MWL1 Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Game Notes

Published on August 11, 2019 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Bowling Green has won three-straight and would take back the lead in the Eastern Division second-half standings with a Sunday win.

About Yesterday... Bowling Green scored a late run to take the first game of a three-game series with the Great Lakes Loons on Saturday night, pulling even in the second-half standings with the Loons in the process. Seaver Whalen led the offensive attack in the first inning, driving a solo homer over the left field wall to give BG a 1-0 lead in the first. Ford Proctor added a blast of his own in the third while Jonathan Aranda's ground out to first with the bases loaded plated a run to extend the Bowling Green lead to 3-0. Justin Yurchak cut BG's lead to one in the sixth with a two-run homer before Easton McGee struck out Jair Camargo for his eight K of the evening while ending his start in the process. The Loons tied the game in the seventh, but Osmy Gregorio scored in the ninth on a wild pitch to put Bowling Green up 4-3. Nick Sprengel allowed a walk to the first batter he faced in the seventh out of the bullpen, but retired the next seven Loons in order to cap off the Hot Rods third-straight victory of the road trip in 4-3 fashion despite being out-hit by Great Lakes.

Tied Atop the Division... The Hot Rods won their third-straight game on Saturday, finding a way to overcome a two inning rally by the Loons en route to a 4-3 win. The victory give the Hot Rods a share of first place in the division while still maintaining their position in the driver's seat in the race for second-half playoff qualifying. There are two spots left in the Eastern Division, with BG three games ahead of South Bend (the next elidgable team) and five up on Lansing. Seven of the Hot Rods 22 remaining contests are against the Cubs while BG completed their season schedule against the Lugnuts. The current three-game series against Great Lakes will wrap up the two team's season series, as well. Great Lakes and Lake County both secured playoff spots after the Loons won the first half division crown and Lake County finished second in the Wild Card spot.

Splendid Sprengel... Nick Sprengel won his first game of 2019, and first since August 25, 2018. The southpaw hasn't allowed an earned run in his last eight appearances and has held opponents to six total over his last ten outings. Sprengel is 1-2 over that stretch in 18.1 innings of work with a 2.95 ERA and has 18 strikeouts.

Let's Get Loony... The top two squads in the East Division, both in the second half and the full season, square off as Bowling Green and Great Lakes match up for their final series of the regular season. The Hot Rods have fared well against the Loons, posting an 8-3 record, highlighted by a series victory at the Dow Diamond on April 18-20 and a four-game sweep in Bowling Green on June 25-28 that catapulted the Hot Rods into first place, beginning a 41-day stay atop the standings. The two teams are tied for the division's second-half lead while the Loons already have a playoff berth after winning the first half division title.

The Tools to Succeed... Baseball America released their "Best Tools" list on Wednesday. Former Hot Rods shortstop Wander Franco picked up three wins, taking home "Best Batting Prospect", "Best Strike Zone Judgement", and "Most Exciting Player" categories. Right-handed starter Alan Strong was voted as having the best control for any pitcher in the league as well. In total, 14 categories were won by current or former Hot Rods for the 2019 version of the list, which polls managers from every league in the minors who vote to elect winners in each category.

Champions of the Sun... The Hot Rods have been incredible during day games this season, posting a 21-7 record in those contests during the 2019 season. Heading into Sunday's 1:05 PM CDT first pitch, The pitching staff has a 2.62 ERA over 28 games having gone a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities. The staff is allowing a .223 while striking out 238 and walking 80 over 240.1 innings. The hitters have been on first, too, during daylight hours. The Hot Rods are batting .290 in their 28 games with 25 homers, having outscored their opponents 175-91 (that's a run differential of +83) and posting a team OBP of .369. Standouts include Ford Proctor and his .330 batting average, Chris Betts' six home runs, Erik Ostberg's .500 batting average (in six games), Grant Witherspoon's 21 runs scored, and Caleb Sampen's 6-1 record (with 1.23 ERA).

Yesterday's Notes... Whalen has homered twice in three games... He's also got a hit in six consecutive games... Proctor extended his hit streak to seven games with his third inning homer... It was the first time he hit a homer run since June 27... That was against the Loons, as well... Sprengel ended a four-game personal losing streak... He earned his first win since August 25, 2018... He hasn't allowed an earned run in his last eight appearances, spanning 14.1 innings of work out of the bullpen... McGee tied a career-high with eight strikeouts... It's the second time in his career and this season he reached the mark... The Hot Rods are now 3-0 in his starts against the Loons... Gregorio had his 19th multi-hit game of the season... Figueroa made his Hot Rods debut... Qsar had his sixth outfield assist of the season... It's his third assist on an out at home plate in 2019... The Hot Rods improve to 8-3 against Great Lakes this season... They're 3-1 at Dow Diamond this year... The team is 9-7 when wearing their orange uniforms on the road and 16-11 overall this year... BG is 6-4 in August... They're 20-20 in one-run games this season... The team is 22-15 in the first game of a series this season... Sprengel's win gives the bullpen a win-loss record of 26-24 in 2019... BG improves to 47-21 when they score first this season... It's their 12th win of the year when outhit by their opponent...

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Midwest League Stories from August 11, 2019


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