Game 54 Preview: Power at Tourists
Game #54 — Road Game #26
West Virginia Power (26–26) at Asheville Tourists (22–30)
Friday, May 31–5:35 p.m.
McCormick Field (Asheville, N.C.)
POWER LINEUP (GAME 2):
Charlie McConnell — CF
J.R. Davis — 2B
Ryan Ramiz — LF
Onil Pena — 1B
Bobby Honeyman — 3B
Jake Anchia — DH
Joseph Rosa — SS
Dean Nevarez — C
Nick Rodriguez — RF
Ryne Inman — RHP
OFFENSE COMES ALIVE IN 8–3 WIN THURSDAY: West Virginia scored all eight of its runs in the first five innings, capped off by a four-run fifth frame, as they downed the Asheville Tourists, 8–3, Thursday evening at McCormick Field. The Power jumped on the board first in the second, as Ryan Ramiz brought in Onil Pena on a sacrifice fly. In the third, J.R. Davis hit his first home run as a member of the Mariners organization, a two-run shot, that extended the lead to 3–0. Joseph Rosa uncorked an RBI double in the fourth before the offense really exploded in the fifth. The first six men to bat against Shelby Lackey reached base, with Bobby Honeyman driving in a pair on a two-run double, Ramiz producing another run-scoring two-bagger and Rosa notching the final tally on a sacrifice fly pop out in foul territory. Meanwhile, Clay Chandler dominated on the mound, hurling his sixth quality start of the season over 6.2 innings while striking out six and walking one. Dayeison Arias and Elias Espino spun the final 2.1 innings, allowing just two hits.
PITCHING MATCH-UP:
RHP Ryne Inman (5–3, 3.31 ERA) makes his eleventh appearance for West Virginia, while Asheville goes with LHP Colten Schmidt (0–2, 2.32 ERA).
Inman is coming off one of his best outings of the season, as he tossed six scoreless innings earlier this week against Lexington. In that start, he struck out seven Legends hitters and allowed just four hits.
Schmidt, on the other side, is making his sixth start of the year for the Tourists and his second appearance of the season against West Virginia. Schmidt has not conceded an earned run in his last two starts (13 innings).
POWER LINEUP (RESUMPTION OF APRIL 20 GAME):
Charlie McConnell — CF
Nick Rodriguez — DH
Onil Pena — 1B
Ryan Ramiz — LF
Jake Anchia — C
Joseph Rosa — SS
Bobby Honeyman — 3B
Johnny Slater — RF
Cesar Izturis Jr. — 2B
Devin Sweet — RHP
GAME NOTES:
SWEET AS HONEY: Honeyman has really caught fire of late, hitting safely in 14 of his last 16 games (May 13-present). He is averaging .328 (20-for-61) with seven RBI and 12 runs in that span. Honeyman went 8-for-24 (.333) with three RBI and six runs scored in the Power’s most recent home stretch, the most hits and RBI he has had in a homestand this season.
ROSA RISING: Following his 1-for-3, two-RBI night in the series opener Thursday, Rosa has now recorded a hit in nine of his last 12 games, dating back to May 16. In this span, the infielder is averaging .350 (14-for-40), the highest clip on the Power and seventh-best in the league, along with seven RBI and five extra-base hits (four doubles and one triple).
MAKING A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION: Power newcomer Keegan McGovern, who joined the team Wednesday after Jarred Kelenic was promoted to High-A Modesto, had a very solid first game of the 2019 season after being activated off the injured list. McGovern went 2-for-5 with a run scored, blooping a single in the third and launching a double to center in the fifth. The UGA product was one of three West Virginia sluggers with a multi-hit night Thursday.
QUALITY CLAY RETURNS: Chandler notched his first quality start since May 9 in last night’s win, tying him with Steven Moyersfor the most quality starts in the Power rotation. The La Center, Kentucky, native set down 10 in a row at one point Thursday evening. Chandler’s quality start comes after he posted an 0–1 record with a 9.77 ERA in his last three appearances, which included an eight-run, 11-hit performance by Greenville, both career-highs for the righty.
DOMINANT DAYEISON: Arias shut down the last major Tourists rally in the seventh, entering with runners at the corners and two down with Asheville’s hottest hitter in Terrin Vavra at the dish. The reliever induced a groundout and cruised through the other three batters he faced in the eighth. Arias has not allowed an earned run in his last 11 appearances (April 25-present), during which he has thrown 17 innings, ceded just six hits and struck out 21 batters compared to four walks. Only one other pitcher in the SAL has a spotless ERA with at least that many innings under their belt in this span, Kannapolis starter Johan Dominguez (21 innings, six games, four starts).
WELCOME BACK ESPINO: Espino made his first appearance on the mound with West Virginia since being activated off the injured list May 27. The right-hander worked around a couple of base hits to finish off the game in the ninth, recording his fourth consecutive scoreless outing (April 17-present). The Power was 7–18 during Espino’s time on the shelf, while the pitching staff held a 5.44 ERA in his 25-game absence.
PICKING UP WHERE WE LEFT OFF: Friday’s first game against the Asheville Tourists will be a resumption of the suspended game from April 20 that was halted in the top of the fourth with the Power up 6–0 when the field became unplayable due to heavy rain in the area. In that contest, West Virginia scored a run in the second on a sacrifice fly by Honeyman, added two more in the third on a double from Pena and a base hit from Ryne Ogren and posted a three-spot in the fourth thus far against Ryan Feltner, with Kelenic launching a three-run bomb right before the game was suspended. Meanwhile, Logan Gilbert had gotten through his three innings of work rather efficiently, not allowing a hit while striking out six and walking one. The Power will be forced to make four substitutions, as Gilbert, Kelenic, Ogren and Cesar Trejo are no longer with the club, but were in the lineup when the game was stopped in mid-April.
POWER POINTS: Davis stroked his first home run of the season and the 12th of his Minor League career. West Virginia now has 46 home runs as a team in 2019, third-most in the South Atlantic League (Greensboro, 61 and Hickory 60)… The Power went 4-for-12 with RISP… Chandler’s pickoff error was the first by a Power pitcher in their last 26 games.
ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on The Jock 1300 and 1340 AM in the Kanawha Valley, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. David Kahn and Kyle Youmans will handle play-by-play duties in 2019. Friday’s pregame coverage begins at 5:15 p.m. on the West Virginia Power Baseball Network.
