Game #41 Preview — Dash at Myrtle Beach
Game #41 — Road Game #20
Winston-Salem Dash (15–25) at Myrtle Beach Pelicans (21–17)
Thursday, May 19–7:05 p.m.
TicketReturn.Com Field (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
GAME BACKGROUND:
An early offensive surge propelled the Dash to a 9–5 victory in Wednesday’s opener before Myrtle Beach blanked Winston-Salem 2–0 in the finale at TicketReturn.Com Field. The Dash go for their fourth road series win of the season on Thursday night against the Pelicans.
STARTING LINEUP:
Dash outfielder Hunter Jones is 12-for-20 in his last five contests (Jody Stewart/ W-S Dash).
Adam Engel — CF
Hunter Jones — RF
Gerson Montilla — 3B
Keon Barnum — 1B
Marcus Davis — DH
Mason Robbins — LF
Toby Thomas — 2B
Brett Austin — C
Cleuluis Rondon — SS
Jordan Stephens — RHP
Get Winston-Salem Dash’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
DASH DOTS:
- Outfielder Adam Engel continued his fantastic run since rejoining the Dash. Engel, who began the season in Double-A Birmingham, boasts an average of .389 (14-for-36) with five RBIs. The former Louisville star has scored 12 times, tied for the second-highest total in Minor League Baseball since his first game with the Dash (May 10-present). Former Dash star Tim Anderson (13), the reigning International League Player of the Week with Triple-A Charlotte, is the only player with more runs over this nine-day span.
- Engel and Gerson Montilla combined to drive in six of the Dash’s nine runs in Wednesday’s game one victory. Since Friday, Montilla has collected a Minor League-leading 12 RBIs. He has posted a pair of four-RBI contests in his last four starts, including game one on Wednesday. The former Arizona farmhand is fourth in the Carolina League with 30 RBIs, though he did follow up his four-RBI explosion early in game one with six straight whiffs to end the twin bill.
- Engel and Montilla are not the only two Dash hitters who have shined in recent days. Over the last five days, Hunter Jones is 12-for-20 (.600) with eight runs scored. Jones paces the Minors during this brief span in both hits and runs, and his batting average is fourth-best.
- Thursday marks the 15th and final meeting of the first half between Winston-Salem and Myrtle Beach, who have played 43 times since the start of the 2015 season. During this period, the Pelicans own a 24–19 advantage, including seven of the last nine after it was even at 17–17. Most games have been close, as the last 23 games have been decided by four runs or less. After playing the Birds in 37 percent of their first 41 games, the Dash will not tangle with Myrtle Beach again until July 4–7 at BB&T Ballpark.
- Winston-Salem will turn from one familiar foe to another on the second leg of this week-long road trip. Following Thursday’s rubber match, the Dash will invade Salem for a four-game set that begins Friday. Winston and Salem have already met 12 times, and the road team has claimed 10 of those meetings. The Red Sox enjoy a 7–1 mark at BB&T Ballpark, while the Dash seized three of four at LewisGale Field from April 21–24. By the end of the first half, the Dash will have played first-place Salem 20 times.
- Thursday starter Jordan Stephens logged a career-high seven frames in a no-decision Friday against Potomac. It was only the former fifth-round pick’s second outing longer than four innings as a professional. With a scoreless sixth in Wednesday’s nightcap, Jacob Morris pushed his season-starting scoreless streak to 14.2 innings, during which he has struck out 13.
- Davie High School product Whit Merrifield, who played against the Dash while with Wilmington in 2011 and 2012, made his Major League debut for Kansas City on Wednesday. He delivered his first big league hit with a fifth-inning single against David Price. His father Bill was a two-time ACC Player of the Year at Wake Forest (1982 and 1983).
- The Dash suffered their fifth shutout in Wednesday’s finale (T-most in CL).
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on 600 AM-WSJS in the Winston-Salem area, as is the case with every Thursday game throughout the season. The game is also available on wsjs.com, as well as wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn App. The Pregame Dash will begin at 6:50 p.m, with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m.
– Joe
