Results tagged ‘ Bryan Blough ’
Game #69 Preview – Winston-Salem at Wilmington
With two days remaining in the first half, the Dash are two games behind Myrtle Beach in the Southern Division standings. Thus, we will have a game preview available for every game until either the Dash or the Pelicans claim the first-half crown.
Game #68 – Road Game #32
Winston-Salem Dash at Wilmington Blue Rocks
Friday, June 14 – 7:05 p.m.
Current Position: 2nd (2.0 GB)
The Dash are counting on you, Muddy the Mudcat (photo via the Carolina Mudcats).
GAME BACKGROUND:
It’s simple now for Winston-Salem. The Dash need to win two, and Myrtle Beach needs to lose three. Winston wraps up the first half with games against Wilmington tonight at tomorrow afternoon, while the Pelicans have a twin bill against Carolina this evening before a first half finale tomorrow night. Myrtle’s magic number sits at one, while the Dash must have five games go their way to punch a postseason ticket.
STARTING PITCHERS:
Winston-Salem – RHP Myles Jaye (3-1, 6.42 ERA): Jaye began his High-A career with four strong outings. In all of them, he pitched into the sixth inning and surrendered three runs or less. However, the former Toronto farmhand has struggled in his last two efforts (9.1 IP, 13 R/ER, 17 H). Jaye shined with Low-A Kannapolis before his promotion on May 14 (4-1, 2.20 ERA in seven starts). This will be his first showdown with Wilmington.
Wilmington – LHP Sam Selman (4-5, 5.19 ERA): Selman looks to rebound from the worst start of his minor league career. On Monday at Salem, he did not retire a batter and allowed eight runs (five earned) on four hits. Prior to that outing, the Austin, Texas, native had turned in four straight starts of five innings and two runs or less. His lone outing against Winston-Salem resulted in a loss on April 27, but he twirled a quality start (6.0 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H). The Dash are 11-6 against southpaws this season.
Bryan Blough is 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three outings against Wilmington in 2013 (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
DASH DOTS:
- Winston-Salem is tied with Frederick for the Carolina League lead in home runs with 60. The Dash, who pace the circuit with 20 long balls thus far in June, went yard three times on Friday for the fifth time this season.
- Three of the top ten home run hitters in the Carolina League are on the Dash’s roster: Courtney Hawkins (13, 2nd), Chris Curley (12, 3rd) and Jeremy Farrell (9, T-8th). Both Hawkins and Curley hit a solo homer last night.
- The Dash continued their domination against the Blue Rocks thanks to yesterday’s one-run win. Winston-Salem have won 11 of the 12 matchups in 2013. Since last season, the Dash are 26-6 versus Wilmington. Winston now owns an eight-game winning streak at Frawley Stadium dating back to August of last year.
- Bryan Blough earned his third straight win and quality start against the Rocks last night. In 20 innings versus the Blue Crew, he has allowed just three earned runs, which calculates to a 1.35 ERA.
- Curley, who is heading to the Home Run Derby next week, has hit safely in nine consecutive games dating back to June 9. During this run, Curley is hitting .385 (15-for-39) with three homers and eight RBIs.
- With a knock Saturday, Curley would become the fifth Winston batter to string together a hitting streak of 10 or more games. Lynchburg is second in that category with three such runs, while no other team has more than two double-digit streaks.
BIRD’S-EYE VIEW:
What a turnaround by the Pelicans. Myrtle Beach lost 12 of 13 from May 25 to June 5 to fall to 30-28. Then, Myrtle and Potomac played to a 5-5 tie on June 6. Since then, the Birds have won eight in a row by a combined score of 49-23. Tonight, the Pelicans entertain Carolina, the CL’s worst club, for a doubleheader at 6:05. If the Muddies do not sweep the twin bill, Myrtle Beach will return to the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Join me for the Pregame Dash here at 5:50 in advance of a 6:05 first pitch between the Dash and the Blue Rocks. Also, Myrtle Beach’s twin bill is viewable online at MiLB.tv here.
