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CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game Notes: May 8 at Down East

May 8, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


Today, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans take on the Down East Wood Ducks (a Texas Rangers affiliate) in the second game of the three-game series with first pitch at 11:00 a.m. This morning, RHP Paul Richan (2-2, 4.18 ERA) makes his sixth start for the Birds against LHP Jake Latz (0-1, 7.56 ERA). Coverage begins at 10:45 a.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.

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BIRDS WIN FOURTH IN A ROW, SNAP STREAK VS. DOWN EAST

The Myrtle Beach Pelicans look down the Down East Wood Ducks 4-3 on Tuesday night from Grainger Stadium. The victory was their fourth-straight win and snapped a seven-game skid against the Woodies. Myrtle Beach struck first in the top of the first on an RBI single from Miguel Amaya. Jhonny Bethencourt chipped in an RBI single in the fourth and Grant Fennell (sacrifice fly) and Aramis Ademan (single) knocked in the other Pelicans runs in the eighth. Erling Moreno was brilliant in his 6.1 innings, allowing only one run on four hits to earn his second win of the season. Though he allowed a run, Ben Hecht locked down the save in the ninth inning, his second save of the season.

BETTER GET HERE ON TIME

Over the first 32 games of the season, the Birds have allowed 29 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, 22.7 percent (68-of-299) have been scored in the first inning. There has been at least one first-inning run by either team in nine of the last 11 games the Pelicans have played. The Birds and their opponents have gone scoreless in the first three innings only twice in the last 16 games and only six times in their first 32 games.

THOSE DARN WOODIES

Down East has been a thorn in the side of the Pelicans in 2019. The Wood Ducks are 7-1 against Myrtle Beach so far this season, outscoring the Birds 50-22 (avg. of 6.3-2.8 per game). The Pelicans have a 5.87 ERA while just hitting .193 against Down East this season. The Woodies began the season by winning the first seven game of the matchup. It was the first time the Pelicans had lost seven in a row to begin the season against one team in recorded franchise history (dating back to 2005). Entering the year, in the two seasons that the Woodies had been in the Carolina League, Myrtle Beach was 31-20 against them.

HERRON THE HERO

Jimmy Herron has been hot at the plate for Myrtle Beach. The outfielder has reached in nine-straight games, hitting .400/.526/.733 over that stretch. In those nine games, he has seven extra base hits (5 2B, 3B, HR), 8 RBIs, 6 RS, 8 BB and 2 SB. In his prior seven games, he was just hitting .107 (3-for-28).

START ME UP AND NEVER STOP

Over this four-game winning streak, the pitching has been the key. Javier Assad, Alex Lange, Luis Lugo and Erling Moreno were brilliant in their starts. Assad went six shutout innings, Lange threw five shutout frames, Lugo delivered five innings of one-run ball and Moreno threw 6.1 innings, just allowing one run. Assad carried a no-hitter into the fourth inning while Lange didn't allow a hit in his five innings. Their starters' ERA of 0.81 has lowered the overall starters' ERA on the season substantially. Entering the Salem series, the starters' ERA was 7.02. Entering this series against Down East, that ERA has dropped to 6.03. As a whole, the Birds have only allowed six earned runs over the last four games (1.50 ERA).

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 3.89 ERA. Hecht leads the way 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), May has been much more kind to the Birds. In the first six games of May, the Birds are hitting .249 with an ERA of 3.17. 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.

SEE YA BEACHES

The Pelicans have played a bunch of home games in the early part of the season. Through the first 31 games of the year, the Birds played 21 games at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark. In those games, Myrtle Beach was 7-14. Over the next 21 contests, Myrtle Beach will play just four home games, embarking on six-game and 11-game road trips from May 7-12 and May 17-27. Winston-Salem comes to the beach for a four-game set in between those trips.

PELICAN POINTS

The Pelicans 300 hits allowed are second in High-A to the 319 ceded by the Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies affiliate) of the California League...By not recording a strikeout in his start on Tuesday, Erling Moreno became the first Birds' starter since Alex Lange, who just lasted 1.1 innings against the Down East Wood Ducks, on April 10 to not strike out a batter in their start.

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Carolina League Stories from May 8, 2019


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