Blue Rocks Blank Red Sox 5-0 to Complete Sweep

Wilmington, DE (August 12, 2012) - Michael McCarthy pitched well in his Carolina League debut, but the scuffling Salem offense managed nothing against Matt Ridings and Nick Rogers in Wilmington's 5-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at Frawley Stadium. Ridings took a no-hitter into the sixth and tossed seven scoreless innings to improve to 5-1, while Rogers held the Red Sox without a run in the final two frames to preserve the shutout. McCarthy allowed two runs in five and a third innings in his first Salem start, but suffered the loss without any support from his offense.

McCarthy entered the game with a consecutive scoreless innings streak of 22 innings, and the righthander extended the streak to 25.1 innings before the Blue Rocks broke through with one out in the fourth. Matt Fields' RBI double scored Lane Adams from first to give Wilmington a 1-0 lead. In the last of the fifth, Murray Watts launched a solo homer to lead off the frame and make it 2-0. McCarthy departed after striking out Fields to begin the sixth.

McCarthy struck out five and walked two, permitting two earned runs on six hits in five and a third. But the Blue Rocks added three runs against reliever Charle Rosario in the last of the seventh to extend the lead to 5-0. Watts and Luis Piterson each finished with two hits for the Blue Rocks, who outhit the Red Sox 10-4.

Ridings yielded just three hits and did not walk anybody in his dominant performance, while Rogers allowed one hit in the final two frames. Adalberto Ibarra recorded two of Salem's hits, while Heiker Meneses doubled and James Kang singled for the Sox.

Salem has now lost four in a row and six of the last seven, slipping to 59-59-1 for the full season. The Red Sox are at .500 for the first time since April 26, when they were 9-9.

The road trip continues with a three game series in Winston-Salem, beginning on Monday night at 7 PM. Miguel Celestino is scheduled to take the mound for the Sox opposite Justin Collop for the Dash.