Game Info: Sunday, April 13 vs. Knoxville

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SL Rocket City Trash Pandas

Game Info: Sunday, April 13 vs. Knoxville

April 13, 2025 - Southern League (SL)
Rocket City Trash Pandas News Release


Sunday, April 13, 2025 - 2:35 PM - Toyota Field - Madison, AL

Matchup: Rocket City Trash Pandas - LAA (3-4) vs. Knoxville Smokies - CHC (4-3)

Pitching Matchup: LHP Samuel Aldegheri (0-0, 6.75) vs. RHP Sam Armstrong (0-0, 5.40)

GAME: 8 of 138 - Home Game: 8 of 69

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

Today's Promotions:

Mental Health Awareness Day: The Trash Pandas have partnered with WellStone Inc. to host a Mental Health Awareness Day at Toyota Field.

Pregame Autographs: On Sundays this season, select Trash Pandas players will be available for autographs before the game, from 1:40 to 2:00 pm, at the Pepsi Gate, located on the first base side of the Bill Penney Concourse.

Postgame Kids Run the Bases: Kids can run the bases at Toyota Field after every Sunday home game, presented by Listerhill Credit Union! Sprocket's kids' club members can skip to the front of the line by presenting their ID cards.

Blue Bell Sunday Sundaes: Limited-edition souvenir helmet sundaes will exclusively be available at the Sweet Space concession stand on Sunday!

FOR STARTERS: The Rocket City Trash Pandas conclude their opening nine-game homestand on Sunday afternoon with the finale of a six-game series against the Chicago Cubs affiliate Knoxville Smokies at Toyota Field ... The Pandas went 1-1 in the opening series vs. Chattanooga, with the series finale being rained out ... RCT will head to Montgomery on Tuesday to start the first road trip of the season (April 15-20) ... Rocket City will see Knoxville 24 times, and next, April 29-May 4, and play their first ever games at Covenant Health Park ... Knoxville returns to Madison July 1-3, back in Knoxville, July 4-6 and conclude the season series in Knoxville, Sept. 2-7.

LAST NIGHT: Rocket City Trash Pandas' pitchers struck out 17 batters on Saturday night but lost game five of their six-game series against the Knoxville Smokies, 5-1, at Toyota Field. For the second time in the series, Rocket City was held hitless for the first six innings and managed only three hits throughout the game. Reliever Mitch Farris tossed 3.2 innings of relief, he struck out nine batters-tying the Trash Pandas' career record for strikeouts by a reliever, matching Jhonathan Diaz's nine strikeouts during the team's inaugural season in 2021. However, Farris did allow two runs in the sixth inning. Mac McCroskey broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single in the seventh inning. Denzer Guzman brought McCroskey home with an RBI single, making the score 5-1.

17-STRIKEOUT GAME: Saturday night's 17-strikeout performance was the largest output on the season, and highest since the Pandas fanned 17 batters on August 17, 2024, at Chattanooga. The most ever for the Trash Pandas was 19, last occuring on opening night, 2023, on April 6 at Chattanooga.

THE BULLPEN ISN'T TRASH: The Rocket City bullpen allowed two runs over 7.2 innings in Saturday's doubleheader and has a 3.38 ERA over the first seven games (34.2 IP/13 ER), 16 walks, 46 strikeouts. The ERA ranks third in the Southern League, while their 46 K's is tops in the league, and T-7th in Double-A. José Fermin has two wins in two outings, and Samy Natera Jr. has a win and save in two games over 3.1 innings, six strikeouts to one walk.

SLOW STARTS: The Trash Pandas are being outscored 26-8 in the first three innings. From the fourth inning on, Rocket City has outscored opponents, 14-13. In each of the first seven games, the opponent has scored first.

BACKSTOP BOMBERS: Rocket City catchers Myles Emmerson and Josh Crouch are a combined 8-for-18 to start the season with three home runs, five RBI, and five runs scored.

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.

FONTENELLE'S CYCLE: Not only was Cole Fontenelle's cycle on Tuesday night 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.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER: 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.

LAUNCHED TO THE LEAGUE: 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. 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. The Angels signed the Parkersburg, WV native to a minor league contract on July 26, 2022.

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.

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 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).

SCHATZLEY RETURNS FOR FOURTH SEASON: The 2022 Southern League Manager of the Year, Andy Schatzley, returns for his fourth season with the Trash Pandas. Under his tutelage, he has helped guide 23 Trash Pandas to the Major Leagues since '22. He came to Rocket City after serving as the manager with High-A Tri-City in 2021. He earned the Preston Gomez Award as the Angels' Minor League Manager of the Year that year. The Arkansas native guided the team to the top of the Southern League standings in 2022, winning first and second-half North Division titles for the best record in the league at 81-57. The 2022 Trash Pandas marked the first time the Angels' Double-A affiliate reached the postseason since the Arkansas Travelers accomplished the feat in 2015.

SEC! SEC! SEC!: The 2025 Opening Day roster features seven players from SEC schools, starting with Hoover native and Auburn star Sonny DiChiara. The others include Ryan Costeiu (Arkansas), Houston Harding (Mississippi State), Luke Murphy (Vanderbilt), Jared Southard (Texas), Evan White (Kentucky), and Christian Moore (Tennessee), who have spent time in the Southeastern Conference.

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