Blue Crabs Baseball

Chris Mobley

2010-07-30T21:12:00.001-04:00

Chris was signed during today's game by the Texas Rangers. We wish him the best of luck with affiliated ball and as I receive more information about his assignment I will pass it along to you all.

2010-07-22T14:30:00.001-04:00

Kody Kirkland has been signed to a double-A contract with the Astros. We wish his continued success and the best of luck. Ricky Barrett was placed on the inactive list, no doubt related to his time on the DL. Dice-K was activated as an infielder and Jarrett Santos retired to be the pitching coach at UNC-Greensboro.

Signings, All-Stars and Departures

2010-07-01T12:14:00.002-04:00

Butch has signed yet another outfielder in Jason Lane, to make room for him Butch put Ricky Barrett on the disabled list.

Seven of our players have made the all-star roster including Travis Garcia, Eric Crozier, Casey Benjamin, Matt Craig, Jeremy Owens, and both pitchers Dan Reichert and Ryan Speier.

For those of you who watch the live game last night via the Lancaster Broadcast, it was mentioned that last night's starter Jarrett Santos would be leaving following this half in order to take the job as pitching coach for the University of North Carolina - Greensboro, his alma mater. He has known about getting the position for little over month, but was waiting for the all-star break before making his move. He decided that if he was not signed by a Major League organization by the all-star break that he would leave to Greensboro. His last day is expected to be around July 15th, but if that means he will continue playing until then or if he will merely still be in Maryland until then is not entirely clear. Jarrett will be missed by all of us, but we wish him the best of luck with Greensboro.

After being placed on the inactive list, and now since his jersey number has been given away, I would not expected Matt Petrusek to return to the Blue Crabs this season barring several quick injuries or signings of our relief pitchers as we do not have the roster space to bring him back from inactive.

Ricky Barrett

2010-06-13T19:14:00.001-04:00

The Blue Crabs have signed yet another left handed reliever in Ricky Barrett.

Trades and Signings

2010-06-12T13:57:00.001-04:00

Butch has been rather busy at the trading block, having added 3 new faces to the roster since the departure of Brian McFall. As I reported earlier we signed a new lefty starter Craig Anderson who won in his first apperance last night. From the trade with York, the Blue Crabs recieved outfielder Jamar Hill who has taken the role of leader-off hitter. Also recently accquired was lefty reliever Jason Waddell who has yet to see action. After signing Jason and Craig, Butch was forced to deactivate pitcher Matt Petrusek as well as as outfielder Daisuke Yoshida to bring our roster back down to 25 active members. Many of you may have noticed the bull pen catcher is not Anthony Perry this season, but that mystery man is in fact Ben Harrison and he is not a catcher. Ben is actually a power hitting outfielder who is currently serving time on a suspension that should end around the all-star break. His return could spark even more changes in the line up, as well as seeing some of our favorite players depart.

Craig Anderson

2010-06-10T19:40:00.001-04:00

The Blue Crabs have announced the signing and activation of left handed starter Craig Anderson. Anderson has had significant time with the Triple-A club of both the Orioles and the Mariners. He got his feet wet with independent ball playing in the Can-Am league last season. He has also seen time in international competition playing both in the olympics and in the world baseball classic for his native Australia. He is an impressive 94-65 with a 3.87 ERA in 260 games. His signing brings the Blue Crabs their first lefty starter since the departure of John Halama earlier this season.

Jarrett Grube

2010-06-06T18:01:00.001-04:00

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that pitcher Jarrett Grube has been signed by the Seattle Mariners. He will be reporting to their triple-A club in Tacoma, WA tomorrow morning. We wish him the best of luck and hope to see him in the majors soon!

Brian McFall

2010-06-03T22:45:00.001-04:00

It is my displeasure to announce that Brian McFall, left fielder and my player-brother, has been traded to the York Revolution. We wish him the best of luck with the revolution.

Future of this blog

2010-06-03T16:20:00.003-04:00

It is my displeasure to announce that I will no longer be providing game recaps on this blog. As a working college student the demands of trying to recap every game while taking an online class and working has proven too much. I will continue to bring news about the team as often as I can.

That being said we recently have seen some of our players miss time. DH Matt Craig recently missed time after throwing out his back but is now back in the lineup hitting strong. 1B Eric Crozier also missed time with a sore back. SS Travis Garcia has missed several games this season with a mild case of elbow tendinitis.

The injuries to our team have been minor this year and we are thankful for that. Since the signing of John Halama we have made no transactions.

We are currently on a 3 game win streak against the Newark Bears. The blue crabs will play Newark again tonight before heading home for 6 games in 7 days. They will then go back on the road for 9 games in 9 days.

The next road trip may help to prevent some of the back problems the team has had given their long bus rides. They will go to York then Bridgeport then Long Island before returning home. By sandwiching a trip to Bridgeport between two other road games it will shorten the trip to Bridgeport and perhaps be a more comfortable ride for the players.

This recent string of injuries as well as our less then timely hitting I believe is in part due to the strange weather early in the season but also by having the spring training in Maryland. Maryland is not known for it's warm Aprils, whereas the normal location of Florida is always known for being warm. By starting the pre-season in a cold climate it was harder for the players to get their bodies properly "warmed up". Also the early season trip to Bridgeport where it is even colder then it was here affected the players.

When we schedule the spring training next year we may want to reconsider having it in Maryland due to the unpredictable weather.

Again I will no longer be providing game recaps but I will do my best to keep everyone updated on everything else going on with the team.

Update

2010-05-22T18:38:00.003-04:00

So my apologies to all my readers for my epic lack of posting so far throughout this season. As a college student I must unfortunately say that my classes have to come before baseball and the tail end of this past semester was a bit killer on my free time and thus my ability to keep you all updated on the happenings of the Blue Crabs.

The Blue Crabs got their first home win in the second game against the Long Island Ducks in what proved to be a pitchers duel, going scoreless well into the late innings with Jeremy Owens crossing the plate for the win in the 8th after being walked. A couple of pinch hitting replacements brought Owens across the plate and gave the Blue Crabs the only run of the game.

The Crabs went on to win the series defeating the Long Island Ducks the next night 9-8. They went on the sweep the Camden Riversharks in a 3 game home stand, before splitting a 4 game road stand against the defending champion Somerset Patriots. The Crabs then lost 4 of the next 6 games, dropping 2 of 3 to the Lancaster Barnstormers, and 2 of 3 to the Somerset Patriots both at home. The Crabs then went on the road again winning two of 3 against the Lancaster Barnstomers, including a split of a day-night doubleheader that was the result of a rain out in the middle of the series.

Throughout May we saw some new faces join the clubhouse as well as wishes some players well as the moved on towards the Majors. In early May we signed an outfielder named Justin Christian who would go on to get signed by the Double-A team of the New York Yankees less then a week later. Pitcher Dewon Day was traded to the York Revolution, and Pitcher Dave McKae to Newark both for future considerations. Joe Newby also took some time off for personal reasons, though he is back in the active line up. Pitcher Kyle Zaleski has been back and forth from the inactive list all season, though we ultimately and recently traded him to the Can-Am league again for future considerations. Finally we signed former Major Leaguer Ryan Speier to a contract in the middle of May to add more depth to our pitching staff.

Travis Garcia missed some time recently due to an undisclosed injury, well at least I am unaware of the specifics of his injury, but he is back in the line up playing in the current Camden series. Also in good news for him, though it does hinder us slightly, John Halama has again been signed by a Triple-A club. John will be signing the paperwork after tonight's game to go to the Triple-A club of the Oakland Athletics. This will mark the 3rd time John has started the season with the Blue Crabs only to leave early in the season towards the major leagues. Halama has a 2-1 record thru 5 starts, including 1 complete game. Despite giving up 10 runs only 6 have been earned giving him a stellar ERA of 1.46. John has walked 5, hit 6 and struck out 20 thru 37 innings of work. As always we wish John the best of luck and hope to see him in the Majors soon.

Home Opener

2010-05-01T14:55:00.005-04:00

The Blue Crabs dropped their home Opener to the Long Island Ducks 5-2. Starter John Halama went 6 innings allowing 7 hits and all 5 of the earned runs while striking out 6 and walking 1. John was nearly perfect save for the 4th inning when it seemed that no one could make a play, nor could we stop the ducks from crossing the plate. He faced all 9 batters in the order in the 4th, giving up 6 of the 7 hits he allowed on the night. The only other run given up by John was a solo home run in the 2nd.

Both the Blue Crabs runs came off the bat of Brian McFall, though due to a defensive error by the Ducks he gained only one RBI. His first run brought in was in the second, when on a sacrifice fly, Brian brought in Eric Crozier. The second run came when Matt Craig scored after being walked, while Brian reached base on a throwing error from the ducks.

With the exception of the top of the 4th inning, the Blue Crabs played a good game. While we still need to work on bringing player in scoring postion across the plate, it is still early in the season and we have plenty of time to make up lost ground.

York Series 4/22-4/25

2010-04-30T16:14:00.002-04:00

The Blue Crabs unfortunately dropped the first series of the season. The Crabs dropped the first game 4-3, the second game 9-2, the third game 9-5, but won the last game of the series 3-2.

First baseman Eric Crozier was the hero of the first game, netting his first two RBIs of the season. After tying the game in the top of the 8th, the Crabs were victim of a heartbreak loss in the bottom of the 9th, when closer Jim Ed Warden suffered his first loss of the season after giving up the game winning run. The Blue Crabs stranded 14 runners, many of which would have resulted in a lead change in favor of the Crabs.

The second game was much more of a blow out when starter Dan Reichert gave up 6 earned runs through 2.1 innings of work. The Crabs only amassed 4 hits, with no player getting more then one. Another rough start to the season.

The third game was closer, though the Blue Crabs still fell short despite impressive performance from both Patrick Osborn, 4 for 5 on the day, and Brian McFall, 3 for 4 on the day. Starter Kenny Rayborn gave up 4 run, 3 earned through 3.2 innings of work, but it was reliever Dave McKae who would suffer the loss. Dave was rocked for 3 runs, though only 1 was earned, in only an inning of work.

The Fourth game brought the Blue Crabs their first win of the season. Starter Jarrett Grube, lead of the game with 5 innings of scoreless work, the first pitcher of the season to lead the game that way. Though it would be Chris Mobley who would get the win. Jim Ed Warden also earned his first save of the season pitching an inning of scoreless and hitless ball, although allowing a walk. The game winning run was scored off the bat of Richard Giannotti, on a solo home run. This win was crucial for the Blue Crabs, as it would have been a difficult road for them, had they lost every game in the series.

Bridgeport Series 4/28-4/29

2010-04-30T14:14:00.000-04:00

The Blue Crabs would swept the Bluefish, if it wasn't for a pair of rallys 5th and 6th inning of the second game of the double header.

After giving up a run in the first, the Blue Crabs bats came alive in the second inning of the first game. Eric Crozier, Matt Craig and Jeremy Owens all crossed the plate for the crabs, with Jeremy's run being the game winning off a sacrifice fly from Richard Giannotti. Dave McKae pitched 5 innings of nearly perfect ball, allowing only 1 earned run on 6 hits, a walk and 2 strike outs. Despite allowing a run, Jim Ed Warden still gathered a save on the night.

In the second game in the double header, the Blue Crabs bats got started early, scoring two runs in first but it would fall short as the Bluefish matched those runs in the second, and then took the lead in the fifth. The 5 runs of the bluefish were all earned and charged to start Dan Reichert, who pitched nearly the whole game.

The third game was again one in favor of the Blue Crabs. Starter Kenny Rayborn, had 7 innings of nearly flawless work, allowing only one run that was unearned along with 2 hits and 2 walks, all while striking out 3. Neither Chris Mobley or Jim Ed Warden allowed a run through either of their innings of work, and Jim Ed gained his 3rd save of the season. Richard Giannotti, Casey Benjamin, Travis Garcia and Brian McFall all brought in runs off their bats. While Brian McFall crossed the plate twice, along with a plate crossing each from Jeremy Owens, and Octavio Martinez. The Game winning run belongs to Brian McFall, who crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly from Richard Giannotti, his second game winning SF of the season.

This series was much more of the Blue Crabs that we remember from last season. Although more could be done with the consistency of the hitting, this series brings hope that the Blue Crabs will soon be getting into their swing and work their way back to the top of the liberty division.

FInalized Roster

2010-04-22T20:27:00.003-04:00

With tonight being the opening night of the 2010 Atlantic League Season, it appears that the Blue Crabs have finalized a roster, full of new faces. Currently the roster lists 28 players, with one being listed as inactive. The Blue Crabs can carry 27 players until June 1st, when they must cut two players trimming the roster to 25. Below is the most up to date roster, retrieved from the Blue Crabs Website. Returning players are in bold.

Pitchers

Starters

11... Jarrett Grube

48... John Halama

12... Dave McKae

32... Kenny Rayborn

38... Dan Reichert

Relievers

10... Dewon Day

46... Bryan Dumesnil

02... Chris Mobley

18... Joe Newby

20... Matt Petrusek

14... Jeff Ridgway

30... Connor Robertson

28... Jarrett Santos

34... Jim Ed Warden

Catchers

44... Christian Lopez

15... Octavio Martinez

Infielders

16... Casey Benjamin

09... Matt Craig (Also a DH)

40... Eric Crozier 1B

07... Travis Garcia SS

08... Kody Kirkland

13... Patrick Osborn 3B/1B

IA... Olmo Rosario

Outfielders

03... Shaun Cumberland

21... Richard Giannotti

23... Brian McFall

25... Jeremy Owens CF/Coach

01... Daisuke Yoshida

Updated Roster

2010-03-17T22:05:00.002-04:00

It appears as though I have been slacking in my updates on the 2010 Blue Crabs Roster and for that I send my apologies. One major movement was the signing of Blue Crabs workhorse Starter Ryan Bicondoa and his subsequent trading to rivals The Long Island Ducks. Since a player has not yet been named in the trade it leaves open the opportunity for Ryan to return to the Blue Crabs. Regardless we wish him luck in the upcoming season, just not in the 20 games against us.

Below is an Updated Roster taken directly from the Blue Crabs Website:

Pitchers

Starters:
Craig Anderson
Paul Fagan
Dave McKae

Relievers:
Bryan Dumesnil
Jerry Dunn
Joe Newby
Jim Ed Warden
Jeff Williams
Joe Winkelsas

Catchers

Christan Lopez
Octavio Martinez

Infielders

Casey Benjamin - Utility
Travis Garcia - Short Stop
Patrick Osborn - Third/First Base

Outfielders

Ben Harrison
Brian McFall
Jeremy Owens - Center Field/Coach

Analysis

With only 5 players returning from last years roster, it may take some time for the players to get into the flow of the season. Hopefully by having the spring training in the local area it will allow for the players to more quickly adapt to life as a Blue Crab. With less then a month until the open tryout at Regency Furniture Stadium, we still need about half our roster.

In my opinion we need at least one more starter if not two, in order to have at least a four-man starting rotation with a substitute available should one of our starters become injured or have an off game. Assuming that Jim Ed would take the role of the closer we may be set with our relievers, although signing one or two more would not be a bad move.

As far as the position players go we may be set at the catcher position, though bringing back someone such as Anthony Perry as a bull pen catcher would not be a bad idea, especially if one of our catchers gets hurt. While we are set on the left side of the infield, some serious work needs to be done our right side. While I haven't heard any specific offers or talks regarding the right side, the openings may leave room for the return of former Crabs. We will need to find two or three more infielders either before or during the open tryout.

In the outfield we need at least two more players. Assuming that one of our outfielders would take the designated hitter role, we would also want to maintain one outfielder who could play any of the three outfield positions so that they could be a substitute for any of our signed out fielders should they get hurt.

With only 17 players signed so far, I believe we can sign 8 additional players until the end of May bringing our roster total to 25. However I could be wrong but I am unable to find the article on the Atlantic League Website describing the legal number of players a team can carry. Hopefully we will be able to fill these positional gaps either through more signings or from players at the open tryouts held at the stadium on April 10th. I will work to update this blog with any information regarding the roster as it comes in. Hopefully we will have a complete roster soon and we'll be watching our boys make their way towards another championship appearance though hopefully with a slightly better result then last season.

New Faces Sign With Crabs

2010-02-26T00:32:00.003-05:00

A slew of new faces have signed with the Blue Crabs in the past few weeks, a number of which are pitchers. Below is a list of all the new players who have signed.

Pitchers

Craig Anderson - Left Handed Starter from Australia; Spent Last season with Brockton in the Can-Am League.
Bryan Dumesnil - Left Handed Reliever from Canada; Spent Last season with Quebec in the Can-Am League.
Jerry Dunn - Right Handed Reliever from North Carolina; Spent Last season with Craig in Brockton in the Can-Am League
Jeff Williams - Right Handed Reliever from Colorado; Spent Last season with The Yankees Triple-A program

Infielders

Benjamin Casey - Primarily a Short Stop from North Dakota/Tennessee; Spent Last season with The Rangers Triple-A program

Outfielders

Ben Harrison - From Florida; Spent Last season with The Rangers Triple-A program
Brian McFall - From Arizona; Spent Last season with The Royals Double-A program

Catchers

Christan Lopez - From Florida; Spent Last season with Joliet of the Northern League

Two Familiar Faces Resign

2010-02-15T21:28:00.002-05:00

It has been announced on both the Blue Crabs official website, as well as the Atlantic League website that two familiar faces have resigned with the Blue Crabs.

All-Star Third Baseman and Blue Crabs record holder for most games played, Patrick Osborn has resigned with the Blue Crabs for the third season in a row. Though he faced some injury issues last season, he was still about to knock 14 long balls, and play in 121 games.

