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Wilmington Blue Rocks

Pelicans Rally Back from Four Down to Beat Blue Crew

July 24, 2016 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Myrtle Beach, SC -- The Blue Rocks let a four-run lead slip away on Sunday as the Pelicans used six runs in the third inning to beat the Blue Rocks 6-4 at TicketReturn.com Field. It was the Rocks' largest blown lead of the season. Brandon Downes drove in three runs in the losing cause for Wilmington. The Blue Crew have now dropped three games in a row and nine of their last 10.

The Pelicans sent 11 men to the plate during their six-run third inning. Foster Griffin (2-7) issued a lead-off walk, and then one-out later allowed a single to Andrw Ely, which started a string of eight straight productive at bats. After David Bote walked to load the bases, Yasiel Balaguert cleared them with a three-run double to left-center. Another walk to Ian Rice and an infield single by Jeffrey Baez reloaded the bases. David Spingola tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left and Tyler Pearson put the Pelicans ahead to stay with a two-run single to right.

The rally erased an impressive early surge by the Blue Crew. Carlos Diaz got a gift to start the game, reaching on a dropped fly ball to right. Anderson Miller singled and Samir Duanez walked to load the bases setting the table for Downes' two-run blooper to right. Elier Hernandez followed with an RBI fielder's choice to cap a three-run opening frame.

Wilmington added another run in the top of the third. Duanez opened the frame with a triple and trotted home on another RBI single by Downes.

Wilmington journeys to Lynchburg for the second leg of this seven-game road trip, opening a three-game set in Lynchburg on Monday at 6:30 p.m. Righty Zach Lovvorn (1-12, 3.64) gets the ball for the Rocks against Lynchburg left-hander Justus Sheffield (7-4, 3.53).

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The Blue Rocks have struggled to win series of late. Wilmington has dropped seven of its eight sets since the All-Star break, splitting the lone outlier against Winston-Salem. The last time the Rocks captured a series was June 16-19 in Carolina when the Blue Crew took four out of six from the Mudcats. On the season Wilmington has played 29 series, dropping 20, splitting a pair and winning just seven. The Rocks have also lost five of their six rubber matches on the campaign.

Sunday was a third straight rough night for the Rocks on the Grand Strand. Entering the series in Myrtle Beach the Pelicans were the only club the Blue Crew had a winning record against, but after dropping three of four, Wilmington is now 8-8 against the Pelicans. The Rocks also fell to 4-4 at TicketReturn.com Field, where they are done playing this season, meaning there are now no ballparks where the Rocks are above .500 in 2016. Wilmington has dropped six of its last seven meetings with Myrtle Beach.

The four-run rally by the Pelicans marked the biggest blown lead of the season for the Blue Crew. Before Sunday the largest advantage that Wilmington let slip away was three runs against the Lynchburg Hillcats on June 3 at Frawley Stadium. The Rocks let a 10-7 sixth-inning lead disappear in a 16-11 loss in 10 innings. With the setback Wilmington dropped to 23-14 on the season when scoring first.

Brandon Downes put a pretty ribbon on a beautiful series for the outfielder in Myrtle Beach. Downes went 2-for-4 with three runs batted in and a stolen base on Sunday. The 23-year-old Plainfield, NJ native had four hits and two walks plus four stolen bases in five tries over the four-game set on the Grand Strand. His three-RBI performance on Sunday tied for the third-most in any game this season for Downes. His nine free passes during the month of July are the most in any month this season for the UVA product.

THEY SAID IT, MANAGER JAMIE QUIRK:

"We came out ready to play and put some runs up early. Thought we had a little life going. Then the third inning they throw up a six spot and we kinda died after that. We had a lot of momentum going, but after that we had none. We came out and swung the bats well, some good situational hitting, but later in the game we had some of those situations and didn't hit. Credit to them pitching wise, but the six run third inning kind of took the air out of us."

"Todd (Eaton) just pitched better this time out. He made pitches when he had to and that's the key to pitching. He had the runner at third and got out of it by making pitches. He kept the ball in the ballpark and didn't walk anybody. Those two things mean you're doing a good job. And Jake (Newberry) has had a great year. He gave us three more good innings. He said he felt a little dizzy out there and said he felt like was going to throw up, which was probably heat related, which is something you have to prepare for because it is so hot out. Fortunately for him he only had to throw one more pitch."

"We're trying to get (Brandon) Downes to recognize pitches a little earlier. It is nothing mechanical with him. We've been talking to him a lot about pitch selection and how teams are going to go after him. In this league you face the same teams 18 or 19 times and they're gonna pitch to you the same way. You just have to pay attention to what they're doing. Getting in nice counts if you see the pitches early. He's been able to do that the last couple of nights and got himself in good hitters counts and took advantage of them."

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