Royals on the Farm 8/4

AAA -- Omaha: O-Royals 9, Las Vegas 0 (4-hitter)

2B Aviles 4-4, 2 2B (22), HR (14), 3 RBI (67), RS -- .310
1B Shealy 1-4, HR (4), 3 RBI (11), 2 K, RS -- .274
LF Huber 1-4, HR (13), 2 RBI (50), 2 K, RS -- .271, 4th straight game with homer
DH Brazell 1-4, RBI (61), RS -- .312
RF Costa 2-5, K, 2 RS, SB (7) -- .357
CF Maier 1-4, RS -- .289

Hendrickson CG, 4 H, 4 K -- W, 10-5, 5.03 ERA, wow....tied for PCL wins lead

Ben Hendrickson had the best start of his season for the first Omaha complete-game shutout since Chris George (of all people) did the trick in August 2004. Mike Aviles started his great day with an RBI double in the 1st and then stepped up in the 3rd and cranked a 2-run homer for his 14th of the season to make it 3-0 Omaha. Hendrickson lost his no-hitter in the 4th but Omaha's offense didn't stop as Justin Huber hit a 2-run homer for his 13th of the season in the 4th. Omaha put it away in the 7th with 4 runs on a Craig Brazell RBI force out and a 3-run homer by Ryan Shealy for his 4th at Omaha. Hendrickson continued to cruise and gave up a double in the 9th before closing out the shutout victory. 51s SS Chin-Lung Hu was 2-4 with his 3rd double to move to .337 and SP Eric Stults took the loss with 4 IP of 5 runs (4 ER) on 6 hits, a walk and 3 Ks to drop to 5-6 with a 7.14 ERA.

Omaha is 58-57. A 4-game home series with the Tucson Sidewinders (59-54, AAA D-Backs) starts today. Starters: Tucson LH Greg Smith (1-2, 5.48) vs. Omaha RH Luke Hochevar (1-2, 7.08). Hochevar gave up 4 runs in the 1st and Omaha is down, 5-3, midway through. Tucson's roster features Arizona prospects P Dana Eveland (1-0, 2.70), IF Alberto Callaspo (.340 BA/.896 OPS), IF Chris Carter (.330/.916) and, far from a prospect, former Royals P D.J. Carrasco (5-11, 6.21). Friday and Saturday's games were the first back-to-back Omaha shutouts since 1999.

AA -- Wichita: Arkansas 8, Wranglers 4

1B Stodolka 2-4, 3B (1), RBI (49), 2 K, RS -- .304
DH Kaaihue 2-4, RBI (23) -- .250
RF Valentin 1-5, 2B (13), RBI (38) -- .300
SS Falu 1-4, RBI (19), K, SB (12) -- .248
CF Greenberg 1-4, BB, 2B (26), K, 2 RS -- .262
LF Padilla 1-4, E (2), OF assist at home -- .356

Christensen 3 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, WP -- L, 3-12, 6.04 ERA
Connolly 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, balk -- 5.13 ERA
de la Vara IP, ER, 3 H, 2 K -- 5.87 ERA
Cedeno IP, ER, 2 H, K -- 6.45 ERA

Dan Christensen had another rough outing and Arkansas got a fairly easy win. The Wranglers hit 3 straight 2-out singles in the 1st capped by a Kila Kaaihue RBI single to take a 1-0 lead. Arkansas tied it on a hit and walk off Christensen in the 2nd but Wichita regained the lead in the 3rd on a Mike Stodolka RBI triple. Christensen collapsed in the 3rd with 4 runs allowed on 6 hits and a wild pitch to make it 5-2 Travs. Christensen was pulled with 2 on and 1 out in the 4th and Mike Connolly let 1 run in before getting out of the inning. Wichita stranded 2 in the 6th but cut into the lead in the 7th on a Geraldo Valentin RBI double. Gilbert de la Vara gave the run back on 3 hits in the Travelers 7th and Juan Cedeno allowed a run on 2 hits in the 8th to make it 8-3. Irving Falu singled home a run in the 9th but was left at second. Travs LF Coby Smith was 2-5 with his 8th double and 3 RBI (13) to move to .288 and RP David Austen got the win with 2 2/3 IP of an ER on 3 hits and 2 Ks to improve to 2-0 with a 7.27 ERA.

Wichita is 16-25 and 8 games back. Game 2 is tonight. Probable starters: Wichita lefty Dusty Hughes (3-2, 3.58) and Arkansas righty Fernando Rodriguez (6-2, 4.43).

