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Columbus Catfish game notes

June 18, 2005 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbus Catfish News Release


Tonight at Golden Park: The Columbus Catfish (28-39, 8th in the SAL-Southern Division, 14.0 GB of First) play game three of the final series of the 2005 South Atlantic League's First Half by taking on the Rome Braves (37-29, 3rd in the SAL Southern, 4.5 GB of 1st place) the Single-A Afilliate of the Atlanta Braves. The completion of the series with Rome will mark the end of the first-half of play, at which point the Catfish will begin fresh with a 0-0 record and a chance to capture the second-half crown. Last night, the Catfish won their second straight game over the Braves in a 6-3 victory. The Fish have won four of ten games against Rome but have captured the last three matchups. Tonight at Golden Park, RHP Zach Hammes makes his second start of the season after 14 appearances out of the bullpen. Hammes started 47 games in a South Georgia Waves/Catfish uniform in the 2003-4 seasons. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Yesterday: RF Ryan Russ's fourth-inning three-run HR blew a close game open as the Catfish beat the Rome Braves 6-3 in front of a season-high 2,548 fans at Golden Park. Russ's HR was the ninth HR in the series for Columbus as the Fish have won the first two games of the four game set. RHP Chris Malone won his team-leading seventh game of the season, as the Columbus starter fired six innings of one-run baseball, striking out seven. The Catfish have just two games left in the 2005 South Atlantic League's first half. The Fish have a 28-39 record after tonight's win while Rome drops to 37-29.

First Half Finish: The Catfish will finish the 2005 South Atlantic League First Half in eighth place regardless of the outcome of the final two games of the series. Columbus will start with a clean slate on Tuesday against Greenville when the second half of the 2005 season begins. The Fish play six games in the second half before the All-Star Break (June 27-29). The Charleston RiverDogs (New York Yankees) have a 2.0 game lead over the Augusta GreenJackets in the SAL-Southern Division with just two games left to play.

The Rome Braves: The Rome Braves (Single-A, Atlanta Braves) enter tonight's game series 4.5 games back of first place in the SAL-Southern Division, mathematically eliminated Thursday night from the pennant chase. Managed by Rocket Wheeler, the Braves won three of four in Columbus from April 14th-17th and three of four in Rome from April 21st-24th. Last night's loss was the third straight loss to the Fish. As a team, Rome has the third-best batting average in the SAL (.266) but has just 24 HR (16th SAL). 3B Van Pope (.299, 4 HR, 37 RBI) and C Clint Sammons (.294, 1 HR, 25 RBI) have been two of the team leaders offensively. On the hill, Rome sports a 3.69 team ERA, the fourth best in the league. LHP Matt Harrison (6-3, 2.59 ERA) has been one of the best southpaws and best starters in the league all year long. Home Sweet Home: Overall, the Catfish are 10-25 on the road in 2005, while they sport a 18- 14 record at Golden Park. Columbus has won just one of nine road series this season. The Fish have hit the ball better at home, posting a .293 home batting average with an average of 5.44 runs per game while hitting just .235 on the road and averaging just 3.63 runs per game. Columbus has hit 27 of 46 HR at home this season. The Fish play the third game of a sevengame homestand tonight (Rome Braves for four, Greenville Bombers for three).

Hitting Notes: After Thursday night's season high in runs, hits, and HR and last night's solid offensive output, the Catfish have a team batting average of .263 (5th in the SAL) and are now 11th in the SAL in runs with 301. The ranking of 5th in the league in BA is a season-high. The have hit 46 HR, eighth in the league. CF Jamie Hoffmann leads the team with a .290 batting average and he leads the club with 78 hits. SS Lucas May drove home three runs on Sunday and leads the club with 40 RBI. 2B Travis Denker's three HR on Thursday give him a team best 11 this season. 3B Blake DeWitt's numbers (.285, 7 HR, 39 RBI) are either second or third in each of the triple crown categories on the team.

Pitching Notes: The Catfish team ERA stands now at 3.96 after 67 games (9th SAL). The road trip was not kind to the staff ERA, as it rose almost .4 runs on the trip while dropping five spots in the SAL standings. The Catfish did have the league's highest ERA as recently as May 2nd. RHP Chris Malone has a 2.86 ERA, as he has a team best 7-2 record. LHP Carlos Alvarez leads the pitching staff out of the bullpen with a 1.01 ERA, having allowed just four earned runs in 35.2 innings and striking out 58 batters. RHP Albenis Castillo has pitched well out of the bullpen lately and leads the team in saves with four.

Team Defense: The Catfish have committed 91 errors in 66 games this season. The Catfish committed one error yesterday in the 6-3 win. Since May 23rd: The Catfish entered Saturday, May 23rd's contest against Savannah having lost seven straight games and sporting a 13-31 record. On the 23rd, the Catfish started a season-best five-game winning streak, and in the last 23 games the Fish are 15-8, including a 9-2 mark at Golden Park. The Catfish have improved their batting average 18 points during the stretch, as an improved offense has been a major part of the turnaround.

All-Stars: South Atlantic League Commissioner John Moss named the 2005 South Atlantic League All-Star Team, with the Catfish claiming two roster spots on the Southern Division squad. 2B Travis Denker will start at second base for the Southern Division. The Brea, CA native has played in each game for the Catfish and he leads the SAL in BB (49). Denker is the team leader with 11 HR, a .402 OBP, and a .483 slugging percentage. He adds a .276 average and 37 RBI. RHP Blake Johnson (5-3, 3.18 ERA, 12 GS) was named to the Southern Division squad as well and will pitch out of the bullpen in the All-Star Game in Augusta. Charleston led the league with six All-Star Selections, and the Southern Division will be managed by the RiverDogs Manager, Bill Mosiello. The Rome Braves have three players on the All-Star Team: RHP Luis Atilano, C Clint Sammons, and UT Michael Rozema.

Streaking Cole Bruce: The Catfish's eight-game road trip was very good for Cole Bruce and he has continued his hot hitting at home in the first two games of the Rome series. The Clute, TX native is 14 for his last 27 in his last seven games and is currently in the midst of a eight-game hitting streak. Bruce homered twice on Wednesday, June 8th against Greensboro and has hit five HR and has driven in nine in the last seven games. Bruce has raised his batting average from .189 on June 8th to .328 before today's game. Bruce had three hits Friday in the 6-3 win.

Roster Changes: The Los Angeles Dodgers promoted INF David Nicholson to AA Jacksonville during the road trip and made several changes Thursday. OF Sam Steidl and RHP Landestoy Troncoso were sent to Ogden (Rookie, Pioneer League) while the Dodgers sent OF Ryan Carter and LHP Liam O'Flaherty to Columbus. Ryan Carter's

Debut: OF Ryan Carter is in his fifth season in the Dodgers organization and prior to Thursday had never played a game at the Low A level. The Ft. Myers, FL native missed all of last season with a shoulder injury but has shown the form that he had in 2003 with Ogden when he hit .303 with 7 HR in 49 games. Carter has started off on fire, going 5-9 in his first two games.



South Atlantic League Stories from June 18, 2005


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.

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