CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Dash: Game Notes (september 2 At Down East)

Published on September 2, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


Leading the Astros by one game, the Dash have a chance to earn a second-half Southern Division title with a victory against the Wood Ducks. First pitch is at 2 p.m.

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WINSTON-SALEM DASH (42-24, 83-53) at Down East Wood Ducks (23-45, 58-80)

RHP Alec Hansen (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Phillips (first High-A start)

2 p.m. - Grainger Stadium (Kinston, N.C.)

Game #137 (Away Game #69)

PITCHING DOMINATES IN SHUTOUT WIN

Four Dash pitchers combined to allow just six baserunners to lead Winston-Salem to a 3-0 win over Down East on Saturday night at Grainger Stadium. The win is the 12th shutout of the year for Winston-Salem. Lincoln Henzman cruised through his ninth start with the Dash. The right-hander fired four scoreless innings. Drew Hasler followed with two clean frames to earn his team-leading ninth win of the season. Danny Dopico struck out four batters over two scoreless innings, and Mike Morrison finished the job, keeping the Wood Ducks off the scoreboard in the ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.

CREAM OF THE CROP

Winston currently boasts nine of the top prospects in the Sox system per MLB Pipeline, including infielders Nick Madrigal (No. 4), Gavin Sheets (No. 15) and Laz Rivera (No. 28), outfielders Luis Robert (No. 3), Blake Rutherford (No. 7) and Luis Gonzalez (No. 14), and right-handers Alec Hansen (No. 10), Tyler Johnson (No. 23) and Lincoln Henzman (No. 30).

SILVER MEDALIST

While the Dash will not best the 2012 team in overall wins (87), the 2018 Winston-Salem Dash are now the second-best team in the Dash era (2009-present) with 83 wins, overtaking the 2010 team, which went 81-58 overall under manager Joe McEwing. While the Dash have played in the Mills Cup Championship Series twice, this year's club will try to be the first to claim a Carolina League title since the franchise changed its moniker to the Dash in 2009. Winston-Salem's last title came in 2003 as the Warthogs.

ANOTHER TITLE-WINNING HALF?

With just two games left in the regular season and a first-half title already on the ledger, Winston-Salem has the opportunity to win the second half. The Dash currently lead Buies Creek by one game for the top spot in the Southern Division in the second half. Winston has won both halves twice in the Dash era (2010 & 2012).

BEST OF THE BEST

After sealing up a first-half Southern Division championship, Winston-Salem now has the fourth-best winning percentage in full-season Minor League Baseball with a .610 mark. Here's a look at the top teams:

1. Bowling Green Hot Rods

(Midwest League - A): 88-49 (.642)

2. Lakewood BlueClaws

(South Atlantic League - A): 86-50 (.632)

3. Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

(California League - A+): 85-53 (.616)

4. Winston-Salem Dash

(Carolina League - A+): 83-53 (.610)

MORE THAN LUCK FOR LUIS

After posting an .850 OPS in the first half with Kannapolis, Gonzalez has continued his impressive pace with Winston by posting a team-best .888 OPS. A former third-round pick out of the University of New Mexico, Gonzalez has also smacked 22 doubles, just five shy of the team leader (Sheets). Following a college career in which he had 53 more walks than strikeouts, the 22-year-old has posted the second-lowest strikeout rate (15.9%) on the Dash.

BALLOTS FOR BLAKE

Blake Rutherford is making a case to be named Carolina League MVP. The 21-year-old has helped lead the best offense in the league with 128 hits (T-2nd), 76 RBIs (2nd), a .293 average (5th) and a .439 slugging percentage (8th). A first-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2016, Rutherford was traded to the White Sox in 2017 along with Tyler Clippard, Ian Clarkin and Tito Polo in exchange for David Robertson, Todd Frazier and Tommy Kahnle.

DASH DOTS

Hansen made two starts against the Wood Ducks last season...In his first start on June 26, 2017, the 6'8" right-hander allowed just four hits in five shutout innings in what his High-A debut...Meanwhile, in his second start, Hansen allowed five earned runs on July 6, 2017 at BB&T Ballpark in a loss.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

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