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 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.

Chasers shut down by Cubs' pitching

Jarrod Dyson drove in the only run for Omaha
(File photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Des Moines, IA – Mario Mercedes tripled in the game-winning run in the sixth inning to lift Iowa to a 2-1 victory over Omaha Sunday night in the middle of a three-game series at Principal Park.

The Storm Chasers fell to 79-62 and will have one last chance to win 80-or-more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history.

D.J. LeMahieu’s run-scoring single in the first inning put the Cubs in front before Jarrod Dyson’s RBI double in third evened the count. From there, the Chasers were shut down by Chris Rusin, Andrew Cashner, Chris Carpenter and Scott Maine, who held them scoreless on six hits over the final six innings.

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.”

Omaha drops second game of series in New Orleans

Clint Robinson was 4-for-4 with a home run and is
hitting .405 over his last ten games.
(File photo: Lee Warren)

Metairie, LA – Elih Villanueva was strong through seven innings and two big rallies were too much for Omaha to overcome in an 8-2 defeat at the hands of New Orleans Thursday night in the second of a five-game series at Zephyr Field. 

The Storm Chasers dipped to 74-58, lost a six-game road win streak and saw their magic number to clinch their first playoff berth in 12 years remain at eight.

Omaha broke through in the fourth inning with the game’s first run on a base hit by Clint Robinson that scored Lorenzo Cain, who had singled and advanced to second base on an error. However, the lead didn’t last long, as the hosts posted four runs in their half of the inning.

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.

Four-run ninth propels Omaha to victory

Kila Ka'aihue's ninth inning home run moved him
into fifth place on the franchise's all-time list
(File photo: Lee Warren) 

Salt Lake City, UT – Kila Ka’aihue’s two-run home run finished off a four-run ninth inning that propelled Omaha to a 9-6 win over Salt Lake Monday night in the last of a four-game series at Spring Mobile Ballpark. The Storm Chasers improved to 67-55 and held on to their four-game lead over victorious Memphis in the PCL American North.

Joaquin Arias opened the decisive inning with a walk, but was thrown out at second base on Jarrod Dyson’s attempted sacrifice bunt. Irving Falu, who was 4-for-4, was hit by a pitch and the runners then pulled off a double steal. In a 5-5 game against a drawn-in infield, Dyson scored the go-ahead run on a Lorenzo Cain ground out before Clint Robinson’s single pushed Falu across with an insurance run. Ka’aihue followed with his long ball, the 62nd of his career with Omaha to move him into fifth place on the franchise’s all-time list, to sew up the victory.

Chasers hang on for 7-6 win

Lorenzo Cain belted his career
high 15th home run of the season
(Photo: Brad Williams Photography)

Omaha, Neb. — The Storm Chasers jumped out to an early five-run lead against the Fresno Grizzlies, ultimately hanging on for a 7-6 victory Wednesday afternoon at Werner Park. The Chasers improved to 11-2 in games while trailing 2-1 in a series.

Down 2-1 entering the third inning, Cody Clark lead off with a bloop single and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jarrod Dyson, with Dyson reaching safely on an error. David Lough followed with a bunt single – which resulted in yet another error, allowing Clark to score from second to make it 2-2.

After Lorenzo Cain – who homered in the first inning – was hit by a pitch, Clint Robinson ripped a two-run double to make it 4-2 Chasers. Kila Ka’aihue then stepped to the plate and belted his eighth home run of the season and third in his past five games, making it a 7-2 ballgame in favor of Omaha.

The Grizzlies clawed their way back into the game. They picked up two runs in the fourth inning on a double by third baseman Edgar Gonazalez to pull within three runs.

River Cats squeak by the Chasers

Cody Clark was 2-for-3 with an RBI
(File photo: Lee Warren)

Graham Godfrey and the Sacramento River Cats shut down the Omaha Storm Chasers 2-1 Friday night, in front of a nearly-full house of 8,871 fans at Werner Park. The River Cats have claimed two of the first three games of the four-game series, with all three games decided by a single run.

