Game Report: Frisco 7, San Antonio 4

FRISCO –  The RoughRiders are the anti-Rangers.  

You know how the big club can dream up new ways to lose games?   Frisco dreams up unlikely ways to win them.  

The Riders are so good, that they end up winning by a comfortable margin even when their starting pitcher can’t make it through four innings in less than 100 pitches.

But that’s how it goes when you have guys in the lineup as talented as Max Ramirez (pictured – left) and as heady as Craig Gentry.

After beginning the season with three outstanding starts,  Michael Schlact (3.32 ERA) turned in his worst outing of the year, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks in 3.2 innings, getting pulled having thrown 98 pitches, only 51 of which were strikes. 

The lanky right-hander struggled to locate his offpseed pitches and seemed to lose focus at times when things didn’t go his way.  His 89-91 mph sinker was nasty, as usual, but he just didn’t get anything else over the plate.

But Schlact’s catcher, the aforementioned Ramirez – probably the best hitter I’ve ever seen don a Riders uniform –  bailed out his battery-mate, delivering a tee-shot of a two-run jack, an RBI double and a walk in four trips.

Ramirez’s homer was a tee shot that easily cleared the ballpark.   It looked like he drove the green on a long par-4.

Center fielder Gentry — and for those of you who have not seen him, I want you to imagine a poor man’s Jacoby Ellsbury (the big question is “how poor?”) –  was phemonenal.   His role in the victory is far greater than his rock-solid box score line (3-4 with a sacrifice and an RBI) could possibly convey.

Here’s what the game log says happens in the fifth inning:

       

    Craig Gentry singles on a fly ball to right fielder Craig Cooper.

    With Elvis Andrus batting, wild pitch by Matthew Buschmann, Craig Gentry to 2nd. Elvis Andrus reaches on a fielder’s choice out, pitcher Matthew Buschmann to third baseman Seth Johnston to shortstop Sean Kazmar. Craig Gentry out at 3rd. Elvis Andrus to 2nd on the throw.  

 

Here’s what really happened….

Elvis hits a comebacker to the pitcher;  Gentry was running on contact;   the pitcher throws to third;   Gentry gets hung up, dances around and then literally tackles the third baseman about halfway between 2b and 3b so that Elvis can make it to second.  

Andrus, of course, scored two at-bats later…thanks to Gentry’s scrappy, heady play.