Royals on the Farm 8/17

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 8, Albuquerque 3

LF Huber 3-4, RBI (34), K -- .286
3B Keppinger 0-2, K -- .359, ejected in 4th along with manager Mike Jirschele
RF Costa 1-3, BB, 2B (8), 2 RS -- .360
2B Cortez 3-4, RS, CS -- .257
CF K. Robinson 2-4, 2 3B (3), 3 RBI (37), RS -- .320
DH Coolbaugh 2-4, 2B (8), HR (7), 4 RBI (20), 2 RS -- .221
SS Blanco 1-4, RS -- .237

Van Hekken 6 2/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 5 H, BB, 8 K, 2 HRA, E (1) -- W, 2-3, 5.03 ERA
Braun 2 1/3 IP, K -- 2.55 ERA

*** A big 5th inning helped Omaha snap a 10-game string of losses. Shane Costa and Mike Coolbaugh hit 2-out doubles in the 1st as Costa scored the first run of the game and Justin Huber followed with an RBI single but was thrown out at second to end the inning. Jeff Keppinger was called out on strikes to end the 3rd and got tossed along with Mike Jirschele after arguing. Andy Van Hekken, who had his second straight solid start for Omaha, was perfect through 4 IP but had a throwing error on a bunt back to the pitcher that set up the Isotopes' first run in the 5th. That was all they got that inning, tho, and Omaha struck back with 5 in the bottom of the inning on a 2-run triple by Kerry Robinson and a 3-run homer by Coolbaugh for his 7th of the season at AAA. Robinson had another RBI triple in the 6th and Omaha made it 8-1. Van Hekken gave up back-to-back solo homers in the 7th but Ryan Braun came in with 2 outs and pitched perfectly for 2 1/3 IP to close it out. Omaha is 46-80. Isotopes SP Yusmeiro Petit took the loss with 4 2/3 IP of 7 R (3 ER) on 10 hits and a walk to drop to 4-5 with a 4.15 ERA, 2B Edgar V. Gonzalez was 2-3 to move to .405 and 1B Tom Wilson was 1-3 with a HR (9) and 2 RBI (42) to move to .292.

The series wraps up Friday night. Pitchers: Albuquerque LH Jason Vargas (2-4, 5.21) vs. RH Kyle Middleton (0-6, 5.69).

AA - Wichita: San Antonio 4, Wranglers 3

3B Gordon 0-3, BB, HBP, 2 K, E (14) -- .319
CF Maier 2-4 -- .299
LF Lubanski 1-4, BB, RBI (64), 2 K, RS -- .275
RF D. Brown 2-5, 2 RBI (65), K -- .308
SS Sanchez 1-5, K -- .281

Buckner 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- ND, 5.50 ERA
Cedeno 3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, pickoff -- L, 2-8, 5.80 ERA

*** Wichita struggled to score on offense off Missions SP Yorman Bazardo and San Antonio finally snapped a long losing streak versus the Wranglers with a late run. Buckner had 2 wild pitches in the 4th and both were costly as the first allowed a strikeout victim to reach second and the second allowed that runner to score the first run of the game. Buckner gave up 2 more runs in the 5th and, meanwhile, the Wranglers offense stranded 2 in the 4th and Alex Gordon struck out looking to end the 5th with the bases loaded. Bazardo walked 2 to start the 7th and the Wranglers finally kickstarted a rally. Chris Lubanski hit an RBI single and, with 2 out, Dee Brown hit a bases loaded 2-run single to tie the game. Juan Cedeno, who entered the game with 2 out in the 6th, pitched well into the 9th and got the first 2 outs in that frame quickly before being pulled after a walk and single. Devon Lowery came in and gave up the go-ahead run on a single. Wichita got the tying run to third with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th but former Royal farmhand Byron Embry (I wondered where he went) hit Gordon with a pitch then struck out Brown to end the game for his 1st save. His ERA for the Missions is an ugly 8.10. The Wranglers are 32-22 and 6 games up on first. Bazardo took a no-decision with 2 ER on 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 K over 6 1/3 IP to move his ERA to 3.08, DH Scott Youngbauer was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI to move to .300 and 2B Yung Chi Chen was 2-5 with an RBI to move to .293.

The Wranglers move on to a 3-game home set against the Corpus Christi Hooks (29-24, AA Astros) Friday night. Mike Wood makes his 2nd rehab start vs. the Hooks' Josh Miller. I expect Brian Bass to take over for Wood when he finishes his pitch count.

