Royals on the Farm 8/30

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 5, Royals 4

LF Huber 0-3, BB, RS -- .285
RF Costa 2-4, HBP, RBI (26), K, SB (4) -- .342
1B R. Bell 3-4, 2B (12), 2 RBI (31) -- .212
CF K. Robinson 0-3, BB, E (2) -- .308
2B Cortez 0-4, RBI (13), K -- .255

M. Wood 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 K, E (2), WP -- ND, 5.91 ERA
Braun 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 2.16 ERA
Yarnall IP, UER, H, 2 K, E (1) -- L, 2-3, 3.26 ERA

*** A late run foiled a Royal comeback bid. The Royals stranded 2 in the 1st and Mike Wood gave up a sac fly in the 2nd to give the Zephyrs a 1-0 lead. Shane Costa tied it with an RBI single in the 3rd but was thrown out to end the inning on the basepaths after stealing third. New Orleans rallied with 2 out in the 5th and scored thrice on 4 hits and a wild pitch to make it 4-1. Omaha came back in the 6th to tie it as Rick Bell hit a 2-run double and Fernando Cortez hit an RBI ground out. Ed Yarnall came in for the 8th and gave up an unearned run with 2 out after making a 1-out fielding error. Costa struck out on a foul tip to end the game. The Royals are 52-87. Zephyrs CF Kenny Kelly was 2-4 with his 13th double and 2 RBI (33) to move to .254, RF George Lombard was 2-4 with his 24th RBI to move to .297 and 3B Melvin Dorta was 1-2 with an RBI to move to .433.

The final road series of the season wraps up Thursday night. Pitchers: RH Pat Mahomes (1-1, 5.08) vs. NO RH Andrew Good (9-9, 4.78).

AA - Wichita: Wranglers 3, Tulsa 0

DH Gordon 0-3, HBP, K -- .322
LF Lubanski 0-3, BB, SB (11) -- .279
CF Maier 1-3, BB, RBI (87), K -- .302
RF D. Brown 1-4, 2B (22), K -- .309
2B Murphy 1-4, 3B (1), RS -- .249
SS Sanchez 1-3, RS -- .281

Song 7 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 4 K, E (2), WP -- W, 5-10, 5.37 ERA, very nice start other than BB
C. Smith 2 IP, 2 H -- SV, 4, 2.81 ERA

*** Seung Song and Cody Smith combined on a 5-hitter as Wichita locked down the second-half division title. Donnie Murphy tripled and scored in the 2nd on a Kila Kaaihue RBI ground out and Wichita added runs in the 3rd and 4th on a Mitch Maier RBI single and Adam Keim RBI double. Song and Smith only cruised in 3 innings but kept the Drillers off the board. The Wranglers are 39-26. Tulsa C Tino Sanchez was 0-3 to drop to .355, 1B Joe Koshansky was 0-4 to drop to .289 and RF Seth Smith was 1-3 with his 4th triple to move to .297.

The series continues Thursday night as Tyler Lumsden starts for Wichita.

High-A - High Desert: Mavs 5, Inland Empire 2 (10)

DH Stodolka 0-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .290
SS Falu 2-4, BB, 2B (23), RBI (46), 2 RS, SB (30) -- .298
1B R. Brown 2-5, RBI (59), 2 K -- .266
C Duenas 0-3, BB, HBP, RBI (52) -- .303
LF Tomlin 1-4, K, RS -- .294

Rosa 6 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, BB, 7 K -- ND, 7.15 ERA, best outing at HD yet
Barnes 3 IP, H, 2 K -- W, 5-3, 4.19 ERA
Pimentel IP, 2 K -- SV, 1, 3.66 ERA

*** The Mavs scored 5 unanswered runs from the 7th on to take down the 66ers once more. Carlos Rosa gave up a run in the 1st and another in the 4th to make it 2-0 66ers. A fielding error ended an early perfect game bid for IE SP Justin Jordan in the 5th but he left the no-hitter in the hands of RP Mumba Rivera to start the 7th and the Mavs took advantage. The bench-clearing brawl from Tuesday's tilt involving Tomas Duenas impacted Wednesday's game as Rivera hit Duenas in the head with a pitch with 2 out and 1 on in the inning and Rivera and IE manager (and former Royal) Gary Thurman were ejected. Duenas stayed in and made the 66ers pay later. RP Joseph Woerman came in and Rusty Brown hit an RBI single to cut the lead in half before the rally ended. Irving Falu tied it with an RBI single in the 8th but the Mavs stranded 2 in the 8th and 9th to send the game into extras. Duenas gave the Mavs a lead with an RBI ground out in the 10th and a 2-run error by 66ers 3B Ronnie Prettyman made it 5-2 HD. Julio Pimentel had a 1-2-3 10th to earn his 1st HD save. The Mavs are 32-34 and still 1 1/2 games up on the wild card. Jordan K'd 6 over 6 IP to drop his ERA to 4.59. IE 1B Johan Limonta was 3-4 to move to .833 and has enjoyed HD pitching. LF Casey Craig was 1-4 to drop to .287 and DH Alex Meneses was 2-4 with his 3rd double to move to .276.

The series wraps up Thursday night. No announced starters.

Low-A - Burlington: Bees 7, Cedar Rapids 1 (final of Tues. resumed game)

CF Santana 3-5, RBI (17), 2 RS, SB (21) -- .245
2B Johnson 1-4, BB, K, 2 RS, SB (18) -- .251
3B Lisson 2-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI (70), SB (40) -- .262
1B Vega 2-4, SF, 2 RBI (75), K, RS -- .249
RF Arroyo 2-5, HR (1), 2 RBI (34) -- .266
C Howell 2-3, 2 BB, 2B (16), RS, 2 PB (16) -- .242

Penn IP, ER, H, 2 K -- ND, 2.72 ERA, truncated by rain
Oliveros 6 IP, 3 H, 4 K -- W, 7-4, 2.88 ERA, wish he could have started all season, but tough rotation to crack
Hayes 2 IP, H -- 2.77 ERA

*** Rayner Oliveros shut the Kernels down and the Bee offense slapped out 14 hits to finish off Tuesday's rain-suspended game strong. Miguel Vega singled home Josh Johnson in the 1st and the Bees were off. Mike Penn gave up a run with 2 outs in the 1st Tuesday before rain delayed the game until Wednesday night. Burlington picked up Wednesday where they left off as Ethien Santana singled home a run in the 2nd and Carlos Arroyo hit a 2-run homer for his 1st of the season in the 3rd to make it 4-1. A Vega sac fly in the 4th extended the lead and Oliveros retired 14 straight Kernels at one point. Mario Lisson hit a 2-run single in the 6th to make it 7-1 and Oliveros and Chris Hayes closed it out. The Bees improved to 27-37. CR SS Larry Infante was 2-3 with his 19th double to move to .256 and RF Jordan Renz was 2-4 with his 83rd RBI to move to .222.

Cedar Rapids 1, Bees 0 (7/reg. Wed. game)

CF Duarte 0-3, 2 K -- .268
3B Lisson 1-3, 2B (29), K, CS (11), E (25) -- .263

Henninger 5 IP, 0 ER, H, BB, 2 K -- ND, 4.92 ERA
Harkcom IP, UER, 0 H, BB, 2 K, E (2) -- L, 3-3, 3.61 ERA, duo combines on 1-hit loss

*** The regular Wednesday game, which was shortened to 7 innings, was a different story for Burlington as the Bees outhit the Kernels, 5-1, but lost a 1-0 pitchers' duel thanks to Burlington miscues. David Henninger got the spot start and pitched well as he stranded a runner at third in the 3rd but Burlington stranded 2 in the 5th off Kernels SP Tim Didjurgis and RP Darren O'Day. Cody Harkcom took over in the 6th and a throwing error by the pitcher put a runner in scoring position and a sac fly allowed CR to take the lead. Brady Everett doubled with 1 out in the Bee 7th but the Bees couldn't get the run home. The Bees are 27-38. Didjurgis allowed 4 hits with 5 K over 4 1/3 IP to drop his ERA to 4.36. Kernels 1B Josh Davies was 1-2 with a double (4, the team's only hit) to move to .233.

The series finale is Thursday night. Angelo Morales starts in his A-ball debut.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Missoula 5, Chukars 3

LF Bigler 3-4, RS, SB (14) -- .245
SS McConnell 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (29), K, E (17) -- .259
2B Gil 1-4, RBI (13), 2 K, RS -- .221
CF Dickerson 0-3, BB -- .282
DH Maddox 0-4, 2 K -- .324

Teaford 4 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K, WP -- L, 4-1, 3.57 ERA

*** IF took an early 3-run lead but it didn't last long as the Osprey came back to earn a split of the 4-game set. With 2 outs in the 2nd, Gilbert Gil singled home a run and Chris McConnell hit a bases loaded 2-run single to put the Chukars up, 3-0. Three doubles off Everett Teaford in the 3rd scored 2 runs to cut the lead to 1 and a McConnell error and another double in the 4th scored 2 more to give Missoula a 4-3 lead. A wild pitch by RP Jacob Eckley scored another run for the Osprey in the 8th and the Chukars went down in order in the 9th to end it. Brett Bigler had 3 of the Chukars' 5 hits. The Chukars are 13-17 and maintain a 2-game lead over Ogden for a wildcard berth. Osprey RF Gerardo Parra was 2-4 with his 4th triple to move to .335 and CF Tyler Jones was 1-4 with his 9th double and 17th RBI to move to .293.

A 3-game home set with the archnemesis Orem Owlz (18-12, Rookie Halos) starts Thursday night. No announced starters.

Rookie - AZL: Season over at 36-20.

The Angels beat the Pads 1-0 Wednesday to take the second-half title and send them to the AZL championship game Thursday vs. the first-half champ Padres. I call collusion. The Royals' record of 19-9 left them 1/2 a game back.

Royals on the Farm 8/29

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 5, New Orleans 3

LF Huber 0-4, SF, RBI (43), 4 K -- .287, wears the ol' golden sombrero
RF Costa 1-4, BB, 2B (10), 2 RS, SB (3) -- .339
CF K. Robinson 1-3, 2 BB, RS, CS (13) -- .310
3B Aviles 1-4, BB, RBI (46), K, E (22) -- .258
2B Cortez 1-3, BB, RS, E (9) -- .260

Keppel 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K -- W, 6-6, 5.44 ERA
Diaz 2 IP, H, 3 K, WP -- 4.14 ERA
Nunez IP, UER, 2 H, K -- SV, 5, 1.91 ERA

*** Omaha grabbed the lead in the 6th and held on for the win to snap a 3-game skid. Bobby Keppel gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in the 2nd and Omaha got on the board in the 4th on a Mike Aviles RBI single. The Royals rallied with 2 outs in the 6th as an Alejandro Prieto single scored 2 thanks to a Zephyrs error. Justin Huber took a break from striking out Tuesday to hit a sac fly in the 7th to make it 4-2 Omaha. As Shane Loux and Jose Diaz helped hold the Zephyrs in check, the Royals scored an insurance run on a passed ball in the 9th. A 2-out error by Fernando Cortez in the 9th helped lead to a Zephyr run off Leo Nunez but he shut the door for his 5th save. Omaha is 52-86. NO LF Tyrell Godwin was 2-4 with his 6th triple and 42nd RBI to move to .240, 1B Mike Vento was 1-4 to drop to .374 and RF George Lombard was 2-3 with his 9th double to move to .293.

The series continues Wednesday. Pitchers: rehabbing RH Mike Wood (0-1, 4.76) vs. Zephyrs RH Kip Bouknight (2-0, 4.03). The partnership between KC and Omaha will now run through 2008 as the clubs extended their agreement Tuesday.

AA - Wichita: Springfield 5, Wranglers 3

3B Gordon 1-4, K -- .324
LF Lubanski 2-4, 2B (33), RS, E (7), OF assist at second -- .281
DH Maier 1-4, 2 K, CS (12) -- .302
2B Murphy 2-4, 2 HR (13), 3 RBI (43), 2 K -- .249, hot off the DL
RF D. Brown 0-4, 3 K -- .310

Greinke 6 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA, WP -- L, 8-3, 4.34 ERA, OK after rough first, gave up another HR
DeHoyos 2 IP, H, BB -- 1.47 ERA

*** Zack Greinke gave up 3 runs before getting an out and the Wranglers never recovered from the Cards 1st. Donnie Murphy continued a hot streak with a solo homer in the top of the 1st for his 12th of the season to make it 1-0 but Greinke allowed a double, single and 3-run homer to the first 3 batters he faced and went on to give up 2 more runs on 2 hits and a walk later in the inning to stake the Cards to a 5-1 lead. Murphy blasted a 2-run homer in the 3rd for his 13th of the season to cut the lead to 5-3 and Greinke settled down to retire 10 straight before being pulled for Gabe DeHoyos to start the 7th. The only problem was Wichita also made 10 straight outs and never threatened again. Wichita is 38-26 and still 4 games up on Tulsa, which makes the magic number 1 for the second-half title as the Wranglers and Drillers face off Wednesday. Cards RF Nick Stavinoha was 1-4 with his 12th homer and 3 RBI (70) to move to .287 and 1B Juan Richardson was 0-3 to drop to .311.

The Wranglers and Tulsa Drillers (34-30, AA Rockies) warm up for their playoff series with a regular-season-ending 5-game set starting Wednesday night in Wichita. Seung Song starts game 1 for Wichita. The Drillers will be without one of their top players as SS Troy Tulowitzki got called up Wednesday by the Rockies. In other news, Alex Gordon was named the Texas League Player of the Year as expected Tuesday. The only other Wrangler to win the award was Johnny Damon in 1995. Billy Butler and Gordon were named to the TL post-season all-star team.

