May 21 - Mudcats Game Notes

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DOWN EAST WOOD DUCKS (TEXAS RANGERS) at CAROLINA MUDCATS (MILWAUKEE BREWERS) 
Monday, May 21, 2018 | 7:00 PM | Game 44, Home Game 22 | at Five County Stadium | Zebulon, NC
RADIO: WDWG, The Big Dawg 98.5 FM
STREAMING AUDIO: www.carolinamudcats.com, TuneIn Radio
STREAMING VIDEO: MiLB.tv
Overall Record: CAR: 21-22; DE: 25-18
Streaks: CAR: W3; DE: W2
Last 10 Games: CAR: 6-4, DE: 8-2
Home Record: CAR: 13-8; DE: 16-6
Road Record: CAR: 8-14; DE: 9-12
Division Record: CAR: 14-19; DE: 22-14
Current Series: First game (of 4)
Season Series: DE leads 7-2 (of 23)
CAR v. OPP: 2-1 @CAR (14), 0-6 @OPP (9)

UPCOMING PROBABLE STARTERS:
MON, 5/21, 7:00 PM: Down East RHP Emerson Martinez (2-3, 4.30) at Carolina RHP Trey Supak (2-1, 2.00)
TUE, 5/22, 7:00 PM: Down East RHP Edgar Arredondo (4-1, 2.65) at Carolina LHP Nathan Kirby (0-2, 6.62)
WED, 5/23, 11:00 AM: Down East RHP Jonathan Hernández (3-2, 2.23) at Carolina RHP Braden Webb (2-3, 6.08)
TONIGHT: The Mudcats begin an eight game home stand today with the first game of a four game series versus the Down East Wood Ducks at Five County Stadium. The Mudcats are coming off a road sweep versus the Buies Creek Astros and have won three straight games. Carolina currently trails the first place Wood Ducks by 4.0 games in the first half Southern Division standings.
ICYMI: Ryan Aguilar went 3-for-5 with a RBI triple and Tucker Neuhaus went 2-for-3 with a run scoring triple of his own as the Mudcats clinched their first series sweep of the season with a 9-1 throttling of the Astros at Jim Perry Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Carolina offense matched season highs for runs in a road game after scoring nine runs on 14 hits in Sunday's series finale against the Astros. The series finale victory also clinched Carolina's first sweep of the season and came at the end of a six game road trip where the Mudcats finished at 3-3.
VS. DEWD: Tonight's game is the first of a four game home series between the Mudcats and Wood Ducks. It is also the 10th of 23 total games between the two teams this season. The Wood Ducks lead the overall season series 7-2; with six of those victories coming at Grainger Stadium. The Wood Ducks have swept the Mudcats twice at home this season, but are 1-2 at Five County Stadium against Carolina so far this year.
MUDCATS STARTER: RHP Trey Supak has tonight's home stand opening start for the Mudcats against the Wood Ducks. Supak is currently 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA over eight starts this season and is currently 3rd in the Carolina League in earned run average. He is also 4th in the CL in innings pitched and 4th in fewest baserunners/9ip ratio (10.20). Overall, Supak has totaled 41 strikeouts, 14 walks and a .217 average against this season. He last pitched on May 16 at Down East where he allowed two runs on six hits over 6.0 innings in a no-decision. He also struck out eight and walked two his last time out... Supak is additionally 0-1 with a 3.50 ERA (18.0 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 19 SO) over three starts against the Wood Ducks this season.
OPP STARTER: RHP Emerson Martinez goes for the Wood Ducks in tonight's series opener in Zebulon. Martinez enters at 2-3 and has pitched to a 4.30 ERA over seven starts this season with Down East. He has also totaled 34 strikeouts, nine walks and a .283 average against so far this season. Martinez last pitched on May 13 in Winston-Salem and ended up allowing three runs on five hits over 5.2 innings pitched. He also walked three and struck out three while reaching 96 pitches (64 strikes) and finishing without a decision.
SINCE WHEN: The Mudcats are 6-4 over their last 10 games and 10-8 since May 2. The Carolina starting rotation has gone 5-4 and has totaled seven quality starts while pitching to a 2.72 ERA (75 SO, 33 BB, 89.1 IP) since May 2 (last 18 games). The Carolina bullpen has combined to pitch to a 3.19 ERA (67 SO, 22 BB, 67.2 IP) since May 2 and 5-3-5 in that same span… The Carolina offense is batting .242 with an average of 4.4 runs/game since May 2.
WHERE THEY RANK: Cam Roegner leads the Carolina League lowest earned run average (0.76). Roegner is also 1st the CL in LOB% (94.8%), 4th in GB% (53.7%), 3rd in WHIP (1.06), 5th in GB/FB ratio (1.55) and 1st in innings pitched (47.1)… Trey Supak 3rd in the CL in innings (45.0) and lowest earned run average (2.00). Supak is also tied for 4th in WHIP (1.07) and 4th in fewest baserunners/9ip ratio (10.20)…  Luis Aviles Jr. Jr. is tied for 3rd in the CL in stolen bases (12)... Tucker Neuhaus (54) and Ronnie Gideon (54) are tied for 1st in the CL in most strikeouts... Keston Hiura is tied 1st in the CL in doubles (13).
MUDDIES ON THE POND: Carolina is batting a CL low .235 with runners on base and a CL low .245 with runners in scoring position. They have additionally struck out a league high 197 times when batting with runners on base this season.
STRUGGLING LATE: Mudcats pitchers have combined to pitch to a 7.22 ERA (28 R, 23 ER, 23 BB, 32 SO) in the ninth inning so far this season. The Carolina offense, meanwhile, has combined to total just eight runs in the ninth inning of games this season… Carolina has a league high eight losses when leading after six innings this season. They are have a league high six losses when leading after seven.
HITS AND Ks: The Carolina offense has totaled 88 more strikeouts than hits (430 SO, 342 H) so far this season. Carolina's difference in strikeouts over hits is currently the 4th largest in MiLB. Since 1991, only the 2017 and 2007 Mudcats have finished a season with more strikeouts than hits. Carolina totaled 164 more strikeouts than hits last season (1,245 SO [franchise record], 1,081 H) and 70 more strikeouts than hits in 2007 (1,219 SO, 1,149 H).
GOT HEEEM: Max McDowell leads MiLB catchers in most caught steals (25) and is 1st in caught stealing/stolen base efficiency (.556) for catchers with at least 30 attempts against... McDowell caught four base runners attempting to steal and picked off another at first on Opening Night, 4/5 vs. Winston-Salem. McDowell and the Mudcats later allowed six stolen bases on 4/19 vs. Buies Creek.
THE MUDCATS HAVE…
... Stranded the most base runners in the CL (335).
... Averaged the 3rd fewest runs per game in the CL (4.07).
... Totaled the 3rd fewest runs (175) in the CL this season.
... Totaled the worst K% in the CL this season (26.7%).
... Converted 50% of save opp. (12 SV, 24 SVO); t9th in CL.
... Totaled a CL leading 29 caught steals (.439 - CL best).
... Not made the playoffs since the 2008 season.
... Not made the playoffs during their Carolina League era.
... Been in Zebulon, NC since 1991 (28th season).
... Been in the Carolina League since 2012 (7th season).
ALUMNI REPORT: Joey Meneses (2015/2016) led the Triple-A International League with a 1.712 OPS between May 14 and May 20 while earning his second International League Player of the Week award. Meneses hit .478/.538/1.174 with 11 hits including two doubles, a triple and four home runs last week. He also drove in seven runs and walked three times over his six games played last week. Meneses also won the International League Player of the Week for week of April 30 through May 6 earlier this season.