Updates on Hawkins, Heisler, others
Courtney Hawkins is slowly working his way back from a left shoulder injury (Dan Barber/W-S Dash).
Winston-Salem rolled the Salem Red Sox 11-1 last night in a series opener at LewisGale Field for their fourth straight win, which matches the Dash’s longest winning streak of the campaign. We touch on that blowout, along with a pair of important injury updates, today in the Dots.
DASH DOTS:
- Dash outfielder Courtney Hawkins, who has been on the disabled list since injuring his left shoulder on May 1 at Lynchburg, does not yet have an official timetable for his return. However, Hawkins has spent most of the last few weeks with the Dash, and he is slowly resuming baseball activities. The White Sox first-round pick in 2012, Hawkins has begun throwing and taking dry swings, but he has not hit in the cage yet.
- Hawkins, who hurt his shoulder while making a diving catch in left-center field, is going through his first full season in professional baseball, and this is obviously a setback. Still, the 19-year-old remains in good spirits and in the middle of the Dash’s activities. He is always at the cage during batting practice and near the coaches during each game. You can be sure that Hawkins is getting the itch to return to the field, but he is also soaking up as much as he can while absorbing the game from a different perspective.
- Another Winston-Salem outfielder is banged up a bit. Adam Heisler hurt his knee on a diving catch last Sunday in Potomac. He finished the game but then missed the following three games. The Mobile, Ala., native then played from Thursday through Saturday before missing the last two games as the knee injury continues to bother him. Dash skipper Ryan Newman says Heisler is day-to-day, so we will keep track of his progress.
- Heisler’s injury is noteworthy throughout the Minor League Baseball landscape thanks to his 41-game on-base streak, which is the longest current run in the minors. Barring a disabled list trip, Heisler will have the longest such streak until it ends because he has a pretty safe lead on his closest competitors.
- Rangel Ravelo has been on fire at the High-A level despite a trip to the DL. In his five games with Winston-Salem, Ravelo is hitting .625 (10-for-16) with eight RBIs and four runs scored. He is also a ridiculous 7-for-9 (.778) with men in scoring position.
- The Dash reached, matched or approached plenty of season highs in Tuesday’s thumping of the Red Sox. Jeremy Farrell became the first Dash swinger with four extra-base hits in a single game. The Dash have matched a season high with four straight victories. Joey DeMichele was the fourth man to swipe a pair of bases in one game. Winston won by 10 runs, which is the second-largest margin of victory this season.
- Don’t forget about the pitching side of Tuesday’s victory. Starter Chris Bassitt rebounded from his worst start of the season with one of his best. Bassitt now owns a share of the Carolina League’s wins lead with five. He and three relievers (J.R. Ballinger, Jarrett Casey and Jeremy Erben) combined on a three-hitter in the series opener.
The Dash are back at it tonight at 7:05 in Salem. Join me for the Pregame Dash at 6:50 here. Talk to you then.
- Brian
Tuesday tidbits
Joey DeMichele (18) celebrates after his second walk-off hit of 2013 (Laura Marshall/W-S Dash)
With the Dash set embark on a six-game road trip tonight in Salem, Va., let’s take a look back at the weekend that was at BB&T Ballpark in a Tuesday edition of Dash Dots:
DASH DOTS:
- With their three-game sweep of the Potomac Nationals this weekend, the Dash have now beaten the P-Nats 13 consecutive times at BB&T Ballpark dating back to April of 2012.
- After overcoming a two-run deficit with three tallies in the eighth inning to win 5-4 on Friday, the Dash rallied with two outs in the ninth to tie Saturday’s game and eventually win in 10 innings on a walk-off single by Joey DeMichele. Those two last at-bat victories marked the first time since August 13-14, 2012, that the Dash have had back-to-back last at-bat victories.
- DeMichele now has both walk-off hits for Winston-Salem after his walk-off single on Saturday. His other walk-off hit was a three-run home run in the 11th inning on May 8 against Frederick.
- With a pair of singles on Friday and a walk and a triple on Saturday, Adam Heisler has now reached base in 41 consecutive games dating back to the end of last season. Heisler now has the longest such streak in the majors, as High Desert’s Jamal Austin had his 47-game streak snapped when we went 0-for-4 on Friday. However, Heisler did not play in Sunday’s series finale, and he is not in tonight’s lineup.
Myles Jaye has won both of his starts since his call up from Kannapolis (Laura Marshall/W-S Dash).
