In the second game of an unscheduled double header last Thursday evening, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs pitcher Daryl Thompson was once again denied the 100th win of his prolonged career with the Atlantic League team on a night when several fielders simply betrayed him.
Southern Maryland (35-36) struggled through the first half of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball schedule and had dipped to six games below the .500 mark. But the Blue Crabs have since started the second half of the ALPB slate in fine fashion, although their lone hiccup in that stretch would come last Thursday when Thompson took the mound for the second game of a twin-bill after the hosts won the opener 9-5.
Thompson, as has been the case through the first half of the current season, was hurt by the long ball early in the game as Hagerstown batters Osmy Gregorio and Luis Diaz smacked back-to-back solo homers in the second to give the Boxcars an early 2-0 lead. Hagerstown added two unearned runs in the fourth on a two-out single by Diaz after an error by Michael Baca extended the inning and later plated another unearned run in the fifth.
“Daryl went out there and competed like he always does,” said Southern Maryland Blue Crabs manager Stan Cliburn, himself just three wins away from the 2,000-win plateau in his coaching career. “But for some reason we never seem to score any runs for him early and he’s always pitching from behind. But we’ve got to make all the plays, too, and that didn’t happen.”
Southern Maryland finally gave their veteran ace hurler some run support in the home half of the fifth when Michael Wielansky belted a three-run homer to bring the hosts within 5-3. Southern Maryland got another run in the bottom of the seventh and nearly prevailed when Anthony Brocato sent a fly ball to deep right center that Wellington Dotel collected on the warning track for the final out.
“Brocato hit that ball to the deepest part of the park,” Cliburn said. “If he hits it a few feet further to the right it’s a three-run homer and we walk off with a win and Daryl gets his 100th. But it didn’t happen. We came up just a little short tonight. Daryl pitched well. Amazing to think he’s 2-9 and still leads the league in innings pitched.”
Southern Maryland will begin a three-game series at High Point, N.C., on July 19 then will return home on Tuesday for three games against Hagerstown then three against High Point. Thompson will likely get the start on the mound in the July 23 contest, although Cliburn could reach the 2,000-win mark this weekend on the road.
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