Category: T-Bones

Things started out right for the Kansas City T-Bones Thursday night at Wichita.

The team took a 2-0 lead through four and looked to have the making of a nice night to end a three-game losing streak. Then came a pair of walks and an 11-run fourth inning and the team never recovered in a 11-5 loss to the Wichita Wingnuts.

Starting on four days rest, left-hander Billy Waltrip issued back to back walks to Brent Clevlen and T.J. Mittelstaedt in the fourth. Richard Prigatano then loaded the bases with an infield single. Zac Fisher singled to bring in two runs to tie the game at two. A passed ball on T-Bones catcher Zane Chavez and throwing error to third by Chavez gave the Wingnuts a 3-2 lead.

The Wingnuts then got a single from Brennen Salgado to increase the lead to 4-2. Wichita sent another 10 batters in the inning scoring seven more runs to chase Waltrip from the game. Jackson Lowery came in to get out of the inning but the damage was done.

The T-Bones got the lead on an RBI single off Tim Brown in the first from Kevin Keyes scoring Chantz Mack, who led off the game with a double. The second run came an inning later on a sacrifice fly from Paul Hendrix, giving Kansas City a 2-0 lead.

Mack hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh and Marcus Lemon hit a solo home run to right to cut the lead to 11-4 off Brown. Jordan Edgerton drove in the final run for the T-Bones with a double in the eighth. Rookie Dylan Porter tossed four shutout innings in relief, but the Wingnuts had already built the 11-2 lead when he came into the game.

Brown (3-3), who came into the game with an ERA of 7.84, picked up the win. He went seven innings while giving up four runs while Waltrip (1-6) suffered his second loss as a T-Bone since being acquired from Texas Aug. 11.

The T-Bones hold a slim half-game lead in the American Association Wild Card race over Gary SouthShore, who saw their six-game winning streak come to an end Thursday night at home against Sioux Falls. Kansas City (47-36) trails Lincoln in the Central Division by 4.5 with Gary 5.0 behind the Saltdogs. Wichita (50-33) still holds a comfortable 13-game lead over Cleburne in the South Division of the American Association and a magic number of five.

The T-Bones return home for a six-game home stand Friday night and play host to Gary SouthShore in a crucial matchup of the top two Wild Card contenders. The T-Bones will start newly signed right-hander Alex Blackford, who pitched at AA and AAA this season for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization, while Gary will send out left-hander Jeff McKenzie (2-3, 4.05).

The game can be heard online on the T-Bones Broadcast Network at tbonesbaseball.com and on the Bones MixLR Channel as well as the MixLR app. All home game also video stream live on AmericanAssociation.TV. The pregame begins at 6:45 with “The Top Step with Manager Joe Calfapietra.” The post-game complete with audio highlights follows each game online on the audio side.

Tickets for all T-Bones games are available online or by calling 913-328-5618 or visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.

– Story from T-Bones

The Kansas City T-Bones have announced an exciting guest lineup for Flash-Back Friday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Friday, Aug. 18.

Chris McDonald, also known as Shooter McGavin from the movie “Happy Gilmore,” will appear during the T-Bones game with the Gary SouthShore RailCats.

There will also be a reunion of select players from the 1985 St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals I970 World Series. Cardinals Slugger Jack Clark and 18-game Cardinal starter Danny Cox will be joined by Royals DH Jorge Orta, Royals RF Darryl Motley, who hit the famous game 7 home run and caught the final out, and NL umpire Don Denkinger, known for the famous call in Game Six.

Gates open at 6 p.m. There will be pre-game ceremonies starting at 6:30 p.m., with some participating in autograph sessions and photo opportunities.

Tickets are available online at tbonesbaseball.com, by calling 913-628-5618 or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.

The Kansas City T-Bones were forced to start right-hander Calvin Drummond on four days rest Wednesday night at Wichita. He was spectacular in five gutsy innings but an eighth inning wild pitch was the difference in the end as the Wingnuts escaped with a 4-3 win over the T-Bones at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

The Wingnuts got the go-ahead run across in the eighth after a leadoff double from Richard Prigatano off reliever Grant Sides.

Sides got the first out on a shallow fly to left center by Brennen Salgado but Wes Phillps moved Prigatano to third on a fly to deep center. With Leo Vargas at the plate Sides issued a wild pitch to score Prigatano and give Wichita a 4-3 lead. Sides struck out Vargas to end the home half of the eighth.

Wichita took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI triple from Brent Clevlen but the T-Bones came right back in the second to take the lead.

In the second Cedric Hunter was hit by pitch from Jordan Cooper and moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a passed ball. With one out Dexter Kjerstad reached on an infield single to tie the game at one with Hunter coming home.

Jordan Edgerton then hit a double to right center field to score Kjerstad to give Kansas City the lead 2-1.

In the third inning Chantz Mack doubled off Jordan to start the inning. Marcus Lemon then moved Mack to third with a sacrifice bunt. Kevin Keyes hit a sharp ball to short that Leo Vargas threw home. Mack slid in safe but was ruled an error on the catcher as Keyes reached first on a fielder’s choice. The ball and Mack got to the plate about the same time and the ball rolled away from the plate as Mack scored, giving the T-Bones a 3-1 lead.

Matt Sergey was scratched from this start earlier in the week forcing the T-Bones to make the call to pitch Drummond on four days rest. After the T-Bones took the lead, Drummond retired five in a row before a two-out walk in the third. He then retired three more before a two-out hit an inning later. Drummond threw three shut down innings in a row for Kansas City.

Approaching 90 pitches in the fifth, Drummond gave up a two-out single to Clevlen to cut the lead to 3-2. Drummond exited with a 3-2 lead after getting the final out of the inning and in turn giving the club a much needed lift in the rotation.

Myles Smith came in for Kansas City in the sixth and gave up a leadoff walk to Prigatano. Prigatano then stole second but Smith was able to strike out back-to-back batters to hold the lead with two outs. Leo Vargas then rolled a ground ball through the right side to bring home Prigatano to tie the game at three.

Jeff Walters worked a scoreless seventh for the T-Bones. After Wichita grabbed the lead the T-Bones went in order in the top of the ninth as Ryan Kussmaul notched the save his second. The win went to reliever James Campbell (3-1) while Sides (1-3) suffered the loss.

The loss cut the T-Bones’ lead in the American Association Wild Card race to a half game over Gary SouthShore, which won its sixth straight. Kansas City (47-35) trails Lincoln in the Central Division by four games with Gary 4.5 behind the Saltdogs.

Wichita (49-33) still holds a comfortable 12.5 game lead over Cleburne in the South Division of the American Association and a magic number of six. The two teams will play the final game of the series at 7:05 p.m. Thursday. Left-hander Billy Waltrip (1-5, 5.09) will also work on four days rest to face right-hander Tim Brown (2-3, 8.38).

The game can be heard online on the T-Bones Broadcast Network at tbonesbaseball.com and on the T-Bones MixLR Channel as well as the handy MixLR app. While on the road you can also hear the audio at AmericanAssociation.TV during all road games. The pregame begins at 6:45 with “The Top Step with Manager Joe Calfapietra.” The post-game complete with audio highlights follows after each game.

Tickets for all T-Bones games are available online or by calling 913-328-5618 or visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.
– Story from T-Bones