MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Gameday August 10th

Published on August 10, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Today's Game: The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) meet the Lansing Lugnuts (affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays) in the last game of a four-game series. Season Series: Dayton 10, Lansing 5 (At Lansing: Dayton 8, Lansing 3).

Dayton in the Current Series: 3-0 (Team Batting Average: .369; Team ERA: 4.00).

Yesterday: Dayton defeated Lansing for the third straight day, winning 10-9. Tony Brown's grand slam home run highlighted a seven-run third inning, bringing the Dragons back from a 4-1 deficit to take an 8-4 lead. Lansing battled back and pulled to within two runs at 10-8 in the seventh. They scored once in the ninth and had the tying run at third with one out before Mike Bohana closed the door for the save. The Dragons had 15 hits, giving them 36 hits and 28 runs over the last two games. Humberto Sosa had three hits including a solo homer. Alex Oliveras also had three hits for Dayton. Chase Ware tossed four and one-third inning of long relief, allowing one run, to earn the win. Carlos Mendez was 0 for 4 with a sacrifice fly to snap his 20-game hitting streak.

Today's Starting Pitcher: Ezequiel Infante makes his second start for the Dragons. He started last Wednesday night's game vs. Great Lakes and fired six no-hit innings and struck out seven before reaching his pitch limit. The only man to reach against Infante came on a third strike wild pitch. Infante started the 2009 season in extended spring training before debuting with Billings when the Pioneer League season began in June. With the Mustangs, he pitched in just three games (1-0, 1.42) before being promoted to the Dragons on July 4. In 2008, Infante pitched with the DSL Reds and allowed just one earned run in 47 innings, posting a 0.19 ERA. He is a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Skipper: Todd Benzinger makes his professional baseball managerial debut in 2009. Benzinger enjoyed a nine-year major league playing career from 1987-1995 with the Reds, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, and Giants. Todd is a former first baseman who recorded the final putout of the 1990 World Series with the Reds to complete their four-game sweep of the Oakland A's. Benzinger is a native of the Cincinnati area and currently resides in West Chester, Ohio. He has enjoyed a highly-successful career coaching girls' high school basketball since 1999.

Individual Notes

- Carlos Mendez went 0 for 4 with a sacrifice fly yesterday as his club record 20-game hitting streak came to an end. He hit .407 over the course of the streak, which was the longest in the league this season.

- Miguel Rojas is batting .389 in his last 31 games and is hitting .356 in the second half. Rojas led the MWL in July batting with a .385 average.

- Byron Wiley has reached base with a hit or walk in 27 straight games and 39 of his last 40. He is batting .340 with 13 doubles, two triples, nine HR, and 41 RBI in his last 43 games since June 14, posting a slugging percentage of .616 and raising his batting average from .211 to .279.

- Alex Oliveras is batting .457 (16 for 35) over his last eight games with 2 HR, 7 RBI, and 7 R.

- Cody Puckett is batting .400 over his last eight games.

- Kevyn Feiner is 7 for 11 over the games Saturday-Sunday with four doubles and six RBI.

- Humberto Sosa has hit in four straight games, going 8 for 15, .533, with 1 HR and 5 RBI.

Team Notes

- The Dragons have won three straight and five of six. They are 14-7 over their last 21 games. They have been leading or tied in the ninth inning in 19 of the 21 games.

- If the Dragons win tonight, they will go over the .500 mark in the second half for the first time since June 30th when they were 3-2.

- After 42 of 69 games in the second half, the Dragons are one game ahead of South Bend for the wildcard slot in the 2nd half playoff race.

- Despite an overall record of 49-63, the Dragons are 40-38 since May 14th. They started the season by going 9-25.

Team Batting Notes

- The Dragons are batting .289 in the second half (42 games) after batting .250 in the first half (70 games).

- During the Dragons 14-7 stretch, they are batting .304 as a team and averaging 5.9 runs per game.

- After nine games in August, the Dragons are first in the league in batting for the month at .331. Alex Oliveras is batting .457 to lead the team.

Team Pitching Notes

- During the Dragons 14-7 stretch, the team ERA is 3.51.

- Over the last 21 games, Dayton starting pitchers have posted a 3.53 ERA. They have allowed three earned runs or less in 19 of the 21.

- The Dragons second half team ERA is 4.43. The first half ERA was 4.50.

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from August 10, 2009


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