FREDERICK, MD (Thursday, May 24) - The Red Sox bats looked sleepy for their morning game Thursday and woke up too late, as the Sox dropped a 5-1 decision to the Frederick Keys at Harry Grove Stadium.Salem (22-22) sagged back to .500 as they fell for the second day in
FREDERICK, MD (Thursday, May 24) - The Red Sox bats looked sleepy for their morning game Thursday and woke up too late, as the Sox dropped a 5-1 decision to the Frederick Keys at Harry Grove Stadium.
Salem (22-22) sagged back to .500 as they fell for the second day in a row, and they mustered only four hits in the game. Frederick (20-26) earned their 20th win of the 2018 campaign and a split of the series from the Sox. Brett Netzer singled and doubled to extend his career-best hitting streak to 12 games. The Sox were outscored 31-7 over the last 23 innings of the series.
The Keys opened the scoring in the bottom of the third against Sox starter Jake Thompson, who gave up a one-out walk to Alejandro Juvier before Ryan McKenna singled to put runners at first and second. With two outs, Preston Palmeiro blasted a hanging slider out to right field for a three-run homer, putting the Keys ahead 3-0.
The Keys poured on the offense in the bottom of the fifth, as Juvier singled up the middle with one out, and McKenna doubled to left to plate him. Cole Billingsley grounded out to the right side to advance McKenna to third base, and Thompson fired a wild pitch with Palmeiro at the plate, allowing the runner to score and advance the lead to 5-0.
Salem dispelled the shutout in the top of the sixth against Frederick starting pitcher Cristian Alvarado. With one out, Tyler Hill hit a grounder to the left side that Juvier fielded cleanly, but his throw to first drew Wilson Garcia off the bag, allowing Hill to reach safely. Netzer singled to left, moving Hill up to second, and C.J. Chatham chopped a single through the middle to plate Hill and trim the Frederick lead to 5-1. However, that was as close as Salem would get, as Jerry Downs lined out and Roldani Baldwin popped out to end the inning. From then on, Salem would get only one man on base, as Hill knocked a one-out single in the eighth.
Thompson surrendered five runs on five hits and a walk, whiffing two as he set a new career-long with 6.1 innings. Yankory Pimentel allowed two hits and a walk in 1.2 shutout innings of action, fanning one.
The Sox continue their road swing as they begin a four-game series at the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Friday. Lefty Darwinzon Hernandez will make the start for Salem against Wilmington righty Arnaldo Hernandez. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is at 7:05 a.m., and the pregame show with Ben Gellman and Suzie Cool begins at 6:45 p.m. on the Red Sox broadcast network.
