Power Game Notes
July 6, 2012 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release
Lakewood BlueClaws (9-6, 35-49) at West Virginia Power (7-8, 30-55)
Game 86 | July 6, 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
LH Hoby Milner (0-1, 12.00) vs. LH Zack Dodson (3-5, 6.21)
Milner: Surrendered 5 R on 5 H with 1 K and 2 BB over 3.0 IP in 7/01 Loss vs. HAG (11-9 Suns)
Dodson: Surrendered 5 R on 6 H with 1 K and 2 BB over 1.2 IP in 7/01 ND @ DEL (15-10 Power)
POWER REPLAY: West Virginia lost 11-4 to Lakewood on Thursday night. The BlueClaws plated four runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Power got home runs from Chris Lashmet, Elias Diaz, and Alen Hanson to account for all of its' offense. Nick Kingham allowed six runs on nine hits over five innings and took the loss.
KEEP ON CRACKIN': West Virginia hosts Lakewood though Sunday. The Power trail the all-time series 54-47 after splitting the first two games of this set. The Power have a 27-32 record at Appalachian Power Park after sweeping three games with the BlueClaws in Charleston from May 28-30 and taking the opener of this five game set. There are ten games left between West Virginia and Lakewood this season.
ONE YEAR- BIG DIFFERENCE: In 2011, Power pitchers walked 337 batters over the 138 games. So far this season, West Virginia pitchers have walked 332 batters through 85 games (3.9 per game) and are on pace to issue 547 free passes. The league record is well out of reach at 883 (Charleston, SC in 1978).
BASES LOADED BOONDOGGLE: West Virginia is one of five teams in the South Atlantic League that does not have a grand slam to its' credit this season. On the flip side, Power pitchers have allowed five slams this year, the most by any team in the league. West Virginia pitchers have walked 14 batters with the bags full and hit five (most in the league in both categories). Power pitchers have also battled more bases loaded at bats than any team in the SAL at 108 (Lakewood is second with 104).
HAPPY 4TH! Wednesday's win was just the second by West Virginia on a July 4th since the re-branding as the Power in 2005. The Power are 2-5 all-time on the Fourth of July and had not won since the inaugural year against Lexington. West Virginia is now 2-3 at home on Independence Day and has had one rainout (7/04/09 vs. LWD).
FIRST AS A PRO: Francisco Diaz's seventh inning home run on Wednesday was the first of his professional career. The switch-hitting catcher had played 237 games before hitting his first home run and did so on the 679th at bat of his career. Diaz was signed as a international free agent by Philadelphia in 2007 and spent the first five seasons of his career in the Phillies minor league system, though he never played for Lakewood. Pittsburgh acquired Diaz in the Minor League Rule Five Draft in 2011.
SEASON'S BEST: One week after playing in front of the largest road crowd of the season, the Power set a new home game high for attendance this year. Last Thursday, West Virginia played in front of 8,000 (plus) at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park when Phillies All-Star Ryan Howard made a rehab appearance. Wednesday's holiday crowd was 4,564, surpassing Opening Day (3,900) for the largest home attendance figure this year and the biggest at Appalachian Power Park since May 31, 2011 (5,570).
PROMO CHECK- JULY 19: West Virginia will host a Legends Night on July 19. The game will feature an appearance by Reggy and a giveaway to the first 1.000 fans.
POWER POINTS: West Virginia has hit 61 home runs through 85 games this season. The 2011 club hit 63 over 138 games... Gregory Polanco became the first Power player in over three years to have five hits in a single game for West Virginia with his efforts on Sunday. The last West Virginia player to reach base on five hits in a game was Robbie Grossman on June 18, 2009, at Hickory...
AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh shutout Houston 2-0 last night. Jeff Karstens and Joel Hanrahan combined to limit the Astros to four hits as the Buccos moved ten game over .500... Indianapolis lost 7-5 to Louisville... Altoona doubled up Reading 4-2... Bradenton blanked Palm Beach 6-0. Colton Cain tosses seven scoreless for the win... State College beat Tri-City 2-1 for their second straight win.
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.
South Atlantic League Stories from July 6, 2012
- Suns Take Walk-Off Win over Legends 5-4 - Lexington Legends
- Crawdads Ground Shorebirds with 5-2 Win - Hickory Crawdads
- Suns Walk-Off with 5-4 Win over Legends - Hagerstown Suns
- Three Unearned Runs Doom Tourists in 4-3 Loss - Asheville Tourists
- Power rally for a 4-3 win over Lakewood - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Shorebirds Fall 5-2 to Crawdads in Game Three - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Rodriguez Blast Propels Gnats to 1-0 Win Friday - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Wild Pitch Brings Home Intimidators Go-Ahead Run in 8th - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- 8th Inning Rally Dooms BlueClaws in 4-3 Loss - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Drive, Braves Split Friday's Doubleheader - Greenville Drive
- Walk-Off Homer for Savannah Caps Pitchers Duel - Charleston RiverDogs
- Big Second Inning Drives 4-3 Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Free Admission for Line Workers this Weekend - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Shorebirds Game Notes: at Hickory - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- RiverDogs' Eight-Game Homestand Ends With Splash - Charleston RiverDogs
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