Time: 7:00 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (20-18 5 games back in the Texas League South)... Midland Rockhounds (17-21 8 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 2 in a row
Last 10: 8-2
Series Record: 4-5-1
Record Against Midland: 5-1
All time Record Against Midland: 108-98
Record Since 2004 on May 18th: 5-2
Starting Pitchers: Carlos Pimentel (1-3 4.63 ERA)...Shawn Haviland (1-3 6.75 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco and Midland send Carlos Pimentel and Shawn Haviland out to the mound for their 8th starts of the season... Carlos Pimentel picked up his first career AA victory last time out when he gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs over 6 innings with 6 strikeouts against Corpus Christi. It was his 3rd start in his last 4 starts in which he went at least 6 innings with 2 runs or less given up. Pimentel faced Midland on May 8th and gave up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run over 6 2/3 innings with 3 strikeouts. He got the no decision in a 2-1 loss to Midland. On the season, Carlos Pimentel has given up 37 hits and 15 walks with 27 strikeouts in 35 innings, although he has given up 23 hits and 11 walks in his last 29 innings pitched... Shawn Haviland is coming off his 2nd strongest outing of the season, although his strongest have been bookends of 5 rough outings. Haviland gave up 4 hits and 4 walks in 6 shutout innings with 1 strikeout against San Antonio last Friday. He faced Frisco on May 7th and gave up 8 hits, 1 walk, and 5 runs with 8 strikeouts in 7 innings. He gave up 3 homeruns in the game and has given up 9 homeruns in 7 starts this season. For the season Haviland has given up 43 hits and 14 walks in 36 innings with 29 strikeouts. This will be only his 3rd road start in 8 starts.
Setting Themselves Up: With a 1-0 walkoff victory over Midland, the Riders have now taken at least 2 of the first 3 games of their last 5 series. They are now 7-1 in their last 8 games as well and 8-2 in their last 10 games. Frisco is also now 12-4 in the month of May.
Jake Brigham's Strong Start: A night after Martin Perez dominated the Midland Rockhound's lineup, Jake Brigham followed Perez's lead with a strong start of his own. Brigham gave up just 2 hits and 2 walks (1 intentional) over 6 shutout innings with 8 strikeouts. The 8 strikeouts marked a season high total for Brigham in 2011. Brigham has now gone 6 or more innings in 4 straight starts and has gone at least 5 in all 8 of his starts. He also has given up less hits than innings pitched in 5 consecutive starts
Pitch Count by Inning (Strikes/Pitches):
1: 6/12
2: 9/11
3: 7/10
4: 9/14
5: 9/18
6: 13/26
Total: 53/91
Didn't Miss a Beat: On a day when Frisco struggled to string hits together, it was only fitting that Jose Ruiz ended the game with the walkoff homerun. He finished the game 2 for 3 with the homerun and walk. Jose Ruiz is now 5 for 12 with 2 homeruns and 3 RBI since he came back from the birth of his child. All 3 of his homeruns this season have come at Dr. Pepper Ballpark as he is batting .375 at home with an OPS just shy of 1.000 at .998.
Sigh of Relief: Ramon Aguero (2-0) picked up another Frisco RoughRider reliever victory on Tuesday as he and Fabio Castillo combined for 3 shutout innings without a hit allowed, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. On the season, the bullpen is now 13-7, including a 5-1 record against Midland.
Josh Hamilton to Rehab With Frisco Tonight: The Texas Rangers announced that their star outfielder Josh Hamilton will join Frisco to begin rehab on Wednesday night when the Riders face the Rockhounds. Hamilton will join fellow star outfielder Nelson Cruz in the Rider's lineup, who is also rehabbing. Hamilton has been on the DL since April 12th with a non-displaced hairline fracture of his right humerus bone. He is expected to DH both Wednesday and Thursday as Cruz moves to right field tonight.
Homestand Struggles: Michael Bianucci has struggled mightily since coming back to Frisco. Bianucci is batting 4 for 22 (.189) with 2 doubles and 3 RBI on the 6 game homestand so far. He has 9 strikeouts to 2 walks in the 6 games as well.
May Struggles: While Bianucci has struggled on the homestand, Jonathan Greene seems to have hit a wall since May began. In 57 at bats in the month of May, Greene has hit .246 with a .306 OBP and .386 SLG. He has 4 extra base hits in the 57 AB's after having 9 extra base hits in 62 AB's in April. Greene has also struck out 23 times in May with just 4 walks.
Keeping Mitchell Off Third: Midland Centerfielder Jermaine Mitchell came into the series with Frisco with 9 triples on the season already. With no surprise, Mitchell hit his 10th triple yesterday and then hit a double on Tuesday. He has already made an impact on the bases, as pitchers take their time when he's on base and in Tuesday's case, the respect for his speed induced at least half a dozen pickoff attempts while he was on base three times. The 26 year old outfielder already has tied his career high in triples this season, which he had last year as well.
Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Midland Rockhounds 8-4 on the road. Ryan Tatusko made the start for Frisco and gave up 2 hits, 5 walks, and a run over 3 innings with 3 strikeouts. Brennan Garr picked up the win as he gave up 2 hits, a walk, and run in 3 innings of relief with 3 strikeouts. Renny Osuna went 2 for 5 with a RBI at the plate for the RoughRiders. Taylor Teagarden finished 1 for 2 with 3 walks and 2 RBI. Guilder Rodriguez had a 2 for 4 day and RBI. Six different Frisco batters drove in a run and scored a run in the game.
Yesterday's Question of the Day Answer: 1 time
Around the Ranger's System:
Yesterday's Record: 1-1
Round Rock (AAA) gave up 6 runs in the final 2 innings to lose 9-8 to the Las Vegas 51s. Round Rock lost on a walkoff walk to Adam Loewen in the 9th inning. Derek Hankins started for Round Rock and gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 3 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings with 5 strikeouts. Former Rider Mark Hamburger had another rough relief outing for the Express as he gave up 2 hits, a walk, and 3 runs in 1 inning without a strikeout. Brian Barden, Chad Tracy, Brad Nelson, and Luis Cruz combined to go 11 for 18 with 6 RBI and 7 runs for the Express. Joey Butler went 2 for 4 with a run in the game.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) got rained out and are scheduled to have a double header today.
Hickory (low-A) also got rained out and are also scheduled to have a double header today.
Minor League Performance of the Day
The Brevard County Manatees (Milwaukee Brewers high-A team in the Florida State League) had a very good day on offense on Tuesday. It was so good that it was difficult to decide between who had the best performance on the team, so I'll just give it to the team. Brevard County clobbered the St. Lucie Mets by the score of 19-9. Brevard County bashed out 23 hits as a team, including 2 or more hits from 7 of their 9 hitters. First baseman Hunter Morris went 4 for 5 with 3 doubles, a walk, 4 RBI, and 5 runs in the game. Khristopher Davis went 2 for 6 with a double, 4 RBI, and a run. D'Vontrey Richardson went 6 for 6 with a double, RBI, and 3 runs scored. Brock Kjeldgaard led the team in power with a 3 for 6 day including 2 homeruns, 7 RBI, and 2 runs. Altogether, the Manatees had 9 extra base hits in the game and scored 2 or more runs in 6 of the 9 innings, including 11 in the last 3 innings. Amazingly they trailed 9-8 going into the 7th inning.
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 at: www.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/
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Game 38: Midland Rockhounds (Anthony Capra) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Jake Brigham)
Time: 11:00 AM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (19-18 5 games back in the Texas League South)... Midland Rockhounds (17-20 7 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 1 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Series Record: 4-5-1
Record Against Midland: 4-1
All time Record against Midland: 107-98
Record Since 2004 on May 17th: 4-1 with one off day
Starting Pitchers: Jake Brigham (2-2 4.31 ERA)... Anthony Capra (0-2 8.18 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco and Midland send Jake Brigham and Anthony Capra to the mound for the 8th time this season... Jake Brigham was once again solid on the mound for Frisco against Corpus Christi last Thursday. Brigham recieved a no decision in the start, but gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs (all earned) in 6 innings with 6 strikeouts. He has given up 3 earned runs in 6 of the 7 starts and has gone 5 or more innings in all 7 starts this season. Brigham has not faced Midland this season for Frisco. On the season, Brigham has given up 36 hits and 13 walks with 36 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings pitched... Anthony Capra has struggled his way through the 2011 season so far. Outside of one start on April 21st, Capra has been pretty bad in every other start. His last time out, Capra gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 7 runs (all earned) over 3 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts. In his career against Frisco, Capra is 1-4 with a 5.68 ERA in 5 starts. This season, Capra has given up 42 hits and 17 walks with 30 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched.
Riders Comeback Late: Frisco scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to come from behind and defeat the Midland Rockhounds 3-2. The win moves Frisco to 19-18 and with the Mission's loss it puts the Riders at 5 games back in the division. Frisco has won 6 of their last 7 games and 7 of their last 9. They are also now 11-4 in the month of May.
Martin Perez Sharp Against Midland: The roller coaster season continued for Martin Perez who continues to tease baseball people with performance. On Monday night, Perez was as sharp as he's ever been in Frisco as he kept Rockhounds hitters off balance for most of the game mixing his pitches well with his fastball, curveball, and changeup. His curveball was as good as it's been, helping him get outs whether it was a strikeout or batters to roll over. Overall, Perez gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs with career bests in strikeouts (10) and innings pitched (7 2/3). He had a shutout going after 7 innings, but gave up a base hit followed by a walk by Adam Heether, which was followed by Jermaine Mitchell's 10th triple of the season 2 batters later. Ben Snyder gave up a single to Tyler Ladendorf, which scored Mitchell for the 2nd run.
Pitches by inning (Strikes/Total Pitches):
1- 10/10
2- 9/13
3- 14/21
4- 10/14
5- 8/10
6- 6/7
7- 7/11
8- 9/16
Total: 73/102
Cruz Rehab Game #1: Nelson Cruz batted 3rd and was the DH in the game for Frisco in his first of four games of rehab. He is expected to DH today as well, and then will play in the outfield the final 2 games. Cruz went 1 for 3 at the plate with a key RBI double in the 8th inning to help Frisco to the win. Cruz also drew a walk in the 6th after falling behind. He worked the count in 3 of the 4 plate appearances and flew out to left field in the one that he didn't. The double was hit well to left center field, which scored Leonys Martin from first base.
Martin Making Impact: Once again, Leonys Martin played a factor in the Rider's win. He went 1 for 3 with a walk and a single up the middle. He singled in the 1st inning and stole 2nd base during Renny Osuna's at bat. Martin was caught stealing for the second time when he tried to steal third base during the same Osuna at bat. He was caught stealing at third, while Osuna walked on the pitch. Martin has already attempted 5 stolen bases in 5 games. He also walked in the 8th inning and scored on the Cruz double.
Mendonca Continues to Rake Midland: On a day when Nelson Cruz was rehabbing and Leonys Martin is on Frisco, it was cleanup man Tommy Mendonca who stole the show. Frisco should be used to that, however, as Mendonca has hit very well against Midland early on this year. Mendonca went 2 for 4 with a double, homerun, and 2 RBI. He is now 9 for 23 (.391) on the season against Midland with 3 homeruns and 6 RBI in 5 games. His homerun was his 4th homerun this season hit in the 4th inning or later. Mendonca now has 10 homeruns and 28 RBI on the season, both of which are 2nd on the team.
Good Luck Charm: If Frisco is ever down late in the game against the Midland Rockhounds, it would seem the thing to do would be to bring Ben Snyder into the game to pitch. The way things have been going lately, that would guarantee a victory... and perhaps manager Steve Buechele knew that when he brought Snyder into the game on Monday. Ben Snyder picked up the win in relief on Monday, and is now 3-0 this season in 3 games against the Midland Rockhounds. Dating back to last year, he has been the winning pitcher in his last 4 appearances against Midland.
