Hillcats' Crim notches second win against Keys

During a short season in Danville in 2009, Matt Crim won 10 games in 13 appearances, earning Appalachian League pitcher of the year honors. So the Braves know he’s capable of winning games. It just hasn’t happened this season in Lynchburg for the left-hander.

The Hillcats beat Frederick 4-2 Friday night at City Stadium, and Crim pitched five strong innings to pick up the victory. It’s been a long time in between wins for Crim, whose only other victory this season came on April 23 in Frederick.

"It felt really good," Crim said. "I didn’t really know I was 1-7 until just now, because I really don’t keep up with the stats. You do bad one day, you just go out with the mindset that tomorrow’s a new day, every time. You want to give your team a chance to win every time out."

Crim did just that Friday. He didn’t allow a hit until Bobby Stevens pounded a two-run home run with one out in the top of the third, but he settled in after that. He allowed only one more hit, Jonathan Schoop’s two-out single in the third. He struck out five and walked three in his longest outing since a five-inning stint against Wilmington on June 15.

"He gave us what we needed," Hillcats pitching coach Derek Botelho said. "We talked about it before the game. Five innings was what we were shooting for. He could have gone further, but his pitch count got to him. He got into a lot of long counts, a lot of 3-2 counts. But he made some big pitches when he needed to."

Crim has struggled to get into a rhythm this season, mostly because his role has been undefined. Friday’s start was just his seventh in 26 appearances, as he’s bounced between the bullpen and the rotation depending on staff needs. Crim has pitched a few times on three days rest, and he had a rough stint at Double-A Mississippi in mid-May that took him some time to recover from.

He made three starts for the M-Braves and allowed 20 hits and seven earned runs in 11 1/3 innings. He went 0-2 during those starts, and when he returned to Lynchburg, the struggles continued. In his next four appearances (three starts), he went 0-2 and allowed 33 hits and 14 earned runs in 19 innings.

"I’ve given up my fair share of hits and runs," Crim said. "Going back from starting to relieving and starting and relieving is kind of tough. But there’s really no excuse. You’ve just got to come out every day. Some days it goes your way, some days it doesn’t."

Crim said solid command of his changeup helped things go his way Friday, and his teammates backed him up. Geraldo Rodriguez hit two RBI doubles and Marcus Lemon went 3-for-4. Joe Leonard put the Hillcats up for good in the third inning with a one-out double that drove in Barrett Kleinknecht, who was playing for the injured Phil Gosselin.

Jeremy Haynes, Robert Roth and Ryan Buchter combined to pitch four scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Some slick fielding helped the Hillcats out of a jam in the eighth. With Steve Bumbry at first and Stevens at second with one out, the Keys tried a double steal. Stevens successfully stole third, but the Hillcats got Bumbry in a rundown between first and second. Stevens broke for home, and Andrelton Simmons made a heads-up play, firing home to nab Stevens and preserve the 4-2 lead.

Then with runners at first and third and two out, Roth got Michael Flacco — the younger brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco — to fly out to left to end the threat.

Buchter then worked a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 14th save.