Kansas.com: Wingnuts

Wingnuts bats go silent in loss

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:44 CDT

Eight days ago, the Wingnuts were shut down by Lincoln's Jarrett Gardner -- but that made sense. Gardner leads the Saltdogs in wins and earned 10 victories in 2007.

There may be no explanation for Wichita being baffled Saturday by Sioux City's Cameron Cheek except that maybe the Wingnuts just don't hit well on Saturdays. Cheek shut out Wichita for five innings and the Explorers held on for a 2-1 win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Cheek has been shuffled between the bullpen and starting rotation this season and entered the game with a 2-2 record and 4.53 ERA. Opposing hitters batted .311 against him.

Using a mix of off-speed pitches that he kept mostly on the outer half of home plate, Cheek avoided trouble on Saturday, allowing two runners into scoring position and retiring 12 of the last 13 batters he faced, including 11 in a row at one point.

"He was able to get ahead in the count to a lot of hitters," Wichita third baseman Michael Thompson said. "Then he could go to his off-speed stuff, which was kind of getting us there for a little bit. I think if they let him go another inning, we would have gotten to him."

Wingnuts make right turn on road

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:48 CDT

Maybe Wichita is taking advantage of favorable matchups. Maybe its better play on the road in the second half is just a coincidence. Maybe the players are getting plenty of sleep on the bus.

Or maybe, according to manager Kash Beauchamp, there is a good reason for the Wingnuts' improved play away from home.

"Making it a priority when we started the second half that we have to play better on the road," Beauchamp said.

The Wingnuts have found the road less treacherous in the second half, winning three of the last four series away from Lawrence-Dumont Stadium after winning one such series previously.

After starting the season 7-13 on the road, the Wingnuts have won seven of 11 away from home. They swept a two game series at Sioux City to close the first half -- still the first time Wichita has won consecutive road games against the same opponent -- and have won two of three road series to start the second.

Pearson powers a victory

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:40 CDT

Stephen Pearson put up numbers on Friday night that made up for the game he missed on Thursday.

A night after being benched by manager Kash Beauchamp in the midst of a slump, Pearson drove in runs in his first five at-bats with two homers, two doubles and a fielder's choice, then helped bring home two more in the 11th to tie the score.

Felipe Del Rosario ended the game with a bases-loaded line-drive single in the 11th, but it was Pearson's night. He single-handedly carried Wichita's offense and led the Wingnuts to an 8-7 win over Sioux City at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

"Kash benched me yesterday because I haven't been doing too good," Pearson said. "He just wanted to kind of get a fire under me. It was a little bit of that, but I've been trying to make some adjustments."

In his first start in right field this season, Pearson, the usual first baseman for the Wingnuts, had a game that will probably result in him asking to stay in right.

Colton has the tools

JEFFREY LUTZ — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:38 CDT

Ask Chris Colton to pinpoint the moment he realized he possessed superior defensive capabilities and he doesn't refer to his seven-year professional baseball career.

Instead, Colton brings up his freshman year of high school in Georgia, when an opposing player hit a ball to right-center and Colton, shaded left, ran to track it down.

Colton made a diving catch and got up to throw out a runner trying to score from third base.

"I think that was the turning point of my baseball career right there," Colton said. "I thought to myself, 'Man, I'd like to do this for a living.' "

Colton, the Wingnuts' center fielder, has always prided himself on defense. It's the one constant in a group of tools that have proved inconsistent during his professional career, which began in 2002.

Wingnuts 1, Fort Worth 0 -- For 10 innings Thursday night there was a run shortage

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:43 CDT

Wingnuts 1, Fort Worth 0 -- For 10 innings Thursday night there was a run shortage. That was cured by a 20-minute power outage delay.

Michael Thompson led off the top of the 11 with a double following the delay, then scored on a two-out dribbler by Bernie Dennis for the game's only run.

The shutout was the first in Wingnuts history.

Cats starter Joel Kirsten pitched 6 1/3 perfect innings.

WICHITA	ab	r	h	bi	FT. WORTH	ab	r	h	bi
Hooper ss	5	0	0	0	Fryer cf	4	0	1	0
Gailen rf	5	0	1	0	Blair ss	5	0	1	0
Herrera 2b	4	0	1	0	Gautreau 2b	4	0	0	0
Mohr dh	4	0	0	0	Teilon 1b	5	0	0	0
Thompson 3b	4	1	1	0	Allen dh	5	0	2	0
Amado 1b	3	0	0	0	Montague lf	4	0	1	0
Pearson 1b	0	0	0	0	Carter rf	2	0	0	0
Dl Rsrio lf	3	0	0	0	Sisk 3b	4	0	0	0
Dennis c	4	0	0	0	Lup c	4	0	1	0
Colton cf	4	0	1	0
Totals	36 1o4o0	Totals	37o0o6o0

Wichita	000 000 000 01 -- 1
Fort Worth	000 000 000 00 -- 0

E--Gautreau, Hunton. DP--Wichita 1, Fort Worth 1. LOB -- Wichita 4, Fort Worth 10. 2B--Thompson, Fryer, Montague. SB--Montague. CS--Herrera. S--Pearson, Fryer.

