8/16: Mudcats at Hillcats Game Notes

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CAROLINA MUDCATS (MILWAUKEE BREWERS) at LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (CLEVELAND INDIANS)
Friday, August 16, 2019 | 6:30 PM | Game 123, Away Game 60 | Calvin Falwell Field (4,281) | Lynchburg, VA
RADIO: WDWG, 98.5 FM
STREAMING AUDIO:carolinamudcats.com via TuneIn Radio
STREAMING VIDEO: N/A
Overall Record: CAR: 60-62; LYN: 56-62
Streaks: CAR: L5; LYN: L3
Last 10 Games: CAR: 3-7, LYN: 6-4
Home Record: CAR: 34-29; LYN: 23-28
Road Record: CAR: 26-33; LYN: 33-34
Division Record: CAR: 24-38; LYN: 21-25
Current Series: First game (of 3)
Season Series: CAR leads 7-4 (of 17)
CAR v. OPP: 5-2 @CAR (10), 2-2 @OPP (7)

UPCOMING PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS...
FRI, 8/16 at LYN, 6:30 PM: Carolina RHP Nelson Hernandez (10-9, 4.34) at Lynchburg RHP Cody Morris (2-0, 3.90)
SAT, 8/17 at LYN, 6:00 PM: Carolina RHP Wuilder Rodriguez (-, -.--) at Lynchburg RHP Brock Hartson (1-1, 2.78)
SUN, 8/18 at LYN, 3:00 PM: Carolina TBA at Lynchburg LHP Kirk McCarty (3-4, 4.74)
TONIGHT: After being swept at home by the Dash and having lost five straight games, the Mudcats now begin a new six-game, seven day, road trip tonight with the first game of a three game series in Lynchburg, VA versus the Hillcats... Carolina is currently 7-4 versus the Hillcats this season having gone 5-2 against them at home and 2-2 in game versus the HIllcats in Lynchburg so far this season. Tonight's game is the first of three in the series and the fourth of nine second half meetings between the two team. It is also the 12th of 17 overall games between Lynchburg and Carolina this year.
ICYMI: Devin Hairston had a RBI double in the second, Brice Turang doubled and scored in the fifth and Eddie Silva tripled and scored in the sixth, but the Mudcats lost a one-run lead in the sixth while losing their fifth straight game 6-4 to the Dash on Thursday night at Five County Stadium. The Dash led first after getting a home run from Tyler Frost in the first, but Carolina came back with a two-out, RBI double from Hairston while tying the game at 1-1 in the second. Turang later doubled and scored on an error in the fifth as the Mudcats took a 2-1 lead, but the Dash answered back with four runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh while taking Thursday's series finale 6-4. 
ABOUT THE LAST ONE: The Mudcats fell to 60-62 overall after losing yesterday's game 6-4 to the visiting Dash at Five County Stadium. Carolina has now dipped to two games below .500 overall for the first time this season... The Mudcats lost their fifth straight game last night while going 1-5 in their penultimate home stand of the season.
CAROLINA'S STARTING PITCHER(S)...
Nelson Hernandez: 10-9, 4.34 ERA, 25 GS, 130.2 IP, 44 BB, 97 SO
Last start, 8/11 vs. SAL: L, 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
Post All-Star: 4-4, 3.31 ERA, 10 GS, 54.1 IP, 5 HR, 16 BB, 39 SO
July: 2-3, 3.27 ERA, 33.0 IP, 4 HR, 8 BB, 24 SO, 1.36 WHIP
CL Ranks: Tied for 1st in CL in starts (24), 2nd in innings pitched (130.2) and 4th in most home runs allowed (14).
OF LATE: The Mudcats have gone just 9-24 since 7/10 and since starting the second half at 12-8 over their first 20 games (6/20-7/9) following the All-Star break... The Mudcats have also combined to hit just .201 with 2.9 R/G and a run differential of -33 runs since 7/10. 
