TODAY’S MATCH-UP Hillcats Nationals POTOMAC NATIONALS (41-43, 4-13) VS. LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (40-44, 11-6) 11-6 | 29-38 Record 4-13 | 37-30 Game 85 - 2nd Half Game 18 - Monday, July 9, 2018 - 6:30 p.m. - City Stadium 5-3 | 17-15 Home 4-4 | 17-15 6-3 | 12-22 Road 4-2 | 20-15 W1 Streak L4 RHP Zach Plesac (5-4, 4.99) vs. RHP Matthew DeRosier (0-1, 7.27) 3-2 Last 5 1-4 6-4 Last 10 1-9 LAST GAME: Behind a career-high ten strikeouts and six scoreless innings from Eli Morgan, the Lynchburg Hillcats shut out the Wilmington Blue Rocks, 4-0, to earn a four- game series split. The Hillcats scored all four runs in the sixth inning. After loading the bases on three straight singles,Logan Ice drew a walk to score a run. Two more runs .243 (6th) Batting Avg. .271 (2nd) came home a batter later on a two run error, off the bat ofJorma Rodriguez, and Ernie Clement capped the scoring with an RBI single to right-center. Ben Krauth tossed two 4.00 (6th) ERA 3.86 (5th) scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Dalbert Siri followed with a scoreless ninth, to complete the victory. .973 (T-6th) Fielding Pct. .976 (T-3rd) 4.1 (9th) Runs/Game 5.0 (2nd) STRASBURG TO REHAB VS HILLCATS: Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will make a rehab start against the Hillcats Tuesday night. A three-time MLB 45 (8th) HR 66 (3rd) All-Star, Strasburg is the first Major Leaguer to play in City Stadium, since Edinson Volquez did so for the Hillcats when they were a Cincinnati Reds affiliate. 304 (9th) RBI 393 (2nd) 288 (7th) BB 335 (2nd) ZEROS AT HOME: The Hillcats shutout of the Wilmington Blue Rocks was their eighth shutout of the season, with each occurrence coming at City Stadium. The 4-0 shutout 675 (6th) K 630 (9th) was the second time in the second half that Lynchburg held an opposing team scoreless, doing so against Myrtle Beach on June 21. 46 (9th) SB 49 (8th) 1st HALF STANDINGS LEATHERMEN: Lynchburg has seen their team defense tighten up in the second half of play. They have not committed an error in seven of their last ten games, including three consecutive games without an error. Northern Division GB Lynchburg 11-6 .647 -- TAPIA TURNING IT ON: Emmanuel Tapia is off to a hot start in the month of July, going 8-18 (.444), 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI at the plate, good for an OPS of 1.222. Tapia is coming off Salem 10-7 .588 1.0 a pair of tough months where he batted .148 in June and .149 in May, combining for 48 strikeouts in 27 games. Wilmington 8-7 .533 2.0 *Potomac 4-13 .235 7.0 ICE MELTING: Logan Ice has started to catch fire at the plate. The catcher made his return from Double-A Akron on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Frederick 4-14 .222 7.5 While with Akron, Ice collected hits in each of the two games he played in and now has a combined four-game hitting streak between the two levels. He's also picked up base knocks in seven of his last 11 contests, going 9-for-34 (.265 avg). Southern Division Buies Creek 13-5 .722 -- EXCELLENT ERNIE: After playing his college ball up the road at the University of Virginia,Ernie Clement made his return to The Commonwealth on June 23, making his Adv.-A *Winston-Salem 12-5 .706 0.5 debut for Lynchburg. He is 24-for-57 overall (.421 avg), and has reached base safely in his first 14 games. Clement went 5-for-5 in the win against Frederick last Monday, Carolina 11-6 .647 1.5 marking the first time a Hillcats player has picked up five hits in a game this season. Clement did not strike out in his first 41 at-bats before he went down swinging Tuesday at Down East 7-11 .389 6.0 Frederick. The short stop has tallied seven multi-hit games. Myrtle Beach 6-12 .333 7.0 *CLINCHED FIRST HALF TITLE SUPER STARTERS: Over the course of the Hillcats last seven games, the starting pitching has been superb. Sam Hentges, Tanner Tully, Eli Morgan, Zach Plesac, and Justin Garza all picked up victories during this stretch, combining for 52 innings and have allowed just 12 earned runs, good for a 2.07 ERA. Tully picked up his first win on Sunday SERIES MATCHUP since May 12 against Salem. Hillcats vs. POT (since ‘95) ...240-241 ALL ABOARD THE CHU CHU TRAIN: Li-Jen Chu has been red-hot at the plate. The catcher has collected five of his six home runs this season over his last 17 games, including At City Stadium .................124-122 five so far in the second half. Chu had a multi-homer game in Sunday's win against Frederick, marking the second time he's homered twice in a game in his career (last May At Pfitzner Stadium ........... 