CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on May 2, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (7-14) @ WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS (15-7)

May 2nd, 2011 -- 6:35 PM

Judy Johnson Field at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium

LHP Chris Masters (2-0, 1.56) vs. RHP Tim Melville (2-2, 3.80)

THE HILLCATS: Sunday the Hillcats lost to the Kinston Indians 3-1, losing the series 2-1 on the weekend...The 'Cats went 3-3 on their recent homestand taking two of three from Wilmington earlier in the week...Tonight, Lynchburg begins a seven game road trip...Lynchburg continues to look up from fourth place in the Carolina League Northern Division, now 7-14...

VS. WILMINGTON: Tonight the Hillcats begin their second series against the Blue Rocks this season...The two teams met last week in Lynchburg where rain caused a four-game series to be shortened to three games, in which the Hillcats took two of three...

WINNING IN WHITE: Friday night, the Hillcats captured a victory while wearing their home white uniforms for the first time this season...Now just 1-7 while wearing white on the year...The Hillcats home record on the season is 3-9 as the 'Cats tried to turn their home luck by wearing their alternate greens earlier this week and went 2-1...The Hillcats elected to wear alternate green uniforms on Sunday and fell 3-1...

BEATEN BY THE BEST: After taking two from Wilmington Wednesday night, the Hillcats are still just 2-10 against teams with winning records this season...The Salem Red Sox, who currently hold the best record in the Carolina League at 13-5, are 6-0 against Lynchburg...Myrtle Beach, currently at 13-6, swept the 'Cats in three games in Lynchburg...On the other hand, the Hillcats are 5-4 against team's with a .500 record or worse (3-1 vs. Frederick, 1-1 vs. Potomac, and 1-2 vs. Kinston)...

PITCHERS DUEL AS PROMISED: With Lynchburg's RHP Zeke Spruill and Kinston's LHP Drew Pomeranz on the mound Sunday, runs were going to be hard to come by......Both were in the top ten in ERA and top five in WHIP coming into the contest...Pomeranz struck out seven through five innings but left a 1-1 tied ball game and remained recordless on the season...Spruill went seven innings for the second time this season, staying in just long enough to surrender a go ahead two-run homer to Kinston's Abner Abreu in the seventh...

WELCOME TO LYNCHBURG: The Hillcats called up two pitchers, LHP Blaine Sims and RHP Ryan Weber, from Class-A Rome Thursday 4/21 after RHP Yeliar Castro was promoted to Class- AA Mississippi and RHP Cory Rasmus was placed on the disabled list...Neither Sims, nor Weber had prior experience at the Advanced-A level...Sims' debut could not have been better as he pitched four perfect innings of relief Sunday in Frederick, while striking out five...Weber made his debut last night, it wasn't perfect but still very good as he delivered four innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out one...Neither factored into the decisions as the Hillcats trailed throughout each of their outings...Another call up from Rome, RHP Dan Jurik, joined the club Wednesday and made his debut Friday night, allowing three hits but no runs in his one inning of relief as he was helped by a 6-4-3 double play and a back pick at second base courtesy of his catcher Braeden Schlehuber...

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Hillcats played mistake-free baseball yesterday but lost 3-1...On the season, the Hillcats have committed 25 errors through their first 21 games...17 of the errors have come up the middle of the infield...Andrelton Simmons is responsible for eight miscues at shortstop in 18 games, and Matt Weaver in his one game at short added another error to the position as well as one at second base...The other seven errors up the middle have come at the expense of Phil Gosselin at second base...The middle infielf made up of Simmons (SS) and Weaver (2B) were perfect Sunday on a busy day in which second base and shortstop were involved in 12 of the 27 outs recorded...

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...

PITCHING UNDER DURESS: Saturday night, despite allowing seven hits and five walks, the Hillcats surrendered no runs for the first time in a nine-inning game this season...Kinston was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base...Starter Dimasther Delgado walked a career high five batters and allowed two hits through five and two-thirds innings but came away unscathed with a little help from his pen...Andrew Wilson came in to get the final out of the sixth with runners at first and second...Wilson then left the bases loaded with one out for Jason Lowey in the eighth...Lowey induced a pop-up to first base, followed by a fly-out to left, ending the threat...As a unit, the bullpen has allowed just eight of 27 inherited runners to score this season (29.6%)...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER : RHP Tim Melville was selected in the fourth round of the 2008 Draft out of Holt HS (MO)...He's currently 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA...He was rated as the fifth best Royals prospect by Baseball America entering 2009, and sixth best entering 2010...Spent most of 2010 in Wilmington, where he went 2-12 with a 4.97 ERA...Pitched seven innings giving up one run vs. Lynchburg on 4/25...

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Carolina League Stories from May 2, 2011


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