The Wright Stuff

I only went with such a terrible pun because I am in a hurry to get this up and I couldn’t think of a way to make a cutesy headline involving the names Wright and Urrutia. Well that and when a guy goes six innings and gives up only one run, earning the victory and striking out six batters along the way, he deserves a headline. This game took place in Bowie on Friday, May 10th.

Mixing a mid-90s fastball with a mid-80s sinker/slider, RHP Mike Wright kept the Erie Sea Wolves off-balance all night in a game the Bowie Baysox would win 5-1, getting big nights from Cuban sensation Henry Urrutia, and LF Buck Britton, both of whom went 3-3 on the night (Britton hitting his third home run of the year).

Wright worked his way out of trouble in the first inning after allowing a two out double to Erie CF Daniel Fields and a walk to LF Tyler Collins, scattering five hits on the night, walking one, and uncorking one wild pitch to go along with the aforementioned six strikeouts. With the victory, Wright improved his record to 4-0 on the year, dropping his ERA to 4.33.

LHP Jason Gurka pitched three scoreless innings in relief, earning his second save on the season, striking out five batters and allowing two hits. Gurka has quietly put together an incredibly solid campaign out of the bullpen this year for Bowie, as the 2008 15th round selection has pitched to a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings pitched, striking out 22 and only walking 5.

A recap of the evening would be incomplete without mentioning Henry Urrutia, who demonstrated all of the talents which have members of the Orioles organization so excited to sign the young Cuban outfielder. Urrutia singled, doubled, singled, and walked at the plate, and made a highlight catch to rob RF Luis Castillo of extra bases. Not a bad night for a guy who hadn’t played baseball in nearly two years. One of his base hits was an infield single on a routine groundball to the second basemen, and his double was hit deep into the left center gap with a practically effortless swing.

Speaking after the game, Manager Gary Kendall described the outing as Wright’s best of the year, highlighting the work he’s done to slow down his approach when pitching from the stretch. When asked about how long the Orioles brass planned on keeping Urrutia in Bowie, Kendall deferred, saying that he’d be happy to have him as long as the Orioles would let him.