CarL1 Hill City Howlers

Hillcats Game Notes August 24th

Published on August 24, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release


Lynchburg dropped game one 6-3 last night, before bouncing back with a 6-0 win in the night cap of the doubleheader against Winston-Salem at City Stadium...The Hillcats are at the tail end of 17 out of 20 games at Calvin Falwell Field...Tonight they play the series opener of a four-game series with Wilmington after splitting a four-game set with the Dash...This series will close out an eight-game homestand for the Cats...

VS. WILMINGTON: The Hillcats are 5-11 against the Blue Rocks this season, 3-3 at City Stadium and 2-8 at Frawley Stadium...Wilmington is the only team in the Carolina League with a winning record versus the Hillcats this season...Last season the Rocks topped the Cats in the season series 11-9 and were 6-4 at home...Wilmington has the all-time advantage over Lynchburg 173-121 and they are 81-63 at City Stadium...Lynchburg was 4-3 in the series this year, but the Rocks have won eight out of nine games since...

SET ‘EM OFF: The last time the Hillcats and Blue Rocks met Wilmington swept Lynchburg at Frawley Stadium...The Rocks entered that series having won two in a row and went on to win 12 straight contests before their next loss...That was part of a stretch in which Wilmington won 15 out of 16 games...Since July 25th, the Blue Crew is 21-6 and they currently enjoy a one-game lead over Potomac for first place in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the Northern Division...

CHANCE TO CLINCH AGAIN: One more win this season will ensure a winning record for the Hillcats in 2009...It would mark the first time since 2005 (78-62) that Lynchburg would post an over .500 record...Prior to this season the Cats have had a winning record four times in their 14 seasons played...They have already secured their sixth playoff appearance since the team began play in 1995...

SOUTHERN FOES: Last night finished the four-game series against Winston-Salem, which was the last of six series in a row (20 games) against a Southern Division opponent for Lynchburg...They went 10-10 over that time and they are now 41-32 versus the division on the year...Prior to that string of games against the South, the Cats played four straight series (13 games) against the Northern Division...

STARTIN' TO HEAT UP: In the month of August the Hillcats starters are posting a 2.86 ERA in 22 games (35 earned runs in 110 innings)...In the last eight games they have a 1.80 ERA (nine earned runs in 45 innings)...

MAC ATTACK: RHP Matt McSwain pitched a seven-inning complete game shutout in game two of the doubleheader last night...It was the first complete game of the season by a Hillcat and the first CG of his career...For his effort, McSwain was named Carolina League Pitcher of-the-Week today for the week of August 17th-23rd...It marks the second time this season a Hillcat hurler has garnered the award (LHP Rudy Owens, August 3rd-9th)...The right-hander now leads the team with 10 wins and 136 and 1/3 innings...He is tied for second in the league in wins, second in innings pitched and seventh in earned run average (3.50)...McSwain is the Hillcats first 10-game winner since 2005...

MIGHTY MERCER: INF Jordy Mercer went a combined 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, two runs scored, two walks and a stolen base last night in the doubleheader...He has hit in 12 of his last 13 games and over that time he is batting .340 (16-for-47) with four doubles, a homer, nine RBI, eight runs scored, six walks and two stolen bases...He is batting .312 (24-for-77) in August after he hit .226 (26-for-115) in July...Mercer leads the Hillcats with 70 RBI and is second in the league with 34 doubles...

RUSTED ROMAK: Since returning from the Disabled List on August 11th, OF Jamie Romak has batted .178 (8-for-45) with 18 strikeouts in 12 games played...In his last four games he is 1-for-16 (.063)...When he went on the Disabled List on July 16th he was 1-for-17 in his last four games, so in his last 16 games played Romak is 2-for-33 (.061)...The former Atlanta Braves farmhand has spent parts of three season with Lynchburg and his 36 home runs as a Hillcat sits three homers shy of Josh Bonifay for the most homers in team history... PRIORITY PACKAGE: Priority reliever RHP Tom Boleska worked three scoreless innings on Saturday 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 23 and 1/3 innings pitched...On the season he has allowed just one earned run in 29 and 1/3 innings for an ERA of 0.31...

TODAY'S OPPOSING PITCHERS: RHP Eduardo Paulino was signed by the Royals in 2006 out of the Dominican Republic...He made his professional debut with full season Low-A Burlington in 2007 and went 3-2 with a 4.86 ERA in 12 starts...Last year he returned to the Bees and went 5-4 with a 3.68 earned run average in 19 games (17 starts)...This season he has pitched 23 games (19 starts) with Wilmington and has gone 8-6 with a 3.75 ERA...Paulino has made three starts against Lynchburg, going 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA...He has lowered his ERA every month of the season...The right-handers victory over the Hillcats on July 27th was the first of five straight wins and in his last six starts he is posting a 1.58 ERA (seven earned runs in 40 innings pitched)...

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Carolina League Stories from August 24, 2009


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