Perhaps the biggest name next to Roger Clemens to come to the Atlantic League, slugger Vladimir Guerrero will be bringing his talents to Long Island this season.

Guerrero, 38, has signed with the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks, according to a report Thursday night from Foxsports.com reporter Ken Rosenthal.The Ducks’ Twitter account confirmed the news Thursday night.

The Ducks had yet to announce the signing Thursday night and message left on the cell phone of Ducks’ manager Kevin Baez was not returned.

While York Revolution manager Mark Mason is happy about the news, he said the Revs might have just missed out on signing Guerrero after having discussions with him most of this off-season.

“We were basically trying to tell him a better opportunity afforded him here to get back to the big leagues,” Mason said. “As of yesterday the way it was left was that he would think about it and maybe give us an answer early next week and see what went on from there.

“I’m happy that he’s in the league. I think it’s great that he’s in the league. Am I disappointed that he didn’t sign with us? Obviously. He’s a borderline Hall of Famer.”

Guerrero, 38, last played in the big leagues in 2011 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. Mostly a designated hitter, he batted .290 that season for the Orioles, with 13 homers and 63 RBIs in 145 games. Guerrero is a career .318 hitter in 2,147 games in the majors, with 449 homers, 1,496 RBIs, 1,328 runs scored and 2,590 hits.

The Dominican Republic native played in just 12 total games last season split between the Toronto Blue Jays’ Class High A Dunedin and Class AAA Las Vegas clubs. This season, Guerrero was deciding between coming to the Atlantic League or going to the independent Can-Am League to play with the Quebec Capitals.

In a string of tweets from Rosenthal late Thursday night, Guerrero released the following statement on signing with Long Island:

“I loved playing in Canada and really wanted to play for Quebec and old friend Michel Laplante. I grew up with the Montreal Expos and played there for almost 10 years. The fans there are my friends. However, my ultimate goal is to make it back to the majors and reach 500 homers as soon as possible Quebec’s season starts about a month later than Long Island. I own a home on Long Island and am also very comfortable there. I am very grateful and excited for the opportunity.”

Revs’ third-base coach Enohel Polanco, formerly a resident of the Dominican Republic, had been working the phones from his New Jersey home over the off-season.

“Polo talked to him (Guerrero) for awhile (Wednesday) basically telling him that we would give him all the lee-way he wanted,” Mason said. “Three weeks ago he said he was gonna go to Quebec and play. A part of it was he had signed his first pro contract in Canada with Montreal.”

Mason said he would’ve given Guerrero the chance to go Quebec if he didn’t enjoy playing for York.

“I would give him an opportunity to come here, go through spring training and see what the league was about,” Mason said. “If he liked it, great. If it’s something he didn’t like to do and wanted to go to the Can-Am League, I would release him or send him up there in a trade.”

This isn’t the first time the Revs have had discussions with Guerrero, either.

“Originally we tried to talk to Vladimir about coming down here last season before he went to Toronto,” Revs’ baseball operations manager Andrew Ball said. “Polo knows Vlad’s brother. He also knows a guy who owns the facility where Vlad works out at. He’s been talking to the two of them. I know at least this past weekend he talked directly to Vladimir himself.

“I’m not surprised he signed with Long Island but I’m surprised he signed now because Polo just talked to him the other day and had no indication that he was going to sign anytime soon.”

Mason said the move makes sense.

“I just think maybe with the condition with the Yankees are in right now, playing in Long Island, it’s a little bit closer to New York,” Mason said. “If he can put up numbers right away he has a good shot at getting signed quickly.”

Mason said he was going to give Guerrero a chance to play left field in addition to being a designated hitter.

“I was gonna give him an opportunity to play in the field at least a couple times to show he can play out there, which would get interest from National League teams and not just the American League.”

Despite losing out on Guerrero, the Revs’ outfield is already stacked with former big leaguers Jeff Fiorentino, Tyler Graham and Jason Repko.

