Clippers down the Chasers in Triple-A Championship

The 2011 Pacific Coast League Championship
trophy was on hand at Fire Barn in Omaha where
fans gathered to watch the game
(Photo: Lee Warren)

Albuquerque, N.M. – If it wasn’t already clear that the Triple-A National Championship Game was primarily an exhibition, it became so on Tuesday night when Luis Mendoza started for the Kansas City Royals rather than the Omaha Storm Chasers.

While Mendoza was mowing down the Tigers in a 10-2 win at Kauffman Stadium, Sean O’Sullivan struggled, after having nine days off, in an 8-3 losing effort for the Storm Chasers against the Columbus Clippers.

The one-game, nationally-televised playoff showcase started out well for Omaha, but the offense and pitching stalled out after a first-inning display reminiscent of performances throughout this year’s championship run.

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.

Chasers win Game 2 of the PCL Championship Series

Jarrod Dyson finished 4-for-6 with a homer,
four RBIs, three runs, a double and a stolen base
(Photo from Game 1: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Omaha, Neb. – The Omaha Storm Chasers drew one step closer to winning its first Pacific Coast League championship Wednesday night at Werner Park when they trounced the Sacramento River Cats 15-4 in front of 4,039 fans.

The Chasers fell behind early. Omaha starter Vin Mazzaro struggled with his command in the first inning, in which he threw 30 pitches (16 balls). He gave up a single to Jermaine Mitchell to lead off the game. Mitchell stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Josh Donaldson. Adrian Cardenas then took Mazzaro deep to right field to give Sacramento an early 3-0 lead.

“I wasn’t real happy – you give them three runs in the first,” said Omaha manager Mike Jirschele after the game. “But you know what? Our guys battled back and got us one right away to put us within two. We had eight innings to go after that, so we were still in the game.”

Omaha wins Game 1 of the PCL Championship Series

Luis Mendoza picked up his second win of the postseason
(File photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Omaha, Neb. – The Omaha Storm Chasers continue to win in the most unlikely of ways.

On Tuesday night, during Game 1 of the PCL Championship Series, David Lough ripped a ball down the right field line, but stumbled and fell on his way to second base in the seventh inning. He scrambled back to first in time and was followed by Lorenzo Cain, who hit a blooper into right field that Grant Greene was unable to corral and Lough was able to score what turned out to be the winning run all the way from first base.

The 3-2 win for the Chasers gives them a 1-0 lead over the Sacramento River Cats in the best of five, PCL Championship Series. And the 4,203 fans who were in attendance couldn’t have been happier. As has been the case throughout the playoffs, fans gave players standing ovations and were engaged with every pitch. Rob White, from the Omaha World Herald, wrote a blog post about this. Check it out if you get a chance.

Listen to the Royalman Report

The latest podcast episode of The Royalman Report has been released. Greg Schaum and Clint Scoles from The Pinetar Press discuss their 2011 minor league awards and you'll also hear interviews provided by Omaha Baseball 360 of Mike Jirschele, Sean O'Sullivan and Kila Ka'aihue. Definitely worth a listen if you are a die-hard Royals fan who wants to know what is going on in the minor leagues. You can listen to the episode below:



Or you can download it here and listen to it later.

Chasers drop a heartbreaker in extra innings

Omaha, Neb. – Omaha had everything going its way Friday night – an engaged crowd creating an incredible playoff atmosphere, a 2-0 lead in the PCL American Conference Championship Series against Round Rock and a return home to Werner Park, but in the end they lost a 9-8 heartbreaker in eleven innings after the Storm Chasers committed two errors in the top of the 11th inning, allowing the Express to score three times.

With two outs in the Express half of the 11th inning, Brad Nelson hit a slow roller that somehow squirted through the legs of Joaquin Arias at first base, putting runners at the corners against Zach Miner. Chad Tracy took full advantage of the miscue and ripped a single to center field, giving the Express a 7-6 lead. Joey Butler, who is 8-for-11 (.727) in the series, followed with another single that Jarrod Dyson booted, allowing Nelson and Tracy to score to extend Round Rock’s lead to 9-6.

The Chasers scored two runs in the bottom of the eleventh, but it wasn’t quite enough. It was their second comeback attempt of the evening.

Omaha drops final regular season home game

Kevin Pucetas threw four innings of scoreless relief,
extending his scoreless innings streak to 9.2.
(File photo: Brad Williams Photography)

Omaha, Neb. – A day after clinching the franchise’s first postseason berth in 12 years, the Storm Chasers got off to a hot start before running out of gas in a 9-4 defeat to the Round Rock Express. The Thursday night crowd of 8,927 pushed the Werner Park inaugural season attendance total to 410,326.