Last Year on this Date: Frisco lost 3-2 in 10 innings to the Midland Rockhounds. Richard Bleier started the game for Frisco and gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs over 7 innings with 4 strikeouts. Adalberto Flores took the loss for the Riders after giving up a 3 hits and a run over 2 2/3 innings. Matt Lawson went 3 for 4 with a walk at the plate. Renny Osuna chipped in 2 hits of his own. Joey Butler, Taylor Teagarden, Jacob Kaase, and Guilder Rodriguez each had a hit of their own in the game.
Yesterday's Question of the Day Answer: Mike Schmidt
Around the Ranger's System
Yesterday's Record: 2-1
Round Rock (AAA) gave up 6 runs in the first 2 innings and lost 9-4 to the Las Vegas 51s. Zach Jackson started for Round Rock and gave up 6 hits, 4 walks, and 6 runs (all earned) in 4 innings with 2 strikeouts. Beau Jones gave up 4 hits and 3 runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief. Pedro Strop finished the game with 1 1/3 of scoreless relief. Strop struck out 1 batter and gave up a hit. Joey Butler, who got promoted back up on Saturday, went 1 for 2 with a walk and a RBI on a sacrifice fly for the Express. Chad Tracy went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk at the plate.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) held off a rally by Winston Salem Dash to get their 6th victory in the last 8 games by a score of 3-2. Joseph Wieland got the start for Myrtle Beach and gave up 6 hits and 1 run in 6 1/3 innings with 8 strikeouts. Wieland did not surrender a walk for the 5th straight start and hasn't walked a batter in the last 120 faced. The lone run came on a solo homerun by Tyler Saladino. Ryan Kelly finished the game for Myrtle Beach to earn his 4th save. Mitch Hilligoss led the Pelicans with 3 hits in the game as he went 3 for 4 with a RBI. Jared Hoying went 2 for 4 in the leadoff spot with a triple and a walk. Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 4 with a double and a RBI. Mike Olt had a rare 0 for 4 day with 2 strikeouts.
Hickory (low-A) went into the 11th inning tied 5-5 with Augusta, before giving up a run in the 11th inning. However, the game was suspended due to rain and won't count against either team's record. Jurickson Profar had gone 1 for 3 with a homerun and a walk in the game as well.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Zeke Spruill has been pretty good this year, but on Monday he took it to another level. In the Lynchburg Hillcat's 11-0 victory over the Kinston Indians, Spruill gave up just 3 hits and struck out 5 in his complete game shutout. He did not surrender a walk either and induced 11 groundouts to 8 flyouts. On the season, Spruill has given up 40 hits and 7 walks in 50 innings with 41 strikeouts. He is 2-4 with a 2.88 ERA. Right handed batters are hitting just .162 this season against the 21 year old right handed pitcher. Zeke was selected in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft by the Atlanta Braves.
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 at: www.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/
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (19-18 5 games back in the Texas League South)... Midland Rockhounds (17-20 7 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 1 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Series Record: 4-5-1
Record Against Midland: 4-1
All time Record against Midland: 107-98
Record Since 2004 on May 17th: 4-1 with one off day
Starting Pitchers: Jake Brigham (2-2 4.31 ERA)... Anthony Capra (0-2 8.18 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco and Midland send Jake Brigham and Anthony Capra to the mound for the 8th time this season... Jake Brigham was once again solid on the mound for Frisco against Corpus Christi last Thursday. Brigham recieved a no decision in the start, but gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 3 runs (all earned) in 6 innings with 6 strikeouts. He has given up 3 earned runs in 6 of the 7 starts and has gone 5 or more innings in all 7 starts this season. Brigham has not faced Midland this season for Frisco. On the season, Brigham has given up 36 hits and 13 walks with 36 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings pitched... Anthony Capra has struggled his way through the 2011 season so far. Outside of one start on April 21st, Capra has been pretty bad in every other start. His last time out, Capra gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 7 runs (all earned) over 3 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts. In his career against Frisco, Capra is 1-4 with a 5.68 ERA in 5 starts. This season, Capra has given up 42 hits and 17 walks with 30 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched.
Riders Comeback Late: Frisco scored 3 runs in the 8th inning to come from behind and defeat the Midland Rockhounds 3-2. The win moves Frisco to 19-18 and with the Mission's loss it puts the Riders at 5 games back in the division. Frisco has won 6 of their last 7 games and 7 of their last 9. They are also now 11-4 in the month of May.
Martin Perez Sharp Against Midland: The roller coaster season continued for Martin Perez who continues to tease baseball people with performance. On Monday night, Perez was as sharp as he's ever been in Frisco as he kept Rockhounds hitters off balance for most of the game mixing his pitches well with his fastball, curveball, and changeup. His curveball was as good as it's been, helping him get outs whether it was a strikeout or batters to roll over. Overall, Perez gave up 4 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs with career bests in strikeouts (10) and innings pitched (7 2/3). He had a shutout going after 7 innings, but gave up a base hit followed by a walk by Adam Heether, which was followed by Jermaine Mitchell's 10th triple of the season 2 batters later. Ben Snyder gave up a single to Tyler Ladendorf, which scored Mitchell for the 2nd run.
Pitches by inning (Strikes/Total Pitches):
1- 10/10
2- 9/13
3- 14/21
4- 10/14
5- 8/10
6- 6/7
7- 7/11
8- 9/16
Total: 73/102
Cruz Rehab Game #1: Nelson Cruz batted 3rd and was the DH in the game for Frisco in his first of four games of rehab. He is expected to DH today as well, and then will play in the outfield the final 2 games. Cruz went 1 for 3 at the plate with a key RBI double in the 8th inning to help Frisco to the win. Cruz also drew a walk in the 6th after falling behind. He worked the count in 3 of the 4 plate appearances and flew out to left field in the one that he didn't. The double was hit well to left center field, which scored Leonys Martin from first base.
Martin Making Impact: Once again, Leonys Martin played a factor in the Rider's win. He went 1 for 3 with a walk and a single up the middle. He singled in the 1st inning and stole 2nd base during Renny Osuna's at bat. Martin was caught stealing for the second time when he tried to steal third base during the same Osuna at bat. He was caught stealing at third, while Osuna walked on the pitch. Martin has already attempted 5 stolen bases in 5 games. He also walked in the 8th inning and scored on the Cruz double.
Mendonca Continues to Rake Midland: On a day when Nelson Cruz was rehabbing and Leonys Martin is on Frisco, it was cleanup man Tommy Mendonca who stole the show. Frisco should be used to that, however, as Mendonca has hit very well against Midland early on this year. Mendonca went 2 for 4 with a double, homerun, and 2 RBI. He is now 9 for 23 (.391) on the season against Midland with 3 homeruns and 6 RBI in 5 games. His homerun was his 4th homerun this season hit in the 4th inning or later. Mendonca now has 10 homeruns and 28 RBI on the season, both of which are 2nd on the team.
Good Luck Charm: If Frisco is ever down late in the game against the Midland Rockhounds, it would seem the thing to do would be to bring Ben Snyder into the game to pitch. The way things have been going lately, that would guarantee a victory... and perhaps manager Steve Buechele knew that when he brought Snyder into the game on Monday. Ben Snyder picked up the win in relief on Monday, and is now 3-0 this season in 3 games against the Midland Rockhounds. Dating back to last year, he has been the winning pitcher in his last 4 appearances against Midland.
Last Year on this Date: Frisco lost 3-2 in 10 innings to the Midland Rockhounds. Richard Bleier started the game for Frisco and gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs over 7 innings with 4 strikeouts. Adalberto Flores took the loss for the Riders after giving up a 3 hits and a run over 2 2/3 innings. Matt Lawson went 3 for 4 with a walk at the plate. Renny Osuna chipped in 2 hits of his own. Joey Butler, Taylor Teagarden, Jacob Kaase, and Guilder Rodriguez each had a hit of their own in the game.
Yesterday's Question of the Day Answer: Mike Schmidt
Around the Ranger's System
Yesterday's Record: 2-1
Round Rock (AAA) gave up 6 runs in the first 2 innings and lost 9-4 to the Las Vegas 51s. Zach Jackson started for Round Rock and gave up 6 hits, 4 walks, and 6 runs (all earned) in 4 innings with 2 strikeouts. Beau Jones gave up 4 hits and 3 runs in 2 2/3 innings of relief. Pedro Strop finished the game with 1 1/3 of scoreless relief. Strop struck out 1 batter and gave up a hit. Joey Butler, who got promoted back up on Saturday, went 1 for 2 with a walk and a RBI on a sacrifice fly for the Express. Chad Tracy went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk at the plate.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) held off a rally by Winston Salem Dash to get their 6th victory in the last 8 games by a score of 3-2. Joseph Wieland got the start for Myrtle Beach and gave up 6 hits and 1 run in 6 1/3 innings with 8 strikeouts. Wieland did not surrender a walk for the 5th straight start and hasn't walked a batter in the last 120 faced. The lone run came on a solo homerun by Tyler Saladino. Ryan Kelly finished the game for Myrtle Beach to earn his 4th save. Mitch Hilligoss led the Pelicans with 3 hits in the game as he went 3 for 4 with a RBI. Jared Hoying went 2 for 4 in the leadoff spot with a triple and a walk. Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 4 with a double and a RBI. Mike Olt had a rare 0 for 4 day with 2 strikeouts.
Hickory (low-A) went into the 11th inning tied 5-5 with Augusta, before giving up a run in the 11th inning. However, the game was suspended due to rain and won't count against either team's record. Jurickson Profar had gone 1 for 3 with a homerun and a walk in the game as well.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Zeke Spruill has been pretty good this year, but on Monday he took it to another level. In the Lynchburg Hillcat's 11-0 victory over the Kinston Indians, Spruill gave up just 3 hits and struck out 5 in his complete game shutout. He did not surrender a walk either and induced 11 groundouts to 8 flyouts. On the season, Spruill has given up 40 hits and 7 walks in 50 innings with 41 strikeouts. He is 2-4 with a 2.88 ERA. Right handed batters are hitting just .162 this season against the 21 year old right handed pitcher. Zeke was selected in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft by the Atlanta Braves.
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 at: www.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/
Monday, May 16, 2011
Game 37: Midland Rockhounds (Carlos Hernandez) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Martin Perez)
Time: 7:00 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (18-18 6 games back in the Texas League South)... Midland Rockhounds (17-19 7 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Lost 1 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Series Record: 4-5-1
Record against Midland: 3-1
All-time Regular Season Record against Midland: 96-92
Record since 2005 on May 16th: 2-3 with 1 postponement
Starting Pitchers: Martin Perez (1-0 2.73 ERA)... Carlos Hernandez (4-1 6.31 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco and Midland send Martin Perez and Carlos Hernandez out to the mound for the 8th time this season... Martin Perez took a no decision in his last start, which came last Tuesday against Midland, despite pitching well in the outing. Perez gave up 3 hits, 4 walks, and struck out 4 batters over 6 shutout innings. He started slow in the start, but finished strong. This will be his 10th start against Midland in his career for Frisco. He is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 40 innings in the previous 9 starts. He has allowed 37 hits, walked 17 batters, and struck out 39. This season Perez has given up 27 hits and 18 walks in 33 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts. He has given up 2 runs or less in 5 of his 7 starts this season... Carlos Hernandez countered against Martin Perez last Tuesday and also received a no decision in the start. Hernandez gave up 7 hits and 3 runs (1 earned) over 5 2/3 innings with 8 strikeouts. He did not issue a walk in the start. Hernandez will be starting against Frisco for the 9th time and appearing in his 11th game against Frisco. He is 5-1 with a 4.66 ERA in his career against Frisco with a 1.47 WHIP. He has struck out 39 batters in 48 1/3 innings during that time. This season, Hernandez has given up 52 hits and 7 walks in 35 2/3 innings pitched with 33 strikeouts.
