Welcome to "Chatter from the Pressbox", the website dedicated to the Pressbox of the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

Today's Matchups Around the Ranger's System

Today's (5/20) Match-Ups Around the Ranger's System

Round Rock: Martin Perez (3-3 5.27) vs. Fresno Grizzlies: Andrew Kown (3-1 2.61) @ 1:00 PM CT

Myrtle Beach: Kyle Hendricks (1-4 2.91) @ Wilmington Blue Rocks: Sugar Ray Marimon (3-0 2.65) @ 12:30 PM CT

Hickory : Santo Perez (2-2 6.19) @ Asheville Tourists: Daniel Winkler (4-2 6.06) @ 1:05 PM CT



Monday, November 28, 2011

Texas League Best of the Best: Catcher

For the next couple of weeks, I am going to do an article series that rates how the 2011 Texas League teams compared to each other at each position. To begin the series, I will begin with the captain of the field, the catcher position.

Team Rankings: Offense

1. Northwest Arkansas Naturals: .291/.353/.460/.813 48 Extra Base Hits, 83 RBI, 51 R, 38 BB-78 K

The best team in the Texas League North got a big boost at the catcher spot as the team's catchers were the best in the league by quite a wide margin. Salvador Perez led the Natural's catchers with 300 plate appearance as the 21 year old started in Northwest Arkansas at the beginning of 2011 and finished up in Kansas City. In AA, Perez batted .289 with 14 doubles and 9 homeruns in 280 at bats and had a .769 OPS. He batted .333 over 12 games with the Omaha Storm Chasers and hit .333 with 3 homeruns over 158 plate appearances for the Royals. Ben Theriot only had 130 plate appearances for the Naturals, but he batted .322 and had 15 extra base hits, including 5 homeruns. As a catcher, Theriot had a .940 OPS, the best among the Natural's catchers.

2. Tulsa Drillers: .250/.313/.449/.762 49 Extra Base Hits, 62 RBI, 73 R, 43 BB-121 K

The Tulsa Drillers used the fewest catchers among the Texas League teams this season, but the Drillers also got the most homeruns from their catchers, and it wasn't even close. Top prospect Wilin Rosario is a big reason why the Drillers had so many homeruns as the 22 year old catcher followed up his 19 homerun campaign for Tulsa in 2010 with 21 homeruns in 2011. Offensively, he wasn't as sharp in 2011 as 2010, but Rosario was still by far the most powerful catcher in the league. Unfortunatley for Rosario though, the power didn't translate into run production as he drove in just 48 runs. This is due to 16 of his 21 homeruns coming with the bases empty. Rosario also struggled with RISP as he hit just .173 with men in scoring position and just .236 with runners on. Lars Davis was the other catcher that Tulsa used and what Rosario lacked in patience, Davis made up for as the backup catcher hit .255 with a .380 on base percentage and .783 OPS overall. Davis walked 25 times to 37 strikeouts. Over 336 plate appearances in Tulsa the last 2 seasons, Davis has combined for a .393 on base percentage.

3. Springfield Cardinals: .255/.309/.397/.706 41 Extra Base Hits, 71 RBI, 71 R, 39 BB-95 K

The St. Louis Cardinals affiliate used 5 different catchers during the 2011 season with Audry Perez topping the team in plate appearances at the catchers spot with 215. Perez batted .262 with a low .279 OBP, but slugged .432 as he had 21 extra base hits (7 homeruns) in those 215 plate appearances. His .711 OPS was solid, but not anywhere near the team's best offensive catcher, Charles Cutler, who used 175 plate appearances at the position to garner a .327/.389/.478/.867 batting line. Cutler had 12 extra base hits, drove in 22 runs, and scored 29 as well. The 25 year old Cutler holds a career batting line of .305/.385/.412/.797 in the minor leagues. He has had productive periods at every level of the minor leagues. Still, the 22 year old Perez is considered the better prospect of the two, and his minor league line of .289/.319/.473/.792 has something to do with that. Nick Derba, Travis Tartamella, and Steven Hill also saw time at catcher for Springfield and combined for 179 plate appearances between the three of them. Hill's bat has gotten him to the majors, but his defense is a reason he saw more time away from catcher than at catcher.


4. Frisco RoughRiders: .251/.297/.369/.667 36 Extra Base Hits, 62 RBI, 65 R, 29 BB-71 K

Frisco fans watched two different catchers carry most of the weight behind the plate in the 2011 season and I'm not sure that I can put more emphasis on "different". One catcher, Jose Felix, is a 23 year old catcher who's defense is the reason that he's gotten to AA, while the other, Elio Sarmiento, is a 25 year old catcher who's bat the last three years or so has had some success and his defense is not a strong suit. Sarmiento's bat carried the Rider's catchers as the switch hitter batted .278 with 20 extra base hits in 225 plate appearances. Jose Felix hit just .220 with a .535 OPS for the season, and also did seem to take a step back defensively. Both players drove in 27 runs, despite Felix getting 44 more plate appearances. Former major league catcher Robbie Diaz also spent time with Frisco as he rode the shuttle between Frisco and Round Rock in 2011. Diaz batted .306 and had 3 homeruns (2 in one game) in 59 plate appearances.

5. San Antonio Missions: .249/.304/.361/.665 38 Extra Base Hits, 61 RBI, 62 R, 35 BB-119 K

While he didn't make the best impression in Frisco, Ali Solis did produce pretty solidly for the season. Solis batted .267 with a .402 slugging percentage (21 extra base hits in 269 plate appearances) for the league champion San Antonio Missions. The Missions led the league with 8 different catchers used, including 2 former major league catchers, one on rehab (Nick Hundley). Kyle Phillips hit .316 in 81 plate appearances with the Missions. He spent most of three months with the big league club in 2011. While the Missions weren't great at the catcher spot, this might be the last time we see the team this low on the list on offense as San Antonio led the league in runs with 801 (5.72 runs per game).


6. Arkansas Travelers: .246/.301/.332/.633 24 Extra Base Hits, 53 RBI, 45 R, 34 BB-64 K

The Arkansas Travelers used 5 catchers in 2011 and the production from most on offense was not very good. Orlando Mercado did have 13 extra base hits (4 homeruns) and drove in 25 runs, but he also only had 188 plate appearances. His .279 average and .726 OPS were by far the best on the team. Alberto Rosario led the team with 320 plate appearances and it's clear his defense was the reason he played so much, because his .577 OPS was not a reason. Carlos Ramirez, Ikku Sumi, and Jeff Bandy were the other three catchers used and combined for 17 plate appearances.

7. Midland Rockhounds: .212/.308/.297/.605 23 Extra Base Hits, 52 RBI, 59 R, 59 BB-131 K

The only team in the league to have the catchers spot have a higher on base percentage than slugging percentage, the Rockhounds also were the only team in the league to get more than 50 walks from their catchers. Of course it didn't help a lot, because the Rockhounds still got bad production from their catchers as they were the only team in the league (albeit only 8 teams are in the league) to not have a player with a .700+ OPS in 100 or more plate appearances from the catchers spot. Petey Paramore led the Rockhounds with 179 plate appearances as a catcher, while Ryan Ortiz added 173 and Texas League veteran Mitch Canham had 138. Ortiz hit .250 with a .370 on base percentage, but had just a .318 slugging percentage. He had 6 extra base hits in 173 plate appearances. Paramore also hit just .192, but got on base at a .307 clip. His .585 OPS, however, was not good. Canham's .599 was not much better, while Yusuf Carter had a .460 OPS in 68 plate appearances, and Juan Nunez added 1 more plate appearance to give the Rockhounds 559 plate appearances from 5 catchers.

8. Corpus Christi Hooks: .185/.260/.261/.521 21 Extra Base Hits, 50 RBI, 39 R, 48 BB-116 K

It's interesting how the two worst Texas League teams at the catchers spot also were 1-2 in walks, but that's how it works sometimes. The Hooks spent the early part of the season with Federico Hernandez as their starting catcher and the process did not go well. Hernandez batted just .139 with a .426 OPS in 164 plate appearances, including 7 extra base hits. Former Frisco RoughRider Emerson Frostad was second on the Hooks with 148 plate appearances as a catcher. "Frosty" hit .203 with a .311 OBP, but slugged just .234. He had just 4 extra base hits and 6 RBI as a catcher, although he walked 20 times to 25 strikeouts. Chris Wallace was the Hook's best option offensively in 2011 as the 23 year old hit .244 with a .739 OPS in 136 plate appearances. Wallace, taken in the 16th round out of the University of Houston, skipped high-A to reach Corpus Christi. He began in A ball and hit .285 with 33 extra base hits in 275 plate appearances, to bring him to a .902 OPS there. Brian Esposito and Jonathon Fixler combined for 111 plate appearances, 3 extra base hits, and 5 RBI for the Hooks.


