SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

June 9, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


West Virginia Power (28-29) at Lakewood BlueClaws (28-30)

Game 58 | June 9, 2011 | FirstEnergy Park | Lakewood, NJ

Radio: Power Baseball Network and wvpower.com

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

RH Jameson Taillon (2-1, 3.71) vs. LH Jesse Biddle (3-5, 3.99)

Taillon: Allowed 4 R on 8 H with 1 BB and 3 K over 5.0 IP in 6/03 Win @ LEX (5-4 Power)

Biddle: Allowed 2 R on 6 H with 0 BB and 4 K over 6.0 IP in 6/03 Win @ GBO (4-3 Hoppers)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia beat Delmarva 11-3 on Tuesday night at Appalachian Power Park. The Power plated six runs in the bottom of the first inning against Shorebirds starter Jarret Martin, knocking the southpaw from with game before the inning ended. West Virginia added five runs late, including a two run home run by Rogelio Noris to seal the win. Tyler Waldron pitched six shut out innings, walking two and striking our two, in his fifth win of the season.

SAL ALL-STARS: Brandon Cumpton, Dan Grovatt, and Jameson Taillon were selected to represent the Power in the 2011 South Atlantic League All-Star Game in June 21. Cumpton is 6-4 this season with a 5.11 ERA, but steam rolled though May with a 6-0 record and a 1.18 earned run average. Grovatt is batting .297 over 53 games with one home runs and 21 runs batted in. Taillon, the second overall pick in the 2010 draft, is 2-1 with a 3.71 earned run average during his first professional season.

BREAK OUT THE OLD BAY: West Virginia travels to Lakewood today to open a three game series at FirstEnergy Park. The BlueClaws hold the all-time advantage in this match-up with a 47- 32 record against the Power. West Virginia has won 14 times over 32 games on the road in this series. The Power and BlueClaws will meet a total of 19 times this season after playing 16 times last year, and Lakewood already has a 4-0 edge after sweeping a series at Appalachian Power Park from May 20 through 23.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Rogelio Noris hit 15 home runs for West Virginia during the 2010 season and has added five to that total so far this season. Stephen Chapman holds the single-season record with 24, which is also the most by any player during his respective stint with West Virginia. Noris is tied for third all-time in Power history with 19 career home runs, matching Kyle Morgan (2009-10), and trailing only Chapman and Kenny Holmberg (22 home runs over two seasons).

2011 DRAFT: The Pittsburgh Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole with the top choice in the 2011 First Year Player Draft Monday night. Cole, a junior from UCLA, went 6-8 with a 3.31 ERA for the Bruins this season but impressed scouts with a fastball that tops out around 100 miles per hour. Cole was also drafted by the New York Yankees in 2008, but chose instead to honor his commitment to UCLA.

PINPOINT CONTROL: West Virginia pitchers have combined to walk just 122 batters this season, the fewest in the SAL. Power pitchers have also walked the fewest batters in all of professional baseball. Wilmington in the Carolina League has walked the second fewest in pro ball at 135 batters.

SERIES STARTING STRUGGLES: The Power have a combined record of 5-10 in the opening games of their 15 series so far this season. West Virginia is 3-4 on the road in series openers, having taken their series opening wins on May 9 at Charleston, May 25 at Delmarva, and June 1 at Lexington.

POWER POINTS: The Power will make up the May 3 rainout against Greensboro on June 14 at 5:30 pm as part of a doubleheader... Victor Black has not allowed a base hit in any of his first four appearances so far this season, and has only allowed on base runner over six innings of work... Justin Howard has an active nine-game road on-base streak heading into tonight's game...

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh beat Arizona 3-2 in 12 innings. The Pirates are back to .500 with a 30-30 record... Indianapolis edge Buffalo 1-0... Altoona dropped a 7-6 final to Erie... Bradenton lost 4-3 at Jupiter. Aaron Baked drove in his 45th run in the loss.

ON THE AIR: All 140 West Virginia Power games can be heard on ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, WV, across the state on the Power Radio Network, and online at milb.com. Adam Marco will call the action for each of the 70 home games this season, while the home team will provide coverage while the Power are on the road.

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 9, 2011


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