Game Info: Friday, May 9 vs. Montgomery (TB): 6:35 PM: Toyota Field
SL Rocket City Trash Pandas

Game Info: Friday, May 9 vs. Montgomery (TB): 6:35 PM: Toyota Field

May 9, 2025 - Southern League (SL)
Rocket City Trash Pandas News Release


Friday, May 9, 2025 - 6:35 PM CT - Toyota Field - Madison, AL

Matchup: Rocket City Trash Pandas - LAA (9-19, 4 th SL North, 6.5 GB) vs. Montgomery Biscuits - TB (16-13, 3 rd SL South, 2.5 GB)

Pitching Matchup: RHP Joel Hurtado (1-1, 2.53) vs. RHP Owen Wild (0-1, 5.40)

GAME: 29 of 137 - Home Game: 18 of 68

TV/Radio: WAAY MORE-TV 31.6 - Bally Live - MiLB.tv - ESPN WZZN 97.7 HD-2

Today's Promotions:

Friday, May 9 | First Pitch: 6:35 pm | Gates Open: 5:30 pm | Trustmark VIP Gates: 5:00 pm

Armed Forces Day & Friday Night Fireworks: As part of the SAIC Patriotic Series, we salute our military and enjoy Friday Night Fireworks after the game. The SAIC Patriotic Series includes future shows on July 3 and again for Space Night on August 1.

Thompson Tractor Community Hero: The Trash Pandas salute a local hero each Friday. You can submit a nomination for the Thompson Tractor Community Hero at trashpandasfoundation.com

FOR STARTERS: The Rocket City Trash Pandas continue a six-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate Montgomery Biscuits at Toyota Field ... The Pandas went 3-2 during the recent road trip at Knoxville, with one game being canceled ... Rocket City is 1-8 this season against the Biscuits and will see Montgomery 18 times in 2025 ... Rocket City dropped 5 of 6 from the Biscuits at Riverwalk Stadium, April 15-20 ... the Pandas and Biscuits will meet one final time, June 24-29 at Riverwalk Stadium.

SHUT OUT FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 2025: The Pandas suffered a 7-0 loss to the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday night, marking their second shutout of the season and dropping their record to 1-8 against the Biscuits in 2025. Starting pitcher Sam Aldegheri sat down the first nine batters he faced, but faltered in the fourth inning, giving up four runs after six-straight hits, inculding two doubles from Montgomery. He finished with 5.2 innings pitched, allowing five runs on seven hits. Montgomery's Duncan Davitt earned the win with a career-high 7.0 shutout innings and continued his dominance over the Trash Pandas this season Despite a few scoring opportunities, the Trash Pandas left six runners stranded. New additions Jordan Holloway and Sean Poppen made their debuts for Rocket City, with Holloway giving up a home run and Poppen allowing a run in the ninth. Sam Brown extended his hitting streak to five games, while teammates Christian Moore and Josh Crouch pushed their on-base streaks to nine games.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU: Infielder Sam Brown is currently on a 5-game hitting streak, and has reached base safely in 16 of his last 17 games, since April 18, leading the league (by 36 points) with a .400 (22-for-55) batting average, five extra-base hits, 10 RBI, 10 walks, and a 1.020 OPS. He had an 11-game on-base streak from April 17-30.

Brown among the league leaders ... The Washington State product now ranks among the Southern Leagle leaders in batting average (7th, .297), OBP (5th, .389), OPS (9th, .807), hits (9th, 27), and triples (T-3rd, 2),

HOMER HAPPY CALABRESE: OF David Calabrese homered in three of five games, going back to long balls in back-to-back games, on May 1 and May 4 at Knoxville, and again on May 7 vs. Montgomery. In these five games, along with the three homers, the former 3rd round pick had a .353 batting average (6-for-17), a double, five RBIs, and two walks.

START ME UP: After a slow start, the starting rotation has performed exceptionally well lately. Over the last 14 games, the rotation has a 2.99 ERA, allowing 24 earned runs over 72.1 innings, while recording 25 walks and 76 strikeouts. Four starters are currently ranked among the Southern League leaders in strikeouts: Sam Aldegheri (T-10th with 29), George Klassen (T-5th with 34), Mitch Farris (T-7th with 32), and Walbert Urena (T-10th with 29). Additionally, Joel Hurtado ranks 3rd in the league with a 2.03 ERA, and T-10th in innings pitched at 26.2, while Aldegheri ranks 2nd in the league with 33.0 innings pitched.

C-MO IS HEATING UP: Christian Moore is currently on a season-high 9-game on-base streak, batting .324. The Angels' top prospect and the 8th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft had a memorable return to Knoxville last week, hitting a home run and finishing 3-for-5 on April 28 at Covenant Health Park. While at the University of Tennessee, he set a single-season record with 34 home runs while leading the team with a .375 batting average and 74 RBIs. Notably, he also recorded the second cycle in College World Series history, which played a crucial role in helping the Volunteers secure their first national championship.