All of the Chasers’ scoring took place in the bottom of the first inning off eventual winning pitcher Martin Perez (4-4). After loading the bases with nobody out on two walks and a bunt single, Lorenzo Cain drove in a run with a ground out to make it 1-0 in favor of Omaha. Joaquin Arias followed with a two-run single and Manny Pina added a sacrifice fly, making it a 4-0 ballgame in the early going.

Perez held the Storm Chasers to just two hits and no walks in his next four innings, departing with a 6-4 lead after five innings of play. The 20-year-old lefty struck out five, keeping the Chasers off-balance with his excellent change-up.

Chasers win the PCL American North

The Chasers celebrate after securing the win,
knowing the division title could come later.
(Photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Omaha, Neb. – Mike Jirschele stood on a folding chair in the clubhouse, surrounded by smiling faces after his team defeated Round Rock and then learned Albuquerque had defeated Memphis, giving Omaha the PCL American North division title.

“First of all, thank you everybody,” Jirschele said. “This is for a great year. I appreciate everything you guys have done. I know some of you hate me, but whatever.”

Cheers and mock jeers filled the room. Celebrations varied throughout the night, but one of the most interesting came from Sean O’Sullivan who performed a Michael Jackson dance exhibition.

“We’ve got a ways to go yet,” Jirschele continued. “We’ve got to be ready for the playoffs. And it’s past curfew, you all owe me a hundred dollars.”

Chasers lose a close one, but magic number reduced to two

David Lough was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a BB.
(File photo: Gage Matthews / Kings of Kauffman)

Omaha, Neb. – Round Rock catcher Taylor Teagarden belted two solo home runs, leading the Express past the Storm Chasers 3-2 Tuesday night at Werner Park. The Chasers put the tying run in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings, but were unable to score the equalizer.

“We battled,” said Omaha manager Mike Jirschele after the game about the team the Chasers will face in the playoffs, if they can maintain their lead.

“It was a tough game,” he said. “You know, we play these guys tough all the time – they are up, what now, 10-4 [in the season series] on the year? But if you look at it, I think there was only one game where we got beat by seven, but otherwise, there have been a lot of two-run, one-run games – extra innings. You know, we play them tough. 

“But what hurt us tonight is when we lost Clint [Robinson] and Kila [Ka’aihue] both and you’ve got to put Mertins and Zawadzki in the four and five hole for most of the game. Not that they can’t do the job, but it hurts when you lose those two big boppers.”

4-3 Omaha win reduces magic number to three

Clint Robinson is hitting .404 in August.
(File photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Omaha, Neb. – Willy Lebron pitched three scoreless innings of relief, ensuring that Clint Robinson’s go-ahead two-run single would be enough for the Chasers to defeat the Round Rock Express 4-3 Monday night at Werner Park.

After the game, Omaha manager Mike Jirschele spoke about Robinson, who is hitting .404 with 29 RBIs in August.

“He made two outstanding [defensive] plays tonight,” Jirschele said. “Besides that, he’s seeing the ball good – swinging the bat well. He’s on a mission right now and he’s been helping to carry this club.”

The victory reduced the Storm Chasers’ magic number to three with seven games remaining, but Jirschele was quick to point out that the Chasers need to stay focused.

“Memphis has got a good club,” he said. “They could easily win out. So we’ve got to be able to go out and win three more games yet.”

O'Sullivan wins his sixth straight start

Sean O'Sullivan won his sixth straight start on Tuesday.
(File photo: Brad Williams Photography)

Omaha, Neb. – After an embarrassing defensive performance last night, in which the Storm Chasers committed six errors, Omaha manager Mike Jirschele tweaked the defense and Sean O’Sullivan pitched a gem en route to a 5-2 Omaha win over Nashville on Tuesday night.

Second place Memphis won as well, so Omaha maintained its four-game lead in the PCL American North. The loss moved the Sounds to 7.5 games back.

After the game on Monday, Jirschele said he would make some adjustments to the defense. The adjustments included moving Irving Falu from second base to shortstop (replacing Yamaico Navarro who committed two errors) and putting Kila Ka’aihue back at first base, replacing Clint Robinson (who committed two errors).

Omaha unable to overcome six errors

Omaha starter Jeff Suppan allowed one earned
run in 6.1 innings pitched, giving up six hits
and one walk to go with one strikeout.
(Photo: Brad Williams Photography)

 

Omaha, Neb. – The Omaha Storm Chasers dropped a 7-3, 11-inning decision to Nashville Monday evening at Werner Park – a game marred by six Chasers errors that aided six of the Sounds seven runs. Omaha was unable to capitalize on a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth that sent the game to extras, remaining winless at Werner Park when trailing after eight innings.

