AKRON RUBBERDUCKS GAME NOTES Akron RubberDucks Media Relations ● Canal Park ● 300 S. Main St. ● Akron, OH 44308 Director of Public & Media Relations: Adam Liberman [email protected] Lead Broadcaster: Marco LaNave [email protected] Akron RubberDucks (21-33, 55-68) at Erie SeaWolves (40-15, 71-50) Cleveland Indians Double-A Detroit Tigers Double-A RHP Kyle Dowdy (0-0, 2.35) RHP Casey Mize (6-3, 3.22 ERA) akronrubberducks.com @AkronRubberDucks Saturday, August 17, 2019 • UPMC Park • 7:05 p.m. EDT @AkronRubberDuck Game 124, Road Game 65, Second Half Game 55, Night Game 89 WARF Fox Sports 1350 AM ● iHeartRadio (Fox Sports 1350) ● TuneIn (Akron RubberDucks) ● MiLB.TV @akronrubberducks Broadcast Powered By FirstEnergy ● Broadcaster: Marco LaNave Friday Recap: SeaWolves pounce on RubberDucks to take series Ducks visit SeaWolves: After 26 straight games against the Eastern opener (Erie 5, Akron 1): SeaWolves left-hander Joey Wentz (2-0) Division following their most recent trip to Erie July 15-17, the pitched five scoreless innings, as shortstop Isaac Paredes hit a two-run RubberDucks are playing the fifth of six scheduled series this season with home run in the first inning, and right fielder Jose Azocar hit a solo home the SeaWolves, with seven games at Canal Park (including the last four of run in the third inning, helping the first-place club to a 5-1 win over the the season) and 12 at UPMC Park (Akron’s closest trip – 125 miles – and RubberDucks at UPMC Park on Friday night. RubberDucks right fielder most frequent road opponent). Last season, Akron went 11-8 against Erie, Trenton Brooks homered for a second straight game for Akron’s only run including 7-3 at UPMC Park. Erie finished fifth in the Western Division, at in the ninth inning, and he has four home runs in the last six games. 63-77, last season. Since 2005, Akron is 155-161 against Erie, which has won eight straight meetings (most by a RubberDucks opponent this Dowdy returns to Erie: Right-hander Kyle Dowdy, pitching his second season) and 11 of the first 13 this season (five straight and eight of 10 in season with the RubberDucks, is making his third start at UPMC Park Erie). According to Baseball America (pre-2019) and MLB.com (July since he made 13 appearances (five starts) for the SeaWolves in his 2019), top prospects in this series include: Eastern League debut last season. A 12th-round pick by the Tigers out of Indians (BA/MLB.com): #2/1 3B Nolan Jones, #6/15 LHP Sam the University of Houston, Dowdy pitched three seasons in the Tigers Hentges, #18/26 Ernie Clement #22/NR OF Oscar Gonzalez system before being traded to the Indians organization July 31, 2018. Last Tigers (BA/MLB.com): #1/1 RHP Casey Mize, #2/2 RHP Matt Manning, season, he made two starts for Akron in Erie, losing Aug. 20 (3 IP, 6 ER) #3/5 IF Isaac Paredes, NR/4 LHP Tarik Skubal, #12(Atlanta)/#10 LHP and earning his first (and so far only) win as a RubberDuck Aug. 31 (6 IP, Joey Wentz, #26/20 RHP Anthony Castro, NR/#28 OF Derek Hill, #14 0 R, 9 K). He appeared in the major leagues for the Texas Rangers before (Chicago Cubs)/29 RHP Alex Lange, #30/NR OF Jose Azocar being designated for assignment and returned to the Indians. Picking up the pace: The RubberDucks have won 12 of their last 22 Since the All-Star break: Since the Eastern League All-Star break, Akron games and three of their last six series. In that span, they have scored 92 is 14-20, but a few RubberDucks have posted number among the league runs (4.18/game) and allowed 70 (3.18/game), for a +22 differential. leaders since the break. Trenton Brooks has 14 doubles (second in the league), 21 extra-base hits (tied for the lead), 66 total bases (tied for Jones arrives in Double-A: Third baseman Nolan Jones, ranked by second), 21 RBI (tied for 10th), a .545 slugging percentage (third) and MLB.com as the Indians’ No. 1 prospect (July 2019) and No. 2 by .876 OPS (fourth). Nolan Jones, called up to Double-A for the first time Baseball America (entering 2019), made his Double-A debut on July 11, during the break, has 20 walks (tied for second) and 26 runs (tied for becoming the highest-ranked Indians prospect to appear for Akron this second). Connor Marabell has 37 hits (tied for ninth) and a .306 average season. A 2019 Carolina League Mid-Season All-Star with Class-A (eighth). Ernie Clement has eight stolen bases (tied for sixth). Jake Advanced Lynchburg, Jones led the league in walks (65), on-base Paulson has four wins (tied for second), Sam Hentges has 36 strikeouts percentage (.435) and OPS (.860) at the time of his promotion to Akron. (10th), and Dalbert Siri has five saves (tied for sixth). He also led Lynchburg with 48 runs. He played 77 games and hit .286 with seven home runs, 41 RBI, and a .456 slugging percentage. He also Gonzalez warms up to the EL: Outfielder Oscar Gonzalez, who was played in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Progressive Field on July promoted to Akron on Aug. 1, has hit safely in seven of his last nine 7, starting at third base and grounding out to the pitcher in his only at bat. games, including a six-game hitting streak Aug. 6-13 (8-for-22, three doubles, a home run, five runs and five RBI) after going hitless in his first Flying out of the park: The RubberDucks have hit eight home runs over three Eastern League games (0-for-10). The Carolina League All-Star left the past seven games after hitting just three in the previous 20 games. In Lynchburg with a league-best .319 average, 123 hits and 175 total bases. the past 27 games, Akron has 11 home runs while allowing 26. Overall, He had eight home runs, 61 RBI (fourth), 33 extra-base hits (sixth), .455 the RubberDucks have 93 home runs (fourth in the Eastern League) while SLG (fifth) and .797 OPS (second). allowing 87 (sixth most in the EL) for a +6 home run differential. In 64 road games, the RubberDucks have hit a league-leading 59 home runs, while Clement’s strong return: Since returning from the Injured List May 9, allowing 46, tied for third most (+13 differential). Of the RubberDucks’ 93 shortstop Ernie Clement has 90 hits (tied for sixth in the Eastern League), home runs this season, 57 (61 percent) have come in 21 multi-homer although for the first time in that 80-game stretch, he is now hitless in games, including 13 in four straight games May 9-13. Akron’s six home three straight games and five of the last six. Since May 9, he is 90-for-319 runs on May 11 in Reading were its most since hitting seven on July 2, (.282, seventh in EL). That includes 26 multi-hit games, 10 doubles, three 2008, in a 10-6 win at Erie. Akron allowed six home runs to Binghamton triples, a home run, 39 runs, 21 RBI, 21 walks, a .330 OBP, and separate on July 20, marking its most allowed since May 29, 2009, when Erie hit six 13- and 14-game hitting streaks. He was on the IL with a right adductor in an 11-8 win over the Aeros. The last season Akron led the Eastern strain April 16-May 8. In six games prior to going on the IL, the Indians No. League in home runs was 2005, when the Aeros hit 151, led by Jonathan 18 (Baseball America)/No. 26 (MLB.com) prospect was 3-for-25 (.120). Van Every’s 27 (tied for second in the league). UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHERS (ALL TIMES EASTERN) – SUBJECT TO CHANGE Sunday, Aug. 18 1:35 p.m. LHP Adam Scott (4-3, 3.45) at Erie LHP Tarik Skubal (1-1, 1.86 ERA) Monday, Aug. 19 7:05 p.m. LHP Sam Hentges (2-11, 5.23) vs. Harrisburg TBA RHP Eduardo Vera (IL: 5-9, 6.75) Tuesday, Aug. 20 7:05 p.m. LHP Tanner Tully (7-10, 4.69) vs. Harrisburg RHP Kyle McGowin (0-1, 3.05) Wednesday, Aug. 21 7:05 p.m. RHP Eli Morgan (6-3, 3.49) vs. Harrisburg RHP Tyler Mapes (6-6, 4.64) Double-A Eastern League Affiliate of the Cleveland Indians RUBBERDUCKS STARTING PITCHER #13 Kyle Dowdy…RHP, 6-1, 195, Age 26 (2/3/93), Resides: Escondido, CA Acquired: Returned to the Indians on July 28, 2019, after being a Rule 5 pick (by the Mets) designated for assignment by the Rangers on July 25 Twitter: @kyle_dowdy116 Instagram: @kyle_dowdy116 Throws: Fastball, Slider, Curveball, Changeup 2019: Claimed by Texas, off waivers from the New York Mets, on March 26 and made his MLB debut March 28. Placed on MLB Injured List June 1 (right elbow impingement), made 10 rehab appearances June 27-July 21, before being designated for assignment July 25. 2018: Acquired by the Indians with OF Leonys Martín for INF Willi Castro on July 31, then selected by the Mets from Cleveland in the MLB Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 13. Pitched 30 games (20 starts) and went 9-12 with a 5.15 ERA in 124 IP between Erie (AA-Detroit), Toledo (AAA-Detroit) and Akron 2017: Ranked among Florida State League leaders in walks per 9 IP (1.85, third), strikeouts (121, fifth), WHIP (1.27, fifth) and ERA (3.83, eighth).