CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game Notes: May 11 at Carolina

May 11, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


Today, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans take on the Carolina Mudcats (a Milwaukee Brewers affiliate) in the middle game of a three-game series with first pitch at 5:00 p.m. This evening, LHP Luis Lugo (1-1, 3.38 ERA) makes his fourth start for the Birds against RHP Braden Webb (0-0, 0.00 ERA). Coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.

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OFFENSE QUIETS, MUDDIES DOWN BIRDS

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans fell in the series opener against the Carolina Mudcats 5-1 on Friday night from Five County Stadium. Joantgel Segovia started the game off with a bang against Alex Lange (1-5) with a leadoff homer in the home half of the first inning. Carlos Sepulveda tied the game in the third with an RBI single, but the Mudcats took a 3-1 lead with two runs in the bottom of the third and added one two more in the seventh. Noah Zavolas (2-2) earned the win for Carolina, throwing eight innings, only allowing one run while striking out six. It was the longest start against the Pelicans this season.

REVOLVING DOOR AT THE TOP

In the early part of the season, the Pelicans have had a bunch of different players fill the leadoff spot in the order. Zach Davis (8 starts in the leadoff spot), Carlos Sepulveda (4), Yeiler Peguero (3), D.J. Wilson (7), Jimmy Herron (11) and Jhonny Bethencourt (2) have all hit first for the Birds this season. While Herron has the most starts at the top of the order, Davis has the highest batting average (.242) out of that spot. Overall, the leadoff spot has struggled, hitting just .198 (26-for-131).

WALK IT LIKE I TALK IT

The Pelicans have drawn their fair share of walks in 2019. Entering Saturday's contest against the Mudcats, the Birds lead the Carolina League with 142 free passes. Miguel Amaya is fourth in the league with 20 walks while Jimmy Herron's 19 base on balls drawn are sixth and Aramis Ademan places seventh with 18.

BETTER GET HERE ON TIME

Over the first 35 games of the season, the Birds have allowed 30 runs in the opening frame. On the offensive side, Myrtle Beach has scored 29 runs in the first inning themselves. Out of the total runs that have been scored in the games the Pelicans have played, 21.4 percent (69-of-322) have been scored in the first inning. There has been at least one first-inning run by either team in 10 of the last 14 games the Pelicans have played. The Birds and their opponents have gone scoreless in the first three innings only twice in the last 19 games and only six times in their first 35 games.

START ME UP AND NEVER STOP

Over the last seven contests for the Birds, in which they are 5-2, the starting pitching has been the key. Javier Assad, Alex Lange, Luis Lugo, Erling Moreno and Paul Richan all threw well in their starts. Their starters' ERA of 1.36 (6 ER in 39.2 IP) has lowered the overall starters' ERA on the season substantially. Entering the Salem series on May 3, the starters' ERA was 7.02. Entering Saturday's game against Carolina, that ERA has dropped to 5.59. As a whole, the Birds only allowed seven earned runs over the five-game winning streak (1.40 ERA) before surrendering seven on Thursday and five more on Friday.

HE'S A HECHT OF A BALLPLAYER

Ben Hecht has been brilliant out of the bullpen this season for the Pelicans. Hecht leads the way in the 'pen with a 1.76 ERA and paces the bunch with 12 appearances. Over his last six outings, the righty has struck out 15 over 9.1 innings while only allowing one run on eight hits. Last season, Hecht made 34 appearances for South Bend, owning a 4-1 record and a 4.23 ERA.

NEW MONTH, NEW ME

After a tough April in which the Pelicans set a record franchise low for winning percentage in a single month (.269) with a 7-19 record, May has been much more kind to the Birds. In the first nine games of May, the Birds are 5-4 and are hitting .235 with an ERA of 3.65. In April, Myrtle Beach just hit .212 with a 5.29 ERA. In 2018, after the Pelicans went 9-15 in April, they went 15-14 in May.

CLOSE RIVALRY

The Pelicans and the Mudcats have played some close games over the last few seasons. The 7-3 loss on April 23 was the most lopsided defeat for the Birds against Carolina since a 7-0 thumping on 5/3/18. In the Cubs affiliate era (2015-present), 75 of the 102 meetings (74 percent) between the two have been decided by three runs or fewer. The Birds are 36-39 in those contests. In one-run games, the Pelicans are 18-18, they are 9-13 in two-run contests and 8-9 in the head-to-head games decided by three runs.

DAVIS FLYING AROUND THE BASES

Pelicans outfielder Zach Davis has proven to be one of the most lethal base stealers in the Carolina League this season. Though he has only played in 18 games, Davis is tied for second in the league with 10 stolen bags, only trailing Jarren Duran of Salem with 13, who has played in 30 games. His 0.56 steals per game are by far the best in the league.

PELICAN POINTS

Joantgel Segovia's leadoff home run against Myrtle Beach on Friday was just the second long ball the Pelicans had allowed over their last 10 games. In turn, the Birds have just hit one homer their last nine games...The Pelicans are second in the league with 41 stolen bases after two swipes in Friday's loss to Carolina.

Check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Statistics



Carolina League Stories from May 11, 2019


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