CarL1 Hill City Howlers

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on July 18, 2012 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (52-43, 13-12) vs POTOMAC NATIONALS (43-52, 12-13)

July 18th, 2012 -- 7:05 PM

Pfitzner Stadium

RHP Gus Schlosser (9-4, 3.45) vs RHP Chien-Ming Wang (0-0, 2.25)

THE HILLCATS: The Hillcats lost to the Potomac Nationals 7-6 in 10 innings last night...The 'Cats put up five runs in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead...LF/1B Matt Weaver highlighted the rally with a three-run homer, his 10th of the season...Lynchburg went on to lead 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning but gave up the final six runs of the game including the tying run in the ninth and the game-winner with two outs in the 10th...The Hillcats are now 13-12 in the second half and in first place in the Northern Division...The other three teams in the division, which includes the Nationals are tied for second place at 12-13, one game back...

VS. POTOMAC: Lynchburg is 7-7 against the Nationals this year...The home team is 11-3 so far in the season series...Most recently the Hillcats were swept in three games at Pfitzner Stadium June 1-3 in the middle of their season-worst eight-game losing streak...After last night's loss, the 'Cats have lost five straight at the 'Pfitz'...

IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER: The Hillcats were ahead 6-2 after the fifth inning last night and 6-5 from the seventh until the ninth, but went to extras and lost 7-6 in the 10th...The loss was their third when leading after eight innings, which is tied for the most such losses in the circuit with the Carolina Mudcats...The Hillcats also the have most losses when leading after seven frames (7) and six innings (8)...The Frederick Keys are tied with the 'Cats for most losses when leading after five innings with eight...

MARVELOUS MARTIN: RHP Cody Martin (10-6) threw his first career complete game shutout Friday night, striking out a career-high 14 batters...Shattered his previous best of eight strikeouts, and he went nine innings for the first time, after never going past seven before...Yesterday was honored as the Carolina League Pitcher or the Week for the second straight week and for the third time overall this season...Only one other nine-inning complete game shutout has been thrown this season in the Carolina League...RHP Matt Heidenreich threw it for Winston-Salem on June 25 (also against Salem) and has since been promoted to Double-A...Martin lowered his ERA from 3.13 to 2.80, which now ranks third in the circuit...Also ranks first in wins (10), second in strikeouts (101), and tied for third in average against (.229)...

HELLO, GOOD BYE: The Hillcats have said so long to two of their top pitchers over the last two days...RHP J.R. Graham (9-1) was promoted to Double-A Mississippi yesterday...He holds the best winning percentage in the Carolina League right now and is one win shy of the league lead...Leads the league in ERA (2.63) and WHIP (1.02), and is fourth in batting average against (.236)...LHP Chasen Shreve (4-4) was promoted Monday, also to Mississippi...He held a 1.85 ERA through 30 releif appearances and struck out 40 while walking only 15...Tied for the league lead with seven holds...Held opponents scoreless in 20 of his 30 outings...Did not allow a run from May 23-June 25, spanning 11 appearances and 16.1 innings...The Hillcats are at 24 active players right now...RHP Michael Lee is set to take Graham's spot in the rotation...

GO BIG OR GO HOME: INF/OF Matt Weaver went 1-for-4 last night with a three-run home run...He is just 4-for-22 over his last seven games but two of those hits are homers...Weaver has 10 long balls in just 174 at-bats this season...Has a home run for every 17.4 at-bats this season, which would be the third-best rate in the league behind Frederick's 1B Aaron Baker (14.36 AB/HR) and Potomac's OF Kevin Keyes (17.36 AB/HR), but Weaver does not have enough plate appearances to qualify...

TAKE TWO: SS Nick Ahmed went 3-for-4 last night with a pair of RBI-doubles...He now has 29 doubles this season, most in the Carolina League...He also ranks first in stolen bases (26), third in games played (91), first in at-bats (354), fifth in hits (96), fourth in extra-base hits (38), and third in runs scored (58)...Ahmed has driven in or scored (or both, 5 HR) 97 of the Hillcats 417 runs this season, making up for just over 23 percent of the total production...

TONIGHT'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP Chien-Ming Wang was signed as a free agent February 19, 2010 by the Washington Nationals...He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent May 5, 2000 by the New York Yankees out of Taiwan when he was 20 years old...Has a career major league ERA slightly over 4.00 in over 700 innings...Won 19 games in his first full big league season in 2006, finished 2nd in the American League Cy Young voting...Won 19 again in 2007, and finished seventh in the Cy Young voting...Missed all of 2001 after having arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder...Spent two stints on on the disabled list in 2003 with a blister on his right middle finger...Last pitched for the Yankees in 2009...Missed all of 2010 after signing with Washington...Made his Nationals Debut on July 29, 2011 against the Atlanta Braves, over 17 months after signing with the organization...Went 4-3 with a 4.04 ERA in 11 starts in 2011 with Washington...2012, he is 2-3 with a 7.61 ERA in seven appearances, four starts...Making his second rehab appearance with Potomac tonight...Tossed four innings, allowed one run on four hits, and struck out three on April 28 against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans...Currently coming back from a hip injury...

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Carolina League Stories from July 18, 2012


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