Royals on the Farm 7/13

AAA -- Omaha: O-Royals 6, Iowa 5

CF Maier 3-4, HR (8), RBI (43), RS -- .307
3B Lewis 2-4, HR (3), RBI (20), K, RS -- .232
DH McCarthy 1-4, HR (5), 2 RBI (13), 2 K, RS -- .284
1B Brazell 1-3, 2B (18), SF, RBI (49), K, RS -- .318
2B Wathan 1-2, SF, RBI (11), CS -- .263
RF Costa 0-2, 2 HBP, RS, SB (4) -- .361, bye bye hit streak
SS Aviles 0-1, 3 BB, K, SB (5) -- .306
LF Lubanski 0-4, RS -- .179
C Tupman 0-4, K -- .280

Elarton 6 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HRA, WP -- 6.28 ERA
Hoelscher 2 IP, K -- BS, 2, W, 3-1, 3.40 ERA
Braun IP, K -- SV, 7, 1.35 ERA

The 7th inning was the key frame for both teams as the Royals got a second-straight 1-run victory. Mitch Maier led off the O-Royals 1st with his 8th homer to spot Omaha to a 1-0 lead. Starter Scott Elarton had cruised through the 1st but got hit hard in the second with a single, walk and 3-run homer by 1B Josh Kroeger followed by a solo homer by C Tony Richie for a 4-1 Iowa lead. Richie Lewis cracked a solo homer in the 2nd for Omaha for his 3rd of the season in AAA before Derek Wathan added a sac fly to close the gap to 4-3. Bill McCarthy hit a 2-run homer in the 3rd for his 5th for Omaha and the Royals had a 5-4 lead. Elarton left with 2 on and 0 out in the 7th and RP Nate Hoelscher allowed a sac fly to tie the game before getting out of the jam. Craig Brazell broke the tie with a sac fly in the bottom of the 7th and Omaha regained the lead. Ryan Braun pitched a perfect 9th for his 7th save. Kroeger was 1-3 with his 7th homer and 3 RBI (15) to move to .292, Richie was 1-2 with his 8th homer, 2 RBI (17) and 5th error to move to .281 and RP Bret Prinz took the loss with 2 IP of an UER on a walk and 2 Ks to drop to 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA.

Omaha is 44-49. For an update, they're now 12 1/2 games back. Game 3 of the set is ongoing. Starters are Iowa LH J.R. Mathes (6-6, 5.38) and Omaha RH Billy Buckner (7-4, 4.04). Angel Berroa hit the DL with his quad strain.

AA -- Wichita: Springfield 13, Wranglers 2

DH Stodolka 1-4, BB, RBI (36) -- .276
3B Nettles 1-4, RBI (5) -- .216
2B Valentin 2-4, BB, K -- .307
1B Kaaihue 2-4 -- .289
LF Joseph 2-4, RS -- .217
*Wichita stranded 11.

Christensen 3 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 2-9, 5.65 ERA, another sterling outing
Cedeno 3 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- 5.87 ERA
Connolly 2 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB -- 6.13 ERA

Friday the 13th was not kind to the Wranglers, especially for pitchers whose surname begins with C, as the Cardinals scored in bunches to rout Wichita. Starter Dan Christensen gave up a run in the 1st and 2 runs in the 2nd but Mike Stodolka hit an RBI single in the 3rd to cut the lead to 3-1. Four Springfield singles and a double later, the Cardinals were up, 7-1, in the 4th and Christensen was hitting the showers. His replacement, Juan Cedeno, gave up 3 more runs in the 5th on 4 singles and a walk but Adam Greenberg helped cut the rally short, mercifully, with an outfield assist at third to end the inning. Jeff Nettles hit an RBI single in the 8th but the Royals didn't come close to mounting a miracle rally. Cards 2B Juan Lucena was 3-5 with his 4th double and 5 RBI (17) to move to .256, 3B Juan Richardson was 2-5 with his 19th homer and 3 RBI (60) to move to .279 and starter Jaime Garcia got the W with 7 IP of an ER on 6 hits, 5 BB and 5 Ks to improve to 5-8 with a 3.70 ERA.

