
Pelicans Game Notes: 12:05 p.m. at Potomac Nationals - July 30, 2014
July 30, 2014 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release
LAST TIME OUT: The Pelicans never trailed in a 8-6 win over the Potomac Nationals on Tuesday night at Pfitnzer Stadium. With the win, the Pelicans earn their first series win in four tries and take the season-series with the Nationals...The Pelicans jumped out to an early lead with three straight hits off of Matthew Spann in the first.
After line drive single to left from CHRIS GARIA, JORGE ALFARO smacked his fifth triple of the season to open the scoring. PRESTON BECK then drove him home with a liner to right field...Over the next two innings, however, the Nationals tied things up. Tony Renda roped a leadoff double in the first and scored on a sacrifice fly after a sacrifice bunt got him to third base...In the second, with one on and two out, CHRIS GARIA dropped a fly ball to deep left field off the bat of Starlin Martinez. Khayyan Norfork scored all the way from first to tie things up...Myrtle Beach wasted no time in retaking the lead, however. In the third LEWIS BRINSON muscled a single to left with the infield in, scoring Alfaro from third, to put his club ahead 3-2. Brinson collected three RBI on the night...The Pelicans added a single run in the fourth, and the teams traded runs in the fifth...
Ahead 5-3 in the seventh, the Birds tacked on three unearned runs off of reliever Richie Mirowski. Alfaro led off reaching on a throwing error by Stephen Perez. The next two batters reached to load the bases with no outs. Brinson brought home a run with a fielder's choice, and, with two outs, CHRISTOPHER BOSTICK drove in two with his fifth triple of the year and the team's third of the series...
With a five-run advantage, the Pelicans turned to CODY EGE in the eighth, pitching for a second consecutive day. The P-Nats knocked five straight hits off of the southpaw to score three runs and bring the go-ahead run to the plate. That's when Myrtle Beach went back to the pen and brought on ABEL DE LOS SANTOS, also pitching for a second straight day...Pedro Severino moved the runners on a sacrifice bunt. With the tying-run in scoring position, De Los Santos induced a groundout back to him off the bat of Tony Renda for the second out and struck out Stephen Perez to end the inning...With the score still 8-6 in favor of Myrtle Beach, JOSE LECLERC surrendered a one-out walk in the ninth but got out of the inning unscathed to nail down his twelfth save...Parra (8-6) earned the win to become the active team leader in victories, while Spann (7-5) shouldered the loss.
DUSTING OFF THE BROOMS: With a win today, the Pelicans could complete their seventh sweep and first of the second half. The last time that the Pelicans swept a team was at Lynchburg June 3-5.
The Birds have not won every game in a series in Woodbridge since June 1-4, 2006. Current Ranger MATT HARRISON won game three of that four-game set with eight innings of one-run ball to lower his season ERA to 2.67.
A PERFECT FIRST IMPRESSION: Tossing another two scoreless innings on Monday, reliever JOSH MCELWEE joins three other Pelicans pitchers to start their seasons with the Pelicans with at least eight scoreless innings. The others are JOSE MONEGRO (13.0), MARTIRE GARCIA (10.0), and ALEXANDER CLAUDIO (9.0).
McElwee has allowed just five hits and four walks in his eight shutout frames and has struck out 12 batters. He fanned 14.25 batters per nine innings while in the South Atlantic League with the Hickory Crawdads before his July 18 promotion.
UNTIL THE MILL CUP CHAMPIONSHIP: This is the final series between the Pelicans and the Nationals. Myrtle Beach won the season-set with their win last night and now have won 11 of the 19 games so far. The Pelicans have only completed one season-series so far, winning 9 of the 20 games against Frederick.
ONE RUN WOES: The Pelicans won their first four one-run games this season but have not faired as well in the games decided by the razor-thin margin since. Myrtle Beach is just 6-14 in those games since then (10-14 overall) and had lost seven of their last eight one- run contests, but earned the one-run victory on Thursday. The club is dominating in two-run games, however, with another win on Tuesday by a pair, they are now 15-3 in those contests. They have the second worst second in the league in one-run games but the best record in games decided by two runs and by three runs.
