CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes

Published on August 21, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM DASH (29-26, 61-64) @ POTOMAC NATIONALS (30-25, 59-65)

Sunday, August 21, 2011, 1:05 p.m. | G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium | Woodbridge, VA

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

Game No. 126 | Road Game No. 62 | 2011 Home Record 35-29 | 2011 Road Record 26-35

RHP Ryan Buch (3-4, 5.15) @ RHP Erik Davis (0-2, 4.66)

Broomsmen: Ten days after winning their first doubleheader sweep of the season, the Dash found themselves swept away in a twin-bill for the first time all year last night against the Potomac Nationals, dropping a pair of games 7-3 and 4-1. In game one, the Dash scored a run in the third inning, only to see the P-Nats strike for three in the bottom of the frame against Jake Petricka to take the lead. Potomac added three more in the fifth inning and held off a late Winston rally to take the first contest. In game two, neither team could manage much in the way of hits, but walks were in vogue as the squads combined to hand out 12 bases on balls. The Nationals snapped a 1-1 game in the fourth when Jeff Kobernus tripled and scored on a Sandy Leon groundout. Potomac added two more in the sixth inning to provide insurance in the three-run lead. The extra runs would not truly be needed as the Dash were held to a season-low two hits, with none coming after the first inning. Sandy Leon and Destin Hood were the stars of the doubleheader, going a combined 5 for 9 with two doubles, a home run, six RBI, six runs scored, three walks, and two stolen bases. The doubleheader sweep was the first of a losing kind since July 30, 2010 when the Dash were swept away at Myrtle Beach. Winston-Salem hopes to avoid another brooming at the hands of the P-Nats, as Potomac goes for the four-game series sweep this afternoon.

First is the Worst: Typically, scoring first is a major advantage in the game of baseball, and that has been the case for Winston-Salem over the bulk of the season, winning roughly two-thirds of the games during which the Dash score first. Lately, however, the opposite has been true for Winston, as the team has scored first in each of the last four games, only to lose all four contests. This is the first streak of this kind for Winston-Salem all season.

Second's Not the Best: The Dash have lost a season-high-tying five straight games and have dropped eight of their last ten to fall out of first place. Kinston leads Winston-Salem by one-half game for a playoff spot in the Southern Division, with the Dash one game back in the loss column. The Dash are two games clear of Myrtle Beach, which has already qualified for the postseason, and 4.5 games in front of last place Salem.

Potomac's the one with the Treasure Chest: The matchups between the Dash and the Nationals have taken a 180-degree turn from where they were earlier in the season. After winning 10 of the first 15 games between the teams in 2011, Potomac has won four in a row against Winston-Salem and is bidding for its first sweep of the Dash since June 9 - 11, 2008 when the team was named the Warthogs.

The Tao of Tyler: Dash shortstop Tyler Saladino is starting to get hot offensively. In game one of yesterday's doubleheader, Saladino was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and a run scored. In his last four games, Saladino is 12 for 18 (.667) with four doubles, a triple, four RBI, and threeruns scored. Prior to the last four games, he had gone 11 straight without a multi-hit contest.

Terre Hot: In addition to Saladino's hot performance, the Dash have also been getting good production from right fielder Nick Ciolli. Since last Sunday, Ciolli is 11 for 24 with two home runs six RBI, four runs scored, and seven walks (including the game that was suspended on June 28 and resumed in the bottom of the first on Monday night). During this hot streak, Ciolli has raised his batting average from .247 to .263.

31 Jump Street: Ian Gac blasted his 31st home run of the season in the first game on Monday night, extending his Carolina League lead and keeping him second in all of minor league baseball (the Iowa Cubs' Bryan LaHair has 34). Gac has 11 more home runs that any other player in the CL and his 86 RBI are eight more than second place. Gac is also first in the CL in games played (125), tied for second in at bats (462), eighth in batting average (.273), tied for third in hits (126), fifth in doubles (28), first in slugging percentage (.535), second in extra-base hits (59), first in runs scored (83), first in total bases (247), and first in HR/AB ratio (1/14.90). He is on pace to hit 35 home runs this season which would surpass his previous career-high of 32 in 2008. That total would tie the Winston-Salem record (Ed Olivares set the current record of 35 home runs in 1960 for the Winston-Salem RedBirds) and also would be the most in any Carolina League season since Tolia Solaita hit 49 for the Hi-Toms in 1968. Gac has 158 career homers in nine professional seasons.

Winning Formula: The odds are pretty good for Winston-Salem to come away with the victory when Ian Gac homers. The Dash are 20-8 in games Gac hits a home run, good for a .714 winning percentage. The Dash are just 41-56 (.423) when Gac does not homer. The Dash are 10-6 (.625) when Andy Wilkins hits a home run, but have won 10 of the last 12 games during which the Oklahoman has homered.

‚¬ËœMaul Rat: Since giving up two runs in an outing on June 2 against Potomac, Kussmaul has been nothing short of spectacular. He has allowed four runs (two earned) on nine hits in his last 19 appearances, sporting a 0.64 ERA (2 ER, 28.1 IP) with a .117 batting average against (11 for 94) and 51 strikeouts (seven walks) in the process. Kussmaul leads all Carolina League relievers with 14.09 strikeouts per nine innings, nearly two more full K's than second-place Eliecer Cardenas (12.35). He is second among all full-season minor league pitchers in the category. Kussmaul is second on the Dash in strikeouts (83) despite only ranking seventh among all 2011 Winston players in innings pitched (53.0). He is also second among CL relievers with a .167 opponents' batting average and is second in fewest baserunners/9 IP (8.83).

Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Erik Davis (0-2, 4.66) makes fourth appearance and fourth start of the season, but first against Winston-Salem. Davis was acquired by the Washington Nationals organization along with cash considerations from the San Diego Padres on March 28 in exchange for INF Alberto Gonzalez. He began the season with AA Harrisburg where he was 5-7 with a 4.79 ERA in 19 appearances (18 starts). He had one complete game, on July 2 where he gave up three runs in seven innings and picked up the win against New Britain. He was originally drafted by the Padres in the 13th round of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Stanford University. Davis was selected one round after Cardinal teammate, and Dash infielder Austin Yount. The two also played on the same Stanford team as current Nationals pitcher Drew Storen. In three years with the Padres, Davis combined for a 32-9 record and 3.49 ERA. Last year he split time between AAA Portland, Advanced-A Lake Elsinore, and AA San Antonio. With Lake Elsinore he was 9-3 with a 3.82 ERA in 19 starts before his promotion to San Antonio. His best start of the season was also his last, on September 5 with the Missions. Davis threw eight one-hit innings and struck out ten to pick up his fourth win of the year (he was 4-0). Davis is perhaps best-known for an incident that occurred while he was playing for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League on June 18, 2006. Then-Vanderbilt infielder Ryan Flaherty hit a line drive that struck Davis in the face, shattering several bones in Davis' face. He needed surgery to place four titanium plates in his face to replace those bones, and pitched in a semi-pro league in Nevada two months later.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from August 21, 2011


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