Texas League News
July 19, 2004 - Texas League (TL1) News Release
The Travs ¬â¢ were held to five hits on July 12th, as the Wichita Wranglers pounded them 10-2. C Jeff Mathis was 2-for-4 and scored a run in the losing effort. Pitchers Willie Collazo and Hector Astacio had rough outings as Collazo allowed seven hits and six runs in two innings of work and Astacio allowed five hits, five walks and four runs in 4.2 innings of work ¬Â¦The Travs were swept in the their four-game series with Wichita on July 13th losing 10-6. RF Cristian Guerrero was 2-for-4 with a double, triple and two runs scored and CF Tommy Murphy was also 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the losing effort ¬Â¦The Travelers lost their fifth straight game on July 14th, falling to Frisco 5-4. Down 5-1, the Travs scored three runs in the eighth inning to pull within a run, but couldn ¬â¢t complete the rally. The loss overshadowed performances from SS Alberto Callaspo who was 3-for-5 with two RBIs and 3B Javy Rodriguez and CF Tommy Murphy, who each had two hits ¬Â¦ The Travelers lost their sixth straight game on July 15th, 3-2 to Frisco despite out hitting the RoughRiders 10-4. Arkansas stranded nine men on base and the Travs pitching staff allowed 10 walks. 2B Victor Gutierrez knocked in both runs for the Travelers with a two-RBI triple in the sixth inning. 3B Javy Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with a double and 1B Mike Eylward had two hits in the loss. Relievers Mark O ¬â¢Sullivan, Cameron Esslinger and Steve Andrade had a fine showing as the trio combined to toss 5.1 innings where they yielded just one hit and no runs ¬Â¦Arkansas and Frisco battled to a 4-4 tie on July 16th. The game was suspended in the 14th inning due to a pair of heavy down pours. The two teams will make up the game by playing a doubleheader on July 29th. In the tie game, C Jeff Mathis was 3-for-6 with two runs scored, RF Cristian Guerrero was 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI and 2B Victor Gutierrez had a two-run double. The Travs' trailed 4-1 heading into the ninth, but rallied to scored three runs and send the game into extra frames. In his Arkansas debut, 36-year-old lefty Yoshitaka Mizuo tossed 3.1 innings of relief, giving up just one hit and no runs ¬Â¦On July 17th the Trav's reached eight games without a victory, as they lost to Frisco 8-5. The Travs ¬â¢ bullpen allowed six runs over the final three innings. CF Nick Gorneault was 4-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBI in the loss. 3B Javy Rodriguez and 2B Victor Gutierrez chipped in with two hits each ¬Â¦Arkansas ¬â¢s eight game winless streak came to an end on July 19th as they beat Round Rock 2-1. Starter Corey Lee tossed 5.1 innings giving up just three hits and one run, while striking out eight batters, picking up his first win in nearly two years. Relievers Scott Schneider and Steve Andrade then combined for 2.2 innings of perfect relief. Closer Jon Rouwenhorst pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save. On offense DH Derrick Gibson knocked in SS Alberto Callaspo for one run in the first inning. Then in the fifth, 3B Javy Rodriguez reached base on a single and then stole second and third on consecutive pitches. Callaspo then drove him in with a sacrifice fly ¬Â¦
On July 12th, the Diablos lost their third game in a row to the Express 10-5. It was El Paso ¬â¢s sixth loss in its past seven games. C Chris Snyder provided some offense for the Diablos with a two-run homer. 1B Jesus Cota, RF Conor Jackson and 3B Jaime D ¬â¢Antona each had two hits in the losing effort ¬Â¦The Diablos ended a three game skid with a 12-0 shellacking of Round Rock on July 13th. Eight of the nine El Paso batters recorded at least one hit and one run as the Diablos pounded out 19 hits. CF Marland Williams and 1B Jesus Cota each contributed four hits. Williams went 4-for-6 with a triple, two runs, three RBI and a stolen base, while Cota was 4-for-5 with one run and one RBI. Also contributing were SS Sergio Santos, who was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, C Mike DiRosa who had two doubles and scored four runs and 2B Todd West and P Sergio Lizarraga, who each had two hits and two RBIs. While Lizarraga swung the bat