Plus, York fans might get a chance to see Guerrero play if he’s still a member of the Ducks when Long Island visits York for a three-game weekend series May 3-5.

“I’m happy that he’s in the league,” Mason said of Guerrero. “Would I like to have had him? Yes. It’s good for the league to have guys like him in here.”

From Polo: I caught with with Polanco by phone on Friday afternoon to get his take on the Guerrero discussions. Polo said he last talked to Guerrero on Wednesday.

“He said his agent was working on something,” Polanco said. “And then we just found out he signed with Long Island. He told me he had a home on Long Island. He thinks maybe because of the location of Long Island, it’s close to the Yankees and the Mets.”

Polanco said Guerrero is a nice, humble guy not wanting to make much noise. That makes sense considering how much Guerrero thought about going back to play in Canada, where he has spent most of his career.

“He’s a nice guy. He’s just glad to play the game,” Polanco said. “He’s not one on making noise. He doesn’t like to talk.”

Alumni updates: Former Revs’ pitchers Scott Rice and Shawn Hill had impressive outings Thursday night. In his first start for Class AAA Toledo, Hill went seven innings and allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks. He gave up two home runs. Toledo lost to Louisville, 4-3.

In his second appearance for the New York Mets, Scott Rice pitched two-thirds of inning out of the bullpen, allowing two hits. The Mets lost to the San Diego Padres, 2-1. Speaking of Rice, the left-hander was on the MLB Network’s “Intentional Talk” on Tuesday. Click here to check out the York Revolution’s blog post about it, which includes the six-minute clip of Rice on the show.

DeMark: Former Revs reliever Mike DeMark, released by the Diadmondbacks last month, said in a text message Wednesday he is now in the minors of the Oakland Athletics’ organization.

Kazmir on DL: Former Sugar Land Skeeters’ pitcher Scott Kazmir will indeed miss his first scheduled start with the Cleveland Indians on Saturday. The Indians put the left-hander on the 15-day disabled list Thursday with what is being described as a right rib cage strain. The setback delays Kazmir’s return to the majors, where he last pitched in 2011 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

Tryouts: The York Revolution are set to hold open tryouts this Friday at Sovereign Bank Stadium. We already know one of the players scheduled to participate is 53-year-old Tony Phillips, an 18-year major league veteran who made his pro debut in 1978. Click here to read the full story from Revs’ media guru Paul Braverman on the Revolution’s blog.

Mason said Thursday night former Revs’ reliever Andy Wells might also participate. Wells, 24, is a free agent after being released by the Mets recently. Wells made just three appearances for York last season, allowing a total of 10 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and nine walks in 4.1 innings of work (16.62 ERA), before being released in June. He has been pitching indy ball his entire three-year pro career.

Ball said Thursday night Northern York High School graduate Nate Eppley could show up, too. Eppley is a 24-year-old right-handed reliever. A 29th-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics in 2011, Eppley was released by the A’s last month. In 2012, the righty went 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 14 appearances at Class Low A Vermont and 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in seven games at Class A Burlington. If Nate’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because his older brother, Cody, also a Northern York grad, is a New York Yankees’ pitcher.

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In case you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s an earlier blog entry on former Rev Scott Rice making his MLB debut with the New York Mets on Monday. Rice threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out two.

With MLB rosters set, I thought this would be a good time to give an update on where former Revolution players are (or aren’t in some cases) in affiliated ball.

We started off with a list of 12 former York ballplayers in minor league or major league camp: OF/corner infielder Chris Nowak (Diamondbacks), outfielder Mike Hernandez (Tigers) and pitchers Scott Rice (Mets), Justin Hampson (Mets) Andy Wells (Mets), Victor Garate (Dodgers), Mike Benacka (Blue Jays), Ryan Feierabend (Rangers), Shawn Hill (Tigers), Mike DeMark (Diamondbacks), Ian Thomas (Braves) and Omar Javier (Giants).

