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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Blue Rocks Game Notes

May 15, 2012 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Jason Adam entered an important series opener against the first-place Lynchburg Hillcats with the second-best ERA among active Carolina League pitchers at 2.08. He also entered with a 1-4 record due to a lack of run support. While the Wilmington Blue Rocks collected a season-best 15 hits with their ace on the hill, they scored just four times as Adam posted a rare less-than-stellar performance and the 'Cats earned a 5-4 win.

BACK-TO-BACK JACKS: Technically, the Blue Rocks hit their first back-to-back home runs since Eric Hosmer and former Hillcat Jamie Romak turned the trick on June 16, 2010 at Salem. However, before Brian Fletcher and Brett Eibner tag teamed in the fourth inning last night, Cheslor Cuthbert and Fletcher did the same at Winston-Salem on April 22. Those statistics do not yet officially count though, since play was suspended due to rain. The Rocks and Dash are scheduled to resume play in that game on June 8. Now in its 20th season, the Wilmington franchise has never hit back-to-back-to-back home runs.

POWER SURGE: Eibner now leads the Blue Rocks with six homers, including two on this road trip. Wilmington entered the journey with a league-low 11 homers through its first 32 games. With four games complete on the sojourn, the Rocks have already bashed eight home runs. Those dingers account for 14 of the team's 23 (61%) runs on the road trip. The Blue Crew was the penultimate team in baseball to hit a home run this season, doing so for the first time in its 15th game.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Of the 19 home runs the Blue Rocks have hit this season, 16 (84%) of them have come on the road.

UNEXPECTED: Jason Adam not only suffered his fourth loss in as many starts, he failed to strike out a single batter for the first time in 29 career outings. He also allowed two homers for the third time in his career. It had last occurred on June 14, 2011 while with Low-A Kane County. The Royals' eighth-best prospect according to Baseball America entered the game 1-0 on the road with a 0.90 ERA

MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH: The Blue Crew has lost eight of its last 12. Seven of the eight losses have come by two runs or less, including six one-run setbacks. No CL squad has played more one-run games than Wilmington (5-10).

BUELLER?: Last night's announced crowd of 406 marks the smallest crowd to see a Rocks game since 342 witnessed a win at Winston-Salem on Aug. 3, 2009.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE: Juan Graterol became the 12th different DH this season, going 1-for-3 with a sacrifice...Every Blue Rock in the starting lineup notched a base hit including five multi-hit showings...Lynchburg improved to 12-3 in divisional play while Wilmington fell to 5-8 against its Northern brethren.

YOU'RE OUT!: In a sign of things to come, the Blue Rocks first had a man thrown out trying to advance in the first inning. Angel Franco reached on a single and tried to go to third on Cuthbert's base hit. However, Chris Garcia's throw from near first beat him by a wide margin at third. Geulin Beltre was cut down at the plate by Matt Lipka in the sixth and Mycal Jones got Cuthbert at the plate in the seventh.

YOU DOWN WITH THE SEC?: On April 19, Fletcher, an Auburn product, was hitting just .152 with 13K in 46 at-bats. Since then, he has hit .386 (34-for-88) with 16 RBIs in 22 games. He is tied for the team lead in multi-hit games (12) with Whit Merrifield, whose fourth straight multi-hit showing lifted him to .300 on the year. Over his last seven games, the former South Carolina star has hit .419 (13-for-31) with five extra-base hits, five RBIs and seven runs scored. Eibner, a former Arkansas Razorback, has hit four of his six homers over his last 12 games. That includes his first career grand slam during this road trip. He now ranks second in the league with a home run every 16.83 at-bats.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics



Carolina League Stories from May 15, 2012


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