Royals on the Farm 6/10 and 6/11

AAA - Omaha: Oklahoma 1, O-Royals 0 (10/Saturday)

LF Huber 1-4, 2 K, OF assist at second -- .255
CF Robinson 0-3, BB, CS -- .293
DH Gotay 0-4, 3 K -- .252
RF Guiel 0-4, 3 K, OF assist at second -- .239
SS Blanco 0-3, K -- .277
* Omaha turned 4 DPs

Howell 2 1/3 IP, 0 ER, H, 5 BB, 3 K, WP -- ND, 5.34 ERA
Baerlocher 6 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K -- ND, 3.52 ERA
Nelson IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K, HRA -- L, 1-2, 2.01 ERA

*** Redhawks starter Edinson Volquez 1-hit the Royals over 7 IP but Oklahoma couldn't do much better against J.P. Howell (making his second start back from the DL) and Ryan Baerlocher before getting a go-ahead homer in the 10th off RP Joe Nelson. Overall, Omaha got only 3 hits, was set down 1-2-3 in 6 of the 10 innings and never really threatened to score other than a 1-out 3rd inning double by 1B Rick Bell. Nelson gave up the homer to the first batter he faced -- Redhawks 1B Jason Hart -- before giving up 2 hits and a walk but an outfield assist by Guiel helped stem any further damage. After Gotay and Guiel struck out to start the bottom of the 10th, 3B Mike Aviles singled but Huber grounded out to end the game. Omaha dropped to 25-37 with the loss. Former Omaha OF Adrian Brown was 0-2 for Oklahoma to drop to .150 but DH Will Smith was 2-3 to improve to .310. Despite his efforts, Volquez got a no-decision but dropped his ERA to 4.05 with 9 K over the 7 IP.

Oklahoma 4, O-Royals 2 (Sun.)

RF Guiel 2-3, HBP, RBI (25) -- .250
2B Gotay 2-4, 2B, RBI (22), RS -- .256
CF Robinson 1-4, RS -- .292
LF Huber 1-3, BB -- .256
SS Blanco 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .272

Bautista 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K -- ND, 0.00 ERA, nice start back in Omaha
Osborne 2 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 0-1, 9.00 ERA
Nelson IP, UER, E (1) -- BS, 2, 1.93 ERA

*** Nelson had a hand in another loss as the O-Royals squandered a 2-1 9th inning lead. Gotay doubled home a run and Guiel followed with an RBI single in the 1st to put up a 2-0 lead and Bautista allowed only 3 scattered hits over 6 IP. Donovan Osborne made his organizational debut a rocky one as he gave up a run on 2 hits and a walk in the 7th and left with 2 on and 0 out in the 9th. Nelson came in and Hart tried a sac bunt, which Nelson threw away to allow 2 runs to score and Oklahoma to move ahead. A sac fly made the Redhawks' lead 4-2 before Nelson got out of the inning. Omaha went out quietly in the bottom of the 9th. Omaha is 25-38 and 9 games back of first. Smith was 0-4 for the Redhawks to drop to .300 and 3B Jamie Burke was 2-3 with his 22nd and 23rd RBI to improve to .273. Former KC pitcher Ryan Bukvich got the win with 2 IP of hitless relief to move to 1-2 with a 4.85 ERA.

To sum up Omaha's last week (3-4 over the 8 days in the RoF vacation period), the team split a 4-game series with Round Rock and then got swept by Oklahoma, who was a PCL power in '05 but is only 31-32 after sweeping the O-Royals. In a busy roster week, Mark Teahen got called up, pitchers Brandon Duckworth and Todd Wellemeyer got picked up (by KC) while Osborne got picked up by Omaha and Seth Etherton, Nunez and Blanco got shipped back in Omaha along with Denny Bautista. Ps Neal Musser and Stephen Andrade also were demoted to Wichita despite Musser pitching well in 2 starts. Also, P Dave Elder was put on the DL with an undisclosed injury, OF Chip Ambres was put on the DL for good for '06 as he needs shoulder surgery and IF Chris Clapinski got activated from the DL. The O-Royals move on to Nashville (the yearly College World Series road trip begins) to play 4 against the division-leading Sounds (34-29, AAA Brewers) starting Monday. No announced starter for Omaha.

