Almost all of our minor league teams are home this weekend which means lots of games to talk about. the Yankees also play at home to start the week with hotter temperatures creeping their way back across the northeast. Plenty of games to talk about so let’s jump into it!
New York Yankees
The Yankees continue their home series against the Minnesota Twins at 7:05pm EDT tonight. Temperatures will start in the low-80s and cool to the mid-70s by the end of the game. It will be a clear night with humidity in around 65-70% which will make it feel quite moist out. Surface winds will be calm while at 150ft, they will be around 15 mph. These winds will be blowing towards the left field foul line which will be more impactful to right handed batters. With the stronger winds we can expect ball movement to be around 57 feet (19 feet per 5 mph of wind) but this movement would be further towards left field. This may help left handed batters get those extra feet. The Yankees average 1.5 home runs per game and with the stronger winds we may see a slight increase in home runs of maybe having 2 home runs this game and likely by a left handed batter.
The Yankees conclude their home series against the Twins on Wednesday night at 7:05pm EDT. Temperatures will be in the low-80s with humidity around 60-70%. It will feel quite warm with the sun out, even with partly cloudy skies. Surface winds will be calm and winds at 150ft will be around 8 mph pointing towards the left field foul line. Air motion will be naturally sinking but will slowly start to become more neutral as the humidity increases. Like Tuesday night we are likely to see the similar batting habits but with a lesser change for above 1.5 home runs due to the weaker winds. I would give a 70% chance of 1 home run with only a 30% chance of 2 or more home runs. Overall, it will be a pretty warm and moist game for spectators and player alike.
Biloxi Shuckers
The Shuckers start a home series this week starting tonight at 6:35pm CDT against the Columbus Clingstones. Temperatures will be in the low-80s with humidity around 75-80%. It will be a cloudy start to the game but those clouds will move away after the first few innings. Winds at 150ft will be around 10 mph pointing towards the infield which would result in an average loss of 38 feet (19 feet per 5 mph of wind) on a fly ball. This will benefit pitchers this game more than batters as pitchers will have fairly neutral air but the air will be moist which will cause grip issues. The Shuckers hit on average around 1 home run per game but with the winds going towards the infield, I expect that theirs only a 60% chance of a home run this game as the winds aren’t super string, but they will leave an impact.
The Shuckers play the Clingstones on Wednesday at home at 6:35pm CDT. Temperatures will be in the low-80s with decent humidity of around 75-80%. Winds at the surface will be calm with mostly clear skies. At 150ft, winds will be around 9 mph pointing towards left field. Another hot and humid game which means players will need more frequent breaks and pitchers may not last as long as they will feel tired quicker with the moist air and warm temperatures. Outfielders will have a bit of a sun glare in the first few innings until the sun sets which may lead to some errors. Overall, pretty hot and humid for everyone at this game!
The Shuckers continue their series against the Clingstones on Thursday at 6:35pm CDT. It will be another clear and hot evening with temperatures in the low-80s and humidity around 75-85%. Surface winds will be calm while up at 150ft, they will be around 12 mph pointing towards left field. Like Wednesday’s game it will feel quite hot and sticky which will make it rather uncomfortable for players who are moving around a lot like pitchers. Even for specters, it will be important to stay in shaded areas and drink plenty of water before this game in order to stay cool and hydrated!
Brooklyn Cyclones
The Cyclones start a new home series against the Hub City Spartanburgers tonight at 6:40pm EDT. Temperatures will be in the upper-70s with clear skies. Humidity will be around 75% which will keep the air motion relatively neutral. It will be a very windy night with surface winds around 13 mph and at 150ft, they will be around 20-25 mph. Winds will be blowing towards the infield and since the wind will be strong, it will have some major impacts on the game. Fly balls will be blown more inwards by almost 95 feet which will make it hard for batters to get home runs. This means I would expect almost no home runs this game as the Cyclones only average 0.57 home runs per game. The stadium in general is one of the more difficult stadiums to hit home runs in because of the strong winds coming off the water which blow into the infield of the stadium. For spectators it will feel quite nice out especially with that sea breeze blowing towards them!