Pitcher Jim Ed Warden will also be returning, no doubt taking the closer's job this upcoming season. Jim left the Blue Crabs in early June after being signed to a contract with the New York Mets, where he was able to work through their system up to the AAA level. He will likely be a strong addition to the bullpen as he was last year, for as long as he goes unsigned by the Majors.

More updates on the roster as the come in. Only 73 more days until opening day!

New Year, New Season

2010-01-15T22:34:00.002-05:00

Greetings to all here in 2010!

While the Blue Crabs ultimately were defeated in their hopes for a championship in their second season, they put up an admirable fight. While there has not been a lot of talk about who will be coming back to play this season, there are some changes to the coaching staff.

Our Manager remains the ever faithful, Butch Hobson, but the rest of the crew is different.

Assigned to the pitching coach position, following the departure of Andre Rabouin is Former Major League Pitcher Marty Janzen. Marty is a 6'3 righty who spent two season in the Major Leagues. He played with the Toronto Blue Jays in 27 games (1996-1997) including 11 starts, through just under 100 innings pitched (98.2) he had an ERA of 6.39, allowing 76 runs 70 of which were earned. He had 6 wins, 7 loses and struck out 64 batters while walking only 51. Andre lead the pitching staff to two very successful seasons where the team remained either first or second place with the lowest ERA. Marty who has played for Butch before will hopefully find similar success this season.

Last season we watched hitting coach and bench coach Andy Etchebarren depart the Blue Crabs to take a Manager's position with the York Revolution and saw him replaced by Greg Blosser. Greg however will not be returning to the team for the 2010 season, but rather Blue Crabs player Jeremy Owens will take on the hitting coach duties. Now not to worry Blue Crab faithfuls, for he will still be the starting Center Fielder. Owens who was named the teams first Captain last season appears to be taking on more responsibility each season. He has shown great leadership throughout the last two season, and I can easily see this being another example of his great leadership.

This information comes from the Atlantic League of Professional Baseballs website.

Crabs Drop Fourth Game in a Big Way, Series Tied at 2

2009-09-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

After getting out to such a promising 2-0 lead in the series the Blue Crabs have seen that lead disappear with strong rallies by the Ducks.

Tonight's game got off to a very rough start, when in the bottom of the first, starter Ryan Bicondoa was roughed up for 5 runs. Despite the rough start he regained his power and kept the Ducks scoreless in the second and third before leaving the game with load bases in the fourth. He allowed 9 hits and would go on to allow 8 runs, 7 earned with 4 walks and two strike outs. Mike James saw his first action in the playoffs in the fourth, though I imagine he was hoping for a better result. Mike allowed two of his own runs to score in his 5 inning 4th (the other 3 belonging to Ryan) on 3 hits and a walk, he did however manage to get two outs. Matt Righter then came in to pitch the remainder of the 4th, as well as the complete fifth and into the sixth. He also allowed two earned runs on 3 hits with one strike out. Joe Gannon finished off the game going 2.2 innings, allowing 5 hits and 3 runs, only one of which was earned with walking and striking out one.

Offensively we barely ever got off the ground. We had a strong 4th where we nearly tied the game, getting 4 runs, however the game quickly got out of reach following the bottom of that inning. The highlight of the scoring was the 3 run bomb by Cesar Nicolas. However I think the most important run was scored in the 9th when we were down 15-4. Most teams would have given up by that point, but we didn't. We kept fighting, however impossible it may have seemed, but we kept fighting. That willingness to fight and to battle, is what I believe will see us through to the end, hoisting that championship cup high in the air at Regency Furniture Stadium.

The Blue Crabs take the Ducks on in a decisive game five, Tuesday after having Monday off for Yom Kippur. Should the Blue Crabs succeed in keeping the dream alive, they would play Thursday and Friday in Somerset, then come home for games 3-5 Saturday thru Sunday.

Crabs Drop Third Game, Makes Things Interesting

2009-09-27T11:24:00.002-04:00

Despite getting out to an early 2-0 lead, the Crabs were unable to hold off the rallying Ducks.

John Ramistella led off the game with a double and moved to third on a sac bunt laid down by James Shanks. Rambo then scored on an infield single hit by Travis Garcia. With only one out, both Patrick Osborn and Cesar Nicolas would be walked to load the bases. Travis would then score on a sacrifice fly hit by Jeremy Owens. The Blue Crabs wouldn't score again until the 7th when John Ramistella blasted a 1 out home run to tie the game at 3. Travis would then double on what was called an error, and came in to score on a hard hit single by Cesar Nicolas to take the lead.

The lead however would be short lived as the Ducks took a commanding lead in the bottom of the 8th. Starter Keith Ramsey was not involved in the decision despite going 5 innings, allowing only 6 hits and 3 earned runs. Keith walked 2 batters, while striking out 4 and allowed a solo homerun. Matt Schweitzer pitched a beautiful 6th, sitting down the Ducks in order. Dane De La Rosa also pitched a gem in the 7th, sitting the Ducks down again in order with a strike out. The strings came unraveled however when Franklyn Gracesqui struggled through the 8th. Franklyn allowed 4 earned runs on only 3 hits and a walk. He would take the loss, his first since joining the Crabs. Big Mac Suzuki closed out the 8th, as Franklyn was unable to get an out before departing. Big Mac allowed two hits while striking out one.

The Blue Crabs look to come back strong from the loss last night, playing the Ducks Sunday at 3:05. Ryan Bicondoa will be making the start for the Crabs, and looks to lead the team to their first Championship Appearance in only their second year of play. Ryan who was the work horse of the team last season, finished this regular season with a 11-6 record and an ERA of 4.66. Ryan made 29 appearances including 3 in relief. He had 2 complete games through 164.1 innings of work, allowing 200 hits and 98 runs only 85 earned. Ryan hit 11 batters, and allowed 10 homeruns while striking out 89 and walking 58.

Blue Crabs Hold on to WIN

2009-09-26T11:06:00.000-04:00

After getting out to an early 5-0 lead the Blue Crabs had to work hard to hold off the rallying Ducks.

The scoring got started early for the Crabs, getting 3 runs in the 3rd off the bats of John Ramistella and James Shanks. After a couple of singles, Rambo broke the scoreless affair with a single to drive in team captain Jeremy Owens. Not wanting to have a repeat of the night before, James Shanks then cleared the bases with a two-run triple scoring catcher Octavio Martinez and Rambo. We would add a couple more runs in the 5th when Jeremy would single to score Michael Tucker and James would add an additional RBI to his day, singling to score Cesar Nicolas.

The Blue Crabs pitching saw their consecutive scoreless innings come to an end in the top of the 6th, when starter Jarret Grube would give up a solo homerun. After giving up a double, Jarrett left the game after a beautiful 5.1 innings of work. Jarrett allowed only 4 hits, including the two earned runs, while striking out 8 and walking no one. Matt Schweitzer and Paul Estrada each pitched a third of an inning, Matt being perfect and Paul only sacrificing one hit. Dane De La Rosa pitched the 7th, allowing only one hit. Franklyn Gracesqui pitched the 8th allowing two hits while striking out two and gave up an unearned run. Big Mac Suzuki pitched the 9th allowing one unearned run on a walk and a strike out, getting his second save in as many nights.

Tomorrow Night the Blue Crabs look to take on the Ducks in game three of this five game series. The game will be played at 7:05 in Central Islip, New York.

Playoffs! Game 1 of the Divisionals Recap

2009-09-25T16:09:00.003-04:00

Game one of the Blue Crabs playoffs was a nail bitter for sure, however the Crabs were able to hold on through 9 innings to their one - nothing and win. This early win brings the series to 1 games to none for the Blue Crabs over the Long Island Ducks.

John Halama got the start for the Blue Crabs, going 8 beautiful innings. John who had been playing with the AAA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, scattered 4 hits while striking out 4 and walking no one. He allowed no runs to score, and got a first pitch strike on the first 5 batters he faced. New Comer Mac Suzuki pitched the ninth, facing 4 batters, striking out one and walking one. He also allowed no runs to score completing the team shut out.

The only run of the game came in the first inning, when with one out James Shanks had a broken bat double, the first hit of the game. After another out was recorded, Patrick Osborn stepped up to plate and stroked the first RBI in Blue Crabs playoff history, a one-two count single.

Patrick Osborn's RBI single in the bottom of the first.

Tonight the Blue Crabs face the Long Island Ducks at home again, and are looking to start Righty Jarrett Grube. Grube has a 3.36 ERA in 16 appearances, 12 of which were starts. He has a 3-1 record through 75.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 90 hits including 30 runs only 28 of which were earned. He has allowed 4 homeruns while hitting two batters. He has struck out 56 batters while walking only 21.

Roster Changes

2009-09-19T21:54:00.002-04:00

In an attempt to make the team into a well oiled machine for the playoffs Manager Butch Hobson has added some new faces as well as reacquired some familiar faces. In order to make these changes easier for my readers I am going to post a full roster breaking the players into categories of people who have been here the majority of the year/came before September, reacquisition, new comers and inactive/disabled players.

Long Term Roster

Pitchers
Ryan Bicondoa
Dane De La Rosa
Paul Estrada
Joe Gannon
Jarrett Grube
Mike James
Matt Righter
Matt Schweitzer

Catchers
Lance Burkhart
Octavio Martinez

Infielders
Chuck Jeroloman
Mike Just
Patrick Osborn
Michael Tucker

Outfielders
Jeremy Owens
John Ramistella
James Shanks
Richard Giannotti

Recent Acquisitions/New Faces

Pitchers
Franklyn Gracesqui
Makato (Mac) Suzuki

Infielders
Cesar Nicolas

Outfielders
Brent Krause

Reacquisition

Pitchers
John Halama
Jason LaVorgna

Inactive/Disabled List

Pitchers
Randy Keisler (IA)
Jason Navarro (IA)
Keith Ramsey (IA)
Edward Rodriguez (DL)

Catchers
Dustin Spruill (IA)

Infielders
Trae Bailey (IA)
Anthony Perry (IA)
Ken Harvey (DL)

Hope This helps!

New faces and changing places

2009-09-11T18:46:00.001-04:00

We have added a new face to the Blue Crabs in first baseman Cesar Nicolas who wears number 19. Returning to the Blue Crabs is short stop Travis Garcia back in his number 7 moving pitcher Jarrett Grube to number 11. Also we have added relief pitcher Jason Richardson who has been wearing number 35. And an outfielder has been added to our roster in number 10 Brent Krause.

Dustin Spruill, Anthony Perry, and Trae Bailey have all been moved to the inactive list.

Also Ken Harvey has been moved to the disabled list with some wrist soreness as evident by the way he's been taping it lately.

August 28th-30th; Home Verses Bridgeport

2009-08-30T11:25:00.001-04:00

Following my August post of doing series recaps verses individual game reports, I have found the series recaps to be easier to read and provide much of the same information just in a more concise format. I will however for playoffs return to the individual game recaps.

August 28th-30th; Home Verse Bridgeport

Game 1: Loss, 9-6*
Game 2: Loss, 8-1
Game 3: Win, 13-5

*Game one of this series went 6 hours and 42 minutes, and through 18 innings, tying the record for number of innings but breaking the league record for time. A separate post will be created for this game.

Game two saw the Blue Crabs drop their second in a row at home against Bridgeport, but did not see them shut out. Their only run came in the bottom of the 7th, when after 3 consecutive singles by Ken Harvey, James Shanks and Jeremy Owens; Octavio Martinez hit an RBI single to right. The starter Keith Ramsey was nearly perfect through the first six allowing only two runs, but would soon run into trouble in the top of the 7th were 5 runs would be plated on his watch. An additional run would score on a solo home run given up by Paul Estrada. Recent reacquisition Jason Navarro would finish out the game allowing only one hit while getting one strike out through 2+ innings of work. The third game of the series was significantly better for the Crabs, getting the win to avoid the sweep while falling just one run short of their season high. The game also saw every Blue Crabs batter get a hit, with bullpen catcher and recent acquisition Dustin Spruill going 4 for 4 in only his second professional start. James Shanks, Patrick Osborn and Chuck Jeroloman all had home runs, chasing the Bridgeport starting pitcher after only two innings of work. The game was just about over, as the Crabs took a 8-0 lead in the second, and starter Joe Gannon did not concede a run until the 4th allowing only 5 runs for the Bluefish between the forth and fifth. However, only 4 of those 5 runs were earned; and Joe only walked 1 batter while striking out 4 through 6.2 innings of work. Mike James also saw action on the mound going 1.1 innings allowing only 2 hits while striking out 1. Matt Righter finished off the game in the 9th, striking out two while maintaining his current 0.00 ERA.

August

2009-08-27T22:21:00.005-04:00

I did not realize that I had gotten so far behind in my game recaps. I have missed the majority of the month of August as I have been preparing to return to school and taking driving lessons. Rather then bombard my blog with 30 posts at once I will use this post to recap the 8 series I have missed and hopefully will be able to get back to posting after every game. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused for my readers and hope that this will be the best approach to making up lost ground. I have tried to update on the happenings of the team as far as transactions and trades. I will create a post shortly about the current roster and update on the players who have reached the minor league.

Series Recaps

July 30th - Away Verses Long Island

The Blue Crabs defeated the Ducks 6-2.

July 31st - August 2nd - Home Verses Lancaster

Game 1- Win 5-1
Game 2- Loss 7-6
Game 3- Rain out, to be made up 9/19 at Lancaster

Highlights- The Blue Crabs dominated in the first game, with 3 RBIs coming from Richard Giannotti while pitcher Mike O'Connor shut down the Barnstormers. The second game was not so good to the Crabs. They got out to an early lead but were ultimately the losers in 13 innings of play. It was Jason LaVorgna's first lost, after giving up the game winning solo homerun in the top of the 13th.

August 3rd - August 6th - Away Verses Bridgeport

Game 1- Win 7-2
Game 2- Loss 15-3
Game 3- Win 7-5
Game 4- Win 3-1

Highlights- After being one hit through the first 5.1 innings of the first game, a 3 run blast by Patrick Osborn awoke the bats of the Crabs propelling them towards the 7-2 win. The second game saw the bluefish more then double the number of hits of the Blue Crabs. But the third and forth games saw the Blue Crabs reclaim their winning ways. Again the Blue Crabs were held scoreless through 5 in the third game but found a way to come back and win, shutting down the Bluefish offense down in the last 3 innings. The forth game saw all the offense come in the second inning and proved to be enough at the Crabs outscore the Fish 3-1 in the inning. The hero being again Richard Giannotti who had a two run double off the first base bag.

August 7th - August 9th - Home Verses Camden

Game 1- Loss 5-3
Game 2- Loss 6-5
Game 3- Loss 6-4

Highlights- We were unfortunately swept by Camden at home.

August 11th - August 13th - Home Verses Long Island

Game 1- Win 4-1
Game 2- Win 12-7
Game 3- Win 7-3

Highlights - We swept our rivals Long Island, very little is sweeter then doing that. An 8th inning Rally gave the Crabs the win, getting 3 runs from 4 consecutive singles and a ground out. The Second game saw the Blue Crabs offense explode getting 6 runs in the bottom of the first and seeing 4 different hitters (Rambo, Ozzie, Harvey and Owens) get bombs. The third game completed the sweep keep the ducks scoreless until the 7th. Rambo had another homerun going the distance in back to back games.

August 14th - August 16th - Away Verses Bridgeport

Game 1- Win 3-2
Game 2- Loss 9-5
Game 3- Win 3-1

Highlights - Jeremy Owens as a pinch hitter had two run homers in extras to win the game in the first game, and again as a pinch hitter in regulation had a two run bomb to win the third game.

August 17th - August 19th - Away Verses York

Game 1- Win 4-3
Game 2- Loss 7-6
Game 3- Win 8-1

Highlights - This was the first series the Blue Crabs have had against the York Revolution since seeing Hitting Coach Andy Etchebarren depart to become York's new manager. The win for York against the Crabs was also Andy's first win as manager. The third game of the season was cut short due to rain but didn't dampen the Blue Crabs explosive offense.

August 20th - August 23rd - Home Verses Newark

Game 1- Win 9-7
Game 2- Win 10-4
Game 3- Rained out, to be made up 9/15
Game 4- Win 6-4

Highlights - We swept Newark at home increasing our win streak to 4 games overall, and 6 of our last home games. The forth game saw Blue Crabs new comer and rookie Trae Bailey score his first professional run in a pinch running appearance in the bottom of the 8th.

August 24th - August 26th - Away Verses Somerset

Game 1- Win 7-6
Game 2- Win 6-5
Game 3- Win 9-4

Highlights - In what very well may have been a preview of the Championship Series, the Blue Crabs were by far the more impressive team, coming from behind in the first two games before dominating the third. The first game was a back and forth battle, seeing the Blue Crabs get out to an early lead before Somerset would take the lead back. This back and forth dance continued until the 5th when the Patriots were only able to tie the game rather then regain the lead. The game would go into extras where in the top of tenth the Blue Crabs would get the game winning run after James Shanks got on via a fielder's choice and scored on a RBI double hit by Michael Tucker. The second game would always go into extras, this time taking 12 innings to find a result. Down 4-0 in the 8th and having had only 1 hit through most of the game. The rally started in the bottom of the 9th when Mike Just was walked, and then scored on a Michael Tucker Homer. Ken Harvey would then walk and be pinch run for by Anthony Perry, while Jeremy Owens would also be walked. Both runners would score on a 2-RBI double hit by Richard Giannotti. In the top of the 12th Mike Just would again start the rally, singling with two outs. Patrick Osborn would shut the door, hitting a homerun to bring the Crabs into their first lead of the game. The final game of the series was much less dramatic, though from the beginnings it appeared to be following the same path. Trae Bailey got his first professional start, going 0-3 with a walk and a run scored, while fielding 100%. After a solo homerun by Jeremy Owens to tie the game in the second it appeared as though it would be another low scoring pitchers duel. Things would change however in the 3rd, when the Crabs would send 11 batters to the plate and score six runs. In his first professional plate appearance Trae Bailey would be walked following a walk issued to Chuck Jeroloman. James Shanks would single to score Jeroloman, while Michael Tucker would walk to load the bases. Tare would score on a single hit by Ken Harvey, while James would score on a single by Jeremy Owens. Michael Tucker would then score on a single by Octavio Martinez. Captain Jeremy Owens would then score on a wild pitch for the 6th run of the inning. The Patriots would not be able to come back from 6 runs down, but the never quitting Blue Crabs would add two runs in the 7th for extra insurance. After Patrick Osborn singled, Ken Harvey doubled and then both runners scored on a double by Jeremy Owens.

