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 (6-9, 40-44) vs. Altoona Curve (8-6, 43-38) Cleveland Indians Double-A Pittsburgh Pirates Double-A LHP Sam Hentges (1-8, 4.97) RHP Pedro Vasquez (6-1, 2.30) akronrubberducks.com @AkronRubberDucks Wednesday, July 3, 2019 • Canal Park • 7:05 p.m. EDT Game 85, Home Game 42, Second Half Game 16, Night Game 61 @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 Tuesday Recap: RubberDucks snap home losing skid against Curve Home field ebbs and flows at Canal Park: Before a win Tuesday, the (Akron 7, Altoona 2): The Akron RubberDucks scored five runs in the RubberDucks lost a season-high seven straight home games. In between third inning Tuesday night on the way to a 7-2 win over the Altoona Curve a season-opening six-game losing streak and the latest skid, Akron was in front of 3,408 at Canal Park, marking Akron’s first home win in six 18-9 at home. The RubberDucks lost the first six games of the season games with Altoona this season and first in any home game since June 13 April 4-9 at Canal Park and were swept in the last two home series by to snap a season-long seven-game home losing streak. Akron right- Portland (June 14-16) and Erie (June 21-23). The last time Akron was hander Jake Paulson (6-5) allowed two runs in six innings, and swept in consecutive home series was June 2016 (June 7-9 vs. Reading, designated hitter Mitch Longo had three hits, a home run and two RBI. It June 14-16 vs. Erie), during an eight-game home losing streak. Akron has set up Akron’s second home rubber match of the season (won May . been swept three times at home for the first time since 2016, when it also won the Eastern League Championship. Since then, Akron was never Call named Player of the Week: RubberDucks center fielder Alex Call swept at home in 2017 and was swept once at home in 2018. was named the Eastern League Player of the Week for June 24-30, after he led the league with 22 total bases and was tied for the lead with three Ducks host Curve: The RubberDucks and Curve are playing the fourth of home runs (including consecutive games Saturday, when he hit Akron’s five scheduled series this season, with seven games at Canal Park and 11 first grand slam of the season, and Sunday), five extra-base hits, and at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Altoona swept the season-opening four- eight RBI. He hit safely in six of seven games on the road trip, going 10- game series April 4-7 at Canal Park and has won four of seven games in for-32 with a double, a triple, and four runs. He is the second RubberDuck Altoona. Last season, Altoona won the series, 13-10, for the first time to be named Player of the Week (Ka’ai Tom was May 20-26). since 2010, although Akron held a 7-6 edge at Canal Park and won the Western Division playoff series, three games to one. Altoona finished first RubberDucks All-Stars: The RubberDucks had five players selected as in the Eastern Division, at 78-60, by one game over Akron (78-62) last All-Stars for the Western Division. The rosters were announced on season. Since 2005, Akron leads the series, 173-140, and has won 10, Monday for the 2019 Eastern League All-Star Game in Richmond on July lost two, and tied two season series. 10 at 7:05 p.m. They include first baseman Wilson Garcia (will not participate because of right foot sprain), outfielders Connor Marabell and Tom’s hot stretch: Since April 30, outfielder Ka’ai Tom is leading the Ka’ai Tom, and pitchers Eli Morgan and Kyle Nelson. Eastern League in total bases (124), runs (40), on-base percentage (.420), slugging (.596) and OPS (1.016). Tom had a 27-game on-base Ducks flying out of the park: The RubberDucks have hit an Eastern streak May 21-June 18 to tie Binghamton’s Sam Haggerty (a League-leading 74 home runs while allowing only 47 home runs (tied for RubberDuck in 2018) for the longest on-base streak in the EL this year. third fewest among EL clubs) for a league-best +27 home run differential. During the streak, Tom was 35-for-92 (.380) with seven doubles, seven In 41 home games, Akron has hit 28 home runs, allowing 20 (+8 home runs, 19 RBI, 19 runs and 17 walks for a .491 on-base percentage. differential). Of the RubberDucks’ 74 home runs this season, 50 (68 Since May 10, he has hit safely in 42 of 50 games (61-for-177, .345 percent) have come in 18 multi-homer games, including 13 in four straight average, 13 home runs, 38 runs, 33 RBI), raising his average from .191 to games May 9-13. Akron’s six home runs on May 11 in Reading were the .286. Tom leads the EL with 82 hits, 148 total bases, and 50 runs, is most for the club since hitting seven on July 2, 2008, in a 10-6 win at Erie. second in triples (6) and slugging (.516), third in on-base percentage (.388) and OPS (.904), tied for third in home runs (14) and extra-base hits Clement’s strong return: Since returning from the Injured List on May 9, (32), fourth in walks (43), and eighth in average (.286). shortstop Ernie Clement has played 46 games, collecting 57 hits (third in the Eastern League) and going 57-for-180 (.317, second in the EL) to Tom made case for another Eastern League Player of the Month: move to fifth in league with a .293 average with 17 multi-hit games After last month he became the first Akron player to earn Eastern League (including four in his last five), seven doubles, three triples, a home run, Player of the Month since Tim Fedroff in May 2011, outfielder Ka’ai Tom 23 runs, 12 RBI, 13 walks, and a .370 OBP (sixth in the EL). He was on has maintained stellar statistics. In June, he played in all 29 RubberDucks the Injured List with a right adductor strain April 16-May 8. In six games games and led the league in total bases (57), and was second in on-base prior to going on the IL, the Indians No. 15 (MLB.com)/No. 18 (Baseball percentage (.415) and OPS (.968). He was third in average (.320) and America) prospect was 3-for-25 (.120). slugging (.553), and tied for third in runs (18). In May, Tom led the league in May with a .434 OBP, .635 SLG, and 1.069 OPS, and tied for the lead League leaders: Akron leads the league in games (84), at-bats (2,787), with 21 runs. He was second in hits (32) and total bases (61), and tied for runs (357), hits (676), home runs (74), extra-base hits (222), total bases second in average (.333). After hitting .177 with one home run in 23 April (1,066) and RBI (329). The RubberDucks average 4.25 runs per game games, Tom hit .333 (32-for-96) with seven home runs (tied for the team this season, but since June 5, they have scored 95 total runs in the last 28 high and third in the league) in 26 May games. In 2018, he hit .286 in May games (3.39/game, 11-17 W-L), scoring five or more in eight games (6-2). (his best in any month) after hitting .183 in April. UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHERS (ALL TIMES EASTERN) – SUBJECT TO CHANGE Thursday, July 4 6:35 p.m. RHP Eli Morgan (5-0, 3.08) at Binghamton RHP Mickey Jannis (4-1, 2.68) Friday, July 5 7:05 p.m. LHP Adam Scott (2-0, 2.95) at Binghamton TBA Saturday, July 6 6:35 p.m. LHP Eli Lingos (0-0, 3.38) at Binghamton RHP Harol Gonzalez (3-3, 3.33) Sunday, July 7 2:05 p.m. RHP Jake Paulson (5-5, 4.04) at Binghamton RHP Andrew Church (0-2, 5.57) 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 (Friday, June 28, at Bowie, ND in 3-2 loss): Hentges kept Bowie off the board with two hits through three innings and held a 1-0 lead before the Baysox got a pair of fourth-inning doubles to tie the game. He had a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth, but he gave up the tying run on Ryan McKenna’s two-out RBI triple that ended his start. Right-hander Robert Broom ended the inning in a tie, giving Hentges a no decision, but Broom allowed the deciding home run to Rylan Bannon in the sixth inning of a 3-2 loss.