Royals game notes
June 5, 2006 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release
JUNE 5, 2006, 7:05 p.m. : OMAHA ROYALS (23-34) @ Round Rock Express (32-23)
HOME: 16-15 (35-37 in '05) AWAY: 7-19 (37-35 in '05) vs. Round Rock: 1-8 (10-6 in '05)
TONIGHT: The Royals face the Round Rock Express in a 7:05 p.m. game at The Dell Diamond. It's game 3 of the series, which Round Rock leads 2-0. Air-time is 6:45 p.m. on Magic 1490 and at www.Oroyals.com.
LAST NIGHT: Luke Scott blasted 2 home runs and 3 Round Rock pitchers held the Royals to 6 hits, as the Express cruised to an 8-1 victory and moved into 1st place in the PCL's American Conference South. Royce Huffman's 2-run double in the 3rd inning broke a scoreless tie and Scott led off the 4th inning with his 1st homer of the night to trigger a 3-run outburst. Wade Robinson's 2-run single with 2 outs in the 4th made it 5-0. Scott's 2nd home run of the game and 15th of the season capped a 3-run 7th. Chris Baker (6-1) posted the win, allowing a run on 4 hits and no walks in 5.1 frames. Ryan Baerlocher (2-3) took the loss in his 3rd start, yielding 5 runs on 7 hits over 5.0 innings.
ROYALS REPORT: The Royals matched their season high last night by losing for the 7th straight time on the road. Omaha has dropped 14 of its last 15 road games, going winless in 6 games at The Dell Diamond during that span. On the season, the Royals are now 7-19 on the road, after going 6-5 in their 1st 11 contests away from home. *** The Royals have lost 8 of 9 meetings with the Express. In the season series, Omaha has hit .185 as a team, with 5 home runs and 25 runs scored in the 9 games (2.78 runs per game). Round Rock is hitting .298 vs. Royals pitchers, smacking 12 homers and scoring 50 runs. The Express pitchers have posted a 2.65 ERA in the season series, while Omaha hurlers have a combined 5.74 ERA. *** The Royals are back to their roster limit of 24 active players with 2 moves today: J.P. Howell has been activated from the disabled list and will make his 1st start tonight in over a month. Shortstop Andres Blanco rejoins Omaha from KC, having been optioned back to Triple-A when Mark Teahen was recalled Saturday. Blanco, who went up to KC on May 19, played in 6 games. He hit .176 (3-17) with a double and a run scored. In 38 games with Omaha to begin the season, Blanco hit .282 with a 5 doubles, 4 triples, a home run, 14 RBI and 13 runs scored. *** Chad Allen, who was on the shelf for 10 days (11 games) with a tight hamstring, returned to the Royals lineup last night. He went 1-for-4, collecting a 1st inning single that extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Allen is hitting .444 (20-45) during the streak, which equals the longest hit string of the season for an Omaha batter, set by Teahen. *** Mike Aviles reached on an infield single in the 9th inning last night, giving him 1 hit in 7 consecutive contests (..259, 7-27). *** Aaron Guiel plated the Royals' only run last night with a sacrifice fly. After spending most of May with KC, Guiel is 1-for-10 in 4 games back with Omaha, although he has coaxed 4 walks and been hit a pitch twice.
STARTERS: LH J.P. Howell (3-2, 5.67) vs. RH Jared Gothreaux (2-3, 4.59)
Howell makes his 6th start of the season. Due to stiffness in his left shoulder, it's Howell's 1st start since April 30, which was his only outing vs. Round Rock. That day at Rosenblatt, Howell took the loss in a 7-3 defeat (5.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 2 HR). In 2005, Howell raced through 3 levels of the minors and got his first taste of the big leagues in just his 2nd professional season. He began the season with Class-A High Desert, making 8 starts before jumping to Double-A Wichita - where he made just 3 starts before being promoted to Omaha. In 7 starts at Triple-A, Howell went 3-1 and posted a 4.06 ERA. In his 18 minor league starts combined, he was 8-2 with a 2.83 ERA. Howell had his contract purchased by KC on June 11 and wound up making 15 starts for KC, going 3-5 with a 6.19 ERA. He enjoyed the 2nd-quickest rise through the Royals organization in club history, as only Bo Jackson had a quicker trip to the Majors. Howell was KC's sandwich pick between the 1st and 2nd rounds (31st overall) in the 2004 draft out of the University of Texas. In 2004 with Texas, he was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and a finalist for the Roger Clemens Award, given annually to the top college pitcher.
PROBABLES FOR REMAINDER OF SERIES:
Tue., 7:05: RH Kyle Snyder (0-4, 3.88) vs. RH Ezequiel Astacio (1-1, 3.74)
Pacific Coast League Stories from June 5, 2006
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- River Cats lose third straight - Sacramento River Cats
- Beavers drop third straight at Tucson - Portland Beavers
- Seven-run ninth propels Isotopes past Sounds - Nashville Sounds
- New Orleans clips 'Birds 4-2 - Memphis Redbirds
- âTopes erupt for seven in the 9th, win 8-1 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Z's top RedBirds 4-2 - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Howell not a factor in Express loss - Round Rock Express
- RedHawks comeback for 3-2 win over Iowa - Oklahoma City Comets
- Astacio allows two runs for Z's - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Tony Gwynn Named Brewers' Minor League Player-of-the-Month For May - Nashville Sounds
- Oklahoma RedHawks Game Notes - Oklahoma City Comets
- Pacific Coast League names players of the week - PCL1
- Royals game notes - Omaha Storm Chasers
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