SAL Bowling Green Hot Rods

Hot Rods Game Notes

June 21, 2022 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release


The Hot Rods magic number is 1 and can clinch a playoff spot with either a win or a Hickory Crawdads' loss.

Whatever Tomorrow Brings... Bowling Green won their last game of the first-half home schedule, closing out the series with a 4-2 win. With Hickory's loss on Sunday, the BG magic number is down to one (1) game. With either a win over the next three days or a Hickory loss, the Hot Rods can punch their ticket to the 2022 SAL Postseason.

Sunday's Notes... Manzardo took sole possession of the Hot Rods home run lead with his ninth homer of the season in the third inning... La Sorsa tied Mullen for the team lead with his fifth save... Wicklander got his first win for the Hot Rods... Both of Lopez's homers came at home... Baker recorded his second multi-RBI game of the series with a two-RBI double in the sixth... Basabe's home run was his second at home and first in the month of June... The Hot Rods scored two in the third, bringing their run total in the third inning this year to 45, the second-highest total of any inning this year... The Hot Rods finished the 12-game homestand with a 7-5 record... They also finished the first-half home schedule 21-12 at BG Ballpark...

I'll Be There... Osleivis Basabe has been on a tear in his last 10 games as one of the lynchpins of the Hot Rods offense. He's batting .410 in his last 10 contests, leading the team in runs (10) with a homer, three doubles, four RBIs, and five walks. He's slashing .410/.489/.564 with a 1.053 OPS.

With Open Arms... The Greenville Drive welcome the Hot Rods to Fluor Field at the West End for the first time in 2022. The two teams opened 2021 at the same location. The Hot Rods hit 11 homers that series and scored 45 runs while Greenville scored 33 runs with 13 homers. BG pitching tossed two shutouts, too.

and Open Eyes... Kyle Manzardo currently owns the best walk-per-strikeout rate on the Hot Rods. at 0.65, Manzo is walking 11.6% of the time to a 17.8% strikeouts rate. Basabe has the lowed K% in BG, striking out 14.3% of the time in 2022, the third-best rate in the league. Tanner Murray, who owns a strikeout rate of 19.1%, has the second-lowest on the team and 20th-best in the SAL.

It's Driven Me Before... BG has finished the first-half leading their division twice in club history, clinching a playoff spot with 2018's Midwest League Champions and again in 2011. (there were no halves in 2021)

It Seems to be the Way... The 2011 team finished the first leg of the season with a 41-29 record while the 2018 Hot Rods set a franchise record with 47 wins in the first half and a record of 47-22. They're the only two teams in club history with 40 wins in the first leg of a season, dating back to the first year of existence in 2009. The 2022 club needs two wins to become the third team to the 40-win mark.

That everyone else gets around... The Aberdeen IronBirds (North Division) are the only team in the league to have 40-wins this half (43). Seven teams in the Minors (including Aberdeen) have reached the mark this season including Low-A Charleston, who's 43-20 heading into Tuesday's series opener.

Postseason Push... The 2022 Playoff structure looks a little different than last season's "High-A East" setup. The season is split into two halves, with the first half ending after games on June 23. Each division's team with the best record will earn a berth, with the divisional first and second-half champions facing one another in a three-game series in the postseason. The winners of those series will be crowned division champions, with the two remaining teams set to face one another in a three-game championship series. The Hot Rods finish the first half on the road in Greenville, South Carolina in the middle of a six-game series against the Greenville Drive.

Check out the Bowling Green Hot Rods Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from June 21, 2022


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