SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

West Virginia Power: Game Notes (May 10)

Published on May 10, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


The Power go for their third four-game winning streak of the season tonight in the middle match of their three-game series against the Hagerstown Suns on Thursday evening at Historic Municipal Stadium. LHP Domingo Robles (1-3, 4.00 ERA) is on the mound.

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BUSBY'S CAREER DAY BUOYS 7-3 WIN: Dylan Busby stroked a pair of homers and collected four RBI to lead West Virginia to a 7-3 win over Hagerstown on Monday evening at Historic Municipal Stadium. Busby launched his first home run in the fourth, a two-run shot to left-center that traveled 395 feet, off Hagerstown starter Matt DeRosier. He connected for his second big fly in the eighth, this time to right-center at 367 feet, to give the Power some valuable insurance runs. Calvin Mitchell provided the final run-scoring hit in the ninth, upping his Pirates-organization best RBI total to 22. On the flip side, Hunter Stratton spun a career-high tying five innings on Monday, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out four and picking up his first career MiLB victory. Matt Seelinger, Drew Fischer and Blake Cederlind combined to spin the final four innings out of the bullpen, ceding one run on three hits.

BOMBS AWAY FOR BUSBY: Busby posted his first career two-homer game and four-RBI effort in Monday's series-opening win, as the Florida State product notched his third and fourth career home runs in the Minor Leagues in the process. With those two bombs from Busby, the Power now have a league-best 31 home runs, one more than second-place Asheville. Every offensive member of West Virginia's roster has at least one home run except for Raul Hernandez, who has only played in three games for the Power.

CRUZIN FOR A BRUISIN: Oneil Cruz has started to find a more consistent stroke in the Power lineup of late. The former Dodger is riding a 10-game hitting streak and a 12-game on-base streak, with the latter dating back to April 25 in game two of a doubleheader against Rome. Following the conclusion of game one, Cruz's average sat at .197, but he has boosted that mark to .234 with this 10-game stride where he is averaging .275 (11-for-40) with a home run and six RBI. Cruz has the longest active hitting streak on the team, and the second-longest of the season (Mitchell, 13). The Dominican native also holds the second-longest active hitting streak in the SAL (Shael Mendoza, 16, ASH).

SHARPE AS A TACK: Since April 18, Chris Sharpe has reached base safely in all 18 games he has played for the Power. The outfielder has the longest on-base streak on the season for West Virginia. During this stretch, Sharpe is averaging .271 (16-for-59) with five RBI and 13 runs scored. Sharpe's 18-game on-base streak is the second-longest active on-base streak in the South Atlantic League, trailing just Chris Hess' 19-game streak that also began on April 18. Sharpe is also riding a six-game hitting streak that began on May 2, during which he is boasting a .304 (7-for-23) clip with a home run and two RBI. On the season, The Boston native's .378 on-base percentage leads the team, while his .783 OPS is fourth-best. Sharpe has reached in 25 of the 29 games he has suited up for this season.

DEON AT THE DISH: Deon Stafford has reached base safely in his last 10 games, dating back to the Power's doubleheader on April 25 against Rome. Over that stretch, Stafford is hitting .293 (12-for-41) with two homers, six RBI and seven runs scored. The backstop's .302 average and .835 OPS are second-best on the team (Mitchell, .310, .878).

ROSTER MOVES: The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the following roster moves affecting the West Virginia Power on Thursday afternoon:

- RHP Sergio Cubilete activated from the seven-day disabled list and placed on West Virginia's active roster.

- RHP Jacob Taylor placed on the seven-day disabled list with West Virginia.

Cubilete will start the final game of the series against Hagerstown on Friday evening.

POWER POINTS: Power relievers have held the first batters they have faced in an appearance to a .200 (12-for-60) stroke with 20 strikeouts... The bullpen has allowed eight earned runs over their last 48.2 innings (1.48 ERA), while striking out 49 batters... West Virginia recorded its 10th comeback win of 2018 on Monday... The Power are 14-4 when they hit a home run... West Virginia is 3-0 in games that Fischer has pitched in... The Power went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position last night... Lolo Sanchez swiped his sixth base of the season yesterday, tied for the team lead with Sharpe... Cederlind has not allowed a run over his last four innings on the mound, while Seelinger hasn't surrendered a tally in five of his seven appearances... The Power close out the first half with 23 of their final 37 games on the road.

ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on The Jock 1300 & 1340 AM in the Kanawha Valley, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. David Kahn and John Kocsis will handle play-by-play duties in 2018.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 10, 2018


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