CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game Notes: August 3 at Fayetteville

Published on August 3, 2019 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


Today, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans continue a three-game set against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (a Houston Astros affiliate) with the middle game beginning at 6:00 p.m. This evening, RHP Enrique De Los Rios (1-2, 1.66 ERA) starts for the Birds against RHP Shawn Dubin (2-4, 4.61 ERA). Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.

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ARTIS HAS CAREER NIGHT, PELICANS THROTTLE FAYETTEVILLE

D.J. Artis tied a franchise record with five hits and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans blasted the Fayetteville Woodpeckers 10-3 from Segra Stadium on Friday. The offense exploded in the third inning, starting when Carlos Sepulveda scored on a wild pitch. Grant Fennell followed with a three-run homer before Luke Reynolds tacked on with an RBI double to make to 5-0. After a Chandler Taylor solo homer in the fifth, Cam Balego plated a run in the sixth with an RBI single and Fennell added a sac fly, giving him a career-high four RBIs and putting the Birds out in front 7-1. The lead increased to 10-1 in the seventh when Artis knocked in a run on an infielder RBI single for his fifth hit on the night and Balego put two more across with a single. Fayetteville scored two more in the eighth, but it was not enough. Jeffrey Passantino (W, 1-0) tossed a quality start (six innings, one run) to earn his first High-A victory.

THE ARTIS FORMERLY KNOW AS DARRYL

In just his fourth game with the Pelicans, D.J. Artis tied a franchise record with a five-hit game on Friday. He became the 10th player in franchise history to collect five hits in a single game and the second this season, joining Zach Davis, who accomplished the feat on June 27 in Fayetteville as well. It was the first time in his baseball career, including high school and college, that Artis had a five-hit game. Making the night even more special, the Greensboro native had his mother and two siblings in attendance. It was the first time they had seen him play since he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 draft by the Cubs.

YOU GET A CAREER HIGH...YOU GET A CAREER HIGH...

Along with D.J. Artis setting a new career best with five hits, there were plenty of great nights for the Pelicans on Friday. Grant Fennell smacked a three-run homer and hit a sacrifice fly for a career-high four RBIs while Cam Balego bashed a RBI single and a two-run single for a career-high three runs batted in. Additionally, Carlos Sepulveda tied the most runs he has scored in a single game over his career, crossing the dish three times. Myrtle Beach had five players collect more than one hit in the win (Sepulveda, Artis, Balego, Miguel Amaya and Luke Reynolds).

DON'T CRY BECAUSE IT IS OVER, SMILE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED

The Chicago Cubs were busy at the trade deadline on Wednesday and there were two moves that directly impacted the Pelicans. Right-handed pitchers Alex Lange and Paul Richan were sent to Detroit in exchange for right fielder Nick Castellanos. Lange pitched with the Pelicans in 2018 and started this season in Myrtle Beach, but had been brilliant in Double-A Tennessee with a 3.92 ERA over seven starts with the Smokies. Richan was a Mid-Season All-Star in the Carolina League and went 10-5 with a 3.97 ERA over 17 starts with the Birds. The other deal that took from Myrtle Beach was outfielder Jimmy Herron, who was traded to the Colorado Rockies for International Signing Bonus Pool Allotment. Herron hit .220/.320/.336 over 92 games with the Birds.

GALINDO THE GREAT

Infielder Wladimir Galindo has been productive offensively for the Pelicans recently. After going 1-for-5 with a single and a run scored on Friday, Galindo is now hitting .291 over his last 16 games with a .757 OPS. Last season, Galindo hit just .216 with a .589 OPS in 114 games. In 2017 with Low-A South Bend, the Venezuelan hit .290 with a .782 OPS before a broken leg cut his season short.

SEPULVEDA AMONG THE ELITE

Pelicans second baseman Carlos Sepulveda has been one of the best defensive players in the Carolina League this season. Over 296 total chances, Sepulveda has just committed one error. Among Carolina Leaguers in any position who have played at least 60 games, Sepulveda's .997 fielding percentage leads the league. He is the only everyday second basemen in Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball to have committed just one error and he leads all Carolina League second basemen with 49 double plays turned. The 22-year-old missed part of 2017 and all of the 2018 season with a shoulder injury before returning to the diamond in 2019.

WOULD YOU PLEASE LEGGO MY BALEGO

Cam Balego has been a hot hitter for the Pelicans in the second half of the season. Since the break, he is hitting .282 with an .862 OPS in 40 games. Entering Saturday, the third baseman is riding a 15-game on-base streak. During that stretch, he is hitting .295/.500/.364 (.864 OPS). He has walked 16 times in the 15 games while striking out just seven times. The 15-game on-base streak is the longest such streak on the season for the Birds.

PELICAN POINTS

The Birds lead the Carolina League with 403 walks on the season. Cam Balego leads the team and is seventh in the league with 47 walks this season. Since July 9, Balego's 25 walks in 22 games is nine more than the next-closest player (Brice Turang of Carolina, 16). His .505 OBP during that stretch is also tops in the league by .067 (Sam Huff of Down East, .438).

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