SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

WV Power Game Notes

Published on May 26, 2015 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


West Virginia Power (26-18) at Lakewood BlueClaws (21-22)

Game 45 | May 26, 2015 | FirstEnergy Park | Lakewood Township, NJ

Radio: Charleston's ESPN 104.5 & 1490 - wvpower.com Airtime: 6:15 pm

TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP

RH Alex McRae (3-3, 4.63) vs. RH Tyler Viza (3-1, 4.15)

McRae: Allowed 1 R on 4 H over 6.0 IP with 3 K and 0 BB in 5/20 Win @ Hickory (3-1 Power)

Viza: Surrendered 5 R on 9 H over 4.2 IP with 6 K and 0 BB in 5/20 ND @ Delmarva (6-5 BlueClaws)

THE LEAD OFF: West Virginia beat Lakewood 4-2 on Monday afternoon. The BlueClaws tallied the game's first run, loading the bases in the third inning and taking a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch. The Power countered with a three- run sixth, keyed by a run-scoring single from Pablo Reyes and a two-run base hit by Jerrick Suiter. Lakewood answered with a run in the eighth inning, but West Virginia got the run back in the top of the ninth when Elvis Escobar drove in Chase Simpson. Stephen Tarpley earned the win in his South Atlantic League debut. Jake Burnette notched his third hold and Nick Neumann garnered his sixth save in as many chances.

LONGEST RUN YET: Monday's victory was the Power's fourth straight, giving the club its longest winning streak this season. West Virginia had won three in a row two other times prior to the streak, which dates back to May 22.

BACK TO EVEN? A win today takes West Virginia's road record back to .500 for the first time since April 29.

NOTHING FREE: West Virginia's pitching staff has only issued 99 walks this season; second fewest of any club in the South Atlantic League. Only Greenville, 98, has walked fewer batters in 2015. The Charleston RiverDogs have walked 170 batters this season, more than any other club in the league.

BULLISH PEN: Since May 10, the Power bullpen has been nearly flawless, owning a 1.46 ERA (10 ER/ 61.2 IP) in over 16 games played. Over 169 innings pitched this season, the West Virginia Power bullpen has an earned run average of 2.34 and has struck out 163 batters. The starting pitchers have combined for 199 innings, retiring 166 on strikes and hold a combined earned run average of 3.75.

UNLEASH THE CRACKIN': West Virginia and Lakewood will play 14 times this season, but only three times during the first half. The Power hold an 83-67 all-time series record against the BlueClaws after winning eight out of 13 meetings last year. Since 2005, West Virginia has gone 35-28 at FirstEnergy Park. After this three game series, the Power and 'Claws will not meet again until late July.

TARP TIME: The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted Stephen Tarpley to the West Virginia Power roster. Tarpley was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles on January 27 along with Steven Brault for outfielder Travis Snider. The left-hander has been in Extended Spring Training and will make his South Atlantic League Debut today. Tarpley pitched for Aberdeen in the New York-Penn League in 2014, going 3-5 with a 3.66 earned run average over 13 games.

SUITER'S BACK: Jerrick Suiter was activated from the Power Disabled List on Monday morning. The infielder was placed on the Disabled List retroactive to April 29 after straining an oblique muscle. Suiter was batting .314 over 16 games in April with one home run and 11 runs batted in, which led the club at the time of his injury.

POWER PROMO UPDATE- JUNE 2: West Virginia will host its first of two Pets in the Park this season at Appalachian Power Park on Tuesday, June 2. Fans are invited to bring their dogs, cats, and other ballpark friendly animals for a night of fun in Charleston.

POWER POINTS: Montana DuRapau and Miguel Rosario were promoted to the Bradenton Marauders on Monday. DuRapau went 1-0 with a 1.40 ERA over 11 appearances, spanning 19 and a third innings with 19 strikeouts and one walk, while Rosario made nine appearances, including two starts, going 1-0 with a 1.75 earned run average... Jerrick Suiter's sixth inning single extended his on-base streak to 11 straight games.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh doubled up Miami at PNC Park Monday evening 4-2. Charlie Morton worked sevev innings of two-run ball in his first start of the season... Indianapolis bested Buffalo 8-4... Altoona knocked off New Hampshire 9-5. Dan Gamache went 5-5 with his second home run of the season, while Jason Creasy earned his fifth win of the season... Bradenton was idle on Monday and hosts Daytona this evening.

ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on Charleston's ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. Adam Marco will call the action once again and will be joined by Mike Baggerman when the team plays at Appalachian Power Park.

Check out the Charleston Dirty Birds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from May 26, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central