Riders Game Notes - 7:05 p.m. vs. Midland RockHounds - May 7, 2016
May 7, 2016 - Texas League (TL1)
Frisco RoughRiders News Release
Riders: RHP Sam Wolff (4-1, 4.32 ERA)
RockHounds: RHP Joel Seddon (1-2, 11.64 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 Ryan Rouillard and Steve Goldberg.
Tonight's game will also be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest with Nathan Barnett and Rangers Senior Director of Player Development Mike Daly on the air at 7:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The RoughRiders completed another four-game sweep of San Antonio with a 6-1 win Friday night at Wolff Stadium...CONNOR SADZECK turned in his best start of the season, striking out a career-best nine hitters, while allowing just one run on two hits in seven innings...ZACH CONE got the scoring started in the second with a two-run home run...Two-run hits from GARRETT WEBER and LEWIS BRINSON rounded out the scoring for the RoughRiders in the series finale.
NO MINOR FEAT:
Entering the day at 21-6 (.778), the Riders have the best winning percentage among all 120 full-season affiliates in Minor League Baseball.
RIDING INTO THE HISTORY BOOKS:
The 21-6 record gives the RoughRiders their best 27-game start in team history, besting the 2008 squad. The 2008 RoughRiders, 20-7 through 27 games, finished with an 84-56 record and lost to Arkansas in the Texas League championship series.
GOING STREAKING:
RYAN CORDELL has been off to a great start in 2016, including a Texas League Player of the Week and Player of the Month honor. Although his 17-game hitting streak came to an end after going 0-for-3 Monday, he continued his season-long on-base streak to 26 games last night with a walk in the sixth inning. Dating back to the final three games of 2015, he has reached base in 29 straight contests.
WEBER FITTING RIGHT IN:
Since joining the Riders from Extended Spring Training on April 25, GARRETT WEBER has been a key contributor for Frisco. He rides a nine-game hitting streak into tonight's contest, which includes five multi-hit games. This is Weber's first seasons as a Rangers farmhand after spending his first five seasons in the Diamondbacks organization.
"ONE"-DERFUL IN CLOSE GAMES:
Despite leading the Texas League in run differential (+52), Frisco has played in seven one-run contests, winning five, over the last 13 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.
FIRST FRAME FUN:
After scoring just one first-inning run in the first 11 games, the Riders have outscored opponents, 22-8, in the last 16 first innings, scoring at least one run in 11 of those 16 games.
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 2.41 through the first 27 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.
CUT THEM SOME SLACK:
Reliever RYNE SLACK is in the midst of an impressive stretch, not having allowed a hit in his last 10 2/3 innings of work. He still has yet to permit a run in 13 1/3 innings of relief work this season, and his .053 opposing average is the best in the Texas League.
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 11 innings of four or more runs (five four-run innings, four five-run frames and a six-spot). Meanwhile, the Riders have only allowed seven 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, 32-13, in the sixth frame through 27 games. The Riders struck for their biggest inning of the year with a six-run sixth on April 14 vs. Northwest Arkansas.
RANGER DANGER:
The RoughRiders aren't the only Rangers affiliate off to a hot start. Overall, the Rangers farm system is 76-35 (.685), which is the best winning percentage among all minor-league systems. Class A-Advanced High Desert enters the day at 20-9, while Class-A Hickory is 19-9, and Triple-A Round Rock is 16-11. All four affiliates currently lead their respective divisions. 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:
Righty Joel Seddon takes the ball for Midland tonight in the series opener. The early going has been rough for Seddon, who has allowed five runs or more in four of his first five appearnces this season. In all of those situations, the damage has come in four or fewer innings. Seddon is in his third season as a professional and his first with the RockHounds. 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 made 14 starts in 34 appearances with Class A-Advanced Stockton last season. His arsenal includes a two-seam and four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and curveball.
Texas League Stories from May 7, 2016
- 'Hounds Push the Paz Button on Red-Hot RoughRiders - Midland RockHounds
- Cards Strike Early and Hang on for 6-4 Win in Tulsa - Springfield Cardinals
- Riders Drop One-Run Contest to Midland - Frisco RoughRiders
- Binford & Stout Blank Travs as Offense Struggles - Arkansas Travelers
- Cardinals Strike Early to Beat Drillers - Tulsa Drillers
- Naturals Earn First Shutout of the Season in 3-0 Win - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Hooks Blank San Antonio - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Riders Game Notes - 7:05 p.m. vs. Midland RockHounds - May 7, 2016 - Frisco RoughRiders
- Solid Performances Help Hooks Earn Split - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Sadzeck Guides Frisco to Sweep of San Antonio - San Antonio Missions
- Same-Day Redemption - Midland RockHounds
- Drillers Rout Travs for Second Straight Night - Arkansas Travelers
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