SAL Hudson Valley Renegades

HVR Game Notes - May 27, 2023

May 27, 2023 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release


Hudson Valley Renegades (26-17) at Wilmington Blue Rocks (21-21)

RHP Chase Hampton (1-1, 3.10 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Alvarez (2-1, 3.31 ERA)

| Game 44 | Road Game 23 | Frawley Stadium | Wilmington, Del. | May 27, 2023 | First Pitch 6:35 p.m. |

BACK TO THE MID-ATLANTIC:The Hudson Valley Renegades and Wilmington Blue Rocks meet for their second of five series meetings this season. The Renegades won four out of the six games in their first series back at Heritage Financial Park. The 'Gades made a pair of trips to the First State last season, sporting a 3-5 mark in eight games.

LAST TIME OUT: Juan Carela dazzled across 6.1 innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits and striking out three as the Hudson Valley Renegades defeated the Wilmington Blue Rocks 5-2 on Friday. Bailey Dees followed and collected his second save of the season after a scoreless ninth. Spencer Henson hit his eighth HR of the season and finished with three hits to lead the 'Gades offense.

DON'T TAZE ME, BREAUX:Catcher Josh Breaux begins a Minor League rehab assignment on Saturday with Hudson Valley. He has began the season on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Injured List after an elbow injury in spring training. Breaux is the first rehabber of the season for the Renegades, and their first since Shawn Semple was with the club from 7/28-8/20/22 on a Minor League rehab assignment. Hudson Valley has had two MLB rehabbers in the Yankees Era (2021-Present) as well, Luis Severino (2021) and Ben Rortvedt (2022).

PAVING THE WAY: Aaron Palensky tallied two more extra-base hits on Friday to push his SLG to .736. Friday's performance pushed him past Christopher Morel (CHC) for the MiLB lead, though Morel is now in the majors with the Cubs. In fact, two of the top five MiLB slugging leaders are in the Major Leagues, the other being Matt McLain (CIN).

BIG WINS AND LOSSES:The Renegades have already played in an extraordinary number of lopsided games this season, with 20 of the team's 43 games (46.5%) being decided by 5-or-more runs.

- Hudson Valley sports a 11-9 (.550) record in game decided by 5+ runs.

- The club has already played six games decided by 11-or-more runs (13.9% of games), and has a 3-3 (.500) record in those games.

- The 'Gades have also played nine one-run games, and are 3-6 (.333).

RICHIE RICH: Grant Richardson capped off a stellar week at the plate with a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning on Sunday to snap the 'Gades four-game losing skid. Richardson is currently riding a season-long seven game hitting streak where he's hitting .417 (10-for-24) with a HR, six RBIs, five walks, a stolen base, and two runs. The former Indiana Hoosier has raised his season batting average up 76 points since the start of the streak.

DON'T RUN ON ME:Renegades catcher Antonio Gómez caught Jeremy De La Rosa on Thursday to bring his total to 17 in 22 games behind home plate this year.

- He owns the highest mark in the South Atlantic League and High-A, and good for t-3rd in MiLB.

- Gómez has thrown out 29.8% of would-be basestealers this year. The SAL average is around 21%.

- Nick Clarno (AUG, ATL) leads all of MiLB with 25 while Gómez is t-3rd.

- In the month of May, Gómez has caught 36% of attempted runners (13-for-36).

- After catching just four opponents in April, the 'Gades backstop has improved his CS% by nearly 18% month over month.

GAS STATION:Through 43 games this season the Renegades pitching staff has registered 483 strikeouts, the second most in the SAL and among all High-A teams, and the sixth-most among all non-Triple-A teams in the minor leagues. Hudson Valley pitchers are striking out 11.50 batters per nine innings, and 29.1% of all batters faced this season.

THE K-ZONE:Over their last 15 games, the Renegades pitching staff owns a 3.38 ERA in 133.0 innings, good for second in the South Atlantic League and fourth in High-A. The Quad Cities River Bandits (KC) lead the way for High-A clubs with a 2.53 ERA. Hudson Valley pitching has struck out 161 batters, the sixth-most in this span trailing Greenville (BOS -- 190).

ARSON PALENSKY: Over his past 25 games, Aaron Palensky is batting .364/.438/.788 (36-for-99) with 7 2B, 3B, 11 HR, 26 RBIs, 6 SB and 24 runs.

- He is currently first in HR (12), SLG (.736), & OPS (1.156), third in TB (89), tied for third in RBI (33), fourth in AVG (.339), tied for fourth in XBH (22), and seventh in OBP (.420) in the SAL.

- His 12 HR are the most among NYY minor leaguers.

- With two doubles and a HR on 5/25 at Wilmington, Palensky passed Everson Pereira for the most career extra-base hits in franchise history (46).

- He is t-5th among all non-AAA MiLB players in HR this season, and t-13th overall. Palensky has the fifth-highest OPS in the minor leagues.

CLIMBING THE LADDER:With a hit on Friday, Eduardo Torrealba has tallied 110 career hits with the Renegades. He currently sits fifth in franchise history sitting behind Matt Rico (112) for fourth. Angel Perez holds the franchise record with 125. Aaron Palensky is also closing in on the century mark as well with 96 career hits in a Renegades uniform.

WATTS-OUT: Renegades reliever Danny Watson's scoreless streak was snapped at 10.2 innings on Sunday afternoon. The streak was broken up on a Joe Suozzi RBI double in extra innings vs Brooklyn. It was the first run allowed since April 30th in Greenville. The former VCU Ram still hasn't allowed an earned run in his last seven appearances after hurling two scoreless innings on Thursday vs Wilmington.

Check out the Hudson Valley Renegades Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from May 27, 2023


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