SAL Hudson Valley Renegades

Renegades Game Notes

Published on June 12, 2024 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Hudson Valley Renegades News Release


Hudson Valley Renegades (30-27) vs Brooklyn Cyclones (30-28)

RHP Baron Stuart (3-1, 4.19 ERA) vs. LHP Felipe De La Cruz (3-4, 2.89 ERA)

| Game 58 | Home Game 26 | Wednesday, June 12, 2024 | Heritage Financial Park | Wappingers Falls, N.Y. | First Pitch 6:35 p.m. |

Radio: WBPM 96.5 FM - Beacon, WGHQ 92.5 FM/920 AM Kingston, W232DQ 94.3 FM Peekskill, WBNR 1260 AM - Beacon, WLNA 1420 AM - Peekskill

Internet Radio: www.hvrenegades.com/broadcast

TV: MiLB.tv & Bally Live App

FRIENDLY CONFINES: The Renegades concluded a stretch Sunday where they played 24 of 36 games away from home. Following eight games at Wilmington last week Hudson Valley will now play 15 of their next 24 games at Heritage Financial Park. After hosting the Cyclones for six games, they will travel to Greensboro next week where the first half will conclude.

DIVISION RACE: The South Atlantic League North division continues to be very closely contested, with four games separating the top five teams. Hudson Valley is currently in third with a 30-27 record, two games back of Greensboro, and 2.5 games back of first-place Jersey Shore. With nine games remaining in the first half, the Renegades can overcome Brooklyn with a series victory this week, who they currently lead by half a game. They will then finish the first half with three games at Greensboro, which presents an opportunity to gain ground on another team ahead in the standings. Hudson Valley holds the tiebreaker over Jersey Shore.

HE WENT TO JARED: Jared Serna continues to display his power in recent games, homering for the 11th time this season on Tuesday. On May 29th vs. Aberdeen, the 22-year-old launched two home runs, driving in seven runs. His seven RBIs tied the Renegades single-game franchise record, becoming the first Renegade to record seven RBIs since Aaron Palensky on April 26th, 2023. Serna had four hits in Saturday's doubleheader, going 3-for-4 in the second game. His 11 home runs and 44 RBIs rank second in the SAL, and he is also first with 43 runs scored.

BATS ARE HOT: Hudson Valley exploded on Tuesday in the middle innings, scoring five runs in the fifth and six in the sixth in a 13-4 win. They batted around in both innings. An RBI triple from Jesus Rodriguez scored two in the sixth, and Jace Avina added an RBI single to score two more. In the sixth, Hudson Valley recorded seven hits, including an RBI double from Beau Brewer and RBIs knocks from Garrett Martin and Omar Martinez.

NY SLUGGERS: The Renegades currently have the third-highest team OPS in the South Atlantic League, just behind Greensboro and Asheville, and have the fifth-best mark in High-A. With 110 doubles this season, only Everett (A+, SEA) has more doubles than Hudson Valley in High-A. Four Renegades have 14 or more doubles, and nine players have five or more two-baggers.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Renegades earned a series victory on Sunday in Wilmington with a 8-2 win, taking five of eight games from the Blue Rocks. The top four hitters in the lineup all had at least two hits, and the entire lineup reached base safely at least once. Roc Riggio had three hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored in the game. Hudson Valley split their second doubleheader with Wilmington on Saturday. The victory featured six scoreless innings from Ben Shields with eight strikeouts, along with an RBI double from Beau Brewer and an RBI triple from Jesus Rodriguez.

CONSISTENCY: Baron Stuart continued his strong stretch of pitching on Wednesday at Frawley Stadium, going 5+ innings for the fourth consecutive start. He allowed just two runs on three hits in five innings, while striking out five. The Renegades right-hander has been charged with just eight earned runs in his last 23.1 innings.

FUHGEDDABOUDIT: For the first time this season, the Renegades host the Brooklyn Cyclones at Heritage Financial Park. The former NY-Penn League foes will play 24 times in the regular season, including in 12 of the next 24 games. In the first series of 2024 between the two foes, Brooklyn took four of six on Coney Island. Cyclones pitching largely shut down a Renegades offense that was hot coming in. The Renegades did record 16 runs and 18 hits in the third game of the series, recording their second-highest hit total of the season. Omar Martinez had a two-run homer, and Jace Avina was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored. In 2023, Brooklyn and Hudson Valley faced off 24 times as well, with the Cyclones taking 14 of 24 matchups from the Renegades. Both teams fared well on the road. Brooklyn won eight games at Heritage Financial Park, and the Renegades won six games on Coney Island. In the second half last season, Brooklyn and Jersey Shore had matching 38-28 records atop the SAL North, with the Cyclones falling short on a tiebreaker, narrowly missing out on a first-round series with the Renegades.

