Myrtle Beach Pelicans (18-27) vs. Lynchburg Hillcats (23-19) vs. THE HILLCATS 2018 vs. Hillcats ....................................................................2-3 Wednesday, May 23, 2018 - 7:05 p.m. in Myrtle Beach ...........................................................1-1 Game No. 46 • Home Game No. 21 in Lynchburg ................................................................1-2 TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark • Myrtle Beach, S.C. All-Time vs. Lynchburg ...................................203-176 (.536) MiLB.tv • MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Broadcast • MiLB First Pitch • TuneIn 2017 Regular Season vs. Lynchburg .................................8-6 in Myrtle Beach ...........................................................3-4 RHP Alex Lange (1-2, 4.25 ERA) vs. LHP Sam Hentges (3-2, 3.23 ERA) in Lynchburg ................................................................5-2 HILLCATS TOP BIRDS IN BULLPEN BATTLE P.J.’S PANCAKE HOUSE PELICANS BY THE NUMBERS A five-run second inning Tuesday propelled the Lynchburg The Pelicans have a lethal catching duo thanks to the work Record ...............................................................................18-27 Hillcats by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Hillcats starter Justin of Jhonny Pereda and P.J. Higgins. Pereda has had an Home Record .................................................................... 9-11 Garza pitched just two-thirds of an inning before departing outstanding season, and Higgins is currently on a hot streak. Road Record ...................................................................... 9-16 from the game. However, the Birds mustered just one run A native of Wallingford, Conn., Higgins has reached in 10 of Current Streak .......................................................................L1 in their first at-bats, coming on a Tyler Alamo sacrifice fly. his last 11 games, going 12-for-39 with a double, four RBIs Lynchburg responded by plating five runs in the second and six walks at the plate over the span to hit .308 with a Runs Scored ...................................181 (4.0 per game)T-9th Runs Allowed .................................232 (5.2 per game)/10th inning, knocking Pelicans starter Bryan Hudson from the .400 on-base percentage. The former Old Dominion star is Run Differential...........................................................-51/10th game in the process. The Hillcats added another run in the posting a 26.5 percent line drive in 2018 compared to the Pythagorean Record .......................................................17-28 sixth and two more in the eighth to go up 8-1 before 19.1 percent mark he registered last season. Southern Division Standing/GB..................................5th/8.0 Wladimir Galindo scored on a passed ball in the eighth to Current Standings Streak ...................................5th, 20 days make it 8-2. The Birds’ bullpen yielded just three runs, two PEREDA, PEREDA, PEREDADISE Long Standings Streak ........................5th, 23 days (4/9-5/2) earned, on five hits in eight innings with 10 strikeouts. Jhonny Pereda leads the Pelicans in average (.295) and Series Record ....................................................................3-8-2 on-base percentage (.372), and he has popped two home Series Streak ...........................................................................L2 RALLY, RALLY, THE PITCHER’S NAME IS(N’T) SALLY runs in the last three games. Over his last 32 starts, the Pelicans’ Sweeps ...................................................................... 0 For a club that has suffered through the Carolina League’s native of San Sebastian, Venezuela is hitting .314/.381/.455 Sweeps of the Pelicans ..............2 (3-game, 4/16-18 at BC) worst record and a circuit-worst eight-game divisional hole, with three doubles, one triple, four home runs and 26 RBIs. the Pelicans have shown a lot of fight. Myrtle Beach has Pereda ranks ninth in the Carolina League in average due to Batting Average/Rank ................................................ .241/9th On-Base Percentage ............................................... .324/10th already mustered two five-run comeback victories this year a contact-oriented approach that has seen him whiff at just Slugging Percentage ................................................... .348/9th for the first time since 2013. The club had just one such rally 8.5 percent of pitches, the 11th-lowest in the circuit. Pereda OPS .............................................................................. .672/9th from 2014-17 combined. Meanwhile, the Birds own the has sprayed his batted balls to the opposite field (39.8 BABIP .................................................................................. .304 league’s most wins when trailing after the sixth inning (five), percent, sixth-most in the league) and up the middle (26.9 Strikeouts ............................................................369/5th-Most after the seventh inning (four) and after the eighth inning percent) a combined 66.7 percent of the time. K% (MLB avg: ~22.0%)....................................................22.4% (two), respectively. Walks ............................................................................. 