Of that group, Rice is the only one who began the 2013 season on a big league roster. As for the rest of them? Well, six will begin the season playing somewhere in the minors, four are currently free agents after being released by their respective clubs and one – Nowak – has retired after being released by the D’Backs last month.

In the minors: Of all former Revs players starting the 2013 season in affiliated ball, Hill has the best chance of making it to the big leagues this year. Hill, a former big leaguer, had a 4.50 ERA in three spring training starts and six total appearances with the Tigers’ big league club. In his final spring training start last week, the right-hander Hill allowed just two runs on six hits in five innings of work against the Atlanta Braves, striking out three and walking none. He’s expected to be in the starting rotation at Class AAA Toledo to start this season. Hill, 31, went 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA in seven games (five starts) for the Revs last season before being picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays and assigned to Class AAA Las Vegas, where he went 9-2 with a 4.52 ERA in 15 starts. The performance earned him a call-up to the Blue Jays’ big league roster at the end of the season, marking his first return to the majors since 2010.

Thomas, 25, earned a promotion to Class AA Mississippi (Braves), where he’ll begin the 2013 season. The 6-foot-4 lefty came to York just three years removed from playing college ball at Virginia Commonwealth. He spent his first three seasons of pro ball playing for independent club Winnipeg (formerly North American League, now American Association). He started the 2012 season in York, compiling a 1-0 record and 0.96 ERA in seven relief appearances before getting picked up by the Atlanta Braves and assigned to Class A Rome, where he went 5-0 with a 3.15 ERA in 26 games.

Javier, 25, hasn’t pitched above rookie ball in his affiliated career. He is listed on the roster of the Class AA Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants), which begins its season Thursday. The right-hander went 1-6 with a 5.67 ERA in 22 games (nine starts) for the Revs in 2012. After being released by the Revs in late July, Javier went on to pitch for Newark. He started six games for the Bears, posting a 2-2 record and a 3.74 ERA over 33.2 innings pitched. This past winter, he posted a 1-0 record and 2.27 ERA in 11 games (six starts) playing for Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Republic (where he was teammates with former Revs’ pitcher Scott Rice along with pitchers Julio DePaula and Pedro Liriano, both of whom are on York’s current pre-season roster, along with a number of former Atlantic Leaguers).

Hernandez, 29, will begin the 2013 season where he first began his pro career in 2006, at Class A West Michigan (Tigers), according to this blog post. The post states that Hernandez helped “the team win the Midwest League Championship” in 2006, hitting “for the cycle twice that season, and set a record at the time with seven RBI’s in one game.” The move of playing for a single-a club might raise some eyebrows, but when you figure Hernandez has had good seasons in the Atlantic League each of the last four years but didn’t get picked up by a big league club, I don’t blame him for trying this route. Hernandez batted .303 with with 13 homers and 55 RBIs in 104 games for the Revs in 2012.

Hampson will start the 2013 season at Class AAA Las Vegas 51s, the triple-a affiliate of the New York Mets. He got a call up to the Mets’ big league spring training club last week but got roughed up in the appearance, allowing a run on two doubles and a single in two innings of work against the St. Louis Cardinals. Hampson pitched for the Revs and the Long Island Ducks in 2010 and spent the majority of the last two years at the Mets’ Class AAA Buffalo affiliate. He earned a promotion to the major league club near the end of last season, returning to the big leagues for the first time since 2009. He posted a 1.30 ERA in 13 appearances.

Feierabend, 27, is still on a quest to make it back to the big leagues for the first time since 2008. He’ll continue that journey by starting out at Class AA Frisco (Rangers) this year, according to this press release. The 6-foot-4 lefty went 8-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 17 starts for York last season. He got picked up mid-season by the Cincinnati Reds and assigned to Class AAA Louisville, where he went 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in seven starts before being released and returning to the Revs.

