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GREENBORO GRASSHOPPERS vs. LAKEWOOD BLUECLAWS |
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Lakewood, NJ - Who are these Lakewood BlueClaws and how good a team can they become? "It's too early to tell," manager Steve Roadcap said Saturday after Lakewood lost the rubber game of a season-opening three-game series with the Greensboro Grasshoppers, 3-1. "Give us a mulligan from that first inning opening night (Greensboro scored no runs) and we did pretty well," Roadcap said. "Game two was a great job and today we just left too many guys on base. We're learning about each other." The BlueClaws will do their next lesson plan on the road. They leave today for an eight-day trip that begins Monday in West Virginia. By the time they return, pitching coach Ed Hodge is hoping his Kiddie Corps pitching staff continues to improve. "They showed a lot of good things after that first inning," Hodge said. "I'm very relaxed about our bullpen. I'm comfortable with any one of them in the game." Three relievers worked 4 2/3 innings without giving up a run and allowing only two hits in Saturday's loss. Unfortunately, the offense couldn't overcome the three runs Greensboro scored in the first three innings against starter and loser Darren Byrd. Even he might have had a better fate if he hadn't gotten his glove on a grounder with the bases loaded in the third inning. It hit off him, and became a single out at first rather than a double-play ball. If that had happened, perhaps the Claws could have delivered another run from the 12 men they left on base. "If we keep getting them on we'll start getting them home," hitting coach Kevin Jordan said. The pitching staff remains a work in progress, Hodge said. "Their No. 1 job is to make a quality pitch, and get good location," he said. "But they also have to learn other things, especially how to try an control the running game." Greensboro stole four bases against the young staff and catcher Joel Naughton never had a chance against any of them because of the huge jumps they were able to get. Only when Ben Pfinsgraff, a pitcher who had a full college career and a year of pro ball under his belt, came on was Naughton able to have a shot at throwing anyone out, and he did. Gus Milner, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound right fielder, scored Lakewood's only run when he doubled in the sixth, and scored on an infield single when Greensboro shortstop Daniel Garcia made a diving stop and tried to throw to third. The ball went into the stands, sending P.J. Antoniato to third base. But Lakewood couldn't get him home. He was the last BlueClaws runner to reach base. "We are a work in progress," said Roadcap, who was heading straight to West Virginia, where he lives in the off-season, and was looking forward to being with his family for Easter. |
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