SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on August 1, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Hagerstown Suns (21-18, 63-45) at West Virginia Power (22-17, 45-64)

Game 110 | August 1, 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 Brian Rauh (0-1, 6.23) vs. LH Mike Jefferson (4-6, 4.81)

Rauh: Allowed 2 R on 7 H with 5 K and 2 BB over 4.0 IP in 7/26 ND vs. LWD (8-6 Suns)

Jefferson: Allowed 0 R on 4 H over 5.0 IP with 4 K and 2 BB in 7/27 Win @ LWD (6-0 Power)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia beat Hagerstown 4-2 on Tuesday. The Power held a 1-0 lead after one inning and led 4-0 after two thanks to a bases loaded double by Gregory Polanco. The Suns only runs crossed on a seventh inning home run. Robby Rowland pitched into the seventh and earned his sixth while and Nathan Kilcrease tossed a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.

TOP OF THE HEAP: West Virginia's Tuesday win coupled with a Hickory loss moved the Power into sole possession of first place in the Northern Division. The Power had shared the division lead for a total of four days this year and now have the top spot by themselves for the first time all season. West Virginia leads Hagerstown, Hickory, and Lakewood by one game heading into play tonight.

STINGY AND STARTING: Mike Jefferson will make his third appearance against Hagerstown this season when he takes the bump tonight. The Power southpaw is 3-2 as a starter in 2012 with a 4.18 ERA over seven games. Jefferson pitched well in July, going 2-1 with a 1.77 ERA over 20 and a third innings pitched and has not allowed an earned run in his last four appearances, spanning 14 innings. Jefferson celebrated his 23rd birthday on Tuesday.

BYE BYE JULY: The Power finished July with a 17-12 record, tied with Asheville for the best mark during the month. West Virginia had its' best offensive month, batting .289 over 29 games, and held its' best ERA in any month this year at 3.80, two full runs lower than April's season-high 5.80 ERA.

RBI GUY: Gregory Polanco finished the month of July with a flourish, driving in four runs late night to push his month-long total to 30 runs batted in to set a new club record. The previous high mark was 29, set by two players during the time when West Virginia was affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers. Mat Gamel drove in 29 in May of 2006 and Kenny Holmberg matched his record in June of 2007. Polanco now has 75 runs batted in this season over 102 games. Steffan Wilson owns the club's single season RBI record with 100 during the 2008 season.

HOME RUN KING: Jose Osuna hit nine home runs in July and set a new franchise record. The infielder matched Mat Gamel (May 2006), Stephen Chapman (July 2007), and Matt LaPorta (August 2007) for the club record of home runs in a single month with a home run at Greensboro on July 26.

SUNS SHOWDOWN: West Virginia and Hagerstown battle tonight for the second to last time this season. The Power trail in the all-time series 55-52, but are 27-19 against the Suns at home since 2005.

STILL GOING: Francisco Diaz has a six-game hitting streak intact heading into his next game, while Jose Osuna has hit safety in ten in a row. Eric Avila extended his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games with a 1-3 performance on Monday.

PROMO CHECK- AUGUST 2 & 3: The Power will hold two BIG 12 promotional night's during the next homestand. August 2 is NFL Night featuring an appearance by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, while August 3 is WVU night featuring appearances by West Virginia University legends including Pat White.

POWER POINTS: Zack Dodson was placed on the Temporary Inactive List by Pittsburgh on Tuesday. The Pirates then promoted Emmanuel De Leon from State College to fill Dodson's spot on the active roster. De Leon made 16 appearances for the Power before being transferred to State College on May 26.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh beat Chicago 5-0. AJ Burnett pitched a one-hit shutout for his 13th win... Indianapolis lost 5-4 to Buffalo in 11... Altoona fell 2-1 at Trenton... Bradenton beat Lakeland 6-2. Dan Grovatt drove in three to lead the Marauders... State College was idle on Tuesday.

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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