Wichita is 7-14 and 8 games out. The series concludes tonight as the Wranglers go for a split. Starters: Springfield righty Cory Rauschenberger (7-5, 5.42) vs. Wichita lefty Dusty Hughes (1-2, 3.59).

A-Adv. -- Wilmington: Blue Rocks 7, Potomac 5

1B Vega 2-4, 2B (15), 2 RBI (33), K, RS -- .226, injury was only minor
RF McFall 2-4, 3B (4), RBI (32), 2 K, 2 RS -- .247
DH J. Johnson 2-3, RBI (18), picked off -- .247
LF Cleveland 2-4, 2B (1), RBI (1), K, RS -- .250
CF Duarte 2-3, S, RS, SB (23) -- .278
2B Maddox 1-1, 2 BB, S, RBI (29), RS, picked off -- .266
SS McConnell 1-3, 2B (3), 2 K, RS -- .271
3B Lisson 0-4, 2 K, E (10) -- .256

Cortes 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 8 K, pickoff -- W, 2-6, 3.93 ERA, nice outing
Oliveros 2 IP, ER, H -- 2.65 ERA
Barnes 2/3 IP, 2 ER, H, 3 BB, WP -- 4.07 ERA
Haltiwanger 1/3 IP -- SV, 4, 3.43 ERA

The Rocks held off the Nationals late to take 2 of 3 in the series thus far. Jose Duarte stole third and scored on a Potomac error in the 1st to give the Rocks a 1-0 lead. Marc Maddox singled home a run in the 3rd and Wilmington added 3 runs in the 4th on a 2-run double by Miguel Vega and Josh Johnson RBI single to make it 5-0. The Nats strung together 2 doubles and a single in the 5th for 2 runs off starter Dan Cortes and Cortes handed that 4-2 lead to the pen in the 7th. Potomac scratched out a run in the 8th off RP Rayner Oliveros but Brian McFall hit an RBI triple and Jeremy Cleveland got his first RBI as a rock with a double to make it 7-3 entering the 9th. RP Justin Barnes loaded the bases with none out that inning and allowed 2 runs before getting pulled for Russ Haltiwanger with 1 on and 2 out. Haltiwanger got a fly out to end it for his 4th save. Nats 2B Brandon Powell was 2-4 with his 7th double and 5th triple to move to .301 and starter Justin Jones took the loss with 6 IP of 5 runs (4 ER) on 9 hits, a walk and 7 Ks to drop to 4-5 with a 4.25 ERA.

Wilmington is 15-6 and 4 games up on first. The series is wrapping tonight. Starters: Rocks ace southpaw Rowdy Hardy (11-2, 1.98) vs. Potomac right-hander Craig Stammen (6-5, 4.35). Starter Blake Johnson has hit the DL with a left hip flexor strain.

A -- Burlington: Great Lakes 6, Bees 5 (10)

C Howell 1-2, 2B (7), 2 RBI (16) -- .275
RF Walton 2-3, RBI (8) -- .267, gradually producing
CF Robinson 0-4, BB, SF, RBI (14), K, SB (21) -- .252
DH Everett 0-4, BB, RBI (31), K, picked off -- .304
LF Dickerson 1-5, 2B (16), K -- .293
SS Bianchi 1-3, 2 BB, 2 RS, E (9) -- .216
*The Bees stranded 12.

Godin 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 7 H, BB, 6 K, 2 WP -- 2.09 ERA
Cegarra IP, ER, 3 H, BB -- 4.07 ERA
Barrera 2 IP, K, WP -- 6.85 ERA
Hartsock 2 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, 2 BB -- BS, 2, L, 5-3, 2.70 ERA

