Royals on the Farm 5/12 and 5/13

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 4, Salt Lake 2 (Fri.)

RF Allen 2-4, HR (6), RBI (28) -- .301
SS Blanco 2-3, K, RS -- .304
C Phillips 2-4, 2 RBI (10) -- .272
2B Gotay 0-2, RS, E (4) -- .237
3B Teahen 1-4 --- .111
CF Ambres 0-3, 2 K, CS -- .186

Bernero 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, BB, 3 K -- ND, 3.38 ERA
Baerlocher 2 IP, 0 ER, H, 2 BB, 2 K -- W, 1-1, 1.80 ERA

*** Omaha took advantage of 4 Salt Lake errors and scored 2 late runs to earn a split with Salt Lake. Phillips hit an RBI single in the 1st to put Omaha on top and Allen homered to lead off the 4th to give the O-Royals a 2-0 lead. The Bees rallied for 2 runs off Bernero in the 5th to tie the game and Baerlocher dodged a bullet in the 8th when a double put runners at second and third with 2 out but he got SL DH Kendry Morales to pop out and end the half-inning. Omaha 1B Alejandro Prieto hit a sac fly in the bottom of the 8th to break the tie and two errors by Bees SP Dustin Moseley helped lead to a Phillips RBI single that put Omaha up, 4-2. Baerlocher got a double play to end the game in the 9th. Omaha moved to 16-18 with the win. Bees C Jeff Mathis was 2-4 to move to .355, Morales was 2-4 to up his BA to .264 and SS Erick Aybar was 1-4 with his 22nd RBI to drop to .285. He also had 2 errors to move to 10 on the season.

Colorado Springs 9, O-Royals 0 (Sat.)

2B Gotay 1-3, BB, K -- .239, team's only hit
SS Blanco 0-4 -- .293
RF Allen 0-3, E (4) -- .294
3B Teahen 0-2, BB -- .100
CF Ambres 0-2, BB, K -- .183
* they did turn 4 DPs

Bass 4 IP, 9 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA, WP -- L, 1-4, 7.59 ERA, nightmare start
Hudson 3 IP, 0 ER, H, 0 BB, 3 K -- 0.00 ERA
Brooks 2 IP, 0 ER, H, 2 BB -- 9.00 ERA

*** The Sky Sox got to Bass early and often and SP Sun Woo Kim did the rest in absolutely shutting the O-Royals down. Bass gave up 3 RBI doubles in the 1st, another RBI double and a 2-run homer in the 2nd and 2 RBI singles in the 4th. Hudson and Brooks locked things down from there but the damage was done. Gotay singled in the 6th to break up Kim's no-no. Omaha is 16-19. 110 pitches meant no complete game but Kim moved to 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA in allowing only 1 hit over 8 IP. Sky Sox CF Ryan Spilborghs was 3-4 to move to .312, SS Omar Quintanilla was 3-5 to move to .254 and DH Carlos Rivera was 1-5 with his 4th homer to drop to .330.

Game 2 of the set is Sunday afternoon. Pitchers. CS RH Mike Esposito (2-2, 4.05) vs. Omaha RH Bobby Keppel (2-3, 4.89).

AA - Wichita: Springfield 5, Wranglers 1 (Fri.)

DH Gordon 0-3, K -- .303
RF Butler 0-4, K -- .297
LF Lubanski 1-4, 3B (2), RS, OF assist at second -- .289
CF Maier 1-4 -- .288
SS Sanchez 2-3, BB, RBI (16) -- .286
C Tupman 1-4, K -- .333

Snare 6 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 5 BB, 5 K, HRA -- L, 2-2, 6.62 ERA
DePriest 2 IP hitless relief -- 4.26 ERA

*** When Gordon, Butler and Lubanski go a combined 1-11, it's gonna be hard for Wichita to score runs. If you throw in Maier to make that 2-15, the axiom still holds. Snare gave up 3 runs in the 2nd and 2 more in the 5th to put the Cards up, 5-0, and the Wranglers had 4 base runners through 6 innings. Lubanski tripled to lead off the 8th and scored on Sanchez's ensuing single but Wichita didn't get another base runner. Wichita dropped to 12-22. Springfield SP Stuart Pomeranz improved to 4-0 with 6 2/3 scoreless IP to drop his ERA to 3.38. Cards 3B Rico Washington was 2-3 to move to .311, C Iker Franco was 1-4 to drop to .305 and DH Juan Richardson was 2-5 with his 3rd homer to improve to .333.

