CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on April 14, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (1-3) @ SALEM RED SOX (3-1)

April 14th, 2011 -- 7:05 PM

@ LewisGale Field

LHP Dimasther Delgado (0-0, 54.00) vs. LHP Chris Hernandez (0-0, 0.00)

THE HILLCATS: Wednesday the Hillcats lost game two of their series in Salem by a score of 5-2 to the Red Sox...The Sox scored first again, courtesy of a solo blast from right fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker in the bottom of the first inning...Lynchburg tied the scored at two after four and a half but gave the lead right back in the bottom of the fifth...The Hillcats are now 1-3 on their opening road trip entering the trip's final game...Lynchburg will look to avoid their first series sweep of 2011 in game three against against the Red Sox tonight...

VS. SALEM: Salem currently holds the 2011 advantage at 2-0 after last night's 5-2 contest...Tonight is game three of the season series...Last year, the Red Sox took the series, 11-8...Salem holds the all-time series advantage 168-145...

HOME COOKIN': Home field is an important part of the rivalry between these teams...The home team won 13 of the 19 games last year and is 183-130 all-time after last night's Salem victory...

FALLING BEHIND: The Hillcats have yet to score first in each of their first four games, and currently sit with a 1-3 record...The 'Cats were able to come back from a 2-0 deficit last Saturday in Potomac, winning 6-5, and erase 3 separate deficits in Sunday's game against the P-Nats before falling 7-6 in extras; however, Lynchburg was shut out Tuesday in Salem and after equalizing a 2-0 early Salem lead in the fifth on Wednesday, the bullpen gave back the lead just as quick in the bottom of the frame as the Hillcats dropped their third straight contest...

YOU DON'T SCORE UNTIL YOU SCORE: Lynchburg batters are 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position in...The team is now hitting just .105 (4-for-38) on the season in that situation...Nine more Hillcats were stranded on the bases in their 5-2 loss Wednesday ...

AHHH, THIS TEAM IS JUST RIGHT: In 2011 the Hillcats begin their first season as the Class A Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves...The Braves are the third different team in three seasons to serve as the parent club for the 'Cats...Lynchburg was the High A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in 2010 after a 15-year relationship with the Pittsburgh Pirates ended after the 2009 campaign...The Braves are the tenth different Major League team that has been the parent club to Lynchburg...Prior to the Reds arrival in 2010, Lynchburg had only been affiliated with three different teams over a 34-year span (New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates)...

SECOND TO ONE: The Atlanta Braves farm system was ranked as the second best in all of baseball by Baseball America in their 2011 Prospect Handbook...It marks the fourth straight year and the ninth time in the last ten seasons the Braves have been ranked in the top ten by BA...It also was the first time since 2003 they have been ranked as high as second...Cincinnati, who served as Lynchburg's parent club in 2010, were ranked as the sixth best farm system in baseball...The Pittsburgh Pirates, who were the Hillcats Major League affiliate from 1995 to 2009, were ranked 19th...

BEST OF THE BRAVOS: Eight members of the Hillcats are ranked amongst the top 30 prospects in the Braves organization according to Baseball America...That list includes RHP Arodys Vizcaino (7), SS Andrelton Simmons (15), RHP David Hale (17), RHP Dimasther Delgado (18), OF Todd Cunningham (20), OF Adam Milligan (22), INF Joe Leonard (23) and 2B Phil Gosselin (25)...Vizcaino was tabbed the 93rd best prospect in all of baseball by BA as well...

DOWN BUT NOT OUT: The Hillcats 2011 Manager Luis Salazar is planning on managing his first regular season game on April 15th...Rick Albert will fill-in as Interim Manager for the first six games of the season...Salazar was struck in the head with a foul ball on March 9 while watching a spring training game...He is still recovering from three different surgeries he had to undergo following the incident, including a procedure that removed his left eye...

FAMILIAR LANDSCAPES: Of the 27 players on the Hillcats roster, 18 have played for the Danville Braves (Rookie affiliate of the Braves) at one point and five of those played for Danville last season...Pitching coach Derek Botelho and hitting coach Bobby Moore have also spent time in Danville as a coach...In addition, 14 of the current Hillcats played in the Carolina League for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Advanced-A affiliate of the Braves prior to this season) a year ago...

ARE YOU IN GOOD HANDS': The Hillcats bullpen has struggled early on this season...Collectively, Lynchburg relievers have posted a 5.59 ERA and hold a record of 0-2 through four games...In 16.1 ip, they have walked nine...Perhaps the silver lining is that the 'pen has limited inherited runners nicely allowing just two of seven to score, and one of those two was unearned...

RUNNING RAMPANT: Opposing base stealers are now 10-for-10 through the first four games of the 2011 season against the Hillcats...It should be noted that four of those bases were stolen by Potomac's Eury Perez over the weekend, who had 64 swipes a season ago and stole at an 83% success rate...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: LHP Chris Hernandez was a seventh round pick for the Red Sox in 2010 out of the University of Miami...He made one professional appearance for the Lowell Spinners in 2010...He allowed 1 run in 2.0 IP while striking out 2 on 9/4...Went 10-3 with a 2.64 ERA and 110 Ks in 19 games as a junior for the Hurricanes in 2010...He led the ACC in ERA, was second in wins and third in strikeouts...Was named first team All-ACC teamin 2010 and 2008, as a freshman, and was second team All-ACC in 2009...Was a member of the 2008 USA Baseball National Team....

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