Winguts can't keep up with Cats

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:40 CDT

The Wichita Wingnuts fell to the Fort Worth Cats 10-2 on Wednesday at Fort Worth.

Dan Grybash was the winning pitcher for Fort Worth, going seven innings, striking out nine, giving up six hits and walking none.

Felipe Del Rosario hit a two-run home run for Wichita in the fourth inning.

Dave Rider was the losing pitcher for Wichita, lasting 3 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs.

Fort Worth third baseman Aaron Sisk went 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs. The Cats tallied 14 hits.

Beauchamp makes apology

JEFFREY LUTZ — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:39 CDT

An e-mailed letter from Wingnuts manager Kash Beauchamp to American Association officials Monday night apologizes for his antics in front of the home-plate umpire in a game last week but does not show regret for being ejected from the game.

In the tantrum, which was carried on cable news and sports shows nationwide, Beauchamp put his shoe and armpit in front of the umpire's face.

"We all know where my temper has gotten me. NOWHERE," Beauchamp wrote. "Fire and passion are one thing, a bad temper is another. It has always been my worst enemy. The sooner I discern the difference between passion and temper the better off I will be."

Beauchamp returned from a four-game league suspension Tuesday in Fort Worth.

Wingnuts 5, Fort Worth 3 _ Left-hander Richard Salazar struck out six and improved to 4-1 as Wichita won at Fort Worth on Tuesday night.

Wingnuts can't overcome Lincoln's early lead

JEFFREY LUTZ — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:59 CDT

Lincoln kept scoring Sunday and the Wingnuts kept chipping away, but when the bullpens entered, runs came to a halt.

Unfortunately for the Wingnuts, they hadn't chipped away enough by the time Lincoln called on its relief pitching.

Vince Davis pitched the final 4 2/3 innings for the Saltdogs, allowing one hit and no runs and enabling Lincoln to a hold on for an 8-7 win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

The Saltdogs took two of three in the series as Wichita finished 2-5 in an eventful first homestand of the second half.

"I don't know what happened there," Wingnuts second baseman Brenan Herrera said. "We both scored at the same time and we both didn't score at the same time."

Lincoln blanks Wichita

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:39 CDT

After watching the Wingnuts score 11 runs on Friday against his Lincoln team, starting pitcher Jarrett Gardner discovered two things about Wichita's lineup.

He found that the Wingnuts were at their best when they were ahead in the count and most dangerous against mistake pitches that caught too much of home plate.

Gardner put his knowledge to work on Saturday, avoiding less favorable counts and eliminating mistakes. He tossed a complete game and allowed one runner into scoring position in the Saltdogs' 5-0 win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

"A team like Wichita, you've got to get ahead in the count," Gardner said. "You've got to get strike one against them. That was my main focus today, getting ahead of the hitters and trying to throw strike one. Then you can mix it up."

Gardner cruised through the first four innings, throwing 34 pitches, and the Wingnuts could never break his rhythm.

Maybe life will return to normal now

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:04 CDT

The Wingnuts' 15 minutes of fame appear to be winding down. Though manager Kash Beauchamp's tirade on Wednesday will stand up as a highlight of Wichita's inaugural season, the national attention the incident received is likely over as a new week begins.

At least one Wichita player, however, didn't welcome the attention.

"I'm a little bitter, to be honest with you," closer Byron Embry said. "Every baseball player in America who turned their television on and watched what happened wishes they had Kash Beauchamp as their manager. Everybody wishes they had a manager that will make a complete (jerk) out of himself on national television just because someone got cheated out of an at-bat."

The Wingnuts have become a known commodity because of Beauchamp's argument in the second game of a doubleheader against Sioux Falls, which included removing his shoe and putting it near home plate umpire Blake Felix's face and doing the same with his armpit.

Video of the incident was shown on ESPN, CNN and Fox Sports, among others, and Beauchamp made an appearance Friday on the syndicated show "Inside Edition."

Mohr has career night

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:44 CDT

Dustan Mohr played in the thin air of Colorado and enjoyed his best major-league years as a contributor on the Minnesota Twins' late-1990s playoff teams.