A 3-run Burlington 8th went for naught as the Loons won the series opener in extras. Starter Jason Godin stranded 2 in the 1st and 3 Bees walks were followed by a Jamar Walton RBI single in the 2nd to make it 1-0. Brady Everett hit an RBI ground out in the 3rd to make it 2-0 but the Loons got to Godin in the 3rd for 2 runs on 3 hits, a walk and 2 wild pitches to tie it. Great Lakes took the lead with a run on 2 hits in the 4th and RP Ed Cegarra gave up a run on 3 hits in the 5th before stranding the bases full. The Bees loaded the bases to start the 8th and Jeff Howell hit a pinch-hit 2-run double to tie the game. Derrick Robinson added a sac fly to make it 5-4 Bees. RP Aaron Hartsock allowed the Loons to tie the game in the 8th on a walk and 2 hits. Jeff Bianchi tried to score from first on a Jesus Soto double in the 9th but was thrown out at the plate as the game went to extras. With 2 on and 1 out in the 10th, Kurt Mertins committed his 17th error of the season and the winning run scored. Loons SS Adolfo Gonzalez was 3-6 with his 17th RBI and 12th error to improve to .317, 1B James Peterson was 2-5 with his 8th double and 2 RBI (19) to move to .299 and RP Thomas Melgarejo got the win with an IP of a K to improve to 4-5 with a 6.24 ERA.

Burlington is 10-10 and 1 1/2 games back. The series is continuing tonight. Starters: Bees RH Mario Santiago (1-6, 2.67) vs. Dodgers hot prospect LH Clayton Kershaw (7-3, 2.13).

Rookie -- Idaho Falls: Chukars 5, Helena 4

2B Seratelli 2-4, RBI (18), RS, E (9) -- .319
CF Ortiz 3-5, 2B (3), RS, CS -- .362
3B Van De Keere 3-4, BB, 2B (6), RS, E (8) -- .320
LF Gonzalez 1-4, SF, RBI (9), 3 K, RS -- .325
1B Robinson 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (25), K -- .379
C Billick 1-2, BB, HBP, RBI (5), CS -- .146
RF Van Stratten 1-3, BB, RS -- .313

Chavez 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- 2.21 ERA
Secott 2 IP, H, 2 K -- 1.74 ERA
Swaggerty IP, K -- 2.45 ERA
Holland 2/3 IP, 2 UER, H, BB -- 0.00 ERA
Cassa 1/3 IP, H -- BS, 1, W, 2-0, 4.76 ERA, vultured the win

The Chukars blew the lead in the 9th but Adrian Ortiz sparked a game-winning rally. An error and 2 hits off starter Chris Chavez helped the Brewers to a 1-0 lead in the 1st. A walk and 2 singles in the 4th made it 2-0 as the Chukar offense sputtered and Chavez got no run support. The Chukars awoke in the 6th to tie the game off Helena SP Donovan Hand on a Clint Robinson sac fly and Anthony Seratelli RBI single. Idaho Falls surged ahead in the 8th on an RBI single by Joe Billick and a run scored by Seratelli while Billick was caught stealing second. Greg Holland came on in the 9th and loaded the bases with a Seratelli error, walk and single before a double play ball scored a run and brought in Pat Cassa. Cassa gave up a game-tying single before escaping the inning. Ortiz led off the IF 9th with a double off RP James Etheridge, moved to third on a sac bunt and scored on an O.D. Gonzalez sac fly to end the game. Brewers 1B Steffan Wilson was 2-3 to move to .372 and Etheridge took the loss with 2/3 IP of an ER on a hit and walk to drop to 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. Hand went 6 IP of 2 ER on 7 hits, 2 BB and 5 Ks to move his ERA to 3.68.

Idaho Falls is 17-7 and 4 games up on first. A 4-game home set versus the defending league champ Missoula Osprey (10-14, Rookie D-Backs, took out IF in the PL playoffs last season) starts tonight. Starters were not announced on the team site. Missoula's roster features '07 D-Backs draftees 3rd round SS Reynaldo Navarro (.226 BA, .532 OPS in 18 games), 8th round IF Taylor Harbin (.284/.929 in 20 games) and 14 others.