- Brian
Game #68 Preview – Winston-Salem at Wilmington
With three days remaining in the first half, the Dash are two games behind Myrtle Beach in the Southern Division standings. Thus, we will have a game preview available for every game until either the Dash or the Pelicans claim the first-half crown.
Game #68 – Road Game #32
Winston-Salem Dash at Wilmington Blue Rocks
Friday, June 14 – 7:05 p.m.
Current Position: 2nd (2.0 GB)
Bryan Blough has given up just one run in 14 innings against Wilmington this year (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
GAME BACKGROUND:
The Dash remained two games behind first-place Myrtle Beach with a come-from-behind win in Wilmington by a score of 5-3 in 11 innings Thursday night. Brent Tanner’s two-out RBI single capped a two-run ninth inning to knot the score, and his two-run blast in the top of the 11th proved to be the difference. However, the Pelicans won their seventh game in a row to lower their magic number to two with three days left in the first half.
STARTING PITCHERS:
Winston-Salem – RHP Bryan Blough (4-4, 4.66 ERA): Blough has been Winston-Salem’s workhorse throughout the season, amassing a team-high 75.1 innings (T-2nd in the Carolina League). His two starts in June have been tremendous (14.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 9 K, 2 BB). Blough, who entered this season with only six career minor league starts on his resume, has not lost since May 2. Against Wilmington this season, the Newnan, Ga., native is 2-0 with just one earned run allowed in 14 innings of work. This includes a gem on April 27 in Delaware, during which he took a no-hitter into the sixth frame.
Wilmington – RHP Kyle Smith (4-2, 2.59 ERA): Wilmington’s lone All-Star, Smith has been the Blue Rocks’ strongest starter in 2013. Prior to his last start, Smith owned the 11th best earned run average in the minors, but the Dash banged him around to the tune of six earned runs in five innings. In three outings against Winston-Salem, the righty has allowed 11 runs (all earned) in 16 innings, which calculates to a 6.19 ERA. His other nine starts have amounted in just eight earned runs in 50 frames, or a 1.44 ERA.
Brent Tanner hit his first career High-A home run in the 11th inning Thursday (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
DASH DOTS:
- Winston-Salem collected its eighth last at-bat victory of 2013 on Thursday. This is the second time the Dash have earned a come-from-behind victory at Wilmington. In a series opener on April 26, the Dash rallied for one in the ninth and one in the 10th to secure a 5-4 win over the Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium.
- The Dash improved upon their Carolina League-leading record in extra innings with their fifth win in six tries. Winston is a perfect 3-0 on the road when playing bonus baseball.
- Brent Tanner continues to swing well at the High-A level. In 14 Carolina League games, Tanner is hitting .364 with six RBIs and four runs scored. He has become familiar with the drive between Kannapolis and Winston-Salem because this is his third different stint with the Dash.
- It was an odd game for the top of the Dash’s order. Joey DeMichele (0-for-6) saw his team-high 12-game hitting streak come to an end, while Adam Heisler (0-for-5) failed to reach base for just the second time in 48 games between Winston-Salem and Kannapolis here in 2013.
- Winston had a chance to rally late because of Jake Cose’s ability to minimize damage early on in the contest. Cose induced a double play in each of the first three innings, all of which helped him escape a tough jam.
- How about the bullpen duo of Terance Marin and Cody Winiarski. Marin turned in his best outing of the campaign by retiring all 10 men he faced. Winiarski then worked around a pair of singles in the 11th for his eighth save in as many tries this season. Winiarski is second to Lynchburg’s Nate Hyatt (nine) for the CL lead in saves.
BIRD’S-EYE VIEW:
The first-place Pelicans extended their winning streak to seven with a 3-1 win over Carolina in the opener of a five-game, four-day series Thursday. Carolina attempted to rally in the ninth, and the Muddies had runners at second and third with one out and a run already in during the frame. However, a pair of groundouts doomed Carolina. Tonight at 7:05, these two teams continue their set. Alec Asher (4-4, 3.23 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Birds against fellow righty Michael Peoples (0-1, 4.58 ERA).