During his seven-year major league career, though, Mohr never had a night like the one he had on Friday against Lincoln. A few more like it and Mohr could find himself back in a major league uniform soon.

Mohr had a double, two homers and a Wingnut-record six RBIs. His solo home run off the left-center field scoreboard broke a tie and helped Wichita to a 11-10 victory at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Brenan Herrera hit the pitch after Mohr's homer over the wall in left for back-to-back home runs and provided possibly the game's most key hit because closer Byron Embry allowed a run in the top of the ninth.

"I've just been getting the bat on them and they're falling," Mohr said. "I've hit a couple balls good and I'm starting to feel good. You kind of have ups and downs during the season and things are just kind of going my way."

The center of attention Beauchamp's eruption continues to lure media

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:39 CDT

Wingnuts manager Kash Beauchamp remained national news on Friday. His media exposure began Thursday -- his animated, prop-aided argument during a game Wednesday landed him on television shows such as "SportsCenter," "Good Morning America" and "Pardon The Interruption."

Friday morning, Beauchamp made his local media tour, appearing on sports talk radio shows on KGSO and KFH. Friday evening, his first nationally televised interview aired on the syndicated show "Inside Edition."

Beauchamp, who was suspended four games by the American Association for Wednesday's tirade, apparently narrowly avoided further discipline on Friday.

League president Dan Moushon was alerted to the interviews by a league umpire in town for the weekend series with Lincoln and told they may have included derogatory comments about umpiring by Beauchamp.

While Beauchamp probably did himself no favors with his lack of contrition during the interviews, Moushon said he didn't make the situation any worse.

Sioux Falls' bullpen tops Wingnuts

JEFFREY LUTZ — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:10 CDT

Insufficient relief

In taking two of the first three games from the Wingnuts at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium this week, Sioux Falls showed its superior offense and starting pitching. Despite Kevin Cheppenko's best efforts to match the Canaries' relief pitching in the series finale on Thursday, Sioux Falls proved its bullpen is more balanced.

Canaries relievers combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing Sioux Falls to hold on for a 6-5 win.

Sioux Falls is sending three starting pitchers to the All-Star game later this month, but on Thursday the American Association North Division first-half champions showed their bullpen can be dominant, too.

"I'd say I fear their bullpen a little more than their starters," Wichita third baseman Michael Thompson said. "I felt really comfortable against every starter in the series, but once they get into that bullpen, they've got some guys who can throw."

Wingnuts split doubleheader

JEFFREY LUTZ — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:17 CDT

Two nights after the worst home defeat of the season and about an hour after wasting a strong pitching performance, frustration set in for the Wingnuts. At least for manager Kash Beauchamp.

Beauchamp was ejected in the second inning of Wichita's doubleheader nightcap with Sioux Falls. His animated argument with home plate umpire Blake Felix may have been just what the Wingnuts needed. They followed it with three runs, carrying them to a 5-2 win.

Sioux Falls won Game 1 2-1 on a two-run home run by Grant Richardson in the sixth inning off Brad Davis. Both games were seven innings.

"I'm tired of getting my brains beat in by Sioux Falls," Beauchamp said. "We just got boat raced the first night (a 13-1 loss on Monday), and the first game was a heartbreaker, to have Brad go out and pitch that well."

Beauchamp and the umpires had tension during the first game, and he argued a check swing strike call on Blake Gailen in the first inning of Game 2. On a similar call to Felipe Del Rosario, Beauchamp began arguing from the third base box and was immediately ejected by Felix.

Wingnuts on a down cycle

JEFFREY LUTZ — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:42 CDT

Injury had already set in for the Wingnuts by the time Beau Torbert stepped to the plate in the eighth inning Monday night.

Three pitches into the at-bat, Torbert provided the insult.

Needing a home run to complete the cycle, Torbert shot a 2-0 Blake Gailen fastball well over the wall in center field, capping Sioux Falls' 13-1 win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Torbert's eighth-inning plate appearance was the only drama in the first game of Wichita's seven-game homestand. The Canaries led 2-0 after two innings and virtually put it away with four runs in the fourth.

"I knew what I needed," Torbert said. "I was looking for a good pitch and I was probably going to put a little harder swing on it. That worked out -- I got a good pitch to hit."

Sometimes best fans are a little nutty

JEFFREY LUTZ — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:42 CDT

Two months ago, Brad Horning and Jeremy Schnedler were acquaintances who occasionally ran into each other at social functions.

They decided to meet at the Wingnuts' first game on May 8, and they happened to sit in section 118.

