Royals on the Farm 6/1

AAA: Omaha and New Orleans combined for 29 hits in a 10-inning slugfest in which the O-Royals came out the losers, 10-9. The O-Royals grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 1st on an RBI single by LF Aaron Guiel after a 1-out double by 2B Denny Hocking. New Orleans tied it in the 2nd but Omaha struck back with a run on a sac fly by SS Alejandro Prieto to take a 2-1 lead. The Zephyrs scored 2 in the 4th to take the lead but Omaha scored 3 that inning on a 2-out rally. Hocking hit an RBI single and Guiel followed with a 2-run single to give the O-Royals a 5-3 lead. Omaha stretched the lead to 3 runs with a run in the 5th on a sac fly by RF Jaime Jones but New Orleans tied the game with a 3-run 6th and took the lead with a 2-run 8th. Omaha tied the game in the bottom of the 8th with a 2-run double by 3B Chris Truby and the score remained tied into the 10th. The Zephyrs rallied for 2 runs in the inning and 1B Chad Santos singled home Hocking with 2 outs to make it a 10-9 game. C Paul Phillips popped out to end the game. SP Chris George had another Chris George start in going 5 IP and allowing 6 R (5 ER) on 6 hits and 2 BB with 4 Ks to hike his ERA to 5.97. Are the Royals ever going to just cut bait with him? It's time -- we could get another pitcher up to AAA to develop in his spot. RP Wes Wilkerson blew his 2nd save of the season with 1 IP in which he allowed 0 ER on 1 hit with 1 K to lower his ERA to 5.10. RP Jaime Cerda went 2 IP and gave up 2 ER on 4 hits to make his ERA 9.00. RP Jeremy Affeldt had another rehab appearance and gave up 1 hit and K'd 1 in 1 IP to lower his ERA to 6.75. RP Santiago Ramirez got the loss to drop to 2-3 with 2 ER on 2 hits and a BB in 1 IP. His ERA is 5.32. Hocking was 2-4 with a double, 2 BB, an RBI and 3 RS to raise his BA to .288. Guiel was 3-5 with a BB and 3 RBI to improve to .268. DH Justin Gemoll was 1-3 with 3 BB to improve to .315. Truby was 2-5 with 2 doubles, a BB and 2 RBI to raise his BA to .265, Santos was 2-6 with a double and RBI to move to .261 and Phillips was 2-6 with a double to improve to .236. Prieto was 2-4 with an RBI to improve his BA to .271. Omaha left 13 runners stranded.

Omaha is 22-31 and 5 1/2 games back of first-place Memphis. The team is looking to snap a 6-game losing streak in today's doubleheader with the Zephyrs. Game 1, which should be over or close, featured NO's LH Ed Yarnall (3-3, 6.38) vs. RH Danny Tamayo (3-3, 4.64). Game 2 matches the Zephyrs' LH Matt White (0-1, 3.62) vs. RH Justin Huisman (2-0, 3.66). In other Omaha news, RP Byron Embry was placed on the DL just prior to Wednesday’s game and will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. Does every organization have this much trouble with pitchers' arms -- Snyder, Runelvys, Asencio, etc.? Ken Harvey is also at AAA for his rehab assignment. Aaron Guiel is still with the team but didn't I hear the Royals had to either call him up to the majors or he'd be a free agent June 1? Did I hear the date wrong?

AA: Records were set Thursday in Corpus Christi as Wichita beat the Hooks, 7-2, in 20 innings. It was the longest game in Wranglers history in both innings and time, as the previous inning record was 17 innings. Wednesday's game lasted 6 hours and 19 minutes and ended this morning at 1:19 a.m. CT. Five Wichita relievers held Corpus Christi scoreless over 14 innings (and non-pitchers got both the win and the loss) while the Hooks' relievers kept Wichita from scoring for 12 innings. Wichita struck first in the 2nd on an RBI single by 3B Brennan King and the Hooks took the lead in the 4th with 2 runs off SP J.P. Howell. Wichita tied the game in the 6th on a solo HR by LF Cory Aldridge (his 13th) and the marathon began. Both teams got runners to third, including Wichita in the 11th with 0 outs, but neither could get a run home until the top of the 20th, when Corpus Christi DH Eric Riggs came in to pitch. He walked RF John Draper and CF Mel Stocker to start the inning and SS-2B Brett Groves bunted them over to third. DH-1B Justin Huber was walked to load the bases and SS Mike Aviles came through with a 2-run single. Aldridge followed with a 2-run double and was driven home by King to give the Wranglers a 7-2 lead. 2B-1B Rudy Gomez came in for Wichita to pitch the bottom of the 19th and 20th and set the Hooks down in order in the 20th on a line out, pop out and ground out to end the game.

