SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

WV Power Game Notes

Published on August 28, 2013 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Asheville Tourists (23-40, 61-70) at West Virginia Power (40-24, 77-57)

Game 135 | August 28, 2013 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: Charleston's ESPN 104.5 & 1490 - wvpower.com Airtime: 6:45 pm

TODAY'S MATCH-UP RH Luis Heredia (5-3, 3.11) vs. LH Jayson Aquino (0-7, 4.33) Aquino: Allowed 3R on 6H over 7.0 IP with BB and 9K in 8/21 L vs. HIC (4-2 Crawdads) Heredia: Tossed 5.0 shutout innings allowing 3H with 2BB and 6K in 8/23 W @ SAV (4-2 Power)

THE LEAD OFF: West Virginia reclaimed sole possession of first place in the second half standings Tuesday night with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Asheville Tourists. The first four batters in the bottom of the first singled including a Jordan Steranka bases loaded hit as part of a three-run first for West Virginia. After the Tourists scored in the second and fourth to cut the Power lead to one, Jimmy Rider collected an RBI single in the seventh and Walker Gourley hit a solo home run to lead off the eighth. Jason Creasy tossed seven innings to earn his fifth win of the season.

DILSON HERRERA TRADED: The Pittsburgh Pirates made a trade with the New York Mets Tuesday afternoon, sending Power second baseman Dilson Herrera to the Mets in exchange for major league outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher John Buck. Herrera played 109 games in a Power uniform including 103 at second base. The 19-year-old batted .265 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI and was named to the South Atlantic League All-Star team. Additionally, Herrera represented the Pirates by playing in the 2013 MLB Futures game.

LET'S TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS: For the first time since August 16th, the Power have sole possession of first place. Any combination of three victories by West Virginia or three losses by the Hickory Crawdads guarantees a playoff berth for the Power for the first time since the affiliation with Pittsburgh began in 2009. The magic number to clinch the northern division is six.

HIP HIP, HEREDIA: Luis Heredia takes the mound tonight for the Power aiming for his sixth win of the season. Heredia struggled against the Tourists in his only outing against them this year July 14th, allowing eight runs over 3.2 relief innings. The 18 year old has a 3.11 ERA over 12 games, but with the exception of the Asheville appearance, holds a 1.93 ERA.

RARE FEATS: For just the fourth time in franchise history, and the first time since 2009, West Virginia collected 40 wins in a single half. The 2009 club went 40-27 in the second half but fell five games shy of making the postseason that year. The 2007 and 2008 clubs went 48-20 and 45-25, respectively, clinching a postseason berth both years.

SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT: The Power will conclude the 2013 season by playing opponents exclusively in the Southern Division. West Virginia holds a record 27-28 against Southern Division teams compared to dominance over the Northern Division with 50 wins in 79 games.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Josh Bell has 37 doubles this season and is three doubles away from tying Dan Gamache's 2012 club record of 40. Walker Gourley's 34 stolen bases ranks eighth in club history, tied with Lee Haydel from the 2008 club and Lorenzo Cain from the 2006 team. The all-time stolen base leader in Power history is Darren Ford, who stole 69 bases in the 2006 season. Jhondaniel Medina earned his 12th save of the season Tuesday and is three away from tying Nathan Kilcrease's record set last season.

POWER POINTS: The 77 wins by the Power this season are the most since the affiliation with the Pirates began in 2009...Tyler Glasnow collected a new career high in strikeouts with 13 Thursday against Charleston, giving him 160 total this season...The Power pitching staff ranks second in the league with 1125 strikeouts...Francisco Diaz collected a career high four RBI in Saturday's win against Savannah... The Power have 30 errors in August, the second most the club has had in a single month this season...Jason Creasy's seven-inning outing Tuesday was the longest in his career.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh lost a see-saw affair with Milwaukee 7-6 and trail the Cardinals by 1.5 games in the NL Central... Jameson Taillon allowed three runs over seven innings in Indianapolis' 6-2 loss to Toledo... Altoona fell to Harrisburg by a 6-3 final...Bradenton defeated Jupiter 3-2 thanks to a quality start by Joely Rodriguez, who tossed seven innings allowing one earned run with six strikeouts...Jamestown swept Tuesday's doubleheader with Mahoning Valley, taking game one by an 8-0 final thanks to a three RBI game by Edwin Espinal and 1-0 in the nightcap.

ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on Charleston's ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, WV, and online at wvpower.com. Adam Marco will call the action for all 140 games this season and will be joined by Mike Baggerman when the team plays at Appalachian Power Park.

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