Winning Streak Comes to an End: Frisco lost 4-3 in 11 innings against Corpus Christi on Sunday afternoon. The loss ended a 5 game winning streak and possible sweep chance. Frisco, however, still took 3 out of 4 and sits in second place alone at 18-18.
Richard Bleier's Start: There is nothing overpowering about Richard Bleier, but at the AA level he can keep the team in the game. That's exactly what he did on Sunday as he gave up 9 hits in 6 innings, but gave up 3 runs, struck out a batter, and didn't surrender a walk in the start. He kept Frisco in the game, long enough for them to at least come back to tie it. Bleier also induced 12 groundballs in the start to just 1 flyout.
Offense Has Modest Day: The offense scored 11 runs and had 12 hits on Saturday, but it seems they left the sticks in the dugout for most of Sunday. Frisco managed 3 runs on 9 hits and a walk on Sunday against Xavier Cedeno and the Hooks bullpen. Renny Osuna, Tommy Mendonca, and Davis Stoneburner had 2 hits a piece. Leonys Martin went 1 for 5, while Michael Bianucci and Engel Beltre each had a hit a piece. It was Beltre's first game back since being suspended 15 games for the incident in San Antonio.
Walking His Way to the Team Lead: Guilder Rodriguez walked 40 times last season for the Frisco RoughRiders, which was by far his most as a minor leaguer since A ball in 2004. On Sunday, Rodriguez walked for the 6th time in 10 games to give him 13 walks for the season. The season total ties him with Michael Bianucci for the team lead. It's even more impressive when you consider that Guilder had 4 walks in 21 games in April and 3 of the 4 came in the last few games of April. He has walked 9 times in 13 games in the month of May.
Speaking of Walks (Or Lack thereof): Tommy Mendonca had another solid 2 for 5 showing, but he also struck out once in the game. The strikeout now gives Mendonca a strikeout-walk ratio of 44-4 on the season. The ratio would be quite impressive for a pitcher, but as a hitter, well it just doesn't look that good. Mendonca is batting .312 with a .333 OBP% and .553 SLG%.
Giving em' Fitz: Patrick Urckfitz has appeared in 5 games against Frisco this season for the Corpus Christi Hooks and he has given up 5 hits, 0 walks, and 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings pitched. He pitched 2 crucial innings on Sunday when he faced 7 Riders and retired 6 of them. He pitched to Tommy Mendonca with 2 outs and Leonys Martin on 2nd base in the 10th inning. Urckfitz got Mendonca to fly out to T.J. Steele.
Nelson Cruz in Town: Texas Ranger's outfielder Nelson Cruz will be playing for Frisco starting tonight on rehab. Cruz will be DH the first 2 games and then will play outfield afterwards. You can read more about it at the Rider's website.
Around the Ranger's System
Yesterday's Record: 2-2
Round Rock (AAA) scored 3 runs in the 8th and 9th innings to defeat the Las Vegas 51s 7-4 on Sunday. Neil Ramirez started for Round Rock and gave up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs (earned) over 5 2/3 innings with 8 strikeouts. Yhency Brazoban and Justin Miller didn't allow a run for the final 2 2/3 innings after former Rider Zach Phillips gave up 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning. Brian Barden went 3 for 5 with 2 homeruns for the Express. Former Riders Chad Tracy, Robbie Diaz, and Taylor Teagarden all had a homerun a piece in the game as well.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) lost 5-3 to the Lynchburg Hillcats. Wilfredo Boscan, who was the opening day starter for Frisco this season, started for Myrtle Beach. He gave up 7 hits, 1 walk, and 5 runs (all earned) over 6 innings with 3 strikeouts. Mike Olt went 1 for 3 with his 2nd homerun in as many days and walked as well. Jared Prince added a 2-run homerun as well. The Pelicans had 8 hits in the game, but nobody had more than a hit in the game. Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 2 with 2 walks and also threw a guy out at home from the outfield.
Hickory (low-A) got another solid start from Roman Mendez and defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 4-1. Mendez moved to 5-1 on the season as he gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 1 run over 6 innings with 4 strikeouts. Jorge Marban and Colby Killian pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief. Jurickson Profar went 2 for 3 with a double, RBI, and walk at the plate for Hickory. Andrew Clark had a double as part of a 2 for 3 day as well for the Crawdads. Teodoro Martinez drove in 2 runs during a 1 for 3 day. He also stole his 13th base of the season. Kellin Deglan added the other hit as he went 1 for 3.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Mike Carp has hit for some power in his days in the minor leagues. He hit 29 homeruns in AAA last year for Tacoma. On Sunday, Carp went 4 for 6 with 3 homeruns, a double, and 6 RBI for the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariner's AAA team) in their 18-6 smashing of the New Orleans Zephyrs. For Carp, the 3 homeruns gave him 10 on the seasons and 28 RBI now. On the season, the 24 year old outfielder is now batting .303 with a .968 OPS. In 91 major league at bats, he has batted .264 with 7 extra base hits. Mike Carp was drafted in the 9th round of the 2004 draft by the New York Mets. He was traded to Seattle as part of the deal that sent J.J. Putz to New York.
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 at: www.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/
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (18-18 6 games back in the Texas League South)... Midland Rockhounds (17-19 7 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Lost 1 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Series Record: 4-5-1
Record against Midland: 3-1
All-time Regular Season Record against Midland: 96-92
Record since 2005 on May 16th: 2-3 with 1 postponement
Starting Pitchers: Martin Perez (1-0 2.73 ERA)... Carlos Hernandez (4-1 6.31 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco and Midland send Martin Perez and Carlos Hernandez out to the mound for the 8th time this season... Martin Perez took a no decision in his last start, which came last Tuesday against Midland, despite pitching well in the outing. Perez gave up 3 hits, 4 walks, and struck out 4 batters over 6 shutout innings. He started slow in the start, but finished strong. This will be his 10th start against Midland in his career for Frisco. He is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 40 innings in the previous 9 starts. He has allowed 37 hits, walked 17 batters, and struck out 39. This season Perez has given up 27 hits and 18 walks in 33 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts. He has given up 2 runs or less in 5 of his 7 starts this season... Carlos Hernandez countered against Martin Perez last Tuesday and also received a no decision in the start. Hernandez gave up 7 hits and 3 runs (1 earned) over 5 2/3 innings with 8 strikeouts. He did not issue a walk in the start. Hernandez will be starting against Frisco for the 9th time and appearing in his 11th game against Frisco. He is 5-1 with a 4.66 ERA in his career against Frisco with a 1.47 WHIP. He has struck out 39 batters in 48 1/3 innings during that time. This season, Hernandez has given up 52 hits and 7 walks in 35 2/3 innings pitched with 33 strikeouts.
Winning Streak Comes to an End: Frisco lost 4-3 in 11 innings against Corpus Christi on Sunday afternoon. The loss ended a 5 game winning streak and possible sweep chance. Frisco, however, still took 3 out of 4 and sits in second place alone at 18-18.
Richard Bleier's Start: There is nothing overpowering about Richard Bleier, but at the AA level he can keep the team in the game. That's exactly what he did on Sunday as he gave up 9 hits in 6 innings, but gave up 3 runs, struck out a batter, and didn't surrender a walk in the start. He kept Frisco in the game, long enough for them to at least come back to tie it. Bleier also induced 12 groundballs in the start to just 1 flyout.
Offense Has Modest Day: The offense scored 11 runs and had 12 hits on Saturday, but it seems they left the sticks in the dugout for most of Sunday. Frisco managed 3 runs on 9 hits and a walk on Sunday against Xavier Cedeno and the Hooks bullpen. Renny Osuna, Tommy Mendonca, and Davis Stoneburner had 2 hits a piece. Leonys Martin went 1 for 5, while Michael Bianucci and Engel Beltre each had a hit a piece. It was Beltre's first game back since being suspended 15 games for the incident in San Antonio.
Walking His Way to the Team Lead: Guilder Rodriguez walked 40 times last season for the Frisco RoughRiders, which was by far his most as a minor leaguer since A ball in 2004. On Sunday, Rodriguez walked for the 6th time in 10 games to give him 13 walks for the season. The season total ties him with Michael Bianucci for the team lead. It's even more impressive when you consider that Guilder had 4 walks in 21 games in April and 3 of the 4 came in the last few games of April. He has walked 9 times in 13 games in the month of May.
Speaking of Walks (Or Lack thereof): Tommy Mendonca had another solid 2 for 5 showing, but he also struck out once in the game. The strikeout now gives Mendonca a strikeout-walk ratio of 44-4 on the season. The ratio would be quite impressive for a pitcher, but as a hitter, well it just doesn't look that good. Mendonca is batting .312 with a .333 OBP% and .553 SLG%.
Giving em' Fitz: Patrick Urckfitz has appeared in 5 games against Frisco this season for the Corpus Christi Hooks and he has given up 5 hits, 0 walks, and 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings pitched. He pitched 2 crucial innings on Sunday when he faced 7 Riders and retired 6 of them. He pitched to Tommy Mendonca with 2 outs and Leonys Martin on 2nd base in the 10th inning. Urckfitz got Mendonca to fly out to T.J. Steele.
Nelson Cruz in Town: Texas Ranger's outfielder Nelson Cruz will be playing for Frisco starting tonight on rehab. Cruz will be DH the first 2 games and then will play outfield afterwards. You can read more about it at the Rider's website.
Around the Ranger's System
Yesterday's Record: 2-2
Round Rock (AAA) scored 3 runs in the 8th and 9th innings to defeat the Las Vegas 51s 7-4 on Sunday. Neil Ramirez started for Round Rock and gave up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs (earned) over 5 2/3 innings with 8 strikeouts. Yhency Brazoban and Justin Miller didn't allow a run for the final 2 2/3 innings after former Rider Zach Phillips gave up 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning. Brian Barden went 3 for 5 with 2 homeruns for the Express. Former Riders Chad Tracy, Robbie Diaz, and Taylor Teagarden all had a homerun a piece in the game as well.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) lost 5-3 to the Lynchburg Hillcats. Wilfredo Boscan, who was the opening day starter for Frisco this season, started for Myrtle Beach. He gave up 7 hits, 1 walk, and 5 runs (all earned) over 6 innings with 3 strikeouts. Mike Olt went 1 for 3 with his 2nd homerun in as many days and walked as well. Jared Prince added a 2-run homerun as well. The Pelicans had 8 hits in the game, but nobody had more than a hit in the game. Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 2 with 2 walks and also threw a guy out at home from the outfield.
Hickory (low-A) got another solid start from Roman Mendez and defeated the Augusta Greenjackets 4-1. Mendez moved to 5-1 on the season as he gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 1 run over 6 innings with 4 strikeouts. Jorge Marban and Colby Killian pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief. Jurickson Profar went 2 for 3 with a double, RBI, and walk at the plate for Hickory. Andrew Clark had a double as part of a 2 for 3 day as well for the Crawdads. Teodoro Martinez drove in 2 runs during a 1 for 3 day. He also stole his 13th base of the season. Kellin Deglan added the other hit as he went 1 for 3.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Mike Carp has hit for some power in his days in the minor leagues. He hit 29 homeruns in AAA last year for Tacoma. On Sunday, Carp went 4 for 6 with 3 homeruns, a double, and 6 RBI for the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariner's AAA team) in their 18-6 smashing of the New Orleans Zephyrs. For Carp, the 3 homeruns gave him 10 on the seasons and 28 RBI now. On the season, the 24 year old outfielder is now batting .303 with a .968 OPS. In 91 major league at bats, he has batted .264 with 7 extra base hits. Mike Carp was drafted in the 9th round of the 2004 draft by the New York Mets. He was traded to Seattle as part of the deal that sent J.J. Putz to New York.
