Game #58 Preview — Dash vs. Wilmington
Game #58 — Home Game #30
Winston-Salem Dash (22–35) vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (19–35)
Monday, June 6–7:00 p.m.
BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, NC)
GAME BACKGROUND:
Right-hander Spencer Adams tossed a nine-inning complete game shutout in the Dash’s 4–0 victory over Wilmington on Sunday afternoon at BB&T Ballpark. Adams needed just 91 pitches to blast through his longest professional outing, during which he scattered eight hits and struck out two. The Dash now look to secure their first above .500 homestand this season on Monday against the Blue Rocks.
STARTING LINEUP:
On Sunday, Spencer Adams tossed the first complete game shutout for a Dash pitcher since July 20, 2014. (Jody Stewart/ W-S Dash).
Hunter Jones — CF
Michael Suiter — RF
Gerson Montilla — 3B
Keon Barnum — 1B
Toby Thomas — 2B
Mason Robbins — LF
Brett Austin– C
Zach Fish — DH
Cleuluis Rondon — SS
Brandon Brennan — RHP
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DASH DOTS:
- Adams churned out the first nine-inning complete game shutout by a Dash hurler in almost two years. Fellow righty Tony Bucciferro took a no-hitter into the ninth inning but settled for a one-hit shutout at Frederick on July 20, 2014. In the Dash era (2009-present), Winston-Salem has recorded seven nine-inning complete games, with two of them coming on this homestand. Brandon Brennan returns to the hill on Monday for the first time since his nine-inning loss versus Carolina on Wednesday (3–0 the final).
- Less than a month ago, Adams had never worked more than seven innings in a Minor League start, but he has logged at least eight frames in three of his last five outings dating back to May 14. His overall innings total of 74.0 innings stands atop the Carolina League and is third-best in all of Minor League Baseball. Only Jason Wheeler of Rochester (76.2) and fellow White Sox farmhand Tyler Danish (75.1) has accumulated more innings than Adams in 2016.
- Winston-Salem starters have logged at least eight innings in five of the club’s last nine contests. During the last seven games, the Dash’s rotation has submitted a 1.58 earned run average (9 ER in 51.1 IP), with no hurler giving up more than three runs in a start.
- Dash infielder Marcus Davis continued his hitting streak with a first-inning RBI double to the wall in left field. Davis has now hit safely in 14 consecutive games, the longest streak by a Dash hitter in 2016. Davis is hitting .281 (16-for-57) with five RBIs and six runs scored. Not only is this the longest active hitting streak in the Carolina League, but it owns a share of fifth place on the circuit all season long. A Dash hitter has not posted a hitting streak of 15 or more games since 2012, when both Nick Ciolli (15) and Marcus Semien (18) did so in the first half.
- While Winston-Salem did win Sunday’s contest, the club did suffer a loss that will be attributed to Saturday night. Wilmington plated four in the top of the ninth against Manny Martinez to claim the suspended series opener. The game was suspended in the top of the eighth inning after rain soaked BB&T Ballpark.
- BB&T Ballpark, the home of the Dash, has been named the “Best of the Ballparks” at the Class A-Advanced level through a fan vote on Ballpark Digest’s website. BB&T Ballpark bested Salem’s LewisGale Field in the final round by snagging 61.8 percent of the fan vote. A five-seed at the beginning of the contest, BB&T Ballpark won all five rounds by at least 10 percent, including two wins over CL facilities (Salem and Potomac).
- Before Wilmington’s four-run ninth inning against Martinez, Winston-Salem’s bullpen had ripped off 14.2 consecutive scoreless innings over its previous eight games.
- The Dash have won five of their last seven games after losing five in a row from May 24–28.
- With a base hit on Sunday, Hunter Jones remained two knocks behind Potomac’s Andrew Stevenson (68) for the top spot in the Carolina League.
- Matt Cooper was named the CL’s Pitcher of the Week after tossing eight shutout frames on Thursday (12 strikeouts).
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Monday’s game will be broadcast live on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio app. The Pregame Dash will begin at 6:45 p.m., with the first pitch set for 7:00 p.m.
-Joe
