys on base (you have to) drive the runners in. I just hope we can keep it going.”


“We’ve had bad luck, but that’s just how the game is. Sometimes things have gone our way, sometimes they haven’t. Lately, they really haven’t for the past couple of weeks. We need to get on the good side of luck and get some wins together.”


“(Andrew Edwards) was great. Just to have a guy come in and pound the strike zone. When you have a lead that’s what you’ve got to do, just stay in the zone and let your defense work. He did a great job.”


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[dawrestling]

ate: Thu, Aug 13, 2015 at 7:57 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Blue Rocks Fall in 10 Innings in Series Finale with Carolina
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Blue Rocks Fall in 10 Innings in Series Finale with Carolina
Wilmington drops rubber match to lose 10th consecutive series


WILMINGTON, Del. – The Blue Rocks left a season-high 16 runners on base on Thursday, and ended up losing 4-3 in 10 innings to the Carolina Mudcats at Frawley Stadium. With the loss, the Blue Crew dropped to 53-63 overall and 15-31 in the second half, while Carolina moved up to 60-56 on the season with a 26-21 second-half record. The Rocks erased an early two-run deficit to send the game to extras, but Tanner Krietemeier’s two-run double in the top of the 10th proved to be the difference.


The Mudcats offense jumped Jakob Junis in the top of the first inning. On the second pitch of the game, Keith Curcio sent a ball over the right field fence to give Carolina a 1-0 lead. After Junis retired the next two men, he yielded a double to Jacob Schrader, who came home when the following batter, Carlos Franco, produced an infield single, making it 2-0 Mudcats.


Wilmington cut the Carolina lead in half with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Mauricio Ramos got the inning started with a single, then Elier Hernandez was hit by a pitch two batters later. Following another single from Alfredo Escalera, the Rocks cracked the scoreboard thanks to a sacrifice fly from Cam Gallagher. Ramos came home on the play, narrowing the Mudcats advantage to 2-1.


The Rocks pulled even with Carolina in the bottom of the seventh. Carlos Garcia tripled to lead off the frame, then two batters later, scored on Ramos’s RBI double. Ramos ended up being stranded on second base, but the inning concluded with the score tied at two. Neither team would be able to plate a run by the ninth, and the contest headed to extra innings.


In the top of the 10th inning, Yender Caramo yielded singles to Joey Meneses and Schrader to put runners on the corners to begin the frame. After retiring the next two men, Caramo would find himself on the precipice of escaping the jam with Tanner Krietemeier coming to the plate. Krietemeier came up clutch for the Mudcats, however, ripping a two-run double to push Carolina out in front 4-2.


Wilmington produced a major threat in the bottom of the 10th, but could not complete the comeback. Carolina reliever Brad Roney walked the first three men of the inning, which sent Ramos to the dish with a prime opportunity to do damage. Ramos bounced into a double play that scored a run, making it 4-3 Carolina. Ryan O’Hearn would be next, and he would line out to end the ballgame.


The Blue Rocks hit the road for a three-game set at Potomac beginning on Friday. First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. Wilmington returns home on Tuesday, August 18 to begin a six-game home stand at Frawley Stadium. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE, or visit www.bluerocks.com.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With Thursday’s loss, the Rocks lost yet another series. It has been quite some time since Wilmington came away with a series win, with their last one occurring in a three-game set lasting from July 7 through July 9 against Frederick. The Blue Crew has dropped its last 10 series, and 17 overall on the season. For Wilmington, their next series win will be their 12th. Thursday was also the rubber match for the Rocks and Mudcats, and as a result of the defeat, Wilmington now sits at 4-6 in rubber matches during the 2015 campaign.


The Rocks had their fair share of opportunities to score runs on Thursday, but struggled mightily with runners in scoring position. Wilmington put together a 2-for-21 showing with runners on second and/or third base against Carolina, which comes out to a .095 batting average. The struggles lasted the entire series for the Blue Crew, as they went 5-for-35 (.143) against the Mudcats over the course of the three-game set. As a result of Thursday’s action, the Blue Rocks are now batting .258 with runners in scoring position on the season.


Thursday night marked the first time an opposing batter produced a lead-off home run against the Blue Rocks. Carolina’s Keith Curcio took Jakob Junis deep to begin the contest, hitting one out on the second pitch of the contest. The last time an opposing batter went yard off a Wilmington pitcher to lead off a game was on July 31, 2014, when Lyncburg’s David Nick hit one out off of Miguel Almonte. Wilmington has one lead-off shot themselves in 2015, courtesy of Ramon Torres on May 28 at Potomac.


