CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Rocks Fall in Series Opener

Published on June 1, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Kinston, NC - A key defensive mental mistake and multiple offensive opportunities squandered added up to a 3-2 Blue Rocks loss at Kinston Monday night. The Blue Crew (25-25) has dropped three of its last four games. Among the positive notes in the setback, catcher Ryan Eigsti went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a walk. The backstop also gunned down another would-be base stealer. Outfielder David Lough extended his hitting streak to 10, tied for the longest active in the league.

The first two Blue Rocks batters reached in the third against starter Ryan Morris (3-5), but neither advanced. Jamar Walton singled and Eigsti worked a four-pitch walk, but Adrian Ortiz popped out to the pitcher on a bunt try. After Derrick Robinson flied out to right, Johnny Giavotella walked to load the bases. Alas, top Royals prospect Mike Moustakas flied out to right as well, leaving the bases full.

Things got better in the fourth. Jeff Bianchi walked to begin the inning and after Lough struck out, Clint Robinson's first-pitch contact resulted in a single to right. Walton struck out, but while Eigsti batted, a double steal advanced the runners. The backstop made the most of that movement, lining a two-out single to center with Robinson just scoring on a wide head-first slide of the plate. His left hand got in under an Alex Castillo tag.

The lead would not last long though, as the K-Tribe crossed the plate three times in the bottom half of that fourth frame. Starter Eduardo Paulino (1-3) jumped ahead of Stanford product Cord Phelps 0-2 in the count, but lost him to a walk. Lonnie Chisenhall burned the right-hander for that mistake, hammering his team-leading ninth homer of the season just right of center field to tie the game, 2-2. The former South Carolina Gamecock leads the league with 42 RBIs.

After a groundout, Ryan Blair doubled to right and Castillo worked a full-count walk. On the very next pitch, first baseman Nate Recknagel hit a dead double-play ball to Bianchi at short. A flip to Giavotella at second forced out Castillo, but the relay bounced past first base and onto the warning track, allowing Blair to score an unearned run. Officially scored an error on Giavotella, the true miscue occurred when first baseman Clint Robinson thought the inning was over and began to walk toward the dugout. He stood in foul ground when the throw went through first.

Paulino would depart after four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits, three walks and three strikeouts. His new piggyback partner, Rowdy Hardy, kept the team in the game thereafter. The southpaw pitched mostly with his traditional overhand delivery, only going to his converted submarine style occasionally against left-handed hitters. The 2007 Carolina League Pitcher of the Year fired four scoreless innings. He allowed three hits, issued one walk (intentional) and struck out three.

Unfortunately, the Blue Rocks offense fell silent for the rest of the night. Morris worked a 1-2-3 fifth and used a groundball double play to avoid damage when the first two reached in the sixth. He logged a quality start, giving up just the two tallies in his six innings. He walked four, struck out six and allowed six hits.

Wilmington put the lead-off man on base in the seventh and eighth against reliever Chen-Chang Lee, but both times left him on. Eigsti singled to start the seventh and three straight outs followed, including two whiffs. Moustakas doubled to begin the eighth and took third on a Bianchi sacrifice bunt. Lough and Clint Robinson promptly struck out swinging to leave the tying run 90 feet from home. Closer Dallas Cawiezell bolted down his sixth save in seven tries after posting a scoreless ninth.

In Tuesday's middle game of three, right-hander Mario Santiago (1-5, 4.99) gets the nod for the Blue Rocks at 7:00 p.m. Kinston is expected to make a roster move and call-up right-hander Bryce Stowell from Low-A Lake County (SAL). In three games (one start) for the Captains, he allowed just one run over nine innings, striking out 15.

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

The Blue Rocks had gone 6-1 over their first two series with Kinston entering Monday's opener.

While the Blue Rocks have lost three of their last four, the three losses have all come in close games. Friday's loss to Myrtle Beach came by one run in 13 innings. The Sunday setback to the Pelicans saw a two-run difference in the final score. And Monday's defeat was the team's 10th one-run loss of the year.

Wilmington went 1-for-9 with men in scoring position.

Rowdy Hardy picked off Cord Phelps in the fifth inning. The pickoff also counted as a caught stealing for catcher Ryan Eigsti. When combined with Eigsti's gunning down of Lucas Montero in the third, the Blue Rocks have caught 26 of 53 would-be base stealers with Eigsti catching. That leads the Carolina League in both number of men caught and efficiency (.491).

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Carolina League Stories from June 1, 2009


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