CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Blue Rocks Game Notes: May 3, 2014

Published on May 3, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


ROCKS END FIVE-GAME ROAD SKID: Early offense and sterling pitching helped lead the Wilmington Blue Rocks to a 3-1 win over the Carolina Mudcats on Friday night at Five County Stadium. The Rocks used a pair of first-inning runs to take a lead they would never relinquish thanks to three pitchers combining to fan 14 and allow just a single score on seven hits. With the triumph, Wilmington improved to 11-14 on the season.

BULLPEN BRILLIANCE: The star of Friday was the Blue Rocks bullpen, which tossed 4.1 scoreless frames in a winning effort. Glenn Sparkman (1-0) entered the game with a man at first and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander quickly ended that inning and then worked two more scoreless frames on his way to a victory. He struck out five and walked none while allowing just a one-out single in the seventh. Sparkman gave way to Mark Peterson in the eighth, and the Blue Crew closer retired six of the seven batters he faced en route to his fifth save in as many tries in 2014. The right-hander has now worked 10 straight scoreless frames. Wilmington's bullpen has been the strength of its team through the first month of the 2014 season. As a unit, Rocks' relievers have compiled a 2-3 record with a 2.64 ERA.

GONE HUNTING?: Hunter Dozier has now reached base safely in 11 straight games. He has hits in 10 of those contests as the infielder went 1-for-3 with a walk on Friday. Dozier is hitting .405 (15-for-37) during this torrid stretch with one homer, and seven RBIs and has raised his batting average by 104 points from .157 to .261. Dozier appears to favor the road where he is batting .333 as opposed to the .186 average he is sporting at home this year.

WHAT A SACRIFICE: Cam Gallagher executed a sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning on Thursday. It was the first sacrifice of the season for the Wilmington catcher and only the second in Gallagher's four-year professional career. His only other successful sacrifice bunt came on August 2, 2013, when Gallagher was with Low-A Lexington. As a team, the Rocks have five sacrifices, which is tied for the second-most in the Carolina League in 2014.

BURGLARS ON THE BASEPATHS: The Blue Rocks have been the most efficient team in the Carolina League on the basepaths this season. After a Daniel Rockett theft Friday, Wilmington is a remarkable 27-for-28 in stolen-base attempts. Not a single Blue Rocks baserunner has been thrown out by a catcher this season. The only blemish on the Rocks' sterling record came last Saturday, when Kenny Diekroeger was picked off first base. Terrance Gore currently leads the Blue Crew with eight thefts, while Jack Lopez and Raul Mondesi are tied for second on the team with five. Diekroeger has three steals, which puts him third, Bubba Starling ranks fourth with two, while Rockett, Hunter Dozier, Zane Evans and Tyler Chism have all contributed one stolen base each. Lynchburg currently leads the Carolina League with 34 steals.

THEY SAID IT, MANAGER DARRYL KENNEDY: "It's important to get out early especially since we really haven't been lighting up the scoreboard with runs. To come out tonight and get those two [first-inning] runs, it really helped us out mentally. It allowed the guys to relax and we were able to swing the bats pretty good. We're getting close, we really are. We just need to keep getting guys on base. I still have complete confidence in our offense. I think it's just a matter of time until somebody gets one big hit and that will completely turn the page...You've got to hand it to [Jonathan] Dziedzic. Bases loaded and nobody out in the third it was huge that he was able to limit the damage there and hold them to only one run...We turned it over to [Glenn] Sparkman and [Mark] Peterson tonight and they've been there for us all year. I mentioned to [Royals Director of Player Development] Scott Sharp a couple of days ago that in all of my years as a manager, this is the best bullpen I've ever had. There's really no weak link down there. Every guy I have a lot of confidence in when we bring them into a game. They've done a tremendous job for us this year."

THEY SAID IT, STARTING PITCHER JONATHAN DZIEDZIC: "I felt like last game I threw against Carolina I really struggled with command. I came out [Friday] a little bit better, but still, two walks is something you never want to have. And I also kind of wasted a few too many pitches, but overall I felt like it was better than last time...The last guy there that I faced [with two outs in the fifth] I was up 1-2, but then I threw three straight balls there, which you just can't do. I kind of figured at that point I was up against it because I threw a lot of pitches in the third inning. You always want to get through five and get wins, but there are more important things than that...We have a lot of depth in our bullpen. Everyone of our relievers is capable of going two or three really solid innings or more. It feels great as a starter knowing they will be there to be pick you up. It's kind of comforting. But you still want to take care of your job as a starter. You don't want to rely on that...It's always good if you can jump out to a lead. You don't want to be too fine pitching and the lead allows you go out and attack the hitters right off and kind of force contact. It's always great to get a lead and run support and that was big by the offense to be able to get that done [Friday]." Today's Starters

WIL: RHP Christian Binford (1-1, 2.53)

vs.

CAR: LHP Shawn Morimando (3-0, 1.88)

Christian Binford, the No. 10 prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization according to Baseball America, is best known for his pinpoint command while on the mound. Binford has only yielded five bases on balls across his four starts this season and did not walk anyone in his first two outings. The 6-foot-6 righty's most dominant start of the 2014 campaign came on April 12 at Frawley Stadium against the Winston-Salem Dash. Binford tossed seven shutout innings and struck out 10 that night, helping to lead the Blue Rocks to their second consecutive shutout victory - something the team had not accomplished since 2009. That performance earned him the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week award on April 13. Binford makes his fifth start of the season Saturday against the Carolina Mudcats. The right-hander has posted a 1-1 record and 2.53 ERA while striking out 26 in 21.1 innings this season. Lefties are batting a paltry .211 against Binford while righties are hitting just .255 against him. Binford, who was a 30th round draft pick in 2011, has a fastball sits between 88 and 93 miles-per-hour according to scouts. By signing with the Royals, he turned down an opportunity to play collegiately at the University of Virginia.

The Cleveland Indians selected left-hander Shawn Morimando with their 19th-round draft pick in the 2011 Draft. Morimando spurned a commitment to play collegiately at East Carolina University and elected to go pro straight out of Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia. When Morimando signed with the Indians, he received a $350,000 signing bonus. Morimando has pitched well as a pro, posting a career 17-19 record and 3.56 ERA in 56 appearances, 53 of which have been starts. The 5-foot-11 southpaw is in his second season with the Carolina Mudcats, after delivering an 8-13 record and 3.73 ERA a year ago in 27 starts. He also struck out 102 and walked 76 in 135 innings pitched last season. Morimando is off to an excellent start to the 2014 campaign, as well. In five starts this season, the lefty has gone 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA. He has also struck out 19 and walked just five across 22 innings on the mound. Morimando's best outing of the season came on April 16 in a win over the Lynchburg Hillcats. The crafty lefty tossed six shutout innings that day and yielded no runs on only one hit. He also struck out seven and walked two. Morimando's fastball sits between 89 and 92 miles-per-hour, according to FOX Sports Ohio, and can even touch up to 94 miles-per-hour.

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