tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41069167491353343852012-02-16T01:39:29.910-06:00A totally unofficial blog for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-62636134659991203082009-04-11T12:39:00.002-05:002009-04-11T12:49:49.925-05:00

I'm going to do what I can to keep posting on here. I basically abandoned the thing last year (a marriage, honeymoon, and promotion at work will take up some time), but things are settled down, so I'll try to post (relatively) regularly.A couple items to start the year. First, a big congrats to former Naturals Cody Clark, Carlos Rosa, Irving Falu, Kila Ka'ahuie, Dusty Hughes, and I'm sure a

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-86190556816633361302008-06-19T06:31:00.002-05:002008-06-19T06:40:38.328-05:00

Former Naturals ace Carlos Rosa has now made his first major league appearance (actually 5 days ago, but who's counting?) in the Major Leagues. On June 14 he pitched a perfect inning of relief, allowing no base-runners and striking out one.Rosa became the first former Natural regular to appear in a major league game. Another former Nat, Jeff Fulchino, is also on the 25 man big league roster. Many

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-82249775870903364562008-06-18T07:06:00.003-05:002008-06-18T12:49:56.114-05:00

I wondered this at the beginning of the season, and it's pretty tough to find good sources onMiLB stuff. This includes the Texas League, so it was hard to figure out how the playoff structure in the league works, but now that the North and (for some time) the South have their first half winners it's probably a good time for a quick post on the topic.The season is divided into two halves, each

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-8521834538444222492008-06-11T07:50:00.003-05:002008-06-17T07:02:41.375-05:00

One has to wonder if this was the plan from the beginning, or if the staff at the 'Vest is listening to our thirsty cries for beer variety. Regardless of their reasons, they have done something wonderful - Beers of the World. No longer will thirsty fans have to settle for the drab offerings initially put up by the Naturals' staff. Now, though it isn't Boulevard on tap like I had hoped for, we at

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-49972160065418924562008-06-10T06:29:00.004-05:002008-06-10T06:42:26.760-05:00

OK - So I was only part right about the whole 40 man roster thing, and people are making me really sad by making fun of me over on Travelerocity. Funny how when you respond to sarcasm with sarcasm it gets lost. I'll admit that I totally missed the rest of the story on the 40 man roster bit. Like I've said from the beginning, though, it's a learning experience. It appears there's also something

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-58637864652662305212008-05-23T06:57:00.002-05:002008-05-23T07:05:30.415-05:00

Wednesday night, Arvest Ballpark was treated to the home return of Daniel Cortes. The start, Cortes' second since returning from the DL last week, was again solid. He got the win, going 5 innings, giving up 3 hits and allowing only one run while striking out five. He walked a few too many (4), but you'd have to expect his control to improve as he gets back into the groove. His season ERA now

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-80404123622287070772008-05-20T12:44:00.002-05:002008-05-21T06:20:16.312-05:00

I almost forgot to post about this. As a few people probably noticed based on the streak-tracker I had posted on the blog, Juan Richardson just had his 10 game hitting streak snapped when he went 0 for 3 on May 17. I thought I'd take a minute to look at what Richardson's numbers did during the streak, as he was impressive but not great.During the streak Richardson hit .410 (16 for 39), raising

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-9860972901623792022008-05-20T06:55:00.002-05:002008-05-20T07:15:31.611-05:00

Clark PromotedAfter struggling early, local favorite Cody Clark started wielding a hot bat just recently. Probably on the strength of his recently improved hitting, his always solid defense, and his experience, Clark was called up to replace Matt Tupman, who was promoted to the MLB team in John Buck's absence. It's likely that the call-up will be temporary, but Clark is making the most of the

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-90534637030889254832008-05-15T16:09:00.007-05:002008-05-16T14:24:29.965-05:00

The Naturals have been a model of the classic turnaround so far this season. After starting off a dismal 5-13, the Nats had their April 23rd game against the Springfield Cardinals rained out. After the rainout, the Naturals have surged to a 21-18 record, going 16-5 over their last 21 games. Not impressed? Let's look a little deeper.5-13 works out to a .277 winning percentage.16-5 works out to a

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-19368690183179748702008-05-12T17:07:00.005-05:002008-05-13T12:33:17.033-05:00

The pitching drain continues here in NWA. Carlos Rosa, the Naturals ace, and Texas League ERA leader has been promoted to the Omaha Royals, a step away from the majors. Rosa is the third Natural pitcher to be promoted since May 1st, and it looks like the Royals pitching-stacked system might be ready to pay off for the big club.Rosa, a 23-year-old Dominican was stellar in his starts for the

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-44545059046585270432008-05-12T08:29:00.005-05:002008-05-13T18:02:28.205-05:00

