Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
Published on May 12, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
FREDERICK KEYS (17-14) @ LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (11-19)
May 12th, 2011 -- 6:05 PM
Calvin Falwell Field at Lynchburg City Stadium
LHP Rick Zagone (0-0, -) vs. RHP Cory Rasmus (0-3, 6.35)
THE HILLCATS: Wednesday the Hillcats lost to the Frederick Keys 6-3...With the loss the 'Cats are now just 4-9 at home this season...Lynchburg fell back into a tie for third place in the Carolina League Northern Division after the loss and Potomac's win yesterday over Winston-Salem, now 11-19 and 6.5 games back the first place Wilmington Blue Rocks...
VS. FREDERICK: The Hillcats lost last night's contest against the Keys and their current three game series is now tied 1-1...The 'Cats are 4-2 this season overall against the Frederick...Lynchburg nearly swept Frederick in their last series, a four-game set in Frederick 4/21-24, but lost the series finale 2-1...In 2010, Lynchburg lost the season series 8-12...However, the Hillcats have switched affiliations since last season...The Myrtle Beach Pelicans (2010 Braves Advance-A affiliate) split the season series with the Keys 10-10...
PLEASE BE CAREFUL: Saturday night in Winston-Salem, OF Adam Milligan left the game with a tight hamstring and INF Andrelton Simmons left with a sore back...It was found out after the game was over the INF Matt Weaver had broken his thumb...All three players were unavailable for Sunday's series finale, forcing new catcher Jace Whitmer to play as the designated hitter, and warm-up pitcher's in the bullpen, since there were no healthy position players available on the bench...Tuesday, Milligan and Weaver were placed on the disable list, Simmons didn't play as he was listed as day-to-day, but he did play Wednesday... In case that wasn't enough, INF Joe Leonard was at home sick Tuesday, and was at the ball park but not in the lineup Wednesday night...
ERRORS ARE A KILLER: Lynchburg committed three errors last night and are now tied for the most errors in the league with Winston-Salem at 36...Two more unearned runs scored against Hillcats pitching last night as well, bringing the season total to 26, also the most in the league (Kinston has second-most at 22)...The main source of the errors, 22 to be exact, have come from the middle infield...Andrelton Simmons leads all shortstops with 10 errors, and INF Phil Gosselin leads all second basemen with eight...Matt Weaver is responsible for the other three miscues, committing one error at shortstop and two at second base this season for Lynchburg...
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...
REMEMBER ME': INF/OF Geraldo Rodriguez played part of the 2009 season and all of 2010 in the Carolina League, with the previous Advanced-A Braves affiliate, Myrtle Beach Pelicans...Through 60 games in 2009, Rodriguez hit .281 with the Pelicans...Last season, he hit.253, with 13 home runs, and 53 RBI through 85 games, earning a promotion in 2011, as he started the year with AA-Mississippi...Hitting just .224 for Mississippi this season, Rodriguez has been sent to Lynchburg to help a Hillcats team plagued by injury...He made his 2011 Carolina League debut Tuesday night against Frederick, after arriving earlier that afternoon and went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a runs scored and went 0-for-3 in game two...He hit just .204 (10-for-49) in 13 games against the Keys last season...
STREAK CONTINUES AFTER THREE DAYS OFF: SS Andrelton Simmons left last Saturday's game with pain in his back, and would miss Sunday and Tuesday's games as well...Entering Wednesday night's contest, the shortstop had a team-high 12-game hitting streak going...Last night, he went 1-for-2 continuing the streak to 13 games...Ever since dropping from the leadoff spot, Simmons and the team has fared much better...The team was 1-9 while Simmons hit first and he hit just .211 (8-for-38) in that span...Simmons was dropped from the leadoff spot on the twelfth game and has thrived hitting safely in 16 of 17 games since...He has batted second (7), sixth (1), seventh (7), and ninth (2) in his past 17 games, batting .428 (27-for-63) with 11 RBI, six runs scored and four stolen bases...He now leads the Carolina League in batting average at .347...
AND ANOTHER COMES TO AN END: OF Todd Cunningham snapped an eight-game hitting streak last night, going 0-for-4...He has batted leadoff the past seven games for the Hillcats, welcoming the roll, posting a .536 clip (15-for-28) during the stretch...The Hillcats record hasn't reflected Cunningham's success as they are just 2-5 over the last seven...Cunningham began the season as the everyday three-hole hitter, a spot in which he hit just .231 (15-for-65) in 17 games...He has also his second five times, batting .176 (3-for-17)...L.V. Ware acted as leadoff for the 12 games between Simmons' tenure and the recent stretch for Cunningham...Ware has hit .302 (16-for-53) while batting first, so the revolving door at the top of the order may still be spinning...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER : LHP Rick Zagone was selected by the Orioles in the sixth round of the 2008 Draft out of the University of Missouri...Pitched his first, and only career complete game in 2010 for Frederick...He was promoted to Bowie in June, 2010...Named to South Atlantic League North Division All-Star Team in 2009...1-2 with a 5.76 ERA with Bowie this season before arriving in Frederick...
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