DeMark, 29, signed with Oakland Athletics’ organization shortly after being released by the Arizona Diamondbacks in mid-March. The 6-foot right-hander began the 2011 season with York, posting a 2.61 ERA in 13 appearances before being picked up by the D’Backs that year. He spent all of the 2012 season pitching for D’Backs’ Class AAA Reno club, going 5-5 with a 4.19 ERA in 53 games.

Wells, 24, is a free agent after being released by the Mets last week. Wells made just three appearances for York last season, allowing a total of 10 runs (eight earned) on eight hits and nine walks in 4.1 innings of work (16.62 ERA), before being released in June. He has been pitching indy ball his entire three-year pro career.

Garate, 24, is a still a free agent since being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers in mid-March. The former big leaguer made one appearance with York in 2012, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings. A Venezuela native, Garate pitched in four games with the Washington Nationals in 2009, posting a 22.50 ERA.

Benacka, 30, is still a free agent since being released by the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-March. The 6-foot-2 right-hander collected a 3.60 ERA in five appearances for York last season. York traded him back to American Association club Laredo in the off-season. As a result, Laredo owns his rights should Benacka opt to return to the indy scene.

Other Revs on the move: The Long Island Ducks announced Monday the return of infielder Bryant Nelson, who played for the Revs in 2011. Juan Martinez, younger brother of former Revs’ catcher Octavio, will make his return to the Atlantic League in 2013 with the Camden Riversharks. Martinez, 26, played in 12 games for York in 2011. He split last season between Camden and Newark (Can-Am League). According to the Can-Am League’s transactions page, Newark traded Martinez to Camden late last week.

Former Atlantic Leaguers are spring training releases: Slugger Ryan Garko and outfielder/pitcher Jason Lane, both former big leaguers and former Atlantic Leaguers, became free agents last week. Garko clubbed four homers, collected 16 RBIs and batted .450 in just 16 games for the Long Island Ducks to start last season before being picked up by the Tampa Bay Rays and assigned to Class AA Montgomery, where he hit .297 with eight homers and 40 RBIs in 61 games. He was released by the Colorado Rockies last week.

Lane, 36, began the 2012 season at Class AAA Reno, where he went 2-0 with a 7.59 ERA in 15 relief appearances on the mound and batted .167 in 10 games at the plate while also playing the outfield. He later joined the Sugar Land and posted a 9-5 record and 3.17 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) while batting .270 in 75 games. Called up to the Minnesota Twins big league spring training club last week, Lane got tagged with a blown save by allowing three runs on five hits in one inning of work in a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Twins released him last week.

Former Bridgeport Bluefish outfielder Collin DeLome also became a free agent after the Atlanta Braves released him last week. Last season, DeLome batted .368 with five homers and 22 RBIs in just 23 games before being picked up by the Braves.

The Boston Red Sox released starting pitcher J.D. Durbin last week. Durbin, 31, is still trying to get back to the big leagues since last pitching there in 2007. The 6-foot right-hander had a combined 22-13 record and 4.68 ERA in 45 starts for the Lancaster Barnstormers the last two seasons.

Former Lancaster Barnstormers’ reliever Jeff Bennett was released by the Colorado Rockies last week. Bennett, 32, last pitched in the majors in 2009. He went 4-8 with a 3.56 ERA in 52 appearances for Lancaster last year.

The Washington Nationals released outfielder Delwyn Young last week. Young, 30, has 344 games of big league experience under his belt. He spent part of the 2012 season with the Camden Riversharks, batting .191 in 32 games.

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There’s always going to be the risk of injury in pretty much any sport. When it involves baseball, though, there are plenty of outside factors considering the type of equipment players use.

There are bats and baseballs and helmets and cleats. And for those playing at Sovereign Bank Stadium in the future, they will no longer have to worry about the concrete walls in the outfield.

Padding is set to be installed on the concrete walls very soon, York Revolution president and general manager Eric Menzer confirmed Thursday afternoon.

“In fact, it actually just arrived today,” he said.

The move is being made after Road Warriors center fielder Kenny Kelly collided with the concrete wall in right-center field as he was fielding a fly ball during a game against the Revs on June 20 (pictured above).