High-A - High Desert: Mavs 6, Inland Empire 3

SS Falu 2-4, 2B (22), 2 RS, SB (29) -- .297
LF Tomlin 2-4, RBI (33), RS -- .295
C Duenas 2-2, 2B (19), RBI (51), RS -- .306, ejected in 3rd
1B R. Brown 3-4, 2B (18), RBI (58), RS -- .265
3B E. Lucas 2-4, 2 RBI (65), RS -- .282
DH Thibault 1-4, RBI (16), K -- .322

Christensen 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- W, 6-6, 4.89 ERA, great start
Plummer 1/3 IP, H, K -- SV, 9, 4.09 ERA

*** A bench-clearing brawl and great pitching by Dan Christensen highlighted a clutch Mavs win Tuesday as they kept their foothold on the wild-card lead. The Mavs took command with 3 in the 3rd as James Tomlin singled home a run, Tomas Duenas doubled home Tomlin and then scored on an Ed Lucas single. When Duenas scored, he plowed over 66ers C Omar Falcon, who was blocking the plate. Falcon got pissed and charged Duenas and the benches cleared. Both were ejected along with Mavs RP Justin Barnes and an IE reliever. As Christensen took a 2-hitter through the 7th, the Mavs added 2 runs in the 6th on RBI singles by Lucas and Kiel Thibault and another run in the 7th on a Rusty Brown RBI single. RP Adam Rowe gave up a 3-run double in the 9th and Jarod Plummer got the final out for his 9th save. HD is 31-34 and stretched the wild-card lead back to 1 1/2 games. 66ers backup C J.B. Tucker was 1-2 with his 4th double and 3 RBI (17) to move to .214 and RF Casey Craig was 0-2 to drop to .288.

Carlos Rosa pitches for HD in game 3 of the set Wednesday night. By the way, there's a shot of the fight here -- http://www.vvdailypress.com/2006/115694332033985.html -- shows Duenas getting coldcocked.

Low-A - Burlington: Bees 1, Cedar Rapids 1 (susp. 2/rain)

*** The game will wrap up Wednesday before the regularly scheduled tilt. Rayner Oliveros will start when play resumes. No starter has been announced for game 2 tonight yet. The Bees are 26-37. In other news, Yovany Damico was sent back up to Burlington after starting a few games in the AZL. Angelo Morales was also called up from the AZL to join the shorthanded Bees' pitching staff. SP Matt Kniginyzky has been shut down for the remainder of the season with an undisclosed injury. No mention of it being serious, tho.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Missoula 5, Chukars 3

DH Maddox 3-4, 2B (19), HR (3), 3 RBI (31), RS -- .330
RF Gonzalez 2-4, K, 2 RS -- .269
CF Dickerson 0-4 -- .286
1B Turner 2-4 -- .239
2B Mertins 0-3, K -- .333
C Morizio 0-3, K -- .256
LF Bigler 1-3, K, CS (2), OF assist at second -- .233

B. Wood 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- ND, 4.98 ERA
Best IP, ER, 3 H -- BS, 2, L, 5-3, 2.92 ERA

*** Idaho Falls held a 2-run lead in the middle of the 6th but fell apart from there as the Osprey took game 3 of the set. Marc Maddox hit a 2-run homer for his 3rd of the season in the 1st and the Chukars had a quick 2-0 lead. Blake Wood gave up a run in the 1st to cut the lead in half but settled down to allow only 2 more hits and a walk through 5 IP. Maddox doubled home a run in the 6th to make it 3-1 and Dan Best came on with 2 on and 0 out in the Missoula 6th. Three straight singles tied the game and a force out brought the lead run home to make it 4-3. Chase Vacek gave up an insurance homer in the 8th and the Chukars got the potential winning run to the plate with 1 out in the 9th before 2 Ks did them in. IF is 13-16 and 4 games back of first. Osprey RF Gerardo Parra was 2-3 with his 3rd triple, 2 SB (22) and 42nd RBI to move to .332 and LF Daniel Perales was 1-3 with his 7th homer and 34th RBI to move to .264.

The series wraps up Wednesday night. No announced pitchers. The Chukars maintain a 2-game lead on Ogden for a wild-card berth.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 9, Mariners 6

2B T. Wilson 3-6, 3 RBI (8), K, RS, E (10) -- .233, finished with .417 OBP
DH Francis 2-4, BB, 2 K, 2 RS -- .303, .792 OPS
LF Dyson 2-5, SF, 3B (6), 2 RBI (19), K, RS, SB (19), OF assist at third -- .273
RF Van Stratten 1-5, RBI (35) -- .292, led regulars with .826 OPS
1B S. Lucas 1-3, 2 HBP, K, SB (11) -- .279, .813 OPS
C Doscher 0-2, 3 BB, K, 2 RS, SB (4) -- .258, finished with .462 OBP!!! in 46 games -- only .298 SLG tho (yikes)
CF D. Robinson 1-3, BB, 2 RBI (24), RS, SB (20) -- .233

Damico 4 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K, balk -- ND, 3.96 ERA, lackluster final AZL start
McLintock 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 K -- W, 4-1, 2.97 ERA
Cummings 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, K -- SV, 4, 1.69 ERA

*** The Royals kept their title hopes alive with the regular-season-ending win over the Mariners. Tyrone Wilson singled home a run in the 1st but Yovany Damico gave up single runs in the 2nd and 3rd. The Royals scored 3 in the 4th on a Wilson 2-run single and Nick Van Stratten RBI base hit to take a 4-2 lead. The Ms tied it in their half of the inning off Damico but the Royals regained command with 3 in the 5th on a 2-run single by Derrick Robinson and an RBI triple by Jarrod Dyson. An Alwin Perez sac fly added another run in the 6th but the Mariners scored 2 off Jake McLintock and Tyler Cummings in the 7th to stay somewhat in the game. A Dyson sac fly in the 9th made it 9-6 and Cummings put the Ms down in order to end the game. The Royals finished the regular season 19-9 and in a 3-way tie for first with the 18-8 Padres and Angels. The Royals finished a combined 36-20. Ms RF Jose Graterol was 3-3 with an RBI to move to .250 and C Erwin Jacobo was 2-4 with a double, 2 E (7) and 2 RBI to move to .222.

The Padres and Angels play Wednesday night so I suppose the winner of that game is the second-half champ. If the Padres win, the Royals may still have a shot at the AZL title game since the Padres won the first half and the Royals would be in second alone ahead of the Angels. If the Angels win, the Royals are done.

Royals on the Farm 8/28

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 5, O-Royals 4

LF Huber 1-4, 2B (20), RBI (42), 2 K, RS -- .291
RF Costa 0-2, K -- .341, ejected in 4th
3B Aviles 2-3, BB, RBI (45), K, RS, 2 SB (12) -- .259
2B Cortez 2-4, RBI (12) -- .259
CF K. Robinson 1-2, 2 BB, 2B (22), RS, OF assist at second -- .310
DH Mahomes 0-2, BB, RBI (1), K -- .000, pulled a Stodolka after Coolbaugh also ejected in 4th

Middleton 5 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 9 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 0-7, 5.26 ERA
Yan and Yarnall 3 IP scoreless relief -- Ys Guys hold NO in check

*** Kyle Middleton continued his AAA struggles and Omaha dropped its 3rd in a row. A Paul Phillips error helped the Zephyrs to a 1st inning run and Middleton allowed another run in the 2nd to make it 2-0 Zephyrs. Three hits in the 3rd scored 2 more runs for a 4-0 New Orleans lead and a sac fly in the 5th made it 5-0. Meanwhile, Omaha had 1 hit going into the 4th when Shane Costa and Mike Coolbaugh were ejected after striking out swinging. The Royals loaded the bases with 1 out in the 6th but former Royal Chris Booker came in for NO and struck out Justin Huber and Mike Aviles to end the threat. The Royals finally broke the spell in the 8th with a 1-out RBI groundout by P Pat Mahomes, who came in for Coolbaugh because of the short-staffed Omaha bench. Huber doubled home a run and Aviles followed with an RBI single and was singled home by Fernando Cortez to make it 5-4. Alejandro Prieto struck out to end the inning and the Royals went down without much fight in the 9th. Omaha is 51-86 and firmly in the PCL cellar. Zephyrs SP Steve Watkins went 5 1/3 IP and allowed 4 hits and 3 walks with 5 Ks to move to 7-7 with a 3.93 ERA, 3B Mike Vento was 2-2 with his 14th double and 2 RBI (33) to move to .376 and RF Marlon Byrd was 2-4 with his 9th double to move to .291.

The series continues Tuesday night. Pitchers: RH Bobby Keppel (5-6, 5.54) vs. Zephyrs RH Anastacio Martinez (5-9, 4.62).

AA - Wichita: Wranglers 7, Springfield 4 (11)

3B Gordon 1-5, RBI (95), 2 K -- .325
2B Murphy 2-5, GW HR (11), 3 RBI (40), K, 2 RS -- .246
LF Lubanski 0-5, K -- .279
CF Maier 1-4, BB, K, RS, CS (11) -- .303
DH D. Brown 1-4, SF, RBI (73), RS -- .313
SS Sanchez 2-4, BB, 2B (23), K, 2 RS -- .281
1B Kaaihue 2-5, 2 K, RS -- .203, cracks Mendoza line

Buckner 7 IP, 0 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 K -- ND, 5.09 ERA, good start wasted
Lowery 3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA -- vultured W, 5-1, 6.03 ERA
Musser IP, 2 K -- SV, 2, 5.13 ERA

*** Devon Lowery blew Billy Buckner's win but Donnie Murphy picked him up with a 3-run blast in the 11th to get Wichita the win. Alex Gordon hit an RBI ground out in the 1st to stake Buckner to a lead and he responded by holding the Cardinals scoreless. Brett Groves hit an RBI double and Adam Donachie hit a sac fly in the 5th to make it 3-0 and a Dee Brown sac fly in the 6th gave Wichita a 4-0 lead. Lowery took over in the 8th and gave up a 1-out 2-run homer that inning before giving up a game-tying 2-run double with 2 out in the 9th to force extra innings. Brown and Mitch Maier singled with 1 out in the 11th and Murphy stepped up to crank his 11th homer of the season to left to make it 7-4. Neal Musser pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his 2nd save. Wichita is 38-25 and now 5 games up on Tulsa, which makes the second-half title magic number 2. Springfield 3B Travis Hanson was 3-5 with his 2nd homer and 2 RBI (19) to move to .226, LF Cody Haerther was 1-5 with his 25th double and 2 RBI (47) to move to .274 and DH Juan Richardson was 1-6 with 4 K to drop to .314.

The series wraps up Tuesday night as Zack Greinke takes the mound. In other news, Alex Gordon is rumored to be named the Texas League MVP soon, perhaps Tuesday.

High-A - High Desert: Inland Empire 7, Mavs 5 (10)

1B Stodolka 2-6, 2B (33), 2 K -- .293
SS Falu 2-4, BB, HR (3), RBI (45), SB (28) -- .295
2B Gaffney 2-6, K -- .258
RF McFall 2-4, BB, 2B (25), HR (21), 2 RBI (73), 2 RS -- .248
C Duenas 0-2, 2 BB -- .301
DH Tomlin 1-3, BB -- .291
*14 left on base, 9 in scoring position

Nicoll 5 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 9 K, HRA, balk -- ND, 6.75 ERA
Pimentel 2 2/3 IP, 4 K -- 3.86 ERA
Plummer IP, ER, H, 2 BB, K -- BS, 4, 4.10 ERA
Hicklen IP, 2 ER, 2 H, HRA -- L, 3-10, 6.16 ERA

*** Despite going 1-16 with runners in scoring position, the Mavs were in place for the win in the 9th before the game fell apart on them and the 66ers got the win. The Mavs' troubles started early as they loaded the bases with 1 out in the 1st but got nothing out of it. A Brian McFall RBI double and Irving Falu solo homer for his 3rd of the season made it 2-0 Mavs in the 2nd but HD once again left the bases loaded. Chris Nicoll gave up a run in the 3rd, a solo homer in the 5th and 2 runs in the 6th to give IE a 4-2 lead but the Mavs came back. McFall hit a solo homer in the Mavs 6th for his 21st of the season and the Mavs stranded 2 before tying the game in the 7th on an RBI ground out by Geraldo Valentin. McFall scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the 8th and the Mavs took a 5-4 lead. Jarod Plummer had 1 on with 2 outs in the 9th but couldn't finish it off as a walk and single scored the tying run. Mike Stodolka led off the HD 9th with a double and moved to third on a Tomas Duenas bunt single. Ed Lucas was walked to load the bases with no outs but Stodolka was forced at home on a Valentin grounder, Juan Senreiso struck out and McFall grounded out to kill the rally. All they needed was a fly ball. Pat Hicklen gave up a 2-out 2-run homer in the 10th but the Mavs got runners to the corners with 2 out in the bottom of the frame before Kiel Thibault flew out to end the game. HD is 30-34 and 2 1/2 games out of first. The wild card lead is now 1/2 a game over Lake Elsinore. 66ers 3B Ronnie Prettyman was 3-5 with his 37th RBI to move to .285, SS Jeff Dominguez was 3-5 with his 14th RBI, 21st error and 2 RS to move to .239 and 1B Johan Limonta was 1-1 with the game-winning homer and 2 RBI in his 1st high-A AB.

The teams meet once more Tuesday night as Dan Christensen starts for HD.

Low-A - Burlington: Bees 4, Cedar Rapids 3

CF Duarte 2-5, K, OF assist at home -- .269, game-winning hit
2B Arce 2-4, RS, SB (7) -- .255
3B Nunez 1-3, 3B (1), 2 RBI (2), picked off -- .208
LF Santana 1-4, HR (1), RBI (16) -- .239
SS Johnson 0-3, 2 BB -- .251

Santiago 6 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- ND, 5.98 ERA
Garcia 3 IP, H, 2 K -- W, 3-3, 4.40 ERA

*** Two Kernels errors helped Burlington start the series on the right foot. Ethien Santana got the Bees started in the 3rd with his 1st homer of the season to make it 1-0. Mario Santiago got touched up for 2 runs in the Cedar Rapids 3rd, tho, on 2 hits, a walk and HBP. The Bees took the lead with 2 in the 4th on a 2-out, 2-run triple by Eduardo Nunez for his first Burlington RBI after a Kernel error kept the inning alive. The Kernels tied it off Santiago in the 4th and the score remained tied at 3 into the 9th when, with 2 out and a man on second, Jose Duarte singled and the run scored on SS Larry Infante's 2nd error of the game and 8th of the season. Eliezer Garcia shut the door in the 9th for his 3rd win. The Bees are 26-37. CR 2B "Captain" Marco Albano was 2-4 with his 32nd RBI to move to .226 and 1B Mark Trumbo was 1-4 with his 19th double and 58th RBI to move to .224. CF Brad Coon stole his 53rd base for the Kernels.

