The Week in Winston: Dash update, April 27-May 3

By / / General

The Winston-Salem Dash started this week at 11-5 and in sole possession of first place of the South Atlantic League South Division by one game. Parts have moved, situations have changed, rain has poured, and the Dash are now 16-5 with a five-game lead over the hated Hickory Crawdads.

Instead of playing an eight-game series against the Crawdads as planned due to early-season rainouts, yet more rain outright cancelled two of those games, so it ended up being an extremely normal six-game series stretching from April 25-30. The Dash went 5-1 overall in that series with two walk-off wins. They went 4-2 the series before, and 5-1 the series before that. (They went 0-1 in the opening “series,” which was mostly flooded out by the aforementioned early-season rainouts.)

Loidel Chapelli Jr. has cooled off significantly and Wes Kath has one hit in his last 20 at-bats. On the other hand, DJ Gladney has the league lead in RBI by seven with 30 of ‘em, and Terrell Tatum is tied for fifth in both walks (17) and stolen bases (10).

Top pitching performances

Tommy Sommer, start: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 3 K

Season: 12 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 7 BB, 18 K

Brooks Gosswein, start: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R , 4 BB, 4 K 

Season: 21.1 IP, 15 H, 7 R (6 ER), 8 BB, 19 K

Chase Plymell, two relief appearances: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 6 K

Season: 13.2 IP, 11 H, 4 R (3 ER), 5 BB, 11 K

Kohl Simas, one relief appearance: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 6 K

Season: 13 IP, 14 H, 4 R, 7 BB, 17 K

Honorable mention: Jared Kelley had a short season debut, but allowed zero hits or runs in two innings. Drew Dalquist went just three innings in his start, but they were hitless and scoreless. Tristan Stivors didn’t allow any runs of his own over 2.2 innings, although two of three inherited runners scored; he struck out five.

Top hitting performances

Terrell Tatum (CF): 7-for-20, 4 runs, 4 RBI, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts, 2-0 steals-caught stealing

Season: 19 games, .319/.453/.522, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 21 runs, 16 RBI, 17 walks, 21 strikeouts, 10-2 steals-caught stealing

DJ Gladney (1B/LF): 8-for-17, 1 double, 4 home runs (!!!!), 5 runs, 9 RBI (!!), 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Season: 21 games, .329/.363/.706, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, 17 runs, 30 RBI, 4 walks, 23 strikeouts, 1-1 steals-caught stealing

Wilfred Veras (RF): 6-for-19, 2 doubles, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 2-0 steals-caught stealing

Season: 21 games, .313/.330/.530, 9 doubles, 3 home runs, 11 runs, 14 RBI, 3 walks, 21 strikeouts, 5-2 steals-caught stealing

Michael Turner (C/DH): 5-for-14, 1 double, 1 triple, 4 runs, 2 RBI, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts, 0-1 steals-caught stealing

Season: 11 games, .263/.333/.395, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 7 runs, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts, 0-1 steals-caught stealing

Weekly rundown

April 29, Game 1

April 27 and 28 were the rain cancellations, so the team got a nice little Thursday-Friday vacation before playing two abbreviated games against the Crawdads on Saturday. In the first, White Sox 2020 second-rounder Jared Kelley made both his High-A and season debut against Rangers 2022 third-overall pick Kumar Rocker, who was making his fourth professional start. Rocker handily beat Kelley when it comes to innings (five vs two) and strikeouts (nine vs two), but lost resoundingly where it matters (getting the actual L). 

Kelley’s outing was short and near-perfect, the only baserunner a one-out walk. The righty, returning from a fractured foot and still just 21 years old, threw 17 of 29 pitches for strikes. Both strikeouts were swinging. He also picked a batter off at second base.

He was replaced by Kohl Simas, who already has two starts under his belt and was ready to go for a long relief stint—he pitched four shutout innings, striking out six, with none of his five walks coming around to score. Everhett Hazelwood ceded a seventh-inning run, but stranded a runner on third to end it.

All four Dash runs crossed the plate in the fifth inning, breaking a scoreless tie. Shawn Goosenberg, who has been playing exclusively first base instead of his usual middle infield positions for some unknown reason, reached on an infield single to lead things off. Ivan González also singled and then stole second, putting runners on second and third with two outs for Terrell Tatum, whose base hit knocked one in (1-0 Dash). 

Loidel Chapelli Jr. smacked his fourth double of the year to bring home two, putting the Dash up 3-0. Not content, DJ Gladney singled and Wilfred Veras bounced one over the fence for a run-scoring ground rule double, his eighth two-bagger. After all was said and done, final score, 4-1 Dash.

April 29, Game 2

Tommy Sommer only struck out three in five innings (as opposed to, say, eight in three, or seven in four), and the Dash squeezed four errors into one seven-inning game, but they also squeezed in five stolen bases, a dong, and four runs, good enough to win it.

