Adding a Second Story to Your Home
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By: Marc Gieselmann
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After a disappointing first half, in which the Madison Mallards finished third in the Northwoods League South division, the team has shown early signs during the second half of regaining the form that carried it to last year's league championship.
The Mallards improved to 5-2 in the second half with a 7-4 win in Kalamazoo Monday night. Two recent additions to the team, right fielder Connor Marabell from Jacksonville University and shortstop Trace Tam Sing of Washington State, have been instrumental to the quick start. The Mallards are also hoping for help from newcomers Matt Thaiss and Tyler Allen from the University of Virginia, whose team advanced to the College World Series finals late last month.
The Mallards' college roster turns over constantly, but the franchise keeps humming along. Owner Steve Schmitt and the rest of the management team don't always get the credit they're due; before the Mallards, Madison seemed an often indifferent baseball town. Now in their 14th year, the Mallards regularly draw 6,000 fans or more to the Duck Pond at Warner Park. Season after season they enjoy the best attendance in the Northwoods League, and it's not even close for second place. (In fairness, Madison is the biggest market in the league.)
The team's latest home game, a 7-1 loss to Battle Creek last Saturday afternoon, drew more than 6,700. The Bombers broke through for a couple of runs in the fourth inning against Mallards starting pitcher Sterling Sharp (yes, that's his name) and never trailed again.
Again, though, the real story was the crowd. Warner Park was packed, as it often is. Most notably, the stands were full of children; baseball lovers sometimes fear for the future of their sport because of an aging fan demographic, but it wasn't in evidence at the Duck Pond Saturday.
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Mallards mania remains strong in Madison
Verizon (NYSE: VZ) stock, more volatile than the late-afternoon weather in July, turned sharply upward yesterday after CEO Lowell McAdam said its wireless arm would report more than 1.4 million retail postpaid additions in the second quarter.
McAdam, speaking among assembled media moguls at the Allen & Company conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, said Verizon Wireless expects to report a net of more than 1.4 million retail postpaid additions in the second of quarter 2014. "This includes strong smartphone additions, company-record tablet additions and net additions for handsets," according to an entry on the Verizon website.
He added that Verizon would report very good retail postpaid churn when it details second-quarter earnings on July 22.
The news drove Verizon's stock 1.5 percent higher to end at $49.64, making it a big winner on a day the overall Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropped 70 points. Earlier in the week, Verizon stock fell 1.93 percent to $48.82 in late afternoon trading, leading 24/7 WallStreet.com to label the company the "big loser among the Dow 30 stocks."
For more: - Verizon has this press release - TheStreet has this story
Related articles: Verizon reveals 150K government information requests in first half of 2014 Verizon to report more than 1.4M postpaid net additions in Q2 N.Y. petitioners: Verizon raises prices as landline service deteriorates
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Volatile Verizon stock swings up after positive 2Q comments
HARVARD It's been more than 20 years since Harvard High School received substantial work and nearly a century since it was built.
So, yes, District 50 officials are excited to be closing in on the second phase of a major sprucing up of the place.
"It's very much needed the original part of the building was constructed in 1921, and then it had additions in 1955 and 1993," said Steve Miller, the district's director of facilities. "So yeah, the older section of the building really did need some updating."
Update it, they have. Contractors started last year building 10 new classrooms, which opened by Christmas break. They did the exterior of the kitchen last summer, and completed the interior throughout the school year. Equipment was installed in the spring.
"That was a new addition to the building," Miller said. "It's completed and ready to go when the kids come back in September."
The old kitchen is being demolished and rebuilt as cafeteria space, expanding seating and adding a "senior cafe" that will incorporate "restaurant-style" seating, Miller said.
Crews also will build a fitness center with cardio equipment and an area for yoga, and redo the administrative area. The high school also will get installed a secure entrance, along with four other schools in the district this summer.
In the new entrance, a first set of doors will open into a small atrium where guests can speak with school staff through a video screen before being buzzed through a second set of locked doors. The district's fifth school, Richard D. Crosby Elementary, already has a secure entrance.
Additionally, both the high school and Jefferson School are getting new HVAC systems.
