The Storm Chasers win the PCL Championship

Mike Montgomery tossed five shutout innings
and picked up the win in Sacramento
(File photo: Brad Williams Photography)

West Sacramento, Calif. – On April 7, Eric Hosmer stood in left field at Werner Park and fielded questions from a few reporters. He was aware that Omaha fell just one game short of the playoffs in 2010, prompting him to tell us, “Really, everyone in this clubhouse has one goal – and that’s just to win a championship.”

Even though Hosmer was probably rooting the team on from Kansas City after hitting a walkoff RBI double to give the Royals a 7-6 victory over Chicago, the mission was still accomplished.

The Omaha Storm Chasers defeated the Sacramento River Cats 11-6 Friday night to sweep the series and become the Pacific Coast League champions, giving the team its first league title since 1990 and first ever PCL championship since joining the league in 1998.

Giavotella, Mendoza and Robinson named to All-PCL team

Luis Mendoza is 11-5 with a league-leading 2.15 ERA
(File photo: Lee Warren)

The Omaha Storm Chasers’ storybook inaugural season added another chapter Monday, as the Pacific Coast League named Johnny Giavotella, Luis Mendoza and Clint Robinson to its prestigious 12-member All-PCL Team.

Giavotella, the All-PCL second baseman, batted .338 with nine home runs, 72 RBIs, 34 doubles and 67 runs scored in 110 games with the Storm Chasers this season. He was honored as the league’s All-Star representative at second base and was also named the PCL Player of the Month for June, during which he batted .398 (49-for-123). He was promoted to the Kansas City Royals on August 5.

Why not give Jirschele a playoff caliber roster?

Johnny Giavotella hit .338 with 9 HR and 72 RBIs
in 110 games for Omaha this season.
(File photo: Brad Williams Photography)

The Omaha Storm Chasers are poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999 – the team’s second year in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). 

They currently lead the PCL American North Division by five games with 17 games remaining in the regular season. And of those remaining 17 games, 12 are against NL affiliates (Omaha is 61-38 against those teams) and just five are against American League affiliates (Omaha is 10-17 against those teams).

But the truth is, with the latest round of call ups that included Salvador Perez and Johnny Giavotella, the Chasers lineup is extremely thin with guys like Lance Zawadzki (.242 average), Joaquin Arias (.212 average) and Kurt Mertins (.242 average) seeing so much playing time. Yamaico Navarro (.196 avearge) is not exactly tearing up the PCL either.

Broken bat ground out pushes Fresno past Omaha

Jarrod Dyson made a great defensive play in addition
to going 3-for-5 with a triple. (Photo: Corey O'Malley)

Omaha, Neb. – Just when it looked like the Omaha Storm Chasers might storm from behind to win Tuesday night, Brett Pill hit a broken bat ground out to short in the tenth inning that scored a run, giving the Fresno Grizzlies a 4-3 lead and that score held up. The ball was hit too slowly for Omaha shortstop Yamaico Navarro to turn a double play, so he had to go to first.

“He made a good pitch,” Jirschele said after the game, speaking about reliever Brandon Sisk facing Pill in the tenth inning. “It was just too good a pitch. He should have hit it a little firmer.”

The Chasers found themselves down 3-0 in the middle innings. Brandon Crawford hammered a 1-1 offering from Omaha starter Vin Mazarro over the right field wall in the fourth inning. Later in the inning, Justin Christian and Edgar Gonzalez both drove in a run with singles.

Here comes Johnny

Johnny Giavotella
(File photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

An hour after the Omaha Storm Chasers lost to the Sacramento River Cats Thursday night, most of the lights at Werner Park were dim. A couple of players milled around in the clubhouse, just about to head home for the evening.

Johnny Giavotella was seated at a table in the clubhouse, trying to eat a late dinner, but his phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. And he still had a goodbye or two he wanted to say.

The craziness started when manager Mike Jirschele called Giavotella into his office after the game.

“He called me in there and I kind of had some chills at first, I didn’t know what to expect,” Giavotella said. “He asked me if I wanted to work on some double plays tomorrow here at the field. And I was like, ‘Yeah, you know, whatever you want.’ And he said, ‘Or would you like to go to the big leagues?’

“I was taken aback by it. You know, it was a dream come true. I had to sit down just to gather it all in.”

Omaha sweeps the RedHawks, wins fifth in a row

Kila Ka'aihue hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning.
(File photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Oklahoma City, OK – Luis Mendoza worked six strong innings in Omaha's 13-2 victory over Oklahoma City Tuesday night in the last of a four game series at Bricktown Ballpark.

The Storm Chasers won their fifth in a row to improve to a season best 12 games over .500 at 61-49 and they maintained their five game lead over Memphis in the PCL American North.

