Game #72 Preview — Dash vs. Wilmington

Game #72 — Home Game #37
Winston-Salem Dash (1–0, 29–42) vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (0–1, 27–43)
Friday, June 24–7 p.m.
BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

GAME BACKGROUND:

The Dash emphatically kicked off their second half repeat bid with a 9–2 shellacking of the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Thursday at BB&T Ballpark. Winston-Salem looks to go 2–0 on Friday night against Wilmington.

STARTING LINEUP:

Marcus Davis tied a career-high with four hits on Thursday (Jody Stewart/ W-S Dash).

Hunter Jones — CF
Mason Robbins — RF
Gerson Montilla — 3B
Nick Basto — LF
Marcus Davis– DH
Telvin Nash — 1B
Toby Thomas — 2B
Brett Austin — C
Cleuluis Rondon — SS
Spencer Adams — RHP

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DASH DOTS:

• Winston-Salem recorded its sixth run output of nine or more and matched its second-highest hit total (15) in Thursday’s win, which was one run away from the club’s most lopsided of 2016. The Dash plated at least one tally in six of their eight offensive innings. All nine men in Winston’s lineup reached at least once time, while eight delivered a hit and six notched an RBI.
• Jordan Stephens continued a dominant surge from the Dash’s rotation by tossing 6.2 scoreless innings on Thursday night. Over the last seven games (since June 14), Winston-Salem starters have permitted just two earned runs in 46.0 innings, which calculates to an ERA of 0.39. Individually, Stephens has not given up a run in the last 15 innings he has begun dating back to June 10.
• Two-thirds of the Dash’s 15 hits on Thursday came from three men. Marcus Davis matched a career-high with four hits, which came in his first four trips to the plate. Davis had an opportunity to tie the single-game hits record in the Dash era (2009-present), but he grounded out in the eighth and had to settle for the first four-hit showing by a Dash hitter since April 27.
• Nick Basto submitted his team-leading ninth game of three or more hits with his 3-for-5 showing. Basto has only played 41 games with the Dash this year. Also, Toby Thomas went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. He has 18 two-baggers on the year, which is good for a share of fifth in the CL.
• Midseason All-Star Matt Cooper has earned his first career promotion to Double-A, the White Sox announced Friday. After his most recent start on June 13, Cooper led all of Minor League Baseball with 95 strikeouts. He still stands second to Tyler Glasnow of Indianapolis (Triple-A, Pittsburgh) even though he has not pitched in an official game in 11 days. Cooper, who did log a scoreless inning in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, leaves the Carolina League with the third-most innings (77.2) and the ninth-lowest ERA (3.36).
• Flamethrower Zack Burdi, the 26th overall pick in this month’s MLB Draft, has joined the Dash from the AZL, where he made one appearance. The right-hander shined in three seasons at the University of Louisville, with whom he went 8–4 with a 2.44 earned run average in 60 relief efforts over three seasons. Burdi struck out 83 batters in 69.2 collegiate innings.
• With a sixth-inning double Thursday, outfielder Hunter Jones pushed his season-long hitting streak to 10 games, the second-best run by a Dash hitter this year (Davis, 16 games from May 21 to June 9). During what is the longest active surge in the CL, Jones is hitting .310 (13-for-42) with six RBIs and six runs. Overall, Jones is first in at-bats (277), tied for first in games (70) and triples (7), second in hits (82), and fourth in stolen bases (27), runs (50) and average (.296).
• Former Wake Forest All-American and nine-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul will be on hand during Friday’s Dash game at BB&T Ballpark. Paul, currently a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at approximately 6:45 p.m. A graduate of West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, the former North Carolina Mr. Basketball led Wake Forest to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances before becoming the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft (New Orleans Hornets). Paul is a four-time All-NBA First Team performer.
• Righty Colin Kleven spun his first scoreless appearance since May 20 on Thursday by blanking the Blue Rocks in the ninth.
• Winston-Salem amassed a season-high six doubles on Thursday.
• Friday starter Spencer Adams leads the CL in innings with 87.2, or almost 6.1 frames per start.

BROADCAST INFORMATION:

Friday’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