SUNDAY FUNDAY: Cam Schlittler continued his strong pitching on Sunday afternoon vs. the Blue Rocks, allowing just one run in 4.2 innings and striking out a career-high nine batters. His performance continues a great run of success in Sunday games. In seven Sunday starts, Schlittler has allowed just eight earned runs in 36.1 innings, good for a 1.99 ERA. His ERA now sits at 2.15 this season through ten starts, the best mark in the South Atlantic League, and his .148 opposing average also leads the SAL.

THE 'PEN IS MIGHTIER: The Renegades bullpen collectively sports a 2.91 ERA (77 ER/238.0 IP) this season, the best mark in High-A and fourth-best in MiLB. The bullpen has only been charged with sixteen earned runs in its last 60.1 frames. In the last eleven games, Hudson Valley's pen has allowed just nine earned runs in 42.1 innings, good for a 1.92 ERA. In his last sieven appearances, Cole Ayers has only allowed two earned runs in 14.1 innings. His 21 appearances lead the South Atlantic League.

OFFENSIVE ASSISTANCE: Rafael Flores has been one of the best hitters in the South Atlantic League since being reinstated off the IL on May 10. In his last 26 games, Flores has 35 hits with 11 doubles and 22 RBIs. During that stretch, Flores is batting an absurd .407 with a .514 OBP and a 1.119 OPS. His batting average during that stretch is the best in the South Atlantic League. Flores drove in nine runs in seven games during the Wilmington series. He has boosted his average from .200 on May 10 to .318 currently, and his OPS has jumped from .676 to .932 during that span. With 16 doubles this year, Flores is fourth in the South Atlantic League in that category.

STELLAR STARTERS: Starting pitching continues to be excellent for the Renegades. In the team's last thirteen games, ten starters have gone at least 4.2 innings. All thirteen starters have also allowed three earned runs or less in their outings. On Saturday vs. Wilmington, Ben Shields allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings, matching his career-high with eight strikeouts.

LIMITING HITS: Hudson Valley pitchers have allowed only 372 hits through 57 games. The Renegades have allowed the second-fewest hits in MiLB. Incredibly, Lansing (OAK, A+) has allowed a staggering 530 hits through 58 games, most among all non-AAA teams.

OLD RELIABLE: Jesus Rodríguez has been tremendous in 2024, reaching base safely in 48 of his first 54 games. Over his last 20 games, Rodríguez is hitting .386 with 10 extra-base hits, 12 RBIs, a .571 slugging percentage, and a 1.047 OPS. On the season, the Renegades infielder is currently batting .335 with 32 RBIs, 14 doubles, and a .934 OPS. He already has twenty-one multi-hit games, the most on the team. On Tuesday vs. Brooklyn, Rodríguez was 3-for-5 with an RBI triple, driving in three and scoring three runs. His 68 hits are the most in the South Atlantic League, and his batting average is second. He now has four triples this season, and his OPS ranks fifth in the SAL.

MIDWEST REINFORCEMENTS: Jace Avina debuted with the Renegades on April 17 after being traded to New York for Jake Bauers in November from Milwaukee. The 20-year-old has quickly made a big impact for the Renegades. Avina is hitting .277 (49-for-177) with 15 doubles, 29 RBIs, 25 runs scored and a .807 OPS in 44 games. His 15 doubles are the fifth-most in the South Atlantic League. On Tuesday night vs. Brooklyn, Avina was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored in a 13-4 win.

INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH: The Hudson Valley Renegades and the Bhutan Baseball & Softball Association have partnered to present Bhutan Night on August 20 at Heritage Financial Park. The team is currently fundraising to bring over several Bhutanese baseball players for baseball and cultural enrichment tour of the Hudson Valley and New York. More details on the night can be found at www.hvrenegades.com/bhutan.

DEFENSIVE ISSUES: The Renegades have the most errors in High-A and fifth-most in MiLB, and their .960 fielding percentage is fifth-worst in the minors. After Saturday's win, Hudson Valley is 12-1 in games where they do not commit an error.

KEEP IT ON THE GROUND: Hudson Valley pitchers have been among the best in Minor League Baseball in generating groundballs. The staff's 1.16 GO:AO ratio is by far the best in the South Atlantic League (2nd, Greenville, 1.10), and is second-best among High-A teams.

Check out the Hudson Valley Renegades Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from June 12, 2024


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