Hot Rods Game Notes
Published on June 23, 2019 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Today's game will wrap up a four-game series ahead of Monday's league-wide off day.
About Last Night... The Hot Rods took a two-run advantage against South Bend starter Faustino Carrera in the second inning. Grant Witherspoon led off with a single to left that dropped between three Cubs players. Witherspoon stole second and went to third when Seaver Whalen grounded out to short. With two outs, Tony Pena singled to center field to plate Witherspoon and give Bowling Green a 1-0 lead. Carrera tried to pick off Pena at first but threw the ball away into the Cubs bullpen in right field. Jonathan Sierra chased the ball into the bullpen but couldn't find it before Pena scored on the error to give the Hot Rods a 2-0 edge. South Bend got a run back against Hot Rods reliever Joel Peguero in the eighth. Marcus Mastrobuoni doubled to left on a fly ball with one out and scored two batters later with two outs when Andy Weber singled to center, making it a 2-1 game. Peguero got Brennan Davis to pop-out to second, ending the inning and the threat. South Bend made it interesting in the ninth with Peguero still on the mound. Chris Morel singled to left with one out and went to third when Sierra reached on an error at short with two outs. Gustavo Polanco grounded out to shortstop, ending the inning and the game as the Hot Rods held on for a 2-1 win.
Sunday Funday... The Hot Rods enter Sunday's series finale against the Cubs with a 7-3 Sunday record this season. The pitching staff has posted a 3.10 ERA on Sundays this season, while the hitters have clubbed five homers to go along with a .256 batting average. Kaleo Johnson, who was promoted to A+ Charlotte, had a .400 batting average on the final day of the weekend, but now the highest average on the team belongs to Grant Witherspoon, who's batting .333 through five games. Ford Proctor has a .313 average and is the only player on the team to have participated in all 10-Sunday contests. Today's starter, Alan Strong, has pitched on one Sunday this season -- a start against the Peoria Chiefs on the road where the righty threw seven innings while allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and six K's.
First Half... The Hot Rods finished the first half 5.5 games out of first place and were in contention for the wild card until the second-to-last day of the half, eventually losing out to the Lake County Captains. BG concluded the half 39-31 (the third best first-half mark in franchise history) while batting .251 and 48 homers. The pitching staff concluded the half with a 3.59 ERA. BG was 22-13 at home and 17-18 on the road.
All-Star Break... Eight Hot Rods were selected to participate in the 2019 All-Star festivities this week in South Bend, all of whom got to play. Chris Betts was 0-0 with two walks, Wander Franco was 0-3 with two K's, Roberto Alvarez was 0-2, and Grant Witherspoon was 0-1 with a K as a reserve. On the pitching side faired better, with Alan Strong entering first from the bullpen while authoring 0.1 innings with a hold. Trey Cumbie threw 1.0 innings in a hold with a hit and a walk, Caleb Sampen earned a hold after 1.0 innings, a hit, and a strikeout, and Easton McGee got 0.1 innings of work. The 3-3 ballgame ended in the ninth in a tie, with a Home Run Derby settling the contest. Betts walked-off the Western Division squad, hitting two homers in the 90-second time frame to earn him MVP honors.
Yesterday's Notes... Baz tied his career-high of five innings pitched for the seventh time... Baz's two strikeouts are his lowest total of the season... Proctor extended his hit streak to five games... The Hot Rods are 3-3 on this road trip... They improve to 3-6 in the season series against South Bend... BG is 12-12 in one-run games... Saturday was the Hot Rods seventh victory of the season against a left-handed starter... It was also just their sixth win of the season when they're out-hit... The Cubs and Hot Rods have combined for a total of six runs in the first three games of the series...
Midwest League Stories from June 23, 2019
- Kernels Split Series with Wild Win - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Chiefs Blow Late Lead, Fall to Cedar Rapids - Peoria Chiefs
- Qsar, Santiago Homer as Rally Falls Short in 11-10 Loss - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Justin Jones Powers Bees to First Win of Second Half - Burlington Bees
- Justin Jones Puts Bitter End to Cougars' Weekend - Kane County Cougars
- Nuts Outscore Dragons, 9-6 - Lansing Lugnuts
- Cubs Win Shootout Versus Hot Rods 11-10 - South Bend Cubs
- Brats, Beer, & Beethoven No. 5 Scheduled for July 5 at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Big Inning Lifts Lansing to 9-6 Win over Dragons; Teams Split Series - Dayton Dragons
- Captains Walk It off on Back-To-Back Jacks - Lake County Captains
- Skids Snapped with 4-1 LumberKings Win - Clinton LumberKings
- 'Caps End Road Trip with One-Run Loss - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Rattlers Fall 4-1 to the LumberKings - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Bullpen Wastes Grand Slam in 7-6 Loss - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Today's Game Postponed - Beloit Sky Carp
- Sunday Funday in Midland - Great Lakes Loons
- Bandits Postponed by Unplayable Field Conditions in Beloit - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- TinCaps Game Notes: June 23 at Great Lakes (Game 72) - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- U.S. Cellular and Timber Rattlers Are Taking over Youth Baseball Games - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Dragons Notes for Sunday - Dayton Dragons
- Cubs Can't Complete Comeback and Fall to Hot Rods 2-1 - South Bend Cubs
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