Patient Wingnuts rack up runs in win over Lincoln

T.J. Mittelstaedt didn’t get a pitch he liked when he batted for the Wingnuts in the seventh inning against Lincoln on Thursday, so Mittelstaedt set aside the reward potential and didn’t swing.

RBIs aren’t as important to Mittelstaedt as staying true to himself, so a walk, even with runners on second and third, worked just fine.

Mittelstaedt didn’t have to be so selective in the second inning, though. His three-run homer capped an eight-run inning as the Wingnuts scored in double digits for the third time in five games, beating Lincoln 10-4 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

That was Mittelstaedt’s only ball in play all night – he walked in his other three plate appearances – and ironically it followed four walks in the inning by Lincoln starter Luis Chirinos.

“Even (hitting coach Jose) Amado, when I got to first is asking why I didn’t just try to hit a (sacrifice) fly,” Mittelstaedt said of his seventh-inning turn. “I walk a lot, I just do. That’s because I don’t swing at those. I want to get guys in, but I’m not going to try to do too much. So the walks will come.”

The Wingnuts swung just enough in the second, turning aggressive when Chirinos managed to find the strike zone. Luis Hernandez drove in a run with a single after Chirnios’ first two walks, followed by Jayce Ray’s two-run double before the next two free bases.

Wichita led 5-0 when Mittelstaedt batted with two outs in the second, his second appearance in the inning after a leadoff walk. But even with a comfortable lead and a naturally patient approach, Mittelstaedt was aware that he could deliver an insurmountable lead.

“After the first (inning), we talked about it,” said Mittelstaedt, who walked 92 times in 100 games for Kansas City last season. “(Chirinos) was having trouble in the zone, so we were a little more patient. Then in the second inning, when we put up that big number, that’s what we did – I think we walked four times in that inning. So that really helps big innings, when you don’t have to do anything.”

The Wingnuts have averaged more than eight runs in their last five games, even though they’ve scored one twice on the current homestand. Manager Kevin Hooper is looking for more consistency, but there seems to be a theme establishing itself on Wichita’s high-output nights.

The high-scoring games often include the Wingnuts taking advantage of opportunities while more meager nights don’t offer as many. Wichita had 17 baserunners on Thursday and left six on, a more-than-acceptable ratio.

The Wingnuts also boast lineup depth that can sustain big innings and productive nights. Wichita doesn’t have to be worried when Nos. 3 and 4 hitters David Espinosa and Matt Padgett are walked, like they were in the second inning, because the bottom half of the lineup is just as dangerous.

Mittelstaedt, the No. 6 hitter, homered before John Nester’s single, Dustin Geiger’s walk and Hernandez’s run-scoring hit.

“I like (Mittelstaedt) where he’s at, because there’s going to be a lot of times this summer where these guys are getting on base for him,” Hooper said. “It’s a big RBI spot. I love the way (the lineup) has shaped up, we’ve just got to get more consistent with it. Just get consistent with it and keep it going.”

This story was originally published June 11, 2015 at 10:43 PM with the headline "Patient Wingnuts rack up runs in win over Lincoln."