Series Preview: Naturals, Travs renew rivalry this week
Published on June 10, 2009 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release
Last season, the Travelers got by on their experience, riding several minor league veterans to a first-half division championship and a spot in the Texas League playoffs, where they swept the Naturals in three games.
This season, with those veterans having moved on and some of the younger pitching prospects deemed ready for Double-A, they've taken on a new look. That being said, they still have experience at the top as Manager Bobby Magallanes and Pitching Coach Ken Patterson both remain in place, and, like the Naturals, the Travs were joined this season by a new Hitting Coach (Travs' new Hitting Coach is Francisco Matos).
The peak of this fountain of youth that has found the Travelers is rooted in their pitching. Coming into this series, the Travelers have the Texas League's best earned run average at 3.28, over half a run better than the second-ranked Tulsa Drillers' staff. Three-fifths of their starting rotation occupies three of the top four spots on the Texas League's ERA leaderboard including spectacular lefty Trevor Reckling (1.90 ERA), who has already beaten the Naturals twice, Trevor Bell (2.23), and Tommy Mendoza (3.12). In fact, the Travelers are so deep in pitching that they are using Bobby Mosebach, a key starter from last year's playoff team, in the bullpen as a co-closer with David Herndon, who ranks fifth in the loop with eight saves.
Recent injuries to infielder Ryan Mount and outfielder Peter Bourjos, as well as the promotion of mainstay Ben Johnson to Triple-A Salt Lake has netted the Travs a few new veteran players; INF Jay Caligiuri (signed from independent ball), OF Val Majewski (played last season in Corpus Christi), and OF Brandon Florence (veteran player originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles).
But the young players that the Travs have are quite talented, as the Travs roster includes no fewer than five of the Angels' top ten prospects according to Baseball America, and eight of the Angels' top 30 prospects. Those prospects to watch are RHP Jordan Walden (#1), OF Peter Bourjos (#2), LHP Trevor Reckling (#3, starts the first game of the series), C Hank Conger (#6), 1B Mark Trumbo (#7), 2B Ryan Mount (#13), RHP David Herndon (#27), and SS Hainley Statia (#28). The Travs also can boast the organization's best hitter for average (Conger), the best power hitter (Trumbo), the fastest baserunner (Bourjos), the best fastball (Walden), best control (Herndon), and best defensive outfielder (also Bourjos). Both Bourjos and Mount are on the disabled list for this series.
The returning players from last year's roster who were mainstays include the first baseman Mark Trumbo as well as SS Hainley Statia, veteran OF Coby Smith, and Nate Sutton, a second baseman turned everyday utility man. Naturals fans who attended the playoff game against the Travelers in September should also fondly remember Hank Conger, who had joined the Travs only for the postseason after his 2008 club, Class-A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga, lost a one-game play-in to the Inland Empire 66ers and failed to make the California League Playoffs. Conger drove in four runs in the September 6th game at Arvest Ballpark, which were among 13 runs he drove in during the playoffs. He got off to a slow start as he focused on his catching skills (he caught just ten games last season because he was rehabbing injuries for much of the season) but has been swinging it well lately, batting .333 in the month of June thus far.
Just like last year, the Naturals and Travelers are expected to play close games that are dominated by pitching. The Travs, as mentioned, certainly bring that to the table with their #1 ranked pitching staff. For their part the Naturals staff has a 4.56 ERA and is currently sixth in the loop. The Travs struggle at the offensive end, however, and their .249 average trails the league, and 216 runs is also last in the loop. The Naturals are ranked fifth with a .269 average and have scored 273 runs, which is fourth in the Texas League. Only San Antonio has hit fewer homers than have the Travs (26), but one thing the Travs are good at offensively is avoiding the strikeout, as their 322 strikeouts are the lowest total in the loop. Their pitching staff also has issued the second fewest number of walks (179) and allowed by far the fewest homers (21).
Northwest Arkansas won the regular season series last year, 18-12, including an 11-5 mark at Arvest Ballpark. For that, the Diamond Cup resided in Springdale all off-season. This season the Naturals are 5-6 against the Travs, including a 4-2 mark at Dickey Stephens Park in North Little Rock. If you include the playoff series from last season, coming into this series the all-time series between the Naturals and the Travs is knotted up at 23 games apiece.
PITCHING MATCHUPS: Wednesday's pitching matchup pits right-hander Blake Wood against right-hander Jordan Walden for the Travs. Thursday's double-header will feature Dan Cortes in his third re-match with lefty Trevor Reckling for the first game, then the starters for the second game have yet to be determined. Friday will see right-hander Anthony Lerew face lefty Mike Anton, and the series wraps Saturday with right-hander Blake Johnson for the Naturals against Travelers' right-hander Tommy Mendoza.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. The Naturals have a toll-free ticket hotline (1-877-444-2637) for fans to purchase Naturals tickets. Our website, nwanaturals.com offers fans the opportunity to purchase tickets online and avoid lines at the ticket windows by printing their tickets at home or at the office.
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
