Royals on the Farm 5/17

Note to Pipeline readers: The top two entries in the Legacy countdown have been delayed by a busy work week. Hopefully I'll get to '80 and '85 soon.

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

1B Butler 2-4, 2 BB, HR (7), RBI (24), RS, E (2 (interference)) -- .344, nice day coming back to AAA, now a first baseman
C Tupman 2-4, 2 BB, RBI (6), RS, PB (4) -- .269
3B Aviles 2-5, BB, 2B (7), RBI (24), E (5) -- .316
CF Gathright 2-5, SF, RBI (12), RS -- .300
RF Padilla 2-5, BB, K, RS, OF assist at second -- .233
2B Cortez 2-6, RBI (10), RS, E (2) -- .306
DH Brazell 1-4, 2 BB, K, RS -- .312
LF Maier 0-5, BB, K, RS -- .272
SS Blanco 0-5, BB, K, E (5) -- .156
*Omaha left 14 on base.

Lumsden 5 2/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 5 H, BB, 6 K -- ND, 6.06 ERA
Musser 1 1/3 IP, H, K -- 0.00 ERA
Giron 2 IP, ER, 2 H, BB -- 4.44 ERA
Ray IP, H, BB -- 5.82 ERA
Braun 2/3 IP, 3 UER, 2 H, BB, K -- BS, 1, L, 0-1, 0.00 ERA

Omaha had the game in hand in extras after an amazing 9th inning comeback but Ryan Braun was hurt by 2 errors in the 11th as New Orleans got the 8-7 win. Errors by Fernando Cortez and Andres Blanco in the 3rd helped the Zephyrs score 2 runs on 2 hits and a sac fly off SP Tyler Lumsden and Omaha couldn't do any damage to NO SP Chan Ho Park through 6 IP. Lumsden gave up 2 more runs on 3 hits and a walk in the 6th before getting pulled. Zephyrs RP Guillermo Mota, who recently got back from his drug suspension, helped Omaha out in the 7th by giving up a sac fly to Joey Gathright and a Cortez RBI single to cut it to 4-2 but the O-Royals left the bases loaded. New Orleans picked up an insurance run off RP Roberto Giron in the 8th but Omaha chased RP Steve Schmoll by putting 2 on with 1 out in the 9th. RP Ryan Cullen came in and gave up a Cortez single that scored 2 runs with the aid of 2 Zephyrs throwing errors and, with the bases loaded and 2 outs, Mike Aviles singled to center to score the tying run off RP Ivan Maldonado. The game was tied at 5 into the 11th when Omaha got a leadoff homer by Billy Butler for his 7th of the season in his first game back from KC and Matt Tupman singled home a run later in the inning off RP Eddie Camacho to make it 7-5. Aviles, who had doubled, was thrown out at home trying to score on the play and that run would come back to haunt Omaha. Braun came in to try to close it out but errors by Aviles and Butler helped load the bases with none out. A ground out scored 1 run and a Tupman passed ball scored the tying run. With 2 out, Braun gave up a walkoff single to former Royals farmhand OF Chip Ambres to end the game. Omaha is 18-22 and 5 games back. Ambres was 2-6 with 2 RBI (20) and the OF assist at home for the Zephyrs to move to .282, CF Ben Johnson was 2-4 with 2 doubles (4) and his 5th RBI to move to .279 and Camacho got the win despite 2 ER in an IP to move to 1-0 with a 5.56 ERA. Park went 6 IP and allowed 2 hits and 4 walks with 2 K to drop his ERA to 5.45.

Game 2 of the set is tonight. Probable starters: Omaha RH Jason Shiell (0-1, 2.45) vs. RH Mike Pelfrey (no record yet). I think it's odd that they're using Shiell as a starter now but Billy Buckner had to move to the pen to get the call to Omaha.

AA -- Wichita: Arkansas 7, Wranglers 1

2B Gaffney 1-3, BB, RBI (5) -- .360
DH Valentin 1-3, 2B (5), K -- .250
SS Falu 1-3, 2B (4), RS -- .207
LF Lubanski 0-4 -- .303
3B Lucas 0-3, BB, K -- .287

Christensen 5 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- L, 1-2, 5.03 ERA
Connolly 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- 4.99 ERA

