The BlueClaws will send LHP Yoel Mecias to the mound tonight at FirstEnergy Park (6:35 first pitch) against Lexington. The Legends (Royals) have taken the first two games in the four-game series, which wraps up tomorrow night.

Game Notes / Listen Live (at 6:20)

State of the Clubs…Lakewood enters the game at 9-20, and the BlueClaws are 8-11 after starting the season 1-9…They are currently 11-games under .500 and 8.5 games out of first place, both season-highs…They won two of three from Charleston in their most recent series…Lexington has won five games in a row and six out of seven after starting the season 8-15…They swept a three-game series from Delmarva before coming up to Lakewood.

Hot Hittin’ Willie C…Willie Carmona is 14-32 over the last eight games after starting the season 10-55… He has hit in the clean-up spot for Lakewood since Art Charles was injured in the first game of the April 29^th double-header at Asheville…His four-hit game on April 26^th was the first of his career…Carmona was an 11^th round pick from Stony Brook and helped the Seawolves reach the College World Series.

Keep Chacing…Since April 19^th, Chace Numata is 14-37 with four mult-hit games…He is also 16-41 at home compared to 6-31 on the road…His 7^th inning home run on Wednesday was his 3^rd professional home run after he hit two with Williamsport last summer…He was a 14^th round pick in 2010 from Pearl City, Hawaii.

Two for Tocci…Carlos Tocci had two hits in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games, his fourth and fifth multi-hit games of the season…He is 7-21 thus far in May…Just 17 years old, Tocci is the youngest player in BlueClaws history and will not turn 18 until August 23^rd.

A Perfect 12…Brian Pointer is a perfect 12-12 stealing bases this season, including going 4-4 on Sunday vs Lexington…The franchise record for stolen bases in one game is five, set by Javon Moran in 2004…Pointer stole 13 bases in 87 games with Lakewood last year and added 3 in 35 games with Williamsport for a season total of 16.

Speed Machine…Roman Quinn has four stolen bases on the current homestand and is 14-16 on the season, tying him for fourth in the league, seven behind Kannapolis’ Micah Johnson…Quinn stole 30 bases last year with Williamsport, leading the NY-Penn League…On two occasions, Quinn has stolen second and third base in the same sequence.

Rotation Adjustment…LHP Lino Martinez, who was added to the BlueClaws roster on Sunday from extended spring training, replacing RHP Josh Warner, will start Thursday’s game at Greensboro in Warner’s spot in the rotation…Martinez was with Lakewood last year, going 6-5, 5.55 and was the BlueClaws Opening Day starter.

The BlueClaws try to snap a two-game skid today (and a 22-inning scoreless streak) as Kevin Brady takes the mound at 1:05 against Lexington.

Game Notes / Listen Live (at 12:50)

On Brady…RHP Kevin Brady (1-2, 5.24) makes his 6^th start of the year for Lakewood on Sunday…Brady gave up five runs in two innings on Monday at Asheville…After allowing six runs in 3.1 innings in his season debut on 4/7 vs Kannapolis, he gave up just two ER over his next 17 innings before his Monday outing…Has walked 11 in his last 13 innings… Made two appearances in 2012 with the GCL Phillies before joining Williamsport, where he went 1-3, 1.85 in 10 games/9 starts…Had a 49-5 K-BB ratio with the Crosscutters…Was also drafted in the 44^th round in 2008 (Orioles) and the 17^th round in 2011 (Indians).

State of the Clubs…Lakewood enters the game at 9-19, and the BlueClaws are 8-10 after starting the season 1-9…They won two of three from Charleston in their most recent series…Lexington has won four games in a row and five out of six after starting the season 8-15…They swept a three-game series from Delmarva before coming up to Lakewood.

Goose-eggs…The BlueClaws have been shutout in back-to-back games, and four times overall so far this year…They have not scored a run since the 4^th inning on Thursday, a stretch of 22 consecutive innings….Charleston (5) and Greenville (6) are the only two teams that have been blanked more than the BlueClaws this year…The BlueClaws were shutout eight times last year and eight times in 2011…Their longest scoreless innings stretch was 17 last year and the same in 2011.

Last Time…The last time the BlueClaws were blanked in back-to-back games was in 2008, when the lost 10-0 at Asheville on July 23^rd (Lakewood was no-hit in this game) and 4-0 to Kannapolis in Lakewood on July 25^th (off-day in between).