High-A - High Desert: Visalia 12, Mavs 7

1B Stodolka 0-5, 2 K -- .308
SS Falu 3-5, 3B (6), RBI (40), RS, SB (25), E (13) -- .281
CF Senreiso 3-3, BB, 2B (15), HR (13), RBI (55), 2 RS -- .278, triple shy of cycle
C Duenas 2-5, 2B (13) -- .289
RF McFall 2-4, HR (17), 2 RBI (65), K, 2 RS -- .247
LF Tomlin 0-4 -- .280

Gragg 4 1/3 IP, 8 R (7 ER), 8 H, 4 BB, 3 K, E (1) -- L, 7-8, 4.28 ERA

*** A nightmare 5th helped the Oaks leave HD on a winning note Thursday. John Gragg gave up 3 runs in the 1st to start the game poorly for High Desert but Irving Falu led off the Mavs' 1st with his 6th triple and scored on a Mike Gaffney ground out to cut the lead to 3-1. The Mavs surged ahead in the 2nd as Brian McFall tied the game with a 2-run homer (his 17th) and Juan Senreiso made it back-to-back with a solo homer for his 13th of the season and a 4-3 Mavs lead. HD added a run in the 4th on a Falu RBI single but the wheels fell off in the 5th. Gragg went single, single, walk, sac fly, single, single before getting pulled for Patrick Hicklen, who went 2-run double, K, 2-run double, RBI single, flyout to end the inning but Visalia had a 10-5 lead. An error scored Ed Lucas in the 5th to cut the Oaks lead to 10-6. The Oaks got the run back in the 7th off Hicklen and the Mavs left 2 in scoring position that inning. Both teams scored a run in the 8th as the Oaks got to Adam Rowe and the Mavs scored on a James Tomlin double play ball. The Mavs didn't threaten thereafter. The Mavs are 24-28 and 3 games back of first. Oaks SS Josh Asanovich was 3-5 with 2 2B (20) and 3 RBI (49) to move to .278, C Josh Arhart was 3-5 with his 23rd double, 2nd triple and 2 RBI (59) to move to .312 and 3B Pat Cottrell was 3-5 with 2 RBI (36) to move to .253.

The Mavs move on to a 4-game set at the Lancaster JetHawks (27-25, High-A D-Backs) starting Friday night. Luis Cota starts for HD.

Low-A - Burlington: South Bend 2, Bees 1

RF Arroyo 1-3, RBI (30), K -- .254
CF Duarte 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .268
2B Johnson 0-3, BB -- .250

Nicoll 5 IP, 0 ER, H, 3 BB, 7 K (!) -- ND, 2.82 ERA, great start
Schambough 3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- 3.10 ERA
Hayes IP, 2 ER, 4 H -- BS, 5, L, 3-5, 2.88 ERA

*** A pitchers' duel between Chris Nicoll and South Bend's Matt Torra went to the bullpens with Nicoll in position for a win but the Silver Hawks rallied in the 9th to get the victory. Carlos Arroyo singled Brady Everett home after an error on Everett's single to give the Bees a 1-0 lead in the 5th. Nicoll was pulled after 5 IP of 1-hit and 3-walk pitching and Kraig Schambough worked out of jams in the 6th and 7th to hand the narrow lead to Chris Hayes in the 9th. Hayes got 2 outs but had 2 on when a single loaded the bases and SB CF Justin Upton singled home 2 runs in the clutch situation to put the Silver Hawks ahead. The Bees went down 1-2-3 in the 9th. The Bees are 22-32. Torra allowed an unearned run on 5 hits and a walk to drop his ERA to 1.93 and Upton was 1-4 with 2 RBI (64) to move to .266. He also struck out 3 times.

A split away and home series with the Swing of the Quad Cities (31-22, Low-A Cards) starts Friday night. Matt Kniginyzky starts for the Bees. In other news, OF Felix Peralta was called up from the AZL to Burlington after hitting .272 in the AZL. Why he skipped Idaho Falls, I don't know. He wasn't exactly tearing up AZL pitching. SS Eduardo Nunez also got called up to Burlington from Idaho Falls after Jeremy Jirschele moved up to HD. Nunez was only batting .182 in the Pioneer League. I guess they're looking more at defense? In some bad news, P Erik Cordier, who pitched well this season for IF and Burlington, will miss the rest of the season with a partially torn elbow ligament. This was reported in the Thursday KC Star. Too bad. He was coming back well off a knee injury that cost him the '05 season.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 5, Missoula 4

