Salem Red Sox Game Notes
April 17, 2013 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
The Salem Sox are ready from some midweek, midday baseball, playing to avoid a sweep against Potomac... First pitch at 11 AM...
Brunch Baseball: Less than 13 hours after the conclusion of their longest game of the season, the Salem Sox retake the field on Wednesday morning against Potomac, looking to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Nationals. In the first two games of the series, the visitors have outscored the Sox 10-4 and outhit them 22-11. While Potomac had arrived in Salem having lost two out of three in each of its first three series, the Nats finally have clinched a series win and can reach the .500 mark with a victory today. The Red Sox need to win to avoid falling a season-worst four games below .500.
The Early Advantage Disadvantage: For the fourth time this year, the Salem Sox led after the first inning on Monday night. And for the fourth time, that early advantage did not pave the road to a victory. Potomac's surge against Salem's bullpen ensured that the Red Sox would drop to 0-4 in games that they led after one inning. Through 11 games, the Red Sox have given up just one first-inning run, and Salem has scored first in seven of their 11 contests. But the Sox are just 3-4 in those seven tilts. Numerous times, Salem's bullpen has struggled upon initial entry, evidenced by the fact that the Sox have been outscored 16-1 in the sixth inning through ten games. They've also been outscored 13-6 in the fifth.
Cheery Garcia: Infielder Jose Garcia has endured a tough offensive start to his season, but the 21-year-old Dominican finally found some fortune on Wednesday evening. Garcia entered the night 0-for-14, but went 2-for-5 and also scored his first run of the season. In the last of the seventh, Garcia alertly raced home on a pivotal wild pitch, tying the game at two. Garcia is one of nine Red Sox with multiple RBI on the year, with both of his runs driven in coming on sacrifice flies. With two sac flies, Garcia leads the team and shares the league lead with a pair of Carolina Mudcats, Joseph Wendle and Tony Wolters.
The Big O: Salem's tall lefty Henry Owens is poised to make his third start of the season on Wednesday morning, looking to build upon to excellent starts thus far. Although he has received a pair of no decisions, Owens has only given up runs in one of the ten innings he's pitched, yielding a pair of tallies in the fourth last time out. The California-native is the youngest member on Salem's roster, but he's currently eighth in the league among qualifiers in ERA at 1.80. In addition, his 0.90 WHIP is fourth in the circuit entering Wednesday.
Wondering about Walkoffs?: In 2012, the Red Sox were a part of just five walk offs in the entire season, three wins and two losses. But the late-game drama has ramped up in 2013, with Salem participating in three walk-off finishes in just 11 games and nearly a fourth last night. The Sox dropped back-to-back games in Frederick in walk-off fashion, but enjoyed their first walk-off win on Sunday. It was Salem's first walk-off victory since Drew Hedman's two-run homer in the bottom of the tenth beat Frederick 8-6 on August 29, 2012. All three of Salem's 2012 walk-offs came in August. In 2011, the Sox were a part of 13 walk-off endings, winning six and dropping seven.
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Carolina League Stories from April 17, 2013
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