Welcome Back…C Josh Ludy returns to the BlueClaws, joining Lakewood from Clearwater…He replaces C Chad Carman, who was placed on the disabled list with a broken finger…Ludy began the season with Clearwater, where he was 3-12 with a home run…An 8^th round pick last year from Baylor, Ludy spent last year with the BlueClaws, joining the team at the start of the second half…He hit .271 with 1 home run and 12 RBIs in 32 games.

Welcome Back (2)…LHP Lino Martinez has re-joined the BlueClaws from extended spring training…The 20 year old lefty from Venezuela was with Lakewood last year, going 6-5, 5.55…He was Lakewoo’s Opening Day starter last season…RHP Josh Warner (1-3, 7.50) was sent to extended spring training.

The BlueClaws will open a four-game series with Lexington this afternoon, the first time the BlueClaws have ever played an affiliate of the Royals, who have been in the Midwest League until they partnered with Lexington this year.

Game Notes / Listen Live (at 3:50)

Welcome, Lexington…The Lexington Legends (Royals) are in town for a four-game series, the only four meetings of the season between the two teams…Lexington had been an Astros affiliate since their formation in 2001, and became a Royals affiliate this year…The Royals had been in the Midwest League and this is the first time the BlueClaws have played an affiliate of the Royals.

State of the Clubs…Lakewood enters the game at 9-18, and the BlueClaws are 8-9 after starting the season 1-9…They won two of three from Charleston in their most recent series…Lexington has won three games in a row and four out of five after starting the season 8-15…They swept a three-game series from Delmarva before coming up to Lakewood.

Welcome Back…C Josh Ludy returns to the BlueClaws, joining Lakewood from Clearwater…He replaces C Chad Carman, who was placed on the disabled list with a broken finger…Ludy began the season with Clearwater, where he was 3-12 with a home run…An 8^th round pick last year from Baylor, Ludy spent last year with the BlueClaws, joining the team at the start of the second half…He hit .271 with 1 home run and 12 RBIs in 32 games.

Goose-eggs…The BlueClaws were shutout on Friday night for the third time this year, one day after throwing their second shutout of the season…Charleston (5) and Greenville (6) are the only two teams that have been blanked more than the BlueClaws this year.

On Watson…RHP Shane Watson (1-2, 5.40) makes his 6^th start of the year…Gave up seven runs/six earned on Monday at Asheville in his most recent outing…Two starts back, he allowed just one hit over five shutout innings in win over Savannah…Went career-long six innings in each of first two outings…Has allowed one run in 11 innings over two starts at FirstEnergy Park…Began pro career with GCL Phillies, allowing one ER in seven innings pitched…Ranked as the 12^th best prospect in the organization per Baseball America entering the 2013 season…Graduate of Lakewood High School (California), the same high school that produced 2009 BlueClaws catcher Travis d’Arnaud.

The South Atlantic League and President Eric Krupa announced the 2013 South Atlantic League Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted at the SAL All-Star Game at FirstEnergy Park on June 18th.

From the release -

This year’s class certainly has a New Jersey flavor, and includes an elected official and the supplier of a very specialized product used in every professional baseball game. New Jersey State Senator Robert Singer will be inducted along with Lena Blackburne, whose famous baseball rubbing mud is taken from a riverbank somewhere in New Jersey.

Senator Robert W. Singer has served in the New Jersey State Legislature for over 20 years as well as on the Lakewood Township Committee for over 30 years. His leadership helped lure the Lakewood BlueClaws to New Jersey in 2001, and the success of the franchise would not have been possible without his steadfast support. His vision of a successful franchise has been fulfilled as the BlueClaws have led the South Atlantic League in average attendance in each of its 12 years in Lakewood.

Lena Blackburne’s solution to preparing baseballs for a game by rubbing them with mud to dull the shine without softening the cover has been used by Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball teams for nearly 75 years. Located somewhere in New Jersey, the actual source of the mud has been a well-guarded secret. Blackburne, a coach for the Philadelphia Athletics at the time, came up with the idea to use the mud in 1938. The mud did not scratch the baseballs, and it had no odor. Soon thereafter, every MLB team was using it. Its use then spread throughout the Minor Leagues, and has been used in every Minor League Baseball game for many years. Jim Bintliff, President of Lena Blackburne Baseball, will accept the honor on behalf of Lena Blackburne.

