Royals on the Farm 7/19

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 3, O-Royals 1

RF Allen 1-4, K, E (5) -- .329
LF Costa 0-4, 3 K -- .373, snapped 16-game hit streak
C Tupman 1-3 -- .250
CF K. Robinson 1-4 -- .298
2B Cortez 0-4 -- .210
SS Blanco 0-2, BB, RBI (20), 2 SB (5), CS -- .239

Baerlocher 6 IP, 2 UER, 3 H, 6 K, HRA -- L, 4-4, 3.82 ERA, nice start
Etherton 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, K -- 4.98 ERA, back from DL
Osborne 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, K -- 7.04 ERA, put gas can away for one game

*** Omaha scraped out only 4 hits against rehabbing SP Ben Sheets and 3 relievers as the Royals dropped their 2nd in a row. Omaha's run came in the 2nd on an Andres Blanco RBI ground out and gave the Royals a 1-0 lead. Ryan Baerlocher served up a 2-run homer after a Chad Allen error in the 3rd and the Sounds never trailed again. Omaha didn't have a runner in scoring position after the 2nd. Omaha is 38-59. Sheets allowed an ER on 3 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks over 6 1/3 IP to move to 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA. Former Wichita RP Steve Bray pitched a scoreless inning of relief to keep his ERA at 0.00, DH Graham Koonce was 3-4 with a double to move to .248 and another former organizational player, 1B Brent Abernathy, was 1-4 with his 4th homer and 2 RBI (32) to move to .283.

The teams wrap up the series Thursday afternoon. Pitchers: Nashville RH Dennis Sarfate (7-5, 3.78) vs. RH Denny Bautista (1-3, 6.60). The Royals are a pathetic 4-16 in day games this season. In other news, 2B Ruben Gotay is no longer a Royal as he was traded to the Mets Wednesday for AAA IF Jeff Keppinger, who will join Omaha. Keppinger, 25, was hitting .300 with 2 homers and 26 RBI in 87 games for Norfolk. He has drawn 27 walks compared to striking out 21 times, so that's nice and fits his MO. If his name sounds familiar it's because he was part of Pittsburgh's part of the trade that brought Justin Huber to KC. Maybe this is one of those "challenge" trades for both players. Also, Justin Huber missed Wednesday's game with a tight hamstring, according to the team site. Let's see how many games he misses from this, since he just came back from sitting a week or more with a sore thumb. It's kinda funny how these injury problems started after they called him up, jerked him around for 2 weeks, then sent him back down and put him in left. Thanks again, Buddy, Mr. "Dougie doesn't deserve that". I'm muttering a few other things under my breath.

AA - Wichita: Wranglers 11, Springfield 1

3B Gordon 2-5, HR (14), 3 RBI (53), 2 K -- .299
RF Butler 2-4, HBP, 2B (26), 2 RS -- .319
2B Murphy 3-4, BB, 2B (19), RS -- .236
DH D. Brown 2-4, HBP, 2B (14), 3 RBI (40), RS -- .278
SS Sanchez 2-5, HR (4), 2 RBI (40) -- .288
LF Lubanski 1-4, BB, 2B (26), RBI (39), K, 2 RS -- .267
CF Maier 1-5, K -- .276
1B Kaaihue 1-3, BB, SF, 2B (12), 2 RBI (25), K, RS -- .184
*Wichita turned 4 DPs.

Greinke 7 IP, ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 5 K, HRA -- W, 4-2, 5.09 ERA
Lowery and DeHoyos 2 scoreless IP

*** Wichita got revenge for a Springfield pasting Tuesday by putting 11 on the Cardinals on a hot Wednesday afternoon. Alex Gordon hit a solo homer for his 14th of the season in the 1st and Dee Brown followed a Billy Butler HBP with an RBI double to give Wichita a 2-0 lead. The Wranglers scored 4 runs on 5 hits in the 2nd as Kila Kaaihue hit an RBI double, Chris Lubanski doubled home a run and Gordon singled home 2 runs to make it 6-0. Zack Greinke gave up a solo homer to lead off the Cards 3rd but that was the only damage he allowed in a good start. Wichita polished off Springfield with a 5-run 4th on a 2-run homer by Angel Sanchez -- his 4th -- a 2-run single by Brown and a Kaaihue sac fly. Wichita is 13-13 and a game back of first. Springfield got 4 2/3 IP of scoreless relief from 3 pitchers but SP Jordan Pals allowed 11 runs (9 earned) over 3 1/3 IP in dropping to 7-4 with a 5.28 ERA. Cards LF Cody Haerther was 1-3 with his 9th homer and 36th RBI to move to .255 a day after hitting 2 homers off Wrangler pitching. 1B Juan Richardson was 2-4 to move to .304.

Neal Musser starts for Wichita in game 3 of the set Thursday night.