The Wranglers scraped out only 3 hits as the Travs smacked SP Danny Christensen around to get the 7-1 win. Arkansas scored a run on 2 hits off Christensen in the 2nd but Christensen stranded the bases loaded in the 3rd before the Wranglers evened the game on a Mike Gaffney RBI single in the bottom of the frame. Christensen gave up a 2-run homer to C Tim Duff in the 4th and another 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in the 6th to make it 5-1. P Mike Connolly came in after the 5th run scored and allowed runs in the 7th and 8th. Travs SP Fernando Rodriguez Jr. retired 8 in a row at one point and three Travs relievers pitched 3 1/3 IP of perfect baseball. Wichita is 19-22 and 3 1/2 games back. Duff was 2-3 with his 2nd double, 1st homer and 3 RBI (6) to move to .280, RF Greg Porter was 3-4 with 2 RBI (14) to move to .246 and SS Sean Rodriguez was 0-4 to drop to .252. Rodriguez got the win with 5 2/3 IP of an ER on 3 hits and 2 walks with 4 K to move to 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

The series continues tonight as the Wranglers hope to snap a 5-game skid. Probable starters: Wichita righty Luke Hochevar (2-4, 5.02) vs. Travs righty Nick Green (3-2, 4.22, 1.06 WHIP). 1B Mike Stodolka hasn't played since last Saturday after getting hit by a pitch. No update on his status is on the team site or the Eagle website that I've seen.

A-Adv. -- Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 4, Blue Rocks 0

LF Bigler 2-3 -- .248
CF Duarte 1-4, K -- .295
2B Maddox 0-4 -- .293
3B Lisson 0-3, K -- .275
1B Kaaihue 0-2, 2 K -- .234, ejected in 7th for arguing balls and strikes

Cortes 6 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 8 K -- L, 0-3, 3.97 ERA, much better command thus far this season
Pimentel 2 1/3 IP, H, BB, E (1) -- 1.93 ERA

Pelicans SP James Parr handcuffed the Blue Rocks and Myrtle Beach took the series opener. Parr retired 24 of 25 Rocks over the first 8 innings and Rocks SP Dan Cortes took a 1-hitter into the 7th in a pitchers' duel. Pelicans SS Elvis Andrus hit a leadoff single in the 7th and Myrtle Beach went on to score 4 runs in the inning off Cortes and Julio Pimentel. Wilmington got 2 singles in the 9th but couldn't make anything of them as Parr slammed the door on a complete game 3-hitter. Wilmington is 20-20 and a game back of first. Pelicans LF Quentin Davis was 1-3 with his 4th double and 2 RBI (17) to move to .257, Braves IF prospect Andrus was 1-4 with a RS and his 8th SB to move to .238 and 2B Diory Hernandez was 1-3 with his 2nd SB to move to .309. Parr struck out 12 with no walks in moving to 3-4 with a 3.18 ERA.

The series continues tonight. Probable starters: Rocks southpaw Rowdy Hardy (3-0, 0.94) vs. Pelicans righty J.C. Cuevas (0-5, 4.33).

A -- Burlington: Bees 2, South Bend 1 (10)

CF Robinson 2-4, K, picked off -- .212
DH Thompson 1-4, HR (8), RBI (21), K, RS -- .227
LF Dickerson 1-4, K, SB (8) -- .277
2B McConnell 0-3, S -- .233
SS Bianchi 0-4, K, E (1) -- .227
3B Mertins 0-4, 2 K, RS -- .223

Teaford 6 IP, ER, 7 H, 3 K -- ND, 4.31 ERA, nice start
Hartsock 2 IP, H, K -- 2.41 ERA
Chambliss 2 IP, 3 K -- W, 3-0, 0.54 ERA

South Bend scratched out 3 hits more than Burlington in a pitchers' duel but the Bees won the game in 10. Mike Thompson led off the 2nd with his 8th homer for Burlington and the Bees took a 1-0 lead off Silver Hawks SP Cesar Valdez. A 2-out double off Bees starter Everett Teaford tied the game in the 3rd and, as Valdez was retiring 13 straight Bees into the 6th, Teaford mostly coasted before stranding the bases loaded after filling the bags with none out in the 6th. The game went to the pens and the Bees stranded 2 in the bottom of the 9th. Kurt Mertins reached on a fielding error to start the Bees 10th was sacrificed to second and scored on a Jase Turner single aided by another Silver Hawk error to end the game. Burlington moved to 16-21. South Bend CF Joey Side was 2-5 to move to .352, C Richard Mercado was 2-4 to move to .298 and RP Jorge Perez took the loss with a UER on a hit over 1/3 IP to drop to 1-1 with a 4.42 ERA. Valdez allowed an ER on 3 hits and a walk with 7 Ks over 8 IP to drop his ERA to 3.95.

The series continued this morning and South Bend got a 15-6 win to even the set. Mario Santiago started for Burlington and took the loss.