CarL1 Carolina Mudcats

Mudcats Game Notes

Published on July 24, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Carolina Mudcats News Release


The Series vs Wilmington -- The Mudcats host the Wilmington Blue Rocks for the final regular season meeting between the two. Wilmington haunted Carolina by winning 12 of the 17 meetings in the first half. The Mudcats are hitting just .235 against the Rocks' pitching staff. All-time, Wilmington leads the series 32-27, but Carolina holds serve with a 15-13 series advantage at Five County Stadium.

Last Time Out -- Bubba Starling tripled and scored the decisive run in the 10th as the Wilmington Blue Rocks escaped with a 7-6 win over the Mudcats on Wednesday night. Grant Sides suffered his first loss of 2014 after allowing the run to score. The Mudcats took a 4-2 lead off Glenn Sparkman thanks to a pair of errors. Yhoxian Medina finished with three hits and collected two RBI. Tonight's Pitching Probables -- Ryan Merritt takes the mound in an attempt to help the Mudcats avoid a sweep against Wilmington. Merritt, 22, has been the ace of the staff this year. He was the CL pitcher to earn double digit victories and earned the start in the Carolina/California League All-Star Game. Through 18 appearances, the Texan owns 12 quality starts. His 2.13 ERA is third best in the league, but his 0.89 WHIP is the lowest in the MiLB. The Blue Rocks counter with Jonathan Dziedzic. The talented southpaw owns a 2.60 ERA, fifth best in the CL. Despite a strong season, Dziedzic's last win came on May 24th. Dziedzic is 0-2 with 4.20 ERA in three outings against Carolina.

From the Top -- The Mudcats are two games clear of Myrtle Beach and Winston-Salem entering Thursday. Caro- lina owns a four-game advantage over the Salem Red Sox. The team has one series left against the Red Sox, but play Myrtle Beach and Winston-Salem a combined 13 times over their last 35 games. The Mudcats last made the playoffs in 2007. The Indians Advanced-A affiliate appeared in the 2011 Mills Cup Finals while in Kinston.

Off to a Bad Start -- Carolina's starting rotation has been one of the best in the league this season, owning 45 quality starts through 101 games. Ryan Merritt and Shawn Morimando have combined for 23 of those. The last three games, however, have been quite a different story. During this latest three-game slide, the Mudcats' starters have failed to make it through five innings while surrendering a total 18 runs (18.66 ERA).

Unheralded Hankins -- Todd Hankins has quietly been the best hitter for the Carolina Mudcats since early May. After hitting a disappointing .149 in April, Hankins rebounded with a .318 average across 22 games in the second month of the season. Since the All-Star Break, the newly converted outfielder owns a .309 average to go with an impressive .379 OBP and .810 OPS. Hankins can be a disruptor in the leadoff spot as well, leading the Mudcats with 20 stolen bases. His one Achille's heel has been strikeouts. He paces the club with 76 whiffs.

Lee Locked In -- Despite allowing an unearned run on two hits Sunday night, Jacob Lee ran his string of innings without allowing an earned run to 16.1. Across his last 11 appearances, Lee has allowed just two unearned runs and opposing hitters have not earned a run against him since June 10. The right-hander has lowered his ERA to 3.08.

Muddy's Tales -- The Mudcats host the Potomac Nationals for three games August 1-3. The series will feature Fireworks Friday with a 7 p.m. start on August 1. It's a 6 p.m. start for Military Appreciation Night on Saturday, August 2. The series with Potomac concludes with Kids Run The Bases, presented by Amerigas, on Sunday, Au- gust 3 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 24, 2014


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