CarL1 Carolina Mudcats

Mudcats Game Notes

Published on July 6, 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 18-11 record in the Mudcats' home park. Salem has been rough on the Mudcats since the teams began play in 2012, winning 35 of 56 meetings.

Last Time Out -- The Mudcats loaded the bases in the ninth inning, but the Salem Red Sox escaped with a 3-2 win to even the series. Pat Light earned the win for Salem by limiting the Mudcats to one run and three hits across six innings. The Mudcats had just five base runners until the final two innings. Cole Sulser shouldered his eighth loss, tying for the CL lead.

Today's Pitching Probables -- Adam Plutko gets the nod for the final meeting with the Salem Red Sox at Five County Stadum in 2014. Plutko has suffered defeats in back-to-back starts. However, the right-hander allowed no more than three runs in either appearance. Plutko owns the most strikeouts (95) of any pitcher in the Cleveland Indians Player Development System. Corey Littrell makes another appearances against the Mudcats this after- noon. Though the southpaw owns a 4.23 ERA for the season, Littrell has found success against Carolina. He is 2-1 in four starts with a 3.05 ERA.

Backing Into the Top Spot -- The CL Southern Division looks to be a wide-open field in the second half. Despite Saturday's setback against Salem, the Mudcats actually made up ground. Falling in a quasi-doubleheader in Potomac, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans have slipped into a first place tie with the Mudcats. A couple of weeks into the second half, the four teams in the division are seperated by two games. Carolina needs only to finish ahead of Salem and Winston-Salem to earn their first postseason berth since 2007.

Our Compliments to the Cook -- Clayton Cook continues to gain strength and confidence on the comeback trail from a devastating shoulder injury. The right-hander was sidelined for nearly two full campaigns after suffering the injury in Wilmington on April 17. After allowing 14 runs over his first six outings (an 8.10 ERA), Cook has limited opposing offenses to one run over his last 10 1/3 innings. The 2008 draft pick has dropped his ERA down to 4.94.

Funky Cold Medina -- Yhoxian Medina extended his hitting streak to eight games with a double in the third inning on Saturday night. During his streak, the infielder is hitting .441 (15x34) with six extra-base hits. He has scored nine times and brought around three. Coupled with four walks, Medina owns a .500 OBP during this stretch.

Swimming the Bases -- The Mudcats continue to pace the CL in walks (331) and OBP (.348) as a group. The walks equate to nearly four per game. Carolina's offense also owns the second-best batting average on the circuit, entering Sunday at a .264 pace. The team is still in the bottom of the league for runs per game, however, averag- ing 4.4 per outing.

Transactions -- The Cleveland Indians promoted LHP Elvis Araujo to Double-A Akron on Saturday. Araujo was 1-1 in 25 appearances with Carolina this season. He saved eight games in 10 tries and owned a 4.03 ERA. Short- stop Erik Gonzalez was received from the Rubberducks. Gonzalez hit .296 in six games with Akron; clubbing two doubles a home run and driving in four.

Muddy's Tales -- The Mudcats return home to host the Winston-Salem Dash for four, fun-filled days. The series kicks off with Fireworks Friday, a 7 p.m. start, on July 11th. The SweetRight Brothers will be in town to entertain fans of all ages for Saturday's 6 p.m. tilt. Kids Run the Bases, presented by Amerigas, returns with a 2 p.m. mati- nee on Sunday, July 13 and the series wraps up with a special 11 a.m. start on Monday, July 14. Tickets can be purchased by calling (919) 269-2287 or by visiting carolinamudcats.com.

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Carolina League Stories from July 6, 2014


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