The Butler Did It
The Butler Did It
Eddie Butler, that is. The right-hander out of Radford (Virginia) University is rated the Colorado Rockies' # 2 prospect by Baseball America and # 3 by MLB.com. Anyone attending Sunday's game might be led to believe the folks at MLB are underestimating him. Butler tossed 7.0 scoreless innings, and did it true to form. He "pitched to contact," but the contact (more often than not) was limited. He struck out only three batters, but walked just one, and scattered five hits en route to his fourth win, lowering his earned run average to 2.39 (third in the league).
Former Rockies farm hand Chris Jensen (acquired by the A's with Drew Pomeranz in the Brett Anderson trade) answered with a "quality start" against the team he would otherwise have been pitching for in 2014. Jensen also went 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking two and whiffing four. The Drillers manufactured single runs in the second and fourth with Tyler Massey (see below) scoring one and driving in the other. The RockHounds had one-out hits against Butler in the first and second, and had two on with one out in the fourth, but did not score.
Scott Oberg earned his 10th save (in as many chances) with his arm, glove and a little help from his friends. Oberg speared Chad Oberacker's sharp grounder up the middle leading off the ninth, saving a hit. Jason Langfels then robbed Dusty Coleman of a single with a diving stop on a ball hit between third and short. Oberg finished off a dramatic 1-2-3 ninth inning … and ended the game … with a strikeout of Beau Taylor.
WP: Eddie Butler (4-4, 2.39)
LP: Chris Jensen (2-4, 4.08)
SV: Scott Oberg (10, 3.72)
Kibbles & Bits
- At the end of the RockHounds-Drillers game, the other three contests in the Texas League had yet to be decided. Two were evening games, while Frisco and Springfield were in an extended rain delay in the Metroplex. Frisco, however, had a 3-1 lead in the sixth, meaning the game would qualify as official. A RoughRiders win would boost Frisco's lead to two games over the RockHounds. Tulsa (at 26-23 the only North Division club over .500) is guaranteed no worse than a game-and-a-half lead over Arkansas and two over Springfield entering Monday's play.
- The 'Hounds loss opens the door for Corpus Christi to forge a tie for second in the South. The Hooks are at Northwest Arkansas, facing a Naturals team that is 16-31 on the season (Corpus has five games against the Naturals in the next eight days, three of those at home).
- There are 21 games remaining in the first half pennant race with cross-division play continuing for the next seven games (through Sunday, June 1). The first half then ends with two weeks of games within the respective divisions.
- On Friday, Max Muncy played for the first time since suffering an injury to the middle finger of his left hand, May 4, at Frisco. While he lost a nine-game hit streak in that game (0-2, walk), the 'Hounds first baseman had an RBI single Saturday, and a double plus a sac fly in Sunday's game. Max has now reached base in 12 straight games with hits in 11-of-12 (16-for-41, .390). He ranks fourth in the Texas League with a .313 average and leads the TL with a .433 on-base percentage.
- Anthony Aliotti (0-3, walk) has reached base in 25 straight games, tying former RockHound Colin Walsh (now with Triple-A Sacramento) for the second-longest on-base streak in the league this year. Frisco's Ryan Rua had a 27-gamer earlier in the season (ended by the 'Hounds). "Ali," who also owns the longest hit streak in the TL in 2014 (16 games from May 4-21), is hitting .326 in the 25-gamer with a .463 OBP.
- Tulsa's Tyler Massey has provided the bulk of Tulsa's offense in the first two games of the series, either scoring, driving in (or both) three of Tulsa's four runs. The Drillers' outfielder is 3-for-7 with a double, home run, two runs, two RBI and two stolen bases. Ironically, he came into the series hitting just .179. Massey is the cousin of RockHounds catcher Blake Forsythe.
- Hiro Nakajima (1-3, run, walk) has now reached base in 16-of-17 games with the RockHounds and has hits in 14 of those games (.339).
- Miles Head (DNP Sunday) has hit in 5-of-7 games … going 9-for-26 (.346) with two home runs and seven RBI in that span.
Next Game
vs. Tulsa Drillers (Colorado Rockies' AA Affiliate)
Monday, May 26 - 2:00 p.m. (Radio at 1:53 p.m.)
Security Bank Ballpark
Probable Starters
Tulsa: (RH) Dan Winkler (5-2, 1.46)
RockHounds: (LH) Andrew Werner (2-3, 5.82)