Bullpen costs Hillcats twice in loss

Some uncharacteristic bullpen struggles Sunday prevented a fourth straight home series win for the Lynchburg Hillcats.

Lynchburg relievers surrendered leads twice in a 6-3 loss to the Kinston Indians on a miserable, rainy day at City Stadium.

The stadium’s grounds crew had the tarp ready to unravel from the fifth inning on, which would have been just fine if you asked the Hillcats.

They led 2-1 after five innings and 3-2 after seven, but neither score held up.

Moises Robles blew the save in the sixth on Roman Pena’s RBI single, and Harrison Bishop yielded four runs, including a three-run home run by backup catcher Richard Martinez, in the eighth.

“He made one bad pitch (to Martinez), and they executed on it. That’s the nature of the beast. He fell behind him 1-0 and came with a fast ball to hit, and he didn’t miss it,” said Lynchburg manager P.J. Forbes.

The blown save was the first allowed by the Hillcats in 10 games.

Their relief corps has been a major reason for their hot start this season. Before Saturday night, when reliever Chris Cullen gave up two runs in two innings in a 6-2 loss, Lynchburg’s bullpen had thrown 18 straight scoreless innings.

It gave up six runs in nine innings in the last two Kinston games.

Before Sunday’s dreadful eighth, the Hillcats were in position to win despite only four hits from a lineup that managed at least nine hits and five runs in three of its previous five games.

Right fielder Miles Durham provided most of the offense with three hits in four plate appearances. He hit a solo home run in the second inning, his first round-tripper of the year, and came a triple away from the cycle.

He scored all three of the Hillcats runs.

“That was better. We want to see a progression from that,” Forbes said. “We want to see four more good at bats tomorrow, four more good at bats the next day. That’s the progression we’re looking for.”

Meanwhile, third baseman Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates top minor league prospect, went 0-for-3 and is now hitless in his last nine at bats. He managed a ninth-inning walk, but was promptly forced out at second on a double-play ball hit by Matt Hague.

Indians reliever Dallas Cawiezell then struck out Durham to end the game.

Lynchburg starting pitcher Ronald Uviedo had another strong outing, but he didn’t factor into the decision for the fourth straight time.

He allowed one earned run in five and 1/3 innings. He gave up five hits, walked one batter and struck out five.

He was charged with a throwing error in the fifth that led to an unearned run.

Uviedo has yielded two or fewer earned runs in four of his five starts. Three of those quality starts resulted in no decisions. He was charged with the loss in the other.

“Outstanding (effort by Uviedo),” Forbes said. “He hurt himself with the throwing error, but other than that, I thought he threw the ball well and executed his game plan. I was real pleased with it.”