Royals on the Farm 4/14 and 4/15

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 10, Memphis 4 (Friday)

Huber 1-4, BB, K, RS, SB -- .304
Gotay 4-4, 3 2B, BB, RBI, 2 RS -- .294
K. Robinson 3-3, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 3 RS, SB, CS, picked off -- .400
Guiel 2-3, BB, HR (3), 4 RBI (10) -- .241
Ambres 2-5, RBI, 3 K -- .176
Blanco 1-3, 2B, RBI -- .296
Allen 0-5 -- .324

SP R. Hernandez 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K, HRA -- W, 1-1, 11.00 ERA

*** Robinson and Gotay got the job done out of the 1 and 2 spots in the batting order and the Royals sent Memphis to its worst start in history at 0-9. Omaha led off the game with 1 in the 1st on a Robinson walk and steal of second followed by a Gotay double. Three more runs crossed the plate in the second as Blanco hit an RBI double and Robinson and Guiel hit RBI singles. Memphis cut Omaha's lead to 4-3 entering the 7th when the O-Royals got 2 runs on a Guiel sac fly and Ambres RBI single. Four runs in the 8th cemented the win as Robinson hit a 2-run single and Guiel hit a 2-run homer, his 3rd, to make the score 10-3. Runelvys had an OK start and got the win but doesn't look ready to take the mound for KC. Of course, KC's pitchers don't look ready for that so far. The win moved Omaha to 6-3 and up a game on Iowa for the division lead. Memphis C Michel Hernandez was 3-5 and 1B John Gall was 2-4. Both were hitting .400. Former Omaha farmhand Dennis Tankersley got the loss but dropped his ERA to 8.10 in the losing effort.

Memphis 10, Omaha 3 (Saturday)

Huber 4-4, HR (3), RBI -- .404
Blanco 3-4, RBI -- .355
C Paul Phillips 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 RS -- .148
Gotay 2-5, K -- .308
Robinson 1-5, CS -- .371
Guiel 1-3, 2B, 2 BB -- .250
Ambres 0-4, 2 K -- .158
Aviles 0-3, BB, K, E (4) -- .087

SP Brian Bass 4 IP, 7 ER, 9 H, 4 BB, 0 K, 2 HRA, WP -- L, 0-1, 6.55 ERA
RP Stephen Andrade 2 IP, 2 ER, H, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 6.00 ERA

*** Memphis' long start to the season got a ray of sunshine Saturday as they hammered Bass. Omaha got a great game from Huber but it wasn't enough as the Royals left 10 on base. Omaha got on the board first in the 2nd on Huber's solo homer but Bass gave up a 2-run homer to Memphis SS John Nelson in the bottom of the inning to lose the lead. Omaha tied it in the 4th on a Blanco RBI single but Bass gave up a 2-run double to 2B Junior Spivey and the Redbirds tacked on 4 in the 5th on 2 2-run homers given up by Bass and RP Joe Nelson. Omaha's final run came in the 8th on Phillips' solo homer, his first of the year. The loss dropped Omaha to 6-4 and back into a tie with Iowa. Hernandez was 2-5 for Memphis to stay at .400 but Gall was 0-5 to drop to .356. Another former Omaha pitcher, Brad Voyles, got the win.

Sunday's starters are RH Kyle Snyder (0-0, 1.69) vs. Memphis RH Anthony Reyes (0-0, 2.25). In other O-Royals news, RP Justin Huisman, who was 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA in 2 relief appearances, has been released. LH Frank Brooks was signed and joined Omaha. According to the team site, Brooks pitched for Nashville in parts of the 2003 and '04 seasons. He pitched for 3 clubs in 2005, including one relief appearance for the Atlanta Braves. The 27-year-old Brooklyn native was with the Yankees in Spring Training and went 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 4 relief appearances.

AA - Wichita: Arkansas 10, Wranglers 5 (Friday)

Gordon 2-4, 2 2B, RS -- .371
Butler 0-4, RBI, E (first one on missed catch) -- .237
Lubanski 0-4, K, E (2) -- .107
Tupman 2-3, BB, RBI, RS -- .400
Sanchez 2-3, 2 BB, RS, CS -- .333
Maier 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 RS, SB, outfield assist -- .237
Sevilla 1-4, 3B, RBI, K -- .250, AA debut

SP Kyle Middleton 5 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 12 H, 0 BB, K, HRA -- 6.52 ERA
Gragg III 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, K -- L, 0-1, 8.44 ERA

