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



Thursday, June 30, 2011

Game 77: Springfield Cardinals (John Gast) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Ben Snyder)

Time: 7:00 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (2-4 2 games back in the Texas League South; 42-34 overall)... Springfield Cardinals (1-5 5 games back in the Texas League North; 33-43 overall)
Streak: Won 1 in a row
Last 10: 5-5
Homestand: 0-0
Series Record: 10-9-2
2011 Record against Springfield: 3-3
All-Time Record against Springfield: 42-39
Record on June 30th since 2004: 1-4
Starting Pitchers: Ben Snyder (6-1 3.12 ERA) is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in 6 career appearances against the Springfield Cardinals...John Gast (0-0 0.00 ERA) is making his first career start against the Frisco RoughRiders

What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Ben Snyder to the mound for the 28th time and 2nd start, while Springfield sends John Gast to the mound for the first time this season... Ben Snyder looks to build on his great pitching of late as he makes his first career start against the Springfield Cardinals. In his first start this season, Snyder gave up 5 hits and 1 run over 5 innings with 4 strikeouts and 0 walks. He picked up the victory against Midland in the start last Thursday, which tied him for the team lead with 6 victories, including 4 against the Midland Rockhounds. Over his last 10 appearances, Snyder is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA over 20 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting .229 against him and he holds a 13-4 K-BB ratio. Left handed batters are hitting just .186 against Snyder this season. He has struggled at home a bit, though, as he is 2-1 with a 4.22 ERA at home compared to a 4-0 record and 2.05 ERA on the road. Over 65 appearances and 6 starts in the Texas League, Snyder is 9-6 with a 3.23 ERA... John Gast makes his first AA start tonight against the Frisco Roughriders in his AA debut. The southpaw went 5-4 with a 3.95 ERA over 13 appearances/12 starts for the Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals). In 82 innings, Gast allowed 85 hits, walked 28 batters, and struck out 59. In his last start against the Charlotte Stone Crabs Gast gave up 8 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs over 8 innings with 5 strikeouts. His most dominant start came on May 28th against the Lakeland Flying Tigers when he gave up 3 hits and 1 walk over 7 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts. The 22 year old was drafted in the 6th round of the 2010 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Florida State University. He was rated as the 13th best prospect in the Cardinal's organization by Baseball America entering the 2011 season.

Texas League South Wins Again: The Texas League South held off the North by a score of 3-2 to win for the 5th time in the 6 years since the Texas League went to the North/South. Frisco's own Martin Perez picked up the win in the game as he threw a perfect inning with a strikeout.

Riders Galore: Aside from Perez, Frisco also had 8 others participate in the game.

- Leonys Martin, who has been out with an injury since June 8th, led off for the South and went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
- Mike Bianucci batted 3rd for the South as the DH and went 1 for 4 with a single.
- Renny Osuna batted 9th, played second base, and went 0 for 3 with a walk.
- Tommy Mendonca came in at Martin's spot in the order, and went 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts
- Jose Ruiz came in for Michael Spina and went 0 for 1
- Jose Felix came in for Ali Solis at catcher and went 0 for 1 at the plate.
- Reliever Adalberto Flores pitched an inning of relief for the South. He gave up 2 hits in the inning, including a homerun to Springfield's Matt Adams.
- Justin Miller pitched 2/3 of an inning in scoreless relief and struck out 1 batter.

In the end, the South held off the North and San Antonio's third baseman James Darnell was named the game's MVP after he went 1 for 4 with a 2-run homerun in the 3rd inning.


Recapping the Pre-All Star Break Part of the Season

While the "second half" has already technically started, it's difficult for me to consider it truly the first/second halves because major league baseball tends to view the all-star break as the end of the first half and beginning of the second half. So with that, here are some of the moments of the 2011 pre-all star break Texas League season and what my mid-season awards would be:

Run-away: The San Antonio Missions scored 20 runs 3 different times within the first 15 games of the season. They defeated Tulsa 23-10, defeated the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 26-5, and defeated the Midland Rockhounds 21-8. Ironically over the next 15 games they had the same amount of 10+ run games as they had in the first 15 games with 3. San Antonio went 49-21 in the first half, which was the 3rd highest win total for a first half since the Texas League went to half seasons in 1977. Frisco RoughRider fans should almost be hoping for San Antonio to keep winning because it would be highly likely for Frisco to make the playoffs then as they have a 12 game advantage over the Midland Rockhounds right now and a 14 game advantage over the Corpus Christi Hooks.


Martin Perez's Perfecto: Ok, so maybe it wasn't a 9 inning perfect game, but his 5 innings of perfection in the rain shortened 1-0 win over the Arkansas Travelers on April 19th still goes down in the record books as a Perfect Game. Martin Perez has looked much better this year than he did last year. It's also sometimes easy to forget that Perez is still only 20 years old and won't turn 21 until next April making him the youngest player on the team. Think about that: this would be his 2nd full year (made his debut late in 2009) and he's still the youngest player on the team.

10+ In Four Straight: Frisco managed a hot offense in the month of June, but nothing showed that better than their domination against the Midland Rockhounds. At one point Frisco had scored 10 or more runs in 4 consecutive games against Midland and the game that stopped the streak? They only scored 9 runs. Yea, that's some pretty good offense.

June Swoon? Tommy Mendonca Says Umm... No: Tommy Mendonca has been the RoughRider's best hitter this year with the only candidate being Leonys Martin, although Martin has been hurt almost as much as he's been healthy. But from the start until now, Mendonca has been in the lineup almost everyday and has had a breakout season. In the month of June, Mendonca is batting .375 with a 1.085 OPS. He has hit 11 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homeruns, and has a team best 30 RBI for the month. His RBI total is almost as many as the first two months combined (32). On the road, Mendonca has been especially good with a .388 average and a 1.078 OPS. 40 of his 62 RBI have come on the road and 15 of his 20 doubles have come there as well.

What Would Harry Doyle Say?: "One hit... one goddamn hit!" Of course you can't say goddamn on the air. That's what Frisco got in an ugly 3-1 loss to Midland at home on the last homestand. In that game, the two teams combined to commit more errors (5) than hits (4) or runs (4).

Speaking of Errors: The Tulsa Drillers and Midland Rockhounds lead the Texas League in games with 4 or more errors. They both have had 4 games with 4 or more errors. Of course, Midland has had 5 or more in 3 of those 4 games, including a season high 6 against Tulsa on May 25th in a game where Tulsa also committed 4 errors. Can you imagine that? 10 errors in the game!

Christian Friedrich's line that day was: 1 2/3 IP 7 H 10 R 2 ER 3 BB 1 K 69 pitches-36 strikes. After that start, his ERA was 5.16 and a month later it's now 3.94. Yea, the former 1st round pick has pitched much better.  

Filling Up the Box Score: On the subject of interesting pitching lines, the pressbox found Midland's Shawn Haviland's line quite interesting on June 20th as it really covered about everything a pitcher can do, but we'll warn you, it may take up a few lines...

4 IP 10 H 8 R 8 ER 2 BB 5 K 2 HR 1 WP 1 Balk 1 Intentional walk 1 HBP 101 pitches-64 strikes

And yes, Billy had to read off all of that on the speaker in the pressbox so the radio guys could get the line easier. I think he had to stop about halfway through to take a breath.


Get Two, Get Two Taken Away: Robbie Erlin has had a big year in the minor leagues this season between his 3-2 2.14 ERA and 62 K-5 BB start for Myrtle Beach earlier this season to his promotion to Frisco where he has pitched well to dominantly in the 4 of his 6 starts. He, has in some cases gotten off a bit lucky in the win category, however, but then got unlucky as well. Check out these wins and no decisions...

Wins:
5/29: 6 1/3 IP 6 H 3 R/ER 1 BB 3 K- Solid
6/4: 6 IP 4 H 1 R 0 ER 1 BB 5 K- Great
6/15 5 IP 10 H 6 R/ER 2 BB 5 K- Worst professional start of his career
6/20 4 2/3 IP 8 H 4 R/ER 1 BB 3 K- Came in relief of Darren O'Day's 1 inning of rehab

No Decisions:
6/10: 7 IP 5 H 4 R/ER 0 BB 8 K- Took no-hitter into the 7th inning against the best hitting team in the league
6/26: 6 2/3 IP 5 H 2 R/ER 1 BB 14 K- Set Frisco record for most strikeouts in a start.

So over his last 4 starts, he's gotten a no-decision in his best 2 starts and a win in his worst 2. I guess, "that's the way baseball go". 

Multi Homerun Race: This season there have been 27 players that have had a multi homerun game in the Texas League. Nine of the 27 players have had multiple mult-homerun games. Luis Jimenez leads the tally right now with 3 multi homerun games this season. The interesting thing about him is that all 3 have come since June 14th and he had back to back games with multi homeruns on June 21st-22nd. The Frisco RoughRiders players that have had multi homerun games this season are: Mike Bianucci, Tommy Mendonca, Jose Felix, Travis Adair, and Jonathan Greene.

Scoreless Innings Tally: From Opening Day until June 27th, the last day before the all-star break, Texas League action has seen 3,732 scoreless innings. The Frisco RoughRiders have contributed 478 of those. Frisco RoughRiders opponents have had 491 scoreless innings. The most runs scored on a day by the Texas League was June 21st when there were 70 runs scored on 102 hits. The most hits on a single day was June 19th when there were 105 hits, but only 58 runs. On both May 28th and June 11th there were 16 errors committed by the Texas League, marking the most on a single day. Amazingly that wasn't the day where Midland/Tulsa committed 10 total.

Texas League Offensive Player of the Pre-All Star Break

Matt Adams, Springfield Cardinals

2011 Stats: .357 AVG 213 AB 76 H 15 2B 2 3B 17 HR 52 RBI 15 BB-39 K .397 OBP/.685 SLG/1.082 OPS

In a league where the #2 prospect in baseball is, it's pretty darn tough not to give the offensive player of the "first half" to Matt Adams. Despite missing a couple weeks due to an injury, Adams still ranks among the league leaders in homeruns (17) and RBI (52). He leads the league with a .357 batting average and a 1.082 OPS. Since May 1st, Adams is batting .390 with a 1.223 OPS. Even after getting hurt, he came back for the last few games before the break and went 7 for 18 with 1 double, 2 homeruns, and 5 RBI over 4 games. Adams also homered for the north in the All-star game.

Honorable Mention: OF Tim Wheeler (Tulsa Drillers), OF Mike Trout (Arkansas Travelers), OF Jermaine Mitchell (Midland Rockhounds)

Texas League Pitcher of the Pre-All Star Break

Matt Shoemaker, Arkansas Travelers

2011 Stats: 10 G 6-1 Rec 3 CG/1 SHO 2.64 ERA 1.02 WHIP 71 2/3 IP  62 H 11 BB 70 K 11 HR

Despite spending the first month of the season in AAA, Matt Shoemaker has statistically speaking been the best pitcher in the Texas League this season. He leads the league in ERA, WHIP, and has averaged over 7 innings per start for the Travelers. The 24 year old starter has given up 62 hits in 71 2/3 innings while walking 11 batters to 70 strikeouts. Shoemaker has struck out 10 or more in two starts this season out of the 10 he has had in the Texas League. His 6 wins is also tied for 4th behind teammate Garret Richards who leads the league in wins with 9. Shoemaker has thrown complete games in his last 2 starts and has a league best 3 complete games for the season.

Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 573 in 602 Games (0.952 HR/G)

Term of the Day: Finish Off- 1. For a pitcher to take the final step in retiring a batter. 2. For a team to eliminate another team in the postseason.

Last Year on This Date: The Texas League South defeated the Texas League North in the All-Star game. The final score of the game was 5-4 as Jordan Lyles picked up the win for the South and Jared Lansford got the save. Blake King took the loss for the North. Renny Osuna, Matt Lawson, and Joey Butler started for the Texas League North. Osuna finished 0 for 2 with a walk, Lawson finished 1 for 3 with a RBI, walk, and run scored, and Joey Butler finished 1 for 2 with a double and a run scored. Blake Beavan started for the Texas League South and pitched a scoreless inning. Ryan Tatusko also pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, although he did allow 3 hits and a walk, but also struck out 3 batters.

Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record:

Round Rock (AAA) had the day off. Next game is tonight at home against Nashville.

Myrtle Beach (High-A) defeated the Kinston Indians 4-3 in the 10th inning. Justin Grimm started for Myrtle Beach and gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, and 3 runs over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts. Trevor Hurley, Miguel De Los Santos, and Johan Yan combined for 5 shutout innings of relief. Johan Yan picked up the win. Jared Hoying led Myrtle Beach with a 4 for 5 game including a double and a RBI. Vincent DiFazio added 3 hits in 4 at bats including a double, RBI, and a walk. Leury Garcia went 2 for 5 while Santiago Chirino went 2 for 4 with a RBI and a walk. Ryan Strausborger, Chris McGuiness, and Travis Adair each added a hit.

Hickory (Low-A) swept a double header from the Kannapolis Intimidators on Wednesday. Hickory won 12-2 in the first game and won 3-1 in the second game.

Nick Tepesch started the first game and gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs over 7 innings with 8 strikeouts. Jurickson Profar went 1 for 2 with 2 walks in the game for Hickory. Odubel Herrera added a 2 for 3 day including 2 RBI and a walk. Tomas Telis went 2 for 5 with a double and 3 RBI. Christian Villanueva added a 2 for 4 day with a double, RBI, and a walk for the Crawdads. Josh Richmond also went 2 for 4 with a double, while Jake Skole went 1 for 3 with 2 RBI, including a sac fly. Alejandro Selen went 1 for 3 with 2 RBI, a walk, and 2 runs scored. Kellin Deglan and Andrew Clark each added a hit too.

Luke Jackson started the second game for Frisco and gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 unearned run over 5 innings with 8 strikeouts. He picked up his 3rd victory of the season. Jimmy Reyes and Ryan Rodebaugh each pitched 2 scoreless innings as well. Yefry Castillo led Hickory with 2 hits in 3 at bats including a double and a RBI. Kellin Deglan had a 1 for 2 day including a double, RBI, and a walk. Jonathan Roof went 1 for 2 with a RBI for the Crawdads as well. Jurickson Profar went 0 for 3 with a strikeout in the game.

Spokane (Short Season A-Ball) scored 4 runs in the first 3 innings and defeated the Yakima Bears 7-4. Santo Perez started for Spokane and gave up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs over 6 innings with 2 strikeouts. Jose Monegro gave up 2 runs (1 earned) over 1 2/3 innings while Matt West pitched 1 1/3 of scoreless relief for his 1st save of the season. Brett Nicholas went 2 for 3 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI, and a walk for Spokane. Trever Adams went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 runs scored as well. Zach Cone reached base 3 times as he went 2 for 3 with a walk and scored 2 runs for the Indians. Carson Vitale went 2 for 4 with a double and a RBI and Edwin Garcia had a 2 for 4 day as well. Rougned Odor went 1 for 4 with a RBI. Drew Robinson and Braxton Lane each added a hit at the plate too.

Minor League Performance of the Day

On a day when there were four 10 strikeout performances, Kyle Weiland's 12 strikeout performance in AAA reigned about all. For the second start this season, Weiland had double digit strikeouts in a start for the Pawtucket Red Sox. In Pawucket's 4-1 victory over the Rochester Red Wings, Kyle Wieland gave up just 1 hit and 1 unearned run over 8 innings with 12 strikeouts. He did not issue a walk, although he hit 3 batters in the start. On the season, Weiland is now 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA over 16 starts. In 86 1/3 innings, he has given up 63 hits, walked 37 batters, and struck out 93. In the month of June, Weiland finished 3-2 with a 2.36 ERA over 6 starts. The 24 year old from Albuquerque, New Mexico was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft by the Boston Red Sox. He was rated by Baseball America as the 20th best prospect in Boston's organization entering the 2011 season.

As always...

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
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And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

2011 Texas League All-Star Game

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Nelson Wolff Stadium (San Antonio, TX)
Team Records: Texas League South (153-151 overall)... Texas League North (148-150 overall)
All-Star Results With North/South: South Leads with 4 wins to 1 loss
Record on June 29th since 2004: 4-1


Where are They Now?: Frisco hosted the 2009 Texas League All-star game and while I was using the computer program DAKSTATS for the video screen in Frisco a couple homestands ago I started looking at the rosters for that all-star game because we've kept all of the rosters since 2008. I figured it would give a good opportunity to look back at the starting lineups and see where the players are now that played in that all-star game. 

Starting Lineups

North

1. LF Daryl Jones- Jones batted .290 with a .759 OPS for Springfield in the first half of 2009 following a breakout year in the minor leagues in 2008 that vaulted him to the top of the Cardinal's prospect list. Jones suffered a knee problem to begin 2009 and then in mid July he re-injured a hamstring. Jones hasn't been the same since and is currently in AAA hitting .252 with a .790 OPS. After being rated 4th in the Cardinal's system entering 2010, Jones was rated 28th entering 2011.

Current Spot: Starting Left Fielder, Memphis Redbirds (AAA, St. Louis)

2. CF Peter Bourjos- Batted .309 with an .811 OPS for Arkansas including 8 triples before the all-star break in 2009. The outfielder then hit .314 with an .861 OPS in AAA with 27 steals in 2010 before being promoted to the Los Angeles Angels. In 480 career plate appearances for the Angels in 2010 and 2011 combined, Bourjos has hit .239 with a .670 OPS including 10 triples and 9 homeruns. He's batting .262 with a .705 OPS this season with 13 doubles, 6 triples, and 3 homeruns. He was rated as the #2 prospect in the Angel's system prior to 2010.


Current Spot: Starting Centerfielder, Los Angeles Angels

3. 2B Daniel Descalso- Descalso hit .324 with a .921 OPS for Springfield prior to the all-star break in 2009 with 26 doubles, 5 triples, and 7 homeruns. After his first game after the all-star break, Descalso was promoted to AAA where he hit .253 over a .647 OPS. He hit .282 with a .771 OPS in AAA in 2010 before making his major league debut in September 2010. Descalso has hit .244 with a .663 OPS over 85 games in the majors while playing mostly third base for St. Louis. He was rated as high as 9th in the Cardinal's system entering 2010 and was rated 12th in their organization entering 2011.


Current Spot: Semi Starting infielder, St. Louis Cardinals

4. 3B Corey Smith- Smith batted .252 with a .733 OPS prior to the all-star break in 2009 for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He had 13 homeruns as well with 50 RBI. The former first round pick finished the year by hitting .249 with a .722 OPS, including hitting 21 homeruns and 29 doubles while he drove in 90 runs. He spent 2010 with the AA Southern League Chattanooga Lookouts (Los Angeles Dodgers) where he hit .275 with 34 doubles, 13 homeruns, and an .809 OPS. So far in 2011, he has spent time with Chattanooga and the AAA Pacific Coast League Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodgers) where he he has hit a combined .255 with 12 doubles, 8 homeruns, and has a .710 OPS. He was rated as high as the best prospect in the Cleveland Indians organization in 2002.

Current Spot: Starting infielder, Albuquerque Isotopes (AAA, LA Dodgers)

5. C Hank Conger- Conger hit .285 with 10 doubles, 5 homeruns, and a .728 OPS prior to the all-star break in 2009. After the break, Conger batted .305 with 10 doubles, 6 homeruns, and an .861 OPS, all coming for Arkansas. Conger hit .300 with an .847 OPS over 108 games in AAA in 2010 before getting the promotion to the Los Angele's Angels club for a cup of coffee in September. Conger is hitting .230 with a .682 OPS for the Angels so far in 2011 as he has played 40 games at catcher, starting 36 of them. Known more for his bat than his defense throughout the minors, Conger was rated as high as the 79th best prospect in baseball and as high as the best prospect in the Angel's organization entering 2010.

Current Spot: Starting Catcher, Los Angeles Angels

6. RF Tyler Henley- The third starter from the Springfield Cardinals, Tyler Henley batted .327 with a .902 OPS, including 16 doubles, 3 triples, and 6 homeruns prior to the all-star game in 2009. He struck out just 26 times in 210 at bats and walked 21 times as well. Henley batted .277 with a .792 OPS in the second half. Henley unfortunately dealt with injuries in 2010 as he played just 42 games between Springfield and Memphis (AAA) and hit .270 with a .731 OPS. After Henley got off to a slow start in Springfield in 2011 hitting .156 with a .607 OPS, the Cardinals released the 26 year old outfielder.

Current Spot: Free agent

7. DH Mark Trumbo- Trumbo batted .263 with 16 doubles, 7 homeruns, and a .713 OPS before the all-star break in 2009 for Arkansas. He won the Texas League homerun derby defeating Chris Carter in the final round. After the break, Trumbo batted .320 with 19 doubles, 8 homeruns, and an .863 OPS for the Travelers. He then spent 2010 in AAA where he batted .301 with 36 homeruns, 122 RBI, and a .945 OPS over 139 games for the Salt Lake Bees. Trumbo got a cup of coffee in 2010 and has spent 2011 as the Angel's starting first baseman with Kendry Morales out. Trumbo is currently batting .261 with 13 homeruns and a .771 OPS for the Angels.

Current Spot: Starting First Baseman, Los Angeles Angels

8. 1B Jeff Kindel- Kindel batted .277 with 13 doubles, 3 homeruns, and a .756 OPS for the Tulsa Drillers before the all-star break in 2009. After the break, he batted .252 with 13 doubels, 3 homeruns, and a .706 OPS. The former 14th round pick then spent part of 2010 with Tulsa as he batted .242 with 5 homeruns and a .690 OPS in 75 games for the Drillers. Jeff is now retired from baseball.

Current Spot: Retired.

9. SS Daniel Mayora- At the time, the 23 year old shortstop hit .310 with 13 doubles, 4 homeruns, and a .780 OPS prior to the all-star break in 2009. He batted .257 with 10 doubles, 3 homeruns, and a .686 OPS after the break. In 2010 Mayora spent half the season with Tulsa when he hit .286 with a .793 OPS over 66 games. But he suffered a broken hand in July of 2010 that ended his season. Mayora signed as a minor league free agent with the Rays in the offseason and is currently playing for the Ray's AA team. He is batting .306 with an .869 OPS with 19 doubles, 4 triples, and 7 homeruns in 73 games.

