CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Blue Rocks Drop Suspended Game and Regular Contest to Nationals

Published on July 5, 2015 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


WOODBRIDGE, Va. - It took two days, 14 innings, and a suspension, but the Blue Rocks eventually dropped a heartbreaker to Potomac on Sunday 3-2. The game was a resumption of a contest that began on Saturday, which was halted in the bottom of the 13th due to heavy fog. Shortly thereafter, Wilmington and Potomac played their regularly scheduled game, which the Rocks lost as well. Nationals starter Nick Pivetta retired the first 19 men to face him, and ended up allowing only a single run through seven sparkling frames. With the two losses, the Blue Crew dropped to 44-36, while Potomac improved to 40-40.

The Rocks jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the suspension on Saturday thanks to a run in the first and one more in the fourth. Carlos Garcia doubled to lead off the ballgame against major league rehabber Aaron Barrett, and eventually worked his way to third. He came home to score when Ramon Torres stole second and the throw got into center field. Wilmington plated their second run in the fourth when Mauricio Ramos scored on an error by Ward.

Potomac evened that contest with one run in both the sixth and eighth innings. Alec Keller doubled to score Brandon Miller in the bottom of the sixth off of Rocks starter Sean Manaea. Later, in the bottom of the eighth, Keller tripled to lead off the frame, then came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Stephen Perez. Neither team could muster any offense for the rest of the day, with the fog halting play after two outs were recorded in the bottom of the 13th inning.

When play resumed on Sunday, the game remained tied until the bottom of the 14th. Estarlin Martinez led off the inning with a single off of Kevin McCarthy, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Adrian Sanchez. Two batters later, Keller once again came up big against Wilmington pitching, singling home Martinez to end the game.

Potomac got on the board very early in the regularly scheduled game that followed. With two down and nobody on in the bottom of the first, Perez smacked a double off of Alec Mills to get into scoring position. Grant DeBruin followed with a base hit that brought Perez home with the first run of the ballgame.

The next two runs of the contest belonged to Potomac. With runners on the corners and one away in the bottom of the fifth, Mills attempted a pick-off throw that got away from Frank Schwindel at first base. The error allowed Narciso Mesa to score, making it 2-0 Nationals. In the bottom of the sixth, Sanchez singled with one out, stole his way to second, then came around to score on a base hit from Craig Manuel, pushing the P-Nats advantage to 3-0.

The Rocks finally recorded a hit and broke onto the scoreboard in the seventh. With one out in the frame, Jack Lopez legged out an infield single, ending Pivetta's prefect game bid at 6.1 innings. With Ramos at the plate, Lopez was caught stealing for the second out, which was promptly followed by a homer by Ramos to bring the Rocks to within 3-1. That would be as close as they would get, however, as Pivetta got out of the inning after that and Wilmington went quietly in the eighth and ninth.

The first-half CL North champion Blue Rocks wrap up their three-game series in Potomac on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM. The Rocks return to Frawley Stadium on July 7 when they open a three-game set against Frederick. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE, or visit www.bluerocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The Rocks played 14 innings in their game against Potomac that began on Independence Day, marking their longest contest innings-wise in 2015. Their previous high was a 12-frame affair, which came back on May 19 against Winston-Salem at Frawley Stadium. Wilmington ended up winning 2-1 that night, courtesy of a walk-off single by Ramon Torres. The walk-off loss was the first the Rocks have suffered since losing 1-0 at Salem on June 13. Speaking of Salem, the Independence Day marathon was the longest game Wilmington has played since August 13, 2013, when the Blue Crew came away victorious in 18 frames against the Red Sox at Frawley Stadium. The Blue Rocks now hold a 3-4 record in games that extend past nine innings this season.

Entering play on Sunday, Alec Mills had gone 23.1 consecutive innings without allowing a run. That streak began on June 7 in a home game against Frederick, and spanned a total of five contests. Through the streak, Mills faced the Keys three times, with his last two outings against Frederick seeing him toss 15.1 shutout innings. The scoreless dominance came to an end very quickly on Sunday, as Potomac got on the board only two outs into Mills's start, ending the scoreless streak at 24 innings. With six frames pitched on Sunday, the game also marked the first time Mills failed to get through at least seven since that June 7 contest.

Mauricio Ramos has been a nightmare for opposing pitchers recently, and he continued to hit the ball hard on Sunday. The third baseman put together a 1-for-3 performance that included a solo homer in the seventh inning. The long ball was his sixth since June 10, and his fourth in his last six games played. With his performance on Sunday, Ramos is now batting .429 over his last 15 games, with five homers, four doubles, a triple, 14 RBIs, and 11 runs scored.

Potomac starter Nick Pivetta was brilliant on Sunday, going seven innings while allowing only a single run on two hits, striking out nine in the process. He held the Rocks without a hit until there was one out in the seventh inning, when Jack Lopez beat out an infield single. Pivetta's 6.1 perfect innings was the longest the Rocks have been held without a hit to begin a game all season long. The previous long came back on June 17, when Salem's Aaron Wilkerson held the Blue Crew hitless through 5.2 frames at Frawley Stadium. Wilkerson's no-hit bid was broken up when Carlos Garcia singled with two down in the sixth that night.

THEY SAID IT:

Manager Brian Buchanan:

"(Nick Pivetta) had everything working for him, every pitch. When he got two strikes, he had that good curveball, he threw some sinkers down and in on us that were too close to take and we couldn't hit them. He threw an outstanding game...I just think it was more him than us that had the issues. He threw a great game."

"You've got to scrap (when a pitcher is that good). You've got to battle and compete, and hopefully he leaves a ball out over the plate that you can put a good (swing) on. When he does make a mistake, you've got to capitalize, and he didn't make many mistakes. To (Mauricio) Ramos, he made one, and Jack (Lopez) got an infield single, so it wasn't like he was out there missing his spots. He had that good breaking ball that he was striking guys out on."

"Last year, I don't think (Mauricio Ramos) hit one home run in the first half, and in the second half he hit nine or 10...He's a gap-to-gap guy. I think the power will come with him, and you see it now. Once he gets more comfortable with the league (he'll do) the same thing he did last year in the second half. He's a great hitter, he's got a good eye, he hits the ball to all fields...He went through a two-week stretch where he was hitting every ball hard and they were catching them. He can very easily be hitting .320. He's a great hitter."

"A couple of (Alec Mills's pitches) were left up, and they got hits. They got some key hits with runners in scoring position. Then that one pick-off (attempt) that he kind of caught his cleat on cost him a run. He threw the ball well. Going up against (Nick Pivetta), you had to throw a shutout to win the game. He gave us a shot to win, and that's all you can ask."

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