Claws Big Second Inning Leaves Cola Fans With The Blues

Lakewood Blue Claws @ Columbia Fireflies

May 5, 2015

Adonis Medina @ Joel Huertas

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Lakewood	0	8	3	0	0	0	0	0	1		12	15	2
Columbia	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	10	0

W: Morris (2-1, 3.55 ERA); L: Huertas (0-2, 10.80 ERA)

Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Joel Huertas (L, 0-2, 10.80 ERA) – 1.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R (7 ER), 1 2B, 6 TB, 2 BB, 3 K (2 K/Sw), 1 GB: 2 FB: 3 LD, 42 Pitches (28 Strikes), 9 Swinging, 6 Called, 21.4% SwStr, 40.9% Whiff/Swing, 31.5 Pitches/IP, 11 BF

Darwin Ramos (8.10 ERA) – 1.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 2B, 1 3B, 9 TB, 1 BB, 1 K (1 K/Sw), 6 GB: 2 FB: 1 LD: 1 PU, 44 Pitches (26 Strikes), 8 Swinging, 3 Called, 18.2% SwStr, 34.8% Whiff/Swing, 26.4 Pitches/IP, 12 BF

Matt Blackham (1.20 ERA) – 3 IP, 2 H, 2 TB, 2 K (1 K/Sw), 1 GIDP, 4 GB: 1 FB: 2 LD: 1 PU, 45 Pitches (28 Strikes), 6 Swinging, 6 Called, 13.3% SwStr, 27.3% Whiff/Swing, 15 Pitches/IP, 10 BF

Max Kuhns (1.93 ERA) – 2 IP, 4 K (4 K/Sw), 1 GB: 1 FB, 20 Pitches (16 Strikes), 5 Swinging, 6 Called, 25% SwStr, 50% Whiff/Swing, 10 Pitches/IP, 6 BF

Taylor Henry (3.38 ERA) 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 HR, 5 TB, 2 BB, 2 K (2 K/Sw), 2 FB: 1 LD, 31 Pitches (16 Strikes), 6 Swinging, 1 Called, 19.4% SwStr, 40% Whiff/Swing, 31 Pitches/IP, 7 BF

Batters

CF - Gene Cone - 1-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 5% SwStr, 16.7% Whiff/Swing, 4 Pitches/PA

SS - Andres Gimenez - 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 GIDP, 7.7% SwStr, 22.2% Whiff/Swing, 5.2 Pitches/PA

2B - Luis Carpio - 2-5, 1 R, 3.8 Pitches/PA

3B - Michael Paez - 1-5, 2 K, 9.5% SwStr, 20% Whiff/Swing, 4.2 Pitches/PA

RF - Jose Miguel Medina - 0-4, 1 BB, 1 K, 13.6% SwStr, 30% Whiff/Swing, 4.4 Pitches/PA

DH - Jay Jabs - 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 10% SwStr, 50% Whiff/Swing, 5 Pitches/PA

C - Brandon Brosher - 0-4, 3 K, 25% SwStr, 62.5% Whiff/Swing, 5 Pitches/PA

LF - Tim Tebow - 2-4, 25% SwStr, 44.4% Whiff/Swing, 4 Pitches/PA

1B - Milton Ramos - 1-4, 1 K, 1 SB, 7.7% SwStr, 14.3% Whiff/Swing, 3.25 Pitches/PA

Recapish

            The Columbia Fireflies were riding the high of a 2-0 lead and 7-pitch 1^st inning from their starter when the game was flipped on its head with one out in the 2^nd. Lakewood, who came into the night last in the SAL with a .592 team OPS, would score 8 runs before a second out could be recorded, and that was game.

            Lefty Joel Huertas started the 2016 season in XST before joining the Brooklyn Cyclones rotation when short season ball. Before the season started, his coaches raved about his stuff, but then the games were played, he was hit around, a lot. He ended up pitching for Kingsport, and it didn’t go much better. The exception was, in both cases he performed much better out of the bullpen, even if used in 4-5 inning stints. He’s still just 21 and flashes good stuff from the left side, so the Mets have time to work with him, but maybe he’s just meant for the pen.

