CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, August 4 at Potomac

Published on August 4, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Myrtle Beach Pelicans play a 5:30 p.m. Saturday doubleheader at the Potomac Nationals. In the opener, RHP Cory Abbott (2-5, 3.76 ERA) starts for the Birds against LHP Ben Braymer (6-3, 3.05 ERA). The finale pits LHP Bryan Hudson (6-8, 4.34 ERA) against RHP Kyle Johnston (2-1, 3.79 ERA). Coverage begins at 5:15 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.

DOWN EAST TAKES SERIES WITH 5-4 WIN

Leody Taveras compiled three RBI singles Thursday to help the Down East Wood Ducks beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5-4 in a rubber game from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. The Birds got on the board with Jose Gutierrez's RBI triple. The Wood Ducks grabbed the lead when Yanio Perez cracked a two-run home run in the fourth inning. An error brought in Jared Young in the bottom of the fourth to knot the score again. Down East answered in the top of the fifth with Tavares' first RBI single. Myrtle Beach grabbed the lead in the fifth on an error and Tyler Alamo sacrifice fly, making it 4-3. Taveras tied the game with an RBI single in the eighth before giving the Wood Ducks the advantage with another RBI base hit in the ninth at 5-4.

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO

Myrtle Beach starter Cory Abbott, who gets the nod in Saturday's twin bill opener at Potomac, is coming off his best start in a Pelicans uniform. The right-hander struck out 10 against one walk on July 27 against Lynchburg, yielding one run on four hits in 6.2 innings. After posting a 6.23 ERA in his first three starts with the Birds, Abbott has surrendered more than two earned runs in just one of his last five starts. During that span, the San Diego native has posted a 2.60 ERA thanks to 11 runs, eight earned, on 24 hits in 27.2 frames. Abbott has whiffed 28 against 10 walks over this run. Among Carolina League pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched, Abbott ranks in the top 20 in both FIP (18th, 3.16) and strikeout percentage (20th, 25.6 percent).

MARCH TO THE SUMMIT

Myrtle Beach's slow second-half start has presented the club with a long road to clinch what would be a league-record eighth consecutive postseason appearance. The Pelicans trail Buies Creek by 8.0 games in the standings, and the Birds would also need to leapfrog Carolina, who they follow by 4.5 games, to surpass the Astros. Additionally, Myrtle Beach loses the tiebreaker with both Buies Creek and Carolina. Thus, with 30 games to go in the regular season, even if the Astros finish their remaining 29 games at 14-15 (Buies Creek will play just 69 games in the half), the Pelicans would have to go 23-7 (.767) to win the Southern Division's second-half playoff spot. The Birds have not played a 30-game stretch that well all season.

MY HEART'S A MONASTERIO

In 16 games from June 30 through July 13, Myrtle Beach infielder Andruw Monasterio went just 7-for-56 (.125) at the plate. The Caracas, Venezuela native has reached base in each of his 13 contests since, batting 19-for-45 with two doubles, one home run and five RBIs to slash a sizzling .422/.500/.533 during this run. After posting a walk rate of 5.2 percent between Short Season Class A Eugene and Low-A South Bend in 2016 and 8.3 percent with South Bend and Myrtle Beach last year, Monasterio is walking in 11.7 percent of his plate appearances this season.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

After a six-game winning streak from July 10-16, Myrtle Beach has struggled, losing 11 of their last 15 contests. Over that span, the Pelicans have been outscored 69-43, yielding at least four runs in 11 of those 15 games. Since this stretch began on July 18, the Birds have surrendered 55 runs on 135 hits in 132.2 innings for a 3.73 ERA. However, Myrtle Beach has committed 20 errors over these 15 games, and the Pelicans' 125 miscues are tied for the 10th-highest such total in Minor League Baseball. With a loss on Friday against Potomac, the Birds will fall 11 games under .500, matching their low-water mark on the season.

YOUNG FOREVER

In the first four games following his July 7 promotion from Low-A South Bend to 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 19 games, he is batting 23-for-79 with two doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs and five walks to slash .329/.390/.486. Young has reached base in all 23 games with Myrtle Beach, and dating back to his time with Low-A South Bend, is currently on a 32-game on-base streak.

PELICAN POINTS

Nine of Myrtle Beach's last 10 games have been decided by three runs or less. Of those 10 contests, seven have been decided by one run. The Pelicans are 35-33 in games determined by no more than three runs on the season... The Birds are making their first trip to Pfitzner Stadium this season. They were 1-6 at Potomac in 2017.

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