CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Right-hander Works His Way Out of Multiple Jams in Win

June 5, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE- Wilmington Blue Rocks starting pitcher Alex Caldera may not have had his best stuff from a physical perspective on Saturday night, but the right-hander had more than enough mental toughness to keep the Potomac Nationals at bay. Caldera surrendered seven hits and walked a pair, but he surrendered only one run in seven innings. His bullpen made it exciting in the eighth, but the Rocks held on for a 6-4 win at Frawley Stadium.

With Caldera (5-3) on the mound, the P-Nats put runners into scoring position in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Of the five men to make it as far as second or third, only one came home to score.

The Wilmington right-hander issued a two-out free pass in the fourth and Tyler Moore then followed with a groundrule double to left. But Caldera stranded both by retiring Robbie Jacobsen to end the inning.

In the fifth, Nick Moresi opened the frame with a triple off the wall in right. But again Caldera worked his magc. He got Chris Curran to pop out to short, induced a grounder to second by Jose Lozada and fanned Steve Lombardozzi.

That seemed to spark the Wilmington offense, which had been dormant over the first four innings. After managing just a single hit until that point, the Rocks offense exploded for four runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth.

Consecutive singles by Salvador Perez and Jamar Walton opened the inning. After a failed sacrifice cut down Perez at third, Juan Rivera reached on an infield single that loaded the bases. Fernando Garcia followed with a chopper up the middle, which got through and plated a pair to give Wilmington a 4-0 lead.

The Rocks added two more on the night's strangest play. On the first pitch to Patrick Norris, Garcia broke for second. When catcher Derek Norris bluffed a throw in that direction, Rivera came running home. He was caught in a rundown and looked like a dead duck. But after some back and forth, a throw by the Potomac catcher bounced off Rivera's head, rolling away far enough to allow both he and Garcia to score on the play.

Caldera was back at it in the sixth, as he had to work around a one-out double. But after a pop out to short and a walk, he got Jacobsen to bounce out to the pitcher, ending the inning.

The Rocks made it 5-0 in the sixth on three straight singles at the innings outset. Jamie Romak eventually came home on Walton's RBI knock.

Potomac finally got a run across in the top of the seventh. Moresi doubled, moved to third on a grounder to second base, and came home on Lozada's sacrifice fly to left.

Wilmington added another tally in the home half of the frame. With two outs, Eric Hosmer and Romak laced back-to-back two-base hits, the second of which plated Hosmer.

Things got hairy for Wilmington in the eighth. James Thompson started the frame on the mound and loaded the bases with two outs on a pair of singles and a walk. The right-handed reliever then walked in a run, and his night was quickly done. He did not throw a first-pitch strike to any of the six batters he faced.

Eric Basurto was called on to extinguish the fire. But the right-hander had some issues early. He committed consecutive balks, forcing in two more runs, and making it a 6-4 game. He then calmed things down, retiring the game's final four batters. Basurto ended things in style, striking out the side in the ninth.

The Rocks wrap up this four-game series with Potomac at Frawley Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. Southpaw John Lamb (1-1, 1.50) will take the hill for Wilmington. He will be opposed by Potomac right-hander Adrian Alaniz (1-1, 2.08).

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Carolina League Stories from June 5, 2010


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