PCL1 Omaha Storm Chasers

Royals Game Notes

Published on August 22, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


TONIGHT: The Royals host the Memphis Redbirds in a 7:05 p.m. game at Rosenblatt Stadium. It's game 3 of a 5-game series, which is tied 1-1. Memphis leads the season series 8-5. It's Werner Enterprises fireworks! Plus, Tom Becka will be on hand signing copies of his new book There is No Business Without the Show. The night is also presented by 1110 KFAB, KETV and The City Weekly. The pre-game show airs at 6:45 p.m. on News Talk 1420 KOTK and at www.oroyals.com.

LAST NIGHT: Memphis scored 4 runs in the 1st inning and blanked the Royals 5-0. Royals starter Tyler Lumsden (3-12) recorded only 2 outs, walking 4 batters. He walked 1 Redbird and hit another with a pitch with the bases full, before yielding a 2-run single to Shane Robinson. Mitchell Boggs (8-3) tossed 5.2 innings, working around 4 hits and 5 walks to get the win and lower his PCL-leading ERA to 3.41. John Wasdin, Mark Worrell and Ron Flores combined for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief as Memphis notched its 5th shutout of 2008.

ROYALS REPORT: Last night marked the 6th time this season the Royals have been shut out. Ironically, the 5th shutout came on June 29 vs. Oklahoma, dropping Omaha to 40-40. The Royals have gone 17-36 since then, but had not been blanked until Thursday night. *** Lumsen is now 0-8 and has a 10.26 ERA this year at Rosenblatt. He's 3-4 with a 4.78 ERA on the road. Sunday's probable starter for the Royals, Matt Wright, is 0-4 at home in 2008 after going 6-1 here last season. *** Royals manager Mike Jirschele had to call upon 5 relievers to take the mound last night, although Greg Atencio took the brunt of the burden by working 4.1 scoreless innings. Since being promoted from Double-A Northwest Arkansas on August 3, Atencio owns a 2.37 ERA in 7 appearances for Omaha, including a 0.96 ERA (1 ER in 9.l IP) at home. *** Devon Lowery hurled a perfect 9th inning last night, extending his scoreless streak to 10.2 innings over his last 6 relief outings. Over the course of the streak, his ERA has dropped from 2.53 to 2.03. *** Omaha pitchers matched a season high Thursday night by notching 14 strikeouts. *** Brayan Pena is riding a 7-game hitting streak. During the string, his longest of the year, he's hitting .400 (10-for-25) with a home run and 4 RBI. *** Since going 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts in his Triple-A debut on August 12, Brett Bigler has hit in 4 straight games, going 6-for-14 (.429). He began the year at High Class-A Wilmington, hitting .197 in 54 games. *** Kila Ka'aihue picked up 2 more walks last night, giving him 16 walks in 23 contests with Omaha. His 96 walks on the season are the most in Minor League Baseball. Ka'aihue also ranks 1st in on-base percentage (.457) among full-season minor leaguers. His .625 slugging percentage is 2nd-best among full-season players, while his 34 home runs are tied for 4th in the minors. *** Chris Lubanski was 2-for-4 last night and is 3-for-7 in the 1st 2 games of this series. In his 14 tilts prior to this series, he was mired in a 4-for-45 (.089) slump. *** Despite the fact the Royals grounded into 3 double plays last night, they also managed to leave 11 runners on base for a 2nd straight game.

STARTERS: RH Clayton Mortensen (5-4, 4.63) vs. LH Dusty Hughes (2-2, 5.09)

Hughes makes his 10th Triple-A start. The 26-year old lefty's last outing was last Sunday at Oklahoma, when he took the loss in a 4-1 defeat (2.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 K). Hughes has faced Memphis once, getting the start on July 5 at Rosenblatt. He was not involved in the decision as the Royals beat the Redbirds 8-6 (5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HR). Hughes had a memorable Triple-A debut on June 22 at New Orleans, combining with Lowery on a 5-hitter in the Royals' 3-0 victory. He opened this season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. In 20 games (4 starts) for the Naturals 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). In 108.0 innings last year, he surrendered only 5 home runs. Following last 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 rebound by Hughes, who missed the entire 2006 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Entering this season, he was ranked by Baseball America as KC's #28 prospect. On April 12, 2004, he combined with Burlington (IA) reliever Jake Mullis on a no-hitter. In his 1st professional season, he 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. Hughes 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. He 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:

Sat., 7:05 p.m.: RH Blake Hawksworth (3-7, 6.87) vs. RH Brandon Duckworth (5-11, 4.75)

Sun., 1:35 p.m.: RH Jess Todd (1-0, 2.13) vs. RH Matt Wright (4-9, 5.52)

Check out the Omaha Storm Chasers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pacific Coast League Stories from August 22, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central