SAL1 Greensboro Grasshoppers

Preview: Cabrera Back on the Mound

Published on July 5, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greensboro Grasshoppers News Release


GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS - 41-41, 7-6 Second Half (MIA)

vs. LAKEWOOD BLUECLAWS - 49-33, 8-5 Second Half (PHI)

Thursday - 7:00 p.m.

First National Bank Field - Greensboro, N.C.

Game #83 of 138

RH Edward Cabrera (3-6, 3.53) vs. RH Spencer Howard (4-7, 5.06)

Today's Preview: The Grasshoppers (A, Marlins) continue this 3-game home stand wit Game 2 against the BlueClaws (A, Phillies) at First National Bank Field. Greensboro scored a 4-3 win on Independence Day in the series opener to pull within 1.0 game of first place in the South Atlantic League Northern Division Second Half as Lakewood now sits tied with West Virginia atop the standings.

Hoppers Hurlers: Edward Cabrera, 20, makes his 15th start of the season and fifth against the BlueClaws. In four starts against Lakewood, he is 1-2 with a 1.05 ERA (3 ER/25.2 IP) and 15 strikeouts compared to five walks. The BlueClaws at batting .198 (18-91) against him. He is coming off a rain-shortened start at Hickory on June 30, working 3.0 innings and allowing two runs before play was suspended in the middle of the fourth. Cabrera is coming off a strong month of June in which he went 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA (8 ER/25.2 IP) and 26 strikeouts, his best numbers in any month in 2018. He last win came in his First Half finale at Kannapolis on June 15, limiting the Intimidators to a run on six hits over 7.0 innings while striking out a season-high eight. He is tough to beat at home, going 1-3 with a 1.98 ERA (10 ER/27.1 IP) in five home starts compared to 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA (22 ER/44.0 IP) in nine road starts. Last season with Short-Season Batavia, he went 1-3 with a 5.30 ERA (21 ER/35.2 IP) and 32 strikeouts in 13 games (six starts).

About Last Night: With the game tied in the bottom of the seventh, Garvis Lara's leadoff triple set the stage for the go-ahead run in the Grasshoppers' 4-3 win over the Lakewood BlueClaws in front of a season-high 9,063 fans at First National Bank Field. Greensboro (41-41, 7-6 Second Half) overcame a pair of Lakewood home runs to secure the Independence Day victory in the series opener. Daniel Castano (2-0) worked around one rough inning to earn the win in a 7.0- inning outing, striking out seven and walking none. Michael Mertz tossed a perfect eighth, setting up Vincenzo Aiello's 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save (6). In the bottom of the seventh with the game even, 3-3, Lara's triple rattled around the right field corner. Thomas Jones followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, and Lara slid head-first across the plate just under the tag of catcher Colby Fitch for what proved to be the winning run. Greensboro took the game's first lead with a 3-run fifth inning, jump-started by Micah Brown's lead-off home run (6). Harrison Dinicola followed with a double to center field, and Michael Hernandez walked behind him. Lara laid down a sacrifice-bunt to move both men into scoring position. Dinicola sprinted home on a wild pitch for a 2-0 lead, and Jose Devers added an RBI-single to cap the frame. All three runs Castano allowed came in the sixth when he surrendered back-to-back home runs to Lakewood's Jake Scheiner, a 2-run shot, and Jhailyn Ortiz for the BlueClaws' only runs of the night. BlueClaws reliever Ismael Cabrera (0-1) took the loss, allowing a run on one run while walking three and striking out two over 2.0 innings.

Independence Day: The Grasshoppers earned another win on the Fourth of July on Wednesday, the 12th time in 14 seasons the team has played at home on Independence Day since moving downtown in 2005. Greensboro is now 6-8 record in games played on Independence Day, including a 6-6 mark at home. The Hoppers will spend July 4 on the road next season following the SAL's adoption of a new rule where teams will alternate being home and away on the Fourth of July every other year.

Date Opponent Ballpark Result Attendance

7/4/2018 Lakewood First National Bank Field W, 4-3 9,063

7/4/2017 at Hagerstown Municipal Stadium L, 1-5 1,101

7/4/2016 West Virginia First National Bank Field W, 5-2 9,559

7/4/2015 Hickory NewBridge Bank Park L, 2-11 10,312

7/4/2014 West Virginia NewBridge Bank Park W, 5-2 9,855

7/4/2013 Lakewood NewBridge Bank Park W, 4-2 9,680

7/4/2012 at Kannapolis CMC-NorthEast Stadium L, 1-6 5,245

7/4/11 Kannapolis NewBridge Bank Park L, 1-13 9,443

7/4/10 Lakewood NewBridge Bank Park L, 2-5 9,573

7/4/09 Lake County NewBridge Bank Park L, 3-5 10,031

7/4/08 Delmarva NewBridge Bank Park W, 5-3 10,034

7/4/07 Greenville First Horizon Park W, 6-5 9,309

7/4/06 Greenville First Horizon Park L, 0-5 10,260

7/4/05 Charleston First Horizon Park L, 2-5 8,925

Hock On Top: Greensboro reliever Colton Hock (8-3, 2.90 ERA) is tied atop the SAL with eight wins, equaling Joe Cavallaro from Columbia. The right-handed reliever last suffered a loss on May 11 in a road appearance at Asheville and has allowed more than one earned run in only three of his 20 games this season. In 13 of this outings, he has given up no earned runs. He is holding right-handed hitters to a .185 (17-92) average compared to a .246 (45-183) against all hitters.

Check out the Greensboro Grasshoppers Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 5, 2018


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