Lerew pitches in when offense lags
Posted: July 28, 2009 at 6:02 a.m.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Offense has carried Northwest Arkansas lately, but the Naturals found a different way to stay hot Monday.
Pitching led the Naturals to a 4-3 victory and finished a four-game sweep over the Springfield Cardinals at Hammons Field.
The Texas League North Division-leading Naturals improved to 20-9 in the second half. Springfield slipped to 13-17.
In winning the first three games of the series, the Naturals outslugged the Cardinals, scoring 40 runs on 46 hits. The offense was less active in the series finale, so pitcher Anthony Lerew took advantage of his modest support with seven solid innings.
He wobbled in the seventh after taking a 4-1 lead. Springfield scored twice off Lerew to pull within a run, but the tying run was stranded at third. Two of the three runs Lerew allowed, both in the seventh, were unearned. He gave up 5 hits and struck out 2 on 95 pitches. He walked just one.
Lerew (6-5) has come on strong during the latter half of the month. In his past three starts, including Monday's outing, the 27-year-old right-hander is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA. He's also hitting the strike zone better with just one walk in each of those three starts. He's walked 48 in 119 total innings.
Lerew's recent surge followed a rough stretch in which he didn't win in five starts and allowed 21 earned runs.
Frederico Castaneda relieved Lerew and threw two perfect innings for his first save in his third Class AA appearance after moving up to the Texas League from Kansas City's rookie team in Surprise, Ariz. Castenada struck out three of the six Cardinals he faced.
The bulk of the Naturals' offense came in the fourth after Springfield took a 1-0 lead. Three runs scored, including two on a double by Jose Duarte. The lead grew to 4-1 in the top of the seventh when Corey Smith drove in Marc Maddox on a sacrifice fly to center.
The Naturals had nine hits, two each from Maddox, Jeff Bianchi and Vance Wilson.
Springfield starter Lance Lynn (9-4) allowed 3 earned runs on 7 hits in 6 innings.
Sports, Pages 18 on 07/28/2009
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