SAL Hudson Valley Renegades

HVR Game Notes - August 30, 2022

August 30, 2022 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release


Jersey Shore BlueClaws (44-76, 19-35) vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (66-53, 32-21)

RHP Victor Vargas (1-1, 2.74 ERA) vs. RHP Juan Carela (1-1, 6.75 ERA)

| Game 120 | Home Game 60 | Dutchess Stadium | Wappingers Falls, N.Y. | August 30, 2022 | First Pitch 7:05 p.m. |

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN The Renegades begin their final home series of the 2022 regular season tonight as they host the Jersey Shore BlueClaws to kick off a six-game series. Hudson Valley is 5-1 on its current 12-game homestand, and has won five straight games. The BlueClaws enter the series having lost seven in a row, including a six-game sweep last week by the Brooklyn Cyclones.

GETTING HEATED IN THE SAL NORTH: With 12 games left to play this season, the SAL North Division is one of the races in Minor League Baseball, with three teams separated by 2.5 games. The Renegades are in first by themselves at 32-21, while Brooklyn sits in second at 32-22 and Aberdeen in third at 30-24. Aberdeen won the first half and has already punched its ticket to the playoffs. They await the winner of the second half. If the IronBirds win the second half, the second playoff spot goes to the team with the second-best full-season record.

IT'S MAGIC, YOU KNOW: With 12 games left to play the Renegades magic number over the Brooklyn Cyclones to clinch a playoff spot is 12.

ABOUT LAST GAME: The Renegades won a back-and-forth contest with the Hickory Crawdads on Sunday afternoon 9-7. The win was Hudson Valley's fifth-straight home win, a new season best. Carlos Narvaez lined a three-run triple to center in the first to kick off the scoring, before the Crawdads took a 6-4 lead. The Gades Battled back to tie with two in the sixth on three doubes, and three in the seventh to take the lead for good thanks to a two-run single form Kyle Battle.

MISSION TO MARS: Renegades OF Jasson Domínguez has been on a tear as of late, picking up multiple hits in five of his last 10 games. Since August 17, Domínguez is hitting a scorching .378/.429/.578 (17-for-45) with 11 R, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 8 K and is 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts. The 19-year-old is batting .298/.397/.460 in 32 games since his promotion from Single-A.

DON'T RUN ON THE MARTIAN: With two outfield assists Wednesday night, Jasson Domínguez has five in 29 games in centerfield with the Renegades this season. That is tied with Johan Rojas (63 G, JS) for most among SAL centerfielders this season.

SOONER BOOMER: With his 19th home run of the season Friday, Tyler Hardman edged closer to the Renegades single-season home run record, and is now just three behind Dan Grummitt (22 in 1999). Hardman also sits third on the Renegades career home run list behind Grummitt and Everson Pereira (23). After having just six double-digit home run seasons in team history from 1994-2019, 10 Renegades have hit 10-or-more longballs since 2021, coinciding with the move to full-season baseball and the Yankees affiliation.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Scoring many runs gives a team a better chance to win a baseball game, and the 2022 Renegades are no exception. With Sunday's 9-7 win over Hickory, Hudson Valley is now 32-2 (.941) this season when scoring 7-or-more runs. The Gades are 34-51 (.400) when scoring 7-or-fewer runs.

DRIVING THEM IN AT A RECORD PACE: Renegades INF Tyler Hardman set the Renegades single-season RBI record on August 17 with a ninth-inning double off Brooklyn's Keyshawn Askew. With his 59th RBI of the season, Hardman surpassed the mark set by Dan Grummitt in 1999. Hardman currently ranks third all-time on the Renegades all-time RBI list, behind Jacson McGowan's club record 82 and former teammate Everson Pereira's 75.

CLOSE GAME TROUBLES: Throughout the season, the Renegades have struggled in close games, going 14-17 (.452) in one-run games and 11-14 (.440) in two-run games. Overall, the Gades are 25-31 (.446) in such contests, a disappointing mark. On average, teams finish around .500 in such games. The struggles in one- and two-run games are part of the reason why the Renegades are four games worse than their expected win-loss record of 70-49 based on their run differential.

PINSTRIPED PITCHING PROWESS: Strength in pitching is a theme across the New York Yankees minor league system and the Renegades are no exception. The staff sports a 3.68 ERA on the season, best in the South Atlantic League. It also ranks as the fourth-best staff ERA in High-A, and 7th-best in the minor leagues. All four Yankees affiliated teams rank in the top 35 in the minors in ERA -- Somerset 3.53, 4th; Tampa 3.84, t16th; Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 4.09, t32nd.

A DAY AT THE RACES: With Carlos Narvaez's steal of third base in the seventh inning on July 6, the Renegades stole their collective 150th base of the season to set a new franchise record. It took only 77 games to break the record that was set by the 2021 Renegades in 120 games. The Gades enter play Tuesday with 217 stolen bases on the year, fourth-most in the minors behind Down East (A, TEX -- 277), Lake Elsinore (A, SD -- 230) and Charleston (A, TB -- 223). The Renegades' 200th steal of the season was Spencer Henson swiping third at Brooklyn on August 18.

FITTS-MAGIC: Renegades starter Richard Fitts became the first SAL pitcher to complete 8.0 innings in a game in one day on Saturday against Hickory. Jersey Shore's Matt Russell threw 8.0 innings in a game against Wilmington on 5/1, but that game was suspended and resumed weeks later with Russell lined up to continue pitching. Fitts is just the fourth pitcher across all High-A leagues to complete 8.0 innings in a start.

Check out the Hudson Valley Renegades Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from August 30, 2022


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