CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes: 7:05 p.m. vs. Frederick Keys - July 24, 2014

Published on July 24, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


LAST TIME OUT: The Pelicans lost 10-2 to the Frederick Keys on Wednesday night...Jason Esposito led Frederick with two home runs and four RBI. With the win, the Keys won the season series with the Pelicans with one game to play...Frederick started the scoring in the first inning. After Pelicans starter CHAD JAMES struck out Johnny Ruettiger, Adrian Marin singled and Trey Mancini was hit by a pitch.

Two batters later, Esposito hit a three-run home run to left field to give the Keys a 3-0 lead...Frederick increased its lead to 4-0 in the second.

After Lucas Herbst struck out, Jerome Pena singled, and advanced to third on Ruettiger's single. With Marin batting, Pena scored on a wild pitch by James...The Birds got on the board in the bottom half of the second. With one out, PRESTON BECK doubled and advanced to third on LEWIS BRINSON's fielder's choice. Beck scored on a wild pitch by Keys starter Brady Wager, cutting the Keys' lead to 4-1..In the top of the fifth, the Keys scored two more runs. Esposito hit his second home run, a solo shot, and another run scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Lucas Herbst...Frederick scored four runs in the top of the sixth to put the game away. All four runs were scored off of Pelicans reliever KEVIN PUCETAS. The Keys picked up three walks, two hit batters, and a single in the inning. JUSTIN SPRENGER got out of the frame with a double play...The Pelicans scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth for their second and final run of the game. With one out, CHRIS GARIA hit an infield single and advanced to second on an error. Garia got to third base when NICK WILLIAMS was hit by a pitch and scored on an RBI fielder's choice by JORGE ALFARO...Wager (5- 7) picked up the win and James (1-1) took the loss.

KEYS HIT THE LOW NOTE: On Tuesday, for the third time this season, the Pelicans were shutout by the Keys. It's the most shutout defeats for Myrtle Beach to one team this season. The club has been blanked six times; in addition to the three from Frederick, Potomac has shut them out once and Salem has done it twice (both during the opening series of the year). Outside of a 21-run output in the first game of the season series, the Pelicans have averaged just 4.2 runs per game against Frederick, a far cry below their 5.1 run per game average against all Carolina League opponents. The Pelicans have scored one or fewer runs in six of their 11 losses but are scoring 7.6 runs on average in their eight wins against the Keys. On back-to-back nights now, the Pelicans have collected a season-low three hits. OH NO! THE BROOMS!: On Monday, the Pelicans avoided a sweep against the Carolina Mudcats. They need to win tonight to avoid a sweep once again. The club has been swept just once, on the Opening Weekend to the Salem Red Sox. The last time the Birds were swept by Frederick was July 22-24, 2011 at Harry Grove Stadium. Myrtle Beach hasn't been swept at home by the Keys since August 19-21, 2005.

FIVES GUYS: From July 4 to July 21, the Pelicans did not have a starter make it past five innings in an outing. In an effort to limit the workload of the Pelicans hurlers, starting pitchers had been limited to five innings. In six of the seventeen games during that stretch, the starter failed to go five innings, but no one had gone more than five frames until VICTOR PAYNO tossed six innings in a quality start last night. The Pelicans went 8-9 over the 17 games between outings of longer than five innings. BRINGING BACK THE MIGHTY KEYS: Only one team has a winning record against the Pelicans this season: The Frederick Keys.

The club has beaten the Birds in 11 of the 19 games this season. The Keys have won six of nine contests on the Grand Strand. Frederick is hitting .259 as a team against the Birds with 23 home runs in the 19 contests. Many of the games have been back-and-forth affairs; the Keys have blown four saves in the season series and the Birds have blown two. With last night's loss, the Pelicans have lost the season series. The Pelicans have outscored the Keys 92-82 in the season set, but if you take out the 21-6 drubbing in the opener of the season series, the Birds are being outscored 84-63.

UNTIL THE MILL CUP CHAMPIONSHIP: This marks the final series with the Keys this season, and the set with Frederick is the first season-series for the Birds to complete this year. The two teams will not square off again until next year, unless they happen to meet in the Mills Cup Championship Series. During the series, the Keys have moved to within just 1.0 game of division-leading Wilmington in a bunched up Northern Division, so the a meeting in the league's final series is not out of the question.

THE AIKEN ACE STAYS ON TOP: Spinning another gem last night, southpaw ANDREW FAULKNER tossed another five strong innings on the way to his sixth straight win and tenth overall, tying him for the league lead. He dropped his league-leading ERA to 2.07 and has allowed just three runs over his last six starts.

HOMERLESS PAST THE CENTURY MARK: For the first time this season, Faulkner allowed a home run. He had gone 101 1/3 innings without allowing a long ball when Carolina's James Roberts lined a home run left field on Monday night.

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 5-14 in those games since then (9-14 overall) and have lost seven of their last eight one-run contests, including a 4-3 loss on Sunday.

FILLING IN: Saturday's starter was RYAN BORES, who became the 12th different starting pitcher used by the Birds this season and the eighth different starter to pitch in the first 19 games of this month. Bores was starting in the place of LHP CHAD BELL, who is not expected to pitch in this series either. The lefty, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, has not pitched since July 14.

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.

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Carolina League Stories from July 24, 2014


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