KEYS SWEEP ROCKS IN DOUBLEHEADER
The Keys got a pair of runs in the fifth inning of Game One. Facing Elisaul Pimentel, Joe Oliveira led off the frame with a walk. With one out, Michael Rooney slashed a ball to left field over Geulin Beltre's head for a double. A hard single through the left side for Steve Bumbry made it 1-0. With two outs, a rope shot up the middle from Allan de San Miguel gave the Keys a 2-0 edge.
In the sixth, the Rocks got back in the game with a tally. Angel Franco got aboard with a leadoff walk against Matt Bywater. With two outs, Franco swiped second. Matt Fields then skipped a one-hopper through the left side for a base-hit to cut the Frederick lead to 2-1.
Frederick put the game to bed in the eighth. A line single to center from Jeremy Nowak started things for the Keys. With one out, Jerome Pena fisted a double down the left field line. With two runners in scoring position, Oliveira pushed a bunt out in front of home plate. Nowak scored to make it 3-1 on the play and reliever Tyler Sample waited for Franco to cover first base. He threw to first seemingly in time but Franco spun around and the ball popped out of his glove. Oliveira was ruled safe. Manager Vance Wilson came out to argue but to no avail. A sacrifice fly came off the bat from Brenden Webb to bring home Pena for a 4-1 edge. Rooney followed with a base-hit before Bumbry doubled home Oliveira to stretch out the lead to 5-1.
In Game Two, the Keys jumped all over starter Jason Adam in the first inning. With one out, seven straight men reached to total five runs against the Rocks ace. Pena started the rally with a base knock. A walk followed to Brenden Webb. de San Miguel punched a single to center to score the game's first run. Nowak then blasted a home run to right center field to make the score 4-0. Moments later, Bumbry smoked a pitch over the left center field fence to extend the lead to 5-0.
The Rocks could only muster two runs against Devin Jones. They got their scores in the second and the fifth thanks to RBI base-hits from Juan Graterol and Lane Adams, respectively. Jones is 6-0 on the season after tossing seven innings, with just six hits and a walk to go along with five strikeouts.
The Rocks continue this series with the Frederick Keys on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Wilmington will start RHP Andy Ferguson (2-2, 3.22) against Frederick LHP Tim Berry (4-4, 4.09). Broadcast coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. as studio host Rob Cunningham brings fans the Rocks Report Pre-game Show, presented by Wawa, on 89.7 WGLS-FM and online at wgls.rowan.edu.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
With the loss, Jason Adam now has 12 losses on the year. That ties for the 3rd most losses in a season in franchise history. That number ties him with former Blue Rocks Tommy Hottovy, Tim Melville and Brian Sanches. Hottovy and Sanches have appeared in the big leagues. The most losses in a single-season is 15 by Jeremy Affeldt in 2000. Affeldt also made the big leagues, winning a World Series with the San Francisco Giants in 2010.
Adam's 12th loss ties him for the most in the Carolina League and his 18 home runs is the most among all CL hurlers. The 18 taters are one shy of the single season franchise record. Eric Anderson gave up 19 bombs in 1996. Adam gave up back-to-back jacks to Jeremy Nowak and Steve Bumbry. It was the first set of consecutive homers the Rocks have allowed all year. It happened against them one time last year when Leury Garcia and Jared Bolden slammed back-to-back homers off Brendan Lafferty on July 18 at Myrtle Beach.
Swept in a doubleheader by Frederick, the Blue Rocks hold a 0.5-game lead over the defending CL champion Keys. They had won eight of their last 11 contests and 10 of 15. The Blue Crew has owned at least a share of first place on every day but one since the start of this spurt. Wilmington, Frederick and Potomac are all within 4.0 games of each other for the division's second-half playoff spot. The four-time Carolina League champion Blue Rocks are attempting to make their first playoff appearance since pacing the loop with 84 wins in 2009.
Wilmington concludes its regular-season schedule with 9 of its last 13 games against its brothers from the North. The Rocks own a 30-21 (.588) mark in intradivisional competition.
The Blue Rocks magic number to clinch a playoff berth is 13, with the Frederick Keys 0.5 games back in the standings. Any combination of Blue Rocks wins and Keys losses totaling 13 by regular-season's end will mean a playoff berth for Wilmington for the first time since 2009. To put it in perspective, if the Rocks were to play just over .500 at 7-6, the Keys would have to post a 8-5 (.615) record to overtake the Rocks for a playoff berth. Wilmington is 9-8 against the Keys this season, including a 4-4 mark at Harry Grove Stadium.
The Blue Rocks finished the year at 5-5 versus the Keys at Frawley Stadium. It is the first year they have not had a winning record at home against Frederick since 2008, when they split the 10 games. They have not lost the head-to-head battle on the Riverfront since 2005, when the Keys nabbed eight of the 10 games.
If the Blue Rocks stay on pace with their current winning percentage, they are slated to finish with 64 wins, the lowest single-season total since the 2005 Blue Rocks posted a 60-80 mark.