MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Gameday July 28th

Published on July 28, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) host the Peoria Chiefs (affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) in the first game of a three-game series. This is game one of a 10-game home stand for Dayton.

Season Series: Peoria 3, Dayton 0 (all three games in Peoria)

Dayton on the Last Road Trip: 4-2 (Team Batting Average: .287; Team ERA: 2.30).

Last Game: Kane County broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning as they defeated the Dragons 3-2 on Monday. The winning run came on a base hit to right field by Leonardo Gil to drive in Jeremy Barfield from second with one out. The Kane County bottom of the ninth spoiled a dramatic home run by Josh Fellhauer in the top of the ninth. Fellhauer tied the game by launching a homer to right with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth.

Today's Starting Pitcher: Mark Serrano makes his first career professional start tonight. Serrano was the 2009 Summit League Player of the Year at Oral Roberts and a 2nd Team All-American, going 9-1 with a 2.50 earned run average...Ranked second in all of college baseball in strikeouts per nine innings, striking out 132 batters in only 86 and one-third innings. He walked only 25 hitters and limited opposing batters to a .196 batting average...Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball after tossing a complete-game two-hit shutout with a career-high 16 strikeouts at North Dakota State on April 25...Also posted some big games against some of the top teams in the nation. He faced No. 7 Arkansas, striking out seven batters in three scoreless innings of relief. He suffered his only loss in the NCAA Regional against No. 5 Arizona State on May 30th, allowing three earned runs in 8.1 innings with 13 strikeouts. He struck out 13 batters in six innings in first start against Wichita State on March 24 and followed that performance by only allowing two hits and no runs in five innings at No. 9 Texas. He picked up his first four wins of the season in relief, including the victory at No. 7 Rice on March 8...Played four years of college baseball including two years at Cypress Junior College in California...Dean's List student at Downey High School in Downey, California.

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 .433 in his last 19 games (29 for 67) and is hitting .370 in the second half.

- Byron Wiley is batting .347 with 12 doubles, two triples, eight HR, and 36 RBI in his last 32 games since June 14, posting a slugging percentage of .678 and raising his batting average from .211 to .273. Wiley is batting .350 in the second half. Wiley also has a nine game hitting streak.

- Carlos Mendez has hit in 10 straight games, going 17 for 43, .395.

Team Notes

- The Dragons have won seven of their last nine games. They have won three consecutive three-game sets.

- The Dragons are 21-21 vs. Western Division teams with six games remaining against the West.

- The Dragons are 13-11 on the road vs. the West. They have completed their road schedule vs. the West.

- Despite an overall record of 42-58, the Dragons are 33-33 over their last 66 games since starting the year at 9-25.

- After 30 of 70 games in the second half, the Dragons are tied with Great Lakes for the second (final) seed in the 2nd half playoff race.

- The Dragons are 11-14 in July with a team batting average of .275 and a team ERA of 4.98.

Team Batting Notes

- The Dragons are batting .283 as a team over the last 38 games.

- The Dragons are batting .281 in the second half (30 games) after batting .250 in the first half (70 games).

- During the Dragons 7-2 stretch, they are batting .297 as a team and averaging 5.6 runs per game.

Team Pitching Notes

- During the Dragons 7-2 stretch, the team ERA is 2.64. They have allowed four earned runs or less in every game.

- Over the last seven games, Dayton relievers have posted a 0.70 ERA, allowing two earned runs in 25.2 innings.

- Over the last nine games, Dayton starting pitchers have posted a 3.18 ERA. They have not allowed more than three earned runs in any start.

- The Dragons second half team ERA is 4.54. The first half ERA was 4.50.

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from July 28, 2009


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