Texas League Update
Published on September 8, 2008 under Texas League (TL1) News Release
Frisco Sweeps South Division Series
The Frisco RoughRiders performed like a fine tuned, well-oiled machine in the South Division series, sweeping the San Antonio Missions in three games by a combined score of 20-5. Frisco's pitchers shined in the series, recording a 1.67 ERA in 27 innings, while holding the Missions to a .184 batting average.
Entering the postseason, Frisco was widely considered the most formidable club in the Texas League, having posted the best overall record in the regular season at 84-56. The RoughRiders won both the South Division first-half and second-half titles, becoming the first Texas League club to win both halves since Midland in 2005. On the other hand, San Antonio (75-65) was a fierce opponent in their own right, as they fielded the best all-around pitching staff in the league. Their pitchers led the circuit with a 3.58 ERA in the 2008 regular season and tossed 20 shutouts, the highest total in all of the minors this season.
Despite San Antonio's pedigree, Frisco had their number in the regular season, recording a lopsided 21-11 (.656) record against them. Nothing changed in the South Division Series as the RoughRiders continued their dominance of the Missions from the onset of game one through the conclusion of game three.
In game one, the RoughRiders two-hit the Missions in a 5-1 victory. Winning pitcher Derek Holland (1-0) was masterful, holding the Missions to one run, two hits and one walk over 7.1 innings. The southpaw struck out five. Through the first seven innings, Holland surrendered only one hit, a second-inning double to Kyle Blanks. After issuing a walk to Jose Lobaton in the second, Holland retired 16 batters in a row. In the top of the eighth, Craig Cooper stroked a leadoff home run, breaking up Holland's bid for a shutout.
In four starts with Frisco during the regular season, Holland went 3-0, with a 0.69 ERA.
In the bottom of the third, Steve Murphy and Julio Borbon both clubbed solo home runs, staking Frisco to a 2-0 advantage. Murphy led off a fifth with a triple and scored on a bloop RBI single by Manny Pina. Three batters later, Jose Vallejo singled home Pina, which capped a two-run fifth that gave Frisco a 4-0 lead. John Whittleman added a RBI single in the eighth.
Murphy and Borbon both finished at 2-for-4. Borbon hit safely in his 22nd straight game, which includes regular season play. Borbon also stole his first bag of the playoffs after stealing 53 bases in the minors in 2008.
Missions starter Matt Buschmann pitched five innings, yielding four runs, six hits and two walks, while fanning five. Buschmann recorded the second best ERA (2.98) in the Texas League this season.
Left-hander Beau Jones picked up the save after firing a perfect ninth.
In game two, Frisco defeated San Antonio 6-1 in a contest that closely resembled the first game. Neftali Feliz (1-0) overwhelmed the Missions, fanning 11 batters over seven shutout innings. Feliz's 11 whiffs matched a career high that he set on June 14 with low Single-A Clinton of the Midwest League. It was also highest strikeout total for a 'Riders pitcher this year. The 19-year-old held the Missions to only three hits and two walks. Feliz finished on a roll, allowing no hits in his final 3.1 innings.
In the bottom of the second, the 'Riders pounded three doubles en route to a three-run inning. Emerson Frostad led off the second with single and moved to third when Chad Tracy ripped a double to left. Two batters later, John Whittleman stroked a two-run double to right-center, plating both Frostad and Tracy. Thomas Berkery capped the three-run inning by bringing home Whittleman with a run-scoring double to left.
Trailing 3-0 in the top of the eighth, the Missions scored their lone run when Gabe Lopez's RBI groundout brought home Jesus Lopez from third. Jesus Lopez led off the frame by driving a triple to right. In the bottom half of the inning, Frisco scored three runs to break the game open. Victimizing the Missions for the second straight night, Steven Murphy delivered a two-run single, giving the RoughRiders a 5-1 lead. Whittleman followed with a run-scoring single, his third RBI of the game. Whittleman finished the game having gone 2-for-3, with a double and a run scored.
In a losing effort, Missions pitchers Stephen Faris, Mike DeMark and Gabe DeHoyos combined on 13 strikeouts in 7.1 innings of work. Through the first two games of the series, the Missions were hitting 7-for-61 (.115) in the series.
On the following night at San Antonio's Wolff Stadium, the RoughRiders put the finishing touches on their three-game sweep by cruising to a 9-3 win over the Missions. The Missions outhit the RoughRiders 11 to 9, but could only manage three runs, hitting 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Winning pitcher Michael Schlact helped ensure the sweep, giving up just one run, six hits and a walk over six innings. The lanky 6'7" right-hander struck out four, while holding the Missions scoreless through the first four innings.
