Rocks Pitching Fans Season-High 17 in Win Over Lynchburg
WILMINGTON, Del. - Blue Rocks starting pitcher Luis Rico tied a career-high with nine strikeouts, and thanks to eight more from Matthew Strahm, Wilmington edged the Lynchburg Hillcats 3-2 on Thursday night. The Rocks improved to 43-34, while Lynchburg dropped back to 37-40. Thursday marked the first win for the Blue Rocks against the Hillcats since May 16, and the first at Frawley Stadium since May 10.
After Rico put together a scoreless top of the first inning, the Rocks gave him some support in the bottom of the frame. Carlos Garcia began the inning with a single, and then moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Ramon Torres. With Cody Stubbs at the dish, Garcia took off for third, and came around to score thanks to a missed-catch error by Paul Hendrix on the play. Lynchburg starter Dace Kime would get out of the frame without further damage, but the Blue Crew exited the first with a 1-0 lead.
Wilmington doubled their advantage in the bottom of the second inning. Robert Pehl got things started with a double, and then advanced to third base on a ground out off the bat of Santiago Nessy. Logan Moon would follow with a sacrifice fly that brought Pehl home, making it 2-0 Blue Rocks.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Wilmington added to their edge once again. Stubbs smacked his first triple of the year with one out in the frame. Frank Schwindel would be next, and he singled through the middle to plate Stubbs, giving his squad a 3-0 lead in the process. Jack Lopez followed with a single of his own, but a double play off the bat of Pehl ended the inning.
The Hillcats finally broke onto the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning. Claudio Bautista walked with one out, and was followed by a single from Ivan Castillo. Lynchburg got to Strahm with their next batter, as Luigi Rodriguez produced a single that scored Bautista, and an error by Moon allowed Castillo and Rodriguez to get to third and second respectively. With Clint Frazier batting, Strahm uncorked a wild pitch that brought Castillo home with the second run of the inning. Strahm would settle down and get out of the frame without any more runs allowed.
Lynchburg loaded the bases with one out in the top of the ninth, but Strahm shut the door with two strikeouts to end the game. The first-half champion Blue Rocks wrap up their three-game series with the Hillcats on Friday at Frawley Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Wilmington pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts on Thursday, breaking their previous season-high of 15 which came back on May 10. That game also came against the Hillcats, a contest which the Rocks won 4-2 at Frawley Stadium. Luis Rico made his triumphant return to the starting rotation on Thursday, producing a career-high tying nine strikeouts through 5.2 innings in his first start since June 9. Thursday's contest was also somehow Rico's first start at Frawley Stadium this season, after getting the call for seven road starts to begin the campaign. Matthew Strahm collected eight punch-outs of his own against the Hillcats. It was the 22nd time this season Rocks pitching has fanned double-digit batters in a game.
Ramon Torres got the start at shortstop on Thursday, but didn't exactly produce his cleanest defensive game of the season. Torres committed a pair of errors in the middle of the infield, bumping his season total into double digits at 10. Thursday marked the first multi-error game of the season for Torres. The Rocks have had trouble fielding the baseball in the middle of the infield recently, as Jack Lopez produced a pair of defensive miscues on Monday in Frederick. The middle-infielders are one and two on the team in errors this year, with Lopez leading the way with 14, and Torres right behind him at 10.
Cody Stubbs entered the series against Lynchburg in a slump, but the lefty has shown signs of breaking out through two games against the Hillcats. Heading into the three-game set, Stubbs was 4-for-29 over a span of seven games. In his last two against Lynchburg, however, Stubbs is 4-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored. He also produced his first triple of the season on Thursday, and scored as a result of his three-bagger. Stubbs currently leads the team with a .321 batting average. He has two homers and 10 RBIs on the season as well.
The Blue Rocks better get used to playing against Carolina League Northern Division foes. Wilmington has not battled a CL South opponent since June 17 when they hosted the Salem Red Sox. The Blue Crew will play 27 straight contests against either Frederick, Lynchburg, or Potomac, a stretch that will last exactly one month from June 18 through July 18. With Thursday's win, the Rocks are 25-17 against CL North teams this year, and are now 8-3 to begin this month-long trek through the Northern division.
THEY SAID IT:
Manager Brian Buchanan:
"(Luis) Rico threw the ball really well. The pace of game was good for him. He kept us in the game. They both (Rico and Matthew Strahm) threw the ball well. (Strahm) sprayed it around a little bit, but for the most part he made pitches when he needed to."
"(Getting out of the jam in the ninth) was huge. It was huge for everybody. (Strahm) walked some guys and he had an error there on the bunt (from Ivan Castillo), but was able to compose himself and make some pitches."
"It's good if you get into those situations in a game (like the ninth) and can pitch out of it, it's quote-unquote character building."
"(Rico) had a good fastball. He threw some really good sliders tonight that they had some…swings and misses on. He's been pitching well all year. He just kept them off-balance with his stuff and his strikeouts were up with his slider and his fastball."
"(Cody Stubbs' streakiness) is just one of those things. We preach consistency here, offensively, and you're going to go through spurts where you're not getting hits. He's been swinging the bat well all year. There's nothing really to explain about it, it's just one of those things. He can hit a fastball and he's got a pretty good eye."
Pitcher Matthew Strahm:
"I came out (in the ninth inning) and the first few batters I was not throwing strikes and then (Steve Luebber) came out and let me know what I was doing and made the adjustment and came out of (the trouble with the bases loaded.)"
"I try not to think about (the pressure of coming into a game) but looking back, (Luis) Rico pitched his butt off and (it) was an amazing start by him. Any situation with one run is going to be a fun situation to pitch in."
"(Once the pitch count goes up I just need to buckle down) and Luebber came out and let me know that I just needed to get (Bradley Zimmer) out. (Santiago) Nessy settled me down and I got back into the groove of throwing strikes."