Royals on the Farm 8/26

AAA -- Omaha: O-Royals 2, Round Rock 1 (13)

CF Maier 3-5, HR (12), RBI (60), 2 K, RS -- .285, did I say he likes the leadoff spot?
3B Lewis 1-3, 2 BB, HR (5), RBI (31), 2 K, RS -- .235, walkoff shot
PH-DH Shealy 1-3 -- .263
SS Aviles 0-5, 3 K -- .300, chose bad time of year to slump
DH Sweeney 0-2, 2 K -- .250
1B Brazell 0-4, BB, 2 K, E (8) -- .318
RF Huber 0-5, K -- .270
LF Lubanski 0-3, BB, S, K, CS -- .217

Duckworth 7 IP, 4 H, 6 K -- 3.60 ERA
Atencio 3 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, K, HRA, WP -- BS, 1, 7.00 ERA
Markray IP, H, 2 K -- 4.90 ERA
Hendrickson 2 IP, H, K -- W, 11-5, 4.34 ERA

Mitch Maier and Richie Lewis bookended the game with longballs for Omaha as Lewis ended the Royals' 2007 home slate with a bang. Maier led off the Omaha 1st with his 12th homer and Brandon Duckworth pitched very well with 7 shutout innings as he scattered 4 hits. After Maier's homer the Royals didn't have another hit until the 7th. Omaha stranded runners at the corners in the 8th and Greg Atencio came on for his second inning of work in the 9th only to give up a 1-out game-tying homer to LF Tim Raines Jr. The Royals threw out a runner at home in the 10th to keep the game tied but Round Rock turned the tables to throw out Matt Tupman at home on a Maier single in the bottom of the 10th as Omaha stranded 2. Lewis led off the Omaha 13th with his 5th homer to end the game. Express C Humberto Quintero was 3-5 with his 12th double to move to .337, Raines was 2-6 with his 10th homer and 45th RBI to move to .336 and RP Chance Douglass took the loss with 5 IP of an ER on 3 hits, 5 walks and 2 Ks to fall to 0-6 with a 5.64 ERA.

Omaha is 69-67 and out of the race. A 4-game set at the Nashville Sounds (83-53, AAA Brewers) starts tonight. The Royals are 6-6 versus the Sounds. Probable starters: Royals RH Matt Wright (9-4, 4.11) vs. Sounds RH R.A. Dickey (11-6, 3.74). Lubanski, Atencio, P Nate Hoelscher, P Dusty Hughes, 1B/DH Kila Kaaihue, IF Marc Maddox, and OF Jose Duarte will play for the Surprise Rafters in the Arizona Fall League this year. P Anthony Bradley was moved up from Rookie Burlington to get some time at Omaha.

AA -- Wichita: Wranglers 11, Tulsa 2 (7/G1)

3B Nettles 2-3, BB, 2 2B (12), 3 RBI (38), K, 3 RS
C Espino 3-4, HR (2), 3 RBI (21), K, RS, picked off runner -- .265
RF Joseph 4-4, 2B (12), RBI (29), RS -- .263
CF Greenberg 2-4, 3B (10), RBI (41), RS -- .272
1B Stodolka 2-4, 2B (26), RBI (58), RS -- .291
LF Padilla 2-4, 2B (13), RBI (49), 2 RS -- .345
DH Kaaihue 2-4, RBI (31), K, RS -- .242
2B Valentin 2-4, RS -- .297

DeHoyos 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 K -- 1.80 ERA, spot start for Gabe
Cromer 3 2/3 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K, WP -- W, 3-7, 5.44 ERA

