While I was writing tonight’s date in the subject line I got a funny idea about a possible blog feature: This Day in Wingnuts History. Get it? OK, it’s not that funny.
The Wingnuts play St. Paul tonight in the second game of a three-game series at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Wichita took the first game 7-5 to pull within 1 1/2 games of St. Paul for first place in the American Association North Division. The Wingnuts’ win also evened the season series with the Saints at 2-2. Sioux Falls is tied with St. Paul for first place and meets Grand Prairie on the road tonight. GP is 14-19, third in the South.
Tonight’s starter: Brad Davis has become friends with the confines of L-D Stadium. In two starts at home, Davis is 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA. He owns a complete game at home, holds visiting hitters to a .232 average and hasn’t walked a batter in 15 2/3 innings. On the road, those numbers are 1-4, 5.22, .291 and 11 walks in 29 1/3 innings.
I haven’t seen any of those starts, so it’s difficult for me to picture Davis being so ineffective since I’ve only seen him look sharp. I expect more of the same in Davis’ biggest start of the season to date. The key against St. Paul is throwing strikes. Even though Sioux Falls is the most feared AA team offensively, I like St. Paul’s approach much more than the free-swinging Canaries. The Saints don’t swing at bad pitches, work the count and don’t strike out much because they have the ability to foul off tough two-strike pitches.
Player to watch: Wingnuts second baseman Brenan Herrera has batted .400 (6 for 15) in four games against St. Paul this season with a homer and four RBI — the home run came Friday night in the second inning. In his last 10 games, Herrera has batted a team-best .359 with two longballs. He’s batting .370 with runners on base.
St. Paul starter/player to watch: Luis Villarreal is 3-1 with a 2.40 ERA, earning a no-decision in St. Paul after allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings. St. Paul third baseman Ben Thomas has nine hits in 15 at-bats against the Wingnuts this season.