Royals on the Farm 8/28

AAA -- Omaha: Nashville 7, O-Royals 3

RF Huber 2-3, HR (17), 2 RBI (64), 2 RS -- .275
3B Wathan 1-3, 2B (7), RBI (20) -- .248
CF Maier 0-4, 4 K, OF assists at second and third -- .281, golden sombrero with 4 Ks
2B Cortez 0-4 -- .301
SS Aviles 0-4, K -- .296, 0-17 slide
DH Sweeney 0-3, HBP, RS -- .182
1B Brazell 0-4, 2 K -- .314
LF Lubanski 0-3, K -- .207, 2-22 slide

Hoelscher 3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 K -- L, 5-3, 5.45 ERA
Musser 2 IP, ER, 2 H, K -- 0.49 ERA
Hendrickson 3 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K -- 4.31 ERA

A 5-run 2nd was all Nashville really needed to beat the Royals Tuesday. Justin Huber gave Omaha an early lead with a 2-run homer in the 2nd for his 17th of the season but the Sounds got to Omaha starter Nate Hoelscher in a big way in their half. Nashville scored 5 runs on 5 hits and a hit batsman before Hoelscher escaped the inning. Derek Wathan cut into the lead with an RBI double in the 5th but Nashville got the run back off Neal Musser in the bottom of the inning on 2 2-out hits before Mitch Maier nailed a runner at third to end the inning. While 13 of the last 14 Royal batters went back to the dugout as outs, Nashville added an insurance run off Ben Hendrickson in the 8th. Sounds CF Laynce Nix was 4-4 with 2 doubles (18) and his 70th RBI to move to .270 and P Tim Dillard got the win with 4 2/3 IP of a hit, walk and 3 Ks in relief to move to 7-4 with a 4.71 ERA.

Omaha is 69-69 with 6 games left. Game 3 was slated for this afternoon but is being delayed by rain. Starters: Royals RH Luke Hochevar (1-3, 6.14) vs. Sounds LH Zach Jackson (10-10, 4.76). Mike Aviles and Billy Buckner were named the Omaha player and pitcher of the year. Not much argument on either count. Buckner had the best numbers of any Omaha starter and Aviles has hit well fairly consistently until recently. Craig Brazell would have been the only other contender offensively other than maybe Joey Gathright, and neither of them played in near as many games as Aviles. Really, I'd say this award was there for the taking for Mitch Maier this season, and he has a big edge on Aviles defensively, it seems, but he hasn't been consistent enough offensively.

AA -- Wichita: Springfield 5, Wranglers 4

1B Kaaihue 1-3, BB, HR (10), 2 RBI (38), 2 RS -- .249
3B Nettles 1-4, 2B (13), RBI (39), RS -- .284
RF Joseph 1-4, RBI (30) -- .266
DH Valentin 1-3, BB, K, RS -- .299
LF Padilla 0-4, 2 K -- .336

Christensen 6 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 3 K, 3 HRA -- L, 3-14, 6.15 ERA, yikes again
Foster 1 1/3 IP, K -- 3.24 ERA

Dan Christensen picked up his 14th loss of the season as the Cardinals fended off a 9th inning Wichita rally. Kila Kaaihue hit a 2-run homer in the 1st for his 10th at AA this season and Wichita had a 2-0 lead but had only 1 more hit before the 9th. Christensen gave up a leadoff homer to CF Colby Rasmus in the 1st and a 3-run homer to 3B Rico Washington in the 3rd before serving up a solo homer in the 4th to make it 5-2 Springfield. Springfield starter Cory Rauschenberger retired 13 of 14 after Kaaihue's homer and then stranded 2 in the 6th before giving the game to the pen in the 7th. The Wranglers rallied in the 9th as Jeff Nettles hit a 1-out RBI double and Onil Joseph singled in a run with 2 out to cut the lead to 5-4 but Mike Gaffney struck out to end the game and give RP Mike Sillman his 2nd save. Washington was 1-4 for the Cardinals with his 2nd homer and 3 RBI (15) to move to .277 and Rauschenberger got the win with 6 IP of 2 ER on 2 hits, 3 walks and 2 Ks to move to 10-8 with a 4.81 ERA.

Wichita is 29-35 and 5 1/2 games back with 6 games left, so a loss tonight would officially knock them out of the race. Probable starters not available at the moment because the team site wouldn't load. As noted yesterday, Mike Stodolka and Dusty Hughes were named Wichita's player and pitcher of the year. No argument with Stodolka, and Hughes was merely the most solid of a group of pitchers who didn't do that great this year in AA.

