1915 North Carolina State League -- June 1 Update
Charlotte Hornets work themselves into the mix
STANDINGS ON JUNE 1, 1915
Code:
Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10
Durham Bulls 34 19 .642 - 35-18 -1 14-10 20-9 8-1 11-7 62 W9 9-1
Charlotte Hornets 28 25 .528 6.0 25-28 3 12-14 16-11 3-9 11-6 W2 8-2
Winston-Salem Twins 28 25 .528 6.0 27-26 1 13-14 15-11 4-1 9-9 W2 3-7
Greensboro Patriots 25 28 .472 9.0 26-27 -1 8-18 17-10 3-2 6-7 L2 4-6
Raleigh Capitals 23 30 .434 11.0 27-26 -4 9-18 14-12 2-7 5-11 L5 2-8
Asheville Tourists 21 32 .396 13.0 19-34 2 10-19 11-13 3-3 7-9 L2 4-6
Don’t look now -- here come to Charlotte Hornets! Few would have thought the Hornets capable of being in playoff contention at this point after how the team started. They got swept in their opening series and at one point held a 7-17 record. Yikes!
So what has fueled the turnaround? It’s got to be the new logo and hats right? Ha. For one thing, Charlotte has gotten over its road jitters. Interestingly the Hornets have a better away record right now (16-11) than at home (12-14). The Hornets have learned better how to win close games, going 11-6 in one-run affairs (though they are 3-9 in games that have gone to extra innings). Charlotte has the top home-run hitting team in the NCSL, belting 13 out in 53 games.
But in general Charlotte is still pretty average in a lot of categories, so they‘ll still have to step it up to make the playoffs for the first time. The Hornets did have the Rookie of the Month for May in shortstop
Craig Gray (pictured at top). The recent call-up from the developmental league batted .250 during the month with eight RBIs. Left-handed pitcher
Miguel Ruiz is 6-2 with a 3.02 ERA and a couple of shutouts.
Rudy Young is 5-4 with three shutouts (“Rudy! Rudy!”).
The Durham Bulls are going to be tough to catch at the top. Relief pitcher
Ramon Carbaja has been absolutely sick when he gets the ball. He’s pitched 54.1 innings thus far and has allowed TWO earned runs. He’s got a 7-0 record with six saves and an ERA of 0.17. Whoa! It is interesting how Durham is using him. I guess with teams going with a four-man rotation, he’s getting a lot of relief innings because of tired starters.
Durham CF
Antonio Arevalo has been pounding the ball of late. He was the batter of the month for May (.345 average). He had a 5-for-6 game against Charlotte that featured two home runs. The ballpark went crazy when his second ball sailed out.
Asheville, mired in last place, fired its skipper on May 27 (
Bryan Tucker). The next day, the Tourists went out and nabbed
Ollie Spence, who had led Winston-Salem to the 1913 title before being fired after the ‘14 season. Spence seems like a good fit in the mountains and hopefully will lead a turnaround there.
Remember pitcher
Chris Wilson, who went 15-1 for Winston’s developmental team last season? Well, the Twins unloaded him, sending him to Asheville in the preseason. He’s doing OK so far, pitching for the Tourists’ big club, sporting a 5-6 record with a 3.86 ERA. Asheville is banking on his development for its future plans.
At age 36, Raleigh pitcher
Oliver “Skull” Jenkins leads the NCSL with 61 strikeouts. He’s only 4-6 however in the W-L column…The Caps are struggling overall…