SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

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


West Virginia Power (25-20, 48-67) at Lexington Legends (25-20, 64-50)

Game 116 | August 8, 2012 | Whitaker Bank Park | Lexington, KY

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

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

RH Zack Von Rosenberg (3-4, 4.39) vs. LH Luis Cruz (8-5, 3.75)

Von Rosenberg: Allowed 7 R on 7 H with 1 K and 2 BB over 2.2 IP in 8/02 ND vs. HAG (9-7 Power)

Cruz: Allowed 2 R on 6 H over 6.0 IP with 8 K and 1 BB in 8/01 Win @ ASH (3-2 Legends)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia lost 8-5 to Lakewood on Monday evening. The Power scored twice in the third and added three in fourth to take a 5-0 advantage for starter Mike Jefferson. The BlueClaws rallied for a two-run fifth inning before scoring six in the sixth against relievers Ryan Hafner and Zac Fuesser. The Power could not respond and saw their three-game winning streak and chance of a sweep fade away. Dan Gamache had two hits, including his fourth home run of the season, and three other players added multi-hit games in the loss.

POWER V. LEGENDS: West Virginia and Lexington open their final series of the season tonight. The Power lead the all-time series 77-73 and hold a 41-34 mark at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. The Power and Legends begin play tonight with identical 25-20 second half records, though West Virginia is in first place in the Northern Division by a game over two teams while Lexington sits tied for second in the Southern Division, four and a half games behind Rome.

SCORING DIFFERENTIAL: West Virginia has scored 569 runs this season and has allowed 639. During the first half of the season, the Power scored 316 over seventy games for an average of 4.5 runs per game and allowed 442 for an average of 6.3 runs allowed per game. In 45 second half games, the team has scored 253 runs (5.6 runs per game) and has allowed 197 (4.4 runs allowed per game).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Power have 11 road games remaining this season spread out over three separate trips. After this four game series in Lexington, West Virginia will have road series left in Kannapolis from August 19-22 and in Charleston, SC, from August 28-30. The Power won a league-low seven games in the first half on the road, but have the SAL's most second half road victories with 14.

TOP OF THE HITTING HEAP: Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco rank first and second in the league with 135 and 133 hits apiece, respectively. No Power player has led the South Atlantic League in hits since Lorenzo Cain's 2006 club record 162. Polanco enters play tonight with the league's second best batting average while Hanson is eighth.

HANSON'S BIG FLY: Alen Hanson's home run on Saturday 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 the 2008 season.

STREAKY STRONG: Francisco Diaz has hit safely in his last nine games and is hitting .577 during this hitting streak with 15 hits in his last 26 at bats. Gregory Polanco singled once on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to seven straight. The Power center fielder is batting .393 over his last seven games and did not play on Monday evening against the BlueClaws.

POWER POINTS: All four of West Virginia's combined shutouts have come during the second half of the season... The Power have won eight series, lost 17, and split six so far this season, but have only lost two of 11 series in the second half... Power relievers have inherited 109 runners this season and 49 have scored (46%)... Zack Von Rosenberg will face the Legends for the sixth time in his career tonight. The right-hander is 1-3 all-time against Lexington with an 8.85 ERA.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh lost 10-4 to Arizona at PNC Park last night. The Diamondbacks trailed 4-3 heading into the eighth inning, but scored seven times over the final two innings against the Buccos bullpen... Indianapolis lost 12-2 to Charlotte... Altoona dropped a 9-8 final to Bowie in 11 innings... Bradenton fell 8-1 at Charlotte... State College beat Batavia 4-2 on the road in 10 innings.

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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