PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

Royals Game Notes

May 16, 2008 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


MAY 16, 2008, 8:05 p.m.: OMAHA ROYALS (17-20) at Albuquerque (20-18)

HOME: 11-11 (45-27 in '07) AWAY: 6-9 (28-44 in '07) vs. Albuquerque: 2-2 (5-11 in '07)

TONIGHT: After getting rained out in Albuquerque last night, the Royals visit Isotopes Park to belatedly open a 4-game road trip.

Omaha is coming off a 2-6 home stand and was swept in the final 4 games by the Tacoma Rainiers. The Royals split a four-game set vs. Albuquerque to open the season last month at Rosenblatt Stadium. 1st pitch is 8:05 p.m., with the pre-game show on the air at 7:45 p.m. on News Talk 1420 KOTK and at www.oroyals.com.

LAST GAME: For the 2nd time in 3 games, Shawn Garrett blasted a 3-run homer off Neal Musser in the Rainiers' final at-bat Tuesday, lifting Tacoma to the series sweep. Garrett's home run came with 2 outs and gave Tacoma a 4-1 victory. Musser (0-4) had relieved starter Brandon Duckworth with 2 outs in the 8th and the potential go-ahead run at 3rd and struck out Tug Hulett. In the 9th, Musser retied the leadoff batter, but after a throwing error by Mike Aviles, Musser walked hot-hitting Victor Diaz, who had homered in 3 of his previous 6 trips to the plate. Musser fanned Bryan LaHair, before yielding Garrett's game-deciding home run. Jake Woods (2-1) picked up the win, giving up 1 hit but no runs in 1.2 innings and surviving 2 wild pitches in the bottom of the 8th that moved Brian Buchanan to 3rd base.

ROYALS REPORT: Musser's previous relief appearance was in game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader vs. Tacoma, when he entered the game to begin the top of the 7th inning with the Royals leading 2-0. He walked the 1st 2 batters, then struck out LaHair, before Garrett hit Musser's 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for a 3-run homer to give the Rainiers a 3-2 victory. In 32 relief appearances for Omaha in 2007, Musser was 4-1 with a 0.49 ERA, allowing just 1 home run and 11 walks in 55.1 innings. He gave up just 1 unearned run over his 1st 45.2 innings last season. In 15 outings for the Royals this season, Musser's ERA stands at 4.29 and he has surrendered 5 gopher balls and 14 walks over 21.0 innings. *** Duckworth's strong start Tuesday lowered his ERA from 6.04 to 5.00. The 7.2-inning effort marked the longest start by a Royals pitcher this season. He made 89 pitches and 57 were strikes. It was a nice rebound from his previous start last Thursday vs. Portland, when Duckworth had to be lifted with no outs in the 3rd inning, after allowing 4 runs and only throwing 31 of 70 pitches for strikes. *** Right-hander Carlos Rosa, who was 4-2 for Double-A Northwest Arkansas and leading the Texas League with a 1.20 ERA, has been promoted to Omaha and is expected to make his Triple-A debut Saturday night. In 8 starts for the Naturals, the 23-year old native of the Dominican Republic allowed just 30 hits in 45.0 innings, walking 7 while striking out 42 and holding opposing batters to a .189 average. He was even more dominant over his last 4 outings, going 3-0 with a 0.36 ERA (25.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 BB, 26 K). Former Albuquerque lefty Paul Mildren has been sent from Omaha to Northwest Arkansas. The Australian lefty made 4 relief appearances for the Royals, posting a 2.70 ERA. *** The Royals are on a season-long, 4-game losing skid and have dropped 11 of their last 14 contests. Omaha's loss Tuesday gives the team a 0-7 record this season in games decided in the final at-bat. *** Mitch Maier had 1 hit Tuesday, with his 6th inning single extending his hitting streak to 17 games. It's the longest hit string for a Royal this year and is the 4th-longest streak in the PCL, as well as the longest active streak in the league. During the streak, Maier is hitting .375 (27-for-72) with 4 home runs, 11 RBI and 14 runs scored. *** Aviles had a rare 0-for-4 at the plate Tuesday. Over the past 25 tilts, he's batting .376 (41-for-109) with 12 doubles, 4 triples, 4 homers, 18 RBI and 22 runs scored. *** Mike Stodolka had a double in 4 at-bats Tuesday, giving him a 4-game hitting streak (.353, 6-for-17, 3 RBI, 4 R). The hot stretch has raised his average 26 points to .263. *** Over his last 22 games, Damon Hollins is batting .147 (11-for-75), dipping his average from .226 to .179. Hollins collected 12 walks in his 1st 9 contests, but just 7 bases-on-balls over the past 23 games. *** KC opens a 3-game series vs. the 'Topes parent club, the Florida Marlins, tonight in Miami.

STARTERS: RH Kyle Davies (4-2, 2.43) vs. RH Frankie De La Cruz (5-1, 5.40)

Davies makes his 8th start of the season. The 24-year old right-hander's 2.43 ERA ranks 4th in the PCL. His last outing was last Friday vs. Portland, when he got the win in the Royals' 9-5 triumph (6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR). This is Davies' 2nd start of the season vs. Albuquerque. He faced the Isotopes in the opener of a May 5 doubleheader at Rosenblatt; he was not involved in the decision as the Royals won 8-3 (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 3 K). Davies was acquired by KC from Atlanta in exchange for reliever Octavio Dotel on July 31, 2007. He began last season with the Braves and was 4-8 with a 5.76 ERA in 17 starts. Following the trade, he went 3-7 and posted a 6.66 ERA in 11 starts for KC. Davies made his KC debut last August 4 at Yankee Stadium, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits in 3.0 innings and surrendering Alex Rodriguez' 500th career home run. He earned a win in his Kauffman Stadium debut vs. Minnesota, firing 6.2 shutout innings in a 1-0 victory. In 2006, he opened the season in the Braves starting rotation, but underwent surgery to repair a torn right groin on May 19 and was on the D.L. until September 1. Davies began his big league career with Atlanta in 2005 by recording 14.0 straight scoreless innings, the most by a Braves rookie starter to open his career since Larry McWilliams (14.1) in 1978. In 2004, he was named the Phil Niekro Award Winner as the top pitcher in the Braves organization and was selected to Baseball America's minor league All-Star 2nd team. Davies was selected by Atlanta in the 4th round of the 2001 draft out of Stockbridge High School in Georgia. Kyle is his middle name - his given name is Hiram.

PROBABLES FOR REMAINDER OF SEIRES:

Sat., 8:05 p.m.: RH Carlos Rosa (NR) vs. LH Chris Seddon (2-2, 4.50)

Sun., 2:35 p.m.: RH Matt Wright (0-1, 4.41) vs. RH Bobby Keppel (5-2, 6.42)

Sun., Gm. 2.: RH Jeff Fulchino (1-1, 4.07) vs. RH Dallas Trahern (0-3, 9.37)

Check out the Omaha Storm Chasers Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 16, 2008


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