Naturals' pitching struggles, offense produces throughout 2-4 week – Farm to Fountains

Second Half Record: 27-29

The Naturals’ bats were able to plate some runs last week in a 180-degree switch from the week before. The pitching, however, couldn’t keep the Frisco RoughRiders from crossing the plate themselves. The Natural’s pitching staff wasn’t able to hold Frisco from scoring less than four runs in any game. After a rough week of pitching, it came to a head with 12 runs being scored in the series’ finale. On the other hand, the offense was seeing the ball well. Six of the twelve players who took at-bats last week finished with an OPS over .800.

Keylan Killgore came out of relief three times, allowing just one hit, one walk, one hit batter, and striking out six. He allowed just three baserunners over 3.1 IP giving up an opponent average of .091 and a WHIP of 0.60. It was a banner week for Killgore in a six-game span where many other pitchers couldn’t find much success. 

We haven’t covered Killgore much this season, but the 27-year-old hasn’t found much success in the minors yet. His strikeout stuff is obvious, but so are the walks and hits he consistently allows. Last week showed an ability to curb the contact and command issues. The stuff is evident with this great week for Killgore.

Luca Tresh collected 5 hits in his 18 at-bats. Also piled up in his six games were two doubles, a home run, and seven walks. All this combined, Tresh slashed .278/.500/.556 last week which was good for a 1.056 OPS. However, his average wasn’t the highest on the team last week, with five players batting above .300. 

The North Carolina State University alum has hovered around an .800 OPS all season. Most of this uptick in production has centered around a 34-point jump in his batting average from his 2023 season. His .262 average has allowed for his slugging to jump 92 points to .454 in 2024. It has been about as good of a year as it could be for the 24-year-old catcher, showing just how deep the position is for the Royals. 

Carter Jensen hit a home run and 2 triples on his way to a .300/.333/.650 slash. His slugging percentage was the best on the roster this week.

Tyler Tolbert hit 4 doubles and walked 5 times in his six games. He also nabbed 3 bases for the Naturals.

Javier Vaz walked 8 times alongside 6 hits. He also struck out just once which is not surprising.

Jacob Wallace threw 4.0 innings of one-hit ball. He struck out 3 and offered zero free bases. 

The Naturals start their penultimate series on the season this Tuesday in Springfield. Springfield has been on a tear in the second half and leads the Texas League in wins. This will be a tough test for the Naturals as they fight for a spot in the playoffs.

Image credit: Northwest Arkansas Naturals