CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, June 6 at Buies Creek

Published on June 6, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Myrtle Beach Pelicans play at the Buies Creek Astros in Wednesday's 6 p.m. contest. RHP Alex Lange (3-2, 3.26 ERA) pitches for the Birds against Buies Creek RHP Brandon Bailey (1-5, 3.61 ERA). Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.

PELICANS FEND OFF BUIES CREEK TO WIN 7-4 P.J. Higgins and Jhonny Pereda each stroked three hits Tuesday to help the Myrtle Beach Pelicans hold off the Buies Creek Astros 7-4. A Higgins RBI single opened up the scoring in the Birds' first at-bats. Both clubs traded runs in the fourth and fifth innings to push the tally to 3-2. In the sixth, a two-run single by Connor Myers and RBI double by Luis Ayala gave Myrtle Beach a 6-2 advantage. After the Astros plated a run in the bottom of the sixth, Kevonte Mitchell, who also notched two doubles, lifted a sacrifice fly to put the Pelicnas up 7-3. Buies Creek scored a run on an infield single and error in the ninth, but Tyler Peyton struck out Ronnie Dawson as the tying run to end the game.

#WEAREGOOD The Pelicans have rattled off 10 wins in their last 12 games as they enter their Wednesday contest 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 48-22 over this 12-game stretch, posting three shutouts. Since this run began on May 23, the 22 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 33 tallies. The Pelicans' 1.40 ERA over this run is nearly a full run better than that of the Hot Rods (2.02). The 73 hits Myrtle Beach has yielded over this run is also the fewest of any full-season MiLB club. In addition, the Pelicans' 24 walks is knotted for the 10th-best in full-season ball.

LET'S JUST NOT ALLOW RUNS Over the last 12 games, Myrtle Beach has seen their starting pitching catch fire, with the club's rotation ceding just 12 runs, 10 earned, on 45 hits in 70.0 innings for a 1.29 ERA. Pelicans starters have whiffed 61 while walking only 16 during this stretch. Meanwhile the Birds' bullpen has been thriving for even longer. Over the past 35 contests dating back to April 28, Pelicans relievers have posted 2.04 ERA thanks to 39 runs, 27 earned, on 93 hits (7.0 H/9) in 119.1 innings. Myrtle Beach's relief pitchers have also whiffed 121 (9.1 K/9) over this span. The Birds' bullpen has yielded just two runs over their last 28.0 innings (0.64 ERA) 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 25-18 (.581) mainly behind their pitching. In their last 43 games, Myrtle Beach has yielded just 161 runs (3.7 per game). The Pelicans' 3.15 ERA during this stretch leads the Carolina League while placing eighth throughout Minor League Baseball. Meanwhile, the Birds have allowed just 295 hits (seventh in MiLB) and walked 109 batters (22nd in MiLB) since April 19, helping Myrtle Beach to a WHIP of 1.169, the sixth-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 significantly. Over the Pelicans' last 29 games, the club has posted a defensive efficiency of 73.1 percent (920 AB, 227 K, 201 H, 18 HR, 6 SF). To put that in perspective, the Cubs lead Major League Baseball this season in defensive efficiency at 73.8 percent.

EYE OF THE TIGER Myrtle Beach starter Alex Lange has not allowed a run in 13 consecutive innings. Over his last three starts, the former LSU right-hander has surrendered just one run on 13 hits in 16.0 innings for a 0.56 ERA (17 K, 2 BB). Lange's hot streak has helped push his FIP, an ERA estimator based on factors most within a pitcher's control like strikeouts, walks and home runs, to 2.45, the third-best mark in the Carolina League. Lange has walked only 4.8 percent of batters this season, which also ranks third in the circuit. Meanwhile, his strikeout rate of 21.8 percent places 14th. Interestingly, when opponents put the ball in play, 45.9 percent of batted balls have been grounders, the 11th-best mark in the league. However, Lange's line drive rate of 21.8 percent is the 10th-highest mark.

PELICAN POINT The seven runs the Birds scored Tuesday was their most since eight on May 21 against Lynchburg.

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