The Return of the Renegades

The Wilmington Blue Rocks are finally coming home after a two-week road trip. They went 2-4 in their series against the Rome Emperors, and 3-3 against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The Blue Rocks look to get back above .500 with their second homestand against the New York Yankees affiliate Hudson Valley Renegades.

The last time the Blue Rocks and Renegades met, they split the series in Wilmington. Two of the six games were postponed due to rain and will be made up this week with two doubleheaders, making this week’s matchup a rare, eight-game series.

In this first meeting, a few players in particular caused major problems for the Blue Rocks. To name a few, shortstop Jared Serna and catcher Jesus Rodriguez were major leaders in the team’s offense. Serna was responsible for ten of the Renegades’ runs batted in. He had nine hits in the four games, including his three-home run performance in game two. Rodriguez recorded three RBIs and six hits, two of which left the ballpark.

Since last visiting Wilmington, the Renegades have hovered around .500 and near the Blue Rocks in the South Eastern Atlantic League North rankings. Their point differential has stayed in the green, and the sluggers that gave Wilmington trouble before are major reasons for their continued offensive success.

Jace Avina, who contributed five hits and a home run in the early-May matchup, Rodriguez, and Serna have continued to lead Hudson Valley’s offensive front. Rodriguez has the most hits on the team with 56, while Avina has 45 hits, five home runs, and 26 RBIs. Serna has the highest number of runs (35), home runs (10), and RBIs (40). He has been walked 32 times this season, with pitchers around the league trying to evade his offensive productivity.

As for the pitching staff, a few members of the Renegades' bullpen have been extremely reliable in this first part of the season. Sebastian Keane just picked up his fourth win of the season in Hudson Valley’s last homestand against the Aberdeen IronBirds. The right-handed starter allowed only four hits and one run and struck out six batters in six innings. After one game in Triple-A at the end of May, reliever Trent Sellers is back in Hudson Valley. The right-hander has five wins and two losses under his belt and a 3.25 ERA.

Of all the Renegades’ arms, the most reliable starter to take the mound this season is Cam Schlittler. The right-hander has struck out 56 batters in nine games (45.2 innings) and boasts an impressive 2.17 ERA.

Like the Washington Nationals organization, the Yankees have been dealt their fair share of injuries and reassignments, so the Renegades’ roster looks a bit different than it did the last time the team visited Wilmington. They’re bringing some new faces to Frawley Stadium, like Tyler Hardman. The first baseman joined Hudson Valley in the middle of May on a rehab assignment from the team’s Double-A affiliate, the Somerset Patriots. Hardman has recorded hits in seven of his first nine games with the team. Overall, the original Renegades team that started the season has managed to stay relatively healthy, and most of the same players are returning for their second series against the Blue Rocks.

Neck and neck in the SAL North and with eight games to play, the series is up for grabs. Both teams have a prime opportunity to push ahead of the other and edge closer to the top of the division.