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CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, May 22 vs. Lynchburg

May 22, 2018 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Myrtle Beach Pelicans host the Lynchburg Hillcats in Tuesday's 7:05 p.m. contest from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. LHP Bryan Hudson (3-3, 5.23 ERA) pitches for the Pelicans against Hillcats RHP Justin Garza (2-1, 2.16 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. on MiLB.tv, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.

FIVE-RUN EIGHTH NETS COMEBACK WIN FOR BIRDS

Down 5-0 in the top of the first inning, Myrtle Beach cut the deficit to 5-3 before rattling off five runs in the eighth inning Monday to beat Lynchburg. Mitch Long homered on the first pitch of the game to set the tone in a five-run first. However, in the bottom of the first inning, Jhonny Pereda and Tyler Alamo bashed back-to-back home runs to cut the margin to 5-2. The Pelicans added another run in the fourth on Daniel Spingola's RBI single, setting up their huge eighth. Aramis Ademan drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the Hillcats' lead to 5-4. Connor Myers then lined a two-run single to give the Birds their first advantage. A two-run double by P.J. Higgins made it 8-5 in the eighth.

COME BACK SONG

It had been more than a year since the Pelicans had rallied from at least five runs down to win a game when Myrtle Beach did just that to knock off Buies Creek 8-7 on May 13. Just eight days later, the Birds overcame another five-run hole in beating Lynchburg 8-5 last night. Thus, this is the first season Myrtle Beach has staged two comebacks of at least five runs since 2013. Interestingly, those two come-from-behind wins in 2013 came within five days of each other; the Birds were down 6-0 before overcoming Potomac 7-6 on August 8 and on August 13, the Pelicans trailed 5-0 in Frederick before storming back to win 10-8. In fact, after that win over Frederick, Myrtle Beach didn't stage a rally of at least five runs until coming back from a 5-0 deficit to knock off Lynchburg 10-8 on April 30, 2017. The Birds have never enjoyed a season with three rallies of at least five runs in their recorded history (through the 2005 season).

REMEMBER THE ALAMO

Over 13 games from April 16 through May 7, Pelicans first baseman Tyler Alamo went just 8-for-46 (.174), drawing just three walks with one hit-by-pitch for a .240 on-base percentage. However, over the past 11 contests, the Cypress, Calif., native is 14-for-38 (.368/.429/.684), lashing three doubles and three home runs to drive in eight runs. He has also drawn five walks. Perhaps the biggest change for Alamo in 2018 has been his ability to get the ball in the air. After lifting 31.5 percent of his batted balls in the air in 2017, his fly ball rate of 43.8 percent in 2018 ranks as the 11th-highest in the Carolina League.

YOU USED TO CALL ME ON THE BULLPEN PHONE...

Myrtle Beach's last eight games, which include a pair of doubleheaders, have totaled 60 innings for the club's pitching staff. The Pelicans' bullpen has combined to throw just 18.0 of those frames, making up 2.1 innings per game and 30.0 percent of the club's total during this span. In comparison, prior to this stretch, Myrtle Beach relievers had made up 127.0 of the club's 305.1 frames, or 41.6 percent. Unfortunately for the Birds, fewer innings from their bullpen might not be a good thing; Over the past 22 games dating back to April 28, Pelicans relievers have posted 2.39 ERA thanks to 27 runs, 18 earned, on 60 hits (8.0 H/9) in 67.2 innings. Myrtle Beach's relief pitchers have also whiffed 74 (9.8 K/9) over this span.

...LATE GAME, WHEN YOU NEED MY ARM

Part of the reason Myrtle Beach has relied on its bullpen less is that the club's starting pitching has gotten stronger and stronger as the year has gone on. While southpaws Jose Paulino and Bryan Hudson have struggled at times, the club's other four starters, all right-handers in Keegan Thompson, Tyson Miller, Alex Lange and Matt Swarmer, have pitched fairly well throughout the year. The quartet of righties have collectively gone 9-11 with a 3.87 ERA in 158.1 innings, yielding 76 runs, 68 earned, on 159 hits (9.0 H/9). Thompson, Miller, Lange and Swarmer have combined for 153 strikeouts (8.7 K/9) against 36 free passes (2.0 BB/9).

PEREDA, PEREDA, PEREDADISE

Jhonny Pereda leads the Pelicans in average (.304) and on-base percentage (.379), and he has popped two home runs in the last two games. Over his last 31 starts, the native of San Sebastian, Venezuela is hitting .325/.392/.470 with three doubles, one triple, four home runs and 26 RBIs. Pereda ranks ninth in the Carolina League in average due to a contact-oriented approach that has seen him whiff at just 8.4 percent of pitches, the 10th-lowest in the circuit. Pereda has sprayed his batted balls to the opposite field (41.0 percent, fifth-most in the league) and up the middle (25.7 percent) a combined 67.7 percent of the time.

PELICAN POINT

Of Myrtle Beach's last 21 games, 14 have been decided by three runs or less. The Birds are 9-5 in those contests.

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