Second Half Record: 17-15

The Naturals played it close, only outscoring their opponent by five runs while still managing to take two more games. The Wind Surge put up a fight, taking two of the last three, but couldn’t put it together to overcome the Naturals’ balanced attack. Almost every pitcher was able to keep the squad competitive. In tow was an offense centered around contact and situational hitting. Six out of the thirteen batters who took a swing batted over .300 on the week. The top five OPS hitters on the squad all attacked with a contact-first approach. It was tough to keep the Northwest Arkansas hitters off the basepaths, leading to a great week for the team. 

Pitcher of the Week

Tyson Guererro made two starts totaling 13 innings, 11 strikeouts, and zero runs over his appearances. He was nails, allowing three hits and three walks for a grand total of six baserunners. His WHIP of 0.46 is the best by any starter on the Naturals in weeks, and was totaled over two starts instead of one. It was a very successful week for Guererro which resulted in being named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week. 

Guerrero has done great keeping his strikeouts up and limiting hard contact in the air. If the walks remain low like he managed this week, he could be in store for a great finish. His WHIP of 1.28 is incredibly respectable given his 4.09 BB/9. Guerrero looks to solve the aforementioned walk issue on the way to becoming a top 20 prospect in the system. 

Hitter of the Week

Utility man Javier Vaz slashed .333/.429/.556 over five games and 18 at-bats this week. He mashed an inside-the-park home run and a double among his six hits. The icing on the cake was five RBIs and three walks with zero strikeouts to boot. You can’t ask for a much better week for a hitter like Vaz, with his contact resulting in a plethora of runs and his on-base ability outshining any lack of power he may possess. 

Vaz struggled early but has all but corrected his struggles in the first month of the season. His numbers are still a bit lackluster, but his OPS is sitting at a respectable .768 on the season. He turned the corner hard in July, slashing .289/.396/.511 and showcasing his ceiling over a small sample size. Throughout all the struggles he has still walked (52) more than he’s struck out (41), showing why the team wouldn’t give up on him too soon. 

Other Notables

Cruz Noriega struck out 4 over 4 IP. He allowed just three hits and zero runs in his start, good for a 0.75 WHIP.

Steven Zobac amassed 6 K over 5.2 IP. 3 runs were scored but zero were earned as he allowed just four base runners.

Tyler Tolbert swatted a home run and a double with 8 hits on the week. He slashed a gnarly .333/.360/.500 while leading the team in at-bats.

What’s Next

The Naturals head to Amarillo to face the perfectly named Sod Poodles. It’s a cross-divisional matchup in the Texas League with a chance for the boys in Arkansas to see some fresh faces. A good week could reasonably put the Naturals in reach of first place in their division and safely out of their current tie for second.

Image credit: Tommy Raymond/Northwest Arkansas Naturals