The Wilmington Blue Rocks were routed by the Hudson Valley Renegades in a 12-2 loss on Tuesday, April 30.
Bryan Caceres started for the Blue Rocks, going five innings while giving up three runs on six hits. He had shaky second and third innings but settled in nicely from there and didn’t give up any runs in his final two innings of work.
“It was alright,” Manager Mario Lisson said. “Just alright, I think the ability to throw quality pitches is more than just pitching. There were a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate. The execution is something we gotta work on. He did a better job towards the end.”
The Renegades scored nine runs in the sixth inning off Wilmington’s bullpen to put the game out of reach. Marlon Perez and Dannel Diaz could not find a way to get any Renegades out, giving up two home runs and seven straight hits in the inning, all of which were purely roped off the bat.
“Tomorrow is a new day,” Lisson said. “That’s part of the game. You’re going to have days like this. Hopefully tomorrow we come out ready to go and it’s a better day.”
A bounceback is imminent, as the bullpen for the Blue Rocks has been strong to start the season. There have been multiple games where the bullpen has kept them in the fight, and that led to some special plays late in games to win it.
“It’s baseball,” Daylen Lile said. “We play every day. Anything can change.”
Lile had a stellar performance at the plate and in the field, going 2-3 with a triple and an RBI. He did a great job making plays in center field on the balls that stayed in the park. He seemed to have a good read on the Renegades’ starter Baron Stuart.
“Yeah, he just left the ball over the plate,” Lile said. “He tried to come in that first pitch and then he messed up throwing that two-seam through the middle.”
One of Lile’s hits came in the seventh inning after the rally from the Renegades. He was able to stay focused and competitive even down ten runs.
“Anything can change, especially with a score like this,” Lile said. “It’s baseball, you gotta stay locked in and do what you can do to help the team out.”
It was Phillip Glasser’s first game in Wilmington after being brought to the team during their series in Brooklyn last week. He was able to get a good feel for the ballpark and the deep gaps in the outfield already, making great cutoff plays and getting the ball in quickly while the Renegades were hitting the ball hard through the gaps. He went 1-3 with a walk at the plate as well.
“He’s been playing good man,” Lisson said. “He was in Brooklyn with us for the last game. He’s done a good job so far. He plays hard, and that’s what we ask of everyone. Play hard and give us all you’ve got, and he’s done that.”
With injuries to some key players, Lisson and the coaching staff will be looking for more guys like Glasser to step up and have good games.
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