The series continues Tuesday as Mike Penn starts for the Bees.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 7, Missoula 5

SS McConnell 3-5, K, 2 RS, 2 SB (6) -- .260
CF Dickerson 2-4, 2B (12), RS -- .291
2B Mertins 1-5, 2B (8), K, RS -- .339
DH Morizio 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (7), 2 K, RS -- .267
LF Bigler 2-4, 2B (4), 3 RBI (23), K, E (3) -- .232

Chambliss 6 IP, ER, 3 H, 4 K -- W, 3-3, 3.94 ERA
Mozingo 2 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, BB, 4 K, HRA, 2 WP -- 6.80 ERA, bad outing
Hartsock 2/3 IP, 3 K?, WP -- SV, 1, 3.40 ERA

*** Idaho Falls rallied late and held on Monday to beat the Osprey for the 2nd time in a row. Tyler Chambliss gave up an RBI triple in the 1st but allowed only 1 more hit through 6 IP as the Chukars took the lead in the 4th on RBI singles by Matt Morizio and Brett Bigler. Bigler added a 2-run double in the 6th to make it 4-1 but Harold Mozingo gave up a single and 2-run homer to the first 2 batters he faced in the 7th to cut the lead to 1. Chris McConnell got a run back by scoring from second on a steal of third and IF added 2 in the 9th on two Osprey errors and a sac fly by Brenan Herrera to make it 7-3. Mozingo gave up runs on a wild pitch and single in the 9th and Aaron Hartsock was brought in with runners at first and second and 1 out. He struck out the first two batters he faced but a wild pitch on the second K kept the inning alive before he struck out another batter for 3 K in 2/3 IP to pick up his 1st save. IF is 13-15 and 3 games back of first. They have a 2-game lead in the wild card race over Ogden. Missoula 3B Shea McFeely was 3-4 with his 5th triple and 35th RBI to move to .262, RF Gerardo Parra was 2-4 with his 16th double to move to .328 and DH Andy Fie was 1-4 with his 6th homer and 2 RBI (29) to move to .270.

Blake Wood starts game 3 of the set for IF Tuesday night.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 13, Brewers 0

RF Van Stratten 3-5, RBI (34) -- .294
SS Juan 2-4, 2 2B (10), 4 RBI (27), K, RS -- .271
DH Francis 2-5, 2B (8), 3B (4), 2 RBI (27), K, 2 RS -- .298
LF Dyson 2-4, 2B (4), RBI (17), 2 RS, SB (18) -- .269
3B Taylor 0-3, BB, HBP, 2 K, 2 RS -- .258
CF D. Robinson 0-3, 2 BB, K, RS -- .231
1B S. Lucas 1-3, HBP, 2 RS -- .279
C Doscher 1-3, HBP, 2B (5), RBI (13), K, RS, PB (6) -- .262

Fisher 5 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, BB, 8 K -- W, 3-1, 2.11 ERA, think he's mastered AZL now
Chavez and M. Morales 4 IP of 3-hit relief with 4 K

*** The Royals scored 11 runs in the first 4 innings en route to the rout of the Brew Crew. Nick Francis hit a 2-run triple and scored on an error in the 1st to make it 3-0 and a Manny Juan RBI ground out in the 2nd gave the Royals a 4-0 lead. With 2 out and the bases loaded in the 3rd, another Brewer error scored Francis and Juan hit a bases-clearing 3-run double to make it 8-0. Nick Doscher took a bases-loaded HBP in the 4th and a passed ball and Jarrod Dyson RBI single helped the Royals stretch the lead to 11. The final 2 runs scored in the 6th on an Eric Dickson RBI ground out and Nick Van Stratten RBI single. Brent Fisher had another great start and Chris Chavez and Miguel Morales mopped up for the 3-hit shutout. The Royals are 18-9 and a game out of first behind the Angels. Brewers LF Andrew Lefave was 0-3 to drop to .338.

The Royals finish the season vs. the 11-15 Mariners Tuesday night. The Angels finish vs. the Brewers.

Royals on the Farm 8/27

AAA - Omaha: Oklahoma 3, O-Royals 2 (7/G1)

LF Huber 2-3, RBI (41), RS -- .291
1B Coolbaugh 2-3 -- .230
RF Costa 1-2 -- .351
CF K. Robinson 0-4, K -- .312
2B Cortez 0-3, RBI (11), K -- .258

Osborne 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB -- 6.66 ERA
Braun 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB -- L, 0-2, 2.35 ERA

*** The Royals tied it late but Oklahoma pulled it out in the 7th in the twinbill-shortened game. Fernando Cortez hit an RBI ground out in the 2nd to get Omaha a 1-0 lead but Donovan Osborne gave up a game-tying RBI single in the 3rd. Oklahoma got a go-ahead RBI single in the 5th but Justin Huber tied it with a 1-out RBI single in the 6th. Ryan Braun, who pitched a scoreless 6th, loaded the bases with 1 out in the bottom of the 7th and got a fly out for the second out but gave up a walkoff single to end the game. Omaha dropped to 51-84. RedHawks SP John Koronka went 6 IP and allowed 2 ER on 6 hits and a walk but got a no-decision in moving his ERA to 2.77. SS Joaquin Arias was 2-3 with 2 RBI (46) to move to .263 and DH Randall Simon was 1-4 with the game-winning RBI (2) to move to .312.

Oklahoma 4, O-Royals 2 (7/G2)

LF Huber 1-3 -- .292
RF Costa 0-3 -- .345
CF K. Robinson 0-3, BB -- .309
C Phillips 1-4, HR (9), RBI (36) -- .254
2B Cortez 0-3 -- .254

Van Hekken 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 3-4, 4.44 ERA
Diaz 1 1/3 IP, ER, H, HRA -- 4.31 ERA

*** Omaha scored the first 2 runs of the game but Oklahoma took it from there to sweep the Sunday doubleheader. Paul Phillips homered as the second batter of the game for his 9th of the season and a run scored on a Fernando Cortez double play ball in the 2nd to make it 2-0 Royals. The RedHawks came back for 2 runs off Andy Van Hekken in the 2nd and drove him from the game in the 5th with an RBI double to take a 3-2 lead. Jose Diaz gave up a homer in the 6th to make it 4-2. The Royals loaded the bases with 1 out in the 6th but Rick Bell grounded into a double play to end the threat and Omaha didn't threaten a rally in the 7th. Omaha dropped to 51-85. Oklahoma LF Anthony Webster was 3-3 with 2 doubles (13), his 3rd homer and 16th RBI to move to .262 and Simon was 1-3 with his 3rd double and 3rd RBI to move to .314.

The Royals started a 4-game set at the New Orleans Zephyrs (68-68, AAA Nats) Monday and Kyle Middleton got the start and the loss. In other news, Omaha OF Chad Allen hit a grand slam for Team USA in a 15-3 win over Mexico Monday. He leads the team with 2 HR and 8 RBI. Billy Butler also had an RBI in the game.

AA - Wichita: Wranglers 11, Springfield 4

3B Gordon 3-4, 2 BB, HR (29), 4 RBI (94), 2 RS, SB (22), E (15) -- .326
LF Lubanski 4-6, 3B (11), 2 HR (15), 4 RBI (69), 4 RS -- .282, huge game, double short of cycle
CF Maier 3-5, BB, 2 2B (34), HR (13), RBI (86), K -- .303
2B Murphy 3-6, RBI (37), 2 K, RS -- .243
DH D. Brown 2-5, BB, K, picked off -- .314
SS Sanchez 1-6, K, RS -- .279

Herndon 7 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 WP -- W, 11-6, 5.40 ERA
C. Smith 2 IP, H, K -- 2.88 ERA

*** The Wranglers clinched at least a wild-card playoff berth with the blowout win over Springfield as Alex Gordon, Chris Lubanski, Mitch Maier and Donnie Murphy combined for 13 hits and 10 RBI. Gordon got it started with an RBI single in the 1st but Junior Herndon allowed a game-tying run in the bottom of the inning. Murphy singled home a run and Adam Donachie did the same to make it 3-1 Wichita in the 3rd but Herndon allowed a run that inning to cut the lead to 1. Lubanski led off the 4th with his 14th homer but the Cards tied it in their half off Herndon. The Wranglers put it away with a 5-run 5th as Maier led off the inning with his 13th homer, Lubanski hit a 2-run triple and Gordon slammed a 2-run homer for his 29th of the season and a 9-4 lead. Lubanski hit his 15th homer in the 7th and Gordon hit an RBI ground out in the 9th as Herndon and Cody Smith held the Cards in check from the 5th on. Wichita moved to 37-25 and maintained a 4-game lead over Tulsa. Springfield 2B Jarrett Hoffpauir was 3-4 with his 19th double to move to .247, CF Shaun Boyd was 2-5 with an RBI to move to .291 and LF Amaury Marti was 2-3 to move to .221.

The Wranglers beat the Cards again Monday as Devon Lowery picked up the win. In other news, Luke Hochevar may join the Wranglers for the playoffs, which begin Sept. 5 with a best-of-5 against the Tulsa Drillers.

High-A - High Desert: Lake Elsinore 8, Mavs 7

1B Stodolka 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (67) -- .292
SS Falu 3-4, BB, 2B (21), 2 RS -- .293
CF Valentin 2-4, RS -- .291
LF Tomlin 2-4, 2 HR (3), 2 RBI (32) -- .291
C Duenas 1-4, BB, 2B (18), RBI (50) -- .303
RF McFall 1-4, HR (20), 2 RBI (71), 2 K -- .245

Gragg 7 IP, 4 ER, 12 H, 5 K, HRA -- ND, 4.43 ERA
Schambough 2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, BB, K, 2 HRA -- BS, 1, L, 0-1, 18.00 ERA, maybe not time for HD debut

*** Kraig Schambough made his High Desert debut a disastrous one as he blew his 1st save in his first appearance and Lake Elsinore again cut the Mavs' wild-card lead. John Gragg gave up 2 runs in the 1st and another in the 2nd to make it 3-0 Storm. Mike Stodolka singled home 2 runs in the 3rd to cut the lead to 1 but Gragg gave up a solo homer in the 6th to make it 4-2. The Mavs took command with 4 runs in the 7th as Brian McFall went yard for a 2-run shot and his 20th of the season, James Tomlin followed with a solo blast for his 2nd of the season and Tomas Duenas doubled home a run to make it 6-4 HD. Schambough came in for the 8th and gave up a single and homer to the first two batters faced to tie the game. He gave up another 2-run blast in the 9th to give LE the lead but Tomlin hit his 3rd homer to lead off the Mavs 9th and cut the lead to 8-7. The Mavs got the tying run to second but Stodolka and Duenas lined out to end the game. HD is 29-32 and still has a 1 1/2 game lead on the Cal League North wild card berth. Storm 1B Tim Brown was 3-5 with his 36th double to move to .296, 3B Chase Headley was 2-5 with his 66th RBI to move to .290 and RF Nick Crosta was 2-5 with his 6th homer (the backbreaker in the 9th) and 2 RBI (38) to move to .266.

HD started a split 4-game set with the Inland Empire 66ers (29-31, High-A M's) Monday and blew another game late to lose in 10.

Low-A - Burlington: Kane County 3, Bees 1

1B Vega 2-4, K -- .250
LF Arce 2-4 -- .252
CF Duarte 1-5, SB (31), E (4) -- .268
SS Johnson 0-3, BB, K -- .253
DH Howell 1-4, RBI (35), K -- .239

Cortes 5 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 5 K, WP -- ND, 6.53 ERA
Harkcom 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- L, 3-2, 3.67 ERA

*** Kane County scored twice in the 9th to take the series finale Sunday. Dan Cortes gave up a 2-out RBI single in the 2nd to spot the Cougars a 1-0 lead but Jeff Howell tied the game with an RBI single in the 4th. Cortes left with 2 on and 2 out in the 6th and Cody Harkcom got into the 9th but was pulled with runners at the corners and 1 out. Chris Hayes gave up a 2-run double to the first batter he faced before getting out of the inning and the Bees went down in order in their half. The Bees moved to 25-37. Cougars RP Joey Newby allowed 3 hits with 3 K over 3 IP to move to 5-0 with a 3.30 ERA, 3B Jeff Baisley was 1-5 with the gamebreaking double (34) and 2 RBI (104) to move to .305 and SS Frank Martinez was 2-4 with his 23rd double to move to .259.

The Bees started a 4-game set at the Cedar Rapids Kernels (29-33, Low-A Angels) Monday and got a win to start the next-to-last series of the season. Mario Santiago started.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 6, Missoula 3

CF Dickerson 2-5, HR (7), 3 RBI (35), 2 K, SB (9) -- .287
2B Mertins 0-5, K, RS -- .342
LF Morel 2-4, 2B (6), RBI (24), 2 K, RS, picked off -- .301
DH Maddox 0-4, 2 K -- .322
SS McConnell 1-2, 2 BB, RS, SB (4) -- .248
* C Todd Balduf was a treadmill as the Osprey stole 6 bases with 0 CS.

Hardy 4 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 3 K -- ND, 3.17 ERA
Abreu 3 2/3 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K, E (2) -- W, 4-2, 6.45 ERA
Eckley 2/3 IP, nothing -- SV, 2, 6.64 ERA

*** Idaho Falls broke a scoreless spell to come back and beat the Osprey in Sunday's series opener. Rowdy Hardy gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, a walk and hit batsman in the 2nd to give Missoula a 3-0 lead but settled down to hand over the reins to Juan Abreu for the 5th. The Chukars broke through off RP Matt Brewer for 5 runs in the 7th as a wild pitch scored Chris McConnell, Alvi Morel hit an RBI double and Joe Dickerson cranked a 3-run homer to center for his 7th of the season. The Chukars scored on another wild pitch in the 9th for an insurance run and Jacob Eckley got the last 2 outs for his 2nd save. IF moved to 12-15. Missoula SP Jordan Norberto allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks with 8 K over 6 IP to drop his ERA to 3.04. 2B Sean Smith was 2-5 with his 16th RBI to move to .234 and RF Gerardo Parra was 1-4 with 3 SB (20) to drop to .325.

The series with Missoula continued Monday and the Chukars got another win. Tyler Chambliss picked up the W.