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 at: www.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/
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Game 36: Corpus Christi Hooks (Xavier Cedeno) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Richard Bleier)
Time: 2:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco,TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (18-17 5 games back in the Texas League South)... Corpus Christi Hooks (12-23 11 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 5 in a row
Last 10: 8-2
Series Record: 4-5-1
Record against Corpus Christi: 6-5
Record since 2005 on May 15th: 4-2
Starting Pitchers: Richard Bleier (0-0 2.08 ERA)... Xavier Cedeno (3-4 4.63 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Richard Bleier out to the mound for his 2nd start of the season and 3rd appearance, while Corpus Christi sends Xavier Cedeno out to the mound for the 8th time... Richard Bleier began the year in extended spring training, but has pitched well in both appearances since coming to Frisco earlier this month. In his last start last Monday against Midland, Bleier gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs (both earned) with 5 strikeouts in 5 innings. For the season, Bleier has given up 8 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in 8 2/3 innings with 8 strikeouts. Last year for the Riders, Bleier led the team in innings pitched with 164 1/3 innings. He walked just 28 batters, but did give up 191 hits...Xavier Cedeno has pitched better over his last 4 starts after starting off a bit rocky during his first 3 starts. Last time out last Monday against San Antonio, Cedeno gave up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs (all earned) over 7 innings with 7 strikeouts. Over his last 4 starts, he has given up 23 hits, 8 walks, and 6 earned runs in 24 innings with 18 strikeouts. This is the third time that Cedeno will face Frisco this season. In his previous 2 appearances, Cedeno surrendered 12 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs in 12 innings with 9 strikeouts. He earned the victory in both starts.
Winning Streak: Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 11-2 for their 5th win in a row and moved to a game over .500 for the first time since April 11th. Their 5 game winning streak is the longest since the Riders won 7 in a row from June 22nd to the 28th last season.
Scott Feldman Gets Victory in Rehab: Scott Feldman started out slowly in the 1st inning as he issued 2 out walks to Jeff Keppinger and James Van Ostrand. But, Feldman got the 3rd out, and settled down after that. His only run given up came on a 1 out triple in the 2nd inning by Jon Gaston followed by a RBI groundout by Andrew Simunic. Feldman, under a pitch count, made it through 5 innings with 75 pitches and gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run with 4 strikeouts. He threw 46 strikes out of the 75 pitches.
Leonys Martin Shines Again: After going 0 for 4 in his second professional game, Leonys Martin came back with another good game on Saturday. Martin went 0 for 2 in his first at bats, but followed those with a 2-run blast to right centerfield in the 4th inning for his 1st career homerun and a 2 run single in the 6th inning. He finished 2 for 5 with 4 RBI and 5 total bases in the game. So far through 3 games he is 5 for 14 with 3 extra base hits and 6 RBI.
Jose Ruiz Returns with a Bang: After missing 8 games on the Temporary Inactive list to be with his wife for the birth of his child, Jose Ruiz returned with a 1st inning 2-run blast into the Pool Zone in right field. It was unofficially the first splash ball that the pressbox could remember since Chris Davis hit one in 2008. Ruiz finished the game 2 for 4 with the homerun, 2 RBI, and the 1 run scored.
Offense Sharp again: Frisco managed 12 hits as a team on Saturday with 3 walks as well. The only RoughRider to not reach base was Jose Felix, who went 0 for 4. Martin, Ruiz, Jonathan Greene, and Guilder Rodriguez all had 2 hits a piece in the game. Michael Bianucci went 1 for 3 with a 2 RBI double in the 1st inning and also walked in the game. The first 6 batters in the game combined for 10 RBI and 7 runs scored.
Powering Up: Guilder Rodriguez came into this series against Corpus Christi with 2 extra base hits on the season. Through the 3 games, he has hit 3 doubles to give him 5 extra base hits on the season. He is batting .286 (10 for 35) with 6 RBI and a .762 OPS against Corpus Christi this season.
Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 8-0 at Dr. Pepper Ballpark. Blake Beavan earned the victory for Frisco with 8 shutout innings. Beavan gave up 4 hits, struck out 8 batters, and did not issue a walk. He made 105 pitches, 76 of which went for strikes. Matt Lawson and Joey Butler provided the offense for Beavan. Lawson went 4 for 5 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. Butler went 2 for 4 with a double, homerun, 3 RBI, a walk, and 2 runs. James Tomlin chipped in 2 hits of his own, while Elio Sarmiento, Jacob Kaase, and Guilder Rodriguez each had a hit in the game.
Yesterday's Question of the Day Answer: Barry Bonds. The deal was as official as it could get without not becoming a trade. You can read about it here.
Around the Ranger's System
Round Rock (AAA) lost 4-3 to the Las Vegas 51s on a walkoff RBI double by Eric Thames. Michael Kirkman started for Round Rock and pitched one of his better outings this season. He gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, and 1 run (earned) over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts. Yoshinori Tateyama gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs over 2 innings of relief with 3 strikeouts. Mark Hamburger got the loss in his second AAA appearance after he gave up a hit, 2 walks, and 1 run in 1 2/3 innings with 2 strikeouts. Omar Quintanilla and Doug Deeds each had 2 hits, including a triple by Deeds for the Express. Brian Barden added a 1 for 4 day with a double. Round Rock hitters went 1 for 7 with RISP.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) shutout the Lynchburg Hillcats 6-0 to win their 5th game in the last 6. Robbie Ross took the mound for Myrtle Beach and gave up 6 hits and 2 walks over 6 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts. Johan Yan pitched the final 3 innings of relief for his 4th save. Michael Olt hit his 5th homerun of the season as part of a 2 for 4 day with 2 RBI. Jared Hoying, Zach Zaneski, and Jared Prince all had 2 hits a piece as well for the Pelicans. Leury Garcia went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI. Ryan Strausborger went 0 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base as well. Jared Bolden added a 1 for 4 day with a double and 1 RBI.
Hickory (low-A) lost their 7th game in the last 8 games by a score of 5-0 to the Augusta Greenjackets. Carlos Melo got the start and gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, and 5 runs (all earned) in 4 innings with 5 strikeouts. Nick Tepesch, Colby Killian, and Kevin Johnson combined for 5 innings of shutout relief. Josh Richmond went 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. Jurickson Profar and Tomas Telis were the only other players with hits for the Crawdads, each with 1 hit in the game. Telis added a walk and Odubel Herrera had a walk to go with an 0 for 3 day.
Minor League Performance of the Day
A fairly easy call on Saturday as former Cleveland Indians 1st round pick Michael Aubrey of the Syracuse Chiefs (Washington National's AAA team) had a career day against the Durham Bulls. Aubrey went 4 for 4 on the day with 4 homeruns and 7 RBI. His first homerun was a 2-run homerun to right centerfield in the 1st inning. His second homerun was a solo shot that came in the 3rd inning to right field. His third homerun was a 3-run shot to right field to cap off a 5 run 4th inning. Aubrey finally led off the top of the 7th inning with a solo homer to right field. He was in the hole when Tug Hulett struck out in the bottom of the 8th inning. Michael Aubrey is hitting .254 on the season with the 4 homeruns now. He has an .816 OPS as well. In 135 at bats in the major leagues, Aubrey has a career batting average of .259 with 7 doubles, 6 homeruns, and a .755 OPS. The 29 year old outfielder was taken 11th overall by Cleveland in the 2003 draft.
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 at: www.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/
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco,TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (18-17 5 games back in the Texas League South)... Corpus Christi Hooks (12-23 11 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 5 in a row
Last 10: 8-2
Series Record: 4-5-1
Record against Corpus Christi: 6-5
Record since 2005 on May 15th: 4-2
Starting Pitchers: Richard Bleier (0-0 2.08 ERA)... Xavier Cedeno (3-4 4.63 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Richard Bleier out to the mound for his 2nd start of the season and 3rd appearance, while Corpus Christi sends Xavier Cedeno out to the mound for the 8th time... Richard Bleier began the year in extended spring training, but has pitched well in both appearances since coming to Frisco earlier this month. In his last start last Monday against Midland, Bleier gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs (both earned) with 5 strikeouts in 5 innings. For the season, Bleier has given up 8 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs in 8 2/3 innings with 8 strikeouts. Last year for the Riders, Bleier led the team in innings pitched with 164 1/3 innings. He walked just 28 batters, but did give up 191 hits...Xavier Cedeno has pitched better over his last 4 starts after starting off a bit rocky during his first 3 starts. Last time out last Monday against San Antonio, Cedeno gave up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs (all earned) over 7 innings with 7 strikeouts. Over his last 4 starts, he has given up 23 hits, 8 walks, and 6 earned runs in 24 innings with 18 strikeouts. This is the third time that Cedeno will face Frisco this season. In his previous 2 appearances, Cedeno surrendered 12 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs in 12 innings with 9 strikeouts. He earned the victory in both starts.
Winning Streak: Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 11-2 for their 5th win in a row and moved to a game over .500 for the first time since April 11th. Their 5 game winning streak is the longest since the Riders won 7 in a row from June 22nd to the 28th last season.
Scott Feldman Gets Victory in Rehab: Scott Feldman started out slowly in the 1st inning as he issued 2 out walks to Jeff Keppinger and James Van Ostrand. But, Feldman got the 3rd out, and settled down after that. His only run given up came on a 1 out triple in the 2nd inning by Jon Gaston followed by a RBI groundout by Andrew Simunic. Feldman, under a pitch count, made it through 5 innings with 75 pitches and gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run with 4 strikeouts. He threw 46 strikes out of the 75 pitches.
Leonys Martin Shines Again: After going 0 for 4 in his second professional game, Leonys Martin came back with another good game on Saturday. Martin went 0 for 2 in his first at bats, but followed those with a 2-run blast to right centerfield in the 4th inning for his 1st career homerun and a 2 run single in the 6th inning. He finished 2 for 5 with 4 RBI and 5 total bases in the game. So far through 3 games he is 5 for 14 with 3 extra base hits and 6 RBI.
Jose Ruiz Returns with a Bang: After missing 8 games on the Temporary Inactive list to be with his wife for the birth of his child, Jose Ruiz returned with a 1st inning 2-run blast into the Pool Zone in right field. It was unofficially the first splash ball that the pressbox could remember since Chris Davis hit one in 2008. Ruiz finished the game 2 for 4 with the homerun, 2 RBI, and the 1 run scored.
Offense Sharp again: Frisco managed 12 hits as a team on Saturday with 3 walks as well. The only RoughRider to not reach base was Jose Felix, who went 0 for 4. Martin, Ruiz, Jonathan Greene, and Guilder Rodriguez all had 2 hits a piece in the game. Michael Bianucci went 1 for 3 with a 2 RBI double in the 1st inning and also walked in the game. The first 6 batters in the game combined for 10 RBI and 7 runs scored.
Powering Up: Guilder Rodriguez came into this series against Corpus Christi with 2 extra base hits on the season. Through the 3 games, he has hit 3 doubles to give him 5 extra base hits on the season. He is batting .286 (10 for 35) with 6 RBI and a .762 OPS against Corpus Christi this season.
Last Year on This Date: Frisco defeated the Corpus Christi Hooks 8-0 at Dr. Pepper Ballpark. Blake Beavan earned the victory for Frisco with 8 shutout innings. Beavan gave up 4 hits, struck out 8 batters, and did not issue a walk. He made 105 pitches, 76 of which went for strikes. Matt Lawson and Joey Butler provided the offense for Beavan. Lawson went 4 for 5 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. Butler went 2 for 4 with a double, homerun, 3 RBI, a walk, and 2 runs. James Tomlin chipped in 2 hits of his own, while Elio Sarmiento, Jacob Kaase, and Guilder Rodriguez each had a hit in the game.
Yesterday's Question of the Day Answer: Barry Bonds. The deal was as official as it could get without not becoming a trade. You can read about it here.
