Sports stats

CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, April 12 at Down East

April 12, 2018 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Myrtle Beach Pelicans play their first road game Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Down East Wood Ducks. LHP Jose Paulino (0-1, 12.27 ERA) goes for the Birds against Wood Ducks RHP Edgar Arredondo (1-0, 1.80 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.

BIRDS SWEPT AS WINSTON-SALEM CRUISES

Myrtle Beach struggled Wednesday in a 9-0 loss to Winston-Salem at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark, helping the Dash finish off a sweep of the Pelicans. Nate Nolan got the scoring started for Winston-Salem in the second with an RBI single. A Luis Alexander Basabe RBI triple and Alex Call sacrifice fly made it 3-0 in the third. The Dash then plated five runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth for their 9-0 advantage. Myrtle Beach's first hit of the game against Winston-Salem starter Dane Dunning came on Chris Pieters' single with one out in the seventh inning.

ROAD IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Normally a ballpark the Birds always excel in, Myrtle Beach really struggled in their season-opening homestand at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark, where the club went a combined 281-198 (.587) from 2011-17. Myrtle Beach went just 1-6 against Frederick and Winston-Salem, marking their worst multi-series homestand since August 17-23, 2013, when the Birds were swept in a four-game set by Lynchburg and lost two out of three to Salem. The Pelicans head to Down East for their first road trip of the year on Thursday. Myrtle Beach boasts a winning away record in four straight campaigns, compiling a 166-115 (.591) record away from the Grand Strand.

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

Myrtle Beach's 9-0 loss to Winston-Salem Wednesday brought the Birds' record to 1-6, their worst start to a season in recorded club history (since the 2005 season). The Pelicans have recorded the worst run differential in the Carolina League so far this year at -26. Through five games, though, that mark was -15, which precisely matched the 2014 Pelicans, who also opened the lid on their season at 1-4. That Myrtle Beach club rebounded quickly, bringing their record to 7-4 in the second week of the 2014 season.

WE'RE BRINGING BUDDY BACK

Now in his 30th season as a minor league skipper, Pelicans manager Buddy Bailey is one of just 11 piloters in Minor League Baseball history to accumulate at least 2,000 career victories. The Madison Heights, Va., native's career record is 2,007-1,850 (.521), meaning he is just three triumphs away from breaking into the top 10 in MiLB history.

RELIEF FACTOR

Myrtle Beach's bullpen combined for a 1.35 ERA in their first series of the season, surrendering just two runs on eight hits in 13.1 innings against Frederick. However, in their most recent three-game series against Winston-Salem, the Dash lit up Pelicans relievers for 12 runs on 18 hits in 13.0 frames, resulting in an 8.31 ERA. Winston-Salem does rank at or near the top of the Carolina League in nearly every single offensive category, but there could also be another factor at play. So far, the Birds' bullpen has accounted for 44.6 percent of the club's innings. In comparison, the 2016 and 2017 Pelicans, also managed by Buddy Bailey, accounted for 38.0 and 44.2 percent of the club's frames, respectively. Sure enough, in their set against Frederick, the 2018 Myrtle Beach bullpen walked just two batters in 13.1 frames. Against the Dash, Birds relievers issued 11 free passes in 13.0 frames.

BIRDS ON THE POND

While Myrtle Beach's statistical numbers are not great, the club has performed significantly worse with runners in scoring position than any other situation. On offense with men in scoring position, the Pelicans are hitting just .149 with a .246 on-base percentage in just 53 plate appearances. However, in any other situation, that average rises to .222 with a .284 OBP. On the pitching side, opponents are batting .370 against Myrtle Beach's staff in 81 at-bats with runners in scoring position. In any other situation, that mark is .233 (163 at-bats). The good news for the Pelicans is that when a squad posts numbers that go haywire either positively or negatively with runners in scoring position, it is almost always a sign of luck, or lack thereof, shining through in a much smaller sample size than a full season's worth of plate appearances.

PELICAN POINTS

Myrtle Beach suffered their first sweep of the season at the hands of Winston-Salem. The Pelicans were broomed in three series' last year, but the last time the Dash swept the Birds was from July 7-9, 2015 at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark... The Pelicans have made at least one error in all seven contests to start the campaign, matching their longest such streak from last season, which happened on two separate occasions.

Check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Statistics



Carolina League Stories from April 12, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central