Wranglers 7, Springfield 4 (Sat.)

3B Gordon 1-3, 2 BB, RS, SB (9) -- .304, .372 OBP/.917 OPS (latter 2 stats through Fri.)
RF Butler 0-5, 2 K, RS -- .285, .353 OBP/.828 OPS
LF Lubanski 1-5 -- .286, .358 OBP/.839 OPS
C Tupman 1-1, 3 BB, RBI (12), RS -- .341, .449 OBP!!!/.851 OPS, get him to Omaha already
CF Maier 0-2, BB, RBI (22), HBP, K, 2 RS, SB (3) -- .284, .329 OBP/.783 OPS
SS Sanchez 0-4, BB, K, RS -- .277, .372 OBP/.730 OPS
2B Keim 2-4, 3 RBI (7), RS -- .211

Middleton 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 2 K -- W, 3-2, 3.68 ERA, not good K/BB ratio Saturday
Hoelscher IP, nothing -- SV, 1, 2.84 ERA, leads team with 0.94 WHIP

*** Two big innings were enough for Wichita in striking back against Springfield. Middleton gave up 2 runs off the bat, so to speak, in the 1st but Wichita doubled that in the 3rd with a 4-run, 2-out rally. Two walks and a fielding error helped Wichita load the bases and Maier and Tupman were walked by Cards SP Mike Parisi to tie the game. Keim followed with a 2-run single to put Wichita up, 4-2. Middleton hit a batter with the bases loaded in the 5th but Wichita got some space with 3 that inning on a Keim RBI single and 2-run double by 1B Kila Kaaihue. RP Thad Markray gave up a homer in the next inning but he and Hoelscher held things down from there. Wichita is 13-22. Franco was 3-4 to move to .323 for the Cardinals, RF Brian Martin was 3-3 to move to .270 and Richardson was 2-4 with his 4th homer to improve to .345.

The series continues Sunday afternoon. Pitchers: Wichita's Seung Song (2-3, 4.28) vs. Cards SP Rich Rundles (3-1, 3.13). As a side note, at the time of Dee Brown's call up to Omaha, through 13 games at Wichita he was hitting .125 with a .192 OBP and .421 OPS. The organization dumped Wranglers IF Randy Ruiz after he hit .217/.379/.522/.901 OPS through 6 games. I only partially get it and I say partially because I think the powers that be are trying to keep all these prospect guys together to bring up at around the same time, which explains why Brown got the call and not Lubanski or Maier or Gordon. I'm just not sure what I think about it. Also, Ruiz was in his 30s and wasn't going anywhere for KC, not that Brown is.

High-A - High Desert: Rancho Cucamonga 4, Mavs 3 (Fri.)

1B Stodolka 2-4, 2B (14), HR (5), 2 RBI (18), K, RS -- .326, .436 OBP!!!/1.089 OPS!!!, Cal League inflated, but how much?
LF Galloway 2-4, RS -- .297, .413 OBP/.839 OPS
2B Perez 2-4, K, RS, SB (1) -- .293
RF Valentin 1-4, RBI (14) -- .315, .366 OBP/.779 OPS
C Donachie 0-3, BB, K -- .286, .382 OBP/.746 OPS
3B Lucas 0-4 -- .278

Crist 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, K -- ND, 4.50 ERA
Weeden 2 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 4-1, 4.12 ERA

*** A controversial 8th inning call helped hand the game to the Quakes. Crist gave up 2 runs in the 1st to get the Mavs off to a poor start but HD got back in the game with runs in the 3rd and 4th on a Valentin RBI single and Stodolka solo homer. Crist allowed the Quakes to move back ahead in the 5th but the Mavs tied the game once more in the 6th on a Stodolka RBI double, as he continues to hit well. The Mavs loaded the bases with 1 out but a double play ended their chances at taking the lead. RP Brandon Weeden gave up a leadoff double in the 8th and the runner was then sacrificed to third. Stodolka fielded a grounder to first by the next batter and fired the ball to Donachie, who, according to the story on the team site, tagged the runner at third out 4 feet from home plate but he was ruled safe. The ump was a replacement ump as all the regular minor league umpires are on strike. Weeden got out of the inning but the controversy reportedly soured the game. The Mavs went down in order in the 9th. High Desert dropped to 18-16. Quakes 3B Freddy Sandoval was 3-3 with his 10th steal to move to .304, SS Sean Rodriguez was 2-3 to move to .325, C Michael Collins was 1-4 with his 27th RBI to drop to .349 and 1B Baltazar Lopez was 2-4 to move to .333.

