Results tagged ‘ Marcus Semien ’
Still plenty of positives
Dan Black is shining for Double-A Birmingham after a tremendous 2012 in the Triad (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
Even though the Dash have dropped three in a row, there are plenty of positive notes to hit on during this Tuesday afternoon. How about an optimistic set of Dash Dots? Last time we did that, Winston-Salem mustered a sweep at Frederick (proof here). Here’s hoping for a similar result.
DASH DOTS:
- Dating back to last season, Winston-Salem outfielder Adam Heisler has reached base in 34 straight games, which is tied for the second-longest current streak in Minor League Baseball. High Desert’s Jamal Austin has reached safely in 38 straight games, while Nashville’s Scooter Gennett also has a 34-game run.
- Heisler made his way aboard in the final three contests of 2012 with rookie-level Great Falls before finding his way on base in all 31 games thus far this season (19 with Low-A Kannapolis and 12 with Winston-Salem). Heisler has hit safely in 27 of these 34 games, and he owns a .303 (40-for-132) average with 15 RBIs and 23 runs scored during this streak.
- Winston-Salem leads the Carolina League in fielding percentage (.976), and the Dash are tied with Potomac for the fewest errors on the circuit (28). The Dash stumbled out of the gates defensively, amassing 10 errors in the first four games and 21 in the first 14. Since then, though, the Dash have only made seven defensive miscues in their last 17 games.
- Dash alum Jordan Danks hit a game-winning home run in the eleventh inning against Kansas City Monday, helping the White Sox avoid a sweep against the surging Royals. It was Danks’ first homer of the season.
- In that ballgame, Addison Reed, who shined with Winston in 2011, earned his 11th save. He also has a win, which means that Reed has had some factor in the decision in 12 of the White Sox first 13 wins.
- How about the start for Double-A Birmingham? The Barons are a Southern League-best 20-10 on the season, including a 13-2 record at home. Birmingham just wrapped up a five-game sweep of Chattanooga over the weekend with a thrilling 16-14 win Sunday afternoon.
- Multiple 2012 Dash alums are at or near the top of the SL in a handful of offensive categories. Dan Black is currently leading in batting average (.340) and RBIs (25) and sits second in hits (35). He is only two behind fellow Baron and former Winston-Salem player Marcus Semien, who tops the league in hits with 37. Trayce Thompson also has the second-most runs (24) on the circuit.
- On the pitching side, Steve McCray and Scott Snodgress are two of five pitchers in the SL who have won four games this season, while Erik Johnson (third, 1.30) and Spencer Arroyo (ninth, 2.36) are in the top 10 on the circuit in earned run average. Taylor Thompson is tied for third with five saves thus far this season, too.
- Vine is one of the newest social media platforms, and both Dash players and Dash fans are having fun with it. Check out Courtney Hawkins’ clips from the Dash’s MVP Education Day at BB&T Ballpark last Saturday. Plus, Dash fan Eric Martinez sums up a Saturday night game here.
The Dash try to avoid losing their fourth straight home game, something they have only done once in BB&T Ballpark history, tonight at 7 against Frederick. Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 here.
- Erika, Rob and Brian
Hawkins to the DL and two other moves
Courtney Hawkins has been placed on the seven-day DL (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
While the Dash cruised to a 15-6 blowout over Lynchburg last night, the news was not all good for Winston-Salem. White Sox top prospect Courtney Hawkins made a diving catch in left center field to end the third inning. He was slow to get up, but the 19-year-old jogged off the field and into the Dash’s dugout.
However, David Herbek pinch hit for Hawkins in the top of the fourth. The White Sox have not disclosed Hawkins’ injury, but he has been placed on the seven-day disabled list, the team announced this afternoon.
In 23 games with Winston-Salem thus far this season, Hawkins is hitting .177 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. His seven homers are one shy of the Carolina League’s lead. However, the former first-round pick leads Minor League Baseball with 45 strikeouts. Hawkins had been improving on his strikeout rate, though. He only whiffed four times in his last five games.