168/5th BB% (MLB avg: ~8.5%) ....................................................10.2% REMEMBER THE ALAMO Hits ................................................................................. 345/6th CALL ME MAYBE Over 13 games from April 16 through May 7, Pelicans first Doubles ........................................................................ 64/T-9th Myrtle Beach’s bullpen worked eight innings in Tuesday’s baseman Tyler Alamo went just 8-for-46 (.174), drawing Triples ............................................................................. 9/T-6th loss to Lynchburg, striking out 10 and allowing just three only three walks with one hit-by-pitch for a .240 on-base Home Runs ......................................................................24/9th runs, two earned, on five hits. Thus, over the past 23 games percentage. However, over the past 12 contests, the Stolen Bases................................................................. 32/T-6th dating back to April 28, Pelicans relievers have posted 2.38 Cypress, Calif., native is 14-for-40 (.350/.422/.650), lashing Defensive Efficiency (MLB avg: ~.705) ......................... .678 ERA thanks to 30 runs, 20 earned, on 65 hits (7.7 H/9) in three doubles and three home runs to drive in eight runs. Errors ............................................................................ 64/Most 75.2 innings. Myrtle Beach’s relief pitchers have also whiffed He has also drawn six walks. Perhaps the biggest change 84 (10.0 K/9) over this span. for Alamo in 2018 has been his ability to get the ball in the FIP ..........................................................................................3.44 air. After lifting 31.5 percent of his batted balls in the air in ERA ............................................................................... 4.50/7th 2017, his fly ball rate of 44.0 percent in 2018 ranks as the BABIP .................................................................................. .322 YOU MAY BE RIGHT, I MAY BE CRAZY Strikeouts ...................................................................... 373/4th While southpaws Jose Paulino and Bryan Hudson have 10th-highest in the Carolina League. K% (MLB avg: ~22.0%)....................................................22.5% struggled at times, the club’s other four starters, all right- Walks ................................................................... 144/T-Fewest handers in Keegan Thompson, Tyson Miller, Alex Lange and PELICAN POINTS BB% (MLB avg: ~8.5%) ......................................................8.7% Matt Swarmer, have pitched fairly well throughout the year. Of Myrtle Beach’s last 22 games, 14 have been decided by Hits Allowed .......................................................374/4th-Most The quartet of righties have collectively gone 9-11 with a three runs or less. The Birds are 9-5 in those contests during Home Runs ....................................................... 25/4th-Fewest WHIP ............................................................................ 1.38/5th 3.87 ERA in 158.1 innings, yielding 76 runs, 68 earned, on that span and 11-13 in these close games throughout the 159 hits (9.0 H/9). Thompson, Miller, Lange and Swarmer season... A defeat to Lynchburg last night prevented the FIRST HALF STANDINGS have combined for 153 strikeouts (8.7 K/9) against 36 free Pelicans from winning back-to-back games for the first time passes (2.0 BB/9). since May 1-2. SOUTHERN Down East 26-19 -- Buies Creek 25-19 0.5 THE WEEK AHEAD Winston-Salem 23-21 2.5 Carolina 22-23 4.0 DATE TIME OPPONENT PELICANS STARTER OPP. STARTER Myrtle Beach 18-27 8.0 Thu. May 24 7:05 ET Lynchburg RHP Matt Swarmer (4-2, 2.75) RHP Zach Plesac (3-2, 4.30) Fri. May 25 7:00 ET at Carolina RHP Bailey Clark (1-1, 2.89) RHP Marcos Diplan (1-2, 3.98) NORTHERN Sat. May 26 5:00 ET at Carolina RHP Keegan Thompson (1-3, 4.14) RHP Trey Supak (2-1, 1.76) Potomac 23-18 -- Sun. May 27 6:00 ET at Carolina RHP Tyson Miller (3-4, 4.22) LHP Nathan Kirby (0-3, 6.20) Lynchburg 23-19 0.5 Mon. May 28 12:00 ET at Carolina TBA RHP Braden Webb (2-3, 5.34) Salem 22-20 1.5 Tue. May 29 7:05 ET Winston-Salem TBA TBA Frederick 18-26 6.5 Wed. May 30 7:05 ET Winston-Salem TBA TBA Wilmington 18-26 6.5 BIRD DROPPINGS Aramis Ademan: Hitting just .200