Winston-Salem Dash: Game Notes (June 22 vs. Down East)
June 22, 2018 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
The Dash continue their four-game set against the Wood Ducks on Friday at BB&T Ballpark. First pitch is set for 7 p.m..
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WINSTON-SALEM DASH (1-0, 42-29) vs. Down East Wood Ducks (0-1, 35-36)
RHP Luis Martinez (3-4, 4.12 ERA) vs. RHP Walker Weickel (1-6, 4.99 ERA)
7 p.m. - BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Game #72 (Home Game #37)
RUTHERFORD, ADOLFO POWER DASH
Backs-to-back home runs from Blake Rutherford and Micker Adolfo lifted the Dash to a 4-2 win over Down East on Thursday at BB&T Ballpark to open the second half of the season. With the contest tied at one in the fourth, Rutherford smacked a go-ahead solo homer off Steven Bruce to put the Dash ahead. Only four pitches later, Adolfo blasted a solo shot to right-center to make it a 3-1 contest. Meanwhile, star prospect Luis Robert went 1-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in his High-A debut. The 20-year-old singled, stole second and scored in the first frame, and then he added on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. On the hill, Tanner Banks picked up his seventh consecutive win by tossing seven strong innings.
FIRST HALF RECAP
Thanks to a league-best 41-29 record, Winston-Salem clinched a first-half Southern Division title for the first time since 2012 and earned its fifth playoff berth in the Dash era (2009-present). Led by first-year manager Omar Vizquel, the Dash's .586 winning percentage was 34 points better than the next best team in the circuit, as the first-half Northern Division champion Potomac Nationals posted a .552 mark. Across the first half, the Dash played a well-rounded style of baseball, posting the league's second-best OPS (.749), while also having the second-best ERA (3.46).
ADIOS, AMIGOS
The Dash announced on Thursday that several first-half stars earned a promotion to Double-A Birmingham. Here are the seven players:
OF Luis Basabe: .873 OPS, 9HRs (led the team)
OF Joel Booker: .858 OPS, 39 runs (led the team)
OF Alex Call: .256/.368/.421 with 5 HRs and 2
RHP Dylan Cease: Led the CL with 82 strikeouts
RHP Matt Foster: Went 7-for-7 in save opportunities
RHP Zach Thompson: 1.78 ERA in 22 apps
LHP Bernardo Flores: 10 quality starts; 5-4 with a 2.55 ERA
ROBERT PROMOTED TO WINSTON
Rated the 24th-best overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, Robert was signed by the White Sox for $26 million in May of 2017. Robert, who was promoted to Winston-Salem on Thursday, began the season on the Dash's disabled list with a sprained ligament in his left thumb before being transferred to Low-A Kannapolis, where he posted a line of .289/.360/.400 with four RBIs in 13 games played. The Cuba native is rated the third-best prospect in the White Sox system by MLB.com.
MORE KANNAPOLIS STARS
Alongside Robert, five players were promoted from Kannapolis to join the Dash on Thursday:
RHP Blake Battenfield (All-Star): seventh-best ERA in the circuit with a 2.00 mark; 17th-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2017
RHP Tyler Johnson (All-Star): seven saves and a 1.33 ERA with 46K in 27.0IP; fifth-round pick out of the University of South Carolina in 2017
INF Laz Rivera (All-Star): led the SAL in average (.346) with six homers and 24 RBIs; 28th-round pick out of the University of Tampa in 2017
OF Luis Gonzalez (All-Star): Logged an impressive .850 OPS with eight homers and 26 RBIs; third-round pick out of the University of New Mexico in 2017
RHP Lincoln Henzman: Went 6-3 with a 2.23 ERA in 13 starts; fourth-round pick out of the University of Louisville in 2017
DASH DOTS
Former Dash right-hander Yency Almonte made his Major League debut on Thursday with the Colorado Rockies, marking the first Dash alumnus to reach The Show during the 2018 season... Almonte, who threw a scoreless inning of relief against the New York Mets, becomes the 358th Winston-Salem alumnus to graduate to the Major Leagues and 50th during the Dash era...A 17th-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2012, Almonte spent two seasons in the Angels organization before being traded to the White Sox in February of 2015...Almonte was traded to Colorado following the 2015 season.
Carolina League Stories from June 22, 2018
- Red Sox Rally in Eighth to Top Keys - Frederick Keys
- Salem Shock Frederick 5-3 Friday Night - Salem Red Sox
- Dash Batter the Woodies in Friday Defeat - Down East Wood Ducks
- Seven-Run Eighth Inning Highlights 10-0 Potomac Win - Potomac Nationals
- Aguilar, Rodriguez and Segovia Lead Mudcats to 7-2 Victory - Carolina Mudcats
- Winston Tallies 13 Hits in 8-2 Win over Wood Ducks - Winston-Salem Dash
- Wilmington's Offense Silent in Loss - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Hillcats and Pelicans Postponed on Friday - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Rain Postpones Friday's Contest in Lynchburg - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Winston-Salem Dash: Game Notes (June 22 vs. Down East) - Winston-Salem Dash
- June 22 - Carolina Mudcats Game Information - Carolina Mudcats
- Brewers activate RHP Braulio Ortiz off the Carolina DL - Carolina Mudcats
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans: Game Notes, June 22 at Lynchburg - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Former Dash Righty Yency Almonte Makes MLB Debut - Winston-Salem Dash
- Governor Northam to Throw First Pitch at Lynchburg Hillcats Game Saturday - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Wilkerson Makes MLB Debut - Frederick Keys
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