CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

WINSTON-SALEM DASH: Game Notes (August 30 at Salem)

August 30, 2016 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM DASH (26-36, 54-78) at SALEM RED SOX (40-23, 83-49) RHP Jordan Stephens (6-10, 3.71 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Kent (10-6, 3.78 ERA) 7:05 p.m. - LewisGale Field (Salem, Va.) Game #133 (Road Game #63)

DASH CAP HOME SLATE WITH BLOWOUT

The Dash blasted the Carolina Mudcats 15-2 in their final home game of the season on Sunday at BB&T Ballpark. Winston-Salem banged out 17 hits and scored in five innings, including 10 runs from the sixth to the eighth frames. Eight of the Dash's nine starters had at least one hit, while all 14 of the club's RBIs came from four men. Daniel Gonzalez and Michael Suiter set new career-highs with four RBIs apiece, while Dante Flores and Cleuluis Rondon each logged three. On the bump, Robinson Leyer set a new season-high with seven strong innings, during which he whiffed eight, while Drew Hasler finished the contest with two scoreless innings.

MUCH-NEEDED EFFORT

The Dash had lost 11 of their last 12 games, the club's worst such stretch of the season, before Sunday's annihilation. Winston-Salem matched a season-high for margin of victory (18-5 win at Wilmington on July 1). Before this game, the Dash had scored just 35 runs in their previous 12 contests (2.9 per game).

NICE WAY TO BOUNCE BACK

Winston-Salem finished off its toughest season in the BB&T Ballpark era with an emphatic win. The Dash finished the seventh season at the downtown facility with a 31-39 mark, the club's worst home mark since moving from Ernie Shore Field. The Dash's only other losing record at BB&T Ballpark came in 2014 (34-35).

TURNING TO THE STRIKEOUT KING

With a season-ending seven-game road trip on the horizon, the Dash turn to Jordan Stephens, the only member of the club's Opening Day rotation to remain with the club. All four others have advanced to Double-A Birmingham, though Stephens has had an outstanding season. The White Sox fifth-round pick last year, Stephens paces the Carolina League with 136 strikeouts, while his 3.71 ERA is second amongst qualifiers. In his last outing Wednesday, Stephens logged a career-high 10 strikeouts at Frederick.

BASTO, ROBBINS HONORED

Winston-Salem's outfield duo of Nick Basto and Mason Robbins have earned spots on the Carolina League's Year-End All-Star team, the league office announced Saturday. The Dash are one of three clubs with multiple players on the team, joining Lynchburg (six) and Salem (two). Bobby Bradley of Lynchburg earned the CL's Most Valuable Player award, while Myrtle Beach's Trevor Clifton took home the Pitcher of the Year honor. Hillcats skipper Mark Budzinski is the circuit's Manager of the Year.

THE BIGGEST REASON

The key reason Basto and Robbins are Year-End All-Stars is batting average. Robbins leads the Carolina League with a .314 average, while Basto is second at .306. Fellow All-Star Aderlin Rodriguez (.303) a slugger with Frederick, is the only other Carolina League qualifier with an average above .300. If Robbins and Basto maintain their hold on the top two spots, it would be the second time in five years that a Dash duo would finish one-two in batting average. Carlos Sanchez and Dan Black finished with .315 marks in 2012, the last year the Dash reached the Mills Cup Championship Series.

TOUGH TO SHUT DOWN BOTH

Sunday marked the 94th time that both Basto and Robbins played in the same game for the Dash. Only five times has an opposing team held both men hitless in the same game. This is a big reason why Basto has never owned an overall average below .305 at the High-A level, while Robbins' mark has been north of .300 every day since July 16.

DASH DOTS

Hasler finishes his High-A home slate with 15.2 scoreless innings over seven outings...Triple-A Charlotte dipped back into second place in the unfathomably combative South Division of the International League with a 7-2 loss at Louisville on Monday...The Knights trail Gwinnett by a half-game with seven to play in the regular season.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics



Carolina League Stories from August 30, 2016


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