Around the Ranger's System
Round Rock (AAA) lost 4-3 to the Las Vegas 51s on a walkoff RBI double by Eric Thames. Michael Kirkman started for Round Rock and pitched one of his better outings this season. He gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, and 1 run (earned) over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts. Yoshinori Tateyama gave up 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs over 2 innings of relief with 3 strikeouts. Mark Hamburger got the loss in his second AAA appearance after he gave up a hit, 2 walks, and 1 run in 1 2/3 innings with 2 strikeouts. Omar Quintanilla and Doug Deeds each had 2 hits, including a triple by Deeds for the Express. Brian Barden added a 1 for 4 day with a double. Round Rock hitters went 1 for 7 with RISP.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) shutout the Lynchburg Hillcats 6-0 to win their 5th game in the last 6. Robbie Ross took the mound for Myrtle Beach and gave up 6 hits and 2 walks over 6 shutout innings with 6 strikeouts. Johan Yan pitched the final 3 innings of relief for his 4th save. Michael Olt hit his 5th homerun of the season as part of a 2 for 4 day with 2 RBI. Jared Hoying, Zach Zaneski, and Jared Prince all had 2 hits a piece as well for the Pelicans. Leury Garcia went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI. Ryan Strausborger went 0 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base as well. Jared Bolden added a 1 for 4 day with a double and 1 RBI.
Hickory (low-A) lost their 7th game in the last 8 games by a score of 5-0 to the Augusta Greenjackets. Carlos Melo got the start and gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, and 5 runs (all earned) in 4 innings with 5 strikeouts. Nick Tepesch, Colby Killian, and Kevin Johnson combined for 5 innings of shutout relief. Josh Richmond went 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. Jurickson Profar and Tomas Telis were the only other players with hits for the Crawdads, each with 1 hit in the game. Telis added a walk and Odubel Herrera had a walk to go with an 0 for 3 day.
Minor League Performance of the Day
A fairly easy call on Saturday as former Cleveland Indians 1st round pick Michael Aubrey of the Syracuse Chiefs (Washington National's AAA team) had a career day against the Durham Bulls. Aubrey went 4 for 4 on the day with 4 homeruns and 7 RBI. His first homerun was a 2-run homerun to right centerfield in the 1st inning. His second homerun was a solo shot that came in the 3rd inning to right field. His third homerun was a 3-run shot to right field to cap off a 5 run 4th inning. Aubrey finally led off the top of the 7th inning with a solo homer to right field. He was in the hole when Tug Hulett struck out in the bottom of the 8th inning. Michael Aubrey is hitting .254 on the season with the 4 homeruns now. He has an .816 OPS as well. In 135 at bats in the major leagues, Aubrey has a career batting average of .259 with 7 doubles, 6 homeruns, and a .755 OPS. The 29 year old outfielder was taken 11th overall by Cleveland in the 2003 draft.
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 at: www.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/
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Game 35: Corpus Christi (Kyle Greenwalt) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Scott Feldman)--- TV GAME
Time: 7:00
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (17-17 6 games back in the Texas League South)... Corpus Christi Hooks (12-22 11 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 4 in a row
Last 10: 8-2
Series Record: 3-5-1
Record against Corpus Christi: 5-5
Record since 2005 on May 14th: 3-3
Starting Pitchers: Scott Feldman (0-0 0.00 ERA)... Kyle Greenwalt (2-3 6.03 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco will send former Rider/current Ranger Scott Feldman to the mound on a rehab assignment, while the Corpus Christi Hooks will counter with Kyle Greenwalt for the 7th time this season... Scott Feldman had right knee surgery in the offseason and is rehabbing from that tonight. Feldman made his Frisco RoughRiders debut in 2005 as a reliever. That year he made 46 appearances for Frisco and went 1-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 61 innings. He last pitched for Frisco in 2008 on rehab. He made 2 starts and went 2-0 with a 4.26 ERA in those 2 starts. In 6 seasons with Texas, Feldman has gone 31-32 with a 4.80 ERA in 164 games/78 starts. He won 17 games in 2009 with a 4.08 ERA in 189 2/3 innings. Last year, Scott went 7-11 with a 5.48 ERA in 29 games/22 starts... Kyle Greenwalt has been a mixed bags of surprises this season. He has been very good at times, twice going at least 6 with 1 run allowed, and very bad as well. In his last time out, Greenwalt gave up 10 hits, 1 walk, and 8 runs (all earned) over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts against San Antonio. He faced Frisco on their last TV game and gave up 6 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run over 7 innings with 5 strikeouts. Over his first 6 starts this year, Greenwalt has given up 39 hits and 7 walks over 31 1/3 innings with 24 strikeouts. Left handed batters are hitting .333 against Greenwalt this year. He is 1-3 with a 7.45 ERA on the road this season.
Riders Extend Winning Streak: Frisco defeated Corpus Christi 5-2 on Friday in front of 10,853 to extend their winning streak to a season best 4 games. It also guarantees at least a split in the series, which would mark a 4th consecutive non-losing series. Frisco's 8-2 record over their last 10 is also a season best mark over a 10 game stretch.
Carlos Pimentel Earns First AA Victory: Carlos Pimentel continues to pitch better of late as he gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs with 6 strikeouts over 6 innings against Corpus Christi and earned his first victory for Frisco. Over his last 5 starts, Pimentel is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 29 innings. His only rough spot on Friday was a 2 run 4th inning when he gave up 3 singles. He faced a jam in the 6th when he had 1st and 3rd with 1 out, but Pimentel struck out Jon Gaston and David Flores to end the threat and his night.
Offense Gets Some Help: The Rider's offense had a modest day with 8 hits and 2 walks, but they did receive some help from the Hooks defense as 3 errors led the Riders to an interesting day in the box score. Frisco scored 5 runs in the game, but the team had only 1 RBI, which was a RBI groundout by Leonys Martin, who went 0 for 4 in his second game for Frisco. Jonathan Greene and Davis Stoneburner both had 2 hits a piece and Jose Felix reached base twice in the game. The bottom 3 hitters were a combined 4 for 9 with 5 runs and 1 walk.
Bullpen Doesn't Miss a Beat: Even with the promotion of Mark Hamburger, who was the best reliever for Frisco this season, the bullpen did it's job on Friday pitching 3 scoreless innings of relief. The Hooks managed just 1 baserunner over those 3 innings which was a 1 out single in the 9th inning by Jon Gaston off of Adalberto Flores. Flores got the save still, which was his 5th save as a RoughRider and 1st of this season.
TV Game: Today's game between Frisco and Corpus Christi will be shown on TXA 21 beginning at 7:00 PM. The broadcast will be with Aaron Goldsmith, Frisco's radio broadcaster, and Jason Cole, who runs the Lonestar Dugout, a website dedicated to the Texas Ranger's minor league system. It is the second TV game of the season. There will be 8 more this season after tonight. You can learn more about the schedule on the Radio & TV section of the Frisco RoughRiders website.
Last Year on this Date: Frisco lost 4-1 to the Corpus Christi Hooks. Martin Perez took the loss for Frisco after he gave up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 4 innings with 2 strikeouts. Ryan Tatusko and Brennan Garr combined for 5 innings of shutout relief in the game. Joey Butler went 2 for 5 with 2 singles at the plate. Frisco had 6 hits and 7 walks in the game.
Yesterday's Question of the Day Answer: Pete Rose
Around the Ranger's System
Round Rock (AAA) lost 3-2 to the Tuscon Padres on a walkoff single in the 9th inning by former Mission Cedric Hunter. Seth McClung started for Round Rock and had one of his better performances as he gave up 6 hits and 2 runs over 7 innings with 2 strikeouts and no walks. Beau Jones pitched a scoreless 8th inning before Pedro Strop took the loss in the 9th inning. Strop walked the bases loaded in the 9th inning, although 1 of the walks was intentional. Taylor Teagarden and Robbie Diaz combined to go 4 for 7 in the game with a RBI and run. Brian Barden, Matt Kata, and Brad Nelson each chipped in a hit of their own for the Express.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) lost 8-1 to the Lynchburg Hillcats. Barret Loux had his worst start for Myrtle Beach as he gave up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 6 runs (all earned) over 4 2/3 innings with 4 strikeouts. He also hit 3 batters in the start. Jared Bolden went 2 for 4 at the plate with a triple. Mitch Hilligoss and Jared Prince each had a hit as well. Ryan Strausborger got his 23rd RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to score Bolden. Mike Olt went 0 for 4 with a strikeout at the plate.
Hickory (low-A) gave up 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning to lose 8-4 to the Augusta Greenjackets. Matt Thompson made the start for Hickory and gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 5 innings with 8 strikeouts. Andres Perez-Lobo took the loss after giving up 3 walks and 2 runs over 1 2/3 innings. Jurickson Profar went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk at the plate. Christian Villanueva went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles as well. Tomas Telis drove in 2 runs during his 1 for 4 day. Josh Richmond led the Crawdads with 3 hits, including a double and RBI. Odubel Herrera and Jhonny Gomez each went 1 for 4.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Brad Peacock has gotten off to a strong start this season and on Friday he continued the dominance for the Harrisburg Senators. In Harrisburg's 5-2 victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Peacock gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 7 innings with a career best 14 strikeouts. Peacock struck out the side in the 4th and 7th innings in the start. He has gone 7 innings and given up 1 or less runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. On the season Brad Peacock has given up 30 hits and 7 walks in 42 1/3 innings with 56 strikeouts. The 23 year old right hander is 3rd in the Eastern League (AA) in WHIP, tied for 1st in wins, tied for 1st in strikeouts, and 5th in ERA. Peacock was drafted in the 41st round by the Washington Nationals in the 2006 draft. He was listed as the National's 10th best prospect by Baseball America entering the 2011 season.
As always...
Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Station to Watch the Game on: TXA 21
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatterFollow 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/
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (17-17 6 games back in the Texas League South)... Corpus Christi Hooks (12-22 11 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 4 in a row
Last 10: 8-2
Series Record: 3-5-1
Record against Corpus Christi: 5-5
Record since 2005 on May 14th: 3-3
Starting Pitchers: Scott Feldman (0-0 0.00 ERA)... Kyle Greenwalt (2-3 6.03 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco will send former Rider/current Ranger Scott Feldman to the mound on a rehab assignment, while the Corpus Christi Hooks will counter with Kyle Greenwalt for the 7th time this season... Scott Feldman had right knee surgery in the offseason and is rehabbing from that tonight. Feldman made his Frisco RoughRiders debut in 2005 as a reliever. That year he made 46 appearances for Frisco and went 1-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 61 innings. He last pitched for Frisco in 2008 on rehab. He made 2 starts and went 2-0 with a 4.26 ERA in those 2 starts. In 6 seasons with Texas, Feldman has gone 31-32 with a 4.80 ERA in 164 games/78 starts. He won 17 games in 2009 with a 4.08 ERA in 189 2/3 innings. Last year, Scott went 7-11 with a 5.48 ERA in 29 games/22 starts... Kyle Greenwalt has been a mixed bags of surprises this season. He has been very good at times, twice going at least 6 with 1 run allowed, and very bad as well. In his last time out, Greenwalt gave up 10 hits, 1 walk, and 8 runs (all earned) over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts against San Antonio. He faced Frisco on their last TV game and gave up 6 hits, 0 walks, and 1 run over 7 innings with 5 strikeouts. Over his first 6 starts this year, Greenwalt has given up 39 hits and 7 walks over 31 1/3 innings with 24 strikeouts. Left handed batters are hitting .333 against Greenwalt this year. He is 1-3 with a 7.45 ERA on the road this season.
Riders Extend Winning Streak: Frisco defeated Corpus Christi 5-2 on Friday in front of 10,853 to extend their winning streak to a season best 4 games. It also guarantees at least a split in the series, which would mark a 4th consecutive non-losing series. Frisco's 8-2 record over their last 10 is also a season best mark over a 10 game stretch.
