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Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes: 7:05 p.m. vs. Salem Red Sox - Game Two SDCS

September 4, 2014 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


LAST TIME OUT: The Pelicans lost Game One of the best-of-three Southern Division Championship Series to the Salem Red Sox 3-1 on Wednesday night. The Pelicans came back in the eighth inning to tie the game with a LEWIS BRINSON solo shot to left-center field forcing the contest into extra innings. Jake Romanski hit a two-run home run in the tenth inning, putting Salem ahead by the final score...The Pelicans brought on ABEL DE LOS SANTOS out of the bullpen in the ninth inning, and he stayed in to pitch in the tenth inning. The right-hander faced Mario Martinez to lead off the inning and allowed a single to right field. In the next at-bat, Romanski hit a two-run home run down the left field line to put Salem ahead 3-1...Manager JOE MIKULIK argued the call, and after the umpires convened and upheld the call, Mikulik, hitting coach Josue Perez, and Pelicans' infielder NICK VICKERSON were all ejected...Kyle Martin, who had entered in the eighth inning and pitched a scoreless ninth, returned for the tenth and shut down the Pelicans, retiring them in order to end the game...The Pelicans were able to send the game to extra innings despite trailing for most of the contest. Salem (1-0 in postseason) opened the first with their leadoff man aboard, as Matty Johnson worked a walk off of SAM WOLFF. Jose Vinicio then singled to right field advancing Johnson to third. Carlos Asuaje then singled to center field, scoring Johnson to give Salem an early 1-0 lead...Neither team scored again until the eighth inning...Both starters went at least six innings. Salem's Jacob Dahlstrand tossed seven shutout frames, surrendered two hits, and struck out eight Pelicans. Wolff went six innings, allowed one earned run, and fanned six batters. He walked two and gave up three hits...In the eighth inning, Brinson broke Salem's shutout, hitting a solo shot to left-center field to tie the contest at 1-1 of Madison Younginer. The home run was the only extra base hit for the Pelicans on the night and, at the time, was only the third hit of the ballgame, and first since the second, for Myrtle Beach...

De Los Santos took the loss (0-1). He had not allowed a hit in 8 1/3 innings, spanning five outings, before the tenth-inning single. Martin (1-0) picked up the win in extra innings with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief...The loss puts the Pelicans one loss away from elimination.

TEXAS PELICANS PLAYOFF TROUBLES: Since the Pelicans became a Rangers affiliate in 2011, the club is 2-8 in postseason play and 0-3 against Salem in the playoffs. Although the Birds have made the playoffs in all four years, they have been knocked out in the first round in each of the first three seasons and face elimination tonight in the best-of-three series.

THE MATCHUP: Of all the teams in the Carolina League, Salem has posed the toughest out for the Pelicans. The Birds won the season series against five of the seven Carolina League opponents, including two of the three playoff opponents-but not the Red Sox. The Pelicans went just 8-11 against Salem during the regular season, the worst record against any opponent in the league.

Including last night, the Pelicans have dropped seven of the last eight games against Salem as well. The Red Sox knocked the Pelicans out of the postseason last year with a 2-0 series sweep in the Southern Division Championship Series.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: If you like offense, you should enjoy the Southern Division Championship Series. The Pelicans have the league's best scoring offense (683 runs) and lead the circuit in triples (48) and homers (111). Salem is second in runs scored (648) despite playing the fewest amount of games in the season (136) and is second in the league in hitting (.261) and second in on-base percentage (.338). Salem is somewhat conservative on the bases, ranking sixth in steals (122) while the Pelicans ran wild in 2014, leading the league in thievery (154 steals). Individually, the Pelicans have three of the top 10 hitters in batting average, but two of those players are not active: NICK WILLIAMS (.292, Double-A) and CHRIS GARIA (.284, DL). ROYCE BOLINGER, however, is ninth in the league in hitting and is on the active 25-man roster. PRESTON BECK leads the league in walks, is second in RBI, fourth in OBP, and third in doubles. For the Sox, Reed Gragnani has been a steady force: he finished second in the league in hitting (.300) and first in on-base percentage (.409). Salem has three of the top five on-base players in the league; joining Gragnani is Matty Johnson in third (.377) and Kevin Heller in fifth (374, now in Double-A). Johnson also placed second in steals (40), behind Pelicans leader and league leader Chris Garia. On paper, the Pelicans have the advantage in terms of pitching, with the league's second best ERA (3.43), while Salem checks in at number five (4.09). Salem finished second in the league in shutout wins (11), however, so they are capable of posting plenty of zeros.

CORDELL CLUBBIN' IT: Despite a hitless effort in the season finale, RYAN CORDELL was named Carolina League Player of the Week for the final week of the season, August 25-September 1. Cordell filled up the box scores in his second week with the club, smashing four home runs, collecting 14 RBI and swiping three bags, in addition to leading the circuit in hitting with a .406 batting average. Cordell posted one of the best weeks of his career during the stretch run of the Pelicans second- half Southern Division title. In addition to leading the Carolina League in batting and slugging (.938), he was tied for the minor league lead in RBI and extra-base hits (7). Along with his four long balls, he doubled once and tripled twice. The product of Orangevale, California hit in the cleanup spot the final three days of the regular season, going 5-for-12 with two triples, a homer, and four RBI during the stretch. Before his arrival from Class-A Hickory, Cordell had never posted a four-RBI game in his professional career but has done it three times with the Birds, including twice during the past week. On August 25 at Lynchburg, he collected a career-high five RBI in his first and only two-homer game of his career.

The outfielder is the fourth different Pelican to win the award this season, joining JOEY GALLO, who won it three times, and NICK WILLIAMS and JORGE ALFARO who both earned the honor once.

HEY NOW, THEY ARE ALL-STARS: Third baseman JOEY GALLO earned Carolina League MVP, announced this past Thursday. Gallo is the first Pelican to pick up the award since 1999, the inaugural season, when MARCUS GILES won it. In addition to Gallo, former Pelicans catcher JORGE ALFARO and outfielders CHRIS GARIA and NICK WILLIAMS also made the Year-End All-Star team. Gallo also was named to the Texas League Postseason All-Star team, along with former Pelicans ODUBEL HERRERA (2012-2014) and TREVER ADAMS (2013). Former Pelicans skipper JASON WOOD (2011-2014) also earned Manager of the Year for the Frisco RoughRiders.

STRUTTING THEIR FEATHERS: The Pelicans roster currently features three players highlighted in Baseball America's list of the Rangers' Top 30 prospects. OF LEWIS BRINSON (No. 15 in the Rangers Top 30), RHP JOSE LECLERC (16), and KELLIN DEGLAN (28) are both listed by BA. 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. Catcher JORGE ALFARO (2, 54 in the top 100), outfielder NICK WILLIAMS (3), third baseman JOEY GALLO (4, 60), RHPs ALEX "CHI CHI" GONZALEZ (5), and KEONE KELA (18) were all on the Pelicans' Opening Day Roster and are now with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, while LHP ALEXANDER CLAUDIO (27) is now in the Majors with the Texas Rangers.

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