Hot Rods Game Notes
August 31, 2022 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Bowling Green Hot Rods News Release
The first game of tonight's twin bill begins with at 4:05 PM CT first pitch.
Keeping the Momentum... The Hot Rods beat Asheville for the fifth-straight time this season, taking control by scoring five runs between the fourth and seventh innings in a 5-2 victory. Heriberto Hernandez drove in two runs for the 19th time this season, going two-for-four with a double. Victor Muñoz had a solid start, his first start for BG since August 21 when he opened for Anthony Molina. Muñoz shut out the Tourists in 4.0 innings of work with a walk, four hits and a strikeout. Kyle Whitten earned his fourth win of the year in 2.0 shutout innings on one hit and a strikeout and Matthew Peguero returned to the Hot Rods bullpen with an unearned run in the ninth and a strikeout in his first appearance for Bowling Green since June.
Yesterday's Notes... Hernandez extended his on-base streak to 26 games... He also moved into a three-way tie for fourth on the Hot Rods single-season RBI list with 81... He's tied with Derek Dietrich (2011) and Brett Sullivan (2016)... Jesús Sanchez (2017) and Moises Gomez (2018) are tied for second... Ovalles has a 21-game streak... Auer has been on base in 24-straight games... BG is 15-7 in the opening game of a series... They're 9-3 against Asheville this year... BG is 3-3 at McCormick Field in 2022 and 8-11 all-time...
Record Tracker... A few Hot Rods players are closing in on club records entering in to the last two weeks of the 2022 season. Heriberto Hernandez is tied with Jordan Qsar (2021) for the team's single-season home run record (23), tied for fourth in RBIs (81) with Derek Dietrich (2011) and Brett Sullivan (2016), and he's one shy (143) of the single-season strikeout record held by Josh Lowe (2017, 144). Anthony Molina is one win shy of tying the franchise win record of 13, set by George Jensen (2011).
Bosses of the Basepaths... Bowling Green has three players who have reached base in 20 consecutive games. Heriberto Hernandez leads the way with the third-best active streak in the league, reaching base in 26 consecutive games. Mason Auer is reaching base at a rate of almost twice per game this month, with an on-base streak of 24 games and 45 times reached over that span. Alexander Ovalles has reached base in each of his last 21 games as well.
Oh Wow Ovalles... Alexander Ovalles has been on fire for Bowling Green in the month of August. The lefty is batting .313 with an OBP of .405, slugging .641 this month. He's hit five homers this month with 15 RBIs while scoring 15 runs of his own.
Potential Playoff Preview... With 13 games left in the regular season, Bowling Green and Rome seem destined to meet in the playoffs in 2022. Bowling Green locked up their playoff spot with a First-Half South Division Championship back in June, but Rome has been red-hot in the second half of the season. The Braves are a league-best 33-17 in the second half, 3.5 games ahead of Bowling Green in the second half standings. BG began the series with a 1.0 game edge on the Braves in the overall South Division standings. The two teams are fighting for the best overall record in the SAL as well, with Bowling Green owning the top mark at 71-46 and Rome has the third-best record at 69-47. BG and Rome split the series at Bowling Green back in April, and each team won four of six once in the two series played at Rome.
Playoff Ready... With the Hot Rods clinching their spot in the 2022 SAL Playoffs, tickets for the postseason games at Bowling Green Ballpark have gone on sale. The Divisional Round will begin on Tuesday, September 13 at the second-half South Division Champion's ballpark before game two of the series will be at Bowling Green Ballpark on Thursday, September 15. If game three is necessary, the Hot Rods will host that game on Friday, September 16. In the event the Hot Rods advance to the League Championship, they'll host game-one on Sunday, September 18 before finishing the series on the road on Tuesday, September 20 and Wednesday, September 21at the North Division's winner.
Clinched!... BG finished the first half leading their division for the third time in club history, clinching a playoff spot with 2018's Midwest League Champions and again in 2011. (there were no halves in 2021). 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. The 2022 club became the third Hot Rods team to the 40-win mark in a half.
South Atlantic League Stories from August 31, 2022
- Cyclones Lose a Heartbreaker, But Still Move into 1st Place - Brooklyn Cyclones
- Two HRs in Game One; GW Hit in Game Two for Radcliff as Claws Sweep Pair - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Renegades Fall to BlueClaws - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Tourists Sweep Hot Rods in Wednesday Double-Header - Asheville Tourists
- BG Suffers Sweep in Doubleheader on Wednesday - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- BlueClaws, RWJBarnabas Health to Host Equipment Drive over Last Homestand - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Cyclones Announce 2023 Season Schedule - Brooklyn Cyclones
- HVR Game Notes - August 31, 2022 - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- BlueClaws Unveil 2023 Schedule - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Winston-Salem Dash Announce 2023 Schedule - Winston-Salem Dash
- Blue Rocks Announce 2023 Schedule - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Renegades 2023 Schedule Announced - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Crawdads Release 2023 Schedule - Hickory Crawdads
- Renegades Game Suspended - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Justin Meis Pitches Hoppers to Lead in I-40 Rivalry - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Dash Lose Opener in Battle of I-40 - Winston-Salem Dash
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