Tough glove: Scrappers’ defense problematic again

July 6, 2013 at 12:07a.m.

NILES

Following Friday night’s game between the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Williamsport, Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak had little insight on his club’s latest performance.

“What can I say that’s different?” Kubiak lamented. “Nothing different. We just gotta keep playing hard. We gotta keep going out there and doing things until we get it right.”

Indeed, the Scrappers didn’t get much right Friday in a 6-3 loss to Williamsport. The Scrappers’ defense committed three errors, while the bullpen continued to struggle.

An Eastwood Field crowd of 2,574 saw the Scrappers fall to 7-12.

“That’s two nights in a row our defense let us down,” Kubiak said. “I think it’s time to back off these players and give some of them a bit of a rest. These guys, a lot of them are playing every day for the first time in their lives, and it can become a struggle.”

After the Crosscutters scored a run in the top of the first on an RBI double by Zach Green, the Scrappers answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Cody Ferrell led off the bottom of the first with a walk, then scored on a double off the bat of Paul Hendrix. The RBI was the first for Hendrix, who was drafted by the Cleveland Indians out of TCU in the eighth round of the June draft.

One out later, Nellie Rodriguez gave the Scrappers a 3-1 lead when he belted a two-run homer over the 405-foot sign in dead center. The blast was Rodriguez’s first homer as a Scrapper.

“I pretty much knew it was gone when it left the bat,” Rodriguez said. “I got a good pitch to hit, and I connected.

“I wouldn’t say I have been pressing to hit that first home run, but I was thinking about it, and it felt good to get it out of the way.”

While the Scrappers’ offense, defense and pitching fizzled from the first inning on, the Williamsport bats came to life.

A Green double, and error and an RBI single by Juandido Tromp tied the game at 3 in the fourth.

Scrappers reliever Breily Puerta then came in to pitch the top of the sixth, and the wheels fell off for the Scrappers.

In his one inning of work, Puerta gave up three runs on four hits. He also hit a batter and threw a pair of wild pitches. The Crosscutters also swiped a base in the sixth, and that base runner advanced to third on a throwing error by Scrappers catcher Sincarf Loopstok.

Meanwhile, the Scrappers’ only base hit beyond the first inning was a fifth inning single by Hendrix.

Scrappers starter Dace Kime worked two innings in his professional debut. Kime allowed two hits and one run, walking one and recording a pair of strikeouts.

Kime, an Ohio native who graduated from Defiance High, was drafted by the Indians out of Louisville in Round 3 of the June Draft.

Kime started the season as a reliever with the Cardinals before joining the rotation in mid-season. He was 5-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 24 games, including eight starts. In his career at Louisville, he recorded 146 strikeouts in 1312/3 innings.

“I struggled walking that first batter, but I settled down and felt good,” Kime said. “I didn’t feel nervous when I took the mound, but I’ll use it as an excuse for issuing the walk.”

Kime was performing in front of family and friends, who made the trip across state.

“It’s a good feeling to know they were in the stands,” Kime said. “It’s pretty neat to be able to start my career this close to home.”

Scrappers pitchers combined to record 13 strikeouts.