Royals on the Farm 6/29 and 6/30

AAA - Omaha: Albuquerque 10, O-Royals 7 (Thu.)

CF Guiel 4-5, 2B (14), 2 RS -- .249
LF Huber 3-5, 2B (11), HR (10), 3 RBI (23), 2 RS -- .259
RF Costa 0-3, BB, HBP, K -- .341
DH Allen 0-4, BB, RBI (47) -- .328
2B Gotay 1-3, HBP, HR (7), 3 RBI (33) -- .252
SS Blanco 1-4, 2 K, E (16) -- .253

Hernandez IP, 2 K -- 4.91 ERA, left after 1st with blister on foot
Osborne 3 IP, 10 R (8 ER), 11 H, 2 K, WP, E (1) -- L, 0-3, 8.16 ERA, time for this experiment to end, shades of Albie
Loux 3 IP, H, K -- 7.09 ERA
Nelson IP, H, K -- 2.10 ERA

*** Osborne and 3 Omaha errors helped blow a 7-1 lead. The Royals jumped on Isotopes SP Renyel Pinto for 3 in the 1st on an Allen RBI ground out and a 2-run homer by Huber for his 10th of the season. After Runelvys left with foot blister problems, Donovan Osborne came in and gave up a run in the 2nd. The first batter he faced tripled so that was a harbinger of things to come for Omaha. Omaha kept pouring on the offense with 4 in the 3rd on a Huber RBI double and a 3-run homer by Gotay for his 7th of the season. Osborne gave up 3 in the 3rd to cut the lead to 7-4 and Albuquerque had a big 4th with 6 runs thanks in part to 5 hits and errors by Osborne, Blanco and Chris Clapinski. After 17 runs in the first 4 innings, no more scored in the game. Omaha got 2 in scoring position with 2 out in the 7th but Gotay grounded out to make the inning fruitless. Omaha dropped to 30-50. Pinto got the win to move to 7-2 with a 3.31 ERA despite getting roughed up for 7 ER on 9 hits. Former O-Royal RP Wes Wilkerson pitched the 8th to drop his ERA to 5.68. Isotopes CF Eric Reed was 3-5 with 2 RBI to move to .291, RF Chris Aguila was 1-4 with 2 RBI to drop to .333, 3B Mike Kinkade was 2-4 with his 16th double, a triple and his 32nd RBI to move to .330 and C Paul Hoover was 3-4 with 2 RS to move to .292.

Iowa 5, O-Royals 3 (Fri.)

RF Costa 2-4, HR (3), 3 RBI (9), K -- .354
CF K. Robinson 2-4, BB, K, RS, SB (12) -- .316
LF Huber 0-1, BB, K -- .258
DH Allen 0-4, 2 K -- .322
2B Gotay 1-2, 2 BB, 2B (14), E (9) -- .253
1B Cortez 1-4, K -- .310
SS Blanco 1-4, 2 K, RS -- .252

Middleton 7 IP, 5 R (1 ER), 7 H, BB, 2 K, HRA, WP -- L, 0-1, 1.29 ERA, not horrible AAA debut, not helped by Gotay error
Elder 2 IP, H, 3 BB, K, WP, E (2) -- 2.88 ERA

*** A 4-run Iowa 1st ruined Kyle Middleton's AAA debut as he took Luke Hudson's rotation slot when Hudson got the call to KC. With 2 Cubs on and 0 out in the 1st, a Gotay fielding error loaded the bases. Middleton got a strikeout and groundout that should have ended the inning if not for Gotay's blunder and then gave up a 3-run homer to make the score 4-0. Costa blasted a 2-run homer in the 3rd for his 3rd in Omaha to get Omaha on the scoreboard and cut the lead to 4-2. Middleton gave up another run in the 5th but Costa got it back with an RBI single in the 7th to cut the lead back to 5-3. Gotay doubled with 2 out in the 8th but Omaha couldn't cash in and that was the Royals' final hit. Omaha dropped to 30-51 and has lost 6 straight. Iowa SP Jae Kuk Ryu went 6 IP and allowed 3 ER on 5 hits and 4 BB with 7 K but got the win to move to 3-6 with a 3.89 ERA, RP David Aardsma picked up his 6th save with a perfect 9th to drop his ERA to 1.90, SS Ryan Theriot was 2-5 with 2 RS to move to .306, 3B Casey McGehee was 2-4 with a double, his 5th homer and 3 RBI to move to .267 and CF Felix Pie was 1-3 with a RS to move to .248.

