Cyclones Comeback Comes up One Run Short Against Aberdeen (Gifs)

Brooklyn Cyclones @ Aberdeen Iron Birds

July 22, 2014

Brandon Welch @ Stephen Tarpley

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Brooklyn	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	1		6	10	2
Aberdeen	0	0	2	0	5	0	0	0	X		7	14	2

W: Tarpley (1-1, 5.40 ERA); L: Baldonado (0-3, 8.35 ERA); Save: Hernandez (2, 3.24 ERA)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Luis Rengel (0.00 ERA) – 1 IP, BB, SO, 2 GO

Juan Urbina (5.40 ERA) – 1 IP, H, 2 SO, GO

Batters

Adrian Abreu – 2-5, 2 R, 2B (3), SO

Amed Rosario – 2-5, R, 2 RBI (11), 2 SO

Jhoan Urena – 1-2, 2 RBI (18), BB, SF, SO

Michael Conforto – 1-4, 2B (2), RBI (2), SO

Will Fulmer – 2-4, R

Recap:

            The Cyclones were unable to get much going against the Iron Birds starter Stephen Tarpley, and then their comeback came up just short in the 9^th as they lost the opener in Aberdeen. After allowing two runs in the top of the 3^rd, Tarpley would retire the final eleven batters he faced, including five on strikeouts. Cyclones starter Brandon Welch looked good while retiring six of the first seven Iron Birds batters – two on swinging strikeouts – but was quick to give back a 2-0 lead handed to him in the 3^rd. Aberdeen broke through in a big way against piggy-back starter Alberto Baldonado in the 5^th, collecting four-straight one-out hits to make it a 4-2 game (with runners on the corners) by the time Cyclones manager Tom Gamboa came out of the dugout to get him. Cameron Griffin would come in to relieve Baldonado, but he would struggle throughout the 5^th too, allowing three more runs to cross – the first two charged to Baldonado and the third unearned. The Cyclones collected four singles from their first five batters in the 8^th to plate two runs, and then a Michael Conforto groundout brought home Rosario to make it a 7-5 game. A couple of singles and a throwing error in the 9^th made it a one-run game and put runners on 1B and 2B with two outs for Amed Rosario. Unfortunately, Rosario would strikeout swinging to end the game.

Adrian Abreu

The 23-year old catcher led off for the 5^th straight game Tuesday night, and is now 9-25 with three extra base hits in that role (two doubles and a homerun). He went hitless over his first six games this season (0-15 with four walks and five strikeouts), but has been one of the Cyclones best hitter in a dozen games since - .326/.370/.465 over 46 PA with three walks and eight strikeouts. He’s also 2-3 on stolen base attempts this season, and had 30 stolen bases in 66 DSL games back in 2012 – he’s also played the OF as a pro. I don’t have much of a back-story on Abreu, but he started his pro-career late (19 in the DSL back in 2010), and didn’t hit much in his 31-game stateside debut with Kingsport in 2013. Behind the plate, he’s thrown out 8/21 would be base stealers (38.1%).

Abreu loops a double near the RF line

Abreu slaps a single into RF

Amed Rosario

            Rosario has been really hot over the past week, as he’s 12-33 with two doubles and two stolen bases during a 7-game hitting streak. As an 18-year old shortstop with some great tools, Rosario is always exciting to watch. Random statistic from the Cyclones game notes – Rosario is 10-26 this season when batting in the 8^th inning or later.

Rosario with an infield single for his first RBI

Rosario chops his second RBI single into LF

Jhoan Urena

            Urena is a 19-year old switch-hitting 3B who has been on fire for Brookyln this year – he has a hit in eleven of his last thirteen games and had a stretch of 16/18 games with a hit from June 18 – July 7. He’s been the only Cyclones player to start at 3B, and is the last NYPenn league player to start in every game this year. Although his at-bats as a lefty have been scarce (22 PA batting lefty compared to 129 batting righty), he has not been very productive from that side early.

 

Urena hits an RBI single into RF

Michael Conforto

            The name says it all.

Conforto doubles to the LF corner

Conforto makes it 7-5 with the RBI groundout

Will Fulmer

            Fulmer was the Mets 22^nd round pick this year from the University of Montevallo. He’s a 2B who spent four games in the GCL before a promotion to the Cyclones, and has a chance to take hold of the 2B job. It was his second consecutive two-hit performance.