With this home stand completed, the Blue Rocks have hosted their final single-series home stand of the season. It has been a while since Wilmington found themselves at Frawley Stadium for more than one set, with their most recent such stretch running from May 19 to May 25. The first four home stands of the Blue Crew’s season lasted seven games, but they have hosted nothing but single-series home stands since May. The Rocks have enjoyed nine consecutive home stands of either three or four games, but their next one will go six contests, and the final one of the 2015 regular season will run for seven.


THEY SAID IT:


Bench Coach Brian Bocock:


“We had a chance but with games like that you want the middle of your order up with runners on for a chance to take the lead. We had that opportunity but we just came up a little short.”


“(Mauricio Ramos) is probably one of our best hitters. He’s our three-hole hitter and the game is on the line, I’m not going to give him a take there. I’m going to trust him to get a pitch he can handle. He might have got a little over-aggressive, but you have to give the best hitter in your lineup a chance. You get your middle of the order guys up, you’ve got to let them swing.”


“I think we’re doing alright. We’re battling and we’re getting our work in. (Losing) is part of it, that’s what the minors are for. You’ve got to learn to go through stretches like this. It’s unfortunate. You don’t want to and it’s no fun, but it is part of the game. We’ve just got to figure out a way to get back on track. I think they’re okay as a whole. They’re keeping the energy up in the dugout and doing the things you need to do. I think maybe they’re a little frustrated with themselves. As a team, I think we’re holding up pretty good.”


Relief Pitcher Yender Caramo:


“I was looking for a ground ball (in the tenth). When it was hit back to me I jumped and got it bare-handed. I didn’t even think about it. I saw that the guy on third was still on the base so I tried to turn a double play and make the inning quicker.”


“I saw the ball (hit by Krietemeier) was foul. If the umpire says it was a fair ball then it’s a fair ball. There’s nothing you can do about it. I made a good pitch, I hit the spot, and the guy just hit the ball. I got a lazy fly ball down the line.”


Infielder Carlos Garcia:


“I’ve been feeling very good these past two games. I’ve been trying to do my job, just out the ball in play and not trying to do too much…and trying to get on base for Mauricio (Ramos) and (Ryan) O’Hearn. It makes their job easier.”


“(Getting hit with runners in scoring position) is one of the most important things. When we have runners in scoring position, we haven’t been able to drive them in and score runs. I think it’s more momentum sometimes. We try to do too much at home plate. When you’ve been in a long losing streak you’re trying to win and play 100 percent every single game.”

www.bluerocks.com


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[dawrestling]

Date: Tue, Aug 11, 2015 at 8:01 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Rocks Need 12 Innings, but Finally Snap Longest Losing Streak in Franchise History
To: RocksMedia@lists.skiltech.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Rocks Need 12 Innings, but Finally Snap Longest Losing Streak in Franchise History
Lopez plays hero for Wilmington in walk-off victory


WILMINGTON, Del. – After 12 innings and almost four hours of baseball, the Blue Rocks walked off victorious against the Carolina Mudcats on Tuesday by a score of 2-1. The win snapped the franchise’s longest losing streak, which reached 14 games prior to Tuesday’s action. Jack Lopez delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the 12th frame with a walk-off single.


The Blue Rocks struck first with a lone run in the bottom of the second. Ryan O’Hearn doubled off of Carolina starter Seth Webster to begin the frame. After Webster retired the next two men to bat against him, Humberto Arteaga singled to plate O’Hearn, giving Wilmington a 1-0 lead.


Carolina tied the ballgame up with a run in the top of the fourth. Carlos Franco and Joey Meneses produced singles off of Wilmington starter Zach Lovvorn, with Franco moving to third base on Meneses’s knock. Lovvorn got the next batter, Jose Briceno, to ground into a double play, though Franco came home with the tying run.


In the bottom of the ninth, the Blue Crew loaded the bases with one out. Reliever Richie Tate managed to avoid the loss by cleaning up his own mess though, as he struck out Arteaga and got Cam Gallagher to fly out. The Rocks left the bases loaded in the ninth, and the game headed to extras.


