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TL Wichita Wind Surge

Week 20 - Midland Second Series Preview

August 20, 2024 - Texas League (TL)
Wichita Wind Surge News Release


For their penultimate road series of the regular series, the Wichita Wind Surge (18-27, 49-65) face the Texas League South Division-leading Midland RockHounds (26-19, 66-46) for six games at Momentum Bank Ballpark. Wichita took four of six games from Midland at Riverfront Stadium in mid-June, which played significant dividends in eliminating the first-half title chances for the RockHounds.

SCHEDULE

Tuesday, August 20, 6:30 PM, Momentum Bank Ballpark:

RHP Cory Lewis (1-2, 2.68 ERA) vs. RHP Blake Beers (10-6, 3.53 ERA)

Opening the series, Cory Lewis starts against the same team he played against in his Double-A debut. He holds a 0.59 ERA over 15.1 innings pitched with 25 strikeouts in August.

Wednesday, August 21, 6:30 PM, Momentum Bank Ballpark:

RHP C.J. Culpepper (0-0, 10.13 ERA) vs. RHP Mason Barnett (7-7, 4.13 ERA)

In his second start with the Wind Surge, C.J. Culpepper toes the slab in Texas for the first time as a pro.

Thursday, August 22, 7:00 PM, Momentum Bank Ballpark:

RHP Travis Adams (4-7, 4.08 ERA) vs. RHP Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

The team leader in innings pitched and strikeouts by wide margins, Travis Adams can become the first Wichita pitcher to break 100 innings this season in the same ballpark he started twice in a single series last June.

Friday, August 23, 7:00 PM, Momentum Bank Ballpark:

RHP Marco Raya (1-3, 4.76 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Walkinshaw (1-1, 2.57 ERA)

After becoming the fifth pitcher in team history to eclipse the 20-start milestone in a season, Marco Raya will tie former big leaguer Chris Vallimont on the leaderboards with his 21st start in his routine Friday night rotation spot.

Saturday, August 24, 7:00 PM, Momentum Bank Ballpark:

LHP Christian MacLeod (0-1, 3.20 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Perkins (1-1, 4.41 ERA)

For the third time in five starts with the Wind Surge, southpaw Christian MacLeod gets the starting nod on the road.

Sunday, August 25, 1:00 PM, Momentum Bank Ballpark:

TBA vs. TBA

WIND SURGE STORYLINES

THERE'S A NEW COWBOY (ATOP THE RANKINGS) IN TOWN: With less than a month left in the regular season, Carson McCusker has leaped ahead in multiple team offensive categories. The current active leader in the triple crown categories of batting average (.281), home runs (11), and RBIs (57), McCusker is a hit away from the 100-mark in 2024 and three long balls shy of tying his combined 2023 total across Single-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids last season after signing with the Twins out of the Frontier League.

MAGNIFICENT MIGGY: Miguel Rodriguez has excelled as a late-inning reliever for the Wind Surge through six August appearances. He's struck out seven batters in as many innings pitched while surrendering just five hits to no walks. On the season, he's converted each of his last five save opportunities, which puts him as the team leader in the category. Rodriguez has the most saves in franchise history (8) and is two away from tying the single-season record (Austin Schulfer, 7, 2021).

WILL THE TREND CONTINUE?: Since Wichita's inception in 2021, a commonality in their series with the Midland RockHounds is the Wind Surge coming out on top. Wichita has won six of the seven series between the two teams dating back to that season. In June, the Wind Surge took four of six from the RockHounds, eliminating the visiting squad from winning the Texas League South First Half Division crown.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

NICKIN' THE WAY UP THE LADDER: Yesterday, the Oakland Athletics called up their No. 2 prospect and No. 4 overall pick from this year's draft, Nick Kurtz, to Midland from Single-A Stockton. Kurtz hit .400 (10-25) in seven pro games with four home runs and 12 RBIs in the California League for the Ports. Kurtz, who got picked out of Wake Forest, also worked 10 walks in that span for Stockton. He'll be making his Double-A debut in tonight's series opener as the third man in the lineup while playing first base.

DENZEL THE DASH MAN: Denzel Clarke has grown in his second season with Midland, spearheading the Texas League with eight triples. He's also more than doubled his stolen base mark from 11 in 2023 to 26 this season, which stands as a Top-10 mark around the league and leads the RockHounds squad.

PUT UP OR SHUT UP TIME: Down to the final four weeks of the regular season, Midland leads the Texas League South by two games over first-half champ Frisco, who dropped five of six last week at Riders Field to the Springfield Cardinals. On the bright side for the RockHounds, all four upcoming opponents (Wichita, San Antonio, Amarillo, and Corpus Christi) are playing below .500 baseball. Starting tonight, the RockHounds need to maintain positive momentum in the form of the division lead throughout mid-September. If so, they will face the RoughRiders in the Texas League South Division Finals in the postseason.

BROADCAST

For the upcoming series in Texas, you can listen to Wind Surge games with Mike Capps on the call on ESPN Wichita 92.3 FM and windsurge.com or watch them online at MiLB.TV and Bally Live.

Check out the Wichita Wind Surge Statistics

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