Rookie - AZL: Angels 8, Royals 4

3B Taylor 0-3, K -- .264
RF Van Stratten 2-5, K -- .286
1B S. Lucas 2-2, BB, RS -- .278
DH Dyson 0-5, 2 K -- .263
SS Juan 1-5, HR (3), RBI (23), K -- .265
OF Francis 1-3, BB, K, RS, OF assist at third -- .295
PH Dickson 1-1, HBP, 2 RBI (9) -- .148
C Doscher 0-2, K, E (5) -- .261
CF D. Robinson 0-2 -- .235

Arias 1 2/3 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 4 H, 5 BB, K, WP -- L, 4-5, 3.59 ERA
Lopez 3 IP, 5 K -- 4.99 ERA

*** Henry Arias got lit up early and the Royals' playoff hopes took a crippling blow as the Angels retained hold of first. Arias gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk in the 1st and 3 more runs in the 2nd on 4 walks and two errors. Scott Lucas scored on an error in the 2nd to get the Royals on the scoreboard but Angel Martinez gave up a run in the 3rd to make it 7-1. Martinez gave up a homer in the 5th but the Royals got the run back on Manny Juan's 3rd homer of the season in their half of the inning. Lucas was thrown out at home in the 6th but Eric Dickson came through with a 2-run single in the 8th to cut the lead to 8-4. The Royals went down on a double play in the 9th to end the game. The Royals moved to 17-9 and need help to make the AZL title game. Angels SP Dustin Miller went 5 IP and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to move to 1-0 with a 1.10 ERA. RF Norberto Ortiz was 2-3 with his 5th homer and 2 RBI (31) to move to .288 and LF Chris Lewis was 2-4 with 2 RBI (23) to move to .297.

The Royals took out the Brewers Monday as Brent Fisher picked up the W. They finish the regular season Tuesday vs. the Mariners. They're a game back of the Angels along with the Padres and split the season series 3-3 with both teams, so I don't know how a tiebreaker would shake out.

Royals on the Farm 8/26

AAA - Omaha: rainout

*** Omaha's game with Oklahoma was rained out and will be made up as part of a Sunday double dip. Game 1 pitchers: LH Donovan Osborne (0-6, 6.99) vs. RedHawks LH John Koronka (0-1, 2.57). Game 2 pitchers: LH Andy Van Hekken (3-3, 4.29) vs. Oklahoma LH John Danks (3-4, 4.40).

AA - Wichita: Springfield 8, Wranglers 6

3B Gordon 1-3, HBP, 2B (37), K, RS -- .322
CF Maier 1-4, 2B (32), RS, OF assist at third -- .300
LF Lubanski 0-4, 3 K -- .277
SS Sanchez 1-4, BB, 2B (22), K, 2 RS -- .281
2B Murphy 2-4, 2B (25), RBI (36), RS -- .239, first start back from DL
DH D. Brown 1-2, 2 SF, 3 RBI (72) -- .312
PH Kaaihue 1-1, HR (5), 2 RBI (41) -- .201

Lumsden 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- ND, 3.38 ERA, lackluster start
DeHoyos 1 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- 1.57 ERA
Cedeno IP, 4 ER, 2 H, 3 BB -- L, 2-9, 5.98 ERA

*** The Wranglers managed to get the game tied late but Juan Cedeno's control was lacking and Wichita let Tulsa creep closer in the divisional race. Tyler Lumsden gave up a 2-out RBI single in the 3rd to break a scoreless tie but Wichita evened the score in the 4th on a Dee Brown sac fly after an Alex Gordon double. Lumsden gave up an RBI single and walked in a run in the 4th to make it 3-1 Springfield. Brown singled home a run in the 6th to cut the lead to 1 but Gabe DeHoyos allowed a run in the 7th to make it 4-2 Cards. Donnie Murphy had an RBI single and Brown hit another sac fly in the 8th to tie the game but Cedeno came in for the 8th and walked the bases loaded before giving up an RBI single and 3-run double to blow the game open. Kila Kaaihue hit a pinch-hit 2-run homer in the 9th for his 5th of the season but the next 3 batters struck out to end the game. Wichita is 36-25 and 4 games up on Tulsa. Springfield RF Nick Stavinoha was 4-5 with his 24th double and 66th RBI to move to .286, 3B Juan Richardson was 3-5 with his 30th double and 4 RBI (73) to move to .318 and SS Brendan Ryan was 2-4 with his 3rd AA RBI to move to .257.

The teams continue the set Sunday afternoon. I think it's Junior Herndon's turn to start.

High-A - High Desert: Mavs 5, Lake Elsinore 2

DH Stodolka 0-4, BB, RS -- .293
LF Tomlin 3-3, BB, 2B (22), RBI (30), RS -- .287
SS Falu 2-5, RS -- .290
C Duenas 2-2, 2 BB, 2B (17), RBI (49), RS, SB (1) -- .304
1B R. Brown 1-2, BB, SF, 2 RBI (57), K -- .262
RF Valentin 0-4, K -- .288

de la Vara 4 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K -- ND, 5.65 ERA, spot start
Pimentel 3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 2-1, 4.50 ERA
Plummer 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- SV, 8, 4.05 ERA

*** High Desert scored 1 run in 5 separate innings to get the win and add some cushion back to the lead for the wild-card playoff spot. Tomas Duenas hit an RBI single in the 1st and James Tomlin did the same in the 2nd to make it 2-0 HD. Rusty Brown added an RBI single in the 3rd to make it 3-0 before Gilbert de la Vara gave up a run in the 4th and Julio Pimentel gave up a run in the 6th to cut the lead to 3-2. Brown hit a sac fly in the 7th and Mike Gaffney hit a sac fly in the 8th to stretch the lead back to 3. Jarod Plummer gave up a 2-out double in the 9th but slammed the door for his 8th save. The Mavs are 30-32 and 2 1/2 games up on Lake Elsinore for the wild-card playoff spot. Storm RF Nick Crosta was 2-4 to move to .264, 3B Chase Headley was 1-3 to move to .289 and CF Yordany Ramirez was 2-2 with his 14th double to move to .256.

The series wraps up Sunday afternoon as John Gragg pitches for HD. Eight games are left in the Cal League regular season.

Low-A - Burlington: Bees 5, Kane County 1

RF Arroyo 3-3, BB, RS, CS -- .266
SS Nunez 2-4, 2 K -- .222
CF Duarte 1-3, BB, RBI (37), K, RS, CS -- .269
2B Johnson 1-3, BB, 3B (5), RBI (40), K, RS -- .255
1B Vega 0-3, SF, RBI (73), K, 2 E (18) -- .248
3B Lisson 1-3, BB, SB (39) -- .260

Hochevar 3 1/3 IP, UER, 3 H, BB, 5 K -- ND, 0.00 ERA
Henninger 3 2/3 IP, H, 2 BB, 6 K -- W, 3-6, 5.20 ERA
Garcia 2 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 4.71 ERA

*** Luke Hochevar allowed his first run -- albeit unearned -- but the Bees took advantage of 13 Ks from 3 pitchers and turned on some offense to get the win. A Cougar error allowed the Bees to score their first run in the 2nd and they added 2 more runs on RBI singles by Ethien Santana and Jose Duarte to take a 3-0 lead. A Miguel Vega throwing error helped Kane County score with 2 out in the 3rd off Hochevar but that was KC's only run. Josh Johnson tripled home a run and scored on a Vega sac fly in the 5th to make it 5-1 and David Henninger and Eliezer Garcia locked it down from there to secure the win. The Bees are 25-36. The Cougars had only 5 hits in the game. CF Chad Boyd was 0-4 to drop to .356 and 3B Jeff Baisley was 0-3 to drop to .306.

Dan Cortes starts the series finale for Burlington Sunday afternoon.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Helena 8, Chukars 1

2B Mertins 2-3, BB -- .352
CF Dickerson 2-3, BB, K -- .284
DH Maddox 1-4, K -- .328
1B Turner 1-4, HR (8), RBI (39), K -- .245
SS McConnell 0-4, K -- .245
LF Bigler 1-3 -- .225

Cribb 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, K, HRA, WP -- L, 2-4, 4.14 ERA
Gutierrez 3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 3 K, HRA, E (3), WP -- 7.09 ERA

*** Josh Cribb and Dan Gutierrez got pounded and Helena finally beat the Chukars after 4 straight losses to them. Cribb gave up a 2-run homer in the 1st and the Brewers were off and running. The Brewers scored again in the 3rd before Jase Turner got the Chukars their only run with a solo homer in the 4th (his 8th) to make it 3-1. Cribb and Gutierrez gave up single runs in the 5th and 6th and Gutierrez gave up 3 more runs in the 8th as the Chukar offense sputtered. The last 7 Chukars went down in order. The Chukars are 11-15. Helena SP Chris Jean allowed an ER on 9 hits and a walk with 3 Ks over 6 2/3 IP to move to 4-4 with a 5.23 ERA, DH Chris Errecart was 2-4 with his 11th homer and 2 RBI (50) to move to .311 and LF Cole Gillespie was 1-4 with his 7th homer and 27th RBI to move to .338.

A 4-game set at the Missoula Osprey (16-10, Rookie D-Backs) starts Sunday. No announced starters.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 12, Giants 10 (10)

3B Taylor 2-5, RBI (22), 2 K, RS, E (10) -- .269
SS Juan 3-5, 2B (8), 3B (1), RBI (22), K, 2 RS, SB (6) -- .268, homer short of cycle
DH Francis 3-6, 3 RBI (25), K, RS, SB (3) -- .294
RF Van Stratten 2-4, 2 BB, 2 RBI (33), K, 2 RS, SB (14) -- .284
1B S. Lucas 2-4, BB, HBP, 2B (11), RBI (51), K, RS, CS -- .270
C Doscher 2-4, BB, 2B (4), K, 3 RS -- .265
LF Dyson 1-5, BB, RBI (16), K, 2 RS, SB (17), OF assist at third -- .272
CF D. Robinson 0-4, K, OF assist at home -- .238

A. Morales 5 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 10 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- ND, 4.50 ERA
M. Morales 1/3 IP, ER, H, K -- 4.00 ERA
Hauff 2 IP, 3 K -- BS, 1, W, 1-1, 1.35 ERA

*** The Royals dealt the Giants a blow in the AZL race and stayed in the hunt for the second-half title with the extra-inning win Saturday. The Royals got off to a great start with a 4-run 1st on a Scott Lucas RBI double, Nick Francis RBI single, Giant error and Jason Taylor RBI single. The Giants fought back with 2 in the 1st off Angelo Morales but the Royals got the runs back in the 2nd and 4th on another Giant error and a Manny Juan RBI single to make it 6-2. Morales gave up another run in the 5th but the Royals scored 3 in the 6th on a Jarrod Dyson RBI single and a 2-run single by Nick Van Stratten. The Giants scored twice off Henry Barrera in the 6th and the Royals scored on a wild pitch in the 7th to make it 10-5. Tyler Cummings came in with 2 on and 0 out in the 8th and gave up a 2-run triple and RBI single before allowing another run later in the frame to cut the lead to 10-9. Michael Hauff came in with a man on second with no outs in the 9th and allowed the tying run to score on a double play ball before getting out of the inning. Juan tripled with 2 out in the 10th and after the bases were loaded by walks, Francis came through with a 2-run single to make it 12-10. Hauff set the Giants down in order in the 10th. The Royals are 17-8 and still a half-game back of the Angels. Giants DH Rich Janeway was 3-4 with 2 2B (11) and 2 RBI (37) to move to .322, 3B Matt Downs was 3-6 with 2 RBI (29) and 2 RS to move to .311 and LF Emmanuel Cividanes was 2-3 with a double to move to .302.

The showdown is Sunday night as the Royals take on the 17-7 Angels with first place on the line. Only 3 games are left in the AZL season.

Royals on the Farm 8/25

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 4, Oklahoma 2

LF Huber 0-4, 2 K -- .288
RF Costa 1-4, HR (10), RBI (25), K, RS -- .349
2B Cortez 2-4, RS -- .261
SS Prieto 2-4, K -- .222
C Phillips 2-4, 2B (11), RBI (35), E (9) -- .254
CF K. Robinson 1-5, RBI (39) -- .315

M. Wood 2 2/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, E (1) -- ND, 4.76 ERA
Mahomes 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K, WP -- W, 1-1, 5.08 ERA
Nunez IP, H, K -- SV, 4, 1.97 ERA

*** Pat Mahomes had one of his best pitching outings of the season and Omaha came back to beat the RedHawks. Mike Wood gave up a run in the 1st but an error on a ball hit by Fernando Cortez in the 2nd allowed Omaha to tie the game. Wood gave up 3 singles for another run in the 3rd as Oklahoma regained the lead but Mahomes kept the RedHawks in check through the 8th. The score stayed 2-1 until Shane Costa tied the game with his 10th homer in the 6th. With 2 on and 2 out in the 7th, Kerry Robinson and Paul Phillips came through with RBI singles to put Omaha up, 4-2. A single and throwing error by Phillips put a runner on third with 1 out on Leo Nunez in the 9th but a pop out and ground out preserved the win for the Royals. Omaha is 51-83. Oklahoma RF Adam Hyzdu was 1-3 with 2 RBI (75) to move to .271, DH Randall Simon was 1-3 to move to .318 and CF Freddy Guzman was 2-4 with 2 RS to move to .280.

Game 4 of the set is Saturday night. Pitchers: LH Donovan Osborne (0-6, 6.99) vs. RedHawks LH John Koronka (0-1, 2.57). With Reggie Sanders on the shelf for the season, IF Jeff Keppinger was called up to the big club to take his spot on the 25-man.

AA - Wichita: Wranglers 3, Arkansas 3 (11/susp./rain)

3B Gordon 2-4, 2B (36), HR (28), 2 RBI (90), K, RS -- .322
LF Lubanski 1-3, BB, HR (13), RBI (65), 2 RS, SB (10) -- .279
CF Maier 0-3, BB, K -- .300
DH D. Brown 1-4, 2B (21) -- .311
SS Sanchez 0-4, K -- .281

Song 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K, HRA -- ND, 5.68 ERA
Musser 4 1/3 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- 5.20 ERA

*** The game was in extras when rain shut it down and, according to the Wichita Eagle, won't be made up, but the stats still count. Chris Lubanski led off the Wichita 1st with his 13th homer of the season and Alex Gordon cranked a 2-run homer (his 28th) in the 3rd to make it 3-0 Wranglers. Seung Song was perfect through 3 1/3 IP but gave up a single and 3-run homer with 2 out in the 4th to tie the game. Arkansas rallied again in the 6th and Neal Musser came in with 2 on and 2 out, uncorked a wild pitch and was saved by C Adam Donachie, who recovered the ball and tagged out the runner trying to score from third to end the inning. The game stayed tied at 3 until the start of the 11th, when rain forced play to end. An hour later, a bolt of lightning knocked out some of the light banks and the game was called. Wichita is 36-24 and still 5 games up on Tulsa. Travs 1B Greg Porter was 2-4 to move to .296, 3B Matt Brown was 1-4 with his 18th homer and 3 RBI (75) to move to .293 and SS Sean Rodriguez was 1-3 with his 1st AA double to move to .265.

