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Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Duane Underwood Jr. Returns from DL to Make Start Friday

August 28, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AUGUST 28, 2015) -- The Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, have activated right-handed starting pitcher Duane Underwood Jr., the Cubs second-ranked pitching prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, from the 7-day disabled list. He is expected to start on Friday against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. In a corresponding roster move, right-hander Daury Torrez was placed on the 7-day disabled list.

Underwood Jr., 21, has not been with the Pelicans since he was placed on the DL on June 28, missing 55 games. He made two recent rehab starts with the AZL Cubs, first on August 18 and again on August 23, combining for five shutout innings of work in which he allowed three hits and struck out six without a walk.

The Pelicans' Opening Night starter, Underwood Jr. ranked fourth in the Carolina League with a 2.66 ERA in 64 1/3 innings of work at the time of his move to the disabled list. In 12 starts with the Pelicans, along with two as a member of the AZL Cubs, Underwood Jr.'s ERA has shrunk to 2.47 in 69 1/3 frames of work. That is now the second-lowest earned run average in the Cubs system behind Double-A Tennessee's Ryan Williams (2.27 ERA).

Along with a 6-3 record, Underwood Jr. has struck out 42 and walked 20 Carolina League batters this year. Before being placed on the DL, he carried the circuit's fourth-best WHIP, had allowed the second-lowest batting average against, and surrendering the second-fewest baserunners.

As a 2015 Carolina League All-Star, Underwood Jr. pitched one inning in the Carolina vs. California League All-Star Game on June 23, allowing an earned run on one hit while walking one.

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Underwood Jr. ranks fourth overall on MLBPipeline.com's Cubs Top 30 Prospects List. According to Baseball America, the right-hander entered the 2015 season ranked tenth-best among Cubs minor leaguers. The Cubs selected Underwood Jr. in the second round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Pope High School in Marietta, Georgia.

Torrez, 22, has made 22 starts this season, the most on the club, and carries a 9-6 record and 3.86 ERA along with a 1.18 WHIP. In a team-leading 128 1/3 innings of work, Torrez has struck out 85 batters and walked just 18. He ranks fourth in the Carolina League in fewest walks allowed per nine innings pitched (1.28), and he is also the only man in the circuit to fire two complete games this season. His nine wins also are tied for third-most in the Cubs minor league system.

A native of Esperanza, Dominican Republic, the Cubs signed Torrez as a non-drafted free agent on December 22, 2010. On MLBPipeline's Cubs Top 30 Prospects List, Torrez ranks 28th overall, and is the fourteenth-ranked pitcher in the system. According to Baseball America, Torrez entered the 2015 season as the publication's thirtieth-best Cubs prospect.

With the roster move, the Pelicans roster is at 25 active players, which is the Carolina League limit, and includes six players on the disabled list.

The Pelicans host the Wilmington Blue Rocks of Friday for game two of their four-game set. The first pitch from TicketReturn.Com Field at Ballpark is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

The 2015 season marks the 17th season for the Pelicans franchise and first as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2015, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail info@myrtlebeachpelicans.com, or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

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