After going nine full innings without scoring a run, Wilmington finally broke through in the bottom of the 12th. Arteaga led off the frame with an infield single, and two batters later ,with Arteaga at second base, Logan Moon produced an infield knock of his own. The Mudcats then elected to walk Carlos Garcia intentionally to load the bases for Lopez. Lopez would make Carolina pay, as he hammered a ball over the head of Dustin Peterson in left, sending the Rocks to their first victory in 15 games.


The Blue Rocks and Mudcats continue their three-game series on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.


PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


With Tuesday’s win, the Blue Rocks finally ended their franchise-record losing streak at 14 games. The previous club-high in terms of consecutive defeats was 10, which they had done twice previously. The most recent such occurrence lasted from May 27 to June 4 of the 2000 season. The last time Wilmington won a ballgame prior to Tuesday was back on July 25 against Lynchburg, a contest that saw the Blue Crew erase a 6-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, eventually winning 7-6 in extra innings. Over the course of the losing streak, Wilmington batted .225 (97-for-432), scoring just 28 times in those 14 losses.


The Blue Rocks’ walk-off win over the Carolina Mudcats on Tuesday was the sixth time Wilmington claimed victory on a walk-off this season. Conversely, the Rocks have gone down on nine walk-off losses in 2015, with their most recent one occurring on the previous road trip against Myrtle Beach on August 6. The Blue Crew actually lost in walk-off fashion in two consecutive nights against the Pelicans during the road trip. The last time Wilmington won a game before Tuesday was also a walk-off, a 7-6 victory in 10 innings against Lynchburg at Frawley Stadium on July 25.


It has been a rollercoaster beginning to the Advanced-A career of Zach Lovvorn, and Tuesday saw him get to the top of the ride once again. The righty gave Wilmington six innings of one run-ball, allowing seven hits while walking two and striking out three. Tuesday marked Lovvorn’s seventh start with the Rocks. In two of those outings, he yielded five earned runs or more, though in his other five games Lovvorn allowed three earned runs or less. The Alabama native also came away with his second no-decision in a row (and second total) with the Blue Crew on Tuesday. Lovvorn owns a record of 2-3 with Wilmington, to go along with an ERA of 3.79.


The Blue Rocks managed to keep the Mudcats in check with runners in scoring position all Tuesday long. Carolina finished 1-for-7 with runners on second and/or third base, good for a 143 batting average. This follows a three-game series in which Wilmington pitchers let the Lynchburg Hillcats go 15-for-32 (.469) with runners in scoring position. On the flip side of the coin, Wilmington is batting .262 with runners in scoring position this season, including Tuesday’s contest.


THEY SAID IT:


Manager Brian Buchanan:


“Anytime you win, especially with the ways things have been going for the past few weeks (you are happy). It was good to get that monkey off our back and now we can…relax and keep going.”


“It’s been a rough stretch. When we don’t hit, we pitch. When we don’t pitch, we get some runs. We got walked-off a couple of times. It’s one of those things where you don’t really know what to do. You’ve got to go out and compete. Tonight, we didn’t swing the bats all that great but I was pleased with how they battled. They hung in there and had some good at-bats late in the game to push that run across. There isn’t really much you can say except you’ve got to find a way and we did it.”


“You never want to go through that kind of stretch. Once you start losing that many games in a row you start getting comfortable with stuff happening to us. I’m not sure what you learn from losing 14 in a row.”


“(Getting out of bases loaded jams) was huge. When you’re going through this stretch you try to do things. We had the infield in and (Joey Meneses) hit a groundball right at Jack (Lopez) and he made the play. Those are the little things you need to do to win games, especially one-run games.”


Infielder Jack Lopez:


“I’m pretty happy. There’s a lot of happy faces inside the clubhouse right now, which you haven’t seen in awhile. I’m just happy to come through for my teammates and have the locker room up again.”


“I believe (this losing streak is the hardest thing I’ve gone through as a ball player), for a lot of (my teammates) too. We’ve got to keep our heads up. We’re going to the playoffs so we had to start turning things around eventually. We haven’t been playing bad ball other than a few games here and there. Our pitchers are doing a great job and the hitters just have to start putting things together. We have to tip our cap to our pitchers and just keep on battling.”


“(The win) will definitely boost us coming into tomorrow knowing that we won a game. It’s been two weeks now since we’ve won a game so now we can come into tomorrow knowing that we won. At the same time it’s a tug-of-war so we’ve got to get ready for tomorrow’s game.”