Tomorrow the Blue Crabs play at home to face the Bridgeport Bluefish. The Blue Crabs are currently first in their division, with 7 game leads over both the Bluefish and the Ducks. If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, the Crabs would face the Ducks while the Patriots would face the Bears.

Recent Transactions

2009-08-23T16:39:00.001-04:00

Instead of trading Chuck Jeroloman to York we have traded infielder Liu Rodriguez. Also we have traded bull pen catcher Dustin Spruill to the Lancaster Barnstormers both trades for future considerations.

Returning to the Blue Crabs is relief pitcher Jason Navarro who left early in the season to play in Mexico.

Joining the team recently was infeilder Trae Bailey. Trae was a short stop at the division three school Christopher Newport University. Playing in 41 games he hit .409 while leading his team in several batting catergories and being named to the 1st team All-Division.

Rain out

2009-08-22T18:43:00.001-04:00

Tonights game against the Newark Bears has been canceled due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a double headed September 15th.

Chuck Trade

2009-08-19T22:34:00.001-04:00

The trade of Chuck Jeroloman to the York Revolution has been postponed due to Mike Just getting sick.

Another Trade With York

2009-08-19T16:03:00.001-04:00

The Blue Crabs have announced the trading of infielder Chuck Jeroloman to the York Revolution for a player to be named later.

Pitching Switches

2009-08-18T16:46:00.001-04:00

In recent transactions the Blue Crabs have let a few picthers go while aquiring a few new faces.

Right handed relievers Jason Blanton and Jason LaVorgna have both departed. Blanton went home, deciding to shut it down for the remainder of the season in order to continue his arm rehab. LaVorgna was traded to a frontier league team in Kalamazzo, MI. Though LaVorgna is hoping to rejoin the team in about a month when the frontier league season ends. Both Derrick Ellison and Mike O'Conner have departed towards major league organizations. Ellison to the Mets organization and O'Conner to the AAA team of the Royals.

With openings in the pitching line up the Blue Crabs have added a starter and two relievers. The starter is lefty Randy Keisler who previously played with the Yankees before recieving arm surgery. The relievers are Matt Righter, a side-armer righty; and another righty in Dane De La Rosa.

In a simaliar move following the departure of closer Derrick Ellison, fellow lefty Matt Schwietzer has become our unoffical closer getting two saves in his last two attempts.

Two Depart

2009-08-10T03:04:00.001-04:00

Kenny Rayborn has reportedly made his final start for the blue crabs departing the team to go play in taiwan.

Also Mike O'Conner has been signed to triple A ball with the Royals.

Coming back!

2009-08-07T16:54:00.001-04:00

Jason Blanton, our right handed middle reliever, has returned after leaving the team early in the season do to injury. Having him back will definately help our bullpen following the loss of Jimmy Serrano to retirement and Edward Rodriguez over the last month due to injury.

Jimmy Serrano

2009-08-03T14:13:00.002-04:00

Jimmy Serrano has announced his retirement today. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors including his baseball skills training business.

Today's Day Game vs. Lancaster

2009-08-02T19:34:00.001-04:00

Due to the weather and the wet conditions of the field today's game has been canceled. Since we were trailing and had not played the into the 5th inning that game, under Atlantic League rules, should be considered a no-game. A make-up date has not yet been announced.

Blue Crabs Drop out of First, Dropping Shorten Game

2009-07-29T22:47:00.000-04:00

In a game that was shorten by rain to only 6 innings, the Blue Crabs dropped from first to third as now Long Island and Bridgeport lead the division each 1 game ahead of our Crabs.

Ryan Bicondoa went the entire 6-inning game getting the loss, he allowed 5 runs all earned on 12 hits while striking out 5.

The Blue Crabs offense got out to an early lead but was unable to hold on to it. James Shanks would single via a bunt in the second and score on an RBI ground out hit by Ken Harvey. The Crabs would then go on to score 3 more runs in the fourth, including a two run bomb hit by Captain Jeremy Owens that scored James Shanks who has previously scored Patrick Osborn.

In Other Blue Crabs News: John was not in action again tonight. And Joe Gannon will start tomorrow's game against Long Island, before the boys come home for a weekend series against the Lancaster Barnstormers.

Blue Crabs Take First Place

2009-07-28T23:32:00.001-04:00

With one win, the Blue Crabs not only prevented a season high four game losing streak for themselves, but also joined a three way tie for first and dealt Long Island their first 4 game losing streak.

Keith Ramsey got the start on the mound for the Blue Crabs looking to avenge his only loss this season, which came to these same Long Island Ducks. Keith pitched a season high 8 innings in the affair, surrendering only two runs both earned on 5 hits, a walk and 4 strike outs. Mike James then pitched the 9th, allowing two runs on a two run homer. Mike also allowed another hit before the homer, to put a base runner on before the blast.

Offensively the Blue Crabs seemed to be well rested following the off day throughout the league. After getting out to a slow start the Blue Crabs crushed in the late innings. James Shanks had a two run single in the 5th, deep down the left field line. Liu Rodriguez also brought in two on a double in the 6th. After an RBI double by Michael Tucker in the 7th, Richard Giannotti would bring in two on another double. Liu Rodriguez would then hit his 3rd home run of the season, and his first multi run shot in the 9th scoring two including himself.

In Other Blue Crabs News: Jimmy Serrano has been placed on the disabled list, or perhaps the inactive list, as reports are unclear. Regardless I do not see Jimmy leaving the team anytime soon but perhaps is finally being given time off to rest his sore back. Also right fielder John Ramistella has not been in action since Friday's game in Newark. While he was coaching first it has not yet been announced as to the reason for his not playing. I do remember him however appearing to have a nasty cut on his finger and missing a game at home, however if I recall correctly he played the next day. It could very well be that John is just taking some time off to rest after having played almost very game since joining the Blue Crabs in late May.

Blue Crabs Swept

2009-07-26T20:15:00.001-04:00

After sweeping the York Revolution at home, the Blue Crabs were swept but the Newark Bears as again the offense didn't seem to be able to make solid contact with the ball.

Until the 7th inning all of the Blue Crabs offense came from one man, Liu Rodriguez who has two solo home runs, one in the first and another in the 5th. With two outs in the 7th, Richard Giannotti would single and move around base by base until scoring on a single hit by Patrick Osborn. Liu also had a single that inning and Mike Just was walked, loading the bases before Patrick’s RBI single. In the 8th following back to back singles by Michael Tucker and Ken Harvey and a wild pitch to put both in scoring position, Richard would again come through hitting a two RBI single deep down the right center gap. The Crabs would however go quietly in the 9th, ending any hopes of a come from behind win.

Jarrett Grube again started for the Crabs going 5 innings for a no decision, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 3. Jimmy Serrano pitched part of the 6th, getting the loss. Jimmy, who has recently been struggling with back pains, allowed 5 runs all earned on 5 hits and an intentional walk to Carl Everett. Again Paul Estrada and Matt Schweitzer combined for scoreless work, although each only went 0.2 innings in relief. Paul walked on while Matt struck one out. Jason LaVorgna got the nod to close out the game in the 9th, allowing only 1 run on a 2-2 count homerun to Carl Everett before getting the next three batter out in order. The homer was Jason's first earned run surrender of the season in 6 games and 6.1 innings of relief.

Crabs on the other End of a Come behind Win

2009-07-25T23:01:00.000-04:00

After having so many storybook come from behind wins this season, the Blue Crabs are given a taste of their own medicine as Newark came from behind to give the Crabs their second straight loss.

New Comer Mike O'Conner pitched in his second game going 6 innings for a no decision. He allowed 4 runs all earned on 6 hits and two walks. He also struck out 2. Paul Estrada and Matt Schweitzer both pitched scoreless innings of relief, Paul's being the 7th and Matt's in the 8th. Matt did however allow a hit but also struck out one. Derrick Ellison suffered his first loss of the season allowing the game-winning run, after securing only one out in the 9th. He allowed two hits while striking out and walking no one.

The Blue Crabs got out to an early lead, on a solo shot Home run by Patrick Osborn in the first. In the second with the bases load Richard Giannotti hit a two run single scoring Ken Harvey and Jeremy Owens. Our final bout of offense came in the third where Michael Tucker doubled to score James Shanks. Our bats all but went flat, as the Bears bullpen combined to No-hit us through the final five innings of the game. The Bears who have the worst ranked pitching staff in the league, found two newcomers that can get the job done from the bullpen.

Crabs Drop First Game of the Road Trip

2009-07-24T23:49:00.000-04:00

After Sweeping York at home, the Blue Crabs turned to the road where they dropped the first of a 6 game 7-day road trip to the Newark Bears.

Joe Gannon pitched the entire game, suffering his 11th loss of the season. In 8 innings of work (as the Bears did not need their half of the 9th) He allowed 7 runs on 7 hits, however only 5 of those runs were earned. He also walked 6 while striking out 2 but did not give up a single home run in the game. After a rough first inning, Gannon sat down the bears in order in the second and only allowed one base runner in the third on a walk. After getting the first out in the 5th he would allow another walk before getting the next 9 batters out in a row. Although he gave up one single in the 7th it was quickly erased on a caught attempt at stealing.

The Blue Crabs offense appeared to still be on the bus, getting only 2 runs in the game off of a mere 5 hits. The First run came in the second when with one out Ken Harvey would double and score on a balk after Ken had moved to third on a Jeremy Owens single. We would not score again until the 6th when with two out James Shanks would walk and score on a bases loaded walk dealt to Jeremy Owens. In the 9th, Anthony Perry pinch ran for Ken Harvey who was walked, after two consecutive strike outs Mike Just stepped in 0-3 on the day and laced a single into shallow left center field to put runners on the corners. Anthony Perry always the hustler easily made his was to third on the play. The rally would come to an end however as a long ball hit by John Ramistella did not have the distance and hung up over the warning track.

Break out the Brooms!!

2009-07-23T23:56:00.001-04:00

It looked like the Revolution would finally win one against the Crabs, but Captain Jeremy Owens would have none of it.

The Blue Crabs got out to an early lead in the game, getting two runs in the second. With one out, Jeremy Owens would single and Lance Burkhart would be walked, both would come in to score on a double hit by John Ramistella. Their bats however would fall silent for the next four innings, being unable to bring any base runners home while the Revolution would go on a tear scoring five runs between the 4th and the 6th. Just when things seemed at their lowest, John Ramistella led off the 7th with a walk, Liu Rodriguez would also be walked. John would then score on a single hit by James Shanks, Michael Tucker would then single to load the bases and Ken Harvey would walk in a run scoring Liu. Down only one run now the Crabs only need a base hit from their Captain to tie the game and possibly take the lead, but Jeremy wasn't content with merely tying the game, he wanted to make sure the win was final. And with that in a 1-2 count, Jeremy crack a bomb deep over the left field wall, the 4th grand slam in this season for the Blue Crabs, and Jeremy's Second in his Blue Crabs Career.

Ryan Bicondoa got the start tonight going 5.1 innings for the no-decision. He allowed all five of the Revolutions runs on 9 hits and 4 walks while striking out only 2. Mike James would then come in to pitch the remained of the 6th and the 7th, allowing only one walk while striking out two to get the win. Matt Schweitzer would then pitch a scoreless eight while allowing only one hit after striking out two. Derrick Ellison then closed out the game getting his first save of the season allowing only one hit with one strike out, keeping his ERA at nothing.

In Other Blue Crabs News: After the Game, the York Revolution purchased the contract of Infielder Jermy Acey. We wish him the best of luck with them and hope that he will be able to enjoy as much success there as he has had here.

Blue Crabs Beat York again

2009-07-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

After a dramatic come from behind win in extra innings last night, the Blue Crabs looked to win this one in regulation.

Keith Ramsey got the nod for only his 3rd start of this season, going seven innings but only allowing 2 earned runs on six hits. Keith walked one while striking out five; he also had 3 innings where he sat the batters down in order sitting down 14 of 15 batters in a row from the 1st to the 6th. Mike James would then come in to pitch the 8th, allowing one hit while striking out 1. Jimmy Serrano closed out the game in the ninth allowing two hits with one out before striking out a batter.

Despite again having to come from behind following York's early 1-0 lead the Blue Crabs hitters had no problem putting this one away early. Last night's hero Mike Just was given the night off, as Jermy Acey played second. Ken Harvey led off the second with a single, moving around the bases one by one until he would score by an errant play by the shortstop on a ball hit by Octavio Martinez. In the 3rd, the Blue Crabs would take their first lead of the game and would never let it go. After Patrick Osborn led off the inning with a single, James Shanks would get on base via an error by the second baseman; both would score on a three-run homer hit by team captain Jeremy Owens. John Ramistella would add to the lead with a solo shot to lead off the fourth, and Jeremy would hit another long ball, this time a solo shot, in the fifth. Liu Rodriguez would then be walked in the sixth and move to third on a double hit by Patrick Osborn. Liu would score on a single hit by James Shanks and Patrick would score on a single hit by Jeremy Owens. That would bring the score to it's final total of 8-2 a commanding win for the Crabs.

Blue Crabs Rally Back!

2009-07-21T23:59:00.000-04:00

The Boys all stampede Mike Just after he hit the game winning single to bring in pinch runner Anthony Perry, as they win in Dramatic fashion in extra innings.

Jarrett Grube made his second start for the Blue Crabs going 6 innings, scattering 10 hits while allowing 4 earned runs while striking out 9. Jimmy Serrano pitch the 7th, allowing one run on a hit and two walks, while striking out two. Jason LaVorgna pitched from the 8th into the tenth. Having been deactivated and reactivated recently this was his first action in a while. He went 2.1 innings scoreless allowing one hit and walking one. Most notably he struck out Jason Aspito who had been batting 1000 in the game. Matt Schweitzer pitched the remainder of the tenth allowing only one hit. Paul Estrada got the win allowing 2 runs both unearned on 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out one.

After getting runs in the first three innings, the Blue Crabs would have to wait until the 9th to score again. Liu Rodriguez led off the game with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt hit by Mike Just. Liu would score on a double hit by Patrick Osborn. Patrick would then score on a ground rule double hit by Michael Tucker. Lance Burkhart would the hit a home run in the second to bring the run total to 3. In the 3rd Patrick Osborn would double again and score on a single hit by Ken Harvey. In the 9th the Blue Crabs would tie the game at 5 after Liu singled to lead off the inning. Liu moved to third on an error by the Revolution Shortstop. He then scored when Patrick got on base again. In the bottom of the 11th the Crabs were down by two runs and down to their last out, when Ken Harvey would hit a deep homerun down the left field line. Jeremy Owens would also homer in the same place. The game now tied, Lance Burkhart would single and be pinch run for by Anthony Perry. Richard Giannotti would be walked and Liu Rodriguez would be hit by a pitch. The bases now loaded; Mike Just stepped up to the plate. Working in a 2-1 count Mike lined a single in deep left center over the center fielders head, winning the game in dramatic fashion.

Blue Crabs Win in Commanding Fashion

2009-07-20T23:13:00.000-04:00

After dropping last night’s game, the Blue Crabs came out swinging getting two multi-run home runs in the game.

Michael Tucker led off the 2nd inning with a triple, scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by Ken Harvey. The Blue Crabs would add to their one run lead in the 4th when Liu Rodriguez would lead off with a single. After two outs, Liu was at second coming in to score on a double hit by Ken Harvey. Ken would then score on home run hit by Jeremy Owens deep in left field. After getting out to a four run lead, the Crabs would add 3 more runs in the 8th. Octavio Martinez doubled to lead off the 4th, going on to score after moving to third on a sacrifice type hit by Richard Gannett. Octavio then scored on a single hit by Liu Rodriguez. Liu would then score on a hard hit homerun by Patrick Osborn deep to left field.

Mike O'Conner made his first start as a Blue Crab going 5 innings of scoreless ball. He scattered 5 hits while striking out 4. He was relieved in the 6th by Paul Estrada who gave up the only run on the night. Paul went 1.2 innings allowing 1 unearned run on 2 hits and a strike out. Matt Schweitzer then pitched the final out of the 7th, getting a strike out to end the inning. Mike James pitched the 8th scoreless allowing one walk while striking out one. Derrick Ellison got the final inning of the game, going hitless and scoreless with one strike out.

Blue Crabs Lose Two in the 8th, Lose Game

2009-07-19T20:13:00.000-04:00

After a questionable called 3rd strike, both John Ramistella and Butch Hobson would be ejected from the game. The Crabs would then go on to lose the last game in the series against Camden, unable to mount a comeback for third game in a row.

Camden Jumped out to an early lead facing Starter Joe Gannon. Joe scattered 8 hits over 8 innings of work, allowing 5 runs all earned while walking 2 and striking out 3. Joe got the loss making his record 7-10. Matt Schweitzer pitched the 9th inning, keeping the game close allowing only one hit while striking out one.

