CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Davies Denies Blue Crew Series Sweep

Published on May 14, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


FREDERICK, MD- Zach Davies was marvelous for Frederick, tossing seven innings of two-run baseball, as the Keys defeated the Blue Crew 7-3 on Monday night at Harry Grove Stadium. Sam Selman (1-3) once again battled his command, as the lefty issues five walks and five runs (four earned) over 4.2 innings. Despite falling short of the four-game sweep, Wilmington still picked up its second road series win this year.

A pair of walks in the home first got Selman's night off to a tough start, while a passed ball allowed the Keys to set-up two men in scoring position with just one out in the first. Zane Chavez brought home one of those runners on a fielder's choice, before Selman struck out Nicky Delmonico to end the initial frame.

Frederick added to its 1-0 advantage in the third. Glynn Davis punched the second pitch he saw to left centerfield for a double and scored on a base hit by Jerome Pena. The Keys two-hole hitter eventually moved to third base on a groundout and scored on a two-out double by Chavez to give Frederick a 3-0 advantage.

It was a big night for the ex-independent league star Chavez, who finished off a solid night in the bottom of the fifth. With one runner aboard, the left-handed hitting catcher recorded his second two-bagger of the game plating Travis Adair, and bringing Selman's night to a close. Antonio Cruz would take his place, and received a rough greeting from Nicky Delmonico, who homered for the second time in as many days to put Frederick up 6-0.

On the mound for the Keys, Davies kept the Blue Rocks off balance all night long. The righty faced just two over the minimum through his first five innings, and would work into the eighth, before a double by Kenny Diekroeger and a two-run homer by Alex Hudak ended the shutout and forced a pitching change. Prior to the knocks by Diekroeger and Hudak, Davies allowed only two hits through his first seven innings.

Still ahead 6-2, the home team plated an insurance tally in the eighth following an error by Daniel Mateo and a single by John Ruettiger. In their final at-bats the Blue Crew received a double by Cheslor Cuthbert and an RBI single by Jack Lopez, but could not get any closer, as the Keys salvaged a 7-3 win in the series finale.

Wilmington makes its first trip to Pfitzner on Tuesday night when the Blue Crew take on the Potomac Nationals. Right-hander Aaron Brooks (1-2, 5.61) looks to build off of his seven inning gem in his last start against Potomac, and will be opposed by Nationals righty Rob Gilliam (0-0, --). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and can be heard on 89.7 WGLS-FM, or on Bluerocks.com. Wilmington returns to the Riverfront on May 17, when it begins a six-game homestand against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. For ticket information, call 302-888-BLUE or visit Bluerocks.com.

Pebbles of Knowledge:

In spite of the loss on Monday, it was still a good series for the Blue Rocks, who took three out of four against the Keys. It was the team's first series win in over a week. Over the four-game stretch Wilmington scored 35 runs on 48 hits. Those totals are all team-bests for any four-game stretch so far in 2013. The series was highlighted by an 18-5 victory in game two of a Saturday doubleheader, where the Blue Rocks posted season-highs in runs (18) and hits (18). Meanwhile the 18 runs were two short of the franchise record set in 1999.

In the bottom of the seventh the benches cleared after Antonio Cruz hit Frederick hitter Jerome Pena. No punches were thrown, and warnings were issued by umpires Jimmy Hollingsworth and JJ January. In the end it did not make a difference, as after the hit-by-pitch, Vance Wilson brought in Andrew Triggs to replace Cruz. Triggs responded by striking out Christian Walker, and getting Zane Chavez to line into a double play. Triggs continues to shine when inheriting runners on base. This season he has stranded all seven runners that he has inherited, while as a team, the Blue Rocks have stranded over 80% of inherited baserunners.

It was a tough night for Blue Crew lefties on the mound. Sam Selman suffered his second consecutive loss allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits. For the second straight game, Selman also walked five batters. He now leads the Carolina League in free passes (23). Antonio Cruz was also not as his best. On in relief of Selman, Cruz gave up his first home run of 2013 to Nicky Delmonico. The longball was also only the third hit Cruz had allowed to a left-handed hitter all season, who collectively are batting .107 (3-28) off the Dominican southpaw.

After playing errorless baseball for almost a week, the Blue Rocks streak of errorless games finally came to an end on Monday. The defensive miscue came in the bottom of the eighth, when Daniel Mateo could not handle a groundball off the bat of Nicky Delmonico. In total, Wilmington played five straight games without committing a defensive miscue, the club's longest stretch of clean defense all season.

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