Rookie -- Burlington: B-Royals 13, Elizabethton 6

RF Tucker 3-4, HBP, 2 2B (7), 4 RBI (22), 3 RS -- .330
1B Lane 4-5, 2B (5), 3B (3), 2 RBI (16), 4 RS -- .381, homer shy of cycle
DH Amyx 2-5, 2 2B (4), 2 RBI (11), 2 K -- .264
CF Norris 3-5, 2B (2), 3 RS -- .257
2B A. Perez 2-5, 2B (4), RBI (11), 2 K, RS, E (6) -- .265
3B Jimenez 1-3, 2B (5), RBI (14), 2 K -- .269, left the game with injured ankle
PR-3B Santos 1-1, HBP, RBI (11) -- .298
LF Severino 2-4, 3B (1), RS -- .304
C Graterol 1-3, BB, RBI (4), RS -- .212

Paukovits 4 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 K, WP -- 7.16 ERA
Bernat 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, BB, 9 K, HRA, E (1) -- W, 3-0, 2.57 ERA
Lopez IP, H -- 7.71 ERA

The 5th and 6th were magic innings for the Royals Friday as they doubled up the Twins to hand them their 3rd loss of the season. The Twins got off to a good start with 2 runs on 3 hits off SP Bryan Paukovits in the 1st but the Royals scored 3 runs in their half on a Jake Lane RBI triple and 2-run double by Brett Amyx for a 3-2 lead. Patrick Norris was thrown out at home to end the Royals 2nd and the Twins tied it in the 4th on 2 hits and an error. David Bernat gave up a 2-run homer in the 5th to give the Twins a 5-3 lead but Burlington picked him up with 4 in the bottom of the inning on a 2-run single by Wilson Tucker, an RBI double by Antonio Jimenez and a wild pitch that scored Tucker for a 7-5 Royals lead. Burlington poured on 5 runs in the 6th on a Juan Graterol RBI single, Alwin Perez RBI double, Lane RBI single, Tucker RBI double and Jose Santos RBI single to make it 12-5. Bernat allowed an unearned run in the 7th but the Royals got it back in the 8th on a Tucker RBI double to make the final score 13-6. Twins SS Starling De Los Santos was 3-5 to move to .347, 1B Rene Leveret was 2-4 with his 4th double, 5th homer and 3 RBI (32) to move to .329 and SP Steven Hirschfeld took the loss with 4 1/3 IP of 6 ER on 9 hits, a walk and 4 Ks to drop to 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA.

Burlington is 14-8 and 1/2 a game up on first. The series is wrapping tonight. Henry Arias started for the Royals.

Rookie -- AZL: Cubs 9, Royals 7

1B Huber 2-3, BB, SF, 2B (2), HR (1), 2 RBI (2), RS -- .250
DH Wood 2-4, SF, HR (1), 2 RBI (11), RS -- .317
RF Craze 1-3, HBP, 2B (3), 2 RBI (8), RS, SB (1), 2 OF assists at second -- .243
SS Jose 1-3, 3B (1), RBI (7), K, RS -- .193
LF Pennell 2-4, RS -- .346
CF Richardson 1-3 -- .164
3B F. Cruz 0-4, K -- .188
C McCauley 1-2, 2 BB, RS, picked off runner -- .281

Penn 3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 4 K -- L, 0-1, 5.63 ERA
Runion 3 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA -- 5.63 ERA
Biddle 2 IP, H, 4 K -- 5.87 ERA
J. Sanchez IP, BB, K -- 24.30 ERA

The Cubs scored all their runs in the first 4 innings as the Royals couldn't recover. The Cubs rapped out 4 runs on 5 hits off Michael Penn in the 2nd. The Royals scored 2 runs in the 3rd on an RBI triple by Lifete Jose and a Justin Huber sac fly but the Cubs answered with 5 runs in the 4th on a 2-out rally of a walk, single, triple, walk and homer off Sam Runion for his first beating as a pro. The score remained 9-2 into the 8th before the Royals scored 4 that frame on solo homers by Huber and David Wood for their 1st of the season at the level and a 2-run double by Ian Craze that cut it to 9-6. Wood hit a sac fly in the 9th to make it 9-7 but the Royals left Huber at third. Cubs CF Leon Johnson was 3-4 with 3 doubles (5) and 2 RBI (11) along with 2 SB (12) to move to .426, SS Darwin Barney (of the college champ Oregon State Beavers) was 2-5 with his 3rd double and 2nd RBI to move to .615 and P Yusdel Tuero got the win with 4 1/3 IP of a hit, walk and 2 Ks to improve to 1-3 with a 4.00 ERA. RP Craig Muschko got his 1st save.

The Royals moved to 7-11. They pummeled the A's in extras today.