*** The Wranglers' struggles continued as Middleton got knocked around as did the bullpen in the 5-run loss. Arkansas got a leadoff triple in the 1st from CF Dwaine Bacon and that was a sign of things to come. The Travs scored 1 that inning but Wichita matched it on a Butler sac fly in the bottom of the frame. The Wranglers took the lead in the 2nd on a sac fly by 1B Kila Kaaihue but Arkansas tied it in the 4th. Wichita scored 3 in the 4th on a Maier RBI double after Gordon's leadoff double, an RBI single by C Mat Tupman and an RBI triple by Sevilla for his first AA hit of 2006. The 5-2 lead held into the 6th when Arkansas tied the game on hits off Middleton and RP Thad Markray. Arkansas moved ahead with 3 in the 8th on runs off Gragg III and RP Cody Smith and added 2 in the 9th off Smith to make the score 10-5. Wichita got 6 baserunners after the 3-run 4th but none scored. The Wranglers dropped to 1-7. Arkansas LF Aaron Peel and C Bobby Wilson were 4-5 (plus Peel had 3 RBI) to improve to .371 and .318, respectively. SS Brandon Wood was 0-5 to drop to .267. Arkansas pounded out 20 hits in the win.

Arkansas 5, Wranglers 4 (Saturday)

Gordon 2-4, HR (2), RBI -- .385
Butler 1-4, RBI -- .238
Lubanski 0-5, 2 K -- .091
Maier 0-4 -- .214
Tupman 1-2, 2 BB -- .407
Sanchez 0-2, BB, RBI, E (5) -- .312

SP Juan Cedeno 4 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, K, 2 pickoffs, 2 WP -- L, 0-1, 7.56 ERA
RP Leo Nunez 1 1/3 IP, o H, K -- 9.00 ERA

*** Unlike Friday, Wichita never had the lead Saturday in dropping to 1-8. Cedeno gave up 3 runs in the 2nd to get behind and gave up another run in the 3rd to give the Travs a 4-0 lead. Wichita scored its first run in the 3rd on a Butler RBI single but Cedeno gave up a 5th run in the 4th to make the score 5-1. Wichita tried to mount a late comeback with 2 in the 7th on a bases-loaded walk to 2B Walter Sevilla and a Sanchez sac fly to cut the lead to 2. Lubanski and Butler had chances to do damage in the inning but failed. Wichita scored a run in the 8th on Gordon's 2nd pro homer, a solo shot, to make the score 5-4 Travs but didn't get another runner past second base. The Wranglers are 5 games back of the Travs in the division. Wilson was 3-4 with 2 doubles for Arkansas to improve to .385 and Wood was 1-4 with a double to drop to .265.

The Wranglers start a 5-game set at Springfield (6-3, AA Cardinals) Sunday. Starters: Cards LH Rich Rundles vs. Wichita RH Junior Herndon (0-1, 4.50). In other news at Wichita, 1B/DH Randy Ruiz was released. That didn't take long.

High-A - High Desert: Mavericks 5, Inland Empire 4 (Friday)

Galloway 2-3, BB, K, CS -- .400
Ed Lucas 2-4, 2B, RBI, RS -- .333
Rusty Brown 2-3, RBI, RS, K -- .320
Melgarejo 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .320
RF Juan Senreiso 1-4, HR, RBI, 2K -- .190, walk-off homer, outfield assist

SP Dan Christensen 7 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K, 2 WP -- 4.91 ERA, no decision
RP Adam Rowe 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 K!! -- W, 1-0, 2.57 ERA

*** Senreiso got his first big hit as part of the Royals organization and the Mavs improved to 5-3. High Desert got on the board in the 1st on a Brown sac fly but the 66ers tied the game in the 2nd. The Mavs regained the lead with 1 in the 2nd on an RBI ground out by 2B Wilver Perez but Inland Empire rallied for 3 in the 4th off Christensen to take a 4-2 advantage. High Desert tied the game in the 6th on a Lucas RBI single and double-play ball by LF Geraldo Valentin. Christensen got through the 7th with no more damage done and Rowe came in and worked perfect 8th and 9th innings. Senreiso led off the bottom of the 9th with a solo homer to center off RP Jose de la Cruz to end the game. 66ers SS Matt Tuiasosopo was 0-3 with 2 K to drop to .393. 2B Yung Chi Chen, who did some damage against the Mavs in the season-opening series, was 1-4 with a double and 2 RS to drop to .367. He also had 2 stolen bases.