Thanks to strong performances by winning pitcher Graham Godfrey (11-2) and Omaha’s Mike Montgomery (4-7), the difference in the ballgame turned out to be a pair of ground balls down the first base line, one by each team.

In the top of the second, Adrian Cardenas turned on a pitch from Montgomery and snuck it past a diving Clint Robinson for a double, scoring Michael Taylor with the game’s first run. Later, with the River Cats up 2-1 in the seventh, Omaha’s Jarrod Dyson came to the plate with runners on first and second and hit a similar ground ball toward the line that looked to be enough for the game-tying hit. But 6-foot-4 first baseman Chris Carter smothered it with a sprawling dive and was able to flip to pitcher Vinnie Chulk for the out, squashing the rally.

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.

Mitchell's home run lifts Albuquerque over the Chasers

Omaha, Neb. – The last time the Albuquerque Isotopes ventured into Werner Park, third baseman Russ Mitchell hit a two-run home run to beat the Storm Chasers, 2-0, on July 3rd. Twenty-three days later, Mitchell delivered a repeat performance, blasting a two-run, go-ahead home run in the Isotopes’ 6-4 victory Tuesday night.

The ninth-inning long ball spoiled what was shaping up to be a fine performance by the Omaha bullpen, which was called upon in the fifth to replace ineffective starting pitcher Mike Montgomery. Right-hander Zach Miner held Albuquerque scoreless over the next four innings, giving the Storm Chasers an opportunity to get back in the game and have a chance at victory.

As has been the case quite often this season, Montgomery struggled with his control. Making his 20th start of the season, he allowed four runs on seven hits over four innings pitched, walking four and striking out three. He needed 93 pitches to get his first 10 outs, with the final two coming on a hard smash with the bases loaded that the Omaha defense turned into a 5-4-3, inning-ending double play with the Chasers trailing 4-1.

“He’s just been inconsistent with his command, and it’s something that’s got to get better,” said manager Mike Jirschele after the game. “He was fortunate to get through as far as he did.”

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.

Zephyrs down the Chasers, Omaha clings to one game lead

Mike Montgomery gave up three
earned runs in 6.0 innings
(File photo: Dennis Hubbard)

Omaha, Neb. – Everything turned on one at bat during the sixth inning on Friday night. New Orleans shortstop Ozzie Martinez blasted a two-run, two-out home run to give New Orleans a 3-2 lead. The Chasers hung in the game until the eighth inning when the Zephyrs sent 10 men to the plate, scoring six runs to take a 9-2 lead. That turned out to be the final score and the Chasers fell to 50-43 on the season.

Omaha scored in the first inning on a solid single to right field by Clint Robinson. He drove in Jarrod Dyson, who had no problem scoring from second base and didn't even draw a throw from right fielder Chris Aguila. Omaha scored again in the second inning when Irving Falu drove in Lorenzo Cain with a sharp single to center field on an 0-1 pitch to give Omaha the 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Mike Montgomery looked strong early, retiring the first nine hitters he faced. He changed speeds and located well with the exception of his curve ball, which he was eventually able to command. He cruised through the first five innings, giving up just a single run.

Jarrod Dyson steals the show in Omaha win

Jarrod Dyson stole the show Wednesday
(Photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Metairie, LA – Jarrod Dyson scored the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning on a wild pitch as Omaha upended New Orleans, 5-4, Wednesday afternoon to finish off a three-game set at Zephyr Field. The Storm Chasers took the last two games to improve to 48-39 and temporarily increase their lead over Memphis to two games in the PCL American North.

Dyson singled with two outs in the ninth, stole second, stole third and then scored on a Frank Mata offering that hit in the dirt and skipped past catcher Gregg Clime to move the visitors in front, 5-4. Jesse Chavez then worked a scoreless bottom of the frame to register his 10th save of the season.