Team Rankings: Defense

1. Frisco RoughRiders: 1,074 Putouts, 128 Assists, 14 Double Plays, 7 Passed Balls, 32.3% Thrown Out%, 6 Pickoffs

The Frisco RoughRiders catchers displayed the best defense among the 8 teams in the Texas League in the 2011 season as the Riders got solid defense from both catchers in the 2011 season. They had the 3rd best thrown out %, 2nd most putouts, double plays, and pickoffs, while having the most assists and least amount of passed balls. They were the only team in the league with less than 10 passed balls. Jose Felix had just 2 passed balls in 70 games and threw out 35.6% of the potential basestealers. He also added a pickoff on May 9th. Elio Sarmiento also provided solid protection, although he had 5 passed balls in 57 games. Sarmiento also picked off 5 players throughout the season and threw out 29.4% of potential basestealers. Frisco catchers also had the least amount of stolen base attempts on them of any team in the league, which speaks to respect.

2. Northwest Arkansas Naturals: 982 Putouts, 115 Assists, 12 Double Plays, 12 Passed Balls, 35.6% Thrown Out %, 5 Pickoffs

In the first of what is really five closely contested teams over the next five slots, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals had the best all-around catchers. The Naturals had the best thrown out % and were top 4 in every other important catchers statistic. Their starting catcher, Salvador Perez, was by far the best catcher in the Texas League in terms of shutting down a running game as the catcher threw out 43 of the 90 would be basestealers. His 47.7% thrown out% was the best in the league of those with at least 100 plate appearances. Perez also was among the leaders in pickoffs as the team had 5 total with 4 coming from Perez. With 1 in AAA and 3 in the majors, Perez finished the season with 8 pickoffs. With 115 team assists from the catchers spot, the Naturals were also 3rd in the Texas League behind Frisco and Tulsa.

3. Arkansas Travelers: 940 Putouts, 109 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 10 Passed Balls, 30% Thrown Out%, 10 Pickoffs

The other team from Arkansas, the Arkansas Travelers had five catchers combine to give them the 3rd best defensive catchers in the league. Alberto Rosario, who saw the most time on the roster, displayed very good defense behind the plate and led the league in pickoffs with 7. The Travelers as a whole led the league in pickoffs, were 2nd in passed balls allowed, and committed the second least amount of errors (11).

4. Springfield Cardinals: 1,002 Putouts, 94 Assists, 16 Double Plays, 11 Passed Balls, 31.6% Thrown Out%, 2 Pickoffs

The Springfield Cardinals didn't have one particular starter catch a lot more than any other and due to that they might have been better off. The team finished consistently solid all-around, including a league leading 16 double plays and the 4th best thrown out% with 31.6%. Among the two with the most times behind the plate, Charles Cutler was a better defender than Audry Perez. Nick Derba also provided good defense behind the plate, which is no surprise coming from a player who was listed as the "best defensive catcher" in the Cardinal's system in the 2009 Baseball America Prospect Handbook.

5. Tulsa Drillers: 931 Putouts, 116 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 21 Passed Balls, 33.3% Thrown Out%, 1 Pickoff

The Tulsa Driller's defensive marvels in 2011 were inconsistent as the team was 2nd in assists and thrown out% and had the 2nd least amount of errors, but they also had the 2nd highest total of passed balls and the least amount of pickoffs and putouts. But if you're going to look in directions for who to blame the blame would be more likely to go with Lars Davis than top prospect Wilin Rosario. Armed with a strong arm, Rosario threw out 37.8% of potential basestealers, which was actually his lowest % since 23 games in rookie ball in 2007. Rosario did have 13 passed balls, however, but also had 652 putouts and a league best 82 assists.


6. San Antonio Missions: 1,085 Putouts, 111 Assists, 9 Double Plays, 13 Passed Balls, 29.7% Thrown Out%, 4 Pickoffs

Armed with the 8 catcher brigade, the San Antonio Missions defense from the catcher position was not among the best in the league, although they led the league in putouts. The Mission's 9 double plays were the 2nd lowest total, the thrown out % of 29.7% was the 3rd lowest total, and the 13 passed balls was right in the middle. The Missions catchers also committed tied for the 2nd most errors with 16 on the season. Of those 16, 12 came from Ali Solis, who spent 72 games behind the plate.

7. Corpus Christi Hooks: 1,047 Putouts, 76 Assists, 10 Double Plays, 15 Passed Balls, 17.9% Thrown Out%, 3 Pickoffs

In a season when most went wrong for the Corpus Christi Hooks, the team couldn't get hitting or fielding from an important spot on the field in the captain of the defense. Only the Rockhounds threw out less potential basestealers. Only San Antonio had less double plays. Only Midland and Tulsa had more passed balls than the Hooks. No team had less assists from their catchers than the Hook's 76. Corpus Christi had 4 catchers appear in at least 29 games at catcher and of those 4, only Federico Hernandez threw out more than 20% of the potential basestealers and his was 26%. He also led the team with 7 passed balls which was 1 short of the amount for the rest of the catchers.

8. Midland Rockhounds: 1,006 Putouts, 77 Assists, 5 Double Plays, 27 Passed Balls, 17% Thrown Out%, 2 Pickoffs

No group of catchers was worse in the Texas League than the Midland Rockhounds in 2011. Three different catchers allowed more than 40 steals as the team gave up a league high 166 stolen bases for the season. The team also had the 2nd least amount of assists, the least amount of double plays, the most passed balls, and the most amount of errors with 21. Ryan Ortiz, in particular, was bad as he led the team in errors (9), passed balls (12), and lowest thrown out % (13.5%). Allen, Texas native Petey Paramore gave up 61 stolen bases in 45 games behind the plate. All four of the catchers that caught more than a game, gave up more stolen bases than games played.


- By Michael Damman

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Playoffs Game Four: San Antonio Missions (Robbie Erlin) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Adalberto Flores)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Series: San Antonio up 2-1
Starting Pitchers: Adalberto Flores(0-0 0.00 ERA; 5-4 3.32 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Robbie Erlin (0-0 0.00 ERA; 1-0 1.38 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 14-21

Loss Puts Frisco on Brink of Elimination: Frisco never led in Friday's game, but tied San Antonio three times before eventually losing the tie and the game for a final time. Neither team scored more than 1 run in an inning in San Antonio's 5-3 victory over the Riders. The loss means Frisco is a loss from being eliminated in the playoffs in 2011. Former Rider Robbie Erlin will take the mound for San Antonio with the chance to eliminate his former team.

Pimentel Struggles With Command Early: It took 55 pitches for Carlos Pimentel to get through 2 innings, which included a 13 pitch battle by Jason Hagerty, who ended up drawing one of 4 walks by Pimentel. Pimentel lasted 4 innings in the start and gave up 2 hits, 4 walks, and 2 runs with 2 strikeouts. He threw 80 pitches, 47 of which went for strikes. He got a no decision in the start after leaving with the game tied 2-2.

Mitch Hilligoss Comes Up Big: The offensive performance of the night for and postseason so far for Frisco, surely goes to Mitch Hilligoss, who finished the game 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBI. Hilligoss, who had 14 of his 15 extra base hits at home this season, came up with a 0 out game tying RBI single in the 3rd inning after Renny Osuna stole 2nd and wound up at third on a wild pitch. Hilligoss doubled to lead off the 5th inning as Frisco then put 2 on with 0 outs before hitting into a fielders choice and a double play to end the threat. Hilligoss tied the game again with a single to score Jared Bolden in the 7th inning.

Osuna Gets Two Hits: Renny Osuna also broke out of a mild funk with a 2 for 3 game including a RBI, a walk, and a run scored. Osuna batted just .250 over his last 10 games of the regular season and is batting .250 in the postseason through 3 games. The Rider's hits leader has been one of the most consistent producers over the season, however.

Greene Walks Twice: For just the second game this season Jonathan Greene walked more than once in a game. In fact, he walked twice in a row to begin the game, which was a first for him. No matter who the player is, it's rare to have 2 walks in a row, but the fact that it was only the 2nd time he walked at least twice in a game this season is quite amazing. Greene hit .292 during the regular season and had 2 hits, including a double, in Frisco's 2-1 win over San Antonio in game two. He went 0 for 2 with the 2 walks on Friday.


