Good afternoon from steamy LewisGale Field,

For anybody who complained about the madness of Salem’s 16-14 victory on Thursday, the crazier atmospheric conditions that arrived on Fridayevening were much more humbling and sobering.

The main topic of conversation around these parts is the aftermath of last night’s crazy weather that brought extreme winds through the Roanoke Valley (and much of the Atlantic region). The ‘derecho’ (What’s a derecho? Read about it here) swept through the area, reminding us the overwhelming power and unpredictability that Mother Nature can bring.

As the temperatures remain around 100 degrees, we hope everyone is doing what they can to stay cool, comfortable, relaxed, and safe. And if you are doing ok, then we hope you can indulge yourself in a Salem Sox game tonight at 6:05…

The rubber game between the Salem Sox and the Potomac Nationals is coming up, and the Sox are back on the road tomorrow in Myrtle Beach.

Game notes are below, and we’ll talk to you soon!

Evan

*****

June 30, 2012 6:05 PM Potomac Nationals (36-43, 5-4) vs Salem Red Sox (44-34-1, 3-6) Game #80

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #38

Probable Starters: RHP Adam Olbrychowski (2-6, 5.38) vs RHP Miguel Celestino (5-3, 3.88)

Derecho Grabs Headlines: Defined as a widespread, long-lived wind storm, a derecho swept through much of the mid-Atlantic region, including Salem, last night. Seemingly out of nowhere, the wind’s ferocity picked up right as the eighth inning was about to begin. Play was stopped and never resumed, ending Friday’s contest in a 4-1 victory for the visiting Nationals in seven innings. The Sox and Nats will tangle in the rubber game of their three-game series on Saturday night, wrapping up Salem’s brief three-game homestand before the Sox hit the road for the first six days of July.

June Power: The 2012 Salem Sox hit just 26 home runs in April and May, spanning 50 games. But here in June, the Sox have pounded 26 round-trippers in 29 games, highlighted by a season-high five dingers on Thursday night. Five of the top six hitters in the Salem lineup went yard, with the lone slugger to not go deep being Travis Shaw, who led the Sox in long-balls entering the night. Xander Bogaerts joined Shaw with 12 home runs for the team lead, while Brandon Jacobs bashed five  homers in June and possesses six on the season. The Red Sox have gone 26-6 this year when hitting at least one round-tripper, going just 18-28-1 when they fail to homer. For the season, Salem’s currently fourth in the league with 52 home runs.

Divisional Differences: While the Southern Division of the Carolina League has compiled many more wins than the Northern Division, Salem’s success has largely come against the better teams. Bizarrely, the Sox are 22-11 against their Southern Division counterparts Winston-Salem, Carolina, and Myrtle Beach, while compiling just a 22-23 record against the North. The Sox have gone just 3-6 against Frederick, their worst record against any opposing squad, despite the fact that the Keys are just 32-47 overall, owning the worst record in the league.

Best of the Month: Offensively, Xander Bogaerts’ .337 average, eight home runs, and 24 RBI in 29 games in June ranks among the best performances across minor league baseball this month. In addition, Michael Almanzar has hit .310 in 25 games, while Heiker Meneses is batting .357 in his 14 games since rejoining Salem on June 11. On the Red Sox pitching staff, Brandon Workman’s 2.60 ERA over five starts tops Salem’s rotation in June, while Ruben Flores’ 1.88 ERA in six games out of the bullpen leads Sox relievers.

Big League Alums: On Friday night in Seattle, both Will Middlebrooks and Daniel Nava belted solo home runs in Boston’s 5-0 victory over the Mariners. The aforementioned duo, along with another former Salem Sox outfielder, Ryan Kalish, have given the BoSox a major boost over the past couple months. Nava is batting .311 with a .428 on-base percentage, along with three home runs and 26 RBI in 43 games.  His OBP would be #1 in the American League if he had enough at-bats to qualify. Meanwhile, Middlebrooks owns a .307 average with 10 bombs and 37 RBI in 46 games. Nava played 29 games with Salem in 2009, while Kalish played 32. Middlebrooks spent the entire 2010 season with Salem, hitting .276 in 114 games.

It was 6-3 after one, 14-4 after two, 16-7 after three, and somehow, ended in a 16-14 Salem victory, but not before visiting Potomac put the tying runners aboard in the eighth inning. Between the 30 runs, the 36 hits, the six errors, the 39 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and the 111 playings of Hanson’s MmmmBop! on 90s night at LewisGale Field, it was an unforgettable night.

Have a listen to the first three innings of radio craziness:

If you see Seth Meyers, be sure to let him know his Weekend Update hosting inspired at least one exasperated Carolina League broadcaster.

Game notes for Friday’s frenzy are below.

