CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Salem Red Sox Game Notes

Published on April 18, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


With 10% of the season in the rear-view mirror, the 7-7 Salem Sox sit just one game out of first place heading into Friday's series opener in Winston-Salem... First pitch at 7:00...

Extras Eruption: Salem avoided its first seven-game losing streak since August of 2012 by scoring eight times in the top of the tenth to dismantle the Mudcats 10-2 in 10 innings on Thursday night. Whereas the Red Sox scored just three runs in three games prior to the extra frame, Salem delivered its largest inning of the season thanks to Carolina's sloppiness. The Red Sox received four walks, one hit-batter, and benefited from four Mudcats errors in the final frame. Still, the Sox would not have scored without Reed Gragnani's clutch two-out, two-strike RBI single with the bases loaded that broke the tie. The eight-run inning was Salem's biggest offensive frame since scoring nine times in the fifth on June 26, 2013 in Winston-Salem, a game the Red Sox won 12-3.

The Constant: While the first 14 games have given the Sox a tremendous peak and a deep valley, one Salem hitter has been hot from Opening Day to the present. Outfielder Kevin Heller, who's been in the lineup for 11 of the team's 14 games, is the only member of the club who's reached base in every game he's played. Consequently, Heller is hitting .400 (14-for-35), second-best in the league, and his on-base percentage is .500, #1 in the circuit. Heller has recorded an extra-base hit in each of his last five games, giving him a .686 slugging percentage that's second in the league only to Myrtle Beach's Joey Gallo. The Pelicans' third-baseman has hit six homer in his last eight games to raise his slugging percentage to .733, tops in the league.

Leadoff Lacking: Entering Thursday night, one of the sources of Salem's struggles has been the inability to put the leadoff man on base. In 13 games, Red Sox leadoff hitters batted only .126, the lowest clip in the league. Wilmington's second worst with a .172 average, while everyone else is at .215 or higher. Matty Johnson is just 1-for-19 (.053) leading off innings. Ironically, the Sox have hit a league-best .307 with runners on base. Johnson's 8-for-18 (.444) with men on. On Thursday, the Sox improved by going 3-for-10 to lead off innings.

Historic Matchup: Friday brings the 1,000th all-time meeting between Salem and Winston, and incredibly the all-time series is tied! Both teams have won 498 games and there have been three ties.

Monitoring Mookie Madness: While Salem's 16-game winning streak ended nine days ago, one streak we're still watching is continuing to unfold in Double-A, where second-baseman Mookie Betts has reached base in 10 straight games to begin the 2014 season. Considering that Betts reached safely in the final 35 games of 2013, including the playoffs, he has now recorded at least a hit or a walk in 45 consecutive games dating back to last August. In these 45 games between Salem and Portland, Betts is hitting .425 (71-for-167). In 10 games with the Sea Dogs, Betts is hitting .450 (18-for-40) with five walks and only three strikeouts. The Sea Dogs have not played since Monday, having had three straight games postponed as a result of the wet weather in the northeast.

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Carolina League Stories from April 18, 2014


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