Omaha and the Cubs play the 2nd of 4 in Omaha Saturday night as the Royals are back in the friendly confines of Rosenblatt. Pitchers: Cubs LH Rich Hill (5-1, 1.91) vs. RH Brian Boehringer (1-4, 3.38). Guiel was DFA'd to make room for Hudson on the 40-man, so that likely signifies the end of his major league career, at least, with the Royals.

AA - Wichita: off day Thursday

Wranglers 4, Springfield 3 (Fri.)

3B Gordon 0-3, HBP, K, RS -- .297
RF Butler 1-3, BB, 2B (23), 2 RBI (55) -- .326
SS Sanchez 2-4, SF, RBI (31), RS -- .288
DH D. Brown 1-4, K, RBI (23) -- .257
CF Maier 0-3, BB, K, RS -- .276
LF Lubanski 1-2, BB, K -- .260
C Tupman 0-4 -- .284, slumping
2B Murphy 0-4, K -- .229

Herndon 8 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, 6 K -- W, 5-3, 4.79 ERA, good start
DeHoyos 1/3 IP, K -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA, Wichita '06 debut with Ryan Braun on the shelf

*** The Wranglers bounced back from a sweep by Midland to come back Friday from a 3-0 deficit and defeat the Cardinals in the first of 5. Herndon gave up a run in the 1st and 2 in the 5th to spot Springfield a 3-0 lead and Cards SP Stuart Pomeranz had a 2-hitter through 5. Wichita got to him in the 6th as a Sanchez single, Maier walk and Gordon HBP loaded the bases with no outs. Billy Butler again proved his worth with a 2-run double to break the ice and Dee Brown hit an RBI ground out to tie the game. Butler ended up stranded at third. 1B Kila Kaaihue doubled to lead off the 7th and scored on a Sanchez sac fly to give Wichita a 4-3 lead. A 9th inning walk gave Springfield its only runner after the 5th as the Cards only had 3 hits. The Wranglers are 5-3 and in first by a game. Cards 2B Kevin Estrada was 0-4 to drop to .312 and 3B Travis Hanson was 1-4 with an RBI to drop to .321.

The teams lock horns again Saturday night. No announced pitchers.

High-A - High Desert: Lake Elsinore 5, Mavs 3 (Thu.)

C Donachie 2-4, K, CS -- .278
SS Falu 2-3, BB, K, RS -- .275
1B Stodolka 0-4, 3 K -- .280
LF Valentin 0-3, BB, RS, E (7) -- .287
2B W. Perez 1-4, RBI (23), RS -- .289
CF Senreiso 1-4, RBI (40), 2 K -- .230

Gragg III 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 3 HRA -- ND, 3.61 ERA
Plummer 1 1/3 IP, UER, 2 H, 4 K -- L, 9-3, 5.33 ERA

*** The Mavs fought back from a 3-run deficit to tie the game but lost momentum quickly as the Storm opened the remainder of the '06 season with a win. The Mavs loaded the bases in the 3rd with 1 out but a Perez pop out and Valentin ground out resulted in no runs scored. A Storm solo shot in the 4th broke the scoreless tie and Gragg gave up back-to-back solo shots to lead off the 5th as Lake Elsinore took a 3-0 lead. Perez singled Falu home to get the Mavs their first run in the 6th and he later scored on a Storm error to cut the lead to 1. A Senreiso single tied the game but the Mavs stranded the lead runner at third. Jarod Plummer gave up an RBI double in the 6th to quickly hand the lead back to the Storm and a sac fly in the 7th increased the Storm's lead to 5-3. The Mavs didn't threaten again. High Desert moved to 4-3 with the loss. Storm RP Neil Jamison picked up his 18th save to drop his ERA to 1.89. Storm DH Jeremy Cleveland was 2-4 with his 15th double, 1st homer and 31st and 32nd RBI to improve to .274, C Colt Morton was 2-4 with his 12th double, 4th homer and 16th RBI to move to .239 and 3B Chase Headley was 0-2 with 2 walks to drop to .273.

Mavs 5, Lake Elsinore 3 (Fri.)

