CarL1 Down East Wood Ducks

June 27 Game Information

Published on June 27, 2019 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Down East Wood Ducks News Release


The Wood Ducks continue their road trip tonight in Lynchburg when they send lefty Sal Mendez (4-0, 2.61) to the hill to face off with Hillcats left-hander Hector Hernandez (0-0, 3.00). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the pregame will begin at 6:20 p.m. on 960AM The Bull, and online at 960thebull.com as well as on the MilB First Pitch and TuneIn Radio Apps. Complete game notes are attached.

LAST TIME OUT: The Wood Ducks strung together a four run sixth inning on five hits to defeat the Mudcats, 5-3. With the win the Wood Ducks earned their ninth sweep of the season. Yohel Pozo and Yanio Perez each singled in two runs, while John King picked up the win, allowing two unearned runs over five innings. Joe Kuzia earned his eighth save

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Wood Ducks 54-23 (.701) record is the second best in all of Minor League baseball, as is their +109 run differential, while their 31 road wins are the most in MiLB.

MERRY CLINCHMAS: The Wood Ducks will be heading to the Carolina League playoffs for the second time in three seasons. The Wood Ducks won a share of the Mills Cup in 2017 when they claimed the second half crown with a record of 38-32.

A HALF FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS: The Down East Wood Ducks became just the sixth team in Carolina League history to finish a half with a winning percentage of .700 or better, while their 50 wins are the second most in any half in league history:

1. 1980 Peninsula (1st) 51-19 .729

2. 2019 DOWN EAST (1st) 50-20 .714

T3. 1982 Peninsula (2nd) 49-20 .710

T3. 1983 Lynchburg (1st) 49-20 .710

5. 1994 Wilmington (1st) 48-20 .706

6. 1980 Peninsula (2nd) 49-21 .700

GOING STREAKING: DIOSBEL ARIAS has now reached base safely in 25 consecutive games, becoming the fifth Wood Duck this year to tally a streak of 15 or more. Over that stretch Arias is batting .337 with an OBP of .477, including 21 walks. His streak is the longest active in the Carolina League.

KING OF THE HILL: John King has been outstanding for the Wood Ducks since being promoted on May 10. King picked up his second win for the Woodies this season downing the Mudcats on Wednesday. In the pro-cess, the lefty lowered his ERA to 1.07. He has only allowed more than one earned run in one appearance this year. He also boasts a K/BB ratio of 8.0 (8 BB/40 K). That mark leads the Carolina League (min. 40 IP).

WALK THIS WAY: The Wood Ducks have been increasingly patient at the plate as the year has worn on. They walked 89 times in 26 games in the month of April and 94 times in 29 games in May. However, in the moth of June the Woodies have walked 103 times in just 22 games, including a season high nine walks worked on Sunday against Salem.

FANTASTIC FIRSTS: The Wood Ducks have jumped out in front early and often this year, outscoring opponents 49-19 in the first inning of play. The Wood Ducks have scored first in 51 of their 78 game this season, going 42-9 (.824). Down East has scored first in 21 of their last 27 games.

CUP OF JOE: Joe Kuzia has been tremendous out of the bullpen for the Wood Ducks since joining the club May 9. He has converted all eight save opportunities in addition to picking up a trio of wins in relief. Kuzia put together a 19-inning scoreless streak from 5/19-6/26. Overall this season he boasts an ERA of 0.70 and a WHIP of 0.97.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRENGTH: It hasn't just been the Wood Ducks who have performed well this season, the Rangers organization as a whole has been among the best

1. TEXAS RANGERS 212-156 .576

2. Tampa Bay Rays 213-160 .571

3. Pittsburgh Pirates 206-165 .555

EXTRA-EXTRA: The Wood Ducks improved to 7-1 in extra-inning games with their victory over Myrtle Beach on Sunday. This year in extra frames the Wood Ducks have scored the inherited runner 9 out of 10 times, while holding opponents to just 4-for-10.

LAY IT DOWN: The Wood Ducks have produced 31 bunt hits through the first 77 games of the season. Hasuan Viera tallied his first against the Red Sox, Saturday, while Yonny Hernandez leads the way with 11 bunt hits.

SHOWTIME: Former Wood Duck Locke St. John made his MLB debut for the Rangers Tuesday getting a groundout and a flyout to retire the only two batters he faced. St. John becomes the seventh Wood Duck in three years to make it to the show. He joins Ricardo Rodriguez, Jeffrey Springs, C.D. Pelham, and Brett Martin, Joe Palumbo, and Pete Fairbanks. Down East has also had a player go from Adv.-A to the majors in one year in each of the thee seasons (Rodriguez-'17, Pelham-'18, Fairbanks-'19).

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.

HI, NICE TO MEET YOU: Between promotions and injuries there has been a lot of turnover in the Wood Ducks roster this season. With Josh Altmann and Franklin Rollin playing their first game for the Woodies on Wednesday there have now been 43 different players to suit up for Down East this year.

Check out the Down East Wood Ducks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from June 27, 2019


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.

OurSports Central