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Wilmington Blue Rocks

Betts Has Monster Day, Red Sox Claim Series Opener

August 11, 2013 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE-Mookie Betts had a career day at the plate for the Salem Red Sox, while a rocky sixth inning for Leonel Santiago (3-2) ended in a 6-1 Wilmington Blue Rocks defeat on Sunday night at Frawley Stadium. Tallying a career-high five RBIs on the game, Betts gave Salem an early boost, before clubbing a two-run homer in the sixth inning which put the game out of reach. With the loss, Vance Wilson's club returns to a season-worst 12 games under .500 (53-65), but remains in the hunt for a second half Northern Division wildcard berth following a loss by Frederick earlier in the day.

After being set down promptly in the initial frame, Salem would score a pair of runs in the second off Santiago. Stefan Welch opened the inning with a walk and scooted to third on a double by Blake Swihart. Betts would then begin his monster day at the plate, driving home both runners on a single-bagger to left.

Despite trailing 2-0, Santiago would get into a nice rhythm over the next three frames, setting down 12 straight batters before more trouble would come in the sixth. Leading off the inning, Deven Marrero would club a solo homer to left to stretch the deficit to three. The Rocks starter then walked Welch before Betts made Santiago pay the price with a two-run bomb down the leftfield line.

In the sixth, Wilmington would get one run back, following a double by Justin Trapp, a single by Yem Prades and a ground ball double play by Dennis Raben, but Salem would regain its five run lead in the eighth, as Betts added an RBI single to make it 6-1.

Out of the bullpen, Kyle Kraus held the Rocks to just one hit over the final two innings to close the door on the Red Sox victory. William Cuevas (7-7) was equally as good for the visitors. Earning his seventh win of the year, the Red Sox starter picked up his third triumph over the Blue Crew, tossing seven innings of one-run baseball.

Wilmington continues its three-game set with Salem on Monday night. Right-hander Angel Baez (0-0, 4.22) takes the mound for the Blue Rocks, and will be opposed by Sox righty Kyle Stroup (4-7, 4.84). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. from Frawley Stadium, and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. For ticket information, fans can call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com

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Leonel Santiago pitched better than his final line would indicate, but the right-hander suffered his second loss as a member of the Blue Rocks. Tossing six frames, the native of the Dominican Republic allowed five runs on four hits while walking three and striking out five. Santiago's struggles were mostly due to the longball, as he allowed a pair of six inning home runs which accounted for three of the five runs he gave out. Those two dingers were the first he had allowed all season, after going eight starts between Low-A and Advanced-A without surrendering a deep fly. In the process, it snapped a three-start winning streak for Santiago, who had not dropped an outing since July 19 at Myrtle Beach.

Justin Trapp extended his season-best nine game hitting streak on Sunday, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, a run scored and a sacrifice bunt. The nine-game swing is the longest for Trapp since last season, when he hit safely in a career-best 11 straight games stretching from July 28-August 8 while playing for Low-A Kane County. Over his current nine-game streak, Trapp is hitting .368 (14-for-38) with a triple, four doubles, two RBIs and six runs scored. In the process, it has moved his batting average up 10 points (.256-.266), the highest it has been since July 9.

Besides Trapp, Jack Lopez also saw his hitting streak extended to nine games, finishing the night 1-for-4. Coming off a recent seven-game stretch, Lopez is batting .314 over his last night nine contests (11-for-35) with a double, triple, five RBIs and five runs scored. That has pushed his batting average up to .243, the highest it has been since April 9. A hitter who has made tremendous strides since the All-Star break, Lopez is batting .287 over 40 games in the second half, while he is hitting .314 over his first nine contests in August.

After the Wilmington bullpen struggled on Saturday, Ali Williams turned in a solid performance in the series opener. Over three innings, the right-hander allowed one unearned run on two hits, walked one and struck out two. It was the longest outing for the Sumter, SC native since late July, while he came one out shy of his season-high for innings thrown (3.1 frames on July 27 against Myrtle Beach). Promoted from Low-A Lexington on July 24, Williams is 0-0 with a 4.22 ERA over four games with the Blue Rocks. Prior to joining the Blue Crew, he went 6-4 with a 4.22 ERA in 28 games for the Legends.

On Sunday, the Blue Rocks' struggles continued when trailing late in games. Looking at a 5-1 hole after seven innings, Wilmington dropped to 2-55 when trailing after seven frames, and 1-52 in contests this season where playing from behind after eight stanzas. Those two marks are the worst of their kind in the Carolina League. Making things tougher, was outstanding pitching by the duo of William Cuevas and Kyle Kraus, who handed out only five combined hits on the night. A remarkably different team when breaking the five-hit barrier, Vance Wilson's club fell to 5-20 in contests where tallying five knocks or less.

Lately, Wilmington has been unable to solve the riddle that is the Salem Red Sox. On the wrong side of a 6-1 verdict, the Rocks have now dropped four of the last five games they have played against their Southern Division foe. Making matters worse, Sunday's defeat ensured a loss in the season-series against Salem, who have now claimed 11 of the 18 head-to-head battles this year. Seven of those wins by the Sox came at Salem Memorial Ballpark, a venue where the Blue Crew finished just 3-7 on the year. In eight games played on the Riverfront, both sides have four wins apiece.

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