SAL1 Greensboro Grasshoppers

Greensboro game notes

Published on June 24, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greensboro Grasshoppers News Release


Today's Game

Greensboro Grasshoppers (36-29)

vs. Lexington Legends (20-44)

Starting Pitchers

RHP Alex Sanabia (2-1, 4.02)

vs. RHP Evan Anundsen (6-4, 3.75)

Quick Stats

GBO Team Batting Average: .254 (9th)

GBO Team ERA: 3.83 (7th)

WVA Team Batting Average: .260 (6th)

WVA Team ERA: 4.69 (15th)

Game Information

Start Time: 7:00 p.m.

Ballpark: NewBridge Bank Park (7,599)

Location: Greensboro, N.C.

Today's Game: Is Game 1 of a two-game series against the West Virginia Power and the first game of a six-game homestand.

Head-to-Head: This season, Greensboro has struggled against the Power with a 1-7 record... The Hoppers are hitting just .243 in the eight head-to-head games and were swept the last time West Virginia visited NewBridge Bank Park... Greensboro has eight home runs in eight games played, but has been out-scored 41-32... As a staff, the pitchers have a 3.88 ERA and are allowing Power batters to hit for a .295 average.

Home Run Hitters: Greensboro wasted no time building on their league-leading home run total as the second half got under way... Mike Stanton blasted a solo shot in the first game of the second half to lead the Hoppers past Lexington; he added three more in the series to widen his league-leading margin... On the season, Stanton has slugged 19 home runs... Three of Greensboro's first five games in the second half have included multiple home runs... In games two and three of the five-game series, Greensboro combined for six home runs with three in each contest... Along with Stanton, Ryan Anetsberger and Tom Hickman homered in the second game; Danny Garcia and Matt Dominguez joined Stanton in the home run column of game three... In all, the Hoppers hit nine home runs in during the second-half opening-series at Lexington and now have 83 on the season, 15 more than any other South Atlantic League ballclub.

All In The Family: The Florida Marlins system from top to bottom seems to be knocking the ball out of the park this season... The Marlins lead the Major League with 112 home runs this season and have eight more than any other MLB team... At the Triple-A level, Albuquerque's 107 long-balls are tops in the Pacific Coast League and second in all of Triple-A baseball, trailing only Toledo's 118 in International League play... Although Double-A Carolina is slacking in the home run department (54), Greensboro leads all Single-A leagues with its 83 home runs and is second in all of Single- and Double-A, trailing only Double-A Frisco (85) of the Texas League... The entire Marlins system ranks in the top half of their respective leagues in home runs hit this season.

Streaky Business: OF Bryan Petersen's 14-game home hitting streak is the longest by a Grasshoppers player this season and is the longest active streak in the South Atlantic League... His current streak began on May 11 before he was promoted to High-A Jupiter... Since returning, he has hit safely in each of the 12 home games he's played in... During the streak, Petersen is hitting .418 at NewBridge Bank park with three doubles, six home runs and 13 runs batted in... He is two games shy of matching the league's longest home hitting streak this season (16 games) which is currently held by Greenville's Michael Jones and Asheville's Michael Mitchell.

Hoppers At Home: Greensboro had a tough 35 home games during the first half and was able to notch just a 17-18 record at NewBridge Bank Park... Despite the fact that 10 of the Hoppers' 13 position players are hitting better at home, Greensboro has still managed to post a better road winning percentage... In 11 home games, Matt Dominguez has posted a .425 average with two home runs and three doubles... Dominguez is followed by Bryan Petersen's .351 average and Ozzie Martinez's .333 average at home... As a team, the Hoppers have a .263 average while opponents are hitting for a .267 mark.

Class of 2007: During the first five games of the second half, the Hoppers are batting for a combined .269 average and are being led by the Marlins' 2007 draft class... Matt Dominguez, a first-round selection, has a .429 mark with a home run and five RBI while playing third base in all five games... Second-round pick Mike Stanton posted a .450 average with four of his nine hits leaving the park; he also had nine of Greensboro's 26 runs batted in... Jameson Smith went 3-for-6 in two games for the Hoppers as a third-round pick from a year ago; he also scored two runs.

Follow the Leader... Board: Florida's second-round draft pick from 2007 is showing he was well worth the investment as Mike Stanton currently leads the SAL in home runs (19), slugging percentage (.595) and extra-base hits (41)... Stanton's 56 RBI are one shy of the league-lead and his average has climbed from .280 prior to the all-star break to .294 just five games into the second half.

June Bug Bites: The Hoppers are having their best June ever and its quickly becoming one of their best months in franchise history... Currently the Hoppers are 14-6 with 29 home runs while sporting a .298 average with a 3.68 ERA; all four of those statistics, including wins, home runs, average and ERA, are tops in Grasshoppers history for the month of June... Monday's victory over West Virginia ensured the Hoppers their first ever winning record in June; the game included two home runs to push Greensboro past its previous high of 27 established in 2007... With seven games remaining on the June schedule, the Hoppers are two wins shy of matching the most wins in a single month for the franchise set last July when Greensboro went 17-13.

Tonight's Starter: Alex Sanabia (2-1, 4.02)

RHP Alex Sanabia (2-1, 4.02) is making his fourth start of the season tonight... In his 2008 and Greensboro debut, Sanabia pitched five innings against the Lakewood BlueClaws and allowed two runs in the loss... Sanabia lasted just three innings in his second outing after giving up all four Delmarva runs... He did not factor in the decision as the Hoppers tallied eight more runs over the final six innings... Sanabia earned his first win of the season with Greensboro on June 6... After six innings in which he allowed only one run, he left the game with a 5-1 lead and the Hoppers went on to win the game 7-3... In his final appearance before the all-star break, Sanabia lasted six innings for the second straight time but left after allowing four runs, three earned, and did not ultimately factor into the decision... Out of the break, Sanabia lowered his ERA by 60 points after another six inning outing in which he gave up just one run on four hits to pick up his second win of the season.

2007 Recap: In 15 appearances (all starts) for the Jamestown Jammers, Sanabia posted a 2-6 record with a 5.13 ERA... He threw just 66 2/3 innings, averaging just over four innings a start... In his longest outing of the season, Sanabia threw seven innings and allowed just two hits for his second and final win of the season on Aug. 30... Sanabia struck out a career-high eight batters in his first win of the season on Aug. 12.

Career Notes: Sanabia was selected in the 32nd round of the 2006 First Year Player Draft by the Marlins... In his first pro season, Sanabia had a 3-1 record and a 3.24 ERA in 16 2/3 innings of work in the Gulf Coast League.

- Sanabia's 2008 Stats: 2-1, 4.02 ERA, 6 G, 6 GS, 31.1 IP, 28 H, 16 R, 14 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 21 K

- Sanabia's Last Win: June 19, 2008 @ Lexington (4-3 over Jacob Leonhardt)

- Sanabia's Last Loss: May 21, 2008 @ Lakewood (3-2 to Drew Naylor)

- Sanabia's Last Complete Game: None

- Sanabia's Career High Strikeouts: 8 (August 12, 2007 @ Staten Island)

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 24, 2008


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