Ken Harvey started off the scoring for the Blue Crabs, singling to lead off the second inning. He would move to third on a hard hit single by Richard Giannotti and would score on a single hit by John Ramistella. The Crabs would then be sat down in order in the 3rd and 4th. We would score again in the 7th after Richard Giannotti led off the inning with a single, he would move to third on a double hit by Chuck Jeroloman. Richard would then score on a ground out hit by John Ramistella and Chuck would move to third. After Mike Just was walked, Chuck would then score on a sacrifice fly hit by Patrick Osborn. That would however be the end of the Blue Crabs scoring.

Another One Makes the Jump

2009-07-19T12:01:00.002-04:00

Closer Matt Hensley has recently been signed to a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He will be playing with their double A team in New Hampshire. We wish him the best of luck in all his endeavors! Congratulations Matt!!

Comeback KINGS

2009-07-18T23:08:00.001-04:00

After the dramatics of coming back from behind last night, the Blue Crabs took this game into extras but still pulled out the win. Again the Riversharks got out to an early lead but they must have forgotten about last night and our ability to come back from almost any deficit.

Ryan Bicondoa pitched the entire 9 innings of regular baseball scattered 9 hits while allowing 5 runs and striking out a record 8 batters for him. He only walked two batters on the evening while allowing 1 Home Run. The Home Run he allowed came in the 4th and was a 3-run homer giving the Riversharks a 4-0 lead. He allowed one more run in the 6th but despite going 9 innings he was left with a no decision. Derrick Ellison came in to pitch the 10th inning allowing 2 hits while walking one and striking out one.

Our runs took awhile to come. In the 5th inning we finally got on the board when Jermy Acey singled and scored on an Octavio Martinez triple. Octavio would then score on a ground out by John Ramistella. We'd add another run in the 8th when Liu Rodriguez would single and score on a single hit by Michael Tucker. In the 9th we'd tie the game at 5 when Octavio would get on via a fielder's choice and then move to third on a single hit by John Ramistella who would steal second to get into scoring position. Both would score on a double hit by Liu... all of which happened with two outs. In the bottom of the tenth with the score tied at 5 and one out Ken Harvey would double on a long ball that bounced over the wall. Mike Just would then come in to pinch run, almost getting picked off within seconds of getting on second but diving back safely. After another out, and with Mike still at second Jermy Acey would come up to bat and be walked. In stepped Catcher Octavio Martinez who was three for four on the day. He was in a 1-2 count when he would drop a single deep in left field and running hard all the way Mike Just would score sliding into home. A dramatic end to a dramatic comeback.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We have lost closer Matt Hensley to the Toronto Blue Jays, and we have signed a new starting pitcher, a lefty named Mike O'Conner. Also we have removed Jason LaVorgna from the inactive list.

Putting the ACE in Acey

2009-07-17T23:41:00.000-04:00

After Camden got out to an early lead, Jermy Acey brought with him some late inning dramatics winning the game for the Blue Crabs with one swing of his bat.

After Camden jumped on us for a 3-0 lead in the top of the first we quickly answered back in the bottom of the inning. With one out Liu Rodriguez was walked, and Patrick Osborn singled putting runners at first and second. Michael Tucker then doubled to score Liu, Jeremy Owens was then walked to load the bases and on a hard hit single hit by Jermy Acey two runners would score. We wouldn't score again until the 6th, when down by 1 run and with two outs catcher Lance Burkhart hit the then tying run via Home Run over the wall in left center. Things would get scary when in the 8th the Riversharks put up two runs... and it almost looked like we might drop the first home game of the second half. But you can never forget about the Blue Crabs, a team full of heroes. James Shanks lead off the bottom of the ninth with a single, Michael Tucker would follow suit but be replaced by Richard Giannotti to pinch run. After Jeremy got the first out of the inning on a strike out, Jermy Acey would step up to bat... Everyone was on the edge of their seats when out of nowhere THE DOUBLE STEAL! Both James and Richard stole bases at the same time to both runners in scoring position to tie the game. Jermy however would not be content with merely tying the game as he then laced a towering bomb over the picnic area in left field... Watching him run around the bases and jumping into the team who had crowded around the plate was a sight to behold. The camaraderie of this team is amazing.

The offense however is not the only story of the game, as great defensive plays along with stellar pitching kept the game close and gave the Crabs a chance to make a comeback. Starter Keith Ramsey got roughed up in the first inning, allowing a two-run Home Run and seeing 6 batters come to the plate. He pitched 5th innings scattering 8 hits and 4 runs while walking 3 and striking out 3. Paul Estrada would then pitch the 6th allowing only one hit and striking out one while allowing no runs. Matt Schweitzer also pitched an inning allowing no hits, runs or walks while striking out 2. Mikes James pitched the 8th and struggled a bit allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with a walk and a strike out. Matt Hensley would then pitch the top of the 9th getting the win, after pitching a scoreless innings allowing only one hit and a walk while striking out two.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We have added yet another first baseman in Ken Harvey. Harvey has had major League time.

Crabs Put up Big Numbers Against the Revolution... Again!

2009-07-16T23:21:00.001-04:00

After pounding the Revolution 11-1 last night, the Blue Crabs offense and pitchers came together for a 14-0 shutout of the Revolution offense.

Newcomer Jarrett Grube made his first start going 5 innings for the win. He scattered five hits while striking out two and walking only one. Jimmy Serrano then came in to pitch going two innings of scoreless relief while allowing only 2 hits. He also walked one and struck out 1. Lefty Derrick Ellison pitched the 8th going scoreless and hitless while striking out and walking no one. Finally Paul Estrada would close out the game going the entire 9th inning without allowing anyone to score despite allowing two hits and walking one.

Our offense was once again booming as we put up 14 runs through only 6 innings as we did not score in the 7th, 8th or 9th. John Ramistella got things going early leading off the game with a ground rule double. Patrick Osborn would then walk to put runners at first and second before James Shanks would load the bases with a single. Two runs would score on newcomer Michael Tucker's Double and Shanks would move to third. Jeremy Owens would walk to again load the bases and a third run would score on a Jermy Acey sacrifice fly. In the second with one out John Ramistella would again go deep getting a triple before scoring on a wild pitch. In the third James Shanks would single to lead off the inning and then come in to score on a Michael Tucker 2-run Home Run. In the Fourth Liu Rodriguez was walked with one out and then Patrick Osborn was hit by a pitch to put two runners on in front of James Shanks. James would then go on to hit a 3-run Home Run. For the first time all game in the fifth we went scoreless, however, 9 runs would not be enough for our Blue Crabs as then would add 5 more in the 6th. With two out Patrick Osborn singled and then James Shanks singled. Michael Tucker was walked and then Jeremy Owens singled to bring in the first run of the inning. Jermy Acey who had been 0-2 on the night with a sacrifice fly came up to bat, and what an at-bat it was. For the third time this season we hit a GRAND SLAM! Always an exciting moment to hit a Grand Slam and many congratulations goes out to Jermy on doing so.

Crabs Pound Revolution

2009-07-15T23:32:00.001-04:00

The Blue Crabs came out swinging in the 5th getting 8 runs to break up a scoreless game.

Octavio Martinez lead off the 5th inning with an error to get on base but would soon return to the dugout getting out on a fielder's choice hit into by Chuck Jeroloman. John Ramistella would double score Chuck and then Mike Just would single. Patrick Osborn would single scoring John and then James Shanks would be intentionally walked. Jermy Acey would single scoring Mike. Lance Burkhart would double scoring James Shanks and Patrick Osborn. Octavio would come up to bat for the second time in the inning scoring Jermy Acey and Lance Burkhart with a double. Octavio would then score on a RBI double hit by Chuck Jeroloman. Eight runs however would not be enough for the Crabs at they would add two runs on a two run home run hit by Patrick Osborn in the 6th after Mike Just singled to lead off the inning. A final run would come in the 9th when Jeremy Owens would walk and advance to third on a wild pitch. He would cross the plate on a sacrifice fly hit by Lance Burkhart.

Kenny Rayborn was nearly perfect in his start going 5.2 innings of scoreless and hitless ball before allowing the only hit of the game a solo home run to Jason Aspito. Kenny struck out two batters and walked no one going 8 innings. Paul Estrada closed out the game getting a strike out while surrendering a walk but allowing no runs. In the Blow Out win both Richard Giannotti and Anthony Perry saw action.

Crabs Drop Undefeated Revolution

2009-07-14T23:02:00.001-04:00

Despite the fact that the Revolution were getting off to the best start in the league, the Blue Crabs were able to pull off a win against them.

Joe Gannon pitched a gem of a start going 7 innings without allowing a runner to score on his watch; he would however give up one run. Gannon struck out 4 batters while only walking one. Joe scattered 4 hits through 7 innings, including a lead off single given up in the 8th before coming out of the game. Lefty Matt Schweitzer pitched the 8th and appeared to struggle slightly. After giving up a single to begin his outing, the two base runners were advanced into scoring position by a sacrifice bunt. Matt would then hit the next batter, P.J. Rose who had recently hit a game-winning walk off grand slam. Schweitzer would then walk in a run that would be charged to Joe Gannon before striking out the last two batters of the inning. Matt Hensley would pitch the 9th. With a two run lead going into the inning; Matt would allow a lead off single. He would then strike out the next two batters, but the base runner would successfully steal second to put himself into scoring position. After getting the first two outs, Matt gave up an RBI single to shrink the lead to one. Hensley would however finish out the inning keeping the save and win intact by striking out the last batter he faced.

Richard Giannotti gave the Blue Crabs an early with a solo home run in the 3rd. The Crabs wouldn't score again until the 7th when they would add 2 more runs. With one out Liu Rodriguez would be hit by a pitch and score on an RBI double hit by Patrick Osborn. Patrick would also score coming in on a sacrifice fly hit by Jeremy Owens. Those three runs would be just enough to secure the Blue Crabs win over the York Revolution.

In Other Blue Crabs News: The Blue Crabs have granted Byron Batson his outright release from the team and have also traded Vinnie DeChristofaro to the American Association for future considerations. To help soften the blow of losing Eric Crozier and Travis Garcia in recent weeks, the Blue Crabs have signed former Major Leaguer Michael Tucker who is most likely going to be our new first baseman. Jason LaVorgna still remains on the inactive list while Edward Rodriguez remains on the disabled list. Also in action tonight was Blue Crabs second baseman Mike Just who missed the Long Island series while attending to a family matter.

Blue Crabs Pull off A Stunner

2009-07-13T23:12:00.000-04:00

In the final game against the Long Island Ducks the Blue Crabs were able to pull off a win after dropping the first 3 games of the second half.

It wasn't until the 9th inning that the 3-3 tie achieved in the 3rd inning would be broken. In the second inning Jermy Acey would get on base with one out via a single. Two batters later Jermy would score on Octavio Martinez's single. In the 3rd the Blue Crabs would pick up two more runs getting back-to-back home runs from James Shanks and Jeremy Owens. The game would remain tied until the 9th inning when the Long Island Ducks would break down defensively. With two outs and extra innings looking certain as the Ducks ace closer Bill Simas was pitching, John Ramistella would get on base via a dropped pop up. Liu Rodriguez would use this to the Crabs advantage, as he would single advancing John to 3rd. Then through all improbability Simas threw a wild pitch and John came into to score the winning run.

Ryan Bicondoa pitched 7 innings for a no decision. He scattered 8 hits allowing the only 3 runs for the Ducks in the first and third innings. He walked 4 batters while also striking out 4. In the 5th Ryan had a pick off double play. After giving up a lead of single, Ryan walked the second batter-putting runners at 1st and 2nd. The lead runner would then be thrown out by play from Jeremy Owens to Chuck Jeroloman when the runner was trying to advance to third on another single given up by Ryan. Ryan however would redeem himself, getting both runners picked off on a single move. Ryan tagged the runner out moving form second to third and then threw to Jermy Acey at second who tagged out the runner going from first to second to end the inning. In the 8th Derrick Ellison came in to face on batter striking him out. Mike James would then pitch the rest of the 8th allowing a single and a walk between bookending outs. Matt Hensley then came in for an attempted save, giving up a lead off single before sitting the next 3 down in order, including a strike out.

Crabs 0-3 Thru Second Half

2009-07-12T22:28:00.000-04:00

The Blue Crabs do not appear to be off to a strong start for the second half, dropping to 0-3 on the half losing all three games to the Long Island Ducks.

Keith Ramsey pitched in his second game of the season going 5.1 innings for the loss. After getting out to a strong start through 4 innings Keith would struggle through the 5th. He surrendered 2 runs in the 4th, and then 3 more in the 5th on a 3 run home run. Keith allowed a total of 5 runs all earned on 11 hits and a strike out. Paul Estrada would then come in to finish the 6th and the entire 7th. Paul allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out 1 during the inning and two-third. Jimmy Serrano pitched the ninth, allowing a lead off home run before getting a looking strike out. With two outs he allowed a single that would be negated on a fielder's choice.

The Crabs again managed to score 2 runs. The First of which came off a lead off double hit by Liu Rodriguez. Liu scored on an RBI single hit by Jeremy Owens. Richard Giannotti would then lead off the 6th with a walk and advance to third on a wild pick off attempt by the pitcher. He would then score on a RBI double hit by Patrick Osborn.

Crabs Drop Second in a Row

2009-07-11T23:12:00.000-04:00

The Ducks got out to an early 3-0 lead and held on to win 6-2.

Byron Batson made his first start for the Crabs. He pitched the entire 1st and faced two batters in the second before being pulled from the game. He allowed 5 hits and 4 runs all earned. He walked one batter and struck one out. Newcomer Jarrett Grube would pitch for 3.2 innings, allowing 2 runs, one earned, on 3 hits. Grube intentionally walked 1 batter while striking out 3. Derrick Ellison would pitch 1.1 innings allowing only one hit while striking out 2. Matt Schweitzer would pitch a scoreless inning while striking out one. Mike James also pitched a scoreless and hitless inning.

The Crabs scored only 2 runs. The First run came in the 3rd; with one out John Ramistella would walk and score on a fielder's choice hit into by James Shanks. Our second run came in the 7th. Chuck Jeroloman led off the inning with a single, and would score on an RBI error hit by Blue Crabs Newcomer Liu Rodriguez.

Crabs Drop First Game of Second Half

2009-07-10T23:37:00.000-04:00

The Blue Crabs started the second half the same way as the first, dropping the first game to the Long Island Ducks.

Kenny Rayborn suffered the loss, going 6.1 innings allowing 2 runs, only one earned, on 5 hits while walking no one and striking out 2. The First run was unearned, as a Duck scored on a rare error by Patrick Osborn at 3rd. The Second run would come on a solo home run hit with 1 out in the 3rd. Newcomer Derrick Ellison would come in to finish the 7th, getting two outs on two pitches. Jimmy Serrano would then come in to start the 8th, getting one out while allowing 2 earned runs on 2 hits. Vinnie DeChristofaro would walk the only batter he faced who would score after he left the game. Paul Estrada would finish off the 8th allowing two hits and striking out two.

Our only run of the game would come in the 4th, when Jeremy Owens would lead off the inning with a double. He would then score on an RBI single hit by Octavio Martinez.

Crabs End Half with a Win

2009-07-09T23:29:00.000-04:00

Joe Gannon pitched in the make up game to end the first half of the season with a win.

Gannon went 7 innings allowing only 6 hits and 2 earned runs. He walked 4 while striking out one and allowing a home run. Both runs given up by Gannon were in the 1st. After allowing a single in the second he retired 11 batters in a row. Jason LaVorgna would pitch in the 8th, getting two outs while allowing 2 hits, and an unearned run. Jason struck one batter out while walking no one. Mike James then came in and finished the 8th getting the final out of the inning. Matt Hensley would then pitch the 9th getting the save on a 1-2-3 inning.

Our offense came in the 2nd and 8th innings. With two outs in the second, Lance Burkhart hit a double scoring on a hard hit single by Octavio Martinez. Chuck Jeroloman would follow with a single before he and Octavio would score on a 3-run home run hit by John Ramistella. In the 8th James Shanks would single and score on a two run home run hit by Jermy Acey to bring the Blue Crabs Lead up to 3.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We ended the first half with a 42-28 record, good for first place in our division and a playoff berth. After the game we made some transactions. We added infielder Liu Rodriguez, and pitcher Derrick Ellison. To make room for these new players we placed Jason LaVorgna on the inactive list. We also placed Edward Rodriguez on the disabled list.

Blue Crabs Avoid the Four Game Sweep

2009-07-08T21:45:00.001-04:00

An amazing performance by starter Ryan Bicondoa gave the Blue Crabs their first win since clenching the Playoffs.

Ryan went 8 innings allowing only 6 hits and 1 earned run. He walked only one batter while striking out 5. Half of the innings Ryan pitched were 1-2-3 innings. His first run and only run would come in the 6th. After a lead off single, Ryan would get the next two batters out before a bouncing triple would score the initial runner. The Ball would bounce over the glove of first baseman Octavio Martinez. In his first action in a while Jimmy Serrano would close out the game in the 9th, facing only 3 batters, striking out the first batter he faced. The rest obviously helped Jimmy, as every first pitch he threw was a strike. He threw only 2 balls in relief.

The Blue Crabs would get all of their runs in the first and second. With one out Jermy Acey would double, and then score on double hit by Patrick Osborn. Patrick would score on a single hit by James Shanks. James would then score on a double hit by Octavio Martinez. In the second this time with two outs Jermy would single, Patrick would then walk and both would come in on a 3 run home run hit by James Shanks. In action tonight and getting his first start of the season was catcher Anthony Perry. Perry was the designated hitter tonight going 0-4 but reaching base in the 6th on an error. Perry was 4-26 last season in limited action with the Crabs but is always full of energy when he gets the call. After getting on base he would go as far as third, hustling on a single hit by Jermy Acey, he slid into third ahead of the throw. Not in action today was Mike Just who was taking some personal time. With the limited number of infielder's we can expect to see Patrick Osborn at 3rd, Chuck Jeroloman at short as every day short stop Travis Garcia has been signed by the Seattle Mariners and assigned to their Double-A squad, Jermy Acey at second and Octavio Martinez at first should Mike not play again tomorrow.

