HVR Game Notes - May 1, 2022
May 1, 2022 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release
Wilmington Blue Rocks (9-11) vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (12-8)
RHP Matt Merrill (0-1, 3.48 ERA) vs. RHP Blane Abeyta (0-1, 2.45 ERA)
| Game 21 | Home Game 12 | Dutchess Stadium | Wappingers Falls, NY | May 1, 2022 | First Pitch 2:05 p.m. |
Stat Packs, Game Notes, and Lineups are available in the Renegades Digital Press Room: www.bit.ly/HVRPressRoom
Video Highlights will be updated throughout the game at this link (credit: Hudson Valley Renegades/MiLB.tv): 05-01 Hudson Valley Renegades Broadcast Highlights vs WIL
IT'S GONNA BE MAY: The Hudson Valley Renegades play the final game of their 12-game homestand today as they tangle one last time with the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Renegades are 8-3 in the first 11 games of the homestand, and have taken four of the first five with the Blue Rocks. Overall in the month of April, Hudson Valley was 12-8 (.600), comfortably securing a winning month. This season was the first time in franchise history that the Renegades have played games in April.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Renegades won in dramatic fashion, with Eduardo Torrealba's go-ahead, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth securing a 7-6 win over the Blue Rocks. Blas Castaño turned in a solid start, allowing one run in 5.0 innings and departing in line for a win. After the Blue Rocks struck back, the Gades countered for the win. The offense was speared by a franchise record-tying nine stolen bases.
FUN DIFFERENTIAL: Through 20 games, the Renegades are +26 in run differential, second-best in the South Atlantic League North Division. Aberdeen (+33) has the best run differential in the division, while Bowling Green and Rome (+36) are tops in the SAL. However, with only 71 runs allowed, the Renegades have allowed the second-fewest runs of any team in the 12-team league, with Brooklyn (62 RA) being the only team to give up fewer.
DON'T STOP THE STEAL!: On Saturday, April 30, the Hudson Valley Renegades tied a franchise record with nine stolen bases against the Wilmington Blue Rocks on nine attempts. James Nelson swiped three bags, while Aldenis Sánchez had two, and Everson Pereira, Austin Wells, Eduardo Torrealba and Cooper Bowman all had one each. That mark tied for the most stolen bases for Hudson Valley since they stole nine against the State College Spikes on July 5, 2010. In that game, Burt Reynolds (not the actor) stole three bases, and the Gades were caught stealing twice. A note: Nine stolen bases is a Portal Era (2005 - Present) record for the franchise. Game logs from 2004 and earlier are incomplete and may provide new information.
OFF TO THE RACES: Through 20 games, the Hudson Valley Renegades lead all teams in Minor League Baseball in stolen bases with 56.
- Jersey Shore (PHI) has 51 to place second among all teams. The Gades has been caught stealing 11 times, leading to a success rate of 83.6%.
- The Renegades have stolen the most bases of any team in the Yankees organization, with Somerset (AA) ranking second with 32.
- With 56 steals through 20 games, the Renegades are stealing an average of 2.8 bases per game, which puts them on pace for 370 on the season, which would smash the previous franchise record of 149 in 2021.
- Cooper Bowman leads the team with 12 steals, which is second in the SAL. Bowman has stolen multiple bases in a game four times this season. Aldenis Sánchez is tied for third in the circuit with 10 swipes.
- Austin Wells is 8-for-8 in steals this year, and is 24-for-24 in stolen base attempts in his career.
- The Renegades have stolen at least six bases in a game as a team three times this season, including a season-high nine on 4/30.
HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELLS: After a slow start to the season, Austin Wells has put together a torrid stretch in the last two weeks. In his last nine games (since 4/17), the catcher is 14-for-30, with two doubles, two home runs, nine walks, eight strikeouts and seven stolen bases. With the outburst, he raised his season batting line from .148/.273/.222 to .316/.444/.491, a 440-point jump in OPS. Wells is the Yankees No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, who also ranks him as the No. 95 prospect in MiLB, and the No. 10 overall catching prospect.
CLOSE CALLS: After dropping their first four one-run games of the season, the Renegades have won two such contests with the Blue Rocks this week, to run their record to 2-4 in one-run games. However, Hudson Valley is the reverse, 4-2, in games decided by two-runs. In 2021, the Gades were 25-12 (.676) in one-run games, and 11-11 (.500) in two-run games.
A NEW ERA: With a team ERA of just 3.24 (62 ER/172.0 IP), the Hudson Valley Renegades rank third in the South Atlantic League in ERA behind Brooklyn (2.98) and Bowling Green (3.22). Additionally, that mark is the sixth-best among High-A teams, with Tri-City (2.87, LAA), Lake County (2.94, CLE), and Cedar Rapids (2.99, MIN) and all posting sub-3.00 marks.
ON THE CLOCK: Friday, April 15 marked an historic day for the South Atlantic League and across Minor League Baseball as it was the first game in which the new pitch clock rules were enforced. In the first night under the rules, game times across Minor League Baseball plummeted, with nearly 30 minutes shaved off the average game, according to numbers run by J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Through Tuesday's action, average game times have been cut by approximately 20 minutes, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. However, MLB has temporarily suspended the pitch clock at Dutchess Stadium until further notice. Even without the pitch clock, the Renegades have played only two games longer than three hours since the implementation of the rules.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: The Hudson Valley Renegades hit a season-high five doubles in the win over Wilmington on Saturday. Cooper Bowman, Pat DeMarco, James Nelson, Aldenis Sánchez, and Eduardo Torrealba all contributed two-base hits.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 1, 2022
- Drive Escape Sweep - Greenville Drive
- Crawdads Streak Snapped in Sunday's Series Finale - Hickory Crawdads
- Dash Drop Series Finale to Tourists 3-2 - Winston-Salem Dash
- Matt Gorski's HR Lifts Hoppers in Series Finale - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Renegades Falter Late in Loss to Wilmington - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Hot Rods Leave Brooklyn in Their Dust, Cyclones Fall 4-0 - Brooklyn Cyclones
- McDermott, Chaidez Power Yacumamas to Victory - Asheville Tourists
- Ovalles, Johnson Lift Hot Rods to Shutout Win Sunday - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Hot Rods Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- HVR Game Notes - May 1, 2022 - Hudson Valley Renegades
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