CF Senreiso 2-4, 2B (10), K -- .235
SS Falu 2-3, BB, RS, CS -- .279
RF Valentin 1-4, 2 RBI (35), RS -- .286
2B W. Perez 0-3, BB, K, RS -- .286
C Duenas 1-4, 2 RBI (17), K, RS -- .276
DH McFall 1-4, RBI (42), K -- .242

Cota 5 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K, WP -- ND, 7.15 ERA, good start, not long enough, tho
Weeden 3 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K -- W, 5-2, 4.91 ERA
Atencio IP, ER, H, 2 BB -- SV, 2, 5.56 ERA

*** The Mavs entered the 9th down, 2-0, and getting 3-hit by Storm SP Brent Carter but rallied for 5 runs in the final frame to get the win. Luis Cota gave up a run in the 1st but settled down to get through the 5th. He worked out of a 1-out triple in the 5th but was pulled for Weeden going into the 6th. At one point Carter sat down 10 straight Mavs from the 5th through the 8th and LE scored an insurance run off Brandon Weeden in the 8th to take a 2-0 lead. James Tomlin reached on an error to start the Mavs 9th and closer Neil Jamison was brought in. Jamison walked the bases loaded with 1 out before Geraldo Valentin hit a 2-run single to tie the game. A ground out moved runners to second and third before Tomas Duenas drove home 2 more runs with a single to make the score 4-2 Mavs. Brian McFall singled the 5th run home and Juan Senreiso was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. RP Greg Atencio gave up a sac fly in the 9th but wrapped the game up for his 2nd save. The Mavs are 5-3 and half a game back of Inland Empire. Carter allowed only the unearned run and 3 hits over 8 IP to drop his ERA to 3.62, Jamison blew his 3rd save and bumped his ERA to 2.91, LF Peter Ciofrone was 2-4 with a double and his 30th RBI to move to .339, Cleveland was 2-4 with his 16th double and 33rd RBI to move to .278 and Headley was 1-4 with his 17th double to drop to .273. His 10th error also started the 9th inning rally.

The teams continue the 5-game set Saturday night. No announced pitchers.

Low-A - Burlington: Bees 6, Peoria 5 (Thu.)

2B Johnson 3-4, BB, RBI (21), RS -- .265
C Howell 3-5, HR (3), RBI (17), CS, E (1), PB (9) -- .246
CF Duarte 2-5, 2 RS, CS -- .264
RF Arroyo 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (20) -- .264
SS McConnell 0-4, K -- .171

Oliveros 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, K -- W, 4-2, 2.39 ERA
Hayes 1 1/3 IP, K -- 1.67 ERA
de la Vara IP, K -- SV, 8, 3.44 ERA

*** Rayner Oliveros got some run support and the bullpen held on to get the Bees the win. Howell homered to lead off the 2nd for his 3rd of '06 and the Bees had a 1-0 lead. Peoria tied it in the 2nd and moved ahead in the 3rd but Burlington took the lead in the 5th with 3 runs on a Carlos Arroyo RBI single and a 2-run single by Howell for a 4-2 lead. Valentino Arce doubled with 1 out in the 6th and Jose Duarte and Josh Johnson hit RBI singles in the inning to make the score 6-2. RP Eliszer Garcia gave up 3 ER in the bottom of the 6th to cut the lead to 1 but he and relievers Chris Hayes and Gilbert de la Vara didn't allow a runner after that and the Bees locked down the W. The Bees moved to 3-5. 1B Ryan Norwood was 2-4 with his 18th double to move to .325, 2B Ryne Malone was 2-4 with a double and 3 RBI to move to .400 and C Mark Reed was 0-3 to drop to .320.

Bees 2, Peoria 1 (Fri.)

CF Duarte 2-4, 2B (9), RS -- .268
3B Lisson 1-3, BB, HR (6), RBI (40) -- .230
2B Johnson 0-2 -- .262
RF Arroyo 1-4, K, RBI (21) -- .263
DH Everett 1-4, K -- .276
SS McConnell 0-3, E (15) -- .168

Nicoll 6 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 9 K -- ND, 2.74 ERA
Harkcom 2 IP, 2 H, BB -- W, 3-1, 4.22 ERA
de la Vara IP, H, K -- SV, 9, 3.38 ERA

*** Burlington rallied in the 9th to break a 1-1 tie and win their 3rd straight. Lisson cracked his 6th homer in the 4th to start the scoring but the Chiefs got to Nicoll in the 6th with a 2-out RBI single to tie the game. RP Cody Harkcom got through the 7th and 8th and, in the Bees 9th, Duarte doubled to lead off the inning and was driven home on an RBI single by Arroyo for a 2-1 Bees lead. Two chances to score more runs with 1 out and the bases loaded resulted in Ks by Jeff Howell and Brady Everett. de la Vara gave up a 2-out single in the bottom of the 9th but closed it out for his 9th save. The Bees are 4-5 and a game back of first. Peoria starter Scott Taylor allowed only 2 ER on 5 hits and a walk over 8 1/3 IP but took the loss to drop to 3-4 with a 3.41 ERA. Norwood was 2-3 to move to .329, RF Jesus Valdez was 2-4 to move to .301 and 2B Robinson Chirinos was 2-5 to move to .255.

