Hillcats game notes
Published on April 23, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (7-11) @ MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS (10-9)
APRIL 23rd, 2008 -- 7:05 PM
@ BB&T Coastal Field
LHP Daniel Moskos (2-0, 2.81) vs. RHP Gonzalo Lopez (0-2, 4.61)
THE HILLCATS: Lynchburg dropped the second game of a three-game series against Myrtle Beach with a 5-2 loss to the Pelicans...The Hillcats fell to 3-3 on their current 11-game road trip...
VS. MYRTLE BEACH: Last season the Hillcats won the series series against the Pelicans 12-8...Myrtle Beach holds the all-time advantage 97-84 and are 53-40 against the Cats on the Grand Strand...
KEEPS ON ROLLING: Third baseman Jim Negrych continued his assault on the Carolina League last night with his eighth muli-hit game this season in just 17 games played...He entered the day first in the league in hits (25), second in batting average (.391), third in on-base percentage (.443), tied for third in runs scored (13) and fifth in RBI (11)...
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: First baseman Kent Sakamoto enters today leading the league in doubles with 10...He is also tied for first in extra-base hits (11), third in hits (22), fourth in RBI (12) and ninth in batting average (.306)...
GOING LONG: Monday night Steve Lerud homered in the ninth inning to end a drought of over 450 at-bats without a home run for Lynchburg...The Hillcats hadn't homered since Lerud went yard in the fourth game of the season...
ALL OR NOTHING: In the Hillcats seven wins this year they are averaging 8.3 runs per game, while they are averaging just 1.6 runs per game in their 11 losses...On Sunday they got shutout for the fifth time this season in 16 games...In 2007 the Hillcats were only shutout seven times in 137 contests...
BETTER AS HE GOES: LHP Daniel Moskos has gotten better with each start in his first season at the Advanced-A level...He took a no-decision in his first start as he allowed five runs (two earned) in five innings...In his second start the lefty allowed two runs in five innings to earn his first win in the Green and Gold...And in his last start he allowed just one run in six innings to move to 2-0...The Pirates first round draft pick (fourth overall) in the 2007 draft finished his career at Clemson University with 16 saves and a 3.25 ERA in 81 appearances (10 starts)...
CHANGING THINGS UP: Baseball America said LHP Tony Watson has the "Best Changeup" in the Pirates minor league system...The ninth round selection in the 2007 struckout 58 batters in 67.2 ip and walked just eight...
KNOWN FOR HIS "D": INF Brian Friday was named the "Best Defensive Infielder" in the Pirates minor league organization by Baseball America prior to the start of the 2008 season...Friday was a third round pick of the Pirates in last year's draft out of Rice University...He was a member of their World Series teams in 2006 and 2007, which finished third in the country...
TOP PROSPECTS: Three of the Pirates' top 30 prospects from Baseball America are beginning the year with the Hillcats...LHP Daniel Moskos (#5) posted a combined ERA of 3.45 in 13 appearances with no decisions and one save with the GCL Pirates and the State College Spikes...LHP Tony Watson (#11) went 6-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 10 starts in State College prior to a late season call-up to Hickory...Watson was named to the New York-Penn League mid-season All-Star team...INF Brian Friday (#12) batted .295 with two home runs and 13 RBI for State College in 40 games...
MEET THE STAFF: Jeff Branson, 41, enters his 5th season in the Pittsburgh organization and 2nd as manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats...The former Major Leaguer spent two years at the helm of the Hickory Crawdads prior to his arrival in Lynchburg...His career managerial record is 211-270 (.439)...Bob Milacki, 43, enters his fourth consecutive season as pitching coach of the Hillcats...Chris Truby, 35, enters his first full season of coaching after serving as the hitting coach for the GCL Pirates at the end of last season...
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