Wichita Eagle: Wichita Wingnuts

Wingnuts wrap up homestand with 18-run explosion

Jeffrey Lutz — Wed, 23 May 2012 23:36 CDT

By the third inning on Wednesday, it was clear that Wingnuts starting pitcher Ryan Hinson was going to sail to an easy win.

As easy as Hinson and the Wichita batters made it look, that’s not exactly what Hinson was going for.

Pitching with a big lead for most of his outing, Hinson wasn’t content to pitch to contact, minimize his pitch count and leave after an above-average outing. The Wichita left-hander was just as impressive as the Wingnuts’ offense in an 18-5 win over New Jersey at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Wingnuts win in extra innings

Jeffrey Lutz — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:40 CDT

Ryan Khoury has been everything the Wingnuts expected on defense. The shortstop, in his first year with the team, has made both easy and difficult plays appear routine.

Tuesday night was Khoury’s chance to begin to live up to his reputation as a hitter. The former Triple-A infielder in the Red Sox organization can ignite the Wingnuts’ offense from the leadoff spot, but he had three hits in his first 21 at-bats.

Khoury might begin a turnaround with his game-ending single against New Jersey, which gave the Wingnuts a 3-2, 11-inning win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Wingnuts lose third straight

JEFFREY LUTZ — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:48 CDT

American Association pitchers probably aren’t too excited about pitching to Wingnuts’ designated hitter John Rodriguez under any circumstances. The former St. Louis Cardinal spent half a season hitting in front of Albert Pujols in 2005.

When the hitters behind Rodriguez in the Wichita lineup aren’t producing, it makes it that much easier to pass on him.

The prize of the Wingnuts’ offseason is doing his part, batting .400 through five games. But the struggles of the Nos. 4-through-6 hitters have contributed to Wichita’s losing streak, which hit three when New Jersey won an interleague game 5-1 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium on Monday night.

Late fielding mistake sends Wingnuts to extra-innings loss

JEFFREY LUTZ — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:35 CDT

Twenty-eight seasons of professional baseball experience converged on a fly ball that should have finished off a Wingnuts win over Lincoln on Saturday afternoon.

Wichita shortstop Ryan Khoury went out to shallow center field and appeared to have a track on the high fly hit by Stephen Holdren. Center fielder Mitch Einertson raced in, and left fielder Mike Conroy created a triangle just big enough for the ball to drop.

Which it did. Instead of recording an easy final out, the Wingnuts created a mishap that allowed the tying runs to score with two outs in the ninth. Two innings later, a two-run double by John Alonso gave the Saltdogs a 5-3, 11-inning win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Wingnuts’ bullpen falls apart in 13-2 loss

Jeffrey Lutz — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:03 CDT

Wichita’s bullpen unraveled for the third straight game, and for the first time it had an effect on the outcome, as Lincoln scored 10 unanswered runs to win 13-2 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium that ended early Sunday morning

The game’s start was delayed for more than two hours Saturday night due to inclement weather, and it ended after the American Association curfew of midnight. That was probably a relief to the Wingnuts, who surely didn’t want their first loss of the season stretched over two days.

Nor did they likely want today to start with another relief pitcher on the mound, which would have happened if the game had been suspended when it passed curfew after the eighth inning.

Wingnuts follow Hinson to victory

Jeffrey Lutz — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:27 CDT

Ryan Hinson spent the offseason pitching to a dummy. He spent Friday night pitching to more animated figures who were similarly unable to mount offense against him.

Hinson missed spring training to finish college classes in South Carolina. In his first appearance against live hitters since last season, the Wingnuts left-hander dominated Lincoln over 6 1/3 scoreless innings in Wichita’s 6-4 win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

The Wingnuts fell apart immediately after Hinson exited, but held onto a one-run lead during a perilous seventh before adding an insurance run in the eighth. Wichita improved to 2-0 behind Hinson, who tied for the Wingnuts lead with 11 wins last season.