Blue Crabs Drop 3rd Game Since Clenching

2009-07-07T23:19:00.000-04:00

Although we got out to an early lead, it would prove to not be enough, as our bats would stop working after the 6th where the final 9 batters would be sat down in order through the final 3 innings.

After a lead off single James Shanks would move to 3rd with some speedy running on a single hit by Jermy Acey. A costly Balk by the Barnstormer's pitcher would bring in Shanks and move Acey to second. Acey would then score on a 2 run Home run by Octavio Martinez. John Ramistella would then lead off the 3rd with a single and Mike Just would get on base via an errant play by the second baseman. John and Mike would advance a base on a wild pitch. John would score on a single hit by Patrick Osborn and Mike would score on a ground out. Patrick would then score on an RBI single hit by Jermy Acey. After a quite 4th the Blue Crabs would add 3 more runs in the 5th. After a lead off double by Patrick Osborn, and would advance to third on a single by James Shanks. Shanks would then steal second to put two runners in scoring position. Jermy Acey would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases. Lance Burkhart would be walked and bring in a run, as would Octavio Martinez. With Jermy Acey at 3rd, Chuck Jeroloman would single bringing in Acey who would barrel through the catcher who was blocking the plate. The two would exchange some words but nothing serious would take place. A final run was scored by James Shanks after leading off the 6th inning with a triple and would come in on a sacrifice fly by Jeremy Owens.

Blue Crabs Newcomer Keith Ramsey made his first start of the season going 5 innings allowing only 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 walks and 2 strike outs. In his first inning he faced only 3 batters getting two groundouts and a fly out. After giving up a single in the second he made a beautiful pick off move. A move that had me fooled as a spectator. Catching the first baseman of the Stormer's leading off too far Keith threw the ball to Patrick Osborn who then toss it to Jermy Acey who tagged the runner out. Keith would struggle through the 3rd facing 10 batters. After getting the first out he would allow two singles and a triple that cleared the bases. Keith would then walk Michael Woods before giving up a double that score the runner on third. Woods would score on a RBI ground out. Keith would then walk two more batters before getting his third out from the same batter who got the first out. Keith would then clean up his act allowing only two more base runners through the next two innings on a walk and a single. He would strike out two batters in those two innings. Another newcomer Jarrett Grube would pitch in relief of Ramsey, going 1.2 innings allowing 5 hits but only 1 earned run while striking out two. The run would score after 3 consecutive hits given up by Jarrett. Both pitchers came to the Crabs on the 6th of July. Matt Schweitzer would pitch 2/3rds of an inning closing out the 7th. Matt would allow an uncharacteristic 3 hits including 2 earned runs while striking out one. Mike James would then close out the 8th allowing no hits or runs while striking out no one. In yet another uncharacteristic performance Matt Hensley gave up 5 earned runs on 3 hits while walking 3. He had one strike out while facing almost the entire Barnstormer's line up. Vinnie DeChristofaro would then come in to get the final out of the game, giving up a single before getting his second batter faced to hit into a fielder’s choice.

Blue Crabs Drop Second in a Row in Extras

2009-07-06T23:58:00.000-04:00

In a heartbreaking extra innings affair the Blue Crabs come up one run short. In the top of the 13th L.J. Biernbaum hit a solo homerun off of right-hander Byron Batson to win the game for the Lancaster Barnstormers.

The Blue Crabs got off to a 4-0 lead after the second. Designated Hitter Lance Burkhart led off the inning with a single followed by back-to-back walks by John Ramistella and Mike Just. Lance and John would then score on a single hit by Travis Garcia. Mike and Travis would score on a 2 RBI double hit by Patrick Osborn who appears not only to be feeling better but hitting better too. In the third we would add 2 more runs after Jeremy Owens led off the inning by being hit by a pitch. He would move to second on a wild pitch and then would score on a ground rule double hit by Jermy Acey. Jermy would score on an RBI single hit by Octavio Martinez down the 3rd baseline. In the fifth Lance Burkhart would again single and score. Our final run came in the 9th on a two out solo home run hit by John Ramistella to tie the game and send it into extra innings. Although the crabs started the 9th with a 7-6 lead the Barnstormers would take the lead 8-7 before John tied the game up.

The Blue Crabs used 6 pitchers in the 13-inning affair. Starter Joe Gannon would pitch 7.2 innings allowing 11 hits and 6 runs all earned while walking five and striking out 1. He also hit a batter. Joe only faced 6 batters through the first two innings before giving up a lead off home run in the 3rd. After walking 3 batters and getting two outs, Jeremy Owens would make a beautiful diving rolling running catch to end the inning and save any more runs from scoring. While Joe had three 1 run innings, he would come out of the game after allowing a 3 run home run. Matt Schweitzer would get the final out of the 8th, a 4-pitch strike out. Mike James would then pitch the 9th walking the first batter he faced. He then struck out the next batter and got another to hit into a ground out. Twice with 2 strikes Mike would allow singles before allowing a third that would bring in the would-be winning run. However Mike was saved from taking the loss by the bat of John Ramistella. Newcomer Paul Estrada would pitch the 10th and 11th, allowing only 1 hit while striking out 3 and walking 1. Byron Batson would take the loss giving up the winning home run to L.J. Biernbaum after getting the first 4 batters he faced out in the 12th and into the 13th. Vinnie DeChristofaro would come in for the final two outs of the 13thwhile facing only two batters.

Blue Crabs Drop Series Final

2009-07-05T23:46:00.000-04:00

After winning two games back to back against the defending champs, the Blue Crabs drop the series final to the Somerset Patriots.

Starter Kenny Rayborn pitched 6 beautiful innings, including four 1-2-3 innings. He started off the game with getting the first 3 batters to sit down in order only to lead off the second with a walk. The second would be Kenny's worst inning, allowing one run to score while walking 3 and allowing 2 hits. Kenny would allow one more hit and a run while striking out two batters. Byron Batson pitched the 7th and into the 8th. He sat down the 3 batters in the 7th in order. After getting the first out in the 8th, Byron would allow a bunt single and then come out of the game in favor of lefty Vinnie DeChristofaro. Vinnie would go on to get the loss allowing Byron's base runner to score and allowing an additional run of his own to score. Vinnie gave up 2 hits while walking one.

All of the Blue Crabs offense came in the 3rd inning, when Chuck Jeroloman who had been unable to buy a hit led off the inning with a hard hit single between 3rd and short. John Ramistella would walk to advance Chuck but would get out on a fielder's choice hit into by Mike Just who hustled out the double play arriving on base safely. Jermy Acey would walk moving Mike to second while Chuck was on third. Patrick Osborn would single scoring both Chuck and Mike. James Shanks would bring in the final run of the game on an RBI single. Those three runs would however not be enough as the Patriots would win 4-3. We hit into 3 double plays, two of which were inning ending.

Eric Crozier Update

2009-07-05T19:57:00.010-04:00

Recently I had an opportunity to go see Eric play for the Bowie Baysox. It was a great opportunity to see him play and I was able to get a chance to talk to him both before and after the game.

He is an everyday first baseman for the Baysox wearing number 33 and batting 3rd in their order. In 16 games with the Baysox, Eric is hitting a .288 average with 11 runs scored on 15 hits. He has walked 9 times while striking out 15. He has 8 extra base hits spread between 4 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs. Two of his home runs were hit within his first two games playing with the team. He has one stolen base so far. His OBP is .393 while slugging .577 for an OPS of .970.

I was able to see him on July 3rd in the last game in a series against their division leading team Akron Areos. He was 0-2 on the day with a walk. However that is misleading as he laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to advance the runner into scoring position. It was the winning run. Eric told me after the game that it was his first bunt so far with the club. He appeared very comfortable with the team even getting some air time after the game with the third baseman.

While I miss the opportunity to see Eric everyday, getting to see him play for affiliated ball was quite an honor. We have a unique opportunity here with the Blue Crabs, as do all fans of the Atlantic League. These players have either played in the majors, with an affiliated minor league teams or are on their way there, and the managers all have time in the show. Our opportunity is unique because we are given the chance to get to know these players on a more personal level then just fan and player. These guys are good guys and are always willing to talk to us fans after the games, and I know of no one better at this than Eric.

This opportunity to get back to affiliated ball could not have happened to a nicer guy, nor a more deserving player. I will continue to wish Eric the best of luck in all that he does. Below are some shots of Eric from the game.

Eric getting some "air" after the win.

Running after a foul ball. It dropped in the stands right by where I was sitting.

Eric unhappy with a fly out.

Still has one of the smoothest swings I've ever seen.

Running the bases after getting on with a walk.

Eric warming up before the game.

Playoff Bound!!!

2009-07-04T21:18:00.002-04:00

The Blue Crabs took a commanding lead in the second and refused to relinquish it. They were determined to get their first playoff berth in team history and were successful.

Starter Edward Rodriguez pitched only 4 innings for a no decision, as a starter must go at least 5 innings to get the decision. He allowed only 4 hits surrendering one earned run while walking a batter and striking out two. Usual Starter Ryan Bicondoa, who pitched only 2.2 innings in his last outing, pitched 2 innings of scoreless and hitless relief. Although he walked two batters he also struck out two getting the win. Newcomer Paul Estrada Pitched one inning of scoreless relief, after allowing a single on an error Estrada went on to strike the next 3 batters. Mike James pitched the 8th inning allowing no hits, walks or runs. Matt Hensley closed out the game and appeared to struggle slightly. Matt gave up 4 hits including a double, and allowed two earned runs all after getting the first two outs of the inning. He walked a batter and struck one out.

James Shanks led off the second inning with a bunt single but would be caught stealing during Jeremy Owens at bat. Jeremy, Jermy Acey, Lance Burkhart and Octavio Martinez would all single. Lance and Octavio's singles would also be RBI singles scoring the first two runs of the night. John Ramistella would bring both runners in on a three run homer to bring the total to 5-0. In the 4th Jermy would get on via a walk and would score on an RBI single hit by Octavio. In the 6th the floodgates would again open, as the Blue Crabs would send 9 batters to the plate and score 6 runs. With one out Lance hit a double followed by a single hit by Octavio. Lance would score on a double hit by John Ramistella. Octavio and John would then score on a double hit by Mike Just. Travis would single and then he and Mike would score on a 3 run home run hit by James Shanks. Jermy would then led off the 7th with a single and score on a double hit by John Ramistella. The 13 runs plated by the Blue Crabs would be more then enough to secure the Blue Crabs win.

In Other Blue Crabs News: WE'RE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Other then that there is really nothing new going on. The Blue Crabs finish up the series tomorrow in Somerset and then finish the half off at home. More details about the playoffs and how to get tickets will be posted on the Blue Crabs official website.

One Away

2009-07-03T23:37:00.000-04:00

After getting out to a commanding 5-0 lead after the first inning the Blue Crabs found themselves unable to hold on to the lead but still able to lower their magic number to 1.

Starter Joe Gannon went 5.1 innings for the loss. He allowed 7 earned runs on 12 hits, while walking two batters and allowing a home run. Vinnie DeChristofaro pitched 1.1 innings of relief allowing one hit while walking 3 but no runs. He was replaced in the 6th by newcomer Paul Estrada. Estrada went 2/3rds of an inning allowing one earned run on 3 hits and a strike out. Matt Schweitzer, who has been gold as of late, pitched .2 innings of scoreless and hitless ball striking out both batters he faced.

Almost all the scoring took place in the first inning. John Ramistella led off the game with a solo home run. After three consecutive singles by Mike Just, Travis Garcia and Patrick Osborn, James Shanks would double scoring Mike and Travis. Jeremy Owens would follow suit doubling to score Patrick and James. However after the impressive first inning the Blue Crabs would be baffled not scoring again until the top of the 8th when Jeremy Owens would get his third RBI of the night on a two out home run.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the Long Island loss we are either one win away or one more Long Island loss away from clenching our first playoff berth in team history. Tomorrow we again take on the Somerset Patriots at 5:05 pm on the Fourth of July. Tomorrow's starter will be Edward Rodriguez as we have recently loss starter Kenny Baugh to affiliated ball.

Recent Moves by the Blue Crabs

2009-07-03T21:35:00.002-04:00

Some recent transactions have taken place for the Blue Crabs.

RH Starting pitcher Kenny Baugh was signed by The Houston Astros and was assigned to AA Corpus Christi.

The Blue Crabs have signed two pitchers to bring their roster total to 25.

RHP Paul Estrada is a relief pitcher out of the Astros' Double A team. While Kenny was purchased by the same team it is not a trade as the Astros released Estrada in May.

LHP Keith Ramsey is expected to sign on Monday, just in time for the 4 game home stand. Ramsey, a starter, played for the Blue Crabs last season.

Magic Number Still 2

2009-07-03T00:08:00.002-04:00

After 11 innings of baseball the Ducks pull off another walk off win coming from behind. With the win the Blue Crabs remain 5 ahead of the Ducks with 6 to play.

The Comeback Kids

2009-07-02T23:31:00.002-04:00

After starter Ryan Bicondoa was chased out of the game after only 2.2 innings giving up 5 runs it seemed a complete loss for the Blue Crabs. Facing the Liberty Division first place team the Somerset Patriots, the Blue Crabs mounted yet another impressive come back, fighting their way from 4 runs down.

A solo home run in the 3rd hit by John Ramistella with two outs gave the Crabs their first run of the game. James Shanks would match it with a solo shot of his own with one out in the 4th. But the floodgates would open in the 5th. Chuck Jeroloman walked with one out followed by walks by both John Ramistella and Mike Just to load the bases. All three runners would score following a bases clearing double hit by Travis Garcia. Travis would score on a two run home run hit by James Shanks, his second of the night, to take the lead 7-5. The Blue Crabs would add two more runs in the 8th. Jermy Acey doubled to lead off the inning and would score on a bomb hit down the left field line by John Ramistella, his second of the night. Not wanting to be left out of the home run fun Captain Jeremy Owens would add a solo shot of his own in the ninth with two out.

After getting out to an impressive 6 up 6 down start, the short rest seemed to catch up with Ryan Bicondoa. He pitched 2.2 innings allowing 5 earned runs on 3 hits, 4 walks, 1 strike out and a hit batter. He was replaced by Byron Batson who had one of his most impressive outings going 2.1 innings for the win, allowing only 1 hit while striking out two and hitting one. Jimmy Serrano faced two batters in the 6 allowing a lead off home run and walking the next batter. Matt Schweitzer would pitch two innings of scoreless hitless ball striking out three batters. Mike James pitched the 8th allowing a lead off single followed by a 4 pitch walk. Both would go for not however as he then struck out the next two batters before getting a ground out to end the inning. Matt Hensley closed out the game allowing 2 hits before striking out two and getting a fly out to end the game.

In other Blue Crabs News: With the win the Blue Crabs have a maximum magic number of 2. The Ducks game is still going on at the time of this post and a post will be made to announce the standings following the results of their game.

He's Back

2009-07-02T10:23:00.004-04:00

As reported by the Altanticleaguebaseball.com Blog the Blue Crabs have resigned Keith Ramsey!

Keith who played for the club last season is a great guy and a great pitcher. He will be an excellent addition to the starting rotation and hopefully provide us with the boost we need to clench the First Place spot this half and continue to be competitive in the second half.

It will be great to have him back with the club.

Current Standings

2009-07-01T22:12:00.002-04:00

As the games from tonight wrap up here are the current standings as well as the remaining schedules for the first half:

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs --
Long Island Ducks 5.0
Bridgeport Bluefish 9.5
Camden Riversharks 11.0

If I am correct both Camden and Bridgeport have been eliminated from the Playoff race as only 8 games remain for the Blue Crabs in the season.

We go on to play our next 4 against Somerset in Somerset, then 3 against Lancaster at Home and we end the half with one game against Camden at Home.

Long Island plays their next 4 against Bridgeport at Home and then finishes the half with a 3 game set against Newark in Newark.

Bridgeport plays their next 4 against Long Island in Long Island and then finishes the half with a 3 game set against Somerset at Home.

Camden plays their next 4 against Newark at Home, then 3 against York in York before meeting us at home for the final game of the half.

The Comeback Spirit Alive Again

2009-07-01T15:44:00.003-04:00

Falling behind 4-1 after the first inning it seemed as though there was little left in the tank after last nights come from behind win. But the never say die spirit of the Blue Crabs would prevail as they staged another comeback in the second inning.

After Mike Just fouled a pitch off his knee he doubled on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder and scored on an RBI single hit by Patrick Osborn for the only run in the first. Mike would leave the game in the top of the second obviously ailing from his earlier at bat. Jeremy Owens led off the stellar second inning by being hit by a pitch. He would advance on a single hit by Jermy Acey and then score on a sacrifice fly hit by catcher Lance Burkhart. John Ramistella would single scoring Jermy Acey. Chuck Jeroloman who came in for the injured Just would walk, as would Travis Garcia. John would round the bases after Patrick Osborn would too be hit by a pitch. Chuck and Travis would both score on a two RBI single hit by James Shanks. The Blue Crabs bats would fall silent until the 9th where 5 more runs would score bringing the Blue Crabs total to 11 runs. The Blue Crabs scored a combined 32 runs over the 3 game series while only allowing the Bears 19. Patrick Osborn led off the 9th with a double and would be pinch run for by Richard Giannotti. A pitch would hit James Shanks, putting runners on 1st and second. Following a strike out by Jeremy Owens, Jermy Acey would single scoring Richard Giannotti. Catcher Lance Burkhart would double scoring two runs in James Shanks and Jermy Acey. Octavio Martinez would be the forth hit by a pitch and would score on an errant play that allowed Travis Garcia to get on. In the second and ninth innings the Blue Crabs sent 10 batters to the plate.

