This is one late season race that no baseball team wants to find itself involved, but that’s where the Erie SeaWolves find themselves going into the waning games of the Eastern League’s 2012 season.

The SeaWolves were nudged nine innings closer to clinching the league’s worst record after Bowie beat them 4-2 Tuesday night at Prince George’s Stadium.

Erie is last in the league’s Western Division at 56-79. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, last in the Eastern Division, were 59-77 after Tuesday’s 9-3 loss to Portland.

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »

Bowie’s Tommy Hunter blanked the Erie SeaWolves on two hits during Monday’s 6-0 win at Prince George’s Stadium.

Hunter only gave up singles to Niuman Romero and Luis Sanz over nine innings. His dominant effort allowed the second-place Baysox (73-61) to strengthen their bid for an Eastern League Western Division playoff berth, while Erie remained in its basement at 56-78.

Romero’s single was his league-leading 151st hit of 2012. That total ties him with Shawn Wooten (1999) for third place on the SeaWolves’ all-time list in that category.

– Mike Copper

The Erie SeaWolves salvaged the finale of their four-game series against Reading with Sunday’s 9-1 victory at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Erie (56-77) never trailed after its six-run first inning, highlighted by Brandon Douglas’ three-run home run. Douglas also socked a solo homer in the sixth, and finished the game with three hits, four RBIs and two runs scored.

Avisail Garcia added another three hits and an RBI for the SeaWolves, with Niuman Romero singling for his Eastern League-leading 150th hit.

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »

What the Erie SeaWolves long ago accepted became reality Wednesday night.

They’ll sit out the Eastern League’s postseason for a fifth consecutive year.

The Akron Aeros salvaged the finale of the teams’ three-game series with a 6-4 victory at Jerry Uht Park. The last-place SeaWolves concluded their six-game homestand with an overall record of 55-74, while the Western Division-leading Aeros are now 76-53.

Wednesday’s outcome wouldn’t have mattered even if Erie had swept its Ohio rival. Second-place Bowie officially eliminated the SeaWolves with their 9-3 win over Richmond.

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »

Starting lineups for Wednesday’s Eastern League game between the Akron Aeros and the Erie SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park:

Akron Aeros (75-53): 1. Tyler Holt CF, 2. Jordan Henry RF, 3. Thomas Neal LF, 4. Chun Chen 1B, 5. Jesus Aguilar DH, 6. Ryan Rohlinger 3B, 7. Davis Stoneburner 2B, 8. Michel Hernandez C, 9. Carlos Rojas SS.

Starting pitcher: RH Danny Salazar (2-0, 2.70 ERA).

Erie SeaWolves (55-73): 1. Niuman Romero SS, 2. Tony Plagman DH, 3. Nick Castellanos RF, 4. Jordan Lennerton 1B, 5. Avisail Garcia CF, 6. Daniel Fields LF, 7. Rawley Bishop 3B, 8. Brandon Douglas 2B, 9. James McCann C.

Starting pitcher: RH Jared Gayhart (1-3, 4.50 ERA).

**

Eastern League officials announced Wednesday that the New Britain Rock Cats will host next year’s All-Star Game. New Britain Stadium will welcome some of its best players July 10, 2013.

New Britain last hosted that game in 2003. Outfielder Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians was among the current Major League Baseball players who competed in Connecticut that season.

The Erie SeaWolves have never hosted an All-Star Game since joining the league in 1999.

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »

The Erie SeaWolves are doing what they can to avoid official playoff elimination, as well as slowing Akron’s bid for the Eastern League’s Western Division pennant.

Tony Plagman’s home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning was the difference in Tuesday night’s 3-2 victory by the SeaWolves over the Aeros at Jerry Uht Park. Erie’s outcome, combined with Richmond’s 7-3 win over second-place Bowie, left its wild-card elimination number at one.

Although the SeaWolves are 55-73 overall, they’re guaranteed a winning record for the season against Akron (13-9) going into Wednesday’s series finale. Akron still maintains the league’s best record at 75-53 despite its latest two losses to Erie.

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »

Starting lineups for Tuesday’s Eastern League game between the Akron Aeros and the Erie SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park:

Akron Aeros (75-52): 1. Tyler Holt CF, 2. Jordan Henry RF, 3. Thomas Neal LF, 4. Nick Weglarz DH, 5. Jesus Aguilar 1B, 6. Matt Lawson 2B, 7. Ryan Rohlinger SS, 8. Michel Hernandez C, 9. Carlos Rojas 3B.

Starting pitcher: RH Toru Murata (2-1, 3.14 ERA).

Erie SeaWolves (54-73): 1. Jamie Johnson CF, 2. Niuman Romero SS, 3. Nick Castellanos RF, 4. Jordan Lennerton DH, 5. Tony Plagman LF, 6. Rawley Bishop 1B, 7. Brandon Douglas 2B, 8. Corey Jones 3B, 9. James McCann C.

Starting pitcher: LH Ramon Garcia (8-9, 4.12 ERA).

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »

The Erie SeaWolves treated a Buck Night crowd of 6,743 by ending their seven-game losing streak.

However, their normal-sounding 5-2 win over the Akron Aeros disguised one of the more unusual 2012 games at Jerry Uht Park.

Monday’s game saw 10 pitchers combine to walk 14 batters. The SeaWolves’ first three batters walked, and they all scored en route to their quick 4-0 lead.

Erie relievers Tyler Stohr and Michael Morrison walked Akron’s first five batters in the top of the eighth inning. However, Robbie Weinhardt proceeded to strike out the next three Aeros.

Weinhardt also pitched the ninth for a save that temporarily kept the SeaWolves (54-73) from official mathematical elimination for the Eastern League’s postseason. Western Division wild-card challenger Richmond edged second-place Bowie 4-3 in a weather-delayed game at The Diamond.

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »

Starting lineups for Monday’s Eastern League game between the Akron Aeros and the Erie SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park:

Akron Aeros (75-51): 1. Tyler Holt CF, 2. Jordan Henry RF, 3. Chun Chen 1B, 4. Nick Weglarz LF, 5. Jesus Aguilar DH, 6. Matt Lawson 2B, 7. Ryan Rohlinger SS, 8. Roberto Perez C, 9. Carlos Rojas 3B.

Starting pitcher: LH T.J. House (7-3, 3.43 ERA).

Erie SeaWolves (53-73): 1. Jamie Johnson LF, 2. Niuman Romero SS, 3. Nick Castellanos RF, 4. Jordan Lennerton 1B, 5. Avisail Garcia CF, 6. Rawley Bishop 3B, 7. Tony Plagman DH, 8. Brandon Douglas 2B, 9. James McCann C.

Starting pitcher: RH Patrick Cooper (2-8, 5.26 ERA).

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »

An unforgettable game by Tony Plagman wasn’t enough to end a forgettable losing streak for the Erie SeaWolves.

Plagman poked two home runs, just missed a third, and totaled four hits and four RBIs against Harrisburg pitching Sunday afternoon. But the slugger still couldn’t produce enough offense to help the SeaWolves end their seven-game losing streak.

Harrisburg’s 8-6 victory over Erie at Jerry Uht Park reduced the SeaWolves’ playoff elimination number to one. At 53-73, they’re 14½ games behind second-place Bowie for the Eastern League’s Western Division wild-card berth.

– Mike Copper

Read the rest of this entry »