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CarL1 Down East Wood Ducks

April 18 Game Information

April 18, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Down East Wood Ducks News Release


Tonight the Wood Ducks (10-4) continue their seven-game road trip by opening up a four game series with the Wilmington Blue Rocks (10-4). Right hander A.J. Alexy (0-2, 4.70) gets the start for the Wood Ducks, opposed by Blue Rocks righty Jackson Kowar (0-0, 0.96). First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and the broadcast will begin at 6:20 p.m. on 960AM The Bull and on 960amthebull.com as well as on the MiLB First Pitch and TuneIn Radio Apps.

LAST TIME OUT: The Wood Ducks defeated the Salem Red Sox, 5-4, in 11 innings to complete their three-game sweep. Leody Taveras doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, but Salem responded with a run in the bottom of the frame to force extras. Yonny Hernandez picked up a sac fly to plate the winning run in the 11th inning, as Francisco Villegas was able to hold Salem off the board in their final at-bats, helped by second baseman Diosbel Arias throwing out the tying run at the plate in the 11th. The Woodies have now won five in a row, and have picked up a last at-bat victory in each of their last two games.

UVILA'S DEBUT: Cole Uvila made his Carolina League debut last night, inheriting two base runners in the fifth inning, with two outs. He came in to strike out Jagger Rusconi to end then threat and then stayed on for the sixth inning, striking out the side, in order. Last season with Spokane Uvila struck out 48 over 31.2 innings, and he'd fanned 10 batters in seven innings at the time of his promotion from Hickory.

STARTING STRONG: The Wood Ducks starting pitching has been solid over the last five starts. Starters have combined to go 26.2 innings, allowing just two earned runs (0.68 ERA), while striking out 21. The rotation as a whole has pitched to a 2.01 ERA, and the team ERA of 2.53 overall now leads the Carolina League.

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

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).

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 Julio Pablo Martinez to Down East on April 17, 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.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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