Even manager Jirschele surprised by playoff run

Jarrod Dyson in action.
(Photo: Eldon Lindsay/omahastormchasers.com)

Going into the game tonight against Fresno, the Omaha Royals were just 2.5 games out of first place in the PCL American North. And if you look at the number of impact players and starters who have been called up to Kansas City over the past few weeks – well, even manager Mike Jirschele is surprised.

“I mean, you just look back at the guys we’ve lost,” Jirschele said in an interview before the game with Royals radio broadcaster Mark Nasser, “We lost Gordon, we lost Ka’iahue, we lost Wilson Betemit – he’s hitting over .300 in the big leagues, Bullington, Humber and that’s just as of late.

“And you know, for these other guys to step in and do the job that they’ve done, you know, it’s more than we could have asked for and it’s more than I expected. I figured that after we started losing Bullington and Humber, I thought, ‘Oh man, we’re gonna go right down the tubes here.’

“I guess I should have more confidence and faith in our guys, but you know, you start losing all of the guys we’ve lost, you know, in years past we haven’t had guys who could step in and fill those positions, but thus far, everybody that we’ve gotten has stepped in and done a great job.”

One of the guys who has stepped up is 40-year-old relief pitcher Matt Herges. He told Jirschele he would be willing to step into the starting rotation after the Royals lost Bullington and Humber. Jirschele said he cleared it with the front office and then gave Herges the ball. In Sacramento last night, Herges gave up just one run on one hit over five innings.

Outfielder Jarrod Dyson, who missed a large portion of the season with a lat injury in his back and then suffered an ankle injury during his rehab, has stepped up too. Over his last 10 games, he’s hitting .325 (13-for-40) with 1 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R and 4 SB.

And third baseman Mike Moustakas appears to be making adjustments to Triple-A pitching. For the season he’s hitting .265, but over his last 10 games he’s hitting .292. He’s not really driving the ball though. Over that 10-game span, he has three doubles and no home runs.

Pitchers Tim Collins (0.75 ERA in 7 appearances), Louis Coleman (3-1, 2.39 ERA in 14 appearances) and Anthony Lerew (who recently rejoined the team and has a 2-0 record with a 2.49 ERA in August) have also played key roles in keeping the Omaha Royals in playoff contention.

Omaha returns home on Saturday to begin a new series against Memphis. The 13-game home stand will be the final one of the season and the final one ever at Rosenblatt Stadium.