Hot Rods Game Notes
July 27, 2021 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
Tonight's game is the first of a six-game series and 12-game road trip for Bowling Green and it's the first meeting between the two teams since June when the Hot Rods took five of six games in Kentucky. This is the first time in BG's history that they'll play in Aberdeen, MD.
Sunday... Bowling Green made a late charge, overcoming a four-run deficit to earn an 8-6 victory over the Rome Braves on Sunday, winning their 15th game in 17 contests. Hill Alexander popped a homer in the second while Jordan Qsar's clout in the sixth off starter Darius Vines made it a 6-5 game after BG trailed by four. The Hot Rods took the lead in the seventh when Pedro Martinez, who led the team with two hits, drove a double to center to scratch two runs across. Connor Hollis followed with a double of his own to push the Hot Rods to the 8-6 comeback in closing out Rome with a 5-1 series win.
The Cream Rises to the Top... The Hot Rods have been on an absolute tear this season, and that's continued into July. They have the fifth-highest team batting average this season while clubbing a High-A leading and team-record 115 homers. Bowling Green has scored the second-most runs in the High-A ranks (427). The pitching staff has worked wonders, too. Besides being one of two teams to win 50 games in the minors this season, BG is leading MiLB in WHIP (1.12). The club is also #1 in walks allowed, 8th in earned runs, and 12th in batting average against. The Hot Rods pitching staff also leads High-A in limiting hit batsmen, and are second in team ERA. BG still leads High-A in homers, but they're also fifth in the minors (five behind Las Vegas) and have more homers than 12 MLB teams.
Swings and Misses... The pitching staff for Bowling Green has excelled at getting strikeouts this season. On Friday, the Hot Rods tied their season-high with 19 K's in a 5-4 win against the Braves. The staff has posted double-digit strikeouts in 12 of their 24 games this month and are 29-7 this season when accruing 10+ punchouts in a game. Three of those contests were against Aberdeen with 12 K's on June 10, 10 on June 11, and 11 on June 13.
Record-Streak... Bowling Green set their franchise record for their longest win streak at 11 games with a 5-4 walk-off win over the Braves on Friday. The streak beats the previous 10-game record set by the Hot Rods in 2018 & 2019. The streak started on July 11th in Rome against the Braves, and the Hot Rods carried it through the first half of the homestand, sweeping Winston-Salem in a six-game series. The Hot Rods offense is putting up 5.27 runs per game over that span.
Sunday's Notes... Martinez had his seventh multi-hit game of the year... He also collected his fifth multi-RBI performance of the season... Hollis had his eighth multi-hit and his fourth multi-RBI game of 2021... Qsar's two-run homer was his 15th and he leads the team... It also gave him his ninth multi-RBI game of the season... Alexander had his fifth multi-RBI performance of the year... The Hot Rods are 29-7 this season at Bowling Green Ballpark... Their 29 wins at home are the most in the High-A East... The Hot Rods finish the 12-game homestand 11-1... BG is 21-9 this year against Rome... They are 12-5 against the Braves at home... BG is the second team in the Minors to reach 50 wins this season... The Charleston RiverDogs (Low-A Rays Affiliate) were the first to reach the milestone earlier in the day...
Now pitching: Zack Trageton... Trageton makes his 15th appearance of the season in his 11th start and second outing against the Ironbirds. Trageton faced Aberdeen on June 10th out of the bullpen, going 3.0 innings while holding the Ironbirds to one run on one hit with a pair of strikeouts. In July Trageton has pitched to the tune of a 1-0 record with a 4.24 ERA through four games with 13 strikeouts and five walks. He has the lowest K/9 of active players on the Hot Rods with 8.0, but is tied for the lowest homer-to-fly ball rate at 11.1%.
South Atlantic League Stories from July 27, 2021
- Hunt Goes Deep Twice in 9-3 Hot Rods Win over IronBirds on Tuesday - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Fast Start Propels Tourists to a Win in Rome - Asheville Tourists
- Cyclones Hit Record 6 HRs in 14-5 Win - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Late Score Lifts Asheville to Series-Opening Win in Rome - Rome Emperors
- Drive Game Postponed; Doubleheader Wednesday at 5:00 - Greenville Drive
- Tuesday's Series Opener Postponed - Hickory Crawdads
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (July 27) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Braves Beaten Five Times in Bowling Green - Rome Emperors
- Toby Keith "Country Comes to Town Tour" to Take Stage at Bowling Green Ballpark on October 2nd - Bowling Green Hot Rods
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