Schlact's mound counterpart Will Inman held the RoughRiders hitless through the first 3.2 innings. In the fourth, Inman went through a bout of wildness, walking the bases loaded. With the bases loaded and two outs, Chad Tracy sliced a two-run single to left, helping Frisco to a 2-0 lead. Tracy's hit opened the flood gates as the RoughRiders scored three additional runs with two outs. Steven Murphy socked a towering RBI double to center and John Whittleman crushed a two-run double, capping the five-run inning.
In the fifth, Frisco took a 7-0 lead when Dustin Majewski launched a two-run homer to right. Three innings later, Tracy hammered a two-run homer to left as Frisco extended their lead to 9-3. Tracy went 2-for-4, with a home run, four RBIs and a pair of runs scored in the series clinching win
Craig Cooper highlighted the Missions' night by swatting a two-run homer in the seventh, while Seth Johnston went 3-for-4, with a pair of doubles and two runs scored.
In the series, Whittleman led the 'Riders with six RBIs and a .400 average (4-for-10). Murphy and Tracy both tied for second in RBIs with four a piece. Majewski led the club with four runs scored.
Frisco's three starters, Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz and Schlact, combined to pitch 20.1 innings, yielding two runs, 11 hits, four walks, while compiling 20 strikeouts. Frisco's hurlers also held Kyle Blanks to a .100 average (1-for-10) in the three-game series. Blanks, the Topps Texas League Player of the Month for August, entered the series coming off a torrid week in which he hit .515, with three homers, and 15 RBIs in a span of eight games.
The RoughRiders will travel to North Little Rock to take on the North Divison champion Arkansas Travelers in the Texas League Championship Series. The first game will be played on September 9 at Dickey-Stephens Park.
Travs shock Naturals, sweep North Division Series
Arkansas stunned their in-state rivals Northwest Arkansas by completing a three-game sweep in the North Division Playoff Series. The Travelers prevailed thanks to a pitching staff that held the Naturals to a .176 batting average and eight runs scored in their three games, recording a 2.48 ERA, and allowing only 18 hits in 29 innings. The Travelers' offensive efforts were spearheaded by youngsters Hank Conger and Mark Trumbo, two late season call ups from Single-A. Conger, who did not participate in a regular season Texas League game this year, batted .385 in the series, with a homer and five RBIs. Trumbo's three-run homer helped lift Arkansas to a 6-4 victory in game two.
Prior to the series, both the Naturals and Travelers were going in opposite directions. At 42-28, the Naturals registered the best second-half record of any Texas League team. The Naturals finished the season on a scorching 12-4 run to beat out Springfield for the second-half title in the North Division. The Naturals also got the best of the Travelers during the regular season, posting a 12-4 record against them in head-to-head play in the second-half. Northwest Arkansas finished the regular season with an 18-14 record against Arkansas.
In the first-half, Arkansas (36-34) edged Springfield for the North Division title after beating them in an 11-inning, 7-6 thriller on June 17, the final day of half. The Travelers battled back from an early 4-0 deficit to down the Cardinals, who posted the best overall record in the North Division (76-64). Everything went downhill for the Travs after the comeback victory as they plummeted to a 26-44 record in the second-half, finishing with the worst record in the North Division. The Travelers dropped their eighth straight game on August 30, but they rebounded with two straight wins to close out the season, gaining a little momentum heading into the playoffs.
On September 3, game one of the series at Dickey-Stephens Park was postponed for a day due to remnants of Hurricane Gustav. On the following night, a three-run eighth inning boosted the Travelers to a 4-1 triumph over the Naturals. With two outs and the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Chris Pettit hit a go-ahead, RBI single to second base. Mark Trumbo, who had hit a two-out double, hustled from all the way from second base to score on Pettit's infield hit. Wil Ortiz followed with a two-out, two-run single, extending the Travs' lead to 4-1.
Closer Rafael Rodriguez notched the save after getting the Naturals to hit into three ground ball outs. Winning pitcher Francisco Rodriguez (1-0) tossed a perfect eighth.
Not factoring in the decision, starter Daniel Davidson struck out six Naturals over seven solid innings. The left-hander gave up only one run, four hits and three walks. Davidson redeemed himself after his last Texas League postseason start when he gave up five earned runs through 1/3 of an inning against Midland in 2005.
In the top of the third, the Naturals took a 1-0 lead when Jose Duarte belted a leadoff solo home run. Naturals starter Daniel Cortes stymied the Travs over 5.2 innings, holding them to one run on three hits. In relief of Cortes, southpaw Tim Hamulack followed with two scoreless stanzas.
Corey Smith's sixth-inning, RBI double put the Travelers on the board, tying the contest at 1-1. Highly regarded prospect Hank Conger went 1-for-4 in his first Double-A game. Prior to the series, Conger was called up from high Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he hit .303, with 13 home runs, and 75 RBIs in 73 games. Before the 2008 season, Baseball America ranked Conger as the Angels' fourth best prospect in their system.
