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SL Rocket City Trash Pandas

Know Your Opponent: Tennessee Smokies

July 19, 2024 - Southern League (SL)
Rocket City Trash Pandas News Release


The Trash Pandas face the Tennessee Smokies (Double-A, Chicago Cubs) in the first series since the All-Star break for both sides.

Tennessee leads the season series by a slim margin with eight victories in 15 meetings in 2024.

Last time these two teams met in mid-May, the series ended in a split with the Trash Pandas recording two straight shutout victories to close the set.

This series will be the Trash Pandas final trip to Kodak in franchise history with the Smokies set to move after the season. Tennessee travels to Madison for a six-game set in late-August for the final regular season meeting of 2024.

Rocket City Trends:

Outfielder Gustavo Campero has recorded a hit in every game during the month of July

Catcher Myles Emmerson is fresh off a four hit day on July 14, his first at the Double-A level

Infielder Sam Brown holds a .321 batting average with six RBI in 15 games against the Smokies this season

Who's Hot:

Gustavo Campero: Hitting 21-for-44 (.477) with four home runs and 10 RBI in July

Tucker Flint: Enters this series on a 23-game on-base streak

Chase Chaney: Holds a 1-0 record with a 0.53 ERA in three July starts

Tennessee Last Series: 3-3 @ Montgomery

This series featured just one game decided by one run and three shutouts.

Tennessee entered the series trailing the Trash Pandas in the Southern League North second half standings and left with a one game lead.

Smokies Hitting:

The Smokies are tied with the Trash Pandas for the third best average in the Southern League at .238 while also ranking second in the league with 75 home runs.

Despite losing one of their top hitters in Moises Ballesteros to Triple-A, the Smokies still retain highly-regarded infielders James Triantos and Matt Shaw. Both represented the Chicago Cubs in the 2024 Futures Game.

The Smokies still feature outfielder Kevin Alcantara who holds a .273 average and infielder Haydn McGeary who is tied with Shaw for a team-leading 10 home runs.

Tennessee also received outfielder Felix Stevens from High-A South Bend and he has since gone on to hit .300 in his first 17 games with the Smokies.

Smokies Pitching:

The pitching staff ranks fourth in ERA with a 3.73 clip while striking out 798 batters which ranks second in the league.

In the three-game series, the Trash Pandas will see a pair of unfamiliar arms in Alex Troop and Sam Armstrong who are both set to start this weekend.

Matthew Thompson is the other starter during the series as he enters the weekend with 15 starts and a 4.86 ERA in 2024.

Smokies Prospect Watch:

The Smokies hold seven of the Cubs top 30 prospects on their active roster with two more on the injured list.

All seven of those prospects are hitters.

Tennessee also holds three MLB top 100 prospects in Shaw, Triantos and Alcantara.

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Southern League Stories from July 19, 2024


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