CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes

Published on September 10, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


Myrtle Beach Pelicans (89-51, 1-1) vs. Potomac Nationals (79-61, 1-1)

Thursday, September 11 -- 7:05 PM

Pfitzner Stadium -- Woodbridge, VA

Mills Cup Championship Series Game #3

-SERIES AT A GLANCE: The Pelicans and the Nationals square off in a crucial game three of the Mills Cup Championship series. The series is even at one game apiece. In the regular season, the Pelicans went 4-6 at Pfitzner Stadium. The Pelicans are searching for their first Carolina League title since 2000.

The Pelicans leveled the series in game two on Tuesday night. Carlos Rivas tossed six excellent innings to earn his first playoff win. Travis Jones belted his first home run since July 23rd to give the Pelicans a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Ferdin Tejeda put the clamps on the P-Nats in the ninth to secure a 6-4 win.

TODAY'S PITCHERS: Game three features a dynamic match-up as Pelicans' right-hander Ryne Reynoso goes in search of his second post-season win, while P-Nats' righty Ross Detwiler also goes for his second playoff win.

Reynoso: Closed out the Southern Divisional series with a seven inning gem against the Winston-Salem Warthogs at Ernie Shore Field. Has been the Pelicans best pitcher away from BB&T Coastal Field. He sports a road record of 7-2 with an ERA of 2.91. In 77.1 innings on the road, he has given up 65 hits and 25 earned runs. The Carolina League hit just .230 when he pitched on the road. Was stellar against Potomac in his last meeting (7/2), when he hurled five scoreless innings and allowed just two hits. Finished the regular season ranked fourth in the Carolina League in ERA.

The Sun Valley, Idaho native was signed by the Braves on November 9, 2006. He played his college baseball at Boston College. In his first professional season, he was the closer for the Rome Braves. He secured a team-best nine saves in 40 total appearances.

Detwiler: Earned the win in game three of the Northern Divisional series to lift the P-Nats into the Mills Cup Championship series. He went 5.1 innings and allowed only two hits. Detwiler did walk five batters, while striking out four. In 26 regular season starts, he had an up and down campaign. In 124.0 innings, he allowed 140 hits and 67 earned runs. The Carolina League hit a hefty .289 against him. In three starts against Myrtle Beach, he went 1-1 with a 6.43 ERA.

Detwiler is the top-rated pitching prospect in the Nationals' organization according to Baseball America. The 22-year old was drafted with the sixth overall selection in the 2007 draft out of South West Missouri State University. He opened his professional career with four starts for the GCL Nationals before jumping to Potomac. He was briefly called up to Washington, where he pitched one scoreless inning.

I REMEMBER MY LAST TIME: The Pelicans are appearing in the Mills Cup Championship Series for the first time since 2000. 2000 also marks the last Myrtle Beach title in the Carolina League, having swept the Lynchburg Hillcats in three games. Prior to the advent of the wild-card, the Pelicans advanced directly into the championship series after sweeping both half titles.

You have to go back 19 seasons and two franchise monikers to celebrate a Carolina League Championship in Woodbridge. In 1989, the franchise now known as the Potomac Nationals, changed names from the Prince William Yankees to the Prince William Cannons. The name change worked, as Stump Merril and the Cannons dusted Lynchburg two-games-to-one in the Divisional Round and claimed the CL title by defeating Durham in four games. The franchise has since been known as the Potomac Cannons and now the Potomac Nationals.

BULLPEN COMPARISON: The Potomac Nationals bullpen has been superior to the Pelicans bullpen through games one and two. In game one, Cole Kimball (game five starter) and Dan Leatherman combined to toss four scoreless innings of relief. In game two, Osvaldo Rodriguez, Kyle Gunderson and Jake Spradlin combined to shutout the Pelicans in the final 4.1 innings. The P-Nats bullpen has only allowed one hit in 8.1 total innings. On the contrary, in game one, the Pelicans bullpen allowed nine hits and eight earned runs in 5.1 innings. In game two-, the Pelicans bullpen gave up three hits and four runs in 3.0 innings. Top closers for Potomac Josh Wilkie and Martin Beno have not appeared in the series to date. Jeff Lyman and Brett Butts have not appeared in the series for Myrtle Beach.

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Carolina League Stories from September 10, 2008


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