Bobby Blevins' complete game, Adam Bailey's four RBIs lead Ducks to win
Long Island Ducks pitcher Bobby Blevins (18) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the York Revolution at Bethpage Ballpark on Aug 3, 2014. Credit: Anthony Gruppuso
The Ducks were down in a flash -- and with a blast -- early Sunday against the York Revolution. Eric Patterson, the second batter of the game, launched a solo home run off Bobby Blevins.
First-inning blip aside, Blevins was brilliant. The righthander tossed a complete game, allowing five hits and two walks, as the Ducks beat York, 4-1, at Bethpage Ballpark in Central Islip.
"I just didn't execute a pitch, left a sinker right over the middle," Blevins said of the home run. "When you have a great hitter like Patterson, it deserves to leave the park."
Adam Bailey drove in all four runs as the Ducks (9-16) won their second in a row over York, which was the Freedom Division first-half champ and owns the second-best overall record in the Atlantic League.
It was the second consecutive outing in which Blevins pitched nine innings. He had earned a no-decision in his most recent start as the Ducks won in 11 innings last Tuesday.
Blevins, who lowered his ERA to 3.40, flew through the middle innings. After a leadoff single by Angel Flores in the third, he allowed only two hits, although he did walk two in the ninth.
"Everything was working for me," he said. "I was throwing strikes, attacking the zone, getting early contact so I can go late in the game. Those are the innings where they were just swinging out, hitting my pitches, and that's what I want them to do."
After an error and two walks, Bailey's three-run double to right-centerfield with two outs in the third inning gave the Ducks a 3-1 lead. He drove in Fehlandt Lentini, Brendan Harris and Bill Hall. All three runs were unearned.
"I saw a fastball in," Bailey said. "It was a reaction thing. I tried to look for something away, grabbed it and got lucky."
Blevins, completely settled in by this point, made quick work of York (12-12) in the fourth, allowing only a single to former Duck Bryant Nelson.
Bailey's one-out double in the fifth drove in Lew Ford, who had walked, to make it 4-1.
Notes & quotes: The game lasted 2 hours, 13 minutes, the Ducks' shortest game of the season. It was the third game played under the Atlantic League's new rules designed to speed up the game. Before the rule changes, games averaged 2 hours, 59 minutes, according to USA Today.