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
The Dash and Blue Rocks continue their series tonight at 7:05. Catch the Pregame Dash beginning at 6:50 here.
- Brian
Dash tweaking starting rotation
Jason Van Skike will make his second professional start Sunday (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
For the first time this season, Winston-Salem will make a few changes to its starting rotation, Dash skipper Ryan Newman announced Friday.
Two of the Dash’s five starters have been tremendous thus far this season. Chris Beck (1.50) and Chris Bassitt (1.71) boast the top two earned run averages among active Carolina League pitchers. Former Potomac ace Taylor Jordan (1.24) is the only qualifier with a better mark, but he makes his Double-A debut tonight for Harrisburg. It is no surprise that this duo will remain in the rotation.
Two other members of the Dash’s Opening Day rotation, right-handers Justin Collop and Terance Marin, are heading to the bullpen. Collop (2-3, 5.79 ERA) worked through five innings in each of his first five starts, but he allowed eight runs in two and two-thirds in his most recent effort Monday against Frederick. The Wayne, Mich., native has been a reliever before. He has come out of the bullpen in 38 of his 99 career minor league efforts.
Marin (2-2, 7.04 ERA) also returns to the bullpen, where he spent his entire professional career before this season. The Newman, Calif., native pitched well in his first three starts, allowing just five earned runs in 17 innings of work. However, the righty has allowed at least six runs in his last three outings. Marin boasts a 2.18 ERA in his 77 career minor league appearances out of the bullpen.
Winston-Salem’s other starter, Bryan Blough, will also remain in the rotation, and he will technically move up a day and pitch the finale of this four-game series in Potomac. However, Blough will have normal rest thanks to Thursday’s off day.
As of now, we know one of the two new members of the Dash’s rotation. Right-hander Jason Van Skike, who has allowed just one earned run in his 15 innings with the Dash since an April 12 promotion from Kannapolis, will take to the hill tomorrow afternoon. Van Skike has only started one game in his minor league career, and it came in game two of Winston-Salem’s doubleheader sweep of Wilmington on April 20.
Newman and the White Sox have not determined the fifth and final member of the current rotation, so here is how the next few days shake up for the Dash on the mound:
Saturday – RHP Chris Beck
Sunday – RHP Jason Van Skike
Monday – RHP Bryan Blough
Tuesday – TBA
Wednesday – RHP Chris Bassitt
Stay tuned to the Dash Board for news on the Dash’s Tuesday starter. Join me for the Pregame Dash at 6:20 tonight here. Talk to you then.
- Brian
Shutout City
Bryan Blough took a no-hitter into the sixth Saturday against Wilmington (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
The Dash recorded their fourth shutout victory last night in Wilmington, which puts them in a six-way tie for the most blankings among the 120 full-season minor league clubs. Among High-A units, Winston-Salem and St. Lucie (New York Mets) are the only two squads with a quartet of shutout wins.
Since the 2012 season, Winston has posted 19 regular season shutouts, which is the most in the Carolina League. This is one of many notes on this Sunday afternoon, so let’s take a look at a weekend edition of the Dash Dots.
DASH DOTS:
- With two swipes Saturday, new Dash outfielder Adam Heisler has stolen 12 bases between Kannapolis (9) and Winston-Salem (3). He is tied for sixth in the minor leagues in stolen bases. Fellow White Sox farmhand Micah Johnson leads the minors with 20, all with the Intimidators.
- With his two shutout frames Saturday, Dash reliever Daniel Webb has not allowed an earned run in 13 innings of work, the most frames for a Carolina League pitcher with an ERA of 0.00. In fact, only three other pitchers who have made at least one appearance in the CL in 2013 have yet to allow an earned run, and that trio has combined to work only 15.2 innings.
