Columbus Clippers Game #1 Game Information Road Game #1 Media Relations Department- 330 Huntington Park Ln., Columbus, OH 43215 - (614)-462-5250 - [email protected] Friday, April 6 (7:15) - Victory Field Columbus Clippers Indianapolis Indians (Cleveland Indians)vs. (Pittsburgh Pirates) LHP Shawn Morimando (NR) RHP Nick Kingham (NR) (0-0) (0-0) LAST GAME Upcoming Probables #N/A R H E LOB Saturday, April 7 at Indianapolis (7:05): RHP Adam Plutko (NR) vs. RHP Tyler Eppler (NR) #N/A ## #### #N/A Sunday, April 8 at Indianapolis (1:35): RHP Stephen Fife (NR) vs. RHP Alex McRae (NR) #N/A ## ## ## #N/A Monday, April 9 at Louisville (6:30): LHP Adam Wilk (NR) vs. TBA W: Tuesday, April 10 at Louisville (6:30): RHP Alexi Ogando (NR) vs. TBA L: Today's Game S: The Clippers will send LHP Shawn Morimando to the mound tonight, kicking off the 2018 campaign. Indianapolis will counter with RHP HR: Nick Kingham. The Clippers were 53-43 (.552) against right handers last year. Kingham has pitched against the Clippers nine times in Highlights his career, going 3-3 with a 5.51ERA (47.1IP, 54H, 34R, 29ER, 14BB, 32K). 'Twas a day of awful baseball. vs. the Indians The Clippers were 12-10 against Indy last season, despite getting outscored 109-87 (nine of 12 wins by three or less). That marked the second straight season Columbus had more wins and fewer runs than the Indians. Individually, Yandy Diaz has slashed .367/.482/.511 with 2HR and 9RBI against Indy in his career (90AB). Adam Rosales has hit .326 (31x95) with 3HR and 21RBI in 28 career games. Opening Day The Clippers are 26-15 (.634) all-time on opening day, having won 10 of the last 13 (three straight wins). They are 12-8 (.600) when opening the season on the road. The largest margin of victory for Columbus in the season's opening game is 13 runs, in a 17-4 thumping vs. Indianapolis in 2010, while the most lopsided loss came at Richmond in 1992 (10-1). Tonight's game will mark the 10th first game against Indianapolis (most all-time). Columbus is 5-4 against the Indians in openers (two straight wins, both shutouts). CLIPPER QUICK FACTS Who Are These People #N/A Only nine Clippers on the active roster have seen time in a Columbus uniform before, including just one in the bullpen (Louis Head). #N/A Three such players, Eric Haase, Todd Hankins and Mike Papi, have each spent fewer than 50 days on the Columbus roster. The Road: 0-0 average age of the active roster is over 28 years old with nine players aged 30 or more. April: 0-0 Friday: 0-0 Up to the Challenge Day Games: 0-0 Including the playoffs, the Clippers have started a series against a 1st place team 34 times since the start of 2015, posting a series vs. West: 0-0 record of 22-8-4, including 11 sweeps of at least three games (75-41, .647 in individual games). Five of those series were against Indy Last 10: 0-0 last season, with the Clippers triumphing in four (lost both series when Indy was not in 1st place). Consecutive days in 1st: 0 Scoring at least 4 runs: 0-0 Need Some Speed Scoring less than 4 runs: 0-0 Despite missing two months of the season with a fractured hamate in his right hand, Greg Allen still managed 25SB between Cleveland Come from behind wins: 0 and the minors. Columbus has not had a player with 25SB since Tyler Holt in 2015 and was led by Ronny Rodriguez with 15 last Last at bat wins: 0 season. In 2017, after Bradley Zimmer's 9SB were recalled to Cleveland on 5/15, a month passed with Erik Kratz leading the team (2). Team Batting: .---, T1st Team Pitching: -.--, T1st He's #1 Team Defense: .