AA - Wichita: Tulsa 3, Wranglers 2 (Sat.)

Gordon DNP, missed a third straight game with a cut on his left foot after he got three stitches for stepping on a bottle while taking the trash out at his home
RF Butler 1-4 -- .303
LF Lubanski 1-4, 2 K -- .246
CF Maier 1-4 -- .288
C Tupman 0-4, K, RBI (22) -- .329
1B Kaaihue 3-4, 2B, RS -- .190
3B Groves 2-3, 2B, RBI, CS -- .185
SS Sanchez 0-2, HBP, E (16) -- .289

Musser 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 5 BB, 3 K, pickoff -- ND, 1.38 ERA after 2 Wichita starts
Hoelscher 2/3 IP, UER -- L, 0-3, 3.13 ERA

*** Wichita couldn't hold a 2-0 lead as Tulsa dealt Wichita its second straight loss following a 6-game Wrangler win streak. Groves doubled home a run in the 4th to put Wichita ahead and the Wranglers added a run in the 5th on a Tupman RBI ground out. Tulsa strung together 3 2-out hits off Musser in the 5th to push across 2 runs and tie the game and it was still tied at 2 into the bottom of the 8th. Hoelscher came in for Wichita and, after a Sanchez throwing error, left with a runner at second and 2 out. RP Thad Markray came in and gave up a gamebreaking RBI single before getting the final out of the inning. Lubanski singled to lead off the 9th but the Wranglers could do nothing to supplement the hit. Wichita dropped to 29-33. Tulsa SS Troy Tulowitzki was 1-2 with his 32nd and 33rd RBI to improve to .290, 1B Joe Koshansky was 0-4 to drop to .311 and RF Joe Gaetti was 1-3 to improve to .291. RP Manuel Corpas picked up his 18th save and lowered his ERA to 1.10.

Wranglers 5, Tulsa 4 (Sun.)

3B Gordon 2-4, HBP, E (6) -- .316
RF Butler 3-5, 2B (17), HR (8), 2 RBI (41) -- .309
CF Maier 2-4, BB, HR (8), RBI (41), 3 RS, K -- .291
LF Lubanski 1-3, BB, SB (4) -- .247
SS Sanchez 1-5, K, RS -- .287

Herndon 7 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA -- ND, 5.06 ERA, no hits after the 1st
Lowery IP, 2 K -- W, 2-0, 2.08 ERA
Braun IP, BB, 2 K -- SV, 8, 1.85 ERA

*** Wichita recovered from Tulsa's 4-run 1st as Herndon and two relievers no-hit the Drillers over the final 8 innings and the Wranglers got the comeback win. Herndon walked the leadoff man in the 1st but got 2 outs quickly only to give up an RBI single and double and then a 2-run homer for a 4-0 Driller lead. Butler doubled home a run in the 3rd to get Wichita on the board and another run scored in the 3rd on a Gordon ground out and subsequent Tulsa throwing error. DH Dee Brown hit an RBI double later in the frame to make the score 4-3 Tulsa. Butler hit his 8th homer in the 7th to tie the game and Maier cracked his 8th homer with 1 out in the 9th to give Wichita the lead. Braun had little trouble in the 9th in picking up his 8th save. Wichita is 30-33 and 8 games back of first. Tulowitzki was 0-3 to drop to .286, Koshansky was 1-3 with his 15th homer and 49th and 50th RBI to stay at .311 and C Chris Iannetta was 1-4 to drop to .326.

I guess I should go on vacation more often for the Wranglers' sake as they had a nice week. They swept a 3-game set with San Antonio then took the first 3 of 4 from Springfield before splitting the first 2 of this 5-gamer with the division-leading Tulsa Drillers (38-25, AA Rockies). SP Zack Greinke made two decent rehab starts over the week and six Wranglers were selected to the TL All-Star Game June 20, including 3B Alex Gordon, C Matt Tupman and OF Billy Butler as starters and OF Mitch Maier as a reserve along with pitchers Seung Song and Ryan Braun. Maier also had a 5-RBI game against Springfield. Dee Brown got sent back to Wichita after showing he couldn't cut it in Omaha. No announced pitchers for Monday's game 3 with Tulsa.