The series shifts to Burlington for game 3 Saturday night. Pitchers: RH David Henninger (1-4, 5.52) vs. Chiefs RH Todd Blackford (7-2, 3.64). In other news, P Mario Santiago got called up from the AZL Royals to pitch with the Bees and C/1B J.P. Lowen was activated from the inactive list and assigned to AZL.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 7, Casper 6 (Thu.)

CF Dickerson 2-4, RBI (3), K, 2 RS, CS -- .353
1B Castillo 1-4, RBI (10), RS, SB (1) -- .424
LF Morel 2-4, RS -- .375
2B Maddox 2-4, 2 2B (5), 2 RBI (6), RS -- .297
3B Herrera 2-4, 2B, RBI, K -- .259
RF Bigler 1-4, RBI (4), 2 K, OF assist at home -- .269
C Morizio 1-4, 2B, RBI, RS -- .333

Mozingo 2 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, BB, 2 K, WP, balk, 2 hit batsmen -- ND, 15.88 ERA, struggles continue
Hartsock 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, K -- W, 2-0, 0.79 ERA
Casey 2/3 IP, nothing -- SV, 1, 15.43 ERA

*** The Chukars recovered from Harold Mozingo's rough start to get the narrow win. Mozingo gave up 2 runs in a 4-hit and 1-walk 2-out rally in the 1st but the Rockies got greedy and Brett Bigler nailed the third out at the plate with no relay. Bigler came up in the 2nd and came through with a 2-out RBI single followed by a Matt Morizio RBI double to tie the game. Mozingo gave up 3 runs in the 3rd, one coming on a sac fly off Aaron Hartsock, and Casper took a 5-2 lead. Luis Castillo singled home a run in the 3rd and the Chukars scored 2 in the 4th in another 2-out rally. Morizio reached on a fielding error to spark it, Alvi Morel singled and advanced to second on an error and Marc Maddox smacked a 2-run double to tie the game. Brenan Herrera hit an RBI double in the 5th to score Dickerson and the Chukars took a 6-5 lead. RP Jacob Eckley salvaged the lead despite a 1-out triple in the 7th and the Chukars got an insurance run in their half of the inning on a Dickerson RBI fielder's choice to take a 7-5 lead. Eckley gave up a leadoff double and wild pitch to start the 9th but left the game in Bryan Casey's hands with 1 out. The run scored on an RBI ground out but Casey got a pop out to end the game. Idaho Falls moved to 7-3. Casper 3B Michael Milliron was 2-5 with 2 doubles to move to .450, SS Hector Gomez was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI to move to .406 and 1B Steven Suarez was 2-5 with a triple to move to .346.

Chukars 16, Casper 4 (Fri.)

2B Mertins 4-5, 3 RBI, K, 3 RS, SB, E (1) -- .800, what a debut
RF Gonzalez 4-5, 3B, HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 RS -- .276, double short of cycle
DH Maddox 2-4, 2B (6), 3 RBI (9), K, 3 RS -- .317
CF Bigler 2-5, 2 RBI (6), K -- .290
LF Morel 1-4, BB, K, 2 RS -- .364
C Lance 0-3, BB, SF, RBI, RS -- .091

Cordier 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 5 K, 3 WP -- W, 1-0, 3.38 ERA
Baldwin 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, K, HRA -- SV, 1, 6.48 ERA

*** A 4-inning onslaught helped the Chukars destroy the Rockies. Two Cordier wild pitches helped Casper to 2 runs in the 2nd but O.D. Gonzalez tripled to lead off the 3rd and scored on a Brandon Lance sac fly to get Idaho Falls on the board. The Chukars turned it on in the 4th with 4 runs on a 2-run double by Brenan Herrera, an RBI single by Kurt Mertins, who had a big game, and a Bigler RBI single. They topped that with 5 in the 5th on an Eduardo Nunez RBI single, Maddox RBI single, passed ball that scored Nunez, Mertins RBI single and Bigler RBI single for a 10-2 lead. The 6th was another 4-run inning as a Maddox double drove home 2 runs and Mertins and Gonzalez singled runs home for a 14-2 lead. As Cordier and Burke Baldwin cruised through the 8th, the Chukars added 2 that inning on a 2-run homer by Gonzalez for his 1st of '06. Baldwin allowed a solo homer and another run in the 9th but it was way too little. Idaho Falls is 8-3 and a game up on first. Casper RF David Christensen was 2-4 with his 1st homer and 6th RBI to move to .310, Gomez was 0-3 to drop to .371 and 1B Logan Wiens was 1-4 with a double and his 7th RBI to move to .364.

