Royals on the Farm 7/15

AAA: Omaha's bullpen blew a late lead in a 3-2 loss to Iowa Friday. The O-Royals jumped out to a 2-0 lead on runs in the 2nd and 5th on a solo homer by DH Cal Pickering (his 11th) and an RBI single by 2B Justin Gemoll. Iowa got on the board in the 5th with a run but Omaha held a 2-1 lead into the 8th. RP Matt Ford gave up a game-tying HR to his first batter, Iowa 1B Scott McClain, and RP Justin Huisman allowed an RBI double later in the inning to give Iowa the 3-2 lead. Omaha went down in order in the 9th to end it. SP Shawn Camp had a great start, going 7 IP and allowing 1 ER on 6 hits and 3 BB with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.01. Ford blew his 1st save and got the loss with 2/3 IP of 2 ER on 2 hits to drop to 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA. Huisman pitched 1/3 innings and allowed 1 hit with 1 K to drop his ERA to 3.83. 1B Denny Hocking was 3-4 with a double to improve to .256. No one else had more than a hit. After a hot start at AAA, LF Cory Aldridge was 0-4 Friday to drop his average to .232 as the plummet continues.

Omaha is 41-52 and 11 games out of first in the cellar of the PCL American North division. Tonight's pitching matchup: RH Kyle Snyder (0-2, 3.00) vs. LH John Koronka (7-6, 4.22).

AA: Wichita blew 2 leads and survived a nightmare top-of-the-9th to take an 8-7 win in the opener with Frisco. Frisco took a 2-0 lead in the 4th off SP Thad Markray but Wichita came back with 3 that inning on an RBI single by 1B Justin Huber and a 2-run homer by DH Josh Pressley (his 12th). Frisco tied it in the 5th but Wichita scored 4 in the 8th on RBI singles by RF Matt Diaz and 3B Mike Aviles and a 2-run single by C Mathew Tupman to take a 7-3 lead into the 9th. RP Colt Griffin started the 9th and got 2 outs before allowing a run, RP Trae McGill then allowed a single to load the bases and RP Nate Hoelscher came in. Hoelscher gave up 2 straight singles to score 3 runs and then got a strike out to end the inning. SS Donnie Murphy was hit by a pitch to start the 9th and Huber followed with a single to move him to third. Pressley then hit an RBI single to end the game. Markray went 5 IP and allowed 3 ER on 6 hits and 2 BB with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 4.89. RP Stephen Bray pitched 3 innings and allowed 2 hits and a BB with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.00. Griffin went 2/3 of an inning and was credited with 3 ER on 1 hit with 2 BB and a WP to move his ERA to 4.15. McGill was marked for 1 ER on 1 hit without an out to move his ERA to 4.93. Hoelscher blew his 2nd save but got the win with 1/3 IP of 2 hits and a K to move his ERA to 5.65. His record is 2-2. Murphy was 2-4 with a HBP, double and 3 RS to improve to .298; Huber was 3-4 with a walk, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .347; Pressley was 4-5 with a HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .297; Diaz was 2-4 with an RBI to move to .278; and Tupman was 1-4 with 2 RBI to drop to .295.

Wichita is 12-9 and 1/2 a game up on first. No announced starters on either team site.

High-A: High Desert scored 10 runs but a 7-run 6th helped San Jose to 12 in a 2-run win over the Mavs. The Giants jumped out to a 3-0 lead but High Desert tied it in the 2nd on a 3-run homer by C Jared Price. San Jose scored in the 4th to retake the lead but High Desert took it with 2 that inning on a 2-run homer by Price. San Jose's big 4th gave the Giants a 11-5 lead before High Desert made a late rally. The Mavs scored 3 in the 8th on a Price RBI double and a 2-run homer by 3B Walter Sevilla (his 4th) before San Jose tacked on its final run in the 9th to take a 12-8 lead. High Desert scored 2 with 2 out in the 9th on a 2-run shot by DH Alan Moye (his 15th). SP Dusty Hughes went 4 IP and allowed 4 R (3 ER) on 8 hits and 2 BB with a K to move his ERA to 5.67. RP Chris Coughlin is like the #13 for High Desert. He went 1 2/3 IP and allowed 6 UER (thanks to an error by 2B Pete Maestrales) on 6 hits with 1 BB with 1 K to drop to 1-10 with a 7.08 ERA. RP Nate Moore went 1 1/3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits and 3 BB to move his ERA to 4.58. RP Kahi Kaanoi went 2 innings and allowed 1 UER on 1 hit with 4 BB to drop his ERA to 5.98. Maestrales was 1-4 with a BB to drop to .322; LF Billy Butler was 1-5 with 4 Ks to drop to .356; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 1-5 to drop to .313; Moye was 2-5 with a double, HR and 2 RBI to improve to .275; RF Bernard Stephens was 2-5 with a double and 3 RS to improve to .276; Price was 3-4 with a double, 2 HR, 6 RBI and 3 RS to improve to .309; and Sevilla was 2-2 with 2 BB, a HR and 2 RS to improve to .230. Maestrales made 3 errors on the night.

