UPCOMING GAMES and PROBABLE PITCHERS SALEM RED SOX (31-34) VS. LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (27-37) Game 65
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TODAY’S MATCH-UP Hillcats Red Sox SALEM RED SOX (31-34) VS. LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (27-37) 27-37 Record 31-34 15-15 Home 19-17 Game 65 - Friday, June 15, 2018 - 6:30 p.m. - City Stadium 12-22 Road 12-17 L7 Streak W2 0-5 Last 5 3-2 LHP Darwinzon Hernandez (3-3, 4.98) vs. RHP Justin Garza (2-4, 4.25) 1-9 Last 10 4-6 LAST GAME: The Lynchburg Hillcats were down to their final strike Thursday, whenLuke Wakamatsu singled to left field to scoreTre' Gantt, to break up both the no-hitter and the shutout, before falling 6-1 to Salem. The Hillcats twice loaded the bases with walks, they worked eight in the game, but were unable to cash in. Zach Plesac yielded six runs over five innings, suffering the loss. It .235 Batting Avg. .251 was the second time this season that the Hillcats were held to just one hit. The first came in Frederick on May 8. 4.23 ERA 4.60 .968 Fielding Pct. .973 STAR STUDDED: Three Lynchburg Hillcats were named to the North Division All-Star team, the league announced Monday. Conner Capel, and Sam Hentges received the recognition for the first 238 Runs 291 time in their careers, WhileDalbert Siri was named an All-Star for the second time. Capel's .814 OPS ranks second-best in the entire Cleveland farm system, while Siri has allowed just two earned 23 HR 45 runs over his last 14 innings. Hentges who was named the team's opening day starter, leads the team with 61 strikeouts, including a career-high 10 punch outs against the Keys on April 17. 209 RBI 262 214 BB 221 OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES: The Hillcats have lost a season-high seven straight games, and have scored just four runs over that span. They have been shutout on three occasions, and yesterday didn't 533 K 501 register a hit until they were down to their final strike. They have totaled just 26 hits over the seven game stretch, batting just .139 as a club. 31 SB 43 1st HALF STANDINGS CLOSE CALLS: Lynchburg has been nearly no-hit three times this season. Prior to last night's one-hit effort, in which the Hillcats broke up the no-no with two outs in the ninth, Lynchburg was also one-hit in Frederick on May 8, and also broke up a perfect game in the sixth inning against the Keys on June 12. The Hillcats have not been no-hit in a nine-inning contest since 2000, and ahve not Northern Division GB been no-hit in a seven-inning game since 2015. *Potomac 35-29 .547 -- Frederick 32-33 .492 3.5 ROAD WOES: The Hillcats have concluded the first half with a 12-22 road record, and have now lost nine straight games away from City Stadium. Lynchburg has dropped the opening game of a Salem 31-34 .477 4.5 road series in all but one of their overnight trips. The Hillcats are 4-0 on the road against the Salem Red Sox, but just 8-22 against all other Carolina League opponents. Wilmington 29-38 .433 7.5 Lynchburg 27-37 .422 8.0 SIRI-OUSLY?: Dalbert Siri has been a key piece at the back end of the bullpen this season for Lynchburg. Siri, signed by the Indians as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, has gone 1-2 with a 2.18 ERA in 17 outings out of the Hillcats bullpen. The 22-year-old right-hander has also notched two saves, and is averaging over one strikeout-per-inning with 29 punch Southern Division outs in 20.2 frames. Dating back to April 25, Siri has allowed just two earned runs over 15 innings of work, good for a 1.20 ERA. *Winston-Salem 40-27 .597 -- Buies Creek 36-30 .545 3.5 DILLON DOING WORK: Hillcats infielderDillon Persinger has been on a roll offensively. The 22-year-old has hit safely in 18 of his last 24 games (reached base in 15 straight, May 10-June 7), and Down East 34-32 .515 5.5 is batting .313 (26-for-83) during that span. Persinger is the second Hillcats hitter to reach base in 15 consecutive games, joiningMitch Longo (26). The Fountain Valley, Calif. native has played both Myrtle Beach 33-33 .500 6.5 shortstop and second base for Lynchburg this season, and has seen consistent playing time after beginning the season in Single-A Lake County. Carolina 31-35 .470 8.5 SCORING FIRST IS KEY: One major point of emphasis this season for Lynchburg has been to score the