P-Nats allow Wilmington to make history

The dreaded slump has now come over the Potomac Nationals’ offense. Because of Potomac’s inability to register more than two hits on Friday, the Nationals no longer can enjoy the luxury of being in first place in the Northern Division.
They watched the Wilmington Blue Rocks earn their franchise record 12th straight win with a 8-1 victory to move a game ahead of them in the division. Both teams entered play on Friday tied atop for first.
Potomac has gone 1-5 in August and has scored three runs or fewer in four of those games.
The Nationals can only hope for a split of the four-game set which would put them a game up on the Blue Rocks before their three-game set with Frederick begins on Tuesday.
But Potomac manager Trent Jewett will ask his team to approach the final two games of this series with no change in its game plan. He just wants his team to keep fighting and hope it frees itself of its offensive struggles.
“We’re going to take the same approach,” Jewett said.
The reasons for Wilmington’s victory were nearly identical to that of their win on Thursday. The Blue Rocks received solid pitching, played perfect defense and drove in runs when scoring opportunities presented themselves.
Their starting pitcher again had great stuff. Right-hander Eduardo Paulino, who entered with a 6.14 ERA against Potomac, retired his first eight batters and finished with five strikeouts in six and two-thirds innings.
Danny Espinosa’s single and Tim Pahuta’s home run were the only dents Potomac (25-16 second half, 62-46 overall) made on him.
Potomac batters managed just one walk, that by Boomer Whiting, who stole second with two outs, but was left stranded when Michael Martinez grounded out.
“You can’t make too much out of it,” Jewett said when asked how his team’s offense can awaken from its slumber. “The balls we hit were right at the [fielders]. Pahuta hit his good, Espy got one to go through and Boomer got the base on balls. I don’t think we hit very well.”
What Potomac did do well was play defense.
Chris Marrero leaped to catch Eric Hosmer’s line drive, which was turned into a double play when Marrero stepped on first base to get the out on Clint Robinson.
Potomac turned a nine-six double play in the third. Right fielder Michael Burgess caught Johnny Giavotella’s fly ball for the second out. Burgess threw the ball back to the infield where Espinosa, the shortstop, caught it and tagged Derrick Robinson leaning too far off second.
Clint Robinson gave Wilmington solo home runs in the second and eighth, respectively.
Derrick Robinson singled home Matt Morizio to give the Blue Rocks a 2-0 lead in the third.
Derrick continued his success in the series when he singled and scored in the sixth.
He doubled home Wilmington’s sixth and seventh runs in the eighth.
“We’re just getting hits in key situations,” Robinson said. “If a guy gets out, the next guy comes up and gets the job done. We’re putting the ball in play when we need to.”
And Robinson helped out defensively. The center fielder ran down Jesus Valdez’s fly ball for the final out of the first.
Robinson also watched left fielder Paulo Orlando back up, stand before the left field and catch Valdez’s drive in the bottom of the fourth.
Orlando also provided Wilmington with an offensive boost with a 4 for 5 night with two runs scored.
“Our defense is solid,” Robinson said. “We made good plays and made the routine plays. We joke around in the outfield, but we tell each other nothing drops.”
Pahuta’s home run, his sixth blast this year, trimmed Wilmington’s lead to 2-1.
But the Nationals offense was returned to being quiet. Wilmington pitchers set down Potomac’s final 15 hitters in sending the Nationals to their fourth straight loss.
“We were impatient,” Jewett said. “We [swung] out of the zone.”
Starting pitcher Adam Carr had his share of highlights. He retied six of the first seven hitters he faced, picked off Eric Hosmer in the fourth and forced Wilmington to hit into two double plays.
But he dropped to 1-3 after allowing four runs on eight hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
Nationals relief pitchers were ineffective as Osvaldo Rodriguez, Justin Phillabaum and Drew Storen combined to give up four runs on six hits in two and two-thirds innings.