- Before Saturday, Bryan Blough was 0-6 with a 6.47 earned run average in his first 10 minor league starts. In seven scoreless innings less than 24 hours ago, Blough only allowed two hits, both of which came in the sixth frame.
- Dating back to 2011, Winston-Salem has won 12 of its last 14 games against the Blue Rocks at Frawley Stadium. The Dash went 15-5 against Wilmington a year ago, while Winston is off to a 5-1 start against the Blue Crew thus far in 2013.
- Joey DeMichele, who is receiving his second day off this season today, is just 1-for-22 in his last six games dating back to Monday. The former third-round pick’s average has dipped to .163 after an impressive professional debut a year ago between rookie-level Bristol and Low-A Kannapolis.
The Dash and Blue Rocks meet at 1:35 p.m. before the club heads to Lynchburg for a four-game series beginning tomorrow. Join me for the Pregame Dash at 1:20 p.m here. You will hear from yesterday’s winner Bryan Blough. Talk to you then.
- Brian
Opening Night starting lineup
The trip to Zebulon is complete, and the Dash are gearing up for their first batting practice of the season in moments. New skipper Ryan Newman has submitted his first starting lineup of the season, and it looks like this:
LF Billy Rice
2B Joey DiMichele
CF Courtney Hawkins
C Kevan Smith
DH Mark Tracy
RF Mark Haddow
1B Grant Buckner
3B Chris Curley
SS David Herbek
RHP Bryan Blough
Our pregame coverage begins with the Pregame Dash at 7 p.m., with first pitch 15 minutes later. The season is upon us! Enjoy following along all season long.
- Brian
Returning righties highlight rotation
Terance Marin’s first career minor league start is scheduled for Tuesday (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
The Dash announced their 2013 Opening Day roster Tuesday, and we broke down the entire roster yesterday on the blog. It features 13 players who have previously played in Winston-Salem, seven of whom are pitchers.
Four of those seven men will be in the Dash’s initial starting rotation, which looks like this for the first five games of the season.
OPENING DAY STARTING ROTATION:
Friday at Carolina: RHP Bryan Blough
Saturday at Carolina: RHP Chris Bassitt
Sunday at Carolina: RHP Chris Beck
Tuesday at Frederick: RHP Terance Marin
Wednesday at Frederick: RHP Justin Collop
This is a unique quintet from a statistical standpoint. The Dash’s Opening Day rotation has combined for 310 career minor league appearances but only 77 starts.
If you throw out Collop’s 55 starts in 93 appearances, the other four hurlers have combined for just 22 minor league starts. Thus, 80 percent of the Dash’s rotation has started a combined 10 percent of their minor league games.
Blough started six times for Low-A Kannapolis in the second half of 2012 before rejoining the Dash’s bullpen for the stretch run. He will take the ball for the Dash in the season opener Friday night after posting a 2-0 record with a 3.93 ERA in Winston-Salem a year ago.
The rotation plays out such that Bassitt is in line to receive the start for the Dash’s Home Opener Friday, April 12. Bassitt never started at the University of Akron or professionally until the second half of 2012 in the CL. He went 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 10 regular season starts. The righty then turned in his best professional outing in the SDCS-clinching win September 7 with seven scoreless innings in a 9-0 victory.
Beck enters the season as the top pitching prospect on the Dash’s roster, according to Baseball America. The Georgia native went 4-3 with a 4.69 ERA in 15 appearances (six starts) with rookie-level Great Falls last summer. He was the White Sox second-round pick last June.
A reliever for his entire minor league career, Marin shifts into the rotation for 2013. In 77 career appearances, Marin boasts a 2.18 ERA. His work in Winston-Salem last season was comparable (2.42 ERA in 33 efforts), but it came as a reliever. It will be fun to watch Marin’s transition.
