Royals on the Farm 8/28 and 8/29

AAA: Omaha dropped the finale with Oklahoma, 3-2, in a rain-shortened game Sunday before losing the opener of a 4-game set with Iowa Monday, 4-1. The losses dropped Omaha farther behind Nashville and damaged the team's playoff hopes. Sunday, both teams had one inning of scoring offense before rain intervened in the 8th. Omaha took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd on an RBI double by CF Adrian Brown and an RBI ground out by 2B Justin Gemoll. SP Kyle Snyder took a perfect game into the 6th before walking the leadoff batter. A 2-out single for the RedHawks' first hit put runners at first and second before Oklahoma 2B Ian Kinsler ruined Snyder's great outing with a 3-run homer to put the RedHawks up, 3-2. The lead held into the bottom of the 8th when Omaha got a 1-out double from RF Matt Diaz, but the rain came soon after and ended the game with the tying run forever on second. Snyder took the loss with 6 IP of 3 ER on 2 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to drop to 2-3 with a 3.73 ERA and RP Jaime Cerda went 2 IP and allowed 3 hits with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.59. Brown was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .275; Diaz was 1-4 with a double to drop to .372; 1B Justin Huber was 0-2 with a walk to drop to .275; and C Tomas Duenas was 2-3 to improve to .375.

Monday, the O-Royals suffered from offensive problems in a 4-1 loss to Iowa. SP Dennis Tankersley allowed 4 runs over 7 IP but the O-Royals managed only 6 hits in the game. Their only run came in the 7th on a solo homer by 3B Chris Truby (his 19th) but Omaha only got a runner to third one other time in the game. Tankersley went 7 IP and allowed 4 ER on 11 hits with 11 Ks to drop to 9-8 with a 4.29 ERA. RP Nate Field went 2 IP and allowed a hit and 2 walks with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.06. SS Rudy Gomez was 2-4 to improve to .290 as SS Andres Blanco missed a second straight game; Diaz was 0-1 to drop to .371 before leaving the game for his call-up to KC; Truby was 2-4 with a double, HR and RBI to improve to .242; and Huber was 0-4 to drop to .264.

Omaha is 68-69 and 3 1/2 games out of first behind Nashville with 7 games left in the season. Omaha continues the final home set of the season tonight. Pitchers: Cubs RH Jon Leicester (2-7, 5.38) vs. RH Ryan Jensen (1-10, 7.41). In other O-Royals news, OF Aaron Guiel was named to the 2005 All-PCL Team after leaving for KC tied for the PCL lead in home runs (30), tied for 3rd in RBI (95), 2nd in extra-base hits (67) and 3rd in runs (94).

AA: Wichita fell completely out of the playoff picture with an 8-6 loss to Springfield Sunday and then a split of a Monday doubleheader with the Cardinals. Sunday, a late Wrangler comeback was thwarted in the 8th by Springfield. The Cardinals took a 4-0 lead off SP Kyle Middleton before Wichita notched 3 runs in the 2nd on a solo homer by LF Billy Butler (his 4th), a sac fly by C Mathew Tupman and an RBI single by SS Irving Falu. Former pitcher Rick Ankiel, now an OF for Springfield, homered in the 4th to help Springfield expand the lead and the Cardinals took a 6-3 lead into the 6th. Wichita scored that inning on a solo homer by DH Cory Aldridge (his 25th) and added 2 more in the 7th on a Springfield throwing error and a sac fly by 3B Mike Aviles to tie the game at 6 and send the game to extra innings as it was slated to be the opener of a doubleheader. Two errors in the 8th helped Springfield to 2 runs and an 8-6 lead and Wichita made 3 pop outs in the bottom of the inning to end it. Middleton went 6 IP and allowed 6 ER on 15 hits with 7 Ks to make his ERA 5.31; RP Wes Wilkerson took the loss with 1 IP of 2 UER on a hit and walk with a K to drop to 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA; and RP Leo Nunez allowed 1 hit in 1 IP to drop his ERA to 0.69. 2B Ruben Gotay was 1-4 to improve to .221; 1B Josh Pressley was 0-4 to drop to .311 and made his 14th error; Butler was 1-4 with a HR and RBI to drop to .337; CF Mitch Maier was 1-4 to improve to .239 and made his 3rd error; and RF Wilkin Ruan was 2-3 to move to .254 and stole his 18th base. Game 2 of the twinbill was tied at 4 in the 2nd when rain canceled the game. It was reset for Monday.