well, he was even more impressive on the mound as he tossed his second consecutive complete game. Lizarraga allowed five hits, no runs, no walks and struck out five batters. At one point he retired 16 consecutive Round Rock hitters ¬Â¦On July 14th, for the second consecutive night, the El Paso offense was dominant as they belted out 12 hits to beat Midland 9-3. Eight of the nine batters in the Diablo line-up recorded at least one hit. SS Sergio Santos was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, three RBI and a run scored and LF Conor Jackson was 2-for-4 with a double, home run, two RBI and a run scored in the win. Also chipping in were 2B Todd West and CF Marland Williams who each had two hits and RF Carlos Quentin, who hit his third home run of the season. On the mound, Phil Stockman made his first appearance as a Diablo in 2004. Stockman opened this season with the Tucson Sidewinders and in 12 starts was 3-2 with a 5.75 ERA. Prior to his arrival in El Paso last week, he had been on the DL with elbow tendonitis, and some blistering problems on the fingers of his right hand. He is expected to remain with El Paso until August when he will travel to Greece to compete in the Olympics for his native Australia. In the 9-3 win, Stockman tossed three innings, allowing just one unearned run on one hit. P Beltran Perez then relieved Stockman and pitched five innings allowing one unearned run on four hits, while striking out four batters ¬Â¦To make room for Stockman on the Diablos ¬â¢ roster, OF Noochie Varner was sent back up to Tucson. Varner was batting .330 for the Diablos in 32 games this season over two separate stints ¬Â¦El Paso won their third straight game on July 15th, beating Midland 8-4. The loss came at a high price, however, as 3B Neb Brown went down with a serious ankle injury. Brown led off the bottom of the eighth with a high hit chopper towards second, as he raced down the line he hit the first base bag awkwardly with his left foot and sprang into the air head first, eventually tumbling and rolling to a spot in foul ground. In the game, the four-through-six hitters, 1B Jesus Cota, C Chris Snyder and RF/3B Conor Jackson, combined for 10 at-bats with five runs, six hits, four doubles and four RBI. Also producing in the win were 2B Todd West, who had his third consecutive two hit game, going 2-for-3 with a double, one run, one RBI and two stolen bases and DH/RF Carlos Quentin, who had two hits and an RBI. On the mound, P Clint Goocher collected his second win with five innings of work, during which he allowed four earned runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out three batters. Reliever Scott Barber followed and tossed three shutout frames, allowing just two hits. Barber has not given up a run in his last three appearances, covering 10.1 innings...El Paso ¬â¢s three game winning streak came to an end on July 16th as the Diablos were hammered by Midland 12-3. The Diablo pitching staff allowed 17 hits and at least two runs in each of the first four innings. LF Victor Hall and DH Conor Jackson had two hits and an RBI each in the loss ¬Â¦On July 17th, El Paso had a season high 22-hits and scored a season high in runs on their way to a 17-11 victory over Midland. Nine of the 10 Diablo batters recorded at least one hit and eight of the 10 had at least two. RF Carlos Quentin was 5-for-5 with a double, two RBI and four runs scored. INF Dan Uggla was 3-for-5 with a double, home run, four RBI and two runs scored. Also contributing were SS Sergio Santos, who was 2-for-6 with two doubles and three RBI, DH/1B Chris Snyder, who was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored and LF/3B Conor Jackson, who was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored ¬Â¦On July 18th, the Diablos lost 6-5 to Tulsa in extra innings. In the top of the 12th, the Diablos took a 5-4 lead on Jesus Cota ¬â¢s single that scored Craig Snyder. But in the bottom of the 12th, Tulsa scored two runs aided by CF Marland Williams ¬â¢ three errors. In the game, Cota was 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI. Williams was 3-for-6 with a double, home run and two RBI. El Paso is now 1-6 in extra-inning games and is last in the Texas League at 9-17 in one-run decisions.
