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Wichita Wingnuts Game Notes - July 31st, 2013

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


EARLY DEFICIT TOO MUCH FOR WINGNUTS: The Wichita Wingnuts lost 10-5 to the El Paso Diablos on Tuesday night at Cohen Stadium in game two of a three-game series. El Paso scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning against Wingnuts' starter Ryan Scoles. Wichita battled back within 7-5 before El Paso scored three more in the bottom of the sixth. All nine starters reached base at least once while eight different Wingnuts had at least one hit. Brent Clevlen homered for a second straight night. Scoles took the loss, allowing eight earned runs in 5.0+ innings. John Rodriguez, Clevlen, Abel Nieves, and Johnny Bowden each had multi-hit games.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE DIABLOS: The Wingnuts are 29-17 all-time against the El Paso Diablos, including an 8-9 mark at Cohen Stadium. The Diablos are in their ninth year as an independent franchise after beginning play in the Central League in 2005. El Paso joined the American Association in 2006. The Diablos were a Double-A Texas League affiliate from 1974-2004 before moving to Springfield, MO (St. Louis Cardinals) in 2005. Carlos Lezcano took over as Diablos' manager midway through this season. Lezcano played for the Chicago Cubs from 1980-81 and is the cousin of fellow Major Leaguer Sixto Lezcano. Carlos also played for the Triple-A Wichita Aeros (American Association) during the 1980 season. El Paso was as many as 15.5 games out of first place last season before a 37-16 stretch from June 4th -August 22nd pulled them within 1.5 games. The Diablos ultimately finished 47-53. El Paso has played its home games at Cohen Stadium since 1990 and holds the American Association record for single-game attendance at 13,406 on July 4th, 2011. The Diablos last reached the playoffs in 2007 when they won the South Division's first half title.

SERIES MATCHUP: The Wingnuts are 45-25 and lead the Gary SouthShore RailCats by 5.0 games in the Central Division. Wichita just lost two of three at Grand Prairie. The Diablos are 22-46 and in fourth place in the South Division, 16.0 games behind the Amarillo Sox. The Wingnuts are second in the American Association in hitting (.293), first in pitching (3.32), and tied for third in fielding (.977). The Diablos are ninth in batting (.270), 13th in pitching (5.88), and 13th in defense (.961). The Wingnuts swept a four-game series from the Diablos at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in June. This is Wichita's only scheduled visit to Cohen Stadium this season.

TONIGHT'S STARTERS: The Wingnuts go with left-hander Anthony Capra who is 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 10 starts and five relief appearances. Capra took a no- decision at Grand Prairie last Friday, allowing one earned run on three hits over 5.0 IP. Wichita lost the game 3-2. Capra ranks 11th in the American Association with 69 strikeouts and first among active starting pitchers in opponent's batting average (.206). Capra is 3-2 as a starting pitcher with a 4.65 ERA (26 ER, 50.1 IP). Capra has allowed four or fewer earned runs in nine of 10 starts. Capra has allowed five or fewer hits in eight of 10 starts. Capra has pitched at least 5.0 innings in eight of 10 starts. Capra earned a win vs. El Paso on June 4th, allowing one earned run on three hits over 6.0 IP. Capra is 2-0 with a 3.80 ERA (10 ER, 23.2 IP) in four lifetime starts against El Paso.

Capra is 24-37 in six professional seasons with a 4.25 ERA in 122 games, 108 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 8.7 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 Diablos go with right-hander Kevin Cooper who is 2-1 with a 5.56 ERA in four starts and seven relief appearances since re-signing with the Diablos on June 21st . Cooper took a no-decision at Grand Prairie last Thursday, allowing one earned run on five hits in 5.2 IP. Cooper is 2-0 as a starting pitcher this season with a 3.13 ERA (8 ER, 23.0 IP). Cooper is 1-1 with a 7.41 ERA at home this season in two starts and four relief outings. Cooper has allowed two or fewer earned runs in three of his four starts and has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of them. Cooper has walked three or fewer batters in all four of his starts and has pitched at least 5.0 innings in all of them. Cooper faced the Wingnuts once last season, allowing three earned runs on six hits over 7.0 IP in a no-decision on August 28th . The Wingnuts won the game 5-4.