High-A - High Desert: Mavs 4, Lake Elsinore 3 (10/Sat.)

DH Stodolka 1-3, BB, 2 K, RS -- .307
RF McFall 2-3, 2 2B (13) -- .240
1B R. Brown 2-4, K -- .267
SS Falu 2-4, K, RBI (17), RS -- .258
CF Senreiso 1-4, HR (12), 3 RBI (30) -- .250
C Donachie 1-4, K, E (5) -- .282
LF Valentin 1-4, 2B, RS -- .273

Cota 6 IP, 0 ER, H, 5 BB, 5 K -- ND, 6.19 ERA, nice to see that number finally dropping
Ricardo Rodriguez 1 1/3 IP, K -- 0.00 ERA, organizational debut
DeHoyos 1 2/3 IP, H, K -- W, 2-1, 1.52 ERA

*** Senreiso came up huge for the Mavericks as a late comeback helped High Desert take game 2 of the 3-game set. Luis Cota and LE's Brent Carter locked horns in a pitcher's duel as both left after 6 IP with nothing for the opposition to show. Cota gave up only 1 hit -- in the 2nd -- but walked 5 while Carter allowed only 4 hits. Cota allowed a runner to get to third on a HBP, steal of 2nd and Donachie throwing error with 1 out in the 5th but struck out the next two batters swinging to end the threat. RP Nate Moore came on for the Mavs in the 7th and loaded the bases with 1 out. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt allowed a run to score and an ensuing double scored 2 more runs for a 3-0 Storm lead. That was the score entering the 9th with Storm closer Neil Jamison taking the mound. With a runner on third and 2 out, Stodolka drew a walk and Senreiso followed with a 3-run game tying homer to left. Geraldo Valentin led off the High Desert 10th with a double, was sacrificed to third and then scored on a squeeze play pulled off successfully by Irving Falu. DeHoyos quieted the Storm in the bottom of the inning for his 2nd win of '06. High Desert improved to 31-31 with the victory. Carter dropped his ERA to 4.84 in the outing. Storm 3B Chase Headley was 1-2 with 3 BB to improve to .277 and 1B Tim Brown was 1-4 with his 33rd and 34th RBI to drop to .298.

Mavs 4, Lake Elsinore 1 (Sun.)

DH Galloway 2-4, 2B, RS -- .271
C Duenas 2-4, 2 2B, RS -- .231
1B R. Brown 1-2, 2 BB, RBI (27) -- .270
CF Senreiso 1-4, RBI (31), SB (6) -- .250
3B Lucas 1-4, K, RBI (25), CS -- .245
SS Falu 2 SB (13)

Gragg III 7 IP, ER, 7 H, BB, 5 K, HRA -- W, 1-3, 4.11 ERA
Plummer 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- SV, 1, 5.57 ERA

*** Gragg had a nice start for High Desert as they took the series finale with Lake Elsinore. Falu walked to lead off the game and stole second and third with 1 out before scoring on a Senreiso force play that resulted in an error. Another Storm error in the 3rd helped the Mavs to their second run as LE 1B Tim Brown missed a catch on a pickoff throw and Wilver Perez scored to give HD a 2-0 lead. Rusty Brown singled home a run in the 5th and Lucas singled home a run in the 6th to make the score 4-0 as Gragg was cruising. He gave up a solo shot to lead off the Storm 6th but made it through 7 before Plummer got the final 6 outs to secure the win. The Mavs are now 32-31 and 3 games back of first. Storm SS Brett Dowdy was 2-4 to move to .350, Tim Brown was 1-4 to drop to .297, Headley was 1-4 to drop to .277 and DH Jeremy Cleveland was 3-4 to move to .275.

