Royals on the Farm 7/2

AAA -- Omaha: O-Royals 9, Oklahoma 6

SS Berroa 3-4, BB, 2B (9), 2 RBI (22), 2 RS -- .271, another walk? He must want back on the 40-man bad.
1B Brazell 2-4, HR (23), 2 RBI (45), 2 RS -- .326, dinger #30 on the season
LF Lubanski 2-4, HR (1), 2 RBI (2), 2 K, 2 RS -- .231
RF Padilla 2-4, RBI (19), RS, SB (8) -- .292
2B Aviles 1-4, RBI (39), RS, E (14) -- .309
CF Maier 1-5, K, RS -- .283

Bale 3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 K -- 2.53 ERA
Wright 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 10 K, HRA -- W, 6-3, 3.59 ERA, been while since we've seen 10 K in a game at Omaha
Ray IP, ER, 2 H -- 4.24 ERA

Omaha set up a chance at a 4-game split with the comeback win Monday. Craig Brazell got it started with a 2-run homer in the 1st for his 23rd at AAA this season but the RedHawks got to John Bale for 3 runs on 4 hits in the 3rd to take the lead. Oklahoma tacked on a run in the 5th on 2 doubles off Matt Wright to make it 4-2. Angel Berroa tied the game in the bottom of the 5th with a 2-run double followed by a Mike Aviles RBI single and 2 errors on the same play by RedHawks 1B Nate Gold that helped Aviles score to make it 6-4 Omaha. Wright gave up a leadoff homer in the 6th but Omaha got 2 runs that inning on Chris Lubanski's first AAA homer for an 8-5 lead. Jorge Padilla hit an RBI single in the 7th to make it 9-5 and Ken Ray gave up a run on 2 doubles in the 9th before shutting the door. RedHawks DH Jason Botts was 2-4 with 2 doubles (32) and 3 RBI (65) to move to .319, CF Freddy Guzman was 2-4 with his 15th double, 24th RBI and 2 SB (27) to move to .266 and SP Alfredo Simon took the loss with 5 IP of 6 runs (5 ER) on 8 hits, a walk and 2 Ks to drop to 3-7 with a 6.56 ERA.

Omaha is 40-45 and 11 1/2 games back. The series concludes tonight. Probable starters: old Royals buddy RH Mike Wood (7-1, 2.44) vs. "rehabbing" RH Scott Elarton (2-2, 4.18).

AA -- Wichita: Wranglers 4, San Antonio 3

C Espino 1-2, BB, 2B (5), 2 RBI (12) -- .263
RF Valentin 2-3, SF, RBI (24), K, RS, CS -- .290
DH Stodolka 1-4, RBI (33), K, RS -- .275
1B Kaaihue 1-4, 2B (4), K, RS, E (2) -- .267

D. Hughes 4 IP, H, 5 BB, 5 K, WP, pickoff -- 3.66 ERA
Connolly 2 IP, 2 UER, H, 2 BB, 2 K -- W, 4-4, 5.32 ERA
Mattox 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- 12.27 ERA
Plummer 1 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 K -- SV, 7, 2.96 ERA

Wichita staked out a 4-0 lead and held on for the narrow win and the sweep. Mike Stodolka hit an RBI single and Geraldo Valentin hit a sac fly in the 1st to make it 2-0 and a Damaso Espino 2-run double in the 3rd put Wichita up by a 4-0 count. Mike Connolly took over in the 5th and, after Kila Kaaihue made his 2nd error at AA this season, gave up 2 runs on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI ground out to cut the lead in half. D.J. Mattox came in for the 7th and left the bases full, and, in the 9th, Jarod Plummer gave up 3 straight 2-out singles to put the tying run at second before getting a game-ending K for his 7th save. RF Will Venable was 3-5 for the Missions with his 34th RBI to move to .288, C Nick Hundley was 0-2 with 3 BB and his 38th RBI to drop to .247 and SP Manny Ayala took the loss with 5 IP of 4 runs (2 ER) on 5 hits, a walk and 3 Ks to drop to 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA.

Wichita is 6-5 and 1/2 a game back of Springfield. They have today off before starting a 7-game road trip in Corpus Christi. Kansas City has signed 28-year-old 3B Jeff Nettles, son of Bronx Zoo Yankees 3B Graig, to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Wichita. Nettles was with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League and, in 56 games this season, had hit 19 HR with 60 RBI and a .679 slugging %. He is Somerset's career leader in homers, doubles and RBIs after 5 seasons with the Pats. I guess he was with the Royals in spring training '05. Looks like Jared Sandberg got the boot to make room, as Sandberg was hitting only .103 with a .365 OPS in 18 games of regular playing time.

