PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

Omaha Royals Game Notes

Published on April 15, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


APRIL 15, 2008, 6:00 p.m.: OMAHA ROYALS (7-4) at Nashville Sounds (2-10)

HOME: 5-2 (45-27 in ‘07) AWAY: 2-2 (28-44 in '07) vs. Nashville: 0-0 (7-9 in '07)

TONIGHT: The Royals visit Herschel Greer Stadium in Nashville to open a 4-game series with the Sounds. Omaha is 2-2 on the trip, after splitting a series at Memphis. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m., with the pre-game show on the air at 5:40 p.m. on News Talk 1420-AM KOTK and at www.oroyals.com.

LAST NIGHT: Jorge De La Rosa and 2 relievers clamped down the Redbirds' bats, allowing just 6 hits in a 4-1 victory to earn the series split. De La Rosa (1-0) went 5.0 innings, giving up the run on 4 hits. He did not walk a batter, striking out 4. Joel Peralta followed with 2.0 innings of scoreless relief, allowing a hit and striking out 2 batters. Neal Musser finished with 2.0 frames of 1-hit ball, walking 2 and fanning 2, while registering his 3rd save. Angel Berroa went 3-for-4, including a solo homer and Ryan Shealy also hit a solo shot. Mike Aviles and Chris Lubanski each had 2 hits and 1 RBI.

ROYALS REPORT: De La Rosa owns a 1.86 ERA after 2 starts, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits over 9.2 innings, walking 3 and striking out 9. *** Peralta has not allowed a run in 10.0 innings over his 1st 4 relief appearances. He's 1 of only 3 PCL pitchers with a 0.00 ERA after having pitched enough innings to qualify for the league's ERA race. *** Musser's 3 saves are tied for 2nd-most in the loop, 2 saves behind Salt Lake's Jose Arredondo. *** Aviles last night collected his 12th RBI, tied for 2nd-most in the PCL. He also picked up his 6th double (tied for 5th), which was his 10th extra-base hit (tied for 2nd). Omaha's 2nd baseman is on a 4-game hit streak, having hit safely in each game at AutoZone Park (.389, 7-18, 1 HR, 5 RBI). *** Berroa recorded his 2nd home run, 2nd 3-hit game and 1st stolen base of the season Monday night. His .410 batting average ranks 9th in the league. *** Shane Costa drilled his 7th double last night, tied for 2nd-most in the PCL, which extended his hitting streak to 7 games. During the streak, he's batting .393 (11-for-28). *** Shealy homered in his 1st at-bat last night, after going deep in his final at-bat on Sunday, which was his 1st home run in 6 games. His 4 round-trippers lead Omaha and are tied for 3rd-most in the league. *** Lubanski broke out of a 1-for-23 slump with singles in each of his last 2 at-bats Monday. *** Jason Smith was 1-for-5 last night, but became the 1st Royal to strike out 4 times in a game this season, after becoming the 1st to whiff 3 times in a game on Saturday night. He was 1-for-16 with 7 K's in the Memphis set. *** Former O-Royals pitcher Brian Bannister (2007) and former Omaha outfielder Raul Ibanez (2001) were named yesterday as the American League's Co-Players of the Week. Bannister won both of his starts last week and is 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA on the season. Ibanez hit .370 with 4 homers and 11 RBI last week, but was 0-for-4 last night as Zack Greinke followed Bannister's lead and posted KC's 2nd straight complete game, tossing a 5-hitter in a 5-1 win at Seattle.

STARTERS: RH Luke Hochevar (0-1, 3.97) vs. LH Chris Narveson (0-2, 4.50)

Hochevar makes the 3rd start of his 3rd professional season. The 24-year old right-hander's last outing was last Wednesday vs. Round Rock. He had not allowed a hit and had a 3-2 lead entering the 6th inning, when David Newhan broke up the no-hitter by leading off with an infield single. Newhan eventually scored the tying run and Hochevar settled for a no-decision in a game that Omaha wound up winning 4-3 (5.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R-2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). In 2007, he began the season with Wichita and wound up in the Majors. Hochevar was 3-6 with a 4.69 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) for Wichita. He started the Texas League All-Star Game and pitched for the U.S. team in the Futures Game on July 8 in San Francisco. He led the Texas League with 94 strikeouts at the time of his promotion to Omaha on July 11. In ten starts for the O-Royals, he went 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA. He faced the Sounds once in '07, starting at Nashville on August 29, when he allowed just 2 runs (1 earned) in 8.0 innings, but received a no-decision as Omaha needed 15 frames to prevail 3-2. Hochevar was recalled by KC on September 4 and made his big league debut on September 8 in relief vs. the Yankees, tossing 3.0 shutout innings. He owned a 0.93 ERA in 3 relief appearances before starting KC's season finale vs. Cleveland on September 30, when he took the loss, allowing 2 runs in 3.0 innings. Hochevar became KC's 1st-ever #1 pick overall in the 2006 draft and signed on August 4. In 2005, he was 15-3 with a 2.26 ERA as a junior at the University of Tennessee, helping lead the Volunteers to the College World Series and winning the Roger Clemens National Pitcher of the Year Award. He was selected in the 1st round of the 2005 draft by the Dodgers, but did not sign. Hochevar's father, Brian, played in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets in 1979.

PROBABLES FOR REMAINDER OF SERIES:

Wed., 12:00: RH Kyle Davies (1-0, 2.25) vs. RH Richie Gardner (0-0, 0.00)

Thur., 7:00: LH Tyler Lumsden (0-1, 5.87) vs. RH Nic Ungs (1-1, 3.72)

Fri., 7:00: RH Matt Wright (0-0, 5.40) vs. LH Lindsay Gulin (0-1, 1.04)

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 15, 2008


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