BlueClaws Lose First Series of 2010

The Lakewood BlueClaws rallied in the 9th inning on Monday afternoon, but fell short, losing to the Orioles affiliate Delmarva Shorebirds 3-2. The teams had split the first 4 games of the series that began Thursday, and the loss in the 5th and deciding game locked in the first unsuccessful series that the defending South Atlantic League champions experienced all year.

BlueClaws righty Jonathan Pettibone, who will turn 20 years old next week, made the start and continued his stretch of solid outings. Pettibone held the Shorebirds scoreless through 4 innings, but let up 2 earned runs in the 5th inning, when Point Pleasant, NJ resident TJ Baxter led off with a single and was driven home on a double by shortstop Garabez Rosa. Second baseman Mike Mooney moved Rosa over with a sacrifice bunt, and Rosa scored on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Brian Conley.

Pettibone, who allowed just those two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings, didn't necessarily feel pleased with the outing. "I didn't really have good command today. My (slider) was inconsistent and my change up was kind of out of the zone and wasn't really effective," Pettibone stated after the game.

Delmarva added a run in the 8th inning, when Lakewood reliever Jesse Beal loaded the bases by allowing 2 walks and a single. Catcher Justin Dalles drove a fly ball deep to right field that was tracked down by Anthony Hewitt for a sacrifice fly, scoring Tyler Townsend. Beals then escaped the inning by enducing a double play off the bat of Baxter.

The BlueClaws looked to be going down without a fight, but began the 9th inning with 3 straight hits, after collecting only four safeties over the first 8 frames. Jonathan Villar led off the 9th, pounding a triple off of Delmarva reliever Tom Phelps and was quickly plated on a single by Leandro Castro. After Castro moved to second base on a wild pitch, "The Boss" Jon Singleton struck a single to score the second Lakewood run, which chased Phelps. Shorebirds managers Ryan Minor called for Josh Dowdy, who shut the door on the BlueClaws comeback hopes and sent 7,157 fans home disappointed.

With his effort on Monday, Pettibone has now posted a 2.36 ERA over his last 6 outings. Considering the recent turnaround, after Pettibone strung together 4 outings from May 8th through June 6th where his ERA was 12.00, he can still leave a loss with a progressive outlook. "There were some positives, and I'll just go forward from here and get better next time."

BlueClaws Notes...
It is official. With the rescheduling of the Phillies/Rockies rain out for September 2nd, the scheduled jersey retirement ceremony for Ryan Howard has been cancelled for this season. The BlueClaws and Phillies plan to work together to try the event again in 2011.

Phillies 2008 1st round draft pick Anthony Hewitt went 1-for-3 in Monday's contest, bringing his overall batting average up to .212. Hewitt has struggled mightily in 10 July games, batting just .114 this month. In 20 day games this season, Hewitt has posted a .125 average.

Outfield prospect Jiwan James laced two singles on Monday, marking his 20th consecutive game with at least one base hit.

_________________________________________

Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE.

Share on Facebook

PhoulBallz Interview: BlueClaws OF Justin Crawford

Justin Crawford w/ junior reporter Evan At the age of 19, outfielder Justin Crawford has played his way into the conversation of being considered as one of baseball's top prospects. The son of four-time MLB All-Star Carl Crawford, Justin has looked every bit as impressive as his position as the 17th overall draft selection last year would have most fans thinking he should be. He opened the season with Class A Clearwater where, in 69 games, he notched a .344/.399/.478 slash line. And since mid-August when he was promoted to Class A Advanced Jersey Shore, the younger Crawford has posted a .300/.364/.440 line. He's also stolen 44 bases in 52 attempts overall. And while the BlueClaws enter the final week of the regular season 1/2 game out of first place in their division, I spoke with Justin Crawford about the team's hopes of making the postseason for the first time since 2018. I also asked Justin about the similarities and differences between his skillset and his father'

Jersey Shore clinches playoff berth on final day of regular season

Ottto Kemp, image- Jay Floyd With an extra-inning victory over first-half division champions Hudson Valley on Sunday, the Class A Advanced Jersey Shore BlueClaws clinched the team's first playoff appearance since 2018, winning the second-half division title. Key performers in the BlueClaws' clincher were righty hurler Jason Ruffcorn, who threw three innings of relief to earn the victory and third baseman Otto Kemp, notched three hits, a walk, two stolen bases and plated the game winning run in the 11th inning on a sacrifice fly. On top of that, Kemp, who turned 24-years-old on Saturday, made an absolute game-saving defensive play to help the club hold their lead in the bottom of the 11th frame. One of Jersey Shore's most consistent performers all season long has been right-handed reliever Cam Wynne. The Phillies' 20th round draft pick in 2021 out of Nebraska. In 34 appearances, one start, the 24-year-old tallied a 1-1 record with one save, a 2.44 ERA and a .190 batti

RHP Pipkin headed to AFL after hot August

After completing what was easily the best month of his career, righty hurler Dominic Pipkin is ready to face the tough competition of the prominent Arizona Fall Leage. Pipkin, who was the Phillies' 9th round draft selection in 2018, has had moderate success in his five years as a pro, posting a 4.93 ERA, a 7.6 K/9 mark and a .260 batting average against mostly at the lower levels on the minors. After missing time this year with an unspecified ailment, the six-foot-four 170-pounder proved to be healthy as he dominated AA competition in nine appearances with the Reading Fightin Phils during August. Pipkin's impressive production resulted in a 1-0 record with a save and a 0.96 ERA while striking out eight and walking three in 9 1/3 innings. The California native says his efforts to improve have helped him touch 100 MPH on the radar gun, while his fastball velocity is mostly around 96 MPH. Pipkin's arsenal includes that improved fastball as well as a slider while his curve

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog