CarL1 Down East Wood Ducks

April 17 Game Information

Published on April 17, 2019 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Down East Wood Ducks News Release


Tonight the Wood Ducks close out their three game series with the Salem Red Sox at 7:05 p.m. Left-hander Lake Latz (0-0, -.--) will make his Advanced-A debut for the Woodies, opposed by fellow lefty Jhonathan Diaz (0-1, 10.13) for the Red Sox. The broadcast will begin at 6:50 p.m. on 960AM The Bull and online at 960thebull.com as well as on the MiLB First Pitch and TuneIn Radio Apps.

LAST TIME OUT: Ryan Dorow blasted a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth inning to break a scoreless tie, as the Wood Ducks went on to top the Red Sox, 2-0, Tuesday night. Tyler Phillips pitched seven scoreless innings, and now has not allowed a run in his first 19 frames on the year. Emmanuel Clase picked up his first win of the season, firing two scoreless innings in relief.

STARTING STRONG: The Wood Ducks starting pitching has been great over the last four starts. Starters have combined to go 23.2 innings, allowing just two earned runs (0.76 ERA), while striking out 19. As a team the Woodies rotation has pitched to a 2.11 ERA, and the team ERA of 2.62 overall now leads the Carolina League.

LAY IT DOWN: The Wood Ducks have produced ten bunt hits through the first 13 games of the season. Leody Taveras leads the way with five bunt hits, including an RBI bunt single in the finale against Lynchburg, 4/14. Eric Jenkins now has three bunt hits, while Yonny Hernandez has recorded two.

LEATHERMEN: The Wood Ducks have been outstanding in the field so far this year, leading the league in fielding percentage at .990. The Woodies have committed just five errors this season, while all other Carolina League opponents have committed 10 or more errors, including a league-worst 21 by Lynchburg.

FANTASTIC PHILLIPS: Through three starts this season, Tyler Phillips has been dominant, as he has yet to yield a run, and has allowed just one walk. He has worked 19.0 innings on 217 pitches (11.4 per inning). Phil-lips leads the Woodies with two quality starts. He ranks among league leaders in ERA (1st, 0.00), IP (1st, 19.0), and WHIP (2nd, 0.63).

TEJEDA LEADING THE WAY: Anderson Tejeda has come on strong at the plate over the course of the last week, and now ranks among league leaders in AVG (4th, .395), OBP (6th, .452), SLG (6th, .658), and OPS (3rd, 1.110).

CLASE CRUISING: Emmanuel Clase has been impressive out of the Woodies bullpen so far this season, recording his first save of the season last night. He has struck out six in four innings, and his WHIP sits at 0.50. Clase has frequently hit triple digits on the radar gun this season.

RAGS AT THE HELM: Corey Ragsdale takes over as skipper for the Wood Ducks in 2019. Ragsdale will remain the Rangers Minor League Field Coordinator, while assuming a managerial seat for the first time since 2015, when he led the Hickory Crawdads to a South Atlantic League Championship, the second of his career.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO: The 2019 Wood Ducks are a heavily decorated bunch. Tyler Phillips was recognized as the Rangers Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year after posting an 11-5 record and a 2.67 ERA in Single-A Hickory. He struck out 124 while walking just 14 in 128.0 innings. Demarcus Evans was named the organization's Reliever of the Year. In 35 appearances out of the Crawdads bullpen, Evans pitched to a 1.77 ERA and struck out 103 batters while walking just 27. He also converted all nine save opportunities. Infielder Ryan Dorow earned the Rangers defensive player of the year honors. He started games at all four infield positions, in addition to a game in the outfield, committing just 9 errors in 418 chances for a fielding percentage of .978.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Five players on the Wood Ducks opening day roster are just 20 years of age. The handful includes RHP A.J. Alexy, INF Yonny Hernandez, INF Anderson Tejeda, OF Leody Taveras, and OF Bubba Thompson.

NEED FOR SPEED: The 2019 Wood Ducks will possess a lot of speed, especially in the outfield. Last season Leody Taveras, Eric Jenkins, and Bubba Thompson combined to steal 86 bases and hit 21 triples. Infielder Yonny Hernandez also ranked second the South Atlantic League with 44 stolen bases, and his 46 overall led the Rangers organization.

TOP-30 in Kinston: With the promotion of J.P. Martinez to Down East, the Woodies now have eight Top-30 prospects as ranked by MLB Pipeline: 2. J.P. Martinez, 4. Anderson Tejeda, 5. Bubba Thompson, 6. Leody Taveras, 14. Tyler Phillips, 19. Diosbel Arias, 20. A.J. Alexy, and 24. Demarcus Evans.

Wood Ducks in The Community: The Wood Ducks this season have partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Kinston. Throughout the season broken bats and other game used equipment will be sold during Saturday home games, with all proceeds benefiting the Boys and Girls Club. Additionally, Wood Ducks players are making appear-ances, reading to students, at Lenoir County elementary schools.

Check out the Down East Wood Ducks Statistics

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