Game #20 — Dash vs. Lynchburg
Game #20 — Home Game #9
Winston-Salem Dash (7–12) vs. Lynchburg Hillcats (15–4)
Wednesday, April 27–11 a.m.
BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, NC)
GAME BACKGROUND:
Lynchburg scored 11 times from the fourth to the eighth en route to a series-opening 11–6 victory over Winston-Salem on Tuesday night at BB&T Ballpark. The Dash look to rebound bright and early on Wednesday against the Hillcats.
STARTING LINEUP:
Gerson Montilla extended his hitting streak to seven with a 2-for-4 effort Tuesday. (Jody Stewart / W-S Dash)
Hunter Jones — CF
Toby Thomas — 2B
Gerson Montilla — 3B
Nick Basto — 1B
Marcus Davis — DH
Louis Silverio — RF
Mason Robbins — LF
Danny Mendick — SS
Sean O’Connell — C
Blair Walters — LHP
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DASH DOTS:
- The Dash are off to their worst home start since BB&T Ballpark opened in 2010. Winston-Salem has dropped seven of its first eight games in the Triad, with Tuesday’s decision representing the most lopsided of those losses. All six losses on the first homestand were by three runs or less. Before this year began, Winston-Salem boasted the best home record in the Carolina League since 2010 (244–176, .581 winning percentage).
- Infielder Gerson Montilla is thriving at the plate in recent games. He launched a solo shot, his 72nd professional home run, to give the Dash a first-inning run for the fifth straight game. It also pushed his hitting streak to seven games, during which he is 12-for-28 (.429) with seven RBIs and 12 runs. This great work includes Friday’s cycle at Salem, which was the franchise’s first such accomplishment since 2008.
- After going 11-for-19 (.579) during the four-game trip to Salem, Nick Basto collected another base hit on Tuesday. He paces the circuit with a .405 batting average, which is 18 points better than Wilmington’s Ryan O’Hearn for first place. It also stands eighth in all of Minor League Baseball. Basto’s 30 total hits are tops in the CL and tied for first in the Minors. Also, the former fifth-round pick is tied for first in on-base percentage (.463), fourth in total bases (40) and fifth in slugging percentage (.541) in the league.
- The Chicago White Sox announced six moves affecting the Dash’s roster before Tuesday’s game. Infielder Danny Mendick, catcher Sean O’Connell and outfielder Louis Silverio have earned promotions from Low-A Kannapolis. Both Mendick (0-for-2, two walks) and O’Connell (1-for-3) played on Tuesday. To make room for this trio, catcher Chris O’Dowd was promoted to Double-A Birmingham, infielder Cleuluis Rondon was assigned to Kannapolis and utility man Michael Danner was released.
- Southpaw Chris Sale, who pitched for the Dash in 2010, became Major League Baseball’s first five-game winner with a gem at Toronto on Tuesday. Sale needed just 100 pitches to toss eight innings, during which he surrendered one run on four hits. Sale’s 0.68 WHIP paces all American League qualifiers, while his 1.66 ERA is fifth-best in the league. The White Sox own the A.L.’s best record at 15–6. Only the Cubs and Nationals have better marks in the Majors.
- Before Tuesday, the Dash had not given up 11 runs in a game since an 11–5 home loss against Wilmington on June 11, 2015. Winston-Salem had not allowed more than that in almost a year (12 runs at Frederick on May 5, 2015). The Dash’s bullpen let eight runs come across and now possesses a 4.95 ERA as a unit. Overall, Winston’s staff ERA stands sixth in the CL (4.20).
- Catcher Brett Austin left Tuesday’s game after four innings. He has started 13 of the Dash’s first 19 games and leads the team with three home runs.
- Dash starter Blair Walters pitched for Lynchburg down the stretch in the 2014 season, the final year for the Hillcats under the Braves’ umbrella. The ‘Cats joined forces with the Indians in 2015, while Carolina claimed the Braves. Walters pitched for Carolina in 2015 and worked against his former team three times.
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Wednesday’s game will be broadcast live on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio App. The Pregame Dash will begin at 10:45 a.m., with the first pitch at 11 a.m.
-Joe
