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Midland RockHounds

Why "The Book" Is Not Available in Stores

August 18, 2016 - Texas League (TL1)
Midland RockHounds News Release


RockHounds second baseman J.P. Sportman went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Wednesday night's 5-3 loss to the Tulsa Drillers at Security Bank Ballpark. (Forrest Allen) "The book" says pitchers who get ahead in the count will be successful and, most of the time, "the book" is right. Most of the time.

Tulsa's Kyle Farmer had the game-winning swing of the bat on Wednesday night, an RBI single up the middle in the top of the eighth. The hit, which broke a 3-3 tie, came on an 0-2 pitch. It was the 11th run produced in an at-bat that started and/or ended with an 0-2 count in the first two games of this series. The Drillers added an insurance run and went on to a 5-3 win, their second straight over the RockHounds in the series and fifth straight overall. With the victory, the Drillers clinched the series and remained perfect at Security Bank Ballpark in 2016 (5-0).

"The book" says that teams putting the leadoff batter on base score about half the time in those innings. Again, the infamous "book" is right ... most of the time. The RockHounds have had their leadoff man on base in 11 of the series' first 18 innings, but have scored in just two of those 11 frames (five runs total).

Tulsa built a 3-0 lead with Jacob Scavuzzo and Edwin Rios combining to produce runs in the second and fourth innings. Scavuzzo drew a walk from Heath Fillmyer (see note, below) with the bases empty and two out in the second and scored on a Rios double to left-center. Two innings later, Scavuzzo's two-out, bases-empty double was followed by a Rios RBI single to right, putting Tulsa on top, 3-0 (a third-inning Tim Locastro bunt and an Alex Verdugo RBI double plated the second Drillers run).

J.P. Sportman drove in all three RockHounds runs (and has five RBI in the series). In the fourth, Tyler Marincov's fly ball to the right field corner turned into a triple, narrowly eluding Joey Curletta's glove. Sportman's squibber up the third base line, which rolled to a stop "leaning" on the baseline short of the bag, scored Marincov with the 'Hounds' first run. With two on and one out in the sixth, Sportman ripped a two-run double down the left field line, forging a 3-3 tie that would stand until Farmer's 0-2 single up the middle off Trey Cochran-Gill in the eighth.

The RockHounds

... are 34-18 in the second half and 67-55 overall ... have dropped three straight games ... are 34-26 at Security Bank Ballpark and 34-28 on the road ... are 4-7 in the season series with the Tulsa Drillers (0-5 at Security Bank Ballpark and 4-2 at ONEOK Field) ... are 26-18 against the North Division.

... now lead San Antonio by seven games in the Texas League South Division second half race after the Missions (27-25) split a doubleheader at North Little Rock against the Arkansas Travelers. First half champion Corpus Christi (25-27) remains nine games back after losing at Northwest Arkansas and Frisco (20-32) is 14 games behind. There are 18 games remaining in the 2016 Texas League regular season.

... continue their six-game homestand, hosting the Tulsa Drillers on Thursday night at Security Bank Ballpark at 7:00 p.m. The clubs wrap up their series Thursday night, followed by a three-game weekend set between the 'Hounds and the Springfield Cardinals.

Kibbles & Bits

STAT of the DAY # 1: The teams have scored a combined 22 runs (on 46 hits) in the first two games of the series.

- More than half (13) of the 22 RBI have come with two strikes in the count.

- Exactly half (11) of the 22 RBI have come in at bats beginning and/or ending in 0-2 counts.

STAT of the DAY # 2: The visiting team has now won the last eight games in the series (Tulsa is 5-0 at Security Bank Ballpark in 2016).

- Go figure: A walk to Jacob Scavuzzo in the second inning was the first allowed by starter Heath Fillmyer in 11 innings, and just the fourth in his first 26 innings as a RockHound. Scavuzzo scored on the next pitch, an Edwin Rios RBI double.

- J.P. Sportman has hit in three straight games, going 4-for-11 with two doubles and five RBI (all five RBI have come in the Tulsa series).

- Franklin Barreto (1-for-4, run) extended his hit streak to six games (8-for-20, .400). The A's top prospect is hitting .343 in his last 33 games. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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