Erlin Takes Mound in Game Four: It was fate really that the Riders playoff hopes would come down to beating former teammates Robbie Erlin and/or Joe Wieland. The moment that both were traded to San Diego on July 31st, Frisco had to know that the Mission's already strong rotation just got even stronger. Beating them in the postseason would have been a difficult task with Erlin and Wieland, let alone going up against the tough Missions and the two pitchers. Erlin, who went 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 6 starts for San Antonio, finished the 2011 season with a 9-4 record and a 2.99 ERA between high-A and AA. Erlin had a remarkable 154-16 K-BB ratio during the regular season, including a 92 K-11 BB ratio in 17 games/16 starts in the Texas League for the Frisco RoughRiders and San Antonio Missions. Erlin faced Frisco in Dr. Pepper Ballpark on August 8th and gave up 2 hits and 1 run over 6 innings with 9 strikeouts and 0 walks. He picked up a no-decision in the start.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Sandwich, MA!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Friday, September 9, 2011

Playoffs Game Three: San Antonio Missions (Casey Kelly) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Carlos Pimentel)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Series: Tied 1-1
Starting Pitchers: Carlos Pimentel (0-0 0.00 ERA; 7-9 4.74 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Casey Kelly (0-0 0.00 ERA; 11-6 3.98 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 14-20

Frisco Comes Home Tied 1-1: Like Wednesday the storyline on Thursday was the pitching of the Frisco RoughRiders and the San Antonio Missions. Unlike Wednesday, however, it was the Frisco RoughRiders who came home as the victors in the game. A 2 run 4th inning was just what Frisco needed to come back to Dr. Pepper Ballpark and a likely electric crowd tied 1-1 with a chance to seal it in Frisco. The Riders are 7-7 in their last 14 games against the Missions since beginning the season 7-13 against them. With already one win under their belt on the road against the Missions, the momentum has to be with Frisco right now as the team won just 5 games in San Antonio over 16 road games.

Snyder Struggles Early, Recovers Terrifically: Ben Snyder threw 63 pitches over the first 3 innings, but was able to escape a 2 on, 2 out jam in the 1st inning, a bases loaded 2 out jam in the 2nd inning, and a 2 on 2 out jam in the 3rd inning to preserve the shutout through 3 innings. Snyder then settled in and was able to go 6 innings in the start without allowing a run. Snyder gave up 3 hits and 4 walks with 4 strikeouts against a tough, patient San Antonio Misisons lineup.

Middle of the Order Proves Key: I stated it before the series that I thought that the Rider's key to winning the series against San Antonio was the middle of the order and on Thursday they proved that once again. Jonathan Greene went 2 for 4 with a double and a RBI, Tommy Mendonca went 2 for 4 with a double, and Mike Bianucci added a hit and a run in 4 at bats. After going 0 for 9 with 5 strikeouts on Wednesday, they went 5 for 12 with two doubles on Thursday. The trio produced most of the damage from the Frisco RoughRiders in the regular season and will need to continue that the next two or three nights for Frisco to win.

Players to Watch on Friday: It would be nice to see Davis Stoneburner's bat get going. The infielder had a productive season for Frisco in 2011 and when his bat is going strong it makes the Rider's tough to beat... Frisco continues to struggle with RISP as of late. Frisco is just 2 for 12 with RISP in the two games so far after going into a tailspin in such situations since the All-star break... Vincent Belnome hit Frisco very well during the regular season, but is batting just .200 early on in this postseason series. Frisco needs to continue to hold his bat down as he is one of San Antonio's best run producers...It will be interesting to see if San Antonio continues to have Ali Solis catch in Frisco. The Texas League All-star catcher has hit very poorly in Frisco this season despite a pretty decent season overall at the plate.

Pimentel Looks to Continue Productive Starts Lately: Carlos Pimentel doesn't always look like he is going to pitch well out there on the mound, but lately it hasn't really mattered because he has. The 22 year old right hander finished off an up and down season with a spurt of 6 starts where he posted a 1.60 ERA. Over his last two starts against the Missions, Pimentel is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA as he has gone 6 innings in both starts. In fact, Carlos Pimentel has pitched better against the San Antonio Missions than most pitchers could say in 2011. Pimentel has made 7 appearances against San Antonio and is 2-0 with a 2.97 ERA in those appearances. Considering San Antonio has had arguably the best offense in the Texas League from start to finish, that is quite impressive from the right hander.


As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Bear, DE!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Playoff Game Two: Frisco RoughRiders (Ben Snyder) @ San Antonio Missions (Simon Castro)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium (San Antonio, TX)
Series: San Antonio up 1-0
Starting Pitchers: Ben Snyder (0-0 0.00 ERA; 11-5 3.87 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Simon Castro (0-0 0.00 ERA; 5-6 4.33 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 13-20

Missions Take Game One in Pitching Duel: The stage was set on Wednesday for a terrific possible pitching matchup and the two teams lived up to those expectations with flying colors. Joe Wieland navigated his way through 7 outstanding innings for the Missions, while Robbie Ross set a career high for strikeouts in the start. Together the two went head to head as well as any pitching matchup this season. In the end, however, it was one mistake by Robbie Ross that nailed the coffin closed and literately just one mistake.  Frisco fell 3-0 to the Missions with all 3 runs coming in the 6th inning or later.


Ross Outstanding for Frisco: Robbie Ross was as good as any pitcher in the Texas League down the stretch and on Wednesday he was no different. Ross struggled with command at times as he walked 4 batters in a start for the first time all year. In fact, in his 6 starts for Frisco prior to the start, Ross had only walked 5 batters combined. Ross did, however, strikeout a career best 12 batters and gave up just 1 hit, a RBI double to Cody Decker, over 6 strong innings. Ross went pitch for pitch against former teammate and good friend Joe Wieland in the start until one mistake gave San Antonio the lead and the momentum. Ross made 107 pitches, 63 of which were for strikes.

Strikeouts Galore: Pitching was definitely the story in the first game of the playoffs between the two best teams in the Texas League this season. And the best way to tell was the amount of strikeouts that took place in Nelson Wolff Stadium. There were nine players that struck out 2 times or more in the game, including two with 3 strikeouts. Frisco's Tommy Mendonca and San Antonio's Ali Solis were a combined 0 for 7 with 6 strikeouts in the game. The only starters who did not strikeout in the game were Renny Osuna, Mitch Hilligoss, Mike Bianucci, Jared Bolden, Blake Tekotte, and Dean Anna. There were only 6 combined hits in the game as well and for the majority of the game Frisco led in hits.

Snyder Brings Road Record to San Antonio: Ben Snyder takes the mound for Frisco tonight and with him will be his 7-0 record with a 1.96 ERA away from Dr. Pepper Ballpark. Obviously statistics from the regular season mean nothing at this point, however, it should still be watched for. Snyder has pitched considerably better on the road than at home and he pitched especially good down the stretch for the Riders. Snyder has won three consecutive starts as well, including an August 23rd start against the Missions where he gave up 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings. Snyder has made 147 pitches over his last 14 innings picking up two victories against the Midland Rockhounds and the Corpus Christi Hooks on the road.

Yan extends First Pitch Streak and Ends it: Johan Yan extended his first pitch strike streak to 23 batters on Wednesday before throwing a first pitch ball to Sawyer Carroll in the 8th inning.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Goodfood, MS!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Playoffs Game One: Frisco RoughRiders (Robbie Ross) @ San Antonio Missions (Joe Wieland)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium (San Antonio, TX)
Series: Tied 0-0
Starting Pitchers: Robbie Ross (0-0 0.00 ERA; 1-1 2.61 ERA regular season w/ Frisco) vs. Joe Wieland (0-0 0.00 ERA; 3-1 2.77 ERA regular season w/ San Antonio)
Season Record vs. San Antonio: 13-19


Frisco Faces Former Starter: One of the big story lines in the postseason series between Frisco and San Antonio will be that of the Riders going up against their former teammates Joe Wieland (tonight's starter) and Robbie Erlin (game 3 starter). Both pitchers began the 2011 season in Myrtle Beach, the high-A minor league team of the Texas Rangers. Joe Wieland made his first AA start for Frisco on June 27th against the Corpus Christi Hooks after using his dominant command to navigate his way through the Carolina League. Wieland gave up 6 hits and 1 run over 5 strong innings with 5 strikeouts and a usual 0 walks in his Frisco debut against the Hooks. Over 7 starts for the Riders, Wieland went 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA over 44 innings. Wieland gave up 35 hits, 11 walks, and struck out 36 batters. His stay in Frisco was culminated by his July 29th start against his current team, the San Antonio Missions, when Wieland threw a no-hitter against the Missions. Wieland was traded by the Texas Rangers on July 31st along with Robbie Erlin to the San Diego Padres in exchange for major league reliever Mike Adams. A strong San Antonio Missions rotation got a lot stronger at the deadline in exchange for a stronger Texas Ranger's team.

