Game Preview @ Jacksonville: 8/3

Tennessee (24-16, 58-51) looks to seek revenge on the Jacksonville Suns (24-16, 58-49) and win Game 2 of the five-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

WHAT’S AT STAKE: Although both Tennessee and Birmingham lost last night, a Smokies loss tonight could move them into only a half-game lead over the Barons.

TONIGHT’S STARTERS: 

Jacksonville: Adam Conley (10-4, 3.22 ERA) Conley is tied for second in the Southern League in wins with 10. He has one of the best strike out ratios in the league; he averages 8.44 strike outs for every nine innings he pitches. He also possess a nice walk ratio, as he walks a batter every 2.37 innings. He has won his last three outings, including a win at Smokies Park on July 21st.

Tennessee: Dae-Eun Rhee (3-0, 2.13 ERA) Since Rhee’s return from injury, he has pitched well. In three starts, he has two wins and has only allowed five earned runs. Each outing has been longer than the previous, including his last start against Birmingham, which went 6.1 innings. Against the Suns on July 19th, he went 3.2 innings allowing five hits and two runs in his first start after returning from injury. He received the no-decision.

LAST TIME OUT: In Game 1 of the five-game series, the Jacksonville Suns shut out the Smokies 1-0. A Michael Main single scored Audy Ciriaco in the bottom of the 5th inning to win the game for the Suns. Matt Szczur, Christian Villanueva and Rubi Silva tallied two hits for the Smokies.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Michael Brady: The Suns’ closer leads the Southern League with 18 saves , in 20 attempts. The Laguna Beach, Calif. native has thrown 40.2 innings and has worked a 1-2 record.  He was also named a Southern League All-Star in 2013.

Mark Canha: Canha has hit safely in 1x of the last 17 games. Since the All-Star break, he is hitting .477 and has driven in 16 runs, including three home runs.

Rafael Lopez: In his last 10 games, Lopez is batting .394 and has tallied a hit in eight of the ten games. He has hit two home runs in that stretch and has knocked in 10 runs.

Tony Zych: The Smokies’ reliever’s last outing against Birmingham went 2.2 innings in the Smokies 13-inning loss on Tuesday night. This season, he is 2-4, but he hasn’t recorded a loss since June 22nd against the Lookouts.

KEY TO THE GAME: Although he went 0-3 Friday night, Mark Canha has hit the Smokies’ pitching staff well. At Smokies Park, he went 11-for-2o including two home runs, eight RBIs and five runs scored. He was involved in 13 of the Suns’ 26 runs during the five-game set against the Smokies.

TUNE IN: The broadcast will be available on our flagship station, The Sports Animal WNML AM 990 and on FM 99.1 in Knoxville beginning at 6:45 ET with the Pilot & Oscar Mayer Pregame Show. You can also listen to the broadcast in its entirety on smokiesbaseball.com as well as the Smokies mobile app.