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Greensboro Grasshoppers

Preview: Young Guns Bringing the Bats

August 11, 2018 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greensboro Grasshoppers News Release


Greensboro Grasshoppers

21-23 Second Half, 55-58 - Miami Marlins

vs. Asheville Tourists

24-22 Second Half, 51-64 - Colorado Rockies

Saturday - 7:00 p.m.

First National Bank Field - Greensboro, N.C.

Game #114 of 136

LH Trevor Rogers (1-4, 5.02) vs. LH Nick Kennedy (2-12, 7.53)

Today's Preview: The Grasshoppers (A, Marlins) look to snap a recent 3-game slide as they face the Tourists (A, Rockies) in the second game of this weekend's 4-game series. Greensboro has dropped three in a row starting with Thursday's doubleheader against West Virginia before then falling on Friday night in the series opener against Asheville. The Tourists have climbed to 2.0 games out of first place in the South Atlantic League's Southern Division standings, trailing the Legends (26-20) and Drive (27-21) which are tied atop that division. Greensboro has slipped to 9.5 games back in the Northern Division with less than a month to go in the regular season.

Hoppers Hurlers: Trevor Rogers, 20, makes his 14th career start and second against Asheville. He is coming off a no decision on Aug. 4 at Kannapolis, allowing a run on two hits in 3.0 innings with two strikeouts in a 52-pitch start. He is two starts removed from flirting with a no-hitter in a July 29 game vs. Hickory. That day, he took a no-hitter two outs into the eighth inning while striking out a career-high 12 batters - the most by a Hoppers hurler this season - and working 7.2 scoreless innings. The left-hander has now fanned 67 batters in 57.1 IP with 20 walks since making his professional debut with Greensboro on May 22. In his lone outing against Asheville, he earned his first career win on July 17, limiting the Tourists to two runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings, striking out a then-career-high eight and walking one. The Marlins selected Rogers in the first round (13th overall) in the June 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Carlsbad (N.M.) High School. The 6'6" left-hander signed with Miami following a High-School All-American First Team season in 2017. He entered the season as Miami's No. 5 Prospect according to MLB.com. In his final season at Carlsbad High, he went 11-0 with a 0.33 ERA, 134 strikeouts and 13 walks while throwing three no-hitters.

About Last Night: The Grasshoppers paid tribute to the late Miss Babe Ruth, the beloved bat dog, as part of What Is Love Night throughout Friday night's game, a 9-4 loss to the Tourists. The Tourists pulled away late in the game with three runs in the sixth on a Casey Golden 3-run blast and four more in the seventh. The Grasshoppers attempted to rally in the home half of the ninth, trailing 9-2. With one out, Will Banfield belted his second home run (2) in as many days. Chris Torres followed with a triple, and he scored on a wild pitch during the next at-bat. Marcos Rivera followed with a controversial single that appeared to clear the left-field wall and ricochet off a rail back into the field of play. Umpires ruled that the ball never left the yard, and Rivera was thrown out at second base, stunting the comeback effort. Asheville out-hit Greensboro, 12-10, led by 3-hit games from Matt Hearn and Todd Czinege as both players finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Osiris Johnson smashed his first Class A home run and second of his career in the sixth inning for Greensboro. The Miami Marlins second round pick from this June's First-Year Player Draft finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored while first rounder Connor Scott also went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Both starters earned decisions as Asheville Will Gaddis (6-5) picked up a win, tossing 7.0 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Taylor Braley (5-6) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Banfield's Blasts: Catcher Will Banfield, 18, has smashed his first two professional home runs in consecutive days. The Marlins 2018 Competitive Balance Round B selection ripped a home run in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday vs. West Virginia before going yard on Friday off Asheville starting pitcher Travis MacGregor. Banfield is batting .200 (2-10) in three games with the Grasshoppers with both of his Class A hits clearing the outfield wall. He has a slugging percentage of .800 and an OPS of 1.000 with Greensboro.

The Big O: Osiris Johnson smashed his first Class A home run on Friday against Asheville with a solo blast to lead off the sixth inning. Johnson, whom the Marlins picked in the second round of this June's draft, now has two career home runs with his first coming as a member of the GCL Marlins on July 18 vs. the GCL Nationals. In 25 games in the GCL, he hit .301 (31-103) with eight doubles, two triples, a home run, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored and seven stolen bases.

Youth Movement: The Grasshoppers received the Miami Marlins top three draft picks from this June's First Year Player Draft on Tuesday as Connor Scott (First Round, 13th overall), Osiris Johnson (Second Round, 53rd overall), and Will Banfield (Competitive Balance Round B, 69th overall) all made their Class A debut Tuesday against West Virginia. The trio of teenagers are the three youngest members of the Grasshoppers as Scott (18) was born Oct. 8, 1999, Banfield (18) was born Nov. 18, 1999, and Johnson (17) was born Oct. 18, 2000. With his promotion to Greensboro, Orisis Johnson becomes the first player born in the new millennium to suit up for the Grasshoppers.

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