The Dash’s roster only contains two players who have been in the outfield for the majority of their minor league careers–Mark Haddow and Adam Heisler. For the time being, Dash fans should expect to see Grant Buckner, who has played 35 of his 174 minor league games in left field, shift from the infield to the outfield.
TWO MORE ROSTER MOVES:
The White Sox also announced that Brent Tanner has been assigned to Low-A Kannapolis in a move that will likely yield the Mississippi native some more at-bats. In eight games with the Dash this year, Tanner hit .417 (10-for-24) with three RBIs. Of his 10 hits, five of them were doubles. The former 32nd round pick had four multi-hit games in his seven starts, including a career-high tying four knocks last night.
Infielder Rangel Ravelo takes Tanner’s spot on the roster. Ravelo comes to the Dash from Kannapolis, where he hit .226 in 17 games before landing on the disabled list. A year ago, Ravelo was one of four Intimidators to make the midseason All-Star Team in the South Atlantic League.
The Miami, Fla. native was drafted by Chicago in the sixth round in 2010 out of Hialeah High School (FL). Born in Cuba, Ravelo has played both corner infield positions throughout his minor league career.
DASH ALUMS IN THE NEWS:
Chris Sale had a 2.25 ERA in four appearances for the Dash in 2010.
- Chris Sale picked up his third win of the campaign as helped the White Sox snap a three-game skid last night, giving up just two runs in seven innings of work against Texas. The southpaw struck out seven on the night, tying a season-high. Sale has now gone at least seven innings in all but one of his six starts in 2013.
- Despite the recent struggles of the Chicago bullpen, closer Addison Reed has just kept on rolling. After picking up the save last night, he is now a perfect nine for nine in save opportunities and his ERA is down to just 1.50.
- Dylan Axelrod continues to pitch well and have nothing to show for it. Back on Sunday, Axelrod turned in his third consecutive quality start for the South Siders, but he did not factor into the decision and the White Sox fell to the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite giving up three runs or less in four of his five starts, the righty has yet to earn a victory this season.
- After winning Carolina League MVP honors in 2012, Dan Black has picked up right where he left off this season for Double-A Birmingham. As a team, the Barons are leading the Southern League in batting average, and a big reason is Black, who sits fourth in the league with a .312 mark. Marcus Semien is not too far behind, currently sixth in the league in average at .303. In addition, Black leads the circuit in RBIs with 21 and Semien leads in hits with 30.
- The pitching staff has also been very good for Birmingham. The staff has been led by Baseball America’s number four prospect in the organization, Erik Johnson. The righty sits fifth in the league in ERA at 1.44 and is tied for second in the Southern League in strikeouts with 32. Another pair of Dash alums, Stephen McCray and Scott Snodgress, are tied for the circuit’s lead in wins with four apiece.
- Also, Jared Mitchell did this last week week for the Barons:
- While he hasn’t made it to Winston-Salem yet, Low-A Kannapolis right-hander Myles Jaye could soon be making his way to the Triad. Jaye is one of just nine starting pitchers in all of Minor League Baseball to sport an ERA under 1.00. Through five starts, he is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA in 30 innings of work.
The Dash are set to return to BB&T Ballpark for a six-game homestand tomorrow night, but first they wrap up their seven game road swing tonight as they go for a series split against the Lynchburg Hillcats at 6:05. Join Brian here for the Pregame Dash starting at 5:50.
- Brian and Rob
Sale-ing through spring training
As we near the halfway point of spring training, many Dash alums are grabbing the headlines at White Sox camp in Glendale, Ariz.
Chris Sale had a 2.25 ERA in four appearances for the Dash in 2010, his first professional season.
Sale dominates in first outing since signing extension: Late last week, Chris Sale signed a $32.5 million contract extension that will keep him with the White Sox until at least 2017 and includes team options for 2018 and 2019. Sale followed that up with a win in his second outing of the spring Monday against Colorado.