Kelly was knocked unconscious for about a minute. He was later fitted with a neck brace, placed on a board and taken off the field by ambulance.

Kelly suffered a concussion, three facial fractures on the left side of his face and a cut on his left shoulder and chin.

After the game, Revs manager Andy Etchebarren said it would be a “pretty good idea” to put padding on the walls. Several players agreed, including former Revs outfielder Val Majewski.
“What happened today was scary and unfortunate but that’s something that can be prevented with padding,” Majewski had said.

Currently a part of the left-center field wall and all of right-center field wall are concrete. Those sections will now be covered by padding.

“There is padding around infield sections by the bases, but those have been there since the park opened. So, obviously we wanted to match that. Once we made the decision (to get padding) we went out and got competitive pricing,” Menzer said.

Other stadium work: Among other work being done to the stadium, the club store is currently being renovated.

“It’s five years old. In retail, five years is old. There will be new carpet, new fixtures, paint and wallpaper. It will re-open in early April,” Menzer said.

Other projects at the stadium will include repairs to some cracks in the concrete on the concourse. A new pole will be installed that will help keep in place the gates in center field, which often flew open last season during windy days. The bottom-right section of the video board in right field, which often malfunctioned last season, will be replaced. Also, new tile will be put in the clubhouse showers.

Formers Revs doing well in spring training: Former Revolution relievers Scott Rice and Mike DeMark are performing well at big league spring training camp. Read more on the news at the Revs’ blogtoblogchamps blog.

Sugar Land goes green: The Skeeters posted pictures to their Facebook page of the grass being laid at Constellation Field in Sugar Land. Check them out here.

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In less than a week, the York Revolution have lost two of their best relief pitchers. Six-foot, seven-inch left-hander Scott Rice was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. It’s unclear which minor league club Rice has been assigned to.

Rice becomes the fifth Revs player to be signed by a major league organization since the start of Atlantic League spring training, a total that leads the Atlantic League. Rice went 1-0 with one save and a 2.46 ERA in 15 games out of the Revolution bullpen. He allowed just nine hits in 14.2 innings, holding opponents to a .170 average. He walked only four and struck out 15. Rice opened the season on 12-game and 12.2-inning scoreless streaks, Revs records to begin a career in York.

Rice’s signing comes just a few days after the contract of right-handed reliever Mike DeMark was picked up from York by the Arizona Diamondbacks. DeMark posted a 2.61 ERA with one save in 13 appearances with York. The 28-year-old allowed just three runs and eight hits in 10.1 innings with the Revs, while walking four and striking out 17. He was assigned to Class AA Corpus Christi.

Rice and DeMark join shortstop Andy Gonzalez (Milwaukee Brewers), lefty reliever Chad Thall (Tampa Bay Rays), and first baseman Jason Botts (New York Mets) as the five Revs players to have been signed by a major league organization already in 2011.

Along with the losses of Rice and DeMark, the York Revolution roster has seen quite a lot of changes over the past week or so.

York added six-foot, six-inch righty J.J. Pacella to the bullpen over the weekend. The 27-year-old is in his fifth pro season, and owns 30 career saves and a 3.89 ERA. He spent most of the last two seasons in the Frontier League with Lake Erie, with ERAs of 2.63 and 3.62.

The infield has also changed a little bit. The Revs released infielder Tanner Townsend on June 2 and signed infielder Eric Eymann the next day. Townsend batted .209 in 12 games with York, with a homer and four RBIs. Townsend signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs on June 2.

Eymann, a Nebraska native, was drafted in 2005 in the 19th round by the Cincinnati Reds out of Kansas State University. Eymann has played at Triple-A Louisville for parts of the last three seasons, including 16 games this year. Last year, the 27-year-old Eymann batted .294 in 18 games at the Triple-A level. He has seen significant time at every infield position over the course of his seven-year pro career, spent entirely in the Reds farm system. Through Monday, Eymann is batting .333 in four games with York. He is 6-for-18 at the plate with two RBIs.

