It must be April. Today is the Blue Rocks' first day game, and the game-time starting temperature (47) is colder than it was Friday and Saturday night (52, 56).
A few changes today for the Rocks. Josh Johnson is starting at third base. He spent all of 2007 in Wilmington, mostly playing second base or shortstop. He should be used primarily at third this season, with the Rocks (and Royals) looking to groom SS Chris McConnell and 2B Jeff Bianchi as their middle infield combo (though today, Bianchi is the DH, with Wilver Perez starting at second).
Today's starting pitcher is 22-year-old Greg Holland, whose first year in the pros was last year with Idaho Falls, a short-season rookie league team. In 22 games, Holland was mainly the Chukars' closer in 2007, when he was 6-1 with six saves.
The Blue Rocks are starting Holland off with the piggyback format. That means when Holland is scheduled to start, another pitcher will be already be announced to pitch that day as the first reliever.
Holland's piggyback partner will be 23-year-old Everett Teaford, and the next time in the rotation, Teaford will start and Holland will relieve.
With Holland a righty and Teaford a lefty, it makes it a trickier for opponents to set a lineup. But that's not too much of a concern with respect to Myrtle Beach. For the third straight game, the Pelicans are starting all right-handed hitters -- the Pelicans only have one position player who hits from the left side, outfielder Quentin Davis, who has started the season on the disabled list.
Update: The Blue Rocks win 3-1, as Holland struck out seven and walked none over five scoreless innings, scattering four hits. Teaford gave up a run in the sixth but closed the game and only allowed one hit over his final three innings. All seven of the Rocks' hits came over the first three innings, when they did all of their scoring. Bianchi had a single, a walk and a stolen base, scoring two runs, and right fielder Joe Dickerson was 2-for-4 with a single and triple, scoring a run. Myrtle Beach stays in town for one more Monday, when game time is 6:35.
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