CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pelicans Game Notes

Published on August 30, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


- RHP Justin Grimm (4-2, 3.52) at RHP Tim Melville (10-9, 4.37) -

THE MASK OF ZANESKI: The 2011 season has been a rough one at times for Pelicans catcher Zach Zaneski, but Monday night was a good one behind the plate for the All-Star backstop. Zaneski, who had thrown out just 11 baserunners attempting to steal against him all season, cut down two men trying to swipe bags in the series opener of four against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. In the bottom of the second, Tim Ferguson successfully swiped second base before Zaneski put a stop to the running game. In the bottom of the third, Nick Van Stratten was gunned down attempting to steal second after his two-out infield single, and one inning later, Zaneski did the same to Yem Prades as the center fielder tried to take second as well. Zaneski improved his perentage to nearly 12% from just over 10% throwing out attempted basestealers. That number is still the lowest among regular Carolina League catchers.

DOUBLE VISION: The last week has given rise to a bizarre trend for Myrtle Beach. Dating back seven games including Monday's opener at Wilmington, the Pelicans have hit into an astonishing 14 double plays including one to end Monday's affair. The unfortunate streak began in the second game of Myrtle Beach's last home series hosting Lynchburg when the Pelicans bounced into four 6-4-3 double plays in a one-run defeat. It continued the next night when the Pelicans popped into a 5-3 double play in the second inning and lined into a 4-6 double play in the third. In the tenth inning that night, the Pelicans loaded the bases with nobody out only to have one runner cut down on a fielder's choice at the plate and to have the inning end on a 3-2-3 twin-killing. Against Winston-Salem, the Pelicans chopped into about every infield double play imaginable with a 4-6-3 and 6-4-3 in Friday's nightcap and a 3-6 and 5-4-3 on Saturday. Monday night at Wilmington, the Pelicans erased Travis Adair's leadoff single in the first with a 5-4-3 DP and ended the contest with a 4-6-3 with the tying run at the plate.

THE ROAD WORSE TRAVELED: The Pelicans had a winning record against all but one team (Salem) in the season's first half, and manager Jason Wood's emphasis was on winning series for a team that took the Southern Division's first-half crown. In the second half, the Pelicans have been ghosts of their once formidable selves. Since the All-Star Break, the Pelicans are 6-11-2 in series entering this week at Wilmington after going 11-7-3 en route to the division title. That second-half record includes exactly one road series win. The Pelicans knocked off the Red Sox in their first road series of this half, taking two out of three games from June 26-28. Since then, the Pelicans have gone 8-20 away from BB&T Coastal Field.

SPLITSVILLE: The Pelicans' inability to win series in the second half has hurt them in their season records against Carolina League foes, as well. Myrtle Beach has lost or split four of the five season series it has completed against other teams in the league. The one season series loss, to the Frederick Keys, came in a rain-shortened 19-game series, but aside from that, Myrtle Beach has lost its series leads from the first half and split with the Potomac Nationals, Kinston Indians, and Winston-Salem Dash. Myrtle Beach's most egregious collapse of the second half came against the Dash. After going 8-3 in the first half against the Carolina League's resident punctuation-makers, the Pelicans went 2-7 versus the Dash after the break.

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Carolina League Stories from August 30, 2011


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