A 4-game set at the Springfield Cardinals (22-39) starts Saturday night. Tyler Lumsden starts the opener for Wichita. A win in the series locks down the wild-card playoff spot for Wichita. The Wranglers' magic number for the second half division title is still 5.

High-A - High Desert: Lake Elsinore 8, Mavs 7

DH Stodolka 3-4, BB, 2B (32), RBI (65), 2 RS -- .296, more like it
3B E. Lucas 3-5, 3 RBI (63), RS -- .285
2B Gaffney 2-5, 2 RBI (33), RS, E (6) -- .258
1B R. Brown 2-5, RBI (55) -- .261
C Duenas 1-5, K, PB (13) -- .298
CF Valentin 1-5, 2 K -- .291

Rosa 2 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, 3 K -- ND, 11.81 ERA, pitch count??? -- no injury reported
Barnes 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 4.35 ERA
Hicklen 3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HRA, E (2) -- L, 3-9, 5.99 ERA

*** The Mavs made a run at a comeback in the 9th but couldn't get it done as the Storm edged closer in the wild-card race. Carlos Rosa loaded the bases with 1 out in the 1st and the Mavs defense failed him as a Michael Gaffney error scored a run, another run scored on a Tomas Duenas passed ball and an RBI single made it 3-0 LE. Ed Lucas hit a 2-out RBI single in the Mavs 1st to make it 3-1 and Gaffney atoned for his error with a 2-run 2-out single in the 3rd to tie the game. Justin Barnes came in for the 3rd and gave up runs in the 3rd and 4th to make it 5-3 Storm. With 2 out and 1 on in the 5th, Lucas singled home a run and Rusty Brown followed with an RBI single to once again tie the game. Patrick Hicklen came in to pitch the 7th and gave up a homer, single and 2-run homer to the first 3 batters he faced to make it 8-5 Storm. The Storm got 2 in scoring position with 1 out but Hicklen prevented any more damage. Three straight singles to start the bottom of the 9th cut into the lead as Mike Stodolka's single brought home a run to make it 8-6. Lucas hit a 1-out RBI single to cut the lead to 1 but Brown and Geraldo Valentin popped out to end the game. HD is 29-32 and 2 games out of first. The Mavs still have a 1 1/2 game lead on the Storm for the wild-card spot. Storm 1B Tim Brown was 3-5 with his 9th homer and 2 RBI (67) to move to .294, 3B Chase Headley was 1-4 with his 12th homer and 3 RBI (65) to move to .288 and RF Nick Crosta was 2-4 with his 20th double and 3 RS to move to .260.

Game 3 of the set is Saturday night. No announced starters.

Low-A - Burlington: Kane County 8, Bees 4

CF Duarte 2-4, RBI (36), 2 RS -- .268
1B Vega 2-4, RBI (72), 2 K -- .249
DH Everett 2-4 -- .262
RF Peralta 2-4 -- .267
2B Johnson 1-4, 2B (8), RBI (39), RS -- .254
* 3B Mario Lisson stole his 38th base

Kniginyzky 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, K, HRA, WP -- ND, 3.51 ERA
Oliveros 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, K -- BS, 1, L, 6-4, 3.07 ERA

*** The Cougars had 2 3-run rallies to come back for the win Friday night. Josh Johnson doubled home Jose Duarte in the 1st to put the Bees up early but Matt Kniginyzky gave up a solo homer in the 2nd to tie the game. Duarte singled home a run in the 5th and scored on a Cougar throwing error before Miguel Vega singled home Johnson to make it 4-1 Bees. Kniginyzky gave up a 2-out RBI single in the 5th before exiting for Rayner Oliveros in the 6th. An RBI ground out in the 7th made it 4-3 before Oliveros gave up 3 straight singles, two for RBIs, to give Kane County a 5-4 lead. Lisson was picked off at third in the 8th and Cody Harkcom gave up 3 runs in the 8th to ice it for KC. The Bees went down in order in the 9th. The Bees are 24-36. Cougars CF Chad Boyd was 3-5 with 3 RBI (37) to move to .362, 1B Steve Kleen was 3-3 with his 5th homer, 58th RBI and 4 RS to move to .286 and LF Matt Sulentic was 1-4 with a double and 3 RBI (8) to move to .231.

The series continues Saturday night. Luke Hochevar makes his 3rd start for Burlington. No report on his pitch count. In other news, IF Josh Johnson was named to the MWL post-season all-star team as he leads the league's 2B men in fielding percentage at .981. He leads the league in walks with 86 and OBP at .404. RP Kraig Schambough was also called up to High Desert after racking up 12 saves with the Bees.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 6, Helena 3

DH Mertins 1-4, HBP, RS -- .346
CF Dickerson 2-5, RBI (32) -- .278
1B Turner 3-5, 2 2B (17), RBI (38), RS -- .245
C Morizio 2-4, BB, 2B (5), 2 RBI (6), K -- .264
LF Bigler 2-4 -- .224
SS McConnell 1-4, BB, 2B (6), RBI (27), RS, 2 E (16) -- .252
2B Gil 1-5, HR (1), RBI (12), K -- .218

Teaford 5 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 K, balk -- W, 4-0, 3.33 ERA
Godin 3 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, WP -- 2.49 ERA
Casey IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K -- 5.40 ERA

*** The Chukars cruised until Helena rallied in the 9th but IF still got its 4th straight win. The game was scoreless into the 4th when Jase Turner hit an RBI double to put IF up, 1-0. Joe Dickerson singled home a run in the 5th to make it 2-0 as Everett Teaford 2-hit the Brewers over his 5 IP. Jason Godin also held the Brewers in check through the 8th. Gilbert Gil went solo for his 1st homer in the 8th to make it 3-0 and the Chukars scored 3 in the 9th on 2-out RBI doubles from Chris McConnell and Matt Morizio (his was a 2-run double) to make it 6-0. RP Bryan Casey loaded the bases with 1 out in the Helena 9th and a McConnell error helped 2 runs score. Casey gave up an RBI double and a walk before ending it with a ground out. The Chukars are 11-14 and still 4 games out of first. IF dealt Helena SP Luis Ramirez his 1st loss in the Pioneer League as he went 5 IP and allowed 2 ER on 5 hits and 3 walks to move his ERA to 1.50. RF Charles Caufield was 3-5 with his 11th double and 18th RBI to move to .278 and OF Cole Gillespie was 1-4 to drop to .340.

The series wraps up Saturday night. Josh Cribb starts.

Rookie - AZL: off day

*** The Royals are 16-8 and half a game back of the Angels. They play the 15-8 Giants Saturday night.

Royals on the Farm 8/24

AAA - Omaha: Oklahoma 2, O-Royals 1

LF Huber 2-3, BB, 2B (19), HR (15), RBI (40), OF assist at home -- .291
3B Keppinger 0-4 -- .354
RF Costa 0-3, BB -- .351
CF K. Robinson 1-4, K -- .317
2B Cortez 2-3, CS (6) -- .257

Keppel 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, BB, K, HRA, pickoff -- L, 5-6, 5.54 ERA
Diaz, Yarnall and Braun 3 1/3 IP scoreless relief

*** Omaha had a tough time with Oklahoma SP R.A. Dickey and squandered a decent game from the pitching staff. The Royals dodged an early bullet in the 1st when RedHawks 2B Eric Young tried to stretch a triple to left into an inside-the-park homer but got nailed at the plate by Justin Huber via relay man Mike Aviles to keep the game scoreless. The Royals weren't as lucky in the 2nd as Oklahoma scored twice off Bobby Keppel. Omaha had 1 hit through 4 innings and only 3 going into the 8th when Huber led off the frame with his 15th homer to cut the lead in half. The Royals got 2 on with 2 outs before Kerry Robinson grounded out to end the inning. With 2 out in the 9th, Omaha drew three consecutive walks to load the bases but Mike Aviles couldn't get a clutch hit as he grounded out to end the game. Omaha is 50-83. Dickey went the distance with 1 ER on 6 hits and 4 walks with 2 K to move to 7-8 with a 5.17 ERA, LF Anthony Webster was 2-3 with his 15th AAA RBI to move to .244 and DH Randall Simon was 1-1 with a double to move to .317.

Game 3 of the 5-game set is Friday night. Pitchers: RH Mike Wood (0-1, 6.00) vs. RedHawks LH John Rheinecker (4-3, 2.51).

AA - Wichita: Wranglers 5, Arkansas 4 (10)

3B Gordon 2-3, BB, HBP, HR (27), 2 RBI (88), 2 RS -- .321, walkoff shot
CF Maier 1-3, BB, RBI (85), RS -- .302
LF Lubanski 1-5, 2 K, RS -- .279
SS Sanchez 0-5, K -- .283
DH D. Brown 1-4, K, RS -- .312
RF Groves 1-3, BB, 2B, 2 RBI (16), OF assist at first -- .205

Greinke 8 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 3 K, HRA -- ND, 4.15 ERA
Lowery 2 IP, ER, H, HRA -- W, 4-1, 5.40 ERA

*** The Wranglers only scored in 2 innings but it was enough to get a needed win over Arkansas and reduce the magic number by 1. Zack Greinke got off to a rough start as he allowed 4 singles for 2 runs in the 1st and a solo homer in the 4th made it 3-0 Travs. Two 1-out walks gave Wichita a chance to rally in the 5th but two force outs ended the rally and with 2 out in the 6th the Wranglers were still being no-hit by Arkansas SP Jesse Smith. After Alex Gordon walked, Dee Brown broke up the no-no with a single and Mitch Maier drove Gordon home with a single. Brett Groves followed with a clutch 2-run double to tie the game. Devon Lowery relieved Greinke to start the 9th and gave up a solo homer to former KU player Brent Del Chiaro in the 10th. With 1 out and Lubanski on first in the Wichita 10th, Gordon stroked his 27th homer to left to end the game with one swing. Wichita is 36-24 and still 5 1/2 games up on first. The magic number is now 5 for the second-half title and 3 for a wild card playoff spot. Smith took a no-decision for Arkansas after giving up 3 ER on 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 K over 8 IP to make his ERA 4.98, CF Terry Evans was 2-4 to move to .321, LF Aaron Peel was 2-5 with his 37th double to move to .298 and 3B Matt Brown was 1-4 with his 17th homer and 72nd RBI to move to .293. Del Chiaro's homer was his 5th and he's hitting a light .174 for the Travs.

The series wraps up Friday night as Seung Song pitches for Wichita. This was supposed to be Brian Bass' start but he got suspended for hitting a Corpus Christi batter last week.

High-A - High Desert: Mavs 9, Lake Elsinore 6

1B Stodolka 0-5, RS -- .291, still slumping at bad time
RF McFall 3-4, 2B (24), 2 HR (19), 4 RBI (69), 2 RS -- .245
C Duenas 2-4, 2B (16), HR (14), 3 RBI (48), PB (12) -- .300
DH R. Brown 2-4, HR (14), RBI (54), K, 2 RS -- .260
CF Senreiso 2-4, HR (15), RBI (58), 2 RS, SB (19) -- .284
LF Tomlin 2-4, K, SB (3) -- .279
SS Falu 1-5, K -- .290

Christensen 6 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 5 K, WP -- ND, 5.11 ERA
Rowe IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K, HRA, WP -- BS, 2, 4.66 ERA
Plummer 2 IP, H, K -- W, 11-5, 4.14 ERA

*** The Mavericks plugged in to their power source for 5 homers Thursday to get a big win in the opener with the Storm. Dan Christensen gave up a run in the 1st but the Mavs matched it on a 2-out RBI double by Tomas Duenas in their half. Juan Senreiso hit HD's first homer with a solo shot for his 15th in the 2nd to make it 2-1 HD and Duenas cranked a 2-run shot in the 3rd for his 14th of the season. Brian McFall added a 2-run homer (his 18th) in the 4th to make the lead 6-1 but Christensen gave up 3 runs with 2 out in the 5th to close the gap to 6-4 Mavs. Adam Rowe took over pitching duties in the 7th and blew his 2nd save by giving up a 2-run homer in the 8th. Jarod Plummer came in and got through the inning without more damage and Rusty Brown hit a 1-out solo homer in the Mavs 8th for his 14th before McFall added some insurance with a 2-run shot for his 19th and second of the game to make it 9-6. Plummer pitched the 9th to get the W and move to 11-5. HD is 29-31 and 2 games back of first. Their lead on the wild-card spot is now 2 1/2 over Lake Elsinore. Storm 3B Chase Headley was 3-4 with his 31st double, 18th error and 2 RBI (62) to move to .289, CF Yordany Ramirez was 3-4 to move to .251 and RF Nick Crosta was 1-4 with his 5th homer and 2 RBI (36) to move to .256.

Carlos Rosa makes his 2nd Cal League start in Friday night's game with the Storm.

Low-A - Burlington: Bees 7, Kane County 6

3B Lisson 3-3, BB, HBP, HR (12), 2 RBI (68), 3 RS -- .259
RF Arroyo 3-5, 2B, RBI (32), K -- .259
SS Johnson 2-4, HBP, 2B (7), RBI (38), 3 RS, K, E (10) -- .254
1B Vega 2-5, RBI (71) -- .247
C Everett 2-5, RBI (22) -- .258
CF Duarte 1-5, 2B (21), 2 K -- .266
*lineup all in BA range from .238 to .266

Penn 5 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 8 H, 3 K, HRA -- W, 6-2, 2.64 ERA
Schambough IP, H, K -- SV, 12, 3.14 ERA

*** Burlington jumped out to an early lead and staved off the Cougars to take the opener. The Bees started the game with 5 hits out of their first 6 batters as Josh Johnson, Miguel Vega and Carlos Arroyo hit RBI singles to make it 3-0 Bees. Mario Lisson singled home Johnson in the 2nd to make it 4-0 but Michael Penn allowed a run in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd thanks in part to a Johnson error to close the lead to 4-3. The Bees got those 2 runs back in the 4th on a Brady Everett RBI single and when Lisson scored on a wild pitch. Penn gave up a solo homer in the 5th to make it 6-4 Bees. Chris Hayes got through the 6th and 7th unscathed and Lisson hit his 12th homer for a solo shot in the 8th. The Bees had to hold on from there as Hayes gave up an RBI double in the 8th to close the lead to 2 and Kraig Schambough gave up an RBI single in the 9th before shutting the door on his 12th save. The Bees are 24-35. Cougars 1B Steve Kleen was 3-4 with his 22nd double and 57th RBI to move to .281, CF Chad Boyd was 1-5 to drop to .356 and C Anthony Recker was 1-5 with his 13th passed ball, 14th homer and 54th RBI to move to .282.

Game 2 of the set is Friday night. Matt Kniginyzky starts for Burlington.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 13, Helena 1

DH Maddox 2-5, 2B (18), RBI (28), 2 RS -- .330
RF Gonzalez 2-4, 2 BB, HR (4), 2 RBI (16), K, 2 RS -- .267
2B Mertins 1-6, RBI (21), K, RS, picked off -- .349
CF Dickerson 1-5, RBI (31), RS -- .275
1B Turner 1-3, 2 BB, 2B (15), 3 RBI (37), 2 RS -- .235
SS McConnell 1-3, 2 BB, 2B (5), RBI (26), 2 K, RS -- .252
LF Bigler 0-2, 2 BB, RBI (20), RS -- .217

B. Wood 6 IP, ER, 2 H, 7 K, pickoff -- W, 2-1, 4.93 ERA, nice last couple starts
Baldwin and Vacek 3 IP scoreless relief, Vacek still has 20.86 ERA (YIKES!!!)

*** Three multi-run innings helped Idaho Falls to its 3rd straight win. A Chris McConnell RBI double and Brett Bigler RBI ground out made it 2-0 Chukars in the 2nd, and as Blake Wood 1-hit the Brewers through 4 IP, the Chukars added 3 in the 5th on a run-scoring error by Helena and a 2-run homer by O.D. Gonzalez for his 4th of the season. Wood allowed an RBI double in the 5th to get Helena on the board but Idaho Falls got the run back in the 6th on an RBI fielder's choice by Ross Boudreaux. Idaho Falls put it away in the 8th with 7 runs on a Brenan Herrera sac fly, bases loaded RBI singles by Kurt Mertins, Joe Dickerson and Marc Maddox, and a bases-clearing 3-run double by Jase Turner (who had popped out to lead off the inning) to make it 13-1. The Chukars' 13 runs came on only 9 hits as they drew 10 BB. IF is 10-14 and 4 games back of first. Helena CF Stephen Chapman was 2-4 to move to .312, LF Cole Gillespie was 0-3 with his 14th SB to drop to .342 and 1B Bill Rowe was 1-3 with his 5th double and 11th RBI to move to .263.

Everett Teaford starts game 2 of the set for Idaho Falls Friday night.

Rookie - AZL: Padres 6, Royals 2

3B Taylor 0-4, 2 K -- .264
2B Al. Perez 2-4, K -- .300
OF Dyson 1-4, K, SB (16) -- .275
RF Van Stratten 1-4, RS -- .279
1B S. Lucas 1-4, 3 K -- .266
DH Francis 1-3, SF, 2 RBI (22), 2 K -- .285
C Doscher 0-2, 2 K -- .257
CF D. Robinson 0-2 -- .244

Damico 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K, WP -- L, 3-1, 3.00 ERA
M. Morales 1 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, K -- 3.71 ERA
McLintock and Chavez 2 2/3 IP scoreless relief

*** The Royals lost their share of the first-place lead and Yovany Damico took his first loss as a starter in '06 as the first-half AZL champ Pads scored 3 runs in 2 separate innings. Damico gave up a 2-run triple and RBI single in the 4th to spot the Friars a 3-0 lead but Nick Francis got 1 run back with an RBI single in the Royals 4th. Miguel Morales gave up 5 singles for 3 runs in the 7th and the Padres extended their lead to 5. Francis hit a sac fly in the 9th but the would-be rally stalled with runners at the corners. The Royals are 16-8 and a game back of first now. Pads SP Geoff Vandel moved to 2-0 with 5 IP of an ER on 2 hits and a walk with 8 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.32, SS Rayner Contreras was 2-5 with 2 RBI (47) to move to .322, 3B Jarol Gonzalez was 2-4 to move to .357, 1B Jeremy Hunt was 1-4 with his 3rd triple and 2 RBI (30) to move to .349 and DH Luis Durango was 0-5 to drop to .382.

The Royals have Friday off and only 4 games are left in the season.

Royals on the Farm 8/23

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 3, Oklahoma 1

3B Keppinger 1-4 -- .366
LF Huber 1-3, BB, K, RS -- .288
RF Costa 1-4, K -- .358
CF K. Robinson 2-4 -- .317
SS Aviles 1-4, HR (8), 3 RBI (44), K -- .258
2B Cortez 0-3 -- .251

Middleton 6 2/3 IP, ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 2 K -- ND, 5.11 ERA, nice outing
Loux 2 1/3 IP, H, K -- W, 2-5, 6.58 ERA

*** The Royals took advantage of a 9th inning error to grab the momentum with one swing of Mike Aviles' bat and went on to their 2nd win in a row. Kyle Middleton gave up a 2-out RBI double in the 1st before the game settled into a pitching duel between Middleton and Eric Knott. The game went into the 9th with Omaha being shut out on 7 hits and the Royals were down to their last out when Justin Huber drew a walk from RedHawks P Scott Feldman (part of last week's sissy fight with the Angels' Adam Kennedy), Paul Phillips reached on a fielding error by Oklahoma 1B Jason Hart and Aviles cashed in by cranking a 3-run homer to center for his 8th of the season to make it 3-1. Shane Loux gave up a leadoff single in the 9th but then shut the RedHawks down to pick up his 2nd win of the season. Omaha is 50-82. Knott allowed only 6 hits with 4 Ks over 7 IP to drop his ERA to 2.13, RF Adam Hyzdu was 1-4 with his 24th double and 73rd RBI to move to .272 and DH Randall Simon was 1-3 with a walk to move to .300.

The series continues Thursday night. Pitchers: RH Bobby Keppel (5-5, 5.63) vs. RedHawks RH R.A. Dickey (6-8, 5.52).

AA - Wichita: Arkansas 7, Wranglers 5

3B Gordon 0-4, BB, K -- .318
LF Lubanski 4-5, 2 2B (32), 2 RS, SB (9) -- .280, bustin' out of the .270s
CF Maier 1-2, 2 BB, RBI (84), K, SB (13) -- .302
SS Sanchez 1-4, BB, RBI (56), RS, 2 E (26) -- .286
RF D. Brown 1-4, BB, 2B (20), RBI (69), K, RS -- .313
C Donachie 1-4, HR (1), RBI (7), K -- .176

Buckner 6 1/3 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 10 H, BB, 6 K, HRA -- L, 4-3, 5.66 ERA
C. Smith 2 2/3 IP, UER, H, 2 K -- 2.95 ERA

*** Arkansas grabbed the lead in the 4th and held on for good to keep the Wranglers from shrinking their magic number to make the TL playoffs. Billy Buckner gave up a leadoff homer to Travs LF Aaron Peel in the 1st and an Angel Sanchez throwing error helped Arkansas to another run that inning. Wichita got on the board in the bottom of the 1st as Chris Lubanski started a great day at the plate with a double and scored on a Sanchez RBI single. Dee Brown drew a bases loaded walk and Adam Keim hit a sac fly in the 3rd to give Wichita a 3-2 lead but it didn't last long as Buckner gave up a 2-run double and RBI triple in the 4th to give Arkansas a 5-3 lead. Another RBI triple in the 5th made it 6-3 Travs but Wichita wasn't done. The Wranglers got a Mitch Maier RBI single in the 5th and Adam Donachie's 1st AA homer to lead off the 6th and cut the lead to 1 at 6-5. Another Sanchez error -- his 26th of the season -- in the 8th helped the Travs score an insurance run and this time the Wranglers had no answer. The Wranglers are 35-24 and 5 1/2 games up on first. The magic number remains at 6 as Tulsa won Wednesday night. Travs CF Terry Evans was 4-4 with a triple, his 42nd RBI, 15th SB and 2 RS to move to .317, Peel was 2-4 with his 14th homer and 62nd RBI to move to .297 and SS Sean Rodriguez was 1-5 to drop to .269.

The series continues Thursday night as Zack Greinke takes his shot at whittling the magic number.

High-A - High Desert: Mavs 9, Inland Empire 5

1B Stodolka 1-4, BB, 2 RS -- .295
3B E. Lucas 3-4, BB, RBI (60) -- .284
C Duenas 2-3, 2 BB, HR (13), 3 RBI (45) -- .297
2B Falu 2-3, BB, HBP, 2B (20), 2 RBI (44), RS, E (14) -- .290
LF Tomlin 1-4, 2B (21), 2 RBI (29), K, RS -- .275

Nicoll 5 1/3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HRA, pickoff -- W, 1-0, 6.75 ERA, 1 start, 1 win at HD
Pimentel 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB -- 4.85 ERA
Hicklen 2 IP, BB, 3 K -- 5.85 ERA

*** A big 5th propelled the Mavs in the series finale with the 66ers and Chris Nicoll's high-A debut. The first 5 Mav batters in the 1st reached base as Tomas Duenas hit an RBI single, Ed Lucas took a bases-loaded walk and Rusty Brown hit a sac fly to make it 3-0 HD. Nicoll got touched up for a 2-run dinger in the 2nd and another run in the 4th but the Mavs got the lead back on an Irving Falu RBI double in their half of the 4th to make it 4-3. Duenas cranked a 2-run homer to left for his 13th of the season in the 5th and James Tomlin added a 2-run double before scoring on a Falu RBI single to make it 9-3 HD. Nicoll gave up a solo homer in the 6th before being pulled for Julio Pimentel, who allowed an RBI single later in the inning to close it to 9-5. Patrick Hicklen came in for the 8th and allowed only a walk over 2 IP to nail down the win. The Mavs are 28-31 and 3 games back of first. Their lead for the wild-card playoff spot is still 1 1/2 games over Lake Elsinore. 66ers LF Casey Craig was 2-4 with his 8th homer and 35th RBI to move to .296 and 1B Andy Hargrove was 1-3 with his 3rd homer and 2 RBI (11) to move to .204.

The Mavs enter a huge series Thursday night as the Lake Elsinore Storm (29-29, High-A Padres) come to town for 4 games. A big series could get the Mavs a stronghold on that wild-card spot. Dan Christensen takes the mound for HD in the opener.

Low-A - Burlington: off day

*** The Bees get back into action Thursday night as they open a split 4-game set with the division-leading Kane County Cougars (35-23, Low-A Athletics). Mike Penn starts the first game for Burlington.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: off day

*** The 9-14 Chukars hook back up with the Helena Brewers (13-11) for three road games starting Thursday night.

Rookie - AZL: Athletics 4, Royals 3

2B T. Wilson 2-4, BB, K, RS, SB (14) -- .215
LF Dyson 0-2, 3 BB, K, RS, SB (15) -- .275
RF Van Stratten 0-3, BB, HBP -- .280
1B S. Lucas 0-5, RBI (50) -- .266
C Doscher 1-2, 2 BB -- .261
CF D. Robinson 1-4, K -- .247

Fisher 4 IP, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 10 K (!) -- ND, 2.27 ERA
Martinez IP, 2 ER, 2 H, K, HRA -- BS, 3, L, 1-2, 5.34 ERA
Hauff IP, H, K -- 1.50 ERA

*** The Royals couldn't hold a 2-0 lead as the A's came back to knock the Royals out of sole possession of first place. Scott Lucas hit an RBI ground out in the 1st and, after Brent Fisher struck out the side with the bases loaded in the 1st, the Royals scored again in the 2nd on an A's throwing error. Fisher left with 2 on and no outs in the 5th and Yensi Lopez gave up a run to cut the lead in half before allowing the tying run in the 6th. A Lucas double play ball scored a run in the 7th but the A's got a 2-run homer off Angel Martinez in their half to take the lead. The Royals got 2 on with 1 out in the 9th but couldn't get it tied. The Royals are 16-7 and now tied with the Angels for first. A's LF Carlos Morales was 2-4 with his 3rd homer and 2 RBI (25) to move to .233, SS (and A's '05 first rounder) Cliff Pennington was 2-4 to move to .458 and 3B Carlos Arrieche was 2-2 with his 9th SB and 20th RBI to move to .253.

The Royals take on the 13-8 Padres Thursday night.

Royals on the Farm 8/22

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 3, New Orleans 1

RF Costa 3-3, BB, HR (9), 2 RBI (24), 2 RS -- .360
LF Huber 1-4, 2B (18), RBI (39) -- .287
CF K. Robinson 0-4 -- .315
2B Cortez 0-4, K, RS -- .255

Van Hekken 8 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 K, HRA -- W, 3-3, 4.29 ERA, another great start for Van Hekken
Nunez IP, H, BB -- SV, 3, 2.03 ERA

*** Andy Van Hekken had his 4th good start in a row and the O-Royals took 3 of 4 from New Orleans with Tuesday's win finishing the series. Justin Huber spotted Van Hekken a 1-run lead in the 1st after doubling home Shane Costa. Van Hekken had a 1-hitter through 5 IP and Costa blasted a 2-run homer to right in the Omaha 5th to make it 3-0. Van Hekken's only blemish came in the 8th on a leadoff homer by Zephyrs RF George Lombard. Leo Nunez came in for the 9th and gave up a walk and double to put 2 in scoring position with no outs but a lineout double play and fly out salvaged the game for the Royals. Van Hekken has a 2.77 ERA over his last 4 starts. Omaha is 49-82. Lombard was 1-3 with his 9th homer to move to .293.

A 5-game set at the Oklahoma RedHawks (67-64, AAA Rangers) starts Wednesday night. Pitchers: RH Kyle Middleton (0-6, 5.56) vs. Okie LH Eric Knott (0-0, 4.76). Only 13 games remain on Omaha's schedule.