Talk to you soon,

Evan

*****

June 29, 2012 7:05 PM Potomac Nationals (35-43, 4-4) vs Salem Red Sox (44-33-1, 3-5) Game #79

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #37

Probable Starters: RHP Nathan Karns (2-2, 3.00) vs RHP Brandon Workman (5-3, 2.78)

The Day After…: As temperatures are heating up in the Roanoke Valley, the offenses erupted for a 30-run, 36-hit tidal wave in the series opener on Thursday night, with Salem nearly blowing a ten-run lead before holding on for the 16-14 victory.  Since the Red Sox arrived back in Salem in 2009, the 30 combined runs scored on Thursday is the most in a single game. Back on May 8, 2010, Salem lost to Winston 16-13 in a game that featured 29 runs. To find another 30-run game that Salem was involved in, you must go back to May 19, 2005, when the Avalanche lost to the Winston-Salem Warthogs 22-8.

Bombs Away: The 2012 Salem Sox hit just 26 home runs in April and May, spanning 50 games. But here in June, the Sox have pounded 26 round-trippers in 28 games, highlighted by a season-high five dingers on Thursday night. Five of the top six hitters in the Salem lineup went yard, with the lone slugger to not go deep being Travis Shaw, who led the Sox in long-balls entering the night. Shannon Wilkerson’s round-tripper was Salem’s third first-inning leadoff homer of the year. Jackie Bradley, Jr. crushed a leadoff bomb on May 1 and again on May 8. Salem’s 26 home runs in June are the second most in the Carolina League this month, behind Winston-Salem’s total of 28.

Work Time: With Salem pitchers having allowed 25 runs in the last 11 innings dealt at LewisGale Field, the Sox are hoping that Brandon Workman can be a panacea to the recent pitching woes. In his last start, Workman dominated the Winston-Salem Dash, dealing seven two-hit innings in Sunday’s 7-0 shutout victory at BB&T Ballpark. Workman enters the day with the fifth best ERA in the Carolina League and the circuit’s #1 WHIP. In five starts at LewisGale Field, Workman has gone 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA, and he has allowed two earned runs or less in each of his last five starts overall.

It Only Takes One: Heading into Friday’s action, Salem and Potomac have each played 78 games on the season. Offensively, the Sox have scored 79 runs more than the Nationals over the course of the season, just over a run more per contest. Salem’s plus-64 run differential is second in the league, while Potomac’s minus-105 is dead last. Incredibly, the Nationals are only eight games under .500 and two other clubs (Wilmington and Frederick) have worse overall records than the Nationals.

Tuesday’s Triumph: Salem’s come-from-behind win on Tuesday evening was just the second time all season that the Sox prevailed when trailing after eight innings. On April 12 in Lynchburg, the Sox were down 8-4 heading into the ninth and won 10-8 in 10 innings to snap a four-game losing streak. On Tuesday night, Salem trailed 5-1 after six innings and 5-4 after eight, but Shannon Wilkerson’s RBI double evened the score at five and extras ensued. Myrtle Beach is the only team in the league with more wins when trailing after eight, as the Pelicans have overcome a late deficit on three occasions. Conversely, the Sox are one of three teams in the league who are unbeaten on the year when leading after eight.

June 26, 2012 7:00 PM Salem Red Sox (42-32-1, 1-4) vs Winston-Salem Dash (46-28-1, 2-3) Game #76

BB&T Ballpark                       Winston-Salem, NC                    Road Game #41

Probable Starters: RHP Charle Rosario (2-1, 0.73) vs RHP Steve McCray (2-0, 2.77)

Heroes and Zeroes: Spectators have basically seen the same exact game unfold each of the past two nights, with Salem providing the beatdown the first night and receiving it the next. Brandon Workman’s seven-inning, two-hit masterpiece on Sunday in Salem’s 7-0 victory was followed by Matt Heidenreich’s complete game, four-hitter on Monday, with the opposite offense unable to achieve much of anything against each righthanded artist. The Sox outhit the Dash 12-2 on Sunday before the Dash outhit the Sox 14-4 on Monday. Winston never moved a baseruner past first on Sunday, and then Salem could not get a runner to second on Monday. In addition, the Dash sent just 28 men to the plate in game one, while the Sox sent 29 to the dish in their night of offensive futility.

Eight’s Not Great: One day after experiencing victory for the first time in in eight days, Monday’s margin of defeat was Salem’s largest of the season. Before last night not, the Red Sox had lost by six runs on three separate occasions, but had never been beaten by more than a half-dozen runs in a single game. Salem’s largest wins of the season of come by 11 runs, a feat that the Sox have performed twice, winning 13-2 in Frederick on May 25 and beating down Myrtle Beach 12-1 on June 3 in Salem. Perhaps the Red Sox’ greatest achievement of the first half was that the Sox went from May 2 to June 8 without ever losing a game by more than three runs. The Sox lost by four to Wilmington on May 1 and by five to Potomac on June 9, but in between went 24-15 and never experienced a blowout setback.

