Bill on Baseball: Shorebirds Hand Hoppers 8-3 Defeat
Managers in the lower levels of the minor leagues try to teach their players that a 140-game season is a marathon, not a sprint.It's a tough lesson, especially when losses outnumber the wins.The Hoppers lost their fourth straight game Friday night when Delmarva beat them 8-3. They are 5-17 in
Managers in the lower levels of the minor leagues try to teach their players that a 140-game season is a marathon, not a sprint.
It's a tough lesson, especially when losses outnumber the wins.
The Hoppers lost their fourth straight game Friday night when Delmarva beat them 8-3. They are 5-17 in the month of August.
"You've got to keep grinding," said manager Todd Pratt. "We battled tonight but we just didn't get the one hit we needed to break the offense open. We saw some good things; the score was not where we wanted it to be."
After being held to two runs on three hits and not leaving any runners on base Thursday, the offense showed more signs of life, getting seven hits and leaving six runners on base.
But the offense primarily came from two hitters.
There was a chance to put some pressure on the Shorebirds in the seventh inning when Castro doubled and Santos singled to lead things off. After
Four Greensboro pitchers had an adventurous night. On the plus side, they struck out 15 hitters, with Zach Wolf fanning the side in the ninth. On the minus side, they surrendered 14 hits, including a homer, two triples and two doubles.
Starter
"He threw fastballs on 75 of his 93 pitches," said pitching coach Mark DiFelice, "but he left a couple up that caused problems. I like the fact that he bounced back with two quality innings and kept his composure."
The series continues Saturday at 7 p.m.
NOTES: Scott had a single and drew two walks from the leadoff spot … Castro's homer was his first of the season … The Shorebirds have tagged the Hoppers for 27 hits in the first two games of the series … Infielder