A-Adv. -- Wilmington: Frederick 5, Blue Rocks 1

3B Lisson 2-3, BB, K -- .270
CF Duarte 1-4, RS -- .283
2B Maddox 0-4 -- .266
SS McConnell 0-2, BB -- .256

Penn 6 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 10 H, 2 K, HRA, E (1) -- L, 2-2, 4.28 ERA
Barnes IP, H, WP -- 3.73 ERA
Haltiwanger IP, BB, K -- 3.51 ERA

Wilmington was being shut out on 4 hits entering the 9th before saving a little face with a late run as Keys SP Chorye Spoone got the complete-game win. Frederick took the lead with 3 runs in the 2nd off SP Michael Penn on 4 hits. Penn allowed a run thanks in part to an error on a pickoff attempt throw in the 5th and then served up a solo homer in the 6th to make it 5-0. The Rocks' offense struggled all day into the 9th when Jose Duarte led off the inning with a single and eventually scored on a Keys error before Kiel Thibault hit into a force out to end it. Frederick RF Brent Krause was 2-4 with his 5th double, 3rd homer and 2 RBI (10) to move to .281 and Spoone allowed an UER on 5 hits, 2 walks and 4 Ks to improve to 8-7 with a 3.29 ERA.

Wilmington is 26-16 and 4 games up on first. The Rocks have today off.

A -- Burlington: Bees 4, South Bend 2

DH Castillo 2-4, RBI (6), SB (1) -- .255
SS Bianchi 1-5, RBI (27) -- .228
RF Walton 2-3, BB, K, RS, SB (4) -- .317
C Morizio 2-4 -- .241
1B Turner 2-3, S, K, RS -- .214
CF Robinson 0-3, S, HBP -- .240
LF Dickerson 0-5, K -- .288

DiPietro 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K -- 5.27 ERA
Santiago 6 2/3 IP, 7 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- W, 4-7, 2.98 ERA
Barrera IP, 2 K, WP -- SV, 2, 5.56 ERA

The Bees keyed on 2 South Bend miscues in the 9th to get the 4-2 win. Starter Ryan DiPietro stranded 2 Silver Hawks in the 1st and Luis Castillo singled in a run in the 2nd to make it 1-0 Bees. Castillo was stranded at third and DiPietro was credited with 2 ER in the bottom of the inning as Mario Santiago came in with 2 on and 1 out and gave up 2 RBI singles to make it 2-1 SB. The Bees stranded 2 in the 4th but tied it in the 5th on a Jeff Bianchi RBI single. Burlington left the bases full that inning and the 2-2 tie held into the 9th after Santiago stranded the bases loaded in the 8th. A South Bend error put runners at first and third with 1 out in the 9th and another error scored Brady Everett to break the tie. Jeff Bianchi added a run-scoring force out to make it 4-2. Henry Barrera pitched a solid 9th for his 2nd save. South Bend LF Tyler Jones was 2-3 with his 8th RBI and an OF assist at second to move to .278 and RP Craig Pfautz took the loss with an IP of 2 UER on a hit to drop to 3-4 with a 4.56 ERA.

The Bees are 19-22 and 5 1/2 games back. The series was supposed to continue today but has been rain delayed. No announced starters on the team site.

Rookie -- Idaho Falls: Chukars 6, Casper 2 (7/G1)

CF Gonzalez 3-4, 2B (11), HR (6), 2 RBI (24), K, 3 RS, SB (7) -- .323
2B Bionde 2-3, 2 RBI (7) -- .221
DH Ortiz 2-4, RBI (13), 2 K, SB (9) -- .313
3B Evangelho 2-2, BB, SF, RBI (13), RS, SB (3) -- .343
RF Seratelli 1-4 -- .335
1B Robinson 0-3, BB, K, RS -- .329

Norton 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- 2.76 ERA
Roach IP, H, K -- W, 1-0, 4.15 ERA
Phillips 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, K -- 3.38 ERA
Holland 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K -- SV, 3, 1.74 ERA

Idaho Falls poured on 5 runs in the final 2 innings to take the first of 2 with Casper Saturday. The Chukars stranded 2 in the 1st and left a runner at third in the 2nd. O.D. Gonzalez hit a solo homer in the 4th for his 6th longball of the season and Zach Evangelho was thrown out at home later in the inning to keep it 1-0. The Chukars broke it open with 3 in the 6th on a 2-run single by Mike Bionde and an Adrian Ortiz RBI single. Casper got back in the game with a 2-run 6th off Justin Phillips and Greg Holland. IF got both runs back in the 7th on a Gonzalez RBI double and an Evangelho sac fly. Casper SP Robert Paschal took the loss with 4 IP of an ER on 4 hits, 2 walks and 3 Ks to drop to 0-4 with a 5.79 ERA.