Current Spot: Starting Third Baseman, Montgomery Biscuits (AA, Tampa Bay Rays)

Starting Pitcher: RHP Trey Hearne- Hearne went 8-1 with a 2.85 ERA in 17 appearances/11 starts prior to the all-star break for the Springfield Cardinals. He gave up 69 hits, walked 31 batters, and struck out 63 over 82 innings. Hearne made 7 starts after the break for Springfield going 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA before getting a callup to AAA Memphis. He made 4 starts for Memphis and posted a 3.38 ERA for the Redbirds. Hearne had shoulder surgery between 2009 and 2010 and wasn't the same pitcher after the surgery. The Cardinals released Trey Hearne among 13 others on October 8th, 2010. He remains out of baseball for the moment.

Current Spot: Free Agent

South

1. LF Luis Durango- Durango hit .298 with a .398 on base percentage and .731 OPS prior to the all-star break for San Antonio in 2009. He wowed people with his blazing speed as Durango stole 26 bases and finished with 44 steals for the season. Durango finished by hitting .258 with a .653 OPS in the second half. Durango got a cup of coffee in 2009 with the San Diego Padres and hit .545 with a 1.161 OPS over 9 games with the Padres. Durango spent 28 games in the big leagues in 2010 and hit .300 with a .378 on base percentage and stole 35 bases in 106 games for the Padre's AAA team, the Portland Beavers. He has spent 2011 in the Padre's new AAA team, the Tuscon Padres, and has hit .243 with a .328 OBP.

Current Spot: Starting Outfielder, Tuscon Padres (AAA, San Diego Padres)

2. CF Craig Gentry- Gentry batted .300 with 16 doubles, 4 triples, 5 homeruns, and a .791 OPS for Frisco in 2009 prior to the all-star break. He finished by hitting .306 with 5 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homeruns, and an .802 OPS after the break in 2009 for the Riders. Gentry spent time in 2010 between AAA and the Texas Rangers as he hit .309 with an .806 OPS for the Oklahoma City Redhawks in 69 games and .212 over 20 games for the Rangers. In 2011 he has hit .270 over 27 games for the Rangers and .239 in 25 games for the Round Rock Express (AAA). Gentry is viewed as more of a 4th/5th OF type than anything, but with his speed, ability to get on base, and ability to play all 3 OF position, he should be able to excel at that role.

Current Spot: Backup Outfielder, Texas Rangers

3. 2B Adrian Cardenas- Cardenas batted .344 with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homeruns, and an .885 OPS before the all-star break in 2009 for the Midland Rockhounds. After the break Cardenas hit .288 with 9 doubles, 1 homerun, and a .734 OPS over 108 at bats before getting the callup to AAA. Cardenas hit .289 with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homerun, and a .780 OPS for the AAA Sacramento River Cats. Cardenas spent 2010 between Midland and Sacramento again as he combined to hit .304 with a .775 OPS. He has spent this season with Sacramento and is batting .313 with 15 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homeruns, and an .800 OPS in 70 games. Adrian Cardenas has been rated as high as the 5th best prospect in the Oakland Athletic's system in 2009. He was rated as the 15th best in their system entering 2011.

Current Spot: Starting Utility Man, Sacramento River Cats (AAA, Oakland Athletics)

4. DH Craig Cooper- Cooper batted .339 with 19 doubles, 6 homeruns, and a .900 OPS for the San Antonio Missions prior to the all-star break. After the all-star break he batted .276 with 16 doubles, 5 homeruns, and an .800 OPS. Cooper spent most of the 2010 season playing for the Portland Beavers (Padre's AAA team), where he hit .248 with 19 doubles, 9 homeruns, and had a .709 OPS over 102 games. After the 2010 season, Cooper retired from baseball.

Current Spot: Retired.

5. RF Drew Locke- Drew Locke batted .325 with 17 doubles, 11 homeruns, and had an .880 OPS before the all-star break for the Corpus Christi Hooks. In the second half, he batted .355 with 14 doubles, 9 homeruns, and a .971 OPS. In 2010, Locke played in 135 games for the Round Rock Express, who were then the Houston Astro's AAA team, and batted .279 with 36 doubles, 17 homeruns, and an .816 OPS. This season, Locke has played in 65 games for the Oklahoma City Redhawks, Astro's new AAA team, and has hit .247 with 15 doubles, 5 homeruns, and a .737 OPS.

Current Spot: Starting Outfielder, Oklahoma City Redhawks (AAA, Houston Astros)

6. 1B Chris Carter- The Midland Rockhound's slugging first baseman Chris Carter batted .302 with 26 doubles, 13 homeruns, and a .933 OPS prior to the all-star break. Then he put on a show in the homerun derby. The real show, however, came in the second half when Carter hit .392 with 15 doubles, 11 homeruns, and a 1.134 OPS over 189 at bats for Midland before getting called up to AAA where he appeared in 13 games and hit .254 with an .812 OPS. He was named the 2009 Texas League player of the year. Carter played in 125 games in AAA in 2010 and hit .258 with 31 homeruns and an .894 OPS for Sacramento. Carter has played in 23 games in AAA this season and hit .235 with an .856 OPS there. In 25 games in the majors, Carter has hit .183 with a .577 OPS. He was rated as high as the 28th best prospect in baseball prior to 2010.

Current Spot: Just Promoted to Oakland. 

7. C Manuel Pina- The Frisco RoughRider's catcher Manny Pina batted .275 with 8 doubles, 6 homeruns, and a .741 OPS prior to the all-star break in 2009. After the break he hit just .228 with 2 homeruns and a .638 OPS. Pina was traded along with Tim Smith to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Danny Gutierrez late in 2009. Pina played mostly for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in 2010 when he hit .259 with 16 doubles, 7 homeruns, and a .717 OPS in 74 games for the Naturals. Overall for 2010, Pina hit .252 with a .703 OPS and 9 homeruns. So far this season, Pina has been playing for the Omaha Storm Chasers, the AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. He is batting .221 with a .681 OPS including 5 doubles and 3 homeruns in 42 games.

Current Spot: Catcher, Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA, Kansas City Royals)

8. 3B Jhon Florentino- Jhon batted .276 with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homeruns, and a .707 OPS before the all-star break for the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2009. He batted .256 with 10 doubles, 4 triples, 2 homeruns, and a .671 OPS in the second half. He spent 95 games with the Corpus Christi Hooks again in 2010 and batted .256 with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 4 homeruns, and a .681 OPS. The Houston Astros released Jhon Florentino in March. He has not played pro baseball this season.

Current Spot: Free agent.

9. SS Wladimir Sutil- The Corpus Christi Hook's shortstop, Wladimir Sutil batted .298 with 10 doubles, 1 homerun, and a .733 OPS in the first half of the 2009 season for the Hooks. He batted .251 with 11 doubles and a .617 OPS after the all-star break. Sutil has since spent most of the last two seasons with Corpus Christi. Sutil batted .277 with a .627 OPS over 74 games for the Hooks in 2010 and hit .237 with a .623 OPS for the Round Rock Express as well. In 2011, Sutil has hit .295 with a .742 OPS for Corpus Christi over 48 games and .267 with a .678 OPS over 15 games for the Oklahoma City Redhawks. He was once again voted a starting all-star in 2011, but due to being in Oklahoma City, he won't be able to play. He was replaced by Midland's Grant Green in the starting lineup and Frisco's Jose Ruiz on the roster spot.

Current Spot: Shortstop, Oklahoma City Redhawks (AAA, Houston Astros)

Starting Pitcher: LHP Kasey Kiker- Frisco southpaw Kasey Kiker started for the South after going 4-5 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 appearances/14 starts in the first half. He gave up 68 hits, walked 37 batters, and struck out 72 over 78 innings. Kasey Kiker finished the 2nd half by going 3-2 with a 5.25 ERA over 10 games/9 starts. He hasn't been the same since. Kiker was put on the DL last season to rehab in Arizona after he had lost command in Frisco. In April and May of 2010, Kiker walked 31 batters and hit 7 in 33 innings pitched. He finished the 2010 season with a 7.65 ERA and 1.85 WHIP for Frisco. This season, Kiker has pitched in Myrtle Beach (High-A) and has posted a 7.15 ERA and 2.25 WHIP in 17 appearances. He has walked 29 batters in 22 2/3 innings. The 23 year old was the 12th overall pick in the 2006 draft.

Current Spot: Bullpen, Myrtle Beach (High-A, Texas Rangers)


Notables On the Roster: 
LHP Trevor Reckling, Arkansas Travelers- He is a 2011 Texas League All-star after going  3-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 14 starts for Arkansas this season.
RHP Jhoulys Chacin, Tulsa Drillers- Has gone 17-16 with a 3.20 ERA for the Colorado Rockies since the beginning of 2010.
RHP Lance Lynn, Springfield Cardinals- Is currently on the St. Louis Cardinals roster.
RHP Mat Latos, San Antonio Missions- Went 14-10 with a 2.92 ERA last season for the San Diego Padres in 31 starts.


Term of the Day: All star- A player selected at almost any level of baseball to a team comprising the best players from a league or geographic area.

Last Year On This Date: All-star break.

Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record: 1-2

Round Rock (AAA) scored 6 runs in the first 2 innings and defeated the Oklahoma City Redhawks 12-9 at home. Neil Ramirez started for Round Rock and gave up 1 hit, 2 walks, and struck out 2 over 2 shutout innings. Brett Tomko received the win after giving up 5 hits and 3 runs over 3 innings. Zach Jackson gave up 2 runs over 2/3 of an inning while Darren O'Day and Ryan Tucker combined to pitch 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Cody Eppley gave up 4 runs in the 9th inning. Chris Davis went 3 for 5 with 2 homeruns, 4 RBI, and scored 2 runs. He now has 17 homeruns in 23 home games this season in AAA and is batting .444 (20 for 45) against left handed pitching. Brian Barden went 2 for 4 with a double, a homerun, and 2 RBI. Julio Borbon went 2 for 6 with 2 runs scored at the plate. Omar Quintanilla and Brad Nelson added 2 hits a piece. Matt Kata added a hit of his own.

Myrtle Beach (High-A) lost their morning game 7-0 to the Salem Red Sox. Wilfredo Boscan started for Myrtle Beach and gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs (1 earned) with 0 strikeouts over 5 innings. Kasey Kiker gave up 2 runs over 2 innings of relief, while Ryan Kelly gave up 1 run over his inning of relief. David Paisano went 1 for 4 with the only extra base hit for Myrtle Beach. Jared Prince, Ryan Strausborger, and Zach Zaneski each had a hit for the Pelicans.

Hickory (Low-A) had their game rained out. They have a double header today beginning at 4:30 PM.

