AKRON RUBBERDUCKS GAME NOTES Akron Rubberducks Media Relations ● Canal Park ● 300 S
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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 (2-3, 36-38) vs. Erie SeaWolves (3-0, 34-34) Cleveland Indians Double-A Detroit Tigers Double-A LHP Sam Hentges (1-8, 4.84) RHP Spenser Watkins (2-0, 3.45) akronrubberducks.com @AkronRubberDucks Sunday, June 23, 2019 • Canal Park • 2:05 p.m. EDT Game 75, Home Game 39, Second Half Game 6, Day Game 22 @AkronRubberDuck WARF Fox Sports 1350 AM ● iHeartRadio (Fox Sports 1350) ● TuneIn (Akron RubberDucks) ● MiLB.TV @akronrubberducks Broadcast Powered By FirstEnergy ● Broadcasters: Jim Clark & Marco LaNave Saturday Recap: SeaWolves shut out RubberDucks (Erie 2, Ducks host SeaWolves: The RubberDucks and SeaWolves are Akron 0): Right-hander Beau Burrows and three Erie relievers playing the third of six scheduled series this season, with seven combined on a seven-hit shutout of the Akron RubberDucks, who did games at Canal Park and 12 at UPMC Park (Akron’s closest trip – not get a runner to third base until the bottom of the ninth inning and 125 miles – and most frequent road opponent). Last season, Akron left the tying runs in scoring position to end the game. SeaWolves went 11-8 against Erie, including 7-3 at UPMC Park. Erie finished fifth pitchers have pitched an Eastern League-leading 10 shutouts, in the Western Division, at 63-77, last season. Since 2005, Akron is including two of the RubberDucks. After a three-run first inning Friday, 155-156 against Erie. Akron has not scored for 17 straight innings. The RubberDucks’ longest scoring drought of the season is 23 innings (April 29-May 1). Second half now: The first half of the season concluded with Tuesday’s games. Although Reading won, it lost a tiebreaker (best Ducks flying out of the park: On Thursday, the RubberDucks hit intra-division record) to Trenton, which clinched the Eastern Division four home runs in a game for the second time this season – both of first half with its win over Richmond Tuesday. The Harrisburg which have occurred in Reading. The RubberDucks have hit 61 home Senators won the first half in the Western Division, with Akron runs (second in the Eastern League) while allowing only 40 home finishing in third place, 7.5 games behind. The first-place team in each runs (tied for the second fewest among EL clubs) for a league-best division in each half qualifies for the playoffs. If the same team wins +21 home run differential. In 37 home games, Akron has hit 24 home both halves, the team with the second-best overall record in the runs, allowing 19 (+5 differential). Of the RubberDucks’ 61 home runs division receives the second playoff spot. this season, 42 (69 percent) have come in 15 multi-homer games, including 13 in four straight games May 9-13. Akron’s six home runs League leaders: The RubberDucks lead the Eastern League in at- on May 11 in Reading were the most for the club since hitting seven bats (2433), runs (312), hits (587), total bases (912) and RBI (287). on July 2, 2008, in a 10-6 win at Erie. Garcia finds a groove in Double-A: RubberDucks first baseman and Clement’s hitting streak: Shortstop Ernie Clement had a 14-game designated hitter Wilson Garcia was placed on the injured list Friday hitting streak June 6-19 and now has reached base the last three with a right foot sprain, interrupting a stellar campaign. In his first games (the last two with hits) to extend a season-long 17-game on season with the Indians organization and first in Double-A, he leads base streak. After he was on the Injured List with a right adductor the Eastern League with 23 doubles and 33 extra-base hits. He is strain April 16-May 8, Clement has played 36 games since coming off second in RBI (46), third in total bases (122, second on the club), fifth the IL, going 43-for-142 (.303) with 11 multi-hit games, six doubles, in hits (69), and sixth in slugging (.475, second on the club). He is also two triples, a home run, 17 runs, eight RBI, 12 walks, and a .365 OBP. second on the club with a .268 average and .785 OPS, and he is tied In six games prior to going on the IL, the Indians No. 15 for second with 10 home runs. Originally signed by the Phillies in (MLB.com)/No. 18 (Baseball America) prospect was 3-for-25 (.120). 