CarL1 Down East Wood Ducks

May 5 Game Information

Published on May 5, 2019 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Down East Wood Ducks News Release


Today the Down East Wood Ducks (22-8) go for the sweep in their three game series with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (15-15), with first pitch in the finale set for 2 p.m. Right-hander Chad Donato (3-2, 5.12) will make the start for the Woodpeckers, while Down East will turn to righty Josh Advocate (2-0, 1.54) to make the spot start. The broadcast will begin at 1:50 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: The Wood Ducks let a 3-0 lead slip away in the middle inning, but came back to go ahead in the eighth, on a two-run single from Diosbel Arias. They then waited out a 2:28 rain delay to go on to defeat the Woodpeckers, 5-4. Michael Matuella picked up his second win of the season, while Peter Fairbanks secured his second save of the year.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The Woodies have now won a franchise-best nine games in a row, and last night was the tenth comeback win of the sea-son. The Woodies are now 5-0 against Fayetteville, with the winning run being scored in the eighth inning or later in all five games.

COMEBACK KIDS: Last night the Woodies came back to win, after Seth Beer hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh to put the 'Peckers up by a run. Down East has trailed in 10 of their 22 wins this season, and four of their five victories over the Woodpeckers this year have been last-at-bat wins.

DOROW DOES IT AGAIN: Ryan Dorow has been clutch all season for the Wood Ducks. Friday night he came through with a two-run single to tie the game at 5-5 in the eighth inning. Dorow has had three go-ahead hits this season in the ninth inning, two being home runs, including walk-off homer against Fayetteville, April 27. This season in late/close situations, Dorow is slashing .417/.533/.917.

YONNY SETS THE TABLE: Yonny Hernandez was named the Carolina League Player of the Week for April 22-28. Hernandez reached base 16 times in six games played this week, and has now reached base safely in 15 straight, following a walk on Saturday. He has reached base three times in a game eight times in the last 14 games and leads the league in OBP (.469), and walks (22).

COLE CRUISING: Cole Uvila has been outstanding in his five appearances since being called up to Down East, April 15. He has combined to strike out 13 in 8.2 innings, allowing four walks, and two hits, and he has yet to allow a run.

STRIKEOUT MACHINE: Joe Barlow has racked up the strikeouts this season for the Wood Ducks out of the bullpen. He has recorded 24 strikeouts in 12.2 innings, and has struck out multiple hitters in eight of his ten outings. Friday night he matched a season-high with four strike-outs in two innings.

LEO LEADS THE WAY: Leody Taveras has been red hot over his last 11 games, reaching base in all 11, and sporting a batting average of .348, and an OBP of .375 over that stretch. He now ranks among league lead-ers in AVG (5th, .336), hits (3rd, 39), and runs (5th, 20).

ROAD WARRIORS: Despite leading the league in wins, the Wood Ducks are just 10-7 at home, compared to a 12-1 mark on the road. At home this season the Woodies are batting .229, with an OPS of .645, and an ERA of 3.13. On the road the Woodies boast an average of .268 to go along with an OPS of .743, and an ERA of 2.33.

DENYING THE LONG BALL: Wood Ducks pitching this year has given up just nine home runs through 30 games, the fewest in the Carolina League. At the plate the Woodies have hit 15 long balls, nearly double the number they have allowed.

AMAZING APRIL: The Woodies 18-8 record in April is their best winning percentage (.692) of any month in team history, while the 18 victories equals the best month all-time (May 2018), when the Woodies went 18-11 (.621). The 10 games above .500 is also most in team history (previous high, +8, May 27, 2018).

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.

SHOWTIME: Former Wood Duck Brett Martin made his MLB debut for the Rangers April 19, firing a scoreless ninth inning in a 7-2 loss to the Astros. Martin needed just nine pitches to get through the inning, recording three ground ball outs. The left-handed reliever becomes the fourth Wood Duck in franchise history to make their Major League de-but, joining Ricardo Rodriguez, Jeffrey Springs, and C.D. Pelham. Martin pitched for the Woodies in their inaugural season in 2017, helping Down East to a share of the Carolina League Championship.

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.

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.

Check out the Down East Wood Ducks Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from May 5, 2019


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