The BlueClaws look to sweep their first series of the season, and win their third straight game, tonight against Charleston at 7:05. There will be post-game fireworks. Tickets are available by calling 732-901-7000 option 2.

Game Notes / Listen Live (at 6:50)

Going For a Sweep…The BlueClaws, with a win tonight, would sweep their first series of the season…They swept just one series last year, a two-game series against Delmarva (May 22-23)…Their last series sweep of three or more games was a four-game sweep at Delmarva August 25-28 of 2011.

Charleston In Town…Charleston comes to Lakewood for their lone visit of the season and the only three meetings between the BlueClaws and RiverDogs (Yankees) this year…The teams played three games last year, with the RiverDogs sweeping a three-game series from Lakewood at Reily Park…Lakewood won seven of the nine meetings between the two teams in 2011, including four of five at FirstEnergy Park.

Speed Machine…Roman Quinn stole two bases on Thursday night and one on Wednesday night and is 13-15 on the season, tying him for fifth in the league, eight behind Kannapolis’ Micah Johnson…Quinn stole 30 bases last year with Williamsport, leading the NY-Penn League…On two occasions, Quinn has stolen second and third base in the same sequence.

Goose-eggs…The BlueClaws threw their second combined shutout of the season on Thursday night against Charleston (other was April 23^rd at Greenville)…The BlueClaws have allowed three runs in the first two games of this homestand after allowing 47 runs in the final four games of their recent road trip.

On Warner…RHP Josh Warner (1-2, 5.87) starts for Lakewood on Friday in the series finale with Charleston…Gave up six runs in two innings at Asheville on Friday in his most recent outing…His longest outing of the year is six innings (one run on 4/15 at Hagerstown)…Struck out career-high seven in season debut on 4/5 vs Kannapolis… Spent most of 2012 with Williamsport, going 4-7, 4.19 in 15 starts…Led NYPL in innings pitched (81.2)…Also made two appearances with Lakewood (five ER in 8.2 combined innings)…Began pro career with GCL Phillies in 2011, going 2-6, 6.91…Played for Brisbane Bandits in Australian Baseball League following the last two seasons.

Nicholas Hanson will make his first start of the season as the BlueClaws take on Charleston tonight at FirstEnergy Park. As if you don’t know this already (except for our Midwest readers), it is a gorgeous day.

Game Notes / Listen Live (at 6:20)

On Hanson…RHP Nicholas Hanson (0-0, 5.74) makes his seventh appearance and first start of the year…Gave up five runs/four earned in 2.2 innings at Asheville on Saturday in relief…Longest outing this year is three innings (three times)…Threw three shutout innings at Greenville on April 23^rd (two hits, five strikeouts)…Made pro debut with Williamsport, going 2-3 with a 7.00 ERA…Had a 29-5 K-BB ratio in 45 innings pitched.

Going For Three…The BlueClaws have won back-to-back games on two occasions this year (one two and one three-game winning streak)…They can win their second straight game with a victory tonight over the RiverDogs.

Home Cooking…The BlueClaws are in the midst of a stretch in which they will play 14 out of 18 games (1-0) at FirstEnergy Park, as well as 21 of 32 games in Lakewood (1-0) between May 1^st and June 2^nd…Including one off day, the BlueClaws will spend 21 of 33 days between May 1^st and June 2^nd at home, and then will play 10 of their final 13 games of the first half, and first seven games of the second half, on the road…Lakewood has a team ERA of 6.54 on the road and 4.21 at home this season.

Keep Chacing…Chace Numata’s 7^th inning home run on Wednesday was his 3^rd professional home run after he hit two with Williamsport last summer…Numata added two other hits in the game for his second three-hit game of the season…He was a 14^th round pick in 2010 from Pearl City, Hawaii.

From The North Shore to the Jersey Shore…Willie Carmona is 9-16, including an 8-11 series in Asheville, after starting the season 10-55…He has driven in runs in each of his last four games and six of his last seven games…His four-hit game on April 26^th was the first of his career…Carmona was an 11^th round pick from Stony Brook (north shore of Long Island) and helped the Seawolves reach the College World Series.

