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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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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