CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Home Opener Dash Game Notes

Published on April 15, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM DASH (4-2) vs. KINSTON INDIANS (1-5)

Friday, April 15, 2011, 7:00 p.m. BB&T Ballpark Winston-Salem, NC

Webcast available on www.wsdash.com 15 minutes before first pitch

Game No. 7 Home Game 1 ⌂ 2011 Home Record 0-0 2011 Road Record 4-2

RHP Andre Rienzo (0-0, 2.25) vs. LHP T.J. McFarland (0-1, 3.00)

Splitsville: The Dash split a pair of 3-2 games with the Potomac Nationals in Wednesday's doubleheader in Woodbridge. After trailing 2-0 in game one, Ian Gac hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to tie the game, which went three extra innings. In the tenth, Daniel Wagner hit a hard grounder off the pitcher to score Kyle Shelton and give Winston-Salem the lead. Taylor Thompson pitched a perfect bottom of the tenth to preserve the game one win. In the second contest, the Dash scored a run in the first and second innings, but Potomac tied the game in the second and took the lead in the third. Winston was held hitless over the final five innings and did not put a man on base after the fourth as the Nationals won a 3-2 game of their own.

Road Trip Recap: Winston-Salem went 4-2 on its season-opening six-game road trip, winning both of its series at Kinston and Potomac. The Dash outscored its opponents 25-21 but was outhit (.230 average versus opponents' .250 average) over the six games. All of the games on the trip were close, with each being decided by two runs or fewer. The Dash played four one-run games, winning and losing two such contests. Strangely, the team played only two nine-inning games during this stretch to open the season. Winston played two ten-inning games, an eight-inning contest, and a seven-inning affair. The Dash is 2-0 in nine-inning games this season.

Homeward Bound: After a six-game road trip to start the season, the Dash finally returns to the comfy confines of BB&T Ballpark, albeit for only a brief three-game set against the Kinston Indians who have lost five in a row since beating Winston on opening day. Last year, Winston-Salem went a league-best 47-22 at home, good for the second-best record among all full-season minor league teams. BB&T Ballpark also won the award for "Ballpark of the Year" from BaseballParks.com, beating out the Minnesota Twins' Target Field.

Indian Givers: New ballpark or old, Kinston has had virtually no luck in recent years playing in Winston-Salem. The K-Tribe has lost 20 of its last 21 games in the Twin City, including last year's playoff losses to the Dash. In 2009, Kinston won the first game it played at Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park, but lost its last nine. The Indians lost eight in a row at BB&T Ballpark before picking up their first win at the new yard on July 27 of last year. The 17-game losing streak in Winston-Salem spanned nearly 14 months; 11 of those Dash wins were by just one run. The K-Tribe has not won consecutive games in Winston-Salem since August 25-27 of 2008.

Mr. April: Ian Gac hit another big home run on Wednesday night, not only in distance but in importance. His two-run bomb tied the first game at two and allowed the Dash to win in extra innings. Gac has hit three home runs this year and all three have either tied the game or have given Winston-Salem the lead. He is tied for the league lead in both home runs (three, with Kinston's Adam Abraham and Potomac's Steven Souza) and RBI with eight (Souza).

Trader Jose's: Jose Martinez continued his early assault on Carolina League pitching Wednesday night, with a hit in both games of the doubleheader. Martinez has hit in all six games this season and is batting .462 (12 for 26), good enough for second in the league. He is tied for the league lead in hits (Rey Navarro, Wilmington) and is the outright leader in runs scored with six.

Tough Act to Follow: This year's Dash team will attempt to mimic the success enjoyed by the last few Winston-Salem outfits. Last year, the Dash finished 81-58, seven and a half games better than the next best Carolina League team. Winston won the Southern Division in both the first and second halves of the season and advanced to the Mills Cup Champion Series, where the team lost to Potomac three games to one. The Dash hit .288 as a team in 2010, the sixth best batting average in minor league baseball. Additionally, the team led the CL in runs scored, hits, home runs, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. The Dash has finished with at least a share of first place in the Southern Division in the last four halves (going back to 2009), a feat that had not been accomplished since Wilmington last did it from 2001-02. The team has also made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. Winston-Salem owns a league-record 11 Mills Cup Championships, but this season will be looking for its first since 2003.

Carmen Sandiego's kind of team: The Dash's opening day roster is strikingly diverse, geographically speaking. Winston's 25 players hail from 18 different states and five countries. The following states are represented by the Dash: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. The five countries represented are the United States, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.

Me and Julio Down by the Ballyard: This season marks the full-season managerial debut for new Dash skipper Julio Vinas. The native Floridian returns to the organization that drafted him as an amateur 20 years ago when Vinas was a High School All-American. The White Sox selected Vinas in the 33rd round of the 1991 draft and he spent seven years in the Chicago system before finishing his playing career in the Orioles, Red Sox, and Indians organizations. Vinas spent eight years as a coach in the Orioles system, serving as both the team's field coordinator and hitting coordinator. He has previously managed on a fill-in basis for some of Baltimore's minor league teams in addition to teams in the Colombian and Venezuelan winter leagues. Vinas replaces former Dash skipper Joe McEwing, who won the Carolina League's "Manager of the Year" award in each of the last two seasons. McEwing is now managing the AAA Charlotte Knights. Vinas is joined on the coaching staff by pitching coach Bobby Thigpen (third season in Winston) and hitting coach Rob Sasser (fourth).

Today's Opposing Starter: LHP T.J. McFarland makes his second straight start against the Dash to start the season. He lost last Saturday against Winston-Salem, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts in six innings. He is back in Kinston after spending nearly all of last year with the K-Tribe, going 11-5 with a 3.13 ERA. He was a Carolina League All-Star and tied for second in the CL in wins (behind teammate Joe Gardner) while ranking fourth in ERA. He made two regular season starts against Winston-Salem in 2010, going 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA. He started game one of the Southern Division Championship series against the Dash and took the loss despite pitching well. He allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits in 5.1 innings with no walks and six strikeouts. A fourth round pick by Cleveland in 2007, McFarland is in his third professional season. He sat out 2007 with a sore elbow but was able to avoid Tommy John surgery. He went 9-4 with a 3.58 ERA in 2009 with Lake County, recording a 2.12 ground-out/fly-out ratio. A native of Orland Park, Illinois, McFarland was drafted out of Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in the Chicago area and signed for a reported bonus of $285,000. He throws a sinking two-seam fastball 91-92 mph, topping out at 94. He also throws a changeup and a slider.

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Carolina League Stories from April 15, 2011


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