Here is a Preview of Game One of the NDCS!
NYMEO Field · 21 Stadium Drive · Frederick, MD 21703
Thursday, September 7, 2017 · NDCS Game 1 (Best-of-Three)
Frederick Keys (68–71/37–33) vs. Lynchburg Hillcats (87–52/47–23)
RHP Cristian Alvarado (7–9, 5.00) vs. RHP Aaron Civale (11–2, 2.59)
NDCS TO BE SHORTENED: Game one of the Northern Division Championship Series was postponed due to rain on Wednesday night. On Thursday, it was announced that the NDCS will be shortened from five games to three games on account of Hurricane Irma. Following game one, the Keys and Hillcats shift to Lynchburg City Stadium for the remaining two games. Friday’s contest will be at 6:30 and game three (if necessary) will be on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Southern Division Championship Series between the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Down East Wood Ducks will also be three games and will kick off Thursday as well.
ONE LAST REGULAR SEASON GAME: The Frederick Keys issued 11 walks, which contributed to a 5–3 setback to the Potomac Nationals in the regular season finale on Monday afternoon at Nymeo Field. This snapped a six-game Keys winning streak and gave the Keys a 68–71 final regular season record. Six of the 11 free rides issued by Frederick pitching came between the fourth and fifth innings. Potomac tied the game in the fourth, before sending all nine men to bat in the fifth. An RBI double by Ian Sagdal gave the Nationals the lead in the fifth, while a Jake Noll single and a walk to Dale Carey each led to runs. One highlight for the Keys was a 2–4–5–4 triple play turned in the top of the ninth.
WRAPPING UP THE REGULAR SEASON: The 68 wins by the Keys equals the team’s 2016 total, while the 37 second-half wins were the most by Frederick in a half since the second-half of the 2011 season when the club went 39–31. The orange and black enter the postseason winners of six of their last seven games and eight of their final nine home games. Offensively, the Keys paced the Carolina League in hitting (.266) and home runs (126) and placed third in runs scored (633) and RBIs (571). On the mound, the orange and black finished last with a 4.41 ERA.
IT’S PLAYOFF TIME!: For the first time since 2011, the Frederick Keys are going back to the Carolina League playoffs. This became official right before game one of Sunday’s doubleheader with Potomac when the Winston-Salem Dash shutout the Salem Red Sox 2–0. The Keys will take on the Lynchburg Hillcats in the Northern Division Championship series. This best-of-three format will feature game one in Frederick and then the last two in Lynchburg. Should the Keys advance they would take on the winner of Myrtle Beach and Down East in the Southern Division Championship Series.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: The Keys are making their 11th playoff appearance in franchise history (with Mills Cup titles coming in 1990, 2005, 2007 and 2011). In the playoffs, Frederick’s all-time record is 22–23. The last time the Keys made the playoffs (2011) the club defeated the Potomac Nationals in a best-of-five Northern Division Championship Series, before taking three of four from the Kinston Indians to win the Mills Cup. Frederick and Lynchburg have met in the playoffs on three prior occasions, with the Hillcats winning two of the three sets (Frederick is 2–4 against Lynchburg in the playoffs).
PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Frederick Keys have a number of players who are red hot heading into the postseason. Outfielder Glynn Davis recorded nine RBIs in his last nine regular season games and 18 in his last 31 contests overall. The Maryland native is also the only active Frederick player to have been part of the 2011 Mills Cup title team (which included Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop). Jomar Reyes ended the season on a nine-game hitting streak (.343, 2HR, 7RBI) and recorded an RBI in each of his last five tilts. On the mound, Mike Burke has not allowed an earned run since July 30 spanning 19.1 innings).
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Keys have played with a great deal of confidence at Nymeo Field this year. Frederick went 44–26 record at home this year (and 24–11 in the second-half). The Keys tied for the most home wins in the CL (with Lynchburg), while the orange and black registered the best home winning percentage in the circuit (.629). The Keys won each of their last seven home sets and eight of their final nine regular season games.
LYNCHBURG OVERVIEW: This season, the Keys finished with a .500 record or better at home against every team in the CL except the Lynchburg Hillcats. Going 3–5 at Nymeo Field against Lynchburg, the Keys went 5–14 against Lynchburg this year, the worst head-to-head mark Frederick had against any Carolina League club. Ending the year on a seven-game winning streak, Lynchburg easily finished with the top overall record in the league (87–52) and won both halves in the CL North. Buies Creek (74) was the next-closest team in terms of wins. Against the Keys, Lynchburg pitching turned in a 3.46 ERA and registered a quality outing in 13 of the 19 contests. Ka’ai Tom led the way with a .315 average, while Sam Haggerty stole 12 bases in 14 games (14 attempts).
HOW THE HILLCATS DID IT: The top pitching staff in the CL, the Hillcats finished the year with a sterling 3.21 ERA, and had two of the top three ERA men in the circuit (Brock Hartson, 3.06, 1st) (Triston McKenzie, 3.46, 3rd). McKenzie was also named CL Pitcher of the Year. Offensively, Willi Castro ended the year fourth in hitting (.290) and second in hits (136), Sam Haggerty paced the league with 49 stolen bases, 11 more than the next-closest player and Sicnarf Loopstok finished tied for second in extra-base hits (49).
WHEN THINGS GET TIGHT: Since the beginning of August, the Keys have been excellent in games decided by two runs or less. Dating back to August 8, Frederick has gone 12–3 in games hinging on two or fewer runs, while the orange and black have claimed eight of the last 10 games of this variety. For the season the Keys went 19–15 in one-run tilts (third in the CL) and 18–15 in two-run games (second CL).
TODAY’S OPPOSING STARTER:
Aaron Civale makes his 28th start and his 18th with Lynchburg. Named the Carolina League Player of the Month for August, Civale won all six of his starts, finishing 6–0 with a 1.93 ERA. The six wins led the league while he also led the circuit in innings pitched (42) and WHIP (0.81). Over 42 innings he punched out 31 and walked one. Owner of seven straight starts of seven innings, Civale’s most recent outing came against Potomac last Wednesday. The right-hander gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts. Known for pinpoint command, Civale has walked only 14 in 164.2 frames this year and has a career BB/9IP ratio of 1.0. In four starts against the Keys this year he went 2–0 with a 2.67 ERA. Civale was called up from Lake County on May 30. Originally from East Windsor, CT, Civale was drafted by the Indians in the third round of the 2016 draft out of Northeastern University. With the Huskies, he had a 16–9 record with a 2.33 ERA, while he had a chance to pitch against the Red Sox in a Spring Training exhibition in 2015. He is the №20 prospect in the Indians system according to Baseball America.