Never Slander Xander: Salem’s 19-year-old shortstop mustered just two homers in April and two more in May. In June, however, Xander Bogaerts has launched seven round-trippers, including his tenth of the season on Saturday night in Lynchburg and his 11th of the year last night in Winston. In the month of June, Bogaerts is batting .358 (29-for-81) with seven homers and 22 RBI. His superb June has put him on the Carolina League leaderboard in numerous statistical categories. Bogaerts is currently 9th in the league in hitting and fourth in total bases for the season.  Along with Matt Barnes, Bogaerts will journey to Kansas City on July 8 to represent the Boston Red Sox in the Future’s Game.

Shaw’s Flaws: He does not have many shortcomings, and Red Sox first-baseman Travis Shaw is poised to make a run at the Carolina League Triple Crown. Currently, he is second among active players in batting average with a .328 clip, he’s tied for fourth with 12 homers, and he’s third in the league with 54 RBI. Shaw is also leading the league in slugging percentage, he’s second in extra-base hits and total bases, while he’s fourth in walks and runs scored.

Dash Bash: Winston possesses the league’s top ranked offense, residing at the top of the circuit in batting average (.280), runs scored (418) and homers (74). The league averages are .255, 318.9 runs, and 49.4 homers. Winston’s also second in the league in doubles and third in walks, but both of those categories are paced by Salem, who owns 159 doubles and 269 walks in 75 games.

June 25, 2012 7:00 PM Salem Red Sox (42-31-1, 1-3) vs Winston-Salem Dash (45-28-1, 1-3) Game #74

BB&T Ballpark                       Winston-Salem, NC                    Road Game #39

Probable Starters: RHP Miguel Celestino (5-2, 3.06) vs RHP Matt Heidenreich (6-2, 4.19)

Can Stop: Brandon Workman basically put a stop sign at first base on Sunday evening, and only three members of the Dash even reached that far. Salem earned its seventh shutout win of the season on Sunday, and it doubled as the first win of the second half to snap a four-game losing streak dating back to the Sunday before the break. In seven innings, Workman permitted just two singles and a walk, and Winston’s top ranked offense could not advance a runner past first base throughout the entire game. Workman lowered his WHIP to 0.97, tied for 12th best in all of minor league baseball. Sunday was Workman’s first seven-inning performance of the season and the fourth of his career. He last tossed seven innings on August 26, 2011 against Augusta, a game in which he allowed just two baserunners while striking out five in Greenville’s 3-zip shutout win. Interestingly enough, Xander Bogaerts also homered in that game for the Drive.

The walkway bridge connecting the first base concourse to the outfield concourse has been Travis’ target at BB&T Ballpark.

Over The Bridge: Sometimes, Travis Shaw feels like he doesn’t have a partner (After all, Jackie Bradley’s in Double-A). Sometimes, he feels like his only friend is the city he plays in, currently, the city of Winston. Lonely in the batters box, it’s the pitcher who usually cries. Five days after blasting a two-run bomb at BB&T Ballpark in the Carolina-California League All-Star game, Shaw made another pitcher say “I don’t ever wanna feel like I did that day” when he clobbered another towering home run over the bridge in deep right field in Winston. Shaw now has 12 homers on the season (not including his All-Star dinger), 11 of which have come in 29 games since May 26. Shaw belted just one homer in his first 39 games of 2012.

Aruba King: Salem’s 19-year-old shortstop mustered just two homers in April and two more in May. In June, however, Xander Bogaerts has launched seven round-trippers, including his tenth of the season on Saturday night in Lynchburg and his 11th of the year last night in Winston. In the month of June, Bogaerts is batting .359 (28-for-78) with seven homers and 22 RBI. His superb June has put him on the Carolina League leaderboard in numerous statistical categories. Bogaerts is currently 10th in the league in hitting and tied for third in total bases for the season.

Scar Tissue: The wound is still fresh from Salem’s Friday night experience in Lynchburg, in which the Sox recorded just six hits in 18 innings of baseball, an evening that included a seven-inning no-hitter tossed by Aaron Northcraft. But since Friday, the Red Sox offense has awakened with 25 hits in the past two games. In the month of June, the Red Sox are batting .273 with 21 homers, both being the best in the league despite getting no-hit three days ago.

Parallel Universe: Christian Vazquez is the same guy in June that he was in May, but he looks like a different player. In May, the Red Sox catcher  struck out 24 times and only drew four walks. In June, however, Vazquez possesses 11 walks and just six strikeouts. Unsurprisingly, his June average (.288) vastly exceeds his May average (.155). Vazquez went 4-for-8 in his last two games on Saturday and Sunday.

