Can't Catch a Break
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (August 12, 2015) - Perhaps the timing has been completely off with the Stone Crabs' now completed six game homestand coming against the Marauders and Cardinals. Facing two talented and hungry teams battling for the top spot in the South Division, the 'Crabs will likely face one of the two when the Florida State League playoffs commence on September 8. Lately it's been a case of near misses and close calls, and the final regular season meeting with the Cardinals resulted in a 4-3 loss as they dropped their 10th straight before a crowd of 855 at Charlotte Sports Park.
Blake McKnight took the mound for the finale and had to follow Luke Weaver's seven scoreless innings from last night's 2-0 shutout. In just his second start of the season, the O'Fallon, Missouri native surrendered a leadoff double to Andrew Velazquez in the home first. Desmond Jennings started his second and final rehab game with a slow roller that somehow made it into left field for a run batted in and a 1-0 lead. A passed ball got the Rays outfielder to second, but McKnight settled in and retired the next three hitters without any issues.
Just hours after teammate Corey Littrell was named the Florida State League Player of the Month for July, Luke Voit threw his name into the ring for the August honor. The big first baseman took Buddy Borden's 3-2 offering in the second and skied it into the Stone Crabs bullpen in right for his ninth home run to tie the score. The blast allowed Borden to refocus, and he'd make it through the fifth without another hit despite walking a pair.
For whatever reason, Borden's control disappeared in the sixth, and he'd walk three straight starting at the top of the Cardinals order to load the bases with no outs. All this time, McKnight had retired 10 straight following Braxton Lee's two out single in the second to keep the game tied at one. Mike Franco inherited the jam for the Stone Crabs bullpen, and promptly struck out Collin Radack after a wild pitch advanced all the runners to give Palm Beach a 2-1 lead. Voit delivered again with another flyball to right for a sacrifice fly and a 3-1 advantage. Franco's only mistake was a two out RBI single from Danny Diekroger, and all three runs were charged to Borden (8-6), who is still without a win since June 28.
Charlotte's comeback started against the Cardinals bullpen in the seventh when lefthander Lee Stoppelman entered to face the bottom third of the order. After sandwiching a strikeout of Armando Araiza in between a pair of walks, Velazquez lined a sharp single into right center for his 10th run batted in to trim the deficit to 4-2. Kevin Herget came in with the tying runs at the corners, and got Jennings to line out to short before Velazquez was caught trying to steal second for the final out.
Herget started the eighth by walking Willy Adames on five pitches, and Mike Marjama's second single put a pair of runners on with nobody out. Granden Goetzman's strikeout brought up 19-year-old Justin Williams, whose first hit in his second game with the 'Crabs came on a run scoring single into right to make it 4-3. With runners at first and second, Conrad torched the 0-1 pitch on one hop to short for a perfectly turned double play by the combo of Robelys Reyes and Breyvic Valera up the middle. Keith Butler later converted his first save with a perfect ninth, and the Cardinals 8-1 mark in the second half of the season series forced an even split in the 18 meetings.
The Stone Crabs will begin their final three game series against the Marauders at McKechnie Field on August 13 at 6:30 PM. You can follow all the action by listening to the game on www.stonecrabsbaseball.com via TuneIn Radio, or tuning into 91.7 FM-WVIJ in the Port Charlotte area. The Stone Crabs Pregame Show starts at 6:10 PM on the Stone Crabs Radio Network!
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