Storm Chasers take a seven game winning streak into tonight

Lorenzo Cain on the basepaths
(Photo: Lee Warren)

A seven game winning streak that started with a win from Jeff Suppan at home against Nashville on April 17 continued on Sunday with another win by Suppan against Nashville – this one on the road.

Suppan, gave up a two-run home run in the first inning on Sunday, but the runs were not earned due to an error by Irving Falu. Then he went on a roll, shutting down the Sounds over the next five innings, retiring the last 11 batters he faced.

Omaha has outscored their opponents 40-12 during their winning streak and their pitching staff has tossed three shutouts during that stretch.

At 11-7, they are in first place in the PCL American North – 1.5 games ahead of Iowa. The last time they lead their division by 1.5 games was May 10, 2008.

A few player player notes:

• Gregor Blanco drew three walks on Sunday, stealing a base, scoring twice and ripping an RBI double in his only official at-bat. He has reached base safely in 13 of his past 18 plate appearances (.722 OBP). Before that he mired in an 0-for-12 skid with no walks. He has stolen bases in each of his past five games.

Royal Man visits Werner Park

Royal Man and Slugerrr have a little fun at
Kauffman Stadium (Photo: Andrew Johnson)

Kansas City Royal fans know heartache – especially those who are too young to remember the glory years. The team has finished over .500 just once (2003) in the past 16 seasons.

During that stretch, the Royals have had more than their share of high draft picks, leading to multiple youth movements – none of which have led to success. But Dayton Moore has been stockpiling talent through the draft and trades since becoming the general manager to the point that Baseball America has recognized the Royals as having the best farm system in the game.

Of course that doesn’t necessarily mean the talent will translate into winning seasons in Kansas City. And with the fanbase growing tired of new youth movements every few years, one particular fan, Troy Olsen, saw a chance to lighten the mood by transforming himself into Royal Man.

Glenn Hubbard talks about Christian Colón

Here's a video produced by the NW Arkansas Naturals in which Royals minor league infield instructor Glenn Hubbard talks about last year's first round pick, shortstop Christian Colón. 

Werner Park firsts (chronological order)

This list will be updated as the season progresses.

First	Date	Inn.	Player	Team	Facing	Team	Notes
Pitch	04/16/11	T1	Danny Duffy	OMA	Eric Farris	NAS	7:11 pm/called strk
Strikeout	04/16/11	T1	Danny Duffy	OMA	Eric Farris	NAS	Swinging
HPB	04/16/11	T1	Mat Gamel	NAS	Danny Duffy	OMA	Hit on 3-1 pitch
Hit	04/16/11	B1	David Lough	OMA	Manny Parra	NAS	Infield single to 1B
WP	04/16/11	B1	Manny Parra	NAS	Eric Hosmer	OMA	Lough to 2B
Walk	04/16/11	B1	Eric Hosmer	OMA	Manny Parra	NAS
K the side	04/16/11	T2	Danny Duffy	OMA	Nashville	NAS	4th K in a row
SB	04/16/11	T3	Chris Nowak	NAS	Danny Duffy	OMA	Stole second base
DP	04/16/11	T3	Mike Moustakas	OMA	Brett Carroll	NAS	5 Unassisted
Double	04/16/11	B3	David Lough	OMA	Manny Parra	NAS	Liner off RF wall
OF Asst.	04/16/11	B3	Brett Carroll	NAS	David Lough	OMA	Putout 8-2
Run	04/16/11	B3	Eric Hosmer	OMA	Manny Parra	NAS	Moustakas double
RBI	04/16/11	B3	Mike Moustakas	OMA	Manny Parra	NAS	Drove in Hosmer
Triple	04/16/11	B3	J. Giavotella	OMA	M. DeFelice	NAS	Moustakas scored
Error	04/16/11	B7	A. Machado	NAS	Eric Hosmer	OMA	Throwing error, E6
Win	04/16/11		Jesse Chavez	OMA	Nashville	NAS	Escaped jam in 8th
Loss	04/16/11		Manny Parra	NAS	Omaha	OMA	2 runs in 2.2 inn.
Save	04/16/11		Louis Coleman	OMA	Nashville	NAS	K'd the side in 9th
HR	04/17/11	T2	Taylor Green	NAS	Vin Mazzaro	OMA	Solo shot

Photos from the home opener

Photos from the home opener at Werner Park on Saturday are up on the Omaha Baseball 360 Facebook page. While you are there, click on 'Like' so you'll see new photo albums as they are uploaded.