Ross Has Been Bonafide: While there was a lot of talk about the two arms going to San Diego, and rightfully so, there is one pitcher who has been able to step up and fill the shoes of one of those two arms, at least at the AA level. Robbie Ross, the starter for Frisco against Joe Wieland in game one tonight, has been as good as any starter in the Texas League since being promoted from Myrtle Beach and yet has somewhat gone under the radar. Over his 6 starts for Frisco, Ross has compiled a 2.66 ERA with a 1-1 record and has gone 7 innings in three of the six starts. Like Wieland and Erlin, Ross has had exceptional control this year and it hasn't gone away in AA. In his 38 innings pitched, Ross has walked just 5 batters and has struck out 36. Ross also has given up 33 hits leading to a 1.00 WHIP in AA. Left handed hitters are batting just .143 against the southpaw compared to the .267 average that right handed batters have against him. Part of the reason for the success has been Ross's exceptional production when facing runners on base. When runners are on base, opponents have just a .504 OPS against Ross in the 6 starts. Granted the sample size is small, but even in high-A it was .621.

Offense Will be Key: Obviously in baseball (and most sports outside of maybe golf), you have to score more than the other team to win. And with this series, Frisco will need to score runs and plenty of them. Matchups wise Frisco probably does not have the advantage from a starting pitching standpoint as San Antonio will throw three legitimate potential major league arms in the first three games against Frisco and then also has two or three more of them that could start, but might not. Frisco has not done well against San Antonio's pitching this season as the Riders carry a team batting line of .240/.296/.356/.652 against the Missions this season. If Frisco is to advance against San Antonio, they will need to get their big bats going against the Mission's pitching. Tommy Mendonca, Jonathan Greene, and Mike Bianucci, who combined for 73 homeruns and 251 RBI this season, had just 12 homeruns and 43 RBI against the Missions this season in 32 games. Only Bianucci had an OPS above .700 against the Missions and he was the only one of the three players to have an OPS under .800 this season. Mendonca and Greene combined for 51 hits, 22 extra base hits, 13 walks, and 78 strikeouts this season against San Antonio.

San Antonio, however, has not done a whole lot better against Frisco pitching this season as the Mission's, who scored 20 or more runs three times in the month of April, hit just .237/.328/.365/.692 against Frisco this season. Frisco is also 6-6 against the Missions in their last 12 games, although most of that came without one of San Antonio's best hitters, Vincent Belnome, who was hurt during that time. Belnome hit .327/.431/.655/1.085 against Frisco during the regular season when he was healthy and the left handed hitter is back healthy again. His impact, however, may be negated as Andy Parrino is now in the major leagues. Parrino put up a 1.157 OPS, including a .484 on base percentage in 14 games against Frisco this season.

Yan Finishes Strong: Johan Yan faced 4 batters in the last game on Monday and threw first pitch strikes to all four of them. With the four, Yan extended his consecutive first pitch strikes to 20 straight batters. In 19 appearances for Frisco, Yan went 0-0 with 2 saves and a microscopic 0.34 ERA. His WHIP with Frisco is 1.01 this season as well. Overall for the season, Yan finished 5-3 in 45 appearances with a 1.06 ERA. He gave up 51 hits, 22 walks, and struck out 66 batters over 68 innings pitched.

Frisco Faces History: The San Antonio Missions come into the playoffs after finishing the season with 94 wins. Not only were the wins the most by a team in the Texas League this year, but they were the most wins by a team since the Texas League went to a 140 game schedule in the early 1960s. That is an impressive win total for a major league team and probably good enough to get a team to the postseason most of the years. In the minor leagues, 94 wins is off the charts good. 

2011 By the Numbers
 
509,331: The number of people to attend a Frisco RoughRider's home game this season. Once again, Frisco led the Texas League and AA baseball in attendance.

39,474: Pitches Seen by both Frisco and their opponents combined. 

8,023: Strikeout total in the Texas League in 2011, which is a league record.

2,236: Pitches that Renny Osuna saw in 2011, which was the most on the team. Osuna averaged 3.91 pitches per plate appearance.

1,031: Amount of homeruns hit by the Texas League, which is the second most in the history of the league.

431: Amount of wins by the Texas Ranger's minor league system this year.

347: Hit total that Renny Osuna has in his career for the Frisco RoughRiders.

321: The amount of strikeouts by Jonathan Greene and Tommy Mendonca this season, the most by teammates in the history of the Texas League.

77: Total Starts that Frisco received from their starting pitcher with a game score of 50 or above this season. 

56.1: Percentage of times that Tommy Mendonca swung at the first pitch in 2011, a team high.

20: Extra base hit total by catcher Elio Sarmiento, which is a career best for the switch hitting catcher.

19: The run total by Frisco on July 22nd against the Corpus Christi Hooks. The game featured 24 hits by Frisco, including 8 homeruns, both of which were franchise highs for a single game. Tommy Mendonca was the story of the game with 3 homeruns himself.

14: Number of strikeouts by pitcher Robbie Erlin, a Frisco RoughRider's single game record, on June 26th.

7: Winning streak total by the Round Rock Express (April 16th-22nd) and the  Hickory Crawdads (June 11th-18th), the longest by a Texas Ranger's affiliate this season.

5: Amount of splash balls hit at Dr. Pepper Ballpark this season, which is by far the most in team history for a single season. It also is the amount of months that Frisco had with a winning record. After the 8-14 start in April, Frisco didn't seem to be heading very far, but they quickly turned it around with an 18-10 May and finished with a .602 winning% from May 1st to the end of the season.

2: Number of no-hitters or perfect games by a Frisco pitcher this season. Martin Perez threw a rain shortened 5 inning perfect game on April 19th and Joe Wieland mastered the San Antonio Missions for a no-hitter on July 29th. 

5/12: No, that's not 5/12ths, that is 5/12 as in May 12th the day that Leonys Martin made his AA debut for Frisco when the outfielder went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, a RBI, and a stolen base. He finished with a .348/.435/.571/1.007 batting line for Frisco in 29 games before being promoted to AAA and eventually the big leagues. He was an impact bat for Frisco and gave the Rider's a big jolt when they needed it most. 

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Possum Trot, KY!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Monday, September 5, 2011

Game 140: Midland Rockhounds (Sonny Gray) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Kyle Hendricks)

Time: 6:00 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (39-30 5 games back in the Texas League South; 79-60 overall)... Midland Rockhounds (35-34 9 games back in the Texas League South; 62-77 overall)
Streak: Won 5 in a row
Last 10: 8-2
Homestand: 2-0
Series Record: 21-14-4
2011 Record against Midland: 18-9
All-Time Record against Midland: 121-106
Record on September 5th since 2004: 2-2
Starting Pitchers: Kyle Hendricks (0-0 0.00) vs. Sonny Gray (1-0 0.00)

Frisco Defeats Midland, Takes Final Regular Season Series: The Riders guaranteed another series win on Sunday with a 4-3 come from behind victory over the Midland Rockhounds. Frisco got solid pitching from Flores and Jake Brigham and got a key 2 RBI single from Mike Bianucci. Frisco remains a possibility for 80 wins this season and remains hot as the team rolls into the postseason beginning on Wednesday. Frisco is 12-3 in their last 15 games and improved their record to 71-46 (.607 winning%) since May 1st.


Flores Goes 5 in Second Start: Adalberto Flores doubled the length of his first start and extended through 5 innings of solid pitching against the Midland Rockhounds. Flores gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs (2 earned) with a strikeout as well. In what was his last appearance of the regular season for Frisco, Flores finished with 81 1/3 innings pitched, 72 hits given up, 38 walks, and 80 strikeouts. His 80 strikeouts mark a career best as do the innings pitched. In 141 2/3 innings for Frisco over the last 2 seasons, Adalberto has struck out 141 batters.

Inning by Inning Count

1: 17 Pitches- 10 Strikes- 4 Called- 0 Swinging- 2 Fouls- 7 Balls- 4 BPIP- 1 BB- 1 Hit
2: 21 Pitches- 13 Strikes- 4 Called- 2 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 8 Balls- 4 BPIP- 1 Swinging K- 1 Hit- 1 ROE
3: 15 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 2 Called- 0 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 6 Balls- 4 BPIP- 1 Hit
4: 6 Pitches- 6 Strikes- 2 Called- 1 Swinging- 0 Fouls- 0 Balls- 3 BPIP
5: 17 Pitches- 11 Strikes- 3 Called- 0 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 6 Balls- 5 BPIP- 2 Hits

Total: 76 Pitches- 49 Strikes- 15 Called- 3 Swinging- 11 Fouls- 27 Balls- 20 BPIP- 1 Swinging K- 1 BB- 5 Hits- 1 ROE

Middle of the Order Production: For the second consecutive game, the middle of the order produced like they have for much of the season. Tommy Mendonca, Mike Bianucci, and Jonathan Greene, the 3 through 5 hitters in the Rider's lineup combined to go 5 for 12 with 2 RBI. All three hitters have at least a .773 OPS and two of the three are above .800. Mike Bianucci's 2 RBI give him the team lead now in RBI with 88 as he went 1 up on Tommy Mendonca, who has 87.