David Lough's lead off long ball in the fourth broke up a scoreless game and triggered a five-run rally. Irving Falu added a sacrifice fly before Lance Zawadzki tripled in two runs and scored on a Joaquin Arias base hit.

Chasers win fourth in a row behind strong pitching

Jeff Suppan won his 10th game of
the season. (File photo: Lee Warren)

Oklahoma City, OK – The Omaha Storm Chasers managed just two runs against Oklahoma City pitching Monday night at Bricktown Ballpark, but that was all they needed because Omaha starter Jeff Suppan and reliever Kevin Pucetas tossed a six-hit shutout.

The 2-0 Chasers win, their fourth win in a row, means the Chasers remain 5.0 games up on the second place Memphis Redbirds, who won at home tonight against Iowa, in the PCL American North.

One of the Chasers runs came on a controversial fielder’s choice in the second inning. With one out and Kila Ka’aihue at third base, Jarrod Dyson hit a chopper up the third base line. Oklahoma City starter Lucas Harrell fielded the ball and attempted to tag Ka’aihue but he appeared to tag him with his glove while the ball was in his other hand. Home plate umpire Brett Robson called Ka’aihue safe at home. Harrell argued and Robson ejected him. It was a controversial play all the way around because Dyson should have been credited with a hit on the play since he would have beat the throw to first base.

The Chasers picked up another run later in the inning on a sacrifice fly to center field by Johnny Giavotella. Salvador Perez scored on the play.

Giavotella drives in four in Chasers rout

Johnny Giavotella, shown here helping Jeff Suppan
warm up earlier this season, went 5-for-6 with 4 RBIs.
(Photo: Gage Matthews / Kings of Kauffman)

Oklahoma City, OK – Johnny Giavotella collected five hits and drove in four runs to back a solid outing from Mike Montgomery as Omaha raced out to a huge early lead en route to a 12-3 decision over Oklahoma City Sunday afternoon in the second of a four-game series at Bricktown Ballpark.

The Storm Chasers won their third straight game to improve to 59-49 and remain five games up on the Memphis Redbirds in the PCL American North.

Lorenzo Cain’s two-run home run, his career-high 13th, staked the Chasers to a 2-0 lead in the first inning that held up after Montgomery stranded runners at second and third with one out in the bottom half of the inning.

The Royals trade Aviles to Boston for Navarro and Volz

Mike Aviles (File photo: Lee Warren)

The Kansas City Royals traded infielder Mike Aviles to the Boston Red Sox Saturday for infielder Yamaico Navarro and right handed pitcher Kendal Volz. Navarro will join the Royals, while Volz will be assigned to Wilmington.

Aviles, 30, was drafted by the Royals in the seventh round of the 2003 MLB amateur draft. He put up solid numbers in the minor leagues from 2003-2005, hitting 14 home runs and driving in 80 runs for Double-A Wichita in 2005. He played for the Omaha Royals in 2006-07, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 77 runs in 2007, before earning a shot with the big league club in 2008.

After his rookie season in Kansas City, Aviles was thought to be the shortstop of the future. He hit .325 with a .354 OBP and hit 10 home runs with 51 RBIs in 102 games, earning him the 2008 Player of the Year award in Kansas City. He finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. But in 2009, he suffered an elbow injury, leading to Tommy John surgery.

Perez hits a grand slam in 10-1 Chasers win

Robinson Tejeda pitched the final inning
in relief, giving up two hits, but not allowing a run
(File photo: Corey O'Malley)

Omaha, Neb. – Salvador Perez hit two grand slam home runs in his last four games at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, winning the Texas League Player of the Week award. Three games into his Triple-A career, he hasn’t missed a beat. Perez hit yet another grand slam, his first home run with Omaha, and later added an RBI single in the Storm Chasers 10-1 victory over Albuquerque in front of 8,791 fans Friday night at Werner Park.

The 21-year-old catcher, noted more for his defense than for his bat, went after the second pitch from reliever Ramon Troncoso in the bottom of the sixth inning, knocking it just over the wall in deep left-center, some 385 feet from home plate. His grand slam gave him a 20 runs batted in over his last seven games, surpassing the season total of 14 he had through the end of June. His 34 RBIs during the month of July is three more than any other player in all of professional baseball.

Perez’s heroics were plenty enough for Omaha starting pitcher Sean O’Sullivan (3-2), who allowed one run on three hits over six innings of work. He walked two and struck out five on the night. Kelvin Herrera, who came up with Perez from Double-A Wednesday, threw a scoreless seventh before Everett Teaford and Robinson Tejeda finished off the Isotopes with one scoreless inning apiece.

