For Wilmington, Pitching Is The Name Of The Game
WILMINGTON, DE - With less than a month left in the season's first half, the Wilmington Blue Rocks find themselves atop the Carolina League Northern Division by 3.5 games over the Frederick Keys. While the Rocks have not been hitting the cover off the ball this season, they have seen some of the best pitching to grace Frawley Stadium in years. Whether it be the starters or the bullpen, Rocks fans can expect a pitching clinic night-in and night-out.
As a staff, Blue Rocks' hurlers are posting a combined 2.49 ERA and they have given up well less than a hit per inning (349 hits in 400.0 innings pitched). To this point in the year, Wilmington has struck out more batters than they have given up hits to (388 strikeouts/349 hits). In front of the Frawley Faithful, however, they've been even better than their numbers might indicate. At home, Wilmington is 19-9 with a miniscule 2.22 team ERA, including three of their four shutouts on the season.
Leading the staff this year has been Cody Reed. Reed appears poised for a spot on the Carolina League All-Star team as he has gone 4-2 with an almost unbelievable 1.44 ERA through nine appearances, including an 11 strikeout performance last week against the Winston-Salem Dash. Reed has not been the only standout, though. The Royals' 14th best prospect according to Baseball America Eric Skoglund has been lights out this season for the Rocks, as well. Skoglund has increased his prospect-stock by starting off 2015 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA in eight starts. Skoglund was Kansas City's third round draft pick last season.
The Rocks' relief-core has not been without their own standouts, either. New Jersey-native Matt Alvarez has really come into his own on the Riverfront. After an appearance in the opening series of the season against Myrtle Beach where Alvarez gave up three runs in just a third of an inning, he has been almost untouchable. In his last 10 appearances out of the 'pen, he's given up just one earned run. Left-hander Estarlin Cordero has also done a great job so far out of the bullpen, especially when it comes to keeping left-handed hitters off-balance. Cordero is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA, and he is holding lefties to a .238 batting average.
If a high-scoring affair is what you look for when you come out to the ballpark, don't expect it from Blue Rocks' opponents. Through 45 games, Wilmington has allowed the opposition to score into double-digits just once, and that was in an extra-inning affair. Wilmington has already seen a complete-game (Alec Mills on 5/27) and a nine-inning pitching performance (Jakob Junis on 5/19), so the question is: What do Rocks' pitchers have in store for us next? Perhaps a run at a Mills Cup Championship.