A-Adv. -- Wilmington: Blue Rocks 7, Salem 4

1B McCann 2-4, BB, HR (3), 3 RBI (6), 2 K, 2 RS -- .286
2B Maddox 2-3, S, HBP, RS -- .269
RF McFall 1-4, RBI (26), 2 K, OF assist at second -- .246
DH Vega 0-3, BB, RBI (28), 2 K -- .224
3B Lisson 0-3, BB, HBP, 2 K, 2 RS -- .263
SS McConnell 0-3 -- .233

Cortes 6 2/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 8 H, BB, 7 K -- W, 1-5, 4.23 ERA
Humen 1 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, K -- 3.44 ERA
Oliveros IP, K -- SV, 3, 2.70 ERA

Dan Cortes got his 1st win of the season with ample run support from the Rocks. Brad McCann led off the 2nd with his 3rd homer for Wilmington and then stepped up again in the 3rd with 2 out and the bases loaded and hit a 2-run single that scored 3 runs after the second Salem error of the inning. Cortes loaded the bases with no outs in the 6th but escaped thanks to a pop out and 2 Ks. With 2 outs in the 7th, Cortes gave up 2 runs on 3 hits before getting pulled for David Humen, who gave up an RBI single but watched Brian McFall help throw out a runner at second to end the inning. The Rocks got all 3 runs back in the 7th on a bases-loaded single by McFall, a bases-loaded walk by Miguel Vega and a wild pitch that scored McCann to make it 7-3. Humen allowed a run on 2 hits in the 8th but Rayner Oliveros pitched a perfect 9th for his 3rd save. Salem 2B Wladimir Sutil was 3-5 with his 8th error, 8th double and 25th RBI to move to .281, SS Osvaldo Fernando was 3-4 with his 1st RBI and 1st E to move to .375 and SP Sergio Perez took the loss with 5 IP of 4 runs (1 ER) on 3 hits, a walk and 6 Ks to drop to 4-6 with a 4.24 ERA.

Wilmington is 9-3 and 2 games up on first after the sweep. A 3-game set at the Kinston Indians (7-3) starts tonight. Probable starters: Rocks ace lefty Rowdy Hardy (10-1, 1.51) vs. Tribe righty Sung-Wei Tseng (2-6, 3.84). The Rocks are 4-9 versus the Tribe.

A -- Burlington: Peoria 4, Bees 2

1B Everett 2-4, 2 2B (16), K, RS, E (9) -- .298
LF Dickerson 1-4, 2B (14), RBI (29) -- .291
C Morizio 1-3, RBI (19), PB (6) -- .231
CF Robinson 0-3, S, K -- .260
SS Bianchi 0-4, E (7) -- .222, healthy but not hitting in MWL

Santiago 5 IP, 4 runs (3 ER), 8 H, BB, 4 K -- L, 1-6, 2.68 ERA, 1.10 WHIP (both #s lead Bees with more than 10 starts)
DiPietro 3 IP, 4 K -- 4.45 ERA

The Bees had almost as many errors (3) as hits (4) as Peoria took 3 of 4 in the series. Starter Mario Santiago gave up a run on a hit, walk and Jeff Bianchi error in the 1st but Matt Morizio tied it in the 2nd with an RBI single. Two hits and a Morizio passed ball in the 2nd helped the Chiefs score again to take a 2-1 lead and Peoria SP Jake Renshaw retired 13 of 14 over the middle innings. Two hits and a Kurt Mertins error in the 6th helped the Chiefs up the lead to 4-1 on Santiago before he was pulled for Ryan DiPietro, who retired 9 straight. Joe Dickerson hit an RBI double in the 7th but was stranded at third as Chiefs RP Jayson Ruhlman and RP Alessandro Maestri retired the final 8 Bees in a row and Maestri picked up his 5th save. Chiefs CF Matt Camp was 2-3 with 2 doubles (13), his 28th RBI and 2 SB (28) to move to .246 and Renshaw got the win with 6 1/3 IP of 2 ER on 4 hits, a walk and 2 Ks to improve to 8-4 with a 4.12 ERA.

Burlington is 7-5 and in a 4-way tie for first. A 4-game home set vs. the Beloit Snappers (7-5, A Twins) starts tonight. Probable starters: Bees RH Harold Mozingo (7-6, 4.35, better than 3/1 K/BB) and Beloit RH Matthew Fox (4-0, 1.16). Burlington is 0-4 versus Beloit this season.