Wingnuts win season opener

Jeffrey Lutz — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:27 CDT

The lazy fly ball Ryan Khoury hit to right field on Thursday gave the Wingnuts a chance to showcase two of their most important assets in a lineup complete with difficult outs.

The ball didn’t appear deep enough to score Jake Kahaulelio from third base, but as soon as Stephen Holdren caught it, Kahaulelio took off. Holdren rushed the throw, bouncing it multiple times as Kahaulelio scored easily.

Wichita has power in the middle of the lineup, but as they showed on that sacrifice fly and on two others in an 8-6 win over Lincoln, the Wingnuts are adept at situational hitting and with smart, fast runners who can take chances on the bases.

Wingnuts notes: League copes with uneven number of teams

Jeffrey Lutz — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:43 CDT

The Wingnuts face an unfamilar opponent during their first homestand, but it’s not one with which they’ll have to familiarize themselves.

New Jersey opens a series at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium on Monday. The Jackals are part of the Can-Am League, which will play interleague series with the American Association this season.

Reshuffling within the AA left the Wingnuts’ league with 13 teams, necessitating significant changes to the schedule. Wichita plays three games against the Can-Am — none after the series against New Jersey — as part of a severely imbalanced AA schedule.

John Rodriguez brings big-league credentials to Wingnuts’ lineup

Jeffrey Lutz — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:34 CDT

Putting together a baseball roster essentially from scratch over a seven-month period can often be a painstaking process. Managers and front-office personnel welcome any chance for it to be made easier.

The Wingnuts got a brief break from the grind when former major-league outfielder John Rodriguez called manager Kevin Hooper, his former teammate in Triple-A, to see if a spot was available in Wichita.

The only time it took for Hooper to say “yes” was the time the word needed to travel from his brain to his mouth. Rodriguez hasn't played in the big leagues since 2006, when he helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series, but he has continued to have success in the upper levels of the minor leagues since.

Wingnuts reach opening-day roster limit

Jeffrey Lutz — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:47 CDT

The Wingnuts trimmed their roster to 23 players late Monday. It took the coaching staff and general manager Josh Robertson most of the trip back from an exhibition game in Topeka to come to conclusions, and the team still isn’t done.

After two weeks of the American Association baseball season, the Wingnuts must cut the roster to 22 players. This season is the first time manager Kevin Hooper has opted to start with 23 players, in part to avoid the potentially difficult decision that must be made later.

For now, Wichita will use a 12-man pitching staff, employing one more pitcher than it will use during much of the season. Most of the wrangling done by Hooper and his colleagues was done over the bullpen, which will be trimmed to six members after two weeks.

Wingnuts bullpen stays step ahead

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:18 CDT

The Wingnuts have often been a step ahead of the volatile nature of bullpens.

It has frequently taken them two or three tries within a season, but the Wingnuts have built successful relief corps by liberally shuffling pitchers in and out.

That formula hasn’t done much for the career stability of those pitchers, though, and none of them have made it through two full seasons in Wichita as full-time relievers. Josh Dew and Jared Simon, right-handers both entering their second years in the Wingnuts bullpen, have a chance to break that trend.

Khoury next in Wingnuts’ line of shortstops

Jeffrey Lutz — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:54 CDT

Kevin Hooper knows Ryan Khoury’s story because it played out similarly for Hooper more than a decade ago.

The Wingnuts manager wasn’t highly recruited out of high school but became a star in college and eventually made it to the major leagues.

Khoury, the new Wingnuts shortstop, was a walk-on at Utah before becoming the Mountain West player of the year in 2006. Khoury never reached the big leagues but has played in 324 Triple-A games in parts of three seasons, including 2011.

Wingnuts hope for more success, better chemistry

Jeffrey Lutz — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:37 CDT

The Wingnuts were on the doorstep of an American Association baseball championship last season, and it would have been tough to blame manager Kevin Hooper if he'd have given it another go with essentially the same personnel.