Defensively the Blue Crabs were nearly perfect following the first inning. Kenny Rayborn went 6.1 innings for the win. He allowed only 5 hits and 4 earned runs. He walked 5 batters while striking out two. Matt Schweitzer faced only two batters though he pitched a full inning of relief. He got one batter to hit into a double place to end the 7th and then struck out the lead off man in the 8th. Mike James pitched the remainder of the 8th hitting a batter and allowing a single. He was however saved by the ever-impressive glove of Chuck Jeroloman. Chuck, who has been struggling at the plate since the beginning of June, made a diving play towards second snagging the ball and tagging out the lead runner before completing the double play throwing the batter out running to first. In a less eventful bottom of the 9th Matt Hensley pitched the conclusion of the game. He has a 1-2-3 inning getting two groundouts and a fly out.

In other Blue Crabs News: Since the Blue Crabs and the Bears were the only teams in action this morning the Blue Crabs only pick up a half game on all the other teams. Thus they are 5.5 ahead of Long Island, 10.0 ahead of Bridgeport and 10.5 ahead of Camden. When the results of tonight games are announced I will post updated standings. The Blue Crabs next look to take on the Somerset Patriots on the road for four games before returning home to play 4 games, 3 against the Lancaster Barnstormers and one against the Camden Riversharks. The Riversharks game is a make up of a game that was rained out June 18th.

Never Say Die

2009-06-30T23:32:00.001-04:00

After what seemed to be a sure loss, the Blue Crabs lay down a record breaking 6th to take a commanding lead over the Newark Bears. Going into the 6th the Blue Crabs were down 4 nothing when after two outs Patrick Osborn hit a solo home run. His would be the first of 11 runs scored that inning as the Blue Crabs would send a total of 15 batters to the plate to face two different pitchers.

All of tonight's offense took place in the 6th inning. After two fly outs by Travis Garcia and Mike Just, Patrick Osborn hit a solo home run. James Shanks would single and score on a home run hit by Jeremy Owens. Again with the bases clear Jermy Acey would single and he would score on a home run by catcher Octavio Martinez. With the bases clear Chuck Jeroloman would walk, and move to second on a single hit by John Ramistella. Both runners would advance a base on a walk drawn by Mike Just. Chuck would score on a walk drawn by Travis Garcia. Mike and John would both score on a 2 RBI single hit by Patrick Osborn. Patrick and Travis would both score on a 3 run home run hit by James Shanks. Jeremy Owens would single but would be stranded there as Jermy flied out to end the inning.

Defensively we had some sloppy plays but were overall very impressive. Starter Kenny Baugh went 5 innings for the win allowing only 8 hits and 4 runs, only 2 of which were earned. Kenny walked three batters while striking out 4 and was charged with one balk. Center Fielder Jeremy Owens saved a run in the bottom the 5th throwing the runner out at the plate from center field. Jimmy Serrano pitched the 6th, a scoreless hitless 1-2-3 inning. Edward Rodriguez pitched in the 7th and 8th allowing 3 hits but no runs while striking out three. Jason LaVorgna closed out the game in only his third appearance since joining the Blue Crabs. Aided by the defense of John Ramistella, Jason got the first two batters in order with fly outs. He allowed one hit before getting the final out of the game on a called strike out.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the win the Blue Crabs keep their lead over Long Island at 5.0 games, and 8.5 games over Bridgeport. With their loss tonight Camden is for all intensive purposes eliminated from the play off race for the first half as they fall to 10 games behind with 9 to go. With only 9 games to go the Blue Crabs only need to gain 4 more games ahead of Long Island to close out the first half and secure their first playoff bid in team history. Should Long Island and the Blue Crabs end the season with a tied record, the Blue Crabs would win the tie breaker as they have taken 7 of 10 games against the Ducks in head to head play. Tomorrow's game is set for an 11:05 am first pitch.

110 Wins

2009-06-30T20:21:00.004-04:00

After hearing about York's 150th win last night I got interested in finding out the number of wins the Blue Crabs have had so far in their short existence.

With a full season record last season of 74-66 and 36 wins so far on this season we have reached 110 wins. The hundredth win occurred June 7th with a win against Newark 3-1.

Congratulations is in order to the boys on reaching 110 wins in only a season and a half!

Blue Crabs Unable to Get out of the Hole

2009-06-29T23:34:00.000-04:00

Joe Gannon was brutalized in the first two innings of the game, creating a hole that the Blue Crabs couldn't quite climb back out of.

Joe went 5.1 innings for the loss, allowing 10 hits and 11 runs all earned. He surrendered 4 homeruns including one grand slam. He walked 5 batters and struck out 4. Although he was brutalized in the first few innings he got back to form allowing only 2 runs between the 3rd and when he left the game. Vinnie DeChristofaro pitched in what may be his most impressive outing of the year, going 1.2 innings allowing no hits while walking 2 and striking out one. Vinnie was pulled in the 8th in favor of our other lefty Matt Schweitzer who pitched an inning of scoreless and hitless ball. He walked and struck out no one.

Travis Garcia led off the scoring with a 2 out home run in the first inning. Travis who would go 4 for 4 on the day with a walk had a home run and 3 doubles, along with 4 RBI and 4 runs scored. In the third following a Mike Just single, Travis would double. Mike would score on a Sacrifice Fly by Patrick Osborn, and Travis would score on an errant play that got James Shanks on. In the 7th our bats would again get hot, as John Ramistella and Mike Just both led off with singles. Both would score on Travis's second double of the night. Travis would score his 3rd run of the night on a fielder's choice single by Jermy Acey. Our finally rally would come in the 8th and would fall one run short. With one out, John Ramistella would double and score on Travis's third double of the night. Patrick Osborn would then get on via a dropped fly ball by the right fielder. Travis and Patrick would score on James Shanks's 3 run bomb. With two strikes, Richard Giannotti got a two out single, but it wouldn't prove to be enough to start a 9th inning rally.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With only 10 games left in the first half, as there will be a make up game for the Blue Crabs and Camden played on the 9th of July, the Blue Crabs remain 5.0 games ahead of Long Island, 9.0 games ahead of Camden, and 9.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. The outcome of tomorrow nights Camden Bridgeport game will eliminate one of those two teams from the play off race. Long Island is playing York, who after some recent acquisitions including Pete Rose Jr., who have been on fire getting their 150th win in team history last night. Hopefully York will continue to manhandle Long Island allowing us to pick up some additional ground on the Ducks.

Blue Crabs Rally Back with a Big 4th

2009-06-28T22:04:00.001-04:00

After the first inning, it appeared as if the Barnstormers would return the favor of a high scoring shut out. The Stormers broke out to a 3-0 lead after the first, making it 4-0 in the 3rd whereas the Blue Crabs had only one 1 hit in the first three innings.

That story would change however in the 4th when the Blue Crabs would send 10 batters to the plate scoring 6 of them. After seeing 3 called strikes in his first at bat Jeremy Owens wasted no time in swinging to lead off the fourth, driving in a towering homerun to end the shut out. Jermy Acey would then double on an errant play by the third baseman, he moved to third on an errant play by the catcher while our catcher Lance Burkhart was walked. Richard Giannotti would ground out for the first out of the inning but still scored a run. Octavio Martine would single and scored Lance Burkhart. Octavio would score on a John Ramistella single and John would score on a Mike Just double. Mike would score on a single hit by Travis Garcia. Travis would however be stranded at 1st at the man who started the rally Jeremy Owens would strike out to end the inning. Once the Blue Crabs took the lead they would not relinquish it, although it was threatened in the 5th when the Stormers tied the game, the tie however would only last the half inning, as we would score in the bottom of the fifth. Jermy Acey would single and score on an Octavio Martinez game winning RBI single. Two additional runs of insurance would come in the 6th when Jermy Acey would crack a two run bomb after Jeremy Owens had been walked with 2 outs.

After a rough start our pitching staff got everything under control. Ryan Bicondoa pitched an uncharacteristically low 4.1 innings allowing 8 hits, allowing all 6 runs all earned, while striking out 3 and walking 3. He also allowed one home run in the no decision. Edward Rodriguez had an incredible outing from the pen, going 3 innings allowing only one hit while striking out two for the win. Vinnie DeChristofaro would face one batter walking him. Byron Batson would then come in to face two batters walking one and getting the other out. Matt Hensley would close out the game going for the 4 out save, his 4th save of the season. He got two strike outs and walked no one allowing only one hit.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the win we remain in first place, 5.0 games ahead of Long Island, and 9.0 games ahead of Camden and 10.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. We are still in need of an everyday first baseman but hopefully we will be able to pull this first half out as a win and then can spend the second half rebuilding what we lost to affiliated ball. Tomorrow we head north to Newark to face the Bears in a 3 game series, tomorrow's game being at 7:05, Tuesday’s at 6:05 and Wednesday’s day game at 11:05 AM.

Winning Style

2009-06-27T23:34:00.001-04:00

The Blue Crabs posted their second win in as many nights while donning their usual Friday night reds. The Blue Crabs pitching staff combined for a shut out in the third game of this four game series.

Kenny Rayborn pitched 6 innings of scoreless ball scattering 5 hits while walking 3 and striking out 3. Matt Schweitzer pitched the 7th allowing only one hit while striking out 2 batters the first looking. Mike James pitched the 8th walking two while striking one out. Jimmy Serrano finished the game off in the 9th facing only three batters and striking out the last batter looking.

Offensively we were on fire. Getting out to an early one nothing lead in the second following a lead off double by Captain Jeremy Owens who would score on a single hit by catcher Octavio Martinez. We would keep that slim lead until the 5th when we would add two runs of insurance. John Ramistella led off the inning with a single and would move to second when Mike Just got on. John came home on an RBI double hit by Travis Garcia; Mike would score on a ground out by Patrick Osborn. Mike Just would again score after being walked in the 7th and stealing second, and again he would be brought in by Patrick Osborn this time however on a RBI single. In the 8th we had three runners get on base in order with Jermy Acey getting on in error but was pinch run for by Richard Giannotti, and Octavio Martinez singled and Chuck Jeroloman was walked. All three runners would score on a 3 RBI Triple hit by John Ramistella.

In other Blue Crabs News: With the win we extend our lead over Long Island to 5 games, 8 games over Camden and 10.5 games over Bridgeport. Also we announced that we released LHP Wayne Franklin.

Retro Jersey Rock?

2009-06-26T23:46:00.000-04:00

Tonight the Blue Crabs, who have only been around 2 years, donned retro style jerseys that can best be described as polo’s with Blue Crabs on the front and stripes around the torso. The jersey’s that were auctioned off for a charity might have been the key to tonight’s come from behind win.

Kenny Baugh made the start for the Blue Crabs, going 6 innings for the win and the quality start having only allowed 3 runs, all which were earned. The three runs all came in the second and were the result of 4 hits, 5 walks and 2 strikeouts. Kenny pitched 2 1-2-3 innings in the 4th and the 6th. In the 7th we saw Matt Schweitzer come in, he pitched an inning of scoreless and hitless ball. Mike James pitched the 8th, allowing only one hit while striking out one. Closing out the game was righty Matt Hensley who allowed one hit and struck out two.

The Blue Crabs hitters used the long ball to their advantage hitting 3 home runs. The first was hit by Jermy Acey in the second, the second by James Shanks in the 5th both of which were hit with two outs. The final homer of the night was hit lead off by Lance Burkhart in the 6th. Mike Just single in the 3rd on a bunt attempt, and moved to third on a Travis Garcia double, both runners would score, Mike on a single hit by Patrick Osborn and Travis on a double play hit into by Jeremy Owens to tie the game. The Blue Crabs broke the tie and took the lead in the 5th on the Shanks home run. The Blue Crabs would then go on to score at least on run in each of the next 3 innings including Lances homerun in the 6th and two runs in the 7th. John Ramistella scored the final run in the 8th.

In other Blue Crabs News: We have finally extended our lead over the Long Island Ducks to 4.0 games with the win, we are also 8.0 games ahead of Camden and 10.0 games ahead of Bridgeport. With only 13 games left in the first half extending our lead over Long Island is a huge plus for us in this playoff push. We take on Lancaster again tomorrow night for the third game of the series.

Late Inning Rally Not Enough

2009-06-25T23:21:00.000-04:00

The Lancaster Barnstormers got out to an early lead and never let it go. After the Blue Crabs defense was able to keep the game close until the 7th, the 8th was a whole different story. In an outing that saw Blue Crabs batters fan a record 12 times against one pitcher, we used 7 pitchers of our own.

Knuckleballer Joe Gannon started the game, going 7 innings for the loss. He allowed 3 runs all earned on 5 hits, while walking 4 and striking out 4. He allowed one home run, a two run homer in the 7th after walking the lead of batter of the inning. Our bullpen however collapsed in the 8th allowing 7 runs between the 4 pitchers that saw action. Edward Rodriguez allowed two runs on a hit and a walk before being replaced by lefty Matt Schweitzer who allowed a hit and a run. Jimmy Serrano would get the first out of the inning, but walked 2 batters and allowed two runs to score. Before he finished the 8th Byron Batson allowed 3 hits and two runs. Vinnie DeChristofaro started the 9th but hit a batter before coming out. Finally Mike James closed out the game going the entire 3 outs of the ninth. Mike allowed no hits and walked no one, giving probably the best performance out of the pen tonight.

Offensively we were quite, not getting on the board until the 7th. James Shanks led off the inning with a triple and would come in to score on a RBI single hit by Richard Giannotti. After the troublesome 8th by the bull pen the Blue Crabs would rally though it would no be enough. Mike Just, all-star game MVP, was walked with one out, and moved to second on a single by Travis Garcia. Mike would score on an RBI single hit by James Shanks. James would move to second on a single by Captain Jeremy Owens. The three base runners, Travis, James, and Jeremy would all score on a 3 RBI double by the catcher Lance Burkhart. Back in action tonight was Jermy Acey who pinch-hit for the slumping Chuck Jeroloman.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We remain in first place despite the loss. We are 3.0 games ahead of Long Island, 9.0 games ahead of Camden, and 10.0 games ahead of Bridgeport. Also we need a first baseman, while the efforts of both Octavio Martinez and Patrick Osborn are appreciated, a solid first baseman would make this playoff push that much easier. It not only would help us for the obvious reason of having a good first baseman but also would give us the chance to allow Patrick Osborn to get back to his old self. Tomorrow we face Lancaster again in game two of the four game series.

All Star Game

2009-06-23T22:56:00.002-04:00

The 2009 All Star game is a win for the Liberty division. As the game was not broadcast over the internet I got my inning by inning plays from the AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com blog. I appreciate their efforts in reporting the game so I am able to pass along to you how well our boys did.

Mike Just was hitting lead off. He was 2 for 5 on the day with 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs and a stolen base. He drove in the game tying RBI and scored the game winning run. He was named All Star Game MVP, most impressive for someone who wasn't even on the fan ballot.

Travis Garcia was 1 for 4 on the day with a walk. He played the entire game at short stop.

James Shanks was 0 for 3 with a walk. He was the designated hitter for the entire game.

Jeremy Owens was 0 for 1 with a walk. Sometime between his at bat in the 4th and the top of the 7th he was pulled out of the game for Wayne Lydon.

Both of our pitcher pitched in one inning of relief, Ryan Bicondoa pitched in the 3rd and Matt Hensley pitched in the 7th.

Ryan faced 5 batters. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one batter. He allowed no runs.

Matt faced 3 batters. He allowed one single and then got help from his everyday defense in Travis Garcia and Mike Just as the next batter hit into a 6-4-3 double play. Matt then got the last out of the inning on a swinging strike out.

Once again congratulations is in order for all the Blue Crabs All Stars. The entire team looks to come home Thursday for a 4 game stand against the Lancaster Barnstormers.

Blue Crabs Big Win

2009-06-21T20:28:00.001-04:00

After dropping the first two games of the series the Blue Crabs come back to win the third in red jerseys no less. The only blemish on the game was a solo shot homerun hit in the bottom of the second inning.

That home run would be the only run given up by any of the 4 pitchers the Blue Crabs used in the game today. Starter Kenny Baugh went 6 innings for his 4th win of the season. He allowed the only run on a homerun, and only 4 other hits. He walked only one batter while striking out 3. Lefty Matt Schweitzer would come in to pitch the 7th and one out of the 8th, allowing only 1 hit while walking one and striking out two. To finish off the 8th was set up man Mike James who got his batters down in order on a ground out and a fly out respectively. Closer Matt Hensley finished off the Patriots allowing only 1 hit while striking out one. He continues to cut away at his ERA getting it down to an impressive 0.77.

Offensively our bats finally picked up with a monumental 3rd inning. Second baseman Mike Just led off the inning with a single and would move to second on a ground out by first baseman Octavio Martinez. John Ramistella would walk and come in to score along with Just on a 2 RBI double hit by James Shanks. James would stretch the double to a triple on an error by the center fielder. Shanks would come in to score on a Travis Garcia 2 run home run, his second home run of the series. In the 5th we would get another run as James Shanks would double and come in to score on a Patrick Osborn double. Our final run would come in the 8th after Jeremy Owens would triple and score on a Lance Burkhart single.

Butch Hobson was thrown out of today's game after arguing a play that got John Ramistella called out at 3rd in the 7th. Also not in action for the second game of the series was Jermy Acey who said he was feeling so so after apparently hurting himself base running in the first game. It appears as though it is nothing serious and he should be back following the all-star break.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the win we remain in first place, 3.0 games ahead of Long Island, and 9.0 games ahead of Camden and 10.0 games ahead of Bridgeport. Following the All-Star break there will be 14 more games.