DH Mertins 1-5, RS -- .362
CF Dickerson 1-3, BB, 2B (11), K, RS -- .304
1B Turner 3-5, 2 2B (13), 3 RBI (29) -- .222
SS McConnell 1-5, K, RS, E (11) -- .257
RF Gonzalez 2-5, 2B (7), HR (3), RBI (13) -- .281
3B Maddox 2-3, BB, 2B (16), E (6) -- .318
3B B. Herrera 2-4, RBI (25), 2 K -- .250
LF Bigler 1-4, RS -- .219

Chambliss 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA -- ND, 4.54 ERA
Mozingo 4 IP, ER, 3 H, 4 K -- W, 2-1, 6.13 ERA

*** A late flurry of offense got the Chukars their first win in their last 6 games. O.D. Gonzalez hit a leadoff homer for IF to start the bottom of the 1st for his 3rd homer of the season. The Chukars stranded 2 in scoring position in the 4th and fell behind in the 5th as Missoula scored 3 off Tyler Chambliss on a solo homer, RBI ground out and RBI triple. An RBI double off Harold Mozingo in the 6th made it 4-1 Osprey. The Chukars stranded 2 more runners in the 6th and entered the 8th still down by 3. Joe Dickerson and Marc Maddox both doubled with 1 out in the 8th to put runners at second and third and Brenan Herrera drove Dickerson home with a single but Maddox was thrown out trying to score and the game went into the 9th with Missoula up, 4-2. Singles by Brett Bigler and Chris McConnell and an Osprey error helped IF load the bases with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th and Jase Turner had the big hit with a bases-clearing walkoff double to end the game. IF is 7-11 and 5 games back of first. Missoula RF Gerardo Parra was 0-4 with his 34th RBI to drop to .317 and SS Matt Oxendine was 2-4 to move to .269.

The series ends Friday night. No announced starters.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 11, Giants 5

RF Van Stratten 4-5, 2B (7), 2 3B (7), RBI (29), 3 RS -- .278, homer short of cycle
3B Taylor 0-4, SF, RBI (21), 2 K -- .282
SS Al. Perez 3-3, 2 BB, 3B (3), RBI (23), 3 RS, E (9) -- .284
1B S. Lucas 2-5, 2B (10), 4 RBI (48), RS -- .287
CF D. Robinson 2-5, 3 RBI (19), CS (14), E (2) -- .238
LF Dyson 1-6, K, RS, SB (14) -- .281
2B T. Wilson 2-4, BB, K, RS, E (9) -- .158
C Doscher 0-3, 2 HBP, K, RS -- .260

Raglione 2 IP, 2 UER, 3 H, BB, K -- ND, 3.11 ERA
Arias 5 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB -- W, 3-4, 3.06 ERA
Cummings IP, UER, 2 H, K -- 1.04 ERA

*** The Royals ruled from the 2nd through the 6th and pounded the co-division-leading Giants to knock them out of first Thursday. A 2-out error by Tyrone Wilson in the 1st helped lead to 2 unearned runs on a triple off of Paul Raglione in the 1st for the Giants. A Giants error in the 2nd helped lead to a Jason Taylor sac fly to get the Royals on the scoreboard and the Royals tied it in the 3rd on a Nick Van Stratten RBI single. Another run in the 4th on an Alwin Perez triple and ensuing Derrick Robinson RBI single made it 3-2 and the Royals went on to score 4 in the 5th on a Scott Lucas RBI ground out after a Van Stratten triple, a passed ball and a Robinson 2-run single to make it 7-2. Three more Royal runs were tallied in the 6th as Lucas doubled home 2 runs and Perez singled home a run to make it 10-2. A Robinson error helped the Giants to a run in the 6th but the Royals got it back in the 8th on a Lucas RBI ground out. Angel Martinez gave up a Giant run in the 8th and Tyler Cummings gave up a run in the 9th after a Perez error but shut the door on an 11-5 win. The Royals are 12-6 and a game back of the Angels. Giants DH Rich Janeway was 2-4 with a triple and 3 RBI (30) to move to .310, 3B Matt Downs was 2-5 with his 15th double and 2 RS to move to .306 and RF Joe Roundy was 2-4 with a double and his 16th RBI to move to .252.

The Royals play the Mariners Friday. There are only 10 games left in the AZL season.