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Wichita Wingnuts Game Notes - August 31st, 2013

August 31, 2013 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release


SALTDOGS RALLY LATE IN FINALE: The Wichita Wingnuts lost 6-5 to the Lincoln Saltdogs at Haymarket Park on Friday night in the finale of a four- game series. Ian Gac hit a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning to drive in the tying and winning runs. Wichita jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first. Brent Clevlen, Abel Nieves, and David Amberson each drove in runs in the frame. Lincoln scored three in the second and one in the fifth to tie it before Cole Armstrong hit a solo home run to right in the top of the sixth to give Wichita a 5-4 lead. Chris Smith started and took a no- decision, allowing four earned runs on nine hits in 6.0 IP. Josh Dew took the loss for Wichita. Daniel Bennett and Andrew Aizenstadt each worked a scoreless inning in relief of Smith.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE T-BONES: The Wingnuts are 18-14 all-time against the Kansas City T-Bones, including a 10-9 mark at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The T-Bones are in their third season in the American Association. Kansas City joined in 2011 after spending their previous eight years in the Northern League. Kansas City won the 2008 Northern League championship and reached the Northern League Championship Series in 2010 where they lost to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. Kenny Hook is in his second year as T-Bones' manager. Hook guided the T-Bones to a 51-49 record in 2012. Two-time Northern League Relief Pitcher of the Year Andy Shipman is in his second year as Kansas City's pitching coach. Kansas City Royals' legend and former Wichita Wranglers' manager Frank White is in his second year as Hook's first base coach. Prior to 2003, the T-Bones were known as the Duluth-Superior Dukes-an original independent franchise that started play in 1993.

SERIES MATCHUP: The Wingnuts are 65-32 and clinched the Central Division on August 23rd . Wichita won three of four at Lincoln earlier in the week. The T-Bones are 40-57 and in fourth place in the Central. Kansas City just lost three of four vs. Gary SouthShore. 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 T-Bones are seventh in batting (.275), 12th in pitching (5.10), and tied for eighth in defense (.972). The Wingnuts are 7-1 against the T-Bones this season.

TONIGHT'S STARTERS: The Wingnuts go with right-hander Justin Klipp who is 7-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 14 starts and two relief outings. Klipp worked out of the bullpen on Wednesday afternoon at Lincoln and pitched 1.0 shutout inning. Klipp earned a win in his last start on August 24th vs. Grand Prairie, allowing one earned run on three hits in 7.0 IP. Klipp is 3-1 with a 4.29 ERA at home this season in seven starts. Klipp has allowed two or fewer earned runs in eight of 14 starts and has allowed four or fewer earned runs in 12 of them. Klipp has walked one or zero batters in 11 of 14 starts and has walked more than two batters in just two of them. Klipp has pitched at least 6.0 innings in 10 of 14 starts and has pitched at least 5.0 innings in 12 of them. Klipp beat Kansas City at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on July 12th, allowing one earned run over 8.0 IP.

Klipp was purchased from the United League's Edinburg Roadrunners on June 9th where he was 2-1 in three starts with a 1.24 ERA. Klipp had 36 strikeouts in just 21.1 IP while allowing only 18 hits. Klipp had a pair of 14-strikeout games while with Edinburg.

Klipp is a 28-year old true rookie who has recovered from a pair of back injuries. Klipp played college baseball at Cal State Fullerton from 2006-07, going 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA in 37.2 IP as a senior. Klipp was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 22nd round in 2007, and was also selected by the Texas Rangers in the 29th round out of Calabasas High School in Calabasas, CA.

The T-Bones go with right-hander Keith Picht who is 0-0 with a 3.29 ERA in eight relief outings since signing with Kansas City on July 14th . Picht last worked on Wednesday vs. Gary SouthShore, allowing two earned runs in 4.0 relief innings. The 4.0 innings were a season-high. Picht is a true rookie out of Emporia State University where he was 3-4 with a 5.27 ERA in two starts and relief appearances as a senior this past spring. Picht was 4-7 with a 3.91 ERA in four starts and 10 relief outings as a junior in 2012. Wichita faced Picht in spring training when the Wingnuts played the Hornets at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Picht started the game and allowed two earned runs in 2.0 IP while taking a no-decision.

WINGNUTS TIE LEAGUE RECORD: At 65-32, the Wingnuts have tied the American Association record for single-season wins. Wichita now shares the record with the 2006 Lincoln Saltdogs (65-31, .677) and the 2012 Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (65-35, .650).

FIVE WINGNUTS NAMED ALL-STARS: Five Wingnuts were named to the American Association's Postseason All-Star Team on Friday. First baseman CJ Ziegler, second baseman Jake Kahaulelio, third baseman Abel Nieves, outfielder Brent Clevlen, and designated hitter John Rodriguez all received honors.

WALTERS BREAKS APPEARANCES RECORD: Wingnuts' left-hander Nick Walters made his 48th appearance of the year on August 28th at Lincoln. It was Walters' 105th game in a Wingnuts' uniform over the last two years, breaking Jared Simon's franchise record. Walters and Simon each appeared in 57 games in 2012 to set an American Association single-season record.

ZIEGLER BATTER OF THE WEEK AGAIN: Wingnuts' first baseman CJ Ziegler was named the American Association's Batter of the Week for August 19th -25th . Ziegler was 16 for 29 (.552) last week and had 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 Ziegler has earned Batter of the Week honors this season.

ZIEGLER LEADS 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 has since re-taken the lead in the home run race and has 30 on the year. Entering Saturday, both Wichita and Sioux Falls have three games left on their schedule.

NIEVES PACING THE LEAGUE: Wingnuts' third baseman Abel Nieves leads the American Association in batting average (.355). 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.

WINGNUTS SHATTERING STRIKEOUT RECORD: With 11 strikeouts on August 27th at Lincoln, the Wingnuts' pitching staff set an American Association record for strikeouts in one season (741). The Laredo Lemurs held the previous record with 738 strikeouts in 2012. The Wingnuts currently have 757 strikeouts on the year. Wichita has also had seven starting pitching performances of 10 or more strikeouts. In their first five seasons combined, the Wingnuts had three total double digit strikeout games by a starter.

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 tied for first in the American Association with 126 strikeouts. Capra and Smith are tied for fourth with 112.

KAHAULELIO BREAKING RECORDS: Wingnuts' second baseman Jake Kahaulelio leads the American Association in runs scored (90). The 90 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 287-202 (.587) since taking over the club in 2009 and has guided the Wingnuts to four playoff berths. Hooper's .587 winning percentage is the highest among American Association managers over the last five years. His 287 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: For a second straight season, the Wingnuts finished with a winning record on the road. Wichita was 31-19 (.620) away from Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in 2013, which included an 11-5 mark during the team's annual NBC road trip.

KHOURY SETTING THE TABLE: Wingnuts' shortstop Ryan Khoury has reached base in 86 of 96 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 (30) and ranks first in RBI (98). 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 106 home runs and first with 134 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 .236. Anthony Capra ranks first among starting pitchers at .220. Chris Smith ranks third at .235. Junior Guerra is seventh at .252.

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' 32 losses this season, 17 have been by one run, three by two runs, and four by three runs. Wichita has held a lead at some point in 19 of their 32 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.

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.

'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 5.21 ERA in six starts and four relief appearances. LHP Ryan Hinson was purchased by the Atlanta Braves on July 11th and is 4-3 with a 2.14 ERA in nine starts for the High-A Carolina League's Lynchburg Hillcats.



American Association Stories from August 31, 2013


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