CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Rocks Hurler Dominates in His Advanced-A Debut

Published on May 21, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE- If John Lamb's debut was an indication of things to come, who knows how long his tenure in Wilmington will last. The left-hander tossed six innings of one-run ball and at times made the Myrtle Beach Pelicans look overmatched as the Blue Rocks earned a 4-1 victory at Frawley Stadium on Friday night.

Lamb (1-0) was magnificent. He faced the minimum in three of his six innings pitched. The left-hander did not surrender a hit until the fourth frame and fanned nine. Four times he caught Myrtle Beach looking at a called third strike.

His lone blemish of the night came about without the benefit of a Pelican hit. With one out in the third, he threw eight straight balls to put runners at first and second. After Samuel Sime stole third, Lamb still almost escaped the jam unscathed. He induced a bouncer to second base that Rey Navarro almost turned into an inning-ending double play. But Cole Miles beat it by a half-step to give Myrtle Beach a 1-0 advantage.

Lamb pitched his way out of danger in the fourth and sixth frames.

In the fourth, the southpaw allowed a pair of line-drive singles to put men at first and second again with one out. But he whiffed catcher Matt Kennelly and then got Dan Nelson to bounce out to the mound.

In the sixth, an infield single and an error by Navarro put runners at the corners with only one out. But Lamb struck out the final batters he faced to preserve the 1-1 tie.

His offense had pulled him even on Salvador Perez's RBI double down the right-field line in the fourth. They gave him a win by going ahead for good in the bottom of the sixth.

Jamie Romak sparked the rally with his one-out single back through the box. The third baseman circled around to score when Jamar Walton laced a liner towards the left-center field gap. Miles tried track the ball down from center field, but when his do-or-die diving attempt at a grab failed and allowed the ball to trickle all the way to the warning track. Walton ended up on third with an RBI triple. He then scored on a run-scoring fielder's choice off the bat of Navarro that put Wilmington up, 3-1.

The Blue Rocks added an insurance run in the eighth when Eric Hosmer opened the frame with another three-bag hit, and scored on Walton sacrifice fly to left.

The insurance tally was actually unnecessary thanks to the excellent relief of Patrick Keating. The right-hander mowed the Pelicans down, allowing only a single hit in three scoreless frames. He struck out four to pick up his fourth save of the season.

The Rocks and Pelicans meet again on Saturday night at Frawley Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m. as right-hander Tim Melville (1-5, 8.64) takes the mound for Wilmington. Myrtle Beach counters with Yeliar Castro (2-1, 7.43). The night will feature a postgame fireworks show courtesy of Wilmington Trust.

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Carolina League Stories from May 21, 2010


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