“(The losing streak) was pretty frustrating…not a lot of the guys have been through something like that so it’s a gut-check…we’ve got to keep on working hard, come out tomorrow and try to get another W.”


“It was either a cutter or slider up in the zone (that Jackson threw me). I was looking for a first-pitch fastball and he threw it to me and I couldn’t pull the trigger. After that I just thought I was going to get something good to hit up in the zone and I was able to.”


“It was like a sigh of relief when I saw my teammates coming out with smiles on their faces. That’s something I haven’t seen in a while.”

www.bluerocks.com


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[dawrestling]

Date: Sat, Aug 15, 2015 at 8:29 PM
Subject: [Rocks Media] Wilmington Offense Explodes For 13 Runs In Win Over Potomac
To: rocksmedia@lists.skiltech.com




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2015


CONTACT: MATT JANUS 302-888-5393

Wilmington Offense Explodes For 13 Runs In Win Over Potomac

Ryan O’Hearn’s Two Long Balls Paced The Offense To Much-Needed Victory


WOODBRIDGE, VA – The Wilmington Blue Rocks offense woke up from its three-week long slumber on Saturday night. Ryan O'Hearn had four hits, including two homers, and drove in six runs as the Blue Crew offense used a seven-run sixth inning to beat the Potomac Nationals 13-10 at Pfitzner Stadium. The win was only Wilmington's second in its last 19 games. The Blue Crew had tallied just 37 runs over its previous 18 contests, but scored in six different innings, and registered the team's highest run output since July 9.

Jack Lopez set the tone with a lead-off homer on the game's third pitch, but Potomac wasted little time, responding with three scores in the bottom of the first. The P-Nats were up 6-3 after four when O'Hearn went to work. The slugger slammed a two-run bomb to dead-centerfield that pulled the Rocks to within a single score. For the first time all night, Wilmington scored in the top of a frame and then did not allow a score in the ensuing bottom half of the inning. Luis Rico provided that elusive shutdown frame, which set the stage for some fireworks in the sixth.

The Rocks sent 12 batters to the plate in the frame and were as opportunistic as they were potent. Wilmington had four hits in the inning, but two of them didn't even get out of the infield. Meanwhile, Potomac issued two walks in the frame and committed three defensive miscues.

Robert Pehl got things started with a walk. He then went to second on a wild pitch. After Santiago Nessy struck out trying to sacrifice Pehl to third, Logan Moon reached on an error by shortstop David Masters, which ended the night of Potomac starter Matthew Spann. Lopez greeted reliever Jake Johansen by legging out an infield single to load the bases. That brought up Humberto Arteaga, who hit a chopper back to the mound. Johansen lost his balance as he reached to get his glove on the ball. As he was falling down he threw for the plate, but missed badly. Two runs scored on what was ruled an infield single and an error, as the Rocks took a 7-6 lead.

Mauricio Ramos made it 8-6 Rocks with an RBI single up the middle. Then O'Hearn appeared to blow the game open with a titanic three-run blast that carried well beyond the right-centerfield fence and put the Blue Crew up by five runs. Ellier Hernandez got things going again for the Blue Crew with a walk and that ended Johansen’s night. Jake Walsh entered and induced a grounder to third, which John Wooten booted. Robert Pehl capped the frame with a run-scoring double that gave Wilmington a 12-6 edge.

Still, when a team is struggling like the Blue Rocks have over the last three weeks, nothing comes easy. O'Hearn added an RBI single in the top of the seventh to put his team ahead by seven runs, but Potomac crawled its way back into the game in the bottom of the inning.

Evan Beal entered and struggled mightily with command. The righty threw 27 pitches -- 19 of which missed the strike zone. After getting a pop up to start the inning, Beal walked three straight hitters. He then saw Craig Manuel clear the bases with a three-run double to left-center. Beal's night ended two batters later, following a bloop single and a walk that loaded the bases with still only one out.

Andrew Edwards entered the game and immediately got an out. He then appeared to quell the threat on a John Wooten grounder to short, but Lopez booted it and Potomac was within three runs with the potential go-ahead run coming to the plate. Making matters worse, it was Grant DeBruin, who already owned three RBIs on Saturday and six over the first two games of the series. DeBruin hit the ball hard, but right at left fielder Alfredo Escalera, who made the catch to end the inning.