On July 12th, the Frisco RoughRiders edged out the Tulsa Drillers 7-6. A key four-run third inning was highlighted by two-run doubles from RF Will Smith and DH Tydus Meadows. Smith finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI. Also contributing was SS Ian Kinsler, who not only went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, but stole home plate as well. In the first inning, Kinsler was halfway down the line before Tulsa pitcher Kip Bouknight released the ball. By the time the ball got to the catcher, Kinsler had already slid across the plate. Reliever Erick Burke picked up his second win after tossing three middle innings, allowing two hits and no runs. P Travis Hughes earned his second save after allowing one hit in 1.1 innings of work ¬Â¦The Rangers ¬â¢ Chan Ho Park made a rehab start for the RoughRiders on July 13th, giving up seven hits and six runs in Tulsa ¬â¢s 8-7 victory. Frisco nearly came back to beat Tulsa ¬â¢s Ryan Speier the Texas League saves leader. Speier allowed four walks and a run in the ninth inning to bring the RoughRiders within a run. He then slammed the door for the 31st time this season and 13th against Frisco. The loss spoiled performances from 1B Jason Botts, who hit his 16th homer of the season and scored two runs, 2B Jason Bourgeois, who was 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI and DH Tydus Meadows, who doubled in two runs ¬Â¦Also on a rehab stint at Frisco on July 13th was RF Brain Jordan, who went 1-for-4. On hand in the crowd to watch Park and Jordan were Rangers manager Buck Showalter and hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo ¬Â¦Every Frisco batter recorded one hit on July 14th, as the RoughRiders beat Arkansas 5-4. The two biggest hits came from C Brian Esposito and DH Jason Botts who each hit a home run. It was Botts ¬â¢ 17th and Esposito ¬â¢s first homer of the season. LF Rashad Eldridge also helped his team with a two RBI single. On the mound, Texas Ranger R.A.Dickey made his second rehab start for Frisco. He tossed 5.2 innings, surrendering six hits and one run, while striking out two, to earn the win. Reliever Travis Hughes earned his third save after shutting down the Travelers in the final two innings ¬Â¦Frisco was out hit by Arkansas 10-4 on July 15th, but still found a way to win 3-2. While they didn ¬â¢t get on base with hits, the RoughRiders were walked 10 times, while Arkansas stranded nine men on base. Frisco scored all three of their runs in the fourth inning when DH Tydus Meadows was walked with the bases loaded to score the first run. 2B Jason Bourgeois then hit a two-RBI single to make the score 3-0. Starter Chris Young worked five innings, gave up five hits and struck out three batters to earn his sixth win of the season. Relievers Luis Marcano and Travis Hughes held Arkansas scoreless in their 2.1 innings of combined work to preserve the close 3-2 win ¬Â¦Frisco and Arkansas played to a 4-4 tie on July 16th. The game was suspended in the 14th inning due to heavy rains. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on July 29th. In the game, SS Ian Kinsler was 2-for-6 with a triple, home run and two RBI and DH Tydus Meadows was 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, one RBI and two runs scored. Kameron Loe started the game for the RoughRiders and allowed five hits and one run in eight innings of work for which he received no decision ¬Â¦On July 17th, the RoughRiders broke another 4-4 tie in the eighth inning, scoring three runs on their way to an 8-5 win over Arkansas. Frisco ¬â¢s new catcher Julio Mosquera, acquired from Newark in the independent Atlantic League, was 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. His home run opened Frisco ¬â¢s tying, two-run seventh and he hit a two-run single in the decisive eighth. LF Rashad Eldridge hit a home run and scored two runs and 1B Jason Botts was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Reliever Edwin Moreno pitched three innings for the victory and Travis Hughes survived a bases loaded jam in the ninth to earn his fifth save ¬Â¦The RoughRiders lost to San Antonio 6-4 on July 18th. Down 5-0, Frisco stormed back in the sixth inning by scoring four runs. RF Will Smith blasted a three-run homer in the inning, to reduce the Mission lead. Former Mission Mike Curry had two hits in the loss. Texas Ranger Chan Ho Park started his second rehab game for Frisco and allowed nine hits and five runs in six innings of work.
