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Wichita Wingnuts Game Notes - August 27th, 2013

August 27, 2013 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release


AIRHOGS TAKE FINALE FROM WINGNUTS: The Wichita Wingnuts lost 8-3 to the Grand Prairie AirHogs at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Wichita built an early 3-0 lead before the AirHogs scored six runs over the final three innings to avoid a sweep. Wichita had won nine consecutive regular season home games against the AirHogs dating back to 2010. CJ Ziegler had two RBI and re-gained the American Association lead in home runs with his 29th of the year. Chris Smith started and took a no-decision, allowing two earned runs on four hits over 6.0 IP.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE SALTDOGS: The Wingnuts are 34-32 all-time against the Lincoln Saltdogs, including a 13-18 mark at Haymarket Park. The Saltdogs are in their 13th season of existence. Lincoln began play in the Northern League in 2001 and became one of the original American Association franchises when the league formed in 2006. The Saltdogs play their home games at Haymarket Park just outside of downtown Lincoln and share their facility with the University of Nebraska's baseball team. Lincoln defeated the Wingnuts in the 2009 North Division Series in five games and went on to beat the Pensacola Pelicans for the American Association championship. Ken Oberkfell, who played 16 years in the Major Leagues, enters his first season as Saltdogs' manager. Oberkfell had more than 1,300 career Major League hits and batted .292 in the 1982 World Series for the eventual champion St. Louis Cardinals. Oberkfell managed the Can-Am League's Newark Bears last season, and skippered New York Mets' Triple-A affiliates in Norfolk, New Orleans, and Buffalo from 2005-10. Dan Reichert is in his first season as Lincoln's pitching coach. Reichert played five years in the Major Leagues with the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays, and also pitched for the Wichita Wranglers in 1998 and 2002. Reichert struck out 100 batters for the Saltdogs in 2007. Former Amarillo Sox manager John Harris joins Oberkfell's staff as hitting coach. Harris spent parts of three years in the Majors with the California Angels from 1979-81.

SERIES MATCHUP: The Wingnuts are 62-31 and clinched the Central Division on August 23rd . Wichita took two of three from the Grand Prairie AirHogs at home over the weekend. The Saltdogs are 48-45 and trail the Gary SouthShore RailCats by 5.5 games in the wild card standings. Lincoln was just swept in a three-game series at Amarillo. The Wingnuts rank tied for first in the American Association in hitting (.296), first in pitching (3.38), and tied for first in fielding (.977). The Saltdogs are 13th in batting (.254), tied for third in pitching (4.18), and eighth in defense (.973). Wichita split a four-game series vs. Lincoln in July.

TONIGHT'S STARTERS: The Wingnuts go with left-hander Anthony Capra who is 6-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 15 starts and five relief appearances. Capra ranks seventh in the American Association in strikeouts (101) and first in batting average against (.225). Capra took a no-decision at Gary SouthShore last Thursday, allowing four earned runs on eight hits in 6.0 IP. Wichita won the game 5-4. Capra is 6-2 as a starting pitcher with a 4.22 ERA (37 ER, 79.0 IP). Capra is 4-1 with a 4.04 ERA on the road this season in eight starts and three relief outings. Capra has allowed four or fewer earned runs in 14 of 15 starts. Capra has allowed five or fewer hits in 10 of 15 starts. Capra has pitched at least 5.0 innings in 13 of 15 starts. In his last eight starts, Capra is 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA (18 ER, 44.2 IP). Capra took a loss vs. Lincoln on July 20th, allowing four earned runs on three hits in 5.0 IP. Capra is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA (4 ER, 11.0 IP) all-time against the Saltdogs in two starts.

Capra is 27-37 in six professional seasons with a 4.21 ERA in 127 games, 113 of them starts. Capra was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 4th round in 2008 out of Wichita State University. Capra reached Triple-A Sacramento in 2011, and has averaged 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings during his career. Capra was Oakland's Organizational Pitcher of the Year in 2009 after posting a 3.20 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 152.0 IP between two levels of their farm system. Capra was an All-American and a Missouri Valley Conference All-Star during his junior season in 2008, going 9-1 with a 3.54 ERA and helping Wichita State reach the NCAA Super Regionals. Capra is the 10th former Shocker to play for the Wingnuts.

The Saltdogs go with left-hander Moises Melendez who is 3-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 16 starts and four relief outings. Melendez took a loss at El Paso last Wednesday, allowing eight earned runs on nine hits in 2.1 IP. Melendez is 3-5 as a starting pitcher with a 4.43 ERA (44 ER, 89.1 IP). Melendez is 0-2 with a 2.42 ERA at home this season in eight starts and one relief appearance. Melendez has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 11 of 16 starts and has allowed more than four earned runs in just two of them. Melendez has walked two or fewer batters in nine of 16 starts and has walked three or fewer in 12 of them. Melendez has pitched at least 5.0 innings in 12 of 16 starts. Melendez has not faced the Wingnuts this season. Melendez made one relief appearance against Wichita in 2012, allowing zero runs in 0.1 IP.