Two-run double by Robinson powers Omaha past Albuquerque

Clint Robinson drove in the winning run with
a double in the eighth inning
(File photo: Lee Warren)

Omaha, Neb. – After trailing most of the night, the Omaha Storm Chasers got a boost from a struggling Clint Robinson who stroked a two-run double to give Omaha a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning Wednesday night. Meanwhile, the bullpen shut down the Albuquerque Isotopes over the final three innings and the Chasers went on to win, 6-4.

Omaha manager Mike Jirschele said it was a big win for the Chasers, who had lost three games in a row. The Chasers now lead the PCL American North by four games since second place Memphis lost in Round Rock 13-4.

“It’s huge,” Jirschele said after the game. “Right now, if you can play .500 the rest of the way out, you’ve got a chance at winning this division, the way it looks. It’d be nice to put a streak together where you win seven, eight in a row, but I think if we continue to go out and do our thing, I think we’ve got enough fire power to have a chance at winning this division.”

Round Rock earns series split with 9-2 win

Omaha, Neb. – The Round Rock Express took the finale of a four-game set with the Omaha Storm Chasers, 9-2, earning the series split and winning their 60th game of the year Monday afternoon at Werner Park. The Express collected at least one hit from each batter in their lineup as part of a 17-hit attack.

Round Rock out-hit Omaha 57-41 over the four games, matching a season-high for hits allowed by Chasers pitching in a series. The Express also held the Omaha offense in check for the second-straight day, stranding 13 baserunners and holding the Chasers to 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Lorenzo Cain’s RBI single in the fifth and Irving Falu’s bases-loaded walk in the seventh accounted for the entirety of the Chasers scoring output.

Vin Mazzaro got the start for Omaha, working the first five innings and getting tagged for five runs – three earned – on 11 hits. He struck out three and intentionally walked one batter. Mazzaro (5-1) was handed his first Triple-A defeat as a starting pitcher since May 6, 2009, when he was a member of the Sacramento River Cats, snapping a 22-start non-losing streak.

Q & A with Johnny Giavotella

Giavotella continues to work on his defense
at second base (File photo: Lee Warren)

Fans in Kansas City are clamoring for Johnny Giavotella. A quick look at his accomplishments in Omaha this season will tell you why.

The 5’ 8” second baseman’s 49 hits (.398 average) in June were more than any other player in professional baseball – from Class A through the big leagues. And he’s hitting at a better clip in July (31-for-77, a .403 average). He currently leads the Omaha Storm Chasers in hitting (.342), hits (139), doubles (30), total bases (198), OBP (.396), multi-hit games (40) and he’s tied for first in RBIs (65).

The right-handed hitter is hitting both righties (.331) and lefties (.374), and strangely, he is hitting better when he is behind in the count (.374) than when he is ahead (.356). He also has power (9 home runs).

Hurley shuts down the Chasers

Lance Zawadzki drove in the only
run for the Storm Chasers.
(Photo: Dennis Hubbard)

Omaha, Neb. – Round Rock starting pitcher Eric Hurley was just too good. The former 2004 first-round pick and former high school teammate of current Kansas City Royal Billy Butler, shut down the Chasers over seven innings, giving up just one run and improved to 5-0 on the season, in a 3-1 Express victory.

The sixth inning was the key for the Express. With the Chasers leading 1-0, O’Sullivan gave up an RBI double to Express first baseman Brad Nelson and a sacrifice fly to Matt Kata, giving the Express a 2-1 lead and they didn't look back.

Second place Memphis is losing to Oklahoma City 7-0 in the fifth inning as of this writing. If that score holds up, the Chasers will maintain their four game lead over the Redbirds in the PCL American North.

O’Sullivan only gave up two runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out five. And with one exception, he showed good command of his breaking pitches.

“O’Sullivan pitched great,” said interim manager Tommy Gregg. “He left that one changeup up to Nelson (in the sixth inning) that cost him a little bit, but other than that, he pitched a great game.”

Chasers erupt for five runs in the fifth, go on to win 10-4

Jeff Suppan in action Friday night at Werner Park.
He picked up his ninth win of the season.
(Photo: Lee Warren)

Omaha, Neb. – David Lough led the Omaha Storm Chasers offensive attack Friday night at Werner Park, going 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBIs, meanwhile, starting pitcher Jeff Suppan wiggled off the hook on numerous occasions en route to a 10-4 win for Omaha.

The win was Suppan’s ninth of the season. And the Chasers extended their lead in the PCL American North to three games since Memphis lost in Oklahoma City.

After the game, interim manager Tommy Gregg said he was pleased with everyone’s effort because it was a tough day. The team woke up at 3:30 am in Memphis to catch their plane. They endured a delay at one point and had to fly around a storm at another point. Then, later in the day, they found out that some of their gear was delayed.

