Time: 7:00 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (21-18 5 games back in the Texas League South)... Midland Rockhounds (17-22 9 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 3 in a row
Last 10: 8-2
Series Record: 5-5-1
Record against Midland: 6-1
All time record against Midland: 109-98
Record since 2004 on May 19th: 4-3
Starting Pitchers: Chris Mobley (0-0 3.38 ERA)... Ethan Hollingsworth (2-2 3.92 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco will have Chris Mobley make his first start of the season, while Midland will send Ethan Hollingsworth to the mound for the 8th time... Chris Mobley last started a game on July 18th, 2004, when he was a 20 year old pitching for the Florida Marlin's short-season A team, the Jamestown Jammers of the New York Pen League. Mobley has been a reliever ever since then. With Frisco this season, Mobley has made 3 appearances and has given up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs (1 earned) in 2 2/3 innings with 3 strikeouts. Last year for the Riders he appeared in 14 games and given up 25 hits and 14 walks in 28 1/3 innings with 26 strikeouts. Mobley is 28-23 with a 3.48 ERA in 344 career appearances in the minor leagues... Ethan Hollingsworth has put together a pretty solid season so far for the Midland Rockhounds. In his last start, Hollingsworth gave up 3 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in 5 innings with 4 strikeouts. He got a no decision his last time against Frisco despite giving up just 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 8 strong innings with 6 strikeouts. Midland won the game 2-1 in the 9th inning. For the season, Hollingsworth has given up 41 hits and 9 walks with 25 strikeouts in 39 innings.
Riders Power Winning Streak to 3 Games: Frisco led at 3 different points in Wednesday night's game against Midland and ended up winning 8-7. The win gave Frisco 3 straight wins and gives them a 6-1 record against Midland this season, including 5 wins in a row against the Rockhounds.
Frisco Rangers: With Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz in the 3 and 4 holes in the lineup, Frisco looked more like a major league offense on Wednesday than they did a minor league offense. Josh Hamilton went 2 for 4 in the game with a 2-run homerun to left field in the 3rd inning to put Frisco on top 2-1 at the time, and Hamilton beat out an infield single, which went deep into the hole at shortstop in the 5th inning. Cruz went 0 for 4 although he lined out to the shortstop to end the 1st inning.
Carlos Pimentel Struggles: After pitching better in 4 of his previous 5 starts, Pimentel struggled on Wednesday as he gave up 4 hits, 3 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over just 3 innings. It was the first time a RoughRiders starting pitcher failed to get through at least 5 innings since Martin Perez went 4 innings on May 5th. Pimentel seemed to fall in love with his breaking pitches in the start and it cost him a bit of wildness as he gave up the 3 walks and 2 wild pitches.
Pitch Count by Inning (Strikes/Pitches)
1- 11/20
2- 8/8
3- 12/20
4- 10/20
Total: 41/68
Jose Ruiz Does It Again: For the second game in a row, first baseman Jose Ruiz hit a homerun late in the game to give Frisco the win. He hit a walkoff shot in the 9th on Tuesday to give the Riders a 1-0 win, and on Wednesday, Ruiz hit a 2-run homerun in the bottom of the 8th to a break a 6-6 tie and give Frisco their eventual 8-7 win. Ruiz also doubled twice in the game to give him 8 total bases in the game. He is now 8 for 16 with 3 homeruns and 2 doubles in 5 games since coming back from his child's birth.
A New Leader in the Bullpen: While Ben Snyder was 1 out from getting his 5th win in his last 5 appearances against Midland, Justin Miller ended up getting the win in his relief outing, which gives him a team high 4 wins on the season. He had been stuck in a tie at 3 with 2 other relievers, Snyder and Mike Perconte. All three pitched on Wednesday as well. The bullpen is now 14-7 on the season, which gives them the same amount of wins as the Corpus Christi Hooks have as a team.
