CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on August 5, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (14-22, 43-63) @ KINSTON INDIANS (17-20, 53-54)

August 5th, 2010 -- 7:00 PM

@ Grainger Stadium

RHP Curtis Partch (4-8, 5.52) vs. RHP Joe Gardner (9-5, 2.97)

THE HILLCATS: Last night Lynchburg was trailing Potomac 8-2 through two innings of action when play was suspended due to the weather...The game will be completed when the Hillcats play the Nationals next week at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, VA...After winning four games in a row, the Hillcats have lost five straight...Tonight they play the first game of a four-game series with Kinston...The Cats are starting an eight-game road trip tonight that will wrap up a stretch of 13 out of 16 on the road...

VS. KINSTON: Lynchburg is 8-5 against Kinston this season and they are 4-2 at Grainger Stadium...The Hillcats went 10-10 versus the Indians in 2009 and were 6-4 at Grainger Stadium...Lynchburg is 156-152 all-time against the Indians...

IN STADIUM SUSPENSION: Last night marked the first time this season the Hillcats have had a game suspended...They have had six games postponed due to weather, but last night was the first time an in-progress game was suspended...Because Lynchburg does not play Potomac in the Hill City again this season, the game will be completed at Pfitzner Stadium with the Cats batting as the home team...

LATE NIGHT WITH THE CATS: Tuesday night's game was three hours and two minutes in length...Four of the last five Hillcats games have been at least three hours long...The series opener on Monday night lasted three hours and 46 minutes...The 11-inning contest was the second longest game of the season, only behind a 14 inning affair against Frederick on May 29th at City Stadium (three hours and 58 minutes)...That contest was part of a doubleheader, and the first game of the twin bill lasted two hours and 32 minutes...

THE ONLY PLACE IS UP: Lynchburg now owns the worst second half (14-22) and overall record (43-63) in the Carolina League this season...The Hillcats are on pace to finish the season with a record of 57-83 (if they play the full 140 game schedule), which would be the most losses in team history...

IN THEIR HANDS: The Hillcats bullpen allowed three runs (two earned) and four inherited runners to score Tuesday night and took a blown save...It marked the fourth time in five games the pen has been hit with a blown save..On Monday night the Hillcats led by three when the game got turned over to the bullpen and they could not hold the lead...Last Thursday in Salem the Lynchburg bullpen could not keep a three-run advantage heading into the seventh inning (at one point the Hillcats led by five in that game)...On Wednesday in Frederick the Cats had a two-run lead going into the bottom of the tenth inning, but the relief core could not shut the door...Over the last five games the Hillcats bullpen in 0-3 with a 6.41 ERA (14 earned runs in 19 and 2/3 innings) and four blown saves...The Cats have now blown 34 leads this season, while they have have come back to win 14 ...

GO FIGURE: In their last two games against the Nationals, the two Potomac starters combined to last just five innings of action and allowed eight earned runs (14.40 ERA)...Despite the fact that neither starter made it through three innings of work the Nationals have won both contests...Their bullpen in the series tossed a combined 15 innings without giving up a single run and earned both wins and a save...

FEELING THE PULL: With their loss Tuesday night Lynchburg has now dropped 12 of their last 15 games at Calvin Falwell Field to fall to 24-31 at home this season...On the flip side, the Hillcats are 6-6 in their last 12 road games...The Cats went 0-2 on their recent homestand and are trailing the third game 8-2 through two innings (suspended), they went 3-4 on their last home stretch and 0-6 during the homestand prior to that...

NEWBIES: Last night LHP Justin Walker made his Hillcats debut in his first start at the Advanced-A level...The southpaw allowed eight runs on nine hits in an inning and a third last night before getting the hook...He was 3-10 with a 5.88 ERA in 20 games (16 starts) with Low-A Dayton...In his last three outings with the Dragons he was 0-2 with a 14.23 ERA (18 earned runs in 11 innings)...Tuesday night LHP Ezequiel Infante made his Hillcats debut in relief...He went an inning and 2/3 with two hits, one unearned run, two strike outs and allowed two inherited runners to score...With Dayton the lefty was 1-2 with a 3.04 ERA in 28 games out of the pen...The Cats have now had 73 transactions in the 2010 campaign...

'BURG IS THE WORD: INF Chris Richburg went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI Tuesday night...He has had four multi-hit games in his last five contests and he now has six multi-hit games in 12 games with Lynchburg...With the Hillcats he is batting .349 (15-for-43) with two doubles, three home runs (all came in a four-game stretch), 11 RBI and eight runs scored...Richburg now has a total of 17 homers on the season (14 with Low-A Dayton), which is third in the Reds minor league organization...He is behind former Hillcat C Devin Mesoraco (tied for first with 20) and just ahead of current teammate UTIL Neftali Soto, who has 16 and is third in the Carolina League...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Joe Gardner was selected by the Indians in the third round of the 2009 draft...His junior and only season with the Gauchos, he went 7-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 13 starts after transferring from Ohlone College...This season he made his professional debut with full season Low-A Lake County and had a 1-0 mark with a 3.24 ERA in six starts for the Captains before earning the call-up to Advanced-A...With Kinston he has gone 9-5 with a 2.97 ERA in 16 starts...He has made two starts against Lynchburg and gone 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA...In his first start against the Hillcats he did not give up an earned run in five innings in earning the win, but in his last outing versus the Cats he gave up five runs in six innings to take the loss at Grainger Stadium...

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Carolina League Stories from August 5, 2010


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