Monday, a 12-4 Springfield win in game 1 of the double dip ended the Wranglers' playoff hopes as they could do no better than a tie with division leader Arkansas, which won the season series with Wichita. Springfield pounded SP Mike Stodolka to take a 6-0 lead in the 2nd before Wichita scored 2 on a Maier RBI triple and an RBI ground out by RF Shane Costa to cut the lead to 4. Stodolka gave up 2 more runs in the 3rd before Wichita cut the lead back to 4 with 2 in the 4th on a 2-run triple by C John Draper to make the score 8-4. Stodolka came out for the 5th and loaded the bases with 1 out before MGR Frank White replaced him with RP Chris Demaria. Demaria promptly gave up a grand slam to help Springfield put it away. Stodolka took the loss with 4 1/3 IP of 11 ER on 12 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to drop to 4-11 with a 6.17 ERA; and Demaria went 2 2/3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 4 hits to move his ERA to 2.38. Gotay was 0-4 to drop to .210; Butler was 2-4 to improve to .345; Pressley was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .308; Maier was 2-3 with a triple and RBI to improve to .243; Costa was 0-2 with a HBP and RBI to drop to .278; Falu was 2-3 with a double to improve to .267; and Draper was 2-3 with a triple and 2 RBI to improve to .256. Aviles made his 41st error and 1B Brennan King made his 14th.

In game 2, Wichita salvaged a split with a 7th-inning rally for a 6-5 win. Springfield jumped on the scoreboard with 3 in the 1st off SP Nate Hoelscher before Wichita came back with 4 in the 1st on a wild pitch, an RBI force out by Aviles, a Maier RBI double and a Costa RBI ground out. Springfield tied the game at 4 in the 2nd and the score remained knotted at 4 into the 7th when Springfield scored once on a sac fly to take the lead off RP Drew Endicott in his first game after a call up from High Desert. Pressley reached on an error with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th and final inning and Aviles doubled PR Brett Groves to third. A Maier sac fly scored Groves and Costa walked to load the bases. King grounded to Cardinals SS Brendan Ryan, who fumbled the ball as Aviles scored the winning run. Hoelscher went 3 1/3 IP and allowed 4 ER on 4 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 5.74 and Endicott got the win with 3 2/3 IP of 1 ER on 0 hits and 4 walks to establish a 1-0 record and 2.45 ERA. Gotay was 0-2 with 2 walks to drop to .205; Pressley was 0-3 with a HBP to drop to .306; Aviles was 2-4 with 2 doubles, an RBI and 2 RS to improve to .287; Butler was 0-1 with 3 walks to drop to .341; Maier was 2-3 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .247; and Costa was 0-3 with a walk and RBI to drop to .274.

Wichita is 30-34 and now out of the playoff hunt with 6 games to play. The series with Springfield ends tonight in the Wranglers' final home game of 2005. Pitchers: Brian Bass (11-8, 5.40) vs. Cardinals SP Chris Lambert (3-6, 5.27).

High-A: High Desert hit a pothole in the road to the playoffs with a 9-6 loss to Lancaster Sunday and an 11-8 loss to Lake Elsinore Monday. Sunday, SP Devon Lowery gave up runs in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th to give Lancaster a 3-0 lead before High Desert scored in the 5th on an RBI single by C Adam Donachie. Lowery gave up 2 more runs in the 5th to give Lancaster a 5-1 lead and the JetHawks took a 6-1 lead into the 7th. Donachie hit a 1-out double in the 7th and 3B Walter Sevilla followed with a 2-run shot (his 6th) to cut the lead to 6-3. Three batters later, CF Chris Lubanski hit a sac fly to bring home another run and 1B Kila Kaaihue followed with a 2-run shot (his 16th) to tie it. RP Greg Atencio gave up a 3-run homer in the 7th to hand the lead back to the JetHawks and the Mavs couldn't come back. Lowery went 5 IP and allowed 5 ER on 9 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks to make his ERA 3.76; RP Nate Moore went 2/3 IP and allowed 1 UER on a hit and walk to drop his ERA to 4.75; RP Eric Ackerman took the loss with 2/3 IP of 2 ER on a hit and walk with a K to drop to 3-1 with a 5.15 ERA; and Atencio pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up 1 ER on 3 hits to move his ERA to 4.46. DH Pete Maestrales was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .316; SS Angel Sanchez was 1-4 with a walk to drop to .303; Lubanski was 0-4 with an RBI to drop to .290; Kaaihue was 1-4 with a walk, HR and 2 RBI to drop to .314; 2B Adam Keim was 2-4 to improve to .287; and Donachie was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .298.

