CarL1 Carolina Mudcats

Mudcats Game Notes

Published on July 4, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Carolina Mudcats News Release


The Series vs Salem -- The Mudcats host the Salem Red Sox for the final time at Five County Stadium this week- end. The Sox have won four of the prior seven meetings in Zebulon and boast a 17-10 record in the Mudcats' home park. Salem has been rough on the Mudcats since the teams began play in 2012, winning 34 of 54 meetings. Last Time Out -- Carolina stormed past the Lynchburg Hillcats 10-4 on Thursday night. The club broomed the Hillcats behind 13 hits and a solid start from Michael Peoples. The right-hander picked up his fifth win by limiting Lynchburg to a run on three hits across five innings. Yhoxian Medina and Jeremy Lucas finished with three hits. Ynayd Diaz drove in two with a triple and Alex Monsalve racked up three RBI with a double.

Tonight's Pitching Probables -- D.J. Brown is set to make the start tonight for the Mudcats. Brown has been used in a piggyback role with Michael Peoples since June 5. Beginning the season in the bullpen, Brown became Carolina's fifth start when Dylan Baker went down with a leg injury in April. As a starter, Brown is 2-4 with a 5.03 ERA in 12 appearances. Due to Salem's rainout in Frederick, Justin Haley starts tonight against Carolina. The right-hander has sparkled in the Sox rotation, trumpeting the circuit's fourth best ERA at 2.58. Haley, like Brown, began the season as a reliever, but is 4-2 in seven starts.

A Chore for Four -- Fresh off their third series sweep of the season, the Mudcats look to extend their winning streak to four games tonight. While the team collected five three-game winning streaks, they have not been able to find that fourth win. The Mudcats have been outscored by a combined 32-9 margin in games following their third consecutive victory.

Off to a Good Start -- Carolina's rotation continues to lead the second half surge for the team. The Mudcats are 5-1 over their past six games and the common theme has been strong efforts by the starting staff. The rotation owns three quality starts in the past five games and a solid 2.99 ERA. For the season, the starters have turned in a quality start in 38 of 82 games (46%).

Swimming the Bases -- The Mudcats' offense swarmed opposing pitchers in the last six games. On their way to sweep of the Hillcats, Carolina amassed 35 hits and 22 runs. The team is averaging over six runs on 10 hits per game since June 28 (6 games). Part of this blitzkreig is owed to the team's ability to get on base and pressure the defense. The Mudcats pace the CL with 318 walks and lead the circuit with a .347 OBP. Overall, Carolina sits one point behind Myrtle Beach for the second best batting average (.265) in the league.

Monsalve Mashing -- Alex Monsalve collected two more hits on Thursday to extend his hitting streak to five games. Over his last six outings, the Venezuelan is hitting .526 (10x19) with four extra-base hits and nine RBI. Monsalve is coming off his best month in which he hit .251 for June and cracked his third home run of the year.

Merritt Masterful -- Ryan Merritt continued his dominating campaign with his first win against the Lynchburg Hillcats on July 2. Merritt dealt 7.0 innings for his ninth win. The southpaw has gone seven innings or more in eight starts this year. His nine wins are most in the CL and his 1.65 ERA ranks sixth in all of MiLB. Merritt's 0.91 WHIP also ranks sixth in MiLB. His only two losing decisions were shutout losses. The Texan has collected per- sonal hardward as well; starting the 2014 Carolina/California League All-Star game and earning CL Pitcher of the Week honors for June 16-22.

Muddy's Tales -- The Mudcats will celebrate America's birthday this Fourth of July Weekend with fireworks fol- lowing the games on July 4 and 5. Saturday's game is a 6 p.m. start. The series with the Salem Red Sox wraps up with World Cup Day and Kids Run the Bases, presented by Amerigas, on Sunday, July 6 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling (919) 269-2287 or by visiting carolinamudcats.com.

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Carolina League Stories from July 4, 2014


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