CEENTA Sights & Sounds of the Week (June 14)
The Intimidators have won three straight games and are back to .500 (31–31) for the season. In this edition of the Sights & Sounds of the Week presented by Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Associates, we check in on what the Intimidators have done to get back to .500 for the first time in more than two months. Kannapolis opened the season 2–2 after splitting the first series of the season in Lakewood before dropping a series in Delmarva and at home to Hickory. Since then, Kannapolis has been trying to get its head back above water. With three straight wins, including the last two in Delmarva, the I’s have a chance to do that today. The Intimidators have not been above .500 since May 26, 2014.
Player Promotions:
Jordan Guerrero earned a promotion from Kannapolis to High-A Winston-Salem. The left-handed hurler was 6–1 with a 2.28 ERA in nine games (nine starts) for the Intimidators. He would have likely been a South Atlantic League All-Star and possibly the starting pitcher for the Northern Division, but he’s in the Carolina League. Guerrero is the ninth Intimidator promoted to the Dash this season, joining (1) outfielder Nolan Earley, (2) relief pitcher Peter Tago, (3) first baseman T.J. Williams, (4) outfielder Michael Suiter, (5) reliever Devon Davis, (6) catcher Sean O’Connell, (7) catcher Ryan Plourde, and (8) Jefferson Olacio. Also this season, infielder Chris Curley earned a promotion straight to Double-A Birmingham.
Speaking of players deserving of All-Star honors…
Austin & Alvarez named All-Stars
The South Atlantic League announced the rosters for the 56th Annual SAL All-Star Game, and two Intimidators will represent the Northern Division in the league’s mid-summer classic on Tuesday, June 23, in Asheville, N.C.
Shortstop Eddy Alvarez and catcher Brett Austin are the team’s two All-Stars, the first year Kannapolis has sent multiple All-Stars to the game since 2013 when both Micah Johnson and Jason Coats went to Lakewood (that year, Johnson was named All-Star Game MVP). Alvarez has played 60 games (through Saturday, June 13), which is tied for the league lead, and he ranks second in the league in walks, tied for fourth in on-base percentage and stolen bases, and fifth in runs scored. Austin is picking things up at the plate, but his arm behind the plate has made him incredibly dangerous to opposing base runners. The Kannapolis backstop has thrown out 15 of 42 base runners (.357), tops in the Northern Division and fourth in the SAL among qualifying catchers.
Four Hits, Three Times
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Three individual Intimidators have put together a 4-hit game in the last week. Brett Austin went 4–4 against Greensboro on June 11. One night later, Christian Stringer got in on the action with a 4–5 game against the Hoppers. On Saturday, Mason Robbins collected his three career 4-hit game and first of the year.
Highlights
One of the most fun Intimidators to watch this season has been Jacob Morris. The relief pitcher is in his first year on the mound really since high school after serving as an outfielder all throughout his collegiate career at Arkansas and last season with Kannapolis in his first full-year of pro ball. In his last 10.1 innings of work over six appearances, he has not allowed a run while striking out 14 and walking three.
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Speaking of solid relief pitching, David Trexler spun a 9-out save on Friday. This was not your ho-hum “let him work the final 3.0 innings of a blowout” save. Every out was crucial as Kannapolis led just 2–1 in the seventh and then eventually 4–1 in the ninth. Trexler, who struggled last week against Delmarva, spun a scoreless seventh and eighth before working into a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the ninth inning. At the plate was noted Intimidators-killer T.J. Olesczuk, who had driven in nine runs in four games the previous week in Kannapolis. He represented the winning run with two outs, down by three, in the bottom of the night. Trexler, however, got the last laugh.
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Interviews
Catcher Brett Austin talks about what it means to be named a South Atlantic League All-Star this season:
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Every Friday, we talk to Intimidators manager Tommy Thompson on the pregame show. In the latest chat, Tommy talks about his favorite South Atlantic League eateries as well as what’s helped his team turn things around lately plus what it’s like to manage All-Stars Brett Austin and Eddy Alvarez.
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That’ll do it for this week’s CEENTA Sights & Sounds of the Week. Kannapolis plays in Delmarva today at 2:05 p.m. with a chance to clinch a series win over the Shorebirds. Hope you’ll tune in.
-JF
@BigTexJosh