Monday, the Mavs fell behind early, rallied to tie it and then fell behind for good in an 11-8 loss to the Lake Elsinore Storm. The Storm scored 3 off SP Cesar Herrera in the 1st (thanks to 4 HD errors) to take the lead but the Mavs tied it in the 2nd on a solo homer by Kaaihue (his 17th), an RBI double by RF Alan Moye and a Storm wild pitch. Lake Elsinore scored 2 in the 3rd and never trailed again. The Mavs scored in the 3rd and 4th on a wild pitch and a sac fly by C Brady Everett to make the score 6-5 but the Storm scored 3 in the 6th. The Mavs scored runs in the 6th, 7th and 9th on a Maestrales RBI single, Moye RBI single and another solo homer by Kaaihue (his 18th) but it wasn't enough. Herrera got the loss with 5 1/3 IP of 8 R (4 ER) on 5 hits and 4 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 7-7 with an ERA of 6.86; RP Chris Coughlin went 1 2/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 3 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 7.11; and RP Stephen Chamberlain went 2 IP and allowed an ER on a hit and walk with 2 Ks to make his ERA 7.93. Maestrales was 2-5 with a double and RBI to improve to .317; Sanchez was 1-5 with a double to drop to .303; Lubanski was 1-5 to drop to .289; Kaaihue was 2-3 with 2 walks, 2 HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .316; LF Bernard Stephens was 2-5 with a double to improve to .297; Moye was 2-3 with a walk, double and 2 RBI to improve to .289; and Everett was 1-3 with an RBI to improve to .200. Kaaihue had 2 errors to get to 18 on the season. Maestrales committed his 16th.

High Desert is 37-27 and up 3 1/2 games on Lancaster. The Mavs' "Magic Number" is 3 for both the second-half division title and 2 for the wild card with 6 games to play. They continue the set with Lake Elsinore tonight. No announced starters.

Low-A: Burlington's season-long losing streak got to 9 with a 5-2 loss to Cedar Rapids before it was snapped Monday with a 6-1 win over Clinton. Sunday, the Bees scored runs in the 5th and 7th but Cedar Rapids scored insurance runs in the 8th and 9th to take the 5-2 win. The Bees' runs scored on an RBI ground out by RF Darwinson Salazar and a Salazar RBI double. SP Luis Cota took another loss with 6 IP of 3 R (2 ER) on 7 hits and 3 walks with 7 Ks to drop to 5-8 with a 4.03 ERA. RP Zane Carlson went 1 1/3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 3 hits and a walk with a K to move his ERA to 4.71 and RP Adam Rowe went 1 2/3 IP and gave up an UER on 1 hit with a K to drop his ERA to 5.02. 3B Edward Lucas was 3-4 to improve to .295; 2B Gary Perez was 0-4 to drop to .250; and 1B Eddie Solis was 2-4 with a double to up his BA to .202. SS Geraldo Valentin made 2 errors to get to 15 on the season.

Monday, the Bees bounced back to take the win over Clinton thanks to some good pitching by SP Dusty Dossett. The Bees took the lead with 2 in the 2nd on an RBI single by DH Rusty Brown and a Salazar RBI double and padded the lead with a run in the 5th on an RBI ground out by C Damaso Espino. Burlington got insurance with 3 in the 8th on a Solis 3-run double. Dossett went 7 IP and allowed an ER on 4 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to improve to 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA; and Rowe got his 7th save with 2 hitless IP that included 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.87. Lucas was 1-4 with a double to drop to .294; Springer was 2-3 with a HBP and 2 RS to improve to .230; Perez was 1-4 to keep his BA at .250; and Salazar was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .168.

Burlington is 29-34 and 6 games back of first. The Bees continue the set with Clinton tonight and have 7 games left on the schedule. Pitchers: LH Danny Christensen (3-6, 3.55) vs. LumberKings RH Michael Schlact (9-7, 4.23).

