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CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Offense Quiet Again, Rocks Drop First Two to Potomac

April 21, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


WILMINGTON, DE - Potomac right-hander Brian Rauh was lights out on Tuesday evening, going seven scoreless innings leading the Potomac Nationals to their second consecutive win over the Blue Rocks, 6-0. For Wilmington, it is the first time they have been shutout this season. Rauh also held the Blue Crew to their fewest hits this season (2), beating their previous low mark of six hits on April 17th against Frederick. The Rocks move back to .500 (6-6) on the year with the loss.

Wilmington second baseman Ramon Torres led off the bottom of the first inning with a single as it looked like the Blue Rocks may have been poised for a bounce back offensive performance after looking lost on Monday against Potomac starter Nick Pivetta. Rauh walked Bubba Starling with one out, but he would flip the switch after the free pass, sitting down the next 11 Rocks in a row. Another Blue rock would not reach base until a one out single from Dominique Taylor in the bottom of the fifth. Taylor would be cut down on an inning ending 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Robert Pehl.

Rocks starter Cody Reed, who had been magnificent in his first two outings of the season, struggled for the first time in 2015. Reed had some command troubles, which led to seven hits in just 3.1 innings of work. Potomac started the scoring in the second inning. Third baseman Drew Ward led off the frame with an infield single. Ward would steal second with one out and then he would get some help from Reed who threw a wild pitch to move him up to third. Narciso Mesa then lined a solid single through the box to plate Ward for the first run of the game. The Nationals would add five more tallies before all was said and done at Frawley Stadium.

Luke Farrell, who is piggy-backing starts with Reed to start the season, came into the game with one out in the fourth after consecutive doubles from Jimmy Yezzo and Mesa would plate the second and third runs for Potomac and effectively end Reed's day. Farrell had swing-and-miss stuff on Tuesday, collecting eight strikeouts before his day was done, but he also had stuff that was missing Cam Gallagher behind the plate. Farrell threw three wild pitches in 4.2 innings pitched, a career high for him. Potomac would add three more runs, including a run in the seventh inning that came without the benefit of a hit. Nationals' centerfielder Isaac Ballou drew a one out walk, moved up two bases as he stole second and advanced on a simultaneous wild pitch, and then scored on a third strike spiked in the dirt by Farrell. Farrell struck out three Potomac hitters in the frame despite the run.

The Blue Rocks will try to salvage a game from this three-game set on Wednesday morning. Manager Brian Buchanan will hand the ball to right-hander Alec Mills. Mills is looking to rebound from a start against Frederick where he gave up five runs in 4.2 innings. He will be matched by Blake Schwartz for the Nationals. Schwartz faced the Blue Rocks three times at the end of last season, combining to throw 12.0 innings, allowing 13 hits and five earned runs. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is scheduled for 10:35 a.m.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

After a hot start to their season, the Wilmington offense has seemingly hit a brick wall with the arrival of the Potomac pitching staff. The Blue rocks have scored just two runs over the last two contests while collecting just eight hits in those two games. The Rocks were also shutout for the first time on Tuesday night while also being held to their fewest hits in a game (2). Over the last two contests, the Rocks offense is hitting just .138 (8-for-58) collectively with no extra-base hits.

Despite the loss, Luke Farrell's stuff continues to impress. Farrell is currently leading the Carolina League in strikeouts (22), notching another eight Ks on Tuesday, all of them swinging. While he still has not recorded a decision, Farrell is posting a solid 3.29 ERA in three appearances. His three wild pitches on Tuesday night may also be deceiving, as command has not been Farrell's issue this season. With the two walks he allowed against Potomac, Farrell is posting a strikeout/walk ratio off 22/4.

The Blue Rocks came into Tuesday with the best offense statistically in the Carolina League, but situational hitting is not something the Rocks have excelled at. After two double plays off the bats of Wilmington hitters, the Blue Rocks have now combined to ground into 14 double plays this season, the most in the League. While they not have made much of a difference tonight against Brian Rauh, they hurt the Rocks over the weekend as first baseman Frank Schwindel twice grounded into run-scoring double plays with the bases loaded and nobody out. Both innings on Tuesday where the Rocks actually found the benefit of a hit would come to an end on double plays.

While his team may have struggled, Ramon Torres stayed in rhythm on Tuesday adding another hit to his ledger. Torres started the season riding an eight game hitting streak, which came to an end with an 0-for-4 performance against the Keys on Sunday. Torres didn't waste any time starting another streak, as he has now hit safely in his last two contests. Torres is batting .341 (14-for-41) with an RBI and six runs scored as the primary leadoff hitter for Wilmington this season.

THEY SAID IT:

Manager Brian Buchanan

"(Reed) couldn't locate his fastball very well tonight. His first two outings, he was locating his fastball better, and he was throwing some good sliders to some guys. Tonight just wasn't his night. He couldn't find the release point, the ball was kind of spraying all over the place. He'll have those kind of nights."

"This early in the season, you'd like to get the bullpen a little more work, but later in the year (the piggybacking tandem is) going to help out with those guys that come in and they do give the bullpen some rest. Luke (Farrell) came in and did a nice job for us. He kept us in the game for the most part, he got a lot of swing and misses, and I thought he threw the ball fairly well."

"(Brian Rauh) I don't think was overpowering, but he kept the ball down and he threw his (breaking balls) for strikes. He pitched a good game."

"I think (a 1p.m. game) would be better (than 10:35 a.m.). that's baseball. You've got to play the schedule and we'll get back at it tomorrow morning, and we'll be out there competing tomorrow."

"We'll definitely change (our normal routine for the early game). That early of a game, maybe just get some cage work for 30 minutes, and that's it. Pitchers will come out and do their same routine, it's just going to be nine in the morning."

"You would like to obviously win as many games as you can, but these guys have beat us twice, and we obviously don't want to come in here tomorrow and get swept. It would be nice to come in and at least take one from them, and that's what we're going to try to do tomorrow."

"(We need to) just stick with the plan. Stick with the program. The past two nights, we faced some guys that threw the ball pretty well, so it's just one of those things. You come out tomorrow, and that's the good thing about baseball, that it's a different pitcher on the mound, and we'll run out there and compete against him."

Pitcher Luke Farrell

"Early on, I struggled a little bit with locating the fastball, but I got that back and was able to challenge hitters in the zone, and I got some swings and misses in there. Like normal, the fastball is the most important thing."

"(The piggybacking with Cody Reed) has worked out so far up until today. We would have liked to come away with the win, but our first two times out, I think Cody and I have both thrown pretty well, and that's what we're going to look to do every other time we go out there. It's a little bit of an adjustment to come out of the bullpen. I've been a starter pretty much my entire life, so there's a little bit of a learning curve, but I think we're both handling it pretty well."

"I think (getting out there early tomorrow is a good thing). We've got a group of professionals here, and I know they are going to go home and get their rest and be back here in the morning ready to go and hopefully get a (win), and erase what we did tonight."

"(Potomac's offensive night) was a little goofy. (I) gave up some unfortunate runs, some runs that I would like to get back, and some mistakes that I made personally on the mound, so (that's) something I'll look to adjust and hopefully not repeat the next time out.

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