SAL1 Greensboro Grasshoppers

Greensboro Game Notes

Published on April 25, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greensboro Grasshoppers News Release


Today's Game

Greensboro Grasshoppers (12-9)

vs. Hagerstown Suns (9-12)

Starting Pitchers

RHP Cristhian Martinez (2-0, 2.35)

vs. RHP Jeff Mandel (0-1, 6.41)

Quick Stats

GBO Team Batting Average: .232 (12th)

GBO Team ERA: 3.25 (3rd)

HAG Team Batting Average: .231 (15th)

HAG Team ERA: 4.65 (15th)

Game Information

Start Time: 7:00 p.m.

Ballpark: NewBridge Bank Park (7,499)

Location: Greensboro, N.C.

Umpires

HP: Jordan Ferrell, Field: Roberto Medina

At the Corner of Eugene & Bellemeade: This season the Grasshoppers have compiled a 5-6 home record and are hosting Hagerstown in Game 2 of a four-game set at NewBridge Bank Park... At home, the Grasshoppers have a .224 team batting average and a 3.46 team ERA... The Hoppers are currently on a three-game losing streak at home and were recently swept in a quick two-game series against Kannapolis... Today is day four of a current six-game homestand in which the Hoppers are 0-3.

Series Insight: All-time the Hoppers are 18-7 against Hagerstown... After dropping its first two meetings against the Suns, Greensboro has won 18 of their last 23 games against Hagerstown... Last season the Grasshoppers posted a 5-2 record against Hagerstown including a 2-1 mark at home... The last time Greensboro and Hagerstown played, Aug. 16-19, 2007, the Hoppers took 3-of-4 games on the road including a 10-inning series-opening affair that saw Greensboro win 6-5... At NewBridge Bank Park, the Hoppers have posted a 10-3 record all-time against Hagerstown and Greensboro has never lost a series to the Suns at home or on the road... All-time the series record is 5-0-1, including a 3-0 series record at NewBridge Bank Park.

Losing Daze: A recent three-game losing streak has sent the Hoppers from the top of the South Atlantic League Northern Division to two games back of first place Lake County... During the current three-game skid, the Hoppers are batting .164 (19-of-116) as a team and the pitching staff has a 3.94 ERA... In all three losses, Greensboro has fallen behind early, giving up six runs in the first three innings combined while scoring no runs through the first four innings of each contest.

Streaky Business: CF Bryan Petersen has currently reached base in all 10 home Hopper games this season; his home 10-game on-base streak is the third longest active streak in the South Atlantic League this season... INF Ryan Curry's seven-game hit streak is the longest active hitting streak for the Hoppers and matches his career-long hitting streak which he originally set from Aug. 2-8 last season in Jamestown... Curry's streak is followed closely by Danny Garcia who is on a six-game hit streak... Individually, OF Mike Stanton's 11-game hitting streak that began on April 6 and ended on April 16 is Greensboro's longest hit streak this season for the Hoppers and the fourth longest in the SAL.

Bully of a Bullpen: The Greensboro bullpen has pitched an even 82.0 innings this season and struck out the same number of batters---82... Twice the bullpen has been pinned with a loss and both have come in games that have gone beyond their regularly scheduled length... Closer Garrett Parcell was tabbed with an April 6 loss in a schedule seven inning contest that went to eight... On Thursday, the bullpen pitched 9.0 innings and allowed just two runs after the starter threw 5.0 innings and allowed six runs, five earned... This season the bullpen has a 5-2 record and has collected eight saves, six holds and a 2.41 ERA compared to the 4.05 ERA and 7-7 record the starting rotation has posted... From the pen, Greensboro has allowed just 22 earned runs on 69 hits this season.

Sit 'Em Down: It took 14 innings, but the Greensboro pitching staff recorded a single-game season-high by striking out 15 batters in Thursday's 8-7 loss to Hagerstown... Previously the Hoppers' season-best was 10 strikeouts in a game this season, a feat they accomplished on three separate occasions... It was a nice change of pace for the Hoppers as Greensboro batters had combined to strike out 47 times in their four previous games... The 47 strikeouts were the most in a four-game span this season and accounted for 38 percent of the Hoppers' at-bats during that stretch.