AA - Wichita: Wranglers 9, Arkansas 6

DH Gordon 2-5, RBI (86), K -- .321
LF Lubanski 2-4, HBP, K, RS -- .274
CF Maier 2-4, 3B (7), RBI (83), K, RS -- .301
3B Keim 2-4, RBI (27), K, RS -- .246
2B Sevilla 2-4, 2 RS, SB (2) -- .209
SS Sanchez 1-3, 2 BB, 3 RBI (55), 2 RS -- .286
RF D. Brown 1-5, RBI (68) -- .314

Herndon 5 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 7 K, 2 HRA -- W, 10-6, 5.41 ERA, didn't do #s any favors other than no walks
Cedeno 2 2/3 IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K -- 5.62 ERA
DeHoyos 1 1/3 IP, K -- SV, 7, 1.32 ERA

*** Wichita pounded out 8 runs over 2 innings early and Junior Herndon picked up his 10th win despite giving up 6 ER. Herndon gave up a leadoff homer to start the game and the game went into the bottom of the 2nd with Wichita down, 1-0. That changed quickly as Adam Keim led off the inning with a single and scored on a Mitch Maier RBI triple, Brett Groves scored Maier with a sac fly, Angel Sanchez hit a bases loaded 2-run single and Dee Brown and Keim added RBI singles to make it 6-1 Wranglers. The Travs scored a run in the 3rd but Wichita scored twice more in the bottom of the frame on a 2-run Arkansas error. The Travs got back in the game as Herndon gave up a 2-run homer as part of a 4-run 4th and Arkansas closed the gap to 8-6. Herndon got through the 5th and Cedeno was effective into the 8th before Alex Gordon singled home an insurance run in the 8th. Gabe DeHoyos came in to get the last out of the 8th and had a perfect 9th to pick up his 7th save. Wichita is 35-23 and still 6 1/2 games up on first. Travs LF Aaron Peel was 3-5 with his 13th SB, 36th double, 13th homer and 61st RBI to move to .295, CF Terry Evans was 3-3 to move to .305, 2B Eric Rodland was 2-3 to move to .300 and SS Sean Rodriguez, who recently made the move up from Rancho Cucamonga, was 1-4 with his 3rd RBI and 1st error to move to .286.

The magic number for clinching the second-half title is 6. The Arkansas series continues Wednesday night as Billy Buckner pitches for the Wranglers. In other news, according to the Wichita Eagle, Wranglers owners Bob and Mindy Rich have completed a contract with Springdale, Ark., to move the team there in 2008.

High-A - High Desert: Inland Empire 3, Mavs 1

1B Stodolka 1-4, K -- .296
CF Senreiso 1-2, HBP, K, RS -- .282
LF Tomlin 1-3, RBI (27) -- .276, Mavs only had 3 hits
C Duenas 0-3, BB, K -- .292, 5 steals against in the game

Gragg 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K, balk, WP -- L, 7-9, 4.38 ERA
Barnes 2 1/3 IP, H, BB, 2 K -- 4.34 ERA

*** The Mavs nearly got no-hit themselves a day after the first no-hitter in franchise history. Inland Empire RH Andy Baldwin made his first Cal League start after coming over to the Mariners in the Jamie Moyer trade last weekend and no-hit the Mavs through 6. Mavs starter John Gragg gave up a run in the 1st and worked out of a jam in the 2nd before settling down through the 5th. He gave up 2 runs in the 6th to make it 3-0 IE. Mike Stodolka led off the 7th with a single to break up the no-hitter but the Mavs didn't score until the 8th on a James Tomlin RBI single off 66ers RP Joseph Woerman. The Mavs couldn't mount a rally and didn't put up much fight in the 9th, either. The Mavs are 27-31 and 4 games out of first. Baldwin allowed a hit and walk with 4 K over 7 IP to move to 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 3B Alex Meneses was 2-3 to move to .304, CF Brent Johnson was 2-4 with his 45th RBI to move to .291 and LF Josh Womack was 2-4 with 2 RBI (43) and 2 SB (16) to move to .290.

The series ends Wednesday night as Chris Nicoll makes his Cal League debut after getting called up from Burlington. The Mavs maintained a 1 1/2 game lead on Lake Elsinore for the wild-card playoff spot despite the loss. Lancaster is 3 games back in the wild-card race but is leading the division in the second half.

Low-A - Burlington: off day

*** The Bees are off again Wednesday and are 23-35. Chris Nicoll won't immediately be replaced on the Bees roster.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 7, Helena 4 (10)

2B Mertins 1-4, BB, RBI (20), 2 SB (20) -- .355
LF Morel 3-5, BB, 2B (5), K, 2 RS, SB (19) -- .297
SS McConnell 2-6, HR (3), 3 RBI (25), 2 K, SB (3), E (14) -- .250, walkoff 3-run homer
C Balduf 2-5, 2B, K, RS, PB (3) -- .254
CF Dickerson 0-5, BB -- .277
DH Morizio 0-1, 4 BB -- .250
*15 left on base

Mozingo 3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA -- ND, 6.33 ERA
Chambliss 4 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- 4.31 ERA
Best 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 2.80 ERA
Hartsock IP, nothing -- W, 5-2, 3.46 ERA

*** Chris McConnell's big hit in the 10th earned the Chukars a split of the 4-game set with Helena. Harold Mozingo had a rocky 1st but got out of it with only 1 run allowed and the Chukars took the lead with a 3-run 2nd on an O.D. Gonzalez RBI ground out, a Kurt Mertins RBI single and a wild pitch that scored Alvi Morel. Mozingo gave up a 2-run homer in the 3rd to tie it and Tyler Chambliss gave up the go-ahead homer in the 5th to make it 4-3 Brewers. The Chukars had 2 on with 2 out in the 5th when a ball hit by Todd Balduf hit baserunner Brenan Herrera to end the inning. IF stranded 2 more in scoring position in the 6th and another in the 7th en route to stranding 15 total runners. Jase Turner came through with a 2-out RBI single in the 8th to tie it at 4 and eventually send it to extras. With 2 out in the bottom of the 10th, Gilbert Gil singled and Turner walked to set up McConnell's 3rd Pioneer League homer of '06 to left to end the game. IF is 9-14 and 4 games back of first. Helena LF Cole Gillespie was 2-3 with 2 walks, his 13th SB, 6th HR and 3 RBI (26) to move to .350, 1B Chris Errecart was 1-5 with his 10th homer and 48th RBI to move to .309 and CF Stephen Chapman was 2-5 with his 16th double and 17th SB to move to .309.

The Chukars have Wednesday off.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 4, Cubs 2

3B Taylor 0-1, 2 BB, SB (7), CS (2) -- .272
2B Al. Perez 2-3, 2B (9), 4 RBI (29), SB (17) -- .294, pretty much all the team's offense Tuesday
LF Francis 1-4, 2B (7), 2 K, 2 RS -- .295
DH Dyson 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .279
RF Van Stratten 0-3, BB, RS -- .284
1B S. Lucas 1-4, K, RS -- .273
CF D. Robinson 0-3, K, E (3) -- .247

Arias 6 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 6 K -- W, 4-4, 2.89 ERA, nice start
Barrera 3 IP, H, 4 K -- SV, 2, 4.29 ERA

*** The Royals got nice pitching from Henry Arias and Henry Barrera and a good game with the bat from 2B Alwin Perez to keep hold of the AZL lead. Perez hit an RBI ground out in the 4th and Arias was perfect through 4 1/3 before hitting trouble in the 5th. Two singles and a steal put runners at second and third with 1 out and a sac fly ended up scoring 2 runs on a throwing error by Derrick Robinson to make it 2-1 Cubs. The Royals picked Arias up by scoring 3 in the 6th on a bases loaded 3-run double by Perez. Barrera came in for the 7th and allowed only 1 baserunner to lock down the win. The Royals are 16-6 and 1/2 a game up on first. Cubs SP Taylor Parker allowed only an unearned run over 5 IP to lower his ERA to 2.22 and take a no-decision. CF Andy Rundle was 2-3 to move to .236 as the Cubs only had 3 hits in the game.

The Royals take on the 10-11 A's Wednesday night. There are only 6 games left in the season.

Royals on the Farm 8/21 -- HD no-no

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 4, O-Royals 2

2B Keppinger 1-4, 3B, K -- .370
RF Costa 0-4, K -- .348
LF Huber 1-3, BB, 2 RS -- .288
CF K. Robinson 1-4 -- .319
C Phillips 1-2, BB, HBP, 2B (10), RBI (34), E (8) -- .253
1B Cortez 0-4, K, CS -- .260

M. Wood 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K, HRA -- L, 0-1, 6.00 ERA
Osborne 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, K, 2 HRA -- 6.99 ERA
Braun IP, 2 H, K -- 2.21 ERA

*** The Zephyrs scattered 4 runs and Omaha could only scratch out 2 Monday as Mike Wood lost his first AAA rehab start. Wood gave up a 2-out solo homer to Zephyrs DH Marlon Byrd in the 1st but Paul Phillips doubled home Justin Huber in the 2nd to tie the game. Wood gave up an RBI single in the 3rd before being pulled for Donovan Osborne to start the 4th. Osborne gave up a leadoff homer in the 6th and an Alejandro Prieto double play ball scored Huber to cut it to 3-2 Zephyrs in the 7th. Osborne gave up another solo homer in the 8th and that one put it away as Huber popped out to end the 8th with runners on the corners and Fernando Cortez struck out with Phillips at second in the 9th to end the game. Omaha is 48-82. NO RF George Lombard was 2-4 with his 8th homer and 18th RBI to move to .292, 1B Brandon Larson was 2-3 with his 12th double, 18th homer and 61st RBI to move to .264 and Byrd was 1-3 with his 7th homer and 24th RBI to move to .273.

The series finished up Tuesday afternoon and the Royals got a 3-1 win. Andy Van Hekken started. More on that in the next report.

AA - Wichita: off day

*** The Wranglers are 34-23 and start a 4-game home set vs. the Arkansas Travelers (23-34, AA Angels) Tuesday night. Junior Herndon starts the series opener. The magic number to clinch the division is 7 and the Wranglers are putting playoff tickets on sale for $5.

High-A - High Desert: Mavs 2, Inland Empire 0 (2-man no-hitter for the Mavs)

1B Stodolka 0-3, BB, K -- .296
CF Valentin 3-4, RBI (49), CS -- .293
C Duenas 2-4, 2B (15), HR (12), RBI (42), 2 K, 2 RS, PB (11) -- .296
SS Falu 0-4 -- .291
LF Tomlin 0-3 -- .275

Green 6 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 4 BB, 5 K -- W, 3-1, 5.40 ERA
Plummer 2 1/3 IP, 2 K -- SV, 7, 4.23 ERA

*** Patrick Green and Jarod Plummer combined on the first franchise no-hitter for High Desert as 4 Green walks and a passed ball that allowed a batter to reach first kept the Mavs from a perfect game. A 2nd inning walk by Green ruined the perfect game early but he had faced the minimum through 5 innings. The only problem was High Desert hadn't scored. That changed in the 6th when Tomas Duenas cranked his 12th homer to left center to put HD ahead. Green kept to the minimum until hitting a rough patch with three walks that loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 7th but Plummer came in and got a fly out to end the inning. Duenas doubled with 1 out in the 9th and scored on a Geraldo Valentin single to make it 2-0 and Plummer shrugged off a 1-out passed ball that allowed a strikeout victim to reach and got a ground out and pop out to nail down the no-no (which was even sweeter since IE beat HD in a playoff for the first-half title). High Desert is 27-30 and 3 games back of first. 66ers RF Casey Craig was 0-4 to drop to .292 and CF Brent Johnson was 0-2 with a walk to drop to .290.

The teams match back up Tuesday night as John Gragg pitches for the Mavs. HD is 1 1/2 games up on the Cal League North wild-card playoff spot.

Low-A - Burlington: Bees 5, Quad Cities 3

2B Johnson 2-4, 2 2B (6), RBI (37), K, RS -- .251
DH Everett 2-3, BB, 2B (10), RBI (21), RS -- .255
CF Duarte 1-4, BB, 2 K, RS, 2 SB (30) -- .267
RF F. Peralta 1-3, HBP, 3B, RS, SB (1) -- .182 over short time in low-A

Hochevar 4 IP, 0 ER, H, BB, hit batsman, 3 K -- 0.00 ERA, another great start
Oliveros 2 IP, UER, 2 H, 2 K -- W, 6-3, 2.82 ERA
Henninger 2 IP, UER, BB, 3 K -- 5.42 ERA
Schambough IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K -- SV, 11, 3.19 ERA

*** Luke Hochevar came one inning short of qualifying for his first organizational win but the bullpen did enough to salvage the series finale with Quad Cities. Brady Everett scored on a wild pitch in the 2nd and Josh Johnson doubled home Felix Peralta, who had led off the 3rd with a triple, to make it 2-0 Bees. Hochevar had a perfect 2nd through 4th and was pulled for Rayner Oliveros after hitting the first batter in the 5th. Jose Duarte scored on a Swing error in the 5th and Everett singled home a run to make it 4-0. Oliveros gave up an unearned run in the 6th after 3B Mario Lisson made his 23rd error with a dropped pop foul and, after another Swing error helped Johnson score in the 7th to make it 5-1, David Henninger gave up an unearned run in the 8th. Kraig Schambough also allowed a run in the 9th but got through the inning for his 11th save. Burlington is 23-35. Swing CF Jon Jay was 1-4 with his 11th double and 38th RBI to move to .330 (not to bag on Jason Taylor, but the Royals could have gotten Jay in rd 2) and C Bryan Anderson was 1-3 to move to .303.

The Bees have Tuesday and Wednesday off. Hochevar has allowed 1 hit with 5 K over a total of 6 IP for the Bees thus far. Verrrrrrrry good sign; hope it holds up. Not to rush him, but it would be cool to see if he could move up to High Desert to help the Mavs maybe get into the playoffs in the Cal League.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 5, Helena 3

2B Mertins 2-4, 2B (7), RBI (19), RS, SB (18) -- .358
3B Maddox 2-4, 3B (2), RBI (27), RS -- .328
1B Turner 2-4, 2B (14), HR (7), 2 RBI (33), K -- .231
CF Dickerson 0-4, SB (8) -- .285
SS McConnell 0-4, E (13) -- .246, a season to forget for Chris
LF Morel 0-2, 2 BB, 2 RS, SB (18) -- .287
DH Morizio 0-3, K -- .254
RF Bigler 0-3 -- .220

Hardy 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, K, 2 HRA, WP -- W, 5-3, 2.96 ERA, Rowdy notches another win
Abreu 2 IP, ER, H, BB, 2 K, WP -- SV, 2, 7.02 ERA

*** Rowdy Hardy proved once more as one of Idaho Falls' more solid starters and the Chukars broke a 3-game skid. Marc Maddox singled home a run in the 1st and the Chukars had a 1-0 lead. Hardy gave up a leadoff homer in the 2nd to tie it and it stayed tied at 1 until Hardy gave up a leadoff homer in the 7th to put Helena up, 2-1. Maddox tripled to lead off the Chukar 7th and Jase Turner followed with his 7th homer to give the Chukars a 3-2 lead. Kurt Mertins doubled home a run in the 8th and later scored on a Brewer error to make it 5-2 and Juan Abreu allowed a run on a wild pitch in the 9th but finished the game for his 2nd save. IF is 8-14. Helena 1B Chris Errecart was 3-4 with his 9th homer, 5th error and 47th RBI to move to .311 and OF Cole Gillespie was 1-3 with his 5th homer and 23rd RBI to move to .343.