Melendez is in his eighth season of professional baseball and is 24-23 with a 3.43 ERA in 147 games, 54 of them starts. Melendez opened last season with the Wingnuts before signing on with Lincoln in July. Melendez was a combined 0-2 with a 5.36 ERA for Wichita and Lincoln last season in 23 appearances, 22 of them in relief. Melendez signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an international free agent in 2005 and has averaged 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings in his career.

ZIEGLER BATTER OF THE WEEK AGAIN: Ziegler was 16 for 29 (.552) last week and had both at least one hit and one RBI in all seven of Wichita's games. Ziegler totaled eight runs, four doubles, one triple, five home runs, and 14 RBI. On Wednesday at Gary SouthShore, Ziegler hit for the first cycle in team history. It is the second time this season Ziegler has earned Batter of the Week honors.

WINGNUTS SIGN LAMBE: The Wingnuts signed rookie right-hander Erik Lambe in advance of Friday's roster deadline. Lambe was 10-0 with a 2.33 ERA for the Pecos League's Roswell Invaders this season. Lambe struck out 66 and walked only 17 in 69.2 IP. Wichita placed outfielder Waylen Sing Chow on the Inactive List.

ZIEGLER BATTLING PAHUTA: Wingnuts' first baseman CJ Ziegler hit his 27th home run of the year on August 21st at Gary SouthShore, tying Brandon Sing's (Sioux Falls, 2010) American Association single-season record. The following night, Sioux Falls' Tim Pahuta cracked his 27th and 28th homers of the season to pass Ziegler and break the league mark. Ziegler re-took the lead in the home run race with home runs in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday. Entering Tuesday, both teams have seven games remaining on their schedule.

ZIEGLER HITS FOR THE CYCLE: Wingnuts' first baseman CJ Ziegler hit for the first cycle in team history on August 21st at Gary SouthShore. Ziegler hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning, added a two-run triple in the third, and picked up an RBI double in the seventh. The single came in Ziegler's final at bat in the top of the ninth.

SETTING 'EM DOWN: The Wingnuts' pitching staff leads the American Association in strikeouts (730). Wichita is currently on pace for 785 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.

TRIPLE TRIPLE: With four strikeouts on August 22nd at Gary SouthShore, left-hander Anthony Capra became the third Wingnuts' pitcher to reach 100 or more strikeouts this season. Junior Guerra ranks first in the American Association with 123 strikeouts, which also set a Wingnuts' single-season record. Chris Smith is fourth with 109. Capra ranks seventh with 101.

KAHAULELIO BREAKING RECORDS: Wingnuts' second baseman Jake Kahaulelio leads the American Association in runs scored (87). The 87 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 (22), which breaks both Jorge Delgado's (2011) team mark of 18, and David Thomas' (Grand Prairie, 2011) American Association record of 20. 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 284-201 (.586) since taking over the club in 2009 and has guided the Wingnuts to four playoff berths. Hooper's .586 winning percentage is the highest among American Association managers over the last five years. His 284 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 28-18 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 (.359). 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 82 of 92 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 AND RBI KING: Wingnuts' first baseman CJ Ziegler is first in the American Association in home runs (29) and ranks first in RBI (97). 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. On August 21st at Gary SouthShore, Ziegler collected four RBI to reach 90 for the year and break the Wingnuts' single-season mark. Greg Porter (2009) and Juan Richardson (2011) shared the previous record at 86. 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 99 home runs and second with 124 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 in steals. The 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 .235. Anthony Capra ranks first among starting pitchers at .225. Chris Smith ranks second at .229.

PITCHING STRONG: The Wingnuts rank first in the American Association with a 3.38 team ERA. The Wingnuts ranked first in ERA in 2009 and 2010 while finishing third in 2011.

SWINGING STRONG: The Wingnuts rank tied for first in the American Association with a .296 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 first 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 185-106 (.636) 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 tied for 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' 31 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 18 of their 31 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 2.87 ERA (44 ER, 138.0 IP) in 19 career starts and one relief appearance 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 33 strikeouts in 32.2 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 3.10 ERA in 49.1 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 6.39 ERA in five starts and four relief appearances. LHP Ryan Hinson was purchased by the Atlanta Braves on July 11th and is 3-3 with a 2.40 ERA in eight starts for the High-A Carolina League's Lynchburg Hillcats.

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