Tulsa scored the first 2 runs of the game but Wichita scored the last 11 to take the first of 2 with the Drillers Sunday. Gabe DeHoyos stranded 2 in the 1st in making a rare starting appearance but then gave up 2 runs on 3 hits, a walk and sac fly in the 2nd. Damaso Espino singled home a run in the Wichita 2nd and the Wranglers tied the game on an Onil Joseph RBI single that same inning. Wichita took the lead with 2 in the 3rd on a Jeff Nettles RBI double and Kila Kaaihue RBI single and then scored 2 in the 4th on an Adam Greenberg RBI triple and Mike Stodolka RBI double. Damaso Espino cracked his 2nd homer of the season in the 5th and the Wranglers finished it off with 4 in the 6th on an RBI single by Jorge Padilla, a 2-run Nettles double and an Espino RBI single. Jason Cromer stranded 1 in the 7th to lock down his 3rd win. Tulsa 2B Corey Wimberly was 1-3 with his 31st RBI to move to .262 and SP Ryan Mattheus took the loss with 5 1/3 IP of 11 ER on 17 hits, a walk and 4 Ks to fall to 9-10 with a 5.39 ERA.

Wranglers 8, Tulsa 1 (7/G2)

1B Kaaihue 2-3, 2 2B (12), 5 RBI (36), RS -- .248
RF Valentin 2-4, K, RS -- .299
DH Stodolka 1-3, BB, 2B (27), RBI (59), K, RS -- .291
C Donachie 1-3, RBI (33) -- .198
CF Greenberg 0-3, BB, RBI (42), RS -- .270
LF Padilla 1-2, HBP, K, RS -- .346

Barnes 4 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K -- 0.82 ERA
Bernat 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, nice AA debut

The situation in game 1 repeated itself in game 2 as Tulsa scored first but it was all Wranglers after that. Justin Barnes allowed a run on 2 hits in the 1st but Wichita took command with a 4-run 3rd on bases-loaded walks by Adam Greenberg and Mike Stodolka and a 2-run double by Kila Kaaihue. Barnes left the bases full in the 4th before handing the ball to David Bernat in the 5th for his Wichita debut. Wichita padded the lead with 4 runs in the 5th on a 3-run double by Kaaihue and an Adam Donachie RBI single. Bernat allowed only 1 hit over his 3 IP to get a win in his first AA outing. Tulsa LF Matt Miller was 2-3 to move to .261 and SP Judd Songster took the loss with 2 2/3 IP of 4 ER on 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 Ks to fall to 5-5 with a 4.50 ERA.

Wichita is 29-33 and 3 1/2 games back. The series concludes tonight. Starters: Rehabbing Wichita lefty Jorge De La Rosa vs. Tulsa righty Jon Asahina (2-4, 4.99).

A-Adv. -- Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Lynchburg 2

DH McCann 4-5, 2 2B (15), RBI (27), RS -- .270, hitting well lately
C Clark 3-4, BB, 2B (5), HR (3), 3 RBI (14), RS -- .264
1B Vega 2-5, 2B (22), RBI (54), RS -- .234
LF Cleveland 1-3, BB, SF, RBI (11), RS -- .254
RF McFall 2-5, 2 K, RS -- .284
SS McConnell 2-4, BB, 2B (7) -- .230
3B Lisson 0-5, 2 K -- .280, hitting streak snapped at 20
*The Rocks stranded 12.

Pimentel 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 K -- W, 11-4, 2.78 ERA
Humen 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, K, WP -- 3.19 ERA

Julio Pimentel got some run support and responded with another solid outing for his 11th win. Brad McCann started a nice day at the plate with a 2-out RBI double in the 1st and the Rocks added 2 in the 2nd on a 2-run homer by Cody Clark for his 3rd of the season. The Rocks finished their scoring with 3 runs in the 5th on RBI doubles by Miguel Vega and Clark sandwiched around a Jeremy Cleveland sac fly. The Hillcats were kept off the board until the 7th when Pimentel left with 2 on and 1 out and David Humen allowed 2 runs to score on a wild pitch, single and sac fly. Wilmington left the bases loaded in the 9th and Humen stranded a runner to finish it. Hillcats 1B Anthony Mansolino was 3-4 to move to .217 and SP Derek Hankins took the loss with 4 2/3 IP of 6 ER on 13 hits and 3 Ks to fall to 8-5 with a 5.20 ERA.