The southpaw was efficient, allowing just one run on three hits, while needing only 58 pitches to get through five plus innings. The longest at-bat of the day was a seven pitch duel with catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who hit the seventh pitch out of the yard. Despite the home run, Torrealba had a lot of praise for the young lefty, telling MLB.com’s Scott Merkin:
“He throws almost sidearm, and his delivery is kind of weird, too. You’ve got to give credit to the guy. He’s got a good changeup and a nasty slider. The ball’s moving a lot, especially when he goes away to righties. It seems the ball keeps running away.”
Through two starts this spring, Sale is now 1-0 with a 1.23 earned run average.
Marcus Semien spent all of 2012 in Winston-Salem. (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
White Sox make 10 roster moves on busy Monday: Following yesterday’s 3-1 win over Colorado, the White Sox made 10 roster moves. Among the moves, Winston-Salem alums Stefan Gartrell, Erik Johnson, Seth Loman, Marcus Semien, Scott Snodgress, Trayce Thompson and Keenyn Walker were all reassigned to minor league camp. Here are their stats with the White Sox in spring training:
- Gartrell: 3-13 (.231), 1 HR, 3RBIs
- Johnson: 3 outings, 6.1 IP,4 Ks, 8.53 ERA
- Loman: 7-20 (.350), 2 HRs, 9 RBIs
- Semien: 5-11 (.455), 1 HR, 4RBIs
- Snodgress: 3 outings, 5.0 IP, 3 Ks, 5.40 ERA
- Thompson: 0-14 (.000), 1 RBI, 1 SB
- Walker: 5-20 (.250), 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 SB
The White Sox also optioned RHP Nestor Molina to Double-A Birmingham and RHP Simon Castro and LHP Santos Rodriguez to Triple-A Charlotte. Rodriguez, a member of the Dash in both 2010 and 2011, appeared in four games and tossed two and two-thirds innings for the White Sox this spring.
Mitchell standing out for White Sox: In 11 games for the White Sox this spring, outfielder Jared Mitchell is hitting .393 with one home run and five RBIs. His speed his also been a major weapon, notes White Sox insider Dan Hayes:
Jared Mitchell with a triple. He ended last inning with a diving catch. #WhiteSox have liked what they’ve seen from his this spring.
— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) March 9, 2013
Despite his impressive play this spring, Mitchell will be starting the season with Triple-A Charlotte, according to new White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn. Hahn did tell CBS Chicago’s Adam Hoge he doesn’t believe Mitchell’s time is too far away:
“The key for him will be when he gets to Charlotte to keep doing what he’s doing here. And if he’s able to put together a solid first half, it’s conceivable he could help us in the second half of this year and certainly he’s on track to help us in 2014.”
Whether or not Mitchell does make it to the South Side this summer, it certainly will not be too long before the Dash can count him among their big league alums.
- Rob
Marching through Spring Training
February comes to an end in a few hours, and White Sox spring training is heating up in Glendale, Ariz. Here are some news and notes from the last few days.
Sanchez earns spring training starts: We’ve talked about Carlos Sanchez plenty on this blog, and White Sox fans are slowly but surely learning about the 20-year-old star. Sanchez started at second base for the Sox Monday and Wednesday, and he is 1-for-6 with a run scored in those games.
Former Dash skipper Joe McEwing, who works with infielders in addition to his role as Chicago’s third base coach, has been incredibly impressed, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune:
“That’s what we tend to forget, that he’s only 20 years old. I think back at 20 years old to where we were, and to be in Triple A at 20 and be knocking on the door and possibly playing in the big leagues at 20 is very special.
Sanchez won the Carolina League batting title last year, and he impressed in brief stops with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte down the stretch in 2012. He also received plenty of praise in this recent story on MiLB.com from Andrew Pentis.
Semien sets sights on Birmingham: Infielder Marcus Semien was one of the most consistent members of the Dash a year ago, and he is now spending time in big league spring training. In another piece from Pentis, Semien talks about some of his goals for 2013, including a chance in Double-A.
“First goal is to make the [Double-A] Birmingham team. Secondly, just cut down the errors wherever I can [24 in 107 games in '12] and make sure that my pitchers feel very confident with me behind them. Offensively, I want to continue what I did in the second half, drive the ball more.”