If you've looked at the Naturals' roster you've probably noticed that 4 players - Rosa, Pimentel, Sanchez, and Lisson are on the Royals 40-man roster. Many probably don't know what that means, though.Most people who follow baseball are familiar with the 25 man roster for each MLB team. Only players on the 25 man roster are eligible to play in official MLB games throughout the season. What is the

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-46843898599041539442008-05-08T16:01:00.003-05:002008-05-09T07:55:36.242-05:00

Colon PromotionRoman Colon is the second Natural pitcher in as many weeks to be promoted to Omaha. Colon pitched fairly well while with the Naturals - 2-0/5.29, but he wasn't spectacular. One of the few Nats with MLB experience (he's played for Atlanta and Detroit), Colon might be headed up to the big leagues soon. Obviously, he would be the first former Natural to play in the big leagues.Alumnus

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-11984936978825606542008-05-06T14:39:00.004-05:002008-05-06T15:39:32.681-05:00

I wanted to go ahead and get this posted while it's still true. As of 2:40 today, the Naturals are alone in first place in the North Division. With their come-from-behind victory on the strength of home runs from Kaaihue, McFall, and local favorite Cody Clark the Nats topped the Drillers to complete another series sweep, their second consecutive sweep at the 'Vest.This is the Naturals 8th

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-17111152979157359052008-05-05T10:51:00.002-05:002008-05-05T11:34:18.395-05:00

The Naturals are again tied for first place in the North Division at 14-16 (not bad after starting 4-12). It's a little difficult to get really excited about a first place club, though that's still lost more games than they've won. That is certainly not the case lately, though. The Naturals have now won 10 of their last 14 games and are legitimately hot. They're winning with pitching, including

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-57981722410344253172008-04-30T07:17:00.003-05:002008-04-30T09:15:12.030-05:00

After spending a good portion of the last week at the 'Vest watching the Naturals win a bunch of games, it's weird having to suddenly be stuck with recaps and radio broadcasts. For one, I find it hard to justify listening to the entire broadcast, since I get to see them so often. Being WAY out of market for my MLB franchise forces me to listen to games on XM if I want to get any live action, so

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-7385551965293637452008-04-29T08:30:00.003-05:002008-04-29T10:09:18.126-05:00

I love hearing about every Naturals first. Last week we had the first rainout, first double-header, first 7 inning game in franchise history, and won back-to-back games for the first time. This week the Naturals won their first series, then completed the franchise's first series sweep.Are the Naturals the best baseball team on the planet? Almost certainly. Look at these batting averages. Aside

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-28675347291402565192008-04-28T07:36:00.005-05:002008-04-28T11:05:53.664-05:00

Series UpdateThe Naturals, having already secured their first series victory will go for another franchise first - a series sweep. The fact that it might come from the Travelers could make it that much sweeter if the Naturals can pull it off. Add to that the fact that the Naturals will move into a tie for second place with a win tonight, and there is plenty of reason to bring your broom to the '

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-34306534976031245812008-04-26T11:50:00.007-05:002008-04-26T17:38:46.554-05:00

Game NotesBehind the stellar arm of Carlos Rosa, the Naturals finally edged a win in the Car-Mart Cup series with the Travelers. After dropping all 4 games against the cross-state rival in North Little Rock last weekend, the Naturals managed to split 4 with Springfield and have now won 3 of their last 5 (hey, our expectations are pretty low).I watched the game from the Bud Light Bullpen Cafe

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-52435848892343490812008-04-25T07:12:00.002-05:002008-04-25T08:13:27.852-05:00

Game NotesThe Naturals bats seemed to wake up at times last night, as they were able to put up 4 runs in two innings in the first game Thursday night. Brian McFall's impressive bomb in the fourth seemed to jump-start the offense, at least for a time. The Nat's cruised to a 4-2 win in game one, as the bullpen looked solid once again.After that three-run fourth, though, the Nats posted eight

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-49382431784526573152008-04-23T21:56:00.007-05:002008-04-24T15:07:19.170-05:00

The horrendous weather continues in NWA today, so the Naturals and Cardinals will have to play two tomorrow. Hopefully this rainout is what the Nats need to get their bats going. They'll play a doubleheader starting at 5:30, with the second game 30 minutes after the first.I spoke with a member of the Naturals today, who told me that tonight's games might be shortened to seven innings, which would

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4106916749135334385.post-49607235073521358742008-04-23T07:56:00.004-05:002008-04-23T08:31:44.193-05:00

IntroOK, I haven't gotten all the kinks worked out yet, but it's time to really get started. The Naturals season is a little more than 12% over, and things aren't looking good so far, as they've delivered the worst record in the Texas League.Game NotesThat being said, both of the last two games have given the fans something to get up about. Monday, fans at the 'Vest were treated to a scoreless

The Naturalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14224557080763433538noreply@blogger.com0