Game #90 Preview
Game #90 — Home Game #45
Hagerstown Suns (36–53, 6–13) vs Lexington Legends (44–44, 7–12)
Wednesday, July 10–7:05 p.m.
Municipal Stadium (Hagerstown, MD)
SUNS LATE RALLY COMES UP SHORT
The Suns scored two runs in the ninth inning but left the bases loaded in their 7–5 loss to the Lexington Legends at Municipal Stadium Tuesday. Hagerstown (36–53, 6–13) entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 7–3, but loaded the bases with one away againstLegends (44–44, 7–12) reliever Kyle Hinton. Trey Vickers then delivered an RBI single to make it 7–4, and Lexington went to the bullpen. Armond Upshaw followed with an RBI groudout and then Rafael Bautista walked to load the bases again with the tying run at second. But Brandon Marklund (S, 1) struck out Jackson Cluff to end the game. Lexington starter Zach Haake (W, 3–4) gave up those two runs in the second, but recovered to retire the next 12 hitters he faced before leaving the game. Haake also struck out five and allowed only one hit over five innings of work. Andres Nunez came out of the bullpen in the sixth and continued to roll, tossing 2.2 innings of one run ball. The one run he did allow was a monster home run in the seventh off the bat of Jacob Rhinesmith. The ball traveled 487 feet for Rhinesmith’s fifth long ball of the season.
PITCHING MATCH-UP:
Hagerstown sends RHP Tomas Alastre (3–8, 5.72 ERA) to the hill, while Lexington counters with RHP Jon Heasley (6–4, 2.72 ERA).
Alastre has not faced the Legends this year, but is coming off one of his best starts of the season. The righty allowed just one run over six inning and struck out a career-high eight batter against Greensboro July 3. Heasley will make his second appearance against Hagerstown in 2019. The right-hander pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen at Municipal Stadium April 16.
Suns Starters:
Rafael Bautista-RF
Jackson Cluff-SS
Drew Mendoza-1B
Israel Pineda-C
Jacob Rhinesmith-LF
Justin Connell-DH
Kyle Marinconz-2B
Trey Vickers-3B
Armond Upshaw-CF
Tomas Alastre-RHP
GAME NOTES:
STOPPING AT THE BUCK: The Suns finished yesterday just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Suns have now tallied just 11 hits in their last 69 opportunities with runners threatening over their last 53 innings at the plate. It has dropped their mark to .239 on the season.
MASTER MENDOZA: Last night, Drew Mendoza finished 0-for-4, snapping his six-game hitting to start his career. The third-round pick has made a quick impact in Hagerstown. The Florida State-product reached base safely 14 times in his first six games in the South Atlantic League. If that weren’t enough, he also tallied three extra-base hits while driving in five runs in his opening week in the South Atlantic League. Mendoza is slashing .409/.536/.545 through 28 plate appearances in the South Atlantic League.
RALLY THE TROOPS: After a nice run in short-season ball with Auburn, Alex Troop earned the call-up to Hagerstown yesterday. The lefty reliever struggled to keep runners off the basepaths, allowing eight hitters to reach safely while only recording 10 outs, the seven hits stretched his WHIP to 2.40, a significantly higher mark than what he earned in Auburn. He threw 11 innings in Auburn, holding opponents to a .108 average and earning a 0.36 WHIP.
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER: After cruising to a 14–15 record in May, the Suns have struggled as the heat of summer has worked its way into Hagerstown. The Suns hold a 12–23 record (.343) since the start of June. The Suns are just 5–13 on the road during that stretch.
THE BIG MONSTER: Jacob Rhinesmith launched his fifth homer of the season in the seventh inning of last night’s game. The monster shot travelled 487-feet over the right field wall before finding a landing spot and is the longest homer hit at Municipal Stadium this season.
TAP THE PEN: Ryan Tapani has bounced between starting and coming from the pen this season. The righty has now played in 17 games and started five on the bump — matching last season’s total. The Creighton-product spun 7.1 innings of scoreless relief since June 29, setting down seven via the strikeout while allowing just three hits.
ON THE AIR: Suns home games and select road games can be heard at bit.ly/SunsRadio where John Kocsis Jr. and Connor Newcomb bring you the call, beginning with the Suns pre-game show at 6:50 p.m.
