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CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game Notes: May 4 vs. Salem

May 4, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


Today, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans take on the Salem Red Sox (a Boston Red Sox affiliate) in the second game of the three-game series with first pitch at 6:05 p.m. This evening, RHP Alex Lange (0-4, 21.00 ERA) makes his fifth start for the Birds against RHP Bryan Mata (1-0, 1.40 ERA). The contest will be locally televised on The CW21 and MiLB.TV, with coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. A radio broadcast will begin at 5:50 on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.

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BIRDS SNAP STREAK, THUMP SALEM IN SERIES OPENER

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans crushed the Salem Red Sox on Friday 12-2 to break an eight-game skid from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. The Birds put up five runs in the first and third innings before adding two more in the fifth on their way to their highest run and hit (15) outputs on the season. Cam Balego collected three hits while driving in two and Jhonny Bethencourt, Miguel Amaya, Tyler Payne, Aramis Ademan and Yeiler Peguero all picked up two-hit games. On the hill, Javier Assad just allowed three hits over six scoreless to pick up the Pelicans second quality start on the season.

THE STREAK IS OVER IN A BIG WAY

With the 12-2 win over Salem on Friday, the Pelicans snapped an eight-game skid and a streak in which they dropped 10 of their prior 11 games. In recorded franchise history (back to 2005), it was the fourth eight-game skid for the Pelicans. The longest losing streak since 2005 came in 2009 when Myrtle Beach dropped 10 straight from August 25 through September 4. Over the streak, the Pelicans were outscored 62-29 (an average of 7.8-3.6 per game).

BETTER GET HERE ON TIME

In the three-game sweep at the hands of the Salem Red Sox last weekend, the Pelicans allowed 12 runs in the first inning alone. Over the first 29 games of the season, the Birds have allowed 29 runs in the opening frame (9.00 ERA). On the offensive side, Myrtle Beach has scored 28 runs in the first inning themselves. Out of the total runs that have been scored in the games the Pelicans have played, 24.2 percent (67-of-277) have been scored in the first inning. There has been at least one run by either team in the last eight games the Pelicans have played. The Birds and their opponents have gone scoreless in the first three innings only once in the last 13 games and only five times in their first 29 games.

BIRDS ON THE POUND

On Friday, the Pelicans went 9-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Over the prior 11 games, in which the Pelicans were 1-10, the Birds struggled with RISP. They just hit .206 (20-for-97) with a runner at second or third in those games. When Myrtle Beach won four-straight games from 4/17-4/20, they hit .278 (10-for-36) with RISP.

SEEING DOUBLE

In the Pelicans' 12-2 victory over the Red Sox on Friday, the Birds banged out a season-best 15 hits and had six different players record multi-hit games. Cam Balego collected three hits while driving in two and Jhonny Bethencourt, Miguel Amaya, Tyler Payne, Aramis Ademan and Yeiler Peguero all picked up two-hit games. Bethencourt, Balego and Grant Fennell all knocked in a pair as well.

JUST OUT HERE KICKIN' IT

Starter Javier Assad had himself a day on Friday. Not only did he pitch his first quality start on the season and only the second by a Bird, he made a brilliant play defensively. With just one out in the first inning, Marco Hernandez laid a drag bunt up the first baseline. Assad came off the mound, fielded it, dropped it and then, after it bounced on the ground, kicked it with his right foot to first for the out. You can find the play on our Twitter @pelicanbaseball. Assad ceded just three hits in his six shutout frames, striking out three and walking three to earn his first win of the season.

HE'S A HECHT OF A BALLPLAYER

Ben Hecht has been brilliant out of the bullpen this season for the Pelicans. Overall the bullpen has been a bright spot, owning a 3.95 ERA. Hecht leads the way with a 1.35 ERA and paces the bunch with 10 appearances. Over his last four outings, the righty has struck out 11 over 7.1 scoreless innings while only allowing five hits and walking a pair. Last season, Hecht made 34 appearances for South Bend, owning a 4-1 record and a 4.23 ERA.

REST IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE DAY

With the additions of Tommy Nance and Jake Stinnett to the Pelicans' bullpen on Friday, the Birds are in great shape in the back end. Not including those two, the Birds have three members of the 'pen (Tyler Peyton, Luis Lugo and Ben Hecht) on three days of rest or more. The bullpen has been pitching well lately, owning a 2.74 ERA (7 ER in 23 IP) over the first five games of this homestand. Before the Down East series, the bullpen had a 4.28 ERA; it has now lowered to 4.00.

PELICAN POINTS

The Pelicans 280 hits allowed are second in High-A to the 296 ceded by the Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies affiliate) of the California League...Jimmy Herron is riding a season-long six-game hitting streak and has five extra-base hits over that stretch. After another double last night, Herron is now tied with Miguel Amaya for the team-lead in doubles with seven...Yeiler Peguero, following a two-hit game on Friday, now has seven hits in four games against Salem. over that stretch, he has 2 2B, 3B, four RBIs and 2 RS...The Pelicans' .284 batting average against Salem is the highest against any one team this season.

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