SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

August 15, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


West Virginia Power (21-28, 56-61) at Kannapolis Intimidators (29-19, 66-50)

Game 118 | August 15, 2011 | Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium | Kannapolis, NC

Radio: Power Baseball Network and wvpower.com Airtime: 6:45 pm

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

LH Porfirio Lopez (3-5, 3.10) vs. LH Spencer Arroyo (8-8, 3.64)

Lopez: Allowed 1 R on 3 H with 4 K and 1 BB over 3.2 relief IP in 8/10 WVP Loss vs. CSC(7-4 Dogs)

Arroyo: Allowed 3 R on 8 H with 8 K and 2 BB over 5.0 IP in 8/10 Loss @ HIC (4-0 Crawdads)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia beat Kannapolis in Sunday's series opener. The Power scored four runs in the second inning on five base hits, including a double by Elias Diaz that plated a pair, and an Intimidators error. Eliecer Navarro pitched five solid innings to secure the win, and received support from Zac Fuesser and Casey Sadler from the bullpen to close out the game. The victory marked West Virginia's first at Kannapolis in six chances this season.

POUNDERS AND DECKER DL'D: Brooks Pounders and Kevin Decker were placed on the Power's Disabled List on Sunday prior to the game at Kannapolis. Pounders left Friday's game against Charleston with shoulder tightness, while Decker suffered an ankle injury prior to Saturday's game. Orlando Castro and Vincent Payne were promoted to the Power roster from State College to fill the void in the West Virginia bullpen.

CALL IN THE INFIELD: Kevin Mort pitched one scoreless inning Saturday night in his second relief appearance of the season. The infielder became the first Power player in nearly five years to pitch in a game when he made his first appearance of the season on July 1 versus Greensboro. On July 23, 2006, while still a Milwaukee affiliate, then manager Mike Guerrero used two position players, Brad Wilcutt and Tony Festa, to pitch late in a 10-2 loss against Lake County. Each player tossed a scoreless inning that night. Mort's mop up ERA over his two appearances covering three innings is 3.00.

SPOILERS READY: West Virginia continues its four game set at Kannapolis with a 7:05 first pitch tonight. The Power were swept in a five game series at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium during their first road trip of the season, including back-to-back walk off losses during a doubleheader on April 23, but claimed a 3-1 series win in Charleston from May 13-16. Kannapolis leads the all-time series 39-33 and holds a 20-15 advantage at home.

RECORD HIGH OF ZEROS: West Virginia pitchers worked their 11th shutout of the season last Thursday night to set a new club record, surpassing the efforts of the 2006 club while the Power were still affiliated with Milwaukee. Since the association with the Pirates began in 2009, the Power have pitched 26 shutouts over two plus years, compared to 29 during the four-year Brewer stint.

WALK OF LIFE: West Virginia's pitching staff continues to lead all of baseball with the fewest number of batters walked this year. Power pitchers have combined to walk 277 batters through 117 games. The lowest team total in club history is 346 during the 2010 season, while the league's record low over a 140 game season is 314 by Augusta in 2001. The staff is currently on pace to finish the season with 327 walks issued.

VERGE OF HISTORY: Rogelio Noris has 24 career home runs for West Virginia over nearly two seasons in a Power jersey. Noris has matched Stephen Chapman for the most home runs in any player's Power career. Chapman hit a single-season record 24 home runs in a Power uniform in 2007. Noris, however, has not hit a home run since July 15, a span of 18 games and 71 at bats.

POWER POINTS: Kevin Mort is batting .440 during his current seven game hitting streak, the longest of his 2011 season...

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh lost 2-1 at Milwaukee in 10 innings... Indianapolis lost 2-1 in walk-off fashion at Louisville... Altoona fell 5-4 against Reading in 12... Bradenton dropped a 4-0 final at Jupiter... State College did not play.

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 August 15, 2011


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