Florida Fire Frogs Game Notes: May 12, 2018
Published on May 12, 2018 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Florida Fire Frogs News Release
TODAY'S GAME: Rubber match of a three-game series against the Tampa Tarpons (NYY) at George M. Steinbrenner Field (1-1)....Finale of a six-game road trip against the St. Lucie Mets (NYM) and the Tarpons (3-2)...Florida took two out of three against the Tarpons at Osceola County Stadium, May 4-6, and is 3-14 all-time against the New York Yankees Advaced-A affiliate...The Fire Frogs finished 0-6 at George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2017.
TODAY'S STARTING PITCHER: 20-year-old Ian Anderson makes his seventh start of 2018 in the rubber match of the three-game series against the Tampa Tarpons on Saturday night...The 6'3" hurler came into the campaign as the Atlanta Braves fifth-ranked prospect in both Baseball America and MLB.com, and is the 42nd- (Baseball America) and 51st- (MLB.com) overall rated prospect in baseball...The native of Rexford, N.Y. blanked the Tarpons on two hits and a walk across a career-high, seven innings, while tying a season-high with seven strikeouts in the no-decision...Saturday will be Anderson's second career start against the Tarpons.
FLORIDA BATTLES COMMAND IN LOSS TO TAMPA: The Florida Fire Frogs struggled on the mound in Friday's 7-1 loss to the Tampa Tarpons at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday night, as the visitors set a team-record with 11 walks from its pitching staff in the defeat. Joey Wentz (6), Troy Bacon (3) and Justin Kelly (2) issued all 11 free passes, with Connor Johnstone being the only pitcher not to have a Tarpon reach base with a base-on-balls.
Tampa started the scoring early in the first with a run without the benefit of a hit. Three walks and a hit batter forced in the first run of the game for the home team. Tampa added on four more runs in the second, forcing Wentz from his start after just 1.2 innings.
Florida's lone run came on Taylor Murphy's RBI double to right field in the third, plating Marcus Mooney to bring the Atlanta Braves affiliate within four, but the Tarpons got the run back in the bottom half of the frame to push the deficit back to five.
The New York Yankees affiliate notched its seventh run of the contest against Kelly in the eighth inning for the game's final outcome.
SMOKIN' SALAZAR: Alejandro Salazar's infield single in the sixth innings extended the infielder's on-base streak to 14 games, setting a new team-high mark for the 2018 season...Over the streak, the 21-year-old is hitting a robust .392 (20-for-51), and has collect seven multi-hit games...The native of Maracaibo, Venezuela has boosted his batting average from .264 to .327 since the streak began on April 25.
Salazar is also in the midst of a five-game hitting streak (his second-such streak since the on-base streak began), in which he is batting .350 (7-for-20) since May 6.
PACIFIC PACE: Taylor Murphy picked up two hits and drove in a run with an RBI double on Friday night...The product of the University of the Pacific is now on a five-game hitting streak, in which he is batting .353 (6-for-17) since May 6...The outfielder has had at least on hit in all five games as a Fire Frog, and has had a hit in six of his eight games played in 2018.
Florida State League Stories from May 12, 2018
- Bullpen Gem Leads to Walk-Off Win - Dunedin Blue Jays
- 2-Out Rallies Lead Tampa to 4-3 Victory - Tampa Tarpons
- Sodder Flirts with No-Hitter, Lakeland Beats Mets 4-2 - St. Lucie Mets
- Falter Strikes out Career-High 11 in 7-1 Win - Clearwater Threshers
- Blue Jays Walk Off Miralce In Dunedin, 2-1 - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
- Fire Frogs Drop Close One to Tarpons in Rubber Match - Florida Fire Frogs
- Florida Fire Frogs Game Notes: May 12, 2018 - Florida Fire Frogs
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