Game #29 & #30 Preview — Dash vs. Salem
UPDATE — 7:30 p.m.
Game two Dash lineup:
Hunter Jones — CF
Toby Thomas — 2B
Gerson Montilla — 3B
Nick Basto — DH
Marcus Davis — 1B
Mason Robbins — LF
Louie Lechich — RF
Danny Mendick — SS
Sean O’Connell — C
Jordan Stephens — RHP
Game #29 & #30 — Home Game #15 & #16
Winston-Salem Dash (10–18) vs. Salem Red Sox (19–8)
Saturday, May 7–5:30 p.m. (doubleheader)
BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, NC)
GAME BACKGROUND:
Winston-Salem mustered just two hits and sent only two more than the minimum to the plate in Salem’s 9–0 victory on Friday at BB&T Ballpark. The Dash will play a doubleheader against the Red Sox on Saturday, with the first game starting at 5:30 p.m.
STARTING LINEUP (Game 1):
Thad Lowry (above) will get the ball for game one of the doubleheader, while Jordan Stephens will start the second game (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
Hunter Jones — CF
Toby Thomas — 2B
Gerson Montilla — 3B
Nick Basto — 1B
Marcus Davis — DH
Brett Austin — C
Louis Silverio — RF
Mason Robbins — LF
Grant Massey — SS
Thad Lowry– RHP
Get Winston-Salem Dash’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
DASH DOTS:
- In his first six starts of 2016, which are also his only six professional starting assignments, Matt Cooper has logged 41 strikeouts, which pace the Carolina League and are tied for fifth in all of Minor League Baseball. He is only six shy of the top spot, which belongs to Jon Perrin of Wisconsin (Low-A, Milwaukee). Cooper has punched out those 41 men in 34 frames of work, which calculates to 10.9 whiffs per nine innings.
- Cooper is not the only Winston-Salem product who has performed at a high level amongst all Minor Leaguers. First baseman Nick Basto, who earned the CL’s Player of the Month award for April, is tied for second in the Minors with 41 hits. He is one shy of James Harris of Stockton (High-A, Oakland) for the top spot. Basto’s .380 batting average is second to Salem’s Andrew Benintendi (.381) in the CL and eight in MiLB. However, Basto is mired in his first lengthy funk of 2016. After posting a .433 mark in April, the former fifth-round pick is 2-for-18 (.111) in May.
- Basto and Gerson Montilla have provided plenty of production in the heart of Winston-Salem’s lineup. In his last 15 games, the former Arizona farmhand has hit .345 (20-for-58) with 11 RBIs and 12 runs scored. Overall, Montilla is tied for seventh in the CL with 30 hits.
- The Dash dropped to 2–12 this season at BB&T Ballpark thanks to Friday’s 9–0 decision, the club’s most lopsided home loss since Potomac dealt the Dash a 14–4 defeat on May 29, 2014. Before this year began, Winston-Salem boasted a 244–176 (.581) all-time mark at BB&T Ballpark. However, the Dash have been outscored 74–41 in their first 14 home games of 2016. Salem is a perfect 5–0 in Winston-Salem, though the Dash took three of four from the Red Sox in the Roanoke Valley from April 21–24.
- Winston-Salem is in the midst of two frustrating streaks offensively. The Dash have not scored a run since Tuesday’s eighth inning, a streak of 19 frames without a tally. Since Saturday’s thrilling come-from-behind win at Frederick, the Dash have only plated six runs in their last five games. Also, the Dash have not collect a hit with men in scoring position on this homestand (0-for-18). The club’s last hit with a runner at second and/or third came in its second-to-last such opportunity on Sunday in its road finale at Frederick.
- Wednesday marked the 1,000th regular season game for Winston-Salem as the “Dash.” The franchise assumed this nickname prior to the 2009 season and has posted a 527–473–1 (.527) record since changing from Warthogs. During these eight years, Winston has qualified for the CL playoffs four times and the Mills Cup Finals twice, while 33 Dash alumni have reached MLB. Plus, the team has hosted an exhibition game with the White Sox (2011) and the California-Carolina League All-Star Game (2012).
- Both Saturday starters for the Dash — Thad Lowry and Jordan Stephens — are eyeing their first High-A victories.
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Game one of Saturday’s doubleheader will be broadcast live on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio App. The Pregame Dash will begin at 5:15 p.m., with the first pitch at 5:30 p.m.
-Joe
