CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes

Published on June 2, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM DASH (24-28) vs. POTOMAC NATIONALS (18-34)

Thursday, June 2, 2011, 7:00 p.m. | BB&T Ballpark | Winston-Salem, NC

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

Game No. 53 | Home Game No. 29 | 2011 Home Record 14-14 | 2011 Road Record 10-14

RHP Andre Rienzo (1-1, 2.68) vs. RHP Paul Demny (1-5, 4.66)

Van Wilder: For the second straight night, the Dash walked off a winner against the P-Nats. With the score tied at one in the bottom of the tenth, Andy Wilkins walked and got to third on a very hard bunt off Nick Ciolli's bat. Wilkins then came home with the winning run when Josh Smoker threw a wild pitch to the back stop, sending the Dash into an on-field celebration for the second time in as many games. Winston got terrific pitching from Terry Doyle (9 IP, 0 ER) and just enough offense against the Nationals, who have lost 11 consecutive games. The win was the Dash's third in a row and fifth in the last seven games. Winston-Salem goes for its first four-game sweep of the season tonight.

Doyler Alert!: Terry Doyle did everything but pick up the win last night. The right-hander pitched a career-high nine innings and did not allow and earned run, scattering six hits and a walk while striking out seven. The only run Doyle allowed came after the Dash could not catch a foul pop-up, resulting in an error and an eventual walk to Destin Hood. Doyle previously had thrown eight innings in a game twice, including once last month against Myrtle Beach. The quality start was Doyle's team-leading seventh of the season, but because the offense only average 3.6 runs of support when he pitches, his record is only 1-5. In his last six starts, Doyle has allowed no more than three runs in any outing and has posted a 2.05 ERA. Despite missing a scheduled start to pitch for AA Birmingham, he leads the CL in innings pitched this season (65.0).

Thirsty for Thursday: Winston-Salem's thirst for a win on Thursday has not been quenched yet this season. The Dash are 0-4 on Thursdays in 2011, the only day of the week that the team has not tasted victory. The Dash are at their best on Sundays, sporting a 5-2 mark on that day this season.

Twin Wins in the Twin City: The Dash have picked up walk-off wins in each of the last two ballgames against the Nationals. On Tuesday, Jared Mitchell capped a late-inning comeback with a two-run double in the ninth to give Winston a 4-3 win and last night's walk-off wild pitch made it two in a row. Wednesday's victory was the fourth walk-off win of the season for the Dash. The Dash walked off winners 11 times last year, winning in that fashion in 16% of all the team's home games.

Stimulus Package: The Dash have a charitable solution to jump-starting our stalled economy: lots of free baseball. Last night's ten-inning affair was the team's tenth extra-inning game of the season. Not only is that far and away the most in the Carolina League (Salem and Myrtle Beach are tied for second with five such contests), but it ties Winston-Salem with the Jupiter Hammerheads (the Marlins' Florida State League affiliate) for the most extra-inning games in all of minor league baseball. The Dash are 6-4 when the game goes beyond regulation in 2011.

Terre HOT: Nick Ciolli's blistering bunt was last night was his second hit of the game, giving him back-to-back two-hit games. The Terre Haute native is riding a nine-game hit streak that started on May 20. During the streak, Ciolli is batting .343 (12 for 35) with two doubles, a triple, three home runs, eight RBI, and five runs scored.

The Silence of the Bours: Jason Bour was cooled off last night, going 0 for 3 against the Nationals. Bour entered the ballgame a blistering 7 for 7 in the series with two RBI. Entering the series, Bour had been 0 for previous last 14 with ten strikeouts. Against Potomac this season, Bour is hitting .526 (10 for 19) with two of his four doubles and three of his four RBI. He is hitting .111 (8 for 72) against the rest of the Carolina League in 2011.

Tigers love pepper. They hate cinnamon.: Since moving to the second spot in the lineup last week, Jared Mitchell has hit his stride and is playing his best offensive baseball of the season. The former LSU Tiger has hit in five of the seven games that he has batted second, posting a .375 batting average (9 for 24) with two homers, two doubles, eight RBI, and four runs scored with five walks and five strikeouts. In 40 games batting third, Mitchell hit .197-4-21 with 58 strikeouts and seven walks. His season batting average has increased 24 points since Julio Vinas moved him up in the lineup.

Easy to Reed: Addison Reed had another scoreless appearance Tuesday night, making it four in a row and eight straight innings since allowing his last run. With three more strikeouts against the P-Nats, Reed upped his total with the Dash to 29 in 22.1 innings. The hard-throwing right-hander is among the CL leaders in many categories. Among relievers, Reed is fifth in opponent batting average (.190), third in K/9 IP (11.69), second in fewest BB/9 IP (1.21), and fewest baserunners/9 IP (8.46).

Playing them close to the vest: The Dash have an inordinate number of close games this season, as 41 of the team's 52 games have been decided by three runs or fewer and the team has had a lead in 40 games this season. Winston has played 21 one-run games and 13 two-run games. The Dash are 10-11 in one-run games and 6-7 in two run contests. At this rate, the Dash would play 92 one - or two-run games this season.

Moonshot Monopoly: With another home run on Saturday night, the Dash extended their league-leading homer total to 47 on the season. Winston-Salem has hit six more longballs than its closes competition (Lynchburg with 41) and more than double than last place Kinston (22). The Dash led the Carolina League in dingers last year with 112 and the team is on pace to blast 127 in 2011.

Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Paul Demny (1-5, 4.66) makes his tenth start of the season tonight and his third against the Dash. Demny made his Advanced-A debut against Winston-Salem on April 13 and got a no-decision, allowing just one run on three hits over 5.2 innings. He won his only decision of the season on May 11 at BB&T Ballpark, allowing four runs in six innings. He was hit around by Lynchburg in his last two starts, giving up 12 runs on 13 hits in 6.2 innings combined. The East Bernard, Texas native has spent the last two seasons with low-A Hagerstown, going 6-10 with a 4.23 ERA in 27 starts last year and 3-11 with a 5.14 ERA in 23 starts in 2009. He suffered from bouts of inconsistency in both of his seasons with the Suns. While he had 15 starts in which he allowed one run or fewer, he also had 12 during which he yielded five or more runs. According to scouting reports, Demny's inconsistency stems from inconsistent mechanics that have led to shaky control, leaving him effectively wild at times and uncomfortable for hitters to face. At 21 years old, he is the youngest pitcher on the P-Nats and the fourth youngest on the entire roster. He throws his four-seam fastball in the low-90s and his two-seamer in the high-80s. His repertoire also includes a curveball and changeup. Demny was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft after two years at Blinn College (Brenham, TX), where he mainly pitched in relief. He was originally selected by Atlanta in the 12th round in 2006 but did not sign. In high school, Demny was an All-State player and the Houston Chronicle Athlete of the Year. He was an accomplished hitter in high school, leading East Bernard HS in on-base percentage, slugging, doubles, and total bases.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from June 2, 2011


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