WHERE THEY RANK: Mario Feliciano is 1st in the CL in home runs (19), 1st in RBI (78), tied for 1st in slugging (.477), 4th in OPS (.802), 7th in hits (113), 6th in runs (59), 1st in extra-base hits (44) and 1st in total bases (198)... Payton Henry is tied for 4th in the CL in home runs (13) and 4th in RBI (67)... Tristen Lutz is tied for 4th in the CL in home runs (13), 10th in RBI (53), 4th in XBH (38) and tied for 3rd in runs (61)... Matt Hardy is currently tied for 8th in the CL in wins (7) and tied for 8th in games (34)... Cody Beckman is currently tied for 3rd in the CL in games (37)... J.T. Hintzen and Michael Petersen are tied for 6th in the CL in games (36)... Noah Zavolas is currently 2nd in the CL in ERA (2.98), 1st in innings pitched (133.0) and 2nd in WHIP (1.14). Zavolas is also 2nd in the CL in FIP (3.21), 2nd in xFIP (3.36), 1st in BB/9 (1.56) and 2nd in K/BB (4.43)... Matt Smith is currently 4th in the CL in earned run average (3.51), 2nd in K/BB (3.15), 3rd in xFIP (3.64) and 2nd in LOB% (76.1).
BEANBALLS: The Carolina offense has combined to total a Carolina League high 94 hit by pitches this season. The Mudcats are also 3rd in MiLB and 3rd in professional baseball in most hit by pitches (94) this season.
EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: Mario Feliciano currently leads the Carolina League in both home runs and RBI so far this season. The last CL player to lead the league in homers and RBI was Salem's Bobby Dalbec who hit 26 home runs and totaled 85 RBI in 2018. Dalbec went on to be named the league's MVP last season. Lynchburg's Bobby Bradley (29 HR, 102 RBI) and Nellie Rodríguez (17 HR, 84 RBI) also led the CL in homers and RBI in 2016 and 2015 respectively and both went on to be named the CL MVP as well. Winston-Salem's Chris Curley (24 HR, 92 RBI) and Ian Gac (33 HR, 96 RBI) also led the CL at year's end in homers in 2013 and 2011 while earning CL MVP honors... The last Mudcats player to finish a season as the league leader (tied with Mobile's Paul Goldschmidt) in homers was Neftali Soto who homered 30 times for the then-Southern League affiliated Mudcats in 2011... Carolina has never had a player finish the season as the league leader in both homers and RBI. However, George Canale led the Southern League in RBI (102) and was second in the home runs (21) in 1995; Mark Johnson led the SL in homers (23) and was third in RBI (85) in 1994.
STREAKS OF NOTE:Phil Bickford has pitched through 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings (5 BB, 24 SO) and nine (9) straight scoreless appearances... Rob Henry started the season with six home runs over his first 16 games, but has not homered since 4/19 in Salem while going 66 games without a home run.
KINGS OF THE NORTH: The Mudcats are currently 36-24 versus Carolina League Northern Division teams this season. They have also gone 18-11 versus Northern Division teams since 6/11 (at FRE)... The Mudcats are, however, just 9-30 vs. Southern Division teams since 5/25 (vs. DE, 2.5 G back of first before 5/25) and had suffered nine straight losses in games versus Southern Division teams before defeating the Pelicans 3-2 on 7/19. 
BACK STOP SPLITS: Payton Henry and Mario Feliciano have split catching duties this season with Henry starting 61 games behind the plate and Feliciano starting 57 games at catcher... The Carolina pitching staff is 33-28 and has totaled a 3.56 ERA (3.0 BB/9, 8.7 SO/9, 37.6 CS%) in games started by and caught by Henry... Carolina's pitchers are 26-31 with a 4.22 ERA (3.1 BB/9, 8.0 SO/9, 30.0 CS%) in games caught by Feliciano.
ALL THE Ks: The Carolina offense has combined to total a Carolina League high 1,230 strikeouts this season (5th most in MiLB). The Mudcats are on pace to set both a CL and franchise record for most strikeouts for the third straight season. 
THE TOP 30: The Carolina roster currently features five of Milwaukee's Top 30 prospects (as rated by MLBPipeline.com) including No. 1 INF Brice Turang, No. 2 OF Tristen Lutz, No. 8 LHP Aaron Ashby, No. 9 C Mario Feliciano and No. 16 C Payton Henry.
THE MUDCATS HAVE…
... played in Zebulon, NC since 1991 (29th season).
... played in the Carolina League since 2012 (8th season).
... been an affiliate of the Brewers since 2017 (3rd season).
... not made the playoffs since the 2008 season.
... not made the playoffs during their Carolina League era.
... operated under the ownership of the Brewers since Oct. 2017.