MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Gameday August 21st

Published on August 21, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) host the West Michigan Whitecaps (affiliate of the Detroit Tigers) in game two of a four-game series.

Season Series: West Michigan 11, Dayton 6 (At Dayton: West Michigan 8, Dayton 5).

Dayton in This Series: 1-0 (Team Batting Average: .194; Team ERA: 2.00).

The Race: Dayton will qualify for the playoffs by finishing in the top two among the four teams battling for an Eastern Division 2nd Half playoff berth. Entering tonight's games, Dayton and South Bend are tied for the #2 seed in the second half race with 17 games to play. Dayton and South Bend have seven head-to-head games remaining on the schedule.

Last Game: In the Dragons best ninth inning comeback of the season, they came back from a 4-1 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat West Michigan 5-4. Humberto Sosa's two-run double with one out brought in the tying and winning runs. Josh Fellhauer got the rally started with a double and scored on an error. Cody Puckett singled, Byron Wiley walked, and Carlos Mendez added another single to bring in Puckett and make it 4-3. After Tony Brown's sacrifice, Sosa lifted a drive that just cleared the glove of West Michigan center fielder Ben Guez for the win.

Today's Starting Pitcher: Jordan Hotchkiss makes his third professional start for the Dragons. Hotchkiss last pitched on Sunday at Fort Wayne and was brilliant but did not receive a decision (5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO). In two starts this season, Hotchkiss has thrown 10 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk with eight strikeouts. Hotchkiss was the Dragons Pitcher of the Month for July (7 G, 1 GS, 1-2, 1.16 ERA). Hotchkiss is a product of Brevard (N.C.) College and a 2007 31st round draft pick by the Reds.

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

- Miguel Rojas is batting .354 in his last 41 games and is hitting .335 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 47 of his last 49 games. Over his last 52 games since June 14, he is batting .325 with 15 doubles, two triples, 10 HR, and 46 RBI, raising his batting average from .211 to .276.

- Alex Oliveras is batting .333 over his last 15 games with 2 HR, 7 RBI, and 9 R.

- Carlos Mendez is batting .352 over his last 31 games, hitting safely in 29 of the 31.

- Humberto Sosa has hit in 11 of his last 12 games, batting .386, with 1 HR and 9 RBI.

Team Notes

- The Dragons snapped a six-game losing streak with the win last night. They are 17-14 over their last 31 games.

Team Batting Notes

- The Dragons are batting .276 in the second half (52 games) after batting .250 in the first half (70 games).

- The Dragons are batting .181 over their last five games.

Team Pitching Notes

- The Dragons second half team ERA is 4.49. The first half ERA was 4.50.

- Over the last 11 games, Dragons starting pitchers have allowed 43 runs in 44 innings.

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from August 21, 2009


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