WILMINGTON, DE (Wednesday, July 25) - The Red Sox were bedeviled once again by two-out voodoo Wednesday morning, and they saw some late rallies come up short in an 8-4 loss to the Wilmington Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium. The Sox (16-17, 48-53) blew an early two-run lead and missed out
WILMINGTON, DE (Wednesday, July 25) - The Red Sox were bedeviled once again by two-out voodoo Wednesday morning, and they saw some late rallies come up short in an 8-4 loss to the Wilmington Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium.
The Sox (16-17, 48-53) blew an early two-run lead and missed out on several opportunities, with 12 runners left on base in the contest. Wilmington (21-11, 52-50) kept their hot streak going with a sixth consecutive win, and they scored seven of their eight runs with two outs for the second day in a row. Bobby Dalbec etched his name further into the Salem record books with a first-inning homer, giving him sole control of the Red Sox-era marks for homers in a month (nine) and extra-base hits in a season (52) while bringing him into a tie with Brandon Jacobs for the most career home runs in a Red Sox uniform (24).
Salem got things off to a great start against Wilmington starting pitcher Carter Hope (ND), who surrendered a single to Brett Netzer with one away in the top of the first inning. C.J. Chatham struck out swinging, but Dalbec pounced on a hanging slider, sending it screaming off the batter's eye in center for a two-run shot to put Salem ahead 2-0.
After Salem starter Daniel Gonzalez (L, 7-6) set down the Blue Rocks in order over the first three innings, things fell apart for him in the bottom of the fourth. He walked leadoff man Blake Perkins, who stole second base. D.J. Burt struck out, and Gabriel Cancel grounded out to short, putting Perkins at third with two outs. Gonzalez couldn't nail down the third out, though; he walked Emmanuel Rivera and Travis Jones to load the bases. Brewer Hicklen drew a bases-loaded free pass to plate Perkins, and Rudy Martin cracked a line drive to right that ticked off the mitt of a diving Victor Acosta in right for a bases-clearing double. Gonzalez walked Nathan Esposito and was pulled for Algenis Martinez, who got Vance Vizcaino to bounce out to end the inning with Salem trailing 4-2. The Blue Rocks tacked on another in the bottom of the sixth, as Jones led off with a solo dinger to left to extend the lead to 5-2.
The Sox drew closer in the top of the seventh against Wilmington reliever Josh Mitchell, who had stifled them in the fifth and sixth frames. However, Chris Madera earned a leadoff walk, and zipped to second on a wild pitch. Netzer cracked a single to left-center to score Madera, and advanced to second on the throw home. Chatham followed that with an RBI single off new reliever Corey Ray (W, 2-0) to score Netzer and close the gap to 5-4, but the Sox couldn't bring in Chatham and left the inning trailing.
Wilmington earned back a lot of breathing room in the bottom of the eighth. Reliever Jake Cosart gave up a leadoff single to Hicklen, who stole second and third as Cosart fanned Martin and Esposito, but the two-out bug bit the Red Sox again, with Vizcaino singling to bring in Hicklen before Perkins singled him to third and stole second. Burt came through with a two-run single to center, running the Wilmington lead to 8-4. Dalbec drew a walk and Jerry Downs doubled him to third with one out in the top of the ninth, but Acosta grounded out back to the mound and Ryan Scott struck out looking to end the ballgame.
Despite his brilliant first three innings, Gonzalez was tagged with four runs on one hit and five walks in 3.2 innings; he struck out five and took his fifth consecutive loss. Martinez allowed one run on four hits and a walk over 2.1 innings, whiffing one. Cosart gave up three runs on five hits while fanning three in two innings.
The Sox will try to thwart a three-game sweep Thursday night, with righty Bryan Mata taking the ball for Salem against Blue Rocks right-hander Ofreidy Gomez. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is scheduled for 6:45 p.m., and the pregame show with Ben Gellman and Suzie Cool begins at 6:15 p.m. on the Red Sox broadcast network.
