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Wilmington Blue Rocks

Seven Not the Magic Number for the Blue Rocks, Lose 5-2 to Potomac

April 23, 2016 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - Saturday night was the seventh time the Wilmington Blue Rocks (6-11) and Potomac Nationals (10-7) faced off at Frawley Stadium to begin the season. The P-Nats have now won all seven games after defeating the Blue Rocks 5-2 in an error plagued ball game. The Rocks committed four errors that led to four unearned runs and the offense mustered just four hits as their season longest skid stretched to four games.

It was apparent from the very first pitch that the game might not go the Blue Crew's way. Andrew Stevenson grounded the first pitch of the game towards second basemen Corey Toups, but Toups was eaten up by the hopper and Stevenson reached base on the error. After a popout to first base that was almost dropped, Jose Marmolejos bounded a perfect double play ball to Toups and yet again the second basemen misplayed the ball, but he was able to get Marmolejos out at first while Stevenson advanced to second. However, instead of the inning being over, Blue Rocks starter Zach Lovvorn (0-4) had to try and get the extra couple of outs and Raudy Read made it hurt with a single to right for a 1-0 P-Nats lead. Lovvorn walked the next batter before Bryan Mejia's single to left pushed across the second run of the inning for Potomac.

Phillips Valdez (3-1) had the ball to start the game for the Nationals and retired the first two batters with relative ease before Ryan O'Hearn came to the plate. O'Hearn, who came into the game leading the Carolina League in home runs with five, extended his lead when he took an inside and low breaking ball and blasted it to right to cut the deficit down to 2-1.

The Rocks defense reared its ugly head once again in the bottom of the fourth inning. Lovvorn got the first two batters on a flyout and a groundout, but David Masters singled and Narciso Mesa tripled down the right field line to put the P-Nats ahead 3-0. They tacked on another when the next batter Stevenson hit a dribbler 15 feet down the first base line. Catcher Luis Villegas came out from behind home plate to make the play and while falling threw a chest high toss to O'Hearn, but the first basemen simply missed the throw and the Nationals scored their fourth run to lead 4-1. They added another in the fifth inning when Alfredo Escalera misplayed a popup down the left field line for a two base error and Read once again came through with an RBI single to right.

The P-Nats returned the favor in a smaller portions in the bottom of the frame. Wander Franco singled with one out and moved to second on a ground out by Escalera. That proved beneficial for the Rocks when Austin Bailey hit a slow roller to the right of the second base bag and Mejia's throw missed its target and Franco was able to score from second to make it 5-2 Potomac.

However, that is when Valdez decided to take the game into his own hands. He struck out five straight batters from the start of the sixth until two outs in the seventh and left the game after seven innings with eleven strikeouts. He turned the ball over to Ryan Brinley and the reliever tossed the final two frames, shutting the door on the P-Nats 5-2 win.

The Rocks will try to salvage at least one win in the five game series when the two teams wrap up the homestand at 1:35 on Sunday. Looking to snap the skid for the Blue Rocks will be Pedro Fernandez (2-0, 1.76). He will be opposed by Wirkin Estevez (0-1, 5.40). Fans can listen to the game on 89.7 WGLS-FM and can buy tickets at the Frawley Stadium Ticket Office or call 302-888-BLUE.

Pebbles of Knowledge

The Rocks and P-Nats have played elven games against each other this eason and the home team is just 1-10. Unfortunately for the Blue Crew, the two teams have played seven of those contests at Frawley stadium where the P-Nats are 7-0. Part of that recipe for success for Potomac in the First State has been fast starts. The P-Nats have scored first in every game in Wilmington. The boys from Frawley move to 1-9 overall on the year at home, where they are hitting more than 60 points lower as a team and have an ERA more than a run higher.

Ryan O'Hearn is about as hot as a batter can get. The slugging first basemen is riding a ten game hit streak after going 1-for-4 on Saturday night. O'Hearn is either getting multiple hits in every game or he is making his lone hit count. The only hit of his game on Saturday was a home run to right. It was the second time in as many nights that O'Hearn went 1-for-4 with a home run and he now leads the Carolina League with six dingers. During the ten game stretch he is 15-for-39 (.385) with six home runs (including two inside the parkers), three doubles, 13 RBI and ten runs scored.

The Blue Crew bats had tremendous troubling making contact on Saturday against the arms of Phillips Valdez and Ryan Brinley. Valdez started the game and struck out eleven Blue Rocks, which set a season record for most strikeouts by an opposing pitcher. It continued a trend from the first series when the Potomac Nationals pitching staff collected 38 punchouts. What made Valdez's performance so noticeable is that he has struggled mightily against the rest of the Carolina League while dominating Wilmington. In his two other starts, which both came against Lynchburg, he has gone 9.2 innings while giving up 17 hits, eleven runs and two home runs. In his two starts at Frawley Stadium, Valdez has pumped twelve innings, surrendering just three runs (two earned) and striking out 18 without walking a single batter.

While the Blue Rocks were struggling to make contact, it was their defense that did them in on Saturday night. The Blue Crew committed four errors on the night to set a season high, allowing four unearned runs to score, which brought their season total to just 14 through 17 games. Corey Toups booted a ball on the games very first pitch and thing snowballed from there. Two batters later he botched a potential double play ball, but was not given an error because he got an out at first. Luis Villegas was unable to help out his own pitcher as he threw away a ball after a strikeout in the second and then O'Hearn fanned on catching a throw later in the game. Alfredo Escalera rounded out the porous defensive evening when he dropped a popup to begin the top of the fifth. The defense turned things around to end the game as Toups started a sensational 4-6-3 double play later in the fifth and Wander Franco made a couple of tough plays later on.

They Said It

Blue Rocks Managers Jamie Quirk

"Our defense got us behind the 8-Ball very first hitter of the game, booted that ball, and then the second ball should have been a double play. We bobble it and got the runner at first and now we got a runner at second. A total of four errors, you're not gonna win many games with four errors. I thought (Zach) Lovvorn he hung in there and only gave up one unearned run in five innings and that was nice. What the errors do too is they make you throw a lot more pitches and it cost him going deeper into the game. He did a fine job, it's just our defense put him behind the 8-Ball."

"It was big for them (Mark McCoy and Matt Alvarez). They got a nice two innings in, the both of them. It was huge for their progress and their mental state. It was good to see that they got out on the mound and were able to get through it... (The difference for them) is just getting that feel back, and getting on the mound, pitching and getting regular work in. Their command was definitely better tonight, especially Alvarez. That's all it is, just getting enough work that they're getting into a routine so they're more comfortable out on the mound."

Blue Rocks Reliever Matt Alvarez

"I'm just trying to get back to basics. I didn't start the season the way I wanted to so I have to just go back to step one, regroup, get myself back together and get back out there... I'm just trying to pound the zone more and be more consistent with my delivery and things like that."

"It feels almost like a scrimmage with how much we've played them (Potomac) this year. It's just the way this league is so we just have to find a way to win."

"It's great to play here in Wilmington with being so close to home. I have some family in friends that like to come to the game and they get to see me pitch so that's really great."

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Carolina League Stories from April 23, 2016


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