Rookie: Idaho Falls ran its losing streak to five games with a 9-4 loss to Orem Sunday and a 6-5 10-inning loss to Ogden Monday. Sunday, Orem pieced together three 3-run innings and Idaho Falls didn't get on the board until the 6th in the 9-4 loss. The Chukars scored 2 in both the 6th and 8th on RBI ground outs by 1B Jase Turner and RF Andrew Larsen and a 2-run homer by Turner (his 11th). SP Mario Santiago took the loss with 4 IP of 6 R (3 ER) on 6 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 0-4 with a 6.83 ERA; RP Cody Harkcom went 2 IP and gave up 3 ER on 2 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 9.00; and RP Adam Kalkhof went 2 IP and gave up 3 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.50. SS Chris McConnell was 1-4 with a walk, double and 2 RS to drop to .340; DH Felix Peguero was 2-4 to improve to .240; C Jeff Howell was 1-4 to drop to .328; and LF Byron Barber was 1-3 to improve to .317. 2B Joshua Colafemina made his 13th error.

Monday, the Chukars lost again after tying the game in the 9th in the opener with Ogden. Idaho Falls started the scoring in the 2nd on an RBI double by C Kiel Thibault but Ogden took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning. Idaho Falls scored 2 in the 4th on a Peguero RBI double and a Barber RBI single but, again, Ogden came back to take the lead with 3 in the bottom of the frame. Idaho Falls closed the gap to 1 in the 6th on a Thibault solo shot (his 9th) and CF Ethien Santana came through with a 2-out RBI single in the 9th to tie the game at 5. Ogden got an RBI double off RP Matt Kniginyzky in the 10th and Kniginyzky killed the Chukars' hope for a win with a Thibault passed ball and then a wild pitch to score the runner without another hit. SP Phillip Davidson went 3 1/3 IP and allowed 5 R (4 ER) on 10 hits and 3 walks to move his ERA to 3.61; RP Eliszer Garcia went 3 2/3 hitless IP with 4 walks and 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.29; and Kniginyzky took the loss with 2 IP of an UER on a hit and walk with 3 Ks to drop to 2-5 with a 5.04 ERA. Santana was 2-5 with an RBI to improve to .293; McConnell was 1-5 with a double to drop to .337; Larsen was 2-4 with a walk to improve to .275; Peguero was 2-5 with 2 doubles, an RBI and 2 RS to improve to .244; Thibault was 2-3 with a HBP, double, HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .356; and Barber was 1-3 with a walk and RBI to improve to .318. 2B Joshua Johnson made his 13th error.

Idaho Falls is 10-18 and 5 games out of first with 10 games left on the schedule. The Chukars end the short Ogden series tonight.

The ASL Royals ended the season on a good note with a 7-0 win over the Brewers Sunday and a 4-2 win over the Mariners Monday. Sunday, two pitchers combined on a 6-hit shutout as the Royals won. The Royals scored 1 in the 3rd and 5th on an RBI single by 2B Valentino Arce and a solo homer by 3B Jon Aughey (his 1st) and added 5 in the 6th on a 2-run single by C John Lowen, an RBI single by 1B Willie Matos and a 2-run shot by Aughey (his 2nd). SP Gilbert De la vara got the win with 5 IP of 4 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to improve to 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA; and RP John Sokoll went 2 IP and allowed 2 hits and a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 4.63. LF Jose Duarte was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .314; Arce was 1-2 with a walk, HBP and RBI to improve to .335; DH Joseph Dickerson was 0-4 to drop to .296; RF Alvi Morel was 1-3 to improve to .328; Matos was 2-3 with an RBI to improve to .247; and Aughey was 2-3 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .130.

Monday, the Royals took down the Mariners thanks to another good start from SP Rayner Oliveros. The Royals scored 1 in the 1st on a Dickerson RBI force out and added 2 in the 2nd on an RBI single by SS Carlos Avila and an RBI force out by Duarte. They scored their 4th run in the 5th on a Dickerson RBI single. Oliveros went 6 IP and allowed 1 hit with 7 Ks to improve to 7-1 with a 2.39 ERA; RP Drew Coffey went 1 IP and allowed an ER on a hit and walk to move his ERA to 8.82; and RP Henry Barrera got his 6th save with 2 IP of 1 ER on 2 hits with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.72. Duarte was 0-3 with a walk and RBI to end the season at .309; Arce was 1-4 with a double to end the season at .335; Dickerson was 1-4 with 2 RBI to end the season at .294; Morel was 0-4 to end the season at .313; and Avila was 2-4 with an RBI to end the season at .246.

The Royals ended the second half at 15-13 and 3 games back of first (they beat the Angels Saturday, 3-2, and lost to the Brewers, 7-4, Aug. 9).