Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, August 14 at Potomac
August 14, 2018 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans begin a four-game, three-day series at the Potomac Nationals with Tuesday's 5 p.m. doubleheader. In the opener, RHP Alex Lange (6-8, 4.01 ERA) faces off with LHP Ben Braymer (6-3, 2.88 ERA). LHP James Buckelew (0-0, 0.00 ERA) starts against P-Nats LHP Matthew Crownover (3-8, 5.32 ERA). Coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.
BIRDS BLANK BLUE ROCKS TO WIN SERIES
Justin Steele took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Sunday to help the Myrtle Beach Pelicans shut out the Wilmington Blue Rocks 3-0 in a rubber match from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. The Birds backed Steele from their initial at-bats, with Jhonny Pereda doubling home a run in the first inning. The score remained 1-0 until the sixth, when Jared Young, who had singled to begin the frame, scampered home on a wild pitch. The Pelicans added insurance in the eighth on Zach Davis' RBI single to get the margin to 3-0. Steele earned his first win with 5.1 shutout innings of one-hit ball. Yapson Gomez tossed 2.2 scoreless frames and Tyler Peyton twirled a scoreless ninth inning to earn his ninth save.
CAN'T WIN IF YOU DON'T SCORE
Myrtle Beach blanked the Wilmington Blue Rocks 3-0 on Sunday, sealing the Pelicans' 14th shutout of the season. That figure trails only Buies Creek's 18 zeroes in the Carolina League. When combined with the club-record 18 instances the Birds have been blanked, the Pelicans have been involved in 32 shutouts this season, the most in the Carolina League since at least the 2009 season.
HOUSE OF HORRORS
Over the last three seasons, Myrtle Beach is just 7-13 (.350) at Potomac's Pfitzner Stadium. Somewhat stunningly, of those 13 defeats, five have come on walk-offs by the P-Nats. Thus, over the last three seasons, Potomac is responsible for nearly one-third of the 16 walk-offs on the Birds. In these 20 contests, the P-Nats have outscored the Pelicans by a narrow margin of 72-59. Sixteen of these 20 meetings have been determined by no more than three runs.
THE DOG DAYS OF AUGUST
After winning their final three games of a 14-14 July, Myrtle Beach is off to just a 2-8 start in the month of August, and the Pelicans' offense has really struggled in the season's final full month. The Birds are batting just .238/.309/.310 to post a .619 OPS, far below their league-worst mark of .644 that is .029 away from ninth-place Carolina. Over the first 10 games of August, the Pelicans have mustered just 13 extra-base hits. Myrtle Beach is also a woeful 13-for-70 (.186) during the month with runners in scoring position.
DOUBLE VISION
The Pelicans will play their 11th doubleheader of the season on Tuesday when they open a series at the Potomac Nationals. The Birds are just 6-13 (.316) in twin bill contests this season, ahead of only Winston-Salem's 2-6 (.250) mark in the Carolina League. The 11 doubleheaders Myrtle Beach will have recorded by the end of Tuesday are the club's most in a single season since engaging in 11 double-dippers in 2015. The Pelicans will play their 12th twin bill of the campaign on August 21, which will be the Birds' most in their recorded history, which dates back through the 2005 season.
YOUNG FOREVER
In the first four games with Myrtle Beach, Jared Young went just 2-for-15 (.133) with an RBI and three walks. However, the Prince George, British Columbia native seems to be starting to figure out the High-A level. Over the last 26 games, he is batting 31-for-95 with two doubles, five home runs, and 18 RBIs to slash .326/.379/.505.
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
Though the Pelicans snapped their seven-game losing streak - the club's first since 2013 - in Friday's 6-5 victory over Wilmington, the Birds are still 6-17 over their last 23 contests. During that span, Myrtle Beach has been outscored 98-61, yielding at least four runs in 15 of those 23 games. For perspective, the Birds had surrendered at least four runs in just four of their previous 17 contests. Myrtle Beach has also scored at least four runs in just seven of these last 23 games.
FRIENDS CLOSE, ENEMIES CLOSER
Over the Pelicans' last 18 contests, 16 have been decided by three runs or less, including a remarkable 12 by just one tally. On the season, Myrtle Beach has played 75 games decided by no more than three runs, the third-highest total in the Carolina League. The Pelicans are 37-38 (.493) in those engagements.
PELICAN POINT
Myrtle Beach starters have allowed three earned runs or less in eight of their last nine games. They have combined for a 3.80 ERA during that span (20 ER on 37 H in 47.1 IP).
Carolina League Stories from August 14, 2018
- Blue Rocks Drop Heartbreaker in Extras - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Carolina Blanked 8-0 in Series Opener in Kinston - Carolina Mudcats
- Sox Keelhaul Keys 7-2 Tuesday - Salem Red Sox
- Near Perfection in Potomac's Doubleheader Split - Potomac Nationals
- Early Deficit Buries Dash at Buies Creek - Winston-Salem Dash
- Wood Ducks Dominate in Victory over the Mudcats - Down East Wood Ducks
- Birds Split Twin Bill with Pair of 1-0 Games - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Big Fifth Inning Leads Red Sox to Win - Frederick Keys
- August 14 - Carolina Mudcats Game Information - Carolina Mudcats
- Winston-Salem Dash: Game Notes (august 14 At Buies Creek) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Gonzalez, Kubat Named Carolina League Players of the Week - Winston-Salem Dash
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, August 14 at Potomac - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Pelicans Offer Half-Price Tickets for School Supply Donations - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
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.