BlueClaws Transaction…1B Art Charles was placed on the 7-day disabled list with a right wrist sprain…Charles had hit safely in 9 straight games (13-33) and 15 of 16 (22-59, 4 HRs) before his injury, which occurred on April 29^th in Asheville…C Kevin Quaranto was activated off the disabled list to take his place on the roster.

From the Phillies, last week’s minor league review (games through April 28th).

Pitcher- LHP, Jesse Biddle, Reading… 2 starts- … 1-0, 13.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 26 SO… Honored as the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week, 4/22-28… At the time of print, Biddle is top-5 in the EL in the following categories… 1^st in strikeouts (40) & batting average against (.114), 2^nd in WHIP (0.77), 3^rd in innings pitched (31.0) and 4^th in ERA (1.74)… The 21-year-old lefty was a 1^st round (27^th overall) selection out of Germantown Friends School and signed by Eric Valent. Note: For more on Biddle, please see the Reading Fightin’ Phils section.

Player- 2B, Cesar Hernandez, Lehigh Valley… Batted .423 (11-26) in 7 G, 5 R, 3 RBI, 2 3B, 1 HR, 3 SB and 4 BB (currently riding a 10-game hitting streak)… Hernandez is batting .364 (32-88) on the year… His 32 hits rank T-1^st in the organization as well as the International League… The 22-year-old Hernandez was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent on July 2, 2006 by Sal Agostinelli and Jesus Mendez.

Read the rest of this entry »

After a 2-4 trip, the BlueClaws are back home tonight to take on Charleston (Yankees) and start a seven-game homestand which also includes four-games with Lexington (Royals).

Game Notes / Listen Live (6:20)

Charleston In Town…Charleston comes to Lakewood for their lone visit of the season and the only three meetings between the BlueClaws and RiverDogs (Yankees) this year…The teams played three games last year, with the RiverDogs sweeping a three-game series from Lakewood at Reily Park…Lakewood won seven of the nine meetings between the two teams in 2011, including four of five at FirstEnergy Park.

Out of Asheville…Willie Carmona went 8-12 in Asheville and is 11-15 over his last five games after starting the season 10-55…He has raised his average from .182 to .269…His four-hit game on April 26^th was the first of his career…Carmona was an 11^th round pick last year from Stony Brook and helped the Seawolves reach the College World Series.

New BlueClaw…Geoff Broussard joins the BlueClaws today after one day in extended spring training…He made three appearances with Clearwater, allowing five runs in seven innings…Broussard spent most of last season with Williamsport (2-1, 2.35 ERA) and gave up one run in three innings in a July 3^rd appearance with Lakewood…He was a 23^rd round pick last year by the Phillies from Cal-Poly Pomona…Andrew Aizenstadt (nine ER in 9.2 IP) was sent to extended spring training.

Going For Ten…Art Charles is currently riding an nine-game hitting streak, over which he is 13-33 with two home runs…He had a previous six-game hitting streak from April 11-16 and has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games.

On Yoel Mecias…LHP Yoel Mecias (0-1, 7.53) makes his fifth appearance and third start of the year…He most recently pitched on April 24^th at Greenville, allowing four runs/three earned over four innings in relief…He has thrown four innings in two of his four appearances, his season-long outing…His last home outing was April 18^th vs Savannah (three shutout innings)… Made pro debut with the GCL Phillies last year, going 0-2, 1.26 in 14 games/4 starts…Had a 34-11 K-BB ratio.

The BlueClaws will play a double-header today in Asheville after the double-header scheduled for yesterday was rained out.

RHP Shane Watson and RHP Kevin Brady will throw for the BlueClaws. You can listen to the two games on the Shore Sports Network – 1160/1310 WOBM-AM or online here beginning at 11 am.

Meanwhile, we talked to BlueClaws catcher Chace Numata about the start of the season, learning to be a catcher (he converted from the infield shortly after being drafted in 2010, calling pitches, switch-hitting, and much more.

Listen here or in the player below.

It’s pouring here in Arden, North Carolina, 12 miles from McCormick Field in Asheville, where, weather permitting, the BlueClaws and Asheville Tourists will play a double-header beginning at 2:05.

RHP Shane Watson (game 1) and RHP Kevin Brady (game 2) will be the two starters for the BlueClaws today. The off-day on Tuesday gives Lakewood a chance to use both starting pitchers in a double-header, and then one of the two would be able to start on (update) Saturday on their normal rest.