The series comes to a close Tuesday night as Harold Mozingo pitches for IF.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 6, Rangers 2

3B Taylor 2-4, 2 RS -- .274
LF Francis 3-5, 2B (6), E (2) -- .296
DH Dyson 2-3, 3 RBI (15), K, RS -- .286
CF D. Robinson 2-4, RBI (22), RS, SB (19) -- .252
SS Juan 2-5, K, RS -- .268
RF Van Stratten 2-5, RBI (31) -- .289
1B S. Lucas 1-5, RBI (49), K, E (7) -- .274
C Doscher 0-2, HBP, K, RS -- .257

A. Morales 6 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 4 K -- ND, 4.69 ERA, deserved a W
Chavez 2 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- BS, 1, W, 1-0, 5.17 ERA
Cummings IP, 2 H, BB -- 0.98 ERA

*** The Royals kept the pace in the AZL lead as Angelo Morales had a good start and the offense churned out 14 hits to overcome the Rangers. Morales gave up an RBI single in the 1st and the Royals didn't get going until scoring 2 in the 5th on a 2-run single by Jarrod Dyson. Chris Chavez took over for Morales in the 7th and blew his 1st save of the season by giving up a 2-out RBI single to tie it at 2. Derrick Robinson broke the tie with a 1-out RBI single in the 9th and the Royals scored 3 more runs on a Dyson RBI single, Nick Van Stratten RBI single and Scott Lucas RBI ground out. Tyler Cummings had 2 in scoring position with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th but induced a ground out to end the game. The Royals are 15-6 and 1/2 a game up on the Angels for first. Rangers SS Marcus Lemon was 2-5 to move to .312, 2B Andres James was 2-5 with his 16th error and 13th RBI to move to .229 and CF Ronnie Anderson was 2-3 with his 3rd double to move to .226.

The Royals play the 9-11 Cubs Tuesday. There are 7 games left in the AZL season.

Royals on the Farm 8/20

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 8, New Orleans 7 (11)

2B Keppinger 3-6, RBI (17), RS -- .374
LF Huber 1-2, 3 BB, RBI (38), E (8) -- .287
RF Costa 2-6, 2B (9), RS -- .357
CF K. Robinson 2-6, RS, CS -- .320
DH Coolbaugh 2-4, BB, 2B (9), HR (8), 2 RBI (22), 2 RS -- .229
1B Cortez 2-5, 2B (5), RBI (10), 2 K, 2 RS -- .265

Mahomes 6 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 K, WP -- ND, 6.26 ERA
Diaz 2 IP, H, 3 BB -- W, 1-3, 4.37 ERA

*** Omaha posted a big 9th-inning rally to send the game into extra innings and finally overcame the Zephyrs in the 11th to win a 2nd straight game. Pat Mahomes gave up a run in the top of the 1st but Omaha scored 2 in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double by Mike Coolbaugh and an RBI single by Mike Aviles to make it 2-1. Two hits and a wild pitch gave NO another run in the 2nd to tie it and two hits in the 3rd made it 3-2 Zephyrs. A solo homer by Coolbaugh (his 8th) in the 6th tied the game at 3 but Mahomes got lit up in the Zephyr 7th with 2 RBI doubles and a 2-run homer making it 7-3. Jeff Keppinger singled home a run in the bottom of the 7th but the Royals left 2 in scoring position and entered their half of the 9th down by 3 after Ed Yarnall (first appearance off DL) worked out of a jam in the top of the 9th. Fernando Cortez doubled home a run and scored on a Zephyr error before Shane Costa tied it with a fielder's choice that resulted in another Zephyr error. With 1 out and 2 in scoring position, the Royals couldn't finish it in the 9th, however, as Aviles popped out and Jared Price lined out to end the inning. Jose Diaz got through the 10th unscathed but walked the bases loaded with 1 out in the 11th. He got a force out at home for the second out and another at second to end the inning. A Keppinger single and 1-out walk by Coolbaugh brought Justin Huber to the plate in the bottom of the 11th and Huber hit a walkoff single to end the game. The Royals are now 2-63 when trailing after 8 innings. The Royals are 48-81. Former Royal Chris Booker took the loss for New Orleans with an ER on 2 hits and a walk over 1 1/3 IP to drop to 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA. 1B Larry Broadway was 3-5 with 2 2B (25), his 8th error and his 78th RBI to move to .288, DH Brandon Larson was 1-3 with his 17th homer and 2 RBI (60) to move to .261 and CF Kenny Kelly was 3-4 with his 30th RBI to move to .256.

Game 3 of the set is Monday night. Pitchers: NO RH Andrew Good (8-8, 5.01) vs. RH Mike Wood (0-0, 0.00). Donovan Osborne will likely take over after Wood's 2-3 inning rehab stint.

AA - Wichita: Wranglers 4, Corpus Christi 3

DH Gordon 1-3, BB, RS -- .320
CF Maier 2-4, 2B (31), RBI (82), K, RS -- .300
LF Lubanski 1-4, 2 K -- .272
RF D. Brown 2-4, RBI (67), K, RS, SB (2) -- .315
SS Sanchez 0-3, BB, K, RS, E (24) -- .286

Lumsden 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 3 K, HRA, pickoff -- ND, 3.04 ERA, mediocre start
Lowery 3 IP, UER, 2 H, 2 BB -- BS, 1, 5.47 ERA
DeHoyos IP, K -- W, 2-1, 1.38 ERA

*** Neither Tyler Lumsden nor Hooks hot prospect Troy Patton pitched lockdown ball and a wild pitch made the difference in a 4-3 Wrangler win to take 2 of 3 from CC. Both teams did almost all their damage in the 1st as Lumsden gave up a 1-out, 2-run homer to Hooks CF Hunter Pence for his 28th of the season and a 2-0 Hooks lead. The Wranglers shook that off to post a 1-out rally of their own in their half as Dee Brown singled home a run and Adam Keim and Mitch Maier followed with RBI singles to make it 3-2 Wichita. Lumsden and Patton rarely cruised but did settle down to hold their opposition scoreless before they were pulled for bullpen relief. Angel Sanchez's 24th error helped the Hooks tie the game in the 7th off Devon Lowery and the game went into the bottom of the 9th tied at 3. Maier led off the inning with a double off Hooks RP Chad Reineke and was sacrificed to third before Paul Estrada relieved Reineke only to walk Brett Groves and, on the 4th ball, throw a wild pitch that allowed Maier to score with the winning run. Wichita is 34-23 and 6 games up on first. Patton allowed 3 ER on 7 hits and 2 walks with 7 K over 7 IP to make his ERA 4.32. Hooks C Brian Peterson was 3-4 with 2 doubles to move to .333, 1B Josh Bonifay was 1-3 with his 70th RBI to move to .264 and Pence was 1-3 with his 28th HR, 15th SB, 8th error and 2 RBI (93) to move to .290.

The Wranglers have Monday off before taking on Arkansas for 4 games starting Tuesday. The league suspended Frank White 2 games for his altercation with the umps Friday night when Brian Bass and White were ejected. He missed Sunday's game and will also miss Tuesday's game.

High-A - High Desert: Lancaster 9, Mavs 2 (7/G1)

DH Stodolka 0-4, 2 K -- .298, slumping
SS Falu 2-3, BB, CS -- .293, opposite of slumping
3B E. Lucas 2-3, CS, E (16) -- .281
LF Valentin 2-3, HR (6), RBI (47), K -- .285
1B R. Brown 1-3, HR (13), RBI (52) -- .267

Rosa 3 1/3 IP, 7 R (6 ER), 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 0-1, 16.20 ERA, rude welcome to Cal League
Rowe 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, K, HRA, WP -- 4.42 ERA

*** Carlos Rosa had a rough first start for High Desert and the Mavs dropped game 1 of 2 with Lancaster Sunday. Rosa gave up a 2-run single in the 2nd and 2 more runs in the 3rd thanks in part to an Ed Lucas error. A 3-run homer he gave up with 1 out in the 4th was the only big-damage hit he allowed but it was enough to get him pulled in favor of Adam Rowe. Rowe gave up a 2-run homer later in the inning to make it 9-0 Lancaster. The Mavs struggled on offense until the 7th and final inning of the shortened twinbill game as Rusty Brown cracked his 13th homer and Geraldo Valentin hit his 6th but Mike Stodolka popped out with 2 on to end the game. HD fell to 26-29. JetHawks SP Jesus Silva allowed 5 hits and 2 walks with 6 K over 5 IP to move to 1-0 with a 3.57 ERA. CF Chris Rahl was 3-4 with his 7th triple and 2 RS to move to .335, 3B Brandon Burgess was 1-4 with his 25th homer and 3 RBI (79) to move to .276 and LF Cyle Hankerd was 1-3 with his 1st homer and 2 RBI to move to .214.

Lancaster 9, Mavs 5 (7/G2)

LF Tomlin 2-4, RS -- .279
DH Duenas 2-4, 2B (14), RBI (41), RS -- .293
CF Senreiso 2-3, BB, E (7) -- .280
RF Valentin 2-4, RBI (48) -- .288
C Thibault 2-3, 2B (9) -- .329
3B E. Lucas 1-4, 2 RBI (59), K, 2 RS -- .281

de la Vara 3 IP, 8 ER, 10 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- L, 0-4, 6.20 ERA, God knows why he was starting
Hicklen 3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 6.03 ERA

*** Once again the Mavs' pitchers were routed and Lancaster maintained control of the division lead by completing the twinbill sweep. Gilbert de la Vara got pounded in the 1st as he allowed 5 ER on 7 hits and a Juan Senreiso error in CF to put Lancaster up, 5-0. A triple and sac fly in the 2nd made it 6-0 but the Mavs surged back into the game with 4 runs in the 3rd on a Tomas Duenas RBI single, a 2-run single by Ed Lucas and an RBI single by Geraldo Valentin to make it 6-4. Lancaster put the game away, however, with 3 in the 3rd off de la Vara and Patrick Hicklen on 3 hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch to make it 9-4. Jeremy Jirschele drew a bases loaded hit-by-pitch in the 5th to close it to a 4-run deficit but James Tomlin grounded out to end the inning and the Mavs didn't threaten again. HD is 26-30 and 3 games out of first. Lancaster RF Jereme Milons was 4-4 with his 9th double, 2 3B (6) and 3 RS to move to .294, 1B Javier Brito was 3-3 with his 19th double and 3 RBI (45) to move to .345 and Rahl was 1-3 with his 17th SB and 79th RBI to move to .332.

A split away and home 3-game set with the Inland Empire 66ers (27-28, High-A Mariners) starts Monday night. Patrick Green starts for HD. The Mavs' overall record of 65-61 has them 1/2 a game up on Lake Elsinore for the wild-card lead in the Cal League.

Low-A - Burlington: Quad Cities 3, Bees 2

DH Everett 2-4, 2B (9), RS -- .250
CF Duarte 1-5, 2 K, RS -- .267
SS Johnson 0-4, 2 K -- .249
1B Vega 1-3, BB, RBI (70) -- .247

Santiago 7 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K, WP -- L, 2-6, 6.36 ERA
Harkcom 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB -- 3.14 ERA

*** The anemic Bees offense once again couldn't capitalize on a decent start from Mario Santiago and Burlington dropped its 5th straight game. Carlos Arroyo singled home Brady Everett in the 2nd to put Burlington up but the Swing scored twice off Santiago in the 3rd to take the lead. Cody Harkcom gave up an RBI single in the 8th to get the Swing an insurance run but a Miguel Vega RBI single in the bottom of the 8th put the tying run at second with 1 out. Jeff Howell popped out and Everett lined out to end the inning. The Bees went down without much fight in the 9th. The Bees are 22-35. Quad Cities SP Donnie Smith allowed an unearned run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 5 K over 5 2/3 IP to move to 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA, LF Jon Jay was 2-4 to move to .332 and DH Chad Gabriel was 2-4 with his 21st RBI to move to .273.

The series wraps up Monday night. Luke Hochevar has a 50-pitch count in his second start for the Bees.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Helena 6, Chukars 5

DH Mertins 1-5, RBI (18), K, SB (17) -- .354
2B Maddox 0-2, BB, HBP, RS -- .324
LF Morel 2-5, RBI (23), K, 2 RS, SB (17) -- .291
1B Turner 2-5, HR (6), 2 RBI (31) -- .225
CF Bigler 2-2, 2 BB -- .224
SS McConnell 0-5, 2 K -- .254
C Morizio 1-3, BB, RS -- .266

Gutierrez 2 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, WP -- ND, 6.69 ERA
Cribb 4 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- L, 2-3, 3.76 ERA
Casey 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- 4.43 ERA

*** Idaho Falls stayed in the game despite posting only 9 hits compared to 18 for Helena but, in the end, the Brewers were too much in another IF loss. The first 5 Brewers reached base as Helena scored 3 off Dan Gutierrez in the 1st but Jase Turner cranked his 6th homer -- a 2-run shot -- in the bottom of the 1st to keep the Chukars close. Gutierrez gave up another run in the 2nd on a wild pitch but the Chukars tied it in the bottom of the inning on a bases loaded 2-run single by Alvi Morel. The Chukars had 2 in scoring position with 2 out but Chris McConnell struck out to end the rally. Helena pushed across 2 runs off Josh Cribb in the 4th and the Chukars were able to get a Kurt Mertins RBI single in the 5th and load the bases with 1 out in that inning but couldn't get the tying run home. The Chukars again got 2 in scoring position with 1 out in the 8th and failed to tie the game and went down 1-2-3 in the 9th to end it. The Chukars are 7-14. Helena RP Travis Wendte went the final 1 2/3 for Helena to pick up his 3rd save and drop his ERA to 3.24. Brewers LF Cole Gillespie was 3-4 with 2 walks, his 12th SB and 2 RS to move to .343, CF Stephen Chapman was 3-6 with 2 RS to move to .308 and DH Andy Bouchie was 2-5 with 3 RBI (34) to move to .272.

The series continues Monday night. No announced starters.

Rookie - AZL: off day

*** The Royals are 14-6 and tied with the Angels for first. The Royals are set to play the 6-14 Rangers Monday night.