Game 50 Preview: Power at Grasshoppers
Game #50— Road Game #21
West Virginia Power (25–24) at Greensboro Grasshoppers (25–27)
Saturday, June 2–7:00 p.m.
First National Bank Field (Greensboro, N.C.)
FIVE HOMERS BURY POWER FRIDAY: Friday’s series opener was not kind to the Power, as the team had to wait out a pair of rain delays that totaled 2:48, while West Virginia’s pitching staff allowed five homers to the Greensboro Grasshoppers, who took down the Power, 10–3, at First National Bank Field. West Virginia starter Gavin Wallace was stellar through the first three innings, holding Greensboro to just one hit and striking out a batter while the Power took an early 1–0 lead on Deon Stafford’s RBI single in the first. However, the second heavy rain storm of the evening rolled through the Greensboro area, forcing a 1:13 delay that caused Wallace to be lifted from the game. When play resumed, the Grasshoppers found their mojo, as they jumped on Evan Piechota, who surrendered a career-high three homers over his three innings of work which saw Greensboro jump up 8–1. Micah Brown launched a three-run homer in the fourth, while Cameron Baranek stroked one in the fifth and Marcos Rivera hit a solo homer in the sixth. Joel Cesar held the Grasshoppers hitless in the seventh in his first appearance since May 10 after coming off the disabled list on May 30, striking out two in an inning of work. Matt Seelinger did not fare as well, as Greensboro greeted him with back-to-back homers to begin the frame from Rivera and Brown to extend the lead to 10–1. Calvin Mitchell got one back in the ninth with a solo home run, and Ryan Peurifoy tacked on an additional tally with an RBI single, but it was too little too late for West Virginia. Dustin Beggs earned the win with three scoreless innings.
PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Cody Bolton (1–0, 0.00 ERA) takes the mound for West Virginia, while Greensboro counters with RHP Taylor Braley (2–4, 4.50 ERA).
POWER LINEUP:
Oneil Cruz — SS
Rodolfo Castro — 2B
Cal Mitchell — RF
Deon Stafford — C
Brett Pope — 3B
Ben Bengtson — 1B
Kyle Watson — DH
Chris Sharpe — LF
Lolo Sanchez — CF
Cody Bolton — RHP
ODDS AND ENDS:
MASHING MITCHELL: Mitchell collected his seventh home run of the season Friday, tying Oneil Cruz for the team lead. The Pirates’ 15th-best prospect per MLB.com has 15 multi-hit games on the season, and is one of two Power batters with double digit multi-hit efforts in 2018 (Cruz, 12). Mitchell has hit safely in 10 of his last 13 games, and in 18 of his last 25 contests. Overall, Mitchell’s .319 stroke is sixth-best in the SAL. Mitchell has found more success on the road in 2018, boasting a .359 clip (19 games) compared to a .288 stroke at home (29 games).
HOLY HOMERS: Mitchell’s homer gave West Virginia 46 homers on the season, which still stands at third-best in the league behind Asheville (50) and Lexington (56). Every active Power batter has at least one home run in 2018.
WHITE SMOKE! A NEW POPE: Pope has gotten off to a hot start since his promotion to the Power. After going hitless in his first game, Pope recorded a hit in seven straight contests from May 22–29, averaging .500 (11-for-22) with a home run and four RBI. The only SAL batter who fared better than Pope since May 22 was Hagerstown’s Luis Garcia, who averaged .536 (15-for-28) with a home run and seven RBI over nine games. The infielder is still boasting an eight-game on-base streak despite his hitting streak coming to an end Friday with an 0-for-3 effort. Pope has also played exceptional defense for West Virginia, committing two errors in 28 total chances over 69.1 innings.
A TURN FOR THE WORSE: On May 15, the Power sat at 22–14, winners of seven of their last eight games and just 2.5 games back in the first half Northern Division standings. Since then, West Virginia has dropped 10 of its last 13 games, including four straight series to Lexington, Columbia and Kannapolis, and are now 8.0 games back. During this stretch, the Power are hitting .243 (98-for-403) while the pitching staff has posted a 4.44 ERA (53 ER/107.1 IP). West Virginia is in the midst of a five-game losing streak, the club’s longest of the season.
THE BIG ACHILLES HEEL: West Virginia’s pitching staff allowed a season-high five home runs in Friday’s 10–3 loss to Greensboro. Over their last 13 games, the Power pitching staff has given up 17 home runs. In the entire month of May, West Virginia arms allowed 21 home runs compared to 15 in April, despite posting a 3.10 May ERA that was fourth-best in the South Atlantic League and 68 points lower than the team’s April mark, which was eighth-lowest in the SAL. Overall, the Power have surrendered 41 home runs this season, fifth-most in the league behind Lexington (52), Greensboro (53), Greenville (55) and Hagerstown (58).
POWER POINTS: Mason Martin is mired in a 5-for-51 (.098) slump with 26 strikeouts… The Greensboro Grasshoppers are the only South Atlantic League team that will not travel to Appalachian Power Park in 2018… Power pitching has not walked a batter in their last 17.2 innings… Cody Bolton makes his second South Atlantic League start Saturday… Wallace has not dropped a decision since July 16, 2017, vs. the Staten Island Yankees when he was with the Short-Season Class A West Virginia Black Bears.
ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on The Jock 1300 & 1340 AM in the Kanawha Valley, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. David Kahn and John Kocsis will handle play-by-play duties in 2018. Saturday’s pregame coverage begins at 6:40 p.m. on the West Virginia Power Baseball Network.
