SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on August 5, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Lakewood BlueClaws (22-21, 48-64) at West Virginia Power (24-19, 47-66)

Game 114 | August 5, 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 Moises Rivas (2-1, 5.25) vs. RH Robby Rowland (6-3, 3.39)

Rivas: Allowed 1 R on 5 H with 3 K and 1 BB over 5.2 IP in 7/31 Win @ DEL (9-1 BlueClaws)

Rowland: Allowed 2 R on 7 H over 6.2 IP with 4 K and 1 BB on 7/31 vs. HAG (4-2 WV Power)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia beat Lakewood 9-1 on Saturday evening. The Power scored once in the second and took a 3-0 lead on a two run home run by Alen Hanson in the third. West Virginia added a run in the fourth and two in the five to back starter Porfirio Lopez. The Power southpaw pitched five shutout innings and earned the win. West Virginia scored three more in the seventh to build a 9-0 lead. Lakewood broke up the shutout in the top of the ninth with two singles and a sac fly against the Power bullpen. West Virginia got hits from all nine starters and four players drove in two runs each.

NEARLY BACK-TO-BACK: West Virginia came within two outs of back-to-back shutouts. Friday night, West Virginia pitchers combined to work their fourth shutout this season. On Saturday, the BlueClaws broke up the shutout in the ninth and snapped a 17 and a third scoreless innings drought. The Power have not recorded two straight shutouts since May 24 and 25 of the 2010 season (3-0 and 5-0 wins at home against Lexington. Lakewood avoided being shutout in two straight and has not been held off the scoreboard in back-to-back games since August of the 2008 season.

HANSON'S BIG FLY: Alen Hanson's home run last night was his first since July 5. The Power shortstop hit 15 home runs during his first 327 at bats of the season and went 93 at bats between his 15th and 16th home runs. Hanson's 2012 totals place him sixth all-time in Power history, one behind a three-way tie for fourth and eight behind matching Stephen Chapman's club record of 24 during the2008 season.

GO FOR LOPEZ: Porfirio Lopez entered the Power rotation last night and became the 11th starting pitcher utilized by West Virginia this season. This total matches the same number of starters used last season. The 2009 club started 16 different pitchers in the first year as an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. West Virginia used 15 starters during the 2010 season.

#WINNING: Saturday's win was the Power's 24th of the second half. West Virginia needed 43 games to win 24. In the first seventy games of the season, the club only won 23 times. West Virginia is tied for first once again with Hagerstown after a Power win Saturday and an 8-0 loss by the Suns to Lexington.

BATTLE WITH THE BLUECLAWS: West Virginia and Lakewood play the 18th of this 19 game season series this afternoon. The Power have won 12 of 17 with the BlueClaws this year, but still trail the all-time series 57-53. West Virginia is 8-2 at Appalachian Power Park this season against Lakewood and 31-33 at home all-time in the set.

ONE STILL GOING AND ONE STOPPED: Francisco Diaz rides a seven game hitting streak into heading into his next contest. Diaz is 11 for his last 19 and has driven in six during this streak, which is his longest of the season. Gregory Polanco singled once in four plate appearances last night to extend his hitting streak to five straight.

POWER POINTS: Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco rank first and second in the league with 134 and 132 hits apiece, respectively. No Power player has led the South Atlantic League in hits since Lorenzo Cain's 2006 club record 162... All four of West Virginia's combined shutouts have come during the second half of the season.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh dropped a 5-4 final at Cincinnati and will try to avoid being swept this afternoon... Indianapolis lost 9-8 at Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre in 11 innings... Altoona fell 8-6 at New Britain... Bradenton blanked Palm Beach 2-0. Jameson Tallion pitched five shutout innings for his sixth win... State College walked off with a 3-2 win against Aberdeen.

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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