Pitching Matchups; Game of the Day 5/10/11

6:15pm
Gwinnett Braves (Mike Minor 1-1, 1.93)
vs. Pawtucket Red Sox (Matt Fox 3-2, 3.62)

6:35pm
Portland Sea Dogs (Stephen Fife 2-2, 3.75)
vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (B. J. LaMura 2-1, 2.88)

New Britain Rock Cats (Steve Herschfeld 2-0, 1.93)
vs. Binghamton Mets (Jeurys Familia NR)

Game of the Day – Rock Cats vs. BMets – New Britain has gone 5-2 over their last seven games, and 3-1 over their last four which have all come on the road. They have now run their road record to a sparkling 11-6 and overall they are 17-12, 1 1/2 games back in the EL's Eastern Division. The Rock Cats lineup can be credited with a good chunk of the success, as most of their team batting stats rank in the top 5 in the EL. On the other hand the pitching has been a bit erratic and team stats are trending towards the bottom of the pack...except for maybe Cole DeVries dominating out of the pen. One of the only other bright spots on the pitching staff has been Steve Hirschfeld, who gets his sixth start tonight. In 28 innings, Hirschfeld has only allowed 6 earned runs, 18 hits and 6 walks. This will be his first start against Binghamton this season and he will be opposed by Jeurys Familia, who is making his AA debut. The 20-year old righty was ranked as the thirteenth best New York Mets prospect by Baseball America prior to the season and he has been flying through the system since arriving from the Dominican in 2008. Familia logged six starts in the Florida State League before his call up, and was 1-1 with a 1.49 ERA, averaging a strikeout per inning. The BMets are hoping he fits right in with his new familia and surroundings, because they will need all the help they can get if they want to dig out of the Eastern Division's lower half. But can they halt one of the hottest road teams in the country?

Side note prediction (3-6) – Lost a great pitcher's duel last night, but that was one hell of a game up in Manchester, so I think I'm going to stick with it. Tonight's prediction is a simple Fisher Cats victory, since the Sea Dogs are a dismal 2-11 on the road this season.

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