Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes
Published on June 11, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
Five is Jive: Wilmington won its fifth straight game against the Dash last night after scoring all of their four runs in the first four innings. The Blue Rocks loaded in the bases in the first but did not score against Cameron Bayne. Ryan Eigsti singled in a run in the second, and homered in the fourth. In between Eigsti's RBI hits, Yem Prades hit a two-run home run. The Dash managed one run in the game when Jared Mitchell scored on a wild pitch in the eighth, but couldn't solve Rocks starter Tim Melville, who threw six shutout innings. Winston remains seven games behind the Pelicans for first place in the division, and its elimination number for a first half playoff spot is three.
The Devil Wears Prades: Wilmington OF Yem Prades hit a two-run home run in the third inning last night to give the Blue Rocks a 3-0 lead. The homer was his first as a professional, and the two RBIs were also his first two in professional baseball. Born in Cuba, Prades defected in 2008 to the Dominican Republic where he attended the Academic Institute of the Dominican Republic. He was signed by the Royals on April 2, 2011 and came to the United States for the first time on May 20.
Rock Talk: The Dash continue their final home stand of the season's first half tonight with a series against the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Royals' Carolina League affiliate has dominated Winston-Salem this season, winning seven out of eight matchups between the teams, including the last five. The games themselves have typically been close, with five of the Dash's losses coming by one or two runs. The Blue Rocks spent much of the first half atop the Northern Division, but have fallen on hard times as of late. Since May 27, Wilmington has lost 11 of its last 14 games, with those losses coming by an aggregate score of 70 to 20. The tumble has dropped the Rocks to six games behind Frederick for first place in the Northern Division. The Keys' magic number to eliminate Wilmington from the playoff race in the first half is five.
Coll On Me: Playing in his first game since Sunday, Kyle Colligan showed no rust last night for Winston-Salem on Thursday. The Houston native walked and scored his first time up in the third inning. In the fifth inning, he took his old college teammate Barret Loux deep for his second home run of the season, a solo shot over Myrtle's seating section in left field. The home run was Colligan's first extra-base hit since his last home run, which he hit on May 16 at BB&T Ballpark. That dinger also came in a game against the Pelicans. Colligan had been hitting .160 (4 for 25) since that home run.
Fill in the Blanke: C Mike Blanke went 1 for 3 in last night's series opener, and now has a hit in three of his five games at Advanced-A. Overall, Blank has struggled since joining the Dash, hitting .158 (3 for 19) but did reach base in three of his four plate appearances on Friday (1B, BB, ROE). Baseball America's 14th-best prospect in the White Sox organization, Blanke was promoted to Winston-Salem on June 3 after an All-Star first half in the South Atlantic League. He was named an All-Star for low-A Kannapolis, but can't participate because of his promotion. Blanke hit .259 with two home runs and 18 RBI with the Intimidators. He was drafted in the 14th round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Tampa.
I feel the need, the need for Reed: Addison Reed threw two more shutout innings on Thursday to run his streak to seven straight appearances and 14 straight innings without allowing a run. His ERA sits at 1.59 in 28.1 innings with the Dash. Among relief pitchers in the CL, Reed is fifth in opposing batting average (.196), second in K/9 IP (12.39), first in fewest BB/9 IP (1.27), and fourth in fewest baserunners/9 IP (8.58).
Lost his stripes: Jared Mitchell's seven-game hitting streak ended on Thursday with an 0 for 4 night at the plate. The former LSU Tiger did have a sacrifice fly to give the Dash their first run, but Mitchell struck out with two runners aboard to end last night's game. During the streak, which was the longest of his young career, Mitchell hit .250 (7 for 28) with four doubles, one homer, three RBI and five runs scored. Mitchell went 1 for 4 in the series opener with Wilmington, scoring the only run of the game for Winston-Salem.
Working Overtime: With back-to-back extra-inning contests on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Dash have played more extra-inning games than any other team in minor league baseball this season. Winston has played in 12 such games this season, five more than Myrtle Beach which is second in the Carolina League. The Dash are 7-5 when the game goes beyond regulation and are tied with Advanced-A Jupiter for the most extra-inning victories in minor league baseball in 2011.
Playing them close to the vest: The Dash have an inordinate number of close games this season, as 47 of the team's 61 games have been decided by three runs or fewer and the team has had a lead in 45 games this season. Winston has played 23 one-run games and 15 two-run games. The Dash are 11-12 in one-run games and 8-7 in two run contests. At this rate, the Dash would play 89 one- or two-run games this season.
Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Tyler Sample (3-4, 3.73) makes his 12th appearance and ninth start of the season tonight for the Blue Rocks. He is coming off a rough outing against Kinston on Monday night, taking the loss after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits in 4.1 innings to raise his ERA an entire run. Sample spent all of 2010 with low-A Burlington, his first season with a full-season team. He represented the Bees in the Midwest League All-Star Game and made 26 starts on the year, compiling a 6-10 record with a 4.69 ERA. He had 115 strikeouts in 121 innings, but he walked 95 to lead the 16-team circuit. Sample entered the year ranked as the Royals' 14th-best minor league prospect by Baseball America, but dropped off the top-30 list after his uneven performance last year. He split 2009 between two rookie levels (Surprise in the AZL and Burlington in the Appalachian League) and went 4-2 in 14 games with a 3.13 ERA. Sample signed a $500,000 bonus as a 2008 third round draft pick by the Royals out of J.K. Mullen Prep School, where he was an all-state player after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2006. He features a fastball that sits 92-94 mph and can reach the upper-90s at times, a 12-6 knuckle-curveball, and a changeup. His 6'6", 215 lb. frame leads to an inconsistent delivery, the primary reason behind his occasional control problems.
Carolina League Stories from June 11, 2011
- Team Pounds Out 18 Hits, Francis Ties Franchise Record With Five - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Nationals Beat Salem for Third Straight Home Win - Potomac Nationals
- Tazawa Deals Four Scoreless for Salem - Salem RidgeYaks
- Rocks Ride Hit Parade to 9-4 Win - Winston-Salem Dash
- Catcher's homer, reliever's three Ks set up Sunday rubber game for Birds, Tribe - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Shafer Allows Just One in Second Start Gem - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Frederick Allows Just Four Hits but Commit Four Errors in 3-2 Loss to Lynchburg - Frederick Keys
- Myrtle Beach Hangs On For a 6-5 Win Over Kinston - Kinston Indians
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Kinston Indians Game Notes - Kinston Indians
- Kinston Indians Game Notes - Kinston Indians
- Doyle, Reed Promoted to Birmingham - Winston-Salem Dash
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes - Winston-Salem Dash
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