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TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Blewett Strong, Naturals Blanked, 3-0

August 12, 2019 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Right-hander, Scott Blewett, pitched well over his limited start in the series opener against the Arkansas Travelers on Monday night; but Northwest Arkansas failed to find a way to score as the Travelers took game one of the four-game series, 3-0 at Dickey-Stephens Park.

Blewett (0-2, 6.13 ERA) looked strong early in the outing, putting down the first four batters faced with a pair of strikeouts. He tip-toed around damage in the second and allowed a single-run in the third inning on a two-out double. The relay to the plate was on-target, the Traveler baserunner, Luis Liberato, jarred the ball loose from Freddy Fermin's mitt to score the first run of the contest.

The Travelers scored twice more off Blewett in the fourth inning with one run charged as unearned. The few two men reached base via a walk and an error and Arkansas capitalized to plate two.

Blewett fanned seven - the most strikeouts in a start this season since he punched-out 10 on April 20 with Triple-A, Omaha - over four and one-third inning, limited to 85 pitches, he threw 82. He walked two and scattered four hits allowed three runs, two earned in a strong start.

Northwest Arkansas (47-70/16-33) made three outs on the bases in the first four innings, thwarting any rallies against Arkansas starter, Ljay Newsome (3-2, 1.63 ERA). The Naturals out-hit the Travelers, 7-6 with doubles by Gabriel Cancel and Dairon Blanco. Cancel's double gives him 28 on the season, good for second-most in the Texas League.

Blanco finished with a pair of hits as did Khalil Lee. The Naturals brought the tying run in Cancel to the plate in the ninth inning against the Travelers closer, Art Warren. But Cancel grounded-out, sharply, the end the contest, giving Warren his league-best 15th save of the year.

The series continues on Tuesday night with a pitching match-up of two 2018 first round draft picks. Right-hander, Jackson Kowar (2-5, 3.25 ERA) takes the hill for the 10th time as a Natural against right-hander, Logan Gilbert (2-2, 3.45 ERA) who will make his sixth start for the Travelers. The Royals selected Kowar 33rd overall out the University of Florida in 2018 and the Mariners picked Gilbert 14th overall out of Stetson University. Both pitchers are considers top-five prospects in the their respective organizations by MLB Pipeline.

Join the "Voice of the Naturals," Benjamin Kelly on 92.1-FM, the Ticket and the Naturals Radio Network for a 6:50 Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show leading up to the 7:10 p.m.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark. For more information, including statistics, ticket options, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.

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Texas League Stories from August 12, 2019


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.

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