Rancho Cucamonga 3, Mavs 2 (Sat.)

Stodolka DNP
3B Lucas 2-5, 2 2B (12), RS -- .283
1B R. Brown 1-1, 4 BB -- .282
DH Galloway 0-2, BB, HBP, RBI (13), SF -- .291
C Donachie 0-4, K -- .272
* The Mavs left a whopping 15 men on base.

Buckner 7 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- ND, 2.31 ERA, tough loss

*** The Mavs were frustrated with runners left on base and many fruitless chances to score in dropping a second straight 1-run game to the Quakes. The Quakes pushed across a run in the 2nd and the Mavs stranded 5 runners over 4 innings before scoring 2 in the 5th on a bases-loaded walk to OF Juan Senreiso and a Galloway sac fly. The Mavs stranded 5 more in the 6th and 7th and the Quakes tied the game in the 7th. Two more Mav runners were stranded in the 8th with another caught stealing second. Rodriguez homered off RP Nate Moore to lead off the Quakes' half of the 8th and the game ended in minor controversy in the 9th as the Mavs got 2 runners on with 1 out. 2B Wilver Perez grounded into a would-be double play but, according to the team site, should have been ruled safe at first. He wasn't ruled that by the replacement ump and the game was over. High Desert is 18-17 and 2 games back of first. Quakes DH Patrick Reilly was 2-3 to improve to .316, Collins was 1-3 to drop to .349 and Rodriguez was 1-3 with his 5th homer to improve to .325.

The series ends with a Sunday afternoon finale. Pitchers: Mavs RHP Luis Cota vs. Quakes RHP Nick Green.

Low-A - Burlington: rainout Friday, made up with Saturday 7-frame twinbill

G1 - Bees 2, Quad Cities 1 (10)

CF Duarte 2-3, BB, OF assist at home -- .258
1B Vega 2-4, RBI (12) -- .218
OF Jirschele 2-5, 2 K, RBI, RS -- .173
SS McConnell 0-4 -- .186
C Thibault 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .238
* 11 LOB

Nicoll 6 IP, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- ND, 2.00 ERA
Schambough 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 4 K -- W, 1-0, 1.45 ERA

*** What was set for 7 innings went 10 and the Bees took the first of 2 with the Swing. Vega singled home a run in the 2nd to put Burlington up, 1-0, but Quad Cities scraped together a run in the 5th. It became a battle of attrition thereafter as both teams stranded baserunners until the 10th, when the Bees won on a 1 out RBI single by Jeremy Jirschele, who is the son of Omaha manager Mike Jirschele. The Bees moved to 13-21. The pitchers' duel between Nicoll and Quad Cities starter Jaime Garcia lived up to the billing as Garcia allowed only the 1 run over 6 IP to drop to a 2.36 ERA. Cardinals prospect CF Colby Rasmus was 0-4 to drop to .291, KU product and Andy's son RF A.J. Van Slyke was 0-2 with 2 BB to drop to .235, DH Brandon Yarbrough was 2-4 to move to .341 and C Bryan Anderson was 1-5 to drop to .321.

G2 - Bees 2, Quad Cities 0

1B Vega 3-3, 3B, 2 RBI (14) -- .244
CF Duarte 0-0, 2 BB, HBP, SB (7) -- .258
* The Bees swiped 4 bases in the win.

Kniginyzky 6 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K -- W, 3-2, 3.10 ERA
de la Vara 2/3 IP, nothing -- SV, 2, 3.09 ERA

*** This one went the more conventional 7 innings for the truncated doubleheader but the Bees got the win to sweep the day behind their pitching staff. Vega tripled home a run in the 2nd and singled home a run in the 4th to account for all the Bees RBI and 60 percent of the team's hits in game 2. Kniginyzky limited Quad Cities to 5 hits over 6 1/3 IP, including 2 singles with 1 out in the 7th, but de la Vara got a double play to end the game. The Bees are 14-21 and 5 games out of first. QC starter Mark McCormick gave up 2 ER over 4 IP to drop to 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA. Rasmus was 0-3 to drop to .285, LF Chad Gabriel was 2-3 to move to .351 and Yarbrough moved to catcher for game 2 and was 0-3 to drop to .330.

The series continues with a Sunday matinee. No announced starters.