CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Friday's Doubleheader Dash Game Notes

August 6, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


Double Play: Because of last night's rainout, the Dash and Keys will play two seven-inning games as part of a doubleheader today beginning at 6 p.m. Both of Winston-Salem's last two Thursday night games have been rained out, forcing a Friday doubleheader. The Dash and Pelicans played a twin-bill last Friday in Myrtle Beach with Winston losing both games. This is the second doubleheader at BB&T Ballpark, but the first consisting of two seven-inning games. Winston-Salem and Myrtle Beach played a split-doubleheader with two nine-inning games on May 19-20. The second game lasted 20 innings and did not end until 12:30 a.m. The Dash won that contest 4-3 after losing the first game 5-0.

Sweep Dashed: Winston-Salem's bid for a sweep of the Blue Rocks fell by the wayside Wednesday night when Wilmington earned a 9-5 comeback win over the Dash. Winston overcame an early 3-0 deficit to take a 5-3 lead in the third, but the Rocks tied the game shortly thereafter. Wilmington re-gained the lead when Salvador Perez scored from third on passed ball and then picked up some late insurance with three runs in the ninth.

Hurts So Good: Wednesday night Seth Loman set a new Carolina League record when he was hit by a pitch for the 25th time this season. Wilmington starter Will Smith drilled Loman on the right arm with an 0-1 offering in the bottom of the third inning for the record-breaker. Loman ended the 21-year "reign" of former Winston-Salem Spirit Rusty Crockett, who was hit 24 times in 1989. Loman leads all of minor league baseball in the category. Last year he was tied for third in the minors when he was hit 23 times between Winston-Salem and Kannapolis. He is on pace to get plunked 31 times this season.

Get Lo: While playing the role of a human target for opposition hurlers, Loman is also taking aim at their pitches. With his 1 for 3 game Wednesday night, has now hit in his last six games. He is batting .435 (10-23) during the streak with three home runs, two doubles, five runs scored, and nine runs batted in. Loman is among the Carolina League leaders in home runs (2nd, 18), RBI (3rd, 71), slugging percentage (2nd, .505), runs scored (5th, 67), extra-base hits (3rd, 48), and total bases (2nd, 205).

Don't You (Forget About Me): Although his has not been as noticeable as Loman's, Jon Gilmore also has a six-game hit streak going. Gilmore drove in the Dash's first run on Wednesday with an RBI single to extend his streak. He is batting .375 (9-24) in the last six games with four RBI and five runs scored. Gilmore is second in the league in batting average (.336) and hasn't gone back-to-back games without a hit since May 25-26. He is among the league leaders in hits (1st, 151), at bats (1st, 450), games (T-1st, 106), RBI (4th, 67), runs scored (4th, 68), and total bases (T-4th, 190).

Safe at Home: The Dash is clearly a different animal at BB&T Ballpark than it is away from home. While Winston is 25-28 on the road, the team is 37-18 in the Twin City. That home record is tied for the third-best mark among all full-season minor league baseball teams. The low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels (34-16) own the best home record with the AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals (35-17) not far behind. The AAA Durham Bulls and AA Trenton Thunder are also 37-18 at home this season.

Giddy Up: Mike Richard showed signed of emerging from his extended slump on Wednesday, going 2 for 4 with a stolen base. It was Richard's first two-hit game since July 19. After starting his Dash career 8 for 16, Richard had been hitting just .132 (5-38) before last night's contest.

28 Days Later: This week began a long continuous stretch of baseball for the Dash. Starting this past Monday, Winston-Salem plays 28 games in 28 days, with the team's next off-day coming on August 30. It is the longest stretch without an off-day for the team all season. The Dash will play half of those games on the road, with long trips to Wilmington, Frederick, and Potomac looming in the near future.

A Pox on the Pen: After allowing just one run in six innings during the first two games of the Wilmington series, the Dash bullpen took a step back on Wednesday. Charlis Burdie and Brandon Kloess allowed four runs in three innings of work. In their last 21 games, Winston's relievers have an ERA of 7.92. In 63.2 innings, the ‘pen has given up 66 runs, (56 earned) on 79 hits and 42 walks. The bullpen's season ERA has ballooned 80 points in the last three weeks, from 3.34 to 4.14. 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).

Hit Men: The Dash's season batting average of .292 is the fourth-best of any team in full-season minor league baseball. The AAA Albuquerque Isotopes (.300), Advanced-A High Desert Mavericks (.299), and AAA Las Vegas 51s (.296) 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 33 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 25 points higher than the Pacific Coast League average and High Desert's is 23 points higher than the California League average. Winston's average is the best in the Carolina League by 27 points (Frederick is the closest with a .265 average). Winston has three players in the top five in the league in batting average: Jon Gilmore (2nd, .336), Ozzie Lewis (4th, .314), and Brandon Short (5th, .313).

Today's Game One Opposing Starter: RHP Luis Noel (2-1, 5.95) makes his fifth start for the Keys and his first against Winston-Salem. He has an 11.42 ERA in his last two starts after posting a 1.64 ERA in his first two with Frederick. Noel's season started with low-A Delmarva in mid-May. He went 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA in eight starts with the Shorebirds before getting promoted to the Carolina League. Noel pitched stateside for Delmarva in 2008, but visa issues prevented him from returning to the U.S. for the 2009 season. He was forced to pitch for the DSL Orioles last year, going 4-5 with a 2.99 ERA in 15 games (14 starts), striking out 76 batters in 90.1 innings while not allowing a home run. As a 20-year-old with the Shorebirds in 2008, Noel went 10-8 with a 3.96 ERA and led his team in strikeouts with 116.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics



Carolina League Stories from August 6, 2010


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