CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Blue Rocks Game Notes

Published on July 5, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


A HAPPY FOURTH: Glenn Sparkman took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as the Wilmington Blue Rocks recorded their second consecutive shutout with a 5-0 blanking of the Winston-Salem Dash on Friday at BB&T Ballpark. Sparkman lost his bid for a no-no with one out in the seventh, but it was the only hit he allowed in a career-long seven-inning outing. The Rocks have now tossed 17.1 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to Tuesday and have authored eight shutouts as a team on the season.

SPARKLING PERFORMANCE BY SPARKMAN: Sparkman set the tone early by fanning the first two batters he faced. He finished his night in similar fashion by punch- ing out the final two hitters he opposed as well. In between, the right-hander worked five one-two-three innings. The only base runner he yielded over the first six innings came on Ramon Torres' one-out error in the third. Sparkman paid it little attention, however, retiring the next two batters he faced. Joey DeMichele was the lone Winston- Salem batter to register a hit off the righty, lining a single into center with one down in the seventh. Sparkman finished his night with nine strikeouts and no walks.

A NEAR NO-NO: Sparkman took a no-hitter deeper into a game than any Blue Rocks pitcher this season. Luis Santos was the only other Wilmington hurler to make it through five frames without yielding a knock in 2014. The right-hander surrendered his first hit with one out in the sixth inning of his first career Advanced-A start on May 31 at Frederick. Sparkman also turned in only the third start by a Blue Rocks pitcher, not named Christian Binford, that lasted at least seven innings. Binford did it five times on his own. Wilmington is now 7-1 in Sparkman's eight starts. Since shifting to the rotation Sparkman has posted a 2-1 mark and a 1.13 ERA. His only loss came when he yielded one run in six innings as the Hillcats no-hit the Blue Rocks on June 27.

MARVELOUS MICHAEL ANTONIO: Michael Antonio continued his recent torrid stretch at the plate on Friday. The designated hitter went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the Rocks' 5-0 triumph. Antonio now has multiple hits in six of his last eight games. Over that stretch he his 16-for-30 with eight extra-base hits, nine RBIs and eight runs scored. During that stretch Antonio has raised his batting average 76 points, from .187 to .263.

THEY SAID IT, MANAGER DARRYL KENNEDY: "I knew [Glenn Sparkman] had very good location with his fastball right away. Last time we were here, I thought we really got hurt on our breaking ball, and Glenn went out there tonight and really had a good game plan tonight. He and [Cam Gallagher] worked really well together tonight. Sparkman was able to use his fastball in counts going up in the zone when he had to. He also got a lot of groundball outs. He threw a really, really good ball game...

The seventh inning was his last inning no matter what. It's crazy because he's our one guy that's on an 85-pitch pitch limit. If he's a normal guy on a 100-pitch limit he's got a chance to go nine innings there. But the seventh inning was his last no matter what...

We manufactured some runs tonight and also got a big hit on Bubba [Starling's] homer. You normally don't bunt in the second inning, but I just felt like we needed to get a run on the board. It worked out for us and kind of relaxed everybody and the offense kind of picked up after that. We've got to do what we've got to do. There are times when we have to play small ball. We swung the bats well tonight, but we're not the type of offense that's going to consistently put up 12 hits on the board. From here-on-out we've got to make the most of every opportunity...Well, every time I've said that I thought we were turning the corner, we didn't turn the corner. So you know what? I'm not going to say anything about the corner. We'll just have to wait and see."

THEY SAID IT, PITCHER GLENN SPARKMAN: "I just kept doing what I was doing. As the game went on I was getting a pretty good feel for my pitches. There was a feeling in the air. Everything felt good when I was warming up, there was a big crowd, and it just felt like it was going to be a big night. I went out there focused on throwing strikes and I was able to get it done...That was the furthest I have taken a no-hitter into a game, dating back even as far as Little League. I didn't really think about it though, because when you start getting that in your mind you lose focus on what you're supposed to do and lose track of the task a hand. So I kept going out there every inning with a fresh slate, just focused on pounding the strike zone...

We're not a very superstitious group. We didn't do anything different tonight when [the no-hitter] was going on. None of that kind of stuff...I think that rough week where we got no-hit back-to-back really got into guys' minds. We've been working really hard and have been really sharp since then."

Today's Starters

WIL: LHP Jonathan Dziedzic (5-5, 3.00)

vs.

WS: Terance Marin (2-0, 2.37)

Lefty Jonathan Dziedzic has been one of Wilmington's best starting pitchers in 2014. The southpaw takes the mound on Saturday for his 15th start of the campaign and will look to pick up his sixth win. Dziedzic has struck out 71 batters in 72 innings pitched this season while delivering a 3.00 ERA and a 5-5record. His ERA ranks seventh in the Carolina League. The crafty lefty has been better within the pitcher-friendly confines of Frawley Stadium than on the road. He is 3-3 with a paltry 1.80 ERA in six starts at home and 2-2 with a 4.14 ERA in eight outings on the road. Left-handed hitters are batting .241 against Dziedzic, while righties are hitting .256. Those spectacular overall numbers earned Dziedzic a spot on the 2014 Carolina League All-Star Team. His most recent start came on June 28 in Salem. The southpaw battled through five innings and allowed four runs on six hits. He punched out two and walked one while suffering his fifth defeat of the season. Dziedzic, who is Lamar University's all-time strikeouts leader, was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 13th Round of the 2013 Draft. He was also taken by the Boston Red Sox in the 37th round of the 2012 Draft, but elected to return to school. As a high school senior, Dziedzic threw a no-hitter.

Righty Terance Marin was signed by the Chicago White Sox as a non-drafted free agent in July, 2010. He played collegiately at Modesto Junior College in California and, thus far, has had a solid pro career. The 24-year-old is a combined 21-15 with a 2.96 ERA in 121 appearances (16 starts) over five professional seasons. He began the 2014 campaign playing for the Dash but was released April 9. He then signed with Evansville in the Independent Frontier League and went 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA in six starts there. He's continued to pitch well since getting picked back up by the White Sox. Marin is 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in five games (three starts) for the Dash this season. Last time out, the 6-foot-1 hurler dazzled while pitching eight shutout innings against the Carolina Mudcats. He struck out four, walked one and gave up two hits in that outing. In his trio of starts for the Dash, Marin is 2-0 and has yielded just four runs (one earned) on 10 hits across 18 frames. In his two relief appearances, Marin has given up a combined 10 runs in one inning pitched. Lefties are batting .214 against him while righties are hitting .292.

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