CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Controversial Balk Dooms Blue Rocks

Published on July 20, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Myrtle Beach, SC - The Wilmington Blue Rocks (48-47, 16-9) have not lost many games of late period, but they especially have not seen the grueling finish of Tuesday's tilt against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (37-58, 11-14) in some time. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the score tied at four and a man at third base, reliever Eric Basurto was called for a controversial balk by base umpire Tyler Wilson before even delivering a pitch to the batter due up. His team-leading fifth balk allowed the pinch-running Cole Miles to come home for Wilmington's only deficit on the night and a 5-4 final.

Mike Jones led off the ninth with a double to the right-center gap against Basurto (3-1). Miles came on to pinch run and Jordan Kreke sacrificed the runner to third. With the outfield and infield in, Luis Sumoza grounded out to third base allowing for a short-lived sigh of relief until the questionable balk call ended the game. The Blue Rocks staff has reached out to the Carolina League office in an effort to protest the call.

Patrick Norris singled to right against starter J.J. Hoover in the third. A pick-off try then errantly got away from Jones at first, giving Norris two bases. Christian Colon followed with his first professional sacrifice fly to right for a 1-0 lead. The latest addition to the Wilmington roster, 2004 alumnus Shane Costa, made it 3-0 with his two-out homer to right in the fourth. Costa, who has played in 154 big league games with the Royals, joined the team hours before first pitch.

Starter Buddy Baumann pitched quite well. Perfect through three, the only two baserunners he allowed each scored. Mycal Jones doubled to start the fourth. Consecutive right-side groundouts got him over and in, with an RBI to Dan Nelson. Kreke hit his first Advanced-A homer with a cheap shot to the short porch in left leading off the fifth. Baumann departed two batters later after 4.2 innings, striking out six.

Nick Francis' two-out RBI single plated Wil Myers from second in the eighth for an insurance run and a 4-2 advantage.

Baumann's successor Brendan Lafferty needed that run, as the first two men he faced in the bottom half of the inning reached and scored. Osman Marval singled to left and Samuel Sime followed with his third home run of the season over the fence in deep left-center for a 4-4 deadlock.

The three-game series concludes on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. The man Baseball America ranked No. 1 on its "Prospect Hot Sheet" last week, southpaw John Lamb (6-2, 1.28) hurls for the Blue Rocks against struggling prospect righty Zeke Spruill (0-2, 7.56).

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The Pelicans outscored the Blue Rocks despite an 0-for-4 showing with runners in scoring position. Two homers, an RBI groundout and the balk made for the tallies.

The loss snapped Wilmington's season-best five-game road winning streak.

Brian Rupp's team has played nine contests with walk-off finishes this season, going 4-5 in such games. Five of those affairs have come against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, including three of the losses.

Myrtle Beach has out-homered the Blue Rocks this season 9-2.

Four of Eric Basurto's team-high five balks have pushed runs home. Tuesday marked the first time one of those runs ended a game. Four of the five balks have been called by the same umpiring crew that worked Tuesday's game.

The loss is the first for Basurto at the Advanced-A level and just his second in nearly two years since July 26, 2008.

Before the game, the Kansas City Royals announced that outfielder Jamar Walton had been released from the organization. A regular outfielder for the last two years in Wilmington, he homered in his last Blue Rocks at-bat on Saturday night, a blast that brought his batting average to a season-best .200 even. He hit three homers in total and drove in 24 runs over 59 games and 215 at-bats this season.

Shane Costa had been rehabbing under the supervision of 2008 Blue Rocks manager Darryl Kennedy with the Rookie Surprise Royals prior to his promotion to Wilmington. In 11 games there, Costa hit .361 with three doubles, a homer, six RBIs and eight runs scored. In 2004, Costa served his first tour of duty as a Blue Rock, hitting .308 for the last Wilmington team to make the Mills Cup Championship Series. He comes off of surgery to his feet that required the surgical lifting of his Achilles tendon to shave down a pair of bone spurs on his heels.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

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



Carolina League Stories from July 20, 2010


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