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baseballfanmas · 05-30-2017, 07:44 PM

Wichita Wranglers Report- 2017 Week 3 (April 17-23) Review

Wranglers battle through injuries, stay hot

Despite some nagging injuries to some key players, the Wichita Wranglers didn't let that slow them down, finishing off a 5-2 week to improve to 13-7, putting them in 4th place in the USBL2, 2 games out of first place, and in a 3 way tie for third place and promotion contention. The Wranglers pitched their 2 injured starters sparingly throughout the week, giving them their starts, but being very careful with pitch count.

To start the week, Wichita finished off a 3 game series in El Paso. Game 2 saw the Wranglers get 3 runs in the 8th inning and an RBI from 4 different players as they came from behind for a 4-3 victory. Game 3 of the series saw the Wranglers complete the sweep with a 5-3 victory, getting 5 innings of shutout ball from the bullpen as one of the Wranglers' injured starters, Mike Celmer, got the start but only went 4 innings. Bobby Thomas, the 9 hole hitter, was 3-4 with 2 RBIs.

The Wranglers stayed on the road to take on the Fresno Flames in their next 3 game series, and game 1 saw the Wranglers jump out to a 4-0 lead. Wichita walked 7 times in the ball game, and Ayden Pitts had 4 of those 7 walks. Mike Nease got his 6th save of the season asthe Wranglers won 7-4. Game 2 of the series was a pitching duel, as the Wranglers outhit the flames 6-5 but left 4 men on base in the first 3 innings, wasting a great effort by the pitching staff, getting shut out in a 2-0 loss. The rubber match of the series was close for a while, but the Wranglers exploded for 7 runs in the 8th inning, sending 12 men to the plate and getting a 3 run homer from Ted Welsh as they rolled to a 9-1 victory.

No days off this week, as the Wranglers had a quick turnaround, returning home to host the Buffalo Bisons. The end of the week saw the first 2 games of the 3 game series. In game 1, that turnaround was too much to overcome, as Mike Celmer again got his scheduled start but only went 4 innings and gave up 4 runs, and a rare bad relief outing from Allan Lester, who gave up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning. A 4-4 day from Ayden Pitts wasn't enough as Wichita fell 9-5. Game 2 of the series, and the week ending game, saw the Wranglers get on base early and often, getting 15 hits in this one. John Beckham had 3 hits and 3 RBIs, including a 3 run homer in the 7th inning, and Bobby Thomas and Adan Vergara also had 3 hits. Ron Jeffries added 2 RBIs, and all that led to an easy 8-2 victory to finish the week.

Hot or Cold Streaks

The game has 2 of our hitters listed as being on a hot streak, so let's take a look:

On a Hot Streak

3B Ayden Pitts- Ayden was hot last week, and he stayed hot this week, batting .421 with 3 homers and 3 RBIs.

2B Bobby Thomas- We called Bobby's name several times this week, as he was right behing Ayden in batting average, hitting .417 and getting 4 doubles, a homer and 2 RBIs.

Team Injuries and Transactions

Although none of the injuries are too serious, GM/Head Coach Mike Schaplowsky has decided to put SP Marvin Lowe on the 10 day DL. This is a retroactive move, and Lowe has 8 days left on the DL, so he will miss at least 1, maybe 2 starts. Schaplowsky made the move when he found out from the team trained that Lowe's arm was dead at the moment, and decided to give him some rest. [

B]David Kastner[/B], who currently has a 0.59 ERA in 15+ innings of work, will start in place of Lowe until Lowe's arm returns. To fill Lowe's spot on the 25 man roster, Schaplowsky called up RP Ross Becali. It was pretty much a crapshoot, but Becali had the best ERA in spring training of the 5 pitchers in the reserves, so Schaplowsky said he will maintain a spot on the roster, for now.

Around the League

Accomplishments

On April 21st, Mark Grist of the Syracuse Studs threw a no-hitter in a 5-0 win against the Boise Bombers. Grist struck out 6 in the game, and the only thing that kept it from being a perfect game was the fact that Grist hit 3 batters. Oops! This is the first no-hitter of the season and the entire existence of the USBL2.

Awards

USBL2 Player of the Week: RF Steve Ferry (Trenton Black Sox) -- .414, 4 HR, 10 RBI.

