Game #47: Preview

Mr.Z is sure something is happening here. Since What The Zeph? triumphantly debuted way back on May 23, the Zs have refused to lose. We're at five and counting. As he spoke into the winds last night at Zephyr Field, "I can feel it coming in the air tonight." With Donnie Murphy's walk-off shot, it came. Tonight's game is the second of four against division-leading Oklahoma City, and it would be nice to see the Zs stay hot against a winning team.

The Teams:
May 29, 6:00 CT
New Orleans Zephyrs: 22-24, third in the PCL South
Oklahoma City Redhawks: 26-21, first in the PCL South

The Pitching Matchup:
Brad Stone (3.20 ERA) vs. Michael Kirkman (2.59 ERA)

The Stoner's ERA coming into his last start was 4.42, but after seven shutdown innings in Portland which netted him that night's HUGE Z, he's now sporting a tidy 3.20. In a string of excellent recent starts by Zs starting pitchers, his might have been the best.









Michael Kirkman is one of those guys who just looks like a lefty. He's a legitimate prospect as a left-handed pitcher and has pitched damn well this year in 9 starts: just 36 hits over 48 innings with 45 Ks. Walks are a bit high at 31, but he's getting away with it by simply not giving up many hits. Lefties are hopeless against him (.125 BA), so watch for how LoMo handles him.









In-game updates beginning at 6.