CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Independence Day Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes

Published on July 4, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM DASH (6-4, 38-42) vs. SALEM RED SOX (4-7, 35-45)

Monday, July 4, 2011, 7:05 p.m. | BB&T Ballpark | Winston-Salem, NC

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

Game No. 82 | Home Game No. 44 | 2011 Home Record 21-21 | 2011 Road Record 17-21

LHP Brad Furnish ( -, - ) vs. RHP Pete Ruiz (4-3, 4.90)

Best Bryce in the Carolina League: No Bryce Harper' No problem. At least that has been the case for the Salem Red Sox since outfielder Bryce Brentz was promoted from low-A Greenville, especially against the Dash. Brentz hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning last night to give the Red Sox a 6-2 lead. Salem went on to beat Winston-Salem 7-4 to even up the four-game series. Brentz' home run was his eighth in 17 Carolina League games and his 19th of his 2011 season. Four of Brentz' CL homers have come against the Dash at BB&T Ballpark. He has homered in all four of the games he has played against the Dash here. The Dash remain 0.5 games behind the first-place Kinston Indians and a playoff spot in the Southern Division.

Grand Home Furnish-ings: Tonight marks the White Sox organizational debut for lefty starter Brad Furnish. The former Cardinals farmhand was drafted in the second round in 2006 and has spent the last season and a half pitching in independent ball, most recently for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League. He will be making tonight's start on three days rest, as the last pitched on Thursday in a win against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and struck out 11 batters in seven shutout innings.

Almost Legal: Last night Ian Gac blasted his 20th home run of the season last night as the last half of a back-to-back homer barrage provided by he and Jose Martinez. Gac leads the Carolina League in homers by six over teammate Andy Wilkins. He is second in the league with 54 RBI, first in games played (80), third in at bats (302), third in doubles (23), fourth in slugging (.540), first in extra-base hits (43), first in runs scored (56), first in total bases (163), and first in HR/AB ratio (1/15.10). The Dash lead the Carolina League in home runs with 77, 20 more than second place Salem.

Earning Time and a Half, Time and Again: Playing and winning in extra innings has been nothing new for Winston-Salem. The Dash have played 14 extra-inning games this season, the most of any minor league baseball team. Only the major league Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Atlanta Braves (15 each) have played more extra-inning games this season. Winston is 8-6 this season when the game goes beyond regulation with three of those wins against the Red Sox.

First Round's on Me: Saturday night Tyler Saladino hit the first home run into the new outfield bar at BB&T Ballpark, a solo shot in the fifth inning that gave the Dash a 4-2 lead. It was the third straight game with a home run for Saladino, who now has ten dingers on the season, tying him for sixth in the Carolina League. If he had the requisite number of plate appearances, he would rank second in the league to Ian Gac in best HR/AB ratio (1/16.7). After missing the first month of the season with a broken hand, the former Oral Roberts standout has taken off offensively. He has a base hit in 17 of his last 21 games and a multi-hit game in nine of those games. Since June 5, Saladino is batting .329 (26 for 79) with seven doubles, a triple, six homers, 13 RBI, and 13 runs scored. He has raised his batting average 69 points to .251 during this period.

Recovery Summer: Jose Martinez' first full healthy season as a professional continues to proceed swimmingly. Martinez missed roughly two full seasons worth of baseball from 2008 - 2010 after a series of right knee injuries that required three separate surgeries. Café went 3 for 4 last night to raise his batting average to .313, good for second in the Carolina League. After a six-game stretch when he went 1 for 23 that spanned the end of May and beginning of June, Martinez has hit in 21 of his last 24 games. He is batting .347 (35 for 101) during this period with 12 RBI.

Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Pete Ruiz (4-3, 4.90) makes his 16th appearance and 12th start of the season for the Red Sox. He's started twice this season against the Dash and earned the win in his most recent. On May 21, he threw six scoreless innings and gave up three hits in the eventual 4-0 win for Salem. Ruiz initially started against the Dash on May 15 in Salem when he gave up two earned runs on four hits in six innings. He didn't get a decision, and the Dash ended up winning in ten innings. In 11 starts in 2011, he is 3-1 with a 5.19 ERA. He won his most recent start against Wilmington when he threw seven scoreless innings and gave up three hits. Ruiz was originally drafted in the 12th round of the 2008 MLB First- Year Player Draft out of Santa Barbara Community College, where he originally started as a corner infielder. He spent 2010 with the low-A Greenville Drive and went 10-8 with a 4.19 ERA in 26 appearances (20 starts). He was tied for second in the Red Sox system in wins and was third in strikeouts (109). Over his last eight starts of the season, he was 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA. He throws an 88-91 two seam fastball, a 92-94 four-seamer, a curveball, and a changeup.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from July 4, 2011


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