Wilmington is 40-21 and 6 games up on first. The series finishes up tonight. Starters: Rocks right-hander Blake Johnson (8-6, 3.30) vs. Lynchburg southpaw Kyle Bloom (9-11, 5.23). P Blake Wood was promoted to Wilmington after a few good starts at A Burlington. The win gave Wilmington their 13th 40-win half in team history. The last was in the second half of '04, which was the last time the Rocks were a KC affiliate.

A -- Burlington: Wisconsin 7, Bees 0 (4-hitter)

RF Walton 2-3, 2B (12), K -- .280
C Morizio 2-3, 2B (9), CS -- .250
CF Robinson 0-4, K -- .245
SS Bianchi 0-4 -- .239
1B Castillo 0-2, 2 BB, K -- .269

Santiago 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, BB, 4 K -- L, 5-10, 3.77 ERA
Hayes 2 1/3 IP, 2 UER, 3 H -- 3.24 ERA
DiPietro IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, K -- 5.66 ERA
Wladyka IP, K -- 7.06 ERA

SP Tony Butler went the distance and shut the Bees down to give the Rattlers a chance at a series split. The Bees left a runner at third in the 2nd and stranded 2 in the 7th as Butler spaced out the Bees' 4 hits. Mario Santiago didn't have his best stuff as he allowed a run in the 2nd and then runs in the 4th and 5th. Chris Hayes allowed 2 runs in the 7th thanks in part to a Jesus Soto error and then Ryan DiPietro allowed 2 runs in the 8th on 3 hits and a walk. Rattlers DH Joe White was 3-5 with his 32nd RBI to move to .305 and Butler allowed 4 hits and 2 walks with 8 Ks to improve to 3-7 with a 4.99 ERA.

Burlington is 29-32 and 9 games out. The series ends tonight. Starters: Bees RH Ed Cegarra (1-5, 5.03) vs. Rattlers RH Tom Ellis ('07 MWL debut).

Rookie -- Idaho Falls: Chukars 9, Ogden 2

DH Gonzalez 3-5, HR (8), 3 RBI (33), K, 2 RS, 2 SB (16), CS (5) -- .295
CF Ortiz 2-5, 3 RBI (23), RS, SB (16) -- .308
LF Morel 2-5, 2B (6), RBI (14), RS -- .239
SS Seratelli 1-4, BB, HR (10), RBI (42), RS, E (13) -- .333
C Eigsti 1-3, BB, HBP, RBI (11), K, 2 RS -- .217
RF Tucker 2-5, 2B (6), RS -- .382

Chavez 5 IP, 2 UER, 4 H, BB, 4 K, WP -- W, 3-2, 2.96 ERA
Secott, Swaggerty and Holland 4 IP scoreless relief

A 2-run error was all the leeway the Chukars gave Ogden as four Idaho Falls combined to keep the Raptors in check. O.D. Gonzalez singled in a run in the 1st and Adrian Ortiz did the same in the 2nd. Anthony Seratelli made a 2-run error with 2 out in the 2nd to tie the game but the Chukars regained the lead in the 3rd with 2 runs on RBI singles by Ryan Eigsti and Alvi Morel. Starter Chris Chavez stranded 2 Raptors in the 4th and IF surged farther ahead with 4 runs in the 6th on a 2-run Ortiz single and 2-run homer by Gonzalez for his 8th longball at Idaho Falls. Seratelli homered in the 9th for his 10th roundtripper of the season and Greg Holland stranded 2 in the 9th to finish the game. Ogden C Alex Garabedian was 2-3 with his 3rd passed ball to move to .257 and SP Kris Krise took the loss with 5 IP of 4 ER on 7 hits, 3 walks and 2 Ks to drop to 1-6 with a 7.58 ERA.

