SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Game Notes: Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox) at Greensboro Grasshoppers (Marlins) -- August 17, 2

Published on August 17, 2014 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS at GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS

58-65, 29-27 (Chicago White Sox) 78-48, 34-22 (Miami Marlins)

Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 4:00 p.m.

NewBridge Bank Park - Greensboro, N.C.

2nd Half Game #57 (124 of 137)

RH Robinson Leyer (5-8, 3.31) vs. RH Domingo German (8-3, 2.56)

Today's Preview: The Intimidators (A, White Sox) play for a second straight series victory after taking two of the first three games against the Grasshoppers (A, Marlins). Kannapolis has now won five of its last six games, including a shutout victory, 6-0, in Greensboro on Saturday. The Intimidators have won four of the six games they have played at NewBridge Bank Park, however the Hoppers still lead the season-series, 6-4. Today Robinson Leyer makes his team-leading 24th start of the season, which will tie for the second-most in the South Atlantic League, while dueling Greensboro ace Domingo German.

Pitchers Duel: Both of today's starting pitchers rank among the South Atlantic League leaders in ERA. Domingo German (2.56) ranks fourth in the Sally while Robinson Leyer (3.31) is ninth. The two hurlers faced each other on June 15 in a game Greensboro eventually won against the Intimidators bullpen.

Intimidating Starter: Robinson Leyer, 21, makes his 24th start of 2014 and third against Greensboro. Leyer is coming off four straight quality starts (6 IP or more with 3 ER or less). In his last outing, he spun 7.0 innings, allowing a run on five hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in a no decision against the Legends. He has worked at least 6.0 innings in six of his last seven starts, including a career-high 7.2 innings in a home loss to Asheville on July 13. In two starts against the Grasshoppers, Leyer is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA (3 ER/13 IP), including his first career complete-game victory when he tossed all 7.0 innings in a rain-shortened win on July 8 at NewBridge Bank Park. Today Leyer is looking for his first win since his complete game in Greensboro and just his second win since June 5 in Asheville. He ranks sixth in the SAL with 127.2 IP and ninth in ERA. The younger brother of former Intimidator Euclides Leyer, Robinson spent 2013 with Advanced Rookie Bristol, going 2-7 with a 6.35 ERA in 13 starts.

Hoppers Hurler: Domingo German, who turned 22 on Aug. 4, makes his 23rd start and third against the Intimidators. He pitched Greensboro to a First Half clinching victory on June 15, allowing one unearned run on four hits over 7.0 innings but was battered by Kannapolis on July 7, allowing five runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings in a no decision. He ranks fourth in the SAL in ERA, tied for eighth with 104 strikeouts, and 20th with 112.1 IP. His eight wins rank tied for 11th on the circuit. He has not allowed an earned run in his last four outings, spanning 14.0 innings, and he has produced a scoreless start in four of his last six starts. In fact, the last time German allowed an earned run came against Kannapolis on July 7. German was lights out in the first half, going 7-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 14 starts, however he is fallen off the pace in the second half, going 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star Break.

About Last Night: Andre Wheeler led the Intimidators to a shutout victory, 6-0, over Greensboro on Saturday night. Wheeler (3-3) tossed 5.0 scoreless innings for the third straight start before turning the mound over to the bullpen. Andrew Mitchell followed with 2.0 innings of work, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one. Matt Abramson tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth for the save (6). The Intimidators broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth. Jeremy Dowdy, who walked to reach base, took off from first on a hit-and-run with Toby Thomas at the plate. Thomas laced a line drive over the head of left fielder Austin Dean, scoring Dowdy for a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, Eddy Alvarez singled through the right side of the infield, and Christian Stringer followed with a triple to plate Alvarez for a 2-0 lead. Stringer later scored on a Greensboro error for a 3-0 advantage. Danny Hayes broke the game open with two outs in the ninth inning, lining a bases-clearing double down the left field line to score Carl Thomore, Chevy Clarke and Ryan Leonards for a 6-0 lead.

Wheelin' is Dealin': Left-hander Andre Wheeler extended his scoreless innings streak to 17 with five farmes of work on Saturday, his third straight scoreless start. He faced the minimum through the first three innings, thanks to a pair of double-plays to erase two base runners. Wheeler last allowed a run on July 25 in Hagerstown. In his last seven games (five starts), he is 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA (5 ER/27 IP).

Christian's String: Christian Stringer has strung together a season-best 7-game hitting streak, which is now two games shy of his career-best 9-game hitting streak that he put together at the end of 2013 with Advanced Rookie Great Falls. Stringer went 1-5 with an RBI-triple on Saturday, upping his average to .323 (10-31) in seven games since Aug. 10. After batting .245 through July, the left-handed-hitting Texan is batting .343 (23-67) in 16 games in August.

Don't Doubt Dowdy: Jeremy Dowdy continued to produce at the plate, going 1-4 with a run scored on Saturday, extending his hitting streak in the South Atlantic League to a career-best five games, batting .529 (9-17) since July 27. After batting .214 in 31 games last season with Kannapolis, he is hitting .307 (54-176) with a home run, nine doubles, two triples and 20 RBI in 47 games. After batting .295 during the first half of the season, Dowdy has upped his average to .328 (21-64) in 17 second-half games.d

Steady Eddy: Eddy Alvarez, who won a short-track speed-skating silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, continued to hit since his promotion to Kannapolis on Monday. He went 1-5 on Saturday and has now hit safely in all five games with Kannapolis, batting .474 (9-19). Alvarez put together an 8-game hitting streak with the AZL White Sox from July 16-28, batting .417 (15-36). The switch-hitting infielder hit safely in his last two games prior to joining the Intimidators, putting him at seven straight games with a hit between the AZL and South Atlantic League.

Hammerin' Hayes: Danny Hayes overcame a slow start to this weekend's series in Greensboro with a big finish to the Intimidators win on Saturday. After going 0-for-10 to open the series, Hayes drew his league-leading 65th walk before toe-dipping into the waters with a base hit in the eighth inning. He then burst through the floodgates with a bases-clearing double in the ninth, his 30th double of the season, which ranks tied for fifth in the league.

Niner Knighted: Former Charlotte 49ers RHP Tyler Barnette has been promoted to Triple-A Charlotte. He is 2-8 with a 5.08 ERA over 85.0 IP in 25 games (11 starts) with Kannapolis, including a 1.51 ERA out of the bullpen. Barnette is the first Intimidators player promoted directly to Triple-A since Adam Heisler made two stints with the Knights last August.

No Broadcast Today: Broadcasts on the Kannapolis Intimidators Baseball Network, available at IntimidatorsBaseball.com & on the TuneIn Radio App, will resume when the team returns to Kannapolis on Tuesday, Aug. 19. This season all 70 home games and select road games will be broadcast on the KIBN with Josh Feldman, now in his fourth season as the Voice of the Intimidators.

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South Atlantic League Stories from August 17, 2014


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