The Dash struck out in order in the top of the first (acting as the away team due to the rain makeup, despite playing in their home stadium), but things improved. Down 1-0 after a stolen base play in the second inning where both catcher González and center fielder Tatum made errors, it didn’t take long to strike back.

In the top of the fourth, the Goose(nberg) was again loose(nberg); he and González singled to open the inning, graciously allowing Chris Lanzilli to drive them both in on his first double of the season in limited playing time (2-1 Dash). A wild pitch got him to third, whence he was able to score as Taishi Nakawake came through with a single, 3-1 Dash.

It has been so nice to see DJ Gladney on a such a tear through the first month of the season, just laying waste and not walking much at all and striking out a ton but scorching the absolute goddamn f- uh, hitting the baseball quite hard when he does make contact, which is actually very frequently. It was probably also nice to see him blast one to parts unknown to lead off the fifth, making it 4-1 Dash.

The season turned and Sommer became Plymell, which does share the last two letters with the word “fall” but sounds so dissimilar in every other way that a season-change pun doesn’t really work, unfortunately.  All three of Sommer’s starts so far have been attention-grabbing: his first was the eight strikeout, three inning affair, and his second featured four no-hit, shutout innings, where he walked three and struck out seven. Here, if not for the double error in the second, he could have stretched that to five actual shutout innings, despite allowing a season-high five baserunners. He’s allowed one earned run in 12 innings so far.

Chase Plymell also was not helped by a two-error inning, one from González again on another stolen base, the other by third baseman Nakawake. Thankfully, the defensive damage was largely limited to base advancements, and just one (unearned) run crossed the plate. Plymell struck out three, all swinging, and Tristan Stivors wrapped it up with a 1-2-3 seventh and a 4-2 Dash win.

April 30

Locked at three headed into the bottom of the eighth of this game, the Dash maneuvered around a statistically inevitable meltdown from one of their most consistent relievers and were able to generate enough last-minute offense to overcome it (who doesn’t that sound like?). 

Starter Jonathan Cannon has gone at least five innings in each of his four starts this year and has allowed no more than three runs in any of them, and that trend held true. The 22-year-old made it to one out in the sixth, pulled at 92 pitches (54 strikes). He only walked two with three strikeouts, but went deep in counts and gave up a single run in three separate frames.

Trailing 1-0 after one, the Dash quickly flipped it into a lead; all with one out, Goosenberg walked, Michael Turner was hit by a pitch, Goosenberg scored and Turner took second on a caught stealing error that tied the game, and a wild pitch brought Turner to third. Jason Matthews’ sacrifice fly knocked in Turner for a 2-1 lead.

In the third, stop me if you’ve heard this one before, DJ Gladney went deep. His sixth bomb of the season, a solo shot, made it 3-1 Dash.

Fast forward to the bottom of the eighth, after Ernesto Jaquez and Jake Palisch provided 2.2 post-Cannon innings of nails out of the bullpen, no walks and one hit between them. Chapelli drew TDLW, and—is this starting to feel familiar?—DJ Gladney went deep, up to seven on the season and making it 5-3 Dash.

Top nine, Adisyn Coffey entered riding a 5.2-inning scoreless streak to start the season, which swiftly crashed to an abrupt and undignified end. Three straight singles and a walk made it 5-4, and a sac fly tied it and made only the first out of the inning. After another walk loaded the bases, Coffey got to sweat through two big outs on the bench. But it was no sweat for Jerry Burke, who got them with ease, two fly balls for Gladney in left.

Tied 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, the bottom of the lineup was the successful last line of defense against extras. With one out, Jason Matthews singled, Keegan Fish walked, and a wild pitch enabled Matthews to reach third. From there, he dashed home (like the team he’s on!!!!) on a walk-off “single” by Terrell Tatum, 6-5 Dash.

May 2

There were a couple moments here, like when the Dash were down 5-1 in the fourth or down 7-4 entering the bottom of the ninth, where it seemed like this might be that long-forgotten relic of the past, the “loss.” However, despite being outhit 12-8, a wild ninth walked the Dash off as victors for a second straight game.

Drew Dalquist took the mound against the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pirates affiliate) seeking his first good start of the year, and he got it. His three hitless innings were marred only by two walks, although only 21 of his 43 pitches were strikes. He threw a wild pitch, but he also picked a runner off, so there was a lot going on.

After Dalquist wrapped up the top of the third, the Dash awarded him a one-run lead in the bottom: Michael Turner reached not just first but second on an error, took third on a ground out, and scored on a single by Jason Matthews, 1-0 Dash.