June 24, 2012 5:00 PM Salem Red Sox (41-31-1, 0-3) vs Winston-Salem Dash (45-27-1, 1-2) Game #74

BB&T Ballpark                       Winston-Salem, NC                    Road Game #39

Probable Starters: RHP Brandon Workman (4-3, 3.12) vs LHP Blair Walters (0-0, –)

Four Frustrating Setbacks: Saturday’s 8-5 loss to Lynchburg matched a season-long four-game losing streak for the Salem Sox, and each defeat has been agonizing in its own unique way. The slide began last Sunday in the final game of the half, when Salem lost for the first time all season when leading after seven innings. Up 8-3 after seven, the Mudcats scored 10 in the 8th and one in the 9th to prevail 14-8. In game one on Friday, the Red Sox let multiple leads slip away and lost on a walk-off suicide squeeze in the bottom of the 11th. Deflated, Salem got no-hit by Aaron Northcraft in Friday’s nightcap. On Saturday, Red Sox ace Matt Barnes encountered his roughest outing of the season, giving up five runs in three and two-thirds innings. Still, the Sox overcame a 5-1 deficit to tie the game at five, only to see Lynchburg immediately bash a two-run homer to break the tie, and the Hillcats prevailed 8-5. Salem’s only other four-game losing streak occurred in the first week of the season, from April 7 to April 11. Salem hasn’t lost five straight since July of last season, when the Sox dropped seven in a row from July 13 to July 19.

Three Back: After falling just short in the first-half race against Winston-Salem, the Sox began the second half knowing that they would need to finish ahead of Carolina and Myrtle in the second stanza in order to make the playoffs. So far, not so good. While the Sox were swept in Lynchburg, the Mudcats won three straight from the Blue Rocks in Zebulon. Meanwhile, the Pelicans took two out of three from the Keys in their first series of the half in Frederick.

Don’t Slander Xander: Salem’s 19-year-old shortstop mustered just two homers in April and two more in May. In June, however, Xander Bogaerts has launched six round-trippers, including his tenth of the season on Saturday night in Lynchburg. In the month of June, Bogaerts is batting .347 (26-for-75) with six homers and 20 RBI. Since June 1, only Winston’s Trayce Thompson has more homers in the Carolina League, with seven. Red Sox first baseman Travis Shaw also has six bombs this month and 10 since May 26. Bogaerts is leading the league in RBI this month, while Shaw, Thompson, and Winston’s Brady Shoemaker are all tied for second with 19 apiece.

Apparently, He’s Human: Matt Barnes struggled through his shortest outing of the season on Saturday night, surviving just three and two-thirds innings and surrendering five runs on six hits, with three strikeouts and two walks. Nick Ahmed joined Myrtle Beach’s Vinny DiFazio as the only players to take Barnes deep this season, while Barnes saw his Salem ERA “erupt” to 2.17. He entered Saturday’s start leading all of the minors with a 0.99 ERA for the full season, and he’s now third with an ERA of 1.53, trailing Frisco’s Cody Buckel (1.31) and Ricmond’s Chris Heston (1.36). Ridiculously, even after allowing all those baserunners, Barnes still leads the minors with a 0.85 WHIP, and he’s fifth in the minors with 98 strikeouts. In addition, nobody in the top 50 in strikeouts has fewer walks than Barnes, who has 14. Barnes received a no-decision on Saturday night, and in 14 starts this year he is 7-1 with a 1.53 ERA, having allowed 13 earned runs in 76.1 innings, with 98 strikeouts and 14 walks.

Since the Salem Sox have won a bunch of ballgames in 2012, Matt Barnes has not necessarily been counted upon to halt many losing streaks. But today, that is exactly what Salem is hoping that its ace can do.

After getting no-hit by Aaron Northcraft on Friday night, the Red Sox have now lost three in a row. A Saturday setback would result in a fourth straight loss, which would match Salem’s longest losing streak of the season.

In addition, Barnes is also looking to avenge his roughest outing as a pro. The Hillcats knocked him around for three earned runs on six hits over four innings on May 30, the only time this year that Barnes has allowed multiple earned runs. But MiLB’s ERA leader made a crucial adjustment since that start and has allowed just one earned run in his 18 innings pitched since.

The action begins at 6:05 as the Sox look to get in the second-half win column. Broadcast begins at 6:03 on NewsTalk 960 AM & FM 107.3 WFIR.

Game notes below…

Talk to you soon!

