Almonte hammered as Cyclones’ dive continues

Staff Ace Yields 10 Runs as Brooklyn Suffers 12-0 Blanking at Lowell

August 6, 2015 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Cyclones' dugout has been devoid of celebration as of late. Brooklyn suffered a 12-0 loss in Lowell on Wednesday to drop to 2-8 in its last 10 games away from the friendly confines of Coney Island's MCU Park. Eagle photo by Jeff Melnik

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Sending your staff ace to the mound during a serious swoon is supposed to provide some relief for a struggling ball club.

Not in the case of the slumping Brooklyn Cyclones.

Team ERA leader Gaby Almonte surrendered a franchise-record 10 runs Wednesday night as Brooklyn’s August meltdown continued with a 12-0 loss at Lowell in front of 3,379 fans at Edward A. LeLacheur Park.

Almonte, a strong candidate for New York-Penn League All-Star honors, lasted just three innings against the Spinners, getting knocked around for nine earned runs on eight hits with three walks and only two strikeouts.

The 22-year-old right-hander, who had yielded one earned run or fewer in all but one of his previous seven starts, saw his ERA swell from 2.72 to 3.73 following the uncharacteristic performance as the Baby Bums dropped to 1-2 on their ongoing eight-game road trip.

Brooklyn went a dismal 1-6 on its previous trip, and is 10-12 overall away from MCU Park this summer.

“It is a long grind,” second-year Cyclones manager Tom Gamboa admitted during Brooklyn’s last homestand. “I’m pleased with their effort. We have to have a better road trip next week. That’s the goal.”

Thus far, the goal is not being met.

The Cyclones opened the trek with a 7-6 win over the Spinners on Monday, but committed three costly errors in Tuesday night’s ugly 5-1 loss and added four fielding miscues Wednesday.

Of course, even if Brooklyn had played spotless defense and Almonte had resumed his mound mastery, the Baby Bums’ offensive woes would have prevented them from winning.

The league’s worst hitting team is 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position over the last two games, and Brooklyn’s putrid batting average dropped to .220 after managing just four hits, including one double by Jeff Diehl, against three Lowell hurlers in the series finale.

Almonte was roughed up in the opening frame, giving up three hits, including a two-run homer to Josh Ockimey that staked the Spinners to what turned out to be an insurmountable 3-0 deficit for Brooklyn’s anemic lineup.

Kyri Washington reached Almonte for a two-run double in the third, and Brooklyn’s top starter was unable to retire a single batter in the fourth, yielding a walk and three successive singles before Gamboa went to the bullpen and brought in Johnny Magliozzi.

Now, it’s on to Vermont, where the Cyclones will play three games against the Lake Monsters before heading back to more familiar territory for a critical two-game set at McNamara Division-leading Staten Island.

The Yankees (23-20) suffered a 9-4 loss in Vermont Wednesday, leaving second-place Brooklyn (23-21) just one-half game back in the standings.

But the Cyclones have gone a dismal 9-16 since opening the season with a 14-5 burst, and it’s hard to imagine them heating back up until either the defense, or offense, begins to support what remains the best pitching staff on the circuit with a cumulative 2.94 ERA.

This, That and the Other Thing: Gamboa had to get creative with his relievers during Wednesday night’s blowout loss to the Spinners. He used two position players, Pedro Perez and Zach Mathieu, to pitch the final two frames. Ironically, they were the best hurlers of the night for the Cyclones, combining to hold Lowell scoreless while yielding one hit and striking out two batters. … RHP Andrew Church (1-2, 6.00 ERA) was slated to take the hill for Thursday’s series opener against Vermont. The Cyclones took two of three from the Lake Monsters earlier this season at MCU Park. … The Cyclones and WWE have partnered for SummerSlam Night at MCU Park on Wednesday, Aug. 19 to kick off a borough-wide celebration as WWE brings SummerSlam, the biggest event of the summer, to Barclays Center on Sunday, Aug. 23. As part of the night’s festivities, WWE Superstars and Divas including Ryback, Fandango, Eva Marie and Charlotte, will join members of the FDNY, NYPD and other celebrities in a pre-game Celebrity/Civil Servants All-Star Challenge and softball game prior to the 7:00 PM game against the Lowell Spinners. Also scheduled to participate in the game are NBA Hall of Famer and current St. John’s Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Mullin, Mets Hall of Famer John Franco, Greg Kelly and Rosanna Scotto – the hosts of Good Day New York – and many others. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will go home with a Greg & Rosanna bobble head courtesy of Municipal Credit Union.