On July 12th, the RockHounds were forced to suspend their game with the San Antonio Missions at the end of the eighth inning due to a light failure at First American Bank Ballpark. Play was stopped three times due to problems with the lights. The teams finished the game on July 13th, before their regularly scheduled 11:00am game...Over the years their have been many odd occurrences that led to games being cancelled in Midland including: a swarm of grasshoppers that invaded Cubs Stadium in 1977, some ¬Åwind outs ¬Â and a broken base that snapped at the ¬Åanchor ¬Â and there wasn ¬â¢t a back-up available ¬Â¦The RockHounds completed their game with the Missions on July 13th, losing in 11 innings 7-5. Midland made the game exciting as they scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra frames, but could not prevail after San Antonio scored twice in the top of the 11th. In the game both C John Baker and 1B Brant Colamarino had two hits and an RBI ¬Â¦The two teams then played the regularly scheduled game on the 13th, with Midland prevailing 7-0. The 'Hounds got a strong start from P Drew Dickinson who tossed seven shutout innings, allowing five hits, four walks and striking out four batters. He was aided by a potent offense that saw eight on the nine batters record at least one hit. RF Brian Sellier was 3-for-4 with an RBI and CF Jon Weber, DH John Baker, 1B Brant Colamarino, C Jeremy Brown and SS Jon McCurdy each recorded two hits in the 15-hit Midland attack ¬Â¦ The RockHounds began a 12-game road trip on July 14th with a 9-3 loss to El Paso. 2B Mark Kiger had two hits and CF Jon Weber had two RBI in the losing efforts ¬Â¦On July 15th, the RockHounds lost their second straight game to El Paso 8-4. RF Nelson Cruz belted a home run and C John Baker was 2-for-5 with a double and RBI in the loss ¬Â¦P Nick Mattioni saw his first action as a RockHound on July 15th, as he went 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and striking out one batter. Mattioni was playing for Fargo (ND) in the independent Northern League when the Oakland A ¬â¢s purchased his contract ¬Â¦Reliever Marcus Gwyn has been promoted to Triple-A Sacramento and starter Shane Komine has been placed on the disabled list with an elbow injury ¬Â¦A 17-hit attack led Midland to a 12-3 victory over El Paso on July 16th. All nine batters recorded at least one hit and eight of the nine scored at least a run. Leading the way were C Jeremy Brown, who was 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI and 1B Brant Colamarino, who was 3-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. CF Jon Weber also chipped in with three hits and three runs scored. Reliever Nick Mattioni was credited with the win, his first in the Texas League, after tossing 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit and no runs. Pitchers Mattioni, Kyle Crowell and Mike Oquist held the Diablos to just two hits over the final 3.1 innings ¬Â¦On July 17th, the RockHounds had 13 hits, 11 runs and eight of the nine batters recorded at least one hit ¬"but they lost. El Paso picked a perfect time to set season highs in runs and hits as they beat Midland 17-11. The loss spoiled performances from RF Nelson Cruz who was 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored. Also contributing in the loss were 1B Brant Colamarino and DH Steve Jackson who each had two hits and CF Jon Weber and SS Mark Kiger who each had two RBI ¬Â¦The RockHounds dropped their second straight game on July 18th losing to Wichita 7-2. In the loss, 3B Steve Jackson had a home run and two RBI, while 1B Brant Colamarino and LF Brian Sellier each had two hits.
On July 12th, 2B Brooks Conrad continued to torment El Paso pitching, picking up three of Round Rock ¬â¢s 16 hits, as the Express won its fifth straight game 10-5. Conrad had three RBI and scored three runs and now has 10 hits in the first three games of the series against the Diablos. Also contributing on offense were, SS David Mantraga, who was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored and CF Willy Taveras, 1B Todd Self and RF Charlton Jimerson, who each had two hits. Starter Ezequiel Astacio shined on the mound and at the plate. He tossed seven innings, allowing just five hits and two runs, while striking out eight batters. He didn ¬â¢t allow a Diablo hit until the fourth inning. Astacio, also contributed at the plate going 2-for-4 with two doubles ¬Â¦A day after pounding the Diablos, the Express were derailed losing 12-0 to El Paso on July 13th. Round Rock allowed 19 hits and only contributed five of their own. CF Willy Taveras and 1B Todd Self each had two hits in the loss ¬Â¦The Express lost the first game in a crucial four game series against San Antonio 7-4 on July 14th. Round Rock jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run home run from 2B Brooks Conrad. The Express stayed even with the Missions through six innings thanks to two solo homers from DH Luke Scott who was hitting .180 going into the contest. The Round Rock bullpen couldn ¬â¢t contain the Missions, though, as San Antonio scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to pull away and win ¬Â¦Round Rock hitting coach and former Houston Astros player Sean Berry has been promoted to Triple-A New Orleans to replace Gary Gaetti, who joined the Houston Astros on the heels of several coaching moves July 14th. Berry will not be replaced on the Round Rock staff ¬Â¦On July 15th, the Express battled to a hard fought 2-1 win over San Antonio. DH Charlton Jimerson put Round Rock up 1-0 in the fifth inning with a home run. In the seventh inning, with two outs, 1B Todd Self singled to right under the first baseman ¬â¢s glove. C Hector Gimenez then hit a hard two-hopper down the line that 3B Rob Gandolfo snared at the edge of the dirt, but then threw wildly to first base and into the Express bullpen. The error enabled Self to score the go ahead and eventual winning run. Round Rock also got a gutsy performance from their two pitchers as starter D.J. Houlton gave up six hits, one run and no walks in 7.1 innings to win his seventh game of the season. Reliever Santiago Ramirez closed out the final 1.2 innings, allowing just one hit, to earn his 26th save of the season ¬Â¦On July 16th, the Express were held to five hits in an 11-3 loss to San Antonio. LF Mike Rodriguez had two of those five hits and knocked in a run in the loss ¬Â¦For the second time in four games, RF Luke Scott hit two home runs off Missions pitching, as the Express split a four-game series with San Antonio by winning 7-4 on July 17th. Scott started a Round Rock rally in the sixth inning by hitting a two-run shot to bring the score to 3-2. In the eighth inning, Round Rock scored five runs on only one hit (Scott ¬â¢s second shot) as San Antonio relievers walked four Express batters and hit another. On the mound, Denny McDaniel won his fourth game of the season, tossing two innings of relief, during which he allowed two hits and one unearned run. Santiago Ramirez saved his 27th game of the season, after tossing two innings and allowing three hits, no runs and striking out three batters. DH Charlton Jimerson made his way into the record books during the game, as he was 0-for-5 with five strikeouts, tying a Texas League record ¬Â¦The Express blew a great start from Wandy Rodriguez on July 18th as they lost to Arkansas 2-1. Rodriguez tossed eight innings, allowing six hits and two runs, but was saddled with the loss as the Express batters could only scratch out four hits.
