Game #132 Preview — Dash vs. Carolina
Game #132 — Home Game #70
Winston-Salem Dash (25–36, 53–78) vs. Carolina Mudcats (18–43, 47–84)
Sunday, August 28–2:00 p.m.
BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
GAME BACKGROUND:
Winston-Salem took a 4–1 lead into the eighth inning, but Carolina evened the contest with three in the eighth and claimed the lead for good on a Gerson Montilla fielding error in the ninth for a 5–4 triumph on Saturday at BB&T Ballpark. The Dash and Mudcats will square off on Sunday in what will be the final home contest for Winston-Salem this season.
STARTING LINEUP:
Kelvis Valerio tied a career-high with seven innings on Saturday (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
Michael Suiter — CF
Dante Flores — 2B
Mason Robbins — RF
Nick Basto — LF
Zack Collins — DH
Marcus Davis — 1B
Toby Thomas — 3B
Daniel Gonzalez — C
Cleuluis Rondon — SS
Robinson Leyer — RHP
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DASH DOTS:
- The Dash have lost 11 of their last 12 games, the club’s worst such stretch of the season. During this span, Myrtle Beach has more than doubled its advantage on Winston-Salem in the Southern Division’s second half standings (7.0 to 15.0). The Pelicans officially clinched a playoff spot, and eliminated the Dash in the process, on Wednesday. In its last 11 losses, Winston has only amassed 26 runs (2.4 per game), while the opposition has scored 66 times (6.0 per game).
- Winston-Salem’s outfield duo of Nick Basto and Mason Robbins have earned spots on the Carolina League’s Year-End All-Star team, the league office announced Saturday. The Dash are one of three clubs with multiple players on the team, joining Lynchburg (six) and Salem (two). Bobby Bradley of Lynchburg earned the CL’s Most Valuable Player award, while Myrtle Beach’s Trevor Clifton took home the Pitcher of the Year honor. Hillcats skipper Mark Budzinski is the circuit’s Manager of the Year.
- Basto is third in on-base (.386), fifth in slugging (.482), tied for eighth in home runs (12) and tied for ninth in runs. Robbins is in the top 10 on the circuit in several categories, too: at-bats (473, third), total bases (207, fifth), doubles (31, tied for sixth) and slugging (.438, 10th).
- The key reason Basto and Robbins are Year-End All-Stars is batting average. Robbins leads the Carolina League with a .315 average, while Basto is second at .307. Fellow All-Star Aderlin Rodriguez (.305) a slugger with Frederick, is the only other Carolina League qualifier with an average above .300. If Robbins and Basto maintain their hold on the top two spots, it would be the second time in five years that a Dash duo would finish one-two in batting average. Carlos Sanchez and Dan Black finished with .315 marks in 2012, the last year the Dash reached the Mills Cup Championship Series.
- Sunday marks the 94th time that both Basto and Robbins are playing in the same game for the Dash. Only five times has an opposing team held both men hitless in the same game. This is a big reason why Basto has never owned an overall average below .305 at the High-A level, while Robbins’ mark has been north of .300 every day since July 16. Robbins also registered his team-leading 43rd multi-hit game Saturday (2-for-5).
- Even though the Dash’s home slate ends on Sunday, the season will continue for one more week. Following an off day on Monday, Winston-Salem embarks on a week-long road trip. The Dash will invade Salem from Tuesday through Thursday before heading to Carolina for a four-game set to conclude the season. The Dash’s 30–39 home record is the worst in the seven-year BB&T Ballpark era, with the only other previous losing record coming in 2014 (34–35).
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Television coverage of Sunday’s contest will be available on My48 at 2 p.m. A full channel guide is available here. The game will also be broadcast live on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio app. The Pregame Dash will begin at 1:45 p.m., with the first pitch set for 2 p.m.
-Joe
