SAL Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Game Notes

Published on June 26, 2021 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


Tonight's first pitch is at 6:00 PM CT.

Yesterday... Jacson McGowan led the way for Bowling Green in a 5-2 loss on Friday night to the Hickory Couch Potatoes, hitting a homer as part of a two-hit night. BG was held two five hits with 11 strikeouts in the loss, the first one to Hickory since 2009. The Hot Rods can win the series against the Crawdads on Saturday with a win.

Saturdays are for the Rods... Bowling Green is 5-1 this season on Saturday games. The pitching staff has logged 58.0 innings, posting a 4.03 ERA with 71 strikeouts and just 15 walks while holding opponents to a .202 batting average. BG hitters are swinging it at a .233 clip with eight homers, scoring 39 runs. They've also stolen 13 bases while being caught just three times.

Amongst the Best... Hot Rods pitching has done an incredible job this season in keeping mistakes to a low. Bowling Green is tied for the lowest WHIP in all of the Minors and own the second-lowest walk total, trailing fellow Rays affiliate Montgomery. The staff has also uncorked the third-lowest wild pitch total and are, of course, tied for third for the most wins in the minors this season. The hitters have put on a massive power display, and are sixth in homers across the Minors, trailing only Asheville (5th) at the High-A level. Ten of the top 12 teams in homers this season are all AAA clubs, who use the MLB ball.

898 and Counting... Jeff Smith is in his first season as Hot Rods manager and second with the Tampa Bay Rays but it's his 13th season managing a minor league team. The BG skipper has compiled 898 career wins dating back to 2006 when he managed the Beloit Snappers, then Class-A affiliate to the Minnesota Twins. Smith owns a 415-316 record at the A-Advanced/High-A level, having managed the Twins A+ teams in Fort Myers ('08, '09, '15, '16) and the Charlotte Stone Crabs ('19) where he skippered the club to an 82-53 record, the most wins for a club under his charge in his career.

Hurling Away From Home... Bowling Green pitchers have been sharp on the current road trip. The Hot Rods are 7-2 since hitting the road on June 13th. Over that span, pitchers have held opponents to four runs or less in four games, going 5-0 over those games.

Stay Hot... The Bowling Green Hot Rods have been one of the best clubs in all of the minors this season and have the best record in the High-A East. With their win on Thursday, they became the third team in the minors and the first in High-A to reach 30 wins in 2021. Maybe even more staggering is the fact that BG is 20-8 when facing clubs with a record of .500 or better while maintaining a run differential of +76, by far the best in the High-A East.

Yesterday's Notes... Friday's loss snaps a five-game win streak... McGowan had his sixth multi-hit game... He also collected his sixth multi-RBI effort... BG is 15-11 on the road this season... They're also 0-2 in games decided by three runs in 2021... Bowling Green is 3-1 against Hickory this year... They're also 6-6 all-time against the Crawdads... The Hot Rods are 16-4 in the month of June... BG is 12-7 when their opponents score first...

Now pitching: Joe La Sorsa... La Sorsa makes his ninth appearance and sixth start of the season on Saturday night against Hickory. In his last outing against Rome, the southpaw took a no-decision after 3.0 scoreless innings, holding the Braves to three hits with four strikeouts. Opponents facing the lefty have endured a .216 BABIP this season while stranding 88.5% of baserunners. La Sorsa is keeping hitters grounded with a 59.7% ground ball rate, but when opponents do hit a fly ball, 23.8% of them leave the yard. La Sorsa has never faced the Crawdads and will make his first career start against a Texas Rangers affiliate.

Check out the Bowling Green Hot Rods Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 26, 2021


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