Bill on Baseball: Hoppers Fall to Tourists Once Again
It's said that numbers don't lie, but they can certainly be misleading.Not that there was any doubt about the outcome of Saturday's game, which saw Asheville top Greensboro 6-4. It was the 10th time in 12 games the Tourists have beaten the Hoppers.Anyone reading the box score will see that
It's said that numbers don't lie, but they can certainly be misleading.
Not that there was any doubt about the outcome of Saturday's game, which saw Asheville top Greensboro 6-4. It was the 10th time in 12 games the Tourists have beaten the Hoppers.
Anyone reading the box score will see that Hoppers starter
A bad result, sure, but the Hoppers' staff thought the 20-year-old left-hander was much better than his stats. Manager Todd Pratt said Rogers had "good stuff." Pitching coach Mark DiFelice said he had "great stuff."
There was evidence of that in five strikeouts, including four in a row, in Rogers' short outing.
So what happened? Basically, the third inning got the best of him. The Tourists got the help of three soft hits - two ground balls that round a hole and a bloop over the shortstop's head. One strikeout on a pitch in the dirt resulted in the ball going to the backstop and the runner reaching safely. He later came around to score. Rogers issued a bases-loaded walk on a pitch DiFelice thought was strike three. Add a sacrifice fly and it resulted in three runs. After 55 pitches, Rogers was pulled.
"He's a young pitcher and a first-rounder (in 2017)," DiFelice said. "When you throw that many pitches by the second inning, you've got to protect him.
"The key now is how does he move past that from a mental standpoint. I talked to him in the dugout, and it seemed like he was already putting it behind him."
Pratt liked the way
As usual, the Tourists did some long-ball damage.
"(Mertz) got beat by the MVP," Pratt said, referring to Golden. "It's not official yet, but he gets my vote. He's a very good player."
The Hoppers stayed close because of a solo homer by
"In the last six weeks, games and practice, he's really come around," Pratt said.
After Soto's homer in the fifth, which cut the lead to 5-4, three Asheville relievers shut down the Greensboro offense, allowing only two hits.
The third game of the series will be played Sunday at 4 p.m.
NOTES: Soto's homer was his ninth and the triple was his third … Rivera's homer was his 12th … The Hoppers committed three more errors after making four Friday night … Among the youngsters, Osiris Johnson went 1- for-4, Will Banfield 0-for-4 and Connor Scott was given the night off.