July 6: Mudcats vs. Keys Game Notes

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FREDERICK KEYS (BALTIMORE ORIOLES) at CAROLINA MUDCATS (MILWAUKEE BREWERS)
Saturday, July 6, 2019 | 6:00 PM | Game 86, Home Game 45 | Five County Stadium (6,500) | Zebulon, NC
RADIO: WDWG 98.5 FM
STREAMING AUDIO:carolinamudcats.com via TuneIn Radio
STREAMING VIDEO: MiLB.tv
Overall Record: CAR: 47-38; FRE: 34-51
Streaks: CAR: W2; FRE: L5
Last 10 Games: CAR: 5-5, FRE: 3-7
Home Record: CAR: 25-19; FRE: 21-21
Road Record: CAR: 22-19; FRE: 13-30
Division Record: CAR: 19-22; FRE: 24-27
Current Series: CAR leads 2-0 (of 3)
Season Series: CAR leads 7-1 (of 12)
CAR v. OPP: 5-0 @CAR (6), 2-1 @OPP (6)

UPCOMING PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS...
SAT, 7/6 vs. FRE, 6:00 PM: Frederick RHP Cody Sedlock (4-0, 1.89) at Carolina LHP Aaron Ashby (1-2, 2.25)
SUN, 7/7 vs. LYN, 2:00 PM: Lynchburg TBA at Carolina RHP Nelson Hernandez (8-6, 4.52)
MON, 7/8 vs. LYN, 7:00 PM: Lynchburg TBA at Carolina RHP Noah Zavolas (4-3, 2.94)
TONIGHT: Winners of two straight and following yesterday's doubleheader sweep, the Mudcats, continue a six game home stand tonight with the finale of a three game series versus the Northern Division's Frederick Keys at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. Tonight's game is the final game of three in the series and ninth of 12 total meetings between the two teams this season. It is also the third of six second half meetings between the two teams. Carolina is currently 7-1 versus the Keys this season having swept the Keys at home from 6/2 - 6/4 and after taking two of three in Frederick from 6/10 - 6/12.
ICYMI:Christian Taugner tossed a complete-game shutout in game one and both Tristen Lutz and Ryan Aguilar hit home runs in game two as the Mudcats swept Frederick in both games of a doubleheader, 2-0 and 6-5 respectively, in front of a crowd of 5,948 on Friday night at Five County Stadium. The twin-bill sweep snapped a four game losing streak for the Mudcats and gave them a series victory in their three game series against the visiting Keys at Five County Stadium. The victory also came in front of Carolina's largest home crowd of the 2019 season with 5,948 on-hand in Zebulon.
ABOUT THE LAST ONE(S): Christian Taugner pitched through a complete-game shutout (7.0 IP, 5 H, 4 SO) in game one of yesterday's doubleheader and became the second Mudcats starter to earn a complete-game shutout victory this season. Noah Zavolas (W, 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 11 SO, 6/23 at POT) was the first Carolina starter to spin a complete-game gem while earning also earning a victory this season; Carolina has also had two starts finish with complete-game losses this season (File 4/20 at FAY, Hernandez 6/9 vs. SAL)... Carolina improved to 6-4 in doubleheaders this season with yesterday's twin-bill sweep versus Frederick. They also improved to 2-2 in home doubleheaders yesterday.
TONIGHT'S CAROLINA MUDCATS STARTING PITCHER...
Aaron Ashby: 1-2, 2.25 ERA, 4 GS, 24.0 IP, 11 BB, 23 SO, 0.96 WHIP
Last start, 7/1 at MB: L, 4.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO, 42 pitches
Rated as the No. 9 prospect in the MIL system per MLBpipeline.com.
Led Midwest League in strikeouts (80) before promotion to High-A.
POWER OUTAGE: The Mudcats have totaled just eight home runs over their last 25 games while going 13-12 over that span and since 6/8. Carolina has additionally averaged 3.68 runs/game over those same 25 games and since 6/8. Before 6/8, the Mudcats totaled 54 home runs over their first 60 games and had averaged 4.63 runs/game in that same span. 
GIDP GROWTH: The Mudcats have hit into 15 double plays over their last 12 games, 19 in their last 16 games and a CL high 35 GIDPs last month... The Mudcats lead the CL in most GIDPs this season having hit into 69 double plays in 2019... Payton Henry leads the CL with 14 GIDPs overall (eight in June). Devin Hairston totaled seven GIDPs last month.
