Weevils spell relief P-E-R-E-Z

BY DAVID SHAW
FOR THE SALISBURY POST

KANNAPOLIS — P-E-R-E-Z. That’s how the slumping Boll Weevils spelled relief Thursday night at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium.

Piedmont received seven pretty-to-watch innings from spot starter Franklin Perez and parlayed his effort into a much-needed 2-1 SAL victory over Columbus.

“Tonight was the best I ever see him pitch,” said teammate Jorge Padilla, whose ninth-inning sacrifice fly gave the Weevils their second win in the past six games. “He was awesome. Everything seemed to work for him.”

Indeed. Perez, a hard-throwing 19-year old, turned his third start since replacing injured Brad Pautz in the rotation into a forget-me-not announcement card.

“This is me,” the right-hander said after yielding only two hits and an unearned run as the first-place Weevils (56-30) improved to 9-6 in the second half. “I want to be a starter. I was a starter two years ago in the Dominican Republic and I was a starter last year too. Here, they see I have a huge fastball, a great two-seamer. That’s good stuff for a reliever.”

With the dog days of August approaching and a playoff berth assured, Piedmont manager Greg Legg may be wise to consider his request.

“We’ve talked about it,” said Legg. “He’s one of the guys we wanted to get in there and give some innings to. Now in the second half, we may have some doubleheaders and that will give him a chance to spot start.”

Perez, who has thrown well in 23 relief appearances, made the most of this opportunity. He spent the first five innings pitching like he had a roast in the oven, briskly retiring 15 of the first 16 men he faced.

“He didn’t throw a lot of first-pitch strikes,” noted Piedmont pitching coach Rod Nichols. “But his next pitch was usually a strike. And if you’re 1-1 on a batter, you’re ahead in the count.”

Perez was at his best when he located the ball low in the strike zone. Using mostly fastballs and an occasional changeup, he induced 11 groundouts. Only four Columbus batters reached base.

“Every time I go to the mound I try to throw strikes,” he said. “I try to mix them up. If I throw fastball after fastball, they be ready for the fastball. If I throw the changeup, I change their minds and it makes me better.”

The Weevils, who split the four-game series with Columbus (47-39, 5-10), took a 1-0 lead against righthander Phil Rosengren in the last of the second inning. Nate Espy belted a leadoff double to left-center and advanced to third on Russ Jacobson’s flyout to deep left. Padilla delivered the run with a one-out, line-drive single to center.

Columbus pulled even in the top of the sixth when Edgar Cruz reached on a two-base error, moved to third on a groundout and scored when T.T. Gallaher slashed a double to right-center.

Legg summoned relievers Matt Bailie and Mark Outlaw (5-2) to pitch scoreless eighth and ninth innings, setting the stage for Piedmont’s walk-off win.

The decisive rally began when Marlon Byrd drew a leadoff walk from relief pitcher Dan Neil (4-2). Espy, who twice failed to sacrifice the runner into scoring position, then grounded a single to left on an 0-2 pitch.

“I messed up the bunt and got myself in a hole,” he said. “But somehow, the ball found a hole into the outfield.”

Jacobson followed with a magnificent at-bat, eventually drawing a walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases with none out. Against a drawn-in outfield, Padilla then lofted a first-pitch curveball to medium center field to drive home the winning run.

“I was trying to hit the ball in the air,” said Padilla. “And I’m sure (Neil) was just trying to get ahead in the count. Sometimes you win a game that way, instead of hitting the home run ball all the time.”

Espy, who raised his team-best batting average to .327, viewed that as another stepping stone for the coming-of-age Weevils.

“It’s a sign that we’ve got some real balance on this team,” he said. “We’re able to win a variety of games, not just slugfests. This might happen again in the playoffs if we run into a good pitcher. We might have to win a game 1-0 or 2-1. It’s good to know we’re capable of doing this.”

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NOTES: Byrd went 0-for-3 and saw his 12-game hitting streak halted. ... Shortstop Julio Collazo was hit by a pitch on his right wrist and left the game in eighth inning. ... Former Dodgers’ pitcher and current Marlins scout Bill Singer was among the 1,629 spectators. ... The Weevils will send Frank Brooks (7-4, 3.21 ERA) to mound when they open a four-game series against Greensboro tonight at FCS.