The high school's upgrades have been a long time coming. The school was the district's only building not to feel relief from a $22 million referendum in 2008, which allowed the district to build Crosby school and drop a grade level at the others to create space.
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Harvard High School in second phase of face-lift
July 10, 2014 - Carolina League (CarL) Wilmington Blue Rocks WASHED AWAY: Wednesday's doubleheader between the Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Potomac Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium was postponed due to rain. It was the second straight night the two clubs were washed out and the 11th rainout of the season for the Blue Crew. The teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday to make up the second and third games of the scheduled four-game series. The final contest of the series will be made up at a later date to be determined.
FIVE OUT OF SIX: Luis Santos turned in his second straight strong outing and the Wilmington offense overcame a slow start as the Blue Rocks beat the Potomac Nationals, 5-1, on Monday at Pfitzner Stadium. Santos (2-1) allowed just one run on three hits in six innings to earn a second consecutive victory over the P-Nats. At the plate, the Rocks scored all of their runs over the final five frames as they moved their record back to .500 in the season's second half (9-9) and improved to 42-44 overall in 2014. It was the Blue Crew's fifth win in their last six games.
A LITTLE MOMENTUM FOR LUIS: Luis Santos retired the first five batters he faced before running into a little two-strike, two-out trouble in the second. He plunked Mike McQuillan with an 0-2 pitch in the shoulder and then yielded an 0-2 double off the bat of Justin Miller. Miller's grounder snuck just inside the third-base line and plated McQuillan to put Potomac on top, 1-0. Santos would then retire 13 of the last 16 batters he faced, never allowing a runner to advance further than second base. He fanned five and walked only one, needing just 79 pitches to make it through six frames and earn the win. He has now strung two of the best starts of his Advanced-A career together over his last two outings. Coincidentally, both have come against the first-half champion Potomac Nationals. Santos allowed just one run on three hits in 5.2 innings on July 1 to earn his first win since joining the Blue Rocks in late-May. He followed that up with his excellent start on Monday. Thanks to his last 11.2 frames, Santos has lowered his ERA from 8.37 to 6.11. Santos began the campaign with Low-A Lexington and put up stellar numbers for the Legends prior to his promotion to the Blue Rocks. With Lexington, he was 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA in nine appearances (six starts). He struck out 34 and walked just five while yielding only 33 hits in 46 innings pitched.
RAUL HOPING TO GET ON A ROLL: Raul Mondesi busted his way out of a 5-for-51 slump on Monday by going 2-for-4 with a pair of extra-base hits. The switch hitter tripled from the left side of the batter's box in sixth inning and then roped a double batting from the right side just two frames later. Mondesi also drove in a run and scored twice in Monday's victory. It was a good day all around for the 18-year-old, who was named the 22nd-ranked prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America, which released its midseason top 50 prospects list on Monday afternoon. Mondesi is batting just .220 on the season, but is the youngest player in the Carolina League, and is widely viewed by many scouts as the best defensive infielder in all of Advanced-A.
NEWCOMERS KNOW HOW TO MAKE A DEBUT: Mark Threlkeld and Ramon Torres have continued to impress during their brief tenures in Wilmington. On Monday, Threlkeld went 1-for-4 while Torres went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Since joining the Blue Crew from Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Threlkeld is 6-for-15 with two runs and a walk. Torres is 6-for-18 with three runs, a double, a triple, three RBIs and a walk since his promotion from Low-A Lexington. While playing for the Naturals, Threlkeld hit .253 with seven homers, 10 doubles, a triple and 26 RBIs. With the Legends, Torres batted .304 with five homers, 15 doubles, two triples and 25 RBIs in 73 games.