On July12th play was suspended against Midland at the start of the ninth inning due to light failures. The Missions were leading 5-3 and had to complete the last inning on July 13th prior to the regularly scheduled day game at 11am. The postponed game had been delayed three times to due to light problems at First American Bank Ballpark ¬Â¦On July 13th the Missions and RockHounds played the remainder of Monday ¬â¢s nights game, with the Missions prevailing 7-5. Midland did rally in the bottom of the ninth scoring two runs off of reliever Jared Thomas. Even though he blew the save, Thomas remained in the game and eventually picked up the win, his fourth of the season. In the top of the 11th, 1B Ryan Christianson led off with a double and then RF T.J. Bohn tripled to bring in the go-ahead run. C Luis Oliveros then singled to add an insurance run. Also providing some offense were INF Hunter Brown, who had two hits and scored two runs and SS Michael Morse, who plated two runs. P Rich Dorman started for the Missions and threw 5.2 innings, during which he allowed five hits and three runs, while striking out 10 batters for the second time this season ¬Â¦After completing the suspended game the Missions and RockHounds played their regularly scheduled game on the 13th, with Midland prevailing 7-0. The Missions were held to six hits, three of which came from 3B Hunter Brown. The Missions also stranded 14 runners on base in the loss...The Missions beat Round Rock 7-4 in the first game of a four game set on July 14th. Eight of the nine Mission batters recorded a hit in the contest with 3B Hunter Brown and RF Shin-soo Choo getting three apiece, while knocking in a run each. Also providing needed offense were SS Michael Morse and CF T.J. Bohn, who each had two hits and two RBI. Reliever Tim Rall had an exceptional game as he shut down the Express for two late innings, allowing just a single hit and no runs to help preserve the Missions lead ¬Â¦The Missions lost a closely fought 2-1 contest on July 15th at the hands of Round Rock. The Missions lone run came in the sixth inning. With two outs RF Shin-soo Choo singled to center. DH Ryan Christianson then blooped a single to right that kicked toward the foul line. Choo sped all the way around third and scored before Christianson was caught in a run down between first and second. In the ninth the Missions had a chance to tie the game, but Choo was caught stealing third base for the second out of the inning, putting an end to the San Antonio rally attempt. The Missions wasted an outstanding start by Phil Devey, who was saddled with the loss after giving up just one earned run in seven innings, while striking out eight and allowing six hits ¬Â¦On July 16th, the Missions pounded out 13 hits on their way to an 11-3 win over Round Rock. Five players had multiple hits as eight of the nine batters recorded at least one hit. SS Michael Morse was 1-for-3 with a grand slam and five RBIs. LF Dustin Delucchi also added a home run and had two RBI and two runs scored. 1B Hunter Brown, RF Shin-soo Choo, DH Jaime Bubela and CG T.J. Bohn all had two hits in the win. Eighteen-year-old P Felix Hernandez picked up his first win in Double-A, tossing five innings and allowing four hits and two runs, while striking out six batters. Hernandez began the season in Single-A where he had an ERA of 2.77 over 16 starts, fanning 114 batters in 92 innings. He was called up to Double-A on June 30th, where he has given up three runs over 13 innings in his first two starts. Aaron Taylor had a fine showing in middle relief, allowing no hits and striking out three batters in 2.1 innings of work ¬Â¦The Missions blew a late 4-2 lead on July 17th losing to Round Rock 7-4. The Missions cost themselves the game by stranding 17 runners on base, 10 of which were in scoring position. 2B Eddy Menchaca and C Luis Oliveros each had three hits, with Oliveros hitting a home run. SS Michael Morse and LF Dustin Delucchi added two hits apiece in the loss. Starter Rich Dorman allowed just two hits through the first 5.1 innings. He then allowed Round Rock ¬â¢s Luke Scott ¬â¢s two-run home run in the sixth, as the Express began their comeback ¬Â¦The Missions overcame a rough loss on July 17th by defeating Frisco 6-4 on July 18th. The Missions jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to a strong pitching performance from Chris Buglovsky who tossed 6.2 innings to record his fifth win. Buglovsky got into trouble in the sixth and allowed four runs to the RoughRiders. The Missions wouldn ¬â¢t be outdone, however, as 3B Hunter Brown hit a home run and 1B John Lindsey, LF Jaime Bubela, SS Michael Morse and CF T.J. Bohn all had two hits in the win. Relievers Jared Thomas and Rick Guttormson squashed any hopes of a Frisco comeback by tossing two nearly perfect innings. The duo allowed no hits, no runs and only two walks.