Evan

*****

June 23, 2012 6:05 PM Salem Red Sox (41-30-1, 0-2) vs Lynchburg Hillcats (41-31, 2-0) Game #73

City Stadium               Lynchburg, VA                          Road Game #38

Probable Starters: RHP Matt Barnes (5-1, 1.37) vs LHP Dimaster Delgado (5-2, 3.46)

Forgetting Friday: With five more games remaining on the week-long road trip to begin the second half, the Salem Sox are eager to put Friday’s twin-bill in the rear-view mirror. Salem coughed up two leads in the opener before falling 4-3 in 11 innings when Matt Weaver’s suicide squeeze scored Mycal Jones from third. And in the nightcap, Salem was no-hit by Lynchburg’s Aaron Northcraft, the first individual no-hitter in Lynchburg Hillcats history. It was the first time that Salem was no-hit since Frederick’s Nathan Moreau did it to the Sox in his Carolina League debut at LewisGale Field on June 30, 2010. Overall, the Red Sox hit .109 (6-for-55) as a team on Friday.

Slow Starters: The Salem Sox went 2-5 in their first seven games in April before ripping off 39 wins in their next 62 games. Although the Sox finished the first half three games behind the Dash in the Southern Division, Salem’s record remained the second-best in the league in the first half. Consequently, it would be wrong to panic after beginning the second half 0-2, particularly with Matt Barnes taking the mound on Saturday night.

Magnificent Matt: With the Sox looking to squelch a three-game losing streak dating back to Sunday, who better to turn to than the ERA leader for minor league baseball? Matt Barnes is set for his ninth Carolina League start on Saturday night, his 14th professional appearance. Barnes has gone 7-1 with a 0.99 ERA between Greenville and Salem, permitting just eight earned runs in 72.2 innings pitched. He is currently sixth in the minors with 95 strikeouts, while he has only walked 12 all season.

The Top Star: Among the sensational collection of talent in Winston-Salem on Tuesday night, Red Sox first baseman Travis Shaw shined brightest. With a towering two-run homer off Rockies’ prospect Tyler Matzek in the last of the fifth inning, Shaw earned MVP honors as the only man to go deep in the All-Star showcase. Shaw went 1-2 for two with a walk and two runs scored in the Carolina League’s 9-1 victory over the California League. He was only retired when the Cal League’s second-baseman made a sensational diving stop to rob Shaw of another base hit in his first at-bat.

Back to the Futures: For the third time in four years, the Salem Sox will have at least one representative in the Annual SiriusXM Futures game. And for the first time, two current members of the Salem Sox will participate in the festivities on July 8 in Kansas City. Righthander Matt Barnes, the current minor league baseball leader in ERA, will pitch for the USA team, while shortstop Xander Bogaerts, the top overall prospect in the Red Sox organization, will be on the World team roster. In 2009, Casey Kelly pitched for the USA side, while Stolmy Pimentel dealt for the World club in 2010. While the Salem Sox did not have a current representative in 2011, Boston was represented by two former Salem Sox: Chih-Hsien Chiang and Will Middlebrooks. In 2008, prior to playing in Salem in ‘09, then Greenville outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin won MVP honors by homering at Yankee Stadium for the World team.

Good afternoon from the visiting radio booth at Lynchburg City Stadium, where the Salem Sox kick off the second half of their schedule at 7:05 tonight!

After largely stepping away from social media and the blog during the three-day All-Star respite, I have a smorgasbord of lingering thoughts and reactions from Tuesday’s midsummer spectacle at BB&T Ballpark.

First and foremost, what a great job done by the entire Winston-Salem Dash organization in creating a phenomenal showcase for baseball. A few years ago, the space that is now BB&T Ballpark was nothing more than a large concrete whole on the edge of downtown Winston-Salem. Financial difficulties and a variety of controversy paused the building of the stadium after the initial process began, and honestly, the larval stage was a community eyesore. But since its completion and opening in 2010, the Dash’s home has been the finest minor league park I’ve been too, and the first class nature of the facility is matched by the second-to-none operations staff and on-field entertainment crew.

It was a thrill to see Jackie Bradley, Jr., Xander Bogaerts, and Travis Shaw have the opportunity to compete among the best players in A-ball. I was sitting as a fan in Winston’s “outfield bar” with some friends when Shaw went DEEP in the fifth, a mammoth shot that dropped jaws of many in attendance. Shaw was beyond elated to be selected to the All-Star team, and while he did a good job holding his emotions in check and being the true professional that he is, I can only imagine how proud he was of himself to go yard on that stage.

Speaking of, there were probably 30 or 40 baseball scouts on hand. I recognized former Boston third base coach Mike Cubbage (now with the Rays) among a pack of scouts. And I also had the opportunity to chat with Allard Baird, the former GM of the Kansas City Royals and now one of Ben Cherington’s top baseball lieutenants. Like all of us who watch the Shaw/Bradley/Bogaerts triumvirate on a daily basis, Baird was very impressed by their performances and approaches during batting practice. In between BP and the game, Baird told me that he was curious to see how Shaw would handle the big moment, his first real showcase opportunity as a pro. After the game, Shaw won MVP honors. Yes, he passed the test.