first run of the ballgame. When the Hillcats plate the first run, they are 21-12. When the *CLINCHED FIRST HALF TITLE opponent scores first, Lynchburg is just 6-25 this season. SERIES MATCHUP ROLLER COASTER RIDE: The Hillcats have enjoyed high peaks and suffered through low valleys throughout the season. They won 8 of 10 games April 16-26, hitting .262 and posting an ERA of Hillcats vs. SAL (since ‘95)......193-208 3.07. They followed it up however by losing 9 of their next 11 games from April 27-May, hitting .205 with a 5.59 ERA. Lynchburg would then win 8 of their next 9 from May 9-20, hitting .340 as a At City Stadium .........................99-102 team with 6 home runs. Most recently, the Hillcats have dropped 14 of 17 after dropping three straight series, including five in a row to the Keys. At Haley Toyota Field.................94-106 has been nearly perfect since being called up to the Hillcats on May 3. The Right-hander has tossed 13.0 innings without allowing a run. He has struck out 2017 Overall .................................15-9 JAMES CHAK-ING OUT: James Karinchak 2017 at City Stadium.......................9-5 23, while allowing just 15 base runners. Combined with his time in Lake County this season, Karinchak has recorded 43 strikeouts in 24.1 innings, while opponents are hitting just .181 against him. 2017 at Haley Toyota Field..............6-4 A 9th round pick out of Bryant in 2017, Karinchak boasts an ERA of 0.37 this season. He was a starting pitcher in college and for half of his first pro season last year, but has made the transition to the bullpen. 5/10 @ Salem W, 11-5 5/11 @ Salem W, 6-5 (10) TOP-30 IN LYNCHBURG: Conner Capel (No. 12), Sam Hentges (No. 17), Logan Ice (No. 21), Mitch Longo (No. 27) and Eli Morgan (No. 28) are all Hillcats players that are ranked on the Indians Top- 5/12 @ Salem W, 18-1 5/13 @ Salem W, 6-2 30 prospect list.. Capel, an outfielder, batted .246 with 22 HR and 61 RBI in 119 games for the Single-A Lake County Captains last season. Hentges, a left-hander, missed the majority of last season 6/14 vs. Salem L, 6-0. while he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He appeared in 11 total games (all starts) and went 0-4 with a 3.23 ERA between the AZL Indians and short-season Mahoning Valley. Hentges 6/15 vs. Salem 6:30 P.M. struck out 41 in 30.2 IP. Ice, a catcher, spent last season with Lake County and hit .228 with 11 HR and 42 RBI in 93 games. Longo, an outfielder, battled injuries last season and appeared in just 60 6/16 vs. Salem 6:00 P.M. games. While he was healthy, he hit a combined .376 with 4 HR and 28 RBI between Lake County and Lynchburg. Morgan spent all of last season with Short-Season Mahoning Valley. He appeared 6/17 vs. Salem 2:00 P.M. in 13 games (8 starts) and sported a 3-2 record with a 1.03 ERA over 35 innings. He walked just nine and struck out 58. He played his college ball at Gonzaga and was drafted in the 8th round of the 7/31 vs Salem 6:30 P.M. 2017 MLB draft. 8/1 vs Salem 6:30 P.M. 8/2 vs Salem 6:30 P.M. 8/31 @ Salem 7:05 P.M. HILLCATS COACHING STAFF 9/1 @ Salem 6:05 P.M. 9/2 @ Salem 4:05 P.M. Bobby Ruiz 9/3 @ Salem 2:05 P.M. Rougie Odor Tony Arnold Justin Toole Grant Fink Manager (1st Season) Pitching Coach (2nd season) Hitting Coach (1st season) Bench Coach (1st season) Athletic Trainer (4th season) 5th overall 2018 Overall ...................................4-1 Career Record: 238-265 26th overall 3rd overall 2nd overall Ruiz is in his eighth season in the Indi- 2018 at City Stadium.......................0-1 ans organization. He graduated from 2018 at Haley Toyota Field..............4-0 Arnold returns to Lynchburg after serv- 2018 marks Toole’s first year on Odor is entering his 18th year Fink joins the Hillcats as bench the University of La Verne in 2008. He ing as the pitching coach for the Hillcats Lynchburg’s coaching staff and third CATS AT GLANCE coaching in the Indians organization. coach for the first time in 2018, spent two years at the University of He played in the minor leagues for the in 2015. The former right-handed in the Indians organization. The entering his second season as a Connecticut as a Graduate Assistant North Division: 5th/-8.0 Indians & Brewers from 1988-1995. pitcher played collegiately at the Uni- former infielder played in parts of coach in the Indians organization.