York also recently announced the return of infielder Ramon Castro. The team announced on June 3 that Castro’s work visa has been approved. Castro, a Venezuelan native, started the season playing in the Mexican League.

Castro set Revolution records last season with a .339 batting average, a .437 on-base percentage and 37 doubles. He went on to bat .375 in the postseason, with his final highlight being a championship-clinching run on a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning of Game 3 of the Atlantic League Championship Series at Bridgeport.

Revs manager Andy Etchebarren said Castro will be put in the lineup as soon as he arrives in York.

Meanwhile, infielder Chuck Jeroloman will be not joining the club after all. The infielder played in 135 games for the Revs last season, batting .249 with 66 RBIs and 14 homers. Jeroloman was expected to join the club this month, but Etchebarren said Sunday that Jeroloman is considering an assistant coaching position with a college ballclub. Reached by phone on Monday, Jeroloman said Western Kentucky is among the schools he is considering coaching at.

OTHER HAPPENINGS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC LEAGUE:

Rice’s signing is the most recent of signings of Atlantic League players to affiliated ball clubs this season. The following is a list of other signings that occurred across the Atlantic League over the past week.
—SOUTHERN MARYLAND:  The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs saw their first player signed to an affiliated team this season as the Atlanta Braves purchased the contract of right-handed reliever Eduardo Morlan and assigned him to Class AA Pearl (MS) on June 2. Morlan had an impressive 1.39 ERA in 12 relief appearances with Southern Maryland this season. In 13 innings, he had allowed 10 hits and two runs while striking out 15.

—LANCASTER: The Barnstormers saw the contracts of catcher Emerson Frostad and closer Tim Hamulack signed by affiliated clubs over the past week. Frostad was signed by Houston Astros and assigned to Class AA Corpus Christi on June 1. Hamulack was signed by the Cincinnati Red and assigned to Class AA North Carolina. Frostad was batting .280 with two homers and 11 RBI in 15 games with the Barnstormers. Prior to coming to Lancaster, Frostad spent seven years in the Texas Rangers organization, peaking at Class AAA. He had a .258 career average with 63 home runs.

Hamulack, 34, was nearly perfect going 1-0 with seven saves and a 0.00 ERA in 11 appearances with the Barnstormers. The left-hander yielded only five singles in 11.1 innings without allowing a walk. Along the way, he had struck out 14, including seven in his last three innings. It was Hamulack’s second tour of duty with the Barnstormers. In 2010, the York resident appeared in 55 games, posting a 6-5 record with 11 saves and a 2.35 ERA. Hamulack was signed originally by the Houston Astros in 1996 but did not reach the Major Leagues until his fifth Major League organization and tenth pro season, earning a call-up with the New York Mets in 2005. He also appeared in 33 games for the Dodgers in 2006. Three Barnstormers have been acquired by Major League clubs thus far. Left-handed pitcher Les Walrond was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies on May 27.

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The York Revolution had jumped out to a 4-0 start this season, thanks in large part to its hitting.

Through seven innings Thursday night at Sovereign Bank Stadium, however, it appeared York’s pitching would be showcased in the Revs’ attempt to start 5-0.

But after a pair of Revs’ relievers blew a 3-0 lead in the eighth and ninth innings, the game again would come down to a York hitter, this time in the form of imposing 6-foot, 6-inch Jason Botts.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the 10th, Botts came to the plate as York’s leadoff batter. And on the second pitch from reliever Travis Minix, Botts swung and made history by nailing it over the left-field wall for a walkoff home run, giving York (5-0) its best start in franchise history.

As soon as he made contact, Revs’ manager Andy Etchebarren knew the ball was gone.

“I’ll tell you one thing, (Botts) smashed it. I knew it was going over the wall when he hit it. He’s a strong fella,” Etchebarren said.