A-Adv. -- Wilmington: Blue Rocks 5, Salem 2

1B McCann 1-4, HR (6), 3 RBI (30), RS -- .264
RF McFall 2-4, 2 2B (31), 2 RBI (71), K, SB (10) -- .286
CF Duarte 2-3, BB, RS -- .289
3B Lisson 2-4, K, 2 RS -- .280
2B Maddox 1-4, 2B (16), K, RS -- .258

Cortes 7 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K -- W, 7-8, 3.20 ERA, another great start for Dan
Chambliss IP, 2 ER, 2 H -- 4.27 ERA
Green IP, BB, 2 K -- SV, 5, 4.01 ERA

The Brad McCann-Brian McFall tandem proved to be a potent combo again Tuesday as the duo combined for all 5 of the Rocks' RBIs in the win. With 2 on and 1 out in the 1st, McCann stepped up and slammed his 6th homer for Wilmington to give the Rocks a 3-0 lead. McFall followed with a double but was stranded at third. As starter Dan Cortes held Salem to 1 hit over 5 IP, McFall hit a 2-out, 2-run double in the Rocks 5th to make it 5-0. Cortes handed a 2-hit shutout to the pen in the 8th and Tyler Chambliss got touched up for 2 runs on 2 hits and a hit batsman. Patrick Green stranded 1 in the 9th for his 5th save. Salem LF Billy Hart was 2-3 with 2 doubles (26) and his 43rd RBI to move to .295 and SP Sean Walker took the loss with 5 IP of 5 ER on 8 hits, 2 walks and 3 Ks to fall to 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA.

Wilmington is 42-21 and 6 games up on first. They've clinched at least a tie for the second-half division title and need only a win or a Potomac loss to clinch it for themselves. No announced Rocks starter for tonight's game on the team site. I keep forgetting to note that McCann and his more famous younger brother, Brian, were featured in a good article in the most recent ESPN The Magazine. Hopefully the Royals can get something good out of Brad, as he seems to have the potential. Check your local newsstand. Rowdy Hardy and Jose Duarte were named the Wilmington pitcher and player of the year. It's hard to argue about what Hardy's done, as he's been the best story of the Royals minors this season. Duarte also deserves the award, although McFall and Mario Lisson had to have made the decision a little harder.

A -- Burlington: Quad Cities 4, Bees 3 (10)

CF Robinson 2-5, HR (2), 2 RBI (26), K, RS, CS, E (7) -- .247
3B Thompson 2-4, 2B (22), RBI (54) -- .226
DH Castillo 1-5, 2 K -- .265
RF Walton 0-2 -- .278, left after running into wall in 5th
SS Bianchi 1-3, RS -- .240

Gutierrez 7 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 5 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 6.04 ERA
Barrera 3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 K -- L, 2-1, 4.15 ERA

The Bees clawed back from a 3-0 8th inning deficit to force extras but didn't get the win. Starter Dan Gutierrez ran into trouble quickly as the Swing scored a run on 2 hits and a walk in the 1st. The Bees stranded 2 in the 1st and Gutierrez gave up 2 runs in the 5th on a 2-run inside-the-park homer as Jamar Walton ran into the wall pursuing the ball and had to leave the game. Swing SP Shaun Garceau left a 4-hit shutout to the pen in the 7th and Derrick Robinson broke that up with a 2-run homer in the 8th for his 2nd of the season. The deficit was 1 entering the bottom of the 9th when Mike Thompson hit a clutch RBI double to tie the game but the Bees left the bases full against RP Kyle Mura. Bees RP Henry Barrera gave up a run on 2 hits in the 10th and Jeff Bianchi grounded into a double play in the bottom of the inning to end it. Swing 1B Tim Dorn was 3-4 with his 5th double, 2nd homer and 2 RBI (9) to move to .198 and Mura got his 1st blown save but vultured the win with 2 IP of an ER on 2 hits, a walk and K to move to 7-0 with a 1.59 ERA. Garceau went 6 IP of 4 hits, a walk and 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.32.

Burlington is 29-34 and out of the playoff race. The series ends tonight. Probable starters: Bees LH Everett Teaford (5-8, 4.73) vs. Quad Cities RH Elvis Hernandez (6-9, 4.22). Burlington's pitcher and player of the year were Mario Santiago and Joe Dickerson. Both were the most worthy recipients, although Jason Godin has pitched well. Mike Thompson was named to the MWL postseason all-star squad despite hitting in the .220s and seeing his power numbers drop somewhat in the second half.

Rookie -- Idaho Falls: Chukars 6, Orem 5 (15)

C Balduf 1-4, BB, HBP, HR (2), 2 RBI (16), 3 RS -- .283
1B Seratelli 2-6, BB, 2B (16), RBI (43), K -- .333
2B Bionde 0-6, RBI (11), K -- .217
DH Robinson 2-5, K, RS -- .339
RF Gonzalez 2-7, K, RS -- .291
SS Martin 2-6, 2B (1) -- .333
RF Tucker 0-6, BB -- .325
PR-DH Ortiz 1-2, SB (17) -- .313
* IF stranded 10.

