Manaea Pitches 'Hounds to Game One Win ... Naturally
September 16, 2015 - Texas League (TL1)
Midland RockHounds News Release
Midland RockHounds Pitcher Sean Manaea
(Midland RockHounds, Credit: Frank Longobardo / Midland RockHounds)
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals fell in game one of the Texas League Championship Series, thanks (in large part) to a brilliant pitching performance ... from a former Natural.
Sean Manaea pitched eight innings, allowing two runs (both unearned) and striking out seven of his ex-teammates, as the RockHounds took the opener of the best-of-5 series, 5-2, Tuesday night at Security Bank Ballpark.
The left-hander was backed by Jaycob Brugman's third home run in as many games and by a pair of critical swings from Anthony Aliotti.
The Naturals score the game's first two runs, the first of them on an RBI double by Raul Mondesi. The 20-year-old, rated the Kansas City Royals' top prospect by Baseball America, broke a scoreless tie with a laser to left-center in the third. He later scored when the 'Hounds were unable to complete an inning-ending double play.
The RockHounds answered when Brugman ripped a solo home run with one out in the home half of the third. It was his third homer of the postseason, one in each of the last three games, and each to the same spot in the ballpark, landing well onto the right field grass berm at Security Bank Ballpark. Brugman (see "Stat of the Day," below) is now 6-for-12 in the playoffs, with three home runs, six RBI and two walks.
Still in the last of the third, and the 'Hounds trailing (2-1) with the bases empty and two out, Aliotti singled on an 0-2 pitch, sending a flair to shallow left-center field. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, he scored on a single to left from Renato Nuñez (Nuñez's ninth RBI, tops in the Texas League playoffs) to tie the game at 2-2.
The RockHounds grabbed the lead in the fourth when Matt Olson led off with a double to deep right-center. Olson scored the tie-breaking run on a wild pitch, and the 'Hounds went on to load the bases on three walks. On the ninth pitch of his at-bat, Aliotti sent a two-run single up the middle, making the score 5-2. The Naturals bullpen then pitched four near-perfect innings, allowing just a walk (wiped away on a double play).
Manaea got in a jam in the fifth on a single, an error and a walk, but struck out Alex Liddi and Lane Adams, back-to-back, to escape the inning.
In his nine starts as a RockHound (seven in the regular season and two in the playoffs), Manaea is now 7-0, with a 1.72 earned run average. The lefty has pitched 57.2 innings, allowing 44 hits, with 17 walks and 65 strikeouts (a ratio of nearly 4-to-1).
Brendan McCurry earned his second save of the postseason, but did allow two hits, bringing the tying run to the plate with two out in the form of Mondesi. On a sharp ground ball to the right side, Colin Walsh made a sensational diving stop and threw to first base, where Aliotti made a tremendous catch to complete the play, robbing Mondesi of a two-run single and giving the defending champs a win in "round one."
Kibbles & Bits
STAT OF THE DAY In 132 regular season games (and exactly 500 at-bats), Jaycob Brugman hit six home runs ... an average of one HR every eighty-three at-bats. He homered in games three and four of the divisional series against Corpus Christi and again in the opener of the Texas League Championship Series Tuesday night (all three games at Security Bank Ballpark). That's three postseason round-trippers in twelve at-bats ... one every four AB's.
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 Midland RockHounds Pitcher Sean Manaea (Frank Longobardo / Midland RockHounds) |
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Texas League Stories from September 16, 2015
- Late Rally Falls Short in 8-6 Loss at Midland - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Devenski Named Hooks Pitcher of the Year - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Manaea Pitches 'Hounds to Game One Win ... Naturally - Midland RockHounds
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