115-118 with Single-A Lake County). The Taiwan native has six multi-hit games over his last 15 contests, and has four homers and 13 RBI over that span. 2017 Overall 17-9 2017 at City Stadium 8-3 I'VE GOT THE POWER!: After belting just 25 home runs in the first half of the season, the Hillcats have already hit 20 long balls in the club's first 16 games of the second 2017 at Pfitzner Stadium 9-6 half. Jodd Carter has homered five times andLi-Jen Chu has gone yard four times to lead the way. Logan Ice also hit his first blast of the season on Thursday. Lynchburg hit a season-high five home runs in Monday's win against the Keys, including three in one inning. Additionally after tallying just six multi-homer games in the first half, they have 4/19 L, 5-4 (10) 7/9 vs Potomac already accounted for four in the second half. Saturday was the Hillcats first loss this season when hitting multiple home runs in a game. 4/20 W, 5-3 7/10 vs Potomac 4/21 W, 8-2 7/11 vs Potomac TOP-30 IN LYNCHBURG: Conner Capel (No. 12), Sam Hentges (No. 17), Ernie Clement (No. 24), Mitch Longo (No. 27) and Eli Morgan (No. 28) are all Hillcats players that are 4/22 W, 6-4 7/12 vs Potomac ranked on the Indians 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. Hentges, 4/27 L, 9-3 8/21 vs Potomac a left-hander, missed the majority of last season while he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but leads the Hillcats in strikeouts this season. Clement won a champion- 4/28 L, 8-3 8/22 vs Potomac ship with the University of Virginia in 2015 and was promoted to Lynchburg from Lake County on June 23 . Longo, an outfielder, battled injuries last season, but while he was 4/29 L, 8-4 (10) 8/23 vs Potomac 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 5/18 vs POT PPD 8/24 at Potomac in 13 games (8 starts) and sported a 3-2 record with a 1.03 ERA over 35 innings. He played his college ball at Gonzaga and was drafted in the 8th round of the 2017 MLB draft. 5/19 vs POT W, 12-0 8/25 at Potomac 5/20 vs POT W, 9-5 8/26 at Potomac 6/8 vs Potomac HILLCATS COACHING STAFF 6/9 vs Potomac 6/10 vs Potomac Rougie 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) 5th overall 2018 Overall 5-4 Career Record: 265-287 26th overall 3rd overall 2nd overall 2018 at City Stadium 2-3 Ruiz is in his eighth season in the Indi- ans organization. He graduated from 2018 at Pfitzner Stadium 3-1 Arnold returns to Lynchburg after serv- 2018 marks Toole’s first year on Odor is in his 18th year coaching in 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 the Indians organization. He played coach for the first time in 2018, spent two years at the University of in the minor leagues for the Indians in 2015. The former right-handed in the Indians organization. The entering his second season as a Connecticut as a Graduate Assistant North Division: 1st/+1.0 & Brewers from 1988-1995. Odor pitcher played collegiately at the Uni- former infielder played in parts of coach in the Indians organization. Athletic Trainer for the Huskies baseball July: 5-2 brings a decade of skipper experience versity of Texas and was drafted by the seven minor league seasons with The former infielder was drafted by team, while earning his Master’s degree to Lynchburg. He led San Felipe in Baltimore Orioles in the 10th round in Cleveland from 2009-2015, reach- Cleveland in the 23 rd round of the This Home Stand: 2-2 the Venezuelan Summer League for the 1981 MLB Draft.