CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes: 7:05 vs. Wilmington - June 20, 2014

Published on June 20, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


LAST TIME OUT: The Pelicans opened the second half of the season with an 8-2 comeback victory over the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Thursday night...HANSER ALBERTO hit his first career grand slam. CHAD BELL won his first start of the year for Myrtle Beach...The Blue Rocks started the scoring in the top of third inning. With one out, JACK LOPEZ singled to right field. In the next at-bat, BUBBA STARLING launched an RBI triple to deep right-center field, scoring Lopez...

Wilmington pushed its lead to 2-0 in the top of the fourth when, with runners on the corners, TERRANCE GORE grounded into a fielder's choice to score Gallagher...The Pelicans cut the Blue Rocks' lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out, Alberto doubled down the left field line. Two batters later, DAVID LYON scored Alberto from third base with an infield single...In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Pelicans took the lead for good...With one out, JOSE CARDONA, LUIS MENDEZ, and CHIRS GARIA hit consecutive singles to load the bases, two of which did not leave the infield...Alberto hit the first pitch he saw from Blue Rocks starter Luis Santos for a grand slam into the Budweiser Thirst Inning Deck in left field, putting the Birds ahead 5-2...The Pelicans knocked in two more runs in the bottom of the seventh on PRESTON BECK's two-run single and another run in the bottom of the eighth on a KEVIN TORRES RBI single...CODY EGE and JOSE LECLERC fired the final 4 1/3 innings in scoreless, hitless relief...Bell (1-0) earned the win.

Santos (0-1) took the loss.

FOR WHOM THE CHAD BELL TOLLS: 2011/2012 Pelicans southpaw CHAD BELL returned to the Grand Strand and earned the win last night.

The left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last April and is making his way back from the injury. He made one appearance to begin the year with Triple-A Round Rock and six outings in Low-A Hickory. Last night, he scattered ten baserunners in 5 2/3 innings and allowed just two runs.

PACKING THE PARK: 6,599 fans poured into TicketReturn.com Field last night for the first game of the second half. It was the third sellout of the season. SELDOM SOUTHPAWS: Sean Manaea toes the rubber for the Blue Rocks today. He is the first left-handed starter that the Pelicans have faced since June 1, when the Pelicans faced Carolina southpaw Ryan Merritt. The Pelicans have only faced a lefty starter in 16 of the 69 games thus far. They have not faced back-to-back lefty starters since April 27-28 at Wilmington when Daniel Stumpf and Sean Manaea made consecutive starts for the Blue Rocks against Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach is 11-5 against left-handed starting pitchers and hit for a better average off of them (.285 vs. .263 off of RHP). The Birds have thrown a southpaw more often than not, however.

In 40 of the 69 games, the Pelicans have started a left- handed starting pitcher, and after today, will have three consecutive left-handers throwing. Four of the five starters in the current rotation are left-handed.

SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL : Counting the announcement of the initial roster as a transaction, the Pelicans had just 23 total transactions through the end of May. The club has had 24 moves this month alone, most recently today. MARTIRE GARCIA, a left-handed pitcher, joined the team, and NICK VICKERSON was activated off of the disbaled list. SAM STAFFORD was placed on the DL, and ELIO CASTILLO was transferred to the Arizona League.

SOARING AT THE ALL-STAR GAME: The California League / Carolina League All-Star Game was this past Tuesday, June 17 at Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, Delaware. The Pelicans had a league-best eight original selections with one late addition. Due to injuries and promotions, only five made the trip, but all five had a positive impact for the Carolina League in the 3-2 loss. Catcher JORGE ALFARO participated in the hitting challenge and hit fourth in the starting lineup for the game itself. He collected the team's only extra-base hit (a triple) and scored one of the team's two runs. First baseman PRESTON BECK finished third in the home run derby (2 HRs) and singled and walked in the game, starting the game in the number seven spot of the lineup. Hitting eighth, playing right field, and never substituted was outfielder CHRIS GARIA who singled and scored the other Carolina League run. Pitchers ALEXANDER CLAUDIO and ANDREW FAULKNER both fired hitless and scoreless innings.

POSTING ANOTHER CLEAN SHEET: By recording two more outs in the game on Sunday, reliever JOSE MONEGRO has run his scoreless streak to 13 innings. He has not allowed a run as a Pelican this year. The longest such streak came from ANDREW FAULKNER, who posted 15 1/3 scoreless frames before allowing a run in his final first half start on Sunday.

FIGHTING OFF THE INJURY BUG: Myrtle Beach had just two players put on the disabled list over the first eight weeks of the season, and both faced minimum seven day stints on the list. Both, CODY BUCKEL and RYAN HARVEY, were pitchers. Over a two week span beginning on May 29, five Pelicans were placed on the DL, including four that are still shelved: ROYCE BOLINGER (knee), NICK WILLIAMS (hamstring), ZACH CONE (calf), and NICK VICKERSON (hamstring). The Birds are 11-7 since Bolinger went down and just 3-4 since Vickerson was taken off of the active roster.

(ONE OF) THE BEST AROUND: The Birds possess the fifth-best record in full-season MiLB. They trail only the Florida State League's Dunedin Blue Jays (47-23), the South Atlantic League's Savannah Sand Gnats (45-22), Southern League Huntsville Stars (46-25), and the Kane County Cougars (46-25).

FROM THE BEACH TO THE BIGS: 2012 Pelicans closer BEN ROWEN was promoted to the major leagues last Wednesday by the Texas Rangers. He is the 125th Pelican to play in the big leagues and the 114th to make his debut after his time in Myrtle Beach (six were MLB rehabbers, four previously played in the majors and made it back, and another, Ryan Drese, was a former big leaguer that did not make it back).

Rowen joins ROUGNED ODOR, LUIS SARDINAS, NICK MARTINEZ, and NEIL RAMIREZ as past Pelicans to make their major league debut this season. Rowen made his debuts Sunday with a scoreless and hitless eighth inning in Seattle in a 5-1 Rangers loss. In 2012, Rowen won the Rangers Minor League Reliever of the Year, posting a 5-0 record, 1.57 ERA, and picking up 19 saves.

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 two players in the Texas Top 30 are RHP JOSE LECLERC (16) and LHP ALEXANDER CLAUDIO (27). 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) and KEONE KELA (18) 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 June 20, 2014


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