There Was Nothing "Regular" About this Regular Season
September 8, 2015 - Texas League (TL1)
Midland RockHounds News Release
Matt Olson of the Midland RockHounds
(Midland RockHounds, Credit: Frank Longobardo / Midland RockHounds)
It was appropriate that the RockHounds wrapped up their regular season with a win, as the victory established another high-water mark for the club. The 'Hounds finished 83-57, a season-best 26 games over .500 ... all of it in a remarkable second half (see "Stat of the Day," below).
Second-inning home runs by Matt Olson and Wade Kirkland gave the RockHounds a 3-0 lead Monday, and the 'Hounds went on to a 6-4 win, completing a sweep of the RoughRiders in a three-game Labor Day weekend series at Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco.
The RockHounds added to their franchise single-season record, winning for the 83rd time and finishing the season 83-57.
After a 35-35 first half, the 'Hounds' 48-22 record ties the fifth-best half-season in the Texas League since 1977 (when the half-season format was instituted). The other club with a 48-22 mark? The Corpus Christi Hooks in the first half of the 2015 South Division race.
The RockHounds and Hooks now meet in the (best-of-5) South Division Championship Series, beginning Wednesday in Corpus Christi. The two clubs finished the regular season a combined 64 games over .500 (the Hooks were 89-51 overall and the RockHounds 83-57).
The RockHounds
... finished 83-57 (35-35 in the first half and 48-22 in the second) ... went 5-2 on their (regular) season-ending road trip, splitting four games at San Antonio and sweeping three games in Frisco ... won the season series with the RoughRiders, 20-8 (11-3 at home and 9-5 at Frisco) ... finished a league-best 45-25 at Security Bank Ballpark and 38-32 on the road ... went 54-38 vs. the South Division and 29-19 vs. the North.
Kibbles & Bits
STAT OF THE DAY: 93 games into the season (July 19), the RockHounds were 49-44 and had not been more than seven games over .500 at any point in the season. The 'Hounds then went 34-13 in their last 47 games, a .723 winning percentage.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: In addition to its place in recent Texas League history (see above), the RockHounds' 48-22 record ranks as the best half-season in franchise history ... by five games (the 2001 'Hounds went 43-27). The 83 wins eclipse the 1975 Midland Cubs' win total by two (81-53), while the Cubs' winning percentage (.604) remains the franchise record.
- Matt Olson (2-for-3, two-run HR, double, HBP) finished the regular season with a 10-game hit streak (14-for-32, .438) ... a 20-game on-base streak (.309 with a .453 OBP) ... and reached base in 33 of his last 34 games (.297).
- Anthony Aliotti ran his hit streak to 15 games and his on-base streak to 23 straight. "Ali," who is hitting .313 in both streaks, has played in 25 games with the 'Hounds since being assigned from (AAA) Nashville. He has hits in 22 of the 25 games and has reached base in 24.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Renato Nuñez and Sean Manaea have been named Texas League Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for August 31-September 6. Nunez's performance in the first two games of the Labor Day weekend series in Frisco was one of the most impressive two-day hitting displays in the franchise's 44 seasons. In leading the 'Hounds to wins of 21-4 and 7-1, Renato went 8-for-11, with a double, two grand slam home runs (in the span of four at-bats) and 11 runs batted in. For the week, the 21-year-old native of Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela went 11-for-27 (.407) with three doubles, two grand slams and 12 RBI.
The TL Pitcher of the Week award is Sean Manaea's second in just over a month with the club. He also won the honor (July 27-August 3) following his first start with the 'Hounds, in which he tossed seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a 4-0 shutout win over the Corpus Christi Hooks. Acquired by Oakland from Kansas City in the July trade deadline deal which sent Ben Zobrist to the Royals, Manaea is 6-0, with a 1.90 ERA in seven starts with the RockHounds. In his only start of the week (September 3 at San Antonio), he struck out thirteen batters in six innings in a 4-1 win over the Missions. In his last two starts, he has gone 13 innings, allowing seven hits and three walks with 20 strikeouts.
Images from this story
 Matt Olson of the Midland RockHounds (Frank Longobardo / Midland RockHounds) |
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Texas League Stories from September 8, 2015
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- There Was Nothing "Regular" About this Regular Season - Midland RockHounds
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