CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes: 7:05 p.m. ET vs. Carolina Mudcats - July 10, 2015

Published on July 10, 2015 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


First pitch from TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is set for 7:05 p.m.

PELICANS: RHP Jonathan Martinez (5-1, 3.09 ERA)| MUDCATS: RHP Lucas Sims (2-4, 6.46 ERA)

Today's game can be heard on WRNN AM 1450 ESPN Myrtle Beach, online and on mobile devices via TuneIn Radio, or on the MiLB First Pitch App. The broadcast is presented by Courtyard Myrtle Beach at Barefoot Landing. Pregame Show coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. The game is also available with live streaming video on MiLB.tv (subscription required).

LAST TIME OUT: The Birds were blanked for the second straight night and swept for just the second time this season with a 1-0 loss to Winston-Salem on Thursday night at home...JEN-HO TSENG took a perfect game into the seventh, allowed just one run on two hits and a hit batter in total, and set a team-high and career-high eight innings pitched but suffered the loss...The lone run came when Trey Michalczewski singled to right field, scoring Adam Engel from second base on a close play at home plate...The 1-0 loss was the ninth shutout defeat and fourth by a 1-0 score for Myrtle Beach this season.

HELLO, MUDDIE: Though the Pelicans' offense has scored just three runs in the last four games, it comes on the heels of historically high-scoring wins for the Birds over the July 4 weekend against Carolina. The Birds won that series against the Mudcats after being swept by Carolina in a series on June 25-27, taking two of three games between July 4-6 and outscoring the Muddies 30-7 overall. On top of that, the Pelicans have won both of JONATHAN MARTINEZ's starts against Carolina. Although he lasted just two innings on July 4 and exited the game with no decision after 2.0 innings pitched, the Pelicans were out to a 7-3 lead before going on to win, 16-4. In his first start against the Mudcats on May 28, Martinez received five runs of support and the Birds won, 5-3. This will be Martinez's first start against Carolina at home, where the Mudcats have had success against the Birds, winning 4 of 6 games. The Pelicans have had more success against the Mudcats on the road, winning 7 of 12.

LET'S GET SOME RUNS: With nine more innings last night without a run, the Pelicans offense has not scored in 24 straight innings. They last plated a run on a bases-loaded walk in the third inning on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday's shutout losses were the first consecutive since June 6-7, 2014 at home against Frederick when the Pelicans went 20 innings without a run. The current 24 consecutive scoreless innings are the most since 2007 when the Braves-affiliated Pelicans failed to score in 26 straight innings from the eighth inning on May 14 at Potomac through the end of the sixth inning on May 17 at Wilmington, a game the club would ultimately win 4-0 behind a four-run seventh inning. That game featured a complete game, three-hit shutout from CHRISTIAN PARRA and both lineups had a Ka'aihue brother hitting fourth and playing first base: KALA KA'AIHUE played for the Pelicans, while older brother and future big-leaguer Kila Ka'aihue suited up for the Blue Rocks. The current run of zero runs is the third longest in recorded Pelicans history (dating back through the beginning of the 0-4 season), as the Birds went 32 innings without scoring from July 30-August 4, 2004 behind three straight shutout defeats in the middle of a six-game losing streak.

DON'T WALK THIS WAY: Despite a current four-game skid, Pelicans starting pitching has been tremendous and extremely in command. With JEN-HO TSENG's eight one-run and walkless innings last night, Pelicans starters have now combined for 32 1/3 innings without a walk. The last free ticket from a Pelicans starting pitcher came from JONATHAN MARTINEZ in second inning of a game against Carolina on July 4. From that moment and continuing though last night, the combination of starting pitchers DAURY TORREZ (7.0 IP, July 5), JEREMY NULL (6.0 IP, July 6), BRAD MARKEY (6.0 IP, July 7), and MICHAEL HEESCH (5.0 IP, July 8), and Tseng (8.0 IP, July 9) have not allowed a walk, the longest such streak by the starters this season As a team, the Pelicans have walked 228, third fewest in the league, and starters are walking just 2.5 per nine innings. Since the beginning of July, Pelicans starters are walking just 1.53/9IP and have a 2.30 ERA.

STAY IN THE YARD: Although Pelicans relievers are having a tough month (4.30 ERA), the Birds bullpen arms have continued an extraordinary streak of keeping the ball in the yard. The last home run allowed by a relief pitcher came on June 13 when JUAN PANIAGUA gave a longball to league-leader LUIGI RODRIGUEZ. Since then, the Pelicans bullpen has tossed 82 innings. For the season, the bullpen has allowed just six home runs, good for a 0.19 HR/9IP rate. By comparison, the Pelicans 'pen allowed 0.51 HR/9IP a year ago.

HE'S THE BEST AROUND (OF JUNE): The Chicago Cubs named Pelicans outfielder MARK ZAGUNIS the Cubs Minor League Player of the Month for June last Friday. The 22-year-old led Cubs farmhands in runs (23), on-base percentage (.448), and slugging (.538). He hit 326 (31-for-95) during the month in 26 games, scoring 23 runs, smacking six doubles, a triple, and four home runs. He led all Cubs minor leaguers in on-base percentage (.448), slugging (.538), OPS (.986), and runs scored. This award adds to Zagunis' impressive pile from this season, including Carolina League Player of the Week for the week of June 15-21 and a Carolina League Midseason All-Star selection.

PROSPECT 9-PACK: Nine of players on the roster are ranked in the Cubs Top 30 prospects according to MLBPipeline.com's Prospect Watch and seven in Baseball America's Top 30. The balanced roster has four position players and five pitchers ranked: RHPs PAUL BLACKBURN (No. 24 MLB.com/No. 18 Baseball America), JEREMY NULL (28/NR), DAURY TORREZ (22/30), JEN-HO TSENG (8/11), DUANE UNDERWOOD (6/10), catcher VICTOR CARATINI (16/13), 3B JEIMER CANDELARIO (12/24), 2B DANIEL LOCKHART (No. 29/NR), and OF MARK ZAGUNIS (15/15). Baseball America also lauded a handful of Pelicans players with "Best Tools" labels. Caratini is the "Best Defensive Catcher" in the system according to the 2015 Prospect Handbook, CARLOS PENALVER as the "Best Defensive Infielder," Tseng has the "Best Control" and "Best Changeup," Underwood possesses the "Best Fastball," and Zagunis has "Best Strike Zone Discipline." They also list JUAN PANIAGUA as the top "Sleeper" prospect. Outfielders BILLY MCKINNEY (9/6) and JACOB HANNEMANN (21/17, and BA's "Fastest Baserunner,") were on the roster but have since been promoted. ANDREW ELY, named by BA as the "Best Defensive Player" from the Cubs 2014 draft class, was on the club's Opening Day roster but went down to South Bend.

MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS LINEUP

3 Chesny Young DH

20 Pin-Chieh Chen LF

24 Jeimer Candelario 3B

27 Jacob Rogers 1B

17 Victor Caratini C

35 Kevin Brown RF

1 Carlos Penalver SS

7 Daniel Lockhart 2B

15 Trey Martin CF

34 Jonathan Martinez RHP

CAROLINA MUDCATS LINEUP

TBA

27 Lucas Sims RHP

Check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from July 10, 2015


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