RUNNING WILD: With CHRIS GARIA's 34th stolen base of the season on Saturday, the outfielder is now third in the league and tied for fourth on the single season record list in team history in stolen bases. GREGOR BLANCO stole 34 bases in 2003. Garia trails only J.C. HOLT (35, 2006), QUENTIN DAVIS (37, 2007), and ADAM STERN (40, 2002). The 34 steals is also career-high for the native of Willemstad, Curaçao. With another three steals last night, the Pelicans lead the league in stolen bases by themselves for the first time this season.
ALL YOUR PLAYERS ARE BELONG TO US: LHP ANDREW FAULKNER was promoted on Saturday and is 12th different Pelican to be promoted to Double-A this season and joins former 2014 Pelicans KEONE KELA, ODUBEL HERRERA, JOEY GALLO, CHI CHI GONZALEZ, WILL LAMB, ALEXANDER CLAUDIO, HANSER ALBERTO, CHRIS GRAYSON, and MARTIRE GARCIA, who are all currently on the Frisco roster. EDWIN GARCIA and RYAN BORES spent time in Double-A but are back with the Birds.
Faulkner made his Double-A debut on Monday, allowing two runs, one earned in five innings. He struck out seven Midland Rockhounds in the no decision.
TREADING WATER: On Monday, for the fifth time in the half, the Pelicans faced falling below a .500 record, and once again, the club avoided that fate. The Pelicans have not been below .500 in the second half and have not been under the even mark for the season since their first win in a four-game sweep at Salem on April 11 to improve to 4-4.
STRUTTING THEIR FEATHERS: The Pelicans roster currently features four players highlighted in Baseball America's list of the Rangers' Top 30 prospects, including two of the top 5, and two in the overall top 100 in MiLB. Catcher JORGE ALFARO (ranked No.
2 in the Rangers Top 30, No. 54 in the overall Top 100) and NICK WILLIAMS (3, 97) rank in the top 100. The other players in the Texas Top 30 are OF LEWIS BRINSON (15) and RHP JOSE LECLERC (16).
Unranked in the top 30, CHRIS GARIA is the "Fastest Baserunner" and PRESTON BECK has the "Best Outfield Arm." CHRISTOPHER BOSTICK, traded from Oakland in December, was ranked No. 18 in the Athletics' top 30 by BA. Third baseman JOEY GALLO (4, 60) and RHPs ALEX "CHI CHI" GONZALEZ (5), KEONE KELA (18), and LHP ALEXANDER CLAUDIO (27) were all on the Pelicans' Opening Day Roster and are now with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.
Carolina League Stories from July 30, 2014
- Lopez, Santos Lead Blue Rocks to 4-2 Win over Hillcats - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Hillcats' Five-Game Streak Ends with 4-2 Loss - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Pelicans Sweep P-Nats With Win In Longest Game Of 2014 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Pelicans Sweep P-Nats In 16-Inning Marathon - Potomac Nationals
- Local Ballfield Wins Major League Makeover - Winston-Salem Dash
- Rodon Debuts, Wendelken Stars in Dash Win - Winston-Salem Dash
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Mudcats Stroll Past Sox for Series Win - Carolina Mudcats
- Dash Rout Keys 12-2 - Frederick Keys
- Indians Name Jeremy Lucas Player of the Week - Carolina Mudcats
- Salem Routed by Carolina - Salem Red Sox
- Blue Rocks Game Notes: July 30, 2014 - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (July 30 vs. Frederick) - Winston-Salem Dash
- LHP Carlos Rodon promoted to Winston-Salem - Winston-Salem Dash
- Potomac Nationals Game Notes vs. Myrtle Beach - Potomac Nationals
- Pelicans Game Notes: 12:05 p.m. at Potomac Nationals - July 30, 2014 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Salem Red Sox Game Notes - Salem Red Sox
- Mudcats Game Notes - Carolina Mudcats
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