SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

WV Power Game Notes

Published on May 10, 2016 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Hagerstown Suns (20-10) at West Virginia Power (17-13)

Game 31 | May 10, 2016 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

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

PITCHING MATCH-UP

RH Andrew Lee (2-0, 1.80) vs. RH Logan Sendelbach (2-1, 3.34)

Lee: Pitched 5.0 shutout innings in 5/05 Win @ KAN, allowing 2 H and striking out six (7-0 Suns)

Sendelbach: Surrendered 7 R on 7 H over 2.1 IP in 5/05 Loss @ CSC w/ 1 K & 3 BB (8-3 RiverDogs)

LEADING OFF: West Virginia snapped a four game losing streak with a 4-0 win over Hagerstown on Monday night. Ke'Bryan Hayes and Carlos Munoz drove in runs during the bottom of the first to stake Mitch Keller to the early edge. The Power added a run in the fourth on a wild pitch and a run in fifth on a sac fly to extend the lead. Keller made the advantage stick, striking out eight over six innings. Daniel Zamora and Julio Eusebio closed the shutout and sealing the win. Tito Polo went 2-4 and Munoz drove in two of the four runs. The Suns were held to four total base runners during the game.

NO REST IN SIGHT: After Wednesday's off day, the Power are scheduled to play 27 games in 27 days. This is the longest stretch of the entire season without a scheduled day off.

ADIOS: West Virginia and Hagerstown do not meet again during the first half and play a three game series in August.

ON IT: Tito Polo has appeared in 23 games this season and has reached safely in 22 of those games. The outfielder is batting .290 with at least one base hit in 18 of his 23 games played. Polo has also showcased more power potential this season than in the first four years of his career. The 21-year-old hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday, setting a new career high. Polo hit three home runs in each of the last two seasons and had 10 in his career prior to 2016.

NEEDED THAT: Mitch Keller worked six shutout innings an earned the win on Monday. The right-hander has worked three straight quality starts, allowing a total of three earned runs over 19 innings. Keller now has a league-best 42 strikeouts. That total ranks second-best in the Pirates system behind only Tyler Glasnow. Keller's next start is slated for Sunday at FirstEnergy Park against the Lakewood BlueClaws.

FOND FAREWELL: Former Power outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. was traded to the Atlanta Braves earlier this week. Rojas appeared in 131 games for the Power in 2011, batting .246 with five home runs and 46 runs batted in. The former third round pick spent portions of the last three years with Triple-A Indianapolis, but never made it to the Major League roster for the Pirates. Rojas has a career average of .257 over six-plus professional seasons.

READY TO GO: Infielder Cole Tucker was added to the Power roster Sunday from Extended Spring Training. The 2014 first round pick hit .293 over 73 games for West Virginia last season with two home runs, 25 runs batted in and stole 26 bases. Tucker suffered a torn labrum and was placed on the Power Disabled List on August 9, 2015, and underwent shoulder surgery on August 26.

SUNNY DISPOSITION: West Virginia and Hagerstown play two series this year; this four game set and a three game series in August. The Suns lead the all-time series 84-70, but the Power lead the set at Appalachian Power Park 39-37.

POWER POINTS: The next former Power player to reach the Majors will be the 50th to do so in franchise history... To clear space on the active roster for Cole Tucker, the Pittsburgh Pirates transferred Logan Ratledge to Extended Spring Training... Ke'Bryan Hayes 19 runs batted in leads all Pittsburgh Pirates Minor Leaguers... Cole Tucker has a six game hitting streak dating back to July 23, 2015 and an 11 game on-base streak going back to July 16, 2015.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh dropped a 3-2 final in Cincinnati. Jonathan Niese allowed three solo home runs in the loss... Indianapolis lost 3-2 to at Syracuse. Jameson Taillon took the loss despite a quality start... Altoona fell 6-2 at home to Trenton. Erich Weiss went 2-3 in the loss... Fort Myers beat Bradenton 10-6. Alex McRae allowed four runs over four innings in the loss.

PROMO UPDATE: On May 21, the Power host the Hickory Crawdads on Armed Forces Night. Any active or retired member of the military will receive a free ticket and their immediate family members are offered a discounted ticket price.

ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on Charleston's ESPN Radio 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 Greg Wong when the team plays at Appalachian Power Park.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 10, 2016


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