2010, he was traded to the Orioles May 1, 2018, before the Indians acquired him in the December 2018 Rule 5 Draft. Tom’s hot stretch: Since April 29, outfielder Ka’ai Tom is leading the Eastern League in hits (58), total bases (104), runs (34), batting Tom named Eastern League Player of the Month: Outfielder Ka’ai average (.328), on-base percentage (.428), slugging (.588) and OPS Tom was named as the Eastern League’s Player of the Month for (1.016). Tom had a 27-game on-base streak May 21-June 18 to tie May 2019, becoming the first Akron player to earn the honor since Binghamton’s Sam Haggerty (a RubberDuck in 2018) for the longest Tim Fedroff won in May 2011. Tom led the league in May with a .434 on-base streak in the Eastern League this season. During the streak, OBP, .635 SLG, and 1.069 OPS, and tied for the lead with 21 runs. Tom was 35-for-92 (.380) with seven doubles, seven home runs, 19 He was second in hits (32) and total bases (61), and tied for second in RBI, 19 runs and 17 walks for a .491 on-base percentage. Since May average (.333). After hitting .177 with one home run in 23 April 10, he has hit safely in 33 of 40 games (50-for-141, .355 average, 11 games, Tom hit .333 (32-for-96) with seven home runs (tied for the home runs, 29 runs, 26 RBI), raising his average from .191 to a team- team high and third in the league) in 26 May games. Tom was also best .283. Tom leads the Eastern League with 71 hits, is second in the EL Player of the Week for May 20-26, when he was 9-for-20, with total bases (125), tied for second in runs (41), tied for third in on-base two doubles, two home runs (May 25 and 26), five runs, four RBI, and percentage (.381), fourth in slugging (.498) and OPS (.879), fifth in a league-best .850 SLG and 1.392 OPS. He is the first, and so far home runs (12), tied for fifth in bases on balls (36), eighth in extra- only, RubberDuck this season to win a weekly award. In 2018, he hit base hits (26), and ninth in batting average (.283). .286 in May (his best in any month) after hitting .183 in April. UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHERS (ALL TIMES EASTERN) – SUBJECT TO CHANGE Monday, June 24 6:30 p.m. RHP Eli Morgan (5-0, 2.22) at Harrisburg RHP Tyler Mapes (3-3, 4.38) Tuesday, June 25 6:30 p.m. LHP Adam Scott (1-0, 9.53) at Harrisburg RHP Steven Fuentes (3-2, 1.97) Wednesday, June 26 12:00 p.m. LHP Tanner Tully (5-7, 4.60) at Harrisburg RHP Mario Sanchez (5-1, 3.11) Thursday, June 27 7:05 p.m. TBA at Bowie TBA Double-A Eastern League Affiliate of the Cleveland Indians RUBBERDUCKS STARTING PITCHER #33 Sam Hentges…LHP, 6-8, 245, Age 22 (7/18/96), Resides: Shoreview, MN Member of Indians 40-man roster Acquired: Selected by the Indians out of Mounds View (MN) High School in the 4th round of the June 2014 MLB Draft Twitter: @samhentges Instagram: @samhentges Throws: Fastball, Cutter, Curveball, Changeup LAST START (Wednesday, June 18, at Reading, L in 10-2 loss): Pitching against a Reading club that had to win for a chance at the first-half title, Hentges allowed a run in the first inning, and after he worked perfect second and third innings, he yielded four more in the fourth, capped by a two-out, three-run Austin Bossart home run. In the fifth, Darick Hall hit a two-run shot, and the RubberDucks turned to the bullpen in the sixth, eventually losing a 10-2 first-half finale. Season Highlights • In May, had the eighth-best ERA (2.38), eighth-most innings (34) and tied for the fifth-most strikeouts (35) in the Eastern League. • Entered the season ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Indians system by Baseball America and No. 10 by MLB.com (both as top left-handed pitcher). • Added to the Indians 40-man roster Nov. 20, and made his first two career major league spring training appearances, with two scoreless, hitless starts for the Indians – Feb. 26 at Colorado (W, 1.0 IP, 0 BB, 0 K) and March 3 vs. Kansas City (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 K). 2018: • Finished second in ERA (3.27) and third in strikeouts (122) in the Carolina League, Mid-Season Carolina League All-Star, MiLB.com organizational All-Star. • Did not pitch after August 15 due to a left shoulder strain, but his final start was his best, Aug. 15 at Wilmington (6.1IP, 2H, 0R, 2BB, 7SO).