Howell went 6 IP and allowed 2 ER on 5 hits and a BB with 11 Ks!!! to move his ERA to 2.50. RP Barry Armitage went 3 innings and allowed 3 hits and 3 BB with 2 Ks but 0 ER to drop his ERA to 5.24. RP Nate Hoelscher had a solid outing of 5 IP in which he allowed 5 hits and 2 BB with 1 K and 0 ER to lower his ERA to 5.68. RP Shawn Sonnie went the next 2 innings and gave up 2 hits and a BB with 5 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.38. RP Trae McGill went 2 innings as well and gave up 2 hits with 2 Ks as his ERA sagged to 4.71. Gomez got the win to move to 1-0 as he pitched 2 innings and allowed 1 hit and a BB with 1 K to establish an 0.00 ERA.

Huber was 0-8 with a BB and 2 Ks to drop his BA to .330. 1B Josh Pressley was 0-6 with a BB to drop to .309 and Aviles was 1-2 with 2 RBI after entering the game in the 16th as a defensive replacement to improve his BA to .276. Aldridge was 3-9 with 2 doubles, a HR, 3 RBI and 3 RS to improve to .294. King was 3-8 with a BB and 2 RBIs to improve to .243 and Gomez was 2-8 at the plate to improve to .175. Stocker was 3-7 with a BB to improve to .213. The Wranglers left 11 on base compared to 23 for the Hooks.

Wichita is 27-26 and 6 games back of Tulsa. The Hooks and Wranglers wrap up their series tonight as RHP Kyle Middleton (6-4, 2.59) takes the hill against Hooks’ RHP Tim McClaskey (2-4, 2.92).

High-A: High Desert pitchers gave up 5 Lancaster home runs as the JetHawks came away with a 9-3 win. High Desert cut a 2-run Lancaster lead to 1 with an RBI single by 1B Kila Kaaihue in the 4th but the JetHawks scored 5 runs in the 5th to 7th innings to put the game away. The Mavs scored once in the 8th on an RBI single by CF Chris Lubanski and again in the 9th on an RBI double by 3B Adam Keim. SP Chris Coughlin dropped to 0-4 as he gave up 5 ER on 6 hits and a BB in 4 1/3 IP with 1 K. He allowed 3 homers as his ERA ballooned to 7.20. RP Drew Endicott pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed 2 ER on 4 hits and a BB to increase his ERA to 5.62. RP Chris Demaria gave up 2 ER on 2 hits and a BB with 2 Ks in 2 innings to hike his ERA to 3.25. RF Mitch Maier was 2-5 in the loss to improve his BA to .337. SS Angel Sanchez was also 2-5 to improve to .284 and Keim was 2-5 with a double and RBI to move to .280. Kaaihue was 1-4 with a BB and RBI to drop to .361. 2B Walter Sevilla was 2-4 to improve to .226. Maier added his 6th SB and an outfield assist at home in the loss. Either Billy Butler had the night off or he's taking Costa's place in Wichita.

High Desert is 25-27 and 4 games back of Lancaster. The teams wrap up their set tonight as JetHawks' SP Chris Kinsey (3-6, 6.00) and Kahi Kaanoi (2-6, 6.41) square off. Stephen Drew didn't play for Lancaster Wednesday so he may make his debut tonight.

Low-A: A 4-run 1st got Burlington started and the Bees hit their way to a 9-4 win for their third straight victory. After 2B Irving Falu walked and RF Geraldo Valentin reached on a throwing error in the 1st, DH Mario Lisson came up and cranked a 3-run HR for his 3rd of the season. 3B Eddie Solis hit an RBI single later in the inning and the Bees had a 4-0 lead. Burlington scored 2 more in the 3rd on an RBI double by 1B Rusty Brown, who later scored on a passed ball. The Bees added 2 in the 4th on a balk that allowed LF Kenard Springer to cross the plate and a Brown RBI single. Burlington's final run came in the 8th on an RBI single by Valentin after Falu tripled. SP Matt Campbell gave up 3 ER on 6 hits and 4 BB with 4 Ks over 4 2/3 IP to increase his ERA to 4.14. He also left the game in the 5th with a twisted ankle. No report on his status yet. RP Kyle Crist got the win to move to 4-0. He went 3 1/3 IP and allowed only 1 hit and 1 BB with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.08. RP Rusty Begnaud allowed 1 ER on 2 hits and a BB in 1 inning pitched as his ERA rose to 8.31. Falu was 1-3 with a triple, 2 BB and 3 RS to improve to .215. Lisson was 2-4 with a BB, HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .246 and Brown was 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI to improve to .299. SS Edward Lucas was 0-4 to drop to .329.

Burlington is 25-27 and 4 1/2 games back of Clinton and Wisconsin. The Bees and Beloit continue their series tonight as Snappers LH Jose Mijares (NR) takes on RH Billy Buckner (3–6, 3.93).