CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Pitching Pearl Gives Rocks One-Run Win

Published on May 11, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - For the second consecutive night the Wilmington Blue Rocks shut down the best offense in the Carolina League. Just 24 hours after Jake Odorizzi fanned 13 in six innings of work, Noel Arguelles worked 5.2 one-run frames, and Michael Mariot held on down the stretch as the Rocks earned a 3-2 victory over the Salem Red Sox on Wednesday at Frawley Stadium.

Arguelles (2-1) was not overpowering, but he was effective. The Cuban-defector, who signed a five-year $7 million contract with Kansas City in January, 2010, fanned four and walked only one as he yielded four hits and a third-inning run. He pitched around two knocks in the first and surrendered an RBI single to Jeremy Hazelbaker two frames later. But Arguelles seemed to get stronger as the night progressed and did not allow a hit to the last 10 batters he faced.

Mariot took over with two outs in the sixth and retired the first batter he faced to strand a runner at first. The right-hander pitched around a two-out double by Shannon Wilkerson in the seventh and then worked his way through some tough spots over the final two frames.

The Red Sox pulled to within a single run in the eighth courtesy of an RBI single off the bat of Kolbrin Vitek. With the tying run just 90 feet away, Mariot escaped the inning by inducing a soft fly to left by Reynaldo Rodriguez.

In the ninth, the Sox again moved the tying run to third on Wilkerson's double and a fielding error by second baseman Deivy Batista. Two-time Delaware high school player of the year Derrik Gibson had a chance to be the hero, but instead sent the first pitch he saw into the glove of Wilmington center fielder Nick Francis, giving Mariot his second save of the year.

Again the Rocks offense did not do much, but found a way to get enough runs for a victory.

Wilmington plated a pair in the third inning to take the lead for good. Back-to-back singles by Joey Lewis and Batista sparked the rally. Adrian Ortiz tied the game, 1-1, with his opposite-field double to left-center, and then Carlo Testa came through with an RBI grounder to second.

One inning later the offense posted a critical insurance score when John Whittleman doubled and was brought home by Juan Graterol's RBI two-bag chopper down the third-base line.

Salem starter Ryan Pressly suffered the setback. Pressly (3-1) allowed all three of Wilmington's scores while fanning just one in five frames of work.

The Rocks look to make it three wins in a row when they host Salem again on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Elisaul Pimentel (2-0, 4.61) hit the hill for Wilmington, while Salem is slated to counter with southpaw Chris Hernandez (3-1, 2.10).

The nights features Wilmington's tribute to the Jersey Shore, as well as select drinks for one dollar, including beer and soft drinks. For tickets call 302-888-BLUE or visit bluerocks.com.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

John Whittleman seems to enjoy hitting against the Salem Red Sox. One night after the corner infielder came up just a homer shy of the cycle, he reached base twice. His biggest blow came courtesy of an RBI double in the fourth. It was Whittleman's 27th hit of the season, more than half of that total has come on extra-base hits. The 24-year-old Houston, Texas product has six doubles, two triples, and a team-high six homers.

Entering Wednesday, the bottom three hitters in Wilmington's batting order were all struggling. Joey Lewis and Juan Graterol were both stuck in prolonged slumps, while Deivy Batista was a mere 4-for-32 on the year at Frawley Stadium. The trio accounted for all three of the Blue Crew's tallies in Wednesday's 3-2 win however, combining to go 3-for-7 with a pair of walks, two runs scored and an RBI.

The piggyback combo of Noel Arguelles and Michael Mariot has been lethal for Wilmington in 2011. The Rocks are 5-1 when the pair hits the hill. Their turn in the rotation has also meant a guaranteed night off for the bullpen, as the duo has combined to finish each game they have started this season.

Wilmington handed Salem just its second loss in 10 tries during contests that were decided by a single score, while the Blue Crew upped its mark to 8-5 in one-run games. Wilmington also won for the second straight night, but only the fourth time all season when plating three or fewer runs. The team is now 4-13 when failing to hit the four-score mark.

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Carolina League Stories from May 11, 2011


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