05-30-2017, 07:44 PM	#17
baseballfanmas All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 661	Wichita Wranglers Report- 2017 Week 3 (April 17-23) Review Wranglers battle through injuries, stay hot Despite some nagging injuries to some key players, the Wichita Wranglers didn't let that slow them down, finishing off a 5-2 week to improve to 13-7, putting them in 4th place in the USBL2, 2 games out of first place, and in a 3 way tie for third place and promotion contention. The Wranglers pitched their 2 injured starters sparingly throughout the week, giving them their starts, but being very careful with pitch count. To start the week, Wichita finished off a 3 game series in El Paso. Game 2 saw the Wranglers get 3 runs in the 8th inning and an RBI from 4 different players as they came from behind for a 4-3 victory. Game 3 of the series saw the Wranglers complete the sweep with a 5-3 victory, getting 5 innings of shutout ball from the bullpen as one of the Wranglers' injured starters, Mike Celmer, got the start but only went 4 innings. Bobby Thomas, the 9 hole hitter, was 3-4 with 2 RBIs. The Wranglers stayed on the road to take on the Fresno Flames in their next 3 game series, and game 1 saw the Wranglers jump out to a 4-0 lead. Wichita walked 7 times in the ball game, and Ayden Pitts had 4 of those 7 walks. Mike Nease got his 6th save of the season asthe Wranglers won 7-4. Game 2 of the series was a pitching duel, as the Wranglers outhit the flames 6-5 but left 4 men on base in the first 3 innings, wasting a great effort by the pitching staff, getting shut out in a 2-0 loss. The rubber match of the series was close for a while, but the Wranglers exploded for 7 runs in the 8th inning, sending 12 men to the plate and getting a 3 run homer from Ted Welsh as they rolled to a 9-1 victory. No days off this week, as the Wranglers had a quick turnaround, returning home to host the Buffalo Bisons. The end of the week saw the first 2 games of the 3 game series. In game 1, that turnaround was too much to overcome, as Mike Celmer again got his scheduled start but only went 4 innings and gave up 4 runs, and a rare bad relief outing from Allan Lester, who gave up 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning. A 4-4 day from Ayden Pitts wasn't enough as Wichita fell 9-5. Game 2 of the series, and the week ending game, saw the Wranglers get on base early and often, getting 15 hits in this one. John Beckham had 3 hits and 3 RBIs, including a 3 run homer in the 7th inning, and Bobby Thomas and Adan Vergara also had 3 hits. Ron Jeffries added 2 RBIs, and all that led to an easy 8-2 victory to finish the week. Hot or Cold Streaks The game has 2 of our hitters listed as being on a hot streak, so let's take a look: On a Hot Streak 3B Ayden Pitts- Ayden was hot last week, and he stayed hot this week, batting .421 with 3 homers and 3 RBIs. 2B Bobby Thomas- We called Bobby's name several times this week, as he was right behing Ayden in batting average, hitting .417 and getting 4 doubles, a homer and 2 RBIs. Team Injuries and Transactions Although none of the injuries are too serious, GM/Head Coach Mike Schaplowsky has decided to put SP Marvin Lowe on the 10 day DL. This is a retroactive move, and Lowe has 8 days left on the DL, so he will miss at least 1, maybe 2 starts. Schaplowsky made the move when he found out from the team trained that Lowe's arm was dead at the moment, and decided to give him some rest. [ B]David Kastner[/B], who currently has a 0.59 ERA in 15+ innings of work, will start in place of Lowe until Lowe's arm returns. To fill Lowe's spot on the 25 man roster, Schaplowsky called up RP Ross Becali. It was pretty much a crapshoot, but Becali had the best ERA in spring training of the 5 pitchers in the reserves, so Schaplowsky said he will maintain a spot on the roster, for now. Around the League Accomplishments On April 21st, Mark Grist of the Syracuse Studs threw a no-hitter in a 5-0 win against the Boise Bombers. Grist struck out 6 in the game, and the only thing that kept it from being a perfect game was the fact that Grist hit 3 batters. Oops! This is the first no-hitter of the season and the entire existence of the USBL2. Awards USBL2 Player of the Week: RF Steve Ferry (Trenton Black Sox) -- .414, 4 HR, 10 RBI. Attached Images