Royals Game Notes
Published on June 30, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release
TONIGHT: The Royals open a 4-game trip to Principal Park in Des Moines with the 1st of a 4-game series with Iowa. 1st pitch is 7:05 p.m. Omaha is coming off a 2-2 home stand, having split a pair of doubleheaders vs. Oklahoma over the weekend. The Cubs lead the season series vs. the Royals 6-2. Iowa is in 1st place in the Pacific Coast League's American Conference North, with Memphis 3.0 games back and Omaha 6.0 lengths behind. The pre-game show is on the air at 6:45 p.m. on News Talk 1420 KOTK and at www.oroyals.com.
SUNDAY: Dustin Nippert tossed the 1st no-hitter in Oklahoma RedHawks history and the 1st vs. Omaha since 2001, in the opener of a doubleheader to defeat the Royals 2-0. Omaha came back to win the nightcap, 10-8. In game 1, Nippert (6-2) walked 2 and struck out 5 while throwing 51 of his 86 pitches for strikes. The Royals banged out 2 hard grounders that could have been scored as hits. In the 2nd inning, Brian Buchanan's smash to 1st base short-hopped Nate Gold and went off his mitt and was scored as a 2-base error. Ryan Shealy led off the bottom of the 7th with a 1-hopper just to the left of Oklahoma 3rd baseman Travis Metcalf, who tried to flag it without moving and had it tip off his glove and go through to left field. It was scored as an error rather than a single, drawing some boos from the crowd of 5,356. Jason Smith followed by hitting into a 3-6 force play. Buchanan then hit a grounder to short and was thrown out at 1st, while Smith surprisingly rounded 2nd base. Gold easily gunned him down at 3rd base for the final out and Nippert was mobbed on-field by his teammates. Brandon Duckworth (3-7) went the distance for Omaha, but absorbed the tough-luck loss. In game 2, the Royals erased a 2-1 deficit by exploding for 7 runs in the 4th inning and then hung on as Oklahoma scored 4 runs in the 6th and 2 more in the 7th and had runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs in the 7th. Roman Colon got the final out by getting Kevin Richardson to pop out to 1st base. Jeff Fulchino (3-1) staggered to the "W", giving up 4 runs in 2.1 innings. Steve Rowe (3-3) took the loss, yielding 7 runs (2 earned) in 3.1 frames.
ROYALS REPORT: Nippert's no-no was the 1st one involving Omaha since May 6, 2001 at New Orleans, when Brian Powell fired a 9-inning no-hitter for the Zephyrs in a 5-0 win over the Golden Spikes. *** Yesterday's no-hitter was the 1st pitched at Rosenblatt since April 17, 1997 when the Royals' Jim Converse and Allen McDill combined on a 9-inning gem to defeat the Oklahoma City 89ers 2-0. *** Nippert's effort Sunday was the 2nd no-hitter in the PCL this season. Colorado Springs' Franklin Morales combined with 3 relievers to record the 1st-ever no-no in the Springs on May 11, a 5-1 Sky Sox win over Albuquerque. *** The no-hitter yesterday occurred as the Royals were celebrating their 40th season, with players wearing replica 1969 jerseys like those worn in the club's inaugural season. Those game-worn jerseys, autographed by the Royals who wore them, were auctioned to fans during the contest. All of the $4,620 raised by the auction will go to the rebuilding effort at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch north of Omaha that was devastated on June 11 by a tornado that claimed the lives of four teenage Boy Scouts. *** Sunday's no-hitter was the 14th involving Omaha in the 40-year history of the franchise, with 8 of those having been thrown by the opposing team. However, the Royals are 7-7 in no-hit games. On May 8, 1969 Scipio Spinks of Oklahoma City no-hit the Royals in 6.0 innings, but Omaha won the game, 2-1. *** Duckworth's complete game Sunday was his 1st since July 5, 2001. That season, he was 13-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 22 games (20 starts) for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Ironically, Duckworth's last win this season came on June 10 at New Orleans when he no-hit the Z's for 7.0 innings. He had to settle for being part of a combined 1-hitter when Roberto Giron allowed a single to the hole at short with 1 out in the 8th. *** The 7-run 4th inning in Sunday's nightcap matched the biggest inning of the year for the Royals. Damon Hollins singled to lead off the rally and capped it with a 2-run base knock. He became the 1st Royal to collect 2 hits in an inning since Justin Huber did it on August 18, 2006 in a 12-11 loss vs. Albuquerque.
STARTERS: LH Dusty Hughes (1-0, 0.00) vs. RH Randy Wells (6-3, 3.61)
Hughes, pitching on 7 days' rest, makes his 2nd Triple-A start. The lefty, who turned 26 years old yesterday, had a memorable Triple-A debut last Sunday at New Orleans, combining with Devon Lowery on a 5-hitter to lead the Royals to a 3-0 victory (2 H, 1 BB, 2 K). Hughes opened this season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In 20 games (4 starts) he was 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 3 saves. In 2007, Hughes was named by KC as Double-A Wichita's Pitcher of the Year, after he went 6-2 with a 3.08 ERA and 1 save in 25 games (16 starts). He surrendered only 5 home runs in 108.0 innings last year. Following the season, he was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 6 starts for the Surprise Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, earning AFL Pitcher of the Year honors in a fan vote. Last year was an impressive bounce-back campaign, as Hughes missed the entire 2006 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Entering this season, Hughes was ranked by Baseball America as KC's #28 prospect, 1 spot ahead of infielder Mike Aviles. On April 12, 2004 Hughes combined with Burlington (IA) reliever Jake Mullis on a no-hitter. In his 1st professional season, Hughes was named the 2003 Pitcher of the Year for the Surprise Royals of the Rookie Arizona League, after going 5-2 and ranking 4th in the league with a 2.84 ERA. He was selected by KC in the 11th round of the 2003 draft out of Delta State University in Mississippi, where he earned all-conference and team MVP honors as a junior and senior. Hughes led the Statesmen to the Division II World Series in both 2001 and 2002. The Tupelo, Mississippi native was selected by the Marlins in the 50th round of the 2002 draft, but did not sign.
PROBABLES FOR REMAINDER OF SERIES:
Tue., 7:05 p.m.: RH Matt Wright (3-4, 5.38) vs. RH Kevin Hart (1-1, 3.41)
Wed., 7:05 p.m.: RH Roman Colon (2-2, 4.58) vs. RH Justin Berg (3-4, 6.49)
Thur., 7:05 p.m.: RH Carlos Rosa (3-1, 3.60) vs. LH J.R. Mathes (5-3, 3.33)
Pacific Coast League Stories from June 30, 2008
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