Spokane (Short Season A-Ball) gave up 5 runs in the first 4 innings and fell 7-5 to the Yakima Bears at home. Victor Payano started for Spokane and gave up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs (3 earned) over 3 innings with 4 strikeouts. Francisco Mendoza gave up 3 runs over 3 innings of relief, while Kyle Hendricks and Samuel Robinson combined for 3 shutout innings of relief. Hirotoshi onaka went 2 for 5 at the plate for Spokane with 2 triples and 2 runs scored. Trever Adams led the Indians with a 3 for 4 day including a double and a RBI. Guillermo Pimentel added a 2 for 4 day as well. Nick Vickerson, Drew Robinson, and Edwin Garcia each added a hit as well.

Minor League Performance of the Day

Even in a day when Chris Davis mashed the ball again, Esteban German managed to top Davis's day for the Round Rock Express. In Round Rock's 12-9 victory over the Oklahoma City Redhawks, Esteban German banged out 4 hits in 5 at bats, including a double and 2 homeruns. One of the homeruns, was a grand slam in the 7th inning, which proved to be the difference. German also stole a base and scored 2 runs as the middle of Round Rock's order (3-5) combined to go 9 for 14 with 2 doubles, 5 homeruns, 11 RBI, 6 runs, and a walk against the Redhawks. On the season, German is batting .299 with an .819 OPS for the Express. Over his career, German is a career .278 hitter with a .739 OPS at the major league level. He holds a batting average of .304 over 3,444 plate appearances in the Pacific Coast League (AAA).

As always..

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/pressboxchatter 
Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Notes on an Off Day: All-star Break

Next Game: Thursday against the Springfield Cardinals at 7:00 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Record: Frisco RoughRiders (2-4 2 games back in the Texas League South; 42-34 overall)
Streak: Won 1 in a row
Last 10: 5-5
Homestand Record: 0-0
Series Record: 10-9-2
Record on June 28th since 2004: 3-5

Frisco Ends Three Game Skid With Comeback Win:
For the second night in a row a tremendous, record breaking starting pitching performance was for naught with a blown lead in the 9th inning. On Sunday it was Frisco who blew Robbie Erlin's 14 strikeout performance with a 4-3 loss on a walkoff 2-run homerun. On Monday it was Corpus Christi who blew Xavier Cedeno's performance with a 6-3 loss in the 9th inning to Frisco. The series loss to Corpus Christi was Frisco's first series loss to a team not named San Antonio since losing 3 out of 4 to Corpus on April 21-24.


Joe Wieland Effective in AA debut: His reputation as having great command around the plate preceeded him and in his AA debut, Joe Wieland lived up to it as he gave up 6 hits over 5 innings, allowed 1 run, struck out 5 batters, and did not issue a walk. He has now walked 1 batter in his last 305 faced and improved his strikeout to walk ratio to 101 to 4 for the season in 90 2/3 innings pitched. The 21 year old right hander also threw 72 pitches, 50 of which went for strikes and induced 4 groundouts to 2 flyouts.


Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better: Xavier Cedeno's performance on Monday reminded me of the old Michael Jordan commercials. The day after Robbie Erlin set a Frisco RoughRider's strikeout record with 14 strikeouts, Xavier Cedeno set the Corpus Christi Hook's strikeout record with 14 as well. Cedeno was on pace for 27 strikeouts after he struck out the side in the first three frames. Cedeno finished with 5 more over his next 3 2/3 innings to finish with 14 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings pitched. He gave up just 1 hit, a single to Guilder Rodriguez, and did not issue a walk or allow a run. He threw 91 pitches, 68 of which went for strikes. The 14 strikeouts set a career high for the 24 year old southpaw and tied him with Erlin, Jeff Francis (2), and Clint Nageotte for the most by a Texas League pitcher since 2003. Overall, Frisco struck out 17 times in the game which was a season high.

Closing In On Career High: Guilder Rodriguez went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI against Corpus Christi. His double drove in both runs, which tied the game in the top of the 8th at 2-2. The double was his 8th this season, which set a career high for doubles in a season and his 10 extra base hits ties a career high for extra base hits. He also now has 29 RBI this season, which is 2 shy of tying his career high at 31, which he got last season between Frisco and Oklahoma City (AAA).

Comeback Win: Frisco's comeback win in the 9th inning was also their 4th win this season when trailing after 8 innings. They are now tied with San Antonio for the 2nd most wins when trailing after 8 innings in the Texas League behind Tulsa's 6 wins.

Casey Kelly Named Starter: San Antonio Missions manager Doug Dascenzo announced yesterday that Missions starter Casey Kelly would be the starting pitcher for the Texas League South in the All-Star game, which takes place in San Antonio. Casey Kelly, 21 years old, is 6-3 with a 4.48 ERA this season in 16 starts. He has given up 99 hits and 27 walks with 65 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings. At Nelson Wolff Stadium, the Mission's home ballpark, Kelly is 3-2 with a 3.89 ERA in 7 starts. Casey Kelly was rated by Baseball America as the #1 prospect in the San Diego Padre's system entering 2011 and was rated as the 31st best prospect in baseball. The Padres acquired Kelly as one of the prospects sent from Boston in exchange for all-star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who is a former Frisco RoughRider.


Personal Opinion: In light of the Texas League All-star game, it got me thinking about what my personal all-Texas League team is in the 7 seasons that I have worked for Frisco and seen Texas League play. My starting lineup would be:

C- Wilin Rosario (2010-present)
1B- Eric Hosmer (2010)
2B- Howie Kendrick (2005)
3B- Alex Gordon (2005)
SS- Troy Tulowitzki (2006)
OF- Mike Trout (2011)
OF- Colby Rasmus (2007)
OF- Billy Butler (2005-2006)
SP-  Mat Latos (2009)




What would your all Texas League team be?



Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 573 in 602 games (0.952 HR/G)

Term of the Day: Cunny thumb- 1. A pitcher who throws slow balls. 2. A curveball thrown by holding the thumb parallel to the first two fingers in contrast to placing the thumb on the opposite side of the ball; it is a sharp curve because the pitcher gets more spin on the ball when it has no resistance from the thumb. 3. An awkward player who is "all hands, in fielding ball".

Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 5-4 in 11 innings on the road before the all-star break. Martin Perez started for Frisco and gave up 4 hits and 2 walks over 5 shutout innings with 9 strikeouts. Adalberto Flores gave up 2 runs over 1 inning of relief. Ben Snyder pitched 2 shutout innings of relief. Josh Lueke blew the save after he gave up 2 runs in the 9th, but Brennan Garr picked up the win after pitching 2 scoreless innings of relief. Renny Osuna went 2 for 5 with a RBI at the plate. Guilder Rodriguez also added 2 hits in 5 at bats. Matt Lawson went 1 for 5 with a triple and a RBI for the Riders. Joey Butler added 1 hit and a RBI in 5 at bats, while Marcus Lemon added a double in 5 at bats as well. Andy Jenkins added a hit and 2 walks, while James Tomlin added a double and Mitch Hilligoss went 0 for 2 with 3 walks.


Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record: 3-2

Round Rock (AAA) lost 4-1 to the Oklahoma City Redhawks at home. Seth McClung started for Round Rock and gave up 1 hit, 5 walks, and 2 runs over 4 innings without a strikeout. Beau Jones gave up 2 runs in 1 inning of relief. Mark Hamburger pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief, while Tommy Hunter and Zach Phillips each pitched a scoreless inning as well. Robinson Diaz led Round Rock with a 2 for 3 day. Joey Butler went 1 for 4 with a stolen base for the Express. Julio Borbon went 0 for 3 with a walk and was picked off-caught stealing. Omar Quintanilla, Brian Barden, and Matt Kata each added a hit at the plate as well.

Myrtle Beach (High-A) scored 4 runs in the 8th inning to defeat the Salem Red Sox 10-8 on the road. Kennil Gomez gave up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs (1 earned) over 5 innings with 3 strikeouts. Zach Osborne gave up 4 runs (2 earned) over 1 1/3 innings of relief. Joe Ortiz gave up 2 runs (1 earned) over 1 inning of relief. Johan Yan pitched a scoreless 9th for his 8th save. Leury Garcia went 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored out of the leadoff spot. He also stole his 20th base for Myrtle Beach. Chris McGuiness went 2 for 4 with 4 RBI and a walk at the plate. Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 4 with a double, walk, and 2 steals to give him 23 on the season for the Pelicans. Mitch Hilligoss went 2 for 5 with a double and a RBI, while David Paisano went 2 for 4 with a triple and a RBI. Jared Prince, Jared Hoying, and Santiago Chirino each added a hit.

Hickory (Low-A) scored a run in the 9th and defeated the Kannapolis Intimidators 10-8 in 13 innings. Roman Mendez had his worst start of the season as he gave up 10 hits, 2 walks, and 8 runs over 2 1/3 innings with 2 strikeouts. Colby Killian, Jimmy Reyes, Joseph Van Meter, Ben Henry, and Ryan Rodebaugh combined for 10 2/3 innings of shutout relief. Ben Henry picked up his 2nd win, while Rodebaugh got his 12th save. Odubel Herrera led Hickroy in the game with 4 hits in 7 at bats. Jurickson Profar went 3 for 5 with a homerun, 4 RBI, walk, and 2 runs scored out of the leadoff spot. He also had a sac fly. Tomas Telis went 2 for 6 with a RBI and a walk for the Crawdads. Josh Richmond went 2 for 7 with a double. Alejandro Selen reached base 4 times with a 2 for 4 day including a double, homerun, RBI, 2 walks, and 3 runs scored. Andrew Clark and Yefry Castillo each added 2 hits, while Christian Villanueva had a hit as well.

Spokane (Short Season A-Ball) gave up 7 runs in the first 3 innings and lost 11-7 to the Boise Hawks on the road. David Perez made the start for Spokane and gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs over 2 innings with 2 strikeouts. Chris Hanna gave up 4 runs (3 earned) over 3 innings of relief. Will Lamb gave up 2 runs (1 earned) over 1 inning of relief, while Leonel De Los Santos gave up 1 run in 2 innings. Brett Nicholas went 2 for 5 with a double, homerun, and 3 RBI at the plate. Zach Cone went 2 for 5 with a double, 2 RBI, and run scored for Spokane. 17 year old Rougned Odor went 2 for 5 with a double for the Indians. Jorge Alfaro also added 2 hits in 4 at bats. Nick Vickerson reached base a team high 4 times with a 1 for 2 day including a double, 3 walks, RBI, and 2 runs scored. Guillermo Pimentel, Ruben Sierra Jr., Ryan Rua, and Braxton Lane each had a hit as well.

Minor League Performance of the Day

For the second day in a row the minor league performance of the day comes from Frisco's game. Southpaw Xavier Cedeno had a career day when he began by striking the first nine men that came to the plate. He took a perfect game into the 6th before giving up a 1 out single to Guilder Rodriguez, the only baserunner that reached on Cedeno. In total, Cedeno finished with a line of: 6 2/3 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 14 K 2 WP 91 P-68 S. The 14 strikeouts were a career best and set a new Corpus Christi Hooks record.  On the season, Xavier Cedeno is now 4-5 with a 3.54 ERA in 16 starts. He has given up 81 hits and 36 walks in 94 innings pitched with 93 strikeouts.
As always...

