Myrtle Beach Pelicans (46-51, 12-15) vs. Potomac Nationals (48-46, 11-16) vs. THE NATIONALS 2018 vs. Nationals ...............................................................4-2 Friday, July 20, 2018 - 7:05 p.m. in Myrtle Beach ..........................................................4-2 Game No. 98 • Second Half Game No. 28 • Home Game No. 51 in Potomac ..................................................................0-0 TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark • Myrtle Beach, S.C. All-Time vs. Potomac.....................................183-187 (.495) MiLB.tv • MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast • MiLB First Pitch • TuneIn 2017 Regular Season vs. Nationals ..................................2-9 in Myrtle Beach ..........................................................1-3 RHP Cory Abbott (2-4, 4.34 ERA) vs. RHP Wil Crowe (9-0, 2.43 ERA) in Potomac ..................................................................1-6 EARLY ONSLAUGHT DOOMS MYRTLE BEACH YOUNG FOREVER PELICANS BY THE NUMBERS Potomac plated four runs in the first and one in the second In the first four games following his July 7 promotion from Record ...............................................................................46-51 Thursday to spur a 6-3 victory for the P-Nats over the Low-A South Bend to Myrtle Beach, Jared Young went Home Record ..................................................................26-24 Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Three batters in the game, Ian Sagdal just 2-for-15 (.133) with an RBI and three walks. However, Road Record ....................................................................20-27 notched an RBI single to make it 1-0. After another single, the Prince George, British Columbia native seems to be Current Streak .......................................................................L2 Rhett Wiseman crushed a three-run home run to add to the starting to figure out the High-A level. Young is currently advantage at 4-0. Sagdal went yard in the second to make working on a seven-game hitting streak, batting 9-for-27 Runs Scored ...................................358 (3.7 per game)/10th Runs Allowed ...................................400 (4.1 per game)/3rd it 5-0. The Birds finally got on the board in the fourth inning (.333/.357/.556) with a pair of home runs, four RBIs and a Run Differential............................................................. -42/8th thanks to a Potomac error. However, David Masters’ RBI free pass over this run. Pythagorean Record .......................................................43-54 single in the fifth tacked a run on for the Nationals at 6-1. Southern Division Standing/GB..................................4th/5.0 Jared Young banged a solo shot to lead off the sixth inning. THE ‘PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD Current Standings Streak ..................................... 4th, 7 days Later in the frame, Wladimir Galindo registered an RBI Myrtle Beach’s bullpen has caught fire over the last nine Long Standings Streak ........................5th, 31 days (5/3-6/2) double to get Myrtle Beach to within 6-3. Erick Leal pitched games. During that span, Pelicans relievers have worked Series Record ............................................................... 12-14-2 three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. 35.0 innings, an average of nearly four per game, and Series Streak ...........................................................................L1 surrendered just six runs, four earned, on 25 hits (6.4 H/9) Pelicans’ Sweeps ..................... 5 (4-game, 7/13-7/16 at DE) DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS for a 1.03 ERA. The Birds’ bullpen has combined for 29 Sweeps of the Pelicans ......... 4 (5-game, 6/25-6/29 vs. BC) Heading into play on May 24, Myrtle Beach ranked seventh strikeouts (7.5) against nine walks (2.3) over this span. in the Carolina League in team ERA at 4.50. However, the Batting Average/Rank ................................................ .238/8th On-Base Percentage ................................................. .315/9th Birds’ FIP, an ERA estimator based on factors most within a BUT THE SWORD IS PRETTY SHARP, TOO Slugging Percentage ................................................. .332/10th pitcher’s control like strikeouts, walks and home runs, was Myrtle Beach has rattled off wins in six of their last eight OPS ............................................................................ .647/10th more than a run better at 3.44. That, along with the club’s games, outscoring their opponents 39-22 over this span. BABIP .................................................................................. .297 .322 batting average on balls in play, which was far above The club’s recent success can partially be attributed to a Strikeouts ........................................................738/3rd-Fewest .300 baseball-wide average, indicated some positive future resurgent offense. As a team over the last eight games, the K% (MLB avg: ~22.0%)....................................................21.2% regression towards the mean. Sure enough, in the 52 games Walks ............................................................................. 326/5th Pelicans are hitting .276/.362/.378 (275 AB, 76 H, 10 2B, BB% (MLB avg: ~8.5%) ......................................................9.4% since that point, the Pelicans’ ERA has come plunging down 0 3B, 6 HR, 30 BB, 7 HBP). Before this eight-game run, the Hits ............................................................................... 730/10th towards its FIP, with the figures currently at 3.63 and 3.27, Birds were batting just .234/.311/.327 for the season. Doubles .......................................................................130/10th respectively. The Birds’ defense has played a huge factor in Triples ........................................................................... 16/T-8th this, along with simply larger sample sizes and better luck. START SPREADING THE NEWS Home Runs ................................................................... 42/10th Stolen Bases.....................................................................65/6th Over these last 52 games, Myrtle Beach has yielded just a Though Rollie Lacy surrendered five runs in 4.0 innings on .282 BABIP (1,627 AB, 369 H, 23 HR, 392 K, 15 SF). To put Thursday, Myrtle Beach has still received extremely strong Defensive Efficiency (MLB avg: ~.705) ......................... .699 that in perspective, that mark would place seventh in MLB. starting pitching of late. Over the last 19 games, Pelicans Errors .......................................................................... 105/Most starters have worked 95.1 innings, yielding only 30 runs, 29 RACE CARO earned, on 78 hits (7.4 H/9) for a 2.74 ERA (84 K, 39 BB). In FIP ..........................................................................................3.27 In 98 games between Myrtle Beach, Double-A Tennessee the seven games prior to this run, Myrtle Beach starters had ERA ............................................................................... 3.63/3rd and Low-A South Bend in 2017, Roberto Caro hit just BABIP .................................................................................. .301 posted an ugly 7.62 ERA thanks to 27 runs, 24 earned, on 39 Strikeouts ...................................................................... 776/5th .239/.351/.343 (.694 OPS) with 17 extra-base hits and hits (12.4 H/9) in 28.1 innings (30 K, 13 BB). K% (MLB avg: ~22.0%)....................................................22.2% 20 stolen bases. In just 52 contests this season with the Walks .............................................................. 282/2nd-Fewest Pelicans and Low-A Cubs, Caro is slashing a combined PELICAN POINTS BB% (MLB avg: ~8.5%) ......................................................8.1% .368/.450/.517 (.968 OPS), logging 26 steals and already Myrtle Beach is 25-2 in their last 27 games when scoring at Hits Allowed ...................................................749/3rd-Fewest surpassing last year’s extra-base hits total with 18. The San Home Runs ...............................................................48/Fewest least four runs... Over his last three starts, Birds starter Cory WHIP ............................................................................1.25/2nd Cristobal, D.R., native has multiple knocks in six of his 14 Abbott has allowed five runs on 13 hits in 16.0 innings for games so far with the Birds. Caro has registered at least a 2.81 ERA... The Pelicans’ 358 runs scored is 32 fewer than SECOND HALF STANDINGS one hit in nine of the last 10 contests, going 15-for-35 ninth-place Carolina, which is closer to fifth-place (.429/.474/.514, 3 2B, 5 RBIs, 9 SB). Wilmington (414) than to Myrtle Beach. SOUTHERN Winston-Salem 17-10 -- Buies Creek 17-11 0.5 THE WEEK AHEAD Carolina 15-11 1.5 Myrtle Beach 12-15 5.0 DATE TIME OPPONENT PELICANS STARTER OPP. STARTER Down East 9-19 8.5 Sat. July 21 6:05 ET Winston-Salem LHP Bryan Hudson (6-7, 4.84) TBA Sun. July 22 6:05 ET Winston-Salem RHP Tyson Miller (8-6, 3.62) TBA NORTHERN Mon. July 23 7:05 ET Winston-Salem RHP Alex Lange (6-6, 3.31) TBA Wilmington 15-11 -- Tue. July 24 4:30 ET at Carolina RHP Erich Uelmen (3-2, 4.09) TBA Lynchburg 16-12 -- Tue. July 24 GM2 at Carolina TBA TBA Salem 15-12 0.5 Wed. July 25 11:00 a.m. at Carolina RHP Rollie Lacy (1-1, 5.79) TBA Potomac 11-16 4.5 Thu. July 26 7:00 ET at Carolina TBA TBA Frederick 9-19 7.0 BIRD DROPPINGS Aramis Ademan: Reached in nine of last 11 (9-for-40, .225, 2 2B, 5 RBIs,