Semien hit .273 with 14 homers and 59 RBI in 107 Carolina League games. The former California Golden Bear improved greatly from a defensive perspective as the season progressed, and he remained healthy down the stretch to finish strongly. It would be an upset to see the sixth-round pick from 2011 anywhere but Birmingham on Opening Day.
Candidate for funniest tweeter?: Baseball players are always interesting to follow on Twitter. Some of them are pretty interesting, like Jason Van Skike. Van Skike could find himself in Winston-Salem this season, but whether or not he dons the Dash purple, he is most certainly worth a Twitter follow. Here are a few examples:
Catfish investigations taking place right meow
— Jason Van Skike (@Jason_Nation25) February 17, 2013
Went to Ruby Tuesday on a Tuesday #yolo
— Jason Van Skike (@Jason_Nation25) February 27, 2013
So you play for the White Sox? Yes. So do you live in Chicago? No I play in the minor leagues. Oh so are you in Triple A? No …
— Jason Van Skike (@Jason_Nation25) February 28, 2013
You can follow Van Skike here. I highly recommend it.
Don’t count out the Sox: One of baseball’s best writers, FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, believes the White Sox can be a legitimate factor in the American League Central this season.
Fresh off a trip to the Fall Classic, the Tigers are the heavy favorites in the division. Both Cleveland and Kansas City filled holes through free agency this season. The White Sox, though, remained fairly quiet throughout the winter. Because of last season’s success, baseball fans should not forget about Robin Ventura’s crew. Rosenthal certainly isn’t.
Enjoy the rest of your Thursday. The Dash’s season begins five weeks from tomorrow!
- Brian and Erika
More Countdown Fun
I’ve had a blast coming up with the daily countdown to the 2013 season. Every number from 100 to 53 has been represented, and we went through some of them a few weeks back.
If you have missed any, 100-86 can be found here, and 85-53 is available below:
85 – In ’85, Winston-Salem won the CL title despite a regular season record of just 58-81. (Still counts!)
Keenyn Walker is a speedster with some gaudy stolen base numbers.
84 – This past season, right-handed pitching prospect Jake Petricka struck out 84 men while with the Dash.
83 – 1983 was the final year of the Winston-Salem Red Sox, the team with the most wins (1635) & Carolina League titles (5) in Winston-Salem history.
82 – Five years after playing in Winston-Salem, Hall of Famer Wade Boggs made his MLB debut in 1982.
81 – Mike Blanke, who earned a non-roster invite to spring training, had 81 hits a year ago in Winston.
80 – In the Dash’s 80th PA of the game, Chase Blackwood’s RBI single gave the Dash a 4-3, 20-inning win on May 19, 2010, against Myrtle Beach.
79 – Bill Slack, the winningest manager in W-S and CL history, was the 1979 Manager of the Year.
78 – Winston-Salem hit a league-best .278 in 2012.
77 – 2011 first rounder Keenyn Walker has 77 stolen bases in just 165 minor league games.
The Dash played 76 games on this beautiful field last year.
76 – The Dash played 76 total games at beautiful BB&T Ballpark last season.
75 – Chris Bassitt struck out 75 in his 91 innings last season in Winston-Salem.
74 – Fan-favorite Dan Black led the Dash with 74 hits at BB&T Ballpark in his MVP season.
73 – All-Star Michael Earley drove in 73 runs with the Dash in 2012 (T-4th in the CL).
72 – On July 4th, 2012, a single-game record 7,285 fans enjoyed a Dash game at BB&T Ballpark.
71 – MLB Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson started 71 games in 1956, the final season of his amazing 10-year career (this was the fact on January 31, Robinson’s birthday).
BB&T Ballpark hosted a record crowd on July 4 of last season.
70 – In 70 innings pitched with the White Sox last year, rookie Hector Santiago posted a 3.33 ERA.
69 – In game 69 of 2012, the Dash clinched the 1st-half title with a 9-5 win at Wilmington June 16.
68 – On July 17, 1968, Ed Phillips tossed the first perfect game in CL history. It is still Winston-Salem’s only perfecto in franchise history.