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/pressboxchatter 
Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Monday, June 27, 2011

Game 76: Frisco RoughRiders (Joe Wieland) @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Xavier Cedeno)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi,TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (1-4 3 games back in the Texas League South; 41-34 overall)... Corpus Christi Hooks (3-2 1 game back in the Texas League South; 25-45 overall)
Streak: Lost 3 in a row
Last 10: 5-5
Road Trip: 0-3
Series Record: 10-8-2
2011 Record against Corpus Christi: 9-10
All-Time Record against Corpus Christi: 104-99
Record on June 27th since 2004: 4-1
Starting Pitchers: Joe Wieland (0-0 0.00 ERA) is making his first career start against the Corpus Christi Hooks... Xavier Cedeno (4-5 3.81 ERA) is 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 6 appearances, including 4 starts against the Frisco RoughRiders.

What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Joe Wieland to the mound for the first time this season, while Corpus Christi sends Xavier Cedeno to the mound for the 16th time this season as Frisco tries to avoid a sweep... Joe Wieland is making his AA debut on Monday as the rising prospect had a spectacular first half of the season for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The Carolina League all-star went 6-3 with a 2.10 ERA over 14 appearances (13 starts), while posting a mind boggling 96 strikeout to 4 walk ratio in 85 2/3 innings. At one point, Wieland had faced 227 batters in a row without issuing a walk. The streak lasted from the end of his April 18th start to the 7th inning of his June 7th start. In his two starts since then he's struck out 15 batters to 0 walks in 13 2/3 innings pitched. Wieland's shining moment came on May 4th when he gave up just 2 hits over 6 shutout innings and struck out 13 batters. The strikeout total was the most by a Texas Ranger's minor league pitcher this season until Sunday night. Over four minor league seasons, the 21 year old right hander is 26-17 with a 3.57 ERA. He carries a career 343 K-61 BB (5.62 K/BB) ratio into AA action. Joe Wieland was drafted by Texas in the 4th round of the 2008 draft. He was rated by Baseball America as the Ranger's 22nd best prospect entering the 2011 season... Xavier Cedeno makes his 5th start this season against the Frisco RoughRiders as the Corpus Christi Hooks try to sweep the RoughRiders at home. In his last start, Cedeno gave up 4 hits, 5 walks, and 5 runs (all earned) over 5 innings with 6 strikeouts against the San Antonio Missions last Wednesday. In his last start against Frisco, Cedeno gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 4 unearned runs over 6 innings with 7 strikeouts in Frisco's 5-4 win over Corpus Christi. On the season, the southpaw has given up 80 hits and 36 walks over 87 1/3 innings with 79 strikeouts. In Texas League play over parts of three seasons, Xavier Cedeno is 14-14 with a 4.14 ERA. The 24 year old from Puerto Rico missed all of the 2010 season.

Robbie Erlin Dominant, Frisco Blows Lead in Ninth: Despite a dominating performance from 20 year old starter Robbie Erlin, Frisco lost their third straight to the Corpus Christi Hooks as they blew a 3-0 lead after 6 innings and a 3-2 lead going into the 9th inning. Corpus Christi got a walkoff 2-run homerun from T.J. Steele off of Fabio Castillo to end the hopes of a 5th win for Erlin.


A Strikeout Machine: In case anyone missed it, Robbie Erlin had a pretty good night on Sunday. The southpaw, who was making his 6th AA start, went 6 2/3 innings, gave up 5 hits, 2 runs (both on solo homeruns), walked 1 batter, and struck out a career high 14 batters. He made 105 pitches, 77 of which went for strikes. His 77 strikes were the most by a Frisco RoughRider pitcher this season and most at either of the upper levels of the Texas Ranger's minor league system, which are the only two that show pitch counts on the box scores. In six starts for Frisco, Erlin is now 4-0 with a 4.79 ERA and has struck out 38 batters to 6 walks in 35 2/3 innings.

Where Does the Performance Rank?: With the 14 strikeouts being such a great number, it got the Statistical Research department of Frisco to go research where his performance ranks. The 14 strikeouts was the most by a Frisco RoughRider in their 9 year history. The previous high was 12, which was done by John Danks (5/15/06) and Thomas Diamond (6/28/2006). It also is tied for the most strikeouts by a Texas League pitcher since Frisco entered the Texas League. Robbie Erlin became the 18th Texas League pitcher to have 12 or more strikeouts since 2003.

Frisco RoughRiders Pitchers with 11 or more strikeouts
Robbie Erlin on 6/26/2011- 14
Thomas Diamond on 6/28/2006- 12
John Danks on 5/15/2006- 12
Guillermo Moscoso on 5/25/2006- 11
Ken Chenard on 8/29/2006- 11
Thomas Diamond on 5/12/2006- 11
John Hudgins on 7/1/2004- 11
Kameron Loe on 5/2/2004- 11

Top Five Strikeout Totals in Texas League Since 2003
1. Robbie Erlin 14 (6/26/2011)
1. Jeff Francis 14 (7/7/2004)
1. Jeff Francis 14 (6/1/2004)
1. Clint Nageotte 14 (7/5/2003)
5. Tim Kiely 13 (6/15/2009)
5. Trey Hearne 13 (5/8/2009)
5. Ezequiel Astacio 13 (7/22/2004)


Top of the Order: Frisco took an early 2-0 lead in the 1st inning after Stoneburner and Mendonca both doubled in the inning and then Ruiz doubled a batter after Mendonca. Overall, the top 3 hitters in the lineup each contributed an extra base hit in the game as Renny Osuna, who hit 2nd, also homered for the 7th time this season.

Osuna's Tear: As mentioned, Renny Osuna hit a homerun on Sunday, which marked his 5th of the month of June. He has never had more than 4 in one season before this year, let alone 5 in one month. Ironically, though, his batting average for the month of June (.250) is also the worst of the season for a month. Still, the power that Osuna has displayed for the month has been incredible.

Stoneburner Continues Streak: Davis Stoneburner only went 1 for 5 in Frisco's loss, but the hit was again an extra base hit. Stoneburner led off with a double and scored on Mendonca's RBI double. Stoneburner's last 9 hits have been for extra base hits.

Justin Miller Extends Scoreless Outing Streak: For the 9th consecutive appearance, Frisco reliever Justin Miller did not allow a run. His innings streak spans 15 1/3 innings as the recently turned 24 year old right hander has given Frisco stability in the setup role as of late.

Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 570 in 594 games (0.960 HR/G)

Term of the Day: Designated for Assignment- Said of a player whose team opens a roster spot while waiting for the player to clear waivers. The team must trade or release him within ten days or reassign him (if he accepts) to a minor-league team within seven days. Since there are certain situations in which a team needs a player's permission either to trade him or send him to the minors, the designation allows the player some time to make a decision. Occasionally, a club will designate a player for assignment while it is trying to trade him.

Last Year on This Date: Frisco scored 5 runs in the top of the 8th inning to defeat the Corpus Christi Hooks 6-3 on the road. Blake Beavan started for Frisco and picked up his 10th victory after giving up 7 hits and 2 runs over 7 inning swith 3 strikeouts and 0 walks. Beau Jones gave up 1 run in 1 inning of relief and Cody Eppley picked up his 6th save with a scoreless 9th inning. Elio Sarmiento went 2 for 3 with a double, triple, and 3 RBI in the game. Marcus Lemon went 2 for 4 with a walk, while Andy Jenkins had a 2 for 4 day with a double. Mitch Hilligoss doubled for his lone hit in 4 at bats and drove in 2 runs. Jacob Kaase, Joey Butler, and Guilder Rodriguez each singled as well.

Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record: 2-3

Round Rock (AAA) crushed the Oklahoma City Redhawks by a score of 14-2 at home. Eric Hurley made the start for Round Rock and gave up 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 unearned run over 5 innings with 3 strikeouts. Ryan Tucker gave up 1 run over 1 inning of work while Manny Delcarmen threw 2 scoreless innings of relief. Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless 9th inning. Julio Borbon went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI, scored 3 runs, and stole a base for Round Rock. Chris Davis went 2 for 5 with 2 homeruns, 4 RBI, and scored 2 runs. He now has 17 homeruns in 31 games for the Express. Joey Butler went 2 for 5 at the plate. Omar Quintanilla added 3 hits in 5 at bats, including a double, triple, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Esteban German and Brian Barden added 2 hits, while Kevin Cash added a hit as well.

Myrtle Beach (High-A) scored 3 runs in the first 4 innings and beat the Salem Red Sox 4-1 on the road. Robbie Ross started for Myrtle Beach and gave up 2 hits and 0 walks over 6 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts. Chad Bell picked up his first save after giving up 1 run over 3 innings with 3 strikeouts. Mitch Hilligoss went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles and 1 RBI at the plate. Jared Hoying added a 2 for 4 day as well for the Pelicans. Andres James was 2 for 4 with a double and a RBI out of the leadoff spot, while Jared Bolden went 1 for 4 with a double out of the 9 hole. Chris McGuiness, Zach Zaneski, David Paisano, and Santiago Chirino each had a hit as well.

Hickory (Low-A) lost to the West Virginia Power 3-1 at home. Cody Buckel started for Hickory and gave up 4 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs over 5 innings with 6 strikeouts and 1 homerun allowed. Ben Rowen, Nicholas McBride, and Ryan Rodebaugh combined for 4 scoreless innings of relief. Christian Villanueva went 1 for 3 with a double at the plate. Tomas Telis added a 2 for 4 day including a double for the Crawdads. Josh Richmond and Alejandro Selen added a hit a piece as well.

Spokane (Short Season A-Ball) lost for the third time in four games as they fell 3-2 to the Boise Hawks on the road. John Kukuruda started for Spokane and gave up 4 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings with 2 strikeouts. He induced 11 groundouts to 2 flyouts in the game. Juan Grullon and Matt West combined for 3 shutout innings of relief. Trever Adams led Spokane with a 2 for 4 day including a triple. Guillermo Pimentel added 2 hits in 3 at bats with a RBI and a walk. Rougned Odor went 1 for 4 at the plate with a walk. Brett Nicholas and Carson Vitale each added a hit of their own as well. Vitale's was a double as he also drove in a run. Zach Cone went 0 for 2 with a walk and a stolen base.

Minor League Performance of the Day

Robbie Erlin's performance on Sunday could only be described as dominant. To strikeout 14 batters in 6 2/3 innings means you have gotten 67% of your outs via a strikeout. In Frisco's 4-3 loss, Erlin's line was again: 6 IP 5 H 2 R 1 BB 14 K. In 90 1/3 innings on the year now, the 20 year old southpaw has given up just 11 walks and has struck out 100 batters. That's nearly a 10-1 K/BB ratio, which can only be rivaled by his former and present teammate Joe Wieland, who goes for Frisco tonight. His struggles with the longball have continued, as Erlin has now given up 15 homeruns in 15 appearances/14 starts this season. But Robbie Erlin has been dominant in three starts for Frisco this year, good in one (his debut), and struggled in two. I would say overall, his time in Frisco has been good, if not great, given he's still so young and facing a league that is playing as more of a hitters league than even in past years. A flyball pitcher, who can get in trouble when he's up in the zone in a league that is averaging the most homeruns per game in the history of the league is not exactly a great scenario, but Erlin is holding his own so far.