Carlos Pimentel Earns First AA Victory: Carlos Pimentel continues to pitch better of late as he gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs with 6 strikeouts over 6 innings against Corpus Christi and earned his first victory for Frisco. Over his last 5 starts, Pimentel is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 29 innings. His only rough spot on Friday was a 2 run 4th inning when he gave up 3 singles. He faced a jam in the 6th when he had 1st and 3rd with 1 out, but Pimentel struck out Jon Gaston and David Flores to end the threat and his night.
Offense Gets Some Help: The Rider's offense had a modest day with 8 hits and 2 walks, but they did receive some help from the Hooks defense as 3 errors led the Riders to an interesting day in the box score. Frisco scored 5 runs in the game, but the team had only 1 RBI, which was a RBI groundout by Leonys Martin, who went 0 for 4 in his second game for Frisco. Jonathan Greene and Davis Stoneburner both had 2 hits a piece and Jose Felix reached base twice in the game. The bottom 3 hitters were a combined 4 for 9 with 5 runs and 1 walk.
Bullpen Doesn't Miss a Beat: Even with the promotion of Mark Hamburger, who was the best reliever for Frisco this season, the bullpen did it's job on Friday pitching 3 scoreless innings of relief. The Hooks managed just 1 baserunner over those 3 innings which was a 1 out single in the 9th inning by Jon Gaston off of Adalberto Flores. Flores got the save still, which was his 5th save as a RoughRider and 1st of this season.
TV Game: Today's game between Frisco and Corpus Christi will be shown on TXA 21 beginning at 7:00 PM. The broadcast will be with Aaron Goldsmith, Frisco's radio broadcaster, and Jason Cole, who runs the Lonestar Dugout, a website dedicated to the Texas Ranger's minor league system. It is the second TV game of the season. There will be 8 more this season after tonight. You can learn more about the schedule on the Radio & TV section of the Frisco RoughRiders website.
Last Year on this Date: Frisco lost 4-1 to the Corpus Christi Hooks. Martin Perez took the loss for Frisco after he gave up 7 hits, 2 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 4 innings with 2 strikeouts. Ryan Tatusko and Brennan Garr combined for 5 innings of shutout relief in the game. Joey Butler went 2 for 5 with 2 singles at the plate. Frisco had 6 hits and 7 walks in the game.
Yesterday's Question of the Day Answer: Pete Rose
Around the Ranger's System
Round Rock (AAA) lost 3-2 to the Tuscon Padres on a walkoff single in the 9th inning by former Mission Cedric Hunter. Seth McClung started for Round Rock and had one of his better performances as he gave up 6 hits and 2 runs over 7 innings with 2 strikeouts and no walks. Beau Jones pitched a scoreless 8th inning before Pedro Strop took the loss in the 9th inning. Strop walked the bases loaded in the 9th inning, although 1 of the walks was intentional. Taylor Teagarden and Robbie Diaz combined to go 4 for 7 in the game with a RBI and run. Brian Barden, Matt Kata, and Brad Nelson each chipped in a hit of their own for the Express.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) lost 8-1 to the Lynchburg Hillcats. Barret Loux had his worst start for Myrtle Beach as he gave up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 6 runs (all earned) over 4 2/3 innings with 4 strikeouts. He also hit 3 batters in the start. Jared Bolden went 2 for 4 at the plate with a triple. Mitch Hilligoss and Jared Prince each had a hit as well. Ryan Strausborger got his 23rd RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to score Bolden. Mike Olt went 0 for 4 with a strikeout at the plate.
Hickory (low-A) gave up 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning to lose 8-4 to the Augusta Greenjackets. Matt Thompson made the start for Hickory and gave up 5 hits, 3 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 5 innings with 8 strikeouts. Andres Perez-Lobo took the loss after giving up 3 walks and 2 runs over 1 2/3 innings. Jurickson Profar went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk at the plate. Christian Villanueva went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles as well. Tomas Telis drove in 2 runs during his 1 for 4 day. Josh Richmond led the Crawdads with 3 hits, including a double and RBI. Odubel Herrera and Jhonny Gomez each went 1 for 4.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Brad Peacock has gotten off to a strong start this season and on Friday he continued the dominance for the Harrisburg Senators. In Harrisburg's 5-2 victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Peacock gave up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 7 innings with a career best 14 strikeouts. Peacock struck out the side in the 4th and 7th innings in the start. He has gone 7 innings and given up 1 or less runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. On the season Brad Peacock has given up 30 hits and 7 walks in 42 1/3 innings with 56 strikeouts. The 23 year old right hander is 3rd in the Eastern League (AA) in WHIP, tied for 1st in wins, tied for 1st in strikeouts, and 5th in ERA. Peacock was drafted in the 41st round by the Washington Nationals in the 2006 draft. He was listed as the National's 10th best prospect by Baseball America entering the 2011 season.
As always...
Station to Listen to the Game on: 1630 AM (KKGM)
Station to Watch the Game on: TXA 21
Follow the Game Online at: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/scoreboard/league.jsp?sid=milb&lid=109
Follow Us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatterFollow 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/
Friday, May 13, 2011
Game 34: Corpus Christi (Dallas Keuchel) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Carlos Pimentel)
Time: 7:00 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (16-17 7 games back in the Texas League South)... Corpus Christi Hooks (12-21 11 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 3 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Series Record: 3-5-1
Record against Corpus Christi: 4-5
Record since 2005 on May 13th: 2-4
Starting Pitchers: Carlos Pimentel (0-3 4.97 ERA)... Dallas Keuchel (2-1 3.81 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Carlos Pimentel out to the mound for the 7th time, while Corpus Christi sends Keuchel out to the mound for the 6th time... Carlos Pimentel was moved up one day in the rotation order, and hopes to repeat his last outings results. Pimentel's last outing came this past Sunday when he gave up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run (earned) in 6 2/3 innings pitched with 3 strikeouts against Midland. Pimentel started against Corpus Christi on April 23rd when he took the loss after he gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) with 3 strikeouts. Pimentel is still searching for his first AA victory of his career. He has given up 31 hits and 13 walks with 21 strikeouts in 29 innings... Dallas Keuchel will make his first start since May 2nd when he left early in a start against Frisco after colliding with David Flores. In his 2 starts against Frisco this season he has given up 13 hits, 2 walks, and 8 runs (all earned) in 7 2/3 innings pitched with 2 strikeouts. On the season Keuchel has given up 28 hits and 4 walks with 16 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched. He has 3 quality starts in 5 starts this season. On April 16th against Tulsa, Keuchel recorded a game score of 75.
Winning Streak Moves Frisco into 2nd: Frisco pulled out the 10-7 victory over Corpus Christi for their 3rd win a row, which marks their 2nd 3 game winning streak of the season. They also are now in second place alone in the Texas League South after Midland lost to San Antonio, however, Frisco is still 7 games back of the Missions. The win also pulled Frisco to within a game of .500 for the first time since April 11th of this season. They have also won the first game of a series in 3 consecutive series.
Leonys Martin Flourishes in Debut: The anticipated debut of Cuban signee Leonys Martin did not take long to create impressions. Leading off for the Riders on Thursday, Martin smoked a 2-2 pitch by Ross Seaton to straight away centerfield, which hit off the top of the wall for a double. It was probably the hardest hit ball by a Frisco player this season, and maybe in quite some time. Martin scored later on a double by Tommy Mendonca to left field. Martin singled to leadoff the 3rd inning, but was thrown out trying to steal 2nd base. Martin grounded out in the 4th inning and flew out to left field in the 6th. But Martin finished the night with a double down the first base line in the 8th inning to score Guilder Rodriguez from 3rd base and then Martin stole 3rd base on a walk to Joey Butler. He finished a very good debut 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, a stolen base, caught stealing, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored.
Jake Brigham started shaky, finished strong: Brigham gave up 3 singles, a walk, and 2 runs in the 1st inning, but gave up just 2 hits, a run (solo homerun), and 2 walks the last 5 innings he pitched. He finished with another 6 inning, 3 earned run start that have become Brigham's typical outing. He has been the most consistent starter on the RoughRider's staff this season and has yet to have a truly bad outing.
Hit Parade: While Leonys Martin was the big story of the night for Frisco, the Rider's offense certainly took advantage of the Hooks pitching in the opening of a 4 game set. Frisco accumulated 14 hits, 4 walks, a hit batter, and 10 runs in the game. Renny Osuna joined Leonys Martin with 3 hits, while Jonathan Greene, Jose Felix, and Guilder Rodriguez had 2 hits a piece. Every player in the lineup reached base at least once and 8 of the 9 batters scored a run in the game. Rodriguez had 2 doubles and 4 RBI in the game, which tied for the most he's had in a game since 2006. As a team, Frisco had 7 doubles in the game.
Another Bullpen win: The bullpen got their 11th win of the season to bring the season record to 11-6. The rotation is 5-11 on the season. Justin Miller got the win in the game, his 3rd of the season, which ties him with Mike Perconte for the team lead in wins. He has all 3 wins in his last 6 appearances. It was his 7th scoreless outing in his last 8 appearances.
Last Year on this Date: Frisco lost 10-3 to the Corpus Christi Hooks at home. Kasey Kiker took the loss after giving up 4 hits, 5 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 3 2/3 innings with 2 strikeouts. Jordan Lyles got the win for Corpus Christi after giving up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run over 7 innings with 6 strikeouts. Joey Butler went 2 for 4 at the plate for Frisco with 2 doubles. Taylor Teagarden led the team in hits in the game with 3, including a double and 3 RBI.
Friday Night Fireworks: Tonight will be the second of three fireworks fridays for Frisco in the month of May. The third one will be May 27th when Frisco plays host to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals for the first time this season.
Pitching Performances: Added to the blog today was a section for pitching performances. We will track the top 30 best and worst starts by pitchers throughout the Ranger's minor league system by game score.
Around the Ranger's System:
Round Rock (AAA) scored 7 runs from the 5th inning to 7th inning to defeat the Tuscon Padres 10-8 on Thursday. Derek Hankins made the start for Round Rock and gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 6 runs (5 earned) over 5 innings to get his 5th win of the season. Every batter in the lineup got a hit in the game. Doug Deeds finished 2 for 4 with a double, walk, and RBI. Matt Kata finished 3 for 5 with a RBI in the game. Former Rider Zach Phillips gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs in 2 innings of relief.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) defeated the Kinston Indians 4-2 to get the sweep. Robbie Erlin started for Myrtle Beach and turned in another terrific performance. Erlin gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 6 innings with 7 strikeouts. He outdueled fellow southpaw Drew Pomeranz, who started for Kinston, and gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Jared Prince led the Pelicans with 3 hits in the game with a RBI. Leury Garcia and Chris McGuinness each added in 2 hits of their own. Mike Olt and Ryan Strausborger both went 1 for 3 with a walk. Olt added a RBI while Strausborger scored a run and stole a base.
Hickory (low-A) played in the low scoring affair of the day, as they defeated the Savannah Sand Gnats 1-0 in 13 innings. The two teams combined to have 16 hits in the game. Justin Grimm started for Hickory and gave up 6 hits and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts over 7 shutout innings. Ryan Rodebaugh, Kevin Johnson, and Joseph Van Meter combined for the final 6 innings of shutout relief. Jurickson Profar went 2 for 6 with a double and the game winning run at the plate. Christian Villanueva, Andrew Clark, Odubel Herrera, and Kellin Deglan each added a single in the game. Crawdads hitters walked 6 times in the game.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Baseball is a funny game and on Thursday night one pitcher showed a little bit of why that is. Joseph O'Gara has not had the best season out there, but on Thursday he had a great, great performance. The 23 year old right handed pitcher dominated the Mobile Bay Bears in the Jacksonville Suns 4-1 victory. O'Gara gave up just 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 unearned run over 8 innings with 9 strikeouts. He also hit a batter, and made 81 pitches, 59 of which went for strikes. On the season, Joseph O'Gara is 2-1 with a 5.67 ERA. He has given up 54 hits and 9 walks in 39 2/3 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts. O'Gara was taken in the 31st round of the 2009 draft by the Florida Marlins and was listed as the 30th best prospect in the Marlin's system by Baseball America entering 2011.