Blue Crabs Break up a Perfect Game

2009-06-20T23:23:00.000-04:00

Going into the 6th inning Somerset Patriots starting pitcher Kip Bouknight was pitching a perfect game and on his way to ending out the 6th facing only 3 batters when Blue Crabs catcher Octavio Martinez would get on first by an error committed by the first baseman. Kip was still left with the possibility of a no hitter and a shut out.

Both the no hitter and the shut out would be broken up by John Ramistella, though Kip would be pulled before the shut out was broken. John broke up the no hitter in the 6th with a single only to get out on a fielder choice. John would however provide the teams only offense by hitting a solo home run with two outs in the 8th.

Defensively we seemed to struggle, allowing the Patriots to score 14 runs against us. Starter Kenny Rayborn went 4 innings giving up 8 hits and 6 runs 4 of which were earned. Kenny walked two batters and struck out two. He was replaced by lefty Vinnie DeCristofaro who faced 2 batters, walking one and giving up a hit. Both runners would score and both runs would be earned. DeCristofaro was replaced by Jimmy Serrano who would pitch one inning allowing 2 hits, 1 run, which was earned. Jimmy walked, hit and struck out one batter. Edward Rodriguez who pitched 2 innings of relief replaced Jimmy in the 6th. Ed allowed only 2 hits and one run that was earned while striking out 3 batters in one of his best performances since moving back to the bullpen. Finally Jason LaVorgna pitched in the 8th where he would face 10 batters, giving up 5 hits and 4 run none of which were earned. Jason walked one and struck out no one.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the loss we remain in first place, 3.0 games ahead of Long Island, and 8.0 games ahead of Camden and 9.0 games ahead of Bridgeport. We have one more game before the all-star break and hopefully we will be able to pull out a win. Eric Crozier was in action again tonight with the Baysox, he hit yet another homerun in as many nights this time of the 3 run variety. It would be my estimation that if he keeps up like this it won't be long before he is back in the Majors.

Eric Crozier

2009-06-20T16:27:00.003-04:00

The signing of Eric Crozier by the Baltimore Orioles is bittersweet for me. While I am incredibly proud of everything he has accomplished this season and proud of him for making it back to affiliated ball, I am saddened to see him leave the Blue Crabs.

Over the past season and a half I have had a chance to get to know Eric as a player and a friend. He has always been a gentleman both on the field and off. He was always working to improve his swing and to be the best he could be on the field. Eric would always take the time to talk to the fans and sign anything you asked him to. This year for him has been one of his best, hitting .314, slugging .549 and an on base percentage of .400 in 50 games. He amassed 175 at bats with 55 hits and 30 runs. He had 13 doubles, 2 triples and 8 homeruns. He brought in 24 runs, walked 25 times and struck out 37 times. But Eric has always been a man of more then just his stats.

As a person, Eric could always be counted on. There were several times throughout the off-season that I was able to get in contact with him and get his help for my college classes. He gladly offered quotes for me to use in my paper and I will always be grateful for that. Before and after every game I could count on a hug from him to wish him luck or congratulate him on yet another stellar performance. I will surely miss seeing him everyday, but I happy to see him working his way back to the Majors. I will do my best to keep the readers of this blog and his fans up to date on his stats from the Bowie Baysox. Again I wish him the best of luck in this and all his endeavors.

On the Road With the Boys

2009-06-19T23:56:00.000-04:00

I again have the pleasure of reporting on the team while on the road with them. In what could be a potential Championship Preview the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs dropped the first of a three game series to the Somerset Patriots before a record crowd.

The Blue Crabs appeared to be feeling the loss of first baseman Eric Crozier and were unable to string their hits together in a timely fashion. None of the Blue Crabs 7 hits were hit in succession thus causing us to leave 7 batters stranded. We didn't get on the board until the 4th inning when Travis Garcia would lead off the inning with a home run. It was his tenth of the year and the only one hit in the game. We would get another run in the 9th after catcher Lance Burkhart got his first triple of the season with one out. He scored on first baseman Octavio Martinez's RBI ground out. But the run would come as too little too late as we were behind by 3 runs.

Travis After his Homerun!

Our pitching has also suffered some hard blows following the signing of both Jim Ed Warden and John Halama. Knuckle Baller Joe Gannon was back in action tonight starting the game and going 6.1 innings for the loss. He allowed only 6 hits with 5 runs, 4 of which were earned. He walked 3 batters and struck out one. Coming in to relieve Joe was newcomer and potential situational lefty Vinnie DeCristofaro who would face one batter and give up a hit before coming out of the game. His replacement was Byron Batson who pitched 2/3rds of an inning in relief. After his last appearance where he got the loss after giving up a grand slam he seemed in much better control tonight getting two outs and allowing one hit. Wayne Franklin who is predicted to be a starter pitched 2/3rds of an inning of relief, facing 3 batters, one of which he walked. Finally Jason Lavorgna would pitch the final out of the 8th.

In Other Blue Crabs News: Despite the loss we still remain in first place, 3.5 games ahead of Long Island, 9 games ahead of Camden, and 10 games ahead of Bridgeport. Reactivated tonight was bullpen catcher Anthony Perry. Eric Crozier played in his first game with the Bowie Baysox going 1 for 4 with a solo Homerun. Tomorrow night's game is also a 7:05 pm start.

2009-06-18T18:46:00.001-04:00

First baseman Eric Crozier has been signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He's been assigned to AA Bowie Baysox.

Rained Out

2009-06-18T16:51:00.002-04:00

Due to the conditions of the field the Blue Crabs have announced that today's game has been canceled.

A Shutout Win

2009-06-17T23:13:00.001-04:00

Although the pitching staff combined to allow 8 hits none of the pitchers would allow a run to score. Starter Ryan Bicondoa, set up reliever Mike James and closer Matt Hensley pitched a 3-man shutout giving Ryan his 5th win of the season and Matt his 3rd save.

Offensively the Blue Crabs were relatively quite. Scoring only 2 runs on 5 hits. The Blue Crabs batters were struck out 10 times collectively and only walked once. First Baseman Eric Crozier scored the first run of the game after hitting a one out double. He would come in to score on the RBI single hit by Captain Jeremy Owens. After that run scored in the 4th the Blue Crabs would have to wait until the 8th for a run of insurance. After the first two batters of the inning struck out, right fielder John Ramistella hit a single. He would then steal his third base of the season advancing to second. Designated hitter Jermy Acey would bring Rambo home on an RBI single. Third baseman Patrick Osborn would hit another single before the inning would end on another strike out.

Defensively the Pitching was unbeatable. Starter Ryan Biconda went 7.1 innings for the win. He allowed all 8 of the hits, walking one batter and striking out two. Mike James came in to pitch ending the 8th inning with a strike out and a fly out not allowing either of the base runners he inherited to score. Closer Matt Hensley pitched in the 9th allowing only one base runner on a walk. He struck out one batter, got a batter to fly out and the last batter to ground out.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the win we remain in first place still 4 games ahead of Long Island, 9 games ahead of Camden and 10 games ahead of Bridgeport. Tomorrow night we look to sweep the series and go in the road trip on a high note. The Blue Crabs have also recently acquired 4 new pitchers, 3 relievers and a starter. Bryon Batson is a right-handed reliever has already been in action since being signed playing in the June 13th game where he took the loss after giving up a grand slam to Bluefish Brandon Sing. Jason LaVorgna is also a right-handed reliever but has yet to see action as a Blue Crab. Vinnie DeChristofaro is a left-handed relief pitcher that comes to us from the Grand Prairie AirHogs to complete the trade of outfielder Mike Conroy. Wayne Franklin is a left-handed starter expected to start tomorrow's game. He comes to us from Camden after having spent most of 2007 and 2008 with the York Revolution.

The ERAs, records and previous clubs of the New Pitchers:

Byron Batson: 6.86 ERA, 1-2 record, Camden Riversharks/Newark Bears

Jason LaVorgna: (Last Season) 4.88 ERA, 2-2 record, Kingsport (APP) /Savannah (SAL)

Vinnie DeChristofaro: 2.70 ERA, 0-1 record, Grand Prairie AirHogs (AA)

Wayne Franklin: 11.74 ERA, 0-1 record, Camden Riversharks/York Revolution

All Stars

2009-06-17T18:50:00.002-04:00

Blue Crabs selected to the 2009 All Star Game:

Eric Crozier - 1B
Mike Just - 2B
Travis Garcia - SS
James Shanks - DH
Jeremy Owens - OF
Ryan Bicondoa - P
Matt Hensley - P

Congrats Boys!

A Low Scoring Win for the Crabs

2009-06-16T22:43:00.001-04:00

In a game were only 3 runs were scored, two solo shot homeruns made all the difference for the Blue Crabs. The game winner was hit by our catcher Octavio Martinez, his first home run of the season.

While the game winner hit by O was hit to lead off the inning in the 6th, the first homerun of the night was hit by Patrick Osborn with two outs in the 4th. The Blue Crabs only had 5 hits on the night, the two home runs and singles by Eric Crozier in the 4th, John Ramistella in the 6th and James Shanks in the 7th. With the hit in the 7th James extends his hitting streak to nine games. Based upon the last few line-ups it appears as though Butch has decided to Platoon Chuck Jeroloman and Patrick Osborn at 3rd as Patrick continues to work through some lingering pains, and to Platoon Mike Just and Jermy Acey at 2nd. We'll see if Butch keeps it this way or if things change.

Defensively the Blue Crabs were again nearly flawless. Starter Kenny Baugh went 7 innings for the win, his 3rd of the season. Kenny surrendered 6 hits and no runs while walking 4 and striking out 3. Edward Rodriguez came in to pitch in the 8th getting the first batter to ground out and then giving up 3 singles resulting in an earned run scored. Lefty Matt Schweitzer would close out the 8th getting a strike out and a fly out. After getting warm 5 times in yesterday's game and seeing no action Mike James was called in to close out the game and go for his 3rd save on the season. After getting the first batter to ground out, Mike would deflect a low hit off his glove pick it up and throw the next batter out at first. Mike would slightly falter giving up a single to Riversharks lead off man Wayne Lydon but would combine with catcher Octavio Martinez who would throw to short stop Travis Garcia to get out Lydon attempting to steal ending the game in dramatic fashion.

In other Blue Crabs News: With the win we extend our first place lead, now 4 games ahead of Long Island, 8 games ahead of Camden, and 9.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. Tomorrow we again face the Riversharks in game 3 of the 4 game home stand. Also tomorrow the Atlantic League is expected to announce the all star team rosters.

Another Big Win for the Blue Crabs

2009-06-15T23:07:00.000-04:00

After falling behind 3-0 in the second inning the Blue Crabs and starter Kenny Rayborn were able to slowly pick away at the Riversharks lead and pull out the win. This is the first win for Kenny since losing his last 3 straight, after starting the year 3-0 he hit a rough patch dropping the next 3 games.

The Blue Crabs only used 2 pitchers in the game, as Rayborn would go 8 for the win. He scattered 8 hits allowing only 3 runs 2 of which were earned, he walked 3 batters and struck out 4. All three of the runs were giving up in the second inning after getting the first two outs. After giving up his first hit of the game to Brian Burgamy he would move to second on a bunt single laid down by Christopher Walker. The runners would advance and one would score on an arrant throw by John Ramistella on the Catcher Jacobs single. One final run would score against the Blue Crabs following a walk and a single. After that inning however the Blue Crabs defense pulled out all the stops, diving to make plays such as Patrick Osborn's play in the 4th. The team became a well-oiled machine with one goal, keep the Riversharks from getting past 3rd base which they did remarkably well. In the 8th two Riversharks players would be ejected from the game, Coach Joe Ferguson and second baseman Junior Spivey after a called strike out. In the 9th right-hander and new closer Matt Hensley would come in to go for his second save on the season. After striking out the first batter he would give up a single who would get out on the feilder's choice hit into by the next batter. Matt would walk lead off batter Wayne Lydon and then get Bryant Nelson to ground out to second baseman Mike Just. Matt would only surrender the one hit, and the one walk while striking out one, keeping his ERA at a minuscule 0.84.

Offensively we appeared to get out to a slow start. Getting only one hit in the first 3 innings off of designated hitter Jermy Acey it appeared as though we may lose this one early on. However in the 4th with one out third baseman Patrick Osborn hit a double and would come in to score on the throwing error following Eric Crozier's single. In the 5th again with one out catcher Lance Burkhart would get hit by a pitch and score. Captain Jeremy Owens would lead off the 7th with a hard hit double and move to third on the James Shanks single, with the bases loaded following a Lance Burkhart walk second baseman Mike Just would step up to bat. He would hit into a double play but would also score the lead runner Owens to tie up the game. For the dramatic final run we would go to the 8th, with two outs Eric was walked. He moved to second on a Travis Garcia single and in would step the Captain Owens. He knew he had to make it safely to first to give the team a chance of scoring Eric. So after working a 2-2 count he got his pitch and hit the ball and ran with all his might to beat out the throw. Probably about 5 feet from the bag J.O. dove sinking his shoulder into the dirt flipping in a sort of barrel roll and arriving safely at 1st scoring the speedy Eric Crozier. He was doing everything he could to ensure the runner got home and it would be more then enough as the boys would hold off the Riversharks for the win.

In other Blue Crabs News: With the win we remain in first place, 3.0 games ahead of Long Island, 7.0 games ahead of Camden, and 8.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. There are only 20 games left in the first half so every win is huge for the Blue Crabs. Also because the Blue Crabs do not face the Long Island Ducks before the end of the half and they are our closest competitors. Tomorrow we face the Riversharks again and it is also the last day of the All Star Voting.

Blue Crabs Get One Back

2009-06-14T19:10:00.000-04:00

The last time the Blue Crabs faced Blue Fish pitcher Esteban Yan he dealt them their first and only shut out of the season. However the Blue Crabs were able to pull the win out this time with on a John Ram Stella homerun.

After 5 innings of scoreless ball third baseman Chuck Jeroloman would get on base and move to second on a Mike Just single to left. Both Chuck and Mike would come in to score on the John Ramistella homerun. In the next inning Eric Crozier would be walked and then get out on a fielder’s choice hit into by Jeremy Owens. Owens would score following a James Shanks single and a ground out by catcher Lance Burkhart. Our fifth and final run would come on a James Shanks sacrifice fly that scored Travis Garcia after he singled and advanced to third on an Eric Crozier double.

Starter Joe Gannon would pitch 6.1 innings for the win, scattering 10 hits, and giving up 3 runs all earned with 2 walks and 1 strike out. All three of the runs were scored in the bottom of the seventh off of a Ryan Radmanvich double. After giving up another hit following the double, Joe would be taken out of the game and Mike James would come in to pitch 2/3rds of the inning closing out the 7th allowing no hits or runs and striking out no one. In the 8th would be Matt Schweitzer who walked two batters and got two out, he allowed no runs and no hits from the 4 batters he faced. The duty of closing out the game and getting the last 4 outs of the game would be given to righty Matt Hensley. He would get the four batters he face out in order on two ground outs and two fly outs. Hensley who spent time in the Majors with the Anaheim Angles in 2004 pitched in 16 games, all relief finishing 13 of those games so closing out games is nothing new to the right-hander. In his minor league career he has 11 games finished, with 7 saves. He also has 82 games started though most of his starts from 2000-2003.

In Other Blue Crabs News: With the win the Blue Crabs remain in first place though Long Island too keeps winning, the standings have the Blue Crabs ahead 3 games on Long Island, 6 games on Camden and 8.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. The Crabs come home tomorrow to start a 4 game series against Camden and then go on the road for a 3 game set against Somerset before the All Star Break. This is the first time the Riversharks come to play us at home this season, we are currently 3-3 against them on the year. Hopefully we will be able to pull out a series win and hopefully the Long Island Ducks hot streak will cool down so we can gain a higher lead over them. With only 21 games left in the first half every win is a big one. Remember to vote for your favorite players to make it to the All Star game as voting ends Tuesday June 16th. Once the final roster is announced I will post it here for my readers.

Homeruns Abound

2009-06-13T22:51:00.001-04:00

Almost all the runs scored in tonight's game we off of homeruns. The Blue Crabs however would be at the short end of the runs as they would not be able to score enough to surpass the Blue Fish.

Our first run came off the first pitch of the game as John Ramistella hit a bomb. Two outs later Eric Crozier would get a single but would be left on base. In the third Jermy Acey would single with two outs and then Patrick Osborn would hit an inside the park homerun, the first of it's kind for the Blue Crabs scoring himself and Acey. Travis Garcia would led off the 4th with a single and would come in to score on a James Shanks bomb homerun to the left field power ally. The final run scored by the Blue Crabs would be another John Ramistella home run to left. These five runs would however not be enough.

After the signing of John Halama earlier today the Blue Crabs attempted to use the bullpen to win this game. Jimmy Serrano started the game going 3 innings give up 3 runs all earned on 6 hits. All three runs were homeruns, two belonging to former Blue Crabs Enohel Polanco. Blue Crabs newcomer Byron Batson would pitch the next 2.2 innings. His first inning of relief was an impressive 1-2-3 inning however his second inning wouldn't be so successful. After giving up a led off double he would allow a single before getting the first out of the inning, a strike out. Byron would hit Luis Lopez to load the bases for Brandon Sing who would hit a game winning Grand Slam giving Byron the loss in his Blue Crabs debut. Byron would give up an additional run in the 6th before being relieved. Edward Rodriguez would pitch the next 1.1 innings giving up no runs on one hit and one strike out. Finally Mike James would pitch the 8th inning, giving up two hits and one run that wasn't earned. He struck out and walked one batter.

In Other Blue Crabs News: Despite the loss we remain in 1st, 3.0 games ahead of Long Island, 5.0 games ahead of Camden and 7.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. We have also signed two new relief pitchers, Byron Baston who pitched tonight and Jason LaVorgna. Tomorrow the Blue Crabs face Bridgeport in game 3 of the series and then come home for 4 games against the Camden Riversharks.

