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 (12-24, 46-59) at Hartford Yard Goats (15-20, 52-50) Cleveland Indians Double-A Colorado Rockies Double-A RHP Jordan Stephens (1-1, 2.50) RHP Antonio Santos (0-1, 17.18) akronrubberducks.com @AkronRubberDucks Saturday, July 27, 2019 • Dunkin’ Donuts Park • 6:05 p.m. EDT @AkronRubberDuck Game 106, Road Game 56, Second Half Game 37, Night Game 77 WARF Fox Sports 1350 AM ● iHeartRadio (Fox Sports 1350) ● TuneIn (Akron RubberDucks) ● MiLB.TV @akronrubberducks Broadcast Powered By FirstEnergy ● Broadcaster: Marco LaNave Friday Recap: RubberDucks come back from the brink to beat Yard Ducks visit Yard Goats: The RubberDucks and Yard Goats are playing Goats (Akron 8, Hartford 5): Down to their final strike in the ninth inning, the last of two scheduled series this season, with three games – which the Akron RubberDucks rallied for four runs, with right fielder Trenton Akron swept – at Canal Park, and four at Dunkin’ Donuts Park. The Brooks’ game-tying double and first baseman Nellie Rodriguez’s go- RubberDucks’ three-game sweep of Hartford in June dropped the Yard ahead three-run double, for an 8-5 win – their first when trailing entering Goats from a half-game lead to a 1.5-game deficit in the Eastern Division the ninth inning this season – over the Hartford Yard Goats at Dunkin’ first half, when the Yard Goats finished two games behind first-half Donuts Park on Friday night. The four-run deficit matched the largest champion Trenton and Reading. Last season, Akron won the series, 4-3, Akron has overcome in a win this season. Akron has won the first five including 2-2 in Hartford. Since 2005, Akron leads the series, 52-38, and meetings with Hartford this season. The RubberDucks have won is 12-9 against the Hartford-based club. The RubberDucks are 4-5 at consecutive games for the first time since June 25-26 and snapped a Dunkin’ Donuts Park, which opened for the 2017 season. In 2018, seven-series losing streak and four-series road losing streak. Hartford finished third in the Eastern Division, at 65-72. Clement’s strong return: Shortstop Ernie Clement has reached base in Road trip week: The RubberDucks are on their longest remaining road 25 of 26 games and hit safely in 23 of 26. Since returning from the Injured trip (seven games) to Trenton and Hartford. Akron lost two of three games List on May 9, he has played 67 games, collecting 83 hits (most in the in Trenton, where it also lost two of three games April 15-17 to the Eastern League) and going 83-for-268 (.310, best in the EL) to move to a eventual Eastern Division first-half champion. The four-game series in tie for first in the league (with Portland’s C.J. Chatham) with a .294 Hartford is the RubberDucks’ only visit to Hartford, whom Akron swept in a average with 24 multi-hit games, 10 doubles, three triples, a home run, 36 three-game series at Canal Park June 11-13. After the current road trip, runs, 18 RBI, 18 walks, a .359 OBP and separate 13- and 14-game hitting the RubberDucks will play 20 of their final 33 games at Canal Park. streaks. He was on the Injured List with a right adductor strain April 16- May 8. In six games prior to going on the IL, the Indians No. 15 Jones arrives in Double-A: Third baseman Nolan Jones, ranked by (MLB.com)/No. 18 (Baseball America) prospect was 3-for-25 (.120). Baseball America and MLB.com as the Indians No. 2 prospect, made his Double-A debut on July 11, becoming the highest-ranked Indians prospect Midsummer warmups: While the RubberDucks are only 7-16 in July, a to appear for Akron this season. He came within a double of the cycle and few players have had notable success at the plate this month. Outfielder hit his first Double-A home run July 15, homered again July 16 and Trenton Brooks, playing his first Double-A season, has personal single- finished 6-for-13 with a triple, two home runs, four RBI and three runs in month season highs with a .301 average, 25 hits (tied for eighth in the three games in Erie July 15-17. A 2019 Carolina League Mid-Season All- Eastern League), nine doubles (tied for second), two triples, 13 extra-base Star with Class-A Advanced Lynchburg, Jones led the league in walks hits (tied for second), 44 total bases (tied for sixth) and 