Thirteen hits, including five players with multi-hits, weren ¬â¢t enough for the Drillers as they lost 7-6 to Frisco on July 12th. In the loss, some outstanding performances came from SS Danny Sandoval, who was 3-for-5, DH Guye Senjum and CF Jeff Salazar, who each had two hits and two RBI, 1B Ryan Shealy, who was 2-for-5 with a run scored and C Dan Conway, who was 3-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored ¬Â¦The Drillers pounded Texas Ranger Chan Ho Park and held on to beat the Frisco RoughRiders 8-7. Tulsa scored six runs in the third inning off the major leaguer who was making a rehab start. CF Jeff Salazar and 3B Adonis Harrison each recorded two hits and LF Tony Miller, 2B Jayson Nix and C Dan Conway each drove in two runs. P Ryan Speier, the Texas League leader is saves, had some troubles on the mound in the ninth inning walking four batters and allowing a run. He then recovered to old form and saved his 31st game of the season and 13th against Frisco ¬Â¦On July 14th, the Drillers opened a 12-game homestand pounding Wichita 11-1, holding the Wranglers to just a single hit. Starter Gerrit Simpson gave up a single to Wichita ¬â¢s first batter, then pitched 5.1 innings without allowing another hit, to earn his fourth win of the season. Simpson ¬â¢s longest previous outing was 3.2 innings. The former University of Texas star was 11-10 in 27 starts at Single-A Visalia (CA) last season, he was a last-minute replacement for Mike Esposito, who skipped the start for precautionary reasons due to discomfort in his elbow. Over the final three innings, P Sean Green retired 9-of-10 batters to record his first Drillers save and complete Tulsa ¬â¢s first nine-inning, one-hitter of the season. On offense, 1B Ryan Shealy continued his torrid second half with a homer and five RBIs. Shealy ¬â¢s homer was his 20th of the season, tying him for the Texas League lead. SS Adonis Harrison also belted a home run and had three RBI, while 2B Jayson Nix scored two runs and hit a homer in the win ¬Â¦For the second night in a row on July 15th, Tulsa drilled Wichita 11-1 thanks to five home runs from five different batters. 1B Ryan Shealy took over the Texas League lead with his 21st homer ¬"a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Shealy has 11 homers and 27 RBI in only 19 second-half games through July 15th. CF Tony Miller belted a three-run homer in the fifth inning. Miller is batting .351 against Wichita this season. Five of his eight homers and 10 of his 26 RBI have come at the Wranglers expense. Other Tulsa homers came from RF Juan Piniella, SS Danny Sandoval and 3B Jeff Baker, who made his Double-A debut after being called up from Visalia (CA) earlier in the day. At Visalia, Baker batted .330 with 11 homers and 64 RBI. Starter Tim Bausher won his second game of the season, allowing three hits and one run, while striking out eight batters in five innings of work. Three relievers then combined to toss four innings, allowing two hits, no runs and no walks ¬Â¦The Drillers won their fourth straight game on July 16th, defeating Wichita 3-2 in 10 innings. LF Jeff Salazar scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning after Wichita ¬â¢s 2B Ruben Gotay misplaced a ball shot at him by Jayson Nix. Also providing offense were 1B Ryan Shealy, who was 2-for-4 with an RBI and C Dan Conway, who was 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored. On the mound, three relievers, Emmanuel Ramirez, Steve Kent and Ryan Speier, combined to toss 4.1 innings, allowing one hit, no runs, three walks and striking out six batters. Speier was credited with the win, his third of the season ¬Â¦The Drillers won their fifth straight game and swept Wichita on July 17th, with a 6-4 win. Former Oklahoma State outfielder Jeff Salazar, who was Baseball America ¬â¢s #2 prospect last month, lined a tying two-run single and later scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in Tulsa ¬â¢s three run sixth inning. Salazar, who scored the winning run on the 16th, reached base four times on the 17th. RF Shawn Garrett gave the Drillers an insurance run in the sixth with a home run. Garrett was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in the game. Reliever Sean Green picked up his third win of the season after tossing a perfect 2.1 innings, retiring all seven batters he faced. Closer Ryan Speier