- Myles Jaye gave Winston-Salem his second straight quality start since he was called up from Kannapolis in Sunday’s 7-3 victory, surrendering three runs in six innings. The righty is now 2-0 and has struck out six in each of his first two High-A starts.
- The Winston bullpen was excellent this weekend against Potomac. Over the three games, Dash relievers did not yield an earned run across 10.2 innings while giving up just six hits. The bullpen also did not allow a walk in the series against the P-Nats while picking up two of the three wins. Terance Marin (3-2) was the winner in Friday’s series opener, and Brandon Hardin (1-0) was rewarded for his three scoreless innings of relief in Saturday’s walk-off win.
- Yesterday was the second off day for Winston-Salem in the last 12 days, but now they will not have another until the All-Star Break. The Dash will now play 28 games in the next 27 days, including a doubleheader against Frederick which the Dash announced today has been moved from Memorial Day, May 27, to May 28.
The Dash open up a six-game road trip tonight with the first of a three-game set at the Salem Red Sox. Join Brian here at 6:50 for the Pregame Dash, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05.
- Rob
Breaking down the Dash…on Twitter
After a successful homestand, the Dash are enjoying an off day today before going on the road for a six-game trip to square off with division rivals Salem and Carolina.
Because today is an off day, we wanted to have some fun. Plenty of Dash players are on Twitter, and we found five players who tweeted some, well, interesting things, such as Duck Dynasty, Happy Feet and huge televisions. We’ll let them explain what they mean here:
Hope you enjoy!
- Erika
Roster moves and Community Build photos
This afternoon, the White Sox have announced a pair of roster moves affecting the Winston-Salem Dash. Infielder Rangel Ravelo has been activated from the disabled list after having recovered from a left thumb laceration that landed him on the DL back on May 5. Prior to his injury, the Miami, Fla., native went 4-for-5 in two games with Winston-Salem after starting the season with Low-A Kannapolis.
To make room on the roster for Ravelo, infielder Brent Tanner his been transferred back to the Intimidators. The former South Alabama Jaguar will be making his second trip to Kannapolis after Ravelo’s initial call-up from the Intimidators saw Tanner go the other way back on May 2. In his two stints in Winston so far this year, Tanner is hitting .333 with three RBIs in 13 games.
In other news, the Dash held their annual Community build in conjunction with Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County today. Several Dash players were on hand to pitch in for a great cause. Here are some photos from their efforts:
Being on the disabled list didn’t stop Courtney Hawkins from helping out this morning.
Last night’s winning pitcher, Terance Marin, hammers away at a piece of sheet metal.
Right-hander Cody Winiarski showed off his handiwork this morning, too.
Righty Jason Van Skike lends a helping hand with some flooring panels.
The Dash continue their three-game series with the Potomac Nationals tonight, with first pitch set for 7 at BB&T Ballpark. Join me here at 6:45 for the Pregame Dash. Talk you to then!
- Rob
(Thanks to Nikki Caldwell for the photos from today’s event)
BB&T Ballpark by the numbers
After 4,487 attended last night’s Dash game against Myrtle Beach, BB&T Ballpark surpassed the one millionth fan mark in it’s young history, making it the fastest a High-A ballpark has never reached that milestone. The ballpark has now hosted 1,004,042 fans in its three plus seasons.
More than one million fans have visited BB&T Ballpark since it opened on April 13, 2010.
Those aren’t the only impressive numbers this ballpark boasts. Since the ballpark opened, no team in High-A baseball has had more fans come through its gates. Here’s the top five:
1. Winston-Salem Dash: 1,004,042
2. Frederick Keys: 970,988
3. Wilmington Blue Rocks: 936,405
4. Lake Elsinore Storm: 737,971
5. Myrtle Beach Pelicans: 708,164
The Dash have also posted the best home record among all full season minor league teams since BB&T Ballpark opened. Here’s the top five:
1. Winston-Salem Dash (High-A, Chicago White Sox): 143-87
2. Savannah Sand Gnats (Low-A, New York Mets): 138-88 3.0 GB
3. Columbus Clippers (Triple-A, Cleveland Indians): 141-92 3.5 GB
4. Durham Bulls (Triple-A, Tampa Bay Rays): 142-96 5.0 GB
5. Tennessee Smokies (Double-A, Chicago Cubs): 137-92 5.5 GB
The Dash will try and improve that minor league-leading record even more tonight as the Potomac Nationals roll in to BB&T Ballpark for the first of a three-game series. Join me here at 6:45 for the Pregame Dash. First pitch is scheduled for 7. Talk to you then!