As always...

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/pressboxchatter 
Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Game 75: Frisco RoughRiders (Robbie Erlin) @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Erick Abreu)

Time: 6:05 PM CT
Location: Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (1-3 3 games back in the Texas League South; 41-33 overall)... Corpus Christi Hooks (2-2 2 games back in the Texas League South; 27-47 overall)
Streak: Lost 2 in a row
Last 10: 5-5
Road Trip: 0-2
Series Record: 10-8-2
2011 Record against Corpus Christi: 9-9
All-Time Record against Corpus Christi: 104-98
Record on June 26th since 2004: 4-2
Starting Pitchers: Robbie Erlin (4-0 5.28 ERA) is making his first career start against the Corpus Christi Hooks... Erick Abreu (4-1 3.83 ERA) is 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP in 18 career appearances, including 4 starts against the Frisco RoughRiders


What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Robbie Erlin to the mound for the 6th time this season, while Corpus Christi sends Erick Abreu to the mound for the 21st time, including his 6th start in the third game of a four game set... Robbie Erlin makes his 6th appearance, but 5th start as he looks to remain unbeaten as a Frisco RoughRider. Frisco is 5-0 when Robbie Erlin appears on the mound, including 4-0 when he starts the game. In his last appearance, Erlin came in after Darren O'Day pitched an inning of rehab work for Frisco to begin the game against Midland on Monday. Erlin gave up 8 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs over 4 2/3 innings in Frisco's 10-5 victory over the Rockhounds at home. In his last start, Erlin gave up a career most 10 hits, 2 walks, and 6 runs over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts against the Midland Rockhounds on the road in Frisco's 14-7 victory. Erlin has obviously struggled his last 2 appearances after pitching dominantly in his previous 2 appearances. Erlin took a no-hitter into the 7th inning against the San Antonio Missions on June 10th before giving up 5 hits and 4 runs in the 7th inning. On the season for Frisco, Erlin has given up 33 hits and 5 walks with 24 strikeouts over 29 innings. Overall, the 20 year old southpaw has given up 58 hits and 10 walks with 86 strikeouts over 83 2/3 innings... Erick Abreu looks to remain unbeaten against the Frisco RoughRiders as he makes his 6th start of the season for Corpus Christi. In his last start, Abreu gave up 10 hits, 3 walks, and 7 runs in 5 innings with 5 strikeouts against the San Antonio Missions. But, the last time he faced Frisco on June 16th, Abreu gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 7 innings with 7 strikeouts. On the season in 3 appearances against Frisco, Abreu is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 0.50 WHIP over 10 innings. For the Hooks this season, Abreu has given up 44 hits and 13 walks with 45 strikeouts over 49 1/3 innings. Overall, he has given up 51 hits and 17 walks with 48 strikeouts over 53 2/3 innings. He is 3-1 with a 3.71 ERA in 11 appearances, including 3 starts at Whataburger Field this season.

Corpus Christi Arms Keep Frisco Bats Silent Again: For the third time in four games, including the second game in a row against the Corpus Christi Hooks, Frisco hitters couldn't score more than 2 runs in a game. Frisco lost 7-1 to the Corpus Christi Hooks on Saturday at Whataburger Field. The main culprit was a bad showing from every hitter below the 3rd hitter in the lineup. Frisco wasn't alone, however, as they were actually the only team in the Texas League that lost that did not get shut out. Of the 8 teams in the Texas League, only one (Corpus Christi) scored more than 2 runs in the game.

Carlos Pimentel's Start: Carlos Pimentel made his first start since June 9th and it wasn't as good as his June 9th start was. After holding the best offense in the league, the San Antonio Missions, to 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run over 7 innings on June 9th, Pimentel gave up 9 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs over 5 1/3 innings to the Corpus Christi Hooks. Pimentel had 4 strikeouts, but gave up 2 homeruns, including a 2-run shot to J.D. Martinez, who hit 2 homeruns in the game.

Davis Stoneburner's Hot Hitting: The one hitter that remains hot in the RoughRider's lineup was Davis Stoneburner, who finished the game 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a triple. His last 8 hits have all gone for extra bases. Over his last 10 games, Stoneburner has 8 extra base hits and is batting .395 with a 1.108 OPS. In 198 at bats this season, he has 23 extra base hits. One of the areas that I see as something to look for is Stoneburner's ability to hit behind in the count. When behind in the count this season, he is batting .338 with an .863 OPS. In the Texas League, only James Darnell has a better batting average behind in the count and only Darnell and Jermaine Mitchell have a better OPS. Given that Stoneburner's overall OPS is around 200 points lower than both, I would say that Stoneburner does a great job when the count isn't in his favor. In fact he does a good job when both ahead and behind. He likely struggles when the count is even.


Top of the Order Production: Davis Stoneburner wasn't the only RoughRider at the top of the order that produced on Saturday. The top 3 hitters in the lineup, Stoneburner, Guilder Rodriguez, and Renny Osuna were a combined 6 for 11 with 3 extra base hits, a walk, and a RBI. The rest of the lineup, however, was 1 for 20 with 7 strikeouts. Left fielder Travis Adair, the 9th hitter, was responsible for the lone hit from the 4-9 hitters.

Bullpen In the Month of June: The Rider's bullpen has pitched very effective at times this season and in June it has been no different. The bullpen overall has posted a 4.00 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 101 1/3 innings for the month. And it's been even better if you were to exclude the regular starting pitchers who have played a role in the bullpen due to rehabs and others. Regular relievers have posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in the month. They have received strong performances from Fabio Castillo (10 G 1.80 ERA 6/7 SVO), Justin Miller (7 G 0.00 ERA), Ben Snyder (8 G 0.66 ERA), Tyler Tufts (9 G 1.64 ERA), and Corey Young (9 G 0.87 ERA).


Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 561 homeruns in 586 games (0.957 HR/G) still pacing most in Texas League history.

Term of the Day: Hoover- 1. A highly adept infielder who appears to sweep or suck up batted balls in the manner of a Hoover vacuum cleaner. 2. A batter adept at hitting successfully with men on base; one who cleans the bases.


Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 3-2 on the road to win their 5th in a row, which would become a 7 game winning streak. Ryan Tatusko started for Frisco and earned his 6th win after he gave up 4 hits and 3 walks over 7 shutout innings with 2 strikeouts. Kasey Kiker gave up 2 runs over 1/3 of an inning. Ben Snyder, Evan Reed, and Josh Lueke combined for 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Mitch Hilligoss led Frisco with 3 hits in 4 at bats, including a double and a RBI. Marcus Lemon went 2 for 4 with a walk out of the leadoff spot. Joey Butler added a 1 for 4 day including a triple and a RBI. Taylor Teagarden went 1 for 5 with a RBI, while Jacob Kaase went 1 for 3 with a walk.

Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record: 3-2

Round Rock (AAA) defeated the Oklahoma City Redhawks 4-3 on a walkoff single by Brad Nelson in the 9th inning. Scott Feldman made his 5th rehab start for Round Rock and gave up 5 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings with 5 strikeouts and 0 walks. Darren O'Day pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Zach Phillips gave up 1 run over 2/3 of an inning. Cody Eppley got the win after pitching 1 1/3 innings of relief. Former Riders Chris Davis, Chad Tracy, and Joey Butler each had 3 hits in the game. Davis had a double, Tracy hit a homerun, drove in 2 runs, and scored 2 of his own, while Butler added a double, a steal, and a run scored. Julio Borbon went 1 for 4 with a double, RBI, and walk. Esteban German added a double in 4 at bats, while Matt Kata went 1 for 4.

Myrtle Beach (High-A) scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning and defeated the Potomac Nationals 11-3 at home. Barret Loux started for Myrtle Beach and gave up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs over 6 innings with 7 strikeouts. Trevor Hurley gave up 1 run in 2 innings of relief, while Ryan Kelly pitched an inning of scoreless relief as well. Jared Prince went 3 for 3 with a RBI and a walk in the game. Andres James went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. David Paisano went 3 for 5 with a RBI and run scored. Leury Garcia went 2 for 5 with a walk and a stolen base. Mitch Hilligoss and Jared Hoying each had 2 hits as well. Chris McGuiness, Vincent DiFazio, and Jared Bolden each had a hit in the game for the Pelicans. Myrtle Beach was 10 for 22 with RISP as a team.

Hickory (Low-A) scored 7 runs in the first 4 innings and defeated the West Viriginia power 9-4 at home. Matt Thompson started for Hickory and gave up 4 hits, 9 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings with 4 strikeouts. Jorge Marban gave up 1 run over 2 innings of relief, while Ben Henry pitched 2 scoreless innings. Kellin Deglan went 2 for 4 with a homerun for Hickory. Josh Richmond added a 2 for 4 day with a triple and 2 runs scored. Jonathan Roof went 2 for 4 and stole 2 bases to give him 12 on the year. Jurickson Profar went 1 for 4 with a triple and a RBI, while Jake Skole added a 1 for 4 day including a RBI. Yefry Castillo led the Crawdads with a 3 for 4 day, while Andrew Clark added 2 hits in 3 at bats with a RBI on a sac fly. Alejandro Selen homered as his only hit in 4 at bats, but it was a 3-run shot.

Spokane (Short Season A-Ball) fell 10-4 to the Boise Hawks for their 3rd loss on the season. Richard Alvarez started for Spokane and gave up 3 hits, 4 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) over 3 innings with 2 strikeouts. Kyle Hendricks took the loss after giving up 2 runs in 1 inning of relief. Chris Hanna was the only pitcher for Spokane to not allow a run. Carlos Melo gave up 3 runs over 1 1/3 innings, while Andres Perez-Lobo gave up 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings. Trever Adams went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored in the game. Zach Cone did not get a multi hit game for his first non-multi hit game as a professional. He went 1 for 5 with a triple for the Indians. Brett Nicholas went 2 for 4 with a double, RBI, and walk. Ruben Sierra Jr. went 2 for 3 with a double and a RBI. Carson Vitale and Ryan Rua each added a hit.

Minor League Performance of the Day

Brian Fletcher missed a month of the season already, but he has been making up for it since coming back to Midwest League play. The Kane County Cougar's outfielder went 1 for 4 with a homerun on Friday and then on Saturday he went 3 for 3 with a double, 2 homeruns, and 7 RBI in Kane County's 11-5 win over the Peoria Chiefs. The 22 year old outfielder is now hitting .336 with a .941 OPS on the season for Kane County. In 37 games, he has 12 doubles, 2 triples, 5 homeruns, and 28 RBI. He missed a month due to a hamstring injury, but has come back with a flourish. Brian Fletcher was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 2010 draft. He had 49 career homeruns for Auburn, which is tied with Frank Thomas for 3rd most all time in school history.

As always...