IF is 17-9 and 2 games up on first. A 3-game home set versus the second-place Orem Owlz (15-11, Rookie Angels) starts tonight. The Chukars are 4-4 versus Orem. Burke Baldwin started for the Chukars.

Rookie -- Burlington: B-Royals 3, Bristol 1 (7/G1)

DH Graterol 3-3, 2 RS -- .224
RF A. Perez 0-1, 2 BB, RBI (34), SB (7) -- .286
SS Martin 0-2, SF, RBI (33), K -- .244
CF Norris 1-2, BB, CS -- .292
1B Amyx 0-2, BB, 2 K, E (5) -- .263

Paukovits 5 IP, UER, 2 H, BB, 7 K -- W, 3-4, 4.91 ERA
Rollins 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K, pickoff -- SV, 3, 4.60 ERA

The Royals rode the pitching of Bryan Paukovits and Jimmy Rollins to a win in the first of 2 with Bristol Sunday. Paukovits gave up a run on a hit, Brett Amyx error and sac fly in the 1st but was lockdown for the next 4 innings. Burlington took the lead with 2 in the 3rd on a passed ball that scored Juan Graterol and a Kyle Martin sac fly. Alwin Perez took a bases loaded walk in the 5th and Rollins stranded 1 in the 7th for his 3rd save. Bristol SP Nathan Jones took the loss with 4 2/3 IP of 3 runs (1 ER) on 3 hits, 4 walks and 4 Ks to fall to 0-4 with a 5.13 ERA.

B-Royals 1, Bristol 0 (7/G2; 3-hitter)

2B Martin 0-2, SF, RBI (34) -- .242
CF Norris 1-2, BB, RS, SB (30) -- .294
1B Amyx 0-2 -- .260

J. Diaz 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- W, 2-1, 4.68 ERA
Lopez 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- SV, 2, 3.58 ERA

The Royals generated a run in the 1st and hung on for the win as Jose Diaz and Yensi Lopez combined on a 3-hitter. Patrick Norris led off the Royals 1st with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a balk and scored on a Kyle Martin sac fly. Diaz stranded the bases loaded in the 5th and Lopez stranded 2 in the 6th before pitching a perfect 7th for his 2nd save. Sox SP Greg Infante took the loss with an ER on 3 hits and a walk over 4 IP to drop to 2-3 with a 4.01 ERA.

Burlington moved to 38-29. They finished the season today with a loss to the Sox. George Biddle took the loss. IF Kyle Martin and OF Patrick Norris will head to Idaho Falls tomorrow. They finished with the third-best record in the league.

Rookie -- AZL: Giants 2, Royals 1

PH-C McCauley 2-3, 2B (9), RBI (12), K -- .284
CF Richardson 0-3, 3 K -- .208
1B Wood 1-4 -- .316
3B F. Cruz 0-3, K -- .218

Lowery 2 IP, ER, 3 H, 5 K -- 4.50 ERA, rehabbing
Sirrett 4 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- L, 1-2, 8.53 ERA
Santerre 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 1.96 ERA

A 7th inning rally helped the Giants to the win and sole possession of first place. Starter Devon Lowery made a rehab start and allowed a run on 2 hits in the 2nd. The Royals stranded 2 in the 3rd but tied the game in the 5th on a Sean McCauley RBI double. Josh Santerre came in with 1 on and 1 out in the 7th and gave up a 2-out RBI single to break the tie. With 1 on and 1 out in the Royals 9th, David Wood flew out to right and Ryan Angel was doubled off first to end the game. Giants 2B Ramon Corona was 2-4 with 2 doubles (7) to move to .308 and P Jonathan Pannell got the win with 2 1/3 IP of a hit and 4 Ks to move to 2-1 with a 2.82 ERA. P Dan Runzler got his 4th save.

The Royals are 15-10 and a game back of first. They played the 12-13 Angels tonight.