Royals prospects shine in Naturals 4-2 win

TEXAS LEAGUE NATURALS 4, TRAVELERS 2

SPRINGDALE — For Kansas City Royals fans, Monday’s 4-2 win by Northwest Arkansas against Arkansas at Arvest Ballpark signaled a bright future for the organization.

The Naturals, the Royals’ Double-A affiliate, were sparked by the offense of Khalil Lee, the club’s top minor league prospect, and a strong Major League rehab assignment start by Eric Skoglund, who hadn’t pitched in nearly a year.

Lee was 3-for-4 and drove in the go-ahead run when he legged out an infield single in the seventh inning. He drove in Nick Dini, who smacked a double off the left field wall and moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Heath.

It was Lee’s fourth multiple-hit game in his past six games. He’s 10-for-24 during the stretch, which has lifted his batting average from .215 to .266.

Skoglund threw 42 pitches, including 29 strikes, in four innings while allowing three hits and striking out two when he got Donnie Walton and Beau Amarel to whiff at breaking balls in the dirt.

The 25-year-old lefthander is recovering from an Grade 1 Ulnar Collateral Ligament sprain and has been out

since last August. He made 14 starts in 16 appearances for the Kansas City Royals before the injury.

The Naturals grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning with Jeckkson Flores and Erick Mejia each driving in a run.

Arkansas evened the score at 2-2 when Joey Curletta drove in a run in fourth and then again in the sixth on sacrifice fly to deep center with the bases loaded. It appeared the Travelers may take the lead before Northwest Arkansas reliever Scott Blewett got a double play to escape the jam.

SHORT HOPS:

■ With the infield shifted heavily toward right side, NWA’s Samir Duenez tried to sneak in a bunt single down the undefended third baseline, only to see the ball roll less than a foot outside of the bag into foul territory. He looked back at the Naturals’ dugout and flashed a big smile before stepping back into the batter’s box.

■ Skoglund only threw 41 pitches, but was charged with a “ball” when the pitch clock ran out on him before the delivering the first pitch of the second inning.

■ The Naturals have won four of their past five games after snapping a seven-game losing streak to begin the current homestand. The Travelers have lost five in a row and nine of their last 10.

On Deck: The Naturals continue their three-game home series against Arkansas with a doubleheader starting at 5:05 p.m. today. NWA will send left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin (4-12, 5.99) to the mound while Arkansas counters with right-hander Williams Perez (2-0, 2.93) in the opener. Neither club had announced a starter for the second game of the doubleheader.

Today’s Promotion: “$5 Group Night” means groups of 20 or more can enjoy $5 first or third base reserved tickets if purchased in advance. There also will be $1 Johnsonville Brats at select grill carts in the concourse.

On The Air: KQSM-FM 92.1

On The Web: www.nwanaturals.com