(August 23, 2019 – High Point, NC): Welington Dotel crushed a pair of home runs but it was an otherwise frustrating night for the York Revolution offense in a 5-3 loss to the High Point Rockers in Friday night’s series opener at BB&T Point.
Dotel gave the Revs a quick start in the top of the first inning, launching a solo homer to dead center that put York on top 1-0 two batters into the game.
Revs starter Josh Smoker retired his first five batters faced, three of which came on strike outs, but Viosergy Rosa tied the game with a solo homer to right in the bottom of the second.
Dotel answered right back, smashing a line drive home run to deep left in the top of the third, giving the Revs a 2-1 lead on his second long ball of the night.
The Rockers took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the third. Making his first start since 2017, Smoker struck out Matt Jones for the first out, but ran into a tough stretch beginning with a hit by pitch of Stephen Cardullo. Three consecutive walks followed to force in a run, and a Richie Shaffer ground out brought home one more for a 3-2 Rockers lead.
Jared Mitchell cracked an RBI double to left with two outs in the bottom of the fourth as High Point’s lead was pushed to 4-2. Hector Gomez added a two-out RBI single up the middle in the sixth inning to make it a 5-2 game.
That came in support of High Point starter Joe Van Meter who settled down after the second Dotel homer, and worked scoreless frames through the middle three innings.
The Revs pulled closer in the top of the seventh on a Carlos Franco RBI double to left-center which chased Van Meter (7-4) after 6.2 innings, but the Revs could draw no closer as reliever Trevor Frank retired Melky Mesa on a ground ball to third, stranding the tying two runners in scoring position.
Henry Castillo drew a leadoff walk to begin the eighth but Chase Huchingson retired the next three batters on ground outs.
York put two men on against closer Ryan Kelly in the ninth as Dotel walked and Isaias Tejeda was hit by a pitch, but again stranded the tying two runners in scoring position, totaling 12 left on base for the game.
Notes: Dotel’s multi-homer game is the Revs’ 10th of the season and first since Mesa slugged three home runs against New Britain on July 28. It is the first multi-homer game of Dotel’s Atlantic League career. York falls to 2-6 at BB&T Point, their worst record at any visiting park this season. Right-hander Joe Jones worked 1.1 scoreless innings, extending his scoreless streak to four appearances and 7.2 innings. Julio Perez and Phil Walby also worked scoreless innings out of the Revs bullpen; Perez has held the opposition scoreless in 15 of his last 18 outings while Walby has held opponents without an earned run in 10 of his last 11. York righty Mitch Atkins (9-4, 2.79) faces High Point right-hander Edwin Carl (3-3, 3.48) in Saturday’s contest at 6:30 p.m. Revs fans can catch the action live on SportsRadio 98.9 FM & 1350 WOYK, 989woyk.com, The New WOYK app, and WOYK on YouTube beginning at 6:10 p.m. with Darrell Henry on the call.
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