Royals on the Farm 4/9

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 11, O-Royals 5

Huber 3-4, HR, 2 RBI
Chad Allen 3-5, 2B, 3B, RS
Blanco 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI
Robinson 2-4, BB, K
Gotay 2-5
Guiel 0-3, BB, RBI

Runelvys 3 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, K, 2 HR -- yuck
Bernero 4 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB

*** Doesn't look like Runelvys is ready to go, as he got smoked by Nashville Sunday to the tune of 8 ER and 2 HR over 3 IP. In other words, the O-Royals were never in the game. He walked two of the first three batters and only got out of the 1st with one run given up because LF Chip Ambres threw out a runner at home via a relay from Blanco to end the inning. In the 2nd, Runelvys gave up 2 BB, 3 H and a wild pitch as the Sounds scored 4. Hernandez took the fielders out of the question in the 3rd in giving up the 2 jacks and 3 runs total. Meanwhile, the O-Royals went scoreless until the 4th when Huber hit an RBI single and Mike Aviles hit an RBI ground out. Adam Bernero came in for Hernandez and had a smooth 4th before giving up the final 3 runs for Nashville in the 5th on a bases-loaded triple by Tony Gwynn Jr. Guiel knocked in a run in the 5th and Huber led off the 6th with a solo longball but by then the damage was done. Blanco went solo in the 8th and that was it as '05 Wichita Wrangler Chris Demaria pitched the last two innings for Nashville. The O-Royals are 3-1 and still had a successful opening series. They are tied with Iowa for first in the division. Gwynn was 2-4 with 4 RBI and 2 RS.

Albuquerque (1-3, AAA Marlins) comes to Omaha for 4 starting Monday. Isotopes LH Scott Olsen goes against O-Royals RH Brian Bass in the opener.

AA - Wichita: Tulsa 4, Wranglers 3

Gordon 0-4, 2 K -- .350 BA, first 0-fer
Butler 1-4, 2 K -- .286
Lubanski 1-4, HR (1), RBI -- .133
Sanchez 2-2, BB, 2 E, 2 CS -- .375
Murphy 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, K -- .350
Maier 0-4, 2 K -- .095

SP Juan Cedeno 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K
RP Junior Herndon 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 0 K -- 0-1

*** The good news for Wichita was Tulsa OF Jordan Czarniecki didn't hurt them Sunday. The bad news was 3B Ian Stewart was still in the lineup. Stewart homered to lead off the 8th and give the Drillers the edge they needed to win. The Wranglers actually jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the 3rd on an RBI double by Murphy but Tulsa pushed across 2 in the 4th to take the lead away. Lubanski hit his first AA homer to lead off the 5th and tie the game and 3B Brett Groves hit a sac fly to bring Sanchez home. That run made the score 3-2 Wichita, which remained the score until the 7th, when Tulsa SS Troy Tulowitzki hit a 1-out RBI single off Herndon to tie it at 3. Stewart's homer made the difference as Wichita went down in order in the 8th and 9th. The Wranglers are 0-4. Stewart was 1-3 with the HR and Tulowitzki was 1-5 while Czarniecki was 0-3.

The Wranglers are the lone winless team in the TL (4 games back of the Drillers, of course) and now head home to take on the Arkansas Travelers (AA Angels) for 5 games starting Tuesday. The pitching matchup in the opener is Travs RH Jesse Smith against RH Mark Redman in his second rehab start.

High-A - High Desert: Mavs 10, Inland Empire 8

Ed Lucas 4-5, 2 2B, 2 RS, K
LF Michael Galloway 4-5, RBI, 2 RS
C Tommy Duenas 2-4, BB, HR, 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
SS Irving Falu 2-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, RS
DH Mike Stodolka 1-3, BB, HR, RBI -- first pro HR, I think

SP Daniel Christensen 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 2 H, BB, 4 K, WP
RP Brandon Weeden 2 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 2 K, WP -- W, 1-0

*** Ah, a California League game. 18 runs on 23 hits with 4 errors. The Mavs jumped all over IE SP Shawn Nottingham as they got 1 in the 1st on an RBI double by 1B Rusty Brown, 3 in the 2nd on RBI doubles by OF Juan Senreiso, Falu and IF Walter Sevilla and 2 in the 3rd on a Duenas solo shot and a Sevilla sac fly. IE stayed in it with 3 in the 3rd off SP Daniel Christensen but High Desert scored 3 in the 4th on RBI singles by Galloway and Duenas and an error by SS Matt Tuiasosopo that allowed Duenas to score. The Mavs tried to let the 66ers back with 4 in the 7th off Weeden and RP Justin Barnes but got an insurance run in the bottom of that frame on Stodolka's first homer as a non-pitcher. They almost needed that run as IE scored again in the 8th but that was it as Nate Moore pitched the last two innings to get his first save of the season. The Mavs are 2-1. Tuiasosopo was 1-4 with 3 Ks and Yung Chi Chen was 1-3 with a double and 2 RBI.

The Mavs are a game back of Rancho Cucamonga (High-A Angels) and head out to play the Quakes for 4 games beginning Monday. Quakes SP Rafael Rodriguez will start the opener vs. the Mavs' Patrick Hicklen.

Low-A - Burlington: Bees 4, Clinton 2

2B Joshua Johnson 2-4, 2B, RBI, K, RS
SS Valentino Arce 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Lisson 1-4, K
Thibault 1-3, BB

SP David Henninger 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 3 K
RP Kraig Schambough 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K

*** The Bees split the series with Clinton with a win Sunday as David Henninger had a decent opening start. The Bees scored 3 in the 2nd after a fielding error kept the inning alive with 2 outs on an RBI double by Johnson and a 2-run single by Arce. Clinton scored 2 in the 6th off Henninger and RP Adam Kalkhof before Burlington got an insurance run in the 7th on a wild pitch. RP Kraig Schambough shut the door over 3 IP for his first save. The Bees are 2-2 and a game back of first-place Beloit. Nobody had a great game for Clinton Sunday. Clinton SP Jacob Rasner got the loss despite giving up 3 UER over 5 IP.

Burlington heads to play the Kane County Cougars (Low-A A's) for three games beginning Monday. RH Carlos Rosa starts for the Bees against Cougars RH Ken Ray.