67 – In 67 innings in Winston-Salem last season, Terance Marin recorded an impressive 2.42 earned run average.
66 – Reliever Kevin Vance boasted a 1.66 ERA in 11 outings with Winston-Salem in 2012.
65 – Winston-Salem was 65-23 when hitting at least one home run in 2012. This record was the best on the circuit.
64 – If you attended every regular season game at BB&T Ballpark in 2012, you watched an even 640 innings of baseball!
63 – Winston-Salem’s single-season batting average record is .363, set by 8-year MLB vet Ray Jablonski in 1951.
62 – All-Star Matt Heidenreich whiffed 62 batters with the Dash before a July trade to the Houston organization.
The Dash’s offense did plenty of this in 2012.
61 – Winston led the Carolina League with a 61-22 mark when scoring first in 2012.
60 – In 1960, Ed Olivares hit 35 home runs for Winston-Salem, which still remains a single-season franchise record
59 – Both Marcus Semien and Brady Shoemaker drove in 59 runs for Winston-Salem last season.
58 – Carlos Sanchez, who is currently in big league camp with the White Sox, scored 58 times for the Dash in ’12.
57 – 57 different players suited up for the Dash in 2012, and they posted full-season Minor League Baseball’s best mark (87-51)!
56 – Outfielder Keenyn Walker led all White Sox farmhands with a combined 56 stolen bases between Low-A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem last year.
55 – Since becoming the Dash prior to the ’09 season, Winston boasts a .554 winning percentage (317-255). This includes regular season and postseason games.
54 – Trayce Thompson hit .254 with CL-bests in homers (22) and RBI (90) with the Dash a year ago.
53 – The Dash boasted 5 year-end All-Stars (Dan Black, Michael Earley, Carlos Sanchez, Brady Shoemaker and Trayce Thompson) and 3 midseason All-Stars (Earley, Shoemaker and Matt Heidenreich).
That’s another installment of “Countdown Catch-Up.” Stay tuned to our social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for the rest of our daily countdowns. The home opener is only 52 days away!
- Brian
Rising White Sox Prospects
Marcus Semien and 15 other Dash alums were on another Top 25 countdown (Jody Stewart/W-S Dash).
The talented folks at FutureSox.com released their preseason Top 25 White Sox prospect list, and 16 of these prospects have played for Winston-Salem at some point.
Among the 16 Winston-Salem alums, 10 of them played with the Dash last season. The notable trend within this group is a significant improvement between the 2012 midseason list and the 2013 preseason ranking.
Here’s why: eight of the 10 Dash alums on this list either remained in the same spot or climbed the rankings since the midway point of last season. Take a look at the list:
#1 – OF Courtney Hawkins (Midseason: 1)
#2 – OF Trayce Thompson (Midseason: 7)
#4 - RHP Erik Johnson (Midseason: 18)
#5 – INF Carlos Sanchez (Midseason: 10)
#7 – RHP Andre Rienzo (Midseason: 15)
#8 – OF Keenyn Walker (Midseason: 8)
#9 – LHP Scott Snodgress (Midseason: 38)
#16 – INF Marcus Semien (Midseason: 34)
#22 – RHP Jake Petricka (Midseason: 16)
#25 – C Kevan Smith (Midseason: 24)
Improvement is the goal, and the Dash saw plenty of it from the 2012 crop of players who dominated the Carolina League en route to full-season Minor League Baseball’s best record.
Congratulations to all of the players on this list. Standing out in the minors is not easy, but these players have done just that.
- Brian
Can A 2012 Alum Start 2013 In Chicago?
Carlos Sanchez has the best chance of any 2012 alum to begin the season with the White Sox (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
The White Sox announced their non-roster invitees to spring training yesterday, and 13 of the 20 players heading to Glendale are former Dash players.
Of those 13 players, nine contributed to the Dash’s 2012 run to full-season minor league baseball’s best record and a Mills Cup Championship Series appearance.
It is an honor for these players to receive an invitation to spring training, and the goal is to impress while with the “big boys.” However, it is important to note that highly-touted prospects who go to spring training are not normally true contenders to make a roster unless they have significant experience in Double-A or Triple-A.