- Rob
Dash to a million: Notable players
Since it opened in April of 2010, there have been numerous great players to play on BB&T Ballpark’s field. Here we have compiled a list of the some of the greatest players to play here in the park’s short history:
Jackie Bradley, Jr.: A member of the 2012 Salem Red Sox and the 2012 Carolina League All-Star team, Bradley was the Opening Day left fielder for the Boston Red Sox this year.
Dylan Bundy represented the Frederick Keys at last year’s All-Star Game (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
Dylan Bundy: The right-hander made 12 starts for the Frederick Keys last year, and tossed a scoreless inning for the Carolina League in last year’s All-Star Game. He came into 2013 as the number two rated prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America.
Adam Dunn: The slugger came with the White Sox when they played the Dash at BB&T Ballpark in an exhibition game prior to the 2011 season. Mostly a designated hitter the last several years, Dunn had a string of five consecutive seasons with 40 or more home runs from 2004-2008 and is fifth among active players with 413 career home runs.
Billy Hamilton: The speedster represented the Bakersfield Blaze on the California League All-Star team last season and stole two bases in the first inning of the All-Star Game. Hamilton set a record for stolen bases in a minor league season in 2012 with 147 swipes.
Eric Hosmer: Now in his third season as the everyday first baseman for the Kansas City Royals, Hosmer played in the Carolina League with the Wilmington Blue Rocks in 2009 and 2010. In 2010, he won the league’s batting title after posting a .354 average.
Paul Konerko, who played against the Dash here in 2011, is one of the best hitters of his generation.
Paul Konerko: Now in his 17th season in the big leagues, Konerko was another member of that 2011 White Sox squad that played at BB&T Ballpark in March of that year. The first baseman has 1,352 RBIs in his career, ranking him fifth among all active players.
Manny Machado: A shortstop while coming through the Baltimore Orioles’ system, the 2011 Key alum made the big leagues late last season where he played down the stretch and in the playoffs at third base. Now in his first full season with the Orioles, Machado is the team’s regular third baseman.
Wil Myers: The 2012 Minor League Player of the Year, Myers applied his trade for a long time in the Kansas City system before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays this past off-season. Considered one of the best hitting prospects in the game, Myers hit .346 in 58 games for the Blue Rocks in 2010.
Addison Reed: Now the closer for the White Sox, the hard-throwing righty had a brief stint with the Dash during the 2011 season. Reed appeared in 15 games out of the Winston-Salem bullpen, posting a 1.59 ERA in 28.1 IP.
Anthony Rizzo: Now the proud owner of a new contract extension that will keep him with the Chicago Cubs through at least 2019, Rizzo was once a Red Sox farmhand. The first baseman played for Salem in 2009 and 2010 before being traded to San Diego in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, and eventually to the Cubs prior to 2012.
A record-setting crowd watched Chris Sale make his professional debut on July 2, 2010.
Chris Sale: On July 2, 2010 the southpaw made his professional debut here at BB&T Ballpark in front of what was then the highest attendance in the park’s history at 7,268. Sale would reach the big leagues later in the 2010 season, and is now the ace of the White Sox rotation. In his most recent outing, he nearly threw a perfect game against the Angels.
Andrelton Simmons: The shortstop hit .311 during the 2011 campaign as a Lynchburg Hillcat, and also did some damage as a Hillcat in the 2012 Carolina League Playoffs while on a rehab assignment. Simmons hit two home runs in the playoffs including one against the Dash in the Mills Cup Finals. He is now the regular starting shortstop for the Atlanta Braves.
Come join us tonight as we celebrate the one millionth fan in BB&T Ballpark’s history! One lucky fan will be randomly selected to play a game of chance to win either one million dollars, a two-year lease on a vehicle from Flow Auto, or two Dash tickets for life!
If you can’t make it to the park, join me here at 6:45 for the Pregame Dash with first pitch to follow at 7. Tonight’s game will also be broadcast on 600-AM WSJS in the Winston-Salem area. Talk to you then!
- Rob
Dash to a million: BB&T Ballpark in pictures
Since BB&T Ballpark opened on April 13, 2010, nearly one million fans have made their way through its gates. As we approach this milestone, we decided to take a look back at some of the best moments in this young park’s history.
