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Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (July 21)

July 21, 2021 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


The Dash take on Jersey Shore for the second game in a six-game set tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m..

WINSTON-SALEM DASH (27-40) vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws (29-40)

RHP Kaleb Roper (0-2, 9.00 ERA) vs. LHP Jhordany Mezquita (1-4, 5.97 ERA)

7:00 p.m. - Truist Stadium (Winston-Salem, NC)

Game #68

DASH SNAP LOSING SKID IN 6-0 WIN

The Winston-Salem Dash held the Jersey Shore BlueClaws to just two hits in their 6-0 win at Truist Stadium Tuesday night. The two hits is the fewest Winston-Salem has allowed in a game this year, while the shutout marks the third time this season the Dash have shutout an opponent.

The Dash were given a strong start from southpaw Bailey Horn, who twirled three hitless innings with five strikeouts in his best start with Winston-Salem. Declan Cronin took over in the fourth and fired two hitless innings of his own, carrying the no-hit bid into the sixth. After Wilber Perez allowed a base hit with one out in the sixth, the Dash relief corps yielded just one more hit, shutting out Jersey Shore and snapping their six-game losing skid.

Offensively, the Dash led 5-0 after two innings after RBIs from Alex Destino, Luis Curbelo, and Lenyn Sosa gave Winston-Salem a commanding advantage. Curbelo finished the game with two doubles and two RBIs, smacking his 29th and 30th extra-base hits of the season. Sosa bolstered the offensive charge with his fourth three-hit game of the year, while Jagger Rusconi logged an RBI in his Truist Stadium debut.

LA PANTERA RETURNS TO W-S

For the second time this year, the Dash welcome back a member of the Chicago White Sox's 40-man roster. Luis Robert returns to Winston-Salem as the first step on a rehab assignment after suffering a torn right hip flexor on May 3. Robert, who finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, played for the Dash for 52 games between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The outfielder amassed an eye-popping 1.432 OPS in 19 games with Winston-Salem in 2019, reaching Triple-A Charlotte by the conclusion of the '19 campaign. By the beginning of the 2020 season, Robert was patrolling the outfield at Guaranteed Rate Field on an everyday basis, smacking 11 homers while slugging .436. The native Cuban was slashing .316/.359/.463 with nine doubles prior to the injury and figures to spend time with the Dash as well as other White Sox affiliates on his road back to Chicago.

WHAT IS "PIGGYBACKING"?

Jersey Shore is one several teams throughout the minor leagues to employ the "piggybacking" system. While not commonplace at the MLB level, "piggybacking" is employed in the minors to reduce pitching workloads and better matchups in favor of the pitcher. Essentially, once a starter throws a predetermined number of pitches or innings (typically shorter than that of a typical starter), a reliever is brought in with the goal of replicating or surpassing the results from the prior pitcher.

The logic behind the maneuver is hitters will produce more favorable outcomes the more a see a pitcher, meaning that if you cycle pitchers more often, you can reduce workloads while earning better results.

TAKING A LOOK AT THE BLUECLAWS

Statistically speaking, Jersey Shore profiles as a pitching dominant team that has struggled to hit the ball at times. The BlueClaws pitching staff ranks fifth in ERA (3.99) in the High-A East, while ranking fifth in walks (5th), third in homeruns allowed (56), and first in save percentage (83.3%). Additionally, Jersey Shore holds hitters to a .232 batting average, good for the fifth best in the High-A East.

Offensively, Jersey Shore has struggled to produce this year. The BlueClaws rank last in the High-A East in batting average (.203), on-base percentage (.295), and slugging percentage (.331). Jersey Shore also ranks last in doubles (75) and hits (414), while ranking 11th in homers (54).

A PREVIEW OF TOMORROW

The Dash send Opening Day starter Davis Martin to the mound for his team-leading 15th start of the year. The righty registered his best start of the year against Jersey Shore on May 21, tossing five perfect innings with five strikeouts in a 5-0 Dash win.

Jersey Shore hands the ball to Dominic Pipkin Thursday, where the right-hander will make his 10th start and 14th appearance of the year. Pipkin, a ninth-round pick from Pinole Valley (CA) High School, threw three shutout innings against the Dash on May 20, fanning three in a 4-2 Dash loss.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 21, 2021


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