Chukars 7, Casper 0 (7/G2)

DH Seratelli 2-4, 2 HR (7), 5 RBI (30), K, 2 RS -- .340
1B Robinson 1-3, BB, RBI (39), RS -- .329
CF Gonzalez 0-4, RBI (25), 2 K -- .314
SS Juan 2-4, 2B (6), 3 RS, SB (3) -- .206
3B Van De Keere 2-3, BB, K, RS, SB (1) -- .295
LF Koko 2-3, SB (3) -- .156

Chavez 3 IP, 4 H, 4 K, 2 WP -- 2.92 ERA
Secott 2 IP, 3 K -- W, 3-0, 0.87 ERA
J. Hughes 2 IP, H, BB, 5 K, WP -- 3.62 ERA

A 4-run 5th put it away for IF as three pitchers combined on a 5-hitter. O.D. Gonzalez hit an RBI ground out in the 1st, Anthony Seratelli led off the 2nd with his 6th homer and Clint Robinson hit an RBI single in the 3rd to make it 3-0 Chukars. Chris Chavez got through 3 innings before handing the game to the bullpen. Dane Secott pitched 2 perfect innings and the Chukars scored 4 in the 5th on a Seratelli grand slam for his 7th of the season and 2nd of the game to make it 7-0 IF. Joe Hughes stranded 1 in the 7th to close it out. Casper 3B Jordan Pacheco was 2-3 with his 6th double to move to .252 and SP Jeff Fischer took the loss with 4 1/3 IP of 7 runs (5 ER) on 9 hits, 2 BB and 6 Ks to drop to 0-7 with a 7.19 ERA.

IF improved to 6-0 and 3 games up on first. A 3-game home set with the Ogden Raptors (2-4, Rookie Dodgers) starts tonight. No announced starters on the team site. IF is 7-2 versus Ogden.

Rookie -- Burlington: Elizabethton 8, B-Royals 4

RF Tucker 2-4, HR (7), 2 RBI (32), RS -- .279
2B Santos 1-4, 2B (5), RBI (17) -- .286
LF Severino 1-4, HR (2), RBI (13), K, RS -- .259
DH Lane 2-4, 2B (9), K, RS, SB (6) -- .303
CF Norris 0-4, K, OF assist at third -- .277
1B Amyx 0-3, BB, 3 K -- .223

Paulino 3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, HRA, WP -- 4.07 ERA
Biddle 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB -- 0.00 ERA
Gjeldum 1 1/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, BB -- L, 3-1, 4.79 ERA
Woods 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB -- 2.38 ERA

Elizabethton took control in the 7th and doubled up the Royals. Starter Eduardo Paulino gave up 2 runs in the 1st on 2 hits, 2 walks and a wild pitch to make it 2-0 Twins. Wilson Tucker tied it with a 2-run homer in the 3rd for the 7th of his career but Paulino gave up a solo homer and another run in the 3rd to make it 4-2 Twins. Neder Severino led off the Royal 5th with his 2nd homer and, after Patrick Norris nailed a runner at third to stymie the Twins 5th, Jose Santos hit an RBI double in the 6th to retie it. The Royals stranded 2 in the inning and manager Darryl Kennedy was ejected after arguing a looking K. RP Ted Gjeldum allowed the go-ahead run in the 7th on a walk, single and Kyle Martin's 7th error. The Twins added 3 in the 8th on 2 hits off Gjeldum and 2 hits and a walk off Ryan Woods to make it 8-4. The Royals went down in order in the 9th. Twins 3B Deibinson Romero was 3-5 with his 7th double and 29th RBI to move to .295 and RP Brad Tippett got the win with 3 IP of an ER on 3 hits, a walk and 2 Ks to improve to 6-0 with a 0.73 ERA.

Burlington is 24-19 and 6 games back. The series wraps tonight. No announced starters on the team site.

Rookie -- AZL: Royals 3, Padres 1

RF Pennell 1-3, BB, RBI (11), K -- .309
SS Jose 1-3, BB, 2B (4), RBI (13), K, E (15) -- .193
2B Donovan 0-3, SF, RBI (16), K -- .297
CF Richardson 1-3, BB, K, RS, 2 SB (7) -- .218
1B Wood 0-4, 2 K, E (5) -- .351
3B F. Cruz 1-3, S, 2 K -- .212

Duffy 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K, WP -- 0.55 ERA
Lehmann 4 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K, WP -- W, 3-1, 3.99 ERA
Jorge IP, ER, H, K, HRA -- 27.00 ERA
Van Slyke IP, H, 2 K -- SV, 5, 0.52 ERA

Four Royals pitchers got the job done as the team stayed hot in the second half. Starter Dan Duffy stranded 2 in the 1st but the Royals left the bases loaded in their half of the inning. Duffy stranded the bases loaded in the 2nd and the Royals scored 2 in their half on a Dennis Donovan sac fly and a Lifete Jose RBI double. Mike Lehmann came in with the bases loaded and 2 out in the 3rd and got a force out to escape the jam. Vinny Pennel hit an RBI single in the 4th to make it 3-0 and Lehmann held the line into the 8th. Victor Jorge came on to pitch that inning and gave up a leadoff homer before getting out of the inning with the 3-1 lead. Eric Van Slyke stranded 1 in the 9th as he notched his 5th save. Pads RF Angel Mercado was 2-4 with his 2nd homer and 14th RBI to move to .300 and SP Simon Castro took the loss with 3 2/3 IP of 3 runs (1 ER) on 4 hits, 3 walks and 5 Ks to drop to 2-2 with a 3.82 ERA.

The Royals are 6-1 and 1 1/2 games up on first. They have today off.