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Wichita Wingnuts Game Notes - August 21st, 2013

August 21, 2013 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release


RAILCATS TAKE DOUBLE HEADER FROM WINGNUTS: The Wichita Wingnuts dropped both ends of a double header to the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Tuesday at US Steel Yard, falling 7-4 in the opener and 4-3 in nine innings in the nightcap. In game one, the RailCats used a seven-run bottom of the second to overcome an early 2-0 Wingnuts' lead. Trailing 7-3 in the top of the seventh, Wichita rallied to bring the tying run to the plate before a John Rodriguez line drive was turned into a game-ending double play. Chris Smith took a complete game loss, allowing seven runs, two earned, on six hits in 6.0 IP. It was Smith's first loss since taking a complete game defeat on June 23rd at Sioux City.

The RailCats won game two on a bases loaded single from Ryan Babineau in the bottom of the ninth inning. Wichita took an early lead for a second straight game on a Jake Kahaulelio sacrifice fly in the top of the first. Mike Massaro tied it in the bottom half with an inside-the-park home run. The RailCats scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-1 lead before CJ Ziegler hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to tie the game. Justin Klipp took a no-decision, allowing three runs, one earned, on five hits in 5.0+ innings. Ziegler also homered in the opener of the double header and now has 26 on the year-one shy of the American Association single-season record.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE RAILCATS: The Wingnuts are 14-12 all-time against the Gary SouthShore RailCats, including a 6-8 mark at US Steel Yard. Gary SouthShore joined the American Association in 2011 after spending the previous nine seasons in the Northern League. RailCats' manager Greg Tagert is in his ninth season. Tagert guided the RailCats to the playoffs in each of his first six years, and won Northern League Championships in 2005 and 2007. Tagert was named Northern League Manager of the Year in 2007 and 2009. Tagert entered 2013 with an 844-685 (.552) career managerial record, which includes nine years of service in the Frontier League. Tagert has never had a losing season in any of his 17 years as a professional manager and holds the Frontier League's all-time record for wins. The Wingnuts and RailCats battled neck-and-neck for the 2011 Central Division title with the Wingnuts clinching the division by 1.0 game on the final day of the regular season. Wichita swept a key, three-game series from the RailCats at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in late-August of that year. The sweep vaulted the Wingnuts into first place for the remainder of the season. US Steel Yard opened in 2003 after the RailCats were forced to play their inaugural season exclusively on the road. Mike Massaro, the American Association's all-time leader in triples, returns for a fifth season with the RailCats.

SERIES MATCHUP: The Wingnuts are 58-30 and lead the Gary SouthShore RailCats by 7.5 games in the Central Division. Wichita just won two of three from the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The RailCats are 50-37 and trail the Wingnuts by 7.5 games in the Central. Gary SouthShore leads the wild card race by 3.5 games over the Lincoln Saltdogs and Winnipeg Goldeyes, and just lost two of three at home to the Sioux Falls Canaries. The Wingnuts rank second in the American Association in hitting (.293), first in pitching (3.34), and tied for second in fielding (.977). The RailCats are tied for ninth in batting (.268), fourth in pitching (4.07), and tied for sixth in defense (.974). The Wingnuts are 4-7 against the RailCats this season. This is the final scheduled regular season series between the two clubs.

TONIGHT'S STARTERS: The Wingnuts go with right-hander Junior Guerra who is 8-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 17 starts. Guerra ranks tied for seventh in the American Association in wins, fourth in ERA, and tied for first in strikeouts. Guerra took a loss vs. Fargo-Moorhead last Friday, allowing five runs, two earned, on five hits in 8.0 IP. Guerra struck out a career-high 11 batters, which also marked the third consecutive start in which he has reached double digit strikeouts. Guerra is 4-2 with a 3.44 ERA on the road this season in nine starts. Guerra has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 12 of 17 starts and has allowed more than four earned runs in just three of them. Guerra has pitched at least 6.0 innings in 13 of 17 starts and has pitched at least 5.0 innings in all of them. Guerra has walked three or fewer batters in 13 of 17 starts. In his last 11 starts, Guerra is 5-4 with a 2.38 ERA (19 ER, 72.0 IP) with 81 strikeouts. Guerra has not faced the RailCats this season. In 2011, Guerra won his lone start against Gary SouthShore on August 21st, allowing two earned runs on six hits in 8.0 IP.