In game two, the Travelers shelled Naturals starter Blake Wood for six runs en route to a 6-4 win. Wood, the reigning Texas League Pitcher of the Week, allowed six runs on eight hits in three innings of work. The Travs pounced on Wood for two runs in the top of the first, doing the damage were Hank Conger who stroked a RBI single to right and Ben Johnson, who followed with a sacrifice fly.
Two innings later, the Travelers erupted for four runs to chase Wood. Johnson began the four-run third by bringing home Brian Stavisky with a single, his second RBI of the game. The next batter Mark Trumbo launched a three-run homer to left, a titanic shot that struck the video screen in the heart of the Dickey-Stephens Park scoreboard. Trumbo's blast put the Travs ahead at 6-1. Trumbo led the Travs with two hits.
Starter Dan Denham (1-0) picked up the victory after holding the Naturals to one run on three hits over seven innings of work. The Naturals scored their only run against Denham when Brian McFall plated Juan Richardson with a sacrifice fly in the second. The 25-year-old right-hander saved his best pitching for the end, retiring the last five batters he faced in order.
The Naturals stormed back into the game by scoring three runs in the eighth. With the bases loaded and one out, the Naturals scored their second run of the game when Barret Browning's balk scored Jose Duarte from third. Cory Aldridge followed with a two-run double to left, closing the Naturals' deficit to 6-4. However, the Naturals could not get another run home as Browning induced Mario Lisson to ground out, then Rafael Rodriguez fanned Brian McFall, ending the scoring threat. Rodriguez struck out the side in the ninth, picking up his second save in two days, having struck out all four batters he faced. During the regular season, Rodriguez recorded seven games when needing more than three outs.
Traveling to Arvest Ballpark for game three of the series, Arkansas scored three runs in the top of the 11th, completing a sweep with a 6-3 victory over Northwest Arkansas. In the 11th, Ben Johnson snapped a 3-3 tie by stroking a two-out, game-winning double to right. The next batter Hank Conger clubbed a two-RBI single to right, the capstone of the Travs three-run rally. Conger went 3-for-5, with a home run, a double, two runs scored, and four RBIs to spearhead the Travs attack.
In the second, Conger broke a scoreless game by driving in Mark Trumbo with a double to left. Ryan Leahy followed with a run-scoring single to plate Conger. Conger later walloped a fourth-inning, solo home run to center, lifting the Travs to a 3-2 lead.
Shortstop Mario Lisson was a one-man wrecking crew for Northwest Arkansas. Lisson socked a two-run homer to left in the second, tying the contest at two-all. Two innings later, Lisson tied the game once again, belting a solo homer to even the score at 3-3. Both of Lisson's dingers were caught by Phillip Cebuhar, a 12-year-old fan from Springdale. Cebuhar caught both long-flies with his glove, while sitting in the second row of the Budweiser Bullpen Café behind the left-field fence. After Lisson's second round-tripper, the game remained tied at 3-3 until the 11th inning.
Travs starter David Austen put forth a gritty performance, throwing a career high nine innings. The 27-year-old held the Naturals to three run, eight hits, and a walk. After the fourth inning, the Naturals managed only two hits against Austen over his final five innings.
In the bottom of the 11th, Rafael Rodriguez slammed the door shut on the Naturals' season by hurling a perfect 1-2-3 inning. He picked up his third save in as many days. Rodriguez did not surrender a hit in 3.1 innings during the series.
The Naturals started Cody Clark at catcher in game three, marking the third different starting catcher for the club in the series. Adam Donachie and Kiel Thibault got the starts behind the plate in the first two games.
Brian McFall (4-for-11) led the Naturals with a .364 batting average. Naturals southpaw Tim Hamulack pitched four scoreless innings of relief in the series, allowing one hit and no walks.
Travs shortstop Wilberto Ortiz went 2-for-5, with a run scored, finishing the series with a .308 average. Johnson, who drove in the series-clinching run, batted .375 (3-for-8), with three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Trumbo went 4-for-13 (.308), with a homer, three RBIs and a team-best four runs scored.
The Texas League Championship Series begins on Tuesday, September 9 in North Little Rock. After playing two games at Dickey Stephens Park, Frisco and the Travelers will travel to Texas, completing the best-of-five series with games at Dr. Pepper Ballpark on September 12, 13 and 14 as necessary.
Texas League Stories from September 8, 2008
- Texas League Update - TL1
- Astros Purchase Contract Of Infielder Saccomanno - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Travs And Riders Streak Into TLCS - Arkansas Travelers
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