CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Dash: Game Notes (June 15 vs. Wilmington)

Published on June 15, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


After clinching a first-half Southern Division title on Thursday against Wilmington, the Dash look to string together their eighth straight win on Friday at BB&T Ballpark. First pitch is set for 7 p.m..

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WINSTON-SALEM DASH (40-27) vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (29-38)

RHP Luis Martinez (3-4, 4.17 ERA) vs. RHP Gerson Garabito (2-5, 4.35 ERA)

7 p.m. - BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

Game #68 (Home Game #33)

DASH CLINCH 2018 FIRST-HALF TITLE

The Winston-Salem Dash clinched a first-half Southern Division championship on Thursday night at BB&T Ballpark with an 8-2 win over Wilmington and a Buies Creek loss to Potomac. The Dash's first-half title is the organization's first since 2012, and it guarantees the club a spot in the Carolina League playoffs following the conclusion of the regular season in September. Wilmington scored a run in the first against right-hander Dylan Cease to take an early lead, but Winston-Salem responded in the bottom of the first against righty Ofreidy Gomez. With the bases loaded in the first, Gavin Sheets bounced an infield single that plated two runs to put the Dash ahead. Winston added one in the third on an RBI single from Yermin Mercedes and three in the fifth, which included a two-run shot from Mercedes. Cease ended up setting a new career-high with eight innings of work, while Zach Thompson worked a 1-2-3 ninth.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Thursday's postseason berth marks the fifth time Winston-Salem has earned a spot a playoff spot in the Dash era (2009-present). Winston-Salem has yet to claim a Carolina League championship, though, falling twice in the Mills Cup Finals and twice in the Southern Division Championship series. Last time the franchise won a CL title was 2003, when the team was named the Warthogs.

MAKE THAT SEVEN IN A ROW

Not only did the Dash clinch a first-half championship on Thursday, but the team has now strung together seven consecutive wins for the first time this year. The last time Winston-Salem won seven games or more in a row was back in 2013, when the team won 10 in a row from August 19-29.

WELCOME TO WINSTON, BLUE ROCKS

The Dash are in the midst of a seven-game homestand, with Friday being the second game of a four-game set against the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR

Dash outfielders Luis Basabe and Joel Booker, right-handers Dylan Cease and Matt Foster, and left-hander Bernardo Flores have been named Carolina League All-Stars, the league office announced on Monday. The five players will be a part of the Southern Division team in the 2018 All-Star Classic, which will take place at Five County Stadium, the home of the Carolina Mudcats. Here's a look at what each player has done so far:

Basabe: Leads the Dash with nine home runs and a .515 slugging percentage.

Booker: Leads the Dash in on-base percentage (.379), runs scored (38) and steals (14).

Cease: Leads league in strikeouts (82) and is second in the league in wins (nine), all while posting a 2.89 ERA

Flores: Leads the CL in IP (77.2); tossed 10 quality starts and posted a 2.55 ERA

Foster: 38:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio; 0.90 ERA over his last 14 outings.

GOT A REALLY BIG TEAM

Through 67 games this year, the Dash are sitting near the top of many Carolina League leaderboards. On offense, the Dash lead the circuit in doubles (125) and triples (23). Meanwhile, the ballclub is second in the circuit in batting average (.264), on-base percentage (.341), slugging percentage (.414) and runs scored (330). On the mound, the Dash have the second-best ERA (3.41) and the second-most strikeouts (555).

DASH DOTS

15 of the last 20 outings for Dash rotation members have been quality starts...With Potomac's win over the Astros, the Nationals clinched a first-half Northern Division title on Thursday. The P-Nats are the lone above .500 team in the Northern Division...Luis Martinez will make his first ever start against Wilmington on Friday...In his last start, which took place against Carolina at Five County Stadium on Sunday, Martinez retired the last 13 batters he faced...Winston ended up winning that contest in 11 innings by a score of 2-1.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

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