BlueClaws keep their playoff hopes alive

ERIC SUCAR staff Lakewood BlueClaws center fielder Quintin Berry gets ahold of the ball during the BlueClaws' win over the Hickory Crawdads on Friday in Lakewood. LAKEWOOD - A scheduled double-header was rained into one nine-inning game, but it was still a successful night on Monday for the BlueClaws at FirstEnergy Park.

Lakewood picked up a 5-0 win over Hickory to move within five games of the firstplace Crawdads.

Additionally, it was the first time in BlueClaws history that they hosted two rehabbing Phillies in the same day. Shane Victorino, rehabbing a strained right calf, went 1-for- 4 with a run scored, while Rod Barajas, rehabbing a groin strain, went 0-for-3. Barajas finished a three-game stint at 4-for-7.

Lakewood (28-26) took two of three from Hickory (34-22) and a weather-affected seasonseries went 3-1 for Lakewood. The second game of Monday's scheduled double-header will be played at the end of the regular season only if the Blue- Claws forge a tie with Hickory over the final days of the season.

On Monday, Gus Milner's sacrifice fly got the scoring started in the fourth, driving in Victorino. Lakewood added a fourth-inning run off Rafael de los Santos (1-2) on an RBI double by C.J. Henry. De los Santos gave up two runs over four innings of work.

Meanwhile, Lakewood's Garet Hill (7-4), on a spot start, threw four shutout innings before turning it over to the bullpen.

The BlueClaws left nine on through six, but broke it open with a three-run seventh. Charlie Yarbrough singled in Adrian Cardenas, and two batters later, Fidel Hernandez tripled in pinch-runner Doug Morales and Welinson Baez to complete the scoring.

Chris Rhoads threw two shutout innings in relief of Hill. Justin Blaine pitched the seventh, and Matt German the final two.

The BlueClaws opened the series on Friday with a win, as Carlos Monasterios threw six shutout innings and came out only because of a rain delay, as Lakewood picked up a game on Hickory with a 5-0 victory.

Monasterios (10-10) had lost his previous four starts but became the first BlueClaws pitcher to get to 10 wins this season.

Lakewood got on the board with the help of a new teammate, as Rod Barajas, with the BlueClaws while rehabbing a groin strain, singled in Julian Williams in the first inning for a 1-0 lead.

Barajas would go 2-2, adding a third-inning double before coming out after four as scheduled. Lakewood left the bases loaded in the third but scored in the fifth as Gus Milner reached on an infield single that scored Adrian Cardenas for a 2-0 lead.

Garcia then gave up two runs in the seventh, one an RBI single by Tuffy Gosewisch, in for Barajas, and another on a sacrifice fly by Fidel Hernandez.

Hickory's best chance came in the eighth, down 4-0, but Paige Dumont relieved Zack Sterner and got Jared Keel to hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play before Lakewood added a run in the eighth for the final margin.

On Saturday, Michael Crotta allowed just one run over 6 2/3 innings and the BlueClaws left 11 runners on base as Hickory picked up a 3-1 win over Lakewood.

Crotta (10-5) allowed one run on nine hits and in the process won his eighth straight decision. Alex Presley led off the fourth and sixth innings with doubles and was driven in by Jonel Pacheco and Jim Negrych to give the Crawdads a 2-0 lead.

Crotta got through the sixth unscathed but exited with a man at first in the seventh, and Charles Benoit gave up a Jay Milner RBI single to make it 2-1 before Kent Sakamoto drove in a run off Brian Schlitter in the ninth to make it 3-1.

Lakewood's Edgar Garcia (3-8) was on the short end after navigating eight innings and allowing just two runs on five hits.

On Tuesday, the BlueClaws were set to open a three-game series with the Lake County Captains (26-27), who also are still clinging to the hope of making a run at Hickory, entering Tuesday's action 6.5 games out.

Lakewood will return home this

weekend to start a four-game homeand home series with Hagerstown (19-37), before hosting a three game series with Lake County in Lakewood. They end the season with another home-and-home series against Hagerstown, with their final game scheduled for Sept. 3 in Lakewood.

With just 15 games left on the schedule, the BlueClaws need to play their best ball of the season over the next two weeks.

This past weekend's play helped keep alive their hope of catching Hickory, but it will be all for naught if they don't keep winning consistently down the stretch.