Preview: Rogers ready to roll tonight

Today's Preview: The Grasshoppers (A, Marlins) faces the Shorebirds (A, Orioles) in Game 2 of this 4-game series at First National Bank Field. Greensboro has dropped seven straight games at home and today hopes to put a stop to the home slide as Trevor Rogers returns to the mound in a match-up against Delmarva's DL Hall. The Shorebirds lead the season series, 6-5, including 3-1 in Greensboro.
Hoppers Hurlers: Trevor Rogers, 20, makes his 16th career start and second against Delmarva. He is coming off his second career win on Aug. 18 at Kannapolis, limiting the Intimidators to a run on three hits in 5.0 innings. Rogers has totaled 74 strikeouts in 64.0 innings compared to 24 walks this season. On July 29, the left-hander fanned a career-high 12 batters over a career-long 7.2 scoreless innings in a no decision at home against Hickory. In his one start against the Shorebirds, he suffered a road loss on June 7, giving up four runs on five hits in 3.1 innings with six strikeouts and two walks. The Marlins selected Rogers in the first round (13th overall) in the June 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Carlsbad (N.M.) High School. The 6'6" left-hander signed with Miami following a High-School All-American First Team season in 2017. He entered the season as Miami's No. 5 Prospect according to MLB.com. In his final season at Carlsbad High, he went 11-0 with a 0.33 ERA, 134 strikeouts and 13 walks while throwing three no-hitters.
About Last Night: Isael Soto launched a 2-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Grasshoppers could not climb out of a 5-run hole against the Delmarva Shorebirds, falling 5-2 on Thursday night at First National Bank Field. Greensboro (23-33 Second Half, 57-68 Overall) managed three hits on the night, with two of them being rolled into double plays in the fifth and sixth inning. Delmarva's Brenan Hanifee (8-5) earned the win with 5.0 shutout innings, striking out four and walking none. He allowed just one hit, a Will Banfield single, before inducing a 6-4-3 twin-killing off the bat of Jerar Encarnacion to erase the runner. Cameron Ming kept Greensboro off the board in the sixth and seventh before giving up Soto's blast in the eighth. Nick Vespi tossed a clean ninth inning for the save (7). Grasshoppers pitchers combined to strikeout 12 batters, one shy of the team's season-high in 2018. Starter Taylor Braley (5-8) took the loss, giving up four runs in nine hits in 5.0 innings. Michael Mertz also fanned five batters in 2.0 relief innings to close the game after taking over for Nestor Bautista. The Shorebirds, already ahead 1-0, erupted for four more runs in the top of the sixth. Seamus Curran, Trevor Craport, and Ryan Ripken each hit safely against Braley to lead off the inning, including Ripken's 2-run single to chase the Hoppers starter from the mound. Greensboro left no runners on base in the game. After sending the minimum to the plate two outs into bottom of the eighth inning, Chris Torres reached base on a Shorebirds error by third baseman Jean Carlos Encarnacion. Soto followed with his home run (11), however Greensboro was unable to put another man on base the rest of the night.
So Much Soto: Isael Soto has found a stroke of power in the month of August, blasting five of his 11 home runs in 2018 during the current month of the season. Since the All-Star Break, the Hoppers outfielder is batting .265 (45-170) with 12 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 46 RBI in 49 games after a tougher First Half where he hit .178 (24-135), seven doubles, a triple, three home runs, and 14 RBI in 38 games to open the season. Soto has hit seven of his 11 home runs at First National Bank Field.
Home Sweet Home?: The Grasshoppers are hoping to snap a season-long 7-game home losing streak that dates back to the first game of an August 9 doubleheader. Greensboro dropped both games of a twin bill vs. West Virginia before falling in four straight games to Asheville to close the team's previous home stand. The Hoppers had lost a season-long nine straight games (8/9-Game 1 - 8/17) before a 7-2 win at Kannapolis earlier this week to snap the skid.