THEY SAID IT, MANAGER DARRYL KENNEDY: "[Luis] Santos was able to get away with some pitches up early in the game, but did a good job getting the ball down when he had to at that point in the game. Then he really seemed to settle in and pitched a very good ballgame. With him, he's got that herky-jerky delivery and he throws enough pitches up and in that he gets the hitters a little defensive. That pays off for him. He gets them off balance and when he comes back and locates he's tough to deal with. He pitched a heck of a game and put us in position to win...It looked like we were swinging the bats pretty well, we just weren't getting anything out of it, but then Jared [Schlehuber] comes up and gets that home run, which catapulted us to some success. That was a big spot for us there...It was good to see [Raul] Mondesi get some hits for us [Monday] and see that smile back on his face. We hadn't seen that smile in a while. I know he's been struggling, but we tend to forget he's only 18-years-old. He's been going through some growing pains, but hopefully this is a sign that he's starting to come out of it. We definitely need his presence in our lineup. Then Bubba [Starling] swung it well again. He's really been hitting the ball well for a couple weeks now, it just goes a little unnoticed at times. We really need both of those guys to get going. Hopefully with the additions of Ramon Torres and Mark Threlkeld it takes some of the pressure off those guys and allows them to relax a little bit...[Mark] Peterson has really gone unnoticed in terms of his importance to our team this year. I remember earlier in the season he worked four innings to get a save. It seems like whatever we need him to do for us, he just gets it done. I have a lot of confidence in that man."
GAME-TWO STARTING PITCHER, BRANDON FINNEGAN: Highly-regarded hurler Brandon Finnegan makes his professional debut in game two of Thursday night's doubleheader against the P-Nats. The Kansas City Royals selected Finnegan No. 17 overall in the First Round of the 2014 Draft. He played collegiately for TCU and dazzled across three fantastic seasons there. With TCU, Finnegan posted a career 13-16 record and 2.77 ERA. He struck out 276 and walked 94 there across 247.1 innings. However, his final season is the one that really stood out. Finnegan went 9-3 with a 2.04 ERA, 234 strikeouts and 29 walks in 105.2 innings pitched this spring. He was a standout performer while leading TCU to just its second College World Series berth in school history. Finnegan was named First-Team All-Big 12 for his efforts and a third-team all-American by Louisville Slugger, Baseball America and Perfect Game. He was also drafted out of high school in the 45th Round of the 2011 Draft by the Texas Rangers.
Today's Game One Starters
WIL: LHP Sean Manaea (2-7, 4.75)
vs.
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Blue Rocks Game Notes
Houston, Texas (PRWEB) July 11, 2014
Saxe McQuain, a real estate broker based in Houston, TX, has announced it is offering new tenant representation services for those interested in renting office space in Houston due to the recent population boom within the city. After a year calling Houston the second fastest growing community in the country behind Austin, Texas, this city is poised to become a major metropolis with a variety of construction projects and housing additions taking place concurrently. As a result, more and more office space is being created for rent and lease. As commercial real estate advisors, Saxe McQuain specializes in connecting clients with office space in the city, whether luxury condos or LEED-certified commercial properties.
While Houston growth is in demand, rent prices have increased to double the rates as previously set forth, forcing tenants to pay higher rates called for by the burgeoning market. These higher rental rates have led to an increase in vacancy rates over the past year as clients cannot afford to pay them. In West Houston in particular, many large tenants have begun construction on their own office spaces, while vacating their current spaces, likely leading to large amounts of open space available for smaller tenants to move into in the near future.
Saxe McQuain helps business owners manage their rent costs and educate them in the Houston real estate market so as to make educated choices when it comes to office space rental costs. The firm assists in all phases of the commercial leasing process, such as connecting clients with the right community, rates, parking, image and expansion possibilities, working with small-, mid- and large-sized companies. Professionals within the firm utilize the latest market trends and future projections to ensure the right fit between tenant and building.
Saxe McQuain offers several services for the commercial real estate sector, including market trend analysis, property needs determination, office tenant representation and lease term negotiation assistance. A contact form is available on the website that calls for basic contact information such as name, email and phone. Clients will be contacted by a professional within the company at their earliest convenience.
About Saxe McQuain: Saxe McQuain, owned by First Vice President Kevin Saxe and Senior Associate Jerrod McQuain, is located at 700 Louisiana Street, Suite 2700 in Houston, Texas. The company be reached by phone at 713-818-7805.
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Saxe McQuain Announces New Office Space Representation Services Due to Houston Boom
Faced with a light summer agenda Monday night, the La Caada Flintridge City Council sought to refine city development standards alongside Planning Commission members and later denied a Glendale resident's claim the city violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In a special joint meeting with the city's Planning Commission prior to its regular meeting, the council discussed a recent van tour in which members from both panels journeyed through La Caada looking for examples of where home-design mandates might be clearer or better applied.
