Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes
June 28, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
WINSTON-SALEM DASH (4-1, 36-39) vs. LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (1-4, 31-44)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 7:00 p.m. | BB&T Ballpark | Winston-Salem, NC
Webcast available on www.wsdash.com 15 minutes before first pitch
Game No. 76 | Home Game No. 41 | 2011 Home Record 20-20 | 2011 Road Record 16-19
LHP Matt Wickswat (0-0, 2.45) vs. RHP Zeke Spruill (5-7, 3.32)
Wet Bandits: Winston-Salem scored two early runs, got terrific pitching from Andre Rienzo and an assist from Mother Nature as the Dash won a rain-shortened game 2-0 over the Hillcats last night at BB&T Ballpark. Ian Gac and Daniel Wagner had RBI singles in the first and second innings, respectively, to supply all the offense needed for Rienzo. The Brazilian worked in and out of jams in the first, second, third, and sixth innings en route to a complete game shutout, the first by a Dash pitcher this season. Severe weather arrived after the top of the seventh inning and after a 52-minute delay, the game was ended early. The win clinched the second straight series victory for Winston-Salem, which goes for its second series sweep of the season tonight. The shutout win was the second of the season for the Dash.
Strong Finish: Last night Andre Rienzo threw the second complete game of the season for the Dash and the first shutout. Rienzo threw seven scoreless innings, scattering six hits and two walks while striking out six. It was his third complete game shutout of his career; he had two such performances last year, also seven-inning complete games. Last night's start was a nice turnaround for Rienzo, who had been shaky during the month of June. The Carolina League All-Star entered June 1-1 with a 2.68 ERA and a .203 opponent batting average. In four starts prior to last night, Rienzo was 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA and a .395 opponent batting average. Rienzo picked up his only other win of the season against the Hillcats on May 6.
Ty High: After missing the first month of the season with a broken hand, Tyler Saladino is starting take off offensively. His season-best seven game hitting streak ended with last night's 0 for 3 game at the plate, but that has been a blip on an otherwise red hot last few weeks. He has a base hit in 12 of his last 15 games and a multi-hit game in eight of the last 14 contests he has played in. Since June 5, Saladino is batting .333 (21 for 63) with seven doubles, three homers, nine RBI, and eight runs scored. He has raised his batting average 62 points to .247 during this period.
Recovery Summer: Jose Martinez' first full healthy season as a professional continues to proceed swimmingly. Martinez missed roughly two full seasons worth of baseball from 2008 - 2010 after a series of right knee injuries that required three separate surgeries. Café went 1 for 3 last night and is hitting .306, good for fourth in the Carolina League. After a six-game stretch when he went 1 for 23 that spanned the end of May and beginning of June, Martinez has hit in 17 of his last 19 games. He is batting .329 (26 for 79) during this period with 11 RBI. His 12 RBI in June are the most he has had in any month this season and he has hit in his last seven games.
Chicks Dig the Long Ball: Winston-Salem has done the bulk of its damage against opposing pitchers in the second half via the home run. Of the 16 runs scored by the Dash since the All-Star break, 11 have come off of eight homers. Winston leads the Carolina League in home runs this season with 68, 15 more than second-place Salem.
Another Gac-Breaker: All-Star designated hitter Ian Gac's eighth-inning two-run home run on Sunday proved to be the game-winner for Winston-Salem as the Dash reversed a pair of deficits to win the series opener. The dramatic home run was nothing new for the slugger; in fact, it has become habit for Gac to hit important home runs this season. Of his league-leading 19 homers, 11 have either tied the game or gave the Dash the lead. In addition to topping the Carolina League in home runs, Gac also leads the league in games played (75), extra-base hits (40), runs scored (51), total bases (150), and HR/AB ratio (1/14.84). He also ranks among the league leaders in at bats (3rd, 282), RBI (2nd, 52) doubles (4th, 21), and slugging percentage (5th, .539).
Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Zeke Spruill (5-7, 3.32) makes his 16th start of the season and his second against Winston-Salem. On May 6 at BB&T Ballpark, Spruill got the loss when he gave up six runs (all earned) in six innings while striking out eight. He's thrown three complete games in 2011 including a nine-inning, three-hit shutout against Kinston on May 16. Spruill is in a stretch where he's allowed no more than one run in each of his last three starts (1-1, 1 ER in 21 IP). He faced the Dash twice last year as a member of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He allowed eight runs on eight hits in 9.2 innings (7.45), taking a loss and a no-decision against Winston in 2010. Spruill entered last season ranked by Baseball America as the eighth-best prospect in the Braves system but dropped out of the top 30 entering 2011. Last year with the Pelicans, Spruill struggled, going 3-5 with a 5.54 ERA in 14 games (13 starts). His season was interrupted by a broken hand he suffered after his second start of the season, forcing him to miss two months. A 21-year-old from Marietta, Georgia, started his professional career by winning his first 13 decisions over two seasons with the GCL Braves and low-A Rome. He was a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2009, going 8-6 with a 3.03 ERA and one save for Rome. He went 7-0 with a 2.93 ERA for the GCL Braves in 2008 and was named the team's "Pitcher of the Year." Atlanta drafted Spruill in the second round in 2008 (70th overall). He throws a fastball that sits in the low-90s, a slider, a curveball, and a changeup.
Carolina League Stories from June 28, 2011
- Rocks Top Keys in Finale - Frederick Keys
- Big Comeback Gives Kinston a 4-3 Win in 12 Innings - Kinston Indians
- Melville Helps Wilmington Avoid Sweep - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- P-Nats Drop Heartbreaker in Kinston - Potomac Nationals
- Hillcats Suspended in First - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Series Finale Rained out in Winston-Salem - Winston-Salem Dash
- Eveland Promoted to Winston-Salem - Winston-Salem Dash
- K-Tribe Notes - Kinston Indians
- Salem Salvages Finale with Shutout - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Red Sox Earn First Win of Second Half - Salem Red Sox
- Lonnie Chisenhall 2-For-4 in Major League Debut - Kinston Indians
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes - Winston-Salem Dash
- Oester Called up to Birmingham - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
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