Short extends hit streak to 26

Brandon Short had a career-high five hits Saturday, extending the Minor Leagues' longest hitting streak of the season to 26 games, as the Winston-Salem Dash outlasted the Salem Red Sox, 16-13.

Short, a 28th-round pick by the White Sox in 2008, is five games from tying the longest streak in Carolina League history, set by Martinsville's Orge Pat Cooper in 1948.

The 21-year-old right fielder wasted no time keeping the streak going with a leadoff double in the bottom of the first inning. That's nothing new for Short, who's gotten a hit in the first five innings 23 times over the 26 games.

Short has hit safely in all but one game this season, going 0-for-4 at Kinston on April 10. He's second in the league in batting with a .387 average following his 5-for-6 effort on Saturday.

Despite Short's heroics, the Dash needed an eighth-inning grand slam from Drew Garcia to snap the Red Sox's seven-game winning streak. Seth Loman slugged his team-leading eighth homer, a two-run blast in the third.

Winston-Salem leads the circuit with a .321 team batting average and is averaging 6.7 runs per game, also tops in the Carolina League.

Luis Segovia homered and drove in three runs for the Red Sox (21-8), who had been a perfect 7-0 in May. Alex Hassan had three RBIs and scored four times, while Anthony Rizzo delivered a two-run double.

Hector Santiago (1-3) picked up the win, striking out one in 1 2/3 perfect innings. Dash Starter Nevin Griffith, a 2007 second-round pick, allowed five runs on five hits over four frames.