FSL Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Mighty Mussels Game Notes - Tue, April 23 vs Palm Beach

April 23, 2024 - Florida State League (FSL)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


The Mighty Mussels welcome the Palm Beach Cardinals (STL) to Hammond Stadium this week, beginning a 6-game series at 7:05 p.m. tonight.

Pitching Matchups Tue - LHP Ross Dunn (0-0, 3.75) vs. RHP Juan Salas (1-0, 0.82) Wed - RHP Jeremy Lee (1-1, 2.63) vs. RHP Darlin Saladin (1-0, 4.82) Thu - LHP Cesar Lares (0-0, 3.12) vs. RHP Jason Savacool (1-0, 1.00)

MUSSELS DROP SERIES TO JUPITER

The Mighty Mussels lost last week's series to the Jupiter Hammerheads, dropping the finale 6-3 on Sunday. Despite the series loss, the Fort Myers offense had an excellent week, finishing with 6.0 R/G, 11 stolen bases and a .288/.371/.418 slash line. Jose Rodriguez connected on his first Low-A home run on Sunday, and four Mussels posted a 1.000+ OPS:

AVG OPS

Maddux Houghton .529 2 2B, 5 BB 1.283

Gregory Duran .400 HR, 6 RBI 1.108

Brandon Winokur .381 3 XBH, 7 RBI 1.028

Rayne Doncon .360 5 2B, 3 BB 1.008

THIS IS HOUGH WE DO IT!

Mussels' outfielder Maddux Houghton continued his red-hot hitting against Jupiter, finishing the series 9-for-17 (.529 AVG) with two doubles and five walks. The 25-year old is now 14 for his last 27 and has a 1.297 OPS for the season. Houghton was signed as an undrafted free agent in January of 2023.

DEFENSE MATTERS

Faulty defense hurt the Mussels badly throughout the entire series against Jupiter last week. Fort Myers committed 15 errors in six games, leading to eight unearned runs. Each of their four losses came by three runs or less, so some better defense could certainly have shifted the series into the Mussels' favor. For the season, Fort Myers has committed 26 errors, second most in the FSL and fifth most in Low-A.

FLUKY FAILURES?

A quick look at the Mussels' team stats would indicate a strong start to the season. Fort Myers has a +12 run differential and ranks second in the league in batting average and slugging percentage, and third in ERA and WHIP. However, shaky defense, a .690 OPS with RISP and a 3-5 record in games decided by two runs or less have led to a 6-9 start.

COME ON DOWN, CARDINALS!

The Palm Beach Cardinals visit Hammond Stadium for a six-game series this week. Entering the week, their pitching staff leads the league in opponents' batting average (.187) and WHIP (1.11). This will be the only series of the year between these two clubs. Palm Beach's roster currently features three ranked prospects:

MLB BA

OF Chase Davis 5 7

RHP Zack Showalter 17 23

LHP Quinn Matthews 21 24

STINGY STARTERS

The two-run home run hit by Tony Bullard off of Ross Dunn on Wednesday night was the first home run hit against a Mighty Mussels' starting pitcher all season. Fort Myers' starters combined to go 40 consecutive innings without allowing a homer to begin the season. As of Tuesday, they have still only allowed one home run in 60.1 innings.

SAME COMPLEX, NEW NAME

While the Mussels' home stadium is still named William H. Hammond Stadium, the complex has been re-named the Lee Health Sports Complex. On November 16, the Minnesota Twins and Lee Health announced a 10-year naming right partnership.

Check out the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Statistics



Florida State League Stories from April 23, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central