Shawn Williams, image- Jay Floyd
The Class A BlueClaws are 10-3 in their last 13 games and have won 13 of their last 18 contests. Currently, Lakewood sits in 2nd place in the South Atlantic League’s Northern Division, two games behind the first place West Virginia Power (Pirates affiliate) for a playoff spot.
Following Lakewood’s 4-0 victory over the Power on Wednesday, team manager Shawn Williams spoke with Phillies Nation about a pair of the game’s winning pitcher, some of the standout offensive contributors as well as the team’s recent success following some roster turnover.
I asked Williams about right-handed hurler Ranfi Casimiro, who notched the win with 7 2/3 scoreless innings on three hits, while striking out six and walking two…
He was awesome. He threw the ball really well. He’s been throwing like that all year, but he put together 7 2/3 (innings) and I’m really impressed with his outing. The slider was really good. His change up is always good, but his slider was what really impressed me and over all, stuff wise and challenging the zone, he was outstanding.
Williams spoke on if the wall Casimiro hit at the end of his outing, where he allowed the last three batters he faced to reach base with a hit batter and the two base on balls he issued, could be discouraging and possibly ruin the good outing overall…
I don’t think so at all. I just think he ran out of gas a little bit. It just happens. He’s pitched late into the game a lot this year, but I don’t think, just overall, we’ll look at the whole outings and I know he is and overall it was awesome and I thought he threw the ball very well.
Williams also spoke on a big three run inning in the 7th, where three consecutive batters (Deivi Grullon RBI triple, sacrifice fly by Gustavo Martinez, solo homer from Herlis Rodriguez) plated runs for the BlueClaws…
Herlis has got some power and he’s shown it this year and that was a big time swing for us to give us that fourth run. But, overall there were really good at bats that whole inning. I thought Grullon with the triple and then Gustavo had a heck of an at bat with the first pitch to get that third run in with a sac fly and hit that ball well. But just good at bats that whole inning, but it was capped off by that home run from Herlis.
Lastly, Williams commented on the team’s success since losing the likes of Carlos Tocci, Malquin Canelo, Rhys Hoskins to promotions and others to a trade…
It’s just guys stepping up and Sandberg’s stepped up and helped us big time. He’s been swinging the bat very well over the past moth. Trompy’s getting it going here and he’s- defensively and everything. Just a lot of guys are stepping up and for me we’re doing a very good job with situational hitting, especially on that road trip, we’re just getting guys over, getting them in…to me that’s how you win ball games. It’s just a good atmosphere here. Guys are expecting to win.
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