Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes
June 6, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release
SALEM RED SOX (26-29) @ LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (24-31)
June 6th, 2011 -- 7:05 PM
Calvin Falwell Field at Lynchburg City Stadium
RHP Junichi Tazawa (0-1, 11.57) vs. RHP Aaron Shafer (0-0, 4.15)
THE HILLCATS: Sunday, the Hillcats lost to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5-3...Pelican starter Robbie Ross pitched into the ninth inning looking for his first complete game of the season but walked one and surrendered a hit and left the game without recording an out in the final frame...Both inherited runners came around to score but the 'Cats still fell by two...The Hillcats sit in third place in the Carolina League Northern Division, now 9.5 games back of the first place Frederick Keys...
VS. SALEM: The Hillcats are 2-8 against the Red Sox this season...The two teams have met seven times in Salem and three times in Lynchburg...The Red Sox won the first seven match-ups of the year, but the 'Cats have pulled out the last two of the last three with late inning come backs...Last season, the Red Sox took the season series 11-8 over Lynchburg...Myrtle Beach (2010 Braves Advanced-A affiliate) fared worse against Salem, winning just five of the 20 match-ups...
ROAD WARRIORS: Lynchburg had their most successful road trip of the season last week finishing 6-1 after traveling to Potomac for four games, and then to Salem for three more...The lone loss was suffered Monday afternoon in Salem, when Red Sox catcher Dan Butler hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Hillcats 7-6...The 'Cats swept the Nationals in Potomac over the weekend...It was their first sweep of the season, and first four-game winning streak all year...Now 16-15, Lynchburg boasts a winning record on the road...
AT HOME HOWEVER...: The 'Cats have been dreadful at home this season, currently 8-16 at City Stadium, good for a .333 winning percentage, second-worst in the league only to the Potomac Nationals, who are 5-13 (.278)...Losing last night against Myrtle Beach, Lynchburg is now 1-3 on their current eight-game homestand...While wearing their home whites the team is 6-13; they're 2-2 wearing alternate green uniforms at home and 0-2 when wearing auction jerseys after losing Friday night in black Braves uniforms and May 21 in pink Breast Cancer Awareness uniforms...
THE 'CATS CAN BAT: Lynchburg is hitting .266 on the season, .10 points higher than the next best clip (Myrtle Beach, .256)...The 'Cats are second in home runs (43), second in doubles (115), first in triples (18), and not surprisingly they lead the league in slugging percentage at .417...They also boast the fewest strikeouts (369)...They average the most runs scored per game at 4.51, just slightly better than the 4.5 average for Myrtle Beach...However, they also have given up the second-most runs in the league, only allowing less than the Potomac Nationals who boast the league's worst record at 22-34...
BEST OF THE BRAVOS: Seven members of the Hillcats are ranked amongst the top 30 prospects in the Braves organization according to Baseball America...That list includes 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)...
PLAYER OF THE MONTH: INF Joey Terdoslavich was honored as the Carolina League Player of the Month for May as voted by the league's managers...Terdoslavich hit .304 (31-for-102) with four home runs and 20 RBI in 27 games last month...He is second in the league in home runs with 11 on the season...He also racked up 11 doubles in May, and currently has 18 total, tying him for second in the league as well...His average went from .243 to .279 during the month...The honor was the first weekly or monthly award of his career...Currently on a three-game hitting streak, Terdoslavich now has his batting average at .280 for the first time all season...
BACK WITH A VENGEANCE: OF Adam Milligan was hitting just .224 (19-for-85) before hitting the disabled list with a pulled hamstring, which he injured on May 7...Since returning to action May 18, he's hitting .329 (23-for-70)...He has a hit in 14 of 19 games since coming back, with eight multi-hit games...Has driven in 15 runs, scored 12, and hit three home runs in those 19 contests...He now has eight long balls on the year...His batting average has risen by .47 points to .271 (42-for-155)...Had his first two-walk game last Monday, he's drawn eight free passes since coming back, after having just two before the injury...His on-base percentage has gone from .247 to .329...He's now fifth in the league in slugging percentage at .523...
LET HIM SIMMER: INF Andrelton Simmons brought his average up to .311 on May 1 after going 3-for-4 in the midst of a season best 13-game hitting streak...Has kept it above .300 ever since, currently hitting .308...Yesterday, Simmons was not in the starting lineup for the first time since May 10...His .308 average is currently third-best in the league, and his 62 hits rank fourth...
TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER : RHP Junichi Tazawa was signed by Boston 12/3/08 after four seasons with the Nippon Oil ENEOS of the Japan Industrial League...Made his Major League debut 8/7/09 against the Yankees, took the loss after allowing a walk-off home run to Alex Rodriguez...Won his first Major League start 8/11 against Detroit...Went 2-3 with a 7.46 ERA in four starts and two relief appearances for the Red Sox...Began the 2009 season with AA Portland and was named to the Eastern League All-Star Team...Missed the entire 2010 year due to Tommy John surgery...Pitched against Lynchburg on 6/1...Pitched two hitless innings, striking out two and walking one...Currently 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA...
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Carolina League Stories from June 6, 2011
- Spring's HR Ties It; Cats Walk-Off 5-4 - Salem Red Sox
- Rocks Routed for Fifth Straight Setback - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Milligan Comes Through for 'Cats - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Myrtle Streak Ends as Dash Win 3-2 Thriller - Winston-Salem Dash
- Kinston Beats up Blue Rocks 11-1 - Kinston Indians
- Birds' Hopes Dashed in Opener - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Bundy Caps off Special Night - Frederick Keys
- Ryan Zimmerman Goes 2-3 in P-Nats Loss - Potomac Nationals
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- K-Tribe Notes for Monday - Kinston Indians
- Ryan Zimmerman Set for Rehab Start Tonight - Potomac Nationals
- Terdoslavich Takes Home Player of the Month Honor - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Sierra Promoted to Birmingham - Winston-Salem Dash
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