Storm Look to Rise to Top

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. - After winning their third series of the season this past weekend in Rancho Cucamonga, the Storm are back at Pete Lehr Field to host a six-game homestand that features matchups against the Lancaster JetHawks and San Jose Giants. This will be just the second time the Eyes have seen these two team, as they are 2-2 vs. Lancaster and 1-2 vs. San Jose.
Southpaw starter Adrian Morejon is tabbed for the series opener for Lake Elsinore and is in search of his third consecutive victory. In his last two starts, the 19-year-old Cuban has allowed just two earned-runs and nine hits while striking out 13 in only 12 innings pitched. Padres #5 Prospect Michel Baez and #21 Prospect Chris Paddack will follow Morejon as starters in the series. Neither of them have faced the JetHawks, but Baez did no-hit the Giants through five innings on April 23^rd.
Getting the call from the bullpen is Dauris Valdez, who has returned to throwing dominant pitches. In his last nine appearances, the Bani, Dominican Republic native has tossed 12 consecutive scoreless innings while striking out 16 batters. During this time, Valdez has lowered his ERA from 10.13 to 3.12 and accumulated two saves.
Storm catcher Luis Torrens has been swinging a hot stick within the last week-in-a-half. In nine games, he is batting .410 (16-for-39) with 1 HR, 6 RBI and 4 runs scored. Against San Jose, Torrens is raking with a .364 average while adding in 3 RBI to the mix.
No one on the Storm roster has batted better at the plate than Edward Olivares when the JetHawks come to town this season. The outfielder is batting .615 with a HR, RBI and a trio of runs scored in three games played. Continuing to play at that high of a level is newcomer Matthew Batten, who has bursted onto the season in Lake Elsinore with a .385 batting average (10-for-26) and defensively sound all across the diamond.
JetHawks outfielder and current California League Player of the Week, Vince Fernandez, looks to be the biggest threat during the first part of the homestand. Storm pitchers will look to contain a player who is currently batting .389 in his last 10 games while adding 4 HR and 12 RBI to his high-powered arsenal.
Giants right-handed starter Raffi Vizcaino, who has been the star of the San Jose staff the past two weeks will look to assert his dominance over the weekend. The 22-year-old is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA with a walk to strikeout ratio of 5BB/17K.
Make sure to head over to The Diamond to catch all these fantastic matchups that have playoff implications as the Storm currently sit just 3 Games Back of first place in the Cal League South Division. We will have Under 25 College Night on Thursday, a Fireworks Friday Night and a Team Photo Giveaway on Saturday during a Memorial Day weekend celebration. You can buy tickets online at stormbaseball.com or call 951-245-HITS!