Raywilly Gomez has hit 13 home runs in nine professional seasons and has a career slugging percentage of .362.
Those aren't exactly the statistics of a prototypical No. 3 hitter, but lately Gomez has fit nicely into that role for the Arkansas Travelers and Thursday night he helped them end their season-long losing streak at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.
Gomez hit a 2-1 fastball to right field for a two-run single in the middle of a five-run second inning as the Travs beat the Corpus Christi Hooks 6-2 in front of an announced crowd of 5,095, who watched starter Sean Newcomb record his first Class AA victory.
Newcomb, the Los Angeles Angels' No. 1 overall prospect, struck out six over five innings as the Travs ended a seven-game losing streak. He and his teammates should direct some thanks to Gomez, who has become the Travs' most consistent hitter this season.
"You just know what you're going to get," Arkansas Manager Bill Richardson said. "His eye-hand coordination is just fantastic and he's got a little pop in there, so I'm not afraid to put him in the three hole."
Gomez has been at his best over the past week. While the Travs have been skidding, Gomez has kept hitting.
He is hitting .464 (13 for 28) with 5 RBI since Aug. 5, the day the Travs' losing streak began. Now Gomez is hitting a team-best .310 with 16 RBI in 55 games this season.
Gomez, a catcher who was the Travs' designated hitter Thursday, credits the recent surge to dropping his hands a bit while in his stance.
"I really do feel more comfortable," he said. "I was hitting OK, but your hands go faster when you have them down and it's really worked. I'm going to keep doing it."
Gomez' single was set up by Edison Frias' lack of command. The right-hander gave up singles to Brian Hernandez and Cal Towey and, after striking out Anthony Bemboom, Erick Salcedo's single loaded the bases. Sherman Johnson and Chad Hinshaw followed with walks that scored Hernandez and Towey as the Travs took a 2-1 lead.
Gomez's single to right field scored Salcedo and Johnson and ended Friars' night. Hinshaw later scored on a throwing error.
"It changed everything," Gomez said of the big inning. "We were on a losing streak, but before that we were playing really good baseball. So we were just believing in ourselves, and we all know what we're capable of doing."
The big inning helped Newcomb earn his first victory. Like in his Travs debut Aug. 2, Newcomb had trouble finding the strike zone at times but never let the Hooks take advantage. Leo Heras led off the game with a double and scored, but Newcomb worked out of a bases-loaded jam in that inning by striking out Jio Mier.
He walked a batter in the second, third and fourth innings, but also struck out 6 batters over 5 innings and held the Hooks to 3 hits. Newcomb increased his strikeout total to 144 this season over three different levels, the most in Minor League Baseball. In 3 starts with the Travs, he has a 1.69 over 16 innings with 15 strikeouts and 12 walks.
"Really pleased with him," Richardson said. "I'd like him to be a little bit more efficient. You can chop them up however, but he got the 'W' when we needed it."
Sports on 08/14/2015