Historic night at Werner Park ends with a Storm Chaser victory

George Brett, Bob Gibson and Jeff Suppan chat in the
Storm Chasers' dugout before the game.

The Omaha Storm Chasers got a strong effort from their starting pitcher Danny Duffy and got just enough offense to win their inaugural game at Werner Park 2-1 against Nashville in front of 6,533 fans.

Duffy was on a strict pitch count limit (he threw 76 pitches), so he had to be removed one out shy of qualifying for the win (he pitched 4.2 innings). His final line was impressive though: 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB and 7 Ks.

Everett Teaford, Luis Mendoza, Blaine Hardy, Jesse Chavez and Luis Coleman combined to only allow one earned run over the final 4.1 innings. Chavez got the win. Coleman picked up the save.

New schedule of events for the home opener at Werner Park

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Free Fan Fest. Storm Chaser players will be available to sign autographs and the ballpark will be open for fans to explore.

4:00 pm: Tailgate party in parking lot F4 (the northwest lot) in a tent with live music, food and drinks.

5:15 pm: Ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by the opening of the gates.

6:30 pm: Pregame celebration, scheduled to include Storm Chasers owners Bill Shea, Warren Buffett and Walter Scott, Team President Alan Stein, MLB Hall of Famer George Brett, Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner, Pacific Coast League President Branch B. Rickey, local elected officials and many more. The National Anthem will be performed by Omaha native and recent American Idol contestant Tim Halperin.

Opening Night Moved to Saturday

Just received this from the Omaha Storm Chasers:

OMAHA, Neb. — Due to inclement weather, the Omaha Storm Chasers are rescheduling their home opener at Werner Park to tomorrow, Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 7:05 p.m. Fans holding tickets for tonight’s game can exchange their for tickets to tomorrow’s game by taking their tickets to the Werner Park ticket office. Ticket office hours will be extended today until 8 p.m. to accommodate ticket holders and will open tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.

Events planned for Friday will be combined with the special events scheduled for Saturday. Friday’s game will be played as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, April 17, 2011 beginning at 2:05 p.m., the regularly scheduled time.

Planned events at Werner Park for the home opener

Weather permitting, here’s a rundown of the planned events at Werner Park this afternoon and tonight for the Storm Chasers home opener:

• Gates open at 5:30 pm. Although if you are hoping to get a free parking spot (Lot F4), it sounds like you might want to get there closer to 4:00 pm. Game time is 7:05 pm.

• Additional free parking opens at Papillion-La Vista South High School (108^th & HWY 370) with shuttles departing for Werner Park every 10 minutes.

• There will be a party tent on the grounds with live music, food and drinks.

• The first 2,500 fans through the gates will receive Werner Park welcome mats.

Jesse Chavez trying to work his way back to the big leagues

(Photo: Omaha Storm Chasers)

Jesse Chavez has been one of the solid components of the Omaha Storm Chasers bullpen this season. He hasn’t allowed any runs so far in 5.1 innings of work.

The 27-year-old righty hasn’t been in the minor leagues since he pitched for Indianapolis in 2008. Since then he’s seen time at the major league level for Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Kansas City where he’s posted a 6-10 record with a 5.09 ERA in 139 relief appearances.

He found out toward the end of Spring Training that he didn’t make the big league club, so he would be starting the season in Omaha.

“It’s tough,” said Chavez on the Omaha Storm Chasers pre-game show a couple of nights ago with Mark Nasser. “Nobody wants to get sent down when they’ve been in the big leagues for an extended period of time.

Suppan pitches well, Duffy on his retirement, and more

There is rain in the forecast for the home opener tomorrow
(Photo: emples)

Jeff Suppan looked much better in his second start of the season last night in Round Rock than in his first start this season. In his first start on April 8 at Albuquerque, he gave up 7 ER on 7 H in 4.0 IP. Last night he gave up just 1 ER on 6 H in 5.1 IP.

Rob White from the Omaha World Herald wrote a feature about LHP Danny Duffy, who is scheduled to start tomorrow night for the first ever Storm Chasers game at Werner Park. The feature includes this quote about Duffy's brief retirement last year: “I knew I wanted to come back a while before I did. Watching 'Baseball Tonight' (on television), and seeing people I had faced kind of lit that fire. Baseball has always been what I was meant to do. I just had to go home for a while to realize that.”

