CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, May 26 at Carolina

Published on May 26, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Myrtle Beach Pelicans meet the Carolina Mudcats with Saturday's 5 p.m. contest at Five County Stadium. RHP Keegan Thompson (1-3, 4.14 ERA) takes the bump for the Birds against Muddies RHP Conor Harber (1-1, 2.08 ERA). Coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, the MiLB First Pitch app and TuneIn.

MYRTLE BEACH LOSES ON HIURA WALK-OFF

Keston Hiura launched a walk-off three-run home run Saturday for the Carolina Mudcats to beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4-1 at Five County Stadium. The Muddies struck first in the contest, plating a run in the second inning to go up 1-0. However, that was the only damage Birds starter Bailey Clark conceded in his four strong innings. Erick Leal and Casey Bloomquist each pitched two scoreless frames out of the bullpen, but Myrtle Beach could not score until late. However, in the eighth inning, Luis Ayala notched an RBI single to tie the score at one. The game went to extra innings, but the Pelicans could not muster a run in the top of the 10th before Hiura's blast.

FOOL ME TWICE... STRIKE THREE

In their series opener with Lynchburg on Monday, the Pelicans struck out 14 Hillcats, matching a season-high and setting the tone on an impressive series on the mound. All told, the Birds compiled double-digit strikeouts in all four games, and the club's 49 total whiffs (12.3 K/9) were their most in any series this season. Myrtle Beach picked up right where it left off in their Friday set opener with Carolina, coming one whiff shy of double digits with nine punchouts. Thus, over the last five games, the Birds have faced 190 batters, fanning 58 of them, the third-most in all of Minor League Baseball over that span, and 30.5 percent of opposing hitters. To put things in perspective, Houston's 29.3 percent strikeout rate leads Major League Baseball this season.

JHONNY ON THE SPOT

Jhonny Pereda leads the Pelicans in average (.304) and on-base percentage (.390) and and is second on the club in slugging percentage (.430). Somehow, he has been even better recently, reaching base in five straight games (5-for-16, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 6 BB). Over his last 34 starts, the native of San Sebastian, Venezuela is hitting .323/.399/.457 with three doubles, one triple, four home runs and 28 RBIs. Pereda ranks ninth in the Carolina League in average due to a contact-oriented approach that has seen him whiff at just 8.2 percent of pitches, the 10th-lowest in the circuit. Pereda has sprayed his batted balls to the opposite field (39.6 percent, seventh-most in the league) and up the middle (26.1 percent) a combined 65.7 percent of the time.

'PEN PALS

Though Jordan Minch served up a walk-off home run Friday to Keston Hiura, Erick Leal and Casey Bloomquist each fired two shutout innings of relief, continuing strong bullpen work from Myrtle Beach. Thus, over the past 26 games dating back to April 28, Pelicans relievers have posted 2.47 ERA thanks to 35 runs, 24 earned, on 74 hits (7.6 H/9) in 87.1 innings. Myrtle Beach's relief pitchers have also whiffed 96 (9.9 K/9) over this span.

YOU MAY BE RIGHT, I MAY BE CRAZY

While southpaws Jose Paulino and Bryan Hudson have struggled at times, the club's other five pitchers who have started this year, all right-handers in Keegan Thompson, Tyson Miller, Alex Lange, Matt Swarmer and Bailey Clark, have pitched fairly well throughout the year. When starting, the quintet of righties have collectively gone 10-11 with a 3.56 ERA in 174.1 innings, yielding 78 runs, 69 earned, on 171 hits (8.8 H/9). Thompson, Miller, Lange, Swarmer and Clark have combined for 173 strikeouts (8.9 K/9) against 38 free passes (2.0 BB/9) in a starting role.

RALLY, RALLY, THE PITCHER'S NAME IS(N'T) SALLY

Carolina's eight losses when leading after the sixth inning is more than double the next-closest Carolina League team, and with all the trouble the Mudcats' bullpen has had this season, the Pelicans may be given the opportunity to climb back into a game if they fall behind. While Myrtle Beach has struggled on the whole this year, the club has shown fight, already mustering two five-run comeback victories this year for the first time since 2013. The Pelicans had just one such rally from 2014-17 combined. Meanwhile, the Birds own the league's most wins when trailing after the sixth inning (five), after the seventh inning (four) and after the eighth inning (two), respectively.

PELICAN POINTS

Thanks to the work of Alex Lange, Matt Swarmer and Bailey Clark, Myrtle Beach's starting pitchers have ceded just one run, earned, on 12 hits in 16.0 innings over the last three games for a 0.56 ERA. Over that span, that trio whiffed 20 against just two walks... P.J. Higgins has reached base in 13 of his last 14 games, going 14-for-49 (.286) with a double and nine walks for a .397 on-base percentage.

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