CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, August 29 vs. Buies Creek

Published on August 29, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Myrtle Beach Pelicans host the Buies Creek Astros in Wednesday's 7:05 p.m. contest from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. RHP Erick Leal (1-1, 1.37 ERA) starts for the Birds against Buies Creek RHP Abdiel Saldana (8-2, 3.15 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.

GALINDO HOMER GIVES PELICANS WALK-OFF WIN

Wladimir Galindo bashed a walk-off home run on Tuesday to give the Myrtle Beach Pelicans a 2-1 victory over the Bueis Creek Astros from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. The game was scoreless into the fifth inning before Zach Davis broke the tie with an RBI double. Buies Creek came right back in the sixth to tie on Osvaldo Duarte's RBI single. The contest stayed 1-1 until the ninth, when Galindo led off by crushing a 2-1 pitch from Brendan Feldmann over the wall in left-center. Birds starter Tyson Miller surrendered just one run on four hits in 5.1 innings. He struck out five. Tyler Peyton pitched 1.2 shutout frames and Yapson Gomez fired two blank frames to earn the win. Galindo finished with three hits in the victory.

PITCH PERFECT

Over the last 25 games, Myrtle Beach starting pitchers have ceded three earned runs or less 23 times. During that span, the club's starters have pitched a total of 119.2 innings, yielding 46 earned runs on 96 hits for a 3.46 ERA. The Birds' bullpen has started to heat up recently as well; After posting a 6.38 ERA due to 13 runs, all earned, on 27 hits in 18.1 frames in the seven games from August 2-11, Pelicans relievers have allowed 23 runs, 12 earned, on 50 hits in 68.0 innings (1.59 ERA) over the last 16 contests.

FRIENDS CLOSE, ENEMIES CLOSER

Over the Pelicans' last 34 contests, 29 have been decided by three runs or less, including a remarkable 23 by just one tally. In the 100 battles prior to this run, the Birds had played in just 20 one-run games. On the season, Myrtle Beach has played 88 games decided by no more than three runs, tied for highest total in the Carolina League. The Pelicans began the year 10-3 (.769) in one-run contests, but have gone 9-21 (.300) in those engagements ever since.

WHEN WILL THESE DOG DAYS END?

During the month of August, the Birds are batting just .207/.285/.277 to post a .522 OPS, far below their league-worst mark on the season of .631. Over the first 26 games of August, Myrtle Beach has mustered just 34 extra-base hits. The Pelicans are also a woeful 38-for-199 (.191) during the month with runners in scoring position, plating a total of 67 runs (2.6 per game) in August.

ERICK THE RED

Over his last 11 games dating back to July 4, Erick Leal has surrendered just eight runs, six earned, on 19 hits in 38.0 innings for a 1.42 ERA. The Cubs' Minor League Pitcher of the Month for July has struck out 41 against eight walks during that span. Among the 97 Carolina League pitchers with a minimum of 50.0 innings this season, Leal leads the circuit in ERA (1.37) and places sixth in FIP (2.46). He ranks in the top 25 of the league in K-BB percentage (12th, 19.2 percent), strikeout rate (20th, 25.5 percent) and walk rate (24th, 6.3 percent). The Valencia, Venezuela native owns the third-highest fly ball rate (51.4 percent) in the league while boasting the lowest line drive rate (8.2 percent).

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

With their 2-1 victory on Tuesday, Myrtle Beach clinched at least a .500 record at home in 2018. The Birds have not had a losing mark from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark since they went 33-37 in the Grand Strand in 2010. That being said, Myrtle Beach is only 26-41 (.388) on the road this season. That is the first losing away mark since going 32-38 (.457) in 2013, as well as their worst since a 25-45 (.357) record outside the Grand Strand in 2010.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

Myrtle Beach beat the Houston Astros-affiliated Buies Creek Astros 2-1 on Tuesday. However, the Birds are still 9-16 against the Astros this year. With two games remaining in their season series, Buies Creek has a chance for the most wins by one opponent over the Pelicans in a single season. The 2003 Kinston Indians bested the Birds a club-record 17 times. Myrtle Beach is just 4-11 against the Astros in the second half of the season, getting outscored 69-31 in the process.

PELICAN POINTS

Myrtle Beach played error-free baseball on Tuesday, but the Birds have still committed at least one miscue in 11 of their last 14 games. During that span, the club has made 21 miscues. In comparison, over the previous 12 contests, the Pelicans registered just five miscues... Wladimir Galindo's walk-off home run Tuesday was the Birds' sixth walk-off win of the season, and their first in exactly a month (July 28 vs. Lynchburg).

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