EL1 Akron RubberDucks

Gomez Stars as Aeros Shutout Senators 6-0

Published on May 9, 2009 under Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release


AKRON, OH - Jeanmar Gomez delivered a sensational start for the Aeros as they defeated the Harrisburg Senators for the seventh consecutive time this season by a final of 6-0 in front of 2,249 fans at Canal Park Saturday night. The Aeros improved to 21-5 with the victory, and currently own the best winning percentage (.808) in all of minor league baseball. Harrisburg fell to 6-20 with the loss as Aeros pitchers blanked the Senators for the second time in seven match-ups.

A single by Armando Camacaro and a double by John Drennen got Akron off to a quick start in the bottom of the third inning. The Aeros were able to score both runners without a hit, as an error by third baseman Joel Guzman scored Camacaro and a fielder's choice from Jose Constanza plated Drennen. Carlos Rivero then followed with a single as Constanza moved to third to put runners on the corners, and Beau Mills delivered the second RBI fielder's choice of the inning to bring the score to 3-0.

Akron manufactured one more run in the fifth when the red-hot Constanza led off the frame with a walk and immediately swiped second base. Rivero advanced him to third with a groundout to second, and Constanza came home on an error by Harrisburg first baseman Bill Rhinehart.

The two final runs came around in the seventh and eighth innings for Akron. Clean-up hitter Carlos Santana hit into an RBI ground out in the seventh, driving in his team-leading 22nd RBI of the season. Then in the eighth inning, Drennen picked up the third RBI on a fielder's choice for the night, scoring Weglarz after the Canadian reached on another leadoff walk.

In just his second start at the double-A level, Gomez (2-0) was nearly perfect as he pitched seven innings, limiting Harrisburg to just three hits while striking out five. He pounded the strike zone all evening, delivering first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 26 batters he faced. In addition, Gomez never allowed a runner to advance past second base, and in fact allowed only three runners to get into scoring position. He lowered his ERA to 0.75 in 12 innings with Akron, and has now permitted only three earned runs and 15 hits in his past 30 innings of work between Akron and Class A Kinston combined.

Senators starter Justin Jones (1-4) suffered the loss, allowing four runs (two earned) and four hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out one. Newcomer Zach Putnam relieved Gomez in the eighth and recorded the final six outs in perfect fashion in his first appearance for the Aeros. The three hits allowed by Gomez and Putnam matched a season-low for Akron. Offensively, seldom-used Armando Camacaro collected a pair of hits while also drawing a walk and scoring a run, and while Constanza saw his hitting streak end at seven games he still drew two walks, stole two bases, and scored three times from the top spot in the order. He now has 13 steals on the season, tops in the Eastern League.

The Aeros will look for the three-game sweep Sunday afternoon at Canal Park with a 1:35 p.m. start time. Left-hander Chuck Lofgren (1-0, 1.29 ERA) will be back on the mound for Akron against Harrisburg's Zach Segovia (0-1, 4.50 ERA). The broadcast begins at 1:20 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 WARF-AM and online at www.akronaeros.com. For more information, please call the Aeros at (330) 253-5151.

Check out the Akron RubberDucks Statistics

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



Eastern League Stories from May 9, 2009


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