After a somewhat disappointing first half of the season for the BlueClaws, they have bounced back in the second half of the season so far. After a strong week, where they went 5-2, the BlueClaws are only three games back of the West Virginia Power for the Northen Division lead in the SAL.

Tuesday, July 8

Due to a shaky start by Jacob Diekman (4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 0 K), the BlueClaws had to climb out of an early 1-4 deficit to come back and take the second game of their series against the Augusta GreenJackets, 6-4. The unlikely hero of the game was DH Tim Kennelly, a player who had not hit a home run all season, who delievered a two-run bomb in the bottom of the seventh, driving in the winning runs.

After Diekman allowed a run in the first inning, Dominic Brown quickly tied the game right back up with his eighth home run of the season. Diekman allowed another run in the second, however, breaking the tie again allowing a run to score on a wild pitch. Diekman would be pulled after the fourth inning, having allowed four runs, three earned.

From the fourth inning onward, the pitching was flawless. Despite a walk allowed, Zack Sterner, Sergio Escalona, and Jared Simon combined to throw six innings of no-hit baseball, only allowing one baserunner on a walk allowed by Sterner.

Lakewood’s offense seemed to feed off the strength of their bullpen, as they drew within a run in the sixth, scoring two runs off a Brown single and a Michael Durant double. In the seventh inning, after Travis Mattair hit a grounder for the first out, Freddy Galvis was hit by a pitch from GreenJackets reliever Oliver Odle. Galvis took advantage of a few miscues by the GreenJackets, stealing second on a wild pitch and scoring to tie the game on a fielding error that allowed catcher Joel Naughton to reach second base. Two batters later, with two outs, Kennelly delivered in the clutch, hitting his first run of the season, a two-run shot that would prove to be the winning margin.

Wednesday, July 9

After pulling ahead by two runs in the second inning, the BlueClaws soon found themselves having to climb out of a hole dug by their starting pitching, after Walter Tejada (5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 7 BB, 1 K) allowed four runs in the third. After a hard-fought game, the BlueClaws came out the victor in the game, 6-5, taking a 2-1 lead in the series against the GreenJackets.

In the bottom of the second inning, with no score on the board, Michael Durant started the inning off with his thirteenth double of the season. He would be driven in two batters later, off the bat of Travis Mattair. Mattair himself would score later in the inning, driven in by Derrick Mitchell, the BlueClaws taking a 2-0 lead.

Augusta would take the lead right back in the next inning, posting four runs against Lakewood starter, Walter Tejada, who struggled with his control all game. The score would stay 4-2 until the first frame of the 9th, when Augusta would tack on one more run off reliever Joe Rocchio.

In the bottom of the 9th, facing a loss, the BlueClaws needed a rally to stay alive. After scoring one run on a fielder’s choice from Michael Durant to pull within two runs, outfielder T.J. Warren stepped to the plate. With two outs, Warren hit a single to centerfield, scoring Tim Kennelly and Alberto Cambero easily. Durant was waved around as well, only to be thrown out at home to end the inning, the score tied 5-5.

After Rocchio pitched a scoreless top of the tenth, Mattair hit a double to lead off the bottom of the inning. Two batters later, SAL All-Star catcher Joel Naughton singled, driving in Mattair and winning the game.

Thursday, July 10

Thursday’s game against the GreenJackets found the BlueClaws with their backs against the wall, facing one of the best pitchers in the SAL, 18-year-old Giants phenom Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner entered the game 8-2 with a 1.77 ERA and and 91 strikeouts with just 15 walks in 81.1 innings. Luckily, the BlueClaws countered with their own ace, Chance Chapman. In what would live up to it’s billing as a pitcher’s duel, Chapman pitched a strong 8.2 innings (7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 7 K) to outduel Bumgarner 3-2.

