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SL1 Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp: Game Notes, April 28 vs. Tennessee

April 28, 2019 - Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release


The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp look for their fifth straight win when they host the Tennessee Smokies at 3:05 p.m. from the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Gates open at 2 p.m. on Sunday for a Baptist Health Sunday Family FUNday. Families are welcome to play catch on the field before the game, plus Jumbo Shrimp players will be signing autographs. Each Sunday also features free face painting, balloon animals and popular kids show and movie characters roaming the park. The Minions will be around on Sunday at the Baseball Grounds, and following the game, kids 12 and under can run the bases. Fans can also join the Jumbo Shrimp for TEACH Day presented by WJCT to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog. Sunday's game is also Youth Sports Day.

DUGGER, DUNAND LEAD SHRIMP TO 6-3 WIN

Robert Dugger fired seven scoreless innings and Joe Dunand launched a home run on Saturday to lead the Jumbo Shrimp to a 6-3 victory over Tennessee. Dunand lofted a sacrifice fly in the first inning for the game's first run. He then blasted a solo shot in the fourth to make it 2-0. In the seventh, Rodrigo Vigil registered an RBI single before an error plated John Silviano to increase the Jacksonville advantage to 4-0. The Jumbo Shrimp added a pair of runs a frame later on consecutive RBI singles from Dunand and Brian Miller. In the ninth, Vimael Machin notched an RBI base hit, Jhonny Pereda hit a sacrifice fly and Jesse Hodges legged out an RBI infield single to draw the Smokies to within 6-3.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

Jacksonville infielder Joe Dunand came into play on April 20 hitting .180/.255/.240 with only three doubles, four RBIs and three walks. However, in the eight games since then, the Miami native is 10-for-28, posting a batting line of .357/.438/.500 with a double, home run, nine RBIs and four walks. A product of NC State, Dunand pulled the ball 37.4 percent of the time in 66 games with High-A Jupiter and 46.3 percent of the time in 61 contests with Jacksonville in 2018. This season, he has raised his pull percentage to 52.9 percent, the 13th-highest such mark in the Southern League. Dunand's ground ball rate has increased from 35.8 percent (High-A) and 32.4 percent (Double-A) to 39.3 percent this season.

BAT MEN

Jacksonville's first four-game winning streak of the season has been spurred by a suddenly-hot offense. The Jumbo Shrimp have put up 27 runs in the last four games after having scored just 43 in the campaign's first 20 contests. Jacksonville erupted for 11 tallies on Wednesday at Biloxi, their most runs in a game in almost exactly a year, when they plated 11 on April 22, 2018 in an 11-5 triumph at Tennessee. The club followed that up Thursday with an 11-hit barrage against Tennessee. The Jumbo Shrimp then matched their season-high in hits (13) in Friday's contest against the Smokies, which had previously been set at the beginning of this three-game stretch. Jacksonville has seen 16 multi-hit efforts in the last four games.

AND SO IT BEGINS

In the first 20 games of the season, Jacksonville starting pitchers compiled a 2-13 record and 5.33 ERA over 81.0 innings. Jumbo Shrimp lid-lifters combined for 41 walks (4.7 BB/9), 78 strikeouts (8.7 K/9) and 84 hits allowed (9.3 H/9). However, the club's four-game winning streak has seen stellar starting pitching. Over these last four games, Jacksonville starters have combined for a 4-0 record and 1.80 ERA (5 ER in 25.0 IP). The quartet of starters has walked nine (2.9 BB), fanned 21 (7.6 K/9) and yielded 17 hits (6.1 H/9).

IT'S MILLER'S TIME

In five games from April 12 through April 17, Jacksonville outfielder Brian Miller went just 2-for-18 (.111), dropping his season batting line to .178/.213/.267. However, in the eight games since, including a five-hit barrage on April 20, Miller is 13-for-37 (.351/.400/.541) with two doubles, one triple, one home run and five RBIs. After posting batted ball rates to center field of 24.6 percent (2017, Low-A), 26.5 percent (2018, High-A) and 23.7 percent (2018, Double-A), Miller is using the middle of the field 37.3 percent this year.

JUST IN TWINE

Infielder Justin Twine has been a consistent force on offense for Jacksonville. The Falls City, Texas native has reached base in 17 of the last 19 games, batting 23-for-72 with a double, two triples, home run, eight RBIs, four walks and two hit-by-pitches to post a .319/.380/.431 batting line during this run. After recording 37.4 and 44.9 percent pull rates with Jacksonville and High-A Jupiter, respectively, in 2018, Twine is pulling the ball at a 49.1 percent rate this season. That figure is the 18th-highest such mark in the Southern League.

ARMS RACE

Jumbo Shrimp catchers Rodrigo Vigil, Santiago Chavez and B.J Lopez (currently back with High-A Jupiter) have teamed to form a dynamic defensive backstop trio this season for Jacksonville. Chavez's eight men caught stealing is tied for the Double-A lead, and as a team, the Jumbo Shrimp have gunned down 16 potential base stealers, trailing only the Down East Wood Ducks' (High-A, Texas Rangers) 19 for the MiLB lead. The Shrimp's 44.4 percent caught stealing rate ranks in a tie for fifth in Double-A.

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