High-A - High Desert: Lancaster 5, Mavs 4

1B Stodolka 1-4, RBI (50) -- .307, I'd say hitting .300 with 50 RBI in his first season at the plate rather than pitching to it is pretty nice
SS Falu 2-3, K, 2 RS -- .269
2B Gaffney 2-4, RBI (26), RS -- .283
3B E. Lucas 2-3, K, RS -- .275
CF Senreiso 0-4, 2 K, RBI (47) -- .266
RF Valentin 0-3 -- .292
LF Tomlin 0-4, 2 K -- .299
C Thibault 0-4, K -- .118, thin air not doing much for his bat

Green 3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, K -- ND, 12.00 ERA, hopefully just shaking off rust
Plummer 4 IP, 1 H, 3 K -- 5.02 ERA
de la Vara 1 1/3 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 K -- L, 0-1, 1.29 ERA

*** A Mavs comeback win wasn't to be as the JetHawks got a walkoff single to set them up for a possible sweep Thursday. Mavs SP Patrick Green made his first start of the season and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk in the 1st before giving up 2 more runs on 3 hits and a walk in the 3rd for a 4-0 Lancaster lead. Juan Senreiso got the Mavs on the board in the 4th with an RBI ground out and Michael Gaffney scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 4-2 and it stayed that way into the 8th when the Mavs got 4 straight hits in a 2-out rally. Two of those hits were RBI singles by Gaffney and Mike Stodolka to tie the game. RP Gilbert de la Vara got through the 8th after Jarod Plummer held the JetHawks to 1 hit over 4 IP. de la Vara ran into trouble, tho, with 1 out in the 9th as he allowed three straight base hits, including a walkoff RBI single to end the game. High Desert is 14-12 and 2 1/2 games out of first now. Lancaster DH Chris Rahl was 3-4 with his 34th double and 2 RS to move to .336 and D-Backs prospect RF Carlos Gonzalez was 2-4 with his 78th RBI to move to .315 and also had 2 SB (14).

The series concludes Thursday night. No announced starters.

Low-A - Burlington: off day

*** Burlington is 11-15 and 6 games out of first. The Bees start a 4-game home set vs. the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (8-18, Low-A Mariners) Thursday night. Carlos Rosa starts for the Bees.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 6, Billings 5 (11)

2B Mertins 1-4, 2 K, RS -- .438
1B Castillo 1-5, SB (2) -- .391
SS McConnell 2-4, BB, HBP, RBI (6) -- .500
3B Maddox 2-4, BB, 2B (9), RBI (15) -- .286
CF Dickerson 1-5, 2 K, RS -- .318
LF Morel 1-4, 2 BB, 3B, 2 RBI (18), RS, 2 SB (8) -- .298
RF Bigler 0-3, RS -- .241

Gutierrez 2 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, BB, 2 K -- ND, 6.35 ERA
Cribb 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K! -- 1.23 ERA, great outing
Best 4 IP, ER, 4 H -- BS, 1, W, 4-0, 2.18 ERA

*** Idaho Falls scored just 2 runs on 6 hits after the 2nd but it was enough to get an extra-inning win over the Mustangs. Billings jumped on SP Dan Gutierrez for 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in the 1st and added a run-scoring single in the 2nd for a 3-0 lead. Idaho Falls came back to take the lead with a 4-run 2nd as C Todd Balduf hit an RBI single, Alvi Morel hit a 2-run triple and Chris McConnell singled home the go-ahead run. The Mustangs quickly tied the game with a run in the 3rd off Gutierrez but RP Josh Cribb came in and pitched near shut-down ball over the next 4 2/3 innings to take the Chukars into the 8th. Idaho Falls padded the lead with a Marc Maddox RBI double in the 6th before P Dan Best came on to pitch the 8th and gave up a 2-out RBI single to tie the game. Maddox led off the Chukars 11th with a single and was sacrificed to second. A Morel walk and McConnell single loaded the bases with 2 out before DH Shawn Hayes ended the game with an RBI single for his only hit in 6 AB. The Chukars are 18-11 and up 2 games on first. Billings CF Drew Stubbs was 3-6 with his 8th pro RBI to move to .255 and RF Chris Heisey was 2-5 with his 18th RBI to move to .396.

The Chukars go for the sweep Thursday night as Rowdy Hardy takes the mound.

Rookie - AZL: Cubs 1, Royals 0 (2-man no-hitter.....by the Royals)

CF D. Robinson 2-4, 2B, K, CS -- .230
3B Taylor 0-4, 2 K -- .345
DH Dyson 0-3, K -- .389
1B S. Lucas 0-4 -- .333

Fisher 6 IP, UER, 0 H, 0 BB, 11 K!, E (1) -- L, 1-1, 2.03 ERA, hardest luck loss imaginable
Hauff 2 IP, 4 K -- 0.00 ERA

*** Brent Fisher and Mike Hauff pitched a no-no for the Royals but a Fisher throwing error in the 4th came back to haunt him. Derrick Robinson led off the game for the Royals with a double and advanced to third with 1 out but couldn't score and the Royals would have only 3 more hits. They got 2 on with 0 out in the 3rd and couldn't score and, with 1 out in the Cubs 4th, 2B Valerio Heredia reached on a Fisher throwing error, stole second and third off Fisher and C Pedro Saldana and scored on a sac fly. SS Manuel Juan singled with 1 out in the 8th but ran into an out at second trying to stretch the hit. Robinson followed with a single but was caught stealing to end the inning. The Royals went down quietly in the 9th. The Royals are 14-8 and a game back of first. Four pitchers combined for the shutout for the Cubs.

The Royals were set to bounce back against the Brewers Thursday morning.