Halama is a Brave

2009-06-13T18:14:00.002-04:00

The Blue Crabs have announced that Left Handed Starter John Halama has been signed to a contract by the Atlanta Braves. He was scheduled to start tonight against the Bridgeport Blue Fish so in his place will be relief Pitcher Jimmy Serrano, I would expect a pitching by committee tonight. We wish the best of luck to John Halama and congratulate him on making it back to affiliated ball.

Another Big Win

2009-06-12T22:55:00.000-04:00

The Blue Crabs can thank James Shanks for the win tonight, getting 5 of the 6 RBIs in the game and hitting a crushing grand slam homerun to the opposite side of the field insured the Blue Crabs victory tonight over the Bridgeport Blue Fish.

After Captain Jeremy Owens led off the second inning with a triple James Shanks would bring him in on a sacrifice fly for his first RBI of the game. Things would be quite on both teams until the 6th where the Blue Crabs would start to dominate offensively. Jermy Acey led off the inning with a single and would be sacrificed over by Patrick Osborn, Eric Crozier would then walk and Owens would single loading the bases. After working to a 2-2 count James Shanks would get his pitch and crush it over the opposite field wall for a 4 RBI Grand Slam his first of the season and second for the Blue Crabs. Though it would not be needed; an additional run was brought in by catcher Lance Burkhart on a single.

The Blue Crabs pitching was again phenomenal as starter Ryan Bicondoa went 7 innings giving up 6 hits and 2 runs both earned. He walked only one batter and struck out 3. He gave up one homerun to Blue Fish right fielder Brandon Sing. Edward Rodriguez would come in for the second time in as many days to pitch 2/3rds of an inning of relief. Giving up only one walk and nothing else. To finish off the game was typical situational lefty Matt Schweitzer who struck out Ryan Radmanovich looking to end the 8th. In the 9th Matt was unstoppable despite giving up one walk he worked around it getting two more strike outs and a fly out. Matt struck out Jesse Hoorelbeke looking that would get Jesse kicked out of the game as he said something to the umpire. Despite not having save man Jim Ed Warden the Blue Crabs bullpen appeared as strong as ever.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We remain in first place 4.0 games ahead of Long Island, 5.0 Games ahead of Camden and 8.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. Tomorrow we face Bridgeport at 6:05.

Jim Ed is a Met

2009-06-12T19:50:00.003-04:00

Blue Crabs closer Jim Ed Warden had his contract purchased by the New York Mets and is reporting to their AA team the Binghamton Mets. We wish him the best of luck and hope to see him in the Major League soon.

Blue Crabs Drop Rubber Match

2009-06-11T23:17:00.001-04:00

After the Blue Crabs and Patriots split the double header the Blue Crabs lost tonight's game. After the Patriots took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning the refused to relinquish it despite several rallies on the part of the Blue Crabs.

Starter Kenny Baugh pitched 5 innings and got the lost in the 7-6 decision. He surrendered 7 hits and 4 runs only 3 that were earned. He struck out 4 batters and walked two while giving up one homerun to Short stop Teuris Olivares in the 4th. Coming in to relief pitch in the 6th inning was Edward Rodriguez who has previously been in action in the starting rotation. Rodriquez pitched 2/3rds of an inning surrendering one hit and 2 runs both of which were earned. He walked one batter and struck out no one. Matthew Schweitzer also pitched 2/3rds of an inning surrendering one hit and no runs while striking out one batter looking. Mike James also pitched 2/3rds of an inning of relief surrendering two hits and one run that was earned. He didn't walk or strike out anyone. Finally Jimmy Serrano pitched the final two innings surrendering no hits or runs but walked 3 batters and struck out one.

Offensively we scored 6 runs on 12 hits. All 6 runs were earned while we collectively walked 3 times and struck out 10 times. Of those 10 strikeouts 3 were made by Chuck Jeroloman who was playing at 3rd tonight as Patrick Osborn was out of action again. James Shanks also had a multiple strikeout night although he also hit a 2 run homerun in the 4th; he had 3 RBIs on the night. Catcher Lance Burkhart also had 2 strikeouts with an RBI single in the 6th. Short Stop Travis Garcia had a stellar day going 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs scored and an RBI. The Blue Crabs batters faced 6 different pitchers. Captain Jeremy Owens hit into a fielders choice RBI in the forth to score Travis Garcia and then would come into to score on James' homerun. After back-to-back singles by Travis Garcia and Eric Crozier in the 6th they would each come into to score on a fielder's choice by James Shanks and a single by Lance Burkhart respectively. The final run of the game was scored by Richard Giannotti who led off the 9th with a ground rule double. He did however run all the bases for a in the park homerun that was recalled because the ball ended up lost in the tarp that covers the bullpen mound during rain delays. He would however get to cross the plate in a manner that counted off an Eric Crozier RBI single.

In Other Blue Crabs News: We remain in first place despite the loss 4 games ahead of both Camden and Long Island and 7.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. The team left after the game tonight for Bridgeport where our next 3 games will be played. The York Revolution resigned also former Blue Crabs Short stop George Sandel.

First Place Teams Split the Double Header

2009-06-10T23:51:00.000-04:00

The two first place teams in the league split tonight's double-header. The Blue Crabs took the first game 4-2 and the Patriots were victorious in the second game 4-1 which only went 5 innings. The second game was played in a steady rain that didn't really pick up until the 5th inning and would result in the game being called early.

Blue Crabs starter Joe Gannon went 5 innings for the win bringing his record to 4-5. He surrendered 5 hits and 2 runs only one which was earned; he walked 1 batter and struck out 2. Lefty Matt Schweitzer pitcher 2/3rd of an inning of relief. He got Patriots first baseman Josh Pressley to hit into a double play. Righty Matt Hensley would then come in to get the final out of the inning. Closer Jim Ed Warden would pitch the 7th and get his 13th save of the season. He gave up one hit.

Our offense came off an interesting play and some timely hits. John Ramistella led off with a double and would advance to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jermy Acey. Patrick Osborn would single and bring John home for the first run. Eric Crozier would single and advance Patrick to second, but then get out on a fielder choice hit into by Travis Garcia. Travis who went hitless in first game would get an RBI on the play but would break his 17 game hit streak. The next two runs were scored both by James Shanks and the runs were both batted in by batters who in turn would end up stranded on third. In the 4th it was Ramistella for the Game winning RBI, and in the 6th it was Mike Just for his only hit of the double header.

In the second game of the double header we played through rain that seemed to affect the Blue Crab hitters more then the Patriot hitters. We were able to only score one run coming off the bat of Travis Garcia. He had a solo shot homerun in his first at bat. The start of his new hit streak hopefully. Eric Crozier was given the night off so Patrick played at first, but however he would come out of the game in the 5th inning and Eric would play 1st in the unrecorded 6th inning.

Kenny Rayborn pitched the entire game taking the loss bringing his record to 3-3. He surrendered 9 hits, giving up 4 runs all earned striking out 1 and giving up one homerun.

In other Blue Crabs News: We remain in first place 4.0 games ahead of Camden, 5.0 games ahead of Long Island, 8.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. There are roughly 25 games left before the end of the first half. We don't see Long Island again until after the first half is over but we do have a 4 game series against Camden at home. Also missing at the game tonight were bullpen catcher Anthony Perry and outfielder Daisuke Yoshida who after being deactivated from the roster have both gone home. Anthony is playing in a summer league in his hometown and is expected to return sometime in August.

Mike Conroy Traded

2009-06-10T11:45:00.002-04:00

The Blue Crabs have announced that they have Traded Outfielder Mike Conroy to the Grand Prairie Air Hogs in the American Association for future considerations. Mike played in 17 games with the Blue Crabs amassing 50 at bats, 11 hits, 8 runs, 2 RBIs, a double and a triple. He was hitting .220. He had 10 strike outs and 8 walks while stealing 2 bases.

The American Association is an independent league played in the middle of the United State with teams stretching from Minnesota to Texas. They play in a 96 game season going from the middle of May until the end of August. It is a ten team league with 2 divisions. Grand Prairie is currently in 3rd place in their division 7.5 games behind the division leader.

We wish him the best of luck for the remainder of this season.

2009-06-09T19:25:00.001-04:00

Tonight's game has been rained out. It will be made up tomorrow as part of a double header. Game time is set for 6:05.

Pitching Preview

2009-06-09T12:41:00.003-04:00

As the two first place teams in the league look to face off for the first time this season I thought it would be appropriate to do a little pitching match up for the first series. For the Blue Crabs we are expected to start Joe Gannon and the Somerset Patriots are expected to start Kip Bouknight in tonight's game. Both pitchers are right handed.

Joe Gannon:

He has started 7 games for the Blue Crabs and pitched in 8.
He has a 4.95 ERA with a 3-5 record.
Pitched 47.1 innings surrendering 54 hits, and 30 runs 26 earned.
Averages: 5.9 innings, 6.8 hits and 3.8 runs a game.
Allowed 4 homeruns, walked 23 batters while striking out 18.
Opponents are hitting .284 against the knuckler.
In his last outing he went the entire 7 innings for the complete game win allowing only one run to score.

Kip Bouknight:

He has started in 8 games for the Patriots.
He has a 4.94 ERA with a 3-2 record.
Pitched 43.2 innings surrendering 48 hits, and 24 runs all earned.
Averages: 5.4 innings, 6 hits and 3 runs a game.
Allowed 5 homeruns, walked 16 batters while striking out 30 and hitting two.
Opponents are hitting .284 against the right hander.

For Wednesday's game probable starters are for the Blue Crabs Kenny Rayborn, and for the Patriots Brian Adams. Brain is the only left handed pitcher expected to start in the series.

Kenny Rayborn:

He has started 8 games for the Blue Crabs.
He has a 3.02 ERA with a 3-2 record.
Pitched 47.2 innnings surrendering 52 hits, and 18 runs 16 earned.
Averages: 5.9 innings, 6.5 hits, and 2.3 runs a game.
Allowed 3 homeruns, walked 19 batters while striking out 27 and hitting one.
Opponents are hitting .281 against the righty.
After starting out the season 3-0 he has be unable to secure the win losing his last two starts.

Brian Adams:

He has started 8 games for the Patriots.
He has a 3.64 ERA with a 5-2 record.
Pitched 47.0 innings surrendering 48 hits, and 21 runs 19 earned.
Averages: 5.9 inning, 6 hits and 2.7 runs a game.
Allowed 4 homeruns, walked 10 batters while striking out 38 and hitting one.
Opponents are hitting .265 against the lefty.

Expected starters for Thursdays final game between the two first place clubs are for the Blue Crabs Kenny Baugh and for the Patriots Jared Gothreaux.

Kenny Baugh:

He has started 8 games for the Blue Crabs.
He has a 5.75 ERA with a 2-2 record.
Pitched 40.2 innings surrendering 55 hits, and 27 runs 26 earned.
Averages: 5.1 innings, 6.9 hits and 3.4 runs a game.
Allowed 3 homeruns, walked 14 batters while striking out 28 and hitting three.
Opponents are hitting .337 against the righty.
He is 2-1 in his last 3 starts, going 5 innings for the win in his last start in game one of the double header against Newark.

Jared Gothreaux:

He has started 8 games for the Patriots.
He has a 6.15 ERA with a 2-5 record.
Pitched 41.0 innings surrendering 65 hits and 33 runs 28 earned.
Averages: 5.1 innings, 8.1 hits and 4.1 runs a game.
Allowed 4 homeruns, walked 11 batters while striking out 30 and hitting four.
Opponents are hitting .355 against the righty.

A Pitcher's Duel Works to The Advantage of the Crabs

2009-06-07T22:40:00.001-04:00

In yet another low scoring game the Blue Crabs found a way to get the win tonight. After the first 11 batters had been sat down in order by the two starters, John Halama would give up the first single of the night in the bottom of the second.

Halama pitched in his 9th game of the season and improved his record to 8-1 with the win. He pitched 8 innings giving up 6 hits, 1 run that was earned, and he struck out one batter and walked no one. After giving up a lead off double in the 3rd inning, the runner Michael Sandoval would advance to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt and then come into score on a sacrifice fly hit by Newark newcomer Felix Martinez. That would be the only run given up by the Blue Crabs. To close out the game and get his league leading 12th save of the season Jim Ed Warden pitched a scoreless 9th giving up a single and striking out one batter.

Offensively the Blue Crabs were kept quite until the 6th. After singling in his first at bat, second baseman Mike Just would lead off the 6th with another single, followed by a single by tonight's right fielder Richard Giannotti. Giannotti would move to second on a fielding error by his counterpart Jay Gibbons and Just would move to third. Travis Garcia who had yet to have a hit in tonight's game brought in both runs for the Game Winning RBI after he hit a stand up double. This extends his hit streak to 17 games making him more then halfway to the record set by York's Chris Ashby last season. A run of insurance came in the 7th when catcher Lance Burkhart would be walked and come in to score on a James Shanks single. Not in action tonight was everyday First Baseman Eric Crozier, only his 3rd day off of the season. He is normally substituted by catcher Octavio Martinez however since placing bullpen catcher Anthony Perry on the Inactive List the non-playing catcher has had to catch the bullpen on the road so Third Baseman Patrick Osborn filled in at first. Chuck Jeroloman played at third and after having a long hitting strike, he has yet to hit in his last 5 starts. Collectively the Blue Crabs were stuck out 9 times, 7 of which came off of Newark Starter Bobby Brownlie. Second Baseman and former Newark Bear Mike Just was the only Blue Crabs player to have a multiple hit game.

In other Blue Crabs News: With the win the Blue Crabs advance their lead over everyone, moving to 4.0 games over Long Island, 4.5 games over Camden and 8.5 games over Bridgeport. They have tomorrow off and then look to face the Freedom Division first place team and defending champions Somerset Patriots in a three game series starting Tuesday. Tuesday's predicted starter for the Blue Crabs is knuckleballer Joe Gannon. He is 3-5 on the season with 7 starts; he has a 4.94 ERA and pitched in two complete games. He has surrendered 54 hits, 30 run 26 of which were earned, and 4 homeruns. Not including new starter Edward Rodriguez, Joe has the 3rd lowest opponent’s average, and is the only starter to have not hit a batter.

The Curse is Broken

2009-06-06T23:43:00.000-04:00

The Blue Crabs were finally able to win in red jerseys, however they would only be able to win the first game in the double header against Newark. Both teams seemed to have their bats quieted following yesterday rain delay. After combining for 23 runs in the first game of the series the teams only had 9 runs between the two games tonight.

In the first game the Blue Crabs started Kenny Baugh who would get the win going 5 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs both earned. Kenny walked, hit, and struck out two batters. After giving up a solo shot in the first Kenny calmed down and didn't allow another run until the 4th. After giving up a single he hit two batters and walked in a run. He would however get back to form in the 5th sitting the Newark batters down in order. Matt Hensley came in to pitch in the 6th and despite giving up a lead off single he was able to get the next three batters out in order and set up the potential save for Jim Ed Warden who would come on in the 7th. Jim Ed faced 4 batters, struck out two, walked one and gave up no hits. This save would be his 11th of the season making him perfect in his save attempts.

Offensively in the first game we were pretty quite. Though we were able to get the win we only had 6 hits. Our first run came in the first after a lead off single by John Ramistella who would come into score of an RBI ground out by Travis Garcia. The winning run and RBI both belong to Eric Crozier who in the top of the sixth hit a two run bomb off the scoreboard. He scored himself and Patrick Osborn who had been walked. Travis Garcia extended his hit streak to 15 games by safely hitting in this game.

Travis would extend his hit streak to 16 games in the second game on a solo shot in the 6th, which would count for our only run in the second game. His previous two at bats he had struck out swinging, and worked the count in his home run at bat to full. Collectively the Blue Crabs struck out 10 times which is one shy of their team record for strikeouts in a game. We were unable to get a hit until the 5th inning where we would get back to back singles that would go to waste as the next 3 batters would get out. Mike Conroy was in action in the second game for the first time in a long time, he was 2 for 3 on the day and made one out in the field.

Defensively we started Ryan Bicondoa who would go the whole game and get the loss. He gave up 3 runs all earned on 6 hits, he hit one batter, struck out 3 batters, and walked no one. The first two Newark runs would come off a 2 run homerun hit by Newark Left Fielder Michael Hernandez in the second inning. Following that troublesome inning Ryan would have back to back 1-2-3 innings and seemed set to get the three batters down in order in the fifth. After giving up a lead off single to start the fifth he got the next batter to hit into a double play. Then things went down hill as Ryan gave up back-to-back singles and then an RBI double to lead off man Tike Redman. Ryan would only allow the one run and got the last out of the inning on a strike out. Things would get heated on the double play that ended the bottom of the 6th. Jay Gibbons got on after being hit accidently by a pitch and would slide hard into second trying to prevent the double play but would be called out. He and Blue Crabs Short Stop Travis Garcia would have a bit of a pushing and shoving match that would clear both benches. No one was however hurt or ejected.

In other Blue Crabs News: After splitting the double header we remain in first place, 3 games ahead of Long Island, 3.5 games ahead of Camden and 8.5 games ahead of Bridgeport. Tomorrow's game against Newark is scheduled for a 4:05 pm start, and we are planning on starting southpaw John Halama. They have Monday off as does the entire league and then they come home for a 3 game stand against Somerset, the first meeting of the two teams this season. All three games are scheduled for 7:05 pm starts.

Rained Out

2009-06-05T14:20:00.002-04:00

Today's game in Newark has been rained out. It will be made up tomorrow as part of a double header. New game time is 4pm. There will be two 7 inning games played. This will be the 4th Double Header the Blue Crabs have been a part of this season. They have split two and swept one. Expected Pitchers are Kenny Baugh in the first game and Ryan Bicondoa in the second game.