Fireflies Drop Second Straight To Kannapolis

Kannapolis Intimidators @ Columbia Fireflies

June 23, 2017

Bernardo Flores @ Harol Gonzalez

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Kannapolis	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0		5	11	2
Columbia	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0		4	7	1

W: Flores (8-4, 3.00 ERA); L: Gonzalez (4-5, 4.40 ERA); Save: Elliott (1)

Boxscore

Harol Gonzalez

The Stats:

Pitchers

Harol Gonzalez (L, 4-5, 4.40 ERA) – 6 IP, 9 H, 5 R (5 ER), 1 3B, 1 HR, 14 TB, 2 BB, 3 K (1 K/Sw), 2 GIDP, 10 GB: 9 FB: 2 LD: 1 PU, 93 Pitches (59 Strikes), 6 Swinging, 9 Called, 6.5% SwStr, 12% Whiff/Swing, 15.5 Pitches/IP, 27 BF

Taylor Henry (3.18 ERA) – 2 IP, 2 H, 2 TB, 1 BB, 1 K (1 K/Sw), 3 GB: 2 FB: 1 LD: 1 PU, 31 Pitches (21 Strikes), 2 Swinging, 5 Called, 6.5% SwStr, 12.5% Whiff/Swing, 15.5 Pitches/IP, 10 BF

Cameron Griffin (1.23 ERA) – 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K (1 K/Sw), 2 FB, 17 Pitches (11 Strikes), 2 Swinging, 3 Called, 11.8% SwStr, 25% Whiff/Swing, 17 Pitches/IP, 4 BF

Table 1 – Harol pitch stats by inning

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	Total
Total	28	11	12	12	21	9	93
Strikes	21	6	7	6	12	7	59
Swinging*	0	2	2	0	1	1	6

*6.5% Swinging strike rate; 12% Whiff/Swing rate

Bernando Flores - 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 7 K, 90 Pitches (58 Strikes), 7 GO: 2 FO

Batters

SS - Andres Gimenez - 0-3, 1 R, 1 HBP, 1 K, 1 GIDP, 15.4% SwStr, 33.3% Whiff/Swing, 3.25 Pitches/PA

2B - Luis Carpio - 3-4, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 5.9% SwStr, 14.3% Whiff/Swing, 4.25 Pitches/PA

CF - Jacob Zanon - 0-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 GIDP, 2 SB, 3 Pitches/PA

1B - Dash Winningham - 1-4, 2 K, 15.8% SwStr, 30% Whiff/Swing, 4.75 Pitches/PA

DH - Brandon Brosher - 1-4, 2 K, 33.3% SwStr, 66.7% Whiff/Swing, 3 Pitches/PA

C - Ali Sanchez - 1-3, 1 BB, 10.5% SwStr, 22.2% Whiff/Swing, 4.75 Pitches/PA

RF - Arnaldo Berrios - 0-3, 1 SAC, 2 K, 41.7% SwStr, 62.5% Whiff/Swing, 3 Pitches/PA

LF - Tim Tebow - 0-4, 2 K, 36.4% SwStr, 50% Whiff/Swing, 2.75 Pitches/PA

3B - Milton Ramos - 1-4, 2 K, 20% SwStr, 36.4% Whiff/Swing, 5 Pitches/PA

Recapish

            The Columbia Fireflies dropped their second straight to Kannapolis Friday night, taking a 5-4 loss to fall to 0-2 in the second half. Both starters allowed three runs in the 1^st inning before settling in for relatively strong outings. The Intimidators would have one more two-batter scoring outburst against Fireflies starter Harol Gonzalez in the 5^th, and that proved to be the difference in this one. Luis Carpio finished with three hits, including an RBI triple, but the rest of Columbia’s lineup scattered just four singles throughout the game.

            Kannapolis jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 1^st thanks to an onslaught of singles. It wasn’t a lot of hard contact, and Harol did strikeout two batters in the frame (Aaron Schnurbusch and Casey Schroeder), but it still was five singles and a wild pitch in one frame.

K #1

K #2

            The Fireflies were quick to get those runs back in their half of the 1^st, and they needed just one hit to get it done. Luis Carpio tripled home Andres Gimenez (HBP) for the first Cola run of the game, and the next two runs came home on a throwing error. Kannapolis starter Bernard Flores is the Chicago White Sox 19^th ranked prospect, and he picked up his first three strikeouts of the game in the 1^st.

Carpio

K #1

K #2

K #3

            Columbia turned a double play behind Harol G in the 2^nd to erase a leadoff walk (and some swinging strikes are in this section).

            Flores made it six of seven batters down swinging when he struck out the side in the 2^nd. His final strikeout came against Tim Tebow in the 4^th and is also shown below. All six pitches from the two Tebow strikeouts are shown, and if this is what it looks like when Tebow faces one of the better SAL lefties in the game, how do you think he would fare against good major league pitching?

K #4

K #5

K #6

K #7

            Harol G made it five straight retired with a perfect 3^rd inning (some swinging strikes shown below too).

Ramos at third

            Carpio singled leading off the 3^rd inning for Columbia, but then speedy Jacob Zanon hit a double play grounder to third.

            The Intimidators threatened but couldn’t score in the 4^th (single/E7 and a walk), so the game was still tied at three when the heart of the Kannapolis lineup came up in the 5^th. Schnurbusch got his revenge against Harol with one out in the inning when he tripled to right center field. Micker Adolfo followed by launching a hanger from Harol to deep left center field to make this a 5-3 game.

Carpio at second to end the threat

Schnurbusch

Adolfo

            The bottom of the 5^th was the first inning Columbia managed two hits in the same frame. Unfortunately, a double play grounder separated the two singles from Milton Ramos and Carpio.

Ramos

Carpio

            Harol G finished his outing by facing the minimum in the 6^th, which was made possible by an inning ending double play. Grant Massey struck out swinging to start the frame.

K #3

            Columbia couldn’t scratch out even a single run after stringing together three straight singles leading off the bottom of the 6^th. Dash Winnigham, Brandon Brosher, and Ali Sanchez connected for the singles, but Dash was thrown out trying to score on the Sanchez hit.

Dash

Brosher

Sanchez

            Taylor Henry was the first reliever out of Columbia’s pen Friday night and he tossed two scoreless innings. Henry struck out Schroeder swinging during the 8^th for his only K.

Carpio at second

            The Intimidators are so intimidating, they don’t mind giving away runs because they know the opposition is too intimidated to score on their own. Zanon worked a leadoff walk in the 8^th, stole secon, went to third on a throwing error from the catcher, and then scored on a wild pitch.

            Cameron Griffin finished the game off for Columbia with a scoreless 9^th, striking out Adolfo along the way.

            The Fireflies went down quietly in the final frame of the game. After dropping two straight, Columbia turns to top-prospect Thomas Szapucki (1-1, 3.86 ERA) Saturday as they look to get back on track. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 PM.

Swirling, wider-than-Earth bands of light & dark clouds are seen on Jupiter as gas rages in this new @NASAJuno pic https://t.co/cgUtgPe3cG pic.twitter.com/3L5HXPOo6D

— NASA (@NASA) June 23, 2017