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Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes: 7:05 at Salem Red Sox - July 25, 2014

July 25, 2014 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


LAST TIME OUT: The Pelicans won the series finale with the Frederick Keys 5-4...Pelicans Vice President and General Manager ANDY MILOVICH sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" while receiving a prostate exam during the seventh inning stretch in front of a sellout crowd of 6,599 to raise awareness of the need for annual prostate exams...The Pelicans struck first in the bottom of the first inning...With one out, CHRIS GARIA singled and advanced to second on a NICK WILLIAMS walk. In the next at-bat, ROYCE BOLINGER scored Garia with an RBI single to center field.

Pelicans led 1-0 after the first...In the bottom of the fourth the Birds increased their lead to 2-0. After EDWIN GARCIA grounded out, CHRISTOPHER BOSTICK singled to center field. With two outs, LUIS MENDEZ drove a double to center field, allowing Bostick to score from first. Mendez was thrown out trying to advance to third on the hit by right fielder Chih-Hsien Chiang to end the inning...

The Keys scored two runs in the top of the fifth to tie the game. After Joel Hutter walked and Tucker Nathans doubled to begin the inning, Johnny Ruettiger scored Hutter and advanced Nathans to third base with an RBI fielder's choice. Two batters later, Trey Mancini hit an infield single to the shortstop, scoring Nathans. Pelicans starter LUIS PARRA walked Chiang to put runners on first and second with two outs, but escaped the inning when Chiang was thrown out in the ensuing play. Jason Esposito singled on a line drive to left field, but Chiang was caught in between second and third base when Garia's throw came to Mendez, who ran and tagged Chiang trying to retreat back to second...Frederick took the lead in the sixth inning. With two outs, and Wynston Sawyer and Nathans on base, Ruettiger lined a triple down the right field line, scoring Sawyer and Nathans to give the Keys a 4-2 lead...Myrtle Beach answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the sixth on an RBI infield single by Mendez...In the bottom of the seventh the Pelicans took the lead for good, scoring all of their runs with two outs. After Garia and Williams flew out, Bolinger and PRESTON BECK walked to put runners on first and second. In the next at-bat, Garcia slammed a 1-0 pitch off the left field wall, scoring Bolinger and Beck. The Pelicans took a 5-4 lead...After pitching a scoreless eighth, Pelicans reliever ABEL DE LOS SANTOS (8) came back out for the ninth to complete the two-inning save...Cody Ege (4-1) allowed the go- ahead runs in the sixth but earned the win in relief. Keys reliever Jimmy Yacabonis (0-3) took the loss, allowing the go-ahead double from Garcia in the seventh.

FILLING IN: Saturday's starter was RYAN BORES, who became the 12th different starting pitcher used by the Birds this season and the eighth different starter to pitch during the first 19 games of this month. Bores was starting in the place of LHP CHAD BELL, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and has not pitched since July 14. Bores throws tonight again. The starters for the rest of the series are to be determined.

WHO ARE YOU?: Despite playing in the same division and competeitn for the first half title against each other, the Pelicans and Red Sox have not squared off in nearly two months. Since the Birds last played Salem, they have played 51 games, including 13 games against Lynchburg and ten against Winston-Salem.

TREADING WATER: For the third time in the half, the Pelicans entered play with a .500 record, and for the third time the club picked up the win. The Pelicans have not been below .500 in the second half and have not been under the even mark for the season since their first win in a four-game sweep at Salem on April 11 to improve to 4-4.

PUT THOSE BROOMS AWAY: On Monday, the Pelicans avoided a sweep against the Carolina Mudcats. They did it again on Thursday.

The club has been swept just once, on the Opening Weekend to the tonight's opponent, the Salem Red Sox. Since then, the Pelicans have not lost to Salem, winning six consecutive games against Salem entering tonight. The Birds swept the Sox in Salem in a four-game set in April and won the first two games of a series at home in late May before the series finale was rained out and cancelled.

ONE RUN WOES: The Pelicans won their first four one-run games this season but have not faired as well in the games decided by the razor-thin margin since. Myrtle Beach is just 6-14 in those games since then (9-14 overall) and had lost seven of their last eight one- run contests, but earned the one-run victory last night.

FIVES GUYS: From July 4 to July 21, the Pelicans did not have a starter make it past five innings in an outing. In an effort to limit the workload of the Pelicans hurlers, starting pitchers had been limited to five innings. In six of the seventeen games during that stretch, the starter failed to go five innings, but no one had gone more than five frames until VICTOR PAYNO tossed six innings in a quality start on Tuesday. The Pelicans went 8-9 over the 17 games between outings of longer than five innings. A starter has not gone more than five innings since.

THE AIKEN ACE STAYS ON TOP: Spinning another gem Monday, southpaw ANDREW FAULKNER tossed another five strong innings on the way to his sixth straight win and tenth overall, tying him for the league lead. He dropped his league-leading ERA to 2.07 and has allowed just three runs over his last six starts.

HOMERLESS PAST THE CENTURY MARK: For the first time this season, Faulkner allowed a home run. He had gone 101 1/3 innings without allowing a long ball when Carolina's James Roberts lined a home run left field on Monday night.

STRUTTING THEIR FEATHERS: The Pelicans roster currently features four players highlighted in Baseball America's list of the Rangers' Top 30 prospects, including two of the top 5, and two in the overall top 100 in MiLB. Catcher JORGE ALFARO (ranked No. 2 in the Rangers Top 30, No. 54 in the overall Top 100) and NICK WILLIAMS (3, 97) rank in the top 100. The other players in the Texas Top 30 are OF LEWIS BRINSON (15) and RHP JOSE LECLERC (16). Unranked in the top 30, CHRIS GARIA is the "Fastest Baserunner" and PRESTON BECK has the "Best Outfield Arm." CHRISTOPHER BOSTICK, traded from Oakland in December, was ranked No. 18 in the Athletics' top 30 by BA. Third baseman JOEY GALLO (4, 60) and RHPs ALEX "CHI CHI" GONZALEZ (5), KEONE KELA (18), and LHP ALEXANDER CLAUDIO (27) were all on the Pelicans' Opening Day Roster and are now with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.

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