Upcoming Attraction: The 2022 Atlantic League Ballpark Digest Mid-Season All-Star team will be announced on Wednesday, July 13!

 

Pennant Races: Lancaster and Staten Island have each jumped out to 5-1 starts to the second half to lead the North… Gastonia is undefeated in the second half at 5-0 with a 2.5 game lead over Lexington in the South.

 

Player Transfers: Long Island’s RHP Kai-Wei Lin to the Dragons Baseball Club in Taiwan… LHP Stephen Tarpley from Long Island to the Giants… C Colton Shaver from Lancaster to Toronto.

 

First Half-Week Standouts: Staten Island’s Ricardo Cespedes was 9-for-16 in four games vs. Long Island last week… David Lebron (LEX) fanned nine in six innings vs. KY on 7/7… Victor Capellan had three consecutive saves for Staten Island vs. Long Island (7/5-7/7)… Lexington’s Isaias Tejeda was 6-for-16 with four home runs and 10 RBI in five games vs. LEX (7/4-7/7).

 

Second Half-Week Standouts: CWV’s Engel Beltre drove in seven runs in a three-game weekend series at Staten Island… LAN’s Trayvon Robinson was 7-for-11 with six RBI vs. Kentucky… Khris Davis has five hits, two homers and five RBI since joining the Wild Health Genomes on 7/7… YRK’s Jorge Martinez fanned 10 in five innings vs. SMD on 7/10…GAS’s Jesus Balaguer had back-to-back saves vs. High Point 7/9 and 7/10… Shawon Dunston, Jr. went 5-for-6 in an 18-5 win over Kentucky on 7/8.

 

Long At-Bats: GAS’s Jake Skole faced 10 pitches from HP’s Nick Evangelista before striking out… LEX’s Brandon Phillips was HBP on the 10th pitch he faced from LI’s Chris Cepeda 7/9… LI’s Alejandro De Aza walked on 10 pitches from LEX’s Mason Cole… YRK’s Jhon Nunez walked on 10 pitches from SMD’s Alex Merithew. 

 

Taking First: Long Island’s Johnni Turbo advanced to first on a wild pitch against Staten Island (7/6).

 

Batting Masters: Long Island’s Dustin Woodcock hit a ninth inning two-run homer to push the Ducks past Lexington 2-1 on 7/8… Melvin Mercedes had a two-run homer and an RBI triple vs. Kentucky 7/10… Zach Jarrett hit a pair of homers in a 5-2 win over High Point 7/10… Engel Beltre (CWV) had a homer and four RBI vs. Staten Island 7/8… LAN’s Trayvon Robinson had three hits, a home run and three RBI vs. Kentucky 7/9. 

 

Pitching Gems: LAN’s Oscar De La Cruz struck out eight over six innings vs. York (7/7)… SI’s Hector Guance allowed just two hits over six innings in a 1-0 win over LI 7/7… SMD’s McKenzie Mills struck out seven in improving to 9-1 with a 3-1 win over York (7/8)… LI’s Stephen Tarpley fanned nine over seven innings vs. Lexington 7/8… Gastonia’s Jerry Keel struck out seven in 6.2 innings in a 1-0 win over High Point 7/9… Gastonia’s Sam Bordner had an “immactulate” inning vs. High Point on 7/9… Three strikeouts on nine pitches… SMD’s Alex Merithew allowed CWV just two hits over six innings 7/5. 

 

League Leaders: SMD’s David Harris has taken the lead in the batting average race with a .358 average by hitting .415 in June and .444 in July… SMD’s McKenzie Mills became the first ALPB pitcher to nine wins but Sam Bordner (GAS) and Daryl Thompson (SMD) are keeping pace with eight. 

 

Records: Carlos Franco set a York franchise record with a 50-game on-base streak which ran from 5/12 through 7/7… With 99.2 innings this season, SMD’s Daryl Thompson is on the verge of his eighth 100-inning season in the ALPB… No other pitcher has had more than six 100-inning seasons. 

 

Managerial Updates: Long Island’s Wally Backman won his 250th Atlantic League game on July 3 in an 8-7 win over York… Lancaster’s Ross Peeples is at 291 ALPB wins and closing in on 300.