PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

Royals Game Notes

Published on July 2, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


TONIGHT: The Royals visit Principal Park for game 3 of a 4-game series vs. Iowa. 1st pitch is 7:05 p.m. The Cubs lead this series 2-0 and are 8-2 vs. Omaha this season. Iowa is in 1st place in the Pacific Coast League's American Conference North, with Memphis 5.0 games back and Omaha 8.0 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.

LAST NIGHT: Iowa scored 7 runs in the 4th inning to take a 9-0 lead and cruised to a 10-4 win. Casey McGehee singled to lead off the 4th and scored the Cubs' 1st run. He came up later in the frame and plated the final run with another single for Iowa's 7th and final hit of the outburst. McGehee and Micah Hoffpauir each had 3 hits and 2 RBI on the night. Felix Pie returned to the Cubs' lineup after more than a week on the DL with a sprained left thumb and knocked in 2 runs on 2 hits, including a sol homer. Mike Burns (6-5) won in relief of Kevin Hart. Burns allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits over 4.1 innings. Royals starter Matt Wright (3-5) took the loss, giving up 8 runs on 7 hits in 3.0 stanzas.

ROYALS REPORT: In losing 8 of their 10 meetings with Iowa this season, the Royals have been out-scored 66-35. The Cubs have dominated the series in team batting average (.300 to .223) and in team ERA (3.08 to 6.21). *** Playing in all of the 10 games vs. Omaha, McGehee has gone 14-for-37 (.378) with a home run and has driven in 10 runs. Hoffpauir (6 games), Josh Kroeger (7 games) and Pie (9 games) all have 7 RBI vs. the Royals. *** The 8 runs allowed last night by Wright matched the season high for an Omaha pitcher. It's been done 3 times, with Wright the victim twice. His ERA rose from 5.38 to 6.06, a full 2 runs higher than his 4.06 ERA of last season, which ranked 7th in the PCL. Wright, who had allowed just 1 home run in his previous 3 starts, gave up 2 solo shots Tuesday night. His 18 home runs allowed this season are tied for most in the league. *** Iowa's 7-run 4th inning equaled the biggest inning for an Omaha opponent this year. *** Gookie Dawkins hit his 3rd homer last night in his 17th game with Omaha. His blast leading off the 7th inning extended his hitting streak to 7 games. During the string, he's 8-for-23 (.348) with 2 homers and 8 RBI. *** Damon Hollins was hitless in 4 at-bats Tuesday night, halting his hitting streak at 11 games. During the string, which dated back to June 8, Hollins hit .364 (16-for-44) with 3 home runs and 8 RBI. *** Shane Costa has hit in 11 of his 13 contests, batting at a .353 pace (18-for-51) with a homer and 8 RBI. *** In the 1st 2 games of this series, Omaha batters have struck out 24 times. *** Tonight's starter for Iowa, Justin Berg, has made 2 starts vs. the Royals in 2008 and has a 0.00 ERA over 7.2 innings.

STARTERS: RH Roman Colon (2-2, 4.58) vs. RH Justin Berg (3-4, 6.49)

Colon makes his 4th start (13th appearance) with Omaha. The 28-year old right-hander's last outing was in relief vs. Oklahoma in game 2 of a doubleheader last Sunday; he was not involved in the decision as the Royals won 10-8 (1.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR). Colon has faced Iowa twice, going 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA and 1 save. He's 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in his 3 starts, and is 2-1 with a 5.04 ERA and 1 save out of the bullpen. Colon has pitched better at Rosenblatt than on the road, going 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA and 1 save in 6 relief appearances at home, while posting a 1-1 record and a 5.66 ERA in 6 games (3 starts) on the road. He opened this season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, going 2-1 with a 5.29 ERA and 1 save in 10 relief outings. Colon was acquired by KC from Detroit on July 13, 2007 for a player to be named (Danny Christensen). He struggled with injuries last season, limiting him to a combined 12 appearances between Toledo, Erie and Omaha. 2007 marked the 1st season since 2003 that Colon did not spend time in the Major Leagues. He was sent to Omaha on a rehab assignment last August 3, but it was ended a week later after only 1 relief appearance and he underwent elbow surgery to remove bone chips. In 2006, Colon spent most of the season with Detroit, going 2-0 with a 4.89 ERA and 1 save in 20 games (1 start); he missed all of April due to a right shoulder strain and his season ended on August 14 due to neck spasms. He was acquired by the Tigers along with Zach Miner from Atlanta in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth on July 31, 2005. Colon, who resides in Monte Cristi, D.R., was originally signed by the Braves as a non-drafted free agent on August 14, 1995.

PROBABLES FOR REMAINDER OF SERIES:

Thur., 7:05 p.m.: RH Carlos Rosa (3-1, 3.60) vs. LH J.R. Mathes (5-3, 3.33)

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 2, 2008


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