Like the Wranglers, the Mavs also prospered over the last 9 days as they took 2 of 3 from Visalia, swept division leader Inland Empire and took 2 of 3 from the Storm to move back into second place in the division. A 4-game home set with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (32-31, High-A Angels) begins Monday before the series shifts to RC for 3 more after that, so it's a week with the Quakes for High Desert.

Low-A -- Burlington: Bees 4, Kane County 3 (Sat.)

CF Duarte 2-4, 2 RS, HBP, OF assist at first -- .296
2B Johnson 1-3, BB -- .265
C Howell 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI (11), PB (6) -- .214
3B Lisson 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (35), 2 K -- .215
SS McConnell 1-4, SB (7), E (12) -- .168
1B Everett 1-4, BB, RBI, RS, K -- .338
DH Thibault 0-4 -- .223

Rosa 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 K -- ND, 2.87 ERA
de la Vara 3 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 7 K -- W, 4-3, 3.32 ERA

*** The Bees bookended 4 runs to get a dramatic come-from-behind win. Two Cougar errors in the 1st helped Burlington score 2 runs as Everett reached on a fielder's choice as Duarte scored and Jeff Howell hit an RBI single to give the Bees an early lead. Rosa walked in a run in the 2nd and gave up an RBI single in the 5th to tie the game at 2. Burlington struggled to get it going offensively and the game remained tied at 2 into the 9th. De la Vara gave up a 2-out RBI single in the top of the 9th to allow KC to take the lead but the Bees loaded the bases with 1 out in the 9th and Lisson came through with a 2-run single to end the game. Burlington improved to 30-30. Cougars LF Nick Blasi was 2-5 with 2 RBI to move to .265, 3B Jeff Baisley was 0-4 to drop to .316 and C Anthony Recker was 0-3 to drop to .311.

Kane County 8, Bees 4 (Sun.)

CF Duarte 1-3, 2 BB, 2 RS, CS -- .297
SS Arce 2-4, K, RBI -- .207
DH Everett 0-3, BB, RBI -- .324
3B Lisson 0-2, BB, HBP, RBI (36), K, SB (17) -- .213
SS McConnell 0-4, 2 K -- .164

Henninger 4 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, WP -- L, 1-4, 6.12 ERA
Oliveros 2 IP, H, 2 K -- 2.77 ERA

*** Burlington was eliminated from first-half playoff contention with the loss as two rough innings did the Bees in Sunday. Henninger had a tough 2nd inning as he gave up a single, wild pitch, walk, stolen base, 2-run single, passed ball, single and stolen base before getting an RBI ground out for the first out of the inning. A sac fly gave Kane County a 4-0 lead. Arce hit an RBI single in the 3rd and Everett and Lisson added RBI ground outs to cut the lead to 4-3. Henninger left the game with 2 on and 0 out in the 5th and RP Cody Harkcom gave up a single and grand slam to put the game all but out of reach. Burlington loaded the bases with no out in the 8th but 2 Ks were followed by an RBI walk by C John Lowen before McConnell struck out to end the game. The Bees are now 30-31 and 8 games back of first. Baisley was 3-5 to improve to .323, 3B Wes Long was 2-4 to move to .262 and SS Justin Sellers was 2-3 to move to .245. 1B Steve Kleen had the grand slam for his 2nd homer and his 26th-29th RBI.

The Bees had some struggles over the past 9 days as they took 3 of 4 from Cedar Rapids but were swept in 4 games by the Peoria Chiefs before splitting the first 2 of 4 with the division leading Cougars (39-24, Low-A Athletics). Four Bees were selected to the '06 Midwest League ASG, including 2B Joshua Johnson and Ps Chris Nicoll, Matt Kniginyzky and Gilbert de la Vara. Johnson is a starter as he leads the league with a .444 OBP and leads league 2Bs with a .985 FP. I'm surprised Rosa got snubbed but I guess they can't take 4 pitchers from one team and still get all the teams adequately represented. Monday's pitchers for game 3 with KCC: RH Chris Nicoll (3-4, 2.59) vs. Cougars RH Jason Ray (6-1, 3.17).