June 18, 2013
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Blue Rocks Game Notes

June 9, 2012 - Carolina League (CarL) Wilmington Blue Rocks

SWEPT AWAY:

A day after their most lopsided loss of the season, the Wilmington Blue Rocks could fare no better against the Winston-Salem Dash as they dropped 5-3 and 11-3 decisions in a an impromptu twinbill on Friday evening.

INDIVISIBLE:

The Rocks stand 2.5 games back of first-place Lynchburg in the Northern Division thanks to the Lynchburg Hillcats also being swept in a doubleheader against Frederick on Friday. However, Wilmington has no meetings with the Hillcats until the second half. In fact, Wilmington's final nine games of the half will pit it against Southern Division squads. Entering today, the North has a composite record of 112-129 (.465) while the South stands at 128-111 (.536). Three of the four teams in the North have a losing record compared with non-losing marks for three of the four in the South.

THREE - THE MAGIC NUMBER:

Wilmington has been held to three runs or less in 14 of its last 16 games and in 37 of its 61 on the year. Over the greater span, the team is 10-27 when held to three or less and 18-6 when plating four plus.

SAY HELLO, WAVE GOODBYE:

Three times in the last five days, a Blue Rocks starter has gone less than three innings. Santiago Garrido threw on Monday night and left in the third inning after suffering a sports hernia. Yordano Ventura made his shortest start of the season on Thursday by only going 1.2 innings. He threw 23 pitches in the first inning and 35 in the second. It was his shortest start since July 14, 2010 when he only got two outs against the AZL Giants. In Friday's scheduled affair, Leondy Perez left after one inning of work.

HAMMER TIME:

A day after being called up from Triple-A Omaha to the Kansas City Royals, Blue Rocks alumnus Clint Robinson made his major league debut on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He entered as pinch-hitter in the ninth inning. Robinson is now officially the 118th former Blue Rock to play in the big leagues. Robinson played for the Blue Rocks in 2009. In 124 games, the "Alabama Hammer" hit .298 with 13 homers and 57 RBIs. He finished runner-up to Frederick's Robbie Widlansky for the CL batting crown. Widlansky reached Triple-A Norfolk last year, but is back at Double-A Bowie this season. In 2010, Robinson's former Wilmington teammate, Eric Hosmer, became the first Blue Rock to ever win the CL's batting title.

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: Luis Piterson

came in to pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was the first time he ever pitched professionally. He went one inning and allowed two runs on three hits, including a two-run bomb by Trayce Thompson. This came a night after he played his first pro game in the outfield. He was forced into action after Juan Graterol was hurt in the second inning of Thursday night's game. He had never pitched or played the outfield before in 219 professional games. He became the first Blue Rocks position player to pitch since Adam Frost did so on July 26, 2010 versus Potomac.

FORE!:

Last night Wilmington required the services of four pitchers in a single game for only the third time this season but also the second time in as many days.

BOMBS AWAY:

The three homers by the Blue Rocks in one game tied a season-best mark. Jake Kuebler went deep in the third inning before Brian Fletcher and Cheslor Cuthbert took Ryan Buch yard in the ninth. The feat has been done three times with the most recent one before last night coming on May 13 at Frederick.

LAND OF THE LOST:

The loss in the suspended game erased what was originally a four-game road winning streak from April 20-24, which was a season-best at the time. They took a pair of games at Winston-Salem and Salem sandwiched around the suspended game on April 22. However, the Blue Rocks have now lost four games in a row on the road, setting a season-high mark.

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Carolina League Stories from June 9, 2012


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