PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

Royals Game Notes

Published on June 10, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


TONIGHT: The Omaha Royals visit Zephyr Field in New Orleans for game 2 of a 4-game series and a 16-game road trip. The Zephyrs lead this series 1-0 and are 3-2 in the season series. Tonight's 1st pitch is 7:00 p.m., with the pre-game show on the air at 6:40 p.m. on News Talk 1420 KOTK and at www.oroyals.com.

LAST NIGHT: Omaha dropped its 5th straight, losing the series opener 10-4. New Orleans scored 3 runs before the 1st out in the bottom of the 1st off Royals starter Matt Wright. Chris Aguila led the Zephyrs, going 5-for-5 with a home run, 5 RBI and 2 runs scored. The top 2 batters in the Z's lineup, Anderson Hernandez and Argenis Reyes, each had 2 hits, 1 RBI and 3 runs scored. Wright (1-3) was tagged for 8 runs on 10 hits over 5.0 innings. New Orleans starter Willie Collazo (4-2) earned the win, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits over 6.0 stanzas. David Matranga had 3 hits for the Royals, including a double and a solo homer. One of Billy Butler's 2 hits was a 2-run double.

ROYALS REPORT: The Royals' 5-game losing skid is their longest of the year. The longest previous losing streak was 4 games, which occurred when Tacoma swept a May 11-13 series at Rosenblatt. *** The 8 earned runs allowed by Wright matched the most off an Omaha pitcher in a game this season. Tyler Lumsden was the 1st Royals hurler to give up that many earned runs in a contest. The Royals still managed to win that April 24th game at home, edging Nashville 12-11. Wright's ERA jumped from 4.85 to 5.64 last night; he owns a 6.75 ERA in 6 starts on the road, compared to a 4.50 ERA in 6 outings at home. Wright surrendered Aguila's 17th home run of the year, 3rd-most in the PCL. It was the 15th gopher ball given up by Wright, tying him with Oklahoma's Eric Hurley for most home runs allowed in the league. The 22-year old Hurley, who ranks 2nd in the PCL with 72 K's, is expected to be promoted by Texas to make his Major League debut this Thursday at KC. *** When Carlos Rosa and the O-Royals beat Hurley and his RedHawks 5-2 at Rosenblatt May 27, that marked the last time a Royals starter has earned a win. In the 12 games since then, Omaha starters are 0-6 with a 5.79 ERA (39 ER in 60.2 IP). *** Aguila's 5 hits tied the season high for an opposing batter. Portland's Chase Headley was the 1st to do it, on May 8 at Rosenblatt, in a game won by the Beavers 8-7. Aguila's 5 RBI were one shy of the most by an Omaha foe this year. George Lombard drove in 6 runs in a 7-inning tilt on May 18 at Albuquerque, leading the Isotopes to an 11-2 win in the opener of a twinbill. *** Matranga, whose 3 hits Monday night equaled his season best, had been in a 2-for-20 (.100) funk over his last 7 games. The home run was his 2nd in 30 games with Omaha and his 1st since May 6, a span of 22 contests. *** Butler is riding a season-best, 6-game hitting streak. He's 10-for-22 (.455) with a home run and 7 RBI over that stretch. *** On the day he was named PCL Batter of the Week, Damon Hollins began this week by going 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored last night. Over his last 6 games, he's 9-for-20 (.450), has belted 3 home runs, knocked in 8 runs and scored 5 times. *** Ryan Shealy returned to the Royals lineup last Friday, after missing almost a month with a strained left hamstring.. He was 0-for-4 in that 1st game back, but is 4-for-10 in 3 games since.

STARTERS: RH Brandon Duckworth (2-5, 4.87) vs. RH Ruddy Lugo (4-4, 3.71)

Duckworth makes his 8th consecutive start, after opening the season in Omaha's bullpen and making 6 relief appearances. The 32-year old right-hander took the rotation spot of Mike Maroth, who was released by KC after going 0-2 with a 12.91 ERA in 3 starts for Omaha. Duckworth is working on 3 days rest, as his last outing was last Friday in game 1 of a doubleheader vs. Iowa. He took the loss in the Royals' 9-2 defeat (5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R-3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR). He has lost 4 consecutive starts, posting a 4.64 ERA over that span. Duckworth has faced New Orleans once this season, pitching in relief on April 21 at Rosenblatt; he was not involved in the decision in Omaha's 6-2 loss (3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 5 K). The sinkerballer has surrendered 10 home runs in 57.1 innings this season, after allowing just 3 homers in 46.2 innings for KC last year. In 2007, Duckworth made KC's Opening Day roster after being a non-roster invitee at Spring Training, and was 3-5 with a 4.63 ERA and 1 save in 26 games (3 starts). He tore his left oblique last June 13 vs. St. Louis and was placed on the D.L. the next day. In rehab stints with Wilmington and Omaha, he combined for 20 strikeouts and 3 walks in 19.0 innings. He was activated by KC September 1. After opening the 2006 season with the Pirates' Triple-A club, Indianapolis, Duckworth was acquired by KC in exchange for cash on June 10. He went 1-5 with a 6.11 ERA in 10 games (8 starts) for KC, but his ERA jumped from 4.85 to 6.11 in his final 2 appearances, both in relief, before he underwent season-ending elbow surgery on August 15, 2006. Duckworth has spent at least parts of the last 7 seasons in the Majors with the Phillies, Astros and Royals. On August 5, 2002 vs. the Dodgers, he struck out the 1st 6 batters of the game, becoming the 1st big league pitcher to fan that many batters to begin a game since Jim Deshaies struck out a Major League record 8 in a row on Sept. 23, 1986, also vs. the Dodgers. Duckworth was originally signed by the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent on Aug. 13, 1997, after pitching collegiately at Cal State Fullerton.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 10, 2008


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