Edwards faced the potential tying run in the eighth, but worked his way out of a first-and-third jam in the eighth. He worked a more uneventful ninth inning to earn his second save of the season.


Rico earned the win in relief of Mills. Rico went four frames and allowed two runs, but was the benefactor of that huge seven run sixth. The lefty snapped a streak of three consecutive appearances with a loss and moved his record to 6-8. Johansen is now 1-5.


The Rocks and P-Nats will wrap up their series with a rubber match on Sunday evening. Zach Lovvorn is looking to turn in a fourth straight solid outing as he takes the bump for Wilmington. The Nationals will send Brian Rauh to the hill. Rauh has been solid at Advanced-A this season, going 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA. First pitch from Pfitzner Stadium is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:


The Blue Rocks got their second lead-off home run of the season on Saturday. Jack Lopez sent the third pitch of the game over the left-field fence for his career-high sixth long ball of the year. Carolina League All-Star Ramon Torres hit the other game-opening dinger of the campaign for Wilmington. Ironically enough, that home run also came at Potomac back on May 28. Lopez had five homers total in his four-year professional career entering the season. The 22-year-old Puerto Rico native hit the dinger against lefty starter Matthew Spann. Four of his six long balls this season have come against southpaws. He is also hitting .354 versus lefties this year -- .157 points higher than his average against right-handers.

Ryan O'Hearn is beginning to adjust to life in the Carolina League. The 25th-ranked prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization, according to Baseball America, had just two extra-base hits and no homers in his first 12 Advanced-A games. He then hit his first home run as a Blue Rock on July 31 at Frawley Stadium against the Carolina Mudcats. That was the first of nine extra-base hits from O'Hearn over his last 13 contests. The Dunedin, FL native hit his third and fourth dingers with Wilmington on Saturday at Potomac. The two bombs and an RBI single accounted for six RBIs and increased his Carolina League RBI total to 14 -- 12 of which have come in the last 13 affairs. It is the third time a Blue Rock has hit multiple homers in a game this season -- Cody Stubbs and Zane Evans were the other two. O'Hearn dominated the South Atlantic League before his promotion to Wilmington on July 17.He batted .277 in 81 games while leading the team in homeruns (19), RBIs (56), hits (87), and total bases (155). O'Hearn was an eighth round draft pick by the Royals in 2014 out of Sam Houston State. He started his professional career with the Rookie-Level Idaho Falls Chukars, where he was named Pioneer League MVP and Idaho Falls Player of the Year after leading the short-season league in runs (61), hits (90), OPS (1.034), and slugging percentage (.590). He had the highest batting average (.361) of any Royals minor leaguer in 2014.

Alec Mills returned to the mound for Wilmington on Saturday after spending 30 days on the Disabled List with an injured finger on his throwing hand. Mills showed some early rust, allowing three runs in the first inning, but the right-hander did escape some tough spots. Mills stranded runners at first and third in the first frame and left a man at third in the second. He yielded hits to the first two batters of the third inning, before being pulled by manager Brian Buchanan. One of those runners came home, meaning Mills yielded four runs on seven hits and one walk, while fanning a pair in two-plus innings. Mills was a midseason Carolina League All-Star and was named the eight-team loop's Pitcher of the Month in June. He ranked top five in the CL in strikeouts and earned run average before the injury.

The Rocks have now split the first two game of this three-game series in Woodbridge, Virginia, but it is just the second game of seven in a row the Blue Crew and P-Nats will play into next week. The two teams will have a home-and-home series, meaning they head to Frawley Stadium for four games (including a double-header on Tuesday) after an off-day for both squads on Monday. This will be the second time this season Wilmington has played back-to-back series against the same team. The first time it happened was back from June 12-17 when they played three games against the Salem Red Sox in Salem, Virginia followed by three in Delaware. The Rocks won just one of those six games. Sunday will also be the final time Wilmington plays the Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium (barring a postseason bid for Potomac), where they have gone 5-6 this season. Overall, Wilmington is now 10-9 against the P-Nats. As a team, the Rocks are batting .245 against Nationals’ pitching, with 56 runs scored in 19 contests. Blue Crew pitching has been dominant this season against Potomac, though. Even after the 10 runs scored by the P-Nats on Saturday, Rocks’ hurlers are posting a 2.82 ERA when squaring off against Potomac.