Topics of concern included regulations regarding basement additions and the construction of light wells around basement windows, whether accent turrets on single-story homes should ever be a part of the city's second-floor review process and what constitutes a neighborhood when considering aesthetic compatibility.
Robert Stanley, director of community development, showed photographs of homes approved by the Planning Commission. Some showed neighborhood consistency done well, while others demonstrated a need for further improvement.
One example a two-story on Hillard Avenue surrounded by single-story, mid-century homes raised the question of whether "neighborhood" consists of homes on a single street, or the larger surrounding area.
Council members agreed there was no easy answer, especially if today's determinations failed to hold up tomorrow.
"We've always said (just) because it's a street of single-story homes, that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way," Councilwoman Laura Olhasso said.
Mayor Mike Davitt agreed it was difficult to legislate continuity.
"To me, you're going down a slippery slope when you try to define a neighborhood," Davitt said.
During the regular meeting, Council members heard comments from Carole Weling, a Glendale resident with grievances about La Caada's general noncompliance with state and federal laws passed to accommodate individuals with disabilities.
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La Caada officials talk neighborhood aesthetics
Construction is scheduled to begin this month on an addition and renovations to the Oswego Public Library's District downtown campus library.
The project will include the construction of a second story addition onto the eastern wing of the building on Jefferson Street at Main Street.
Fred Marano, executive vice president of Frederick Quinn Corp., construction managers for the project, presented contractor bids to the library board along with his firm's recommendations during a meeting last week.
Library district board members awarded contracts totaling $3,494,590 for the project after cutting $234,059 from the bids for alternates or other changes.
The project is expected to be completed next July.
The accepted bids included Robinette Demolition Inc. of Oakbrook Terrace with $168,400 for demolition that has to be done before new construction can begin; Elliot Construction Inc. of Glen Ellyn with $350,430 for concrete and excavation; Iwanski Masonry Inc. of Lombard with $374,000 for masonry work; and Garbe Iron Works Inc. of Aurora with $439,920 for structural steel.
Also accepted were bids from Hargrave Builders of South Elgin with $136,369 for carpentry; Weatherguard Roofing Co. with $197,170 for roofing and sheet metal; Kole Construction Co. of Romeoville with $31,570 for exterior work; Laforce Inc. of Willowbrook with $29,425 for doors, frames and finish hardware; CAD Contract Glazing Inc. of Wheeling with $153,800 for aluminum, glass and glazing; Champion Drywall Inc. of Channon with $376,180 for metal stud and drywall installation; and Heitkotter Inc. of Montgomery with $138,426 for acoustic ceilings.
Douglas Floor Covering Inc. of North Aurora was low bidder for tile flooring with $61,850; TSI Commercial Floor of Champaign with $71,206 for resilient flooring and carpeting; May Decorating II Inc. of Palatine with $21,850 for painting; Schindler Elevator Corp. of Elmhurst with $63,900 for an elevator from the first to second floor; and Automatic Fire Systems Inc. of Rockford with $52,282 for fire sprinklers.
Cannonball Mechanical of Aurora was low bidder with $92,770 for plumbing; Jensen's Plumbing and Heating of Woodstock with $224,852 for heating, ventilation and air conditioning; Austin Electric Inc. of Joliet with $442,250 for electrical work; and Twin Oaks Landscaping of Oswego with $67,940 for landscaping work.
The number of bids received by category ranged from a high of eight for HVAC to only one for exterior work, and one for doors, frames and finish hardware,
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Work to start soon on library expansion
July 8, 2014 - Carolina League (CarL) Wilmington Blue Rocks FIVE OUT OF SIX: Luis Santos turned in his second straight strong outing and the Wilmington offense overcame a slow start as the Blue Rocks beat the Potomac Nationals, 5-1, on Monday at Pfitzner Stadium. Santos (2-1) allowed just one run on three hits in six innings to earn a second consecutive victory over the P-Nats. At the plate, the Rocks scored all of their runs over the final five frames as they moved their record back to .500 in the season's second half (9-9) and improved to 42-44 overall in 2014. It was the Blue Crew's fifth win in their last six games.
