Columbus Catfish game notes

Published on June 24, 2005 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Columbus Catfish News Release


Tonight in Rome: The Columbus Catfish (29-43 overall, 1-2 2nd half) open the final series before the three-day All-Star break as they take on the Rome Braves (39-32, 0-3 2nd Half) at State Mutual Stadium in Rome, GA for the first game of a three-game series. The Fish are 1-2 in the second half of the South Atlantic League season after dropping two of three to the Greenville Bombers at home while Rome was swept in Augusta by the Augusta Greenjackets. The Fish have just a 4-8 record against the Braves in 12 games this season. Tonight, RHP Zach Hammes takes the mound for his third start of the season, facing off against Rome LHP Jonathan Venters at 7:00 PM at State Mutual Stadium in Rome.

Yesterday: Greenville Bomber and fomer Auburn Tiger 3B Chuck Jeroloman hit two solo HR and had the game-winning two run double in a 4-5 performance as the Bombers beat the Catfish 8-5 at Golden Park to take the series two games to one. The Catfish end the seven-game homestand with a 3-4 record. RHP Chris Malone took the loss for the Fish, allowing six runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings. LF Lucas May drove home three runs for the Fish in the loss while CF Jamie Hoffmann had two hits for Columbus including a triple. The Catfish take a 29- 43 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the second half to Rome for the first of a three-game series with the Braves, while Greenville departs Columbus with a 37-34 record, 2-1 in the second half.

Vs. Rome: The Catfish are 4-8 vs. the Braves this season. After a dramatic 4-3, 12-inning win in the home opener on April 14th at Golden Park, the Catfish dropped six straight games to Rome, eventually breaking that streak on April 24th in a 7-0 shutout win. Last week in Columbus, the Catfish tied a SAL-record with 8 HR in an 18-5 win in the series opener over Rome on Thursday, June 16. 2B Travis Denker had three of the Catfish round-trippers. The Fish won the second game 6-3 with six strong innings from RHP Chris Malone, but Rome won back-to-back one run games on Saturday and Sunday, splitting the most recent series at two games apiece.

First Half Recap: The Catfish started slowly en route to their eventual 28-41 record and eightplace finish in the SAL-Southern Division. Starting on the road this season, the Catfish came home to Golden Park with a 1-5 record after the initial road trip. Away from Golden Park, the Fish finished the first half 10-25. At home, however, the Catfish provided an number of exciting moments, including an opening night 12th inning victory and an eight HR game on June 16th, finishing with a 18-16 record on the banks of the Chattahoochee. The Catfish were 13-31 on May 23rd, riding a 7-game losing streak but proceeded to peel off five straight wins and finished the last 25 games 15-10. RHP Blake Johnson (5-3, 3.18 ERA) and 2B Travis Denker (.273, 11 HR, 38 RBI, .400 OBP) were named to the SAL All-Star Game for their outstanding first-half performances, while Johnson and RHP Chris Malone (7-2, 2.86 ERA, 17 G/8 GS) were named Dodger Co-Pitchers of the Month for May. The Catfish finished the first half with the league's sixth best batting average (.263), were 13th in runs (306), hit 47 HR (T-7th), and had a 3.93 ERA (9th).

The Rome Braves: The Braves finished the first half of the SAL season in third place in the Southern Division with a 39-29 record but have lost the first three games in the second half of the season. Rome is led by Manager Rocket Wheeler and is the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Rome has the seventh best batting average in the league (.261) but is last in the SAL with 24 HR. 3B Van Pope is one of the offensive leaders for the Braves with a .287 average, 4 HR and 38 RBI. C Clint Sammons is a member of the 2005 SAL All-Star team with his .288 average, 1 HR and 28 RBI. On the hill, the Braves have the league's 11th best ERA at 4.15. RHP James Parr and LHP Matt Harrison each have six wins for the Braves pitching staff.

Home Sweet Home: Overall, the Catfish are 10-25 on the road in 2005, while they sport a 19- 18 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 .286 home batting average with an average of 5.16 runs per game while hitting just .235 on the road and averaging just 3.63 runs per game. Columbus has hit 28 of 47 HR at home this season. The Fish will play 15 of the next 19 games on the road. After a three-game set with the Braves this weekend, the Catfish are home to play Greensboro from June 30-July 3, then hit the road for a 12-game road trip to North and South Carolina.

Hitting Notes: The Catfish have a team batting average of .262 (5th in the SAL) and are now 12th in the SAL in runs with 318. The Catfish have hit 47 HR, ninth in the SAL. CF Jamie Hoffmann leads the team with a .300 batting average and is fourth in the league with 86 hits. SS Lucas May leads the club with 45 RBI. 2B Travis Denker's three HR last Thursday against Rome give him a team best 11 this season. 3B Blake DeWitt's numbers (.273, 7 HR, 41 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 3.95 after 72 games (8th SAL). The Catfish did have the league's highest ERA as recently as May 2nd. RHP Chris Malone has a a team best 7-3 record, while RHP Blake Johnson (6-3, 2.90) follows close behind and is the pitching staff's representative at the SAL All-Star Game. LHP Carlos Alvarez leads the pitching staff out of the bullpen with a 0.93 ERA, having allowed just four earned runs in 38.2 innings and striking out 63 batters to lead the team. 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 93 errors in 72 games this season. The Catfish made no errors in the 8-5 loss to Greenville last night. 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 28 games the Fish are 16-12, including a 10-6 mark at Golden Park. The Catfish have improved their batting average 15 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 (53). Denker is the team leader with 11 HR, a .399 OBP, and a .474 slugging percentage. He adds a .273 average and 40 RBI. RHP Blake Johnson (6-3, 2.90 ERA, 13 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 will send C Clint Sammons, UT Michael Rozema, and RHP Luis Atilano to the All-Star Game.

Roster Changes: On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers promoted INF Cole Bruce to High-A Vero Beach on Tuesday and sent C Juan Apodaca to Advanced-Rookie (SS) Ogden. In their stead, the Catfish add INF Dom Laurin and C Chris Westervelt to the latest roster. Laurin played in a Catfish uniform last season and hit .233 with 4 HR and 28 RBI in 65 games. He played in 16 games for Vero Beach and hit .118 this season. Westervelt had not played in 2005 before Wednesday due to an injury suffered in Spring Training but was one of the leading hitters in Ogden in 2004, hitting .341 with 10 HR and 37 RBI.

Hoffmann's Hot Streak: Since a hitless game on June 10th against Kannapolis, CF Jamie Hoffmann has raised his batting average 26 points to .300 with hits in nine of eleven games. The second-year pro from New Ulm, MN leads the Catfish in batting average and is fourth in the league with 86 hits. Hoffmann is 19 for his last 41 in that period of game with six multi-hit games in the eleven game stretch.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from June 24, 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.

OurSports Central