While none of the Red Sox prospects competed in the home run derby, it was still a cool event to see in person. I went into it with few expectations having never seen a live derby before, but it was fun to watch a ton of fans congregate on the grassy hill beyond the left field fence and fight over every dinger that majestically soared over the wall.

Similarly, having never seen a California League uniform in person before, it was nice to get a glimpse into the west coast’s baseball fashion sense. Some good looking and creative logos, though if you’re looking for my two cents, the Salem Sox were the best dressed representatives in the park. Yes, I’m biased.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye to Jackie Bradley, Jr. in the Winston-Salem clubhouse after the ballgame. Few if any players have authored a more breathtaking half-season performance in my time in the minor leagues, and frankly, I’m gonna miss watching him play in person every night. With that said, I know with absolute certainty that JBJ is ready for the next level and I’m thrilled he’s getting the chance to take the next step toward Fenway. There are way too many Red Sox fans who have not seen this guy play yet. I guarantee that they all will love him when they do.

It was great to have a short break after playing/broadcasting 30 games in 27 days to finish the half, but I’m also fired up for 7:03 PM this evening when I’ll have the honor of welcoming listeners to Salem Red Sox baseball once again. As always, the audio will beam your way on NewsTalk 960 AM and FM 107.3 WFIR and online at www.salemsox.com.

A fresh batch of hot-off-the-presses game notes are below…

Thanks for reading! Talk to you soon!

Evan

*****

June 21, 2012 7:05 PM Salem Red Sox (41-28-1, 0-0) vs Lynchburg Hillcats (39-31, 0-0) Game #71

City Stadium               Lynchburg, VA                          Road Game #36

Probable Starters: RHP Keith Couch (6-4, 3.32) vs LHP Chris Masters (0-2, 7.20)

A New Beginning: Everybody is 0-0 as the second half begins on Thursday evening, an unfortunate reality for the Salem Sox who put together the second-best first-half record in the League but came up empty in terms of a punched ticket to the playoffs. Winston-Salem finished three games ahead of Salem in the Southern Division, while Lynchburg took the first-half title in the Northern Division, despite finishing two and a half games behind Salem in overall record. In order to qualify for the postseason, the Salem Sox will need to finish the second half with a better record than Myrtle Beach and Carolina. Salem has not won a first-half title since the team was known as the Buccaneers in 1988.

The Top Star: Among the sensational collection of talent in Winston-Salem on Tuesday night, Red Sox first baseman Travis Shaw shined brightest. With a towering two-run homer off Rockies’ prospect Tyler Matzek in the last of the fifth inning, Shaw earned MVP honors as the only man to go deep in the All-Star showcase. Shaw went 1-2 for two with a walk and two runs scored in the Carolina League’s 9-1 victory over the California League. He was only retired when the Cal League’s second-baseman made a sensational diving stop to rob Shaw of another base hit in his first at-bat.

Hitless Contributors:  Jackie Bradley, Jr. played all nine innings defensively for the victorious Carolina League, going 0-for-5 with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. Xander Bogaerts went 0-for-2 and struck out once in his five innings on the field, making every play hit his way at shortstop. Mike Olmsted watched the game from the dugout but did not pitch.

Jackie’s Next “Business Trip”: After competing in Tuesday’s All-Star contest, center-fielder Jackie Bradley, Jr. prepared to embark on the next step in his journey to the big leagues. After leading the Carolina League in batting average, doubles, walks, and runs scored in the first half, the 40th overall pick in the 2011 draft earned a promotion to Double-A Portland. On Wednesday morning, Bradley tweeted, “Headed on another business trip. It’s time for a new chapter.” The dynamic defender and prolific hitter should make his Sea Dogs debut in tonight’s contest against Harrisburg at Hadlock Field.

Back to the Futures: For the third time in four years, the Salem Sox will have at least one representative in the Annual SiriusXM Futures game. And for the first time, two current members of the Salem Sox will participate in the festivities on July 8 in Kansas City. Righthander Matt Barnes, the current minor league baseball leader in ERA, will pitch for the USA team, while shortstop Xander Bogaerts, the top overall prospect in the Red Sox organization, will be on the World team roster. In 2009, Casey Kelly pitched for the USA side, while Stolmy Pimentel dealt for the World club in 2010. While the Salem Sox did not have a current representative in 2011, Boston was represented by two former Salem Sox: Chih-Hsien Chiang and Will Middlebrooks. In 2008, prior to playing in Salem in ‘09, then Greenville outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin won MVP honors by homering at Yankee Stadium for the World team.

