Losing Streak Snapped with Monstrous Shutout
Daytona Beach, FL - The Daytona Cubs busted out of a seven-game losing streak with a 12-0 blanking of the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Tuesday at Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
The Cubs scored 11 runs in the first five innings after scoring 11 total runs over their last six games.
RHP Ben Wells (W, 2-2) tossed six scoreless innings, and allowed just three singles with no walks and a career-high eight strikeouts.
LF Zeke DeVoss broke out of a 2-for-59 slump with a leadoff single in the first. With one out, CF Albert Almora doubled DeVoss home with one of his three run-producing doubles on the evening. RF Bijan Rademacher, who entered the game third in the Florida State League in hitting, then grounded a single to right field to put Daytona up 2-0 in the frame.
Almora went 3-for-5 with the three doubles and four RBIs.
"It just feels good to get the win," Almora said. "We gotta keep it rolling and put some wins together."
DeVoss reached base four times with two hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. The outfielder, who led the FSL in walks and hit-by-pitches in 2013, also scored three runs.
"I'm making adjustments" DeVoss said. "I just have to keep battling and it feels good to get on base and get the wheels going."
Daytona scored a run in each of the first five innings, and an unearned run in the eighth on two Stone Crabs errors.
Charlotte managed just three singles over the first seven innings, and did not have a runner reach second base until the eighth.
RHP Austin Reed relieved Wells and struck out three over two innings of work.
LHP Andrew McKirahan closed the game with an inning of work in the ninth.
Cubs SS Marco Hernandez added two hits in four times to the plate with two runs scored a night after going 3-for-4.
C Chadd Krist and DH Rock Shoulders both scored a pair of runs for Daytona.
With the victory, the Cubs won for just the second time since April 27th.
The two teams will have a quick turnaround with an education day 10:35 a.m. start on Wednesday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. With the four-game series knotted one game apiece, RHP Yao-Lin Wang (0-5, 8.44 will toe the rubber for the Cubs, and RHP Reinaldo Lopez (2-2, 4.46) is scheduled to pitch for the Stone Crabs. The series is scheduled to conclude with a Thirsty Thursday 7:05 p.m. first pitch.