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/pressboxchatter 
Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Game 74: Frisco RoughRiders (Carlos Pimentel) @ Corpus Christi (Dallas Keuchel)

Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (1-2 2 games back in the Texas League South; 41-32 overall)... Corpus Christi Hooks (1-2 2 games back in the Texas League South; 26-47 overall)
Streak: Lost 1 in a row
Last 10: 6-4
Road Trip: 0-1
Series Record: 10-8-2
2011 Record against Corpus Christi: 9-8
All-Time Record against Corpus Christi: 104-97
Record on June 25th since 2004: 2-3
Starting Pitchers: Carlos Pimentel (3-3 4.39 ERA) is 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 3 career appearances, including 2 starts against the Corpus Christi Hooks ....Dallas Keuchel (5-6 2.84 ERA) is 0-4 with a 5.19 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 5 career starts against the Frisco RoughRiders

What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Carlos Pimentel to the mound for the 15th time this season, including his 13th start, while Corpus Christi sends Dallas Keuchel to the mound for the 14th time this season in the second game of this four game set... Carlos Pimentel will be making his first start for Frisco since June 9th. In his last outing, Pimentel followed Brandon Webb and Corey Young with 4 innings of relief as he gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in Frisco's 9-8 12 inning win over Corpus Christi. In his last start, Pimentel gave up just 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run over 7 strong innings wtih 2 strikeouts against the San Antonio Missions at home. Over his last 4 starts, Pimentel is 1-0 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. On the season, Carlos Pimentel has given up 66 hits and 33 walks over 69 2/3 innings with 50 strikeouts. On the road, Pimentel is 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA in 7 appearances, including 5 starts... Dallas Keuchel looks to continue his recent string of dominance against the RoughRiders. In his last start, Keuchel gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 1 run over 7 innings with 5 strikeouts against the San Antonio Missions. Over his last 5 starts, Keuchel has gone 3-2 with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Over his last 3 starts, Keuchel has given up 2 earned runs over 21 innings pitched. On the season, he has given up 72 hits and 21 walks over 82 1/3 innings with 43 strikeouts. At home, Dallas Keuchel has gone 2-3 with a 3.22 ERA over 6 starts.


Hooks Arms Quiet Rider's Bats: Like the previous series in Corpus Christi, Frisco managed just 2 runs on 4 hits in the first game of a 4 game road set against the Hooks. Frisco lost 4-2 to Corpus Christi to fall to 2 games back early on in the second half already as San Antonio hasn't missed a beat. Frisco was down 2-1 after 3 and 4-1 after 4 innings. By the end of the 5th inning, all of the scoring was complete as both team's bullpens pitched well.


Brandon Webb Lasts 5 Innings: Former NL Cy Young award winner Brandon Webb pitched 5 innings in a pro start for the first time since September 27th, 2008 against the Colorado Rockies. Webb gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs over the 5 innings with 4 strikeouts. Webb made 77 pitches and 53 went for strikes. While the start wasn't tremendous, it's a step in the right direction and light years better than his last start against the Corpus Christi Hooks when he gave up 6 hits and 4 runs over 2/3 of an inning.

Mendonca Goes Rare 0 for 4 on the Road: For the first time since August 20, 2010 playing for the Bakersfield Blaze against the Modesto Nuts, Tommy Mendonca failed to reach base on the road. The span lasted 41 games, including 35 for Frisco. His 0 for 4 day with 2 strikeouts dropped his road batting average this season to .392. It also ended an overall on base streak of 15 games. Even still, Mendonca leads the team in batting average (.325), OPS (.957), and RBI (60). He's 2nd on the team in homeruns (15).


Adding Up Those Doubles: With the way he has looked lately, Davis Stoneburner has made it hard to not have his name in the lineup everyday. Over his last 10 games, Stoneburner is batting .366 with a .961 OPS. He's batting .336 since May 1st with an .888 OPS. Over his last 2 games, Stoneburner is 3 for 9 with 3 doubles. Of his 55 hits on the season, 20 have gone for extra bases, including 13 doubles.

A Familiar Face: Reliever Mike Perconte was released by the Texas Rangers on June 18th after making 19 appearances for Frisco and putting up a 5.40 ERA. He pitched 28 1/3 innings, gave up 27 hits and 15 walks, and struck out 28 batters for Frisco. He was signed by the Houston Astros on June 22nd and assigned to the Corpus Christi Hooks. On June 24th he made his first appearance for the Hooks... against his former team the Frisco RoughRiders. Perconte gave up 1 hit in 1 shutout inning of relief with 1 strikeout.

Frisco Killer: James Van Ostrand is one Corpus Christi Hook that Frisco has not been able to figure out. In his last 3 games against Frisco, the 4 year Texas League veteran is 7 for 9 with 2 homeruns, a double, 5 RBI, a walk, and 3 runs scored. However, for his career, James Van Ostrand is batting .260 (59 for 227) with a .650 OPS against Frisco.

Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 557 in 578 games (0.964 HR/G) still pacing most in Texas League history

Term of the Day: Debt Equity Rule- A requirement that prohibits a major-league club from carrying debt that is more than roughly 60 percent of the revenues and market value of the franchise. The rule has been on the books, but largely ignored, for years.

Last Year on This Date: Frisco shutout the Corpus Christi Hooks 4-0 on the road. Richard Bleier started for Frisco and gave up just 2 hits and 1 walk over 7 innings with 4 strikeouts. Brennan Garr, Beau Jones, and Cody Eppley combined for 2 shutout innings of relief. Eppley earned his 5th save of the season. James Tomlin went 2 for 4 with a homerun and 2 RBI at the plate for Frisco. Jacob Kaase also went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. Andy Jenkins went 1 for 3 with a double, 2 RBI, and a run scored. Marcus Lemon, Renny Osuna, Mitch Hilligoss, Taylor Teagarden, and Guilder Rodriguez each had a hit for the Riders as well.

Answer to Yesterday's Question of the Day: Dave Righetti holds the Texas League record for most strikeouts in a 9 inning game with 21 on July 16th, 1978 for Tulsa.

Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record: 4-2

Round Rock (AAA) split a double header with the New Orleans Zephyrs as they completed a previously suspended game for the second consecutive day as well as their regular scheduled game. Round Rock lost the suspended game 6-3 and defeated New Orleans 2-1 in the regular scheduled game.

Darren O'Day started the suspended game by pitching one inning as he was pitching on rehab for Round Rock. O'Day gave up 1 walk and struck out 1 batter in his 1 scoreless inning. Tommy Hunter gave up 9 hits, 1 walk, and 6 runs in 4 innings in the game with 4 strikeouts. Mark Hamburger pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief with 2 strikeouts, while Manny Delcarmen pitched a scoreless inning of relief to finish the game. Chris Davis went 2 for 4 with a RBI at the plate for Round Rock. Joey Butler went 1 for 4 for the Express as well, while Kevin Cash went 1 for 4 with a RBI. Julio Borbon went 0 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Zach Jackson started the second game and gave up 3 hits and 1 run over 4 innings with 4 strikeouts and 0 walks. Darren O'Day picked up the win as he pitched 1 inning of scoreless relief in the game. Beau Jones and Pedro Strop combined to pitch 2 innings of scoreless relief as well. Brad Nelson led Round Rock with a 2 for 3 day including a homerun and 2 RBI. Brian Barden went 1 for 3 with a double. Joey Butler went 1 for 3 for the Express, while Doug Deeds, Robbie Diaz, Omar Quintanilla, and Matt Kata each added a hit of their own as well. Chris Davis and Chad Tracy went 0 for 6 combined with 5 strikeouts.

Myrtle Beach (High-A) defeated the Potomac Nationals 5-4 with a walkoff double in the 13th inning by Jared Prince. Both teams scored a run in the 11th inning as well, which kept the game going. Justin Grimm started for Myrtle Beach and gave up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs over 6 innings with 1 strikeout. Kennil Gomez pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief. Joseph Ortiz gave up 1 run over 3 innings of relief, while Johan Yan picked up the win with 2 scoreless innings of relief. Mitch Hilligoss led Myrtle Beach with a 4 for 6 day including a double and a RBI. Leury Garcia went 3 for 5 with a walk, a sac bunt, and 2 runs scored. Jared Prince went 3 for 7 with the game winning double and RBI. Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 6 with a double, while Zach Zaneksi and Jared Bolden each had 2 hits in 6 at bats. Jared Hoying added a hit of his own in 5 at bats as he also had a sac bunt. He had a triple and a RBI.

Hickory (Low-A) scored 3 runs in the 7th inning and defeated the West Virginia Power 7-4 at home. Luke Jackson started for Hickory and gave up 4 hits, 4 walks, and 5 runs over 3 1/3 innings with 5 strikeouts. Ben Rowen, Jimmy Reyes, and Ryan Rodebaugh combined for 5 2/3 innings of shutout relief. Jurickson Profar went 0 for 2 with a walk and a hit by pitch in the game. Tomas Telis went 1 for 4 with a double and a RBI. Christian Villanueva went 1 for 3 with a walk. Jonathan Roof went 1 for 2 with 2 RBI and 2 steals. Jake Skole went 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 runs, and a stolen base. Andrew Clark and Josh Richmond each added a hit as well for the Crawdads.

Spokane (Short Season A-Ball) received a dominant pitching performance from Santo Perez as they shutout the Yakima Bears 5-0 on the road to move to 7-2 on the season. Perez gave up just 3 hits over 7 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts. Jose Monegro got his first save of the season after pitching 2 scoreless innings of relief. Zach Cone has begun his pro career with 4 straight multi hit games as he went 2 for 4 with a double at the plate and he stole a base as well. Guillermo Pimentel led the team with 3 hits in the game in 3 at bats, including a triple, a walk, and 2 runs scored. Trever Adams went 1 for 4 with a double and a RBI. Jorge Alfaro and Braxton Lane each had a triple as their lone hits with a RBI as well. Rougned Odor went 1 for 5 with a RBI in the game as well. Ryan Rua added a hit of his own, while Brett Nicholas homered for his one hit in 4 at bats.

Minor League Performance of the Day

Friday's minor league performance of the day will go to two players as there were two players that hit for the cycle in minor league baseball. The Binghamton Met's second baseman Josh Satin went 4 for 4 with a double, triple, and homerun in Binghamton's 5-3 win over the Bowie Baysox. Satin also walked in the game, drove in 2 runs, and scored 2 runs. The 26 year old infielder is batting .316 on the year with a .946 OPS in AA. He has hit 20 doubles, 2 triples, and 9 homeruns for the Mets, while driving in 43 runs and scoring 39 of his own. Satin was drafted in the 6th round of the 2008 draft by the New York Mets. The other player that hit for the cycle on Friday was the Casper Ghost's David Kandilas. He went 4 for 6 with a double, triple, and homerun in Casper's 14-7 win over the Ogden Raptors. Kandilas homered to centerfield in the 3rd, doubled to right field in the 6th, singled on an infield single to the shortstop in the 8th, and tripled to right field in the 9th inning. In all he drove in 4 runs, stole a base, and scored 2 runs as well. For the season, Kandilas is hitting .333 with a 1.146 OPS in 4 games. David Kandilas, 20 years old, was signed by the Colorado Rockies in April 2008 out of Sydney, Australia.

As always...

Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/pressboxchatter 
Follow the Extra Bases Live Blog throughout the Game at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/page.jsp?ymd=20100305&content_id=8685092&vkey=multimedia_t540&fext=.jsp&sid=t540
And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/

- By Michael Damman

Friday, June 24, 2011

Game 73: Frisco RoughRiders (Brandon Webb) @ Corpus Christi Hooks (Ross Seaton)

Time: 7:00 PM CT
Location: Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (1-1 1 game back in the Texas League South; 41-31 overall)...Corpus Christi Hooks (0-2 2 games back in the Texas League South; 25-47 overall)
Streak: Won 1 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Road Trip: 0-0
Series Record: 10-8-2
2011 Record against Corpus Christi: 9-7
All-Time Record against Corpus Christi: 104-96
Record on June 24th since 2004: 3-3
Starting Pitchers: Brandon Webb (0-1 11.57 ERA) is 0-0 with a 54.00 ERA and 10.49 WHIP in 1 career start against the Corpus Christi Hooks... Ross Seaton (2-5 5.91 ERA) is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 4 career starts against the Frisco RoughRiders


What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Brandon Webb to the mound for the 4th time this season, while Corpus Christi sends Ross Seaton to the mound for the 15th time this season in a rematch of their June 19th starts... Brandon Webb hopes to put his last outing behind him as he faces Corpus Christi on the road for the second consecutive start. In his last outing Webb gave up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs over 2/3 of an inning with 1 strikeout. He topped out as high as 86 with his fastball. The 2006 NL Cy Young award winner has sandwiched one good outing between two bad outings. On the season, Webb has given up 15 hits and 4 walks over 7 innings with 4 strikeouts for Frisco. Left handed hitters are batting .550 against Webb on the season... Ross Seaton opposed Webb in his last outing and also got roughed up by Frisco. Seaton gave up 7 hits, 1 walk, and 7 runs over 3 innings with 2 strikeouts. It was his second consecutive rough outing against the Riders as Seaton also gave up 10 hits, 1 walk, and 7 runs (6 earned) over 6 innings with 3 strikeouts on May 12th. On the season, Seaton has given up 91 hits and 27 walks over 77 2/3 innings with 41 strikeouts. He has given up 11 homeruns in 14 starts this season. At home he is 1-3 with a 6.52 ERA over 7 starts.


Frisco Takes 6-0 lead, Wins 9-5: Frisco completed a 4 game set with the Midland Rockhounds on Thursday by defeating the Rockhounds 9-5. The win meant their second series split this season. Frisco's last series loss to a team not named the San Antonio Missions was April 21-24th against the Corpus Christi Hooks at home. It was the 7th time in 16 games that Frisco has scored 9 or more runs against Midland this season.

Ben Snyder Wins Again: If there is one pitcher that is a Midland Rockhound killer it is Ben Snyder, who started for Frisco on Thursday after Jake Brigham was moved to the bullpen. Snyder scattered 5 hits over 5 innings and gave up just 1 run with 4 strikeouts and 0 walks. He earned his 6th victory of the season, which puts him tied for the team lead in wins with reliever Justin Miller. Snyder is also now 4-0 against the Midland Rockhounds this season, with 3 of the wins coming in relief. For his career, Snyder is now 5-0 with a 2.27 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 13 career appearances, including 2 starts against the Midland Rockhounds.


An Even Bigger Day for Elio: We talked about Elio Sarmiento's big day on Tuesday when he hit a 3-run homerun and 2-run double en route to his career best 5 RBI day. The homerun was Frisco's 69th in the first half and also represents the first time in his career that he has had more than 2 homeruns. On Thursday he upped his big week with a 3 for 4 day including a homerun, a triple, and a double. He finished a single short of the reverse cycle. In his last 10 games, Elio Sarmiento is batting .350 (14 for 40) with 10 extra base hits, 12 RBI, and 9 runs scored. His OPS over the 10 games is 1.209. In the month of June, Sarmiento is batting .333 with 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 homeruns. He needs just one more extra base hit to equal last year's output of 13 extra base hits and he is working with 129 less at bats. His career best in extra base hits came in 2009 when he had 18 between Bakersfield and Frisco in 209 at bats.

Ruiz Homers: Jose Ruiz has become a model of consistency in the RoughRider's offense. He hasn't had a great high yet, but hasn't had a big low either. In April Ruiz hit .324 with an .823 OPS, in May he hit .297 with an .847 OPS, and in June he has hit .273 with an .830 OPS. On Thursday Ruiz went 3 for 4 with his 8th homerun of the year, which came in the 3rd inning to put Frisco on top 6-0. The shot was quite impressive as it went to close to dead centerfield. Over his last 10 games, Ruiz is batting, no surprise, .275 with an .800 OPS.

Renny Osuna Goes Deep: Working on his 3rd partial season in Frisco, infielder Renny Osuna continues to hit with surprising power. The 26 year old infielder had never hit more than 4 homeruns in a season before this year, but went 2 for 3 with his 6th homerun of the year on Thursday. He also walked, drove in 2 runs, and scored one run. He has been struggling of late as Osuna is batting just .222 over his last 10 games and had a rare 2 error game on Wednesday in Frisco's 3-1 loss, but Osuna is still producing for the season overall. Last season Osuna hit .293 with 21 doubles, 5 triples, and 4 homeruns with 49 RBI in 450 at bats for Frisco. This season, Osuna has hit .291 with 8 doubles, 0 triples, and 6 homeruns with 32 RBI in 234 at bats for the Riders.

Miller Extends Streak to 8 games: Justin Miller came into a crucial situation on Thursday as he relieved the struggling Jake Brigham, who had already given up 4 runs in the game and left with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 6th inning with Frisco clinging to a 6-5 lead at the time. Miller came into face Grant Green, who already had homered twice in the series, and got Green to line out to Engel Beltre, who made a nice diving catch to end the inning. Miller didn't look back as he completed 2 more innings of scoreless pitching. He walked two in the 7th inning, but was able to escape a 2 on, 2 out jam by getting Jeremy Barfield to pop up to first baseman Jose Ruiz. Miller has now thrown 14 consecutive scoreless innings over 8 appearances. 

Tracking Texas League Homeruns: 552 homeruns in 570 games (0.968 HR/G)

Term of the Day: Leveraging- The practice by which managers routinely adjust their pitching rotation to match their best starting pitchers against their top rival teams.

Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated Midland 7-2 on the road as they pounded out 15 hits. Tanner Roark started and gave up 7 hits, 0 walks, and 2 runs (1 earned) over 7 innings with 3 strikeouts. Evan Reed and Josh Lueke each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Marcus Lemon led Frisco with a 4 for 5 day including 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Renny Osuna went 2 for 5 with a double and RBI. Taylor Teagarden added a 2 for 5 day including 2 RBI. Elio Sarmiento and Guilder Rodriguez each went 2 for 5 at the plate at the bottom of the lineup. Matt Lawson and Joey Butler each added 1 hit days for the Riders, while James Tomlin had a double for his lone hit.

Around the Ranger's System

Yesterday's Record: 2-4

Round Rock (AAA) split their two games with the New Orleans Zephyrs as they completed a previously suspended game and their scheduled game. They have a similar situation today as well. Round Rock defeated New Orleans 7-3 in the first game and lost 4-1 in the second game...

Scott Feldman started the first game, which was previously suspended, and gave up 2 hits over 2 shutout innings with 1 strikeout and 0 walks. Brett Tomko gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 5 innings of relief with 2 strikeouts. Ryan Tucker pitched a scoreless 8th inning and Cody Eppley gave up 2 runs in the 9th inning. Brian Barden led Round Rock with a 3 for 4 day including 2 doubles, a homerun, and 3 RBI. Chris Davis went 2 for 4 with a homerun and 2 RBI at the plate. Julio Borbon went 2 for 5 with a double, a triple, and a stolen base (his 10th) in the game as well. Joey Butler had a 2 for 4 day with his 5th steal for the Express. Esteban German and Omar Quintanilla each added a hit in the game as well.

Neil Ramirez started the second game for Round Rock and gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs over 5 innings with 6 strikeouts. Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless 6th inning to finish up the game. Chris Davis went 1 for 3 with the lone RBI for Round Rock. Omar Quintanilla went 1 for 3 with a triple. Brad Nelson and Esteban German each went 1 for 3 with a double. Matt Kata added a single and Kevin Cash went 1 for 2 with a double.

Myrtle Beach (High-A) gave up 6 runs in the 3rd inning and couldn't quite mount a big enough comeback in the 9th inning as they fell to Potomac Nationals 6-5 in the first game of the second half. Wilfredo Boscan started for Myrtle Beach and gave up 7 hits and 6 runs (all earned) over 2 1/3 innings with 2 strikeouts. Chad Bell, Zach Osborne, and Kasey Kiker combined for 6 2/3 innings of shutout relief with 9 strikeouts to 2 walks and 2 hits. Jared Hoying went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI at the plate. Jared Bolden and Santiago Chirino each went 2 for 4 for the Pelicans. Vincent DiFazio went 1 for 2 with 2 walks. Chris McGuiness went 1 for 4 with a RBI as well. Jared Prince and Mitch Hilligoss each added a hit as well.

Hickory (Low-A) gave up a run in the top of the 8th inning and lost 1-0 to the West Virginia Power. Nick Tepesch started for Hickory and gave up 6 hits and 1 walk over 6 shutout innings with 9 strikeouts. Joseph Van Meter took the loss after giving up a run in 2 innings of relief. Colby Killian pitched a scoreless 9th inning. Jurickson Profar went 0 for 4 at the plate for Hickory. Odubel Herrera went 1 for 4 for the Crawdads. Andrew Clark, Jake Skole, and Kellin Deglan each added singles in the game.

Spokane (Short Season A-Ball) lost 4-2 on the road to the Yakima Bears for their first loss since opening day, as they won 5 in a row since then. Victor Payano got the start for Spokane and gave up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs over 4 innings with 4 strikeouts. Will Lamb pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Francisco Mendoza took the loss after giving up 2 runs over 3 innings of relief. Rougned Odor went 2 for 4 at the plate for Spokane. Zach Cone also went 2 for 4 at the plate for the Indians with a RBI. Trever Adams added a 1 for 3 day with a double and Guillermo Pimentel went 1 for 4 at the plate.

Minor League Performance of the Day

Alexander Torres had his most dominant start of a season in which he has pitched well at the AAA level. The 23 year old pitcher gave up just 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 shutout innings with 12 strikeouts for the Durham Bulls in Durham's 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Bisons. Torres, a southpaw, is now 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA over 14 starts for the Bulls. Over 75 2/3 innings, Torres has given up 72 hits and walked 45 batters with 84 strikeouts. His 12 strikeouts was his second double digit strikeout performance this season. Alex Torres was an international signing by the Los Angeles Angels in 2005. He was traded by the Angels to the Rays in the deal that sent Scott Kazmir to Los Angeles. Kazmir was recently released by the Angels and remains unsigned. Alex Torres was rated by Baseball America as the 6th best prospect in the Tampa Bay Ray's system entering 2011.

As always...

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- By Michael Damman