SL1 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Game Notes, April 11 at Pensacola

Published on April 11, 2019 under Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release


The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp hope to bounce back from a 5-4 series-opening loss to Pensacola with Thursday's 7:35 p.m. ET first pitch against the Blue Wahoos. RHP Robert Dugger (0-1, 9.00 ERA) starts for the Jumbo Shrimp against Pensacola RHP Brusdar Graterol (0-0, 1.93 ERA). Coverage begins at 7:20 on MiLB.tv, Sunny 102.3 FM, TuneIn and JaxShrimp.com.

COMEBACK FALLS SHORT IN 5-4 LOSS TO WAHOOS

The Jumbo Shrimp saw their comeback effort fall short on Wednesday in a 5-4 series-opening loss to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Drew Maggi homered to start the second for Pensacola and later in the frame, Jimmy Kerrigan's RBI double made it 2-0. The Blue Wahoos added a run in the fourth on Brian Schaels' solo shot. Jacksonville answered in the fifth on an RBI ground out by Rodrigo Vigil and RBI single by Anfernee Seymour. The Blue Wahoos responded immediately when Jaylin Davis homered to start the bottom of the fifth, making it 4-2. Vigil was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh, but Pensacola scored again in the bottom of the seventh. Brian Miller's RBI ground out in the eighth pulled the Shrimp to within 5-4, but Jacksonville could get no closer.

'PEN PALS

Prior to a home run by Jackson's Jamie Westbrook in the ninth inning on Monday, Jacksonville's bullpen had worked 20 consecutive scoreless innings. On the season, Jumbo Shrimp relievers have worked 28.1 of the club's 54.0 total frames (52.4 percent). The heavy workload in the early portion of the season has not affected the club's results. Jacksonville relief pitchers have surrendered just three runs on 12 hits (3.8 H/9) for a 0.95 ERA on the year thus far. They have combined to strike out 27 (8.6 K/9) batters against five walks (1.8 BB/9).

BROKEN BATS ON THE MEND

The Jumbo Shrimp rank near the bottom of the Southern League in batting average (.213, 7th), on-base percentage (.287, 8th), slugging percentage (.277, 7th) and OPS (.564, 8th). Not coincidentally, the club has plated just 13 runs on the season, the fewest of any club in the circuit and ahead of just two of the 120 Minor League Baseball teams

currently in action on the season. That said, Jacksonville is hoping to continue to build on a pair of strong offensive games in a row. The Jumbo Shrimp have plated nine runs over their last two games, lashing out 19 hits in the process. During their rubber match 5-1 victory on Monday over Jackson, Jacksonville set highs for runs in a game (five), runs in an inning (four, second inning), hits in a game (10) and extra-base hits (five). The Jumbo Shrimp also smacked a pair of doubles on Wednesday in Pensacola.

STRANDED AT THE DRIVE-IN

Jacksonville went just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday, stranding a total of five men. Through six games on the season, the Jumbo Shrimp are just 8-for-66 (.121/.213/.167) with ducks on the pond. The good news is that, throughout every single level in the history of baseball, situational hitting numbers normalize with bigger sample sizes as the season goes on. For example, the 2018 Shrimp hit .224/.317/.350 (.667 OPS) with runners in scoring position, almost exactly akin to their overall batting line of .235/.312/.361 (.673 OPS).

THE CHICKS DON'T DIG THIS

The Jumbo Shrimp and Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants) are the only two Double-A clubs yet to hit a home run so far during the 2019 campaign. Even though Jacksonville has not hit a ball to clear the fence thus far, the Jumbo Shrimp have hit their fair share of doubles;

Jacksonville 10 two-baggers are tied for second in the Southern League and rank tied for eighth at the Double-A level.

APRIL SHOWERS

Jacksonville has not had a winning record in the month of April since the 2013 season, when the club went 14-10 en route to a 73-63 (.547) campaign. Over the last five Aprils, Jacksonville is 54-63 (.462) in the schedule's opening month. In comparison, from the beginning of the Marlins era on the First Coast, which dates to the start of the 2009 season, through 2013, Jacksonville suffered through just one losing month of April. Over those five years, they were 65-50 (.561) in the campaign's lid-lifting month.

SHRIMP SCOPES

Jacksonville's offense struck out 13 times in Wednesday's series opener at Pensacola, the third time this year the club has hit that season-high. The Jumbo Shrimp's 61 strikeouts are the most so far in the Southern League, but that figure ranks just 13th at the Double-A level... Robert Dugger's start on Thursday marks the beginning of the second turn through the rotation for Jacksonville. Shrimp starters went 1-3 with a 4.21 ERA through the first six games of the year, striking out 32 (11.2 K/9) against 23 hits (8.1 H/9) and 15 walks (5.3 BB/9) in 25.2 innings.

Check out the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Statistics

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Southern League Stories from April 11, 2019


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