A 6-game split series with the Orem Owlz (7-4, Rookie Angels) starts Saturday night in Orem. No announced starters.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 2, Cubs 1 (Thu.)

DH Bianchi 2-3, BB, 2B (2), K, RS -- .476
CF D. Robinson 1-4, K, CS -- .167
1B S. Lucas 1-4, 3B (3), RBI (9), 3 K -- .393
RF Peralta 0-3, BB, SB (1) -- .360
3B Taylor 1-4 -- .200
SS Juan 1-4 -- .333
LF Dickson 0-2 -- .100
LF Dyson 1-1, 3B, RS -- .500

Fisher 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 10 K!!! -- ND, 0.90 ERA
Lopez 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K -- BS, 1, W, 2-0, 4.50 ERA
Barrera IP, nothing -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA

*** An 8th inning run salvaged the win for the Royals. With 2 out in the 1st, Jeff Bianchi drew a walk and Scott Lucas tripled him home to get the Royals an early lead. Fisher left with a 2-hitter after 6 IP but the Royals could get him no more run support despite getting runners in scoring position in the 5th and 6th. RP Yensi Lopez gave up the tying run in the 7th but Jarrod Dyson tripled to lead off the 8th and scored on an Alwin Perez ground out. Lopez and Barrera finished it. The Royals moved to 5-2. Cubs C Adam Hackstedt was 2-3 with an RBI to move to .333 and DH Randy Brown was 1-3 with a double to move to .375.

Brewers 13, Royals 7 (Fri.)

SS Bianchi 1-2, 2 BB, SF, 2B (3), 2 RBI (6), RS -- .478
CF D. Robinson 2-6, 3B, RBI, 2 K, 2 RS, SB (2) -- .208
DH Peralta 2-3, 2 BB, K, SB (2) -- .393
2B T. Wilson 0-4, 2 BB, K, 2 RS, 3 SB (5), 2 E (3) -- .250
1B S. Lucas 1-4, 3B (4), BB, 2 RBI (11), K, 2 RS, SB (4) -- .375
3B Taylor 1-4, BB -- .222
RF Van Stratten 1-3, BB, HBP, 2 K, SB (1), OF assist at second -- .143
LF Francis 0-4, 2 K, OF assist at third -- .150
* The Royals left 13 on base and stole 9 bases!

A. Martinez 3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 8 H, 2 K, 3 HRA, WP -- ND, 9.39 ERA
McLintock 2 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 2 K -- BS, 1, L, 0-1, 7.71 ERA

*** Six runs in the final 2 innings helped the Brewers roll to the win. Angel Martinez gave up a 2-run homer in the 1st but the Royals scored 3 of their own that inning on a 2-run Lucas triple and wild pitch that scored Lucas. Martinez gave up 2 more runs in the 2nd, including a solo homer, and the Brewers regained the lead but the Royals tied it in the 2nd on a Bianchi RBI double. Martinez gave up a 3rd homer in the 3rd and the Brewers took the lead for the third time but the Royals took the lead back with 2 in the 4th on a Derrick Robinson RBI triple and Bianchi sac fly. It was the Brewers' turn to tie it in the 6th off RP Miguel Morales but the Royals moved back ahead in their half of the inning on another wild pitch that scored a run. Jake McLintock came on for the 7th and escaped unscathed but didn't in the 8th as the Brewers rallied for 6 runs on 8 hits and McLintock stayed in the game for some reason. Henry Barrera gave up another run in the 9th and the Royals didn't score again. The Royals are 5-3 and 2 games back of first. Brew Crew RF Charles Caufield was 5-6 with a double to move to .481, 1B John Alonso was 3-4 with 2 homers and 3 RBI to move to .562 and 3B Lenny Leclercq was 3-5 with 2 RS to move to .412.

The Royals have Saturday off and play the league-leading Giants Sunday.