CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, September 2 at Frederick

Published on September 2, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


The Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Frederick Keys resume a suspended game with no score in the top of the sixth inning at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday in Maryland. Sunday's regularly scheduled contest will follow at 6 p.m., when RHP Alex Lange (6-8, 3.73 ERA) starts against Frederick RHP Cody Sedlock (0-2, 10.05 ERA). Coverage begins at 4:15 p.m. on MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast, TuneIn and the MiLB First Pitch app.

PELICANS AND KEYS SUSPENDED IN FREDERICK

Saturday's doubleheader opener between the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Frederick Keys was suspended with no score going to the top of the sixth inning. The contest will resume Sunday at 6 p.m. from Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, with Sunday's scheduled contest, a nine-inning affair, following immediately after. In addition, Saturday's twin bill finale has been canceled due to rain. Thus, the two teams will finish the season with one game at 2 p.m. on Monday. In the suspended contest, Birds starter Bryan Hudson threw five shutout innings, allowing just one hit while facing the minimum due to a double play. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. However, Keys starter Zac Lowther also fired five scoreless innings with one hit against.

PITCH PERFECT

Over the last 27 games, Myrtle Beach starting pitchers have ceded three earned runs or less 25 times. During that span, the club's starters have pitched a total of 129.0 innings, yielding 47 earned runs on 103 hits for a 3.28 ERA. The Birds' bullpen has started to heat up recently as well; After posting a 6.38 ERA due to 13 runs, all earned, on 27 hits in 18.1 frames in the seven games from August 2-11, Pelicans relievers have allowed 36 runs, 18 earned, on 66 hits in 76.2 innings (2.11 ERA) over the last 18 contests.

FRIENDS CLOSE, ENEMIES CLOSER

Over the Pelicans' last 36 contests, 30 have been decided by three runs or less, including a remarkable 24 by just one tally. In the 100 battles prior to this run, the Birds had played in just 20 one-run games. On the season, Myrtle Beach has played 89 games decided by no more than three runs, the highest total in the Carolina League. The Pelicans began the year 10-3 (.769) in one-run contests, but have gone 9-22 (.290) in those engagements ever since.

WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS

During the month of August, the Birds batted just .208/.287/.278 to post a .565 OPS, far below their league-worst mark on the season of .630. The Pelicans went just 10-18 (.357) in August, their worst record in the dog days since going 9-20 (.310) in 2009. During this August, Myrtle Beach was a woeful 41-for-213 (.192) with runners in scoring position, plating a total of 71 runs (2.5 per game).

HAVIN' A RECORD YEAR

While Myrtle Beach's pitching staff has held its own, ranking in the top half of the league in nearly every category this season, the club has been undone by a porous offense. With just four games to go in the regular season, the Pelicans are closing in on several club records offensively. The Birds have scored only 461 runs this season, 76 fewer than ninth-place Carolina, and also below the 506 the 2003 Pelicans mustered, a mark that currently ranks as the worst in team history. Myrtle Beach's current .233 batting average is also lower than their team-low .237 in 2000. The club has also registered only 54 home runs, 994 hits and 171 doubles this season, which would shatter the previous lows of 64 long balls (2013), 1,069 knocks (2000) and 191 two-baggers (2017).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Myrtle Beach lost their 2018 home finale 2-1 to Buies Creek on Thursday, sealing the club's first losing home record since 2010. The Pelicans now play at Frederick for their final set of the 2018 campaign. The Birds have struggled away from TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark this season, going 26-41 (.388), the third-worst such mark in the Carolina League. That is also the club's first losing away mark since going 32-38 (.457) in 2013, as well as their worst since a 25-45 (.357) record outside the Grand Strand in 2010.

ERROR 503: SERVICE UNAVAILABLE

Myrtle Beach's 154 errors on the season are far and away the highest total in the Carolina League and rank in a tie for the 10th-most in all of Minor League Baseball. The Birds have committed at least one miscue in 12 of their last 16 games, making 25 errors during that span. Over the previous 12 contests, the Pelicans tallied just five miscues.

PELICAN POINTS

Myrtle Beach has lost seven of their last 10 games, dropping their overall record to a season-worst 16 games below .500 at 60-76... Birds starter Alex Lange ranks eighth in the Carolina League by helping catch 11 of the 24 attempted base stealers against him (45.8 percent). Over his last four starts, Lange has surrendered seven runs on 13 hits in 23.0 innings for a 2.74 ERA (19 K, 9 BB).

Check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from September 2, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central