Wichita Wingnuts Game Notes - June 22nd, 2013

June 22, 2013 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release


GUERRA LEADS WINGNUTS IN SHUTOUT: The Wichita Wingnuts blanked the Sioux City Explorers 2-0 on Friday night at Lewis and Clark Park. Junior Guerra threw 7.1 shutout innings to earn his fourth win of the year. Guerra tied a career-high with nine strikeouts and walked only two. Daniel Bennett and Josh Dew finished the shutout, with the game ending on a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play on a pickoff at first base. Jake Kahaulelio and CJ Ziegler each hit solo home runs in the top of the first inning to account for the game's only runs. Abel Nieves had two hits and extended his hitting streak to 14 consecutive games. It was Wichita's fourth team shutout of the season.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE EXPLORERS: The Wingnuts are 44-29 all-time against the Sioux City Explorers, including a 22-10 mark at Lewis and Clark Park. The Explorers and the Lincoln Saltdogs are the only two teams to have remained in the same division as the Wingnuts since Wichita began play in 2008. The Explorers were 45-55 last season. Stan Cliburn returns for his third year as Explorers' manager, and helped them to a 51-49 record during his inaugural season in 2011. Cliburn played for the California Angels in 1980 and has managed as high as the Triple-A level. Cliburn guided the Rochester Red Wings (AAA, Minnesota Twins) to the 2006 International League championship. The Explorers last made the playoffs in 2008 when they won the North Division's second half. Sioux City is an original independent franchise that began play in the Northern League in 1993. The Explorers are in their 21st season.

SERIES MATCHUP: The Wingnuts are 23-12 and lead the Lincoln Saltdogs by 3.0 games in the Central Division. The Wingnuts split a four-game series at home with the Gary SouthShore RailCats. Sioux City is 14-20, and trails Wichita by 8.5 games in the Central. The Explorers just lost two of three on the road to the Lincoln Saltdogs. The Wingnuts are first in the American Association in batting (.301), first in pitching (3.29), and tied for second in fielding (.980). The Explorers are tied for eighth in batting (.268), ninth in pitching (4.91), and first in defense (.982). This weekend is the first series of the year between the Wingnuts and Explorers.

TONIGHT'S STARTERS: The Wingnuts send Anthony Capra to the mound who is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in three starts and five relief appearances. Capra is pitching on three days of rest. Capra made a spot start in the nightcap of Tuesday's day-night double header vs. Gary SouthShore and took a no-decision. Capra worked 4.0 shutout innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Wichita lost the game 7-4 in 11 innings. Capra is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA on the road this season in three relief appearances totaling 4.1 IP. Capra is 1-0 as a starting pitcher with a 0.69 ERA. Tonight is Capra's first career appearance against Sioux City.

Capra is 22-35 in six professional seasons with a 4.13 ERA in 115 games, 101 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 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings during his career. Capra was Oakland's Organizational Pitcher of the Year in 2009 after striking out 170 batters in 152.0 IP with a 3.20 ERA 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 Explorers go with right-hander Josh Rainwater who is 1-6 with an 8.91 ERA in five starts and two relief outings. Rainwater took a loss on Tuesday at Lincoln, allowing six earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 IP. Rainwater is 1-4 with a 9.27 ERA at home this season in three starts and two relief appearances. Rainwater is 1-0 in his career against the Wingnuts with a 2.70 ERA in two starts during the regular season. Wichita also beat Rainwater in Game Three of the 2011 Division Series while Rainwater was pitching for the Grand Prairie AirHogs. Rainwater allowed four runs, two earned, in 7.0 IP in the loss.

Rainwater was 6-11 with a 4.78 ERA for the Kansas City T-Bones in 21 starts and one relief outing. Rainwater tied an American Association record with 14 wins in 2011 for Grand Prairie. The record was broken by Wingnuts' starter Josh Lowey who won 15 games last year. Rainwater was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 4th round in 2003 out of DeRidder High School in Louisiana. Rainwater reached Triple-A Toledo twice in his career and is 55-63 with six saves and a 4.43 ERA in 11 seasons of professional baseball. Rainwater has averaged just 2.9 walk per nine innings in 934.2 career frames.

KHOURY VERSATILE, DURABLE: Wingnuts' shortstop Ryan Khoury has reached base in 29 consecutive games with a hit, walk, or hit by pitch. Overall, Khoury has reached base in 33 of 35 games this season after reaching in 84 of 100 games in 2012. Khoury is also tied for 10th in the league with 26 RBI. Khoury was named the American Association's Defensive Player of the Year last season. Including the playoffs, Khoury has started 141 consecutive games both at shortstop and in the leadoff spot since signing with the Wingnuts last spring, and has missed a total of just five innings in the field during that stretch.

'AMBO' ROLLING: Wingnuts' true rookie right fielder David Amberson is 37 for 89 (.416) over his last 25 games with 20 runs scored and 16 RBI. Amberson had a 16-game hitting streak (26 for 55, .473) from May 31st -June 16th . Amberson slugged the first home run of his professional career on June 10th at Winnipeg.

ABEL HEATING UP: Wingnuts' third baseman Abel Nieves is 42 for 108 (.389) in his last 29 games with 21 runs scored and 16 walks. Nieves hit .320 for the Joliet Slammers last year, which ranked second in the Frontier League. On May 27th vs. Amarillo, Nieves picked up the 500th hit of his professional career.

AIZENSTADT RETURNS: The Wingnuts signed right-hander Andrew Aizenstadt prior to Wednesday's game vs. Gary SouthShore. Aizenstadt made his professional debut with the Wingnuts last year and posted a 3.77 ERA in 10 appearances before having his contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies' organization. Aizenstadt pitched for the Phillies' Low-A South Atlantic League affiliate in Lakewood, NJ earlier this year.

