Upcoming Games and Probable Pitchers Lynchburg
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TODAY’S MATCH-UP Hillcats Keys LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (14-16) vs. FREDERICK KEYS (13-18) 14-16 Record 13-18 10-9 Home 6-6 Game 31 - Monday, May 8, 2018 - 7 p.m. - Nymeo Field 4-7 Road 7-12 L1 Streak W3 2-3 Last 5 4-1 RHP Felix Tati (0-0, -.--) vs LHP Brian Gonzalez (1-2, 3.90) 2-8 Last 10 6-4 LAST GAME: The Keys used a trio of two run innings to down the Hillcats 6-1 on Monday. Jose Medina hit his first home run of the season, and Li-Jen Chu tallied a two-hit .225 Batting Avg. .242 game. Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop drove in two runs in a rehab start for Frederick. Tanner Tully took the loss, dropping to 1-3 on the season. 3.96 ERA 4.45 FIRST START FOR FELIX: Hillcats pitcher Felix Tati will make his A-Adv. debut tonight. Tati has appeared in four games in relief this season for Single-A Lake County and has .965 Fielding Pct. .970 gone 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA. He has pitched mainly in long relief, going as long as 4.1 IP, and no fewer than 3 IP this season. The 21-year-old was signed as an International Free 102 Runs 136 Agent in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic. He pitched in 14 games (4 starts) for Short-Season Mahoning Valley last year and went 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA. 9 HR 15 87 RBI 120 STARTS AT THE TOP: In Lynchburg's series-opening loss to Frederick on Monday, the top three hitters in the Hillcats order went a combined 0-for-12 with four strikeouts. 102 BB 130 ALexis Pantoja went 0-for-4 and left four runners on base, Trenton Brooks went 0-for-4 and left three on base, and Connor Capel also went 0-for-4 on the day. 265 K 220 20 SB 17 PLESAC NEARLY PERFECT: Zach Plesac delivered a two hit shutout on Sunday, facing just 28 batters, in a 4-0 win over Myrtle Beach. Of Plesac's 74 pitches, 55 were strikes. 1st HALF STANDINGS He did not throw a pitch out of the strike zone in the 5th or 6th inning, and never needed more than 11 pitches in a frame, and never reached a three-ball count. It was the first time that Plesac had pitched more than seven innings in a game in his pro career. The Crown Point, IN native did fire two complete game shutouts during his time at Ball Northern Division GB State, once in 2016 against Miami (OH), and once in 2015 against Bowling Green. It was the Hillcats first complete-game shutout sinceShao-Ching Chiang's no-hitter, July 29, Potomac 17-14 .548 -- 2017 against Winston-Salem. Chiang faced 29 batters, giving up a walk and hitting a batter. Salem 17-14 .548 -- Lynchburg 14-16 .467 2.5 FIFTH INNING FUNK: In four of the last five games, the Hillcats have allowed at least one run in the fifth inning, and they have now given up 38 runs in fifth innings this Wilmington 14-16 .467 2.5 season. Their fifth inning total accounts for 27% of their runs allowed this season, allowing 14 more runs than in any other frame. Frederick 13-18 .419 4.0 CASH OR CHECK?: James Karinchak struck out four of the six batters he faced, making his Adv.-A debut for the Hillcats on Friday. The right-hander picked up right where he Southern Division left off in Lake County, where he recorded 20 strikeouts in 11.1 innings of work, posting a 0.79 ERA. A 9th round pick out of Bryant in 2017, opponents are hitting just .217 Buies Creek 18-13 .581 -- against Karinchak this season through eight appearances. Winston-Salem 18-13 .581 -- Carolina 15-16 .484 3.0 FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME: Kieran Lovegrove has excelled for the Hillcats out of the bullpen in a variety of roles so far this season. He picked up his second win of the Down East 15-16 .484 3.0 year Friday, to go along with a pair of saves. The righty has allowed just one earned run over his last six appearances (9 inn.) and overall this season has an ERA of 1.88 and an Myrtle Beach 13-18 .419 5.0 opponents batting average of .192, while racking up 20 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. SERIES MATCHUP LONG STREAK LONGO: Hillcats OF Mitch Longo has reached base safely in all 25 games he's appeared in this season. Longo's on-base streak extends to 30 games dating Hillcats vs. FRE (since ‘95) .....250-227 back to August 31 of last season, and 33 games if you count the three postseason games during Lynchburg's championship run. Longo saw his league-best 18-game hitting At City Stadium ................... 