CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Hillcats Game Notes August 20th

Published on August 20, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


Lynchburg evened their three-game series with Salem at a game a piece with a 6-5 win last night at Memorial Ballpark...Tonight the Hillcats play the final game and rubber match of a three-game series at Salem...These three road games are sandwiched in between 17 games at Calvin Falwell Field...They went 2-4 on their recent six-game homestand...

VS. SALEM: The Hillcats are 8-7 against the Red Sox in the 460 series this season and are 4-3 at Memorial Ballpark...Last season the Cats won the season series against Salem, then the Avalanche and an affiliate of the Houston Astros, by a count of 12-8...Salem was the only team in the Carolina League that the Hillcats had a winning record against...In the all-time series Salem leads 152-135, and they are 87-57 at home...After winning six of the first seven games against Salem this season, Lynchburg had lost six of seven against the Sox before their win last night...

SOUTHERN FOES: This series against Salem is the fifth of six series in a row (20 games) against a Southern Division opponent for Lynchburg...The Hillcats have already played Kinston and Myrtle Beach twice over this stretch and still have a series at home with Winston-Salem after this set...Thus far they are 7-8 over this time and they are 38-30 versus the division on the year...Prior to this current string of games against the South, the Cats played four straight series (13 games) against the Northern Division...

IN THE BAG: With their win last night the Hillcats improved to 50-2 when leading after eight innings this season...RHP R.J. Rodriguez notched his Carolina League leading 26th save of the season in the win...He had given up six earned runs in his last four appearances prior to last night...Lynchburg's all-star closer is now just three saves shy of tying the all-time single-season record in team history...D.J. Carrasco had 29 saves in 2002 to set the record and is the all-time team saves leader with 38...Last night Rodriguez moved ahead of Melqui Torres to claim sole possession of second place... CAUGHT NAPPING: In the last nine games against Salem the Hillcats have been picked off eight times, including twice on Tuesday night...Six of the eight pick-offs have been by backstops for the Red Sox and the other two have been by LHP Derrick Loop, who leads the league...

MIGHTY MERCER: INF Jordy Mercer went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored last night...He has now hit in eight straight games and is batting .323 (10-for-31) with three doubles, three RBI and six runs scored over that time...Last night was his second straight multi-hit contest and he is now 4-for-9 (.444) with a pair of doubles and two runs scored in this series...Mercer leads the Hillcats with his 63 RBI and is second in the league with his 33 doubles...

MOTORING B-MO: RHP Bryan Morris tossed six innings last night and did not allow an earned run in picking up his fourth win of the season...He has won his last two starts since returning from the Suspended List (2-0, 1.42 ERA)...The former first round draft pick has now essentially thrown three straight quality starts (only non-quality outing was suspended due to rain)...After failing to go six innings in his first seven starts, Morris has gotten through six frames in his last four starts that were not shortened due to weather...

CLUBBING FOR A CROWN: C Kris Watts went 4-for-5 last night with two doubles and a run scored...It was just the second time in his career (the other, 6/13 @ Kinston) he has smacked four hits in a contest...The all-star backstop is leading the Carolina League with his .313 batting average...With 19 games left to play he leads his closest competitor by 14 points on the leader board in the battle for the batting crown...Last season Hillcats INF Jim Negrych led the Carolina League with his .370 batting average...

PRIORITY PACKAGE: Priority reliever RHP Tom Boleska worked two scoreless innings on Tuesday night...The right-hander has now not allowed an earned run since his return from the Disabled List on July 19th...That span now covers 20 and 1/3 innings pitched...On the season he has allowed just one earned run in 26 and 1/3 innings for an ERA of 0.34...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Eammon Portice was selected by the Red Sox in the 12th round of 2007 draft out of High Point University...In his three years with the Panthers, he went a combined 19-17 with a 3.99 ERA in 51 games (48 starts) as a member of the Big South Conference...He made his professional debut in 2007 with Short-Season Low-A Lowell and went 0-2 with a 5.01 ERA in 14 games in relief with the Spinners...Last season he made two appearances (one start) with the GCL Red Sox and did not allow a run, but he spent the majority of the season with full season Low-A Greenville...With the Drive he posted a 4-4 record with a 3.64 ERA in 18 games (11 starts) in the South Atlantic League...This season he progressed to Advanced-A and has gone 6-6 with a 4.58 ERA in 21 starts with Salem...Tonight will be his third start against Lynchburg, he is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in his two starts versus the Hillcats thus far...

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Carolina League Stories from August 20, 2009


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