Bottom of the Order's Patience: While the middle of the order produced the hits, it was the bottom of the order that produced the patience and had key at bats. Engel Beltre, Jose Felix, and Jared Bolden, the team's 7 through 9 hitters combined to go 1 for 5 with 4 walks, a sac bunt, and a sac fly. They also had a RBI and 2 run scored. Jared Bolden, batting 9th, went 0 for 0 with 2 walks and a sacrifice fly. For Jose Felix it was just his 10th walk of the season, while it was Engel Beltre's 12th walk since August 1st.

Brigham Comes Through Big: Jake Brigham provided outstanding relief in the game as he breezed through his first 3 innings of relief. Brigham did hit a wall in the 9th inning after he loaded the bases with 1 out and just a 1 run lead. However, Brigham struck out both Matt Sulentic and Grant Green swinging to end the game. Brigham now has 114 strikeouts this season, which is best on the team by 4 over Carlos Pimentel's 110. Brigham did struggle to get ahead of the batters as he threw first pitch strikes to just 6 of the 16 batters he faced. Overall, as a reliever his first pitch strike% has been a less than stellar 45.7%. He is the only reliever for Frisco this season, no matter how many appearances, to have a first pitch strike% under 50%.


Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 1,022 homeruns in 1,106 games

Term of the Day: Horn- A mythical award given to a batter who strikes out six times in a game.

Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Midland Rockhounds 10-5 on the road. Travis Chick started for Frisco and gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs over 5 innings with 3 strikeouts. Tyler Tufts pitched 2 shutout innings of relief, while Mark Hamburger gave up 2 runs in 2 innings of relief. Renny Osuna led Frisco with a 2 for 4 game including 3 RBI. Emerson Frostad also went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI for the Rider's. Andy Jenkins added a 3 for 5 game with a double and a RBI. Marcus Lemon went 1 for 2 with a double and 3 walks. Guilder Rodriguez added a 2 for 3 game with a walk. Engel Beltre and Joey Butler each added a hit in the game.


As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Hazard, KY!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Game 139: Midland Rockhounds (Sonny Gray) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Adalberto Flores)

Time: 6:00 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (38-30 5 games back in the Texas League South; 78-60 overall)... Midland Rockhounds (35-33 8 games back in the Texas League South; 62-76 overall)
Streak: Won 4 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Homestand: 1-0
Series Record: 21-14-4
2011 Record against Midland: 17-9
All-Time Record against Midland: 120-106
Record on September 4th since 2004: 2-3

Starting Pitchers: Adalberto Flores (5-4 3.30 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (1-0 0.00 ERA)

Frisco Takes Lead Early, Cruises to Victory over Midland: Frisco scored on 3 wild pitches and took a commanding 9-1 lead through 5 innings before holding on for a 9-4 victory over the Midland Rockhounds. Frisco's win keeps them within the realm of possibility of 80 wins for the season as they are at 78 wins with 2 games to go. The 5 run victory was Frisco's largest margin of victory since a 10-3 win over the Tulsa Drillers on August 14th.

Pimentel Effectively Wild In Victory: Carlos Pimentel kept his recent streak of solid pitching alive despite giving up 4 walks, 2 hit batters, and a wild pitch over 5 2/3 innings. Pimentel gave up just 3 hits, 1 unearned run, and had 5 strikeouts as well. Over his last 6 starts, Pimentel is 3-1 with a 1.60 ERA.

Inning by Inning Count

1: 20 Pitches- 11 Strikes- 2 Called- 2 Swinging- 5 Fouls- 8 Balls- 2 BPIP- 1 HBP- 1 Swinging K
2: 7 Pitches- 6 Strikes- 2 Called- 1 Swinging- 1 Foul- 1 Ball- 2 BPIP- 1 Swinging K
3: 24 Pitches- 14 Strikes- 3 Called- 3 Swinging- 4 Fouls- 10 Balls- 4 BPIP- 1 Called K- 1 BB- 2 Hits
4: 22 Pitches- 14 Strikes- 4 Called- 3 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 7 Balls- 4 BPIP- 1 HBP- 1 Swinging K- 1 BB- 1 Hit- 1 ROE
5: 18 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 0 Called- 1 Swinging- 5 Fouls- 9 Balls- 3 BPIP- 1 BB
6: 17 Pitches- 8 Strikes- 0 Called- 3 Swinging- 4 Fouls- 9 Balls- 1 BPIP- 1 Swinging- 1 BB

Total: 108 Pitches- 62 Strikes- 11 Called- 13 Swinging- 22 Fouls- 44 Balls- 16 BPIP- 2 HBP- 1 Called K- 4 Swinging K- 4 BB- 3 Hits- 1 ROE

Bianucci Reaches 60 XBH: Mike Bianucci has been struggling lately, but on Saturday Frisco's leading homerun hitter had a breakout 3 for 4 game with 2 singles and a double. His double marked his 60th extra base hit of the season, which leads Frisco's offense this season. Bianucci's 2 RBI also marked the first time he drove in a run since August 26th.

Top 5 Frisco RoughRider's Extra Base Hit Totals

1. 64- Steve Murphy (2008)
2. 62- Nate Gold (2006)
3. 60- Mike Bianucci (2011)
4. 60- Kevin Mahar (2006)
5. 59- German Duran (2007)

Greene Reaches Base Three Times: Jonathan Greene went 2 for 3 at the plate for Frisco with a double and was hit by pitch for the 19th time of the season. Greene is 1 hit by pitch from reaching 20 for the third time in four seasons and one double from reaching 30 for the first time in his career.

Overall Middle of the Order Production: Between Bianucci, Greene, and Tommy Mendonca, the Rider's 3 through 5 hitters combined to go 7 for 11 and reached base 8 times overall. The trio has combined for 75 homeruns and 248 RBI this season. They have more homeruns combined than the entire Frisco RoughRider's team had last season. The RBI are most by a Rider's trio in team history.

Century Sombero: As noted in the pressbox last night, Engel Beltre struck out three times last night to cross the 100 mark. In baseball, if a player strikes out 3 times in a game it is considered a "sombrero". With Beltre crossing the 100 mark, Frisco now has 4 players with 100 strikeouts for the first time in team history. Frisco had never had more than 2 players with 100 or more strikeouts in a single season before.

Johan Yan Continues Command: Johan Yan may not have the excellent command overall that you would like to see, but Yan has thrown first pitch strikes to 16 consecutive batters spanning three outings. Yan pitched 2/3 of an inning of relief in the 9th inning last night to close out the game.

Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 1,014 homeruns in 1,098 Games

Term of the Day: Make it look harder than it is- To make a routine play look spectacular, sometimes stemming from ineptness or the urge to show off.

Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Midland Rockhounds 5-0 on the road. Richard Bleier started for Frisco and gave up 2 hits and struck out 1 batter over 3 shutout innings. Beau Jones picked up the win with 4 innings of scoreless relief, while Fabio Castillo pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief. Guilder Rodriguez led Frisco's offense with a 3 for 4 game including a double and 3 runs scored. Andy Jenkins went 2 for 4 with a RBI for the Riders. Jose Felix added a 2 for 4 game with a double, while Emerson Frostad went 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Marcus Lemon and Renny Osuna each added a hit as well.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Gripe, AZ!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Game 138: Midland Rockhounds (Anthony Capra) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Carlos Pimentel) ---TV Game---

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (37-30 5 games back in the Texas League South; 77-60 overall)... Midland Rockhounds (35-32 7 games back in the Texas League South; 62-75 overall)
Streak: Won 3 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Road Trip: 5-2
Series Record: 21-14-4
2011 Record against Midland: 16-9
All-Time Record against Midland: 119-106
Record on September 3rd since 2004: 6-0
Starting Pitchers: Carlos Pimentel (6-9 4.94 ERA) vs. Anthony Capra (1-6 5.26 ERA)

Riders Defeat Hooks, Take Series: For the third game in a row, Frisco rallied to defeat the Corpus Christi Hooks late in the game. This time it came a bit earlier, as Frisco scored 3 runs in the 6th inning to defeat the Hooks 3-1 on the heels of another tremendous pitching performance from southpaw Ben Snyder. Frisco now comes home for the final regular season series against the Midland Rockhounds knowing that they are in the playoffs next week.

