FREDERICK, Md - Welcome to Harry Grove Stadium where a huge crowd is filing in to watch tonight's game and see Dylan Bundy's Carolina League debut.
I will run this live blog tonight from here, updating it often. So check back here several times tonight and hit refresh often to get the latest from Frederick.
Feel free to leave any questions or comments in the comments section here this evening.
A scoreless top of fifth: Bundy gave up an infield hit and got a double play ball to pitch a scoreless top of the fifth. Now at 79 pitches, he is coming out of the game.
Bundy tonight: 5IP, 6H, 2R-ER, 0BB, 6K. He threw 79 pitches, 53 for strikes.
Bundy has now allowed two earned runs over 35 innings on the year for an ERA of 0.51 between Delmarva and Frederick. He gave up six hits tonight but several were of the infield or bloop variety, save for that homer. He leaves the game with a 4-2 lead and can get the win in his Carolina League debut.
Keys rally to get Bundy the lead back: After they fell behind 2-1 in the top of the fourth, the Keys rallied with three in the bottom of the inning to give Bundy a 4-2 lead.
Kipp Schutz, who returned to Frederick today from Bowie, hit a solo homer leading off the inning. With two outs and two on, leadoff hitter Trent Mummey hit a two-run double into the right field corner for the 4-2 edge.
Bundy allows a homer: Bundy finally gave up his first two earned runs as a pro after 33 innings in the top of the fourth. Salem's Ryan Kalish led off with an infield single and cleanup batter Travis Shaw then rocketed a Bundy 1-1 fastball over the wall in right for a homer and 2-1 Salem lead.
It is the first homer Bundy has allowed. He entered tonight having given up five hits (two doubles and three singles) over his first 30 innings.
Shaw entered tonight batting .345 with one homer and 23 RBIs.
Kipp Schutz led off the last of the fourth with a solo homer for the Keys to tie this game at 2-2.
Bundy in the third: Bundy got into and out of a jam, giving up two singles but no runs and striking out the side in the top of the third. He allowed an infield single and one out later a bloop single.
But then, with those runners on first and second, Bundy fanned Bradley, the league's leading hitter on a fastball and then got the next hitter swinging as well.
Bundy so far: 3IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 5K on 49 pitches.
Bundy has certainly, as expected, thrown a decent amount of curves here tonight. His velocity has been topping around 94 on the stadium gun which I am told can be about 3 mph slow.
Bundy's second inning: Bundy made quick work of Salem in a 1-2-3 second inning on 11 pitches, eight for strikes. He got a first-pitch groundout, a strikeout swinging on a beautiful curveball and a foul pop to the catcher on a 2-2 pitch. He has thrown 27 pitches, 19 for strikes so far.
Bundy with a scoreless first: Bundy allowed a leadoff single, but no runs, in the top of the first. Salem's Jackie Bradley Jr. led off with a soft single to right on a 2-2 pitch to start the game. Sean Coyle then popped out to second and Bundy fanned Ryan Kalish looking on three pitches. Kalish is here on a major league rehab assignment.
With Travis Shaw batting, Bradley tried to steal but was thrown out at second by Keys catcher Joe Oliveira on a 1-2 pitch to end that inning.
Bundy clearly got the message to mix in curves and changeups tonight and threw some of each during the inning where he threw 16 pitches, 11 for strikes. We are underway in Frederick.
Tonight's Keys lineup:
CF - Trent Mummey
LF - Johnny Ruettiger
RF - Jeremy Nowak
1B - Aaron Baker
DH - Kipp Schutz
2B - Bobby Stevens
3B - Michael Mosby
C - Joe Oliveira
SS - Michael Rooney
As I wrote in the previous post, Salem is one of the best hitting clubs in the Carolina League and should provide Bundy with a nice challenge tonight. It will start with the first batter he faces, Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. He is first in the league in batting average (.364), first in runs (38), first in OBP (.497) and second in slugging (.559). Salem cleanup hitter Travis Shaw is second in the Carolina League with an average of .345. Ryan Kalish is here on a rehab assignment. Kalish, who played with Boston in 2010, will bat third as the Red Sox DH.
Bundy's number: This may be the first thing that didn't go Bundy's way this year, but while he wore jersey No. 7 with Delmarva, he is wearing No. 17 tonight. It was actually Bundy's third choice, but teammates are wearing his first and second choices.
Rather than try to negotiate to get either No. 7 or No. 19, Bundy told Keys officials, "Don't worry about it, and could I get No. 77?" They don't have a 77 but when offered No. 17, Bundy said, "I'll take it."
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