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 at: www.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/
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (16-17 7 games back in the Texas League South)... Corpus Christi Hooks (12-21 11 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 3 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Series Record: 3-5-1
Record against Corpus Christi: 4-5
Record since 2005 on May 13th: 2-4
Starting Pitchers: Carlos Pimentel (0-3 4.97 ERA)... Dallas Keuchel (2-1 3.81 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco sends Carlos Pimentel out to the mound for the 7th time, while Corpus Christi sends Keuchel out to the mound for the 6th time... Carlos Pimentel was moved up one day in the rotation order, and hopes to repeat his last outings results. Pimentel's last outing came this past Sunday when he gave up 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run (earned) in 6 2/3 innings pitched with 3 strikeouts against Midland. Pimentel started against Corpus Christi on April 23rd when he took the loss after he gave up 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) with 3 strikeouts. Pimentel is still searching for his first AA victory of his career. He has given up 31 hits and 13 walks with 21 strikeouts in 29 innings... Dallas Keuchel will make his first start since May 2nd when he left early in a start against Frisco after colliding with David Flores. In his 2 starts against Frisco this season he has given up 13 hits, 2 walks, and 8 runs (all earned) in 7 2/3 innings pitched with 2 strikeouts. On the season Keuchel has given up 28 hits and 4 walks with 16 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings pitched. He has 3 quality starts in 5 starts this season. On April 16th against Tulsa, Keuchel recorded a game score of 75.
Winning Streak Moves Frisco into 2nd: Frisco pulled out the 10-7 victory over Corpus Christi for their 3rd win a row, which marks their 2nd 3 game winning streak of the season. They also are now in second place alone in the Texas League South after Midland lost to San Antonio, however, Frisco is still 7 games back of the Missions. The win also pulled Frisco to within a game of .500 for the first time since April 11th of this season. They have also won the first game of a series in 3 consecutive series.
Leonys Martin Flourishes in Debut: The anticipated debut of Cuban signee Leonys Martin did not take long to create impressions. Leading off for the Riders on Thursday, Martin smoked a 2-2 pitch by Ross Seaton to straight away centerfield, which hit off the top of the wall for a double. It was probably the hardest hit ball by a Frisco player this season, and maybe in quite some time. Martin scored later on a double by Tommy Mendonca to left field. Martin singled to leadoff the 3rd inning, but was thrown out trying to steal 2nd base. Martin grounded out in the 4th inning and flew out to left field in the 6th. But Martin finished the night with a double down the first base line in the 8th inning to score Guilder Rodriguez from 3rd base and then Martin stole 3rd base on a walk to Joey Butler. He finished a very good debut 3 for 5 with 2 doubles, a stolen base, caught stealing, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored.
Jake Brigham started shaky, finished strong: Brigham gave up 3 singles, a walk, and 2 runs in the 1st inning, but gave up just 2 hits, a run (solo homerun), and 2 walks the last 5 innings he pitched. He finished with another 6 inning, 3 earned run start that have become Brigham's typical outing. He has been the most consistent starter on the RoughRider's staff this season and has yet to have a truly bad outing.
Hit Parade: While Leonys Martin was the big story of the night for Frisco, the Rider's offense certainly took advantage of the Hooks pitching in the opening of a 4 game set. Frisco accumulated 14 hits, 4 walks, a hit batter, and 10 runs in the game. Renny Osuna joined Leonys Martin with 3 hits, while Jonathan Greene, Jose Felix, and Guilder Rodriguez had 2 hits a piece. Every player in the lineup reached base at least once and 8 of the 9 batters scored a run in the game. Rodriguez had 2 doubles and 4 RBI in the game, which tied for the most he's had in a game since 2006. As a team, Frisco had 7 doubles in the game.
Another Bullpen win: The bullpen got their 11th win of the season to bring the season record to 11-6. The rotation is 5-11 on the season. Justin Miller got the win in the game, his 3rd of the season, which ties him with Mike Perconte for the team lead in wins. He has all 3 wins in his last 6 appearances. It was his 7th scoreless outing in his last 8 appearances.
Last Year on this Date: Frisco lost 10-3 to the Corpus Christi Hooks at home. Kasey Kiker took the loss after giving up 4 hits, 5 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 3 2/3 innings with 2 strikeouts. Jordan Lyles got the win for Corpus Christi after giving up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 1 run over 7 innings with 6 strikeouts. Joey Butler went 2 for 4 at the plate for Frisco with 2 doubles. Taylor Teagarden led the team in hits in the game with 3, including a double and 3 RBI.
Friday Night Fireworks: Tonight will be the second of three fireworks fridays for Frisco in the month of May. The third one will be May 27th when Frisco plays host to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals for the first time this season.
Pitching Performances: Added to the blog today was a section for pitching performances. We will track the top 30 best and worst starts by pitchers throughout the Ranger's minor league system by game score.
Around the Ranger's System:
Round Rock (AAA) scored 7 runs from the 5th inning to 7th inning to defeat the Tuscon Padres 10-8 on Thursday. Derek Hankins made the start for Round Rock and gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 6 runs (5 earned) over 5 innings to get his 5th win of the season. Every batter in the lineup got a hit in the game. Doug Deeds finished 2 for 4 with a double, walk, and RBI. Matt Kata finished 3 for 5 with a RBI in the game. Former Rider Zach Phillips gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 2 runs in 2 innings of relief.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) defeated the Kinston Indians 4-2 to get the sweep. Robbie Erlin started for Myrtle Beach and turned in another terrific performance. Erlin gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 6 innings with 7 strikeouts. He outdueled fellow southpaw Drew Pomeranz, who started for Kinston, and gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Jared Prince led the Pelicans with 3 hits in the game with a RBI. Leury Garcia and Chris McGuinness each added in 2 hits of their own. Mike Olt and Ryan Strausborger both went 1 for 3 with a walk. Olt added a RBI while Strausborger scored a run and stole a base.
Hickory (low-A) played in the low scoring affair of the day, as they defeated the Savannah Sand Gnats 1-0 in 13 innings. The two teams combined to have 16 hits in the game. Justin Grimm started for Hickory and gave up 6 hits and 1 walk with 5 strikeouts over 7 shutout innings. Ryan Rodebaugh, Kevin Johnson, and Joseph Van Meter combined for the final 6 innings of shutout relief. Jurickson Profar went 2 for 6 with a double and the game winning run at the plate. Christian Villanueva, Andrew Clark, Odubel Herrera, and Kellin Deglan each added a single in the game. Crawdads hitters walked 6 times in the game.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Baseball is a funny game and on Thursday night one pitcher showed a little bit of why that is. Joseph O'Gara has not had the best season out there, but on Thursday he had a great, great performance. The 23 year old right handed pitcher dominated the Mobile Bay Bears in the Jacksonville Suns 4-1 victory. O'Gara gave up just 1 hit, 1 walk, and 1 unearned run over 8 innings with 9 strikeouts. He also hit a batter, and made 81 pitches, 59 of which went for strikes. On the season, Joseph O'Gara is 2-1 with a 5.67 ERA. He has given up 54 hits and 9 walks in 39 2/3 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts. O'Gara was taken in the 31st round of the 2009 draft by the Florida Marlins and was listed as the 30th best prospect in the Marlin's system by Baseball America entering 2011.
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 at: www.twitter.com/pressboxchatter
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And Check Out the Riders Insider Blog for more Frisco RoughRiders info: http://ridersinsider.mlblogs.com/
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Game 33: Corpus Christi Hooks (Ross Seaton) @ Frisco RoughRiders (Jake Brigham)
Time: 7:05 PM CT
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (15-17 7 games back in the Texas League South)... Corpus Christi Hooks (12-20 10 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 2 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Series Record: 3-5-1
Record against Corpus Christi: 3-5
Record since 2005 on May 12th: 2-2 with 2 days off (2010 and 2005)
Starting Pitchers: Jake Brigham (2-2 4.28 ERA)... Ross Seaton (1-1 5.13 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco and Corpus Christi send Jake Brigham and Ross Seaton out to the mound for the 7th time this season... Jake Brigham continued his very consistent season in his last start. Last Friday, Brigham gave up 4 hits and 3 runs (all earned) over 6 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts and did not issue a walk. He took a perfect game through 6 1/3 innings pitched against the San Antonio Missions before surrendering a single to Jaff Decker. It was the first time since 2007, when minor league baseball box scores have done play by play, that a Rider had taken a perfect game into the 7th inning. We do know that A.J. Murray, Steve Karsay, and Scott Feldman combined to throw a perfect game on July 28th, 2005. On the season, Brigham has allowed 31 hits, walked 10 batters, and struck out 30 in 33 2/3 innings of work. He has allowed 3 earned runs in 5 of his 6 starts. This is Brigham's 3rd start against Corpus Christi this season. He has allowed 13 hits, 2 walks, and 4 earned runs in 12 innings in the other 2 combined with 7 strikeouts. Brigham's top game score this season is 64, while his low is 41. He has been the most consistent RoughRider starter to date...
After getting off to a bit of a rocky start, Ross Seaton has continued to throw solidly over his last 4 or so starts. In his last start against Midland last Friday, Seaton gave up 7 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs (all earned) in 6 2/3 innings with 2 strikeouts. He gave up 4 of the 7 hits in a 3 run 5th inning. Seaton had thrown 3 "quality starts" in a row before his last start. He has faced Frisco twice this season and allowed 11 hits, 4 walks, and 4 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts. On the season Seaton has allowed 41 hits and 9 walks in 33 1/3 innings with 20 strikeouts. His best game score came on April 21st at Frisco when he had a 63. His season low was 21 on April 9th at Tulsa.
Leonys Martin To Make Debut Tonight: The anticipated debut of outfielder Leonys Martin will come tonight as he is expected to be batting leadoff and playing centerfield. The 23 year old outfielder signed a $15.5 million, 5 year major league deal with the Texas Rangers on May 4th. They held a press conference yesterday and for more coverage you can check out Richard Durrett at ESPN or the Rider's very own Insider Blog. It will be interesting to see how Frisco handles the outfield situation with Martin and another player on his way back.
Engel Beltre Back, Hamburger Delivered in AAA debut: On the same day that Leonys Martin makes his professional baseball debut, Engel Beltre will be returning from his 15 game suspension. The outfielder, who has played 396 of his 413 games in the minor leagues in centerfield, will be moving over to the corner outfield spot for at least one game. As said earlier it will be interesting to see how the RoughRiders handle this situation because they have two players who are primarily centerfielders now, or at least have been in the past... While new faces are the talk in Frisco right now, it should also be mentioned that Mark Hamburger got the promotion to AAA and delivered in his debut for Round Rock. The right handed reliever gave up 3 hits and 0 walks in 2 shutout innings of relief with 2 strikeouts. He also induced 3 groundouts in the outing.
Power Back in Frisco: Last season the RoughRiders really struggled with power. Their team leaders at the end of the year were Joey Butler and Andy Jenkins with 10 homeruns each. It was the least amount of players they've had with 10+ homeruns in a season and the lowest team leading total in franchise history. It's only May 12th, but already Michael Bianucci has 11 homeruns, Tommy Mendonca has 9 homeruns, and Jonathan Greene has shown glimpses with 4 homeruns so far. Bianucci is tied for the Texas League lead in homeruns along with San Antonio's Cody Decker. Tommy Mendonca is 5th in the league with 9 homeruns. Frisco as a team is second in the Texas League in homeruns behind the San Antonio Missions.