June 16, 2012 6:05 PM Carolina Mudcats (31-37) vs Salem Red Sox (40-27-1) Game #69

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #34

Probable Starters: RHP Will Roberts (3-3, 4.81) vs RHP Miguel Celestino (5-2, 2.53)

Season On The Brink: The Salem Sox have won six in a row, seven of the past eight, and 40 games overall in the first half. Despite all this, the Sox could see their first-half title hopes come to an end tonight. Winston-Salem leads Salem by two games with two remaining, and the only chance the Sox have is to win today and tomorrow and hope that the Blue Rocks can also beat the Dash today and tomorrow. Any Sox loss or Dash win would clinch the first-half crown for Winston-Salem. Ironically, Salem has already secured one of the top two records in the Carolina League in the half, but Lynchburg, currently 37-31, secured the mediocre Northern Division where nobody else is above .500.

Stuck in the Mud: Carolina is probably eager for the first half to end. The Mudcats have lost six of their last eight, but that’s nothing compared to Carolina’s 1-8 record against Salem this season. The Red Sox have outscored the Mudcats 48-28 in the nine meetings, in which the pitching staff has compiled a 2.61 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 12 walks in 76 innings. Carolina has at least three wins against every other team in the league. Salem has a .500 or better record against every opponent except Frederick, whom the Sox are 3-6 against.

Starting Success: Most winning streaks are built upon superb starting pitching, and Salem’s current six-gamer certainly fits the bill. In the past six games, the Sox starters have permitted just five earned runs in 35 innings, good for a 1.25 ERA. If you discount the previous game in which Manny Rivera made a spot start and add in Matt Barnes’ seven-inning complete game shutout last Saturday, that the Salem rotation possesses a 1.07 ERA in its last seven games. Miguel Celestino takes the mound on Saturday coming off his finest performance of the season, dealing seven scoreless innings against Wilmington on Monday. Celestino enters this evening with a 2.53 ERA, third best in the league. Perhaps more impressively, Celestino carries a streak of 16 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run into tonight’s start. Over his past five starts, he is 3-1 with a 1.16 ERA (4 ER/31 IP).

Minor League Baseball’s Best: Even though Jackie Bradley, Jr. has gone a season-high four straight games without a hit, the phenom center fielder still leads all of the minors with a .485 OBP. Bradley has drawn four walks and been hit by two pitches to still reach base six times without a hit in the past four contests. Meanwhile, Matt Barnes continues to lead all of the minor leagues with a 0.99 ERA for the season. Barnes also is top of the minors with a 0.78 WHIP. With nine strikeouts in his last start, Barnes is back in the top three in minor league punchouts with 95 on the season.

Iron Men: In making the playoff push, certain Sox have gone all in with little rest. Jackie Bradley, Jr. has played in every Salem game since May 19, a span of 30 consecutive games. Travis Shaw has played 24 in a row since May 26, and Xander Bogaerts has been in the lineup in 19 straight games since May 31.

Salem needs some help, but it is possible that champagne corks will be popped on Sunday.

One of the unique aspects of minor league baseball is the fact that playoff berths can be decided at midseason. With three games to go, the Sox are two back of the first-place Winston-Salem Dash.

If Salem can take care of business against Carolina and Wilmington helps out the Sox by beating Winston at least two more times, we may have a great celebration at LewisGale Field on Sunday!

Today’s game notes are below!

Talk to you soon,

Evan

*****

June 15, 2012 7:05 PM Carolina Mudcats (31-36) vs Salem Red Sox (39-27-1) Game #68

LewisGale Field                      Salem, VA                   Home Game #33

Probable Starters: LHP Mike Rayl (4-6, 3.98) vs RHP Brandon Workman (3-3, 3.31)

So Far So Good: The Salem Sox returned home for the final four games of the half needing a bunch of wins and a bunch of help. One day into the first-half defining four-day stretch, all has gone Salem’s way. Four-three was the victorious score for Salem over Carolina and the setback score for Winston-Salem against Wilmington, bringing the Sox within two games of the first-place Dash. Winston still owns a magic number of two and could clinch as soon as tonight if the Dash wins and the Sox lose. If the two teams finish the half with the same record, the tiebreaker belongs to Salem on the back of the Sox’ 5-4-1 record against the Dash in the first half. Salem has not won a first-half title in the Carolina League since 1988.

Mudcat Mincemeat: Regardless of how Winston fares in Wilmington, the most important thing for the Red Sox is to take care of their own business at LewisGale Field. Thus far in 2012, beating the Mudcats has been a habit. Salem has taken seven of eight against the Carolina League’s newest franchise, outscoring the Mudcats 38-24 in eight games. Five of Salem’s seven wins against Carolina have come by three runs or less. The Sox swept the Mudcats at LewisGale Field on April 27-29 and took three of four in Zebulon from May 15-17.

Vazquez Voodoo: Run on Salem’s catcher at your own risk! Christian Vazquez is #1 the Carolina League in throwing out base-stealers, gunning down more than 40% on the season. Offensively, the backstop has hits in four of his last five games, a stretch in which he’s batting .357 (5-for-14) with two doubles, a homer, five RBI and four walks.