A LITTLE MOMENTUM FOR LUIS: Santos retired the first five batters he faced before running into a little two-strike, two-out trouble in the second. He plunked Mike McQuillan with an 0-2 pitch in the shoulder and then yielded an 0-2 double off the bat of Justin Miller. Miller's grounder snuck just inside the third-base line and plated McQuillan to put Potomac on top, 1-0. Santos would then retire 13 of the last 16 batters he faced, never allowing a runner to advance further than second base. He fanned five and walked only one, needing just 79 pitches to make it through six frames and earn the win. He has now strung two of the best starts of his Advanced-A career together over his last two outings. Coincidentally, both have come against the first-half champion Potomac Nationals. Santos allowed just one run on three hits in 5.2 innings on July 1 to earn his first win since joining the Blue Rocks in late-May. He followed that up with his excellent start on Monday. Thanks to his last 11.2 frames, Santos has lowered his ERA from 8.37 to 6.11. Santos began the campaign with Low-A Lexington and put up stellar numbers for the Legends prior to his promotion to the Blue Rocks. With Lexington, he was 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA in nine appearances (six starts). He struck out 34 and walked just five while yielding only 33 hits in 46 innings pitched. Santos was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 18, 2011. He spent 2011 with the Dominican Pirates and had a 2-1 record and 2.70 ERA. In 2012, Santos split time between the Dominican Pirates 1 and the Dominican Pirates 2. The six-foot hurler was traded from the Pirates organization to the Kansas City Royals organization on November 28, 2012. He was sent to the Royals along with lefty Luis Rico in exchange for right-hander Vin Mazzaro and first-baseman Clint Robinson.
RAUL HOPING TO GET ON A ROLL: Raul Mondesi busted his way out of a 5-for-51 slump on Monday by going 2-for-4 with a pair of extra-base hits. The switch hitter tripled from the left side of the batter's box in sixth inning and then roped a double batting from the right side just two frames later. Mondesi also drove in a run and scored twice in Monday's victory. It was a good day all around for the 18-year-old, who was named the 22nd-ranked prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America, which released its midseason top 50 prospects list on Monday afternoon. Mondesi is batting just .220 on the season, but is the youngest player in the Carolina League, and is widely viewed by many scouts as the best defensive infielder in all of Advanced-A.
NEWCOMERS KNOW HOW TO MAKE A DEBUT: Mark Threlkeld and Ramon Torres have continued to impress during their brief tenures in Wilmington. On Monday, Threlkeld went 1-for-4 while Torres went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Since joining the Blue Crew from Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Threlkeld is 6-for-15 with two runs and a walk. Torres is 6-for-18 with three runs, a double, a triple, three RBIs and a walk since his promotion from Low-A Lexington. While playing for the Naturals, Threlkeld hit .253 with seven homers, 10 doubles, a triple and 26 RBIs. With the Legends, Torres batted .304 with five homers, 15 doubles, two triples and 25 RBIs in 73 games.
