Game #113 Preview — Dash vs. Frederick
Game #113 — Home Game #60
Winston-Salem Dash (19–23, 47–65) vs. Frederick Keys (18–22, 54–56)
Saturday, August 6–6:30 p.m.
BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
GAME BACKGROUND:
Despite a complete game from Robinson Leyer, Frederick edged Winston-Salem 1–0 in a rain-shortened contest on Friday at BB&T Ballpark. The Dash look to regain the edge against the Keys at home on Saturday at BB&T Ballpark. The two squads are 4–4 against each other in the Triad.
STARTING LINEUP:
Robinson Leyer tossed a rain-shortened complete game on Friday against Frederick (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
Landon Lassiter — CF
Gerson Montilla — 2B
Mason Robbins — RF
Nick Basto — LF
Zack Collins — C
Telvin Nash — 1B
Marcus Davis — DH
Toby Thomas — 3B
Cleuluis Rondon — SS
Jordan Stephens — RHP
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DASH DOTS:
- Over the last three games, Winston-Salem’s staff has permitted just three runs on 12 hits. During the first two games of this stretch, both of which resulted in a 3–1 Winston-Salem victories, the Dash only faced six more than the minimum. Leyer faced five more than the minimum in his 6.2-inning complete game. The Dash’s staff has been economical during these three games, averaging just 11.4 pitches per inning and 3.3 pitches per batter on Wednesday (88 pitches), Thursday (116 pitches) and Friday (78 pitches).
- Leyer spun the fifth complete game by a Dash pitcher in 2016. Winston-Salem fell to 2–3 when its starter works a complete game. Matt Cooper dropped a 2–0 road decision at Potomac on May 27, while Brandon Brennan tossed all nine innings of a 3–0 loss at home to Carolina on June 1. Spencer Adams and Brennan posted back-to-back complete games on June 5 and 6 against Wilmington, both of which were emphatic wins. Winston is one complete game shy of the most during the Dash era (2009-present), which took place in 2013 (six by four different pitchers).
- Friday marked the Dash’s first rain-shortened contest since a 6–1 victory at Myrtle Beach on April 26, 2015. The Dash have had four other games postponed and one suspended this year.
- Winston-Salem’s offense possesses the top two hitters within the Carolina League, per batting average. Mason Robbins paces the circuit with a .313 average, while Nick Basto checks in at second with a .309 mark. Frederick’s Aderlin Rodriguez (.304) is the only other active CL qualifier who owns an average better than .300. Both Robbins and Basto went 1-for-3 in Friday’s rain-shortened loss to the Keys.
- Not only do the top two hitters overall reside in Winston-Salem, but the two leaders in the CL in the second half don the Dash purple. Marcus Davis, who is fourth overall among active and qualified player on the circuit, has climbed to that ranking thanks to a .375 mark since the All-Star break. This is the best average in the CL since the first day of the second half (June 23). Toby Thomas is the closest Carolina League competitor during this span thanks to a .362 average. At the High-A level, Davis and Thomas are second and fourth, respectively, in average.
- Right-hander Jordan Stephens takes the hill for Winston-Salem on Saturday. His 111 strikeouts are good for the top spot in the Carolina League, 10 better than Myrtle Beach’s Trevor Clifton, who stands in second as the only other man in triple digits. Stephens also boasts the ninth-best qualified earned run average on the circuit. Among Dash hurlers, Stephens is second to Thad Lowry (sixth, 3.71). In each of his first four starts against Frederick, Stephens has given up exactly three runs (all but one earned).
- Winston-Salem is 6.0 games behind first-place Myrtle Beach, the club’s largest deficit in the second half. The Pelicans have won seven in a row, including a 5–1 home decision over Carolina on Friday.
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Saturday’s contest will be broadcast live on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio app. The Pregame Dash will begin at 6:15 p.m., with the first pitch set for 6:30 p.m.
-Joe
