Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Game Notes, April 18 vs. Birmingham
April 18, 2019 - Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp host the Birmingham Barons in Thursday's 7:05 p.m. contest from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Thursday's game is the first Thirsty Thursday presented by Budweiser of the season. Fans can purchase $1 12 oz. and $2 24 oz. Budweiser draft products at the canopy near the Jacksonville Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Arlington Trail Rated Territory, Oasis concession stand behind Section 115 and right field bleachers, respectively. DJ Swagg and DJ MoneyGud from Power 106.1 will also provide music at the Budweiser Tiki Terrace. For Seagram's 7 At The Tiki, fans who are at least 21 years of age can visit the Seagram's 7 camper at the Tiki Terrace for a tasting sample of America's spirit and an interactive game of chance. On Say Yes To The Dress presented by Mara Urshel & Ronald Rothstein, all fans who wear a dress will receive $2 off their ticket at the box office. Dress-wearing fans can also participate in the first-ever Jumbo Shrimp Dress Dash, as everyone wearing a dress will get to race across the field before a small champagne toast.
FLORES' GEM SILENCES JACKSONVILLE
Bernardo Flores spun eight flawless innings on Wednesday to lead the Birmingham Barons to a 5-0 shutout of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Flores needed just 81 pitches to get through his eight frames, surrendering just three hits without walking a batter. He struck out three. The Barons backed the southpaw from the get-go. Luis Gonzalez crushed a solo home run in the first inning. In the fourth, Joel Booker blasted a three-run shot to increase the margin to 4-0. Alfredo Gonzalez's RBI double in the ninth inning put the tally at 5-0. Jacksonville right-handed reliever Tyler Stevens pitched two scoreless innings of relief in his Jumbo Shrimp debut.
NO STEALS FOR YOU
Jumbo Shrimp catcher Santiago Chavez nabbed both attempted base stealers against him on Wednesday against Birmingham. The Saltillo, Mexico native has now caught seven attemped base stealers, the most of any catcher in Double-A. As a team, Jacksonville has gunned down nine potential base stealers in 19 tries, a 47.4 percent caught stealing rate that places fifth in Double-A.
ELEVENTH HOUR
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).
LIGHT OF THE SEVEN
Jacksonville's seven-man bullpen saw their scoreless innings streak end at 21 on Wednesday when Birmingham's Alfredo Gonzalez notched an RBI double in the ninth. That run marked the second time in just 13 games this season that the Jumbo Shrimp relief corps had put together a streak of at least 20 consecutive scoreless frames (20 from April 4-8). Jacksonville relievers have worked 57.1 of the club's 114.0 innings on the campaign (50.3 percent). The club's bullpen has yielded just seven runs, six earned, on 28 hits (4.4 H/9), striking out 62 (9.7 K/9) against 18 walks (2.8 BB/9).
BLANK SLATE
Through just 13 games, Jacksonville has already suffered four shutout defeats, the most of any team in the Southern League. In 2018, the Jumbo Shrimp had the Southern League's worst record in blankings in 2018, finishing just 4-16 (.200). The club's 16 zeroes were the most in the circuit since Jackson suffered 21 shutouts in 2015 and represent Jacksonville's second-most during the club's Marlins era, which dates back through the start of the 2019 season (20, 2013).
HAKUNA MATATA
Jacksonville went 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday, stranding a total of four men. Through 12 games on the season, the Jumbo Shrimp are just 16-for-112 (.143/.254/.179) 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 .210/.278/.276, which, while not great, is an improvement over the club's numbers with runners in scoring position.
DEFENSIVE ONIONS
Jacksonville committed one error on Wednesday, pushing their season total of 12, which ranks 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 74.3 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 3.82 FIP, an ERA estimator based on strikeouts, walks and home runs, is significantly higher than their actual 2.45 ERA.
SHRIMP SCOPES
Jacksonville enters play on Thursday having lost six of their last eight games. One more loss in their set against Birmingham will mark the Jumbo Shrimp's second straight series loss... Rodrigo Vigil's 73.3 percent ground ball rate is the highest in the Southern League.
Southern League Stories from April 18, 2019
- Lookouts Draw Fourth Crowd of over 5,000 Fans in Loss - Chattanooga Lookouts
- M-Braves Extend Winning Streak to Four Games on Thursday - Mississippi Braves
- Big Innings Plague Jumbo Shrimp in 7-3 Defeat - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Generals Win Big, Clinch Series - Knoxville Smokies
- Rutherford's Blast Cooks the Shrimp, Gets Barons to .500 - Birmingham Barons
- Biscuits and BayBears Postponed - Montgomery Biscuits
- Thursday's BayBears Game Postponed Due to Inclement Weather - Mobile BayBears
- Impending Severe Weather Postpones Shuckers and Blue Wahoos - Biloxi Shuckers
- Shuckers Homestand Highlights against Jumbo Shrimp - Biloxi Shuckers
- Generals Gameday: April 18 at Tennessee - Jackson Generals
- Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Game Notes, April 18 vs. Birmingham - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Silver Airways Unveil Kazoo Airplane - Pensacola Blue Wahoos
- Mississippi Braves and Merit Health Welcome Fans to "Walk the Park" - Mississippi Braves
- Shuckers Stall in Wednesday Loss to Pensacola - Biloxi Shuckers
- Wahoos Respond with 5-2 Win over Biloxi - Pensacola Blue Wahoos
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