But Hooper believed last season's team failed to reach its potential due to negative energy created by players who didn't place winning as a priority.

Hooper learned a lot about himself in making the most of a difficult situation, but the most important lesson is that he doesn't want to go through such a tumultuous season again.

Wingnuts sign Hooper to two-year deal

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:05 CST

Kevin Hooper often hears from baseball fans around Wichita about their hopes for his career. So far, their plans haven't matched his.

Hooper signed a two-year contract to remain manager of the Wingnuts. In his three seasons as manager, Hooper has led the Wingnuts to the American Association playoffs twice. In 2010, they were eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the season.

In the past, Hooper has turned down offers to manage in affiliated baseball to stay in Wichita with his wife, Lindsey and their two daughters, ages 6 and 3.

Wingnuts release 2012 schedule

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:31 CST

The Wingnuts will begin their 2012 season at home with a series against the Lincoln Saltdogs May 17-20. The American Association released schedules for the league's 13 members on Wednesday.

The Shreveport-Bossier and Fort Worth franchises will not operate, but a team in Laredo has been added to the league. Teams from the Can-Am League will be used to fill holes in the schedule created by the odd number of teams in the American Association.

Hooper ponders Wingnuts' end

JEFFREY LUTZ — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:09 CDT

This isn't the George Steinbrenner side of Wingnuts manager Kevin Hooper coming out.

Yes, the Wingnuts reached the postseason for the second time in Hooper's three seasons as manager. Yes, he's calling for sweeping changes even in spite of that success.

But unlike the now-deceased former New York Yankees owner who aggressively changed personnel in the shadow of World Series championships, Hooper is expressing his wishes in a calm manner.

Wingnuts' season comes to a disappointing end

JEFFREY LUTZ — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 06:15 CDT

One by one, players shuffled out of the Wingnuts dugout, not eager to recreate the somber scene there but not willing to watch an opponent celebrate on their field for very long, either.

Wichita's season ended Sunday night with a 2-1 loss to Grand Prairie in the first round of the American Association playoffs. The Air Hogs won the series with three one-run victories, and Wichita left the tying run at third base in the decisive game.

After sitting quietly with their heads down in the dugout, the picture was the same in the clubhouse. No talking, no music, no eye contact with teammates.

Wingnuts avoid elimination with Game 3 victory

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:59 CDT

For the first time in their American Association playoff series, there was no possibility for the Wingnuts to watch Grand Prairie win by scoring in the bottom of the ninth.

The Wingnuts came home to friendly Lawrence-Dumont Stadium on Saturday after two games in Grand Prairie proved anything but hospitable.

This time, Wichita didn't surrender its late lead, holding onto a 5-3 win and preserving the best-of-5 series for at least another day. Game 4 is tonight in Wichita.

Wingnuts falter again

Eagle staff — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 07:34 CDT

A night after losing an American Association playoff game in which they led by two runs in the ninth, the Wingnuts might have exceeded that level of disappointment on Friday.

Wichita fell on the road to Grand Prairie 12-11 and trails the Air Hogs 2-0 in the best-of-5 series. The Wingnuts will try to avoid elimination tonight in Game 3 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Closer Josh Dew, who entered the game in the ninth with runners on second and third, threw a wild pitch that allowed David Espinosa to score the winning run. Dew intentionally walked Cesar Nicolas to load the bases a batter earlier.

Grand Prairie tops Wingnuts in ninth in playoff opener

Eagle staff — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:43 CDT

Two outs in the ninth, nobody on, 3-1 lead with the closer on the mound. The Wingnuts had to be thinking victory for Game 1 of their American Association playoff series Thursday night in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Six batters later, though, the Wingnuts walked off the field after a stunning 4-3 loss. Game 2 is tonight in Grand Prairie, with Game 3 on Saturday night at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Wichita closer Josh Dew got the first two outs, then gave up a Stephen Douglas double. He scored on German Duran's single, then David Espinsola tripled to the right-field corner to tie the game.