BROOKLYN trails WILMINGTON; 4-1
I - BRK 16; WIL5
II - WIL 15; BRK 3
III - WIL 5; BRK 4
IV - WIL 7; BRK 4
V - WIL 1; BRK 0
Taking One For The Team; A Hit By Pitch Leads to the Winning and Only Run of Saturday's Game.
FOR BASEBALL'S BUGS AND CRANKS, AN OTHERWISE OLD-FASHIONED (TEAM-EFFORT) PITCHING DUEL.
In a scoreless game and one out in the home sixth, facing Brooklyn starter Luc Rennie, Wilmington center fielder and leadoff batter Armond Upshaw is hit by a pitch. He steals second and promptly advances to third on an errant throw by catcher Jose Mena. Upshaw then scores on Jack Dunn's fielder's choice to second base.
Home plate at Frawley Stadium this evening is not to be crossed again.
Brooklyn starter Luc Rennie allows the aforementioned run on just three hits and no walks with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings pitched. He faces 22 batters while throwing 87 pitches with 53 (60.9%) going for strikes but unfortunately exits on the losing side of a one-run affair. Righ-hander Brian Metoyer allows no hits and fans two in 1.1 innings, and Joe Cavallaro closes the game with a scoreless ninth. All told, Brooklyn pitchers surrender just four hits, no walks, and strike out eight.
Deadlocked at zero, Blue Rock starter Evan Lee exits to a no-decision after working five scoreless innings. He faces just one batter over the minimum while allowing one hit and no walks with eight strikeouts. Blue Rock southpaw and game-winning pitcher Alex Troop tosses two scoreless innings of no-hit ball with three strikeouts, after which right-hander Todd Peterson closes the game with two scoreless innings one-hit ball for the save.
The Cyclones achieve just two hits, draw no walks, fan twelve times, and finish 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. Right fielder Jaylen Palmer and first baseman Jeremy Vasquez (double) account for Brooklyn's hits.
After Brooklyn's series-opening win, Wilmington has since taken four straight. However, the Cyclones still own a 10-7 advantage in the season series, including a June six-game sweep of the Blue Rocks.
Metoyer and Cavallero have looked real good of late. Both are Rule 5 eligible this winter. My guess is that Metoyer gets added to the AAA roster so he will be protected in the minor league portion of the draft - I think it would be a stretch for a team to take Metoyer from Single A and move him all the way to the majors - but you never know.
ReplyDeleteJust when you think they're safe ... But with the state of pitching throughout baseball, it wouldn't surprise me if some team pushed him up the ladder.
DeleteHe throws 100 MPH - that will make him coveted. Bryce Montes de Oca is Rule 5 eligible as well - he could get picked.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, Doc Gooden was 19-years old when he made his debut. However, I find a 100-mph fastball less impressive when they cannot master it. Can they execute high/low, inside and outside. There needs to be something more than a 100mph fastball. Bats will inevitably catch up. Can they master a second pitch; can they execute Plan-B when A is ineffective. Without craftsmanship, a 100mph fastball is just another 100mph fastball. Nolan Ryan had a superior hook. Sure he struck out over 5,000 batters, but he was quite hittable.
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