CarL1 Lynchburg Hillcats

Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes

Published on May 2, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Lynchburg Hillcats News Release


LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (9-15) vs. SALEM RED SOX (15-10)

May 2, 2014 -- 6:05 PM

Calvin Falwell Field at City Stadium

RHP Lucas Sims (1-3, 4.78) vs. RHP William Cuevas (1-3, 7.56)

LAST TIME OUT: Last night the Hillcats lost to the Salem Red Sox 6-4...The 'Cats led 2-0 and 4-3 but a three run eighth inning for Salem ultimately served Lynchburg with their ninth consecutive loss...2B Jose Peraza led off the first inning for the Hillcats with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly...Peraza ended up going 3-for-5 on the night...RHP Wes Parsons started for the Hillcats and held the Red Sox scoreless fro three innings before allowing three runs in the fourth...He pitched through the fourth, and the RHP Jarett Miller took over and pitched two scoreless innings of relief...Down 3-2, the Hillcats came back with two runs in the sixth...RF Will Skinner and SS Daniel Castro hit back-to-back two-out RBI doubles...The lead lasted until the eighth, when RHP Clay Schrader relieved LHP Matt Chaffee with a runner at third and two outs...Schrader walked one, gave up two RBI singles, and walked two more before getting out the inning...Three runs scored and the Red Sox held on to win...RHP B(2-0) earned the win for Salem pitching the final 3.1 innings scoreless...Schrader (0-1) suffered the loss...The Hillcats fell to 9-15, which is now tied for the worst record in the Carolina League with the Winston-Salem Dash...

VS. SALEM: The Hillcats are 0-4 against the Red Sox this season getting swept in Salem last week and losing the series opener last night...The Red Sox have swept both of the last two series between these clubs going back to the final series of 2013, which was also in Salem...The Hillcats have lost the last nine meetings...Overall last year, the 'Cats were just 6-14 against Salem, going 3-7 at home...

SITUATIONAL CARROLL: Recently promoted OF Dan Carroll joined the Hillcats from Low-A Rome Monday...His first game with the Hillcats that night was suspended due to rain...Tueaday was rained out, and Wednesday was an off-day, so last night was his first game of record with the Hillcats...He went 0-for-1, but came through with a pair of sacrifice flies in his first two plate appearances, collecting his first two RBIs with Lynchburg...The Braves purchased Carroll's contract last season from the independent Lincoln Saltdogs...He reached the Double-A level with the Seattle Mariners organization...A third round pick back in 2007, he played six seasons in the Mariners' farm system before receiving his release...His best season was in 2011 when he stole a career-best 62 bases and hit a career-best 18 home runs for the High Desert Mavericks of the California League...

HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION: This nine-game losing streak is the worst for the Hillcats since they lost 10 in a row in 2011...The 'Cats opened up 2011 with a win and then lost their next 10 straight games, getting outscored 76-31 in those games...2012's worst slide was eight games, from May 30 - June 5...They were outscored 44-14 during that stretch...The current slide has seen the 'Cats get outscored 54-26 so far...The longest losing stretch of 2013 was five games from June 26-30...That streak was snapped by a 10-0 win at Carolina...2012's longest skid was snapped by an 8-1 win at Myrtle Beach...2011's 10-game drought was snapped by a 9-1 win at Frederick, so history would suggest a big win for the Hillcats at some point...

NEEDING RELIEF: The Hillcats used six pitchers last night for the first time this season to get through a single game...The staff surrendered six earned runs on eight hits an struck out 12, but also walked seven...The seven walked fell one short of the season-high of eight set on April 13 at Frederick when the 'Cats surrendered 12 runs on 16 hits, both season-highs as well...

CUNNIFF IS HUMAN: RHP Brandon Cunniff gave up his first run of the season Sunday, but it was unearned so his flawless 0.00 ERA is still in tact...He pitched 1.2 innings and surrendered a season-high three hits, walked no one, and struck out three...His 13.2 innings without allowing an earned run are the most in the Carolina League...Wilmington's RHP Zeb Sneed is next closest with 11.1 innings, he has also allowed one unearned run...

PERAZA SETTING THE TABLE?: INF Jose Peraza went 3-for-5 with a triple and a run scored last night, and has now hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games raising his average from .255 to .343, which currently ranks fourth in the circuit...He is batting .431 (22-for-51) during this stretch, yet he's only scored six times (five in his last six games)...He's even stolen seven bases in the same time frame...He has batted lead off in every Hillcats game so far this season...He is second in the league in at-bats (102) and first in hits (35)...He's second in stolen bases (12)...He now has 11 multi-hit efforts in 24 total games this season, five of which are three-hit games...

LEADING, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE: The Hillcats scored first for an 12th time this season last night but lost...They are now 5-7 when scoring first...They blew two different leads of 2-0 and 4-3 before losing 6-4...It was the second time this season the Hillcats have blown two leads, and both times it's be the Salem Red Sox defeating the 'Cats...Salem beat the Hillcats April 24 8-5 after trailing 1-0 and 5-3...Lynchburg is the only team in the league without a record over .500 when they score the game's first run...The Hillcats have scored first in five of their last six games, but lost each time...Their biggest blown lead is 4-0 (Sunday)...

KEEPIN' IT IN THE YARD: For the first time in 10 games, the Hillcats did not allow a home run last night...Hillcats pitchers had allowed 11 long ball over the nine-game streak...Overall the 'Cats have surrendered 17 home runs, the most in the Carolina League...Salem is next with 16 allowed...

TODAY'S OPPOSING PITCHER: RHP William Cuevas signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent July 2, 2008 out of Venezuela when he was 17 years old...Made his pro debut in 2009 in the Dominican Summer League, and spent two seasons there...Began 2011 in the DSL again, but moved up to the Gulf Coast League after not allowing an earned run in three appearances...Went 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 appearances (2 starts) with the GCL Red Sox...Promoted to Short-season Lowell in 2012...Went 8-2 with a 1.40 ERA in 15 appearances (6 starts)...Placed second in the New York/Penn League in ERA, tied for first in wins, third in strikeouts (72), third in WHIP (0.91), and third in fewest baserunners allowed per nine innings (7.92)...Gave up just 4 runs in 33 innings as a starter...Held left handed batters to an impressive .189 clip...Named Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month in July (4-1, 2.18 ERA, 35 K)...Broke camp with Salem in 2013, skipping Low-A Greenville...Went 8-9 with a 5.05 ERA in 26 starts and has returned to Salem this season...He is 1-3 with a 7.56 ERA through four starts so far, and tonight will be his first appearance against the Hillcats a team that he went 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA against last year in four starts...

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Carolina League Stories from May 2, 2014


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