Salem Red Sox Game Notes
July 27, 2013 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Ten days after dealing six hitless innings against the Keys, Henry Owens carries an amazing 15.2 hitless innings streak into Saturday's series finale against Frederick.
First pitch at 6:05.
Not So Sweet 16: The Salem Sox are now 2-8 in extra inning games in 2013, with perhaps no setback quite so heartbreaking as Friday night's 16-inning loss to Frederick. It was the longest game in the Carolina League this year from an innings standpoint, and the Sox had numerous chances to win it in extras before finally falling short. Having dropped two straight, the Sox are now two games behind Carolina in the race for the final playoff spot, with exactly half of the second half remaining. Salem has 35 games left, 20 of which will be at LewisGale Field.
Nearly Sweet 16: Henry Owens carries an amazing streak into his Saturday night start against the Keys, having held his opponent without a hit in his last 15.2 innings on the mound. He gave up a leadoff single to Myrtle Beach's Pat Cantwell in the third inning on July 11, and Owens has recorded 47 outs since without giving up a single hit. That includes six hitless frames against Frederick on July 17, part of Salem's nine-inning no hitter at Harry Grove Stadium For the full season, Owens is holding opponents to a .182 average, the best clip in the Carolina League and the fourth-best in the minors (among full season leagues). Overall, the lefty is 8-4 with a 2.78 ERA, fourth-best in the league. In his three starts against Frederick this season, Owens has gone 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA, permitting just seven hits in 15.2 innings for a .135 average against.
A Late Month Surge?: Entering Wednesday's action, Blake Swihart was batting just .187 (11-for-59) in July. But two excellent games at the dish have boosted his July average to .235 and brought his season clip back to .273. Swihart has gone 5-for-9 in his last two games, and he registered a couple firsts on Wednesday night, delivering two doubles and three RBI in a single game for the first time this season. Swihart has two home runs on the season, both of which came in the first half of June. He hasn't gone yard since June 15 against Lynchburg.
Stefan's Club: He Does Everything!: While he only has two hits in eight at-bats in the last two games, Stefan Welch still owns the best Carolina League batting average since June 10. He hit just 2-for-14 in his first four games with Salem, but he's raking at a .363 clip with four homers and 29 RBI in 39 games since. In the month of July, Welch is batting .386 with a .472 OBP. His best baseball has been enjoyed by the fans in the Roanoke Valley, as he's hitting .405 in 21 games at LewisGale Field. Acquired from the Pirates on June 6, Welch hit .149 in 29 games with Double-A Altoona in April and May.
Sizzling Striz: With three hitless innings out of the bullpen on Friday night, righthander Nate Striz continued his excellent run of relief pitching for the Salem Sox. The former North Carolina Tar Heel has not allowed a run in his last five appearances, totaling eight and a third innings on the mound. In this time, he's allowed just four hits and lowered his ERA from 3.89 to 3.14. Bizarrely, Friday's extra-innings effort was the first time all season that Striz pitched multiple innings without striking out anybody.
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Carolina League Stories from July 27, 2013
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