That said, here’s the forecast. Hopefully we can get baseball in, but…

UPDATE – No baseball. Watson and Brady will pitch tomorrow’s double-header which starts at 11:05 am.

Last night was the 1,678th game in franchise history and no team ever got more hits (21) or doubles (9) than Asheville did yesterday against the BlueClaws, topping Lakewood 14-10 in the opener of a four-game series. Lakewood hit the ball well too, setting season highs in runs scored and hits (17) but it wasn’t enough, as Lakewood fell to 2-2 on their four-game trip after winning the first two games.

Saturday’s game starts at 6:05 (weather permitting) and Shane Watson will take the mound for the BlueClaws.

Game Notes / Listen Live (at 5:50)

Record-Breaking…Asheville had nine doubles among their 21 hits on Friday night…Both are records for the most allowed in a game by the BlueClaws…It was the 1,678^th game in franchise history.

Tough Two Days…The BlueClaws have allowed 26 runs on 31 hits over the last two games (16 innings with neither opponent batting in the bottom of the 9^th)…The BlueClaws team ERA over the two days has jumped from 4.31 to 5.04, the second highest in the league (West Virginia at 5.04).

Going For Nine…Art Charles is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, over which he is 12-31…He had a previous six-game hitting streak from April 11-16…Mitch Walding has a six-game hitting streak for Lakewood this year, but Charles’ eight-game hitting streak is the longest of the season by a BlueClaws player.

Back on the Horse…Willie Carmona began the season 8-56 but is 6-14 over his last four games including 4-5 on Friday night in Asheville…He raised his average in that one game from .182 to .233…Carmona’s four-hit game was the first of his career.

Mora of This…Angelo Mora, since April 19^th, is 10-28 over seven games, raising his average from .130 to .207…He has four multi-hit games in that stretch after having just one in his first 14 games of the year…Mora spent last year in the Gulf Coast League, where he hit .271.

RHP Josh Warner takes the mound for the BlueClaws tonight in Asheville as the BlueClaws open a four-game series tonight at McCormick Field in Asheville. Lakewood took two of three in Greenville, despite a 12-1 loss last night.

Game Notes / Listen Live (at 6:50)

Welcome to Asheville…The BlueClaws are in Asheville to open a four-game series at McCormick Field, which opened in 1924 and is the oldest park in the league…The BlueClaws did not come to Asheville last year, and lost three of four games against the Tourists at FirstEnergy Park…Lakewood was last in Asheville in 2011, when they went 2-3 in a five-game series.

Walk This Way…BlueClaws pitchers lead the league in walks allowed with 99 (in 184.2 innings pitched), which equates to 4.8 walks per nine innings…The BlueClaws have walked 46 hitters in their last six games, 24 in the last three games against Savannah and 22 in the three games in Greenville…The BlueClaws have walked nine hitters in a game three times this season, including Thursday night at Greenville (7 of the 12 Greenville runners that scored reached base on a walk or hit by pitch).

On This Trip…The BlueClaws are 2-1 on the trip after taking two of three in Greenville…The BlueClaws are 4-6 on the road this season (3-8 at FirstEnergy Park).

The Art of Slugging…After starting the season 2-24, Art Charles is 19-53 three home runs and 14 RBIs in 14 games…He has hit safely in 13 of the 14 games with two two-hit games and two three-hit games…His home run on April 25^th was his 3^rd of the season and 31^st of his professional career…Charles was acquired by the Phillies on February 23^rd from the Blue Jays in exchange for RHP Michael Schwimer.

Indicators…The BlueClaws are 0-10 when allowing the first run of the game…They are 1-11 when allowing at least four runs…The BlueClaws have scored three runs or less in 11 of their first 21 games (2-9).

Going For Eight…Art Charles is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak, over which he is 10-27…He had a previous six-game hitting streak from April 11-16…Mitch Walding has a six-game hitting streak for Lakewood this year, but Charles’ seven-game hitting streak is the longest of the season by a BlueClaws player.

Jayson Hernandez and Pat Light, current teammates with the Greenville Drive, were both at home, Hernandez in Jackson and Light in Colts Neck, when Hurricane Sandy came through the Jersey Shore.

They rode out power outages and downed trees and saw the destruction to the Shore, their homes, caused by Sandy and wanted to help.

