CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Blue Rocks Game Notes

Published on June 11, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


STRUGGLING TO THE FINISH LINE: The Wilmington Blue Rocks (28-35) came to North Carolina on Friday in hopes of making a push towards a first half playoff spot. They left on Sunday having lost four ballgames in a matter of three days as they were blanked 2-0 by the Winston-Salem Dash (38-24) in the finale of a four-game sweep at BB&T Ballpark.

INDIVISIBLE: The Rocks stand 5.0 games back of first-place Lynchburg in the Northern Division thanks to the Lynchburg Hillcats blanking Frederick on Sunday. Wilmington has no meetings with the Hillcats until the second half. Wilmington's final seven games of the half will pit it against Southern Division squads. Entering Monday, the North has a composite record of 116-136 (.460) while the South stands at 135-115 (.540). Three of the four teams in the North have a losing record compared with winning marks for three of the four in the South.

THREE - THE MAGIC NUMBER: Wilmington has been held to three runs or less in 16 of its last 18 games and in 39 of its 63 on the year. Over the greater span, the team is 10-29 when held to three or less and 18-6 when plating four plus.

BAGELS?: With no runs on three hits, the Blue Rocks were shut out for the seventh time on the season. After being shutout six times in the first 41 games of the season, the Rocks had pitched five straight shutouts of their own, spanning April 20 until June 4 before putting up a bagel on Sunday evening in Winston-Salem.

SEA LEVEL OR SINK?: The loss is the 35th of the first half for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. It guarantees a non-winning first half for the club. The last time the Blue Rocks finished with a losing first half was in 2010 when they posted a 32-38 record and lost the North Division to Frederick by nine games. The Blue Rocks have not won a first half title since 2006.

SLOW YOUR ROLL (DOWNHILL): The Blue Rocks have now lost six games in a row on the road, continuing their season-high mark. Before being swept in three games over the weekend at Winston-Salem, the Rocks dropped the final three games of a four-game set with the Carolina Mudcats in Zebulon, NC from May 29-31. The Rocks do not have another road game until the second half starts on June 21 when they travel to take on the Carolina Mudcats.

STELLAR STARS: The starting pitching staff has been the strength of the Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2012. That was recognized today when RHP Sugar Ray Marimon and RHP Yordano Ventura were named to the 2012 Carolina League All-Star roster. Marimon has been Wilmington's best starting pitcher this season. He owns a 4-1 record with a 2.05 ERA in 13 games and eight starts. As of Monday afternoon, he is tops in the league with a 0.95 WHIP and ranks second in ERA and batting average against with a .192 clip. He has worked 61.1 innings, allowing just 42 hits and 16 walks while striking out 54 hitters. Ventura, the Royals' 10th-best prospect according to Baseball America, has lit up radar guns with ease this year, touching 100 MPH. Blessed with the "Best Fastball" in the Kansas City farm system according to the same publication, the flame-throwing righty has recorded a 3-5 record with a 3.21 ERA in 12 starts this season. As of Monday afternoon, his ERA checks in at seventh-best in the circuit. He is second in the league in strikeouts with 70, third in batting average against with a .229 mark and holds the top K/9 IP ratio in the league at 11.25. The 21-year old has surrendered just 48 hits in 56.0 innings this year. Last year the Blue Rocks were represented by RHP Michael Mariot, RHP Jake Odorizzi, 1B John Whittleman, 2B Rey Navarro, and OF Whit Merrifield.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from June 11, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central