Hot Rods Game Notes
May 11, 2019 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
About Last Night... The Hot Rods looked to bounce back on Friday night after dropping the series opener to the Clinton LumberKings. As the case has been throughout the homestand, the game was a pitcher's duel throughout. Bowling Green took the lead in the second inning thanks to four straight hits, with Michael Smith driving in Chris Betts for the first run of the contest. The Hot Rods extended the lead to 2-0 as they loaded the bases in the fourth, followed by a sacrifice fly by Osmy Gregorio that brought home Betts. Clinton chipped away, though, scoring a run off Shane McClanahan in the sixth off an RBI double from J.D. Osborne. Justin Marsden relieved McClanahan and stranded the runner at third, but allowed Clinton to tie the game in the seventh on an RBI single by Connor Scott. The Hot Rods took the lead back in the bottom half of the inning as Kaleo Johnson lifted a sac fly to right, scoring Ford Proctor with the deciding run. Chris Muller then came out of the bullpen and fired 2.0 hitless innings, picking up a six-out save to secure the victory.
Piling Up Punchouts... Hot Rods pitching brought the heat on Friday night, striking out a season-high 17 batters. Shane McClanahan tied a career high with nine strikeouts, with Justin Marsden adding three punchouts and Chris Muller striking out five. The 17 K's is the third-most in the Midwest League this season and the most by Bowling Green pitching since May 4, 2018, when Brendan McKay (nine), Riley O'Brien (six) and Tyler Zombro (three), combined for 18 punchouts in a 12-inning win over Burlington. The last time Bowling Green reached that threshold in a nine-inning game was in an 18-strikeout performance on June 3, 2017 at Great Lakes. The collection of K's continues a season-long trend by Hot Rods pitching, who have racked up a league-high 388 strikeouts in just 305.0 innings (11.45 K/9), 26 more than second-place Quad Cities, who have fanned 362.
Reaching the Quarter Pole... Friday night was the 35th game for the Hot Rods this season, meaning that Bowling Green is exactly 1/4 of the way through the 140-game Midwest League slate. The Hot Rods reach the quarter pole with a 20-15, which is the fifth-best mark at that point in the season in franchise history, with a 23-12 start in 2013 leading the way. Last season, the Hot Rods went 22-13 in their first 35 contests on their way to a 90-win season.
Yesterday's Notes... Proctor extended his hitting streak to four games and collected his seventh multi-hit game...Alvarez picked up his eighth multi-hit game...Betts collected his seventh multi-hit game of the season and scored multiple runs for the fifth time...Johnson extended his hitting streak to five games...Smith collected his third multi-hit game...McClanahan went 5.1 innings, the second-longest outing of his career (going 5.2 innings on April 26)...McClanahan also tied his career-high of nine strikeouts for the third time this season...The Hot Rods struck out 17 batters, a season high...BG is now 17-8 in games against a right-handed starter...The Hot Rods are 6-4 in one-run games...BG is 11-6 when they score first...Bowling Green is 17-11 all-time against Clinton, 5-8 at Bowling Green Ballpark...
Midwest League Stories from May 11, 2019
- Conley's Six No-Hit Innings leads the Snappers to a Win - Beloit Sky Carp
- Fort Wayne Falls to Beloit in Series Finale - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Strong Shuts Down LumberKings in 2-1 Victory to Win Series - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Bats Go Silent, LumberKings Drop Series - Clinton LumberKings
- Sands, Snyder Stand out in Narrow Defeat - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Bees Top Dragons 4-1 on Saturday Night - Dayton Dragons
- South Bend Cubs and Peoria Chiefs Game Cancelled - South Bend Cubs
- Chiefs Rained out Saturday - Peoria Chiefs
- Captains End Road Trip with Narrow Loss - Lake County Captains
- Cougars Sweep Lugnuts - Kane County Cougars
- Wisconsin Closes Out Captains to Win Series - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Nuts Wrap up Trip with 8-2 Defeat - Lansing Lugnuts
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Kernels Homestand Preview: May 13-15 - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- TinCaps Game Notes: May 11 at Beloit (Game 34) - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Lugnuts Receive Outfielder Steinmetz from Extended Spring Training - Lansing Lugnuts
- Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Homestand Highlights: May 13-15 - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Dragons Notes for Saturday - Dayton Dragons
- Burlington Bats Boom in 9-4 Victory over Dragons - Burlington Bees
- Cubs Beat Chiefs 5-2 for Third Straight Win - South Bend Cubs
- Picantes' Ninth-Inning Rally Comes up Short - Lake County Captains
- Cantillo Starts Strong, and TinCaps Rally Late to Win - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Snappers lose nail biter in late innings to TinCaps - Beloit Sky Carp
- 'Caps Roast Kernels in 8-1 Win - West Michigan Whitecaps
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