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 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes: 6:05 p.m. at Salem Red Sox - July 26, 2014

July 26, 2014 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


LAST TIME OUT: The Pelicans were shutout by the Red Sox in the series opener in Salem by a 6-0 on Friday night at Lewis Gale Field. The Pelicans mustered just two hits, both singles, off of the Red Sox starter Cody Kukuk who struck out a career-high ten batters...After a scoreless first inning, the Red Sox took control in the second inning. A throwing error by DAVID LYON at first base allowed Mario Martinez to reach base to begin what became a five-run inning, allowing three unearned runs to score. The next five hitters reached safely on a hit batter and four singles to bring home three runs. Jantzen Witte drove in the fourth run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to right field that would have ended the inning if not for the error at the beginning of the frame, and Carson Blair completed the scoring with a single to left center field to make it 5-0...The Red Sox tacked on another run in the sixth inning...Myrtle Beach put on men at the corners with two outs in the first, but JORGE ALFARO bounced out to Kukuk to end the inning...Luis Mendez led off the second with an infield single and stole second base, but the Salem left-hander set down CHRIS GARIA, EDWIN GARCIA, and NICK WILLIAMS in order to get out of the inning...That began a stretch of 12 in a row set down by Kukuk, which included seven strikeouts. He completed his night by striking out the side in the sixth inning. In total, Kukuk allowed just three baserunners on two singles and a walk and fanned a career-high 10 batters over six scoreless innings...The Birds put two on base against reliever Nate Reed in the seventh, and Alfaro singled off of Matty Ott in the ninth, but the Pelicans went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in the contest and were shutout for the seventh time this season...Bores (0-3) was shouldered with the loss for the Pelicans, while Kukuk (4-6) earned the win.

THE AIKEN ACE GOES UP: LHP ANDREW FAULKNER was promoted today to Double-A for the first time in his career. The southpaw is in the midst of a breakout season and departs the Carolina League as the league leader in ERA (2.07) and co-leader in wins (10). Over 21 outings, including 18 starts, Faulkner posted a 10-1 record, with his only loss coming in a two-inning outing in the first half finale, just two days prior to his first professional All-Star game appearance. He pitched a clean third inning at the California League / Carolina League All-Star Game in Wilmington with a pair of strikeouts and leaves the Carolina League with the second most strikeouts in the circuit (100), trailing only Frederick's Parker Bridwell. In 104 1/3 innings, he has allowed 86 hits and walked 31 and allowed only one home run, which came in his final start. Prior to the long ball, he had posted the most innings in the minors without allowing a home run. He is currently fourth in the league in opponents' batting average (.228) and fifth in WHIP (1.12), and with his 10-1 record, has the best winning percentage in the eight-team league as well (.909). The lefty put together two separate stretches this season of more than 15 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest of which lasted 18 frames from July 1-July 16 and is the longest such stretch by a Pelicans pitcher this season. Of his 21 outings, eight were scoreless and he allowed three or fewer runs in 16 of his 18 starts.

ALL YOUR PLAYERS ARE BELONG TO US: Faulkner is 12th different Pelican to be promoted to Double-A this season and joins former 2014 Pelicans KEONE KELA, ODUBEL HERRERA, JOEY GALLO, CHI CHI GONZALEZ, WILL LAMB, ALEXANDER CLAUDIO, HANSER ALBERTO, CHRIS GRAYSON, and MARTIRE GARCIA, who are all currently on the Frisco roster. EDWIN GARCIA and RYAN BORES spent time in Double-A but are back with the Birds.

THE CALL OF THE WOLFF: In a corresponding move with Faulkner, RHP SAM WOLFF has been reinstated off of the disabled list and starts today for the Birds. Wolff was placed on disabled list on July 8, retroactive to July 5, and missed 17 games. Over his first 15 outings and 14 starts, Wolff had allowed more than three earned runs in an appearance only one time but allowed five in his penultimate start and six to Lynchburg in his final outing before going on the 7-day disabled list for the first time this season. Prior to the final two outings, Wolff was in the top 5 in the league in ERA and is currently seventh with a 3.38 ERA to go along with his 7-4 record. He is third in the league in opponents' batting average (.225) and fourth among Carolina League starters in baserunners per nine innings (10.40).

THE LEAGUE'S BEST: Tonight's pitching matchup features the fifth and seventh ranked pitchers in ERA in the league. Wolff is seventh while Haley is fifth and two of pitchers above them are out of the league (Faulkner and Binford) and sixth (Morimando) is also in Double-A. FILLING IN: Friday'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.

WHO ARE YOU?: Despite playing in the same division and competing for the first half title against each other, the Pelicans and Red Sox had not squared off in nearly two months until this series. 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 fourth time in the half, the Pelicans enter play with a .500 record. 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 canceled.

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 on Thursday.

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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