MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Gameday July 23rd

Published on July 23, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Today's Game: The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) meet the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers) in the second game of a three-game series and game two of a six-game road trip for Dayton.

Season Series: Dayton 3, Wisconsin 1 (first three games in Dayton). Dayton on the Current Road Trip: 1-0.

Last Game: Dayton defeated Wisconsin 9-4 on Wednesday in the first game of the series. Josh Fellhauer hit a home run in his third straight game and extended his hitting streak to 13 straight games. Kevin Coddington had three hits to lead a 14-hit attack. Carlos Mendez, Cody Puckett, and Miguel Rojas each had two hits for Dayton. Jordan Hotchkiss retired 11 of the 12 batters he faced for his first victory. Donnie Joseph made his Dragons debut with one and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just one base runner.

Today's Starting Pitcher: J.C. Sulbaran (pronounced SOOL-ber-wrong) makes his 13th professional start tonight for Dayton. His last start was last Thursday vs. Quad Cities and he did not receive a decision (4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO). Sulbaran threw one scoreless inning in the All-Star Futures Game in St. Louis and earned the save. Sulbaran started the season in extended spring training in Sarasota due to a blister problem on his right (pitching) hand. Sulbaran has pitched in some big international games. He appeared in two games for Team Netherlands in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and started a game for the Netherlands in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing against Cuba. Sulbaran moved from the island of Curacao in the Caribbean to the Miami area with his family at age 16 to further baseball career. He was honored as the Miami-area pitcher of the year in 2008, going 11-0, 1.40. He fell to the 30th round of the 2008 draft due to his commitment to the University of Florida but the Reds eventually signed him with a $500,000 bonus, a record for that round. He was voted the best pitcher in the 2004 Latin American Youth Baseball Tournament while playing for the Netherlands Antilles. He was rated by Baseball America as the 20th best prospect in Reds organization prior to 2009 season.

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

- Byron Wiley is batting .371 with 10 doubles, two triples, eight HR, and 34 RBI in his last 27 games since June 14, posting a slugging percentage of .763 and raising his batting average from .211 to .276. Wiley is batting .380 in the second half.

- Miguel Rojas is batting .478 in his last 14 games (22 for 46) and is hitting .379 in the second half.

- Josh Fellhauer has homered in three straight games and has hit in 13 straight games, going 20 for 53, .377. This is the longest hitting streak of the season by a Dragons player and tied for the fourth longest in club history. The club record is 19.

- Carlos Mendez has hit in five straight games, going 8 for 20, .400.

Team Notes

- The Dragons can establish their longest winning streak of the season with a win tonight. They have won four straight games.

- The Dragons have scored at least six runs in all four games during their winning streak. They have allowed four runs or less in all four games.

- After 25 of 70 games in the second half, the Dragons are one game behind South Bend for the second (final) seed in the second half playoff race.

- The Dragons are 8-12 in July with a team batting average of .275 and a team ERA of 5.72.

Team Batting Notes

- The Dragons are batting .285 as a team over the last 33 games. They are now fourth among 14 teams in the league in base hits in 2009.

- The Dragons are batting .282 in the second half (25 games) after batting .250 in the first half (70 games).

- The Dragons lead the league in July home runs with 15. They are second in the league in team batting in July at .275.

Team Pitching Notes

- From Opening Night (April 9) through May 15, Dragons starting pitchers were a combined 4-14 with a 5.87 ERA (team went 9-25). From May 16-June 12, Dragons starting pitchers went 10-6, 2.75 (team went 15-12). Since June 12, Dragons starting pitchers are 11-13, 5.32 (team is 15-19).

- The Dragons second half team ERA is 5.04. The first half ERA was 4.50.

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

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



Midwest League Stories from July 23, 2009


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