Riders Game Notes - 7:05 p.m. at San Antonio Missions - May 5, 2016
May 5, 2016 - Texas League (TL1)
Frisco RoughRiders News Release
Riders: LHP Frank Lopez (2-0, 3.25 ERA)
Missions: RHP Bryce Morrow (1-3, 7.36 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 6:30 p.m. prior to the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. with game coverage from Nathan Barnett. Today's Dr Pepper Pregame Show Guest is reigning Texas League Player of the Month Ryan Cordell.
LAST TIME OUT:
In come-from-behind fashion, the RoughRiders toppled the Missions 8-6 on Wednesday night...Down 6-3 after five innings, Frisco scored a pair of runs in the sixth and three runs in the eighth to move ahead for good...ZACH CONE drove in a pair of runs, and JUAN GRULLON earned the win, firing three innings of one-run ball in relief..RYNE SLACK and MATT BUSH closed things out with perfect eighth and ninth innings respectively.
ON A MISSION:
With the win last night, the RoughRiders are 6-0 against San Antonio this season and have won their last nine games against the Missions, dating back to last season. The RoughRiders have dominated the season-series thus far, outscoring the Missions by 1.8 runs per game, hitting .286 to San Antonio's .231. The Riders are outhomering the Missions 6-3 and have 19 extra-base hits to San Antonio's 12. The Missions have the edge in one cateogory, however: stolen bases, where they lead 7 to 1.
COMEBACK KIDS:
Coming from behind again on Wednesday for a victory, the RoughRiders now have nine comeback wins of their 19 this season. Five of the last eight Riders wins have come when the team trailed at one point, including three straight April 28-30.
RIDING INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS:
At 19-6, the RoughRiders have the best 25-game start in team history, besting the 2008 squad. The 2008 RoughRiders, 18-7 through 25 games, finished with an 84-56 record and lost to Arkansas in the Texas League championship series.
'DELL-IGHTFUL START:
RYAN CORDELL has been on a roll early in the season, currently in the top five of eight major statistical categories in the Texas League, including batting avergae (5th, .341), slugging (3rd, .659), RBI (2nd,24), doubles (2nd, 9), runs (2nd, 22), and extra-base hits (2nd, 16). He's already tied or surpassed many of his stats with Frisco from last year, when he hit .217 with five doubles, five home runs, and 18 RBI in 56 games. Cordell was rewarded with Texas League Player of the Month honors Monday, after winning Player of the Week last Monday. The 24-year-old hit .363 in April with five home runs (two grand slams) and 22 RBI.
GOING STREAKING:
Cordell has not only been off to a great start, but he's been producing consistently for Frisco early in 2016. Although his 17-game hitting streak came to an end after going 0-for-3 Monday, he contimued his season-long on-base streak to 24 games last night with a single in the first. Dating back to the final three games of 2015, he has reached base in 27 straight contests.
"ONE"-DERFUL IN CLOSE GAMES:
Despite leading the Texas League in run differential (+40), Frisco has played in seven one-run contests, winning five, over the last 11 games. The Riders have a 6-3 record in games decided by one run this year and are 3-0 in games decided by two runs, including the win last night.
FIRST FRAME FUN:
After scoring just one first-inning run in the first 11 games, the Riders have outscored opponents, 21-8, in the last 14 first innings. Frisco has scored at least one first-inning run in four of six games against San Antonio this year.
THE 'PEN IS MIGHTIER:
Part of the key for the Riders historic start to the season has been the strong bullpen, protecting leads late in games. The bullpen holds an ERA of just 2.57 through the first 25 games and has wiggled out of numerous late-game jams. MATT BUSH has five saves, ADAM PARKS has three, and the team is 9-for-10 in save situations.
CRANKING UP CROOKED NUMBERS:
Early in the season, the RoughRiders have shown an ability to not only score in bunches but keep opponents from doing the same. The RoughRiders have tallied 10 innings of four or more runs (five four-run innings, four five-run frames and a six-spot). Meanwhile, the Riders have only allowed six innings of more than two runs.
SEPARATION IN THE SIXTH:
The RoughRiders have found immense success, both at the plate and on the mound, in the sixth inning this season. Frisco has outscored opponents, 27-9, in the sixth frame through 25 games. The Riders struck for their biggest inning of the year with a six-run sixth on April 14 vs. Northwest Arkansas and outscored the Missions 2-0 last night in the sixth.
RANGER DANGER:
The RoughRiders aren't the only Rangers affiliate off to a hot start. Overall, the Rangers farm system is 70-32 (.686), which is the best winning percentage among all minor-league systems. Class A-Advanced High Desert enters the day at 19-8, while Class-A Hickory is 17-8, and Triple-A Round Rock is 15-10. Round Rock was recently ranked the fifth-best Minor League team (any level) by MLB.com's Jim Callis.
TOP OF THE CLASS:
The RoughRiders enter the season with six players ranked in either Baseball America or MLBPipeline.com's Rangers Top 30 Prospects. LEWIS BRINSON, the No. 2 prospect in Rangers' farm system according to MLBPipeline.com and Baseball America, returns to 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. Brinson is joined by five other players named in the lists- RYAN CORDELL (No. 15 in MLB, No. 11 in BA), RONALD GUZMAN (23, 29), JOSE LECLERC (25, 21), SAM WOLFF (26, NR), and CONNOR SADZECK (27, 26).
OPPOSING STARTER:
Bryce Morrow makes his third Double-A start for the Missions this season, coming out of Extended Spring Training...The right-hander signed out of the Independent Frontier League in 2013 is in his third season in the Padres system...He split last season between Class A-Short Season, Double-A, and Triple-A...In San Antonio last year, the 28-year-old made 13 outings, including 5 starts, going 5-3 with a 4.01 ERA, striking out 34 and walking 16 in 49 1/3 innings of work... He throws with 3/4 arm slot, with a 4-seam fastball, a 2-seam fastball, a slider, and a changeup.
Texas League Stories from May 5, 2016
- Frisco Clinches Series with 11-4 Victory - San Antonio Missions
- De Jong Dazzles, Drillers Win 7-1 Thursday - Arkansas Travelers
- Dozier Does It Again as Naturals Win 3-2 - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Riders Game Notes - 7:05 p.m. at San Antonio Missions - May 5, 2016 - Frisco RoughRiders
- Aubrie Sellers Opening for Clint Black - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Hooks Dig Deep to Square Series - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Travs Overcome Four-Run Deficit, Walk Off - Arkansas Travelers
- Hooks Dig the Long Ball - Midland RockHounds
- Riders Rally for Another Win in San Antonio - Frisco RoughRiders
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