THEY SAID IT, MANAGER DARRYL KENNEDY: "[Luis] Santos was able to get away with some pitches up early in the game, but did a good job getting the ball down when he had to at that point in the game. Then he really seemed to settle in and pitched a very good ballgame. With him, he's got that herky-jerky delivery and he throws enough pitches up and in that he gets the hitters a little defensive. That pays off for him. He gets them off balance and when he comes back and locates he's tough to deal with. He pitched a heck of a game and put us in position to win...At least when were making mistakes on the base paths it was mistakes being aggressive, and we haven't always been aggressive enough on the bases, especially with balls in the dirt...It looked like we were swinging the bats pretty well, we just weren't getting anything out of it, but then Jared [Schlehuber] comes up and gets that home run, which catapulted us to some success. That was a big spot for us there...It was good to see [Raul] Mondesi get some hits for us [Monday] and see that smile back on his face. We hadn't seen that smile in a while. I know he's been struggling, but we tend to forget he's only 18-years-old. He's been going through some growing pains, but hopefully this is a sign that he's starting to come out of it. We definitely need his presence in our lineup. Then Bubba [Starling]swung it well again. He's really been hitting the ball well for a couple weeks now, it just goes a little unnoticed at times. We really need both of those guys to get going. Hopefully with the additions of Ramon Torres and Mark Threlkeld it takes some of the pressure off those guys and allows them to relax a little bit...Mondesi is a guy who you've always watched in the past play stellar defense, but his bat has been right there with him. I think he has really shown this year what he is, simply because his bat hasn't always been there, but his defense never stopped. For an 18-year-old kid to not let his offense carry over into his defense is very impressive and pretty rare. That's why he is who he is...We are definitely a little more balanced now. We were very right-hand dominant most of the first half. With two switch hitters now [Mondesi and Torres] it helps us out. And then it also gives us a lot of flexibility with really three shortstops available in the infield between Jack Lopez, Mondesi and Torres. That's only going to improve our defense which has been a strength of ours all year long...[Mark] Peterson has really gone unnoticed in terms of his importance to our team this year. I remember earlier in the season he worked four innings to get a save. It seems like whatever we need him to do for us, he just gets it done. I have a lot of confidence in that man."
Today's Starters
WIL: LHP Sean Manaea (2-7, 4.75)
vs.
POT: RHP Brian Rauh (1-1, 5.08)
After the summer of 2012, many thought Sean Manaea would be the No. 1 overall pick in last June's draft. While pitching in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in 2012, Manaea put together one of the most dominant pitching seasons the league had ever seen. He went 5-1 with a 1.21 ERA that summer, while throwing his fastball between 94 and 96 m.p.h. Manaea's 85 strikeouts set a modern-day Cape League record, eclipsing Josh Bard's 82 in 2005. Last spring at Indiana State, however, a series of unfortunate injuries led to a drop in velocity and, in turn, Manaea's draft stock falling. Manaea hurt his ankle and then his hip and his shoulder. Kansas City still drafted him 34th overall last June and signed him to a $3.55 million bonus. He had surgery after the draft to repair a torn hip labrum and did not pitch professionally in 2013. Manaea will make his 16th start of the season Tuesday against the Potomac Nationals. In his last outing on July 2 against the same P-Nats, the southpaw tossed one shutout frame before rain and light- ning forced Manaea out of the game after a two hour and 11 minute rain delay. The 6-foot-5 hurler failed to get past the fourth inning in eight of his 15 starts, His longest outing of the year came on June 26, a 6.1-inning outing against the Lynchburg Hillcats. He gave up three runs on four hits that night. The talented southpaw's 79 punchouts tie him for fourth in the Carolina League.
July 7, 2014 - Carolina League (CarL) Wilmington Blue Rocks Woodbridge, VA -Luis Santos turned in his second straight strong outing and the Wilmington offense overcame a slow start as the Blue Rocks beat the Potomac Nationals, 5-1, on Monday at Pfitzner Stadium. Santos (2-1) allowed just one run on three hits in six innings to earn a second consecutive victory over the P-Nats. At the plate, the Rocks scored all of their runs over the final five frames as they moved their record back to .500 in the season's second half (9-9) and improved to 42-44 overall in 2014. It was the Blue Crew's fifth win in their last six games.
Santos retired the first five batters he faced before running into a little two-strike, two-out trouble in the second. He plunked Mike McQuillan with an 0-2 pitch in the shoulder and then yielded an 0-2 double off the bat of Justin Miller. Miller's grounder snuck just inside the third-base line and plated McQuillan to put Potomac on top, 1-0. Santos would then retire 13 of the last 16 batters he faced, never allowing a runner to advance further than second base. He fanned five and walked only one, needing just 79 pitches to make it through six frames and earn the win.
His support came from an offense that out-hit the P-Nats, 10-5. Wilmington ran itself out of opportunities in the first and second innings and then saw double plays thwart potential rallies in the fourth and fifth frames. But with two outs and the bases empty in the fifth, Jared Schlehuber erased all of the Rocks' early frustration by blasting a titanic solo home run over the left-centerfield fence. Wilmington opened the sixth inning with a single by Ramon Torres, an RBI triple by Raul Mondesi and a run-scoring double off the bat of Bubba Starling to take a 3-1 edge. A Mondesi double and an ensuing RBI single by Starling pushed the edge to three runs in the eighth, while Cam Gallagher capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right in the ninth.
