Martinez Wins Advanced-A Debut For Rocks

Rocks Takes Two of Three From the Dash

Tyler Zuber earned his third save of the season as the Blue Rocks took their third straight series with a 2-1 win at Winston-Salem Wednesday. (Brad Glazier)

By Matt Janus

April 18, 2019

Winston-Salem, NC - Marcelo Martinez shined in his Advanced-A debut as the Wilmington Blue Rocks edged the Winston-Salem Dash, 2-1, on Wednesday at BB&T Ballpark. Martinez allowed just one hit and walked none in five scoreless frames to earn the win. The Rocks took two of three from Winston-Salem and have

Winston-Salem, NC - Marcelo Martinez shined in his Advanced-A debut as the Wilmington Blue Rocks edged the Winston-Salem Dash, 2-1, on Wednesday at BB&T Ballpark. Martinez allowed just one hit and walked none in five scoreless frames to earn the win. The Rocks took two of three from Winston-Salem and have won 10 of their last 12 games overall.

After two relief appearances at Low-A Lexington, Martinez got the call to take Nolan Watson's spot in the Wilmington rotation. He made the most of his opportunity, retiring the side in order four out of the five times he took the mound and not allowing a single Dash runner to reach scoring position.
The Rocks staked him to an early lead thanks to a pair of runs in the top of the third. Angelo Castellano reached on an inning-opening throwing error and moved to third on a single by Cristian Perez. Ricky Aracena's sacrifice fly to right plated Castellano and one out later Brewer Hicklen snuck a single past third to bring Perez around to score.
Winston-Salem got its only run on a solo homer from Tyler Frost in the seventh. That was the only blemish for J.C. Cloney in three innings. Tyler Zuber worked a scoreless ninth to nail down his third save of the year.
Wilmington opens a seven-game homestand on Thursday at Frawley Stadium against the Down East Wood Ducks. Right-hander Jackson Kowar (0-0, 0.96) gets the ball for the Rocks. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. and tickets are available at BlueRocks.com. Fans who can't make it out to the ballpark can catch all the action with the Voice of the Blue Rocks Cory Nidoh on 89.7 WGLS-FM or BlueRocks.com.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
The Blue Crew won for the sixth time this season in a game decided by only a single score. Wilmington is now 6-3 in one-run contests this year. The nine games decided by just one run are the most in the Carolina League over the first two weeks of the 2019 campaign.
Wilmington wrapped up its first road trip of the season on Thursday. The Rocks went 5-2 on their journey to Carolina and Winston-Salem, taking both series. The Rocks hit eight home runs during the trip after managing just one in a seven-game homestand to open the season.
The Blue Rocks turned in a clean defensive slate on Wednesday. It marked the fourth straight game the Blue Crew did not commit an error, something the team had not accomplished all season. Consequently Wilmington does not lead the Carolina League in errors for the first time all season. The Rocks' 19 defensive miscues are tied for the second-most in the 10-team loop behind only Lynchburg's 20.
Wilmington may call the Carolina League's Northern Division home, but in the early part of the season the Blue Crew will be much more familiar with the CL South. The Rocks are in the midst of 17 consecutive games against southern division foes. Wilmington swept a three-game series at home against the Dash and then took three of four at Carolina before taking two of three at Winston-Salem. The Rocks start a four-game series at home against the Down East Wood Ducks before welcoming the Dash back to Frawley Stadium for three more. The Rocks are currently 8-2 during this long stretch of southern hospitality.
www.bluerocks.com