Second Place: With the series win against the Midland Rockhounds, Frisco moved into a tie for second place with the Midland Rockhounds. It's pretty interesting because not too long ago, the Riders were not in good shape and stuck in the cellar of the Texas League South. However, they are still 7 games behind the Missions as San Antonio continues to beat everybody else in the league.
Homestand: Frisco prepares for an 8 game homestand coming up. They will play 4 against Corpus Christi and 4 against Midland. The homestand is the second longest of the season behind a 10 game homestand from August 5th to the 15th with a day off on the 9th.
Around the Ranger's System:
Round Rock (AAA) scored 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning and held on to win 7-5 over the Tuscon Padres. Zach Jackson made the start for Round Rock and gave up 8 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 6 innings with 2 strikeouts. Hamburger pitched 2 shutout innings of relief with 2 strikeouts. Pedro Strop and Justin Miller combined to give up 1 run over 2 innings of relief with 4 strikeouts. Endy Chavez went 2 for 5 with a triple, homerun, and 4 RBI. Brian Barden went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. Robbie Diaz went 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) took both games of a double header against the Kinston Indians with scores of 6-0 and 2-0. Myrtle Beach pitchers combined to throw 14 scoreless innings with 5 total hits allowed... Joseph Wieland started game one with a complete game shutout. He faced the minimum through 7 innings, giving up 2 hits and 2 strikeouts with 0 walks. Both hits were erased by double plays induced. Wieland hasn't walked a batter in his last 95 batters faced, which spans 4 starts without a walk issued. Mitch Hilligoss went 1 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI in the first game. Jared Hoying went 1 for 3 with RBI, walk, and 2 runs in the first game. Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 4 with a RBI in game one, while Mike Olt went 0 for 2 with a sac fly and RBI in game one as well... Ryan Kelly started the second game and gave up 3 hits and 2 walks over 6 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts. He induced 9 groundouts to 2 flyouts.Strausborger went 1 for 3 with a homerun and 2 RBI in game two. Mitch Hilligoss went 1 for 1 with a walk in game two. Mike Olt went 0 for 2 in the second game. Jared Hoying went 1 for 2 with a walk in the second game.
Hickory (low-A) got shutout 2-0 by the Savannah Sand Gnats on Wednesday. Ronald Rojas started for Hickory and took the tough loss after he gave up 6 hits, 3 walks, and 1 run over 6 innings with 3 strikeouts. Nick Tepesch relieved Rojas and gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 2 innings with 2 strikeouts. Jurickson Profar went 1 for 4 with a double at the plate for Hickory. Teodoro Martinez, Tomas Telis, Andrew Clark, and Christian Villanueva all added a hit of their own to give the Crawdads 5 hits in the game. Jake Skole went 0 for 1 with 3 walks at the plate. Villanueva and Martinez each had a stolen base in the game.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Perhaps the most decorated high school player in the history of high school baseball with only Josh Hamilton likely rivaling him, the player who left high school two years early to get his GED, attend a JUCO college, and pursue pro baseball sooner, is proving to be a man among boys in A ball. Bryce Harper continued to tear the cover off the baseball on Wednesday. The 2010 1st overall pick by the Washington Nationals, had a 4 for 5 day in the Hagerstown Sun's 11-5 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds. Harper finished with 3 singles and a grand slam, which was his 8th homerun of the season. He drove in 5 runs in the game and scored 2 runs of his own. Harper is currently on a 15 game hitting streak and has seen his average rise to .396 for the season. He is batting .500 with 2 homeruns, 11 RBIs, and a 1.305 OPS in 10 games in May. His OPS of 1.184 now ranks 5th in minor league baseball and first in the South Atlantic League. Not bad for a player who should be a senior in high school right now.
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 at: www.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/
Location: Dr. Pepper Ballpark (Frisco, TX)
Team Records: Frisco RoughRiders (15-17 7 games back in the Texas League South)... Corpus Christi Hooks (12-20 10 games back in the Texas League South)
Streak: Won 2 in a row
Last 10: 7-3
Series Record: 3-5-1
Record against Corpus Christi: 3-5
Record since 2005 on May 12th: 2-2 with 2 days off (2010 and 2005)
Starting Pitchers: Jake Brigham (2-2 4.28 ERA)... Ross Seaton (1-1 5.13 ERA)
What to Watch for on the Mound: Frisco and Corpus Christi send Jake Brigham and Ross Seaton out to the mound for the 7th time this season... Jake Brigham continued his very consistent season in his last start. Last Friday, Brigham gave up 4 hits and 3 runs (all earned) over 6 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts and did not issue a walk. He took a perfect game through 6 1/3 innings pitched against the San Antonio Missions before surrendering a single to Jaff Decker. It was the first time since 2007, when minor league baseball box scores have done play by play, that a Rider had taken a perfect game into the 7th inning. We do know that A.J. Murray, Steve Karsay, and Scott Feldman combined to throw a perfect game on July 28th, 2005. On the season, Brigham has allowed 31 hits, walked 10 batters, and struck out 30 in 33 2/3 innings of work. He has allowed 3 earned runs in 5 of his 6 starts. This is Brigham's 3rd start against Corpus Christi this season. He has allowed 13 hits, 2 walks, and 4 earned runs in 12 innings in the other 2 combined with 7 strikeouts. Brigham's top game score this season is 64, while his low is 41. He has been the most consistent RoughRider starter to date...
After getting off to a bit of a rocky start, Ross Seaton has continued to throw solidly over his last 4 or so starts. In his last start against Midland last Friday, Seaton gave up 7 hits, 1 walk, and 4 runs (all earned) in 6 2/3 innings with 2 strikeouts. He gave up 4 of the 7 hits in a 3 run 5th inning. Seaton had thrown 3 "quality starts" in a row before his last start. He has faced Frisco twice this season and allowed 11 hits, 4 walks, and 4 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts. On the season Seaton has allowed 41 hits and 9 walks in 33 1/3 innings with 20 strikeouts. His best game score came on April 21st at Frisco when he had a 63. His season low was 21 on April 9th at Tulsa.
Leonys Martin To Make Debut Tonight: The anticipated debut of outfielder Leonys Martin will come tonight as he is expected to be batting leadoff and playing centerfield. The 23 year old outfielder signed a $15.5 million, 5 year major league deal with the Texas Rangers on May 4th. They held a press conference yesterday and for more coverage you can check out Richard Durrett at ESPN or the Rider's very own Insider Blog. It will be interesting to see how Frisco handles the outfield situation with Martin and another player on his way back.
Engel Beltre Back, Hamburger Delivered in AAA debut: On the same day that Leonys Martin makes his professional baseball debut, Engel Beltre will be returning from his 15 game suspension. The outfielder, who has played 396 of his 413 games in the minor leagues in centerfield, will be moving over to the corner outfield spot for at least one game. As said earlier it will be interesting to see how the RoughRiders handle this situation because they have two players who are primarily centerfielders now, or at least have been in the past... While new faces are the talk in Frisco right now, it should also be mentioned that Mark Hamburger got the promotion to AAA and delivered in his debut for Round Rock. The right handed reliever gave up 3 hits and 0 walks in 2 shutout innings of relief with 2 strikeouts. He also induced 3 groundouts in the outing.
Power Back in Frisco: Last season the RoughRiders really struggled with power. Their team leaders at the end of the year were Joey Butler and Andy Jenkins with 10 homeruns each. It was the least amount of players they've had with 10+ homeruns in a season and the lowest team leading total in franchise history. It's only May 12th, but already Michael Bianucci has 11 homeruns, Tommy Mendonca has 9 homeruns, and Jonathan Greene has shown glimpses with 4 homeruns so far. Bianucci is tied for the Texas League lead in homeruns along with San Antonio's Cody Decker. Tommy Mendonca is 5th in the league with 9 homeruns. Frisco as a team is second in the Texas League in homeruns behind the San Antonio Missions.
Second Place: With the series win against the Midland Rockhounds, Frisco moved into a tie for second place with the Midland Rockhounds. It's pretty interesting because not too long ago, the Riders were not in good shape and stuck in the cellar of the Texas League South. However, they are still 7 games behind the Missions as San Antonio continues to beat everybody else in the league.
Homestand: Frisco prepares for an 8 game homestand coming up. They will play 4 against Corpus Christi and 4 against Midland. The homestand is the second longest of the season behind a 10 game homestand from August 5th to the 15th with a day off on the 9th.
Around the Ranger's System:
Round Rock (AAA) scored 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning and held on to win 7-5 over the Tuscon Padres. Zach Jackson made the start for Round Rock and gave up 8 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs (all earned) over 6 innings with 2 strikeouts. Hamburger pitched 2 shutout innings of relief with 2 strikeouts. Pedro Strop and Justin Miller combined to give up 1 run over 2 innings of relief with 4 strikeouts. Endy Chavez went 2 for 5 with a triple, homerun, and 4 RBI. Brian Barden went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. Robbie Diaz went 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.
Myrtle Beach (high-A) took both games of a double header against the Kinston Indians with scores of 6-0 and 2-0. Myrtle Beach pitchers combined to throw 14 scoreless innings with 5 total hits allowed... Joseph Wieland started game one with a complete game shutout. He faced the minimum through 7 innings, giving up 2 hits and 2 strikeouts with 0 walks. Both hits were erased by double plays induced. Wieland hasn't walked a batter in his last 95 batters faced, which spans 4 starts without a walk issued. Mitch Hilligoss went 1 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI in the first game. Jared Hoying went 1 for 3 with RBI, walk, and 2 runs in the first game. Ryan Strausborger went 1 for 4 with a RBI in game one, while Mike Olt went 0 for 2 with a sac fly and RBI in game one as well... Ryan Kelly started the second game and gave up 3 hits and 2 walks over 6 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts. He induced 9 groundouts to 2 flyouts.Strausborger went 1 for 3 with a homerun and 2 RBI in game two. Mitch Hilligoss went 1 for 1 with a walk in game two. Mike Olt went 0 for 2 in the second game. Jared Hoying went 1 for 2 with a walk in the second game.
Hickory (low-A) got shutout 2-0 by the Savannah Sand Gnats on Wednesday. Ronald Rojas started for Hickory and took the tough loss after he gave up 6 hits, 3 walks, and 1 run over 6 innings with 3 strikeouts. Nick Tepesch relieved Rojas and gave up 3 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run over 2 innings with 2 strikeouts. Jurickson Profar went 1 for 4 with a double at the plate for Hickory. Teodoro Martinez, Tomas Telis, Andrew Clark, and Christian Villanueva all added a hit of their own to give the Crawdads 5 hits in the game. Jake Skole went 0 for 1 with 3 walks at the plate. Villanueva and Martinez each had a stolen base in the game.
Minor League Performance of the Day
Perhaps the most decorated high school player in the history of high school baseball with only Josh Hamilton likely rivaling him, the player who left high school two years early to get his GED, attend a JUCO college, and pursue pro baseball sooner, is proving to be a man among boys in A ball. Bryce Harper continued to tear the cover off the baseball on Wednesday. The 2010 1st overall pick by the Washington Nationals, had a 4 for 5 day in the Hagerstown Sun's 11-5 win over the Delmarva Shorebirds. Harper finished with 3 singles and a grand slam, which was his 8th homerun of the season. He drove in 5 runs in the game and scored 2 runs of his own. Harper is currently on a 15 game hitting streak and has seen his average rise to .396 for the season. He is batting .500 with 2 homeruns, 11 RBIs, and a 1.305 OPS in 10 games in May. His OPS of 1.184 now ranks 5th in minor league baseball and first in the South Atlantic League. Not bad for a player who should be a senior in high school right now.
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 at: www.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/
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