FSL Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Mighty Mussels Game Notes - Tuesday, April 30 at Bradenton

April 30, 2024 - Florida State League (FSL)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


The Mighty Mussels hit the road Tuesday, beginning a six-game series with the Bradenton Marauders (PIT) at LECOM Park.

Major League rehabber Josh Winder is scheduled to make the start in the series opener, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

The Mighty Mussels Baseball Network will provide audio-only broadcasts of the first three games of the series, with video available here for all six games courtesy of the Marauders.

MUSSELS HIT THE ROAD

The Mighty Mussels wrapped up a 4-8 homestand with a 4-0 loss on Sunday against Palm Beach, managing just five hits in defeat. After playing 15 of their first 21 games at home, they will visit the Bradenton Marauders for six games. The Marauders currently rank last out of 30 teams in Low-A in batting average (.176) and slugging percentage (.264). Their current roster features five ranked prospects:

MLB BA

LHP Michael Kennedy 15 20

OF Shalin Polanco 16 -

C/3B Garret Forrester 19 25

UT Jesus Castillo 24 -

C Omar Alfonzo 28 -

DEFENSE MATTERS

Faulty defense hurt the Mussels badly throughout the two-week homestand against Jupiter and Palm Beach. Fort Myers has committed 27 errors in nine games, leading to 23 unearned runs. Each of their eight losses came by four runs or less, so some better defense could certainly have shifted the series into the Mussels' favor.

TEENAGERS TURN IT AROUND

After slow starts, nobody turned things around more during the most recent homestand than Brandon Winokur and Jose Rodriguez :

Winokur

AVG OPS

First 10 Games .162 18 K, 3 BB .584

Last 8 Games .375 9 K, 2 BB .975

Rodriguez

AVG OPS

First 9 Games .069 2-29, 13 K .267

Last 12 Games .277 7 XBH, 13 RBI .825

THIS IS HOUGH WE DO IT!

Mussels' outfielder Maddux Houghton has been a consistent threat in the Fort Myers' batting order all season. After another big homestand, the Lipscomb product is now leading the FSL in all three slash line categories (.396/.508/.604) as well as runs scored (16). He places tied for eighth in the league in RBI (11) and is tied for the team lead with 11 walks.

FLUKY FAILURES?

A quick look at the Mussels' team stats entering the week would indicate a strong start to the season. Fort Myers has a +4 run differential and ranks top-4 in the league in batting average and slugging percentage, and third in ERA. However, the Mussels' defense has committed 38 errors in 21 games, the second most in the FSL. Their 30 unearned runs is the most in the league, leading Tampa (25) and St. Lucie (17).

WONDERING WHERE'S THE WIN

The Mighty Mussels' starting rotation has turned in solid work all season, turning in a 3.31 ERA with 95 strikeouts and 27 walks in 87 innings (3.52 K/BB ratio) this season. They've also had seven starts of 5+ IP, but are still searching for their first win of the season. 16 of the 21 decisions this season have been assessed to the Fort Myers' bullpen.

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 30, 2024


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