Real emotional blast

Photo credit - James Lamb

Orange County, CA – It’s been quite some time since sharing any ideas or experiences around professional baseball. No excuse is probably good enough, so no reason will be offered. All emotions attached to the full season minor league games within the Kansas City Royals farm system stay relatively calm until every fifth or sixth day. Sure we pay attention to every game for the team John Lamb (2-2, 3.32) plays with but the real emotional blast only surfaces whenever he “toes the slab.” Fortunately, he continues to serve his fellow Wilmington Blue Rocks, Advanced Class A affiliate of the Royals, as a starting pitcher which gives his friends and family time to recuperate along with his arm between appearances.

Anyone that enjoys the game appreciates the wide spectrum of emotions during the slow tendencies involved with play. An eager anticipation is experienced by coaches, players and fans alike. The variety of blood pressure levels attached to every pitch, ball in play, catch or throw is uniformly shared throughout all whom love the game. A pitcher trying to throw a quality pitch with a batter in the box clearly begins the entire emotional process. This simple example of anxiety, one pitch at a time, can be magnified to unbelievable levels when your son pitches.

Photo credit - Brad Glazier

John has had four starts in the Carolina League this year. He missed an appearance due to the club directing him to skip a start for additional arm rest. This is his first full season effort since undergoing elbow surgery in June 2011 when he was playing for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, Double A affiliate in the Texas League. Any major mid-season injury can make an athlete feel like time stands still during the process of recovery. Watching one season end and another begin without participating can be a challenge on any player. The positive note during this past off-season was that the Kansas City Royals management placed John on the 40 man roster. Lefty sounded to be a little closer to expectations this past Tuesday night in Wilmington, DE as he helped with the fantastic team effort of ending a seven game slide.

The kid is set to hold ball again this Saturday in Lynchburg, VA against the Hillcats, Atlanta Braves affiliate, based on the team’s current forecast of starting rotations. Listen in on the game’s broadcast for free at BlueRocks website and get a little taste of professional minor league baseball. The Lamb’s will positively be connected for another real emotional blast of adrenaline. 

Lamb has longest start but Blue Rocks lose in 13 innings!

Myrtle Beach, SC - Wilmington Blue Rocks lost the series and the game tonight following a 27 minute rain delay and a 13 inning contest with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Atlanta Braves Advanced Class A team. Despite the solid pitching by Lamb the Blue Rocks suffered from errors and missed opportunities with runners on base.

John Lamb tossed a career-best 7.1 innings and allowed just one earned run, his first in six outings and 35.2 innings. (Photo credit - Brad Glazier)

John Lamb was solid again with his longest outing of the year, as he took the ball to the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 3-2 advantage. Lamb was at 81 pitches to start the inning but gave up a lead off single for the third of the night. On a 1-0 count a sacrifice bunt moved the lead off runner to second with the put out throw from Lamb to first base. Lamb finished with 88 pitches, 69 percent in the strike zone, 18 first pitch strikes, 8 first pitch balls, 13 ground ball outs and did not have any fly ball outs. The lack of fly ball outs was really a little unusual for most of his past performances, but still effective none the less.



Blue Rocks went to the bull-pen for Harold Mozingo who promptly surrendered a hit allowing the first earned run to be tallied against Lamb in his last six starts. Mozingo continued to pitch well on his own accord until his removal in the 13th by Barry Bowden.



Lamb finished the longest work of his second professional baseball season with 7-1/3 innings, 3 runs, 1 earned run, 3 hits, 8 strike outs and 0 walks. He managed to shave a little off his current earned run average and continues to lead all levels of Minor League Baseball.



Blue Rocks had plenty of hits through the game put just didn’t get the timely ones needed to blow the game open. Four different Rocks had multiple hits during the extra inning game, including Navarro, Colon, Mejia and Francis. Salvador Perez was the only Blue Rock with a single hit for the night, although there were a few that did not get a hit during the game. The team finished the night going 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
 
 
 
Pelicans grabbed the win and the three game series in the bottom of the fourth extra inning. The Blue Rocks suffered only their third loss in an extra inning contest for the Carolina League Northern Division, as the current first place team. Tonight’s blow also put the Blue Rocks back into an even .500 level of wins and losses as they climb into the bus and head for Kinston to play the Indians.

Lamb real good in Carolina League debut!

John Lamb toed the rubber tonight as the youngest player in the High A level Carolina League. His catcher, Salvador Perez, used to have that right until Lamb stood 60 feet, 6 inches away to start the game tonight and the first of a six game home stand for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, High A team of the Kansas City Royals.

Lamb, still 19, threw 6 innings with a season high 9 strike outs and giving up only 1 earned run. He spread out 4 hits and 2 walks before he handed the ball over to the bull-pen. Wilmington provided the offense to secure the first win for the young southpaw in front of over six thousand fans. Solid team effort to beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, High A team of the Atalanta Braves.

Could not ask for a better debut from my son as his career continues to move in a positive direction.

GO BLUE ROCKS!


- - - James Lamb


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