On Wednesday night at 6:40pm EDT, the Cyclones continue their home series against the Spartanburgers. It will be a partly cloudy night with temperatures around 80 degrees. Humidity will be around 75% with naturally rising air motion. Winds will be quite strong blowing from the coast at around 10 mph at the surface and around 15 mph at 150ft. Like Tuesday, I would expect no home runs during this game due to the stronger winds going towards the infield. Pitchers may also struggle some with the moisture in the air that will make their hands moist and have less grip on the ball. It will be quite sticky and warm especially in the early innings while the sun is out.
The Cyclones play the Spartanburgers on Thursday night at 6:40pm EDT. It will be a cloudier night with some rain showers possible during batting practice but no precipitation for the game. Humidity will remain super high, around 90% which will make it uncomfortably sticky out and with the moisture from the showers, the seats and field will likely be damp. Winds will be calm at all levels but fly balls may not travel far still because the wet field will make the ball wet and heavier. This will also affect pitchers grip on the ball and they may throw less strikes. If you plan on attending this game, be prepared for some wet seats as you go to take your seat!
Hudson Valley Renegades
The Renegades start a new home series against the Aberdeen IronBirds tonight at 6:35pm EDT. It will be a hot out as you enter the stadium with temperatures around 95 degrees. Those will cool to around 83 degrees by the end of the game. It will be a clear evening as well which means the sun will be out for the first few innings which will make it feel hotter. Humidity will be lower around 20% to start and around 53% by the end of the game. Winds will start around 5 mph at 150ft but increase to around 20 mph by the final innings. These winds will start by blowing towards center field but shift to pointing towards the left field foul line. This shift in the winds will definitely affect the number of home runs we could see in this game. The Renegades on average hit roughly 1 home run per game and can we expect them to have about a 50% chance of hitting a home this game before the 7th inning but I expect that chance to decrease to only a 20% chance of a home run in the last few innings. I will be in attendance for this game so I will be excited to see how the game plays out!
Wednesday night continue the Renegades home series against the IronBirds at 6:35pm EDT. Temperatures will be in the mid-80s with humidity around 60%. It will be a partly cloudy evening with calm surface winds and winds around 7 mph at 150ft pointing towards left field. Air motion will be fairly neutral which means we will see minimal weather effects in this game. This tells us that we will see more average game stats across the board. It will still be pretty hot but nothing out of the ordinary for summertime baseball!
Thursday afternoon’s 1:35pm EDT game against the IronBirds will be at home for the Renegades. It will be partly cloudy out with temperatures will be in the mid-80s as we hit the peak temperatures of the day. We can expect some scattered showers to come into the area towards the later innings and as people are leaving the game. Humidity will be around 60-70% with almost no wind at any level. The major weather impact will be that moisture moving in the area towards the later innings that may affect ball grip for pitchers and fielders. For spectators be prepared for some rain as you head out of the stadium but I don’t see any rain causing delays.
Rocket City Trash Pandas
The Trash Pandas take on the Knoxville Smokies for a home series starting tonight at 6:35pm CDT. It will be a cloudy evening with temperatures in the upper-70s. It will be quite humid with humidity around 80-85%. Winds will be calm at all levels and air motion will be naturally rising. This means our main factor will be the moisture in the air that will cause pitchers to have less grip and will cause players to have to hydrate more since they will sweat more. However, for spectators it won’t be too bad just a bit humid but not super hot.
The Trash Pandas play against the Smokies at home on Wednesday at 6:35pm CDT. Temperatures will be in the low-80s with humidity around 70-80%. Winds will be quite calm throughout the evening at all levels which means the humidity again will be our biggest weather factor. It will be partly cloudy so it will be fairly sunny for the first few innings. Higher humidity will make it feel hotter out which means that pitchers may not last as long and will lose more grip on their ball. It will be sticky for players and spectators alike which means everyone much hydrate well to replenish the sweat loss.
Thursday at 6:35pm CDT the Trash Pandas will play the Smokies at home. It will be a pretty clear evening with temperatures in the low-80s with humidity around 65-75%. Winds will be quite calm like the last few nights and air motion will be neutral. The main player of the evening will be the hotter temperatures, especially while the sun is still out. Overall, it will just be a normal summertime night in the southeast!
