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LAST TIME OUT: The tried and trued method of good pitching, good defense, and a three-run homer worked for the IronPigs on Saturday night as they claimed a series win thanks to a 4-1 win over Jacksonville. Tyler Phillips spun seven innings of one run ball while Tyler McKay and Yunior Marte were perfect out of the bullpen for the win and save respectively. Drew Ellis provided the game-winning hit with a three-run homer with two outs in the eighth. The fourth straight win at home ties the IronPigs longest home winning streak this season.
TODAY’S OPPONENT: Dylan Bice makes the spot start in a bullpen game for the Jumbo Shrimp. Bice was just recalled from double-A Pensacola. Bice had appeared in 18 games for Jacksonville earlier this season, going 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in 23 innings. He pitched three times against the IronPigs in April, compiling four innings while allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks, striking out four.
STUPENDOUS SUNNY SUNDAYS: The IronPigs have loved day games and Sundays this season. They are 22-6 in day games (11-2 at home) and have gone 13-5 (9-0 at home) on Sundays as well. The IronPigs lead the IL in hitting on Sundays (.302) and have the 2nd highest OPS (.884) behind only Jacksonville. The 'Pigs also lead the league in hitting in day games (.296) while Jacksonville is 2nd in that category.
CHICKS DIG THE LONG BALL: The IronPigs had their second six-homer game of the season Friday night against Jacksonville. The 'Pigs are tied for the second most homers (36) in the IL in August while they have the 2nd best OPS (.899) and are tied for the most runs scored during the month (116).
ALL MY HOMIES GOT PITCHES: Since the All-Star break, the IronPigs pitching staff has been money. Among league leaders in that time frame, Drew Hutchison is 4th in ERA (2.83) while Nick Nelson is 6th (3.32). Nelson is 1st in IP (40.2) while Hutchison is 4th (35). Opponents are hitting just .175 against Hutchison since the break, 2nd best in the International League. The IronPigs have the 3rd best team ERA in the IL since the break (4.49), leading them to the most wins and best record since then at 22-9.
GAR-SEE YA LATER: After a week-long dev list stint for the birth of his first child, Aramis Garcia has returned with full on dad strength. He clubbed his first two homer game since June 27, 2018 when he was with double-A Richmond. Even prior to the week off, Garcia was playing his best baseball of the season, in his 14 games, Garcia has smacked six homers and six doubles, slashing .408/.431/.898.
FOR PETE'S SAKE: A career best year for Dustin Peterson got a marquee moment as he clubbed a walk-off two-run homer on Thursday night. Peterson had set a new career high with his 13th homer of the season on August 6. If the season ended today, Peterson has new career highs in homers (14), OPS (.829), and SLG (.496).
MUZZY BEAR: After a stretch of just two multi-hit games in 12 games played, Simon Muzziotti has three multi-hit games in his past five games and homered in back-to-back games to start the series. He now has 36 multi-hit games this season. Muzziotti has loved hitting Jumbo Shrimp pitching as he is now 18-for-33 (.545) this season with three homers in nine games against Jacksonville.
KODY KRUSH: With a three-homer game last Thursday night, Kody Clemens became the second IronPig in franchise history to smack three in a game (Dylan Cozens, 5/2/18 vs SYR). The three taters totaled 1,225 feet. He later added a double, giving him 14 total bases in the game, a franchise record. His four runs scored also tied the franchise record. For Clemens, he now has 10 homers in his past 23 games.
HALL PASS: The other big performance last Thursday night was from Darick Hall, who went 5-for-6 with a homer and five RBI. The five hit game tied the franchise record for hits in a game, as he became the seventh IronPig to do so and first since Cornelius Randolph on 5/19/21 vs. Syracuse. Hall went 11-for-29 against Rochester with four homers and nine driven in, rocking a 1.282 OPS. Hall homered to open the series against Jacksonville off lefty Daniel Castano.
EVEN STEVENSON: Cal Stevenson has got his feet underneath him after a whirlwind of transactions earlier in the season (traded twice, DFA'd twice). Stevenson ran a nine-game hitting streak from July 22-August 6, wrapping a stretch where he went 12-for-25 (.480) with a 1.426 OPS. He homered three times and drove in seven, scoring eight times while walking five times as well. Stevenson is currently on an 18-game on-base streak.
LUNCH PAIL JIM: Local Delco product Jim Haley has shown up for work each day since the end of June (27G), slashing .313/.367/.500 with five homers and 22 RBI during the stretch. He's played every infield position during the stretch and even appeared on the mound.
WILSON FLOATS AWAY: Weston Wilson's record setting season (first 20-20 campaign in franchise history) was finally rewarded when he was called up by the Phillies on Sunday, August 6. Wilson made his debut for the Phillies on August 9, homering in his first plate appearance. Wilson became the 1st Phillie to homer and steal a base in his first career game and just the 13th player in the Modern Era (since 1901). Wilson is the first Phillies player to homer in his first career major league plate appearance since Marlon Anderson, 9/8/98 vs NYM. In addition, with Michael Lorenzen's no-hitter, it marked the first time in ML history that a player hit a homer in their first career PA and a no-hitter was thrown in the same game.