CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, June 5 at Buies Creek

Published on June 5, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Myrtle Beach Pelicans meet the Buies Creek Astros for Tuesday's 6 p.m. contest at Jim Perry Stadium. LHP Bryan Hudson (3-4, 5.82 ERA) starts for the Birds against Buies Creek RHP Carson LaRue (3-2, 4.23 ERA). Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.

PELICANS SWEEP DOWN EAST WITH 3-0 WIN

Tyson Miller, Erick Leal and Wyatt Short combined to shut out the Down East Wood Ducks Sunday in a 3-0 victory, sealing Myrtle Beach's first sweep of the season. Miller went the first six innings, scattering three hits and a walk to strike out four. Leal pitched 1.2 scoreless before Short fanned all four batters he faced for the save. The Pelicans finally opened up the scoring in the sixth inning on a Connor Myers RBI single and Austin Upshaw safety squeeze bunt. In the seventh, the Birds tacked on one more when Jhonny Pereda ended a 10-pitch at-bat with an RBI base hit. Myrtle Beach's brooming of Down East marked the latest in a season the Birds have executed their first sweep since 2012.

#WEAREGOOD

The Pelicans have rattled off nine wins in their last 11 games as they enter their Tuesday series opener at Buies Creek. In the process, Myrtle Beach has earned four consecutive series wins after totaling three all season prior to this run. The Birds have outscored their opponents 41-18 over this 11-game stretch, posting three shutouts. Since this run began on May 23, the 18 runs the Birds have allowed are the fewest in all of full-season Minor League Baseball. In fact, the next closest team is Bowling Green (Low-A, Rays), which has surrendered 27 tallies. The Pelicans' 1.16 ERA over this run is nearly a half-run better than that of the Hot Rods (1.65). The 64 hits Myrtle Beach has yielded over this run is tied with Kannapolis (Low-A, White Sox) for the best of any full-season MiLB club. In addition, the Pelicans' 24 walks is knotted for the eighth-best in full-season ball.

LET'S JUST NOT ALLOW RUNS

Over the last 11 games, Myrtle Beach has seen their starting pitching catch fire, with the club's rotation ceding just nine runs, seven earned, on 40 hits in 64.1 innings for a 0.98 ERA. Pelicans starters have whiffed 59 while walking only 13 during this stretch. Meanwhile the Birds' bullpen has been thriving for even longer. Over the past 34 contests dating back to April 28, Pelicans relievers have posted 2.02 ERA thanks to 38 runs, 26 earned, on 89 hits (6.9 H/9) in 116.0 innings. Myrtle Beach's relief pitchers have also whiffed 119 (9.2 K/9) over this span. The Birds' bullpen has yielded just one run over their last 24.2 innings (0.36) dating back to May 27.

AND IT'S NOT JUST A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE EITHER

On April 19, Myrtle Beach entered play with a woeful 5.85 ERA that ranked dead last in the Carolina League. The Birds had surrendered 93 runs (6.6 per game) through the first 14 contests of the season to that point. Since then, the Pelicans, who were 3-11 (.214) to start 2018, have gone 24-18 (.571) mainly behind their pitching. In their last 42 games, Myrtle Beach has yielded just 157 runs (3.7 per game). The Pelicans' 3.12 ERA during this stretch leads the Carolina League while placing eighth throughout Minor League Baseball. Meanwhile, the Birds have allowed just 286 hits (T-10th in MiLB) and walked 109 batters (T-20th in MiLB) since April 19, helping Myrtle Beach to a WHIP of 1.162, the fifth-best in the minor leagues.

DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS

Over the first 28 games of the season, Myrtle Beach's defense struggled, turning just 63.9 percent of balls put into play by opponents into outs. However, since then, the club has turned their defense around signficantly. Over the Pelicans' last 28 games, the club has posted a defensive efficiency of 74.3 percent (885 AB, 192 H, 17 HR, 5 SF). To put that in perspective, the Cubs lead Major League Baseball this season in defensive efficiency at 73.8 percent.

YOUR FRIEND AND MINE

Pelicans outfielder Connor Myers struggled offensively in 2017, batting .188/.234/.245 (34 wRC+). The Middletown, Md., native has raised his offensive game significantly this season, slashing .278/.337/.389 (105 wRC+). Myers has registered two or more hits in five of his last 10 games, and his 16 multi-hit games on the season leads the club. Over these past 10 contests, Myers is 13-for-37 (.353/.385/.486) with five doubles, five RBIs and two walks. Myers, who is riding a .372 BABIP, has increased his line drive rate from 17.9 percent in 2017 to 25.4 percent this year. He has also show a more discernible eye at the plate, cutting down his strikeout rate from 29.2 percent to 25.4 percent and raising his walk rate from 4.8 percent to 7.5 percent.

PELICAN POINTS

Myrtle Beach's 27 wins match that of first-place Potomac in the North... Pitchers Jordan Minch and Matt Swarmer were promoted Tuesday to Double-A Tennessee.

Check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Statistics

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