Columbia Fireflies Roster Moves and Game Notes 6.20
June 20, 2024 - Carolina League (CarL)
Columbia Fireflies News Release
The Kansas City Royals have made the following roster moves affecting the Columbia Fireflies active roster:
RHP Connor Fenlong has been promoted to the Quad Cities River Bandits active roster
RHP Jonatan Bernal has returned from his rehab assignment and been activated on Columbia's active roster
LHP Mason Miller has been reinstated from the Injured List and transferred to the ACL Royals active roster retroactive to June 19
Bernal will wear jersey #16.
The Fireflies active roster now sits at 29.
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Columbia continues their series with the Carolina Mudcats tonight at Segra Park at 7:05 pm. RHP Logan Martin (1-0, 2.87 ERA) takes the hill for Columbia and Carolina counters with RHP Jeferson Figueroa (3-0, 1.96 ERA).
Tonight, the Fireflies are welcoming LaNorris Sellers to Segra Park thanks to the Garnet Trust. Come out and meet the Gamecocks QB1, as he'll be available to sign autographs during the game. It's also a Budweiser Thirsty Thursday where fans can purchase $1 fountain sodas, $2 domestic drafts and $3 craft drafts and cocktails. Buy your tickets now at ColumbiaFireflies.com.
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PENA HOMERS AGAIN, SETS FRANCHISE MARK: The Fireflies fell 4-2 to the Carolina Mudcats Wednesday night, but history was made as Erick Pena homered in his second-consecutive game to give him 26 career homers for the Fireflies. Erick Pena was able to do it again for the Fireflies Wednesday night. He clubbed a homer in a second-consecutive game, this one scoring Austin Charles to give Columbia a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second. The homer was the seventh of the year for Pena and the 26th of his career. That put him in sole possession of the Fireflies career homer record as he passed Dash Winningham. The Mudcats worked ahead in the top of the ninth inning. Reece Walling hit a bloop single to left before Blayberg Diaz was hit by a pitch, setting the table for the frame. Both advanced on Jesus Rios (L, 0-1) wild pitches to move Carolina ahead 4-2.
FIRST-CLASS FIREFLIES: Columbia's pitching staff has been hot in the month of June. The club is 11-5 with a 2.44 ERA in 16 games over the month. The club has 119 strikeouts in 143.2 innings of work while maintaining a 1.11 WHIP and a .205 opposing average. In all of Minor League Baseball (120 teams), The Fireflies have the second-best ERA and WHIP. They trail the Frisco Rough Riders, who have a 2.17 ERA over the stretch and the Birmingham Barons, who have a 1.08 WHIP.
ROCKING WITH REYES: After a difficult April, where Emmanuel Reyes recorded a 6.04 ERA in 25.1 innings across five starts, the righty has shut down his opponents. Emmanuel Reyes hasn't been scoreless, but he has been an innings eater in June, working 15 frames to the tune of a 2-0 record and a 1.80 ERA. Both Reyes and Martin have been fantastic since the Calendar turned to May. Reyes has spun 36 innings to the tune of a 2.25 ERA and not to be outdone, the former Kentucky Wildcat, Logan Martin has a zany 1.69 ERA across his last 32 innings.
POWERING PENA: Wednesday night, Erick Pena launched his seventh homer of the season and the 26th of his Fireflies career. He now has the most career homers in Fireflies franchise history. This season he passed Juan Carlos Negret (23 in 2021) and Dash Winningham (25 in 2016 and 2017). Pena is having the best month of his career at the plate. In 15 games in the month of June, Columbia's outfielder is slashing .333/.424/.667. He has four doubles, two triples, three homers and 11 RBI in 51 at-bats this month. The lefty was named the Carolina League player of the week for June 11-16 and has kept his bat hot heading into the final third of the month.
ROSADO RAISES THE BAR: Fireflies reliever Jarold Rosado has been on a roll. The righty hasn't allowed a run in five outings dating back to May 26. The stretch goes 7.1 frames and he has 10 punchouts while allowing one hit and three walks. Rosado's success can trace back to his walk rate year-over-year. Last season, he walked 23 of the 138 hitters he faced (16.7%) and this year he has lowered that rate to 5.7%.
SECOND-HALF FIREFLIES: Sunday when the Fireflies lost in 11 innings to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, they were officially eliminated from first-half playoff contention and Kannapolis cliinched the South Division crown. The second-half of the 2024 season officially begins Friday, June 21.
HOMETOWN HEROES: The Fireflies have been great at home this year, rocking a 21-12 record at home to start 2024.
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Carolina League Stories from June 20, 2024
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