The flurry of invitations still bring about a question: can any of these 2012 Dash alums wow the Sox enough to break camp with the big league squad?
First off, any player who ended the season with the Dash would need to make a three-level jump in order to crack the roster, which means C Mike Blanke, RHP Erik Johnson, SS Marcus Semien, C Kevan Smith, LHP Scott Snodgress and OF Keenyn Walker will be long shots.
This leaves three other 2012 Dash alums: RHP Jake Petricka, INF Carlos Sanchez and OF Trayce Thompson.
Petricka has been a highly-ranked prospect in the White Sox system for the last few years, but he did struggle a bit with both Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. The Minnesota native has plenty of potential, but additional minor league seasoning is almost certainly necessary.
Trayce Thompson still may need some more time in the minors before heading to The Show (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
Thompson has all the tools, but he has taken some time to adjust to every level. In 2011, the former second-round pick started crushing Low-A pitching, and his ascension to the top of the home run and RBI totem poles in the Carolina League this season stemmed from his surge after the All-Star break.
While Thompson reached Triple-A for the postseason, he still likely needs some time in the International League to figure out how to hit at that level. Thompson will be in the big leagues at some point, but Opening Day 2013 seems a bit too early.
This leaves Sanchez, who jumped up prospect rankings with a tremendous 2012 showing. The 20-year-old led the CL in batting average among qualifiers before going to Birmingham, where he hit .370 in 30 games. This prompted a late-season bump to Charlotte.
In 18 games with the Knights (regular season and playoffs), Sanchez hit .237 (14-for-59) with seven runs scored. These numbers are not eye-popping, but the Venezuelan most certainly held his own at the minors’ highest level.
Sanchez’s name even came up in Scott Merkin’s story about the non-roster invitees on whitesox.com yesterday.
“Carlos Sanchez also could be a long shot in consideration for that utility infield job. But with the 20-year-old phenom having just two years of professional experience and 991 Minor League at-bats to his credit, the White Sox goal is to get Sanchez a full season of at-bats at Triple-A Charlotte during the 2013 campaign. He topped all White Sox Minor Leaguers with a .323 average and 169 hits in 2012.”
A “goal” can always be changed, and Sanchez certainly has plenty of momentum from last season. He is an underdog in the race for one of the elusive 25 spots on Robin Ventura’s Opening Day roster, but he appears to be in the running.
You never know. A great spring could open the door for a 2012 Dash alum to reach The Show in 2013. Good luck to Carlos and the rest of the former Dash players heading to Arizona next month.
- Brian
Most Exciting Team In The Land?
Michael Earley adds another honor to his great 2012 season (Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash).
The Dash had an exciting season in 2012, and a handful of players earned recognition for that in a player poll regarding the minors’ most exciting player.
Minor League Baseball polled 382 players, and five men who donned the Dash purple in 2012 earned at least one vote. Michael Earley, Marcus Semien, Scott Snodgress, Kevin Vance and Blair Walters found their way onto this list.
Only 15 players earned more than two votes, with Billy Hamilton receiving more votes than anyone else with 40. Mike Trout finished second with 26, while fellow big leaguer Bryce Harper placed third with 13.
Former Winston-Salem star Ian Gac, who won the Carolina League’s Most Valuable Player award last year, made the list, too. He played with Double-A Mississippi in the Braves’ system this season.
Who was the Dash’s most exciting player in your opinion? There are plenty to choose from, whether he is in this quintet or outside of it.
- Brian
Dash Top 10: #3 – Blowout Win Clinches SDCS
(Steve Orcutt/W-S Dash)
This is the eighth installment of the “Dash Top 10,” where we rehash the top 10 moments from the Dash’s historic 2012 season. Stay tuned to the Dash Board Blog for the rest of the series over the next few days.
Previous Top 10 Moments:
#10: Second-half clinch
#9: Hankerd’s walk-off
#8: 10-game win streak
#7: 5-run 9th sinks Salem
#6: Postseason awards
#5: First-half clinch
#4: MCCS Game 2 win
Moment #3 (September 7): Winston-Salem blasts Myrtle Beach in a winner-take-all Game 3 of the SDCS.
