Hot Rods Game Notes

April 24, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release

Following today's game, the team will head back to Bowling Green to begin a four-game series with the Lansing Lugnuts. Tomorrow night's series opener is the first Bootleggers Thursday of the year presented by Casey Jones Distillery!

About Yesterday... Wander Franco had three doubles, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in the Hot Rods' 8-7 loss on Tuesday afternoon against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Bowling Green broke a scoreless tie in the fourth, taking a 3-0 lead. Fort Wayne answered immediately against Hot Rods starter Joe Ryan, scoring five runs (two earned) in the bottom of the frame to make it a 5-3 ballgame. The Hot Rods came within a run in the fifth, but Fort Wayne's offense built on their tremendous dat at the plate with another three-run inning in the sixth to give them an 8-4 edge. While BG got three of those runs back to cut the lead to one again, Jose Quezada allowed two hits over two scoreless innings of work to help the TinCaps edge the Hot Rods 8-7, forcing a Wednesday rubber match in the series finale.

On the Road Again... Wednesday wraps up the Hot Rods longest road trip to date this season. Through 11 games away from Bowling Green Ballpark, the team's road average is 11th in the league (.226) and they're 5-6 thus far. They're second in runs as the visitors, having scored 49, but lead the league in extra base hits (28) and total bases (131) when wearing the away jerseys. They've also worked more walks than anyone else with 52.

Ks are King... After Tuesday's games, the Hot Rods and Quad Cities River Bandits are still tied atop the MWL and all of Class-A baseball with 208 strikeouts each this season. Those totals also leave them tied for sixth in all of Minor League Baseball behind Advanced-A teams from the California League (Rancho Cucamonga, Modesto, San Jose), Florida State League (Clearwater), and Carolina League (Fayetteville).

Following Franco ... The Rays #1 prospect (according to Pipeline and BA) struggled to start his season (Batting .200 with 2 XBH in first seven games) but has put together a nine-game hitting streak. It's one of the longest active hitting streaks in the MWL and is the longest for a Hot Rods batter this season. He's batting .371 with a triple, five doubles, three RBIs, six runs, four walks, and three strikeouts in a streak that began on April 13.

All(ways) Aboard... Kaleo Johnson has the longest on-base streak for BG this season, reaching safely in 12 games. Johnson is batting .250 during the streak (which began on April 9) and has an OBP of .308. He's collected 12 hits with a homer and five doubles while working three walks. He's alsos cored twice and collected 10 RBI over that stretch. Johnson did not play in Tuesday's loss.

In the Field... Bowling Green has made some improvements in the field after starting off the season as the second-worst team in the league in fielding percentage. The Hot Rods have a .958 percentage as a team (12th) while committing 29 errors in the field this season. The club has thrived in double play situations, though, having turned 17 through 19 games played. That number ranks fourth best in the MWL.

Yesterday's Notes... Franco extended his hitting streak to nine games... He had his fourth multi-hit effort of the season... It's also his first three-hit game this year... Alvarez had his fifth multi-hit game and third multi-RBI game of the year... Brundage logged his first hit of the season in his second game with the Hot Rods... He also had his first multi-hit and multi-RBI games of the season... Proctor has a five-game hitting streak... Gregorio is hitless in his last five games and is 0-for-17 on this road trip... Tuesday is just the second time this season the Hot Rods have lost after scoring first... The team is now 3-2 in day games... They're 2-2 in one-run games...

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Midwest League Stories from April 24, 2019

• Kernels Edge Rattlers 4-3 to Take Series - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• Lee Leads Kernels to 4-3 Triumph - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• Aker Strikes Out Career High Nine in Chiefs Loss - Peoria Chiefs
• Pena's Big Day Helps Bandits Close out Series with 4-1 Win - Quad Cities River Bandits
• TinCaps Seek Nominees for Military Salutes in 2019 - Fort Wayne TinCaps
• Cubs Outslug Lugnuts, 10-8 - Lansing Lugnuts
• RHP Brett Daniels transferred from Corpus Christi to Quad Cities - Quad Cities River Bandits
• Whitecaps Miss out on Series Sweep - West Michigan Whitecaps
• Camels Remain Unbeaten - Great Lakes Loons
• Bees Conclude Homestand with 6-3 Victory - Burlington Bees
• Reeves Caps Teeter-Totter Game with Walk-Off in 10th - Lake County Captains
• Cubs Hold on to Win Rubber Game and Series vs Lugnuts 10-8 - South Bend Cubs
• Soriano KO'd, Cougars Denied Sweep - Kane County Cougars
• Dragons Fall in Extra Innings, 7-6 at Lake County - Dayton Dragons
• Johnson's Two-Homer Day Leads Hot Rods to 9-2 Win - Bowling Green Hot Rods
• Beloit Dominates on the Mound to Earn Series Win - Beloit Sky Carp
• Pitcher's Duel Ends in Shutout Loss - Clinton LumberKings
• Hunt Homers, But Fort Wayne Drops the Series Finale - Fort Wayne TinCaps
• Jacob Blank and Joe Cronin join Kernels - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• River Bandits Announce April 26 Home Opener - Quad Cities River Bandits
• Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
• Four Winds Invitational to Underwrite Pediatric Eye Imaging Equipment for Beacon Health System - South Bend Cubs
• TinCaps Game Notes: April 24 vs. Bowling Green (Game 19) - Fort Wayne TinCaps
• Dayton Dragons GameDay & Notes for Wednesday (Noon Game) - Dayton Dragons
• Manzanero's Three Homers Sink Captains - Lake County Captains
• Bees Lose 2-0 to Cougars - Burlington Bees

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