FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Stone Crabs Game Notes - Sat-Sun, May 4-5

Published on May 4, 2019 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


After their first shutout win of the season, the Stone Crabs go for the series win against Jupiter at 6 p.m. Saturday. Rays RHP Jose De Leon makes a rehab start before RHP Tobias Myers enters for Charlotte, opposed by LHP Will Stewart of the Hammerheads.

Coverage of Saturday's game begins at 5:45 p.m. on the Stone Crabs Baseball Network.

STONE CRABS SHUT OUT JUPITER 5-0

Four Stone Crabs pitchers combined on a 5-hit shutout, and Moises Gomez crushed a three-run home run to beat Jupiter 5-0 Friday night. Charlotte scored two runs in the first before Gomez extended the lead to 5-0 in the eighth. Tanner Dodson and Jhonleider Salinas each went three scoreless in the win.

JOSE RETURNS!

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Jose De Leon returns from from Tommy John surgery Saturday, making a rehab start for the Stone Crabs. De Leon last pitched on August 9, 2017, going two scoreless innings for the Stone Crabs. Ironically, that game was also against Jupiter at Charlotte Sports Park. He had his Tommy John surgery on March 13, 2018.

PITCHING PROWESS

The biggest reason for Charlotte's improvement this year has been their pitching. Since April 16, the Stone Crabs have pitched to a 2.67 ERA (42 ER in 141.2 IP), going 10-6 while lowering their season mark from 4.23 to 3.34. Over the last 14 games, the starting rotation had combined to go 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.

(62.0 IP, 42 H, 13 ER, 18 BB, 48 K)

REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED

The Stone Crabs have added four players to the roster in the last 48 hours. In addition to De Leon, Tampa Bay Rays infielder Matt Duffy (hamstring) played third base for Charlotte Friday, while two-way player Tanner Dodson (hamstring) returned from the IL to pitch. Top-100 prospect C Ronaldo Hernandez was reinstated from the temporary inactive list and delivered an RBI single in the first.

MASH UNIT

Even with Dodson returning, the Stone Crabs still have 10 players on the injured list. Five of those 10 players began the year active on Charlotte's Opening Night roster and have gotten hurt during April.

COMEBACK CRABS

Leads have not been safe in Stone Crabs games this season. Sunday marked the eighth comeback win for Charlotte, meaning they've held the lead from wire-to-wire only four times all season. The team that scores first is a stunning 12-15 in Charlotte games this year.

WHO'S HOT?

Despite a slow start to the season, some of the Stone Crabs hitters have caught fire of late. Outfielder Garrett Whitley is 15-for-45 (.333 AVG) with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 9 RBI and 7 walks (.415 OBP, .667 SLG) in his last 13 games. In his last six contests, Moises Gomez is 10-for-20 with 5 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI and 5 walks, raising his OPS from .484 to .713.

SCHEDULE MATTERS

The Stone Crabs began the season by playing the four best teams in the Florida State League for 17 straight games. This week, they complete a stretch of 13 straight games against losing clubs. The results correlate with the opponent:

Vs. Top 4 teams: 6-11

Vs. Losing teams: 7-4

Check out the Charlotte Stone Crabs Statistics

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Florida State League Stories from May 4, 2019


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