            Huertas retired the first 4 batters of the game on 10 pitches, striking out 3 straight after the 1^st pitch of the game led to a deep fly out.

K1

K2

K3

            After his dominant 1^st, the Fireflies went out and got their starter a pair of runs to work with. They actually had Lakewood’s starter on the ropes in the frame, but a fortunately placed would-be hit helped him get a key second out in the frame. Gene Cone worked a walk to start things and then advanced to 3B on an errant pickoff throw. Andres Gimenez was quick to single him home and then Luis Carpio followed with a single to RF of his own. Jose Medina flared one to RF two batters later and it appeared as if he would load the bases with a hit, but because the runners weren’t sure if the ball would be caught, they had to wait to advance, which allowed Cord Sandberg to force out Gimenez with a throw to 3B. Jay Jabs followed with an RBI double, but then Brandon Brosher went down swinging to end the threat.

Almost always a hit

Back to Huertas, he couldn’t have been in more control through 4 batters, but then 14 of his next 32 pitches went for balls, and 7 straight Lakewood batters reached to knock him out of the game. Huertas was getting ahead of the batters 0-1 or 1-2, but then couldn’t put them away. He kept bouncing his breaking ball with two strikes, and while it looked like Blue Claws batters were tempted, they were able to pull back before they committed to a swing. It wasn’t all loud contact, but the double that knocked him out was hit over CF Gene Cone’s head, and his 35^th pitch of the inning.

Before things got ugly for Columbia, Huertas was still inducing ugly swings

            Darwin Ramos was the first to relieve Huertas, and it wasn’t long before pitching coach Jonathan Hurst was making another coaching visit. Ramos may have been mentally unprepared to come in to the game so early, but then he was hit around in the 3^rd inning too, which meant the Cola bullpen had to relieve him, and probably a bit earlier than Manager Jose Leger would’ve liked. Andres Gimenez covered a lot of ground going back on a pop out to help Ramos out.

            The Fireflies put a threat together in their half of the 2^nd inning too, when Tim Tebow and Cone singled, but a double play cut it short. They would have several more threats throughout the game, but just couldn’t get the run-scoring hits they needed to start chipping away at the lead.

            Matt Blackham took over on the mound in the 4^th and the Lakewood offense was again quieted, although he had some help on a 3-6-3 double play in the frame. Blackham worked quickly and efficiently, allowing him to go 3 innings for the first time in 2017. He finished his outing with back-to-back strikeouts of Brett Barbier and Sandberg in the 6^th.

The kid

K1

K2

            Tebow beat out a dribbler for an infield hit in the 4^th, but then got too excited when the ball wasn’t caught at 1B and turned to run for 2B, which backfired when Lakewood quickly recovered the ball and threw him out by a mile. Milton Ramos followed with a hit of his own and stole 2B in the frame, but would be stranded on 3B.

            Gimenez walked and Carpio added his second hit of the game in the 5^th inning, but Jose Antequera would make a diving catch to rob Brandon Brosher of a two out hit with the bases loaded.

            After Cone walked in the 6^th, Gimenez picked up his second hit to advance Cone to 3B, but they were stranded on the corners.

            Max Kuhns took over on the mound in the 7^th and came out firing bullets. He struck out the first 4 batters he faced en route to 2 perfect innings.

            Michael Paez added the Fireflies final hit leading off the 7^th, and the Fireflies had two on with one out in the frame, but neither runner would even advance.

            Taylor Henry was greeted rudely when he took over in the 9^th, as Darick Hall turned on one of his pitches and took him out just beyond the berm in RF. Henry then loaded the bases after getting two outs, but would buckle down and strikeout Daniel Brito before any more Lakewood runs came home.

            After a forgettable night on both sides of the ball, the Fireflies have a chance to sleep this game off before playing game two of this series Saturday night at 7:05 PM. Blake Taylor (0-4, 5.85 ERA) is starting for the Fireflies, who need to win to avoid falling below 500 for the season.

  

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