16 RBI (tied for (65), on-base percentage (.435) and OPS (.860) at the time of his third). Outfielder Mitch Longo, in his first Double-A season, has monthly promotion to Akron. He also led Lynchburg with 48 runs. He played 77 bests of a .319 average (seventh in the league), 22 hits and a .400 on- games and hit .286 with seven home runs, 41 RBI, and a .456 slugging base percentage. Shortstop Ernie Clement has 29 hits (tied for third). percentage. He also represented the Indians in the SiriusXM All-Star Catcher Logan Ice is hitting .293 in July – his best month after hitting Futures Game at Progressive Field on July 7, starting at third base and .122, .163 and .174 in the first three calendar months of the season. grounding out to the pitcher in his only at bat. Since the All-Star break: Since the Eastern League All-Star break, Akron Flying out of the park: The RubberDucks have hit an Eastern League- is 5-11, but a few RubberDucks have posted number among the league leading 84 home runs and allowed 73 (sixth-most in the EL) for a +11 leaders since the break. Trenton Brooks has nine doubles (second in the home run differential. However, in 23 July games, Akron has allowed 26 EL), 11 extra-base hits (tied for the lead) and 32 total bases (tied for home runs while hitting only 13 (-13 differential). In 55 road games, Akron seventh). Nolan Jones, called up to Double-A for the first time during the has hit 54 home runs, allowing 39 (+15 differential). Of the RubberDucks’ break, has scored 13 runs (tied for fourth). Ernie Clement has 19 hits 84 home runs this season, 52 (62 percent) have come in 19 multi-homer (tied for seventh) and five stolen bases (tied for fourth). games, including 13 in four straight games May 9-13. Akron’s six home runs on May 11 in Reading were its since hitting seven on July 2, 2008, in League leaders: Akron leads the league in games (105), at-bats (3,492), a 10-6 win at Erie. Akron allowed six home runs to Binghamton on July hits (848), home runs (84) and total bases (1,312). The RubberDucks 20, marking its most allowed since May 29, 2009, when Erie hit six in an average 4.13 runs per game this season, but since June 5, they have 11-8 win over the Aeros. The last season Akron led the Eastern League in scored 172 total runs in the last 49 games (3.51/game, 17-32 W-L), home runs was 2005, when the Aeros hit 151, led by Jonathan Van scoring 5 or more in 14 games (11-3). Every’s 27 (tied for second in the league) among seven with double-digit home run totals. UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHERS (ALL TIMES EASTERN) – SUBJECT TO CHANGE Sunday, July 28 1:05 p.m. RHP Eli Morgan (5-2, 3.29) at Hartford LHP Jack Wynkoop (6-12, 3.60) Tuesday, July 30 7:05 p.m. LHP Adam Scott (4-1, 3.79) vs. New Hampshire TBA Wednesday, July 31 12:05 p.m. LHP Sam Hentges (1-10, 5.38) vs. New Hampshire TBA Thursday, Aug. 1 12:05 p.m. RHP Jake Paulson (8-7, 3.96) vs. New Hampshire TBA Double-A Eastern League Affiliate of the Cleveland Indians RUBBERDUCKS STARTING PITCHER #26 Jordan Stephens…RHP, 6-1, 200, Age 26 (9/12/92), Resides: Alvin, TX Acquired: Claimed by the Indians off waivers from the Chicago White Sox on June 15, 2019 FIRST EASTERN LEAGUE START SEASON HIGHLIGHTS • Began season on the Chicago White Sox 40-man roster (added on Nov. 20, 2018) • Was 3-4 with an 8.60 ERA in 10 appearances (7 starts) between Charlotte (AAA) and Winston-Salem (A-Adv) 2018 SEASON • Combined to go 8-10 with a 4.23 ERA (69 ER/146.2 IP), and 139 strikeouts over a career-high 28 starts between Class AA Birmingham and Class AAA Charlotte. • Allowed two runs or fewer in 14 of his 28 starts … tossed at least 6.0 scoreless IP four times. • Earned the win in his final start of the season on 9/3 at Gwinnett (1 ER/6.0 IP), snapping a 14-start winless streak from 6/17-8/29. • Was a non-roster invite to spring training with the White Sox… Began the season with Birmingham, making seven starts before being promoted to Charlotte on 5/13. • Entered the season rated by Baseball America as the No. 16 prospect in the Chicago system. 2017 SEASON • Began the season on the disabled list with a strained right elbow, was reinstated on 6/3 and posted a 1.33 ERA (7 ER/47.1) and 37 strikeouts over his first eight starts.