- In his first 13 games this season, he had a .156 (7-for-45) batting average, with just one extra-base hit and a .442 OPS. Over his last 13 games, Moore has turned things around significantly, boasting an .909 OPS and batting .283 with a .431 OBP. During this stretch, he has tallied two doubles, two triples, one home run, four RBIs, 12 walks, and four stolen bases.

DENZER'S STILL GETTING ON BASE: Rocket City shortstop Denzer Guzman has reached in 20 of his last 22 games, and ranks T-6th in the Southern League with four home runs, T-9th in extra-base hits (9), and T-10th in RBIs (15).

- Guzman had his league-best 14-game on-base streak snapped on April 29 in Knoxville. The streak began on April 11, and over it, the 21-year-old reached base 26 times, batting .327 with two doubles, three home runs, nine RBIs, nine walks, a .433 OBP, and .984 OPS.

WALK THIS WAY: The Trash Pandas are 3rd in the Southern League, and rank 10th in Double-A with 125 walks in 28 games (4.5 per game). The Pandas walked 12 times in the 5-1 win over Birmingham on April 23, two shy of the most in a single game in club history. The Pandas walked 14 times in a 17-4 win at Chattanooga on June 25, 2024. Christian Moore ranks T-4th in the Southern League with 19 walks.

PANDAS ADD A PAIR OF VETERAN ARMS: On Wednesday, the Trash Pandas added a pair of right-handed pitchers in 28-year-old Jordan Holloway and 31-year-old Sean Poppen. Both were signed in April and have combined for 78 MLB appearances since 2019. Holloway appeared in 15 games for Miami in 2021-22, and Poppen pitched in 63 MLB games for the Twins, Pirates, Rays, and Diamondbacks. He also pitched in the Southern League for Pensacola in 2018 and Chattanooga in 2019, while they were affiliated with the Twins.

FIRST SERIES WIN: The series win in Knoxville last week marked the first series win of the season, and the first series win since June 25-30 at Chattanooga, winning four of six.

FERMIN TO LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Angels called up right-handed reliever José Fermin from Rocket City, becoming the 39th player promoted from Rocket City to the majors, and 13th to bypass Triple-A. Fermin, became the third this season to make an MLB debut striking out two, walking one in 1.0 inning of work on April 26 at Minnesota. Fermin was 3-0 record and a 1.13 ERA in six relief appearances this season, and was the first Southern League pitcher to earn three wins. A native of the Dominican Republic, he began his professional career in 2024 and advanced through the Angels' minor league system. Fermin joins fellow former Trash Pandas Edgar Quero and Michael Darrell-Hicks in making their MLB debuts this season.

APRIL IS IN THE BOOKS: The Trash Pandas finished April with a 6-16 record, the lowest win total in April and a whole month in club history. The .250 winning percentage was the second-lowest in club history, trailing the .133 win percentage after a 2-13 September in 2023. Rocket City finished last in the Southern League with a .201 team batting average and 4.58 ERA as a pitching staff.

THE YOUNG GUNS: The Trash Pandas have three of the nine youngest players in the Southern League. For the second-straight year, OF Nelson Rada is the youngest player in the Southern League at 19.6 years old (8/24/05). INF Denzer Guzman is the eighth-youngest at 21.2 years old (2/8/04), and RHP Walbert Urena is the ninth-youngest,, just 14 days older than Guzman, born on 1/25/04 at 21.2 years old (1/25/04). Rada had a fantastic spring with the Angels, batting .333 over 11 games, a .370 on-base percentage, and six RBI. The Venezuela native spent the 2024 season in Rocket City, hitting .234 with 13 extra-base hits in 123 games. The 19-year-old was seventh in the Southern League with 35 stolen bases as the youngest player in the league. Guzman was promoted to Rocket City on May 7, collecting six home runs, nine doubles, and 30 RBI in 83 games. The 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic had his season highlighted with a walk-off grand slam on May 25, leading the Trash Pandas to a win over Montgomery.

PROSPECTS WITH A HALO: The Trash Pandas roster features five of the Angels' top 10 prospects and 11 of the top 25; included in the top 10 are Christian Moore (1), RHP George Klassen (3), LHP Sam Aldegheri (5), OF Nelson Rada (6), and INF Denzer Guzman (9). The other members of the roster included in the Top-30 include LHP Samy Natera Jr. (16), RHP Walbert Ureña (17), RHP Joel Hurtado (19), RHP Camden Minacci (20), INF Cole Fontenelle (23), and RHP Ryan Costeiu (24).