Cooper is 24-22 with a 4.14 ERA in six professional seasons over 89 games, 70 of them starts. Cooper split time last season with the Diablos and the Can-Am League's Worcester Tornadoes, going a combined 5-9 with a 5.59 ERA. Cooper has averaged 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings in his career versus 3.5 walks. Cooper previously pitched in the American Association for the Pensacola Pelicans in 2009 and 2010.

NBC TRIP IS HERE AGAIN: The Wingnuts' annual NBC road trip started on Friday, July 26th at Grand Prairie. This year's trip spans 16 games over 17 days and totals 4,633 miles from start to finish via bus and plane. The Wingnuts face Grand Prairie and El Paso before flying to the east coast. Wichita then takes on three Can-Am League teams, including Newark, Rockland, and New Jersey.

BACKGROUND ON THE NBC WORLD SERIES: The National Baseball Congress World Series is the nation's largest amateur baseball tournament, and has been played at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita, KS every year since 1935. Hall of Famer Satchell Paige helped bring the event into prominence during its first year and still holds the tournament record for strikeouts (60). Paige had his number "17" retired at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium during last year's World Series. Since the 1970s, the tournament has been mostly comprised of college summer league teams. Games are played throughout the day for two weeks, including "Baseball 'Round the Clock" (17 games in 56 hours) during the tournament's halfway point. Former Major Leaguers that have appeared in the NBC World Series include Tom Seaver, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, and Tim Lincecum. Wingnuts that have played in the tournament include Kevin Hooper, Luke Robertson, Anthony Capra, Josh Stone, and Ryan Scoles. Stone was the tournament's Pitcher of the Year in 2012 for the El Dorado (KS) Broncos.

NIEVES PACING THE LEAGUE: Wingnuts' third baseman Abel Nieves leads the American Association in batting average (.367). 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. On May 27th vs. Amarillo, Nieves picked up the 500th hit of his eight-year professional career. 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 62 of 69 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' first baseman CJ Ziegler is third in the American Association in home runs (18) and ranks first in RBI (66). 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.

STINGY ARMS: The Wingnuts' pitching staff ranks first in the American Association in opponents' batting average at .231. Anthony Capra ranks first among active starting pitchers at .206. Chris Smith ranks second at .223. Junior Guerra is ninth 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 3.32 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 third 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 180-103 (.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 is tied for the league lead with five complete games. Wichita's club record for complete games in a single season is seven, set in both 2009 and 2010.

TOUGH LOSSES: Of the Wingnuts' 25 losses this season, 14 have been by one run, two by two runs, and three by three runs. Wichita has held a lead at some point in 14 of their 24 losses.

GUERRA PROTECTING THE HOME FRONT: Wingnuts' right-hander Junior Guerra has excelled when pitching at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Guerra is 11-3 with a 2.93 ERA (42 ER, 129.0 IP) all-time in Wichita over 18 starts.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

ALL HE DOES IS WIN: Wingnuts' fifth-year manager Kevin Hooper is 267-195 (.578) since taking over in 2009. Hooper has guided the Wingnuts to four consecutive winning seasons, as well as three playoff berths. Hooper's .578 winning percentage is the highest among American Association managers over the last five years. His 267 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.

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 3.93 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 18.1 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 3.51 ERA in 41.0 IP for the Triple-A Pacific Coast League's Round Rock Express (Texas). RHP Jon Link was purchased by the Detroit Tigers in 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 0-3 with a 7.80 ERA in three starts. LHP Ryan Hinson was purchased by the Atlanta Braves on July 11th and is 0-2 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts for the High-A Carolina League's Lynchburg Hillcats.

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