MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Gameday for Wednesday, May 12

Published on May 12, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Wednesday, May 12, 2010 * **Game # 33

Fifth Third Field * Dayton, Ohio * 7:00 p.m.

Radio: 1410 ESPN Radio WING-AM

Fort Wayne TinCaps (15-17) at Dayton Dragons (15-17)

LH Mike Watt (2-2, 4.03) vs. RH J.C. Sulbaran (2-1, 5.40)

Today's Game: The Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) host the TinCaps (affiliate of the San Diego Padres) in the finale of the three-game set. Dayton needs a win to complete their second straight home series sweep. Season Series: Dayton 3, Fort Wayne 2.

Last Game: Henry Rodriguez collected four hits to lead the Dragons to a 7-3 victory over Fort Wayne on Tuesday. The Dragons broke a 3-3 tie with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, keyed by a two-run double by Mark Fleury. Pedro Villarreal was the starter and winner for Dayton, allowing just three runs (one earned) in five and two-thirds innings. Fort Wayne committed six errors including four by third baseman Edinson Rincon. The Dragons finished with 13 hits. Didi Gregorius and Chris Richburg joined Fleury with two. It was the Dragons 10th comeback win of the season.

Today's Starting Pitcher: J.C. Sulbaran will make his fifth start of the season tonight. He was the losing pitcher on Thursday at Lake County (4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO). Sulbaran is a 20-year-old native of Willemstad, Curacao. He spent the entire 2009 season with the Dragons, going 5-5 with a 5.24 ERA. Sulbaran is rated as 25th best prospect in Reds organization by Baseball America. He pitched for Team Netherlands in 2009 World Baseball Classic, striking out former all-star catcher Ivan Rodriguez on three pitches. He also pitched for the Netherlands in the Olympics in Beijing in 2008. He is one of three players from his high school team to be drafted in 2008. Sulbaran moved with family to Plantation, Florida during his high school career and was the Miami-area pitcher of the year in 2008 as he helped American Heritage High School to state championship, going 11-0 with a 1.40 earned run average. Sulbaran had signed a National Letter of Intent to play at the University of Florida before signing with Reds.

Skipper: Todd Benzinger is in his second season with the Dragons and in the Reds organization as a manager in 2010. 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.

Individual Notes

* Shane Carlson over his last six games: 10 for 21, .476, 8 RBI to raise his average from .194 to .298.

* Chris Richburg is batting .296 with four home runs including a grand slam home run, eight doubles, and 16 RBI over his last 26 games.

* Mark Fleury is hitting .313 over his last 17 games.

* Doug Salinas has allowed no runs on one hit in eight innings over his last four appearances.

* Chase Ware has a 1.50 ERA over his last six games covering 18 innings.

* The Dragons roster includes three players who are ranked among the Reds top 30 prospects by Baseball America. They include shortstop Didi Gregorius (#15), pitcher Donnie Joseph (#21), and pitcher J.C. Sulbaran (#25).

Team Notes

* The Dragons have won five straight home games and will try for their second straight home series sweep and third of the season tonight. They have lost nine consecutive road games, getting swept in the last three road sets.

* The Dragons are 12-5 at home; 3-12 on the road. They are batting .272 at home; .220 on the road. The team ERA is 2.98 at home; 4.70 on the road. Dragons opponents are batting .244 in Dayton; .292 on the road. Dragons pitchers have a 54-147 walk-strikeout ratio at home; 48-90 on the road.

* When scoring at least four runs in a game, the Dragons are 10-0 at home; 3-3 on the road.

* The Dragons have come from behind in eighth of their 12 home victories. They have just two comeback wins on the road.

* The Dragons are 6-1 in one-run games at home; 0-5 in one-run games on the road. Dayton won seven one-run home games in all of 2009.

* The Dragons have five "walk-off" wins this season, one more than they had in all of 2009.

* The Dragons are batting .320 in the first two games of this series, collecting 24 hits. They hit .185 as a team on the six-game road trip, scoring 11 runs.

* The Dragons roster includes 12 players who have previously played for the club. Catcher Kevin Coddington spent the entire 2009 season with the Dragons. Pitchers Ezequiel Infante, Donnie Joseph, Junior Martinez, Josh Ravin, J.C. Sulbaran, Justin Walker, and Chase Ware; catcher Jordan Wideman; infielder Frank Pfister; and outfielders Andrew Means and Alex Oliveras all spent part of 2009 with the Dragons. Coddington, Wideman, Pfister, and Ravin were all on the Dragons '09 opening night roster.

Upcoming Probable Pitchers (All game times are Dayton time)

Thursday (7:05 p.m.): Dayton RH Josh Ravin (1-2, 2.43) at Great Lakes RH Matt Magill (0-0, 2.25)

Friday (7:05 p.m.): Dayton LH Justin Walker (1-3, 6.39) at Great Lakes RH Will Savage (2-1, 2.45)

Saturday (7:05 p.m.): Dayton RH Jacob Johnson (0-3, 5.93) at Great Lakes RH Elisaul Pimentel (2-2, 3.52)

Sunday (3:05 p.m.): Dayton RH Pedro Villarreal (1-2, 3.53) at Great Lakes RH Josh Wall (0-1, 5.03)

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

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