(photo courtesy Eldon Lindsay/Omaha Royals)
The good news is the Omaha Royals eight game road trip is over. The bad news is they won just two games. The Royals have to be ecstatic to be done with a nightmare journey that saw the pitching staff post a 9.63 ERA over the eight games, and allowed 11 or more runs three times.
Matt Wright was the latest Royals starting pitcher to turn in a less than impressive outing, lasting just four innings, and giving the Colorado Springs Skysox all the runs they would need in the first two frames.
Eric Young Jr., who would prove to be a large thorn in the side of the Royals this night, opened the bottom of the first with a bunt single. Four of the next five batters reached base, punctuated by a bases loaded triple by grizzled vet, Mark Bellhorn.
The Royals threatened in the top of the second inning, after J.R. House walked and Travis Metcalf singled with just one out, but Cory Aldridge popped out, and Jose Duarte lined out, ending the threat.
Jonathan Herrera led off the bottom of the second with a walk, and Eric Young Jr. followed with yet another bunt base hit. Herrera was driven in thanks to a double by Carlos Gonzalez, and EY scored on a fielder’s choice by Kenny Perez. Carlos Gonzalez was also thrown out at third, but managed to keep the pickle going long enough for Young to cross home plate, making the score 6-0.
Tug Hulett continued his torrid start to the year, and attempted to get his team back into the game with a two run blast in the top of the third. Hulett increased his team lead in RBI to 31 with his third homer of the season. The second baseman is for now, in the same boat as first baseman Kila Ka’aihue, in that he is playing a position the Kansas City Royals don’t have a desperate need for, with Alberto Callaspo still hitting over .330 for the big club.
With the score 6-2, Matt Wright continued to struggle, allowing another run in the fourth before being lifted. Japanese import Yasuhiko Yabuta pitched two innings in relief, allowing two hits, and the eighth and final run, while striking out two.
Perhaps the one bright spot for the pitching staff last night, both Josh Newman and Tim Hamulack were able to pitch scoreless innings in relief. Hamulack struggled with his control, walking two in his inning of work, but did not allow a hit, and was able to wriggle off the hook. This was on the heels of a disastrous inning in the series opener against Colorado Springs, where he surrendered four hits, a walk, and two earned runs.
As has been their custom all season, the Royals continued to battle to the bitter end, thanks in large part to solo home runs by Brayan Pena, in the 8th, and Cory Aldridge in the 9th inning.
Too little too late once again, the Royals fell to one game under .500 at 19-20 and are now the only team in the PCL American North with a losing record. Still very much in contention, Omaha sits 3.5 games back of the red hot Nashville Sounds, who have won eight of their last ten games.
Omaha will get a much needed day off today, as they travel back to the friendly confines of Rosenblatt Stadium. On Thursday, they begin a stretch that will see them play 16 of their next 20 games at home, starting off against the PCL Pacific South division leading Sacramento Rivercats.
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