Clint Robinson feels like he has something to prove

When you are selected in the 25th round, you tend to feel like you have something to prove. Clint Robinson, the designated hitter/first baseman for the Omaha Storm Chasers who is off to a quick start this season, certainly does.

“When you don’t get drafted out of high school, and you don’t get drafted as a junior out of college and when you’re a 22-year-old senior that’s going to have to be a prove yourself draft pick,” Robinson said to Mark Nasser during the Omaha Storm Chasers' pre-game show last night. “You have to go every year and prove that I belong here.

“You look around and there’s not too many guys like me – low round picks, you’ve got no money. And up in Double-A and Triple-A – those are usually thinned out by now. Obviously the Royals have seen something and I’m going to keep doing what I do and keep proving whatever doubters I have wrong.”

Express rally past Omaha 5-2

Here's a summary of the game tonight between the Storm Chasers and the Round Rock Express, as issued in a press release from the Express:

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Matt Kata’s game-winning, two-run homer keyed a four-run fifth inning as the Round Rock Express rallied past the Omaha Storm Chasers 5-2 in Monday night’s Pacific Coast League action at The Dell Diamond. It was the first home run of the season for Kata, who is in his third season as a member of the Express.

Brian Barden broke up Everett Teaford’s no-hit bid with a one-out, wind-aided single in the fifth. After Brad Nelson struck out, Kata followed with a two-out homer that easily cleared the Express bullpen beyond the left-centerfield wall. That erased a 2-1 Omaha lead, and the Express never trailed again. Taylor Teagarden followed with a solo homer, and Endy Chavez capped the frame with an RBI double.

Meanwhile, three Round Rock pitchers combined to hold Omaha to three hits on the night. David Lough had a first-pitch solo homer in the first inning, and Clint Robinson led off the top of the fifth with a home run. Omaha’s only other hit on the night was Johnny Giavotella’s one-out bunt single in the seventh.

Starter Derek Hankins (1-0) worked 5.0 innings and allowed only the two solo homers with two strikeouts. Ramon Aguero walked the first batter he faced in the sixth on four pitches but disposed of the next three batters on six pitches. Zach Phillips worked the final three frames without allowing a run; he walked one and struck out three.

Pucetas settling in with his new team

Kevin Pucetas in action for Fresno last season
(Photo courtesy of: Dave Nelson)

Kevin Pucetas picked up his first win of the season last night in Albuquerque. The 26-year-old came over to the Kansas City organization last season as the player to be named in the Jose Guillen trade to the Giants. Pucetas spent the entire 2010 season in Fresno where he was 5-7 with a 5.69 ERA in 26 starts.

Pucetas came in from the bullpen last night because the Storm Chasers have too many starters right now and they are piggybacking a few of them.

Storm Chaser broadcaster Mark Nasser interviewed Pucetas before the game this afternoon in Albuquerque. Given that Pucetas had 116 starts in his career, Nasser asked him what it was like to come in from the bullpen rather than start.

“I just treated it like a start,” Pucetas said to Nasser. “I just wanted to try to control my effort level a little bit – just go out there, keep the game close and give us a chance.”

Storm Chasers win in extra innings

Greg Holland in action last season. Holland, Blake Wood,
Jesse Chavez and Louis Coleman have not allowed a
baserunner this series.

The Storm Chasers saved the best for last in their 10-4 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes last night in New Mexico. They scored 7 runs in the top of the tenth to run away with the game.

The Chasers took advantage of a baserunning blunder by Albuquerque in the bottom of the ninth, five walks in the top of the tenth (two of which forced in a run) and a throwing error by pitcher Jon Huber in the tenth.

• Lance Zawadzki hit his first home run of the season, and drove in four runs.

• Danny Duffy, who was making his Triple-A debut, got the no-decision. He gave up 2 ER in 5.0 IP. He walked one and struck out four.

2,500 attend first games at Werner Park

An estimated crowd of 2,500 people got to see Werner Park in trial run mode last night when Papillion-La Vista and Papillion-La Vista South played the first game of a high school doubleheader followed by Papio South and Omaha Creighton Prep.

In addition to the Omaha Storm Chasers' staff testing video and sound operations, news crews and print journalists tested connections in the press box and fans got their first taste of baseball action in the new stadium.