High Desert is 12-10 and a 1/2 game back of Rancho Cucamonga. Tonight's pitching matchup: RHP Billy Buckner (3-3, 4.83 at HD) v. Giants RHP Garrett Broshuis (7-7, 4.86).

Low-A: Burlington used several multi-run innings to beat Peoria. 9-5. The Bees scored 1 in the 1st on an RBI double by DH Rusty Brown and 3 in the 3rd on an RBI double by 2B Geraldo Valentin, an RBI ground out by C Damaso Espino and a Brown sac fly. Burlington tacked on 2 in the 4th on a 2-run shot by LF Kenard Springer (his 3rd) and the rest of the Bees' runs came in the 7th on a 3-run shot by Brown (his 11th). SP Justin Sherman went 5 1/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 5 hits with 4 Ks to improve to 2-3 with a 2.43 ERA. RP Kraig Schambough went 2 1/3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 1 hit and 2 BB with 4 Ks to set his A ERA at 11.57. RP Yovany Damico went 1 1/3 hitless IP with 1 K to drop his ERA to 4.86. Brown was 2-3 with a double, HR and 5 RBI to improve to .283; and 3B Edward Lucas was 1-4 to drop to .321. He stole his 19th base.

Burlington is 11-11 and 4 games back of first. The Bees start a 4-game set at Clinton (12-10) tonight as RH Patrick Hicklen (5-4, 4.07) goes against LumberKings RH John Bannister (5-8, 4.80).

Rookie: Idaho Falls held off the Great Falls White Sox for an 8-5 win Friday. The White Sox took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd but the Chukars scored 5 on a 2-run double by CF Ethien Santana, RBI triples by SS Chris McConnell and 3B Gary Perez and an RBI ground out by 1B Jase Turner to take a 5-2 lead. A run in the 7th on an RBI double by C Kiel Thibault expanded the lead but Great Falls scored 3 in the 8th to close the gap. Two by Idaho Falls in the 8th on an RBI triple by RF Felix Peguero and an RBI single by DH Brady Everett put it away as RP Jacob Eckley shut the door. SP Cody Harkcom went 5 innings and allowed 2 ER on 6 hits and a BB with 2 Ks to get the win and move to 1-2 with an 8.04 ERA. RP David Henninger got his 2nd hold with 2 1/3 IP of 3 R (2 ER) on 3 hits and a BB with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 2.38. Eckley got his 1st save with 1 2/3 IP that included 1 K but 0 hits and 0 BB to drop his ERA to 2.53. Santana was 1-3 with a BB, double and 2 RBI to drop to .386; McConnell was 2-4 with a triple and RBI to improve to .380; Peguero was 2-4 with a triple and RBI to improve to .266; Everett was 1-4 with an RBI to drop to .389; and Thibault was 1-2 with a BB, double and RBI to move to .359.

Idaho Falls is 12-12 and 2 games back of Ogden. The series with Great Falls continues tonight.

The ASL Royals won their fifth straight with a 4-2 win over the Padres Friday. The Royals scored 2 in the 3rd on a bases loaded HBP by DH Felix Peralta and bases loaded walk by RF Oscar Gonzalez. The other 2 runs came in the 6th on a 2-run fielding error on a ball hit by C Ross Boudreaux. The Royals scored their runs on only 5 hits but were helped by 5 Padre errors. SP Brent Fisher went 3 2/3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 8 hits and a BB with 5 Ks to move his ERA to 5.00. RP Paul Raglione got the win with 4 1/3 IP of 1 ER on 5 hits with 6 Ks to move to 1-0 with a 6.19 ERA. RP John Sokoll got his 1st save with a hitless Ip that included 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.60. SS Jeff Bianchi was 2-3 with 2 BB and a double to improve to .479; CF Joseph Dickerson was 0-4 with a BB to drop to .312; Gonzalez was 2-4 with a BB and RBI to improve to .329; and LF Alvi Morel was 1-4 to drop to .390. Gonzalez stole 2 bases to get to 7 on the season.

The ASL Royals are 15-5 and tied with the Giants for first. They have today off before facing the Mariners Sunday.