Keel’s bat thunders on a stormy night at City Stadium

By Andy Bitter

Published: July 23, 2008

Top Pirates pitching prospect Brad Lincoln made his much-anticipated home debut for the Hillcats on Wednesday night, but it was left fielder Jared Keel who stole the show.
Keel, who hadn’t homered since July 2, hit a pair of home runs and had five RBIs in Lynchburg’s 9-3 rain-shortened win against Wilmington at City Stadium.
It was an all-around good offensive night for the Hillcats (17-16), who had 13 hits and made 13 outs in the abbreviated game, hitting six doubles to go with Keel’s two home runs, both of which were no-doubters.
His first home run came in the first inning. Lynchburg already led 2-0 on Miles Durham’s two-out single when Keel, who hadn’t homered in 50 at bats, took a hack at the first pitch he saw, a high fastball from Wilmington starter Paul Mildren (0-4). It stayed just inside the left field pole, giving the Hillcats a 5-0 lead.
Lynchburg led 7-3 in the fifth inning when Keel blasted homer No. 2. Again he saw a fastball. Again he crushed it to left, this time clearing the fence near the scoreboard in left-center for his 12th homer this season.
It was the fourth multi-homer game of his career and his first since July 28 of last year, when he was in Low-A Hickory.
“I went up there with the mentality of, ‘Be ready to hit the fastball,’” said Keel, whose average sat at .208 entering the game. “That’s huge for me, to be aggressive. I have a tendency to let too many balls get deep and I try to catch up. As long as I see it out there and get the head (of the bat) out there, I’m all right.”
The game was suspended by rain one batter later and did not resume due to the amount of water built up in the outfield.
It cut short a solid home debut by Lincoln (1-1), the Pirates’ fourth overall prospect and No. 1 pick in 2006, who was promoted from Low-A Hickory last week.
Lincoln, who missed all of 2007 following Tommy John surgery, went five innings and gave up three runs on six hits. He struck out three, hitting 94 on the radar gun, and, as he showed by walking just six batters in 62 innings with the Crawdads, continued his impressive control, walking none.
“All around, I felt good out there,” Lincoln said. “I want to keep the walks to a minimum, because those are what kill you. I’m just going to go out there with that mentality that I’m going to pound the zone and not let them get any freebies.”
He gave up a run in the first after Derrick Robinson led off with a bloop single to left. The Blue Rocks (15-17) scored again in the second when Anthony Seratelli hit a one-out triple and scored on a ground out.
But Lincoln was solid from there on out. He retired nine of 10 before Brett Bigler hit a ball that center fielder Alex Presley misplayed into a triple. Bigler scored on a double by Robinson, but Lincoln retired the last two batters to finish his five innings in 74 pitches, 46 of which were strikes.
“He’s an aggressive pitcher,” Lynchburg manager Jeff Branson said. “He’s not going to pitch around nobody. That mentality will never change. He’s coming after you. Hit it.”
The win gave the Hillcats a split in the four-game series against their closest competitor for the final playoff spot in the Northern Division. Lynchburg currently leads Wilmington by 1½ games for second place (first-place Potomac already clinched a spot by winning the first half).
It was the last time the Hillcats and Blue Rocks will play this season. If the teams tie, Lynchburg would make the playoffs by virtue of a 6-5 record against Wilmington in the second half.
NOTES: Blue Rocks catcher Jeff Howell had to leave the game in the first inning after sliding into the railing behind home plate chasing a foul ball. His face bloodied, he headed straight for the clubhouse. … Five Hillcats had two hits — Keel, Jose De Los Santos, Presley, Durham and Chris Jones. De Los Santos hit a pair of doubles. … Mildren gave up seven runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings.