CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes

April 26, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM DASH (7-10) vs. FREDERICK KEYS (7-9)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 7:00 p.m. | BB&T Ballpark | Winston-Salem, NC

Webcast available on www.wsdash.com 15 minutes before first pitch

Game No. 18 | Home Game No. 9 | 2011 Home Record 3-5 | 2011 Road Record 4-5

RHP Andre Rienzo (0-0, 2.57) vs. LHP Nathan Moreau (2-0, 3.60)

Lockout Lifted, Football Score at BB&T Ballpark: Winston-Salem was a touchdown shy of the Keys last night, as Frederick won the series opener by a final score of 14-7. The Dash found themselves down 8-0 halfway through last night's game, but rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to get to within a run. But Frederick shut down the Winston offense after that and provided some more of its own, scoring six runs over the final three innings to earn the victory. The Dash committed a season-high four errors that led to four unearned runs, while 14 total runs were the most allowed by the team this season. Winston has lost seven of its last eight games entering tonight's contest.

Homecoming Kings: Last night marked the return of two former Dash players to Winston-Salem, as RHP Jake Rasner and 3B Dale Mollenhauer came back to the Twin City. Rasner started off hot, retiring the first eight men he faced and throwing four scoreless innings. He tired in the fifth and was charged with six of the seven Dash runs that inning. Mollenhauer reached base three times in his first game against his old team. He went 2 for 4 with an RBI single, a double, a walk, and a run scored. Both players were picked up by the Orioles in the Minor League Rule V Draft this past offseason. Rasner pitched for Winston in parts of 2008, 2009, and 2010, going 10-16 in 72 games (39 starts) with a 4.28 ERA. Mollenhauer played in 161 for Winston-Salem in 2008 and 2009, hitting .260 with six home runs, 30 doubles, seven triples, 56 RBI, 89 runs, and 24 stolen bases. He spent all of last season with AA Birmingham and hit .262-1-27.

Taking the Fifth: Trailing 8-0, Winston-Salem struck for seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to get right back into last night's game. It was the biggest inning of the year and it was the second time in as many days that the Dash batted a round. Of the ten batters that went to the batter's box, seven reached base and scored on six hits and a walk. Austin Yount hit a two-run home run, Jose Martinez and Ian Gac had RBI singles, and Andy Wilkins blasted a three-run homer to bring Winston to within a run of the Keys. Wilkins' home run against Will Startup was his third of the season, all against left-handed pitchers.

Mound of Misfortune: After a strong start to the season, the Dash's starting pitchers have fallen into a recent slump. Winston's starters allowed no more than three runs in any of the first 12 games this season and allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of 12 contests. That trend has reversed itself, as in four of the last five games, the Dash's starters have allowed seven or more runs per contest. The starters entered the home stand with a collective 2.07 ERA, but have posted an 11.86 ERA since Thursday. As a whole, the staff has allowed ten or more runs in three of the last four games.

One-Run Woes: The Dash have played nine games already this season that have been decided by one run. Winston-Salem is 3-6 in such contests after Sunday's 11-10 loss. At this rate, the Dash would play nearly 80 one-run games over the course of the season. Four of the team's seven losses during this 1-7 stretch have been by one run. Winston has played close games almost exclusively this season. Fourteen of its 17 games have been decided by three runs or fewer and the team has had a lead in 14 games this season.

Yount Up: Austin Yount stayed hot last night by hitting a two-run home run for the second straight ballgame. His blast started the Dash rally that saw seven runs score to get Winston to within a run of the Keys. Winston-Salem's two biggest innings of the season have been started by a Yount home run. Yount hit a solo shot in the eighth inning on opening night to spark a four-run inning against the K-Tribe. Just two and a half weeks into the season, Yount has tied a career high with three home runs this season.

Attention J-Mart Shoppers: Jose Martinez went 2 for 5 yesterday with an RBI single and scored his league-leading 18th run (tied with Salem's Reynaldo Rodriguez). His is third in the CL in batting average (.391), tied for first in hits (27), tied for second in doubles (7), third in on-base percentage (.447), and third in most plate appearances per strikeout (11).

Gac in the Box: Ian Gac elevated himself into first place in home runs in the Carolina League with his ninth-inning blast that landed in the vicinity of Neptune on Sunday afternoon. Gac has hit a league-best seven home runs this season. Five of Gac's home runs this season have either tied the game or given Winston-Salem the lead. The Seattle-native is tied for second in the CL in RBI (18), third in slugging percentage (.672), second in total bases (43), and tied for third in extra-base hits (10).

Today's Opposing Starter: LHP Nathan Moreau (2-0, 3.60) makes his third start of the season tonight and his first against Winston-Salem. He pitched well in a win his last time out against Potomac, allowing one run on five hits in six innings. Moreau is back in Frederick for the second straight season. He lost in his only start against the Dash last year, allowing five runs on six hits in 3.2 innings at BB&T Ballpark on August 7, 2010. He threw a nine-inning no hitter in his Carolina League debut on June 30, 2010 at Salem, striking out six and walking none. He was unable to go more than 5.1 innings in any start last year after the no-no and ended up going 4-5 with a 5.29 ERA in ten starts for the Keys. Moreau started last season pitching for low-A Delmarva and posted a 2-3 record and a 2.98 ERA in 16 games (seven starts). He struck out 70 South Atlantic League batters in 60.1 innings and held the opposition to a .209 batting average. Moreau was drafted by Baltimore in the 11th round in 2008 out of the University of Georgia. After making his professional debut with short-season Aberdeen, he spent his first professional season with the Shorebirds, going 5-3 with a 3.61 ERA in 20 starts. Moreau started 17 games for the SEC Champion Bulldogs in 2008, helping UGA reach the College World Series Finals and a number two final national ranking. He went 4-4 with a 5.11 ERA that season and recorded the win in the SEC-title clinching game against Vanderbilt. Moreau led UGA in wins in both his freshman (8) and sophomore (6) seasons. He tied the school record for wins as a freshman and was named to the Freshman All-American Team by Collegiate Baseball. That year, he helped Georgia get to the CWS. Moreau is native of Lilburn, Georgia and starred at Parkview High School, going 12-0 with a 1.66 ERA as a senior with 103 strikeouts in 71.2 innings.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics



Carolina League Stories from April 26, 2011


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