SHOREBIRDS GAME NOTES: 7/27 vs. Lakewood

PREVIEW: The Shorebirds gear up for the series finale after Lakewood swept the doubleheader last night. The ‘Claws won game one 4-3 and game two 5-0. The Shorebirds and BlueClaws have played 13 hours and 52 minutes included the 1 hour and 28-minute rain delay on Sunday over the last three days. The series has gone 44 innings including an 18-inning game one and a 10-inning game three.

BREAKDOWN OF OPPONENTS: The Shorebirds have 39 games remaining in 2010. Here is a breakdown of their remaining opponents. The ‘Birds will play: 6 games against Lakewood (20-11), four games vs. Hickory (18-13), nine games against Lexington (15-16), eight games against Hagerstown (11-20), four games against Augusta (16-15), four vs. Kannapolis (13-18) and four against West Virginia (13-18).

BAXTER & CAROLUS PITCH: The Shorebirds bullpen has worked 30.1 innings over the last four games (three days). T.J. Baxter was forced into action last night in the seventh inning. It was his first professional outing. He faced the minimum and rolled Sebastian Valle into a double play. Levi Carolus pitched for a second time in his career in game one of the series.

HITLESS: Ty Kelly is hitless in his last 21 at-bats. He has struck out nine times in his last 21 at-bats. His batting average has plummeted .274 to .257.

LANDRY DEALING: Kevin Landry has allowed just one run in his last 13.1 innings in on the hill (seven appearances). His ERA has dropped from 5.14 to 2.21 during the stretch.