___________
The first 15 innings of the Southern Division Championship Series were frustrating. The Dash’s offense did not muster much against Myrtle Beach’s solid pitching staff. A four-run sixth propelled the Pelicans to a Game 1 victory, and Myrtle enjoyed a 3-2 lead heading to the home half of Game 2′s seventh inning.
The Pelicans did not score again in 2012.
Courtney Hawkins’ leadoff homer in the seventh knotted the score, and Marcus Semien’s two-run double later in the frame proved to be the difference in a 5-3 victory that kept Winston’s season alive.
This comeback set the tone for arguably the Dash’s most complete game of 2012. In the deciding Game 3 of the Southern Division Championship Series, Winston-Salem came up with two big hits that grounded the Birds.
With the bases loaded and a run already in during the second inning, Keenyn Walker laced a three-run triple to right-center to lift Winston-Salem to a 4-0 advantage.
One inning later, playoff star Kevan Smith deflated the Pelicans with a grand slam that made the final six innings on that Friday night just a formality.
While the Dash’s lineup was quiet the rest of the evening, Chris Bassitt, Steven Upchurch and J.R. Ballinger combined for a five-hit shutout that felt even more lopsided than the 9-0 final score.
You can relive all of the highlights, postgame interviews and analysis from Game 3 here. It was an incredibly fun night to cap off a tremendous series, and the Dash proved to be the Southern Division’s best team in 2012.
Stay tuned for the second-best moment of 2012, which will be on the blog tomorrow. The Dash made history with this moment on a Sunday in Salem. Talk to you then.
- Brian
Dash Top 10: #4 – Smith Blasts Dash to Game 2 Win
The look on Daniel Wagner’s face says it all (Dan Barber/W-S Dash).
This is the seventh installment of the “Dash Top 10,” where we rehash the top 10 moments from the Dash’s historic 2012 season. Stay tuned to the Dash Board Blog for the rest of the series over the next few days.
Previous Top 10 Moments:
#10: Second-half clinch
#9: Hankerd’s walk-off
#8: 10-game win streak
#7: 5-run 9th sinks Salem
#6: Postseason awards
#5: First-half clinch
Moment #4 (September 9): The Dash rally for a 5-4 win over Lynchburg in Game 2 of the Mills Cup Championship Series.
___________
Winston-Salem posted the best home record in full-season minor league baseball during the regular season, and the Dash entered their final home game of the playoffs in need of one more BB&T Ballpark victory.
It was Game 2 of the Mills Cup Championship Series, and Lynchburg claimed the opener of the best-of-five series 3-1. A loss on that Sunday afternoon at BB&T Ballpark would not have eliminated the Dash, but winning three straight road games in the playoffs is a tough assignment.
The Hillcats seized a 3-1 lead in the fourth, and a Dash offense that was so dominant during the regular season needed a spark. Fortunately, that spark came in the sixth.
Keenyn Walker and Daniel Wagner strung together consecutive doubles to pull Winston within a run. Marcus Semien pushed Wagner to third with a well-placed groundout to second. However, league MVP Dan Black whiffed for the inning’s second out.
During a postseason of offensive frustration, it appeared that the Dash would spoil another golden scoring chance. Kevan Smith, quite frankly, rescued Winston-Salem.
Smith crushed a two-out, two-run homer to the bullpen bar in left-center field, propelling the Dash to a one-run lead they would never relinquish. The 5-4 victory evened the Mills Cup Championship Series and, at the time, seemed to give the Dash some huge momentum.
Unfortunately, we all know the end of the story. On a picturesque Sunday afternoon in the Triad, though, the Dash wrapped up the best season in BB&T Ballpark history with arguably the most important home run this facility has ever seen.
After Smith’s bomb cleared the fence, Winston-Salem fans truly thought their team was destined for a championship. What a game, and what a home run.
The Dash’s third-best moment of 2012 is ticketed for tomorrow here on the Dash Board blog, and Smith plays a big role once again. Talk to you then.
- Brian