---, T1st For the first time since the 2016 season, the #1 prospect in the organization will open in Columbus (Francisco Mejia). The last time the Clippers had a catcher as the #1 prospect was in 2010 (Carlos Santana). That year, Santana homered twice vs. Indianapolis on LEAGUE STANDINGS opening day and hit .316/.447/.597 with 13HR and 51RBI through 57 games before a permanent recall on 6/11/10. North W - L Pct GB Buf 0 - 0 - - Best in the Business LHV 0 - 0-- Yandy Diaz enters 2018 as the franchise leader in batting (.331), having won the IL Batting Title in 2017 and finishing 2nd in 2016 (IL has Paw 0 - 0 - - not had a two-time batting champ since Billy McMillon in 2000). Diaz is also the franchise leader in OBP (.419), having led the IL in Roc 0 - 0 - - consecutive years (.454 last season was franchise record and highest in the IL since 1983). Of 216 IL batters to log at least 120PA last SWB 0 -0 - - year, only Diaz accumulated more walks (60) than strikeouts (56). Syr 0 - 0 - - South W - L Pct GB Big Swingers Cha 0 - 0 - - Last season's offense hit 151HR, as a quartet of Clippers had at least 15 for the first time since 2004. Richie Shaffer's 30 paced the Dur 0 - 0 - - club and gave the Clippers back to back seasons with a 30HR guy (Jesus Aguilar had 30HR in 2016) for the first time since 1981-83. Gwn 0--0 - Nellie Rodriguez managed 17HR despite turning in only 64 hits (first time with fewer than 100 hits in full season ball). On the down Nor 0 -0 - - side, a franchise record was set with 1,297K as a team. Both Shaffer (188) and Rodriguez (181) crushed the franchise record for West W - L Pct GB strikeouts in a season (174 by Mitch Jones in 2004). Also last season, Eric Haase had 27HR and 118K, mostly with Akron, and Yu- Col 0 - 0 - - Cheng Chang had 24HR and 134K for Akron. Ind 0 - 0 - - Lou0 -0 - - ORGANIZATION REPORT vs. INDIANAPOLIS Tol 0 - 0-- Cleveland (2-4) T3rd place Akron (0-1), T4th place All-Time April 5 R H E 4/5 at Altoona, lost, 6-5 Home Road Overall League Notes OFF x x x 4/6 at Altoona, 6:00 113-9292-99 205-191 DAY x xx Lynchburg (1-0), T1st place 2018 Lindor: .192/.276/.192, 0HR, 0RBI 4/5 vs. Down East, won, 1-0 Home Road Overall Ramirez: .043/.185/.174, 1HR, 2RBI 4/6 vs. Down East, 6:30 0-0 0-0 0-0 Clevinger: 1-0, 0.00ERA, 5.1IP, 5K Lake County (1-0), T1st place 2017 Kluber: 0-1, 2.40ERA, 15.0IP, 14K 4/5 vs. Fort Wayne, won, 3-2 Home Road Overall 4/6 vs. KC, 4:10 (Duffy vs. Carrasco) 4/6 vs. Fort Wayne, 6:30 6-7 6-3 12-10 Governors' Cup Champions: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2010, 2011, 2015 IL West Division Champions: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 Columbus Clippers Game Information Friday, April 6 This Date in Clipper History Huntington (Small) Park 4/6/2017 In each of the first nine years since the move downtown, Huntington Park has ranked among the top two in the IL in homers per game, Nellie Rodriguez homered to totaling 2.16 per contest (1,395HR, 645 games). Last year, HP averaged a record 2.58 per game (183HR total was also a record), lead off the 13th inning, marking the second straight year atop the league. In addition, the Clippers served up 88HR, tied for most ever (2012), following two providing the decisive run in a 3- straight years under 70. Over the life of the park, the opposition has hit more long balls (699 to 696). 2 victory at Louisville to open the season. Richie Shaffer picked year gms COL opp total avg rank yeargms COL opp totalavg rank year gms COL opp total avg rank 88 up the first of his 89RBI on the 2009 71 57 73 130 1.83 2nd 2012 71 91179 2.52 1st 2015 72 62 64 126 1.75 2nd 2010 72 90 83 173 2.40 2nd 2013 72 63 72 135 1.88 2nd 2016 72 74 69 143 1.99 1st season with a double and Mike . 2011 72 100 77 177 2.46 1st 2014 72 64 85 149 2.07 2nd 2017 71 95 88 183 2.58 1st Clevinger sparkled on the mound, despite his no-decision The Wait is Over (6.0IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 8K). It took 42 games for Columbus to experience a walk-off last season (last team to participate in a walk-off). Unfortunately for the Clippers, Clevinger maintained the they were on the losing side at Louisville on 5/21/17. On 6/16/17 vs. Gwinnett, they became the last team in the IL to win in walk-off resulting 1.50ERA through each fashion, snapping a streak of 55 home games without, including playoffs. On 6/24/17 vs. Toledo, Eric Stamets's hit the first walk-off of his next five starts to earn a homer in HP since 8/25/14 vs. Indianapolis (Jesus Aguilar), snapping a 191 game stretch without one. Thanks to an 8-2 record in extra recall to Cleveland. innings (7-1 on the road), the Clippers had the best winning percentage in the IL in games decided in the last at bat (14-7, .667).