TL1 Frisco RoughRiders

Riders Game Notes - 2:00 p.m. at Midland RockHounds - June 19, 2016

Published on June 19, 2016 under Texas League (TL1)
Frisco RoughRiders News Release


Riders: RHP A.J. Griffin (0-1, 5.06 ERA)

RockHounds: RHP Joel Seddon (1-6, 7.76 ERA)

Today's game can be heard on the RoughRiders Radio Network at Ridersbaseball.com/media, online and on mobile devices via TuneIn Radio, or on the MiLB First Pitch App. The Dr Pepper Pregame Show with Steve Goldberg begins at 1:25 p.m. prior to the first pitch at 2:00 p.m. with game coverage from Nathan Barnett and Ryan Rouillard. Today's Dr Pepper Pregame Show guest is manager Joe Mikulik.

LAST TIME OUT:

The RoughRiders erased a 2-0 deficit, only to allow four runs in the seventh inning and fall 6-2 on Saturday night in the final home game of the first half...The Corpus Christi Hooks scored single runs in the fourth and fifth before Frisco got them both back on RBI from RYAN CORDELL and RONALD GUZMAN in the sixth to tie it...On two hits and three walks against JAKE SHORTSLEF and JOE FILOMENO, the Hooks scored four times in the seventh to pull ahead for good...CONNOR SADZECK matched his career-high with nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings, taking no decision.

THE SPRINGFIELD SEVEN:

Tuesday, the Texas League announced its midseason all-stars and seven RoughRiders earned all-star honors. Infielder RONALD GUZMAN and outfielder RYAN CORDELL were both named starters, while outfielder PRESTON BECK and catcher ISIAH KINER-FALEFA earned reserve spots. Starting pitchers CONNOR SADZECK and VICTOR PAYANO, along with reliever ADAM PARKS also were named mid-season all-stars. It was the sixth-straight year the RoughRiders had at least seven players named to the All-Star Game, and Frisco's seven selections were third-most in the Texas League, behind Tulsa (nine) and Corpus Christi (nine). The 2016 Texas League All-Star Game takes place Tuesday, June 28 in Springfield, Missouri.

THAT WAS CLOSE:

The RoughRiders have consistently found themselves in close games over the last few weeks. 14 of the last 24 games (7-17) have been decided by three runs or fewer, including seven one-run games. On the season, 46 of Frisco's 67 games have been decided by three or fewer, and the Riders have played in 22 one-run games (14-8), three behind league-leading Corpus Christi (16-9).

EATEN UP BY ERRORS:

For most of the season, the RoughRiders have been one of the best defensive teams in the Texas League. However, in the last 13 games, the RoughRiders have committed 14 errors (1.08 per game), leading to 17 unearned runs. By comparison, they had committed just 37 errors in the first 54 games (0.69 per game). EVAN VAN HOOSIER, who played his first five career games at third base last week, made four of the 13 errors as he adjusts to the new position. ANDY IBANEZ has accounted for three of the miscues in that span.

BECK BUSTING OUT:

Though he's been quiet so far in this series, PRESTON BECK has become a key contributor for the Riders over the last month. The Dallas-native has reached base in 25 of his last 29 games, including on-base streaks of 14 (5/13-6/1) and seven (6/3-6/13) games. Over his last 29 games (since May 13), Beck is hitting .298 with four doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 11 RBI. He also sports a .354 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .462 in that span. Beck qualified for the league leaderboard Thursday and was seventh in league average prior to going 1-for-8 over the last two games.

CORDELL COMES BACK CRUSHING:

RoughRiders outfielder RYAN CORDELL broke out of his longest homerless stretch of the season Tuesday in a big way, hitting a pair of solo home runs in a 5-4 win over Midland. It was his second multi-home run game of the season, both of which have come against the RockHounds. After hitting 10 home runs in his first 35 games, Cordell went homerless in 26 straight games (90 at-bats) from May 16 through June 13 before his big day Tuesday. Cordell continued his recent surge with a 3-for-4 performance in game one of Thursday's doubleheader, including his 13th home run of the year. Friday, he hit his 14th homer and his first opposite-field shot of the year.

RANGERS ON REHAB:

Thanks to their geographic proximity to Arlington, the Riders have already had a handful of Rangers join the squad on Major League rehabilitation assignments this season. A.J. GRIFFIN makes his third rehab start with Frisco today and is the sixth rehabber to suit up for the RoughRiders this season. Griffin joins catchers CHRIS GIMENEZ and ROBINSON CHIRINOS, outfielders JOSH HAMILTON and SHIN-SOO CHOO, and right-handed pitcher YU DARVISH on rehab assignments this season.

TRIO OF RIDERS EARN MONTHLY HONORS:

On May 19, three Riders were awarded monthly honors by the Rangers. RYAN CORDELL earned Player of the Month honors, while ISIAH KINER-FALEFA was named Defender of the Month. Left-hander RYNE SLACK garnered the Reliever of the Month award.

RANGER DANGER:

The Riders aren't the only Rangers affiliate with a winning record. Among full-season affiliates, the Rangers farm system is 153-118 (.571). Every full-season affiliate in the organization has a record above .500, as Class A-Advanced High Desert enters the day at 43-26, Class-A Hickory is 38-31, and Triple-A Round Rock is 36-31. Round Rock was ranked the fifth-best Minor League team (any level) by MLB.com's Jim Callis earlier this season.

TOP OF THE CLASS:

The RoughRiders roster includes eight players ranked on either the MLBPipeline.com and/or Baseball America Rangers Top 30 Prospects list. LEWIS BRINSON, the No. 2 prospect in the Texas farm system according to MLBPipeline.com and Baseball America, is in his second season in Frisco. He appeared in 28 games for the Riders last season, hitting .291 with six home runs and 23 RBI before being promoted to Round Rock. LUIS ORTIZ (No. 4 in MLBPipeline.com, No. 4 in BA) is the highest-ranked pitching prospect on the squad. Aside from Brinson and Ortiz, YOHANDER MENDEZ (13, 24), RYAN CORDELL (14, 11), ANDY IBANEZ (15, 8), RONALD GUZMAN (22, 29), SAM WOLFF (25, NR), and CONNOR SADZECK (26, 26) rank among Texas' top 30 prospects.

OPPOSING STARTER:

Righty Joel Seddon takes the ball for Midland in today's series opener. He is in his third season as a professional and his first with the RockHounds. Seddon has a 0-1 record with a 3.95 ERA in two starts against Frisco. The University of South Carolina product was selected by the Athletics in the 11th round of the 2014 draft. He was previously selected in the 20th round by Toronto out of St. Clair High School in 2011. He was mostly a reliever in college and in his first season in the Oakland farm system, but he made 14 starts in 34 appearances with Class A-Advanced Stockton last season. REPERTOIRE: Four-seam fastball, two-seam FB, changeup, slider, curveball.

Check out the Frisco RoughRiders Statistics

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Texas League Stories from June 19, 2016


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