Game Info: Thursday, July 31 vs. Birmingham: 6:35 PM: Toyota Field
SL Rocket City Trash Pandas

Game Info: Thursday, July 31 vs. Birmingham: 6:35 PM: Toyota Field

July 31, 2025 - Southern League (SL)
Rocket City Trash Pandas News Release


Thursday, July 31, 2025 - 6:35 PM - Toyota Field - Madison, Alabama

Matchup: Rocket City Trash Pandas - LAA (10-19, 34-63, 4 th SL North, 11.0 GB) vs. Birmingham Barons - CHW (21-8, 58-39, 1 st SL North, +6.5 GB)

Pitching Matchup: LHP Nick Jones (1-2, 5.29) // LHP Hagen Smith (2-1, 3.32)

Game: 98 of 137 - Second Half: 30 of 69 - Home Game: 48 of 69

TV/Radio: FanDuel Sports Network West, WAAY-TV "MORE" 31.6, Bally Sports Live, MiLB.TV, Talk Radio WZZN 97.7 HD-2

TODAY'S PROMOTIONS:

Thursday, July 31 | First Pitch: 6:35 pm | Gates Open: 5:30 pm | Trustmark VIP Gates: 5:00 pm

Throwback Thursday: Enjoy $3 domestic draft beers available at the Rock Porch, Clyde Mays Clubhouse Bar, and SportsMED Stadium Club for fans 21 and older.

Salute to the Negro Leagues: For Throwback Thursday, the Barons and Trash Pandas will wear the Rickwood Classic uniforms honoring Negro League history. Birmingham will suit up as the Birmingham Black Barons, the team for which Hall of Famer Willie Mays played at age 17 in 1948. Rocket City will represent the Huntsville Stars, a Negro Minor League team from the late 1940s to the 1950s that provided African American players with a platform during segregation, including standouts like Otha Bailey, Carl Holden, and Eugene Scruggs.

THIS WEEK:

Friday, August 1: Friday Night Fireworks, presented by SAIC, Space Night with NASA, and a space jersey auction benefiting local nonprofits.

Saturday, August 2: Dinosaur Weekend kicks off with animatronic dinosaurs, themed activities, and Jurassic photo opportunities.

Sunday, August 3: Dinosaur Weekend continues with pregame autographs and postgame Kids Run the Bases.

PANDA NOTES:

FOR STARTERS: The Rocket City Trash Pandas continue a six-game homestand against the Birmingham Barons, Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

TRASH PANDAS SHUT OUT BY RED-HOT BARONS IN 10-0 LOSS: The Trash Pandas were shut out 10-0 by the red-hot Birmingham Barons on Wednesday night at Toyota Field. Rocket City fell behind early and couldn't recover as Birmingham racked up 15 hits and scored six runs in the ninth to seal their third straight shutout. George Klassen allowed four early runs but finished strong, while the Trash Pandas' offense was held to just three hits. Denzer Guzman extended his on-base streak to 10 games despite the loss.

RADA REPORT: CF Nelson Rada, the youngest player in the Southern League at just 19 years and 11 months, has reached in 17 of his last 18 games, and ranks T-2nd in the league and T-4th in all of Double-A with 34 stolen bases this season-19 of which came in a blistering month of May. His 34 steals already rank 3rd in Trash Pandas single-season history, trailing only his mark of 35 from last year and Kyren Parris' franchise record of 44 set in 2023. Rada ranks among the league leaders in stolen bases (T-2nd, 34), OBP (5th, .383), batting average (8th, .280), and hits (T-8th, 90). Rada has recorded a team-best 26 multi-hit games, including five three-hit games.

WELCOMING A WEST COAST AUDIENCE TONIGHT: The Trash Pandas are hitting the West Coast! Tonight's game is the first of four Trash Pandas games that will be televised and streamed live on FanDuel Sports Network West during the second half of the 2025 season. Broadcasts-produced in-house by the Trash Pandas team-will feature veteran voices Josh Caray and Chris Harris. Fans in the Angels' local TV market can tune in via the FanDuel app or network to catch the action and experience Toyota Field like never before. Game Schedule: July 31 vs. Birmingham, August 14 vs. Knoxville, August 28 vs. Columbus, and September 10 vs. Chattanooga.