Snyder Goes 7 Strong Again: For the second consecutive outing, Ben Snyder went 7 outstanding innings while maintaining a pitch count under 80 pitches. Over his past 2 starts, Ben Snyder has pitched 14 innings on just 147 pitches, including 100 strikes (68% strike%). He gave up 4 hits and 1 run, while he struck out 3 batters and did not issue a walk. Snyder earned his 11th win of the season, including his 14th as a Frisco RoughRider. Over his past 6 starts, Snyder is 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. On the road this season, Snyder is 7-0 with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. If Frisco were to go with the scheduled regular starter in the playoffs, Snyder would be starting in the second game on the road against the San Antonio Missions. Over his past 3 starts against San Antonio, Snyder is 1-1 with a 3.20 ERA.


Inning by Inning Count

1: 11 Pitches- 8 Strikes- 2 Called- 1 Swinging- 2 Fouls- 3 Balls- 3 BPIP- 1 ROE
2: 10 Pitches- 8 Strikes- 4 Called- 0 Swinging- 1 Foul- 2 Balls- 3 BPIP
3: 8 Pitches- 6 Strikes- 1 Called- 1 Swinging- 1 Foul- 2 Balls- 3 BPIP
4: 14 Pitches- 11 Strikes- 3 Called- 4 Swinging- 0 Fouls- 3 Balls- 4 BPIP- 1 Swinging K- 2 Hits
5: 13 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 1 Called- 2 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 4 Balls- 3 BPIP- 1 Swinging K- 1 Hit
6: 11 Pitches- 6 Strikes- 2 Called- 0 Swinging- 1 Foul- 5 Balls- 3 BPIP- 1 Hit
7: 12 Pitches- 8 Strikes- 2 Called- 2 Swinging- 2 Fouls- 4 Balls- 2 BPIP- 1 Swinging K

Total: 79 Pitches- 56 Strikes- 15 Called- 10 Swinging- 10 Fouls- 23 Balls- 21 BPIP- 3 Swinging K- 4 Hits- 1 ROE

Beltre's Big Game: Engel Beltre may have only seen 4 pitches on Friday, but he made good use of those 4 pitches as the enigmatic outfielder went 2 for 4 at the plate with a triple and a single. Beltre also added his 16th stolen base of the season and scored his 7th run in his last 10 games. Over the last 10 games, Beltre is batting .265 with a .359 OBP and is 3 for 3 in stolen base attempts. In the second half of the season, Beltre is 13 for 17 in steal attempts after going just 3 for 5 in the first half.


Hilligoss Gets an Extra Base Hit: For the first time as a Frisco RoughRider this season, Mitch Hilligoss hit an extra base hit on the road. Hilligoss, who had hit his first 14 extra base hits at home, finished up a 7 for 27 road trip by going 1 for 3 with a double and a sacrifice bunt. The double was his 10th double in 50 games for Frisco. Hilligoss also has 2 triples and 3 homeruns. He is batting .286/.351/.548/.899 at Dr. Pepper Ballpark this season compared to .248/.276/.257/.534 on the road.

Greene Drives in 75th: Jonathan Greene became the third player on Frisco this season with 75 or more RBI when he reached on an error with nobody out in the 6th inning. Greene finished 0 for 4 with his 160th strikeout of the season as well, a first for a Frisco RoughRider. Greene is two homeruns shy of 20 homeruns for the season as well with three games to go.

Bianucci Hit for 12th time: Mike Bianucci is one of four Frisco RoughRider's who have been hit by at least 10 pitches this season, which matches the amount of players they had in team history entering 2011. Bianucci was hit for the 12th time on Friday, which marked the 81st time a Frisco RoughRider's hitter has been hit by a pitch. The previous high in team history was 77 coming in 2004. Greene leads the team with 18 hit by pitches this season, which is the most in team history in a single season. Greene was not new to being hit by pitches, however, as he was hit by 36 pitches in 2008 for Clinton, which is still a Midwest League record.

Texas League Breaks Record: Last season the Texas League set a league record for strikeouts in a season with 7,829. On Friday night, the 2011 Texas League surpassed that record with 56 strikeouts to get to 7,844 for the season. The Rider's Jonathan Greene leads the Texas League with 160 strikeouts this season, while teammate Tommy Mendonca is second in the league with 155 and Mike Bianucci is fifth in the league with 131 strikeouts. There are 14 players with 100 or more strikeouts this season in the Texas League. The Tulsa Drillers (1,082) and San Antonio Missions (1,062) both have more than 1,000 strikeouts this season as a team. At least three more teams are likely to cross the 1,000 mark before the season is all said and done.

Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 1,003 homeruns in 1,090 games


Term of the Day: Record Book- 1. The official document in which all numbers and statisitcs of players, clubs, and leagues are kept. The term is often used in the plural. 2. A mythical document containing such records.

Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 2-1 on the road. Danny Gutierrez started for Frisco and earned the win after giving up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts over 6 shutout innings. Adalberto Flores gave up 1 unearned run in 1 inning of relief, while Tim Murphy pitched 2 scoreless relief innings for the save. Renny Osuna led Frisco's offense with a 2 for 4 game including a double and a run scored. Andy Jenkins went 1 for 4 for the Riders with a double. Johnny Whittleman and Elio Sarmiento each went 1 for 3 in the game as well.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Dinosaur, CO!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Friday, September 2, 2011

Game 137: Frisco RoughRiders (Ben Snyder) @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Erick Abreu)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (36-30 6 games back in the Texas League South; 76-60 overall)... Corpus Christi Hooks (25-41 17 games back in the Texas League South; 50-86 overall)
Streak: Won 2 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Road Trip: 4-2
Series Record: 20-14-4
2011 Record against Corpus Christi: 17-14
All-Time Record against Corpus Christi: 112-103
Record on September 2nd since 2004: 4-2
Starting Pitchers: Ben Snyder (10-5 4.03 ERA) vs. Erick Abreu (6-7 4.51 ERA)

Osuna Leads Frisco Over Corpus Christi Again: A night after hitting a grand slam in the 8th inning, it was Osuna's bases clearing double with the bases loaded in the 8th inning that gave Frisco their second 9th win in their last 12 games. Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 4-1 on Thursday to guarantee a split and a season series victory over the last place Corpus Christi Hooks.

Ramirez Has Hooks Fishing: Neil Ramirez was as good as he has been for Frisco on Thursday as the right hander gave up 3 hits, 2 walks, and a run over 4 2/3 innings with 7 strikeouts, the most he's had since striking out 9 on June 5th for the Round Rock Express. Despite making only 79 pitches, Ramirez got the Hooks hitters to swing and miss at 18 of the pitches, which is the 2nd most by a Frisco RoughRider this season. Only Robbie Erlin had more in a start when he got the Hooks to swing and miss 22 times in the game where he struck out 14 batters. In 6 starts for Frisco, Ramirez has given up 13 hits, walked 8, and struck out 24 batters over 19 innings.

Inning by Inning Count

1: 9 Pitches- 8 Strikes- 2 Called- 4 Swinging- 1 Foul- 1 BPIP- 1 Called K- 1 Swinging K
2: 14 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 4 Called- 3 Swinging- 0 Fouls- 5 Balls- 2 BPIP- 1 Called K
3: 23 Pitches- 19 Strikes- 2 Called- 6 Swinging- 7 Fouls- 4 Balls- 4 BPIP- 1 Called K- 2 Hits
4: 20 Pitches- 13 Strikes- 4 Called- 4 Swinging- 5 Fouls- 7 Balls- 0 BPIP- 2 Called K- 1 Swinging K- 1 BB
5: 13 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 2 Called- 1 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 4 Balls- 3 BPIP- 1 BB- 1 Hit

Total: 79 Pitches- 58 Strikes- 14 Called- 18 Swinging- 16 Fouls- 21 Balls- 10 BPIP- 5 Called K- 2 Swinging K- 2 BB- 3 Hits


Osuna Strikes Again: The day after hitting a grand slam, it was Renny Osuna's 3 RBI double in the 8th inning that gave Frisco the lead and win again. Osuna finished just 1 for 4 in the game, but the hit was the deciding factor in the game. Osuna also scored the 4th run when he came home on a Mitch Hilligoss single after hitting the double. Osuna now has 11 RBI over his last 5 games, including 8 in the first 3 games of this series with Corpus Christi. For the season, Osuna is batting a team leading .301 with 23 doubles, 10 homeruns, 64 RBI, and 70 runs scored. With the 70 runs, Osuna is now the 4th Frisco batter with 70 or more runs this season, which marks a first in team history.