Potomac starter Ian Dickson (1-7) took the loss by allowing three runs on eight hits in six frames. He almost got off the hook when Potomac brought the tying-run to the plate with two outs in the eighth, but Rocks closer Mark Peterson entered the game and promptly shut the door by inducing a rally-killing pop up. The right-hander worked a one-two-three ninth to record his 17th save of the season.
The Blue Rocks return to action Tuesday night when they continue their four-game series against the P-Nats. Wilmington will send southpaw Sean Manaea (2-7, 4.75) to the mound, while Potomac will counter with righty Brian Rauh (1-1, 5.08). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and fans can listen to the broadcast on 89.7 WGLS-FM.
The Rocks return to Frawley Stadium on July 11 for the first game of a four-game homestand against the Salem Red Sox. For tickets, call 302-888-BLUE or visit BlueRocks.com.
PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Luis Santos has now strung two of the best starts of his Advanced-A career together over his last two outings. Coincidentally, both have come against the first-half champion Potomac Nationals. Santos allowed just one run on three hits in 5.2 innings on July 1 to earn his first win since joining the Blue Rocks in late-May. He followed that up with his excellent start on Monday. Thanks to his last 11.2 frames, Santos has lowered his ERA from 8.37 to 6.11. Santos began the campaign with Low-A Lexington and put up stellar numbers for the Legends prior to his promotion to the Blue Rocks. With Lexington, he was 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA in nine appearances (six starts). He struck out 34 and walked just five while yielding only 33 hits in 46 innings pitched. Santos was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 18, 2011. He spent 2011 with the Dominican Pirates and had a 2-1 record and 2.70 ERA. In 2012, Santos split time between the Dominican Pirates 1 and the Dominican Pirates 2. The six-foot hurler was traded from the Pirates organization to the Kansas City Royals organization on November 28, 2012. He was sent to the Royals along with lefty Luis Rico in exchange for right-hander Vin Mazzaro and first-baseman Clint Robinson.
Raul Mondesi busted his way out of a 5-for-51 slump on Monday by going 2-for-4 with a pair of extra-base hits. The switch hitter tripled from the left side of the batter's box in sixth inning and then roped a double batting from the right side just two frames later. Mondesi also drove in a run and scored twice in Monday's victory. It was a good day all around for the 18-year-old, who was named the 22nd-ranked prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America, which released its midseason top 50 prospects list on Monday afternoon. Mondesi is batting just .220 on the season, but is the youngest player in the Carolina League, and is widely viewed by many scouts as the best defensive infielder in all of Advanced-A.
Glenn Sparkman took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on the Fourth of July, and before the game on Monday he was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the effort. Sparkman lost his bid for a no-no with one out in the seventh, but it was the only hit he allowed in a career-long seven-inning outing of a 5-0 Wilmington win. Sparkman set the tone early by fanning the first two batters he faced. He finished his night in similar fashion by punching out the final two hitters he opposed as well. In between, the right-hander worked five one-two-three innings. The only base runner he allowed over the first six innings came on Ramon Torres' one-out error in the third. Sparkman paid it little attention, however, retiring the next two batters he faced. Joey DeMichele was the lone Winston-Salem batter to register a hit off the righty, lining a single into center with one down in the seventh. Sparkman finished his night with nine strikeouts and no walks. Sparkman took a no-hitter deeper into a game than any Blue Rocks pitcher this season. Luis Santos was the only other Wilmington hurler to make it through five frames without yielding a knock in 2014. Sparkman also turned in only the third start by a Blue Rocks pitcher not named Christian Binford that lasted at least seven innings. Binford did it five times on his own. Wilmington is now 7-1 in Sparkman's eight starts. Since shifting to the rotation Sparkman has posted a 2-1 mark and a 1.13 ERA. His only loss came when he yielded one run in six innings as the Hillcats no-hit the Blue Rocks on June 27.
Excerpt from:
Santos Combines with Late Offense to Lift Rocks over Potomac