Carlos Carrasco sparkled in his first start of the season before a crowd of 8400+ at Coca-Cola Park last night.
Before the game youngsters hung over the railing by the 'Pigs dugout, hoping for some autographs.Carlos Carrasco threw six shut-out innings of four-hit ball, striking out four and walking none. He left with a 1-0 lead that was immediately coughed up by reliever Cecil Bowers. The IronPigs had a good chance to break the 1-1 tie in the ninth but failed. In the 11th, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees put a run across and made it stand up to win the game. Ian Kennedy, starting for the Yanks, was also brilliant. The 'Pigs whiffed a dismal total of 17 times against Kennedy and his relief corps. Was it the pitching or the hitting?
This is the third or fourth time that Carrasco has left a 'Pigs game with a lead only to see the game blown. He has yet to give up an earned run in games he has pitched at Coca-Cola Park. I'd love to see him do that at CBP sometime soon!
Lou Marson was scratched shortly before game time and is on his way to Colorado. Carlos Ruiz strained an oblique muscle in yesterday's game with the Rockies and could be headed to the DL. Does that mean Tuffy G comes to Lehigh Valley?
I had heard lots about improvements to the Coca-Cola Park menu but it looked like the usual ballpark fare to me. One change has the sweet potato fries now on the regular menu. But they weren't available! And there is way too much activity between innings at this park; almost all of it involves racing around or clubbing mascots to the ground. Give it a break, folks, this is triple-A. Other things unchanged: the P.A. announcer still sounds as if he is addressing schoolchildren.
There was a somber moment of silence before the game for Angels' pitcher Nick Adenhart.