Mike & Mike provide 1-2 punch in shutout win

Mike Montgomery celebrated his 22nd birthday in style, throwing 6.2 shutout innings en route to a 6-0 blanking of the Albuquerque Isotopes Friday night at Werner Park. Shortstop Mike Aviles provided Montgomery and the bullpen all the offense they would need, belting a third-inning grand slam to put the Chasers up for good.

It was the Storm Chasers third win in a row, each of which have come in dramatically different types of ballgames. First it was Kila Ka’aihue’s walk-off grand slam on Tuesday to beat Memphis 6-2, then Thursday’s 18-13 slugfest against the Isotopes that featured nine home runs. This time, Montgomery came back strong after taking a start off.

The 6-foot-4 lefty allowed just a pair of singles, walked three and struck out seven in 98 pitches. He exited to a standing ovation from many of the 6,805 in attendance, improving his record to 3-4 on the season. It was Montgomery’s first home win since his first home start back on April 17 against Nashville. Mario Santiago and Jesse Chavez retired seven of the eight batters they faced to finish off the ballgame.

Defensive miscues plague Storm Chasers

From the Omaha Storm Chasers ...

Manny Pina hit his second home run of the
season tonight. He also had a double.
(Photo: Lee Warren)

A series of Omaha miscues turned a two-run lead into a six-run loss Tuesday night at Werner Park, spoiling a strong performance by Storm Chasers starting pitcher Mike Montgomery. Iowa tallied three runs in the seventh and five more in the eighth, rallying for the 11-5 win.

The turning point of the game took place in the top of the seventh inning, with one out and the bases full and the Storm Chasers clinging to a 5-4 lead. Iowa catcher Chris Robinson took a hack at a Blake Johnson offering and rolled an easy double play ball to shortstop Mike Aviles, but after a clean relay to second for the second out, Johnny Giavotella’s toss to first short-hopped Clint Robinson and skipped toward the Iowa dugout. Two runs came home on the play, adding to an inning that began with the second fielding error of the night by third baseman Lance Zawadzki.

Omaha starting pitcher Mike Montgomery was the story early on, striking out the first three batters he faced and punching out a season-high eight Cubs hitters in his five innings of work. He did allow a pair of runs on two hits and five walks, though only one run was earned. Three Chasers relievers, including Johnson, losing pitcher Robinson Tejeda (0-1) and Blaine Hardy, gave up nine runs (six earned) on 13 hits over four innings. The four Storm Chasers errors equaled a season high.

J.J. Picollo talks about KC's youth movement

J.J. Picollo, the Kansas City Royals assistant general manager, has been at Werner Park the past couple of days. On Friday, he was Brett Pollock's guest on Storm Chasers Live! – a video program that runs before Omaha home games. The Storm Chasers provided Omaha Baseball 360 with a copy of the interview:

Pollock: There was so much talk about the talent on this team this year and about who would be the first to get the call to go up. Hosmer was first and Moustakas joined him about a month later. When you looked at Moustakas’ progression over the last month, what did you see that warranted the call?

Picollo: Well, all year long Mike has really been swinging the bat fine. He’s been a run producer which is really the number one thing we need Mike to do. He was knocking in runs all year. I think over the last couple of weeks, he started swinging the bat a little more consistently. And the roving coaches – some of our front office personnel kind of thought he hit his stride and it was just a matter of time.

Eric Hosmer (Photo: Minda Haas / Royal Blues)

Pollock: I mentioned Eric Hosmer. He was batting over .400 here and he did it with the glove as well. He seemingly had a very smooth transition to the big leagues. Picked up right where he left off and I think one of the interesting things about Hosmer – the thing that really jumped out at you, aside from his talent on the field was the way he carried himself. And it seems like already he’s kind of taken up the mantel of being the face of the franchise.

Picollo: He’s a very mature guy. He’s been that way since high school. He’s just continued from the time he signed until the time he got called up to the major leagues. He’s been the same guy he always has been. He’s a winner. He’s a competitor. We’re excited about having him there. We look forward to having him in the middle of our lineup for a long time.

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.