Future Colorado Rockies: Asheville Tourists August 7 Update

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Asheville Tourists Logo/via Colorado Rockies/Asheville Tourists Twitter.

The Colorado Rockies’ South Atlantic League affiliate is coming to the end of the 2015 season after winning the SAL Championship Series in 2014.

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The Asheville Tourists are in the hunt for another legitimate shot at a playoff berth, and a chance to win their second straight South Atlantic League championship. Thanks to a very strong last few weeks, the club is out in front of the South Atlantic League’s Southern division standings, and if they can win that second half, they’ll enjoy another playoff berth and a shot at back-to-back rings.

They’ve played 22 road games and just 16 home games in the second half, too, so they’ve got a chance to extend out even further in front with some big home stands coming up soon. Let’s recap the last week for the Tourists.

The last week (4-3): The Tourists had a very strong week over the past seven days — they won four against three losses, but more importantly they defeated the Kannapolis Intimidators 23-3 on Monday (!). We’ll talk more about that during the quick hits section of this post after the jump, but… damn.

They got 19 hits and 12 walks in the game, and hit three home runs in the victory on the road in Rowan County. (I used to have season tickets to Intimidators games, by the way — love love love me some Kannapolis, y’all. I even still have a hat!)

Next: Trending Up And Down For The Tourists

May 10, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; General wide view of Coors Field in the fourth inning between the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers defeated the Rockies 9-5. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Trending up (Sam Howard): The lefty is a guy we’ve focused on before, and he’s also a guy who was working on an 18 inning scoreless streak before allowing three runs in his Monday start against the Intimidators (yes, in that 23-3 win). I

In his last ten starts, Howard is 5-2 with a 3.10 ERA, and overall this year he’s having a very solid season in Asheville, going 7-8 with a 3.59 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. His best game this year was his complete game, four-hit (and no walk) shutout of the Rome Braves on July 27th, which came right in the middle of his scoreless innings streak and was his first career complete game shutout.

Trending down (Max George): After being promoted from the Boise Hawks, Max George has been playing quite a bit of shortstop for the Tourists, and things haven’t been going so well. The Regis High School product and sixth round draft pick in 2014, George is hitting 2-for-26 over his last ten games (.077), but he has walked nine times against just six strikeouts.

Between Boise and Asheville this season, George is slashing .160/.307/.272 in 125 at-bats, and he’s struck out 42 times against just 21 walks. Remember, though — after slashing .301/.433/.463 in Grand Junction in 2014, he’s still only 19 years old, and he won’t be 20 until April (!) so he’s got a little time to figure it all out.

Next: Notes From Around The Galaxy

Apr 25, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; General view of the arm of Colorado Rockies first baseman

Justin Morneau

(left) as he signs autographs before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

One to watch (A 23-3 victory): The Tourists actually did win a baseball game 23-3 on Monday. Everybody in the lineup except shortstop Max George got a hit (and George walked three times in addition to going 0-for-3!).

Literally everybody in the lineup scored a run. And, everybody in the lineup except for Josh Fuentes got an RBI (and Fuentes scored three times, walked twice, and got two hits!).

The Tourists pounded out 5 doubles, a triple, and a home run, and for goodness’ sake, they walked 12 times. They scored in six different innings, and scored off all five pitchers the Intimidators threw their way.

Somehow, the game only took 3 hours and 38 minutes. (By the way, 1,210 people saw this debacle. I could’ve seen it! If I had stayed in North Carolina and kept my Kannapolis season tickets, it could’ve been 1,211!)

Quick hits: Hitting .315, Omar Carrizales is still leading the South Atlantic League in batting, and by the start of play on Friday, he had a four point lead over the next closest competitor, Jerrick Suiter from the West Virginia Power … The Tourists have exactly thirty games left beginning Friday night. They’ll get 18 home games, and just 12 road games, so they’ve got a legitimate shot to win the South Atlantic League’s southern division in the second half … Overall, the Tourists are 56-53, though in the second half they are 24-15 and 2.5 games ahead of the Savannah Sand Gnats for first place in the division (the Tourists also have the second best overall record in the division right now, which would help them in the playoff push should Savannah over take them in the next four weeks) … The Tourists are 10-7 at home in the second half, and a surprising 14-8 on the road, though they will surely welcome 18 more home games during the final month … Yonathan Daza, Forrest Wall, and Dom Nunez all had massive weeks for the Tourists over the last seven days, too, in addition to Howard.

Socials:
TheAshevilleTourists.com
@GoTourists
FB.com/AshevilleTourists

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