then picked up his 32nd save of the season by allowing one hit and striking out two in the ninth inning. Speier is closing in on the Texas League record on 38 saves in one season set by El Paso ¬â¢s Sean Maloney in 1996 ¬Â¦The Drillers win streak reached six on July 18th as they beat El Paso in 12 innings 6-5. Tulsa C Jeff Winchester was plunked with the bases loaded to force in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th. The Drillers scored two runs in the inning thanks to three errors by Diablos CF Marland Williams. Also contributing in the win were 1B Ryan Shealy, who hit his Texas League leading 22nd homer in the fourth inning, SS Danny Sandoval, who was 2-for-6 with a double and two runs scored, RF Shawn Garrett, who was also 2-for-6 with two RBI and 3B Jeff Baker, who was 3-for-5 with a double. Reliever Mike Cosgrove had a terrific appearance as he tossed three innings, allowing three hits and no runs.
A dominant pitching performance and six runs in one inning helped the Wranglers cruise to a 10-2 victory over Arkansas on July 12th. P Denny Bautista threw his first career complete game and the first nine-inning complete game of the year for a Wichita pitcher. He allowed five hits and one earned run, while striking out nine batters. In the second inning DH Brandon Berger hit a grand slam as the Wranglers batted 11 men in the inning, got six hits and scored six runs. 3B Justin Gemoll also had a big night at the plate going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. 2B Ruben Gotay and RF Wilkin Ruan added two hits and an RBI each ¬Â¦The Wranglers swept their four-game series with Arkansas on July 13th, pounding out 12 hits in a 10-6 win. Five Wranglers had two hits each while C Scott Walter, DH Brandon Berger and 3B Justin Gemoll each finished with two RBI. Gemoll and CF Wilkin Ruan both hit a home run for Wichita. LF Aaron Guiel also provided some offense going 1-for-3 with three runs scored and three walks. Guiel is on rehab assignment from the Kansas City Royals after corrective eye surgery and joined the Wranglers in the midst of their series with Arkansas. Traveler Manager Ty Boykin played alongside Guiel at Midland in 1996-1997 when the two were with the California Angels organization. Guiel was teammates with Travs ¬â¢ hitting coach Todd Takayoshi at Single-A Cedar Rapids and Lake Elsinore and briefly at Midland from 1994-1996 and ended up being an usher in Takayoshi's wedding. In the 10-6 win, P Danny Tamayo had a fine start, tossing seven innings, allowing seven hits and three runs, while striking out eight batters to record his fifth win of the season. Relievers J.J. Trujillo and Jorge Vazquez were perfect in their stints in the eighth and ninth innings ¬Â¦ The Wranglers were nearly no-hit on July 14th, as they lost to Tulsa 11-1. LF Aaron Guiel led the game off with a single and then was picked off. The Wranglers then went 26 batters without recording another hit ¬Â¦On July 15th a bit of Déjà -vu hit the Wranglers as they lost to Tulsa 11-1 again. Unlike the previous night, however, the Wranglers did manage more than one hit. 2B Ruben Gotay was the lone bright spot for the Wranglers as he hit a home run in the fourth inning, preventing the shutout ¬Â¦On July 16th, the Wranglers lost their third straight game to Tulsa, losing 3-2 in extra innings. Wichita was held to five hits in the loss. CF Wilkin Ruan had three of his teams five hits and also scored a run. 2B Ruben Gotay knocked in both Wrangler runs, but his error in the bottom of the 10th, led to the decisive run for Tulsa ¬Â¦On July 17th, the Wranglers were swept by Tulsa losing 6-4. LF Brandon Berger and 3B Justin Gemoll each had two hits in the loss ¬Â¦On July 18th, Wichita ¬â¢s four game losing streak came to an end as they beat Midland 7-2. P Danny Tamayo had a strong start as he tossed 7.1 innings, allowing five hits and two runs, while striking out six batters to earn his sixth win of the season. Billy Keppinger earned his second save of the season, tossing 1.2 innings and allowing just one hit and no runs. On offense, RF Wilkin Ruan was 3-for-5, LF Aaron Guiel was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and 3B Corey Hart was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Also contributing offensively, were C Mike Tonis and 2B Ruben Gotay who each had two RBI and each scored a run.
