CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Offense Struggles Again As Rocks Fall

Published on August 14, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE- For the second straight night the Wilmington Blue Rocks offense failed to produce, as the Blue Crew dropped the opener of their critical three-game set with the Potomac Nationals, 8-1. The loss diminished Wilmington's lead in the Carolina League North to just 1.5 games over the P-Nats.

The setback marked the second time in a span of six days, Potomac pitcher Tom Milone kept the Wilmington bats at-bay. Milone, who tossed 6.1 shutout frames in a 9-0 Potomac victory over the Rocks on Saturday, was just as effective on Friday night.

The southpaw surrendered only a single unearned run on four hits in seven innings pitched. Milone (9-4) was so efficient that he faced just three batters over the minimum in his time on the hill.

Wilmington's only real threat of the evening was relatively harmless. Johnny Giavotella ripped a lead-off double into the left-field corner in the fourth. He was stuck at second though as Mike Moustakas struck out swinging and Clint Robinson grounded out softly to short.

Just as it appeared the second baseman might end up stranded in scoring position, Eric Hosmer slapped a soft roller towards second base. It would be stabbed brilliantly on a backhanded-dive by Michael Martinez, but an errant throw eluded first baseman Chris Marrero, and allowed Giavotella to come around and score. Hosmer had to stay at first though, and Nick Van Stratten whiffed five pitches later to end the inning.

Giavotella would be the only man Wilmington would put beyond first base all night, as the Rocks finished the contest with a measly four hits.

On the other end of the spectrum, Potomac wasted little time jumping on struggling Wilmington starter Mario Santiago. The P-Nats scored a run in the opening inning when Danny Espinosa reached on a one-out walk, moved to second on a Jesus Valdez groundout, and came home courtesy of Michael Burgess' RBI single to right.

Then in the second, Tim Pahuta got things started for Potomac with a one-out opposite field home run to left. Unfortunately for Santiago, that was just the opening salvo of the game-deciding frame.

Devin Ivany followed with a groundball-single to left, and then Boomer Whiting worked a walk. Both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and would come into score on Michael Martinez's two-run double to the right-center field gap.

After Danny Espinosa went down swinging for the second out, Valdez finished the inning in style. His RBI single to left put Potomac on top 5-0, and seemed to deflate the Wilmington psyche.

Potomac would add three more runs in the ninth off of reliever Ray Liotta, as a Moustakas' error topped off a mistake-plagued final frame for the Blue Crew.

The Rocks look to bounce back quickly as they return to action on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. in game-two of this crucial three-game series with Potomac. Wilmington ace Danny Duffy (8-3, 3.51) returns to the mound after missing three starts with a bad lower back for the Blue Crew. The P-Nats are slated to counter with left-hander Will Atwood (6-7, 4.81).

Before the game the Rocks will pay tribute to Negro League baseball with their annual Judy Johnson Night ceremony at Frawley Stadium. During the contest, Wilmington will sport throwback uniforms, as they will don the colors of the old K.C. Monarchs. Then after the game fans are invited to stick around for a postgame fireworks show. All tickets are only $5 thanks to Blue Rocks TicketFest.

To get your seats, call 302-888-BLUE.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The loss by Wilmington clinched the season-series between the two teams in Potomac's favor. The P-Nats have now earned 11 victories over the Rocks in 18 games during 2009.

Wilmington has now lost seven of their last eight games to the Potomac Nationals at Frawley Stadium. The Blue Crew has been outscored 38-14 by the P-Nats in eight games on the Riverfront.

Blue Rocks starter Mario Santiago was saddled with his league-leading 12th loss on Friday. Santiago continues to receive virtually no run support. The right-hander has seen his team average just 2.9 runs per game during his 2009 starts. No Wilmington starter receives less offensive production per outing.

Mike Moustakas had his second straight difficult night at the plate. The third baseman finished Friday 0-for-4 with a pair of punchouts. He is now 0-for-8 with five strikeouts over the last two games.

Conversely, Eric Hosmer served as Wilmington's lone offensive bright spot. The 19-year-old 2008 first round pick, busted out of a 4-for-29 slump with a pair of hits. The performance upped his batting average as a Blue Rock over the Mendoza line, to .207.

Friday's loss marked the first time the Rocks dropped back-to-back games since July 19-21. The last time they had lost consecutive games at Frawley Stadium came July 14-15 to Myrtle Beach.

Check out the Wilmington Blue Rocks Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from August 14, 2009


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