Player Notes: INF Ben Lasater currently has the South Atlantic League's second-most runs batted in (18) entering tonight's contest against Hagerstown... Lasater's name also appears on SAL leader board with the second-most home runs (6) and the fourth-best slugging percentage (.635)... OF Bryan Petersen enters tonight's game tied for third in the SAL with 16 runs scored... Petersen's 16 runs have come in 16 games this season... Greensboro closer Garrett Parcell is tied with Asheville's Randall Taylor and Lake County's Vinnie Pestano for the second-most saves in the SAL with a team-high five saves this season... Relief pitcher Steven Cishek saw action in his ninth game Thursday... His nine appearances are tied with four others for the most appearances in the SAL this season... Despite a solid outing in Wednesday's game, RHP Colby Miller suffered the loss and now has a league-high four losses while allowing a league-most four home runs... Thursday's starter Brett Durand allowed his fifth home run of the season... Durand's five allowed home runs are the second most home runs allowed by a pitcher this season in the SAL.

Team Insider: Greensboro's pitching staff currently has the league's fifth-lowest ERA (3.39)... The pitching staff has a recorded a nine saves and has walked just 43 batters, the fewest by a South Atlantic League pitching staff this season... At the plate, Greensboro has the league's second-lowest batting average (.229)... In the field, the Hoppers have committed the third-most errors in the league with 36 through the first 20 games.

Who's On First?: Take your pick. Greensboro left 17 runners on base Thursday in a game that saw nine Hoppers reach base on balls... LF Tom Hickman was walked a team-high four times and Greensboro left eight runners in scoring position including five through the first six innings.

Recent Transactions: (4/24) Catcher Tyler Belcher sent to extended spring training; catcher Torre Langley reactivated to Greensboro roster.

This Day in Hoppers History: Greensboro played its first April 25 game last season in a 12-6 win over Hickory in the series-opener of a three-game set... The Hoppers did not play on this date in 2005 or 2006.

Franchise Record: The Grasshoppers are back at even .500 after going 10 straight days with an above-.500 record... Greensboro entered the season three games under the .500 mark and after winning three straight to open the season, the Hoppers flirted with going above .500 for several days before finally picking up a win on April 14 against Asheville to have a better-than-.500 mark... Greensboro now has a 218-218 franchise record... The Hoppers entered the season with a 206-209 and have recorded season records of 67-71 (2005), 68-69 (2006), 71-69 (2007) and are 12-9 this year.

Up Next: Following a four-game set with Hagerstown to complete a six-game home stand, the Hoppers get back on the road for a four-game set at Lake County as part of an eight-game road trip that also includes a four-game visit to Hagerstown... In 23 match-ups, the Grasshoppers hold a 12-11 record against the Captains and have out-scored them 118-107... Last season the Hoppers posted a 5-3 record against Lake County including a four-game split on the road in which Greensboro shut out Lake County in the final two games of a four-game set on July 19-20.

Tonight's Starter: RHP Cristhian Martinez (2-0, 2.35) is making his fifth start of the season tonight... Martinez has recorded a quality start in each of his last three outings combining to allow just four runs in 12.0 innings of work for a 2.00 ERA in his last three starts... In his last outing, Martinez threw 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed just three hits while striking out a season-high four batters... Martinez is holding opposing batters to a .193 average and has not allowed a hit on just three hits during the first three innings in each of his outings... While right-handed batters are hitting .261 off of Martinez, he is holding left-handers to a wee .108 average.

2007 Recap: Last season in Greensboro, Martinez posted a 9-5 record with a 4.08 ERA in 18 starts for the Grasshoppers... After struggling in his first four starts, Martinez went 9-1 in his next 11 starts, including a stretch where he garnered wins in six consecutive starts... Martinez held opponents to a .259 average and struck out 74 batters in 97.0 innings of work... After going 0-2 prior to the all-star break and sitting out the entire month of May, Martinez returned to the rotation and went 9-2 with a 3.64 ERA during the second half of the season.

Career Notes: Originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by Detroit in 2003, Martinez was acquired via the Rule 5 draft by the Marlins in 2006... In five professional season, Martinez brought a 25-15 record with a 3.24 ERA into the 2008 season.

Downtown GBO: This season, Martinez is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA at home in two appearances... In his first home outing, Martinez allowed three runs in 6.0 innings and did not factor into the decision... He followed that with another 6.0 inning performance at home in which he allowed just one run and earned his first win of the season... Martinez is holding batters to a .222 average at NewBridge Bank Park this season.

- Martinez's 2008 Starts: 2-0, 2.35 ERA, 23.0 IP, 16 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO

- Martinez's Last Win: April 19, 2008 @ Kannapolis (1-0 over Jason Rice)

- Martinez's Last Loss: September 3, 2007 @ West Virginia (10-4 to J.T. King)

- Martinez's Last Complete Game: August 23, 2004

- Martinez's Career High Strikeouts: 10 (September 5, 2006 @ Hudson Valley)

Check out the Greensboro Grasshoppers Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from April 25, 2008


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