CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

[Rocks Media] Fwd: Zimmer Earns First Win, Rocks Salvage Series

Published on June 13, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


SALEM, VA- Kyle Zimmer (1-6) earned his first win of the season, and the Blue Rocks bats tallied 17 hits to defeat Salem 9-5 on Wednesday night at LewisGale Field. The victory was Wilmington's first since last Thursday night against Carolina, and brought an end to the team's five-game losing streak. The Rocks made use of two big innings, scoring four runs in the second and three more in the ninth. With the victory, the Blue Crew improve to 32-34 on the season, with four games remaining on the first-half slate.

For the sixth straight game, Wilmington allowed its opposition to grab the first lead. Felix Sanchez opened the home first with a single, stole second, and moved to third on a throwing error by Rocks catcher Parker Morin. Sanchez then scored on a double by Deven Marrero to make it 1-0.

However the Rocks countered in the second. Red Sox starter Kyle Kraus (1-1) walked the leadoff man Cheslor Cuthbert, who moved to second on a single by Jared Schlehuber before a second base-hit by Geulin Beltre loaded the bases. Looking to make up his earlier defensive miscue, Morin drove in Cuthbert with a single to left, while a wild pitch gave the visitors a 2-1 lead. Later in the at-bat, Alex Hudak drove in Beltre and Morin to put the capper on a four-run inning.

In the third the Blue Crew plated one additional tally following an error by Salem third baseman Garin Cecchini and a second RBI single by Morin, but Zimmer would take control from there. Following the first inning run, the right-hander retired 13 of the next 15 batters he faced, exiting after six frames. He would only permit one more run on a walk and double by Keury De La Cruz in his final inning of work. On the game, he surrendered just two runs on six hits. He walked a pair and struck out four.

The Blue Crew plated an additional run in the eighth off Nefi Ogando, following a double by Schlehuber and Morin's third RBI of the night, but Salem pulled within a pair in the home-half courtesy of two singles, an error and another RBI hit by De La Cruz.

Needing a lockdown inning, Ogando could not come through, as Wilmington iced things with a three-run ninth. After back-to-back singles by Jack Lopez and Lane Adams, Cheslor Cuthbert tallied his 21st double of the year, scoring both men. Cuthbert also scored came around on a single by Beltre to make it 9-4. Down to their last three outs, Salem could muster only one run off Andrew Triggs, who picked up his fifth save of the season.

Wilmington returns home on Thursday night to play its last first-half homestand against Winston-Salem. Left-hander John Lamb (4-6, 5.37) takes the hill for the Blue Crew and will be opposed by Dash righty Jake Cose (1-1, 5.73). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 from Frawley Stadium, and the broadcast can be heard on 89.7 WGLS-FM, or on Bluerocks.com. For ticket information, call 302-888-BLUE or visit Bluerocks.com.

Pebbles of Knowledge:

It took 13 starts, but Kyle Zimmer picked up his first win at the Advanced-A level. The victory was also his first since August 18, 2012, when he was pitching for Low-A Kane County. Finishing one out short of his season-high for innings pitched, the right-hander also snapped a two-start losing streak, while Thursday served as a bounce back outing following the shortest start of his professional career. Last Friday against Winston-Salem, Zimmer did not make it through the first inning, recording only two outs, while handing out five runs in the process.

Wilmington's bats exploded for 17 hits, one short of its team-high in 2013, and the team's most hits in a game since May 11 against Frederick. 10 of those hits came over two innings, with the Blue Crew tallying four runs on five hits in the second and three runs on five hits in the ninth. Individually, Parker Morin led the way, posting career-highs in hits (four) and RBIs (three). Prior to tonight's performance, Morin was mired in a 5-for-54 slump at the plate.

Thanks to a single in the ninth inning, Jack Lopez extended his hitting streak to 11 games. That is the longest streak by a member of the Blue Rocks in 2013, and is among the longest by a Carolina League player this season. Over the streak, Lopez is hitting .311 (14-for-45) with a triple, double, five RBIs and five runs scored. During that time, his batting average has also climbed from .187 to .211.

Wednesday's victory wrapped up a tough roadtrip for the Blue Crew. In six games against Winston-Salem and Salem, Wilmington went a combined 1-6. Meanwhile, Tuesday's loss saw the Blue Rocks mathematically eliminated from the first-half North Division playoff race. Over the roadtrip, the team was outscored 37-16, including a combined 18-0 in the first inning of six contests. At the heart of the struggles was starting pitching. Twice during the roadtrip, a starter did not make it out of the first inning while all five members of the rotation suffered one loss. In the last six games, Wilmington starters have combined to register an 11.33 ERA.

The Blue Rocks did not hold many leads during the roadtrip. Until the Rocks took the lead in the top of the second on Wednesday, the club had trailed for 43 of 45 innings against Salem and Winston-Salem. Against the Dash, Wilmington never held a lead over three games, and trailed for 26 of the 27 innings. Versus the Red Sox, the Rocks were behind for 17 of the first 18 innings before Wednesday night's finale.

Geulin Beltre jolted his batting average from .242 to .256 following a 3-for-5 night at the plate. It was Beltre's first three-hit game since April 24, and his third overall this season. Prior to the game, Beltre was hitting only .184 (9-for-49) since returning from the disabled list (strained left hamstring) on May 27.

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Carolina League Stories from June 13, 2013


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