SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on May 16, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Lexington Legends (18-19) at West Virginia Power (13-25)

Game 39 | May 16, 2012 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: ESPN Radio 104.5 FM & 1490 and wvpower.com Air Time- 6:45 p.m.

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

RH Jonas Dufek (0-0, 5.06) vs. RH Ryan Hafner (0-2, 6.75)

Dufek: Allowed 3 R on 7 H with 3 K and 3 BB over 5.2 IP in 5/10 ND @ ASH (6-3 Legends)

Hafner: Surrendered 2 R on 4 H with 2 K and 3 BB over 4.1 IP in 5/11 ND vs. CSC (8-4 CSC in 10)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia was shutout 3-0 on Tuesday night by the Lexington Legends. The Legends scored three runs in the top of the first inning against Power starter Matt Benedict, which ended up being more than enough for Luis Cruz and the Lexington bullpen. Cruz struck out nine over six and a third. Carlos Quevedo followed with an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief and Jason Chowning pitched a perfect ninth to complete the shutout for his sixth save.

SHUTOUT STORIES: West Virginia was shutout for the second time this season on Monday.The Power were also held scoreless on April 16 in a 16-0 loss at Appalachian Power Park by the Asheville Tourists. Lexington earned its fourth shutout of the season, tying them with Augusta for the second most in the SAL behind only Savannah (6). The Power are one of three teams that have not pitched a shutout yet this season (Hagerstown and Rome).

EIGHT STRAIGHT: Gregory Polanco takes an eight-game hitting streak into his next contest. The Power outfielder is batting .364 during this streak with 12 hits in 33 at bats with two home runs and four runs batted in. It is the longest current streak by any player on the roster and has matched Dan Gamache's late April to early May streak as the second longest this season by a Power player. Alen Hanson's 16-game April streak still remains as the longest in the league so far this season.

POWER V. LEGENDS: West Virginia has played Lexington more than any other team dating back to the 2005 season. The Power lead the all-time series 73-66, but have only gone 34-36 at Appalachian Power Park against the Legends since the stadium opened. West Virginia holds a nine-game edge in Lexington, going 39-30 at Whitaker Bank Ballpark, The Power and Legends will meet in Lexington next week, for two series in June, and four a four-game set in Lexington in August.

LEADING THE FIELD: West Virginia's players are leading the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system in several important offensive statistical categories. Alen Hanson, Gregory Polanco, and Jose Osuna have the top three batting averages among Pirates Minor Leaguers (.350, .302, .298 respectively). Polanco leads the organization in home runs (7), Willy Garcia has a system-high 26 runs batted in, and Hanson is second in steals (12) behind his 2011 predecessor at shortstop Drew Maggi (13 for Bradenton).

HELLO OLD FRIEND: Josh Bonifay returns to Charleston as a member of the Lexington coaching staff. Bonifay was a coach on Gary Green's 2010 Power staff before taking a job as a hitting coach in the Houston Astros system last season. The long-time Pirate minor leaguer was with the Greeneville Astros last season and is serving in that same capacity for Legends this year.

PROMO UPDATE- MAY 25: The Power will play a day-night doubleheader on May 25 against Kannapolis. The first game will start at 11:05 am and will be the final Grand Slam School Day of the season. The 7:05 pm nightcap will serve as a Hometown Heros game with a special discounted ticket package available for local law enforcement, fire, and life safety personnel.

POWER POINTS: Jose Osuna drove in two runs with sacrifice flies on Monday night for his first game with multiple runs batted in the season...

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh lost 6-2 to the Miami Marlins... Indianapolis was shutout for the second straight day, falling 4-0 to Lehigh Valley... Altoona beat Bowie 7-4. Matt Curry and Robbie Grossman drove in two runs each... Bradenton got rained out and will play a doubleheader against St. Lucie tonight.

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.

Check out the Charleston Dirty Birds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from May 16, 2012


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