The win marks the fourth game in a row that York has won by a run. The last time the Revs won four one-run games in a row was to start the second half of the 2009 season. Thursday’s victory also marked the second game in a row that York won in walkoff fashion. On Wednesday night, Revs’ catcher Octavio Martinez got a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Botts in an 8-7 come-from-behind victory over Somerset (1-4).

“Maybe that is gonna be our thing for the season, we’ll just play better when we’re behind,” Botts joked. “But we’ll try not to rely on that too much.”

Somerset starter Kris Honel kept York’s bats quiet until the fifth, when Vince Harrison led off with a single and stole a base. After retiring the next two batters, Honel hit Scott Grimes with a pitch and was relieved by Casey Cahill. Liu Rodriguez and Val Majewski followed with RBI singles to put York up 2-0.

The two runs were credited to Honel, who struck out two and surrendered two hits and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Majewski added another RBI single in the seventh off of reliever Jeff Kennard to extend the lead to 3-0.

On the mound for York, pitcher Matt DeSalvo (0-0) tossed 51/3 scoreless innings in his second start of the season. He struck out six and walked one while giving up two hits.

Ronnie Morales relieved DeSalvo in the sixth and performed just as well, pitching a full inning while giving a hit and striking out two. Sean Stidfole relieved Morales in the seventh to retire the final batter.

Things went awry for York in the eighth and ninth, though. Reliever Mike DeMark gave up a two-out, RBI triple to Joe Holden, then an RBI double to Fernando Cortez, bringing Somerset within 3-2.

In the ninth, Somerset’s Jason Pressley started things with a single off closer R.J. Rodriguez. Patriots’ outfielder Michael Hernandez followed with an RBI double, tying the game at 3-3 and giving Rodriguez his first blown save of the year.

Rodriguez prevented Somerset from doing even more damage, though, working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by fielding a grounder up the middle to get a force out at home, and then striking out Holden to end the inning.

Jeremy Lewis (2-0) was credited with a win for York by pitching a perfect 10th. Minix (0-1) tossed scoreless eighth and ninth innings for Somerset before giving up the solo shot to Botts in the 10th.

York will next travel to Camden (1-5) for a three-game set on Friday and Saturday. The clubs will play a doubleheader on Friday.

Game Notes:

–At 5-0, York remains as the only unbeaten Atlantic League team thus far. York is currently two games ahead of Lancaster (3-2) and 2 1/2 games ahead of the Road Warriors (2-2) in the Freedom Division.

–The Somerset Patriots have been a successful franchise in their 14-year tenure, having won five Atlantic League titles. That’s why it’s surprising to know that this year’s 1-4 start is still not the franchise’s worst. That would be held by the 2009 team that started 1-5.

—In four appearances thus far, Morales has given up just one hit and walked one while striking out two in 2 1/3 innings.

—With his two RBIs on Thursday, Majewski now leads the Atlantic League in RBIs (eight). In the last three games, Majewski is batting .571 (8-for-14) with seven RBIs, three runs scored and a homer.

–Etchebarren said the reason reliever Michael Nix has not pitched at all so far this season is because Nix has been battling elbow tenditis since the beginning of spring training. Nix has been throwing in practice and should be OK soon, though, Etchebarren said.

–Infielder Ramon Castro, who played for York all of last year, is yet to arrive in York this season. Revs director of baseball operations Michael Kirk said he is still dealing with paperwork with Castro’s work visa, which needs to be taken care of before Castro can come from his native Venezuela to the United States.

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In all of his years of pitching, what happened to 26-year-old Celson Polanco on Wednesday may have been his craziest experience in pro baseball.

Before the York Revolution’s exhibition game at Sovereign Bank Stadium on Wednesday evening, Revs’ manager Andy Etchebarren informed Polanco that he would be sent to the Road Warriors after the game. Polanco then went out and pitched a perfect third inning for York, getting all three batters he faced to ground out.

As soon as Polanco came off the field, Etchebarren informed him that he had changed his mind. Polanco was staying with York.