The first fans make their way through BB&T Ballpark’s gates ahead of the first game in the park’s history.
Kenny Williams, the former White Sox GM and father of 2010 Dash alum Kenny Williams Jr., throws out the first pitch in BB&T Ballpark history.
Fans packed the seats and the left field berm for the park’s inaugural night with 7,111 in attendance.
The Dash and Myrtle Beach Pelicans played a 20-inning affair in the second game of a doubleheader on May 19, 2010, prevailing 4-3 when Ozzie Lewis scored the game winning run.
A tremendous crowd of 7,268 fans (the highest in the park’s history to that point) packed BB&T Ballpark on July 2, 2010 as Chris Sale made his professional debut. Sale is now shining in the big leagues.
Prior to the 2011 season, Winston-Salem entertained its parent club at BB&T Ballpark. The Dash bested the White Sox 3-0 in an exhibition game.
On July 5 and 6, 2011, Dash outfielder Nick Ciolli robbed a pair of home runs from Salem and Myrtle Beach, the latter of which would have been a grand slam. See both grabs here and here. (Photo via Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash)
BB&T Ballpark was jam packed again for the All-Star Game between the California League and Carolina League on June 19, 2012. (Photo via Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash)
Bolt got together with several of his friends to put on quite a show during last year’s All-Star festivities. (Photo via Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash)
After the Carolina League finished thrashing the California League 9-1, fans enjoyed a great fireworks show to cap off the week’s festivities. (Photo via Jody Stewart/W-S Dash)
Dash fans came out in droves on July 4, 2012, setting a BB&T Ballpark record with 7,285 watching the Dash take on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. (Photo via Jody Stewart/W-S Dash)
The Dash posted full-season Minor League Baseball’s top record in 2012, and Winston-Salem advanced all the way to the Mills Cup Finals. Kevan Smith clubbed a go-ahead homer in the Dash’s Game 2 win, and Daniel Wagner’s reaction in the middle said it all. (Photo via Dan Barber/W-S Dash).
Thank you to the best fans in Minor League Baseball for helping BB&T Ballpark become the fastest High-A facility to reach one million fans! Check back tomorrow for more BB&T Ballpark history.
- Rob
Roster moves shuffle pitching staff
Myles Jaye has been called up from Kannapolis to start tonight (Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images).
The Chicago White Sox have announced four roster moves today that will affect the Dash’s roster. With Winston-Salem having an open spot in the rotation after both Terance Marin and Justin Collop were removed late last week, the Dash didn’t have a scheduled starter for today’s series opener against Myrtle Beach. To fix that, right-hander Myles Jaye is being called up from Low-A Kannapolis to start tonight and fill one of those two spots.
So far this year with the Intimidators, Jaye has pitched very well. The Fayetteville, Ga. native has compiled a 4-1 record with a 2.20 ERA in seven starts. In April, Jaye went 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA over 30 innings. Tonight will mark the former Toronto farmhand’s first career appearance in High-A ball.
The other new pitcher coming to Winston-Salem is not new to Dash fans at all, as righty Ryan Buch makes his way back to the Carolina League after spending parts of each of the last two seasons here in Winston-Salem. Buch was transferred from Double-A Birmingham, where he had a 4.91 ERA in five appearances out of the Barons’ bullpen. In his career with the Dash, the Monmouth University product has a 8-9 record and a 5.60 ERA in 33 appearances, 21 of which have been starts.
To make room for these moves, the Dash have sent right-hander Stew Brase back down to Kannapolis, where he appeared in 38 games last season. Brase started this season at extended spring training before making his way to Winston-Salem. In his time with the Dash, the La Grange, Ill., native sported a 5.19 ERA in six efforts out of the bullpen.
In addition to Brase’s departure to the South Atlantic League, Collop has been released by the White Sox. The former Toledo Rocket started six games for Winston this season, going 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA. He was Chicago’s sixth-round pick in 2009.
Join Brian and I here for the Pregame Dash at 6:45 p.m. as the Dash open up a three-game series against first-place Myrtle Beach. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Talk to you then!
- Rob
Grab bag of Monday fun
Jeremy Farrell had hit safely in 10 straight games until Saturday (Dan Barber/W-S Dash).
The Dash are a few hours away from a series finale against the Potomac Nationals here in Woodbridge, Va., and there is plenty of news to discuss. Let’s break it all down with a Monday edition of Dash Dots.
