Columbia Fireflies Roster Move and Game Notes August 2
August 2, 2022 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Kansas City Royals have made the following roster moves affecting the Columbia Fireflies active roster.
RHP Ryan Hennen has been released
C/INF Felix Familia has been released
OF River Town has been promoted to Quad Cities
OF Darryl Collins has been activated off the injured list and placed on the Fireflies active roster
OF David Hollie has been activated off the injured list and placed on the Fireflies active roster
The Fireflies active roster now stands at 29 players with two on the development list.
Collins will wear jersey #15. Hollie will wear jersey #33.
-----------
The Fireflies kick-off a series with the Charleston RiverDogs tonight at 7:05 pm at Segra Park. RHP Shane Panzini (0-2, 4.08 ERA) gets the nod for Columbia and Major League rehabber RHP Yonny Chirinos will go for the RiverDogs. Major League rehabber LHP Brendan McKay will also pitch for the RiverDogs tonight.
Tonight is a Miller Lite $2 Tuesday at Segra Park. Fans can purchase hot dogs, popcorn, fountain soda and 12 oz cans of Miller Lite for $2. Tickets are available at FirefliesTickets.com.
-------------
FIREFLIES DROP FINALE 9-0 TO KANNAPOLIS: The Fireflies offense was stifled as they dropped the series finale to the Cannon Ballers 9-0 Sunday afternoon at Atrium Health Ballpark. Columbia (17-12) starter Ben Hernandez (L, 1-6) cruised through the first four innings before allowing a two-run homer to DJ Gladney in the fifth inning that put Kannapolis (18-12) in front. Hernandez left the game allowing just those two runs, but Gladney had a larger role to play in the game. The first baseman came to the plate again in the seventh and jump-started the frame with his second two-run bomb of the game to push Kannapolis to a 4-0 lead. Kannapolis would go on to score four more runs in the seventh, exiting the frame with an 8-0 lead.
JUST AROUND THE RIVER BEND: Carolina League star River Town got the call-up to Quad Cities today. Columbia's outfielder led the Fireflies in most offensive categories, including home runs (12), RBI (45), stolen bases (18) and runs scored (47). The Louisiana native also had the longest on-base streak in franchise history (33-games) earlier this year.
ONE-TWO PUNCH: In the last two games, Ben Kudrna and Frank Mozzicato have combined to spin 11 innings, while allowing just a single run. It's the first time the two have both claimed a win in one trip through the rotation.
POSITIVE STRIDES IN THE PEN: Righties Shane Connolly and Luis Barroso have found their grooves in the month of July in the bullpen. The two have combined to allow just one earned run in 14.2 innings across the month. Connolly's ERA has dipped from 9.67 after his outing vs Carolina June 18 to 7.34 following his 1.1 innings yesterday. For Barroso, he's seen his ERA drop from 7.54 after his loss to Charleston June 23 to 5.05 after a pair of scoreless frames yesterday.
HERNANDEZ HEATING UP: Backstop Omar Hernandez's bat has been heating up the last 13 games. During the run, which began July 4, Columbia's catcher has seen his batting average rise from .205 to .227 and he has had three of his five multi-hit games on the season. He has eight of the 16 RBI he has hit on the season in his last 12 games (he has played 60 games this season).
RALLY FIREFLIES: Columbia is outscoring opponents in only one inning this season, but it's an important one: the ninth. In the final frame of regulation, Columbia is outscoring opponents 34-27 this season. That really helps in late and close situations. Columbia is 14-11 in 25 one-run games throughout the 2022 season.
UPCOMING STRETCH: The Fireflies are in the midst of an important part of their schedule. The top four teams in the South Division are separated by only one game. The Fireflies are playing Charleston at home for the first time this season before visiting the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and then Kannapolis again. That's 18-consecutive games against the top four teams in the division to start the month of August. The Fireflies are currently half a game out of first place behind Kannapolis, 0.5 games in front of Myrtle Beach and are tied with Charleston. Columbia will also close out the season with a six-game set at Segra Park vs the Charleston RiverDogs. The Fireflies magic number to clinch the first playoff berth in franchise history is 36.
Carolina League Stories from August 2, 2022
- Five-Run Seventh Powers Fayetteville to Victory in Salem - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Huma's Two-Run Single Gives Pelicans Walk-Off Win over Hillcats - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Fireflies Lose Wild Ride 11-9 - Columbia Fireflies
- RiverDogs Overcome Eight Errors to Stun Fireflies in Opening Game of Series - Charleston RiverDogs
- 'Birds' Four-Game Winning Streak Snapped by GreenJackets in 7-2 Loss - Delmarva Shorebirds
- FredNats Stage Dramatic Extra Inning Win in Kinston - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Rainiery Rodriguez Guides Augusta to Series Opening Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Mudcats Drop Series Opener 3-1 - Carolina Mudcats
- Columbia Fireflies Roster Move and Game Notes August 2 - Columbia Fireflies
- Ballers Split Series with Fireflies, Hold Onto Narrow First Place Lead - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Major League Pitchers Chirinos and McKay to Make Rehab Appearances for RiverDogs - Charleston RiverDogs
- Middendorf to High-A; Areinamo and Castillo Added - Carolina Mudcats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
