Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (August 1 vs. Lynchburg)
August 1, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
The Dash put their season-long six-game winning streak on the line in the middle match of their series with the Lynchburg Hillcats. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. from BB&T Ballpark.
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WINSTON-SALEM DASH (23-12, 53-52) vs. LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (19-17, 52-54)
RHP James Dykstra (4-9, 3.90 ERA) vs. RHP D.J. Brown (9-3, 4.01 ERA)
6:30 p.m. - BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Game #107 (Home Game #56)
DASH STUN HILLCATS, WIN 6TH STRAIGHT
Winston-Salem plated four in the eighth inning to overtake the Lynchburg Hillcats by a score of 7-6 in Friday's series opener in front of 6,450 fans at BB&T Ballpark. In the deciding eighth, the Dash loaded the bases with nobody out. Trey Michalczewski brought home a run after getting hit by a pitch, and Keon Barnum followed with a two-run double to left-center to tie the game. Winston scored the go-ahead run thanks to a wild pitch, and Jefferson Olacio worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to clinch the victory, the Dash's sixth in a row.
IT'S CALLED A WINNING STREAK
The club's current six-game winning streak is its longest of the season. Winston has not won more than six in a row since its 10-game surge from August 19-29, 2013. The Dash have also rattled off six consecutive home wins since July 23. This home surge is the club's longest of the season and matches its best such spurt in both 2013 and 2014. The Dash have not claimed more than six straight home games since a nine-gamer from August 2-25, 2012.
BREAKING DOWN THE STREAK
Most of the Dash's victories during this season-long streak have been narrow. All but one have been decided by one or two runs, with the total run differential amounting to +12 (30-18). The offense has racked up four home runs and matched its second-half high in runs in back-to-back games (seven), while the bullpen has recorded five saves. Winston-Salem's lone loss in its last nine games came in 11 innings at Frederick on Saturday; thus, the Dash have not lost a game in regulation since July 22.
PITCHING PROWESS
Thanks to a 23-12 mark in the second half, the Dash have climbed above the .500 mark overall for the first time since April 29 (10-9). The Dash, who had been mired in the basement of the CL for much of the season, are now tied with Carolina for the second-best overall mark, nine games behind Myrtle Beach (62-43).
WORST TO FIRST
Winston-Salem was in last place in the Southern Division for the final 50 days of the season's first half. However, the Dash have enjoyed at least a share of first place for the first 37 days of half two. In their previous five halves (2013 first half to 2015 first half), the Dash were in first for a combined 33 days. The squad's current first-place streak represents the third-longest since Winston-Salem became the Dash in 2009:
42 days from July 28-September 7, 2009
41 days from May 10-June 20, 2010
37 days from June 25, 2015-present
35 days from July 31-September 3, 2012
BARNUM CAPS RIDICULOUS MONTH
Keon Barnum capped a tremendous month of July with three more RBIs on Friday. His 27 RBIs are four more than any other High-A hitter, and he still is owed a pair from the suspended game on July 13 against Potomac. That contest will be completed August 11. On the homestand, Barnum is 8-for-13 (.615) with eight RBIs, which pushed his July average to .299. From July 1 to August 1, Barnum's overall average jumped 25 points to .260, its highest point since April 26.
DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE PITCHING
Lynchburg's six runs on Friday were the most that Winston-Salem's staff has permitted since July 22 (seven). The Dash's 3.30 team ERA is third-best on the circuit. At the All-Star Break, the Dash owned a 3.62 ERA, but their second-half mark is almost a full run lower (2.65). The Dash's bullpen has only allowed 23 earned runs in 103.1 innings in the second half (2.00 ERA).
DASH DOTS
Adam Engel (47) and Eddy Alvarez (46) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in stolen bases in the Minor Leagues...Dash starter James Dykstra snapped a nine-decision losing streak in his last outing Sunday in Frederick...Jake Peter matched a career-high and a 2015 high-water mark for a Dash hitter with three runs Friday...The Dash finished July with an 18-11 record, the club's best single-month effort since June 2013 (17-10).
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Carolina League Stories from August 1, 2015
- Late Surge from Salem BuriesP-Nats 11-3 - Potomac Nationals
- Hillcats Hold off Late Charge, 10-9 - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Dash's Valiant Rally Falls One Run Short Saturday - Winston-Salem Dash
- More Offensive Struggles Lead Wilmington to Seventh Straight Loss - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Mudcats Win Fifth Straight 3-1 in Wilmington - Carolina Mudcats
- Salem Pounds Potomac, 11-3 - Salem Red Sox
- Pelicans Six-Game Win Streak Snapped By Keys - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Wynns Paces Keys Offense to End Six-Game Slide - Frederick Keys
- Eight Former Pelicans Dealt at MLB Trade Deadline - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- August 1 Carolina Mudcats Game Information - Carolina Mudcats
- Hillcats Game Notes August 1, 2015, 7 p.m. at Winston-Salem - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (August 1 vs. Lynchburg) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Game Notes: 6:00 p.m. at Frederick Keys - August 1, 2015 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
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