Blue Rocks Game Notes
August 5, 2012 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release
WALK ON: Base hits proved elusive on both sides with men in scoring position on Saturday night. So it was no surprise that when the dust settled on the 11-inning game between the Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Salem Red Sox, it was not a hit that made the difference. While Heiker Meneses' triple set the table in the fateful frame, it was the third straight two-out walk issued by Antonio Cruz (1-2), a full-count free pass to Sean Coyle, that pushed Meneses home for a 6-5 walk-off finish. The Blue Rocks have lost six of their last seven.
RISPY BUSINESS: The Blue Rocks went 2-for-16 with men in scoring position on the night. During their four losses on this road trip, they have hit just .078 (4-for-51) with men at second and/or third. Salem went a slim 5-for-21 with men at second and/or third in the game.
ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME?: The Blue Rocks put their leadoff man on in the first, fifth, sixth, ninth and 10th innings. Not once did that runner come home.
LOCAL PRODUCT: Coyle, whose seventh-inning two-out homer on Friday snapped a 5-5 draw in what proved to be a 7-5 Salem win, attended Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, PA, just a 43-mile drive north of the Blue Rocks' Frawley Stadium.
OUCH: The Rocks have gotten little production from the No. 3 spot in the lineup this season. Minus the numbers of the since-promoted prospect Brian Fletcher, three-hole hitters have a meager average of .209 (69-for-330) with 62 strikeouts.
TWO-WAY TEAR: Geulin Beltre extended his career-best hit streak to 10 with a 2-for-4 night including a triple. With hits in 12 of his last 13, he has connected at a .413 rate (19-for-46) with eight RBIs. His average is up 30 points in the process (.206-.236) to its highest number since he went 1-for-4 in his first game of 2012. Beltre also recorded his 17th outfield assist of the season when he nabbed Brandon Jacobs attempting to leg out a double to close the seventh. He trails only Potomac's Michael Taylor (21) in assists among CL outfielders.
SOUTHERN COMFORT: The Blue Rocks are 2-6 eight games into a stretch of 15 straight against Southern Division squads. They own a 23-46 (.333) record in interdivisional play. That is in stark contrast to their 25-17 (.595) mark in intradivisional competition. Once this long run against the South concludes, Wilmington's schedule ends with 18 of the final 22 contests against its brothers in the North.
AUTOMATIC HIT: Xander Bogaerts received the first intentional walk of his career in the ninth. It came with good reason. He went 4-for-4 on the night with two walks and is 7-for-8 on the series with four doubles to lift his average to .301. With four straight multi-hit games, he has his best batting average since April 20.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE: It marked the Blue Rocks' third walk-off loss of the season and first since the opener of a June 23 doubleheader at Carolina...In 10 appearances with Wilmington, Antonio Cruz has walked 13 men over 12 innings while striking out just six...Wilmington manager Vance Wilson was ejected in the ninth inning by base umpire Rich Gonzalez after arguing a safe call at third base...The Rocks fell to 16-22 in one-run games...No CL squad has played more one-run games...The Blue Crew (2-4) is tied with Carolina (4-8) for the CL's worst winning percentage in extra-inning games.
Carolina League Stories from August 5, 2012
- Pelicans Hold on for 3-2 Win - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Piterson Pokes Blue Crew to Triumph - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- No "W" in BB&T Ballpark for P-Nats in 2012 - Winston-Salem Dash
- Not A Perfect 10: Dash Complete BB&T Ballpark Sweep of Potomac - Potomac Nationals
- Aguilar's Knock Sends Mudcats Home a Winner - Carolina Mudcats
- Hillcats Miss Sweep on Walk-Off - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Blue Rocks Game Notes - Wilmington Blue Rocks
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