Before the game reached extra innings, the Chasers were able to forge a tie with two out in the ninth thanks to some patience at the plate and a clutch base hit.

With David Lough aboard at third and two men already out, Clint Robinson coaxed a free pass from reliever Donovan Hand, followed by an infield single by Kila Ka’aihue to score Lough and bring the Chasers to within a run at 3-2. After Irving Falu worked a six-pitch walk to load the bases, Yamaico Navarro smashed a grounder past a diving Eric Farris at second base. Pinch-runner Joaquin Arias scored easily, but rightfielder Caleb Gindl’s throw home was on the money to gun down pinch-runner Kurt Mertins, ending the ninth with a 3-3 score. It was one of two innings in which the Chasers made the third out on the basepaths.

Sounds turn triple play in 4-1 win over Omaha

Mike Montgomery gave up four runs in the first inning,
but settled down after that and kept the Sounds off the
board. (Photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Omaha, Neb. – The Nashville Sounds scored four times in the top of the first inning and held on from there, knocking off the Storm Chasers 4-1 in front of a full house of 9,023 fans Saturday night at Werner Park. An RBI double by Taylor Green, a sacrifice fly by Mat Gamel and a two-run double by Caleb Gindl – all lefthanded hitters – proved the difference against Omaha southpaw Mike Montgomery.

Montgomery (5-8) wound up working six scoreless innings after the troublesome first, allowing just two hits and a walk the rest of the way. He struck out six batters, throwing 74 of his 109 pitches for strikes. The Chasers were unable to provide much offense, however, stranding 12 runners on base and squandering numerous scoring opportunities.

“We had our chances,” Jirschele said after the game. “I mean, we had nine hits and we got ourselves in some situations where we were one hit away from scoring some runs. We just couldn’t get that big hit. It was just one of those nights.

“Then, after Robinson hits that ball to center and it bounces off the guy’s head and they get a triple play, I thought, this isn’t our night.”

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.”

River Cats even the series on a three-run home run

David Lough was 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs
(File photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

The music group 33 Miles will be performing Saturday night after the game at Werner Park, but the number 33 wasn’t kind to the Omaha Storm Chasers Thursday night.

After a 33 minute rain delay in the fifth inning, Omaha manager Mike Jirschele decided to put starting pitcher Vin Mazzaro back on the mound and he gave up a three-run home run to Jermaine Mitchell, the first batter he saw, giving the River Cats a 4-3 lead.

That turned out to be the final score.

Does Jirschele regret putting Mazzaro back on the mound?

“He made one pitch – he didn’t locate it where he wanted to,” Jirschele said after the game. “But he ended getting through that and going another one [inning]. We had to look for him to hopefully get another inning or two and the rain delay wasn’t too long to where he couldn’t come back.

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.”

Three Storm Chasers headed to the All-Star Game

Luis Mendoza leads the PCL with a 2.75 ERA
(Photo: Gage Matthews / Kings of Kauffman)

Johnny Giavotella, Clinton Robinson and Luis Mendoza will represent the Omaha Storm Chasers and the Pacific Coast League at the 2011 Triple-A All-Star Game in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, July 13. They will play the International League All-Stars.

Giavotella, 23, is hitting .323 with 5 home runs and 53 RBIs. The second baseman has been hitting primarily out of the number two hole. He leads the team in hits with 105 and he has 22 doubles to go along with nine stolen bases. The only knock against him is his defense, but he does currently rank third in fielding percentage among second baseman in the league and manager Mike Jirschele has seen improvement from Giavotella.

OKC wins the battle of the bullpens

Jeff Suppan prepares to throw a
pitch in the early innings tonight.
(Photo: Lee Warren)

In a battle of bullpens tonight at Werner Park, Omaha’s blinked when Blaine Hardy gave up two runs in the top of the eleventh inning to give the RedHawks a 6-4 win.

Omaha took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Johnny Giavotella blasted his fourth home run of the season to left field. The Chasers added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings on a Clint Robinson home run – his 15th – and a wild pitch by RedHawks starting pitcher Sergio Perez.

Jeff Suppan got the start for Omaha and looked strong early on. He sat down the first eight hitters he faced. He gave up a run in the fifth inning and made it to the seventh inning before running into real trouble. He walked the leadoff hitter Brandon Barnes setting the stage for a two-run home run by the RedHawks number nine hitter, Oswaldo Navarro – who had a big night, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Suppan went 6.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out five.

“I thought he threw the ball real well tonight,” said Storm Chasers manager Mike Jirschele after the game. “And then he gave up the home run. That’s part of the game. You make one bad pitch and it ruins your night. Overall though I thought he mixed his pitches well and kept the ball down. And really, they were struggling against him.”