DARRELL-HICKS, QUERO, AND FERMIN LAUNCHED TO THE LEAGUE: The Los Angeles Angels called up right-handed reliever José Fermin from Rocket City, becoming the 39th player promoted from Rocket City to the Majors. Fermin, third this season, and 13th to bypass Triple-A. Fermin was 3-0 record and a 1.13 ERA in six relief appearances this season, and was the first Southern League pitcher to earn three wins. A native of the Dominican Republic, he began his professional career in 2024 and advanced through the Angels' minor league system.The Chicago White Sox promoted Edgar Quero from Triple-A Charlotte, and he made his MLB debut on April 17 vs. Oakland. He picked up his first hit on April 18 at Boston. Quero, a 22-year-old switch-hitting catcher from Cienfuegos, Cuba, was acquired by the White Sox in a 2023 trade with the Los Angeles Angels involving pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López. Quero skipped High-A and joined Rocket City in 2023. In 60 games, he posted a .242 batting average with 2 home runs, 32 RBIs, and 35 runs scored. His on-base percentage stood out at .378, thanks to 45 walks ... Former Trash Pandas pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks had his contract selected by the Angels on April 6 but was optioned back to Triple-A Salt Lake on April 7. The Angels recalled Darrell-Hicks again on April 11 from Triple-A Salt Lake and made his debut that day against the Houston Astros. In his debut appearance, he pitched one inning, allowing four earned runs on three hits and issuing three walks ... He was 6-4 with a 1.73 ERA over 30 relief outings in 2024 for the Trash Pandas, earning eight saves in ten chances and 46 strikeouts to eight walks over 41.2 innings. Overall, Darrell-Hicks had a 6-7 record in Rocket City over 33 games and three starts, striking out 58 and walking 13 over 53.2 innings in 2023 and 2024.

ADDING KETCHUP TO THE MIX: The Angels promoted Caleb Ketchup to Rocket City on Tuesday. The outfielder had the only Rocket City hit on Wednesday in Montgomery, and picked up a stolen base as a pinch runner lastTuesday night. The outfielder has hit in three of his first four starts. Ketchup hit a home run in his first Trash Pandas at-bat last season on September 11 at Chattanooga.. In 2024, he led the Angels farm system, all of High-A, and ranked T-3rd in MiLB with 65 stolen bases while playing for Tri-City, Rocket City and Triple-A Salt Lake.

FONTENELLE'S CYCLE: Not only was Cole Fontenelle's cycle on April 8 vs. Knoxville the first in Trash Pandas history, but it was the first in the Southern League since former Smokies star Moises Ballesteros did it on June 15, 2024, at Biloxi. Fontenelle led off each at-bat, which has only been done once in MLB history, by Todd Helton in 1999 against the Florida Marlins. The last LA Angels' minor league player to hit for the cycle was José Rojas, who hit for the cycle on May 11, 2018, while playing for the Double-A Mobile BayBears. Rojas completed his cycle with a grand slam in the eighth inning, leading the BayBears to a 14-3 win over the Mississippi Braves at Trustmark Park.

TOYOTA FIELD MAGIC: Denzer Guzman's walk-off blast on April 5 vs. Chattanooga was his second as a Trash Panda, following a walk-off grand slam against Montgomery in May last year. The Trash Pandas had six walk-offs last season, including the previous walk-off home run on July 15, when Christian Moore hit an opposite-field home run. It was the 18th walk-off win in Toyota Field history. Guzman's first two hits of 2025 were three-run homers.

BACK FOR MOORE: Christian Moore returns to Rocket City, ranking as the top prospect in the Angels' organization and the No. 66 overall player in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. Selected eighth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Moore starred as a second baseman for the Tennessee Volunteers, where he emerged as one of college baseball's brightest stars, leading them to the 2024 College World Series Title. He played in only two games with Single-A Inland Empire in the California League last season before being promoted to Rocket City. Moore hit .347 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in his first 25 minor league games.

SCHEDULE UPDATE: The Sunday, April 6, game against the Chattanooga Lookouts that was postponed by inclement weather will be made up as part of a Wednesday, June 18, doubleheader when the Lookouts are back in Madison. The series will stretch from June 17 to 22 and now feature seven games in six days. Both games will be seven innings, with game one starting at 4:05 pm and game two starting roughly 45 minutes after the completion of game one.

MLB EXPERIENCE: Joining Trash Panda starter Sam Aldegheri with MLB time is veteran outfielder Travis Blankenhorn, pitcher Kelvin Cáceres, and infielder Evan White. The 28-year-old Blankenhorn has enjoyed six MLB stints with the Minnesota Twins (2020), New York Mets (2021), and Washington Nationals (2023). He made his major league debut for the Twins on September 15, 2020, in Chicago (AL) and recorded his first career hit in that game, a double. The Pottsville, Pennsylvania native is no stranger to the Southern League, having risen through the Twins system while Pensacola served as their Double-A affiliate. In 2019, he was a Midseason and Postseason All-Star, leading the Wahoos in home runs (18), hits (108), and RBI (51). Entering the 2025 season, Blankenhorn has 3,445 minor league plate appearances and 100 at the major league level.

Check out the Rocket City Trash Pandas Statistics



Southern League Stories from May 9, 2025


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