CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Zimmer Suffers Third Loss, P-Nats Take Rubber Match

Published on May 17, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


WOODBRIDGE, VA- Potomac scored all seven of its runs over the first five innings, including consecutive tallies in the third, fourth and fifth, as the Nationals defeated Wilmington 7-4 on Thursday night at Pfitzner Stadium. It marks the second time in 2013 that the P-Nats have taken a series against the Blue Crew, who dropped two of three to their Northern Division counterparts. Kyle Zimmer (0-3) posted a line that was eerily similar to his rocky outing against Salem on the Riverfront. Over four innings, he allowed five runs on six hits while issuing three walks.

Despite the final score, things got off to a good start for the visitors. Hitting leadoff for just the third time all season, Jack Lopez started off the game with a double off P-Nats starter Taylor Hill (4-1). Lopez later advanced to third on a fielding error by first baseman Kevin Keyes, and scored on a single to left by Cheslor Cuthbert. However the early lead would not last long. After Zimmer issued a one-out walk to Michael Taylor, Keyes atoned for his earlier mistake with a two-run shot over the leftfield fence.

Potomac added to its one-run advantage in the third, with Taylor and Keyes collaborating on another scoring opportunity. Hit by a pitch, Taylor stole second and later scored on a base knock by Keyes to push the Nationals out to a 3-1 lead.

Wilmington trimmed the deficit in the fourth, following a lead-off two-bagger by Jared Schlehuber and an RBI fielder's choice by Kenny Diekroeger, but things came unglued for Zimmer in the home-half of the frame. He allowed the first three men of the inning to reach on singles, before Justin Miller socked a two-run double to make it 5-2. Zimmer retired three of the next four batters he faced, but that marked the end of his night. In total he allowed five runs, which tied a season-high for runs allowed by the right-hander.

In the fifth, Potomac gained additional separation off Kellen Moen. Keyes reached for a third time on a walk, moved to third on a misplay in left by Tyler Chism, and scored along with fellow baserunner Adrian Nieto on a single by Caleb Ramsey

Down 7-2, the Blue Crew picked up a pair of runs in the seventh on an RBI double by Daniel Mateo which scored Lopez, while Mateo came home on a pair of passed balls, but Vance Wilson's team would not get any closer, as the duo of Christian Meza and Richie Mirowski held the Rocks scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings. P-Nats starter Taylor Hill earned the victory on the mound, and was as good as advertised. Over six innings he allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out five. He is now tied for the Carolina League lead in wins with four.

Wilmington returns to the Riverfront on Friday, when it opens a six-game homestand against Myrtle Beach. Left-hander John Lamb (2-3, 5.79) takes the hill for the Blue Crew and will be opposed by Pelicans righty Alec Asher (3-2, 3.10). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and can be heard on 89.7 WGLS-FM, or on Bluerocks.com. For ticket information, call 302-888-BLUE or visit Bluerocks.com.

Pebbles of Knowledge:

Despite dropping two of their final three games, Wilmington's seven-game road trip was a success, with the Blue Rocks claiming four out of seven contests. That included taking three out of four from the Frederick Keys at Harry Grove Stadium. The major highlight was an 18-5 victory in game two of a Saturday doubleheader, where the Blue Rocks posted season-highs in runs (18) and hits (18), and came within two tallies of the franchise record for runs scored in a game.

On the flip side, Wilmington has not had an answer for Potomac. After dropping two of three to the Nationals at Frawley Stadium, the Blue Rocks suffered the same fate at Pfitzner Stadium. Adding to the frustration is that Wilmington has only been outhit by the P-Nats once in a game this year, while the Blue Rocks have collected 13 more hits than their Beltway opposition (49-36). The defeat also drops the Blue Crew to 0-4 in rubber matches this year.

Kyle Zimmer's struggles on the mound continued Thursday night. Coming off a four-inning start on Saturday against Frederick, the right-hander lasted only four innings for a second straight start. Over that stretch he allowed five runs on six hits while walking three and striking out five. The fourth inning was particularly laborious for Zimmer, who faced eight men, and allowed a pair of runs after the first four men in the inning reached base. In his last two starts, the Royals No. 1 prospect has given up seven runs over eight innings of work, and has surrendered 11 hits over that stretch. The Blue Rocks are just 1-7 in games he has started this year.

Hitting below .200 one week ago, Jack Lopez came on strong over the seven-game roadtrip. Going in with a .193 batting average, the Puerto Rican has pushed it up to .214 thanks to six solid games. Over the week-long sojourn, Lopez hit .308 (8-26) to go along with a homer, triple, double, nine RBI and seven runs scored. Seven of Lopez's nine-RBI came in game two of Saturday night's double-header when he tied a franchise-record with seven driven in. Lopez is now one RBI short of his 2012 total at Kane County (16) and four short of his overall total in 2012 (19).

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