“It was crazy. I was so excited (to stay in York). Really excited. My life changed,” said Polanco, who was a key member of last year’s Atlantic League championship club, when he fired three scoreless outings during the playoffs. “This is my team. I was with them when they won the championship last year. And I really like this team. I’m glad I’m staying.”

Etchebarren said he decided to keep Polanco because he thinks the Revs might soon lose another reliever to an affiliated club.

Earlier in the day, Etchebarren found out that reliever Chad Thall was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays and assigned to Class AA Montgomery.

“I got a feeling I’m gonna lose (reliever Mike) DeMark, I just got a feeling,” Etchebarren said. “So, if I lose DeMark, I don’t want to send Polanco over there (to the Road Warriors) for two days and then bring him back.”

Had the Revs sent Polanco to the Road Warriors, York would have had the option to bring Polanco back at any point later in the season. Overall this spring, Polanco has tossed three exhibition innings, giving up three hits, two earned runs, walking two and striking out three.

Angelle retiring: In one of a string of moves made by York on Wednesday, the Revs traded left-handed pitcher Kevin Angelle to the Wichita Wingnuts of the independent American Association.

Upon hearing the news, the 23-year-old Angelle informed Revs’ pitching Mark Mason by text message that he was retiring. Angelle confirmed his retirement when reached by phone Wednesday night.

“I looked at York as being a good place to be,” he said. “Wichita is a little lower league. I feel I’m going down and not going up.”

Etchebarren said he made the trade because he thought Angelle was out of shape.

“He needed to work on his conditioning. And we don’t have time to wait,” Etchebarren said.

Angelle said he arrived to camp weighing 227 pounds, about 10 more pounds than what he weighed a year ago when he showed up to camp with Class A Williamsport. He blames the increased weight on poor eating habits during the offseason.

“I figured I’m young and I could show up and I could pull it off,” he said. “I guess they didn’t think I was in good enough shape. I felt after a few days I was back to normal. I already lost six pounds.”

The Texas native was a 32nd-round draft choice by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009. He pitched at Class A Williamsport in 2010, where he had a 1.36 ERA in eight starts. But he was released by the Phillies in August 2010 for what the team called disciplinary reasons.

Angelle said part of the reason he’s retiring is because he wants to return to school at Lamar University in Texas.

Ellis released: York released pitcher Jon Ellis on Wednesday. Ellis, a 28-year-old righthander, pitched three innings for York in spring training, giving up five hits, two runs, one earned run, with a walk and two strikeouts.

Exhibition: York beat the Road Warriors, 3-0, in a rain-shortened, four-inning exhibition on Wednesday.

Val Majewski had a solo home run in the first inning. Chris Walker drove in Salvador Paniagua on an RBI fielder’s choice in the third inning. And Vince Harrison drove in Jason Botts on an RBI fielder’s choice in the fourth inning.

Opener: York will open defense of its Atlantic League championship on Friday, when it will host the Camden Riversharks at Sovereign Bank Stadium. The game will be preceded by a championship ring ceremony and the unveiling of the championship banner, honoring the 2010 club.

Arrivals: Pitcher Scott Rice suited up for York for the first time on Wednesday but didn’t pitch. Rice was supposed to pitch the fifth inning for York had the game not been called due to rain, Etchebarren said.

Rice recently pitched in spring training with the Chicago Cubs. So, although he only arrived in York this week and did not pitch in any exhibition games, he will be “OK” to pitch this weekend, Etchebarren said.

“I’m not really worried about him because he faced a lot of hitters in spring training. He was in a big league camp (with the Cubs) and he pitched against big league hitters,” Etchebarren said. “He’s a guy that’s pitched for eight or nine years. He’s faced a lot of hitters. He’s in shape. So, he should be OK.”

Infielder Juan Martinez, who first arrived in York on Tuesday, saw playing time for the Revs on Wednesday when he played a half inning at second base.

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