WHERE THEY RANK: Mario Feliciano is currently 1st in the CL in home runs (14), 2nd in RBI (55), 2nd in slugging (.452), 9th in hits (78), tied for 4th in extra-base hits (28) and tied for 2nd in total bases (135)... Ryan Aguilar is currently 5th in the CL in OBP (.399), 4th in OPS (.802), 8th in hits (79), 2nd in walks (50) and 1st in runs (56)... Payton Henry is tied for 6th in the CL in home runs (9) and tied for 6th in the CL in RBI (47)... Matt Hardy is currently tied for 2nd in the CL in wins (7) and tied for 3rd in the CL in games (26)... Rodrigo Benoit is currently tied for 3rd in the CL in wins (6), tied for 2nd in games (27) and 2nd in the CL in saves (12)... Noah Zavolas is currently 3rd in the CL in ERA (2.94), 2nd in the CL in innings pitched (98.0) and 2nd in WHIP (1.15). Zavolas is also 1st in the CL in FIP (3.05), 1st in xFIP (3.29), 2nd in BB/9 (1.38) and 2nd in K/BB (4.87) per Fangraphs.com... Nelson Hernandez is 7th in the CL in average against (.250) and 2nd in innings (93.2).
CAROLINA LEAGUE LEADERS - TWO-OUT RBI
Player Team RBI HR AVG OPS
Henry, P CAR 27 6 .274 .853
Corredor, A POT 26 3 .244 .659
Feliciano, M CAR 23 6 .272 .892
Henry, R CAR 20 3 .258 .871
Adams, J FAY 20 5 .242 .723
BEANBALLS: The Carolina offense is currently 2nd in professional baseball (MLB & MiLB) with 70 hit-by-pitches this season. The Mudcats also totaled a Carolina League high 24 HBP in June.
JUNE BATS: Carolina went 16-11 in June and finished tied for 2nd in most wins in the CL last month behind Down East (18-8). The Mudcats offense also finished June ranked 1st in the CL in runs (124), 3rd in team average (.257), 3rd in home runs (18), 1st in OBP (.343), 4th in SLG (.384) and 2nd in OPS (.728). Carolina's offense averaged 9.07 SO per game in June; down from 10.81 SO/G in April and 11.37 SO/G in May.
ALL THE Ks: Carolina batters have combined to total a Carolina League high 874 (4th most in MiLB) strikeouts this season. The Mudcats are on pace to set a league and franchise record for strikeouts for the third straight season as they are on pace for 1,429 strikeouts this season. Carolina batters combined to total a CL and franchise record 1,311 strikeouts last season; breaking the previous CL and franchise record of 1,245 SO set by Carolina in 2017.
AG DEPARTMENT: Ryan Aguilar has hit safely in nine of his last 12 and is batting .378/.417/.622 with a 1.039 OPS over those last 12 games (17-for-45, 9 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 12 SO)... Aguilar started in center field for the seventh time this season in game one of a doubleheader on 7/5 vs. FRE. He has, however, been Carolina's primary first baseman this season and leads CL first baseman in fielding this year (74 G, .994 PCT, 4 E). Aguilar started in center 55 times last season (.993 PCT, 6 A, 1 E).
TALE OF TWO HALVES: Mario Feliciano began the first half of June batting .429/.489/.905 with a 1.394 OPS (18-for-42, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 13 RBI) over 12 games between 6/1 and 6/12. He then finished the month hitting just .151/.182/.151 with a .333 OPS (8-for-53, 3 R, 0 XBH, 6 RBI, 17 SO) over the final 13 games last month between 6/13 and 6/30.
LIGHTS OUT: Carolina's starting rotation is 5-5 with a 2.39 ERA over their last 13 starts and since Noah Zavolas pitched through a nine inning, complete-game shutout on 6/23 in Potomac (75.1 IP, 19 BB, 62 SO, 1.04 WHIP). The starters have also combined for two complete-game shutouts since 6/23 (Zavolas 6/23 at POT & Taugner 7/5 vs. FRE). Matt Smith has also turned in two 5.0 IP scoreless efforts on 6/30 vs. POT and 7/5 vs. FRE since 6/23.
BACK STOP SPLITS: Payton Henry and Mario Feliciano have split catching duties this season with Henry totaling 44 games behind the plate and Feliciano catching 40 games. Henry, meanwhile, has caught back-to-back games three times this season (4/14 & 4/15, 6/3 & 6/4, 6/26 & 6/27); Feliciano has caught back-to-back games once 6/14 & 6/15.... The Carolina pitching staff is 27-17 and has totaled a 3.49 ERA (3.0 BB/9, 9.0 SO/9) in games caught by Henry... Carolina's pitchers are 19-21 with a 4.38 ERA (3.1 BB/9, 8.0 SO/9) in games caught by Feliciano. 
THE SKIPPER: Manager Joe Ayrault became the winningest manager in Carolina Mudcats team history after collecting his 177th victory as skipper in Carolina on 6/15/19 vs. WS. Ayrault is in his 3rd season with Carolina and 8th overall as Manager of Milwaukee's High-A affiliate...
MANAGER W L PCT G SEASONS
Joe Ayrault 185 176 .512 361 2017-Present (3)
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.