Snipes 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- 5.02 ERA
Denton 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K, pickoff -- 3.89 ERA
Jensen IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, K, HRA -- 4.01 ERA
Cassa 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- 3.70 ERA
Swaggerty 3 IP, 5 K -- 3.38 ERA
Roach IP, H -- W, 3-0, 3.46 ERA

The Chukars broke a 7-inning stalemate with a walkoff double in the 15th to gain another game on the Owlz. Kyle Martin doubled in his first Idaho Falls AB in the 3rd and Mike Bionde drove in a run with a ground out to make it 1-0 Chukars. Starter Clegg Snipes had gotten through the first 3 innings rather easily but allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks, a hit batsman and wild pitch in the 4th before getting pulled for Chris Denton in the 5th. The Chukars stranded 2 in the 5th and Denton stranded 2 Owlz in the 7th before IF tied it in the 7th with 2 runs on two run-scoring wild pitches by RP Brian Chambers. RP Matt Jensen gave up a 2-run homer in the 8th but Todd Balduf cracked a 2-run homer for IF in the bottom of the inning for his 2nd for the Chukars. From there, the bullpens were lights out as the game stayed tied at 5 until the 15th. Devery Van De Keere drew a 1-out walk in the 15th, advanced to second on an O.D. Gonzalez single and then Anthony Seratelli hit a 2-out walkoff double to end the game. Orem LF Jeremy Moore was 2-6 with his 12th double, 12th homer and 4 RBI (50) to move to .272 and RP Tremayne Holland took the loss with 2/3 IP of an ER on 2 hits and a walk to drop to 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA.

Idaho Falls is 19-9 and 4 games up on first. The series ends tonight with no announced starters on the team site. Clint Robinson and Greg Holland were named the IF player and pitcher of the year. Robinson's only stiff competition was Seratelli but Robinson earned the award. Holland is a tougher choice to defend as he's blown 5 or 6 saves and hasn't been lockdown down the stretch. I'd have given it to Dane Secott (0.90 ERA in 30 IP compared to 3.30 ERA in same IP for Holland) or Zach Peterson (53 Ks in 50 IP) before Holland, but Holland does lead the team in wins at 6.

Rookie -- Burlington: done at 38-30

Wilson Tucker and Anthony Bradley were named the Burlington player and pitcher of the year. Tucker's main fellow contenders were Jake Lane and Patrick Norris, most likely, and he earned the award over them, although an argument of him vs. Lane can be made. Lane had a higher OPS but Tucker had the edge defensively. Bradley's main competition was Joe Augustine, but he had a better K-rate and ERA than Augustine in more innings.

Rookie -- AZL: Royals 3, Brewers 0 (4-hitter)

2B Angel 1-3, HR (3), RBI (25), RS -- .260
C McCauley 1-3, 2B (10), RBI (13), E (4) -- .286
SS Donovan 1-2, BB, RBI (18), RS, CS -- .252
CF Richardson 0-4, 3 K -- .203
1B Wood 0-3 -- .319
3B F. Cruz 0-3, K -- .215

Mitchell 4 IP, H, 3 BB, 7 K -- 1.80 ERA
Farinas 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- W, 2-3, 3.55 ERA
Van Slyke 1/3 IP, K -- SV, 9, 0.83 ERA

A trio of pitchers combined on a 3-hit shutout for the Royals as they looked to finish off a good second half. Ryan Angel homered in the 1st for his 3rd of the season and the Royals scored 2 in the 2nd on a Dennis Donovan RBI single and Sean McCauley RBI double. Starter Matt Mitchell struck out the side with a walk mixed in in the 1st and Williams Farinas stranded 2 in scoring position in the 5th. Eric Van Slyke got the last out in the 9th for his 9th save. Brewers SP Efrain Nieves took the loss with 5 IP of 3 ER on 4 hits, a walk and 4 Ks to fall to 2-3 with a 5.31 ERA.

The Royals are 16-11 and out of the race in the AZL as the Giants won to lock down the second-half title. They finish the season with a game tonight against the 16-11 Mariners. Mitchell and David Wood were the AZL pitcher and player of the year. Wood was a no-contest choice while Mitchell's main competition was Dan Duffy, but Mitchell led the team in IP and had 72 Ks in 55 IP. Duffy had a little better WHIP (not much) and better K/BB ratio and ERA but either would have made a good choice, and Mitchell deserved it.

Rookie -- DSL: The Dominican League Royals finished the season 39-29.

Angel Franco and Giancarlo De La Cruz were the DSL player and pitcher of the year. SS Franco led the team in hitting at .282 and was second in OPS at .718. He was also among the team leaders in SB at 14. His stiffest competition was probably OF Alexis Marte, who hit for an .801 OPS but in 21 less games. Marte also drew 35 walks compared to only 15 Ks and led the team with a .436 OBP. De La Cruz led the team in IP at 56 and posted a 1.13 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 55 Ks and only 13 BB. He made it a pretty easy choice, plus he's only 17, so hopefully he's higher on the map next season.