Chris Hoiles is officially out of answers. He's tried everything to try and jump start what should be one of the more potent lineups in Atlantic League.

Hoiles has flip-flopped Keoni DeRenne and Travis Ezi at the top of the order. He's shuffled his 3-4-5 power bats. He's tinkered with the bottom of the lineup card.

The York Revolution manager is now open to suggestions.

"You got any? 'Cause if you do, let me know," an exasperated Hoiles said after the Revs dropped their second straight game this afternoon by a 7-4 score to the Newark Bears at Sovereign Bank Stadium in front of an announced 3,387 fans.

The matinee setback drops York to 7-12, but the Revs managed to stay out of the basement of the Freedom Division thanks to rival Lancaster's loss. Newark jumps over the .500 mark to 10-9.

Newark's Gerard Haran broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the eighth inning with a two-run single off York reliever Jason Olson. The loss was tagged on teammate Matt Trent (0-2), whose base runners Olson inherited. Newark's Cory Willey picked up the win in relief (4-0).

The Revs managed to push across four runs today, but only two were earned. What may be frustrating Hoiles right now is that Newark starter Will Cunnane was eminently hittable today, in addition to struggling with his command.

Cunnane gave up five hits and walked four in his four innings of work, but the Revs couldn't get to him with any consistency. Coming into play Thursday, the Revs were batting just .227 as a

club.

That didn't improve against Cunnane - or especially the three relievers who succeeded him. Edwin Almonte, Willey and Al Levine combined to hurl five frames and surrender one unearned run.

The Revs stranded 11 base runners.

"We had guys on base and we couldn't do anything with it," Hoiles said. "And that was the difference. I'd say it was the biggest thing.

"Offensively right now, we just can't put anything together."

York starter Wayne Franklin wasn't sharp, either. Franklin scuffled early to get calls on the edges from home plate umpire Eric Diaz, pitches he needs to be successful.

In addition, there were six strikeouts looking and some grumbling from batters on both sides during the game - usually tipoffs that nobody knows where the strike zone is on a given day.

"You always want borderline pitches to go your way," Franklin said. "Both me and Cunnane were wanting pitches that were borderline, and we weren't getting them. So you've got to go out there and make them swing the bats, and hopefully good things will happen." Franklin gave up six hits and four runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings pitched, walking five while striking out four.

He got off the hook when York tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth, helped along by consecutive errors by Newark third baseman Tim Sweeney - a pair of miscues which loaded the bases with no outs and the home team trailing by a run.

However, all the Revs could manage was a fly to center field by Matt Padgett not deep enough to score a run, followed by Tyler Von Schell's fielder's choice RBI ground out. Matt Esquivel ended the frame with a swinging strike out.

The Revs open a three-game War of the Roses series against the Lancaster Barnstormers at 7:07 p.m. Friday at Sovereign Bank Stadium. The first 2,000 fans in attendance Friday will receive a rally towel.