CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on May 21, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


THE HILLCATS: Friday the Hillcats lost to the Potomac Nationals 6-2...The Nationals jumped up early with three in the top of the first, highlighted by a two-run homer for INF Steven Souza...The Hillcats only managed one run off starter Mitchell Clegg as they dropped their fourth straight ...The Hillcats sit in fourth place in the Carolina League Northern Division, now 9.5 games back of the first place Wilmington Blue Rocks...

VS. POTOMAC: The Hillcats are 1-2 against the Nationals in 2011...The two teams first met opening weekend when rain postponed the first game of the series...The final two games were played and both were decided by one run a piece...Last season Potomac took the season series 11-8 from Lynchburg...The former Braves Advanced-A affiliate, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, fared even worse dropping 14 of 20 to the Nationals a season ago...

IT'S NOT SO SWEET: Last night, the Hillcats lost 6-2 at home, falling to 4-11 at City Stadium this season...That is good for a .266 winning percentage, by far the worst home record in the Carolina League...The Kinston Indians are second-worst at 11-14 (.440)...The ‘Cats are even worse when wearing their home whites, at 2-10, as they are 2-1 when wearing their alternate green uniforms at home...The stats don't lie either..Away from the "Hill City" this season the Hillcats have hit .267 as opposed to .229 at home, and pitchers have posted a 3.51 ERA, over a run less than at City Stadium (4.67)...

SCORING EARLY: Lynchburg scored one run in the first inning last night, marking the sixth straight game the Hillcats have accomplished that feat...Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, they are just 2-4 in their last six, losing their last four straight...Tuesday the Hillcats blew a 1-0 lead surrendering four in the second (L, 4-3), Wednesday they lead three times, 1-0, 2-1, and 4-3, before ultimately losing on a walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth, 6-5, and Thursday blew an early 2-0 lead, falling 4-3...The ‘Cats are just 11-8 when scoring first this season, good for the sixth-best record in the Carolina League, ahead of just Potomac (12-13), and Winston-Salem (8-11)...

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...

TABLE SETTER: OF Todd Cunningham went 1-for-3, with a run scored last night, batting leadoff for the 16th time this season...He is now batting .403 (25-for-62) when batting first, and has scored 16 runs and stolen five bases...Batting elsewhere his other 22 games, he has hit just .220 (18-for-82), scored six runs, and stolen two bases...He now leads the team in runs scored (22), and is tied the team lead in steals (7) with Andrelton Simmons, and walks (12) with Joe Leonard...He's also been hit by the pitch seven times, leads team, and boasts a .380 on base percentage...

LYNCHBURG NEEDS YOU: The season is just past a quarter over for the Hillcats, and they have already had 37 different players active on the roster in 2011...Three original Hillcats have been promoted to AA-Mississippi, with one returning in RHP Eliecer Cardenas...Injuries have been the bigger factor, as nine players have hit the disabled list after donning a Hillcats uniform this season...The latest was OF Geraldo Rodriguez, who hit the DL today with an oblique strain...C Shawn Mcgill will take Rodriguez's roster spot, returning to the Hillcats after spending just over two weeks (4/20-5/6) with the team earlier this year...Those two transactions bring the grand total for the season to 36 since the beginning of April...

SCHLE'S SLAMS: C Braeden Schlehuber launched the first Grand Slam for the Hillcats this season in the fifth inning Monday night...He also doubled in two runs in the fourth giving him a career high six RBI on the night...Tuesday night, Schlehuber was knocked out of the game after a collision at the plate with Kinston INF Justin Toole...Toole slid in head first at home, his shoulder meeting Schlehuber's left leg...Schlehuber had to be helped off the field, and wouldn't return to action...

KLEIN‘CONNECTS' WITH ‘CATS: INF Barrett Kleinknecht was promoted to Lynchburg from Low-A Rome on Tuesday, May 10th, arriving that afternoon to start at shortstop for the Hillcats...He went 0-for-4 in his Hillcats debut...He hit safely in eight of his next nine games, batting .400 (14-for-35) with a two home runs, five RBI, and five multi-hit games...Kleinknecht would have had three long balls during that stretch had left fielder Ryan Strausborger not brought one back in the eighth inning Sunday afternoon in Myrtle Beach...Kleinknecht went 0-for-2 last night, snapping a six-game hitting streak, but he did reach via a walk continuing his seven-game on-base streak...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER : RHP Trevor Holder was selected in the third round of the 2009 draft by the Nationals out of the University of Georgia...Named to the 2010 South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star team while playing for Hagerstown...Gave up three runs in six innings pitched against Lynchburg in his first start on 4/10...Currently 1-5 with a 4.50 ERA...

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Carolina League Stories from May 21, 2011


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