GUZ GONE WILD: DENZER'S BLAZING THROUGH JULY: The San Pedro de Macorís native has been one of the hottest hitters in Double-A this month, leading the Southern League-and 2nd in all of Double-A-with a 1.068 OPS, 47 total bases, and 13 extra-base hits. He ranks 2nd in the league with a .351 batting average and is also tops in slugging (.610) and on-base percentage (.458). His nine doubles rank second in the league, and his 27 hits are Tied for Fourth. On July 13 in Chattanooga, he recorded the second five-hit game in Trash Pandas history, going 5-for-5 with three doubles, a home run, and four RBIs.. He now ranks among the overall league leaders in several categories, including doubles (2nd, 23), extra-base hits (T-1st, 35), RBIs (6th, 53), total bases (5th, 137), home runs (T-7th, 11), and slugging (7th, .424), and OPS (8th, .763). Guzman leads the team with 16 multi-RBI games.

KLASSEN AND ALDEGHERI DEALT IN JULY: LHP Sam Aldegheri and RHP George Klassen were two of the Southern League's best starters in July. Aldegheri has led the league with a 0.78 ERA. In four starts, the left-hander went 3-0, allowing just four earned runs over 23.0 innings while recording 19 strikeouts and 10 walks. Klassen finished T-1st in the league with 26 strikeouts over four starts, finishing with a 3.32 ERA, striking out 26 and walking seven across 21.2 innings.

SAM BROWN TRADED TO NATS: On Wednesday, the Angels traded Trash Pandas first baseman Sam Brown to the Washington Nationals as part of a four-player deal. A 2023 12th-round pick out of Washington State, Brown hit .244 with 12 doubles, five homers, and 40 RBI in 92 games for Rocket City this season. He was named Southern League Player of the Week in mid-July and ranked fourth in batting average in May. In return, the Angels received LHP Andrew Chafin and RHP Luis García, while LHP Jake Eder also went to Washington. José Quijada was designated for assignment.

"YOU CAN'T SCORE IF YOU DON'T GET ON BASE." Led by Denzer Guzman, who has reached safely in 10 straight games, the Trash Pandas have enjoyed some lengthy on-base streaks in July. Nelson Rada has reached base in 17 of his previous 18 games. Guzman has also been consistent over the long haul, getting on base in 23 of his last 25 games. Meanwhile, David Mershon has reached base in 18 of his previous 20 and over the Trash Pandas' last 14 games, highlighted by a four-game win streak from July 12-20. Over a 10-game stretch from July 11-25, the Trash Pandas led all of Double-A with a .368 OBP.

REACHING THE 100 STRIKEOUT MARK: Mitch Farris became the seventh pitcher in Trash Pandas history to reach 100 strikeouts in a single season on July 25 with six over 6.0 innings at Biloxi. He currently ranks 3rd in the Southern League with 103 strikeouts across his first 18 outings (17 starts) in 2025. The league leader is Birmingham's Riley Gowens, who sits at 105. The single-season franchise record belongs to Caden Dana, who tallied 147 strikeouts in 2024.

ROCKET CITY LIVED UP TO ITS NAME: In July, the Trash Pandas have launched 19 home runs over 23 games, T-1st in the Southern League and ranking T-8th in all of Double-A baseball. That stretch includes a five-homer outburst on July 3 against Knoxville at Toyota Field, tying a franchise record. The surge was fueled by Oscar Colás and Ben Gobbel, who have combined for 10 of the 19 homers. Colás leads the league in that span with six, while Gobbel is T-3rd.

SOUND THE BLANKENHORN: OF Travis Blankenhorn has reached base in 28 of 35 games since returning from the Injured List on June 13. The veteran outfielder leads the league with eight home runs and ranks 5th in the Southern League with an .830 OPS with six doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 20 RBIs, and 18 walks over that span.

COLÁS BROUGHT THE BOOM IN JULY: Rocket City outfielder Oscar Colás is 3rd in all of Double-A with six home runs in July, plus he has three doubles, 15 RBIs, and 11 runs scored. On July 3 vs. Knoxville, Colás recorded his first career three-homer game, hitting solo home runs to lead off the third, fourth, and sixth innings. This marked only the second three-homer game in franchise history, the first being Orlando Martinez's performance on May 7, 2021, at Chattanooga.

Check out the Rocket City Trash Pandas Statistics



Southern League Stories from July 31, 2025


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