Collop is the veteran starter of the bunch, with 16 of his 31 appearances last year coming in a starting role. In his High-A career, the former University of Toledo righty is 11-7 with a 4.17 ERA. Last season, he led the Dash in innings pitched (121.0) and shared the team lead in wins (9).
For those coming out to the first series of the home slate next weekend, you will likely see Bassitt, Beck and Marin, in that order. Everyone will get a chance to pitch at BB&T Ballpark during the Dash’s eight-game homestand from April 18-25.
- Brian
Opening Day roster breakdown
Top prospect Courtney Hawkins will receive plenty of attention in 2013 (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
One of the final steps before the Dash’s season can begin is the release of the Opening Day roster, which happened today. Dash fans know about some of these 25 players, while others will suit up for Winston-Salem for the first time Friday at Carolina. Let’s take a look at all of these players and how they fit within the roster.
The top prospect:
OF Courtney Hawkins
No White Sox prospect will draw as much attention as Hawkins will during the 2013 season. Chicago’s first-round pick 10 months ago, Hawkins hit three homers and drove in seven runs in 12 High-A games last season. He will likely get a longer look at this level while trying to live up to the billing of being the Sox top prospect and one of the top 100 players in the minors.
The other ranked farmhands:
RHP Chris Beck, INF Joey DeMichele & C Kevan Smith
In addition to Hawkins’ place atop Baseball America’s White Sox prospect rankings, three other players who will open the season with Winston-Salem found themselves on the publication’s Top 30 list. Beck (10th) makes the jump from short-season Great Falls, while DeMichele (24th) is a player that many believe can climb the minor league ladder quickly. Most Dash fans remember Smith (27th) and his big grand slam in the SDCS-clinching win over Myrtle Beach last season. He will likely receive the majority of the playing time available behind the plate.
The returning hurlers:
RHP J.R. Ballinger, RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Bryan Blough, RHP Justin Collop, RHP Terance Marin, LHP Max Peterson & RHP Steven Upchurch
The Dash’s pitching staff was one of the best in the Carolina League last season, and more than half of the Dash’s Opening Day pitchers suited up for Winston-Salem at some point last season. Pitching coach J.R. Perdew also returns after the tremendous 2012 season. All seven of these pitchers have had success at this level, which bodes well for the Dash in 2013.
David Herbek shined following a midseason promotion to the Carolina League (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
The “prove it” player:
INF David Herbek
Herbek’s 2012 season was unique. He hit just .214 in 43 games with Low-A Kannapolis, but the White Sox moved him up to Winston-Salem in late June. The Virginia native responded by swinging at a .313 clip in 47 games. Herbek figures to see significant time with the Dash, so will he be closer to his Kannapolis form or his Winston-Salem self? You have to like his chances to be a scary hitter on this circuit like he was down the stretch a year ago.
The new White Sox:
RHP Jeremy Erben, OF Nick Giarraputo & INF Mark Tracy
Three men on the 25-man roster were not with the organization last season. The White Sox signed Erben in spring training, just a few days after Arizona released him. Giarraputo is back in affiliated baseball after three seasons on the independent circuit. Tracy joined the Sox organization following a trade with Colorado. Former Dash outfielder Kenny Williams, Jr., was shipped to the Rockies in that deal. This trio will be hungry to contribute early on as White Sox farmhands.
The acquaintances:
INF Chris Curley, OF Mark Haddow & OF Billy Rice
These three men all joined Winston-Salem at some point last season, but the threesome combined for only 11 regular season games with the Dash. Curley shined in the final week of the regular season before hitting .500 in the CL postseason, while Haddow and Rice struggled a bit in their limited at-bats after playing well for Low-A Kannapolis. How will these three swingers adjust to a prolonged stay in the Triad? That answer may dictate how effective the offense will be this season.
The Kannapolis kids:
INF Grant Buckner, LHP Jarrett Casey, INF Joe De Pinto & RHP Daniel Webb
These four players spent most or all of their 2012 seasons with Low-A Kannapolis. The jump from Low-A to High-A is not an easy one, but all four of these men will get the chance to do it following spring training.
