CarL1 Salem RidgeYaks

Salem Red Sox Game Notes

Published on May 11, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem RidgeYaks News Release


The Salem Sox hope Henry Owens can help snap a three-game losing streak tonight in Myrtle Beach.

First pitch at 7:05.

Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey, What Is Going On Here?: After winning three straight games to rise back above .500 at 15-14, the Salem Sox have dropped three in a row to sink back to 15-17. In the last three contests, Salem's offense has been stymied, scoring just one run per game. With just 15 hits in the last three games, the Red Sox have hit .183 (15-for-82) as a team while going 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position. Sean Coyle went hitless for the fourth time in the last five games, a stretch in which he's gone 1-for-20, dropping his average from .324 to .264. Garin Cecchini recorded a bases loaded walk for an RBI, but went 0-for-3 to drop his average from .380 to .369. Cecchini still owns the league's best average by .23 points over Carolina's Francisco Lindor.

Bayside Tiger: Nick Natoli made his return to the Carolina League by rejoining the Red Sox at the Beach after playing one game in Triple-A with the PawSox. Although the former Towson Tiger struck out three times on Friday night, he also recorded one of Salem's five hits, continuing his steady stretch of getting on base. In his last 14 Carolina League games, Natoli has 12 hits and 12 walks, giving him a respectable .338 OBP. As an undrafted free agent, Natoli has filled in admirably in the absence of injured shortstop Deven Marrero, who's been out since April 22 with a hamstring injury.

A Blissful Morning: For the first time since August 22, 2012, Chris Balcom-Miller woke up after pitching in an official game the night before. Plagued by a sore back during spring training, the now 24-year-old righthander made his return to the mound on Friday night, dealing a scoreless inning in Salem's 5-1 setback. Although he allowed a walk and a ground-rule double, he stranded both runners in scoring position. Balcom-Miller made seven starts in Salem to begin the 2011 season before pitching in 42 games (including 28 starts) for Double-A Portland over the past season and a half. Acquired at the trade deadline in 2010 for Manny Delcarmen, the San Jose-native hopes to ascend to, at the very least, the triple-A level by the end of the 2013 season.

Malibu Sands: Henry Owens, a native of Huntington Beach, CA, will be on the mound for Salem on Saturday night, taking the hill about one mile from the Atlantic seashore. Though very much a California dude, Owens has dominated opposing Carolina League lineups so far this season. He leads the circuit in WHIP (0.88) and opponent's batting average (.153), having allowed just 17 hits and 11 walks over 32 innings so far this season. His 40 strikeouts rank him tied for fifth in the league, eight behind Potomac's Robbie Ray. Owens whiffed a career-best 10 Winston-Salem hitters in his last start.

The Max: The Salem Sox are the only Carolina League team that has not scored at least 10 runs in one game this season. However, the Sox are also the only team in the league that has not been shut out at least once. So far, there have been 13 shutouts in the league this year (including Salem's 1-0 win over Lynchburg on April 21), but the Sox have avoided the absolute blanking. Last night, Salem scored its only run with two outs in the eighth inning.

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Carolina League Stories from May 11, 2013


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