Tyler Greene drives in three in Memphis win

Memphis, TN – Tyler Greene drove in three runs to back seven solid innings from Brian Broderick as Memphis downed Omaha, 6-4, Wednesday night in the third of a crucial four-game set at Auto Zone Park. The Redbirds won their second straight game to pull within two games of the PCL American North-leading Storm Chasers.

Memphis got one on the board in the first inning after Jim Rapoport drew a leadoff walk and scored when Greene followed with a home run to hit safely in his 16th consecutive game. The streak was kept alive when a ruling was handed down earlier in the day by the PCL awarding Greene a double in the 9th inning of Monday night's contest and therefore negating the no-hitter thrown by Omaha starter Luis Mendoza.

Johnny Giavotella scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the third to trim the lead to 2-1 only to see Greene double home Rapoport in the bottom half to extend the lead back to a pair. Giavotella picked up three more hits, raising his average in July to .406.

Memphis wins in extra innings to trim Omaha's lead to three games

Johnny Giavotella was 3-for-7, raising his
average to .390 in the month of July
(File photo: Gage Matthews / Kings of Kauffman)

Memphis, TN – Pete Kozma singled in the game-winning run with one out in the bottom of the 14th inning to finish a five-hour marathon and lift Memphis past Omaha, 6-5, Tuesday night in the second of a four-game series at Auto Zone Park.

The Redbirds rebounded from being no-hit in the series opener to pull within three games of the PCL American North-leading Storm Chasers, who had a three-game win streak snapped.

Mario Santiago stranded two runners in the 12th and 13th innings but could not work himself out of trouble in the 14th. Matt Carpenter, who went 5-for-6, drew a leadoff walk and moved to second base on an Aaron Luna sacrifice bunt. Following an intentional base on balls to Bryan Anderson, the fourth time he walked in the game, Kozma delivered a base hit to left field that brought Carpenter home with the decisive run. Kozma was 2-for-29 without an RBI against the Chasers before coming through with the winning hit.

Luis Mendoza tosses his second career PCL no-hitter

Luis Mendoza tossed his second career PCL no-hitter
in Memphis last night (File photo: Lee Warren)

Memphis, TN – Luis Mendoza tossed the first Omaha no-hitter in 23 years Monday night. He shut down the Memphis Redbirds and Omaha cruised to a 4-0 win, improving to 53-43 and increasing their lead over the Redbirds in the PCL American North to four games.

The Chasers also clinched the divisional tie-breaker over the Redbirds and are now 9-4 against them this season with three games remaining.

But the story everyone is talking about is the no-hitter that was changed to a one-hitter after the game and then reversed back to a no-hitter later in the night.

 

Giavotella powers Chasers past hometown Zephyrs

Omaha, Neb. – Second baseman Johnny Giavotella had a career day against the New Orleans Zephyrs Sunday at Werner Park, going 4-for-4 with two home runs in a 7-4 Omaha victory that gave the Chasers a three-game lead over second place Memphis in the PCL American North.

The Jesuit High School (New Orleans) and University of New Orleans alumnus homered in the first, doubled in the third, homered again in the fourth and singled and scored in the seventh. His performance raised his batting average to .334 for the year with nine home runs, 64 RBIs, 56 runs scored and 28 doubles, while raising his batting average to .394 since June 1st.

Giavotella’s big afternoon helped veteran righthander Jeff Suppan to his team-leading eighth win of the year. Suppan (8-5) went seven innings, allowing four runs, staying in long enough to take advantage of the Chasers three-run seventh spurred by Giavotella’s fourth hit of the game. The Zephyrs had rallied with two runs to tie the game at 4-4 in the top half of the inning.

Aviles leads the charge in Chasers win

Omaha, Neb. – The Storm Chasers turned the tables on New Orleans on Saturday, coming back to beat the Zephyrs 9-5 at Werner Park. Mike Aviles had a big night at the plate, belting three doubles and driving in four runs in the winning effort.

After starting and winning pitcher Sean O’Sullivan spotted New Orleans three quick runs in the top of the first inning, the Chasers began chipping away. Jarrod Dyson chopped a single over the mound leading off the bottom of the first, and one out later Aviles ripped an RBI double past a diving Joe Thurston in left, bringing home Dyson on the play. Aviles tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth on a two-run gap shot, and later drilled an RBI double to center to extend the lead to 9-4. The four runs batted in matched a season high for the 30-year-old shortstop.

O’Sullivan (2-1) settled down, finishing seven strong innings despite a triple-digit heat index. He allowed four runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out five in 105 pitches. He was particularly effective with his breaking pitches, consistently getting his curve ball over for strikes. O’Sullivan then gave way to Kevin Pucetas, who allowed a run in two innings of relief duty.