How will the catching duties be split among Kevan Smith, Martin Medina and Brent Tanner? (Dan Barber/W-S Dash).
The catching couple:
C Martin Medina & C Brent Tanner
With Smith in the fold, how will skipper Ryan Newman find playing time for these two backstops? Both Medina and Tanner have shown promise in the minors, but there is only so many at-bats to go around. Last season, the Dash rarely had three catchers on the roster, so this will be a challenge for Newman and hitting coach Rob Sasser.
The comeback candidate:
RHP Cody Winiarski
Winiarski missed all of last season with a back injury, and he only has 17 career minor league efforts under his belt. Last season, Kyle Bellamy returned from a season-long injury to shine with Winston before heading to Double-A. Winiarski will look to do the same for the Dash in 2013.
Hopefully this gives you some more insight on the first roster for the Dash in 2013. The season is three days away, and we will have plenty more coverage leading up to Friday’s season opener here on the Dash Board.
- Brian
Dash Bullpen In Flux Again
(Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash)
The Dash’s bullpen has been the most dynamic part of the roster this season. Relievers have come and gone more than any aspect of the roster. Today, two more relievers earned promotions, with Ryan Buch heading to Double-A Birmingham and Bryan Blough returning to the Triad from Low-A Kannapolis.
Buch is heading to the Southern League for the first time in his career. In 22 appearances this season, Buch is 4-5 with a 6.21 earned run average. He joined the bullpen at the tail end of the first half and struggled for a few outings in that role. However, the former eighth-round pick has allowed only three runs on eight hits in his last seven appearances spanning eight frames.
After his second stint in the South Atlantic League, Blough returns to Winston-Salem, where he went 2-0 with a 4.40 ERA in seven appearances. With the Intimidators, Blough was 2-6 with an ERA of 4.23 in 32 appearances, six of which were starts.
The Dash are back at BB&T Ballpark for the first of four against the Lynchburg Hillcats tonight at 7:00. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:45 here.
- Brian
Dash send another to Double-A
The White Sox announced two roster moves Friday morning that affect the Dash, which has been a trend lately. Winston-Salem has made plenty of moves, like this set or this one or all of these. Winston-Salem sends Jon Bachanov to Double-A Birmingham and receives Bryan Blough. Both men are relievers, although Bachanov recently returned to the bullpen after a stretch in the starting rotation.
Jon Bachanov compiled a 6-2 record in 18 appearances for the Dash (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
Jon Bachanov advances to the Double-A level for the first time in his career. Bachanov has persevered through an elbow injury that caused him to miss all of the 2008 season. He was drafted by the Angels in the supplemental round of the 2007 draft but did not make his first professional appearance until 2009. The White Sox signed him before last season, and Bachanov split his time between the starting rotation and bullpen for Kannapolis.
This year, Bachanov was one of the Dash’s most reliable pitchers. He began in the bullpen and made eight appearances in relief. The right-hander’s first start occurred May 10 when he pitched three innings in game two of a doubleheader against Frederick.
Bachanov’s magnum opus occurred five days later. Making the start in another back-half of a twin ball, Bachanov fired six scoreless innings, striking out a season-high nine batters. After nine starts he was placed back in the bullpen and made one final relief appearance, picking up the win after striking out three batters in two innings of work.
Bryan Blough arrives in Winston-Salem after making one appearance with the Dash last year. On August 31, Blough pitched an inning and a third against Salem, allowing five hits and two runs. Extended time in Winston-Salem should allow Blough to ease more comfortably into High-A baseball.
Blough was drafted in the 18th round of the 2011 draft out of Kennesaw State University. He also spent two years at Middle Georgia College, where he led the team in strikeouts his sophomore season.
During the first half of 2012 the right-hander made 26 appearances out of the bullpen for Kannapolis. He struck out 30 batters in 37 and one-third innings while converting six of 11 save opportunities.
-Mike
