SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on July 8, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Lakewood BlueClaws (9-8, 35-51) at West Virginia Power (9-8, 32-55)

Game 88 | July 8, 2012 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: ESPN Radio 104.5 FM & 1490 and wvpower.com Air Time- 1:45 p.m.

TODAY'S MATCHUP

RH Colin Kleven (4-6, 4.41) vs. RH Ryan Hafner (0-6, 6.80)

Kleven: Allowed 3 R on 6 H with 11 K and 0 BB over 7.0 IP in 7/03 ND vs. HAG (8-3 BlueClaws)

Hafner: Allowed 2 R on 3 H with 0 K and 2 BB over 0.1 IP in 7/03 Loss @ DEL (7-3 Shorebirds)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia beat Lakewood 8-1 on Saturday. Robby Rowland pitched six shutout innings and was backed by five runs of support. The Power scored twice in the first, once in the second, and twice in the fifth to build an insurmountable lead. The second inning tally came on Jose Osuna's seventh home run of the season. The BlueClaws only run crossed in the seventh when Gauntlett Eldemire hit a solo home run off the West Virginia bullpen, but the Power responded with a three-run eighth to cap the scoring. Rowland's win was his fifth of the year and third against Lakewood. Five different Power players had two hits each and three men drove in two runs apiece.

VICTORY! Saturday night's Power win last night guaranteed a series win over the BlueClaws with one game left in this five-game set. West Virginia has now won four series in 24 chances this year.

NOT SO BLUE: West Virginia and Lakewood conclude this series today. The Power still trail the all-time series 55-49, but have gone 8-3 this year against the BlueClaws. West Virginia has a 29-32 record at Appalachian Power Park with five home games left in the season set. The teams will also meet for a three games series in Lakewood, NJ, later this month.

MORE QUALITY: One night after Zack Dodson's fifth quality start of the year, Robby Rowland notched his fifth as well. In 87 games, Power starting pitchers have totaled six or more innings 19 times with a 13-6 record in those starts. Not once this season has a pitcher gone six or more and not had a quality start.

UNO DOS DIAZ! Elias Diaz drove in two runs Friday night for hit first multi-RBI game this season. The Power catcher now has 15 runs batted in over 62 games this year after having driven in 45 over 90 2011 contests. Diaz drove in multiple runs in 13 different games while spending all of last season with the Power. The Power catcher is also riding his longest hitting streak this season. Diaz is batting .333 over a seven game hitting streak that includes two home runs and six runs batted in.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: In 2011, Power pitchers walked 337 batters over the 138 games. So far this season, West Virginia pitchers have walked 334 batters through 87 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).

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 62 home runs through 87 games this season. The 2011 club hit 63 over 138 games... 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)..

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh beat San Francisco 3-1. James McDonald moved to 9-3 with the win while Joel Hanrahan earned his 23rd save... Indianapolis doubled up Columbus 10-5... Altoona lost 8-2 to Binghamton... Bradenton beat St. Lucie 6-3. Gift Ngoepe and Alex Dickerson each homered for the Marauders... State College lost 4-2 in ten innings at Vermont.

ON THE AIR: All 140 West Virginia Power gamescan 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 July 8, 2012


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