CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Blue Rocks Game Notes

Published on June 30, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


ROCKS DROP FIFTH STRAIGHT: The struggles continued for the Wilmington offense on Sunday afternoon, as the Blue Rocks managed just a pair of tallies in a 4-2 loss to the Salem Red Sox. It was the Blue Crew's fifth consecutive defeat and their fourth straight game scoring two-or-fewer runs. With the setback, Wilmington dropped to a season-worst five games below .500 overall (37-42) and three games below sea level since the All-Star break (4-7).

STREAKING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION: Sunday's loss to Salem was Wilmington's fifth straight defeat, tying the team's season-high. The Blue Rocks were swept at home by the Lynchburg Hillcats to start this stretch and they have now dropped the first two contests against the Red Sox. The club's first five-game losing streak came between April 5 and April 10. The first two contests were losses to the Winston-Salem Dash in the season's opening series. The final three defeats came in a three-game sweep by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Three of those were one-run losses and one was a two-run defeat.

BAD TIMING AT THE PLATE: Wilmington's struggles with runners on base reared their head again in Sunday's loss to Salem. The Blue Crew left 11 men on the basepaths, five of them in scoring position. They had several chances with multiple runners on base and less than two outs. However, the Rocks went 0-for-10 with men at second and/or third base. On the season, the Blue Rocks have left 521 runners on base compared with 404 stranded by their opponents. The club now owns a .219 (155-for-707) average with runners in scoring position in 2014.

SOLID START FOR BINFORD: Wilmington Blue Rocks pitcher Christian Binford was perfect through the first three frames on Sunday, but allowed single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings on his way to the tough-luck loss. The 10th-ranked prospect in the Royals system, according to Baseball America, worked six strong innings, fanning seven and walking none, while allowing just five hits and the two runs. It was the fifth straight start for the right-hander without yielding a base on balls. It capped off quite a seven-day stretch for Binford, who earlier was named to the U.S. roster for the 15th annual All-Star Futures Game, which will kick off the MLB All-Star festivities in Minnesota on Sunday, July 14. Binford is the lone representative from the Kansas City Royals system, and will take his place among the game's most prominent prospects in the showcase event of the season for Minor League Baseball. The 21-year-old has put together a dominant season with Wilmington, going 5-4 with a 2.40 ERA in 13 Advanced-A starts this year. He ranks top-five in the Carolina League in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts per nine innings pitched, and fewest baserunners per nine innings pitched. He was named a C.L. All-Star earlier in the month and has been named the eight- team league's Pitcher of the Week three times.

JOLTIN' JACK LOPEZ: Jack Lopez turned in perhaps one of his best all-around performances at the plate this season on Sunday. The right-handed hitting second baseman went 2-for-2 with three walks and two stolen bases. Entering play, Lopez had been 0-for-12 at the plate over his last four games. His season-high in hits is three, which he has accomplished twice. On April 21 at Myrtle Beach, Lopez was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. He swiped one bag that night. Lopez also recorded three hits on May 8 at Frawley Stadium against Lynchburg. He went 3-for-4 with a double that night. Lopez has drawn 19 bases on balls in 2014 but, prior to Sunday, his season high in a game had been one. Lopez is batting .224 on the year with 12 doubles, one homer and 17 RBIs.

THEY SAID IT, MANAGER DARRYL KENNEDY: "We've got to start coming through in big spots. We went hitless with runners in scoring position. We had the opportunity - down two runs with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth - and couldn't get anything. We had our chances, but the bottom line is we've got to do a better job with runners in scoring posi- tion...We've only got three outfielders and we needed to give [Bubba Starling and Raul Mondesi] a day off in a long stretch of games [so the lineup adjusted accordingly]. We put Kenny [Diekroeger] up there in the two-hole because he's been swinging the bat well lately. [Jack Lopez] did a great job in the lead-off spot [Sunday]. We definitely need to get Jack going as well as everybody else. We've got to get this thing turned around, no doubt about it. Fortunately it's still early in the half, and we've got a lot of games left, but the sense of urgency needs to be now...Christian Binford threw the ball really well. Unfortunately he just made a couple of mistakes, missing up in the zone with two outs and a couple guys at second base, but overall he pitched well. Certainly well enough to win the game."

THEY SAID IT, INFIELDER JACK LOPEZ: "We're taking baby steps after those two games we had with Lynchburg. [Saturday] we got the bats going. [Sunday] we had runners on base but weren't able to get them in. We'll be out there [Monday] battling our butts off again...It felt real good. I was able to get on base for the boys. I wasn't able to score but it was good for me to get going now, get good at bats and start putting them together. Hopefully we'll get going soon...We're really tough guys. We're men. This team, we back each other up 100 percent no matter what it is. We have great team bonding, team chemistry. That's a big part. Whether we win or lose, we've got to go out there and bust our butts. We have to tip our caps to the pitchers. If it weren't for them we wouldn't be where we are now. We've just got to keep going out there and battling."

Today's Starters

WIL: RHP Miguel Almonte (5-3, 4.16)

vs.

SAL: LHP Corey Littrell (4-4, 4.27)

Miguel Almonte will take the mound Monday for the 14th time as a member of the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He is the latest hard- throwing Kansas City Royals prospect to hone his craft in Wilmington, following in the footsteps of Yordano Ventura and Kyle Zimmer. Almonte, the No. 5 prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization according to Baseball America, has had a mostly solid season. He has shined, at times, including during a 6.1-inning shutout performance on May 28 at Carolina. He was also excellent in his first start of the campaign on April 8 against Winston-Salem. Almonte tossed 5.2 scoreless frames while yielding just one hit and striking out three that night. He was also brilliant in his third start of the year, on April 16 at Lynchburg. That evening, the right-hander pitched six shutout innings and allowed just one hit while striking out eight. Last time out, Almonte was fantastic for five shutout frames. He yielded just three hits and one walk while punching out five. Opposing batters are hitting a combined .248 against Almonte. Lefties are batting .278 against the flame-throwing righty, while righties are hitting only .232 against him. Almonte has lasted at least five innings in 11 of his 13 starts thus far. He has faced the Salem Red Sox twice this season. Against them, Almonte has earned two no-decisions while allowing six runs on 10 hits over 12 innings pitched. He has punched out 12 Red Sox and walked two.

Southpaw Corey Littrell makes his 15th start of the season for the Salem Red Sox on Monday. Littrell has posted a 4-4 record and a 4.27 ERA this season while striking out 70 in 71.2 innings pitched. The 6-foot-3 lefty's best start of the season came on May 16 at Five County Stadium against the Carolina Mudcats. Littrell tossed six shutout frames that night and allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out eight. Last time out, the left- hander yielded one run on seven hits in a win over the Mudcats on June 25. In his one start against the Blue Rocks this season, Littrell threw five scoreless innings and gave up five hits. Littrell was Boston's fifth-round pick in 2013 and received a $300,000 signing bonus. The talented hurler is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and attended the University of Kentucky, where he posted a 21-13 record and 4.19 career ERA over three seasons. Littrell's father, Jack Littrell Jr., pitched in the Minors for four seasons and his grandfather, Jack Littrell Sr. played in 111 Major League games for the Philadelphia Athletics (1952, 1954), the Kansas City Athletics (1955) and the Chicago Cubs (1957).

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Carolina League Stories from June 30, 2014


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