Wahoos Weekly: Blue Wahoos back at home following two-week road trip
After being on the road for two weeks, the Blue Wahoos are back in Pensacola this week for their first home series in May.
They open a six-game series on Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. against the Rocket City Trash Pandas in their only meeting this season at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The teams played four weeks ago in Madison, Ala., splitting the week-long series.
The Blue Wahoos (12-15) have split with each of their last four series opponents, following Sunday's 6-3 loss against the Mississippi Braves that evened that series.
Rocket City (18-9), the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, has the best record among Southern League teams after the first month of the season.
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A quick recap of the past series with the M-Braves, the Atlanta Braves affiliate.
Last week
May 8 - Jeff Lindgren provided a strong outing in his first start since returning the Blue Wahoos, working six innings, allowing just three hits, two runs and striking out six. Griffin Conine gave the Blue Wahoos a short-lived lead in the seventh inning with his 3-run homer -- his fifth HR this season -- but an infield error in the bottom of the seventh led to the M-Braves answering with four unearned runs off reliever Josh Roberson to take a 6-3 win in the series finale.
May 7 - Zach McCambley earned his first win with his best start. He went six innings, retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced with a season-high eight strikeouts in the Blue Wahoos 3-1 win.
May 6 - Eury Perez again shined with his longest pro outing and the Blue Wahoos rallied in 11 innings to win 6-4. The 19-year-old Perez, rated the Miami Marlins top prospect by Baseball America, pitched into the sixth inning for the first time. The Blue Wahoos scored four runs in the 11th on RBI hits from Paul McIntosh, Cobie Fletcher-Vance and Hayden Cantrelle.
May 5 - In a game that ended late following two extensive rain delays, the M-Braves emerged with a 2-1 win. Blue Wahoos starter Will Stewart was stellar with a season-high seven strikeouts. Troy Johnston had the only RBI.
May 4 - The Blue Wahoos scored five runs in the first inning on six consecutive hits en route to an 8-3 win. Griffin Conine and catcher Paul McIntosh hit back-to-back homers. McIntosh's 3-run blast was part of a four RBI game. Cody Mincy got his first Blue Wahoos win on the mound.
May 3 - Blue Wahoos shortstop Ray-Patrick Didder collected three hits against his former team, including a third-inning, home run, but the M-Braves took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning and made it stand for the series-opening win.
This Week
Game times are 6:35 p.m. against Rocket City on Tuesday through Friday, then 6:05 p.m. with post-game fireworks on Saturday and 4:05 p.m. on Sunday.
Promotion Highlights: The Blue Wahoos open the homestand against Rocket City with their Fat Tuesday promotion. An optional $26 ticket gets admission to the Winn-Dixie Party Deck, plus a 90-minute buffet, including samples from Fin & Fork Restaurant.
On Wednesday, the Blue Wahoos are spoofing the latest crypto craze with "Fungible Token Night," a play on the Non-Fungible Token. Fans will get a "token" with Kazoo's image, can make copies and will receive a candy mint to get the token minted.
On Giveaway Friday, early-arriving fans will receive a commemorative, Blue Wahoos 10th anniversary franchise poster with past stars. Supplies are limited.
Tickets: Blue Wahoos are using digital ticket system. Tickets can be obtained using www.bluewahoos.com/tickets, or by visiting the Blue Wahoos ticket box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by calling 850-934-8444.
Wahoos notables
Former Blue Wahoos player Royce Lewis, who played in 2019 in Pensacola as a Minnesota Twins affiliate, made his MLB debut with the Twins on May 6 and got his first hit in that game. Lewis was the top overall pick in the 2017 Amateur Draft and becomes the 107th player in Blue Wahoos history to reach the major leagues. He's the fourth this season.
Eury Perez was the Southern League pitcher of the week for the week ended May 1. His 36 strikeouts are third best in the league.
The Blue Wahoos' bullpen entered Sunday's game as the top relief corps in Double-A, leading in four different categories. The group has recorded a .167 batting average among opponents, the best in all levels of Minor League Baseball.
Only two of the Blue Wahoos games this season have lasted longer than 3-hours, a clear indication that enforcement of the pitch clock has been working to speed up games.
Southern League standings
(Prior to May 10 games)
North Division
Rocket City Trash Pandas - 18-9 (4-game win streak)
Tennessee Smokies - 14-12
Chattanooga Lookouts - 14-13
Birmingham Barons - 11-16
South Division
Montgomery Biscuits - 15-11
Biloxi Shuckers - 12-15
Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 12-15
Mississippi Braves - 11-16
Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Blue Wahoos return home following two weeks on the road
