PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

Royals Game Notes

Published on September 3, 2007 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


SEPTEMBER 3, 2007, 1:05 p.m.: OMAHA ROYALS (72-71) @ Iowa Cubs (79-64)

HOME: 45-27 (31-41 in '06) AWAY: 27-44 (22-50 in '06) vs. Iowa: 9-6 (5-11 in '06)

TODAY: The Royals face the Iowa Cubs at 1:05 p.m. at Principal Park, in the final game of the 2007 season. Omaha leads the series 2-1 and is 3-4 on the trip. Air-time is 12:45 p.m on News Talk 1420 KOTK and at www.Oroyals.com.

SUNDAY: Richard Lewis delivered an RBI single to snap a 1-1 tie in the 10th inning and the Royals edged Iowa 2-1. Derek Wathan led off the 10th with a double off Ben Howard (6-8) and, 1 out later, took 3rd on a wild pitch. Lewis then singled to left-center to knock in the decisive run. Lewis had singled and scored in the 6th inning on an RBI single by Fernando Cortez, but the Cubs tied it in the 7th when Koyie Hill stroked a leadoff double and later scored on Josh Kroeger's single to tie the game at 1-1. Roberto Giron (2-5) got the win, firing 2.0 scoreless innings of 1-hit relief, striking out 3.

ROYALS REPORT: Sunday's win guarantees the Royals (72-71) a .500 record for the season and at 9-6 vs. Iowa, a winning record vs. the Cubs. The Royals' last winning season was in 2002, when they finished 76-68. Omaha was 72-72 in 2005. The last time Omaha won a season series vs. Iowa was in 2000, when the Golden Spikes were 10-6 vs. the Cubs. *** Ben Hendrickson turned in another quality start on Sunday, allowing 1 run on 4 hits over 8.0 innings, walking 3 and striking out 5. Over his last 9 games, including 4 starts, Hendrickson was 4-0 with a sparkling 0.71 ERA, yielding just 4 earned runs in 50.2 innings. He led the Royals in wins, going 11-5, while his 4.12 ERA currently ranks 9th in the Pacific Coast League. *** Giron has tossed 11.0 consecutive scoreless innings, giving up just 4 hits. In the 2nd half of the season, he was 2-1 with a 1.54 ERA and 2 saves. At the All-Star break, Giron was 0-4 with a 5.22 ERA and 4 saves. He's 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 4 relief outings vs. Iowa, surrendering only 1 earned run in 9.0 frames. *** Justin Huber went 1-for-4 yesterday, stroking his 13th double of the season in his 1st at-bat. That extended the Aussie outfielder's hitting streak to 7 games. He's batting .385 (10-26) with 3 home runs, 6 RBI and 4 runs scored during the streak. *** Craig Brazell struck out in all 4 of his at-bats Sunday, becoming just the 2nd Royal to wear the "golden sombrero" this season. The Royals did not have a batter whiff 4 times in a game this season until last Tuesday at Nashville, when Mitch Maier was the 1st to do it. Over the past 8 contests, Brazell is hitting .121 (4-33) and has struck out 14 times. The Royals equaled a season high yesterday by whiffing 13 times, marking the 3rd time that has happened in the last 8 games. *** Cortez is just 2-for-10 in this series, but he's hitting .462 (12-26) in 7 games vs. Iowa, knocking in 4 runs and scoring 6 times. The only Royal with a higher average vs. the Cubs is Paul Phillips. The Omaha catcher, who had Sunday off, is batting .480 (12-25) with a homer and 4 RBI vs. Iowa.

STARTERS: RH Luke Hochevar (1-3, 5.37) vs. RH Joel Santo (NR)

Hochevar, who was KC's 1st-ever #1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, makes his 10th start for Omaha. The 23-year old right-hander's last start was last Wednesday at Nashville; a no-decision as the Royals won 3-2 in 15 innings (8.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R- 1ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HR). In 2 starts vs. Iowa, he's 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA. Hochevar began the season at Double-A Wichita, going 3-6 with a 4.69 ERA in 17 games, including 16 starts (94.0 IP, 110 H, 26 BB, 94 K, 13 HR). At the time of his promotion, his 94 strikeouts led the Texas League. His best month was June, when he posted a 3.23 ERA in 5 starts, although he went 0-1. On June 26, Hochevar started for the North team in the 2007 Texas League All-Star Game. He also pitched for the U.S. team at the All-Star Futures Game in San Francisco, firing a scoreless inning. After signing with KC on August 4, 2006, Hochevar made 4 starts for Class-A Burlington (IA), going 0-1 with a 1.17 ERA. He also made 2 starts for Wichita in the playoffs last season, going 1-1 with a 9.82 ERA. Hochevar made just 3 starts in the Arizona Fall League for Grand Canyon before being shut down with shoulder soreness; he was 0-0 with an 8.64 ERA. Entering this season, he was ranked by Baseball America as KC's #2 prospect, behind only Alex Gordon, and was tabbed as having the Best Curveball in the Royals' system. A Colorado native, he was a 3-year standout at the University of Tennessee, finishing his college career with a 25-10 record and a 3.05 ERA and 287 strikeouts, which ranked 2nd in school history. As a junior in 2005, he was 15-3 with a 2.26 ERA, helping lead the Vols to the College World Series. Following the 2005 season, he won numerous honors, including the Roger Clemens National Pitcher of the Year award. Hochevar was a supplemental 1st round pick of the Dodgers in the 2005 draft, but did not sign. His father, Brian, played pro basketball with the Denver Nuggets in 1979.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 3, 2007


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