Dallas McPherson ('04) had five hits this past week, two of which were home runs. In 20 games with Salt Lake, he is hitting .346 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI.
Fresno's Brian Dallimore ('01) is currently among the Pacific Coast League leaders in hitting with a .352 average...Andy Green ('03) hit a grand slam on July 18th to lead Tucson to a win over Sacramento.Green is batting .332 thanks to multi-hit efforts in three of his last four outings for Tucson.
Brian Jordan ('04) hit .400 with six RBI this past week for Oklahoma, while Marshall Mcdougall ('04) and Adrian Gonzalez ('03) struggled at the plate hitting just .105 and .167...Mario Ramos ('03) had a rough loss on July 18th, allowing nine runs on nine hits in four innings of work...Kurt Airoso ('03) hit a pair of home runs and had five RBI this past week for Erie...Patrick Boyd ('04) led Stockton in run production this past week, knocking in six runs.
Sacramento's Graham Koonce ('02) had just two hits in his last 15 at-bats, dropping his season average to .249...Elvin Nina ('99) is now 5-2 on the mound for Jacksonville with a 2.50 ERA. On July 17th, he pitched 2.2 scoreless innings.
Aaron McNeil ('01) hit .400, belted two homers and knocked in three runs this past week for Charlotte...Henri Stanley ('02) hit .500, scored three runs and had five RBI in three games this past week for Pawtucket...Royce Huffman ('02) is hitting .214 for the month for New Orleans. Also for New Orleans, Chris Burke ('03) was 4-for-14 over the past week and Carlos Hernandez ('02) was untouchable in his start on July 18th. In that contest he tossed seven hitless innings in which he allowed just one walk, while striking out 10 batters. He is now 6-3 on the year.
Andy Barkett ('02) had three RBI and scored three runs for Toledo this past week...Wilton Guerrero hit .438 and knocked in four runs this past week for Omaha...Raul Mondesi ('91) is hitting .333 in six at-bats with one home run and an .833 slugging percentage in a rehab assignment with Salt Lake...Jose Lopez ('03) had four hits in his last 11 at-bats with two RBI for Tacoma...Bobby Madritsch ('03) was the only starting pitcher to get a win this past week for Tacoma, as he allowed one run and five hits over five innings in an 8-3 win on July 16th.
Ryan Glynn ('98) allowed just one run in seven innings of work in his one start on July 15th for Syracuse...Jeff Pickler ('02) went 6-for-17 with six runs scored for Oklahoma...Mark DiFelice ('03) is 6-3 with a 4.35 ERA in 21 outings this season for Ottawa.
Jose Santiago ('99) had one start last week for Charlotte. He tossed 7.2 innings, struck out seven and walked none, but didn't get the win...Joe Dillon ('01) only had one hit in three games last week for Albuquerque, but he is still second on the team with a .339 batting average...Shawn Sedlacek ('03) was defeated for the second straight time in his last start on July 17th for Iowa...Les Walrond ('04) got a win in his only start this last week for Omaha, striking out nine over seven innings.
Travis was born in Kansas in May 1978. He attended Cowley County CC in Kansas. He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 19th round of the 1997 draft. Hughes was a Texas League all-star pitcher in 2002. This is his seventh year in the minors and second with Frisco. Travis played parts of 2003 for Triple-A Oklahoma.
Chris Snyder was born in Houston in February 1981. He attended the University of Houston and was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second round of the 2002 draft. This is his third year in minor league baseball and second with the El Paso Diablos.
Texas League Statistics
Texas League Transactions
Texas League Stories from July 19, 2004
- Express Explode Against Travs 16-1 - Round Rock Express
- Express roll over Travelers - Round Rock Express
- Texas League News - TL1
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