SL1 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Game Notes, April 17 vs. Birmingham

Published on April 17, 2019 under Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release


The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp host the Birmingham Barons in Wednesday's 7:05 p.m. contest from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. On a Publix Corks & Forks, fans can purchase a $15 ticket package or upgrade their reserved seat for $6 to sample food and wine prepared by Chef Tony from Publix. Use the promo code "publix19" when purchasing Publix Corks & Forks tickets online at www.jaxshrimp.com. Wednesday's contest is also a Standard Feed & Seed Bark in the Park, and dogs get in free to the game as long as their human companion buys a ticket.

TWINE HOMER NOT ENOUGH IN 3-1 LOSS

Justin Twine homered on Tuesday, but the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp lost to the Birmingham Barons 3-1 at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The Barons got on the board courtesy of a Jumbo Shrimp error in the second inning. Yermin Mercedes then blasted a solo shot in the third to double the advantage for Birmingham. Another error brought in a run in the fourth to widen the margin to 3-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Twine homered off the left field foul pole to put Jacksonville on the scoreboard. However, the Jumbo Shrimp could not get any closer in a 3-1 defeat. Kolton Mahoney, Jordan Milbrath and Jeff Kinley combined to work six scoreless innings of relief.

THE MAGNEURIS-FACED GOD

Jacksonville outfielder Magneuris Sierra went 2-for-5 on Tuesday, continuing a hot start to the season. The San Cristobal, Dominican Republic native is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak in which he is batting 14-for-40 (.350/.422/.450) with four doubles, two RBIs, four walks and one hit-by-pitch. Sierra ranks tied for third in the Southern League in doubles (four) while placing in a tie for fourth in hits (14) and ninth in batting average (.326).

FRIENDS CLOSE, ENEMIES CLOSER

Jacksonville lost to Birmingham 3-1 on Tuesday, continuing a trend of the Jumbo Shrimp playing a number of closely-contested games in 2019. Of the 12 games Jacksonville has played so far this season, a remarkable nine have been decided by two runs or less, including six by just one tally. The Jumbo Shrimp are 3-6 in these contests (3-3 in one-run affairs).

LIGHT OF THE SEVEN

Of the 105.0 innings the Jumbo Shrimp have pitched this season, a staggering 51.7 percent (54.1 frames) have been tossed by Jacksonville relievers. The heavy workload in the early portion of the season has not yet affected the club's results out of the bullpen. Jumbo Shrimp relief pitchers have ceded just six runs, five earned, on 26 hits (4.3 H/9) on the campaign for a 0.83 ERA. They have combined for 62 strikeouts (10.3 K/9) while walking only 17 opposing batters (2.8 BB/9). Jacksonville's bullpen has fired 19 consecutive scoreless innings heading into Wednesday.

SECOND SONS

Robert Dugger's start on Wednesday will begin the third trip through the starting rotation for the Jumbo Shrimp. Through the first two turns, Jacksonville starting pitchers are averaging just 4.1 innings per outing. The group has posted just a 2-7 record, but also a steady 3.91 ERA in 50.2 innings. Part of the reasoning for the shorter outings has been trouble with home runs and walks. Shrimp starters have surrendered seven of the club's eight home runs (1.2 HR/9); seven Southern League teams have ceded fewer long balls between the entireties of their pitching staff. Jacksonville starting pitchers are also walking 4.6 batters per nine innings (26 in 50.2 frames).

THE NIGHT'S WATCH

Jacksonville committed three errors on Tuesday, pushing their season total of 11 into the bottom half of the Southern League. The Jumbo Shrimp have also played just four miscue-free games on the season, but there is an argument for the Jumbo Shrimp being a strong defensive team. Jacksonville has converted 73.4 percent of batted balls put in play into outs this season. For perspective, the Oakland Athletics' 73.0 mark led Major League Baseball in 2018. The Shrimp's strong early defensive numbers, coupled with the small sample size of one week of play, can partly explain why the club's 3.59 FIP, an ERA estimator based on strikeouts, walks and home runs, is significantly higher than their actual 2.31 ERA.

COME SOON, REGRESSION MONSTER

Jacksonville went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Tuesday, stranding a total of nine men. Through 12 games on the season, the Jumbo Shrimp are just 16-for-111 (.144/.256/.180) 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. The 2019 Jumbo Shrimp's overall batting line is .217/.289/.288, which, while not great, is an improvement over the club's numbers with runners in scoring position.

SHRIMP SCOPE

Rodrigo Vigil's 73.3 percent ground ball rate is the highest in the Southern League.

Check out the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Statistics

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Southern League Stories from April 17, 2019


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