The temperature was in the mid-50s, but with the wind, it felt colder than that.

Storm Chaser fans who love to shoot photos are going to like what they see once they settle into their seats for the first time. The field is close enough to catch facial expressions. Here are a few photos from the first game:

Suppan roughed up in Storm Chaser loss

Jeff Suppan working out on Wednesday at Werner Park

Another night, another 10 runs for the Isotopes. They downed the Storm Chasers last night in Albuquerque 10-6.

Jeff Suppan got the start for Omaha and gave up 7 earned runs in 4.0 innings – including two home runs to Albuquerque second baseman Justin Sellers, who isn’t exactly known for his power. He had 31 home runs as he entered his seventh season of minor league baseball this year.

Irving Falu played right field again, taking over for David Lough who is day-to-day after he and Paulo Orlando collided in right center field on Thursday night.

Albuquerque hammers Omaha 10-5 in season opener

Well, that didn't go as planned.

The Albuquerque Isotopes drubbed the Omaha Storm Chasers in New Mexico tonight 10-5. They blew the game open in the sixth inning, scoring five runs against Omaha reliever Steven Shell.

Notes about the game: 

• Clint Robinson was so anxious to play, he showed up at noon -- seven hours before the game was scheduled to begin. In his first at bat, he knocked a solo home run to right field. Then, in the eighth inning, he hit another bomb to right field. Robinson won the triple crown in Double-A NW Arkansas last season and he's off to a fast start this year.

• Coming into the game, starting pitcher Mike Montgomery had an ERA of 2.27 as a pro. But Albquerque didn't seem to be impressed. Montgomery had a 1-2-3 first inning, but he struggled with his control -- especially with his breaking stuff -- and the Isotopes got to him in the second inning for four runs. On a positive note, he finally settled down and retired the final 7 hitters he faced. His final line: 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K.

Jirschele, Hosmer and Montgomery talk about the upcoming season

Mike Montgomery signing autographs at Family Fest

The Omaha Storm Chasers finally got the weather they were looking for yesterday when they opened the gate for Family Fest. The two previous open houses drew thousands of fans in cold and windy weather.

Families sat in the seats watching players work out and take batting practice. They enjoyed the free pop and popcorn offered by the Storm Chasers. And they lined up for autographs with players such as Everett Teaford, Mike Mongtomery, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer.

After the team finished their workout, they hopped on a plane bound for Albuquerque, where they will open the season tonight. Before they left, manager Mike Jirschele, pitcher Mike Montgomery, third baseman Mike Moustakas and first baseman Eric Hosmer met with the media.

Royals sign Suppan to a minor league contract

Jeff Suppan in action for Milwaukee
(Photo: Spaluch1 / Wikimedia Commons)

The Royals signed Jeff Suppan, 36, to a minor league contract yesterday. Suppan re-joins the organization he pitched for from 1998-2002. He arrived in Omaha late last night and was scheduled to join the team today.

Suppan split time between St. Louis and Milwaukee last season, pitching mostly out of the bullpen for the Brewers and he’s open to doing that in Omaha if that’s what Kansas City wants.

“Absolutely,” he told Dick Kaegel. “Last year I was actually fortunate to be in the bullpen and have Trevor Hoffman there, and he really did teach me a lot. I’ve always had great respect for everyone who pitched in the bullpen, but once I was in the bullpen, I had a lot more respect. It’s a very challenging job.”

Storm Chasers win Futures Game against the Naturals

Eric Hosmer signs autographs after the
game (Photo: Kansas City Royals)

While the Kansas City Royals were staging their second straight come from behind victory against the Angels this afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, players from the Omaha Storm Chasers and NW Arkansas Naturals watched in anticipation – knowing they would get their shot soon enough in the Futures Game that started at 3:40 pm.

Behind extraordinary efforts on the hill from Mike Montgomery and Danny Duffy, the Storm Chasers won the game 4-1. The two teams continued to play for three additional innings, after the game was final, to give the pitchers some extra work. The Naturals scored an additional run in the eleventh inning.

• Mike Montgomery got the start for the Storm Chasers. He was sharp in the first inning, prompting this response on Twitter from Terez Paylor, who covers the Royals for the KC Star, “Mike Montgomery is filthy. Just blew away Wil Myers with some 96 MPH heat that drew oohs and aahs from the crowd.”