133-111 streak come to an end on Sunday, when he was forced to exit the game after being hit by a pitch in his third plate appearance. Longo has batted .350 since being inserted into At Nymeo Field ................. 117-116 the lead off spot in the order, and (16-for-35) .457 over his last nine games. 2017 Overall .......................16-4 BRILLIANT BEN: Through eight appearances this season spanning 16.1 IP, Ben Krauth has racked up 26 strikeouts. He has recorded a punch out in every game he’s pitched 2017 at City Stadium ..................... 11-1 and recorded a season-high six in his outing on 4/26 against Winston-Salem. The former Kansas Jayhawk ranks second in the Carolina League in strikeouts among relief pitch- 2017 at Nymeo Field .......................5-3 ers (Daniel Gonzalez of Salem has 33 K). During his career, Krauth averages better than a strikeout per game, including a career-high 92 in 78.2 IP in 2017. Opponents have hit 4/16 vs FRE W, 5-0 6/30 @ Frederick just .188 against him since he started pitching professionally in 2016, and hitters are batting just .078 against him this season, the second-lowest mark in the league. He also 4/17 vs FRE W, 4-1 7/1 @ Frederick leads the league in highest strikeout/9 IP ratio (16.33), and is second in fewest baserunners/9 IP ratio (5.65). He also leads the league in holds (4). 4/18 vs FRE W, 4-1 7/2 @ Frederick 5/7 @ FRE L, 6-1 7/3 @ Frederick TOP-30 IN LYNCHBURG: Conner Capel (No. 12), Sam Hentges (No. 17), Logan Ice (No. 21), and Mitch Longo (No. 27) are all Hillcats players that are ranked on the Indians 5/8 @ Frederick 8/17 vs Frederick Top-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. He was drafted by the Tribe in 5/9 @ Frederick 8/18 vs Frederick the 5th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Hentges, a left-hander, missed the majority of last season while he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He appeared in 11 total 5/15 vs Frederick 8/19 vs Frederick games (all starts) and went 0-4 with a 3.23 ERA between the AZL Indians and short-season Mahoning Valley. Hentges struck out 41 in 30.2 IP, and was drafted by the Indians 5/16 vs Frederick 5/17 vs Frederick in the 4th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Ice, a catcher, spent last season with Lake County and hit .228 with 11 HR and 42 RBI in 93 games. He was selected by Cleveland 6/1 @ Frederick with the 72nd overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. Longo, an outfielder, battled injuries last season and appeared in just 60 games. While he was healthy, he hit a combined 6/2 @ Frederick .376 with 4 HR and 28 RBI between Lake County and Lynchburg. 6/3 @ Frederick 6/11 @ Frederick HILLCATS COACHING STAFF 6/12 @ Frederick 6/13 @ Frederick Rouglas Odor Tony Arnold Justin Toole Grant Fink Bobby Ruiz Manager (1st Season) Pitching Coach (2nd season) Hitting Coach (1st season) Bench Coach (1st season) Athletic Trainer (4th season) 2018 Overall .........................3-1 5th overall 2018 at City Stadium .......................3-0 Career Record: 225-245 26th overall 3rd overall 2nd overall 2018 at Nymeo Field .......................0-1 Odor is entering his 18th year Arnold returns to Lynchburg after serv- 2018 marks Toole’s first year on Fink joins the Hillcats as bench CATS AT GLANCE coaching in the Indians organization. ing as the pitching coach for the Hillcats Lynchburg’s coaching staff and third coach for the first time in 2018, 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 North Division: T-3rd/-2.5 Indians & Brewers from 1988-1995. pitcher played collegiately at the Uni- former infielder played in parts of coach in the Indians organization. May: 2-5 Odor brings a decade of skipper expe- versity of Texas and was drafted by the seven minor league seasons with The former infielder was drafted by rience to Lynchburg. He led San Felipe Baltimore Orioles in the 10th round in Cleveland from 2009-2015, reach- Cleveland in the 23 rd round of the Last Stand: 2-1 in the Venezuelan Summer League the 1981 MLB Draft. The El Paso, Texas ing Triple-A Columbus.