MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Game Notes

Published on May 27, 2019 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


The Hot Rods are looking for their first sweep of the season and the first four-game sweep at Bowling Green Ballpark since August, 2017. Tomorrow will begin a three-game series as the Great Lakes Loons, the first-place team in the Eastern Division, come to town with a 6:35 PM first pitch.

About Yesterday... After an extended run of strong offensive performances, it was the pitching that carried the Hot Rods on Sunday night. Despite a 37-minute rain delay in the middle of the first inning, Shane Baz posted his best start of the season. The 19-year-old right-hander allowed just two hits and struck out a career-high nine batters over his 5.0 innings of work. He was at his best at the end of his outing, striking out the final three men he faced and recording eight punchouts over his final three frames of work in earning his first win. Offensively, the Hot Rods broke through in the fourth, scoring twice on Roberto Alvarez's RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Osmy Gregorio. After a Ford Proctor sacrifice fly in the fifth, Miller Hogan took over on the mound and kept the Dragons at bay. He retired the first 11 men he faced before allowing a solo home run in the ninth, but he nailed down his first save of the season, securing a 3-1 win for the Hot Rods' fifth-straight victory.

Offensive Awakening... After averaging just 2.79 runs per game over the first two weeks (14 games) of May, the Bowling Green offense has experienced a resurgence of late, beginning with the historic 17-0 win over South Bend on May 15. After batting .237 as a team in the first 38 games of the season, the Hot Rods have hit .324 over the past 12 contests, averaging over 12 hits and nearly seven runs per game in that span. Not coincindentally, after starting the month 7-7, the Hot Rods have gone 9-3, improving their overall record to a season-best nine game above .500. On the year, the Hot Rods now boast league-leading totals in batting average (.261) and hits (437), while scoring the second-most runs (241), behind only East Division-leading Great Lakes.

Home Sweet Home... The Hot Rods have continued to bolster their impressive numbers at Bowling Green Ballpark this season. Having won four straight at home, Bowling Green now sits at 16-8 at home, which is the third-best record in the league. Both sides of the ball have been more effective at home, with the pitching staff posting a 2.63 ERA at home (second-best in the league), compared to a 4.02 mark on the road. The offense has enjoyed similar success at home, posting a league-best .284 average and averaging 5.08 runs per game, compared to marks of .240 and 4.58 runs/game away from Bowling Green.

Still Hot at 50... Sunday marks game number 50 of the 2019 season, and also marks the hottest the Hot Rods have been this season, having won five in a row and 8 of their last 10. Bowling Green now sits at 30-20, which is the second-best mark through 50 games in franchise history, behind only last season's 32-18 mark. That stretch of games has typically been kind to BG, with the Hot Rods holding a winning record at the 50-game mark in 7 of their 11 seasons.

Transaction Time... The Hot Rods made a pair of roster moves on Sunday. Infielder Jake Palomaki was promoted to Class A-Advanced Charlotte, where he began the season. Palomaki was batting .250 with one home run and 18 RBI in 33 games before his promotion. In his place, infielder Kevin Santiago was reassigned to Bowling Green from Extended Spring Training. Santiago did not play in 2018 due to injury. The Puerto Rico native previously played in 2017 at Princeton and 2016 for the GCL Rays after being selected in the 20th round of the 2016 MLB Draft.

Yesterday's Notes... Baz tied a career-high with nine strikeouts... He also tied a season high with five innings pitched, a mark he's reached in each of his first four starts this season... The two hits he allowed is the lowest total of the season for the righty... Pena extended his hitting streak to 10 games... Brundage extended his hitting streak to seven games... Whalen has two hits in each of his first two games with Bowling Green... Franco had his 14th multi-hit game of the season... Franco has a multi-hit game in four straight games and 10 of his last 13 contests... Johnson tied a team-high with four hits in a game... The total is also a career-high for Johnson... It's the 11th multi-hit effort for Johnson... Bowling Green starting pitchers have won seven-straight decisions and have made 16-consecutive starts (since May 12) without taking a loss...The hot Rods are 10-3-2 in series this season... Bowling Green is 20-8 in games they score first... The Hot Rods are 15-2 when collecting double-digit hits... BG is 24-6 when out-hitting their opponents...Bowling Green is 16-8 at home...BG is 25-12 against right-handed starters...

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Midwest League Stories from May 27, 2019


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