Columbia Fireflies Roster Move and Game Notes vs Myrtle Beach 7.20
July 20, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Kansas City Royals have made the following roster move affecting the Columbia Fireflies active roster:
* RHP Hiro Wyatt has been added to the Fireflies active roster.
Wyatt will wear jersey #51.
There are no corresponding moves. The Fireflies active roster sits at 30.
----------------------------------
The Fireflies kick-off their series against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans with a doubleheader tonight at Segra Park. The two teams will play two, seven-inning games with the first game beginning at 3:30 pm and the second game starting no sooner than 6 pm.
RHP Jonatan Bernal (0-1, 3.86 ERA) starts game one for Columbia and RHP Josh Hansell (2-1, 2.86 ERA) gets the ball in game two for the home team. Myrtle Beach counters with RHP Luis Rujano (1-3, 5.58 ERA) in game one and RHP Juan Bello (1-3, 4.03 ERA) in game two.
--------------------------------
SERIES OPENER VS PELICANS POSTPONED: The series opener between the Columbia Fireflies and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans scheduled for July 19 at Segra Park has been postponed due to inclement weather and will be made up as part of a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday beginning at 3:30 pm. The second game of the doubleheader will start no earlier than 6 pm. Gates for the game will open at 3 pm. The two teams will play a pair of seven inning games tomorrow at Segra Park.
BOUT OF BAD LUCK: After last night's postponed game, the Fireflies have had back-to-back games affected by weather and three games in the last seven that have been postponed or suspended. They will pick up a suspended game vs Augusta August 27, a suspended game vs Charleston September 3 and today's doubleheader will pick-up the opener from this series.
GOING STREAKING: Catcher Dionmy Salon is riding a hot streak for Columbia. He is on his longest hitting streak of the season, an 11-game stretch that began June 9 and is the longest active hitting streak in the Carolina League. Salon is 13-30 (.433) on the run and has six RBI. Salon has increased his batting average from .165 to .239 during the strech which encapsulates over one quarter of his games played this season. Columbia's backstop has also scored a run in four-straight games, which is the longest active streak for a Fireflies player.
SCUFFLING AT THE DISH: The Fireflies bats have had some trouble in the month of July. The team has scored one run or less in three of their last four games and have a suspended game where they're being outscored 6-0 by the Augusta GreenJackets in the fourth inning. The Fireflies are hititng .217 in the month of July as a team, which is a start contrast to their season average of .229, which qualifies for the fourth-best average in the Carolina League..
THIS IS 40: Thursday night, Austin Charles drove in three RBI, giving him 43 on the young season. In 2023 only three Fireflies finished the season with 40 or more RBI: Brett Squires (69), Lizandro Rodriguez (44) and Daniel Vazquez (43). The Fireflies single-season RBI record belongs to Juan Carlos Negret, who drove in 76 runs in a shortened 2021 season thanks in part to a franchise record 23 homers in a single season.
ROCKING ROSADO: Columbia's reliever has paced the way for the bullpen. After a strong showing in June, he's kept the ball rolling in July to bring his season ERA down to 2.00. Rosado has allowed just one run in his last 15.2 innings (0.57 ERA). In his last 11 outings, he has 19 punchouts compared to just seven walks. His biggest improvement has been reducing his walk rate. Last year, Rosado walked 16.7% of batters faced. This year, he's at a 7.6% walk rate.
ROLLING THROUGH JULY: Ben Hernandez has gotten better each month in his tenure as a reliever for the Columbia Fireflies, but in July he has been lights out. The righty has made three appearances without allowing an earned run over eight frames in July. Opponents are hitting just .125 against Hernandez in July. The stellar streak allowed for the RHP to get the call to Quad Cities during the All-Star Break.
AFTER BREAK: The Fireflies are 3.5 games behind the RiverDogs with 47 games left in second half in the home stretch.
Carolina League Stories from July 20, 2024
- Down East Denies Delmarva's Final Inning Comeback - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Woodpeckers Sweep Two Over Charleston Behind Luciano's Walk-off Blast - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
- Nats Rally but Drop Heartbreaker to Salem - Fredericksburg Nationals
- Luciano's Walk-off Blast Propels Woodpeckers to Doubleheader Sweep of RiverDogs - Charleston RiverDogs
- Pelicans Sweep Saturday Doubleheader over Fireflies - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Carolina Beats Lynchburg, Second Game Suspended - Carolina Mudcats
- Columbia Fireflies Roster Move and Game Notes vs Myrtle Beach 7.20 - Columbia Fireflies
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.
