Kyle Russell and Scott Van Slyke were Chattanooga’s only position players selected to Tuesday night’s Southern League All-Star Game, and now they will be asked to lead the way as the Lookouts begin second-half play.
“It’s the second time around in the league for both of them, even though they were only here for half the year last year,” Lookouts manager Carlos Subero said. “It’s time for them to keep executing after a great first half, and we see them getting better for the sake of their careers. Seeing guys like Jerry Sands and Dee Gordon go up gets them excited, and hopefully they can keep feeding from that.”
The Lookouts, who finished the first half with a 35-35 record, open the second half tonight at AT&T Field against the Jacksonville Suns.
Van Slyke ended the half sixth in the league in hitting with a .320 average and was Tuesday’s all-star game MVP. Russell hit .280 and capped the first half with a three-run home run to right that catapulted the Lookouts to an 11-6 win last Sunday at Tennessee.
Russell’s homer was his 14th this season, which ranks third in the league.