WILMINGTON, DE (Saturday, May 26) - The Salem Red Sox saw their offensive woes continue Saturday night, pulling together just five hits in a 6-1 loss to the Wilmington Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium.Salem (22-24) actually improved on their batting output of each of the previous two games, in which
WILMINGTON, DE (Saturday, May 26) - The Salem Red Sox saw their offensive woes continue Saturday night, pulling together just five hits in a 6-1 loss to the Wilmington Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium.
Salem (22-24) actually improved on their batting output of each of the previous two games, in which they only collected four hits. Wilmington (20-28) reached the 20-win plateau for the 2018 campaign. The Sox have only 13 hits in their last three games, batting .140 in that time.
The Blue Rocks struck first in the bottom of the second inning against Salem starting pitcher Tanner Houck (L, 2-6), who walked Chris DeVito and Meibrys Viloria to start the inning. Houck recovered to strike out Vance Vizcaino, but another walk to Angelo Castellano loaded the bases with one away. Nick Heath hit a grounder to second that took a funny hop, and Brett Netzer was unable to handle it. The ball skittered away, allowing DeVito and Viloria to score. D.J. Burt popped out on a bunt attempt, but Khalil Lee laced an RBI single through the left side, scoring Castellano and putting the Blue Rocks ahead 3-0. Wilmington extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Lee came in to score on a two-out single by Gabriel Cancel to give the home squad a 4-0 advantage.
Wilmington tacked on a pair in the sixth inning. Heath drew a leadoff walk from Houck and moved up to third on a single by Burt. The Blue Rocks tried a double steal against new reliever Daniel Gonzalez, but the Sox snuffed it out, with Heath gunned down at the plate while Burt made it to second. Gonzalez got Lee to fly out to shallow left, and it looked like he might be able to get out of the inning unscathed, but Kort Peterson jumped on a fastball and belted it out of the park to right for a two-run blast that made it 6-0.
After Wilmington starter Daniel Tillo (W, 1-1) departed after six scoreless frames, the Sox dispelled the shutout in the top of the eighth against reliever Carter Hope. Chris Madera led off the inning with a double, and pinch hitter Carlos Tovar rapped an RBI single to center with one out to plate Madera and bring the Sox to within five. However, that was as close as they would come, dropping the game.
Houck was touched up for career highs with eight hits and six walks allowed in five innings, allowing five runs (three earned) while striking out one. Gonzalez gave up one run on three hits in three innings, recording one strikeout.
The Sox will try to get back on the winning track Sunday afternoon. Righty Bryan Mata will toe the slab for Salem against Wilmington righty Jace Vines. First pitch from Frawley Stadium is at 1:35 p.m., and the pregame show with Ben Gellman and Suzie Cool begins at 1:15 p.m. on the Red Sox broadcast network.