The Red Sox have a group of Shore Conference alums within their organization. Hernandez played at St Rose in Belmar with Anthony Renaudo. Light played at CBA and Monmouth University. Those three, led by Hernandez, wanted to help, and formed Grand Slam for Sandy, raising over $20,000 for relief efforts.

“It started when we didn’t have power for two weeks,” said Hernandez. “We figured we’d ask a few people and it kind of blew up. We used social media to get the word out and the right people caught wind of it and we ended up raising $22,000 for four families.”

Traditional media helped as well, like this column in the Asbury Park Press by Stephen Edelson.

Light spent the day before the storm at Six Flags. “We get a lot of storms coming through and people say ‘It’s going to be huge’ and it never is. But my parents said ‘We better prepare for this.’

“Down in Florida, they’re ready for that stuff. We weren’t and just to kind of help out where you can really makes a difference.”

Hernandez was especially moved when he went to Belmar in the days following the storm to see St. Rose, his high school.

“I went back about three days after the storm passed and they removed 600 pounds of fish from the inside of the school. Parts of the school had nine feet of water in it. It looked like a war zone down there.”

“Even though we’re not around the area all the time, the Shore Conference is home for all of us so we’re honored to help out,” said Light.

You can listen to the full interview with Hernandez and Light by clicking here.

–

In addition to Hernandez, Light and Ranaudo, Ryan Kalish, who played at Red Bank Catholic, is in the Red Sox system, and there is a nice Shore Conference niche to the Red Sox farm system.

“We all played against each other growing up,” said Hernandez. “Especially when you go down for your first year, it’s nice to have someone show you the rope, like Kalish did for me and Anthony.”

Hernandez played in the annual St Rose/Manasquan game at FirstEnergy Park and used to go to games at FirstEnergy Park with his father.

“I wanted to see how those guys took care of business because that’s where I wanted to be,” he said.

Light never got to pitch there but they played there every year.

“I threw one inning there in an All-Star Game my senior year. I’m hoping to get a start there in Lakewood in July. That would mean a lot. Last year we played in Staten Island, but it’s not the same. It would mean a lot to get a start there.”

After last night’s 7-5 win over the Drive, the BlueClaws can sweep their three-game series at Fluor Field with a win tonight. RHP Jordan Guth takes the mound in the series finale. The BlueClaws will head up the road to Asheville after the game and open a four-game series there tomorrow night.

Today’s Game Notes / Listen Live (at 6:50)

With a Win…With a win today, the BlueClaws would win their fourth straight game – yesterday’s win sealed Lakewood’s first three-game winning streak of the season…The BlueClaws had three win streaks of at least four games last year (longest win streak in 2012 was five games)…By winning the first two games of this series, the BlueClaws have clinched their first series win of the year after going 0-4-1 in their first five series of the season.

Going for a Sweep…The BlueClaws can seal a sweep of the three-game series with a win tonight…Their last series sweep was a rain-shortened two-game series against Delmarva on May 22-23 of 2012…Lakewood’s last series sweep of at least three games was a four-game sweep at Delmarva between August 22^nd and 25^th of 2011.

The Art of Slugging…After starting the season 2-24, Art Charles is 18-49 two home runs and 13 RBIs in 13 games…He has hit safely in 12 of the 13 games with two two-hit games and two three-hit games…His home run on April 15^th was his 30th as a pro and second in the Phillies organization…Charles was acquired by the Phillies on February 23^rd from the Blue Jays in exchange for RHP Michael Schwimer.

Going For Seven…Art Charles is currently riding a six-game hitting streak, over which he is 9-23…He had a previous six-game hitting streak from April 11-16…Mitch Walding shares the longest hitting streak by a BlueClaw this season after hitting safely in the first six games of the year.

Mora of This Please…Angelo Mora notched his first three-hit game of the year on Tuesday afternoon…He has mutli-hit games in three of his last five games, going a combined 8-20 over that stretch…Through Thursday’s game, Mora was 7-54 with 11 strikeouts…He has raised his average from .130 to .203.

Three for Mitch…Mitch Walding’s 3-run double in the 5^th inning on Wednesday in Greenville pulled him even with Art Charles for the team RBI lead with 13…Walding drove in six runs over the first five BlueClaws games (three two-RBI games) but the three-RBI game on April 24^th was his first mutli-RBI game since April 8^th…Walding hit safely in the first six BlueClaws games of the year (8-20).