Then Jonah Scolaro took the top of the fourth in relief. The lefty has been a strikeout machine this year, entering this game with 16 of them over 8.2 innings, but sadly he’s been a pretty hittable strikeout machine, with six runs over those 8.2 innings. Even helped by Turner and Wes Kath teaming up for a caught stealing at third, this was by far Scolaro’s worst outing yet, and he practically doubled his runs allowed; he surrendered back-to-back home runs in the inning and five runs total, 5-1 Grasshoppers lead.

Turner and Kath teamed up again in the bottom of the fourth, wasting no time. Wilfred Veras singled and Kath walked, putting two on with two out for Turner, who doubled them both in, cutting the Grasshoppers margin to 5-3.

Scolaro gutted through a scoreless fifth, and the Dash crept ever closer in the bottom of the inning: Terrell Tatum walked, something he has now done 17 times this year in 19 games, then stole second, his 10th bag. He came around to score on a Veras single, 5-4 Grasshoppers.

In the top of the sixth, Dylan Burns entered with ugly numbers, having allowed 13 runs in 5.1 innings. His ERA went down from 21.94 to 21.32 as he allowed two more in the top of the sixth, escaping further damage thanks to Gladney’s left-field relay to Matthews and Turner for an out at home to end the inning. In addition to the triple, double, and two singles, he threw a wild pitch. 7-4 Grasshoppers.

This state persisted for some time. Plymell relieved Burns for the seventh and eighth, experiencing little to no trouble, and “Van” Haylen Green picked a batter off in a scoreless ninth.

The comeback, which started with one out, seemed improbable the entire time. Turner singled. Ivan González was hit by a pitch. Matthews hit an RBI single, 7-5 Grasshoppers. Tatum hit an RBI single that loaded the bases, 7-6. After a pitching change, Chapelli reached on a fielder’s choice, the bases remaining loaded after the out came at home. Finally, trailing by one with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, DJ Gladney.

Curse the ground-rule double capping the Dash at two runs, but bless it for being juuuust enough to win, 8-7.

May 3

This was very nearly a third-straight walk-off win, but instead of waiting all the way until the ninth, the Dash scored the linchpin run in the eighth. Starting pitcher Brooks Gosswein has been largely reliable this year in starting or quasi-starting relief roles, and although he walked four batters for the second straight appearance, he still pitched well enough for a quality start. 

He completed six full, striking out four and allowing two Grasshoppers runs. Both came in the second, an inning that featured half his walks (also a single, sac fly, and ground out RBI). Overall, he gave up just three hits, all singles.

The Dash burst out of the gate at the plate, and yes, DJ Gladney was involved. Terrell Tatum singled to start the Dash half of the first and Gladney doubled him in (1-0 Dash), taking third on an error and scoring on a passed ball (2-0 Dash). Wilfred Veras doubled, his ninth good for the league lead, and Wes Kath singled him in (and was then thrown out trying to take second on the throw; 3-0 Dash). 

Still leading 3-2 in the bottom of the second, Keegan Fish walked and Taishi Nakawake and Terrell Tatum singled to load the bases with one out. Chapelli lined out in futility, but the imposing aura of Gladney induced a call of catcher’s interference, forcing in a run (4-2 Dash).

Just so you know, experts agree that deja vu is a sign that you’re in the Matrix. Anyway, in the fifth, DJ Gladney hit a home run, his eighth of the season leading the league, 6-2 Dash. The dong scored Chapelli as well, who had singled and stolen second, for some reason (save your legs, look who’s up). Gladney has reached base in 21 of 22 games played this year.

Along with Coffey, Everhett Hazelwood has been one of the Dash’s most consistent relievers to start the year, so of course he fell apart in a big way starting as soon as Gosswein departed. A leadoff home run in the seventh cut the Dash lead to 6-3, and a walk, double, and ground out later, it was 6-4.

He stayed in for the top of the eighth, but was removed with one out and the bases loaded after a single and a hit by pitch. Tristan Stivors was his replacement, and while he did get out of the inning with two swinging strikeouts, it wasn’t before a two-run Grasshoppers single tied it up, 7-7.

The Dash were not dealing with this again. Turner, Fish, and Nakawake loaded the bases up with a single and a pair of walks, and with two outs, Terrell Tatum singled in Turner. Fish was out at home, which ultimately mattered not, Stivors pitching around a two-out walk in the ninth for the classic BS-W.

1 thought on “The Week in Winston: Dash update, April 27-May 3”

  1. huisj

    Watching that Dalquist footage is giving me weird flashbacks to watching Jimmy Lambert in W-S in 2017. Hopefully Dalquist can have a similar developmental leap at age 22 the same way Lambert did from 22 to 23 (though it got a bit rocky with TJ surgery a bit later).

    I’m still holding out hope (maybe in vain) that a couple of these high school guys who are still just in their very early 20s can make a leap . . . and then I realize they probably would if they weren’t stuck in this organization.

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