G1: Inland Empire 7, Mavs 3 (Saturday)

RF Brian McFall 2-3, 2B, RBI, E -- .200
Lucas 0-3, BB -- .300
Galloway 0-3, BB, K, RS -- .357
Brown 1-3, 2 K -- .321
Stodolka 1-2, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, RS -- .368

SP Patrick Hicklen 5 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, BB, 0 K, HRA -- L, 0-1, 9.90 ERA

*** A 5-run 2nd propelled the 66ers to the win in a 7-inning game 1 of a Saturday twinbill. The Mavs got on the board first in the 2nd on a McFall RBI double but IE got a 3-run homer from LF Josh Womack to cap a 5-run inning and make the score 5-1 IE. The 66ers added a run in the 5th on a Womack RBI single before High Desert cut the lead to 6-3 in the 6th with 2 runs on a Stodolka double. McFall followed with a single and Stodolka was cut down at the plate by IE RF Michael Wilson. Wilson homered off RP Jarod Plummer in the 6th to add some insurance and High Desert got three runners on in the 7th but couldn't score. The Mavs dropped to 5-4 with the loss. Womack's 2-3 day improved his BA to .600. Tuiasosopo was 1-3 to drop to .387 and Chen was 0-3 to drop to .333. 66ers SP Cibney Bello held the Mavs in check with 1 ER and 3 H spread over 5 IP.

G2: 66ers 3, Mavs 0 (Saturday)

Senreiso 1-2, 2B, E -- .192
Stodolka 0-3, 2 K -- .318
Melgarejo 0-1 -- .308, left game in 3rd
Lucas 0-3, 2 K -- .273

SP Justin Barnes 3 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 HRA -- L, 0-1, 5.40 ERA
RP Gabe DeHoyos 1 IP, 1 H, 3 K -- 0.00 ERA

*** The game to make up an early rainout didn't go well for High Desert as they got 1-hit by 3 66er pitchers in another 7-inning game. Inland Empire scored 3 runs on 2 homers off Barnes in the 3rd and 4th and that was all they needed. Senreiso's 6th inning double broke up the 66er no-no. High Desert had 3 baserunners in the game in dropping to 5-5. Inland Empire SP Mark Lowe left the game after 5 IP of no hits and 8 Ks. Must have been on a pitch count. The Mavs struck out 11 times in the game. Tuiasosopo was 0-3 with 3 Ks to drop to .353. Chen was 0-1 to drop to .324 before being pulled for a PH. Womack was 0-3 to drop to .500.

The Mavs get Sunday off before finishing the set with IE Monday. I think it's SP Billy Buckner's turn again.

Low-A - Burlington: Beloit 7, Bees 4 (Friday)

C Jeff Howell 2-4, HR, RBI, K -- .211
McConnell 0-4, K, 2 E (3) -- .077
Lisson 1-2, 3B, RBI, BB, K, RS, CS, picked off, HBP -- .280

SP David Henninger 4 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 4.82 ERA

*** Beloit had 2 3-run innings to Burlington's one in the game as the Bees dropped to 4-5. Beloit scratched out 3 in the 2nd to lead off the scoring but Burlington got 1 in the 2nd on Howell's solo homer and took the lead with 3 in the 3rd on a 2-run triple by Lisson and a wild pitch that scored Lisson to make the score 4-3 Bees. The lead held into the 7th when Beloit tied the game on a 2-out RBI triple by SS Paul Kelly off RP Eliszer Garcia. The Snappers got 3 more in the 8th on 4 hits off RP Chris Hayes to provide the margin of victory. The Bees got multiple base runners in both the 8th and 9th but couldn't scrape together a run. Beloit C Caleb Moore was 2-5 to drop to .407. Beloit had 3 triples in the game. Royals organizational SS prospect Chris McConnell continued his struggles at Burlington with an 0-4 day that included 2 errors.

Bees 8, Beloit 0 (Saturday)

1B John Lowen 2-4, BB, K, RS, 3 RBI -- .286
2B Joshua Johnson 2-3, 2 BB, K, RS, RBI, CS -- .273
McConnell 0-2, 2 BB, RBI, RS -- .071
Lisson 1-4, 2B, BB, RBI -- .276
RF Ethien Santana 0-3, BB, K, RBI, RS -- .350

SP Carlos Rosa 5 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K, pickoff -- W, 1-1, 3.86 ERA
RP Gilbert de la Vara 4 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K -- SV, 1.80 ERA

*** The Snappers outhit Burlington, 8-7, but got outscored 8-0 by the Bees, who benefitted from 2 Beloit errors as well. Rosa and de la Vara held the Snappers in check and struck out 11 combined in helping the Bees move to 5-5. Burlington scored 5 in the 4th on RBI singles by Lowen and 3B Jeremy Jirschele before Santana drew a bases loaded walk, Johnson hit an RBI single and McConnell hit a sac fly to break the game open. The Bees added 3 more runs to the pile in the 8th on a Lisson bases-loaded walk and 2-run single by Lowen. Burlington batters drew 11 free passes in the win. Beloit DH Tarrence Patterson was 4-4 and is hitting .406. C Moore took the game off.

The Bees have Sunday off before starting a 4-game home set with the Fort Wayne Wizards (6-3, low-A Padres). RH Rayner Oliveros (1-0, 1.29) gets the start in the opener Monday for the Bees.