Category: T-Bones

The Kansas City T-Bones scored 16 runs on Tuesday night for the first time since 2012, defeating the Joplin Blasters 16-11 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

The T-Bones were led by Brett Wiley, who was a home run shy of the cycle. Besides his three hits, Wiley had three RBIs and scored three runs. Robby Kuzdale also scored three runs, and Anthony Gallas had three RBIs.

Kansas City entered the third inning with the game tied 3-3 before breaking it open by sending nine to the plate and scoring five runs, taking an 8-3 lead.

The T-Bones scored two of those runs on a bizarre play with two outs. With Brett Wiley at second and Starlin Rodriguez at first, Vladimir Frias grounded the ball sharply to first baseman Juan Medina, who couldn’t hold on to it. As the ball scooted away from Medina, Wiley headed home.

He was safe on the play, but then pitcher Josh Hodges made a bad throw to first, attempting to get Frias caught between first and second. The throw got away from Medina and Rodriguez scored. The two errors on that play accounted for five in the game for the Blasters.

After a Joplin run in the fourth, Kansas City responded in the fifth inning with another five runs and nine plate appearances, extending its lead to 13-4. Anthony Gallas sparked the T-Bones in the inning with a bases clearing double that scored three runs.

Joplin made things interesting in the eighth inning by scoring five runs, which included three consecutive home runs by Geraldo Valentin, Charlie Valerio and Willie Cabrera, who hit two homers in the game.

Starting pitcher Jeremy Strawn pitched 3 2/3 innings, striking out four batters and giving up four runs. Josh Tols (3-1) earned the win for the T-Bones after striking out three and giving up one run in 2 1/3 innings.

Joplin starter Josh Hodges (2-3) went 4 innings, giving up 12 runs (seven earned), nine hits, walking three and hitting two batters.

The last time the T-Bones scored at least 16 runs was in a 17-8 win at Amarillo on Aug. 29, 2012. Coincidentally, the T-Bones scored 16 runs nearly four years ago Tuesday night, on June 23, 2012, in a 16-4 win over Amarillo.

The T-Bones (13-18) will continue the series against Joplin (12-19) Wednesday at 11:05 a.m. at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.

– Story from Matt Fulks, T-Bones

In what was a pitchers’ duel for eight innings, the Kansas City T-Bones beat the Laredo Lemurs, 2-1, Sunday night on a wild play in the ninth at Uni-Trade Stadium in Laredo, Texas.

Although the term “pitchers’ duel” seems overused, it certainly fits Sunday’s game, as each team’s starter — Jordan Cooper for Kansas City and Ryan Beckman for Laredo — went eight innings and allowed only one run.

That lone run, which was unearned, came in the second inning for Laredo. With two outs, Alvaro Rondon doubled. He then scored when Kansas City shortstop Vladimir Frias committed an error on a groundball by J.D. Pulfer.

Cooper (2-0) then faced two Laredo batters over the minimum in his next six innings, as he gave up seven hits and walked one during the game, but was aided by a double play and two runners caught trying to steal by catcher Cole Leonida.

Lemur starter Ryan Beckman was even more dominant. Beckman didn’t allow a Kansas City baserunner until Leonida singled with two outs in the sixth inning. The T-Bones tacked on two more hits against Beckman, who didn’t walk any batters and struck out five.

But Beckman gave way to reliever Jeff Inman in the ninth, who gave away the game to the T-Bones. With one out in the ninth, Tyler Massey and Jake Blackwood each singled for Kansas City.

After Anthony Gallas flied out, Inman loaded the bases by hitting Dalton Wheat with a pitch. Three pitches later, Inman delivered a wild pitch to Frias that allowed Massey to score. On the play, catcher Zane Chavez, trying to get Massey, made a bad throw to Inman, who was covering home. When the ball went past Inman, Blackwood came in from third and gave the T-Bones a 2-1 lead.

Reliever Mark Haynes (4) shut the door on the Lemurs in the bottom of the ninth.

With the win, Kansas City (12-18) snapped a four-game losing streak and finished the roadtrip with a 1-4 record. Laredo took Saturday night’s contest, 9-1, behind the performance of Matt Sergey, who threw six shutout innings.

The T-Bones return home for a seven-game homestand beginning Tuesday night with three games against Joplin.Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.

– Story from Matt Fulks, T-Bones

Pitcher Jared Messer was solid in his first start for Kansas City of 2016, but the bullpen was unable to hold the game late, as the Laredo Lemurs beat the T-Bones, 6-2, Friday night at Uni-Trade Stadium in Laredo, Texas.

Each team swapped runs in the second inning and fifth innings. Kansas City took the lead in the second when Brandon Tierney doubled to left off Laredo starter Leandro Castro, knocking in Anthony Gallas, who had a one-out single to right.

But, with Nate Tenbrink, who also singled, at third and Tierney at second, Kansas City could muster only one run, as Steve Swingle and Dalton Wheat each grounded out to third.

Laredo scratched across a run, tying the game at 1-1, when Zane Chavez, who led off the second with a walk, scored on a wild pitch. That was one of the few mistakes by Messer, who has been pitching out of the bullpen this season.

Messer’s other rough patch came in the bottom of the fifth. After the T-Bones took a 2-1 lead in the top of the inning on back-to-back two-out doubles by Tyler Massey and Jake Blackwood, Messer gave up a lead-off double to Devin Harris and then a one-out single to J.D. Pulfer, which scored Harris. Messer finished the inning, but that was the end of his night, after giving up four hits, three walks and two runs in five innings.

Laredo took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh off Kansas City reliever Brett Zawacki (0-3).

With runners at second and third and two outs, Zawacki hit Drew Martinez with a pitch. And then, with a 1-2 count to Cesar Valera, Zawacki threw a wild pitch that scored Ty Morrison from third. Valera then doubled, scoring Alvaro Rondon and Martinez, giving Laredo a 5-2 lead. The Lemurs added an insurance run in the eighth off Kansas City reliever Mark Haynes.

Four of Kansas City’s eight hits in the game were doubles. Besides Tierney, Massey and Blackwood, rookie Wheat had one, too.

Kansas City (11-17), which has lost three in a row, and Laredo (16-12) continue their three-game series on Saturday night at 7:05 in Texas. All of the action can be heard at TBonesBaseball.com.

– Story from Matt Fulks, T-Bones