Five Run Fifth Inning Breaks Offensive Slump As Rocks Salvage Final Game Against Potomac
WILMINGTON, DE - A five run fifth inning ended a 14.2 innings scoreless drought for the Wilmington Blue Rocks and carried them on their way to a 6-3 win over the Potomac Nationals, as the Rocks salvage the final game of the three game set. The Blue rocks, who had just eight hits and no extra-base hits through the first two games of the series, exploded offensively for 11 hits including two doubles and a triple. With the win, the Blue Rocks are back over .500 (7-6). They end their first home stand of the season 4-3.
Dominique Taylor led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his second hit of the game. Taylor tripled in the second with two outs, but he was stranded there. After a fly out off the bat of Logan Moon, Daniel Rockett was clipped in the left shoulder with a pitch from Potomac starter Blake Schwartz to make it runners on first and second. A Ramon Torres line drive single back up the box would load the bases for Jack Lopez who worked a walk to bring in the first run of the game for Wilmington, and cut the Nationals lead at the time to 3-1. Then Bubba Starling stepped up and smacked a line drive off the glove of third baseman Drew Ward and into the left field corner clearing the bases and handing Wilmington their first lead of the game.
The Nationals went on top first against Rocks starter Alec Mills. In the top of the first, Mills recorded two quick outs and then gave up three consecutive infield singles to load the bases. Mills would strand all three runners on as he got Brandon Miller to strikeout looking for the third out. Mills would not be able to get out of a jam in the third, though, as Ward reached on a one out single and came around to score on an RBI double from Miller. Miller would add another two RBIs off of Rocks reliever Nick Green on his first long ball of the season in the top of the fifth, a two run shot which made it a 3-0 P-Nats lead.
After the Rocks added another run on a Mauricio Ramos RBI single in the seventh, Potomac looked poised to get right back into the game in the eighth. Benino Pruneda replaced Green from the bullpen and Pruneda struggled, loading the bases with no outs before being replaced by Robinson Yambati. Yambati, who has been the primary closer for Wilmington this season, induced a line drive off the bat of Wilmer Difo hit right at Frank Schwindel at first. Schwindel stepped on the bag to double off Estarlin Martinez to end the threat.
The Blue Rocks are back on the road for a four-game series with the Frederick Keys. The Rocks, who just took three out of four games from the Keys at Frawley Stadium, will look to move into first place in the Carolina League North Division with a couple of wins over the divisional leaders in Frederick. First pitch on Thursday evening from Frederick, Maryland is scheduled for 7p.m. Eric Skoglund will make his third appearance of the season after taking a no decision his last time out against the Keys.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Robinson Yambati continues to be lights out at the back end of the Wilmington bullpen. Yambati picked up his fourth save of the season on Wednesday, working 1.2 innings in relief including getting out of the bases loaded jam to end the eighth. His four saves are good for tops in the Carolina League. He is now sporting a 1.17 ERA and is holding batters to a .192 average. Yambati's walk to Brandon Miller in the ninth was just his first surrendered on the season.
After two games where the offense was almost non-existent, they recovered in a big way with six runs on Wednesday morning. On Monday and Tuesday, Potomac pitchers held the Blue Rocks to just eight hits through the two contests, not one of those for extra bases. The Rocks eclipsed their total from the first two games, collecting 11 hits in the winning effort. The Rocks run in the fifth inning on the Jack Lopez walk also ended a streak of 14.2 scoreless innings for the Rocks, their longest run-less drought of the season.
No matter how much the offense was struggling, it seems like there is just no stopping Bubba Starling. Starling went 2-3 on Wednesday with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs, boosting his average up to a gaudy .386 on the season. He also has 12 RBIs, which is good for second in the Carolina League. Starling was the designated hitter on Wednesday, it was just the second time Starling has not made an appearance for the Blue Rocks in centerfield this season. He sat out for a game against Myrtle Beach with a cold.
2015 has been a see-saw year for the Blue Rocks. With the win on Wednesday, they move back to a game over .500, which is where they've been stuck all season. Through the first 13 games of the campaign, the Rocks have not been more than two games over .500 or less than two games under .500. The Rocks will look for more consistency putting numbers in the win column as they prepare for their second four-game series of the season against Frederick this weekend.
THEY SAID IT:
Manager Brian Buchanan
"Any win is good. We had a good fifth inning, put some good [at-bats] together. They threw two pretty good arms at us [in the first two games]. That's going to happen. We swung the bat well today. It started off a little slow, but that fifth inning Bubba [Starling] came up with that big hit."
"[Mills] competed. Obviously, his stuff wasn't as crisp as it was in his first two outings but he made pitches when he needed to. With that long first inning, he was kind of laboring through it. He gave us four good innings and kept us in the game. Pitchers are going to have those games where they're not feeling it. As far as his curveball, I think he wasn't getting out in front of it. It's Minor League Baseball, you've got to battle through it. That's what you want to see, when a pitcher doesn't have his best stuff and he still gives you a chance to win."
"I was trying to put them in motion and they made two good picks. The throw to second was bad and the throw home was bad but they still got them. I was trying to make something happen a little bit and it didn't work out."
"I think [Starling] is just slowing everything down. He's not swinging at as many off speed pitches that are down. He's working the count, he's getting pitches he can hit and he's hitting them. He's so intense, he's got to learn to calm down and let the game come to him."
Designated Hitter Bubba Starling
"We were a little quiet those first two games. Today we just came out a little more aggressive and guys were putting good swings on balls. It looked like our situational hitting was pretty good."
"It was 3-1 and he threw me a fastball inside and I just turned on it. For a second there, I thought that the third baseman was going to catch it and I kind of turned it away from him. I put a good swing on it and got three RBIs out of it. I've just got to keep swinging it."
"I just worked hard in the off-season preparing for the upcoming season. My preparation was a lot better. Working with some of the guys back in Spring Training has gotten me prepared for this season. I'm coming out and I have confidence right now. I'm just ready to hit."