Storm Take On Rawhide for Three

SERIES VS. VISALIA
Following a six-game road trip against Rancho Cucamonga and San Jose, the Storm welcome the Visalia Rawhide, Class-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, for a three-game set. This will be the Rawhide's second and final appearance at Pete Lehr Field this season and fourth overall series between these two teams. Through the first three series (one home, two away), Visalia and Lake Elsinore have been evenly matched offensively and pitching, which has led to a 6-6 head-to-head record. For the Eyes, their best offensive performance came back on July 7^th, when they dropped seven first-inning runs against the Rawhide en route to a 12-1 win. The Storm went on to win four of five during the only home series they hosted back during the first week of July. Doubles has been the name of the game in this 12-game stretch as the Storm have connected on 21 while the Rawhide have secured 22. For the pitchers, strikeouts have been a good friend especially since the Storm staff has 101 in 105 innings pitched in comparison to 98 in 106 innings pitched by the Rawhide. 
KEEP AN EYE OUT
After finishing the month of July red hot, outfielder Nate Easley is poised to have a strong finish to the 2018 season. During the 23-game stretch, the Glendale, Arizona native batted .345 (30-for-87) with 2 HR, 14 RBI, 18 runs scored and 8 doubles. Since returning to the Storm this season after playing in just four games with the Eyes last season, he has picked up his slash line to .267 AVG./.328 OBP/.385 SLG, while setting a career-high in RBI (33) and doubles (13) with 26 games still to play. Third baseman Hudson Potts has profoundly made a mark in the Storm lineup especially in the second-half. The Padres #23 Prospect (according to MLBPipeline.com) currently leads the way for the Eyes in Doubles (35), Home Runs (17) and RBI (58). His season-long 17-game hitting streak ranks 3^rd-best in the California League, which includes a month of July that saw the South Lake, Texas native post a .369 Avg. (41-for-111), 4 HR, 19 RBI and 16 runs scored. This dynamic performance has boosted his overall numbers to a line of .284 Avg./.353 OBP/.502 SLG with 37 walks and 66 runs scored. With pitching in mind, Padres #7 Prospect Michel Baez (According to MLBPipeline.com) has put together three consecutive stellar starts which has boosted the Storm rotation. The Havana, Cuba native is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA while striking out 8 batters in each appearance. Over his seven starts in the second-half, he has gone 2-2 with an ERA just over three (3.05) as opponents' bat just .246 with 43 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched. Out of the bullpen, David Bednar continues to show dominance against California League batters. Since the beginning of the second-half, the Valencia, Pennsylvania native has provided stability within the bullpen with a low 0.36 ERA in 13 appearances and 32 strikeouts. The Eyes continue their quest as they battle up the California League South division standings in search of the coveted Second-Half championship crown.
EYES ON THE OPPONENT
Visalia (courtesy of rawhidebaseball.com): As the Rawhide are in the thick of a deep playoff run, they have talented players that continue to prove their worth this season. Outfielder Mark Karaviotis continues to thrive in the California League here in 2018 through 81 games. During this time, the former Oregon Duck is batting .282 with 4 HR, 36 RBI, 17 doubles and a team-high 50 runs scored. The Hawaii native is coming off a great month of July where he slashed .350 AVG/.429 OBP/.891 OPS while adding in 1 HR and 8 RBI in 80 plate appearances. Diamondbacks #9 Prospect (according to MLBPipeline.com) Drew Ellis has also put together a productive season at the A+ level. The third baseman ranks second on the team in HR (12) and RBI (61), while leading the way in doubles (32) through 95 games. The Kentucky native has also figured out Storm pitching this season with a batting average of .286 (12-for-42), 3 HR and 5 RBI in 11 games. Another promising young talent is reliever Junior Garcia. The Dominican lefty has gone 2-3 with a sub two ERA (1.82) in 24 appearances. After turning into a full-time reliever last season, his focus has strengthened and the league is batting only .185 when he is on the mound and the walk to strikeout ratio is 11BB/44K.