A Single Short: It probably seems at times that singles are the hardest hit to get for Midland's centerfielder Jermaine Mitchell. That hasn't been the case throughout his career, but this season it would seem so. Mitchell hit a towering homerun to lead off the game which landed beyond the pool in right field. He walked in the 3rd inning, got on via a force out in the 4th and stole 2nd base, hit a double to centerfield, which looked like a possible stand up triple if not for a very nice cut off by Leonys Martin in the 7th inning, and then hit his 11th triple of the season in the 9th inning. Altogether, he fell a single short of the cycle for the game and now has 11 triples, 6 doubles, 6 homeruns, and 30 singles on the season. The Texas League record for triples by the way is 30. Mitchell is on pace for 39 triples this season.
Last Year On this Date: Frisco lost 9-1 to the Midland Rockhounds. Martin Perez took the loss after giving up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 7 runs (all earned) over 3 1/3 innings with 6 strikeouts. Ben Snyder and Warner Madrigal finished up the rest of the 4 2/3 innings of relief with 3 hits and 2 runs (both earned) given up. Marcus Lemon tripled and scored the lone run on a James Tomlin sacrifice fly. Frisco managed just 4 hits and 1 walk against the Rockhounds.
Yesterday's Question of the Day Answer: 1950
Around the Ranger's System:
Yesterday's Record: 3-2
Round Rock (AAA) Had an off day. They come home to play the Colorado Springs Sky Sox tonight. Scott Feldman will be on the mound on rehab for the Express and Josh Hamilton will join Round Rock beginning Friday for the weekend.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) gave up a run in the 7th and then 3 in the 8th inning of game one of the double header to lose 6-3, but came back and won 6-4 in the second game of the double header... Robbie Erlin started game one for Myrtle Beach and gave up just 3 hits and 2 runs (both on solo homeruns) over 6 2/3 innings with 9 strikeouts. Johan Yan took the loss after giving up 3 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 1 inning. Mike Olt went 0 for 2 with 2 walks in the game, while Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 4. Leury Garcia, Jared Prince, David Paisano, and Santiago Chirino each got a hit in the game as well... Kennil Gomez started the second game and pitched 5 shutout innings as the Pelicans held on to win 6-4. Jared Hoying went 2 for 3 with a double, walk, and RBI at the plate. Jared Bolden went 2 for 3 with a homerun and 3 RBI. Leury Garcia, Mitch Hilligoss, Jared Prince, and Breit Nicholas all added a hit a piece in the game as well.
Hickory (low-A) played a double header as well and split theirs too. Hickory lost 3-2 in game one but came back and won 5-0 in the second game... Justin Grimm started the first game and gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings with 4 strikeouts. Jurickson Profar went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. It was the 5th game this season where Profar has doubled and walked in the same game. Andrew Clark went 1 for 1 with 2 walks. Odubel Herrera went 1 for 3 with a double. Jake Skole added a RBI as part of a 1 for 3 day... Matt Thompson started the second part of the double header and gave up 5 hits and 2 walks over 6 1/3 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts. Teodoro Martinez batted leadoff and went 2 for 4 with a double. Josh Richmond went 2 for 3 and homered twice with 3 RBI. Tomas Telis, Andrew Clark, and Yefry Castillo added a hit a piece. Odubel Herrera went 1 for 2 with a triple and a walk, while Skole went 1 for 2 with a RBI and a walk.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Kane County Cougar's starter Sugar Ray Marimon has been good this season. On Wednesday, however, he was great. Marimon limited the Cedar Rapid Kernel's hitters to no hits and 2 walks over 7 2/3 innings with 7 strikeouts. Chas Byrne finished off the Kernel's for the 9 inning no-hitter. Sugar Ray improved his record to 3-2 and lowered his season ERA to 2.75. The 22 year old right handed pitcher from Columbia, also has struck out 36 batters in 39 1/3 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .201 against him on the season. Over his last 4 starts, Marimon has given up 2 runs in 23 2/3 innings with 11 hits given up and 4 walks while he has struck out 22 batters. Sugar Ray Marimon was signed by the Kansas City Royals as an international free agent in November of 2006.
As always...
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