Lakewood drew first blood in the bottom of the third, scoring a run off a Tim Kennelly single. After Augusta scored a run in the fourth to tie the game up, T.J. Warren broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth, driving in Travis Mattair. Dennis Winn would tack on another run in the sixth, hitting a single that allowed Tim Kennelly to score. Despite Augusta scoring a run in the top of the ninth, the damage was done, and the three runs were all Lakewood needed to win. Jared Simon collected his seventeenth save of the season, relieving Chapman for the last out of the game. The BlueClaws won the series against the GreenJackets, three games to one.

Friday, July 11

Vance Worley continued his hot start, allowing just two runs on three hits and one walk, while striking out five in six innings. Despite Worley’s strong start, however, Lakewood’s offense was shut down for six innings by Greenville Drive starter Terumasa Matsuo, finding themselves in need of a rally. Once again, the BlueClaws’ bats came through, scoring four in the bottom of the eighth inning to take the first game of the series, 4-2.

After Worley allowed a run apiece in both the first and four innings, the BlueClaws found themselves in a now-familiar situation, losing late in the game and in need of a comeback. After not being able to buy a run for the first seven innings, the offense came alive in the eighth inning. After Greenville pitcher Kyle Fernandes walked Derrick Mitchell to load the bases with one out, Fernandes walked the next batter, Tim Kennelly to drive in Freddy Galvis for the first run of the game for the BlueClaws. After Dominic Brown struck out for the second out of the inning, Fernandes once more issued a bases-loaded walk, allowing Karl Bolt on base and Joel Naughton to score, tying the game at 2-2. After a ptiching change, a single by Michael Durant drove in two more runs, scoring Mitchell and Kennelly. That proved to be all the runs the BlueClaws needed, as Jared Simon collected his eighteenth save of the season with a scoreless ninth, lowering his ERA to 2.5 in the process. Dominic Brown’s ten-game hitting streak came to an end in the game.

Saturday, July 12

Saturday saw the BlueClaws drop the first game of the week, 5-1 to the Drive. Julian Sampson pitched a disappointing game, allowing all five runs (four earned), allowing seven hits and a walk while striking out four over six innings.

The BlueClaws fell behind early again, finding themselves down 5-0 after the fifth inning. This time, they wouldn’t find their way out. The team didn’t even score their lone run until the bottom of the ninth, where T.J. Warren drove in the BlueClaws’ sole run on a ground-out, allowing Tim Kennelly to score.

Sunday, July 13

Yet again, the BlueClaws found themselves with a deficit to overcome late in the game. Down 0-3 in the bottom of the sixth off a Jacob Diekman (6.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K) start, the ‘Claws put on another rally, scoring four runs in the sixth to win the game 4-3.

The bullpen proved to be a strength for the BlueClaws again, bailing Lakewood out after Diekman’s unspectacular start. Over 3.2 innings, the combination of Chris Kissock, Sergio Escalona, and Jared Simon, allowed just two hits while keeping the Drive scoreless.

In the sixth, Michael Durant hit a one-out, two-on base hit that drove in Dominic Brown and the first run of the game for Lakewood. The next batter, Matt Rizzotti walked to load the bases before a double off the bat of T.J. Warren cleared them, scoring Karl Bolt, Durant and Rizzotti and allowing Lakewood to take the lead.

Monday, July 14

The BlueClaws dropped the fourth game of the series against the Drive, 3-1. The BlueClaws pitching did not have a bad game persay, but the offense was nowhere to be found. Behind a solid, but unspectacular five innings from Walter Tejada (5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K), the BlueClaws at least were in the game for all nine innings, but they couldn’t muster the runs to overtake the Drive. Karl Bolt scored the only run of the game for Lakewood on a fourth inning homerun.

Notes:

– It was a great week to be a BlueClaws reliever. Overall the BlueClaws bullpen posted the following line over the last week, while posting a 0.04 ERA:
23 IP, 12 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 20 K

– Over the last week, T.J. Warren has been on fire, going .545 with 7 RBI and 2 BB

– Tim Kennelly went 8-18 with a home run, 4 RBI and 3 BB on the week