CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes: 8:05 vs. Winston-Salem - July 3, 2014

Published on July 3, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


LAST TIME OUT: The Pelicans lost 5-1 in the second game of the three-game series with the Winston-Salem Dash Wednesday...The Birds went just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position...Jacob May led off with his first Carolina League home run off Pelicans starter Victor Payano, and the Dash led 1-0 after the first inning...The Pelicans tied the game in the bottom of the second inning. CHRISTOPHER BOSTICK scored PRESTON BECK with an RBI single to left field, tying the score at 1-1...The Dash took the lead for good in the fourth inning. JOEY DEMICHELE hit a leadoff single, and advanced to third on Keon Barnum's single...DeMichele scored the go-ahead run on Cleuluis Rondon's ground out to Bostick...Winston-Salem scored their second run of the inning when GRANT BUCKNER singled to right field. Beck's throw to home plate was in time, but a collision at home plate between Barnum and David Lyon knocked the ball out of Lyon's glove, and the Dash took a 3-1 lead...The Dash added another run in the seventh off of Pelicans reliever JUSTIN SPRENGER and a fifth run in the eighth inning, the Dash added a fifth and final run...The Pelicans had baserunners in every inning except for the third and the ninth.

Myrtle Beach had the first two men on in the fourth, the first three on in the fifth, and the first two on in the seventh but failed to score in each scenario...Kyle Hansen picked up the win in relief. Payano took the loss, allowing three runs over six innings.

ALL OF THE LIGHTS: Tonight's game is the Minor League Baseball Game of the Week and will be air nationally on CBS Sports Network. The Pelicans were selected as one of 15 MiLB teams to host a nationally televised game this season... Dick Gabriel and Doug Flynn will anchor the matchup. Gabriel, a three-time Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year, will be joined by Flynn, a two-time World Series Champion with the Cincinnati Reds and Gold Glove winner with the New York Mets.

Lauren Gardner will serve as roving reporter...A total of 28 MiLB teams are being featured on the Game of the Week, as well as eight different leagues and more than 20 Major League Baseball affiliations...

Entertainment highlights include skydivers from the All-Veteran Parachute Team and post-game fireworks courtesy of Kangaroo Express, as well as pre-game autographs with team mascots, Splash and Rally.

A HEAPING DOSE OF WINS AND A DASH OF LOSSES: Recent history between the Pelicans and the Dash suggests that the two teams play extremely close season series. Neither team has more than 11 games in the 20-game series series since 2008 (when Myrtle Beach went 14-6), yet Myrtle Beach is dominating the season-set this year. After a loss in the first meeting between the two clubs, the Birds won six straight against the Dash until the loss yesterday. The Pelicans led the season- set with six wins in eight games.

TRIPLE-THREAT: Pelicans outfielder CHRIS GARIA is in the midst of a breakout season, hitting .288, the highest mark of his career outside of his All-Star Season in the Dominican Summer League in 2011 when he hit .315. With his triple on Monday night, he now has the most triples in the Carolina League since Alex Presley knocked 11 triples in 2009 for the Lynchburg Hillcats. The ten triples is also a career-high for Curaçao native. He is now just five stolen bases shy of his career-high in steals as well and is only two steals back of the active leader in the league, former Coastal Carolina Chanticleer Jacob May of Winston-Salem.

PUT ME IN COACH, I AM READY TO PLAY: Despite somewhat sporadic playing time, first baseman and catcher KEVIN TORRES has hit safely in nine straight games spanning 13 games that the team has played. He had not appeared since last Wednesday when he tripled and doubled in the series finale at Lynchburg on Monday evening. The product of Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico has a hit in 17 of the 21 games he's played in since arriving from Hickory on May 29.

FORMER FLAME REIGNITING: Pelicans outfielder CHRIS GRAYSON hit safely in 12 of 13 games before falling into a four-game hitless streak early in the second half. He has come alive the last six games, however. The former Lee University Flame is 10-for-his-last-23, including his first five hits with runners in scoring position, and has filled up the box score with a home run, his first, three doubles, five RBI, seven runs scored, and a steal over the last six days. Last night, he hit leadoff for the first time and collected three hits.

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 had 31 moves in June, most recently last Wednesday. Left-handed pitcher ALEXANDER CLAUDIO was promoted to Double-A Frisco, while righty JOSE MONEGRO was transferred down to Class-A Hickory. Right-handed pitcher RYAN BORES returned from Frisco. He spent part of April with the team.

There has not been a move in eight days, the longest stretch without a transaction for the club since a 13-day gap between moves from May 12 to May 25 (full list of transactions can be found on page 10).

(ONE OF) THE BEST AROUND: With yesterday's loss, the Birds dropped one spot and now possess the fifth-best record in full-season MiLB. They trail the South Atlantic League's Savannah Sand Gnats (54- 26) and Greensboro Grasshoppers (54-30), the Midwest League's Kane County Cougars (54-28), and the Eastern League's Portland Sea Dogs (56-28). The Pelicans have been as high as second overall, when they trailed only the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League.

THE BEST CATCHER IN THE WORLD?: Just like 2013, Rangers farmhands JORGE ALFARO and JOEY GALLO were named to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Neither participated last year due to injury but are both currently on their respective active rosters at the moment. Alfaro and Braves minor leaguer (and former Hillcat) Christian Bethancourt are the two catchers on the World Team. The game will be played before the on Sunday, July 13 at Target Field at 5:00 p.m. and will air on MLB Network.

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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