Guerra was 1-3 in five starts with a 5.46 ERA for the Leones de Yucatan in the Mexican League last year. Guerra allowed three or fewer earned runs in four of his five starts for the Leones. Guerra starred for the Wingnuts in 2011, posting a 9-3 record while finishing tied for ninth in the American Association in ERA (3.57) and seventh in strikeouts (103). Guerra was 8-1 with a 2.30 ERA over his final 12 regular season starts in 2011, and then allowed one earned run in 6.2 innings in Game One of the Division Series at Grand Prairie. On July 13th, 2011, Guerra worked the first 7.1 innings of a combined no-hitter over the Shreveport-Bossier Captains at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

As a pitcher, Guerra is 19-13 with a 3.73 ERA in 78 career games, 42 of them starts. Guerra is in his eighth year of professional baseball, and spent four years in the Atlanta Braves' farm system as a catcher. Guerra was signed by Atlanta as an international free agent in 2001.

The RailCats have not announced their starting pitcher for Wednesday's game.

ZIEGLER AND PAHUTA ONE SHY OF LEAGUE RECORD: Wingnuts' first baseman CJ Ziegler ranks tied for first with Sioux Falls' Tim Pahuta for the American Association lead in home runs (26). The league's single-season record is 27, held by Brandon Sing of the Sioux Falls' Pheasants in 2010. Entering Wednesday, both the Wingnuts and Canaries have 12 games remaining on their schedule.

SETTING 'EM DOWN: The Wingnuts' pitching staff leads the American Association in strikeouts (688). Wichita is currently on pace for 782 strikeouts. The American Association team record is 738, set by the Laredo Lemurs in 2012. The Wingnuts have also had six starting pitching performances of 10 or more strikeouts this season. In their first five seasons combined, the Wingnuts had three performances of double digit strikeouts.

KAHAULELIO BREAKS TEAM RECORDS, EYES LEAGUE BENCHMARKS: Wingnuts' second baseman Jake Kahaulelio leads the American Association in runs scored (82). The 82 runs are a new Wingnuts' single-season record and surpass the 81 scored by Juan Richardson in 2011. Fehlandt Lentini (Amarillo, 2011) holds the American Association record for runs in a single season (98). Kahaulelio also leads the league in hit batsmen (20), breaking Jorge Delgado's team mark of 18 (2011) and tying the American Association record set by David Thomas (Grand Prairie, 2011). Kahaulelio won the American Association batting title last season (.372) and was named the league's all-star second baseman.

HOOPER FIVE FOR FIVE: The Wingnuts won their 51st game of the season on August 6th at Rockland, clinching a winning season under manager Kevin Hooper for a fifth time in five years. Hooper is 280-200 (.583) since taking over the club in 2009 and has guided the Wingnuts to three playoff berths. Hooper's .583 winning percentage is the highest among American Association managers over the last five years. His 280 wins also rank first during that stretch. Hooper was a member of a team that made the playoffs in eight different seasons over his 10-year playing career. Hooper was also a member of Wichita State University's College World Series team in 1996. The Shockers reached the NCAA tournament in all four of Hooper's collegiate seasons, and posted a composite .815 winning percentage.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Wingnuts finished their annual NBC road trip with an 11-5 record. At 26-18 away from Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, the Wingnuts have clinched a winning record on the road for a second straight year. Wichita's first winning road record was in 2012 (27-22).