Rookie -- Idaho Falls: Chukars 12, Ogden 3

SS Juan 3-6, HR (1), 4 RBI (7), K, 2 RS, SB (1) -- .245
1B Seratelli 1-3, 2 BB, HR (4), 3 RBI (15), K, 2 RS -- .382
LF Morel 1-4, BB, HR (1), 3 RBI (4), K, 2 RS -- .206
CF Ortiz 1-6, RBI (4), RS -- .281
C Balduf 3-5, 2 RS -- .391
3B Van De Keere 1-5, 2B (4) -- .293

Chavez 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 5 H, 6 K -- W, 1-0, 2.38 ERA
Secott 2 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K -- 1.29 ERA
Roach 2 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 K, HRA -- 1.17 ERA

The Chukars bombarded Ogden SP Michael Gardner in coasting to the win to set up a chance at a sweep Tuesday. IF starter Chris Chavez stranded 2 in scoring position in the 1st and the Chukars scored 4 in the 2nd on an Ogden error that scored Anthony Seratelli and a 3-run homer by Alvi Morel for his 1st at Idaho Falls this season. Seratelli cranked a 3-run homer to right in the 2nd for his 4th of the season to make it 7-0 and Gardner was ejected later in the inning for a reason not listed in the game log. Chavez gave up 2 runs on 3 hits, an error and a sac fly but Idaho Falls poured on 4 runs in the 6th on an Adrian Ortiz RBI single and 3-run homer by Manni Juan that was his 1st of the season. Juan added an RBI single in the 7th to make it 12-2 before Ogden scored a meaningless run in the 8th on a solo homer off Jason Roach. Ogden 1B Jaime Ortiz was 3-4 with his 1st error, 3rd homer and 2 RBI (10) to move to .294 and Gardner took the loss with 2 2/3 IP of 7 runs (6 ER) on 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 Ks to drop to 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA.

IF is 11-3 and 4 games up on first. The series ends tonight. No announced starters on the team site.

Rookie -- Burlington: B-Royals 3, Bluefield 1

DH Lane 2-4, 2B (4), RBI (8), K, 2 RS -- .351
1B Jimenez 1-3, 2B (3), RBI (5) -- .234
LF Severino 1-3, RBI (8), SB (1) -- .250
RF Tucker 2-3, BB, K, RS -- .294
3B Santos 2-3, 2B (2), picked off -- .250
CF Norris 0-4, 2 K, OF assist at first -- .133
SS Martin 0-3 -- .211

Paukovits 4 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 K, balk -- 5.79 ERA
Bernat 5 IP, H, BB, 5 K -- W, 2-0, 1.50 ERA

Bryan Paukovits and David Bernat held the O's to 4 hits as the Royals earned a split of the 2-game set. Bluefield scored a run on a double, steal and sac fly off Paukovits in the 4th but the Royals tied the game that inning on an Antonio Jimenez RBI double. The B-Royals surged ahead in the 6th with 2 runs on a Jake Lane RBI double and Neder Severino RBI single to make it 3-1. Bernat retired the last 9 Orioles in a row to get his 2nd win. Bluefield CF Kraig Binick was 1-3 with his 3rd double, 2nd SB and an OF assist to move to .442 and SP Pat Egan took the loss with 5 2/3 IP of 3 ER on 8 hits, a walk and 4 Ks to drop to 0-2 with a 4.41 ERA.

The B-Royals are 7-6 and 1 1/2 games back. A 2-game home set with the division leading Princeton Rays (8-4) starts tonight. No announced starters on the team site. Princeton's roster features D-Rays '07 draftees 3rd round P Nick Barnese (no stats yet) and 5th round OF Dustin Biell (.227 BA, .603 OPS in 10 games) among others.

Rookie -- AZL: Giants 8, Royals 1

C S. Perez 1-3, RBI (3), PB (3) -- .200
LF Pennell 1-3, RS, SB (6) -- .310
1B Wood 1-3 -- .345
3B Cruz 0-2, HBP -- .160
CF Richardson 0-4, 3 K -- .143

Penn IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA, rehab
Feickert 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 20.25 ERA
Hodge 3 IP, UER, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 0-1, 0.00 ERA
Mieles IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K, WP -- 8.44 ERA
J. Sanchez IP, 2 UER, 2 H, K -- 18.00 ERA
Vasquez IP, 3 ER, 4 H, K, HRA -- 7.20 ERA

The Giants scored 7 runs over the last 3 innings to paste the Royals. Casey Feickert stranded 2 in the 3rd in relief of rehabbing starter Michael Penn and neither team got on the board until the 5th when the Giants pushed across a run off Mitch Hodge on a hit, walk and Royals error. The Royals were being shut out on 2 hits as Ed Mieles came in for the 7th and allowed 2 Giant runs on 4 hits and a wild pitch. Salvador Perez hit an RBI ground out in the 7th to get the Royals on the board but the Giants scored 2 more on Juan Sanchez in the 8th and 3 more off Alberto Vasquez in the 9th to seal the 8-1 win. Giants C Matt Klimas was 3-4 with his 1st triple and RBI to move to .267, 2B Nick Noonan was 2-5 with his 2nd homer and 3 RBI (11) to move to .382 and RP Mike Musgrave got the win with 3 IP of an ER on a hit and 2 Ks to improve to 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA. Pitchers Lars Knepper and Josue Gomez held the Royals to 2 hits over 5 innings.

The Royals dropped to 2-7. They shut out the A's today. P Blake Wood ('06 3rd round draftee) has joined the AZL roster for some rehab work.