LINK SIGNED BY TIGERS: Wingnuts' right-hander Jon Link was purchased by the Detroit Tigers' organization on Wednesday. Link was 6-1 with a league-best 1.74 ERA in seven starts and threw the first complete game of his professional career on Monday, June 17th vs. Gary SouthShore. During a four-start stretch from June 1st -17th, Link pitched 24.0 consecutive scoreless innings. Link reached the Major Leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010 and becomes the 17th player all-time that the Wingnuts have sold to a Major League organization. Link is expected to join the Tigers' Double-A affiliate in Erie, PA.

AMBERSON NAMED BATTER OF THE WEEK: Wingnuts' right fielder David Amberson has been named the American Association's Batter of the Week for June 10th -16th . Amberson was 14 for 24 (.583) in seven games, scoring seven runs and collecting seven RBI. Amberson is the second Wingnut to receive the honor this season. Jared McDonald was named Batter of the Week for May 27th -June 2nd .

MAJOR LEAGUE BAT RETURNS TO WINGNUTS: The Wichita Wingnuts signed outfielder Brent Clevlen on Monday, June 17th . Clevlen appeared in 54 games this season for the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A (Reno, NV) and Double-A (Mobile, AL) affiliates, hitting .217 with six home runs and 21 RBI. Clevlen hit .260 for Mobile last year with 10 home runs and 39 RBI before earning a late-season promotion to Reno. Clevlen hit .377 for the Aces in 31 games and helped them win both the Pacific Coast League championship and the Triple-A level championship. Clevlen hit .310 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI in 46 games for the Wingnuts in 2011 before having his contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies' organization. Clevlen spent parts of four seasons in the Major Leagues with the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. Clevlen played with Wingnuts' manager Kevin Hooper and co-owner Nate Robertson for the Tigers in 2006. Wichita placed right-handed pitcher Lincoln Holdzkom and outfielder Mike Mobbs on waivers.

WAHL ADDED TO BULLPEN: The Wingnuts acquired right-handed pitcher Kyle Wahl from the United League's Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings in exchange for cash on Monday. Wahl earned six saves and did not allow a run in 8.2 IP. Wahl posted a 2.23 ERA for the Minnesota Twins' rookie Gulf Coast League affiliate in 2011 before missing most of last year with an injury.

WELCOME TO THE PROS: True rookie right-hander Josh Stone earned the win in his professional debut on Saturday, June 15th vs. St. Paul with 2.0 shutout relief innings. Stone became the 29th player in team history to make his professional debut with the Wingnuts.

ZIEGLER NEW HOME RUN LEADER: Wingnuts' first baseman CJ Ziegler hit a solo home run on June 14th vs. St. Paul in the opener of a double header. It was Ziegler's ninth home run of 2013, and his 27th in a Wingnuts' uniform over the last two years, setting a new franchise record. Ryan Patterson (2010-11) held the previous record with 26 home runs.

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. It was the first time the Wingnuts hit back-to-back home runs since July 26th, 2011 when Josh Horn and Brent Clevlen did it vs. Fargo-Moorhead.

GRAND SLAM TIME: On Tuesday, June 11th at Winnipeg, Abel Nieves hit the Wingnuts' first grand slam home run since Juan Richardson hit a bases loaded 'big fly' on August 27th, 2011 in a 19-2 rout at El Paso. Wichita hit .309 as a team with the bases loaded last season, and entered June 11th hitting .400 in 2013, but had gone 126 consecutive games without a grand slam.

PITCHING STRONG: The Wingnuts rank first in the American Association with a 3.29 team ERA. The Wingnuts ranked first in ERA in 2009 and 2010 while finishing third in 2011.

SWINGING STRONG: The Wingnuts rank first in the American Association with a .301 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 .980 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.

HINSON SETS K'S RECORD, EYEING WINS MARK: Ryan Hinson struck out five batters in a win vs. Gary SouthShore on June 19th, giving him 219 in a Wingnuts' uniform over the last three years to pass Derek Blacksher's franchise record of 218. Blacksher pitched for the Wingnuts in 2009 and from 2011-12. Hinson is also just one win shy of tying Blacksher for first place (26).

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Wingnuts are 165-99 (.625) 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.

FRONT LINERS PROTECTING THE HOME FRONT: Third-year Wingnuts' starter Ryan Hinson has excelled when pitching at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Including the postseason, Hinson is 16-6 with a 3.22 ERA (62 ER, 173.1 IP) over 26 starts and two relief appearances. Junior Guerra-who is in his second overall season with the Wingnuts-is 9-2 with a 3.15 ERA (36 ER, 103.0 IP) all-time at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in 15 starts.

ALL HE DOES IS WIN: Wingnuts' fifth-year manager Kevin Hooper is 245-182 (.574) since taking over in 2009. Hooper has guided the Wingnuts to four consecutive winning seasons, as well as three playoff berths. Hooper's .574 winning percentage is the highest among American Association managers over the last five years. His 245 wins also rank first during that same stretch. During his 10-year playing career, Hooper was a member of a team that made the playoffs in eight different seasons. 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.

ALUMNI REPORT: RHP Matt Nevarez (2011-12) has a 2.31 ERA for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay) with 13 strikeouts in 11.2 IP. RHP James Hoyt (2012) had a 4.89 ERA for the High-A Carolina League's Lynchburg Hillcats (Atlanta) with 72 strikeouts and just 39 hits allowed in 49.2 IP and was recently promoted to Double-A Mississippi. LHP and Wingnuts' co-owner Nate Robertson (2012) has a 2.37 ERA in 30.1 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 has been assigned to Double-A Erie.



American Association Stories from June 22, 2013


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