CarL1 Salem RidgeYaks

Salem Red Sox Game Notes

Published on May 14, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem RidgeYaks News Release


The Salem Red Sox and the Carolina Mudcats, each coming off frustrating four-game sweeps, are both desperate for a losing-streak snapping victory tonight.

First pitch at 7:15.

One Down, Three to Go: Well, the Salem Sox have proven to be a streaky group through 35 games, exactly one-quarter of their 2013 season. But the first 25% finished in rough fashion for the Red Sox, losing six straight to drop from 15-14 and just two games out of first place to 15-20 and eight games back. The Red Sox began the season 4-8 in their first 12 games, but then won eight of ten to rise into second place. But since reaching the high-water mark of 12-10, the Sox have lost 10 of their last 13, including six in a row. This 13 game stretch has included five one-run losses and three walk-off defeats. Salem last lost seven straight from August 9 to August 15 last season. The Salem Sox haven't lost eight straight since July 25-August 1 2009, during year #1 of the Red Sox affiliation. Interestingly, that's the longest losing streak of the five-year-old affiliation, and Salem went on to win the Southern Division title and advance into the Mills Cup finals just over a month following that eight-game skid.

Muddled Mudcats: While Salem is scuffling heading into the series with Carolina, the homestanding Mudcats may be in more dire straights. The Indians affiliate is also coming a four-game sweep, dropping four consecutive decisions at home to Lynchburg over the past four days. While Carolina swept Salem in a doubleheader at LewisGale Field last Thursday to take two out of three in that series, the Mudcats have still lost 14 of their last 17 overall. Since starting the season 5-2, the Mudcats have gone 8-22 in their last 30. Carolina's pitching has struggled most, giving up 37 runs in their four-game set against Lynchburg.

Power, Then Plummet: Salem second-baseman Sean Coyle was as hot as any hitter in the league for a stretch. He hit eight home runs in 12 games from April 12 to May 4, despite missing a bunch of time with a thumb injury. And while he has not homered in his last seven games, he still leads the league with nine jacks on the season, tied with eight others for tenth-best in all of minor league baseball. But in his last seven games, Coyle has seen his average dip from .324 to .242, a 82-point plummet as a result of his current 1-for-28 skid. Coyle still is second in the league in slugging percentage (.586), trailing only teammate Garin Cecchini. Although he has nine homers, he only has 18 RBI, largely a result of the fact that eight of his nine homers have been solo shots.

Salem's Star: While the Red Sox went just 1-5 as a team last week, Salem third-baseman Garin Cecchini was still named the Carolina League Player of the Week for his individual performance. Cecchini hit .389 (7-for-18) with three walks and one HBP for a .500 OBP during his six-game week. No one in the league had more extra-base hits than Cecchini, who delivered three doubles and two home runs. The Louisiana-native is now a two-time Carolina League Player of the Week recipient, having won the award for the week of April 22-28 as well. For the season, Cecchini's .373 average is far and away the best in the league, 39 points better than Carolina's duo of Francisco Lindor and Jerrud Sabourin, who are tied for second at .333. Cecchini's also number one in doubles, OBP, slugging, and extra-base hits.

Check out the Salem RidgeYaks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from May 14, 2013


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central