SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

West Virginia Power Game Notes

August 14, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


TODAY'S MATCHUP

LH Eliecer Navarro (1-0, 2.48) vs. RH Matt Heidenreich (10-7, 4.38)

Navarro: Allowed 3 R on 5 H with 5 K and 3 BB over 5.0 IP in 8/08 ND @ LWD (10-7 BlueClaws)

Heidenreich: Allowed 3 R on 6 H with 6 K and 2 BB over 7.0 IP in 8/08 Win vs. DEL (4-3 KAN)

POWER REPLAY: West Virginia dropped the series finale to the Charleston RiverDogs 8-1 last night. The RiverDogs tallied three runs in the first inning against Jameson Tailllon and never looked back, adding one in the fifth and four in the eighth. With the win, Charleston claimed the season series 8-7 over West Virginia.

CALL IN THE INFIELD: Kevin Mort pitched one scoreless inning last night in his second relief appearance of the season. The infielder became the first Power player in nearly five years to pitch in a game when he made his first appearance of the season on July 1 versus Greensboro. On July 23, 2006, while still a Milwaukee affiliate, then manager Mike Guerrero used two position players, Brad Wilcutt and Tony Festa, to pitch late in a 10-2 loss against Lake County. Each player tossed a scoreless inning. Mort's mop up ERA over three innings is at 3.00.

SPOILERS READY: West Virginia opens a four game set today at Kannapolis. The Power were swept in a five game series at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium during their first road trip of the season, including back-to-back walk off losses during a doubleheader on April 23, but claimed a 3-1 series win in Charleston from May 13-16. Kannapolis leads the all-time series 39-32, and holds a 20-114 advantage at home.

STOPPED AT 10: Mel Rojas Jr. had his hitting streak stopped at ten games last night with an 0-3 evening. Rojas Jr. matched Dan Grovatt's ten game streak as the longest of the season by any Power player. Rojas Jr. had 12 hits over 43 at bats during his streak for a .279 clip. The outfielder did walk once last night and has a 19 game on-base streak heading into his next contest.

BLACK OUT: Victor Black was promoted to Bradenton on Saturday by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The right-hander, a supplemental first round pick in 2009, was 2-1 with a 5.28 ERA for the Power this season over 22 appearances, including a 14 inning scoreless streak to begin his 2011 SAL season. Justin Ennis was activated from the Temporary Inactive List and will fill Black's spot on the roster.

RECORD HIGH OF ZEROS: West Virginia pitchers worked their 11th shutout of the season Thursday night to set a new club record, surpassing the efforts of the 2006 club while the Power were still affiliated with Milwaukee. Since the association with the Pirates began in 2009, the Power have pitched 26 shutouts over two plus years, compared to 29 during the four-year Brewer stint.

WALK OF LIFE: West Virginia's pitching staff continues to lead all of baseball with the fewest number of batters walked this year. Power pitchers have combined to walk 275 batters through 116 games. The lowest team total in club history is 346 during the 2010 season, while the league's record low over a 140 game season is 314 by Augusta in 2001. The staff is currently on pace to finish the season with 325 walks issued.

VERGE OF HISTORY: Rogelio Noris has 24 career home runs for West Virginia over nearly two seasons in a Power jersey. Noris has matched Stephen Chapman for the most home runs in any player's Power career. Chapman hit a single-season record 24 home runs in a Power uniform in 2007. Noris, however, has not hit a home run since July 15, a span of 15 games and 60 at bats.

POWER POINTS: Andy Vasquez had his seven game hitting streak stopped Friday night by going 0-4... Brooks Pounders left Friday's game after one pitch with what was described as shoulder tightness...

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh lost 1-0 at Milwaukee... Indianapolis beat Louisville 5-4... Altoona doubled up Reading 6-3..Quincy Latimore hit two home runs in the win... Bradenton beat Jupiter 11-5... State College lost 6-4 to Connecticut.

ON THE AIR: All 140 West Virginia Power games can be heard on ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, WV, across the state on the Power Radio Network, and online at milb.com. Adam Marco will call the action for each of the 70 home games this season, while the home team will provide coverage while the Power are on the road.

Check out the Charleston Dirty Birds Statistics



South Atlantic League Stories from August 14, 2011


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