CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Dash Vs. Indians Today At Noon

Published on July 28, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


Copyright Infringement: Last night's contest looked disturbingly similar to several recent Dash games, as Winston dropped an 8-1 decision to Kinston. The K-Tribe scored seven runs over the final three innings to blow open a close game. It was the third time in the last four games that the Dash's opponent has used that exact same formula to defeat Winston-Salem. Kyle Bellows was the offensive star for the Indians, going 3 for 5 with a triple, a run scored and three RBI. T.J. McFarland earned his Carolina League-leading tenth win with six stellar innings.

Indian Burial Ground Located, Curse Lifted: Last night's Kinston win snapped an incredible streak of misfortune for the K-Tribe. The Indians had lost 17 straight games in the city of Winston-Salem before Tuesday. Kinston was previously 0-8 at BB&T Ballpark and also lost its last nine games at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park in 2009. The K-Tribe's win last night was its first in the Twin City since May 29, 2009 (nearly 14 months to the day) when the Indians beat former Dash pitcher and currently major leaguer Dan Hudson. Over the course of the streak, the Dash outscored the Indians 99-55 and was able to pull out the close games. Winston won 11 games by just one run. The last time Kinston won back-to-back games in Winston-Salem was August 25-27 in 2008.

They Killed Kenny! (just his hit streak): Kenny Williams, Jr.'s hit streak ended in last night's loss. Williams had hit in a season-best nine consecutive games before going 0 for 3 with a sacrifice bunt on Tuesday. Just off the disabled list Monday, Williams had hit in eight straight games before re-injuring his knee on July 3 at Lynchburg. He extended his streak in the first game of the series, but could no do so again last night. Williams was batting .417 during the streak, which raised his season average 33 points.

Enough with the Eighth: For the fifth straight game, the eighth inning proved to be a disastrous one for the Dash. Kinston plated a pair of runs to pad its lead to 4-1 and steal Winston's seventh-inning momentum. The Dash's opponents have scored multiple runs in the eighth inning in each of the past five games. Since Friday night, opposing teams have scored 19 runs on 16 hits and eight walks in the eighth inning alone. On Friday, Potomac scored two runs to tie the game at 11. The P-Nats turned a two-run lead into a five-run lead with three runs in the eighth inning on Saturday. They scored ten runs in the eighth inning on Sunday. Kinston trailed by two entering Monday's eighth inning, but scored a pair in the frame to tie that game.

Toxic Waste: Kinston's avalanche of runs late in yesterday's game continued a horrific stretch for the Dash bullpen. In the last 14 games, the Winston 'pen has an ERA of 8.14. In 45.1 innings, the 'pen has given up 50 runs, (41 earned) on 58 hits and 36 walks. The bullpen's season ERA has ballooned 63 points in the last two weeks, from 3.34 to 3.97. It is no coincidence that, in the last month, the Dash has lost relievers Gregory Infante (AA promotion), Dan Remenowsky (season-ending injury), Kyle Bellamy (AA promotion), Santos Rodriguez (two D.L. stints), and Chris Sale (AAA promotion).

Record Bruiser: Seth Loman tied a 21-year-old Carolina League record when he was hit by Trevor Holder's 0-2 pitch while leading off the eighth inning on Thursday. It was the 24th time Loman has been drilled this season, tying him with former Winston-Salem Spirit Rusty Crockett, who set the mark in 1989. Loman will hold the record outright the next time he gets hit by a pitch. If he stays in the Carolina League all season and keeps up his current pace, he would demolish the record by getting hit by a pitch 32 times.

Hit Men: The Dash's season batting average of .294 is the fourth-best of any team in full-season minor league baseball. The AAA Albuquerque Isotopes (.303), AAA Las Vegas 51s (.299), and Advanced-A High Desert Mavericks (.298) are the only teams with higher averages. Winston-Salem's batting average is arguably the most impressive of any minor league squad. The Dash's average is 35 points higher than the Carolina League average, the biggest difference between any one team's batting average and the average of its respective league. Albuquerque's is 28 points higher than the Pacific Coast League average and High Desert's is 21 points higher than the California League average. Winston's average is the best in the Carolina League by 28 points (Frederick is the closest with a .266 average). Winston has four players in the top ten in the league in batting average: Jon Gilmore (2nd, .336), Brandon Short (4th, .313), Ozzie Lewis (5th, .309), and the recently promoted Justin Greene (6th, .309).

Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Joey Mahalic (1-0, 3.68) makes his 14th start of the season and his third against Winston-Salem. In two starts and one relief appearance against the Dash, he is 0-0 with a 5.59 ERA and a .375 opponents' batting average. He started in his first three appearances of the season before heading to the bullpen. After a five-appearance stint as a reliever, Mahalic re-joined the starting rotation at the start of June. July has been rough on the right-hander, as he is 0-3 with a 7.47 ERA this month. His 2009 season was cut short by an elbow injury in the fourth inning of his only start for Kinston. He began 2009 with Lake County, going 0-1 with a 1.91 ERA in six starts. Mahalic was Cleveland's 32nd round draft pick in 2007 out of Wilson HS in Portland, Oregon. In his senior season, he was selected as Oregon's 6A Player of the Year. He helped lead Wilson to a state title in 2006 and had originally committed to playing his college ball at Oregon State University before signing with the Indians. Mahalic was a two-way player in high school and considered himself to be a better hitter than a pitcher. He also was the starting quarterback on the football team. He throws a sinking fastball that sits at 90-91 mph and can touch 94. His slider is his best pitch and he also throws a changeup. His father, Drew, played linebacker at Notre Dame and in the NFL for San Diego and Philadelphia from 1975-78. Drew Mahalic was part of the Fighting Irish's 1972 National Championship team and wore jersey # 45 the year before Rudy Ruettiger wore it in 1975 when Mahalic went to the NFL.

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Carolina League Stories from July 28, 2010


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