NIEVES PACING THE LEAGUE: Wingnuts' third baseman Abel Nieves leads the American Association in batting average (.366). Wichita has had a player win the batting title in three of its first five seasons. Kevin Hooper won by 40 points in 2008 at .373, Greg Porter topped the league with a .372 mark in 2009, and Jake Kahaulelio finished first with a .372 average in 2012. Nieves had a 19-game hitting streak from June 8th -26th (38 for 76, .500) which ranks tied for the second-longest in team history (Greg Porter 2009 and Jorge Delgado 2010). The team record is held by Josh Horn, who hit safely in 20 consecutive games from August 29th, 2009 through June 5th, 2010. Nieves finished second in the Frontier League in batting average last year, hitting .320 for the Joliet Slammers. Nieves reached the Triple-A level three times with the Los Angeles Angels' organization.

KHOURY SETTING THE TABLE: Wingnuts' shortstop Ryan Khoury has reached base in 78 of 87 games this season with a hit, walk, or hit by pitch. Khoury reached base in 87 of 100 games in 2012, and was named the American Association's Defensive Player of the Year. Khoury also ranked in the top-four in the league in runs scored, walks, and stolen bases. On June 26th vs. Laredo, Khoury missed his first game since joining the Wingnuts last year. Including the postseason, Khoury had started 145 consecutive games both at shortstop and in the leadoff spot, and missed just five total innings in the field during that stretch. Prior to June 26th, the last time a Wingnuts' player other than Khoury started at shortstop was September 4th, 2011 when Josh Horn started Game Four of the Division Series vs. Grand Prairie. Jimmy Mojica was the last Wingnuts' player to bat leadoff, which was also on September 4th, 2011.

ZIEGLER CLEANING THE TABLE, WINGNUTS' NEW HOME RUN KING: Wingnuts' first baseman CJ Ziegler is tied for first in the American Association in home runs (26) and ranks first in RBI (86). On August 8th at Rockland, Ziegler set a franchise single-season record with his 22nd home run of the season, besting Kelly Hunt and Greg Porter who each hit 21 home runs in 2009. In the opener of a double header vs. St. Paul on June 14th, Ziegler hit his ninth home run of 2013 and his 27th in a Wingnuts' uniform over the last two years, passing Ryan Patterson (2010-11) for the most in franchise history. Ziegler is only the third player in team history to reach the 20 home run plateau. Ziegler tied a Wingnuts' single-game record with seven RBI on June 24th vs. Laredo. Last season, Ziegler ranked tied for third in the American Association with 18 home runs in just 58 games played. Ziegler has helped his team reach the playoffs in each of his first five professional seasons.

POWER AND SPEED: The Wingnuts offense has benefited from a rare mix of power and speed. Wichita ranks first in the American Association with 96 home runs and second with 113 stolen bases. Wichita led the American Association with 86 home runs in 2009, which stood as a franchise single- season record until this year. The Wingnuts have never led the league steals. Their franchise-best for stolen bases is 150 set in 2012.

STINGY ARMS: The Wingnuts' pitching staff ranks first in the American Association in opponents' batting average at .234. Anthony Capra ranks first among active starting pitchers at .218. Chris Smith ranks second at .231. Junior Guerra is eighth at .248. Ryan Hinson, who was recently purchased by the Atlanta Braves, ranks first overall at .193.

PITCHING STRONG: The Wingnuts rank first in the American Association with a 3.34 team ERA. The Wingnuts ranked first in ERA in 2009 and 2010 while finishing third in 2011.

SWINGING STRONG: The Wingnuts rank second in the American Association with a .293 team batting average. Over the last two seasons, the Wingnuts have finished first and second respectively in the league batting race.

GLOVE WORK: The Wingnuts are tied for second in the American Association with a .977 fielding percentage. Wichita has led the league in defense in three of their first five years of existence (2008, 2009, 2012), and finished second in 2011. The Wingnuts hold the American Association record for team fielding percentage at .980, which they accomplished in both 2009 and 2012.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Wingnuts are 183-105 (.635) all-time at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. It is the highest home winning percentage for any American Association team since the Wingnuts began play in 2008.

