Naturals return home to take on Travelers

SPRINGDALE — Northwest Arkansas’ offense has heated up to match a solid pitching staff from the start as the Naturals return home leading the Texas League North Division.

The Naturals struggled to score runs early, which led to a 4-8 start. However, the offense has clicked lately to match what’s been a strong starting rotation. The two working together helped propel the Naturals a 10-2 streak before Thursday’s 9-1 loss at Springfield.

Northwest Arkansas begins an eight-game homestand with a four-game series against Arkansas, which is now the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Travelers spent the past 16 years as a Los Angeles Angels affiliate.

“There’s no question the starting pitching has been the anchor of what’s been going on for us,” Northwest Arkansas manager Vance Wilson said. “Not only have the starters pitched well, they’ve saved our bullpen that’s had some struggles in some areas.”

The numbers bear that out as four Naturals starters rank among the top eight in the league in ERA led by right-hander Miguel Almonte (1-0 1.85 ERA), who is third. However, he was called up to the Kansas City Royals on Friday when starter Ian Kennedy was placed on the disabled list.

But Northwest Arkansas also has a pair of the hottest bats in the league, too. Frank Schwindel is among the league leaders in batting average (.371) and RBIs (21), while 20-year-old Samir Duenez leads the league with 25 RBIs in 24 games.

Wilson said Schwindel has become a more complete hitter, while Duenez, the third youngest player in the Texas League, has just continued to do what carried to three different levels of the minor leagues last year.

“The biggest thing for Frank is he’s realized you can hit 20 home runs at a level, but when you throw away at-bats no one takes you seriously,” Wilson said. “Samir, that kid can just hit. He gets a little over aggressive at times, but he has a real knack for RBIs. Frank’s a little more