The Arms Race: Salem’s early season struggles primarily were located on the mound, with the Sox finishing April with a team ERA of 4.90, second worst in the league. In those 22 games, the Sox surrendered 105 earned runs in 193 innings. Since then, the Sox have permitted just 110 earned runs in the past 370 innings, an ERA of 2.68 in the past 44 games. Entering Friday evening, two of the eight nine pitchers in the Carolina League ERA list are Salem starters: Miguel Celestino (3rd, 2.53) and Keith Couch (8th, 3.32). In addition, Matt Barnes leads all of minor league baseball in ERA with an 0.99 in 13 starts, but with only eight starts for Salem, he has not yet accumulated enough innings in the Carolina League to qualify for the leaderboard. Tonight’s starter, Brandon Workman, is two innings shy of having enough innings to be on the Carolina League leaderboard as well. His 3.31 ERA would be eighth-best in the league if he had enough innings to qualify.

Best of the Best: Four Red Sox are heading to the California-Carolina League All-Star Game in Winston-Salem next week. Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Jr., and Travis Shaw are all starters for the Carolina League squad, while Mike Olmsted, who leads the league with 12 saves, will anchor the club’s bullpen. This will be the 16th All-Star Game pitting the Advanced-A leagues from the respective coasts. California leads Carolina 8-7, having won the past three years. The Carolina League is seeking its first win since 2008.

June 13, 2012 5:05 PM Salem Red Sox (36-27-1) vs Wilmington Blue Rocks (28-36) Games #65&66

Frawley Stadium                     Wilmington, DE                          Road Games #34&35

Probable Starters: Game One: RHP Jeremy Kehrt (0-1, 5.40) vs RHP Yordano Ventura (3-5, 3.21)

Game Two: RHP Keith Couch (5-4, 3.66) vs RHP Brooks Pounders (0-0, 0.00)

Double-Dipping: For the fifth time in the last 15 days, the Salem Sox will engage in a doubleheader. Since sweeping the Hillcats in Lynchburg two Wednesdays ago, the Sox were swept by the Pelicans on June 2, swept by the Nationals on June 8, and split with the Nationals on June 9. Currently engaged in a stretch of 30 games in 27 days to wrap up the first half, the Sox will play six in five days beginning tonight. Salem currently trails Winston-Salem by three games in the divisional chase , giving the Dash a magic number of four to clinch the first-half title in the Southern Division. Late on Tuesday night, Lynchburg clinched the Northern Division’s first-half crown by sweeping Carolina in a doubleheader.

Jackie’s Journey: After a 2-for-16 start to the 2012 season, Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s personal production has been nothing short of remarkable. He has gone 80-for-200 (.400) since, giving him a .380 average for the season. His batting clip is 44 points better than the second best in the Carolina League and fourth overall in all of minor league baseball. His .491 on-base percentage is tops in all of pro ball, the majors and minors included. He also leads the Carolina League in doubles, walks, and extra-base hits.

The Super Staff: Salem’s early season struggles primarily were located on the mound, with the Sox finishing April with a team ERA of 4.90, second worst in the league. In those 22 games, the Sox surrendered 105 earned runs in 193 innings. Since then, the Sox have permitted just 106 earned runs in the past  347 innings, an ERA of 2.75 in the past 42 games. Entering Wednesday evening, three of the top nine pitchers in the Carolina League ERA list are Salem starters: Miguel Celestino (3rd, 2.53), Brandon Workman (8th, 3.31), and Keith Couch (9th, 3.66). In addition, Matt Barnes leads all of minor league baseball in ERA with an 0.93 in 12 starts, but with only seven starts for Salem, he has not yet accumulated enough innings in the Carolina League to qualify for the leaderboard. Salem’s team ERA for the season is 3.52, second in the league behind only Myrtle Beach.

Take Your Base: Salem drew a season-high 12 walks in Monday’s 8-0 victory, catapulting the Sox into the league lead in walks for the season. The Sox have drawn 229 walks, more than any other club in the league, leading to a .355 team on-base percentage, tops in the circuit. Salem’s pitching staff also  has paced the league with the fewest walks allowed, as the Sox arms have issued just 144 walks on the year. In 64 games, the Sox have received 85 more walks than they have given up.

Salem’s Stars: Four Red Sox are heading to the California-Carolina League All-Star Game in Winston-Salem next week. Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Jr., and Travis Shaw are all starters for the Carolina League squad, while Mike Olmsted, who leads the league with 12 saves, will anchor the club’s bullpen. This will be the 16th All-Star Game pitting the Advanced-A leagues from the respective coasts. California leads Carolina 8-7, having won the past three years. The Carolina League is seeking its first win since 2008.