Baysox can't Defend Defenders Onslaught

It's been a while since I last posted, so I thought it was time for a Baysox update. It's actually fairly hard for me to stay on top of things when we aren't broadcasting (and due to budget issues, it'll be purely home games for a while). In addition to real world work, I have another baseball team to follow full-time. I grew up in Washington state, and still call it home during winter break, so I am a huge Seattle Mariners fan. That leaves a guy tired after consecutive nights of games starting at 10 PM and going until god-knows-when. It was good to see them play the Orioles though because that meant TV games.

Enough of that, however, onto the update. Bullets for all:

• We didn't miss too many games, but what we did miss was bad. The Baysox got swept by the Southern Division bottom-feeding Connecticut Defenders in a 3-game series, including losses from Sendy Rleal (0-1), Chris Waters (2-5), and Radhames Liz (4-3).
• Game 1 was a 10-inning heart breaker that snapped the Baysox 3-game winning streak, 5-4. After 4 early runs, the Bowie bats went dead in the final 6 frames, and reliever Sendy Rleal gave up three consecutive 1-out singles in the 10th to allow the winning run to come across. One highlight for the Baysox was a two-run Matt Cepicky home run in the 4th inning.
• Game 2 of the series saw the Defenders come out swinging as starting pitcher Chris Waters got tagged for 7 runs off of 7 hits in 2.1 innings. It might have been worse had he put more balls where the hot bats of Connecticut could get to them, Waters had 5 walks in the short outing. Things didn't get any better in the 4th when reliever David Haehnel would give up a 3-run shot to Defenders' catcher Stephen Holm. The Baysox managed to score runs with the help of an Eli Whiteside 3-run homer, but it was not enough as Bowie lost 10-5.
• Game 3 featured Radhames Liz fresh off of his no-hitter of the Harrisburg Senators, and the reigning Eastern League pitcher of the week. He was able to extend his hitless innings streak until the third, when the Defenders got their first hit of the game. He would end up giving up 5 runs in as many innings, while the Baysox were unable to muster a single trip across home plate. Final score: a 5-0 loss. Good news for Bowie came as newest reliever Nick McCurdy pitched 3 innings of shutout ball, with 3 K and just 2 hits. If McCurdy can maintain his performance, he would be a huge help to a struggling Baysox bullpen.
• Bowie will make up it's rained out game with the Harrisburg Senator (from last Sunday) on June 12 as part of a 6:05 double header.
  
• STANDINGS: After the 3-game skid, the Baysox are now at 29-29, 5 games back of the Southern Division leading Akron Aeros.
  
• ROSTER MOVES: OF Matt Cepicky and RHP Nick McCurdy were both transferred from AAA Norfolk. Cepicky returned to Bowie on the 5th after a 12-game stint with the Tides. McCurdy came down on the 6th. In addition, LHP Oscar Alvarez was put on the DL on Wednesday, retroactive to the 4th, with shoulder stiffness. It was that stiffness that took Alvarez out of the game against Harrisburg in the 2nd inning on June 2.
• UP NEXT: The Baysox head to New Britain (29-25) for a 3-game series against the second place in the Northern Division Rock Cats.
  
• Probables (Rock Cat vs. Baysox):
  
• RHP Kyle Waldrop (0-3, 5.09 ERA) vs. RHP Fredy Deza (1-4, 5.23 ERA)
  
• RHP Jesse Floyd (4-4, 3.90 ERA) vs. RHP Rosman Garcia (1-2, 6.75 ERA)
  
• LHP Ryan Mullins (0-0, 2.77 ERA) vs. LHP Craig Anderson (4-1, 5.46 ERA

That pretty much does it. I will try and update as the games happen, but it's hard to catch them all when WRGW isn't broadcasting. Enjoy the weekend, and try to stay cool during today's heat wave.