Since then, the term "section 118" has become obsolete. It's now known as "The Nuthouse."

Horning and Schnedler are the founding members, and the group of diehard Wingnuts fans has grown to about 30 fans, male and female, ranging in age from 23 to 37.

"It was a matter of a couple games where we'd meet in the parking lot and scream 'Go 'Nuts,' " said Horning, 37. "People would come over and introduce themselves, and we told them they could come sit with us."

Baseball was the Beauchamps' link

JEFFREY LUTZ — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:27 CDT

It's 11:30 on a Thursday morning, not exactly a prime television viewing hour.

Flipping channels in his office in the back of the Wingnuts' clubhouse, manager James Beauchamp -- who goes by his middle name, Kash -- stops on a program about baseball in the 1960s.

Beauchamp's eyes light up as they drift back to his childhood, when he and his father, Jim, who played in the major leagues from 1964-73, developed a bond woven tighter by baseball. It began to develop when Kash uttered his first word -- ball.

Jim's superior talent alone would have made him a productive professional ballplayer, but he accentuated it by playing with an all-out style that he passed down to his son.

Beauchamp, 45, is still grinning as he reaches for a biography about Ty Cobb, his favorite player. He reads out loud a brief passage and through his words comes a self-appointed responsibility to make sure his father's memory -- and style of play -- live on.

Cats edge Wingnuts once again

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:41 CDT

Jake Gautreau hit a three-run homer and helped power the Fort Worth Cats to an 8-7 victory over the Wingnuts on Saturday in Fort Worth.

Fort Worth led 8-4 after six innings. Wichita scored twice in the seventh and added another run in the eighth, but couldn't get the tying run across.

Wingnuts starter Justin Young allowed seven runs and left without retiring a batter in the fourth inning.

WICHITA	ab	r	h	bi	FORT WORTH	ab	r	h	bi
Hooper ss	5	1	1	1	Fryer cf	4	3	1	0
Herrera 2b	5	2	2	1	Montague lf	3	2	1	1
Thmpson 3b	4	1	0	0	Gautreau 1b	2	1	1	4
Mohr rf	5	1	1	1	Teilon ss	4	0	0	0
Pearson 1b	5	0	2	0	Allen	4	0	0	0
Amado dh	4	0	2	1	Carter rf	4	0	1	0
Ventura rf	3	0	0	1	Lup c	3	1	0	0
Gailen ph/lf	1	0	0	0	Sisk 3b	4	1	1	2
Del Rosrio c	3	1	1	0	Blair 2b	2	0	1	0
Colton cf	2	1	0	1
Totals	37o7o9o6	Totals	30o8o6o7

Wichita	300 100 210 -- 7
Fort Worth	301 301 00x -- 8

E -- Pearson, Young, Gautreau, Teilon, Martin. LOB -- Wichita 7, Fort Worth 9. 2B -- Hooper, Herrera, Pearson, Fryer. 3B--Del Rosario. HR--Montague, Gautreau, Sisk. SB--Pearson, Fryer 2. SF--Colton, Gautreau.

Wichita	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Young, L, 3-3	3	4	7	5	4	0
Hurn	3	2	1	1	3	1
Chappenko	2	0	0	0	2	2
Fort Worth	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Riddle W,4-4	6	6	4	4	2	5
Haines	2/3	3	2	1	0	0
Martin	1 1/3	0	1	0	1	0
Hunton S,13	1	0	0	0	2	0

Note: Young faced three batters in the fourth.

Wichitatumblesin Texas

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:41 CDT

Ed Montague and Bryan Fryer each homered to help Fort Worth defeat Wichita 9-3 Friday night in Fort Worth.

Blake Gailen, Michael Thompson and Steve Pearson drove in runs for the Wingnuts.

Pearson now has 31 RBIs in his last 31 games.

Wichita will send Justin Young to the mound tonight for game two of the American Association series.

Richard Salazar, who allowed five runs in five innings, lost his first game as a starter.

Wingnuts capture series in Pensacola

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:41 CDT

Brad Davis pitched seven solid innings, helping the Wingnuts to a 5-2 victory at Pensacola, Fla., on Thursday night.

Davis allowed five hits and two runs and improved to 5-5 this season.

Wichita took a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Dustan Mohr's bases-loaded singled drove home to runs, and a base-hit by Steven Pearson added a third score.

The Pelicans' Rafael Alvarez hit a home run in the fifth inning to make it 3-1. Pensacola added a run in the seventh, but Davis stranded the potential tying run on second.

The Wingnuts added single runs in the eighth and ninth innings to provide breathing room.