TULSA — Johnny Giavotella was a one-man wrecking crew for Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday night.
The Naturals second baseman was 4-for-5 with three RBI as Northwest Arkansas rallied to beat Tulsa 5-3 at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. Giavotella hit a two-run home run, a double and two singles while increasing his batting average to .306.
Derrick Robinson, Anthony Seratelli and Tim Smith had two hits each for the Naturals (20-11).
Blake Johnson (2-2) picked up the win after giving up just one hit in three innings of relief work. Patrick Keating pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Robinson started the game with a single and Giavotella followed with his fourth home run of the year to give the Naturals a 2-0 lead. But the lead didn’t last long as Wilin Rosario hit a three-run home run in the home half of the first inning to give the Drillers (19-13) a 3-2 lead.
The Naturals tied the game at 3 in the fourth when Tim Smith doubled before scoring on a RBI single by Seratelli.
A RBI single by Giavotella in the seventh gave the Naturals a 4-3 lead and Paulo Orlando picked up an RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Before Wednesday’s game, the Naturals made two rosters moves and both involved pitchers.
Left-hander Edgar Osuna (6-2, 2.59 ERA) was promoted to Triple-A Omaha. Osuna had 55 strikeouts and just nine walks in 80 innings of work.
Another lefty, John Lamb, takes Osuna’s spot in the rotation after the 20-year-old was promoted to Northwest Arkansas from Class A-Advanced Wilmington. Lamb, who is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 7 prospect in the Kansas City farm system, started the season in Class A Burlington after being selected in the fifth round of the 2008 draft.
Lamb was 2-3 with a 1.58 ERA with Burlington but was 6-3 with a 1.45 ERA in 13 starts with Wilmington. Lamb, who will be the youngest player to ever wear a Naturals uniform, will make his Double-A debut Saturday in Springfield.
ON DECK: Two of the hottest pitchers in the Texas League will square off at 7:05 p.m. today as Northwest Arkansas and Tulsa play the third game of the four-game series. Aaron Crow (7-6, 5.46 ERA), the Royals’ top draft pick in 2009, will take the mound for the Naturals. Crow is 5-1 over his last nine starts.
Tulsa will counter with Cory Riordan (5-4, 3.83), who was taken by Colorado in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. Riordan is 4-0 in his last nine starts with a 2.95 ERA. He has 53 strikeouts in 58 innings over that span.