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SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Game Notes (April 9)

April 9, 2019 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


The Power plays the middle match of a three-game series against the Lexington Legends tonight at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. RHP Logan Gilbert (0-0, 0.00 ERA) makes his second start for West Virginia.

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POWER STYMIED IN OPENER AT LEXINGTON: Ryne Ogren hit his first home run of the season and Steven Moyers struck out a career-high eight batters over five innings of work in his first start, but the Power was otherwise subdued by the pitching tandem of Jonathan Bowlan and Tyler Gray, as Lexington claimed a 6-1 win in the series opener Monday night at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. Moyers set down the first six batters he faced, but the Legends posted a big third inning, tallying five runs on five consecutive hits and a wild pitch to go up 5-0. Ogren would cut into that deficit with his fifth-inning solo shot to left-center, but Lexington responded with a run of their own in the home half of the inning to hold their five-run lead. Ben Onyshko relieved Moyers in the sixth and hurled another three scoreless frames, scattering three hits to keep the Legends at bay. Bowlan earned the win after tossing a career-high six innings and striking out a career-high nine batters, while Gray picked up his first save with three spotless frames in his Lexington debut.

POSSESSED LIKE THE SALEM WITCHES: Julio Rodriguez extended his season-opening hitting streak to five games by beating out an infield single in his first at-bat. Rodriguez added another single in the sixth, upping his team-best average to .476 (10-for-21) with three doubles, three RBI and an OPS of 1.119. The Dominican native also posted his fourth-multi hit game of the season, most on the team. The 18-year-old is the third player in Power history to start the season with at least a five-game hitting streak. Tito Polo has the longest such stretch, opening the 2016 campaign with a 10-game hitting streak from April 7-18, where he compiled a .348 (16-for-46) clip with a home run and six RBI. Jodaneli Carvajal also notched a five-game hitting streak from April 5-9, 2012, boasting a .421 (8-for-19) stroke with 5R.

OK, NOW YOU'RE JUST SHOWING OFF (THE RINGS): Joseph Rosa also continued his banner start to the 2019 season, going 1-for-3 with a second-inning base knock to push his hitting streak to four games. He and Rodriguez are the only two Power players to reach base in all five games this season. Rosa is averaging .438 (7-for-16) after going 0-for-3 in the season opener Thursday, and is tied for the team lead with three RBI. The switch-hitter has also worked the second-most walks on the team (5), with Jarred Kelenic leading the way with six.

TIME TO MAKE MORE K-METER GRAPHICS: Moyers set a new career-high with eight strikeouts in his season debut last night. The southpaw became the second Power hurler to notch a new career-best in strikeouts this season, with Jamal Wade fanning eight Greenville Drive batters over three innings on April 6 as part of a team-high 19-strikeout performance. Moyers and Wade are tied for the fifth-highest strikeout total in the South Atlantic League (3 players with 10). Over their first five games, West Virginia has struck out 56 batters, leading the SAL by four strikeouts (Columbia, 52).

NOT A LOT OF CAMERA WORK TO DO: West Virginia's bullpen has been quite stellar to start the year. For the second straight outing, Onyshko strung together a career-high three scoreless innings of relief, holding Lexington off the scoreboard while striking out three batters. After five games, West Virginia's bullpen is hoisting a 1.11 mark (24.1 IP/3 ER), with six relievers still possessing spotless ERAs. Elias Espino and Wade are the only ones to give up earned runs.

YUP, IT'S STILL BROKEN: The Power has not been able to convert very well with runners in scoring position in 2019. Following a 3-for-17 effort with 12 men left on base Sunday, West Virginia now holds a .118 (6-for-51) clip with 42 men left on base. The Power's RISP mark is the eighth-lowest average in Minor League Baseball (Rochester Red Wings, MIN Triple-A, 0-for-17), as well as second-lowest in the South Atlantic League (Columbia, .089, 4-for-45).

A RATHER UNORGANIZED SCHEDULE: West Virginia concludes its opening seven-game road swing with a three-game series in Kentucky to renew their rivalry with the Lexington Legends. The Power and Legends will meet 15 times this season, with 11 of them at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. West Virginia plays the Southern Division in all but four games in the first month of the season, with all four games coming against the Lakewood BlueClaws (April 15-17, 29).

GOT WRECKED LIKE TEXAS TECH: Last night, West Virginia's pitching staff allowed several season-high numbers, as Lexington put together a six-run, 12-hit performance in a 6-1 win. The Power surrendered six runs for the second straight game, while the opponent's 12 hits was the most given up by West Virginia so far this season.

POWER POINTS: Ogren's home run was the fourth of his career, and the Power's second one of the season... West Virginia turned its fourth double play of the season yesterday, as well as played their second straight errorless game. With no miscues Monday, the Power has raised its fielding percentage to .968, seventh-best in the South Atlantic League.

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