Hey Smokies Fans!
With ten games to go, the Smokies are ahead by a game and a half for the Southern League’s North Division first half crown. The West Tenn Diamond Jaxx are in town, and they are the ones chasing Tennessee for the title.
In tonight’s opener, the Smokies will start right-hander Alberto Cabrera (0-2, 8.18 ERA) against West Tenn’s Steve Bray (3-3, 2.52).
Here are some notes for this first game of the West Tenn series.
Marquee Series of First Half: The Tennessee Smokies and West Tenn Diamond Jaxx will meet this week in one of the most anticipated series of the first half. Tennessee comes into the series a game and a half ahead of West Tenn, with ten games left for the Smokies in 2010. The Diamond Jaxx still have 11 games to play, as they will face Chattanooga for six games following the Tennessee series. The Diamond Jaxx rode a 10 game winning streak to get within a half game of the Smokies, but fell 8-4 in the final game of the Mississippi series yesterday at Pringles Park.
2009 Revisited: In 2009, the Smokies and Diamond Jaxx were also locked in a tight battle for a playoff spot nearing the end of a half. Going into the final weekend of the second half, Tennessee brought a one game lead into Pringles Park with five to play against West Tenn. The Diamond Jaxx won the first contest on Thursday night in Jackson to tie the teams with four games left to play. Tennessee won the next four games against the Diamond Jaxx, and clinched the second half division crown on Sunday Sept. 6, 2009 with a 7-0 victory. The Smokies, managed by Hall-of-Famer Ryne Sandberg, went on to win the North Division Championship Series before falling to the Jacksonville Suns in the Southern League Championship Series.
Call on Cales: Reliever David Cales has been the ace out of the bullpen for the Smokies in 2010. Cales is 4-1 this season with a 2.19 ERA in 25 appearances out of the bullpen. Cales has collected five saves in the last ten games for Tennessee against Birmingham and Huntsville. Last night, Cales pitched the final two-thirds of the ninth inning yesterday to preserve a 4-2 win for the Smokies, as well as a series victory over the Stars. Cales was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 24th round of the 2008 draft.
Here Comes the Boom: The Smokies and Diamond Jaxx are the two best RBI teams in the Southern League. Tennessee leads the league with 273 runs batted in this season, with the Diamond Jaxx only behind by six at 267. These are also the two best hitting teams in the league, as Tennessee is tops with a .286 average while West Tenn boasts a batting average of .276. West Tenn is second in the league with 52 homers, while Tennessee is third-best with 41.
Campana Swinging Above the Rest: Though small in stature, Tony Campana is a giant among Southern League hitters in 2010. Campana leads the league with a .348 average, 17 points better than the next closest hitter. The speedster is also in a tie for second in the league with 19 stolen bases.
Tonight’s broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. with the Pilot Oscar-Mayer Pregame Show, which will feature an interview with Smokies skipper Bill Dancy. You can listen to the game here online on smokiesbaseball.com or on the radio on The Sports Animal.
Thanks for listening!
