Blue Rocks Game Notes
Published on June 16, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: For the third night in a row, the Wilmington Blue Rocks played in a one-run ball game. On Friday night, they came out on the short end of the stick against the Winston-Salem Dash by a 2-1 final at Frawley Stadium.
WALKING THE TIGHTROPE: The loss on Friday was the Blue Rocks 13th one-run defeat of the season. The Blue Crew is now 12-13 in games decided by a single tally, tying it with Carolina for the second-most one-run losses in the loop. Winston-Salem boasts the CL's top winning percentage in such affairs at 11-5 (.688).
SLIGHT SCORING: The Blue Rocks scored one run in Friday's loss. Wilmington has been held to three runs or less in 20 of its last 23 games and in 43 of its 68 on the year. Over the greater span, the team is 10-33 when held to three or less and 19-6 when plating four plus.
THE LONELIEST NUMBER: Winston-Salem's magic number to clinch the first-half crown in the Southern Division has slimmed to one. A win against Wilmington and a 10-4 Salem victory over Carolina have pushed the Sox to the brink of elimination. A Dash win or a Salem Red Sox loss today would secure Tommy Thompson's club a spot in the 2012 S.D.C.S.
I AM YOUR MASTER: Spencer Arroyo continued his mastery of the Blue Rocks. In four starts against the Blue Rocks, he is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA. He has worked 24 innings, allowing just two earned runs on 19 hits to go along with eight walks and 18 strikeouts. Against the other six teams in the Carolina League, however, the Dash lefty is being slammed for a bloated 6.10 ERA.
THE WALKING WOUNDED: Leondy Perez was placed on the disabled list late Thursday night retroactive to June 12 with a right elbow injury. Perez left a game on June 8 against the Dash after one inning of work to start the contest. On Friday, Juan Graterol was activated off the disabled list. He had been on the DL since June 7 after a game in which he was run over by Carolina's Tony Wolters at first base. He suffered a knee contusion in the process.
CAREER DAY: Graterol had four base hits in four trips to the plate last night in his return from the DL. It was his third career four-hit game. The last time it happened was on May 7, 2010 at Beloit when he was with Burlington of the Midwest League. The last time Graterol had a perfect night going 4-for-4 came back in 2009 with Burlington on August 5 at Clinton.
SWEETNESS: Early in the season, the Rocks loved some sugar to go along with their offense. In his first five starts, Sugar Ray Marimon received an average of six runs of support per nod. That number has dipped in his last four starts with eight total runs crossing in that time.
PERFECTION DASHED: For the second time in as many starts, Marimon tasted defeat at the hands of the Dash. The 2012 CL All-Star was a perfect 4-0 on the season before Winston-Salem handed him losses by scoring two runs in each game. Marimon got just one total run of support in that time. In three starts against Winston-Salem, Marimon is 0-2 with a 3.50 ERA and a .282 batting average against. Against the rest of the league the numbers dip to 1.62 and .176.
ON THE LOOKOUT: Wilmington must win tonight and tomorrow to avoid a 40-loss half, something that has not happened to the franchise since the second stanza of the disastrous 2005 season. That year's club dropped 41 games in the second half and finished the year with the worst record in franchise history at 60-80. The team record for most losses in a first half is 41, set by the 2000 squad. Going 30-40 on a half is the equivalent of a Major League team going 69-93.
Carolina League Stories from June 16, 2012
- Big Outs at Home Secure 2-1 Win - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Salem Wins Again, But Still Falls Short - Salem RidgeYaks
- Winston-Salem Dashes to First Half Division Title - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Winston-Salem Clinches 25th Cl Playoff Berth - Winston-Salem Dash
- Rob Wort Added to Carolina League All-Star Game - Potomac Nationals
- Pelicans Beat P-Nats 2-1 with Final Two Outs at Home - Potomac Nationals
- Martin, Hillcats Shut Down Keys - Frederick Keys
- Dash Clinch First Half Division Title - Winston-Salem Dash
- Two-Out Hits Drop 'Cats - Carolina Mudcats
- Hillcats Right at Home at the Grove, Win 6-1 - Hill City Howlers
- Former Pelican Justin Grimm Debuts for Rangers Tonight - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Blue Rocks Game Notes - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Mudcats Game Notes - June 16, 2012 - Carolina Mudcats
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Hill City Howlers
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.
