Down East Wood Ducks Game Notes - vs. Carolina

June 24, 2021 - Carolina League (CarL)
Down East Wood Ducks News Release

The Down East Wood Ducks continue their six-game series with the Carolina Mudcats today, with a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. For game one, Down East will start RHP Wyatt Sparks (1-0, 4.08) and after a change last night, Carolina will start RHP Jhoan Cruz (2-4, 8.72). In game two, RHP Abdiel Mendoza (1-2, 4.33) will get the nod for the Wood Ducks and RHP Miguel Guerrero (2-0, 3.98) will get the ball for the Mudcats.

---

WOOD DUCKS' STRUGGLES AT HOME CONTINUE: The Down East Wood Ducks bullpen struggled again as they fell to the Carolina Mudcats 8-4, Wednesday night at Grainger Stadium. This loss is the sixth time that the Woodies bullpen has surrendered the lead in a loss.

HOMEFIELD (DIS)ADVANTAGE: Down East seems more comfortable playing on the road. Right now, the Wood Ducks are 7-12 at home and have a .194 team batting average within the (un)friendly confines of Grainger Stadium. The Wood Ducks are averaging 3.4 runs/game at home. The pitching staff continues to struggle at home, although they have a 3.71 ERA at home, their road ERA is 3.16.

SWIPER KEEP SWIPING!: Being fast and loose on the base paths has been the secret to their success. When the Wood Ducks steal a base, they are 22-12 on the season. Currently, the Wood Ducks are fifth in all of MiLB with 89 stolen bases on the season. Jayce Easley (22) and Evan Carter (12) lead the way for the Wood Ducks as their two primary and best base stealers.

EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM: The Woodies are outscoring opponents 188 - 163 and 53 - 41 in the first two innings. Down East is now 0-10 at home when the opponent scores first.

BULLPEN BREAKDOWN: Throughout the first month of the season, the Down East bullpen was a sign of strength and one of the reasons they were in first place. The bullpen has been heavily relied upon, throwing 200 combined innings. Down East once held the top team ERA in all of MiLB. Since June 1st, the pitching staff has become the achilles heel, pitching to a 4.55 ERA and have six lead surrendered losses.

Carolina League Stories from June 24, 2021

• RiverDogs Slowed by GreenJackets, Fall 7-2 - Charleston RiverDogs
• Bautista Brings Home Three, Pelicans Lose to Fireflies 6-4 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
• Fireflies Pull Ahead Late in Back-And-Forth Affair - Columbia Fireflies
• Cespedes' Grand Slam Leads 'Birds to Victory - Delmarva Shorebirds
• Shorebirds Slam Their Way to 6-3 Win over FredNats - Fredericksburg Nationals
• Late-Game Errors Cost Kannapolis in 6-2 Loss to Fayetteville Thursday - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
• First Place Mudcats Split Twin-Bill at Down East - Carolina Mudcats
• Wood Ducks Split Doubleheader with Walkoff Win in Game 2 - Down East Wood Ducks
• Columbia Fireflies Game Notes 6-24 vs Myrtle Beach - Columbia Fireflies
• Down East Wood Ducks Game Notes - vs. Carolina - Down East Wood Ducks
• Mudcats Add Friday Night Fireworks and More to Summer Schedule - Carolina Mudcats
• MeGill Starts for Mets, Makes Major League Debut - Columbia Fireflies
• Solesky Sits Down Eight Woodpeckers in 4-3 Ballers Win to Even Series - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
• Eighth Inning the Difference as RiverDogs Upend Augusta 5-3 - Charleston RiverDogs

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.

Other Recent Down East Wood Ducks Stories

• Wood Ducks Drop Season Finale
• Wood Ducks Fall in 2024's Penultimate Game
• GreenJackets Blank Woodies, 4-0
• Woodies Edge GreenJackets, 6-5
• Woodies Beat GreenJackets, 4-3