
Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, August 31 at Frederick
August 31, 2018 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans start their final series of the 2018 season with a 7 p.m. contest at the Frederick Keys. LHP Bryan Hudson (6-11, 4.92 ERA) starts for the Birds against Frederick RHP Cody Sedlock (0-2, 10.05 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.
BUIES CREEK SLIPS BY BIRDS FOR SERIES WIN
The Buies Creek Astros edged the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2-1 in Thursday's home finale from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. Birds starter Cory Abbott fired five shutout innings, scattering four hits and three walks. He struck out three. Buies Creek found the scoreboard in the top of the sixth. Carlos Canelon knocked in the game's first run with an RBI single. Myrtle Beach tied the contest in the seventh when Jared Young scampered home on a wild pitch. However, in the top of the eighth inning, Cody Bohanek notched an RBI single to put the Astros ahead 2-1. The Pelicans were turned away by Carlos Sanabria, who pitched 1.1 perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts for his first save of the season.
PITCH PERFECT
Over the last 27 games, Myrtle Beach starting pitchers have ceded three earned runs or less 25 times. During that span, the club's starters have pitched a total of 129.0 innings, yielding 47 earned runs on 103 hits for a 3.28 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 36 runs, 18 earned, on 66 hits in 76.2 innings (2.11 ERA) over the last 18 contests.
FRIENDS CLOSE, ENEMIES CLOSER
Over the Pelicans' last 36 contests, 30 have been decided by three runs or less, including a remarkable 24 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 89 games decided by no more than three runs, the highest total in the Carolina League. The Pelicans began the year 10-3 (.769) in one-run contests, but have gone 9-22 (.290) in those engagements ever since.
WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS
During the month of August, the Birds are batting just .208/.287/.278 to post a .565 OPS, far below their league-worst mark on the season of .630. The Pelicans are just 10-18 (.357) in August, their worst record in the dog days since going 9-20 (.310) in 2009. During this August, Myrtle Beach is a woeful 41-for-213 (.192) with runners in scoring position, plating a total of 71 runs (2.5 per game).
HAVIN' A RECORD YEAR
While Myrtle Beach's pitching staff has held its own, ranking in the top half of the league in nearly every category this season, the club has been undone by a porous offense. With just four games to go in the regular season, the Pelicans are closing in on several club records offensively. The Birds have scored only 461 runs this season, 68 fewer than ninth-place Carolina, and also below the 506 the 2003 Pelicans mustered, a mark that currently ranks as the worst in team history. Myrtle Beach's current .233 batting average is also lower than their team-low .237 in 2000. The club has also registered only 54 home runs, 994 hits and 171 doubles this season, which would shatter the previous lows of 64 long balls (2013), 1,069 knocks (2000) and 191 two-baggers (2017).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Myrtle Beach lost their 2018 home finale 2-1 to Buies Creek on Thursday, sealing the club's first losing home record since 2010. The Pelicans now hit the road Friday to play at Frederick for their final set of the 2018 campaign. The Birds have struggled away from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark this season, going 26-41 (.388), the third-worst such mark in the Carolina League. That is also the club's 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.
ERROR 503: SERVICE UNAVAILABLE
Myrtle Beach's 154 errors on the season are far and away the most in the Carolina League and rank in a tie for the most in all of Minor League Baseball. The Birds have committed at least one miscue in 12 of their last 16 games, making 25 errors during that span. Over the previous 12 contests, the Pelicans registered just five miscues.
PELICAN POINTS
Myrtle Beach has lost seven of their last 10 games, dropping their overall record to a season-worst 16 games below .500 at 60-76... Buies Creek's 2-1 win on Thursday was the Astros' 18th over Myrtle Beach in 2018. That figure represents the most the Pelicans have ever lost to one opponent in a single season... The Birds have not played Frederick since a three-game set from May 19-20.
Carolina League Stories from August 31, 2018
- Mudcats Lose Penultimate 2018 Home Game 14-1 to Buies Creek - Carolina Mudcats
- Winston Tops Down East 7-4 in Series Opener at Grainger Stadium - Winston-Salem Dash
- Leblanc's Big Night Not Enough in Defeat to the Dash - Down East Wood Ducks
- Miller's Big Night Leads Hillcats to Blowout of Salem on Friday - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Sox Hammered 8-0 by Hillcats Friday - Salem Red Sox
- Friday's Series Opener in Frederick Postponed - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Keys and Pelicans Rained Out - Frederick Keys
- Blue Rocks and Nationals Postponed - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- P-Nats and Blue Rocks Washed out Friday Night - Potomac Nationals
- Dalbec, Hernandez to Play in Arizona Fall League - Salem Red Sox
- August 31 - Carolina Mudcats Game Information - Carolina Mudcats
- Four 2018 Hillcats Named to Arizona Fall League Roster - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Winston-Salem Dash: Game Notes (august 31 At Down East) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Eight Current & Former P-Nats Scheduled to Play in the 2018 Arizona Fall League - Potomac Nationals
- Daniel Brown Among Several 2018 Mudcats Named to Play in Arizona Fall League - Carolina Mudcats
- Five 2018 Dash Stars to Play in Arizona Fall League - Winston-Salem Dash
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, August 31 at Frederick - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Grainger Stadium Named Field of the Year for the Second Straight Season - Down East Wood Ducks
- Young Named CL Broadcaster of the Year - 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.
Other Recent Myrtle Beach Pelicans Stories
- Lynchburg Earns Series Win with 9-2 Victory over Myrtle Beach
- Pelicans Collect Third Shutout of the Season, Down Hillcats 6-0
- Myrtle Beach Squanders Early Lead, Fall to Lynchburg 12-4
- Three-Run Eighth Inning Pushes Hillcats Past Pelicans
- Pelicans and Hillcats Split Twin Bill on Wednesday