SCORELESS BALL: The Wingnuts have posted seven shutouts as a team this season. The franchise record for shutouts in a single season is nine, set in both 2010 and 2011.

COMPLETE ME: The Wingnuts' pitching staff ranks first in the American Association with seven complete games, which ties a franchise single-season record. The Wingnuts also had seven complete games in 2009 and 2010.

TOUGH LOSSES: Of the Wingnuts' 30 losses this season, 16 have been by one run, three by two runs, and four by three runs. Wichita has held a lead at some point in 17 of their 30 losses.

GUERRA PROTECTING THE HOME FRONT: Wingnuts' right-hander Junior Guerra has excelled when pitching at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Guerra is 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA (44 ER, 137.0 IP) in 19 career starts in Wichita.

'J-ROD' REACHES MAJOR MILESTONES: Wingnuts' DH John Rodriguez hit a two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning on July 8th vs. Amarillo for the 1,500th base hit of his 17-year professional career. The home run also have Rodriguez 902 career RBI. On July 18th vs. Lincoln, Rodriguez set the Wingnuts' franchise record for RBI (126) with a two-out, RBI double in the bottom of the fifth inning. Josh Horn (2009-11) held the previous team record with 125 RBI.

KHOURY BREAKS TEAM STEALS RECORD: Wingnuts' shortstop Ryan Khoury set a franchise record with his 47th stolen base on July 6th vs. Amarillo. Josh Horn (2009-11) held the previous record with 46. Last year, Khoury established a Wingnuts' single-season record with 37 stolen bases, surpassing current manager Kevin Hooper's mark of 34 set in 2008.

BACK-TO-BACK: John Rodriguez and CJ Ziegler hit back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches in the bottom of the third inning in game one of a double header on Friday, June 14th vs. St. Paul. They were the first back-to-back home runs for the Wingnuts since July 26th, 2011 when Josh Horn and Brent Clevlen accomplished the feat vs. Fargo-Moorhead. Ziegler and Clevlen homered on back-to-back pitches on Monday, June 24th vs. Laredo, while Clevlen and Abel Nieves hit back-to-back home runs on August 8th at Rockland.

GRAND SLAM TIME: On Tuesday, June 11th at Winnipeg, Abel Nieves hit the Wingnuts' first grand slam home run since August 27th, 2011 when Juan Richardson hit a bases loaded 'big fly' in a 19-2 rout at El Paso. Wichita hit .309 as a team with the bases loaded in 2012, and was hitting .400 with the sacks full going into June 11th of this year, but had gone 126 consecutive games without a grand slam. CJ Ziegler hit the Wingnuts' second grand slam of 2013 on June 28th vs. Sioux City. Jake Kahaulelio smacked the first walk-off grand slam in team history on July 23rd at Amarillo.

ALUMNI REPORT: RHP Matt Nevarez (2011-12) has a 2.31 ERA for the Double-A Southern League's Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay) with 13 strikeouts in 11.2 IP. RHP James Hoyt (2012) was recently promoted to the Double-A Southern League's Mississippi Braves (Atlanta) and has a 2.48 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 29.0 IP. Hoyt posted a 4.89 ERA with 72 strikeouts in just 49.2 IP earlier this year for the High-A Carolina League's Lynchburg Hillcats. LHP and Wingnuts' co-owner Nate Robertson (2012) has a 3.30 ERA in 46.1 IP for the Triple-A Pacific Coast League's Round Rock Express (Texas). RHP Jon Link was purchased by the Detroit Tigers on June 19th and went 3-1 with a 1.13 ERA in five starts for the Double-A Eastern League's Erie SeaWolves. Link was recently promoted to Triple-A Toledo and is 0-4 with a 7.20 ERA in four starts and four relief appearances. LHP Ryan Hinson was purchased by the Atlanta Braves on July 11th and is 3-2 with a 1.84 ERA in seven starts for the High-A Carolina League's Lynchburg Hillcats.



American Association Stories from August 21, 2013


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