DASH DOTS:
- Despite going hitless in Sunday’s de facto doubleheader, Adam Heisler extended his on-base streak to 38 games thanks to a hit by pitch and a walk. Heisler’s 38-game run is now the second-longest in Minor League Baseball. Jamal Austin of High Desert (High-A, Seattle) has reached at least once in 44 straight contests.
- Heisler jumped to second place after Scooter Gennett of Nashville (Triple-A, Milwaukee) went 0-for-4 against Sacramento on Sunday, which snapped his 39-game on-base streak.
- Dash infielder Jeremy Farrell saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end with an 0-for-4 showing in the suspended game from Saturday. Farrell fell one game shy of teammate Mark Haddow (April 6-18) and Salem infielder Garin Cecchini (April 22-May 4), whose 11-game streaks are the longest in the CL thus far this season. During this run, the former Pittsburgh farmhand boasted a batting average of .366 (15-for-41) with three homers and 12 RBIs.
- Winston-Salem is in danger of suffering its first four-game series sweep in the Dash era (2009-present). Winston’s last such brooming came in Myrtle Beach from June 2-5, 2008, when the franchise was called the Warthogs.
- The Dash had not lost the first three contests in a four-game set since August 18-20, 2011, here at Pfitzner Stadium. However, Winston-Salem emphatically avoided a sweep by pounding the P-Nats 15-3 in the series finale.
- Speaking of Dash era firsts, Potomac’s Blake Schwartz held Winston to just one hit in Sunday’s seven-inning contest, which marked the first time in Dash history that the club was held to just one hit. The Dash’s previous low-water mark for hits in a single game was two, which occurred five times.
- Following tonight’s game at Potomac, the Dash will entertain first-place Myrtle Beach for a three-game series that begins tomorrow. The Pelicans currently lead the Dash by 6.5 games, Winston’s largest deficit in the standings since the club finished the first half of the 2011 season 8.5 games back of Myrtle Beach. If the Dash want to win the first half title in the Southern Division, this series will be critical.
Join me for the Dash’s finale at Pfitzner Stadium. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m., and the Pregame Dash begins at 6:50 p.m. here.
- Brian
Chris Sale’s perfect game bid on Twitter
Dash alum Chris Sale had himself quite an outing tonight on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. If you know about it, relive the fun. If you have not heard about his effort, learn about it below.
Chris Sale: 11-3 with a 2.26 ERA in 17 career starts at home. 8-0, 3.12 ERA in career vs AL West #LAAvsCHW on ESPN
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) May 13, 2013
Chris Sale has a special message for all you moms out there. #SoxPride twitter.com/whitesox/statu…
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 12, 2013
#White Sox LHP Chris Sale perfect through four innings vs. #Angels. 0-0 tie.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) May 13, 2013
Chris Sale has five perfect innings against the Angels and has thrown only 46 pitches. Has been as dominant as those numbers suggest.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 13, 2013
Chris Sale is straight dealing right now. He’s currently perfect through six.
— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2013
If Chris Sale completes the perfect game tonight, it would be the 3rd in the last 4 years for the #WhiteSox.
— Jonathon Shipman (@The_Ship_Show) May 13, 2013
Gotta love no one near Chris Sale but yet there’s a teammate on the bench with a catchers mask on. Superstition 1st…Clowning close 2nd.
— Paul Lo Duca (@paulloduca16) May 13, 2013
Perfect through six, Chris Sale getting plenty of space in the dugout.
— jon greenberg (@espnchijon) May 13, 2013
Former @wsdashbaseball pitcher Chris Sale is pitching well through six innings. #IDidntActuallySayIt
— Russell Parmele (@RParmele3) May 13, 2013
Ramirez saves the perfect game on a great play ranging up the middle and perfect throw to Konerko to get Callaspo
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) May 13, 2013
BREAKING: @trouty20 breaks up @whitesox LHP Chris Sale’s bid for a perfect game with a 1-out single in the 7th.
— MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2013
Fun while it lasted for Chris Sale.
— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) May 13, 2013
The 19 consecutive hitters retired by Chris Sale is a season-high for a CWS starter. Previous was 18 by Jose Quintana spanning two starts
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) May 13, 2013
Chris Sale is 24 years old. He’ll have plenty of opportunities at the elusive perfect game. What a phenom. #WhiteSox
— Mick Carlson (@M1cKmAcK) May 13, 2013
Great effort, Chris. Here’s hoping the White Sox can pull off the victory over the Angels.
- Brian
