Raptors pick up first win amidst sea of losses

Michael Grennell

June 27, 2016

The Ogden Raptors (1-8) entered Monday night on a four-game losing streak as they faced the Orem Owlz (6-3) at Lindquist Field.

Starting pitcher Roberth Fernandez took the mound for the Raptors against Orem starter Austin Robichaux. The Monday night start was Fernandez’s third of the year, as he entered with a 1-1 record and a 7.56 ERA.

Robichaux’s start was his second of the year, after pitching only four innings in his season debut against Idaho Falls.

6-23 Ogden Raptors (Michael Grennell)-5.jpg — Raptors starter Miguel Ureña was the losing pitcher in Thursday night's game against Grand Junction. Ureña gave up eight runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings pitched. (Michael Grennell / The Signpost) Photo credit: Michael Grennell

The results of Monday’s game were not available at deadline.

Right hander Miguel Ureña will start for Ogden on Tuesday at 7 p.m., when the Raptors host the Idaho Falls Chukars (6-3). The Raptors started the season on the road at Idaho Falls, losing the first game 8-2 and losing the second game 7-2.

Ureña’s 17.18 ERA was the worst in the Pioneer League this season entering Monday’s games. He has given up 14 runs on 18 hits in 7.1 innings pitched. Ureña will face off against Chukars’ right hander Arnaldo Hernandez, who enters the game with a 1-0 record and a 4.66 ERA.

Last week’s games:

After losing four straight to start the season, the Raptors won their first game of the year in an 11-4 blow out over the Grand Junction Rockies on July 22. The Raptors recorded a season-high 14 hits against the Rockies, including four home runs. Ogden centerfielder Michael Medina’s only two hits of the night both left the stadium, as he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and a three-run home run in the sixth.

Despite finally getting a win, it was not enough to give the Raptors any momentum as Grand Junction defeated Ogden 12-3 in the last game of the series.

“Our guys continued to play hard, we scattered some hits, we put together some good at bats,” Raptors manager Shaun Larkin said. “There’s a lot of good things happening that don’t show up in a box score, and that’s what we’re really here for anyways. I’m really happy with that and we’ll find a way to get these guys out at some point.”

6-23 Ogden Raptors (Michael Grennell)-3.jpg — Dodgers 2016 fourth round draft pick DJ Peters slides into second base for his first stolen base of the season. (Michael Grennell / The Signpost) Photo credit: Michael Grennell

On Friday and Saturday the Raptors played in Orem against the Owlz, where they lost the first game 7-6 on a walk off single by Owlz third baseman Franklin Torres. The Raptors were only able to score two runs combined over the following two games against the Owlz, losing 4-1 on Saturday and 10-1 on Sunday at Lindquist Field.

Players of note:

Outfielder DJ Peters has gotten off to a hot start since joining the Raptors earlier this season. He is tied for the team lead with three doubles and is second on the team in batting average (.350) and first in on-base percentage (.435) among players with at least 20 at bats.

“We struggled a little bit in some areas, but in some areas we also did very very well,” Peters said after Thursday night’s loss. “You got to take the positives out of every situation. I’m a new guy myself, and we got four or five other new guys so we all just kinda got to get used to playing with each other. We’ll be fine down the road.”

Peters was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of this year’s MLB Draft.

Outfielder Darien Tubbs was a 16th round draft pick by the Dodgers this year, and despite appearing in only five of the team’s nine games, he already leads the team in batting average (.381), slugging percentage (.619), and runs scored (5). Entering Monday night’s game, Tubbs was the only player in the Pioneer League with zero strikeouts in 20 or more at bats.