CarL1 Wilmington Blue Rocks

Wilmington Winning Streak Comes to a Close

Published on May 25, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Wilmington Blue Rocks News Release


Wilmington, DE - The Wilmington Blue Rocks saw their season-high four-game winning streak come to a close on Tuesday night at Frawley Stadium, with a 5-3 loss to the Frederick Keys.

Frederick first baseman Jacob Julius wore the Rocks out. He went 3-for-3, scored twice and drove in two on a two-run homer, his third long ball of the season.

Julius sparked Frederick's first rally in the third, when he laced a lead-off double off of Wilmington starter Ivor Hodgson, over the head of center fielder Adrian Ortiz. He then moved to third on Xavier Avery's grounder, which bounced off the glove of third baseman Jason Taylor, and trickled into left field. Both runners came around to score on Kyle Hudson's two-run double. One out later, Hudson was plated by another two-bag hit, this one off the bat of Miguel Abreu, which gave Frederick a 3-2 lead.

Frederick finished the night with five doubles as team, but it was another kind of extra-base hit that did-in Wilmington in the sixth.

Reliever Manauris Baez began his first frame of work by walking Bobby Stevens. Julius followed with a two-run blast that got out of Frawley Stadium seemingly as soon as it left the first baseman's bat. The two insurance runs proved to be huge.

Wilmington had actually scored the game's first two runs in the opening inning. With one out, Rey Navarro singled and Eric Hosmer reached on an error. Jamie Romak followed with his second big hit in as many nights. Twenty-four hours after his two-run blast carried the Rocks to a win, Romak sent a two-run double down the left-field line to give the Rocks an early advantage.

Down 5-2 in the eighth, Wilmington got an inning-opening triple from Ortiz, who scored one out later on a wild pitch. But the Rocks saw the final six batters they sent to the plate set down to end the game.

Hodgson (2-4) took the loss. The left-hander allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits in five frames. He fanned four and walked a pair.

Meanwhile, Frederick starter Oliver Drake earned the win. The right-hander, who spent two seasons pitching at the U.S. Naval Academy, surrendered only two runs (one earned) on five hits over seven sterling innings pitched. Drake (1-1) struck out just three Blue Crew batters, but he also forced a ton of weak Wilmington contact. At one point he retired 12 straight hitters. He also enjoyed a stretch where he sat down seven in a row later in his outing.

Jose Diaz came out of the bullpen and retired the Rocks in order in the ninth. The effort was good enough for Diaz's fifth save.

Wilmington and Frederick wrap up this three-game set at Frawley Stadium with a special mid-week matinee. First pitch of the rubber match is slated for 11:05 a.m. on Wednesday. The Rocks will send southpaw John Lamb (1-0, 1.50) to the mound for his second start in Wilmington. Frederick is slated to counter with a left-hander of its own, Rick Zagone (1-5, 4.12).

PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:

After allowing its opponent to score first in each of their previous five games, and surrendering first-inning runs in the last two, Wilmington reversed the trend on Tuesday, plating a pair in the opening inning. With the loss, the Blue Crew fell to when scoring the game's first run.

Entering Tuesday, the Wilmington bullpen had an active scoreless streak of 15.1 innings. Over its last 21 frames, the relief corps had surrendered just one earned run. That total was doubled, and the streak came to a close before Wilmington reliever Manauris Baez retired a batter in the 5-3 loss to Frederick. Baez walked the first man he faced then surrendered a two-run dinger to Jacob Julius.

With the loss, Wilmington fell six games behind the Carolina League North leading Keys. The setback also moved the Rocks into a tie for second place with the Potomac Nationals.

The Rocks committed an error for the seventh consecutive game on Tuesday. Jason Taylor made the miscue with one out in the third. It led to a pair of unearned runs for the Keys.

Frederick finished Tuesday with a mere seven hits as a team. The problem for Wilmington was that six of the Keys' knocks went for extra-bases.

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Carolina League Stories from May 25, 2010


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