Sarmiento, Bolden Multiple Hits: Elio Sarmiento and Jared Bolden each went 2 for 4 in the game for Frisco as Sarmiento knocked his 11th double of the season and 20th extra base hit of the season, a first in his career. Jared Bolden had his 5th multi hit game for Frisco in 17 games for the Riders.

Stoneburner Gets On Twice: For the third game in a row, Davis Stoneburner took a walk and it marked the fourth time in five games that Stoneburner has gotten on base at least twice. Stoneburner used the two times on base to steal second base twice in the game and he scored his 63rd run of the season as well on the double by Renny Osuna. Stoneburner is currently riding a 9 game hitting streak as well as a 15 game road on base streak.


Taking Relief to Heart: Richard Bleier continues to roll as a reliever this season. The 24 year old southpaw earned the win on Thursday with 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief, which extended his scoreless relief effort to 10 2/3 innings. As a reliever this season, Bleier has made 18 appearances over 33 innings. He has given up 31 hits, walked 6 batters, struck out 22, and has a 2.45 ERA. He is 4-2 as a reliever as well. He has inherited 10 runners and 3 of those have scored.

Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 1,001 homeruns in 1,082 games (0.925 HR/G)

Term of the Day: Run Support Index- An adjusted measure of a pitcher's average run support, proposed by CHris Jaffe at a research presentation during the 34th national convention of the Society for American Baseball Research, July 2004.

Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 8-7 on the road in 12 innings. Clayton Hamilton started for Frisco and gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 1 1/3 innings with 1 strikeout. Michael Schlact gave up 6 runs over 3 1/3 innings of relief. Fabio Castillo pitched 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief, while Mark Hamburger and Chris Mobley combined for 5 innings of scoreless relief. Mobley picked up the win, while Tyler Tufts pitched a scoreless 12th inning for the save. Joey Butler led Frisco's offense with a 4 for 5 game including a double, 2 RBI, and a walk. Marcus Lemon and Renny Osuna each went 3 for 7 for the Riders. Guilder Rodriguez added a 2 for 4 game with a walk, while Jose Felix went 2 for 6 with a RBI. Andy Jenkins, Emerson Frostad, and Engel Beltre each added a hit as well.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Shoulderblade, KY!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Game 136: Frisco RoughRiders (Neil Ramirez) @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Jake Buchanan)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (35-30 6 games back in the Texas League South; 75-60 overall)... Corpus Christi Hooks (25-40 16 games back in the Texas League South; 50-85 overall)
Streak: Won 1 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Road Trip: 3-2
Series Record: 20-14-4
2011 Record against Corpus Christi: 16-14
All-Time Record against Corpus Christi: 111-103
Record on September 1st since 2004: 2-6
Starting Pitchers: Neil Ramirez (1-0 1.88 ERA) vs. Jake Buchanan (0-0 0.00 ERA)

Grand Slam Carries Rider's Past Hooks: Frisco took a 2-0 lead into the 6th inning on Wednesday, but gave up 2 runs in the 6th and 3 runs in the 7th inning to the Hooks. With 6 outs remaining, Frisco got a rally in the 8th inning capped by a 2 out Grand Slam by Renny Osuna, who was not even in the starting lineup for Frisco. Frisco held on for the 6-5 victory over the Hooks despite a Hooks rally in the 9th inning where they loaded the bases with 2 outs. Frisco's 35th victory of the second half guaranteed at least a .500 second half and was their 75th win of the season, which marks Frisco's highest win total since 2008 when the Rider's won 84 games and lost in the championship to Arkansas. The team's 75 wins are the 4th highest total in the 9 years of the team's existence.


Ross Solid In No-Decision: Robbie Ross started out very strong by striking out the first two hitters he faced and he did not give up a run until the 6th inning, when the southpaw gave up a 2 out double to David Flores to score T.J. Steele from second, who had a 1 out double. Ross left the game with Flores on second, who later scored against Corey Young via an error by third baseman Mitch Hilligoss, who started the game at second base. Ross's final line was: 5 2/3 IP 6 H 2 R 1 ER 2 BB 6 K. In 6 starts for Frisco, Ross has pitched 38 innings and given up 33 hits and 5 walks with 36 strikeouts. On the season, the 22 year old is 10-5 with a 2.34 ERA in 27 appearances/26 starts between high-A Myrtle Beach and Frisco. In 161 1/3 innings, he has given up 135 hits, 33 walks, and struck out 134 batters.

Inning By Inning Count

1: 10 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 2 Called- 3 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 1 Ball- 1 BPIP- 2 Swinging K
2: 16 Pitches- 12 Strikes- 1 Called- 3 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 4 Balls- 5 BPIP- 2 Hits
3: 9 Pitches- 6 Strikes- 1 Called- 0 Swinging- 0 Fouls- 3 Balls- 5 BPIP- 2 Hits
4: 13 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 3 Called- 1 Swinging- 2 Fouls- 4 Balls- 3 BPIP
5: 24 Pitches- 14 Strikes- 4 Called- 2 Swinging- 7 Fouls- 10 Balls- 1 BPIP- 2 Swinging K- 2 BB
6: 13 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 1 Called- 5 Swinging- 1 Foul- 4 Balls- 2 BPIP- 2 Swinging K- 2 Hits

Totals: 85 Pitches- 59 Strikes- 12 Called- 14 Swinging- 16 Fouls- 26 Balls- 17 BPIP- 6 Swinging K- 2 BB- 6 Hits


Osuna Slams Way to Double Digits: Renny Osuna came into the 2011 season with a career high of 4 homeruns and a career total of 10 homeruns. In one season he has blown those right out of the water with a career best 10 homeruns, more than doubling his previous high and doubling his career total of homeruns. Osuna hit his 10th homerun of the season, a grand slam, in the top of the 8th inning on Wednesday to put Frisco up 6-5, which 10 outs later was the winning score. Osuna started the day with an off day, but came in to replace Tommy Mendonca's lineup spot when the third baseman left hte game early due to an injury. Osuna finished 1 for 2 with the slam. The homerun also gave Renny 61 RBI for the season, which is 5 short of tying a career best 66 RBI. Osuna's Frisco career totals now stands at 344 hits (1st), 128 RBI (4th), 164 runs scored (2nd), and 40 steals (4th). With 150 hits now, Osuna is 8 short of setting the single season record with 5 games to go.


Paisano Gets Three Hits: David Paisano played the unsung hero on Wednesday as the 9th hitter in the lineup went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the game. Paisano, who was playing in his second game for Frisco since getting called back up from Myrtle Beach, is hitting .235 as a Frisco RoughRider this season albeit in sporadic playing time. Paisano has 24 hits in 102 at bats this season for Frisco. For Myrtle Beach, Paisano hit .241 with a .610 OPS over 245 at bats (65 games).


Stoneburner Powering Up: Davis Stoneburner got Frisco's offense started with a 2-run homerun in the 3rd inning. Stoneburner finished the game 1 for 4 with the homerun, 2 RBI, a walk, and 2 runs scored. The homerun was his 2nd in 4 games and 3rd extra base hit in the last 4 games. Over his last 10 games, Stoneburner is batting .297 with a .366 on base percentage and .486 slugging percentage. On the season, Stoneburner now has 26 doubles, 5 triples, and 9 homeruns. Davis would be the 6th Rider with 10 or more homeruns this season if he can hit #10 in the next five games. Frisco has only had that many in one season one time, which came in 2007 when the Riders had 9 players with 10 or more homeruns.

A Bad Record to Hold: Frisco RoughRiders Jonathan Greene and Tommy Mendonca have struck out quite a bit this season and by quite a bit, I mean historically quite a bit. They struck out 2 more times on Wednesday to bring their season total to a combined 313 strikeouts. The total is the highest of two teammates in the history of the Texas League and is the sixth highest among two players in the history of the Texas League and they could finish as high as the 3rd most in history among two players. Only Willie Crawford/Don Wilkinson in 1966 (338 combined) and A.J. Zapp/Matt Allegra in 2003 (334 combined) are likely out of reach at this point.

Miller Makes Things Interesting, Gets Save: Justin Miller didn't go 1-2-3 on Wednesday and loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 9th inning against Corpus Christi, but in the end the right hander got the job done and earned his 12th save of the season. For Frisco, that is tied for the 3rd most saves in a single season and the save moved Miller up on the career saves list to tied for 4th all-time for Frisco. Miller ultimately could get as high as 3rd on the list this season as Scott Feldman's 14 saves is next on the list. Three current Frisco RoughRiders are on the all-time saves list with Miller, Fabio Castillo (9), and Tyler Tufts (9).

Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 998 homeruns in 1,074 games (0.929 HR/G)

Term of the Day: Soft liner- A line drive without much force behind it.

Last Year on This Date: Frisco was shutout 9-0 by the Corpus Christi Hooks on the road. Martin Perez started for Frisco and gave up 6 hits, 3 walks, and 5 runs over 5 innings with 4 strikeouts. Adalberto Flores gave up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning of relief. Tim Murphy gave up 1 run in 1 1/3 innings of relief, while Tyler Tufts pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Marcus Lemon led Frisco's offense with a 2 for 4 game at the plate. Emerson Frostad added the lone other hit for the Rider's in 4 at bats. Engel Beltre and Guilder Rodriguez each walked once in the game as well.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Dallas, NC!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Game 135: Frisco RoughRiders (Robbie Ross) @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Ross Seaton)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (34-30 7 games back in Texas League South; 74-60 overall)... Corpus Christi Hooks (25-39 16 games back in the Texas League South; 50-84 overall)
Magic Number: 0
Streak: Lost 2 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Road Trip: 2-2
Series Record: 20-14-4
2011 Record against Corpus Christi: 15-14
All-Time Record against Corpus Christi: 110-103
Record on August 31st since 2004: 1-5
Starting Pitchers: Robbie Ross (1-1 2.78 ERA) vs. Ross Seaton (4-8 5.32 ERA)

Frisco Clinches Despite Loss: Frisco was down 1-0 after the first inning and Tuesday's game was all down hill from there on out. After tying the game 1-1 in the 3rd inning, Corpus Christi poured in 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd, 1 more in the 4th, and 1 in the 6th to cruise to a 7-1 victory over Frisco. Still, the Riders are offiicially in the playoffs thanks to San Antonio's 90th win of the season on Tuesday, an 8-2 victory over the Midland Rockhounds at home. San Antonio, who clinched both the first and second half titles, will host Frisco for games 1 and 2 in the first round of the playoffs. Frisco will hold their first home playoff game on Friday September 9th, game 3 of the playoffs. Game 4, if necessary, will be on Saturday at Dr. Pepper Ballpark. This will be Frisco's 6th playoff trip in their 9 year team history. They won the 2004 Texas League Championship and lost in the Championship in both 2003 and 2008. This will be the 4th time that Frisco will play San Antonio in the playoffs. They are 1-2 vs. San Antonio in the previous three postseason meetings.

Flores Rocked In First Start: Adalberto Flores, normally a reliever, got a cameo start for Frisco on Tuesday and gave up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 5 runs over 2 2/3 innings with 3 strikeouts. In his second full season with Frisco, Flores has been much improved coming out of the bullpen. Over 78 appearances for Frisco, Flores has given up 128 hits and 57 walks over 136 2/3 innings with 140 strikeouts. This season Flores is 5-4 with a 3.30 ERA in 40 appearances (1 start). He has given up 67 hits and 37 walks over 76 1/3 innings with 79 strikeouts.

Inning By Inning Count

1: 12 Pitches- 9 Strikes- 4 Called- 2 Swinging- 1 Foul- 3 Balls- 2 BPIP- 2 Swinging K- 1 Hit
2: 13 Pitches- 10 Strikes- 3 Called- 1 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 3 Balls- 3 BPIP- 1 Swinging K- 1 ROE
3: 25 Pitches- 13 Strikes- 4 Called- 1 Swinging- 3 Fouls- 12 Balls- 5 BPIP- 2 BB- 3 Hits

Stoneburner Leads Offense: Stoneburner was one of two Frisco RoughRider's hitters to reach base more than once in the game as Stoneburner extended his hitting streak to 7 games. Stoneburner went 2 for 3 with a walk in the game and scored the lone run on a groundout from Renny Osuna. Over his last 10 games, Davis is batting .278 with a .366 on base percentage. Overall, for the month of August Stoneburner is batting .255/.361/.343/.704 with 7 extra base hits and 12 walks to 22 strikeouts. His previous high in walks for a month this season was 8 in June.

Bolden Gets On Base: Jared Bolden also had a good game as the 15 game AA veteran went 2 for 2 with a walk out of the 9th spot in the lineup. For Bolden, it was his 4th multi hit game for Frisco and the 3rd time he has gotten on base 3 times in a game.

Osuna's Patience String: Renny Osuna is not known for walking much, as his career walk% of 7.2% would indicate. But over the last 10 games, Osuna has walked 7 times to increase his walk total to 39, the second most he's had in a season. Osuna finished the game on Tuesday 0 for 3 with a RBI and a walk. He also swung and missed for the 100th time in the game as well. With 2 swings and misses in the game, Osuna has now swung and missed an incredible 101 times this season in 2,151 total pitches seen. Comparatively, he has seen 807 balls thrown to him, so nearly 8 balls for every swing and miss this season.


Brigham's Strikeouts: Jake Brigham inches closer to having the 3rd most strikeouts in a single season. With 5 more out of relief on Tuesday, Brigham has 111 strikeouts this season, which is 4 short of moving into 3rd in a single season alone. Brigham did give up 3 hits and 2 runs over 3 1/3 innings out of relief though and has a 4.00 ERA as a reliever.

San Antonio's Chase: As mentioned above, San Antonio won their 90th game of the season on Tuesday, a feat in and of itself in a 140 game schedule. Since the Texas League started going to 140 game schedules in the early 1960s, only 4 teams have won 90 or more games. With 3 more wins, San Antonio would have the most wins of any Texas League team in a 140 game schedule. 

Chase For 1000: As I've been tracking all year, the Texas League has been on an incredible power surge this year compared to recent seasons. With 6 more homeruns yesterday, the Texas League now has 988 homeruns with 5 more games to be played for each team. The likelyhood that the league will break the record has gone from a good chance to basically no chance, but the total number of homeruns is still going to be very, very high and with one good day, today could be the day the league crosses 1,000 or tomorrow or the next day.  Since 1950, the league has only crossed the 1,000 homerun mark three previous times. In 2006, the league hit 1,011 homeruns; in 1998, they hit a record 1,066 homeruns; in 1956, they hit 1,027 homeruns. It's a possibility that the league could still finish with the second most homeruns in a single season.

Congrats to Jurickson Profar: One of the top prospects in the Texas Ranger's system, shortstop Jurickson Profar, was named the South Atlantic League's Most Valuable Player on Tuesday. Profar is the youngest player in the league and has incredible upside. Just 18 years old, Profar has hit .283 with 35 doubles, 8 triples, 11 homeruns, driven in 63 runs, and has stolen 20 bases in the SAL. He has walked 64 times to 62 strikeouts in 417 at bats and has an .874 OPS. Profar also took part in the MLB Future's Game earlier this summer in Arizona over the MLB All-star Break. It will be only a matter of time before Profar is up in Frisco and then hopefully to the major leagues some day.

Rider's Heading to AFL: Every year in the month of October after the season is over, some of baseball's best prospects and some of the prospects for teams that need work will head to Arizona for the Arizona Fall League. It's a league that can be very useful for some prospects that need to work on specific areas of their game. The Texas Ranger's (and Lonestardugout.com) announced on Tuesday their eight participants, including three current Rider's and one former Rider.

The Minor Leaguers

RHP Neil Ramirez (Frisco)
RHP Johan Yan (Frisco)
C Elio Sarmiento (Frisco)
LHP Miguel De Los Santos (Myrtle Beach)
RHP Ryan Kelly (Myrtle Beach)
SS Leury Garcia (Myrtle Beach)
3B Mike Olt (Myrtle Beach)
OF Ryan Strausborger (Myrtle Beach)


Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 988 homeruns in 1066 games (0.927 HR/G)

Term of the Day: Crown- 1. An honor figuratively won by a player or team that comes in first place, either in the standings or in the statistical counting of some aspect of performance; e.g., the "batting crown" goes to the player who has the highest batting average in his league. 2. To hit the ball

Last Year on This Date: Frisco lost 4-1 on the road to the Corpus Christi Hooks. Travis Chick started for Frisco and gave up 10 hits and 4 runs over 4 innings with 4 strikeouts and 0 walks. Beau Jones and Brennan Garr combined for 4 innings of shutout relief. Andy Jenkins led Frisco's offense with a 2 for 4 game including a double and a run scored. Joey Butler added a 2 for 4 game for the Riders. Guilder Rodriguez also added a 1 for 2 game with a RBI and a walk. Jose Felix and Jonathan Greene each added a hit as well.

As always...

A special thanks to any blog followers from Horseheads, NY!


Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman