Royals on the Farm 4/29

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 12, Sacramento 4

RF Costa 3-5, HR (5), 3 RBI (17), 2 RS -- .337
SS Aviles 3-5, HBP, 2B (11), HR (5), 2 RBI (23), K, 3 RS, E -- .364, defense has come along as that's his 1st error of year.....how long can KC keep him at Omaha with the way he's playing????
3B Smith 3-4, SF, 2B (5), HR (6), 2 RBI (13), 3 RS -- .265
1B Shealy 2-4, BB, HR (7), 2 RBI (12), K, RS -- .217, finally back over Mendoza line
CF Maier 2-6, HR (2), RBI (4), 2 K, RS -- .296
DH Lubanski 1-4, BB, 2B (4), RBI (14) -- .247
C Huckaby 1-5, RBI, RS -- .154

Davies 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 6 K, WP -- W, 3-1, 1.80 ERA, not a great outing but with that run support....
Giron 3 IP, UER, H, 2 K, WP -- 4.42 ERA
Salmon IP, BB, K -- 5.74 ERA

*** Three multiple-run rallies helped Omaha swamp the RiverCats to even the series at a game each. Mitch Maier hit a leadoff homer in the first AB of the game for his 2nd of the season and Omaha added 2 more runs in the 1st on a Ryan Shealy RBI single and Jason Smith sac fly off RiverCats SP Danny Borrell. Kyle Davies was no sharper for Omaha as Sacramento scored 3 runs in the 1st on 4 hits, a walk and sac fly to tie the game. Mike Aviles put the O-Royals back on top with a solo homer in the 2nd (his 5th) and Omaha wouldn't trail. Chris Lubanski cracked an RBI double in the 3rd to make it 5-3 and Davies worked in and out of trouble in the 3rd to keep the lead at 2. Brad Knox replaced Borrell in the 5th and Shealy greeted him with a leadoff homer for his 7th of the season. Two batters later, Smith cranked his 6th homer of the season to make it 7-3. Omaha stranded 2 in the 6th but put the game away in the 7th with 5 runs on RBI singles by Ken Huckaby and Aviles and a 3-run homer by Costa (his 5th) as the first batter to face Sac'to RP Jesus Silva. An Aviles throwing error helped lead to a Sacramento run in the 8th but Roberto Giron and Brad Salmon faced no serious trouble in finishing out the victory for Davies. Borrell took the loss for the RiverCats with 4 IP of 5 ER on 7 H, 2 BB and 2 K to drop to 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA. LF Danny Putnam was 2-4 with his 3rd double and 11th RBI to move to .329.

Omaha is 14-9 and 3.5 games up on first. Game 3 of the set is a matinee today. Probable starters: Omaha southpaw Tyler Lumsden (1-1, 9.56) vs. RiverCats LH Lenny DiNardo (0-0, 0.00), although currently the team site lists Sacramento's SP as TBA.

AA - NW Arkansas: Springfield 5, Naturals 4

DH Kaaihue 1-3, BB, HR (7), 3 RBI (22), RS -- .230
CF Duarte 1-4, 2B, K, RS -- .217
SS Sanchez 0-3, BB, RS -- .181
LF Valentin 1-2, BB, HBP, RS, picked off, OF assist at third -- .352
* RF Brian McFall had an OF assist at first and Ovandy Suero stole his 15th base.

B. Johnson 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, K -- 5.40 ERA
De La Cruz 3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 2.55 ERA
Plummer 2/3 IP, ER, H -- L, 0-1, 3.38 ERA

*** The Naturals led going into the bottom of the 7th but watched the game slip away. Starter Blake Johnson got out to a rough start as the Cardinals scored twice in the 1st on 3 hits and a walk before stranding 2. Johnson stranded 2 more in scoring position in the 2nd and Springfield starter P.J. Walters took a perfect game 2 outs into the 5th. Geraldo Valentin broke it up with a single and, after an Ed Lucas single, Valentin scored thanks to 2 Walters wild pitches to cut the lead to 2-1. Springfield got the run back in the bottom of the 5th but Valentin helped cut the rally short by nailing a runner at third via relay man Mario Lisson. With 2 out and 2 on in the NWA 6th, Kila Kaaihue turned the game on one pitch as a 3-run homer (his 7th) made it 4-3 Naturals. Julio De La Cruz came in for Johnson to start the 6th and lost the lead in the 7th with a leadoff homer. The Naturals stranded 2 in the 9th and Jarod Plummer was brought in to start the bottom of the 9th on the mound. A leadoff double and sac bunt put the winning run at third for Springfield and a sac fly brought the runner home to end the game. Walters took a no decision despite 8 2/3 IP of 4 ER on 4 hits, 2 walks and 9 Ks to move his ERA to 3.25. RP Fernando Salas got the win with 1/3 IP to move to 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA.

The Naturals are 10-15 and 2 games back. Game 2 is a day game today as Carlos Rosa (2-2, 1.61) squares off with whoever Springfield sends out. The team site has it as P.J. Walters, but since he pitched Tuesday, I doubt that's correct. The Morning News site has Cory Rauschenberger (0-1 10.61) as the Springfield starter.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Frederick 6, Blue Rocks 1 (7/G1)

CF D. Robinson 3-4, RS, SB (11) -- .247
RF Dickerson 2-4, RBI (12) -- .333
2B Mertins 1-2, 2 BB, 2B (7), K -- .338
SS McConnell 0-3, S -- .212
C Howell 0-3, K -- .340
3B J. Johnson 1-2, BB, K -- .282, .500 OBP (!!) in 39 ABs
* LF Jarrod Dyson had an OF assist at home. The Rocks stranded 10.

Kniginyzky 3 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- L, 0-2, 4.12 ERA
Haltiwanger 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 3.77 ERA
Barrera IP, ER, 4 H -- 3.27 ERA

*** Frederick got started in the 3rd and rolled past Wilmington to take the first of two with the Rocks Tuesday. The Rocks left the bases loaded in the 1st and the Keys finally pounced on Matt Kniginyzky in the 3rd as they got a 2-out, 2-run double from CF Chris Amador to take the lead. A Joe Dickerson RBI groundout cut the lead in half in the bottom of the 3rd but Frederick poured on 3 runs in the 4th on 2 hits, 2 walks and a hit batsman by Kniginyzky before Russ Haltiwanger was brought in and walked in a run credited to Kniginyzky to make it 5-1. The Rocks stranded 2 in both the 5th and 6th and Henry Barrera allowed a Keys insurance run on 4 hits in the 7th. The Rocks loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th in the truncated twinbill game but left them that way. Keys starter Jacob Renshaw got the win with 5 2/3 IP of an ER on 6 hits, 3 walks and 4 Ks to improve to 3-2 with a 4.88 ERA. RP J.P. Martinez notched his 2nd save. 3B Billy Rowell was 2-4 with his 1st double, 4th RBI and a RS to move to .250, Amador was 1-4 with his 5th double and 2 RBI (11) to move to .272 and C Matt Wieters was 1-4 to drop to .375. RF Brandon Tripp also had 2 hits and his 3rd SB for the Keys.

Keys 3, Rocks 2 (7/G2)

CF D. Robinson 2-4, 2B (4), SB (12), 2 RS -- .259
SS McConnell 1-3, SF, RBI (6) -- .217
RF Dickerson 1-2, BB, 2 SB (15) -- .338
2B Mertins 0-3 -- .324
* 3B Wilver Perez made his first 2 errors of the season.

Godin 5 1/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 WP -- L, 1-1, 4.94 ERA
de la Vara 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 K -- 5.09 ERA

*** It was deja vu. For the second time this season, the Keys swept a doubleheader from the Blue Rocks as a 6th inning run made the difference in the nightcap. Derrick Robinson singled and scored on a wild pitch in the 1st to give the Rocks a 1-0 lead and Chris McConnell, who had singled to follow Robinson, was thrown out on a fielder's choice at the plate to keep the Rocks' lead at 1. The Keys took the lead off Jason Godin in the 2nd with 2 runs on 3 hits, a walk and wild pitch with 2 outs. Robinson doubled to lead off the Rocks 3rd, stole third and scored on a McConnell sac fly and the game was tied at 2. The game stayed tied into the 6th when a Wilver Perez error started the Keys' rally. Gilbert de la Vara replaced Godin with 1 out and 2 in scoring position and the Rocks got the second out with a fielder's choice at the plate before CF Daniel Figueroa came through with the gamebreaking RBI single. The Rocks stranded the tying run at third in the 6th and Keys RP Jason Burch had a 1-2-3 9th for his 5th save. RP Ryan Rodriguez got the win with 2 2/3 scoreless IP to move to 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA. Starter Chad Thall went 2 1/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 4 hits with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.63. LF Robert Andrews was 3-3 with 2 RS to move to .214 and DH Wieters was 0-4 with 2 Ks to drop to .353.

Wilmington is 10-14 and 6.5 games back. The series with Frederick wraps this afternoon. Probable starters: Rocks right-hander Blake Wood (1-1, 4.56) and Frederick righty Jake Arrieta (2-0, 2.81).

A - Burlington: Cedar Rapids 7, Bees 5 (14)

RF Walton 3-6, 2B (3), RBI (7), E -- .180
SS Moustakas 0-6, BB, K, picked off -- .190, game to forget
2B Evangelho 3-6, 2 2B, RBI (3), K, RS -- .147
DH A. Perez 2-6, 2B (2), RBI (4), RS -- .151
C Eigsti 1-5, HBP, RBI (7), K, PB (3) -- .150
CF Lough 0-5, BB, SF, RBI (9), 2 K, RS -- .262
LF Ortiz 1-6, BB, CS (2), OF assist at second -- .350, 11-game hit streak
3B Taylor 1-5, 2 BB, 2B (2), 2 K, RS -- .237
* The Bees stranded 12.

Mitchell 4 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA, WP, pickoff -- ND, 4.74 ERA
Augustine 6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 10 K -- 2.74 ERA, kept Bees in game
Arias 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 K, HRA -- L, 2-1, 3.77 ERA

*** Five late Bees runs forced extras but it wasn't until the 14th that either team broke the stalemate as the Kernels secured a series victory. Starter Matt Mitchell allowed 3 runs in the 2nd on a single, RBI double and 2-run homer and the Bees were down early. Burlington stranded 2 in the 2nd and the Kernels scored another run in the 3rd on 3 doubles and a walk. Two more doubles made the hole deeper in the 5th as the Kernels pushed the lead to 5-0. Mitchell gave up 6 doubles in the game. Joe Augustine finished the 5th and would provide 6 solid innings of relief. Zach Evangelho led off the Bees 6th with a double and scored on a David Lough sac fly to get Burlington on the scoreboard. Alwin Perez hit a 2-out RBI double and Evangelho added an RBI single in the 7th to cut the lead to 5-3. Burlington had 2 on with 2 out in the 8th when Jamar Walton singled home a run and Ryan Eigsti took a bases-loaded HBP to tie the game at 5. Evangelho struck out with the bases loaded, however, to kill the rally. Burlington stranded 2 in the 10th and Henry Arias relieved Augustine in the 11th and stranded 2 inherited Kernels. A 1-out solo homer by Kernels CF Clay Fuller finally broke the tie in the 14th and Arias allowed another run in the frame on a hit batsman and double. Mike Moustakas walked with 1 out in the Bees 14th but was picked off and a Jason Taylor double went for naught as RP Esmerlin Jimenez got the win with 4 IP of 3 hits, a walk and 4 Ks to improve to 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA. Starter Mason Tobin went 7 IP of 3 ER on 5 hits, 3 walks and 2 Ks to move his ERA to 1.23. Three Kernels had 3 hit games led by C Anel De Los Santos, who was 3-6 with his 2nd homer, 2 RBI (10) and a RS to move to .232.

Burlington is 10-14 and 8 games back. The series ends tonight as Bees' SP Alex Caldera (1-2, 2.31) takes the hill vs. Cedar Rapids SP Trevor Reckling (2-0, 3.57).

Royals on the Farm 4/28

AAA - Omaha: Sacramento 7, O-Royals 5

DH Shealy 2-2, BB, HBP, HR (6), RBI (10), 2 RS -- .203
C Tupman 1-3, SF, HR (3), 4 RBI (9), RS -- .315, 3 HR ties his career high for a season
2B Aviles 2-4, RS -- .351, has kept it up from '07 performance
CF Maier 1-4, picked off -- .286
RF Costa 1-4, 2B (11), RS -- .322
1B Stodolka 0-4, 3 K -- .245
LF Lubanski 0-2, BB, E (2) -- .246

Maroth 1 2/3 IP, 7 R (6 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HRA -- L, 0-2, will he go if they decide to bring Rosa or Cortes up?
Duckworth 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 K, WP -- 3.92 ERA
Tsao perfect IP -- 3.38 ERA

*** The RiverCats did their damage in the first 2 innings and then held off the Royals to grab the series opener. Mike Aviles was thrown out at home in the 1st but Matt Tupman put Omaha on top with a 3-run homer for his 3rd of the season. Unfortunately, O-Royals starter Mike Maroth started the bottom of the 1st with a single and 2-run homer to cut the lead to 1 entering the 2nd. Mitch Maier was picked off to end the Omaha 2nd and Sacramento went back to work on Maroth for 5 runs on a homer, 2 singles and 2 walks before he was pulled for Brandon Duckworth with the bases loaded and 2 outs. Duckworth allowed a 2-run single and a run scoring wild pitch with the runs credited to Maroth as Sacramento took a 7-3 lead. Aviles singled and Shane Costa doubled to start the 3rd and a Tupman sac fly cut the lead to 7-4. Ryan Shealy cranked a 2-out solo homer in the 5th for his 6th of the season and the lead was cut to 2. Omaha didn't have another hit, however, and some decent relief from Duckworth and Chin-hui Tsao went for naught. RiverCats RP Jerry Blevins picked up his 3rd save with a perfect 9th as SP Kirk Saarloos got the win with 5 IP of 5 ER on 8 hits, a walk and 3 Ks to move to 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA. 2B Kevin Melillo was 2-3 with a walk, his 1st homer, 2 RBI (7), and 2 RS to move to .368, 3B Jeff Baisley was 1-4 with 2 RBI (12) and his 3rd error to move to .295 and CF Carlos Gonzalez was 0-1 with a walk and his 10th RBI to move to .343 before leaving with a leg injury.

Omaha is 13-9 and 2.5 games up on first. The series continues tonight. Probable starters: O-Royals RH Kyle Davies (2-1, 0.90) vs. Sac'to LH Danny Borrell (2-0, 2.08).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 6, Arkansas 5

3B Lisson 2-4, RBI (5), SB (8) -- .207
DH Richardson 1-1, 4 BB (!), 2 RS -- .256
1B Kaaihue 1-4, BB, RBI (19), RS -- .225
RF McFall 1-3, SF, 2B (4), RBI (10), RS, OF assist at home -- .206
CF Duarte 1-4, BB, K, RS -- .215
SS Sanchez 1-5, K, RS, E (6) -- .188
*NW Arkansas stranded 10.

D. Hughes 3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, HRA, balk -- ND, 3.00 ERA, 66 pitches
Crist 3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- W, 1-0, 6.00 ERA
Atencio 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- 0.00 ERA, season debut
Plummer IP, K -- SV, 2, 0.00 ERA

*** The Naturals dug themselves out of a 5-1 hole to come back and sweep the Travelers. NWA stranded 2 in the 1st and Arkansas scored a run on 2 hits in the 2nd to take the early lead off SP Dusty Hughes. Hughes served up a 2-run homer in the 3rd as the Travs made it 3-0 and, after the Naturals stranded 2 more in the 3rd, Kyle Crist came on to pitch the 4th and allowed a leadoff homer to the first batter he faced to make it 4-0. Brian McFall doubled with 1 out in the NW Arkansas 4th and scored on two wild pitches to get the Naturals on the scoreboard. The Naturals stranded 2 more, however, and Arkansas got the run back as Crist loaded the bases with no outs and gave up an RBI single, altho McFall nailed a runner from right at the plate to save a run. Crist got out of the inning with only the 1 run allowed and it was 5-1 Travelers. NW Arkansas loaded the bases with 1 out in the 5th and a McFall sac fly made it 5-2. A Travs error scored another run to cut the lead to 2 but the Naturals stranded another pair of runners. Another Arkansas error helped load the bases in the NWA 6th and a wild pitch and groundout scored 2 runs to tie the game. Mario Lisson stepped up with a 2-out RBI single to give the Naturals a 6-5 lead. Greg Atencio left the tying run at third in the 7th and Jarod Plummer got a double play in the 9th to pick up his 2nd save. RP Bill Edwards took the loss for Arkansas with 2 2/3 IP of 3 UER on 2 hits, 2 walks and 4 K to blow his 1st save and drop to 0-1 with a 2.63 ERA. Starter Anthony Ortega went 5 IP and allowed 3 R (2 ER) on 6 hits, 5 walks and 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.88. He also uncorked 3 wild pitches. 1B Ben Johnson was 3-4 with his 7th double and a run scored to move to .224 and 3 other Travs had 2-hit games.

NW Arkansas is hot at 10-14 and a game back of first after the sweep of Arkansas. A 4-game set at the Springfield Cardinals (11-13, AA guess who) starts tonight. The Nats are 2-2 versus the Cards thus far. Blake Johnson (1-2, 5.40) starts the opener for NWA.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: rainout

The Rocks and Frederick Keys will play a doubleheader today to make up the washout. Expected starters for game 1 are Blue Rocks righty Matt Kniginyzky (0-1, 2.20) vs. Keys righty Pedro Beato (3-1, 3.38). For game 2 it's Wilmington’s Jason Godin (1-0, 5.40) vs. Frederick's Jake Renshaw (2-2, 5.73).

A - Burlington: Cedar Rapids 5, Bees 3

SS Moustakas 1-4, HR, 2 RBI (4), RS -- .205, there it is, first pro homer, 2 run shot in the 8th
LF Ortiz 2-4, RS -- .361
CF Lough 1-2, S, HBP, RBI (8), K, RS -- .278
1B C. Robinson 0-4, 2 K -- .271

Cegarra 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 8 K, HRA, E -- L, 1-1, 1.93 ERA, not a bad outing, tho
Lopez IP, 3 ER, 3 H, K, HRA -- 5.91 ERA
Swaggerty IP, nothing -- 4.09 ERA
Bradley IP, 2 H, 2 K -- 0.56 ERA

*** An 8th inning rally by the Bees wasn't enough as the Kernels escaped with the opener win. Starter Ed Cegarra worked around 2 errors in the 3rd to keep the game scoreless but allowed a run on 3 hits and a sac fly in the 4th. A solo homer to leadoff the 6th made it 2-0 Kernels as the Bees were being shut out on 2 hits through 7 by CR starter Michael Anton. Yensi Lopez relieved Cegarra to start the 7th and served up a 3-run homer to LF Jeremy Moore to make it 5-0 Kernels. The Bees offense stayed paltry through the first 2 outs in the 8th but Adrian Ortiz singled, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a David Lough single before Mike Moustakas hammered his first pro homer to right for a 2-run shot to cut the lead to 5-3 and chase Anton. Wilson Tucker struck out looking to end the inning and RP Israel Carmona set them down in order in the 9th for his 1st save. Anton went 7 2/3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 5 hits, a walk and 3 Ks to improve to 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA. 1B Efren Navarro Jr. was 2-4 with his 1st homer and 12th RBI with 2 RS to move to .333 and Moore was 1-5 with his 3rd homer and 3 RBI (12) but also had 4 Ks in dropping to .253.

Burlington is 10-13 and 7 games back. Game 2 of the set is tonight as Bees starter Matt Mitchell (0-1, 3.14) goes vs. Kernels SP Mason Tobin (2-0, 0.00).

Royals on the Farm 4/27

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 3, Nashville 2

2B Aviles 1-4, 2B (10), RBI (21), RS -- .344
SS Berroa 1-3, HR (3), RBI (7), RS -- .307
RF Costa 1-3, BB, RBI (14), K, picked off -- .326
CF Maier 1-3, BB, K, RS, OF assist at second -- .294
1B Shealy 0-3, BB -- .182
C Tupman 1-4, K -- .314

de la Rosa 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 8 K -- W, 3-0, 1.64 ERA, is Jorge a AAAA pitcher?
Musser 2 2/3 IP, 2 BB, 4 K -- SV, 5, 2.31 ERA, old school save

*** Neal Musser held the lead in relief for Jorge de la Rosa and Omaha ended up with 2 of 3 from the Sounds. The game was quiet until the 3rd when de la Rosa gave up 3 singles for a run to start the inning. With runners at the corners and 0 out, de la Rosa bore down to strike out the side from there and keep the deficit at 1. Omaha was being no-hit by Nashville starter Chris Narveson entering the 4th but Mitch Maier broke that up with a single to start the inning and Mike Aviles doubled him home to tie the game. Shane Costa brought home Aviles with a single but was picked off to thwart any further rallying. Angel Berroa hit a solo homer in the 5th for his 3rd of the season and Omaha led, 3-1. The Sounds got a 2-out RBI single in the 6th to cut the lead back to 1 but de la Rosa held on until getting pulled with 1 on and 1 out in the 7th after 95 pitches total. Musser walked the bases full with 2 outs but K'd Sounds LF Brad Nelson to end the would-be rally. The Royals also left the bases loaded in the 7th but Musser pitched a perfect 8th and 9th to pick up his 5th save. Narveson took the loss with 7 IP of 3 ER on 5 hits, 3 walks and 4 Ks to drop to 0-4 with a 4.18 ERA. DH Russell Branyan was 2-4 with his 16th RBI to move to .412 while biding his time waiting for a break in Milwaukee.

Omaha is 13-8 and 2.5 games up on first. A 4-game set at the Sacramento RiverCats (12-11, AAA A's) starts tonight. Probable starters: Omaha LH Mike Maroth (0-1, 7.50) vs. RiverCats RH Kirk Saarloos (2-0, 2.45). The O-Royals are 15-25 lifetime vs. Sacramento, which is Omaha's worst winning percentage versus any PCL opponent. The Sacramento roster features A's prospects OF Carlos Gonzalez (.930 OPS, top prospect), lefty Gio Gonzalez (0-1, 3.91, 1.52 WHIP in 5 starts), and lefty Dan Meyer (2-1, 6.11, 1.36 WHIP in 4 games (3 starts)). The team site front page now has Gio Gonzalez as tonight's starter for Sac'to. As a non-Omaha-related note, the Salt Lake Bees (AAA Halos) are now 21-1. Wow.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 6, Arkansas 5 (13)

1B Richardson 3-7, HR (2), 4 RBI (13), RS -- .247
CF Duarte 4-6, BB, RBI (5), RS, OF assist at third -- .213
3B Lisson 2-6, 2B (5), K, E (2) -- .193
SS Sanchez 0-5, 2 BB, RBI (6), RS -- .187
LF Suero 1-4, 2 BB, 2 RS, 3 SB (14) -- .241, he does have speed
PH-C Donachie 1-1, 2 BB, SB -- .250
* RF Brian McFall wore the golden sombrero with 4 Ks, and the Naturals stranded 15.

Hardy 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, HRA -- ND, 6.23 ERA, struggles continue
Green IP, BB, K, WP -- 7.56 ERA
Lowery 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- 0.69 ERA
Colon 3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K -- W, 2-0, 4.50 ERA

*** From the bottom of the 6th inning on, the Naturals offense and bullpen ruled the day, but the pen almost let it slip away in the 13th with the offense fighting back for the win. Arkansas mounted the first rally of the game in the 4th as a hit batter, steal and RBI double added up to the first run of the game off Rowdy Hardy. In the 6th, the same guy who had doubled, Arkansas C Ben Johnson, slammed a 3-run homer to left to make it 4-0 Travelers. The Naturals got the 3-spot back in the bottom of the frame as Juan Richardson hit his 2nd homer of the season (and 2nd in as many games) for a 3-run shot to quickly trim the lead back to 1. RP Patrick Green left a runner at third in the 7th and Devon Lowery stranded 2 in the 9th as the Naturals were down to their last 3 outs. RP Kevin Jepsen came in to finish it for Arkansas but walked 2 with 1 out before Jose Duarte tied the game with a single. NW Arkansas had the bases loaded with 1 out but couldn't get the winning run home and the game went to extras. A Travs error helped NWA get runners to the corners with 0 out in the 10th but Ovandy Suero flew into a double play as Mario Lisson was nailed at the plate trying to score from third. The Nats had 2 on again with 0 out in the 11th but again squandered the chance to end it. RP Roman Colon stranded 2 Travs in the 12th and Arkansas was in position to take the lead in the 13th as 2B Ryan Leahy lifted a fly ball to center and Duarte nailed the runner at third but not before the lead run scored to make it 5-4 Arkansas. Jeff Kennard was brought in as the Travs tried to finish the game a second time but Suero led off with a single, stole second and third, and, after the bases were loaded, Suero scored on an Angel Sanchez fielder's choice to tie the game. Richardson followed with a walkoff single and the game was finally over after nearly 4 hours. Kennard blew his first save and took the loss with no IP and 2 ER on 3 hits and a walk to drop to 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA. Starter Brok Butcher went 6 IP and allowed 3 ER on 4 hits, 3 walks and 4 Ks to move his ERA to 3.14. Four Travs had 2-hit games, led by Johnson's 2-6 day with his 6th double, 3rd homer and 4 RBI (15) to move to .198.

NW Arkansas is 9-14 and 1.5 games back. The Naturals go for the sweep tonight versus the Travelers. Starters: NWA's Dusty Hughes vs. Arkansas' Anthony Ortega. IF Irving Falu was put on the DL and P Greg Atencio was activated to work out of the pen. Carlos Rosa was named TL Pitcher of the Week and thus far is 2-2 with a 1.61 ERA in five starts, which is good for 2nd in the TL in ERA.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Winston-Salem 3

SS McConnell 2-3, S, 2 2B (10), RBI (5), RS -- .221
3B J. Johnson 1-2, 2 BB, 3B (2), RBI (5), RS, picked off -- .270, has reached base in every game he's played this season
CF Dyson 1-3, BB, RBI (3), 2 SB (5) -- .211
RF Dickerson 1-3, BB, 2 RBI (11), SB (13) -- .324
1B D. Wood 0-4, RBI (7), K -- .169, caught 5 foul popouts at first
DH D. Robinson 0-3, BB, K, 2 RS, SB (10) -- .221

Teaford 6 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, 3 K -- W, 2-0, 1.16 ERA, pretty much lights out
Holland 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K -- SV, 2, 3.24 ERA

*** Three 2-run innings and the pitching of Everett Teaford were good enough to get the Rocks the win and a 3-game sweep. The Rocks took the lead in the 2nd with a 2-out rally of a Matt Morizio single, Josh Johnson RBI triple and Jarrod Dyson RBI single to make it 2-0. Teaford cruised through 3 and the Rocks scored 2 more runs in the 3rd on a Chris McConnell RBI double and David Wood RBI groundout before they stranded the bases loaded. Teaford gave up a run on a triple and walk in the 4th but Joe Dickerson hit a 2-run single in the 4th to make it 6-1. Greg Holland took over in the 7th and gave up a 2-out, 2-run double to cut the lead to 3. He pitched a perfect 8th and worked around a walk in the 9th to pick up his 2nd save. Warthogs SP Jacob Rasner took the loss with 3 IP of 4 runs (2 ER) on 5 hits, 3 walks and a K to drop to 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA. C Francisco Hernandez was 1-4 with his 2nd double and 2 RBI (4) to improve to .167.

Wilmington is 10-12 and 4.5 games back after the sweep. A 3-game home set versus the Frederick Keys (13-9, A-Adv. O's) was set to begin today but game 1 was rained out. The Rocks were 1-2 versus the Keys in their first series. The game will be made up in a Tuesday doubleheader.

A - Burlington: Bees 3, South Bend 2

C Eigsti 1-3, 2 RBI (6), RS -- .154
LF Ortiz 2-4, SB (9) -- .355
SS Moustakas 0-4 -- .203
2B Jimenez 1-4, RBI (5), K -- .158
3B Taylor 1-3, CS (3), E (5) -- .239
1B C. Robinson 0-2, HBP, RS, picked off -- .288

Paulino 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 2 K, 2 balks -- ND, 4.30 ERA
Chavez 2 IP, H, K -- W, 1-0, 4.50 ERA

*** The Bees were being shut out on 3 hits entering the 8th but got to the South Bend bullpen to get a comeback victory. The game was scoreless into the 6th but Burlington SP Eduardo Paulino, who had faced the minimum over the first 5, gave up 2 runs that inning on 3 singles and a balk. Silver Hawks starter Bryan Augenstein retired the last 10 he faced and handed the ball to RP Ty Davis in the 8th. The Bees responded by putting 2 on with 0 out to chase Davis for Jeff Dietz, but the rally continued as Ryan Eigsti hit a 1-out, 2-run single to tie the game. A passed ball moved Eigsti to second with 2 outs and Antonio Jimenez came through with a clutch RBI single to give the Bees the lead. RP Chris Chavez stranded 2 in the 9th for his 1st win of the season. Dietz took the loss with an IP of an unearned run on 2 hits and a K to drop to 0-1 with a spotless ERA but also picked up his 1st blown save. Augenstein lost the win despite 7 IP of 3 hits and 6 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.43. 1B Michael Mee was 2-4 to move to .320.

The Bees are 10-12 and 6 games back. A 3-game home set versus the Cedar Rapids Kernels (12-10, A Angels) started tonight. Ed Cegarra started for the Bees. The Kernels' roster features Halos prospects righty Jordan Walden (1-3, 2.83, 1.22 WHIP in 5 starts) and lefty Robert Fish (1-0, 3.47, 1.29 WHIP in 5 starts). Jason Taylor was named MWL Player of the Week after going 8-17 for a .471 BA with 8 RS, 1 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI and 4 SBs.

Royals on the Farm 4/26

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 13, O-Royals 9

2B Aviles 3-5, 3B (4), HR (4), RBI (20), 2 RS -- .349, needed double for cycle, also part of 4 double plays turned by O-Royals
1B Shealy 2-5, HR (5), RBI (9), 2 RS -- .189
C Tupman 2-5, HR (2), RBI (5), RS -- .319
3B Matranga 2-3, SF, 2B, RBI (5), K, RS -- .538
CF Maier 1-5, HR, 2 RBI (3), K, RS -- .286, finally back from wrist injury?
RF Costa 1-5, HR (4), 2 RBI (13), RS -- .325
DH Hollins 1-4, BB, RBI (15), RS -- .209
LF Lubanski 0-3, BB, 2 K, E -- .254

Wright 4 IP, 7 R (4 ER), 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 3 HRA -- ND, 6.00 ERA, not off to same start as in '07
Salmon 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- L, 2-1, 6.14 ERA, still awaiting word on the PTBNL to Reds in this trade
Fulchino 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, K, WP -- 3.72 ERA
Mildren IP, 3 BB, K, 2 WP -- 0.00 ERA, touch-and-go Omaha debut

*** Omaha blew 2 leads in a steady drizzle as Nashville evened the series at a game each. A Chris Lubanski error helped lead to 3 unearned runs on SP Matt Wright in the 1st as he allowed a 2-out RBI single and 2-run homer to spot Nashville a 3-0 lead. Costa hit the first of 5 Omaha homers in the 1st with a solo shot for his 4th of the season to cut the lead to 3-1. Dave Matranga hit a bases-loaded sac fly in the 2nd but Omaha stranded 2 in the inning. The Royals stormed ahead in the 3rd as Mike Aviles led off the inning with his 4th homer and Ryan Shealy and Matt Tupman went back-to-back with solo shots with 1 out for their 5th and 2nd of the season, respectively. The lead lasted 2 batters into the Sounds 4th as a leadoff walk was followed by a 2-run homer to tie the game at 5. Wright immediately gave up another homer for back-to-back longballs and the Sounds scratched out another run in the inning to make it 7-5 Nashville. Mitch Maier retied it in the bottom of the 4th with his 1st homer of the season - a 2-run shot - in his first game back off the DL with a wrist injury. Aviles tripled to chase Sounds starter Zach Jackson and scored on a Costa groundout to give Omaha an 8-7 lead. Brad Salmon took over for Wright in the 5th and allowed a game-tying RBI double. He was pulled for Jeff Fulchino with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 6th and Fulchino allowed all 3 runners to score on 2 singles to make it 11-8 Sounds. Shealy scored on a Damon Hollins forceout in the 7th but Nashville scored 2 in the 8th on 2 hits, 2 walks and a wild pitch off Fulchino. RP Paul Mildren loaded the bases with no outs in the 9th but escaped the jam unscathed. Omaha stranded 1 in the 9th. RP Erasmo Ramirez got the win for Nashville with 2 2/3 IP of a hit and K to move to 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA. Jackson went 3 1/3 IP and allowed 8 ER on 9 hits, a walk and 2 K with 5 HR allowed to bump his ERA to 8.89. Sounds 1B Russell Branyan was 4-4 with his 9th double, 4th homer, 5 RBI (15) and a walk to move to .406. DH Brad Nelson and C Vinny Rottino had 3 RBI each.

Omaha is 12-8 and 1.5 games up on first. The series wraps today as Sounds LH Chris Narveson (0-3, 4.29) takes on Royals LH Jorge De La Rosa (2-0, 1.15).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 7, Arkansas 2

C Donachie 3-3, BB, 2B (2), 2 RBI (5), RS, picked off runner -- .231
DH Richardson 1-4, HR, 3 RBI (9), K, RS -- .229
RF McFall 2-4, 2B (3), RBI (9), RS -- .220
CF-LF Suero 1-3, BB, S, RBI (5), 2 SB (11), CS (3) -- .240, nice to see some life out of the minor league affiliates' offenses
CF Duarte 1-1, RS -- .174
SS Sanchez 1-4, BB, 2B (4), 2 K, RS -- .200

Pimentel 8 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 5 K -- W, 1-2, 3.21 ERA, nice start
De La Cruz IP, nothing -- 2.45 ERA

*** A 5-run 3rd was all NW Arkansas needed as Julio Pimentel was sharp. Pimentel stranded 2 in the 1st and ran into trouble in the 3rd with 2 runs allowed on 3 doubles. The Naturals responded off Travelers starter Fernando Rodriguez with 5 runs in the 3rd on an Adam Donachie RBI single, suicide squeeze by Ovandy Suero, and a 3-run homer by Juan Richardson for his 1st as a Natural. Pimentel responded by retiring 15 of 17 through 8. Suero stole 2 bases in the 7th but was thrown out trying to score on a ball that got away from the Arkansas catcher. The Naturals got to the Travs' pen for 2 in the 8th as Brian McFall and Donachie hit RBI singles to make it 7-2. Julio De La Cruz pitched a perfect 9th to finish it. Rodriguez took the loss with 6 IP of 5 ER on 8 hits, a walk and 3 Ks to drop to 0-3 with a 7.57 ERA. SS Hainley Statia was 2-4 with his 2nd SB to move to .202.

The Naturals are 8-14 and 2 games back after their first back-to-back wins of the season. The series continues late this afternoon as NWA's Rowdy Hardy (0-2, 6.30) takes on Arkansas' Brok Butcher (2-0, 2.78), who got 1 of his 2 wins versus the Naturals.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 4, Winston-Salem 1

CF D. Robinson 3-4, 2B (3), RBI (4), 2 RS, 2 SB (9) -- .230
C Howell 2-4, 2B (6), RBI (11), K -- .362, forgot to mention him along with Mertins and Dickerson as offensive forces for the Rocks
SS McConnell 1-4, RBI (4), K -- .203
2B Mertins 0-3, BB, RS, SB (6) -- .333, hit streak snapped as I jinxed a second one for the Rocks
RF Dickerson 0-3, HBP, K, 2 SB (12), picked off -- .324
3B J. Johnson 0-2, BB, RS -- .257, may not get a hit daily, but does get on base

Santiago 5 1/3 IP, ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA, WP -- W, 1-2, 5.52 ERA
de la Vara 2/3 IP, BB, K -- 5.63 ERA
Nicoll IP, 2 K -- 3.14 ERA
Hartsock IP, 2 H, 2 K -- 2.37 ERA
Chambliss IP, BB, 2 K -- SV, 4, 1.42 ERA

*** The Rocks used the combined efforts of 5 pitchers to take another game from the Warthogs. Starter Mario Santiago had a shaky 1st but stranded the bases full. Derrick Robinson had a great 1st as he led off the inning with a single, stole second, advanced on a groundout and stole home on a double steal with Joe Dickerson to put the Rocks on top, 1-0. Santiago stranded 2 more in the 2nd but then retired 10 of 12 through 5. The Rocks extended the lead with 2 in the 5th on a 2-out Robinson RBI double and Chris McConnell RBI single to make it 3-0. Santiago lost the shutout with an inside-the-park homer to lead off the 6th and Gilbert de la Vara stranded 2 in the inning. RP Aaron Hartsock stranded 2 in the 8th and the Rocks got an insurance run on a Jeff Howell RBI single in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Chambliss worked around a leadoff walk in the 9th for his 4th save. Warthogs starter Aaron Poreda took the loss with 6 IP of 3 ER on 6 hits and 3 Ks to drop to 0-2 with a 2.95 ERA. 3B C.J. Retherford was 2-3 with his 3rd homer and 8th RBI with a walk to improve to .310.

Wilmington is 9-12 and 5.5 games back. The series concludes this afternoon as Wilmington goes for a 4th straight win. Probable starters: Rocks lefty Everett Teaford and righty Greg Holland will piggyback against Winston-Salem righty Jacob Rasner.

A - Burlington: Bees 2, South Bend 0

3B Taylor 2-4, 3B, HR (4), 2 RBI (12), RS -- .235, has looked good despite low BA
CF Ortiz 3-4, RS, 2 SB (8) -- .348, just looks good as speedy leadoff guy
SS Moustakas 1-4 -- .214, slowly raising average
RF Tucker 1-3, 3B -- .125

Abreu 6 IP, 3 H, 7 K, WP -- W, 1-1, 3.71 ERA, wow
Z. Peterson 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- SV, 1, 6.00 ERA

*** Juan Abreu had a good start and Jason Taylor provided the offense as the Bees evened the series with the Silver Hawks. Abreu gave up a leadoff double in the 1st but stranded the runner at third and retired 16 of 17 thereafter into the 6th. A Wilson Tucker triple was squandered by the Bees in the 2nd and Taylor got the Bees on the board with a 1-out solo homer in the 4th for his 4th of the season. Taylor came back up in the 6th and drove Adrian Ortiz home with a triple to make it 2-0 Bees. Zach Peterson faced little resistance in his 3 IP to lock down the save for Abreu. Silver Hawks SP Jordan Norberto took the loss with 6 IP of 2 ER on 5 hits and 3 Ks to drop to 0-4 with a 9.60 ERA. CF Evan Frey was 2-4 with his 5th double and 6th SB to move to .354.

Burlington is 9-12 and 7 games back. The series ends today as Bees SP Eduardo Paulino (1-2, 5.06) takes on South Bend's Bryan Augenstein (0-0, 3.18).

Royals on the Farm 4/25

AAA - Omaha: cold and windout?

*** The team site says the game v. Nashville was postponed by "cold and wind" and will be made up in a July 8 doubleheader. The series continues with game 3 tonight. Probable starters: Sounds LH Zach Jackson (1-3, 7.04) vs. Omaha LH Jorge De La Rosa (2-0, 1.15).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 3, Arkansas 0 (2-hitter)

LF Valentin 2-4, RBI (7), RS -- .348
DH Lucas 0-2, BB, RBI (2) -- .111
CF Duarte 1-4, 2 K, RS, 2 SB (10) -- .162
SS Sanchez 0-3, BB, K, RS -- .197
3B Lisson 1-3, BB, 2 SB (7) -- .178

Rosa 8 IP, H, 2 BB, 9 K, WP -- W, 2-2, 1.61 ERA, hopefully a breakout start
Plummer IP, H, K -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA, season debut

*** One inning of scoring was enough as Carlos Rosa had an awesome start and the Naturals finally beat the Travelers in their 5th try of the season. As Rosa allowed only a walk through 3 IP, the Naturals moved ahead in the bottom of the 3rd as a 2-out error by Travs SS Hainley Statia opened the door. Jose Duarte reached on that error and stole second and third before scoring on a balk. Geraldo Valentin singled home Angel Sanchez, who had walked, and more walks loaded the bases before Ed Lucas took yet another walk to bring home a 3rd run and make it 3-0 NWA. Rosa took a no-hitter into the 7th but a leadoff single by DH Nate Sutton ended that bid. Jarod Plummer made his NWA debut and gave up a 2-out single in the 9th (again to Sutton) but shut the door for his 1st save. Arkansas SP Dan Denham took the loss with 6 IP of 3 UER on 3 hits, 4 walks and 4 Ks to drop to 1-2 with a 0.60 ERA. Sutton was 2-4 with a K to move to .296 and no other Travs had a hit.

NW Arkansas is 7-14 and 3 games back. The series continues tonight. Probable starters: NW Arkansas' Julio Pimentel (0-2, 3.60) vs. Arkansas' Fernando Rodriguez (0-2, 7.59).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Winston-Salem 2

SS McConnell 4-5, 3 2B (8), RBI (3), 2 RS, SB (8), CS (4) -- .200, big game outta nowhere
2B Mertins 2-4, 2B (6), RBI (7), 2 RS, SB (5) -- .349, 11-game hit streak, I mention reluctantly
DH Seratelli 1-3, HBP, RBI (7), 2 K, RS -- .153
C Howell 1-4, RBI (10), 2 K -- .349
RF Dickerson 1-4, K -- .338
CF D. Robinson 0-4, BB, K, RS, SB (7), OF assist at second -- .200
3B J. Johnson 1-3, BB, K -- .273

B. Wood 6 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA, 2 WP -- W, 1-1, 4.56 ERA
Haltiwanger 1 1/3 IP, 2 H -- 4.63 ERA
Barrera IP, 2 K -- 2.70 ERA

*** The Rocks offense got going and Blake Wood pitched well enough to get a win in the opener with the Warthogs. Derrick Robinson led off the Rocks 1st with a walk and stole second before Chris McConnell doubled him home. The Warthogs tied it in the 2nd on a double, 2 walks, a wild pitch and a run scoring sac fly. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 2nd but surged ahead in the 3rd with 3 runs on a passed ball that scored McConnell, a Jeff Howell fielder's choice that scored Kurt Mertins and a balk that scored Anthony Seratelli to make it 4-1 Rocks. Wood gave up a leadoff homer in the 5th to cut the lead to 2 but the Rocks got the run back with interest in the 7th as McConnell and Mertins started the inning with back-to-back doubles and Seratelli hit an RBI single to make it 6-2 Wilmington. RP Russ Haltiwanger stranded 2 in scoring position in the 8th but Henry Barrera pitched a perfect 9th to finish it. Warthogs starter John Ely took the loss with 6 IP of 4 ER on 6 hits, 3 walks and 5 Ks to drop to 0-2 with a 2.88 ERA. 3B C.J. Retherford was 2-3 with his 2nd homer and 2 RBI (7) to move to .291.

Wilmington is 8-12 and 5.5 games back. The series continues tonight. Probable starters: Rocks right-hander Mario Santiago (0-2, 2.71) and Winston-Salem southpaw Aaron Poreda (0-1, 2.35).

A - Burlington: South Bend 8, Bees 4

LF Lough 4-4, 3 RBI (7), SB (3) -- .296
SS Moustakas 1-4, RS -- .212
CF Ortiz 2-5, RS, 2 SB (6) -- .329
2B A. Perez 0-4, RBI (3), K, SB (4), 2 E (4) -- .125
3B Taylor 0-2, 2 BB, 2 RS, SB (9), E (4) -- .219

Caldera 6 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 8 H, 2 BB, 6 K -- L, 1-2, 2.31 ERA
Swaggerty 1 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 2 BB, K -- 4.50 ERA
Arias 1 2/3 IP, UER, 2 BB, 2 K -- 3.27 ERA

*** The Bees made 4 errors and South Bend coasted to the win in the series opener. The Silver Hawks scored 3 in the 1st off Bees starter Alex Caldera on 4 hits and a walk, including a couple of doubles. A Jason Taylor error led to another South Bend run in the 4th to make it 4-0. Taylor drew a 2-out walk in the Bees 4th, stole second and scored on a David Lough single to cut the lead to 3. Caldera gave the run back in the 5th on a triple and RBI forceout to make it 5-1. The Bees jumped back in the game in the 6th as Lough singled home 2 runs and Taylor scored on a South Bend error to cut the lead to 5-4. The Bees left the bases loaded, however, and South Bend pulled back away with 2 in the 8th off Ben Swaggerty on 2 doubles, a walk and Alwin Perez error. Another error in the 9th added an insurance run to make it 8-4 Silver Hawks and the Bees stranded 1 in the 9th. SB starter Joshua Collmenter went 5 1/3 IP of 4 ER on 5 hits, 2 walks and 4 Ks to move to 2-1 with a 6.63 ERA. SS Matt Oxendine was 3-4 with 2 doubles (3), a walk and RS along with his 5th error to move to .341 and 2B Taylor Harbin was 2-6 with 2 doubles (6), his 15th RBI with a K and RS to move to .238.

The Bees are 8-12 and 7.5 games back. Game 2 of the set is tonight. Probable starters: Bees' Juan Abreu (0-1, 5.73) v. SB's Jordan Norberto (0-3, 14.00).

Royals on the Farm 4/24

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 12, Nashville 11

2B Aviles 2-5, 3B (3), HR (3), 3 RBI (19), K, 2 RS -- .333
LF Lubanski 3-4, 2B (3), HR (4), 3 RBI (13), K, 2 RS -- .266, just needed a triple
C Tupman 3-5, RBI (4), RS -- .310
CF Costa 2-5, RBI (11), K, RS -- .333
RF Hollins 1-5, HR (3), 3 RBI (14), K, RS -- .206
DH Stodolka 1-2, 2 BB, HR, RBI (5), 3 RS -- .267
1B Shealy 1-4, BB, K, RS -- .174
SS Berroa 1-4, RS -- .313

Lumsden 3 1/3 IP, 9 R (8 ER), 9 H, 4 BB, K, 3 HRA (!), pickoff -- ND, 9.56 ERA.....i'm coming to the conclusion he's a bust, or needs some kind of medical attention to his arm
Giron 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 5.28 ERA
Tsao 2 IP, H, K -- W, 1-0, 3.86 ERA
Musser IP, K -- SV, 4, 3.00 ERA

*** The two teams combined for 8 homers as a 7-run Omaha 3rd almost went for naught but the O-Royals got a comeback victory. Tyler Lumsden's day got off to a bad start as the Sounds clubbed 2 homers for 3 runs in the 1st. Omaha stranded 2 in the 2nd and Nashville scored a run on 2 walks and 2 hits in the 3rd. Omaha turned it around in the bottom of the 3rd as Mike Aviles hit a 2-run triple, Matt Tupman hit an RBI single, Damon Hollins crushed a 3-run homer for his 3rd of the season and Mike Stodolka went solo for his first longball of the season to make it 7-4 Omaha. Lumsden responded by loading the bases with 3 singles to start the 4th and then a Jason Smith error (his 5th) allowed a run in and, after a sac fly, 1B Brad Nelson cranked a 3-run homer to right center for his 2nd of the game to chase Lumsden. Roberto Giron gave up a 2-run homer later in the inning as Nashville made it 11-7. Aviles hit his 3rd homer of the season in the 4th to cut the lead to 3 and Chris Lubanski and Shane Costa hit RBI singles in the 5th to trim it to 11-10 Sounds. "The Big" Lubanski came back up in the 7th with 1 on and 1 out and came up with the biggest hit of the game -- a 2-run homer for his 4th of the season to make it 12-11 Omaha. Chin-hui Tsao and Neal Musser finished it as Omaha took the wild opener. Former Royal RP Steve Bray took the loss along with his 2nd blown save with 1 1/3 IP of 2 ER on a hit, walk and K to drop to 0-2 with a 12.38 ERA. Starter Nic Ungs went 2 2/3 IP and allowed 7 ER on 8 hits, a walk and 3 Ks in moving his ERA to 12.86. Nelson was 3-5 for Nashville with 2 HR (6) and 5 RBI (9) to move to .339 and CF Mike Cameron, working his way back to Milwaukee from a 25-game suspension, was 1-4 with a walk, homer and 2 RBI with 2 RS to set his BA at .250.

Omaha is 12-7 and 3 games up on first. Game 2 is tonight. Probable starters: Sounds lefty Zach Jackson (1-3, 7.04) vs. Omaha RH Matt Wright (0-1, 5.14).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 4, Springfield 2 (7/G1)

RF McFall 1-2, BB, HR (2), RBI (7), RS -- .196
C Donachie 1-1, BB, RBI (3), RS -- .182
CF Duarte 0-2, SF, RBI (4) -- .167, makes it 6 guys in lineup batting in .100s
1B Richardson 0-2, SF, RBI (6) -- .242

D. Hughes 4 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K, pickoff -- ND, 2.00 ERA, solid first start of season, 58 pitches
Colon 2 IP, ER, 2 H, HRA -- W, 1-0, 4.91 ERA
Lowery IP, H, 2 K -- SV, 2, 0.90 ERA

*** Dusty Hughes made his 1st start of the season a good one and the Naturals took the first of 2 with Springfield Thursday. Hughes allowed a 2-out double and RBI single in the 2nd to spot the Cards a 1-0 lead but NWA tied it in the 3rd with a Juan Richardson sac fly altho the Naturals stranded 2. Brian McFall untied it with a solo homer in the 4th for his 2nd of the season and Adam Donachie hit an RBI single before a Jose Duarte sac fly made it 4-1 NW Arkansas. Roman Colon gave up a solo homer in the 6th and Devon Lowery worked around a leadoff double in the 7th to pick up his 2nd save. Starter Adam Ottavino went the distance for Springfield and allowed 4 ER on 5 hits with 4 walks and 2 Ks over 6 IP to drop to 0-3 with a 6.98 ERA. C Brandon Yarbrough was 2-3 with his 2nd double and 5th RBI along with his 2nd passed ball to move to .300.

Springfield 4, Naturals 3 (7/G2)

2B Lucas 1-2, BB, RBI, CS -- .143
PH-RF McFall 1-1, RBI (8) -- .212
RF-LF Valentin 1-3, RBI (6), RS -- .338
CF Duarte 0-4, K -- .156
SS Sanchez 1-4 -- .206

B. Johnson 4 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 1-2, 5.40 ERA
Crist 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, K -- 6.00 ERA

*** The opposite of the first game occurred as this time Springfield scored 4 runs in the middle innings and held on to win. Starter Blake Johnson had a runner nailed at the plate and left the bases loaded in the 1st and the Naturals also stranded 2 in the opening frame. The Cards got to Johnson in the 4th with 3 runs on a homer, 3 other hits and a hit batsman to take a 3-0 lead. NWA stranded 2 in the 4th (c'mon, I can't be the only one that, every time I type or read NWA pictures Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E in Raiders hats on the bases or at bat, right? Right? (crickets chirping)) and the Cards pushed across another run in the 5th to chase Johnson as Kyle Crist stranded 2. The Naturals finally broke through in the 6th as they got 2 on with 1 out and Geraldo Valentin singled home a run. A Cards error allowed a second run to score and pinch hitter Brian McFall singled in a run to cut the lead to 1 with the tying run at third. Marc Maddox came in to pinch hit and Ed Lucas tried to score as McFall got caught in a rundown but Lucas was thrown out trying to score and Maddox struck out to kill the rally. The Naturals went down in order in the 7th as Springfield RP Luke Gregerson picked up his 2nd save. Cards SP P.J. Walters got the win with 5 1/3 IP of 3 runs (2 ER) on 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 Ks to improve to 1-2 with a 2.96 ERA. CF Jon Jay was 2-4 with his 3rd homer and 9th RBI to move to .292.

The Naturals are 6-14 and 4 games out. The Naturals resume the "Diamond Series" with a 4-game home set with the Arkansas Travelers (8-12, AA Halos) starting tonight. The Travs swept NWA in their first 4-game set. Probable game 1 starters: Travs' Dan Denham (1-1, 1.00) vs. NWA's Carlos Rosa (1-2, 2.25). The Naturals took a do-over with the promotion to replace DL'ed starter Dan Cortes and sent Chris Hayes back to Wilmington in favor of bringing RP Jarod Plummer to Springdale.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: off day

*** Wilmington starts a 3-game home set vs. the Winston-Salem Warthogs (9-7, A-Adv. ChiSox) tonight. Probable starters: Rocks SP Blake Wood (0-1, 5.29) vs. Winston-Salem righty John Ely (0-1, 1.89). The Warthogs' roster features White Sox prospects lefty Anthony Poreda (0-1, 2.35, 1.50 WHIP in 15 1/3 IP), Ely and 2B/OF John Shelby III (.545 OPS in 8 games, pretty sure it's son of retired major leaguer of same name).

A - Burlington: Quad Cities 5, Bees 4 (10)

3B Taylor 3-4, BB, K, RS, CS (2) -- .226
SS Moustakas 2-5, RBI (2), K, E (6) -- .210, best of times, worst of times
1B C. Robinson 2-5 -- .297
CF Ortiz 1-5, 2B (3), 2 K, RS, SB (4) -- .325
C Doscher 1-1, BB, 2B, RS, SB -- 1.000, season debut
DH Balduf 0-3, SF, RBI, K -- .200
2B A. Perez 0-5, RBI (2), 2 K -- .133

Augustine 6 IP, UER, H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- ND, 3.71 ERA, bullpen cost him well earned W
Mitchell 2 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K, balk, E -- 3.14 ERA, rough one
Bradley 1 1/3 IP, UER, 2 H, 2 BB, E (2) -- BS, 1, L, 1-2, 0.60 ERA

*** The Burlington pen blew a lead in the 9th and the Bees lost it in 10 as 1 of their 4 errors proved very costly. Joe Augustine had a great start for Burlington as he took a no-hitter into the 6th. The Bees stranded 2 in the 1st but got on the board in the 3rd as Nick Doscher and Adrian Ortiz led off the inning with doubles, but somehow Doscher only advanced 1 base on Ortiz's hit. Alwin Perez drove in Doscher with a groundout and Mike Moustakas singled home Ortiz for his 2nd RBI of the season. The rally ended on a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out DP as David Lough whiffed and Jason Taylor was nailed at second. Doscher left the game for a pinch runner after swiping second in the 5th and Burlington padded the lead with 2 in the 6th on a run-scoring Bandits error and Todd Balduf sac fly that made it 4-0 Bees. Augustine lost both the no-no and the shutout in the 6th as a 1-out single broke up the no-hitter and a run scored on an Augustine wild pitch to cut it to 4-1. Matt Mitchell came in for the 7th and allowed a run on 2 hits while otherwise striking out the side. He did the same in the 8th with only a single and walk allowed (no run this time) while he struck out 3. Then came the rough 9th as Mitchell allowed a leadoff single, balk, RBI double and walk and was pulled with the score 4-3 and 2 on with 1 out as RF Wilson Tucker and Moustakas combined to throw out the runner at third on the double. RP Anthony Bradley got the second out but gave up a game-tying RBI single to CF D'Marcus Ingram before stranding the bases full. The Bees stranded 2 in the 10th and the Bandits' 10th was doomed from the get-go. Bradley walked the leadoff guy then made a throwing error on a sac bunt attempt to put 2 on with 0 outs. Another single loaded the bases and the Bees were able to force one at home before C Luis De La Cruz hit a game-winning sac fly to right to end it. RP Cardoza Tucker got the win for QC with 2 IP of 2 hits and 4 Ks to move to 2-1 with a 7.94 ERA. Starter Shaun Garceau allowed 2 ER on 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 Ks over 4 1/3 IP to make his ERA 2.37. 3B Andrew Brown was 2-5 with his 3rd double and 12th RBI to move to .258.

Burlington is 8-11 and 7 games back. The Bees start a 3-game home set vs. the South Bend Silver Hawks (5-14, A D-Backs) tonight. Probable starters: Burlington SP Alex Caldera (1-1, 1.04) vs. SB SP Joshua Collmenter (1-1, 6.59). The Silver Hawks' roster features Arizona top prospect righty Jarrod Parker (0-1, 1.86, 1.45 WHIP in 9 2/3 IP (3 starts)).

Royals on the Farm 4/23

AAA - Omaha: off day

*** Omaha is 11-7 going into a 4-game home set versus the Nashville Sounds (4-15, AAA Brewers). They are 2-1 versus Nashville thus far. Probable game 1 starters: Sounds RH Nic Ungs (1-2, 10.32) vs. what is right now a TBD Omaha starter. Lefty Tyler Lumsden (1-1, 6.39) was originally set to start.

AA - NW Arkansas: rainout

*** NWA and Springfield will play two today to make up Wednesday's washout. Naturals ace Dan Cortes has been put on the DL with an undescribed injury, at least on the team site's report. Dusty Hughes will step into the rotation in Cortes' slot and start tonight's game 1 vs. Springfield's Adam Ottavino. Game 2 starters are expected to be NWA's Blake Johnson (1-1 4.70) and Springfield's P.J. Walters (0-2, 2.86). Righty Chris Hayes was called up from Wilmington's DL to take Cortes' roster spot.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 4, Frederick 3

RF Dickerson 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (9), RS -- .344, he and Mertins are only ones hitting for Wilmington
SS McConnell 2-4, 2B (5), RBI (2), SB (7) -- .154
2B Mertins 1-4, 2B (5), K, RS, E (6) -- .339
CF D. Robinson 0-3, BB, RS, SB (6), E, OF assist at second -- .212
* LF Jarrod Dyson had an OF assist at home and was caught stealing twice.

Godin 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- W, 1-0, 5.40 ERA, not the best of lines but a W
de la Vara 3 IP, 4 K -- 5.87 ERA, probably best outing of year thus far
Chambliss IP, 2 K -- SV, 3, 1.54 ERA

*** Gilbert de la Vara and Tyler Chambliss held the Keys hitless for 4 IP out of the pen and the Rocks salvaged the series finale with Frederick. Starter Jason Godin stranded 2 Keys in the 2nd and, after the Rocks ran into their second out of the game on the basepaths in the 3rd, Derrick Robinson kickstarted a 2-out rally with a walk and steal of second followed by a Chris McConnell RBI double to make it 1-0 Rocks. A walk, single, Kurt Mertins error and sac fly tied the game off Godin in the bottom of the 3rd and LF Jarrod Dyson kept it tied by nailing a runner at the plate to end the inning. Godin stranded 2 more Keys in the 4th but was touched up for 2 runs on 2 hits, a walk and hit batsman in the 5th to make it 3-1 Frederick. Mertins tried to atone for hie earlier error with a 1-out double in the 6th and Joe Dickerson followed with an inside-the-park home run for his 2nd roundtripper of the season to tie the game. With runners at the corners and 1 out, a wild pitch scored Anthony Seratelli to make it 4-3 Rocks. de la Vara came in and pitched 3 perfect innings and Chambliss did the same in the 9th for his 3rd save. Keys starter Jacob Renshaw took the loss with 5 1/3 IP of 4 ER on 5 hits, 3 walks and 2 Ks to drop to 2-2 with a 5.73 ERA. 3B Billy Rowell was 1-4 with 2 RBI (3) to move to .300 and C Matt Wieters was 0-2 with a walk, run scored, sac fly and his 14th RBI to move to .385.

Wilmington is 7-12 and 6.5 games back. The Rocks have today off before starting a 3-game set with the Winston-Salem Warthogs at home Friday.

A - Burlington: Quad Cities 6, Bees 4

CF Lough 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (4), K, RS -- .258
LF Ortiz 2-4, 3B (2), K, RS, OF assist at home -- .333, looking good thus far
SS Moustakas 0-3, BB, RS -- .193, wish I could say the same
3B Taylor 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K, RS, SB (8), 2 E (3) -- .190, fielding, throwing E
1B C. Robinson 1-4, RBI (10) -- .288

Cegarra 6 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 9 H, BB, 6 K, WP -- ND, 1.64 ERA
Lopez IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, K -- L, 0-3, 3.72 ERA
Arias IP, ER, H, BB, WP -- BS, 3, 3.86 ERA

*** The Bees had the game in hand going into the 8th before a bullpen implosion handed the River Bandits the victory. Adrian Ortiz led off the game with a single, advanced on a throwing error and groundout and scored on a wild pitch to give Burlington a 1-0 lead. Two Jason Taylor errors in the 1st helped the Bandits to a run on only 1 hit off Bees starter Ed Cegarra. The Bandits scored 2 in the 3rd on 4 hits and a sac fly but the Bees evened it in the 4th on RBI singles by David Lough and Clint Robinson. An Ortiz triple went for naught in the 5th but Lough gave the Bees the lead in the 6th with a solo homer for his 2nd of the season to make it 4-3 Burlington. Cegarra left the bases full in the 6th and RP Yensi Lopez stranded 2 in scoring position in the 7th as the Bees clung to the 1-run lead. Lopez was pulled for Henry Arias with 2 on and 0 outs in the 8th and Arias' inning went wild pitch, walk, RBI single, sac fly, and RBI groundout as Ortiz threw out a runner at the plate to kill the rally, but it was too late. QC RP Eduardo Sanchez pitched his 3rd perfect inning in the 9th to get the win and move to 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Bandits starter Thomas Eager went 5 IP and allowed 3 runs (2 ER) on 5 hits, 3 walks and a K to make his ERA 6.75. Five Bandits had 2-hit games led by SS Peter Kozma, who was 2-4 with his 1st triple, 2 RBI (9) and 2 RS to move to .328. He also committed his 4th error. LF Charles Kingrey was 2-4 with 2 RBI (13) to move to .328.

The Bees are 8-10 and 6.5 games back. The series finale is tonight. Probable starters: Bees SP Joe Augustine (1-0, 5.73) vs. QC's Shaun Garceau (0-1, 1.84). Jason Taylor's 2-homer, 2 SB game on Tuesday was the first time that had happened in the minors since 2005 when Delmon Young and Chris Young were 2 of the 3 to do it.

Royals on the Farm 4/22

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 12, New Orleans 4

RF Hollins 2-4, 3B, HR (2), 5 RBI (11), RS -- .207
CF Costa 1-4, SF, HR (3), 3 RBI (10), 2 RS -- .329
2B Matranga 3-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI (4), 3 RS -- .500, nice job out of leadoff spot
DH Buchanan 3-5, RBI (6), 2 RS -- .286
SS Aviles 2-4, BB, RBI (16), RS -- .329
LF Lubanski 1-3, BB, 2B (2), 2 K, 2 RS -- .233
1B Stodolka 0-4, K -- .256

Davies 7 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- W, 2-1, 0.90 ERA, shutdown night for Hiram, only 82 pitches
Salmon IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, K -- 4.05 ERA
Musser IP, 2 ER, 2 H, K, HRA -- 3.38 ERA

*** Omaha did all its damage in the first 4 innings and Kyle Davies took care of the rest, for the most part. The first 2 Royal batters walked and a Brian Buchanan RBI single got the scoring started before Damon Hollins laced a 2-out, 2-run triple to left to make it 3-0 after 1. With 2 in scoring position and no outs in the 2nd, Dave Matranga singled home 2 runs and Shane Costa hit a 1-out, 2-run homer to right for his 3rd of the season to make it 7-0 O-Royals. The other 5 Royal runs came in the 4th as Mike Aviles hit an RBI single, Costa lifted a sac fly and Hollins cranked a 3-run homer to left for his 2nd as a Royal to give him 5 ribbies on the night. Davies pretty much cruised through his 7 innings but relievers Brad Salmon and Neal Musser both gave up 2 runs in their inning of work to make the final 12-4. Zephyrs SP Brian Stokes took the loss with 3 1/3 IP of 11 ER on 9 hits, 3 walks and 3 Ks to drop to 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA. 3B Anderson Machado was 2-4 with a run scored to get to .225.

Omaha is 11-7 and 3 games up on first. They have the day off today before hosting a set with the Nashville Sounds starting Thursday. Davies is second in the PCL in ERA behind Missouri product Max Scherzer of Tucson. The Royals' 3 game division lead is the team's largest since 2003.

AA - NW Arkansas: Springfield 7, Naturals 4 (14)

3B Richardson 2-4, 2B (2), 2 RBI (5) -- .250
1B Kaaihue 2-6, HR (6), 2 RBI (18), RS -- .226
SS Sanchez 2-6, 3 K, RS, picked off, E (5) -- .203, ejected in 13th
LF Suero 2-6, 3 SB (9), OF assist at second -- .238
CF Duarte 0-5, 2 BB, 3 K, RS, SB (8) -- .172
DH Lucas 0-5, BB, K -- .000, season debut
* The Naturals stranded 11.

Hardy 6 IP, 3 ER, 10 H, BB, 2 K -- ND, 6.30 ERA, not missing many bats, but only 1 XBH allowed
Crist 2 IP, 2 H -- 9.82 ERA
De La Cruz 3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- BS, 2, 2.63 ERA
Green 3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 0-1, 8.59 ERA

*** NW Arkansas had a great 8th inning rally put the Naturals in position for the win but Julio De La Cruz couldn't hold the lead in the 9th and the Nats lost in 14. The Cards scored a run on 3 hits off NWA starter Rowdy Hardy in the 1st but a Juan Richardson RBI double tied the game after 1. Hardy stranded 2 in the 3rd but allowed a run on a walk and 2 hits in the 4th and then another run on 2 hits in the 5th to make it 3-1 Springfield. The Naturals sprinkled some baserunners through the middle innings but couldn't cash in and the 3-1 lead held into the 8th. With 2 out in the Cards 8th, RP Kyle Crist allowed 2 singles but the Naturals nailed a runner at the plate in a rundown to end the threat. Joshua Dew took over pitching duties for Springfield in the 8th but was pulled after giving up a Richardson RBI single to cut the lead to 1. New pitcher Zach Zuercher fared no better, however, as Kila Kaaihue was the first batter he faced and said "Aloha" in sending a pitch to right center for his 6th homer of the year for a 2-run shot to make it 4-3 NWA. De La Cruz came on to close it out in the 9th but started the inning with a single, wild pitch and walk. A groundout brought home the tying run and the game went to extras. RP Patrick Green came in to pitch the 12th for NW Arkansas and left the bases full. Angel Sanchez was ejected after getting struck out looking to end the Nats 12th. The Naturals loaded the bases with 1 out in the 13th but Marc Maddox struck out and Cody Clark flew out to kill the threat. With 2 out in the 14th, Green gave up a double, IBB, RBI single, and 2-run single with a runner getting caught on the basepaths after the damage was done. Cards RP Luke Gregerson stranded 1 in the 14th for his 1st save for Springfield as RP Nick Webber got the win with a scoreless IP to move to 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA. Cards starter Clayton Mortensen went 7 IP and allowed only an ER on 5 hits, a walk and 4 Ks to make his ERA 2.49. Cards DH Brandon Yarbrough was 4-7 with 3 RBI (4) out of the 9-hole for Springfield to move to .270 and CF Jon Jay was 3-5 with 2 walks and 2 RS to move to .292. Six other Cardinals had 2-hit games.

The Naturals are 5-13 but only 3 games back. Game 3 of the series is tonight as NWA's Daniel Cortes (0-1, 1.35) takes on Cards high-level prospect SP Adam Ottavino (0-2, 7.43).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Frederick 4, Blue Rocks 1 (7/G1)

2B Mertins 1-3, E (5) -- .346
RF Dickerson 1-3, 3B (3), RS, SB (8), OF assist at second -- .333
3B J. Johnson 1-3, K, SB (2) -- .296, Rocks only had 3 hits
1B Seratelli 0-3, RBI (6) -- .132
CF D. Robinson 0-3, K -- .186
SS McConnell 0-3 -- .121, five guys in lineup have BAs in the .100s
C Howell 0-3, K -- .359

Kniginyzky 4 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- ND, 2.20 ERA
Hartsock 2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB -- L, 1-2, 2.50 ERA

*** The Rocks couldn't get to Keys starter Brandon Erbe very often but the Keys got to Wilmington RP Aaron Hartsock to take a 4-1 win in the opener. Joe Dickerson led off the Rocks 2nd with a triple and scored on an Anthony Seratelli groundout to make it 1-0 Wilmington. Starter Matt Kniginyzky, who returned after taking a line drive off his arm in his last start, stranded 2 in the 2nd but had some struggles in the 4th with a single, walk and single loading the bases before he walked in the tying run. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 5th and the Keys broke through vs. Hartsock in his 2nd inning of work, the 6th, with 3 runs on 4 hits. Erbe pitched a 1-2-3 7th for a complete game win with an ER on 3 hits, a walk and 3 Ks to move to 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA. Keys SS Jason White was 1-2 with a walk and 3 RBI (8) to move to .211 while Orioles uberprospect C Matt Wieters was 1-3 with a RS to move to .417 and 3B Billy Rowell was 1-2 with a walk, RBI (1), RS and his 1st error to move to .333.

Keys 2, Rocks 1 (7/G2)

CF Robinson 3-4, 2 2B (2), K -- .222
2B Mertins 1-3, K, RS -- .345
RF Dickerson 1-3, 2 SB (10) -- .333
SS McConnell 1-3, K -- .131
1B D. Wood 0-2, SF, RBI (6), K -- .175

Holland 3 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 7 K, WP -- L, 1-1, 2.63 ERA
Teaford 2 IP, H, 2 K -- 1.04 ERA
Barrera 1/3 IP, K -- 3.00 ERA

*** One rough inning for Greg Holland was enough as the Rocks offense sputtered again and the Keys ended up sweeping the doubleheader. Derrick Robinson led off the game with a double for Wilmington but was stranded where he stood and that set the tone for the Rocks. Holland had an easy time into the 3rd when he gave up a 1-out walk, RBI double, wild pitch and sac fly to make it 2-0 Keys. David Wood hit a sac fly in the 4th to cut the lead in half but the Rocks stranded 2. Everett Teaford relieved Holland with 2 on and 2 out in the 4th and got out of the jam and, after Jarrod Dyson was picked off in the Rocks 5th, Wilmington manager Darryl Kennedy was ejected. The pickoff hurt as the Rocks came up with 2 ensuing singles and stranded 2 in the frame. Another caught stealing in the 7th hurt badly as Matt Morizio walked and was caught stealing second only to see Wilver Perez reach on an error and Robinson rip another double that maybe would have scored Morizio, but didn't score Perez, who tried to make it home from first and was cut down at the plate to end the game in an exciting fashion. Keys starter Pedro Beato went 5 IP of an ER on 6 hits, a walk and 5 Ks to improve to 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA and RP Wilfredo Perez got his 1st save with 2 IP of a hit, walk and 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.70. SS Chris Amador was 2-3 with his 3rd double, 6th SB, 2nd E and 8th RBI to move to .284, Wieters was 0-2 with a sac fly and his 13th RBI to go with 2 Ks to drop to .400 and Rowell was 1-3 to stay at .333.

Wilmington is 6-12 and 7.5 games back. The series concludes tonight. Probable starters: Rocks righty Jason Godin (0-0, 5.40) vs. Keys righty Jake Renshaw (2-1, 5.40).

A - Burlington: Bees 5, Quad Cities 2

3B Taylor 2-2, BB, HBP, 2 HR (3), 3 RBI (10), 3 RS, 2 SB (7) -- .196, first multihomer game as pro, great line
SS Moustakas 0-4, BB -- .204
2B Evangelho 1-4, RBI (2), 3 K -- .080
LF Ortiz 2-4, BB, RS -- .324
1B C. Robinson 0-2, 2 BB, K -- .291

Paulino 6 IP, 6 H, 5 K -- W, 1-2, 5.06 ERA, nice night
Chavez 2 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, K -- 9.00 ERA, season debut
Lopez IP, 2 H -- SV, 1, 2.08 ERA

*** Jason Taylor was the man for Burlington on Tuesday and starter Eduardo Paulino wasn't too shabby, either, as the Bees took the opener from the River Bandits. Taylor led off the 2nd with his 1st homer of the game and 2nd of the season and Zach Evangelho hit an RBI single later in the inning to make it 2-0 Bees. Paulino stranded 2 in the 2nd and Taylor led off the 4th with his 2nd homer of the game and 3rd of the season to increase the lead to 3-0. Taylor walked and stole second to lead off the 6th and later stole third before scoring on a passed ball to further stretch the lead. Paulino hit 2 batters in the 6th but worked around them before departing for Chris Chavez in the 7th. With the bases loaded and 1 out in the 7th, Taylor was hit by a pitch to make it 5-0 Bees. Chavez allowed 2 hits but emerged unscathed in the 7th before giving up a 2-out, 2-run rally in the 8th on 3 hits. Yensi Lopez stranded 2 in the 9th for his 1st save. QC starter Andres Rosales took the loss with 4 IP of 3 ER on 4 hits, 3 walks and 3 Ks to drop to 0-1 with a 3.21 ERA. Four Bandits had 2-hit games led by 3B Domnit Bolivar, who was 2-4 with his 7th RBI and 4th error to move to .189.

Burlington is 8-9 and 6.5 games back. Game 2 is tonight. Starters have yet to be announced on the Bees' site. Starter Dan Gutierrez was put on the DL as Chavez made his debut. Gutierrez's injury isn't specified anywhere I've seen.

Royals on the Farm 4/21

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 6, O-Royals 2

LF Lubanski 1-3, HR (3), 2 RBI (10), RS -- .228
2B Aviles 1-4, K, SB (2) -- .319
CF Costa 0-4, K -- .333
1B Shealy 0-2, 2 BB, K -- .169
DH Stodolka 0-2, BB, RS -- .282

Maroth 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 0-1, 7.50 ERA, 40 pitches
Duckworth 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 5 K -- 5.28 ERA, mucho walko
Tsao 2 IP, H, 3 K -- 5.40 ERA, back off inactive list
Fulchino 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, K -- 2.57 ERA

*** It was a night of 2-run innings but New Orleans had 3 to Omaha's 1 as the O-Royals had only 3 hits. Omaha starter Mike Maroth had a rough 2nd as he started the innings with 2 walks and allowed an RBI single and sac fly but stranded 2 in the frame. Brandon Duckworth took over in the 3rd and, with 2 out in the 4th, gave up a single, RBI double, hit batsman, walk and then walked in a 2nd run to make it 4-0 Zephyrs. Duckworth stranded the bases full. Omaha stranded 2 in the 4th and Duckworth walked 3 in the 5th but worked around them. With 2 outs in the Omaha 5th, Mike Stodolka walked and Chris Lubanski hit his 3rd homer of the season to cut it to 4-2. Chin-hui Tsao pitched 2 solid innings and Jeff Fulchino came in for the 8th. With 2 on and 1 out, he gave up a sac fly and RBI double to extend the Zephyrs' lead to 6-2. Omaha stranded 2 in the 9th. Zephyrs SP Jose Diaz, who pitched for Omaha and KC in 2006, got the win with 2 ER on 2 hits, 3 walks and 7 Ks over 7 IP to move to 1-2 with a 2.96 ERA. Zephyrs RF Victor Mendez was 3-3 with a walk and his 5th RBI to move to .355.

Omaha was 10-7 going into today's game 3, which the O-Royals won. Starters were Zephyrs RH Brian Stokes (2-1, 1.50) and Omaha RH Kyle Davies (1-1, 1.38).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 1, Springfield 0

SS Sanchez 1-4, K -- .189
CF Duarte 0-3, BB, RBI (3), SB (7), picked off (2) -- .189
1B Kaaihue 0-2, BB, K -- .213, bat has cooled considerably
LF Valentin 0-3, 2 K -- .339

Pimentel 6 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K -- ND, 3.60 ERA
Mildren 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 1-2, 2.53 ERA
Lowery IP, H, 2 K -- SV, 1, 1.00 ERA

*** The Naturals were being shut out on 3 hits in the 8th but somehow scratched out a run that made the difference in the opener with Springfield. Starter Julio Pimentel gave up 2 singles in the 1st but stranded both runners and then worked around 2 hits and 2 walks in the 2nd. Marc Maddox singled and advanced to third with no outs in the 3rd but was thrown out on a fielder's choice at home and the inning proved fruitless for NW Arkansas. The Naturals stranded 2 in the 4th and Maddox got nailed at third in the 5th. Paul Mildren replaced Pimentel in the 7th and stranded the bases full. Adam Donachie started the Naturals 8th by reaching on a fielding error and pinch runner Ovandy Suero got to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a Jose Duarte groundout. Devon Lowery left a runner at second in picking up his 1st save in the 9th. Springfield starter Jaime Garcia went the full 8 IP but took the loss with an UER on 3 hits, 4 walks and 10 Ks to drop to 2-2 with a 2.35 ERA. Cards LF Shane Robinson was 2-3 with a walk and his 2nd SB to move to .360 and SS Tyler Greene was also 2-3 with 2 SB (6) to move to .207.

NWA moved to 5-11. They lost today's game in extras. Starters were Rowdy Hardy and Clayton Mortensen. Mildren took Luke Hochevar's spot in Omaha, which probably means Hideo Nomo's time as a Royal is finito. IF Ed Lucas was activated from the Naturals' DL to take Mildren's spot.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: rainout

*** The teams played a twinbill today and the Keys swept it. Aaron Hartsock and Greg Holland took the losses. IF Kurt Mertins was named Carolina League Player of the Week Monday. From April 14-20, Mertins hit .500 with 2 doubles, a triple and 2 RBIs.

A - Burlington: off day

*** The Bees started a 3-game set at the Quad Cities River Bandits (8-9, A Cardinals) today and won the opener. Eduardo Paulino got the win. QC's roster features Cards' prospect SS Peter Kozma (.895 OPS thus far).

Royals on the Farm 4/20

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 6, New Orleans 1

SS Aviles 3-4, 2 2B (9), RBI (15), 2 RS -- .324, considering bringing him up at short???
DH Buchanan 2-4, HR (2), 3 RBI (5), RS -- .188
CF Costa 2-3, BB, 2B (10), RBI (7), RS -- .354
LF Lubanski 1-3 -- .222
1B Shealy 0-4, K, RS -- .175, not exactly proving he should be in KC
RF Stodolka 0-4, 2 K -- .297, was hot, now slumping
2B Berroa 0-4, 2 K -- .339

de la Rosa 6 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K -- W, 2-0, 1.15 ERA, reaped PCL honor
Salmon 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K -- 2.92 ERA
Musser IP, H, 2 K -- 1.29 ERA

*** Jorge de la Rosa pitched another good game and Omaha evened the series with the Zephyrs. The Royals took control from their first AB as Dave Matranga singled and advanced to second on a New Orleans error and Mike Aviles doubled him home to put Omaha up, 1-0. de la Rosa left a runner at third in the 3rd and Omaha tacked on 4 runs on a Shane Costa RBI double and Brian Buchanan 3-run jack for his 2nd of the season to make it 5-0 O-Royals. de la Rosa stranded 2 in the 5th and Aviles scored on a Ryan Shealy double play ball in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-0. Brad Salmon took over in the 7th and allowed a run on 2 doubles in the 8th but Neal Musser finished it off. Zephyrs SP Ruddy Lugo took the loss with 6 IP of 6 runs (2 ER) on 10 hits, a walk and 5 Ks to fall to 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA. RF Victor Mendez was 2-3 with a double to move to .286.

Omaha is 10-6 and 3 games up on first. Game 3 is ongoing. Starters: Zephyrs RH Jose Diaz (0-2, 3.12) vs. Omaha LH Mike Maroth (0-0, 6.75). de la Rosa was named PCL Pitcher of the Week today to become the first O-Royal to win the award since Brett Laxton in July 2002. If that doesn't say something about the Omaha teams in recent history, I don't know what does.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 2, Naturals 1

RF McFall 2-4, RBI (6), SB (2) -- .186
LF Valentin 2-4 -- .356
CF Suero 1-4, 2 SB (6) -- .222
SS Sanchez 0-3, BB, K, 2 SB -- .184
1B Kaaihue 0-3, BB, K -- .222

Rosa 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 6 K, HRA, WP -- L, 1-2, 2.25 ERA, hard loss
De La Cruz 2 IP, H -- 2.53 ERA

*** The Naturals offense struggled to score once again and Arkansas swept the 4-game set. Starter Carlos Rosa left a runner at third in the 1st and NWA CF Ovandy Suero stole 2 bases but was left at third in the 3rd. Rosa gave up a solo homer to CF Cody Fuller in the Arkansas 3rd and 3B Corey Smith doubled to lead off the 4th, advanced to third on a 1-out single, and stole home to make it 2-0 Travs. The Naturals were being shut out on 2 hits entering the 7th by two Travs pitchers and stranded 2 in that frame. Like Suero, Sanchez reached and stole 2 bases in the 8th but was left at third as NW Arkansas couldn't get that clutch hit. The Naturals got runners to the corners to start the 9th and a Brian McFall forceout scored Juan Richardson. McFall stole second but Irving Falu struck out and Cody Clark grounded out to end the game. Reliever Kevin Jepsen allowed a run but notched his 2nd save and moved his ERA to 0.93. Starter Dan Denham went 5 2/3 IP for the win and allowed 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 Ks to move to 1-1 with a 1.00 ERA. Fuller was 1-3 with his 1st homer and RBI to move to .194 and DH Nate Sutton was 2-3 to move to .286.

NWA is now 4-12 after the sweep by the Travs. A 4-game home set with the Springfield Cardinals (5-11, AA St. Loueeee) started tonight. Starters: NWA's Julio Pimentel vs. Cards SP Jaime Garcia. The Cards' roster features Redbirds prospects Garcia, righty Adam Ottavino (0-2, 7.43, 1.80 WHIP in 3 starts), C Bryan Anderson (.943 OPS thus far), righty Clayton Mortensen (1-1, 3.07, 1.02 WHIP in 3 starts), and 3B Allen Craig (.687 OPS), among others. Lefty Mark Mulder is rehabbing with Springfield.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: rainout

*** Sunday's game will be made up in June. The Rocks were to start a 3-game set at the Frederick Keys (9-7, A-Adv. O's) tonight but it got rained out, too. They're making it up with a Tuesday double dip. Probable starters, G1: Rocks RH Matt Kniginyky (0-0, 2.19) vs. Keys RH Brandon Erbe (1-1, 3.78); G2: RH Greg Holland (1-0, 1.80) and LH Everett Teaford (1-0, 1.17) will tag team vs. Keys RH Pedro Beato (2-1, 3.86). The big name on the Frederick roster is O's top prospect C Matt Wieters (1.273 OPS, 4 HR, 12 RBI in 15 games) but the roster also includes 3B Billy Rowell (only 1 AB so far), righty Jake Arrieta (1-0, 2.75, 1.12 WHIP in 4 starts and 19 2/3 IP), Beato and Erbe, among others.

A - Burlington: West Michigan 6, Bees 5 (11)

RF Tucker 2-4, BB, 2 2B, RBI (3), 2 RS, E -- .152
LF Ortiz 2-5, 2 RBI (4), CS -- .313
SS Moustakas 1-5 -- .220
2B Jimenez 2-5, 2B, RBI (4), 3 K, RS -- .194
C Eigsti 1-5, RBI (4), 2 K -- .162
1B C. Robinson 2-5, 2 K, RS, picked off -- .302
3B Taylor 0-5, K -- .167

Gutierrez 3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- 2.37 ERA
Swaggerty 3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, BB, 2 K -- 4.15 ERA
Bradley 4 2/3 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- L, 1-1, 0.66 ERA

*** The Bees pulled off a 9th inning rally but couldn't get over the top as the Whitecaps took 2 of 3 in the series. Burlington struck first with 2 outs in the 2nd as Wilson Tucker and Antonio Jimenez hit back-to-back doubles and Ryan Eigsti singled Jimenez home to make it 2-0 Bees. With 2 on thanks to walks and 1 out in the 3rd, starter Dan Gutierrez gave up a 2-run triple to 2B Justin Henry to tie the game. Henry scored on a sac fly and it was 3-2 Whitecaps. In the bottom of the 7th, a Wilson Tucker error put the leadoff batter at third, and after 2 singles scored a run, Ben Swaggerty was pulled for Anthony Bradley. Bradley gave up a sac fly to make it 5-2 West Michigan. WM starter Jonathan Kibler retired the last 10 Bees he faced and the Whitecaps pen took over in the 8th. The Rocks put 2 on with 0 outs in the 9th and Tucker doubled home a run before 2 Ks put the game on the line with the tying run in scoring position at second. Adrian Ortiz came through with a huge 2-run single to tie the game but Alwin Perez flew out to end the rally. Bradley pitched into the 11th and had the winning run at third with 1 out when an intentional walk loaded the bases. A sac fly by 3B Roger Tomas ended it. RP Paul Nardozzi got the win with an IP of a walk and 2 Ks to move to 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA. Kibler went 7 IP of 2 ER on 6 hits and 5 Ks to move his ERA to 2.00. Tomas was 1-2 with a walk, 2 sac flies, 2 RBI (4) and 2 SB to move to .348. LF Kody Kaiser and 1B Christopher Carlson had 2-hit games for the Whitecaps.

Burlington is 7-9 and 7.5 games out. The Bees had today off before taking on Quad Cities for a 3-game series starting Tuesday. The Quad Cities team is no longer the Swing of the Quad Cities. They're now the Quad Cities River Bandits.

Royals on the Farm 4/19

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 6, O-Royals 2

LF Lubanski 1-4, RBI (8), SB -- .216
CF Costa 0-4, BB, RBI (6), SB (4) -- .339
SS Aviles 1-5, K -- .297
DH Stodolka 1-4, RS -- .333
2B Berroa 1-4, RS -- .364
1B Shealy 1-4, 2B (3), K -- .186
C Tupman 1-2, 2 S -- .294

Wright 5 2/3 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA, WP, 2 E -- L, 0-1, 5.14 ERA, rough night
Giron 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K, 2 HRA -- 4.97 ERA

*** The Zephyrs got a boost to chase Matt Wright in the 6th and rolled to the 6-2 win in the opener Saturday. Wright gave up a run on 2 hits in the 1st and the Zephyrs would never trail. Two errors by Wright helped lead to a run in the 3rd as New Orleans made it 2-0. Omaha had a few baserunners but no runs until the 5th when an error helped advance Mike Stodolka and Chris Lubanski drove him in with a groundout to cut the lead in half. The momentum swing lasted 2 batters as Wright allowed a single and then a 2-run homer to Zephyrs DH Fernando Tatis to make it 4-1. Angel Berroa scored on a Shane Costa grounder that turned into a Zephyr error in the 7th but Tatis homered again off Roberto Giron in the 8th and RF Victor Mendez went solo in the 9th to make it 6-2. The O-Royals stranded 2 in the 9th as former Royals RP Nate Field finished the game for NO. Starter Tony Armas Jr. got the win with 5 2/3 IP of an UER on 4 hits, a walk and K to improve to 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA. Three Zephyrs had 2-hit games led by Tatis' 2-4 night with 2 HR (8), 3 RBI (14) and 2 RS to move to .268.

Omaha is 9-6 and 2 games up on first. Game 2 is this afternoon as Omaha lefty Jorge de la Rosa (1-0, 1.86) takes on New Orleans starter Ruddy Lugo (2-0, 2.84).

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 3, Naturals 1

3B Lisson 2-4, 2 2B (4), K -- .164
DH Richardson 0-3, SF, RBI (3) -- .235
CF Duarte 1-4, SB (6) -- .200
1B Kaaihue 0-3 -- .238
RF Valentin 1-3, OF assist at third -- .345

B. Johnson 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K, 3 hit batsmen -- L, 1-1, 4.70 ERA
Colon 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K, WP -- 5.00 ERA
Green IP, nothing -- 8.31 ERA

*** The Naturals couldn't get to Travs starter Robert Mosebach as the hurler allowed 5 hits and only an ER over a complete game to set Arkansas up for a sweep. That looked to be anything but the case in the 1st as Mario Lisson clubbed a ground-rule double and a Juan Richardson sac fly gave the Naturals a 1-0 lead. NWA SP Blake Johnson stranded 2 Travs in the 2nd and the Naturals left a runner at third in the 3rd. Johnson tiptoed through trouble again in the 3rd as he left the bases full and the Travs finally got to him in the 5th as a 2-out, 2-run triple by 3B Corey Smith gave Arkansas the lead. Mosebach, meanwhile, was in the midst of retiring 19 straight Naturals from the 3rd into the 9th. A Roman Colon wild pitch brought in an Arkansas insurance run in the 7th. Lisson broke Mosebach's out streak with a 2-out double in the 9th but Richardson grounded out to end the game. Mosebach had 0 walks and 5 Ks over the CG to improve to 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA. Smith was 1-2 with a walk, his 1st triple and 2 RBI (11) to move to .280 and SS Hainley Statia was 2-4 with a RS and his 1st SB of the season to improve to .232.

The Naturals are 4-11 and 3 games back. The series concludes this afternoon as SP Carlos Rosa (1-1, 1.93) takes on Arkansas SP Dan Denham (0-1, 2.70).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 5, Blue Rocks 0

2B Mertins 2-4, E (4) -- .347
RF Dickerson 1-2, 2 BB, CS (3), OF assist at third -- .333
C Howell 1-3, HBP -- .389
3B J. Johnson 1-3 -- .292
CF D. Robinson 0-3, HBP -- .196
SS McConnell 0-4, 2 K -- .127

B. Wood 4 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 2 K, HRA -- L, 0-1, 5.29 ERA
Hartsock 2 IP, UER, H, BB, 3 K -- 1.13 ERA
Haltiwanger 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 5.23 ERA

*** The Rocks stranded 7 as the offense struggled through a 5-hit shutout and Potomac took 2 of 3 going into the series finale. Wilmington stranded 2 in the 2nd but it was Potomac that struck first in the inning off SP Blake Wood as 3B Leonard Davis cranked his 1st homer of the year for a 2-run shot to make it 2-0 Nats. Four singles and a sac fly pushed in 2 more runs in the 3rd as Potomac took a 4-0 lead. The Rocks put runners at the corners with 0 outs in the 5th but Jeff Howell was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice and Chris McConnell hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. The P-Nats scored their 5th run in the 5th thanks in part to a David Wood error. The Rocks put 2 on with 1 out in the 9th but two flyouts ended the would-be rally. P-Nats starter Adrian Alaniz got the win with 7 IP of 4 hits, a walk and 3 Ks to move to 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA. RF Edgardo Baez was 3-4 with his 7th double and 2 RBI (8) to move to .260 and Davis was 2-4 with his homer and first 2 RBI of the season to set a .500 BA.

Wilmington is 6-10 and 6.5 games back. The series was to end this afternoon but has been rained out and will be made up in June. IF Jeff Bianchi has hit the DL with a pulled hamstring and 1B Miguel Vega was activated.

A - Burlington: West Michigan 8, Bees 7 (12)

DH C. Robinson 2-5, 2B (5), 3B (2), 3 RBI (9), 2 RS -- .292
CF Ortiz 3-6, 2B (2), K, SB (3) -- .306
2B A. Perez 2-5, 2 K, SB (3) -- .174
3B Taylor 2-5, BB, K, 3 RS, 2 SB (5) -- .184
RF Walton 1-5, RBI (6), K -- .171
1B Hayes 1-3, HBP, RBI (2), K, 2 CS (3) -- .211, left in extras with foot/ankle injury
SS Moustakas 0-5, BB, K, E (5, throw) -- .222

Z. Peterson 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K, HRA -- ND, 7.50 ERA
Abreu 2 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 2 H, 5 BB, 3 K -- 5.73 ERA
Arias 2 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K -- BS, 2, 3.24 ERA
Lopez 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- L, 0-2, 2.35 ERA

*** The Bees collapsed in the 9th as a Mike Moustakas error was costly and lost it in 12. Starter Zach Peterson gave up a 2-out solo homer to Whitecaps 1B Ron Bourquin in the 1st but the Bees answered with 3 runs in the 2nd on a 2-run double by Clint Robinson and a Shawn Hayes RBI single. Two Whitecaps hits, again with 2 outs, in the 2nd cut the lead to 3-2 and Peterson stranded 2 in scoring position in the 3rd. Jamar Walton singled home a run in the 4th to extend the lead back to 2 and the Bees piled on 2 more runs in the 6th on a Robinson RBI triple to chase WM starter Lauren Gagnier, and a balk by RP Santo Nieses to bring Robinson homer to make it 6-2 Bees. Juan Abreu took over for Peterson in the 7th and gave up a run on 2 doubles and a walk in the 8th to cut it to 6-3. Abreu walked the bases loaded to start the 9th and in came closer Henry Arias. He got 2B Justin Tucker to hit to Moustakas for a force attempt but Moose made a 2-run throwing error to cut it to 6-5 and put the tying run at third. A 1-out sac fly by DH Jordan Newton tied the game and Arias stranded 2 in escaping the jam from there. The Bees regained the lead in the 10th as Alwin Perez led off with a single and an error on a Moustakas hit to the pitcher scored pinch runner Antonio Jimenez to make it 7-6 Bees. Arias was the one to load the bases with no outs in the Whitecaps 10th and a double play ball pushed across the tying run. The Bees stranded a runner at third in the 12th and, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 12th, reliever Yensi Lopez loaded the bases and allowed the winning run to come in on a wild pitch. Reliever Rudy Darrow got the win for the Whitecaps with 2 IP of a hit and 3 Ks to improve to 2-0 with a spotless ERA. Gagnier allowed 6 ER on 7 hits, 3 walks and 5 Ks over 5 1/3 IP to move his ERA to 6.75. C Adrian Casanova and SS Roger Tomas had 3-hit games for West Michigan.

Burlington is 7-8 and 6.5 games back. The series concludes this afternoon. Danny Gutierrez is set to start for Burlington.

Royals on the Farm 4/18

AAA - Omaha: rainout

*** The finale with Nashville will be made up later this season. The O-Royals return home to start a 4-game set vs. the New Orleans Zephyrs (9-7, AAA Mets) tonight. Probable starters: NO RH Tony Armas (0-1, 3.94) vs. O-Royals RH Matt Wright (0-0, 5.40). The Zephyrs' roster features no top Mets prospects and, in fact, no one under 25. As expected, righty Luke Hochevar got called up to start Sunday for KC.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 3, Naturals 1

SS Sanchez 1-4, RBI (5), E (4) -- .200
1B Richardson 1-2, BB, HBP, E -- .250
LF Valentin 1-4 -- .346
DH Maddox 1-4, K, SB (3) -- .163
CF Duarte 0-4 -- .196
C Clark 0-1, 2 BB, K, RS, PB -- .200

Cortes 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- L, 0-1, 1.35 ERA, tough to win with 1 run of support, 81 pitches
D. Hughes 2 IP, BB, 2 K -- 1.93 ERA
Lowery IP, UER, H, BB, 2 K -- 1.13 ERA

*** The Naturals managed only 1 run on 4 hits off 4 Travelers pitchers as Arkansas took another game from Northwest Arkansas. The Naturals stranded 2 in the 1st and scored their only run without a hit in the 3rd as Cody Clark led off the inning with a walk, advanced to third on a Jose Duarte groundout and scored on an Angel Sanchez groundout to put NWA up, 1-0. Starter Dan Cortes stranded 2 in the 3rd but gave up 3 hits along with a passed ball and Sanchez error to score 2 Travelers in the 4th. Cortes stranded 2 in scoring position in the 5th and the Naturals got the tying run to third with 1 out in the 7th but stranded Marc Maddox there. A Juan Richardson error in the 8th helped lead to a run as Devon Lowery gave up a 2-out RBI single to make it 3-1 Arkansas. Stephen Marek pitched a perfect 9th for his 1st save. Starter Anthony Ortega got the win with 6 IP of an ER on 3 hits, 3 walks and 2 Ks to improve to 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA. Five Travs had 1 hit each.

The Naturals are 4-10 and now 2 games back. Game 3 is tonight as Naturals SP Blake Johnson (1-0, 5.23) takes on Arkansas SP Robert Mosebach (1-0, 3.48).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 6, Blue Rocks 1

C Howell 2-4, 2B (5), RBI (9), 2 K, PB (3) -- .394
3B-2B Mertins 2-4, 2B (4) -- .333
SS McConnell 1-3, BB, 2B (4), CS (3), E (4) -- .137
2B Bianchi 1-2, 2B (2), K -- .136
CF D. Robinson 0-4, BB, K -- .208
RF Dickerson 0-3, BB -- .327

Santiago 4 IP, 6 R (1 ER), 8 H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 0-2, 7.71 ERA
Nicoll 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 3.38 ERA
Barrera IP, BB, K -- 3.12 ERA

*** Two Potomac pitchers led by starter Jordan Zimmermann held the Rocks in check and an ugly 1st was all the P-Nats needed to win. Rocks starter Mario Santiago got the first 2 outs easily in the 1st, but a Chris McConnell throwing error was followed by a single, 2-run double, passed ball, RBI single, RBI double and RBI single to make it 5-0 before Santiago finally got the third out. A homer in the 3rd by Nats LF Dee Brown (not Dermal, this is late Eagles DL Jerome Brown's son) made it 6-0 and the Rocks stranded 2 in the 4th. Their next best chance came in the 8th when they loaded the bases with no outs, but McConnell lined into a double play and Joe Dickerson grounded out to end the inning. Jeff Howell finally got the Rocks on the board with a 2-out RBI double in the 9th but the Rocks stranded 2. Zimmermann got the win with 5 IP of 3 hits, 2 BB and 6 Ks to improve to 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA. Brown was 3-4 with his 2nd homer, 2 RBI (5), his 2nd SB and 2 RS to move to .325.

Wilmington is 6-9 and 5.5 games back. Game 3 of the 4-game set is tonight. Probable starters: Rocks right-hander Blake Wood (0-0, 4.15) vs. P-Nats righty Adrian Alaniz (0-0, 6.75).

A - Burlington: Bees 3, West Michigan 0 (4-hitter)

LF Lough 2-3, BB, 2B (2), HR, 2 RBI, RS -- .292
SS Moustakas 3-4, SB -- .250, maybe this'll get him started
1B C. Robinson 1-4, HR (5), RBI (6), K, RS -- .279
CF Ortiz 1-4, HBP, K -- .286
3B Taylor 0-4, RS -- .159

Caldera 7 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, K -- W, 1-1, 1.04 ERA, other than BB/K, great
Swaggerty IP, H, 2 K -- 4.76 ERA
Arias IP, K -- SV, 1, 2.84 ERA

*** The Bees were held quiet until the 7th then broke through and got the shutout win in the opener with the Whitecaps. The Bees stranded 2 in the 4th and Burlington starter Alex Caldera didn't run into much trouble until the 6th when rehabbing Detroit OF Curtis Granderson ripped a 1-out triple to right, but Caldera got Granderson at home on a fielder's choice and stranded 2 in the inning. David Lough and Clint Robinson hit back-to-back jacks to start the 8th (their 1st and 5th of the season, respectively) to chase WM starter Emmanuel Miguelez. The Bees went on to strand 2 but scored again in the 8th on a Lough RBI double to make it 3-0 and Ben Swaggerty and Henry Arias rounded out the victory on the mound. Miguelez took the loss with 6 IP of 2 ER on 4 hits, a walk and 7 Ks to drop to 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA. Granderson was 2-4 with the triple in the loss.

Burlington is 7-7 and 6.5 games back. The series continued this afternoon and is into extra innings. Starters were the Bees' Zach Peterson and Whitecaps SP Lauren Gagnier.

Royals on the Farm 4/17

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 6, Nashville 5

CF Costa 3-5, 2B (9), HR (2), 2 RBI (5), RS -- .362, triple shy of cycle
3B Smith 2-5, HR (5), RBI (11), RS -- .304
C Tupman 2-4, 2B (2), RBI (3), RS, PB (3) -- .281
SS Berroa 2-4, RS -- .373
2B Aviles 1-5, RBI (14), K -- .305
LF Lubanski 1-4, RBI (7), K, RS -- .213, 19 Ks in 47 ABs, so he's hitting .357 when he actually puts the ball in play
1B Shealy 1-5, 2B (2), 2 K -- .182, 16 Ks in 55 ABs

Lumsden 5 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 5 K, HRA -- W, 1-1, 6.39 ERA, 85 pitches
Duckworth 2 IP, UER, H, 2 K -- 5.11 ERA
Fulchino 2 IP, BB, 2 K -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA

*** Tyler Lumsden pitched just well enough to hold down his 1st victory of the season as Omaha earned at least a split of the set with the Sounds. Shane Costa led off the game with a double but was thrown out at third on a ball hit to the shortstop by Mike Aviles and the Royals' would-be rally fizzled. In the 2nd, with 2 on and 1 out, Chris Lubanski singled home a run and Costa and Aviles did the same to make it 3-0 Omaha off Nashville SP Lindsay Gulin. For the second time in 2 innings, tho, the Royals stranded 2. Matt Tupman hit a 2-out RBI double in the 3rd to extend the lead and Costa led off the 4th with his 2nd homer of the season to make it 5-0. Lumsden made his way through the Sounds' order the first time fairly easily, but with 2 out in the 4th, back-to-back doubles got Nashville a run. With 2 out and 2 on in the 6th, Lumsden served up a 3-run homer to Sounds CF Laynce Nix, who's having a good series, and the lead was cut to 5-4 O-Royals. Jason Smith got Omaha some insurance in the 7th with his 5th homer of the season (this one off former O-Royal Jason Shiell) but RP Brandon Duckworth allowed a run in the bottom of the frame thanks in part to Matt Tupman's 3rd passed ball of the season. Jeff Fulchino came in for the 8th and allowed only a walk over his 2 IP to lock down his 1st save for the O-Royals. Gulin took the loss with 5 IP of 5 ER on 9 hits, a walk and 4 Ks to drop to 0-2 with a 3.95 ERA. Nix was 2-4 with his 3rd homer and 3 RBI (11) to move to .286.

Omaha is 9-5 and 2.5 games up on first. The series wraps tonight as Omaha righty Matt Wright (0-0, 5.40) is set to take on Nashville RH Nic Ungs (1-1, 3.72). Reliever Joel Peralta was called up to KC as John Bale went on the DL with a tired shoulder. Speculation is out there that Luke Hochevar may get the call to start Sunday for KC.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 7, Naturals 5

3B Lisson 2-3, HBP, HR, RBI (4), 2 RS, E -- .149
CF Duarte 2-4, BB, K, E -- .214
1B Valentin 1-4, RBI (5) -- .354
RF McFall 1-4, 2B (2), RBI (5), RS, OF assist at home -- .167
C Donachie 1-4, RBI (2), K -- .179
LF Suero 0-3, S, RBI (4), K -- .241
SS Sanchez 0-4, K, E (3) -- .195

Hardy 5 1/3 IP, 6 R (4 ER), 11 H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 0-2, 7.07 ERA, 71 pitches, isn't fooling many in AA
Mildren 2 2/3 IP, ER, H, BB, HRA -- 3.12 ERA

*** Rowdy Hardy had 2 rough innings and the Naturals lost the series opener with the Travelers. The game was fairly quiet going into the bottom of the 4th still 0-0 but Hardy allowed a leadoff homer to Travs 1B Michael Collins to change that. Another run scored in the frame on a single, Angel Sanchez error, IBB and double steal of home and second to make it 2-0 as 3B Corey Smith pulled off the swipe at the plate. Another run would have scored on an ensuing single but Brian McFall nailed the runner at the dish to end the inning. Arkansas SP Brok Butcher 2-hit the Naturals through 6 and the Travs broke the game open in the bottom of the 6th. A Collins leadoff single was augmented by a Jose Duarte error in center, then an RBI double, single, RBI single, and 1-out RBI single chased Hardy with 1 out and 2 on. Paul Mildren came in and, after a Mario Lisson error loaded the bases, walked in a run to make it 6-0 before he escaped the jam. Lisson broke up Butcher's shutout with a 1-out solo homer in the 7th for his 1st of the season and the Naturals stranded 2 in the 8th. Mildren allowed a solo homer to 2B Nate Sutton in the 8th to make it 7-1 but the Naturals would rally in the 9th. A fielding error allowed Lisson to score and McFall doubled in a run to cut the lead to 7-3 with still nobody out. Geraldo Valentin was cut down on a fielder's choice at the plate for a big first out before Adam Donachie singled in a run and Ovandy Suero squeeze bunted a run home to cut it to 7-5 with 2 out. The rally died there, however, as Duarte grounded out to end the game. Butcher got the win with 7 IP of an ER on 4 hits and a K to improve to 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA. Sutton was 3-4 for the Travs with his 1st homer and 2 RBI (4) to move to .311 and Collins was 2-4 with his 2nd error, 2nd homer, 9th RBI and 2 RS to move to .395.

NWA is 4-9 and in a three way tie for second, a game back of Tulsa. The "Diamond Series" as it's being called, continues tonight. Probable starters: Naturals' ace Dan Cortes (0-0, 1.08) vs. Travelers SP Anthony Ortega (1-1, 2.45). The Naturals are looking to up the ante in the rivalry by calling the Travelers the "North Little Rock Travelers" in a challenge to the right to include the word "Arkansas" in the team name.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 5, Potomac 4

1B Seratelli 1-4, BB, HR, 2 RBI (5), K, RS, CS (2) -- .167
CF D. Robinson 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (3), 2 K, SB (5) -- .224
PH-RF Dickerson 0-0, SF, RBI (7) -- .347
C Howell 2-4, K, 2 RS -- .379
SS McConnell 1-4, BB, RS, SB (6) -- .125
DH Bianchi 1-5, 3 K -- .119
2B Mertins 1-4, K, picked off -- .317
3B J. Johnson 1-1, 2 BB, S, RS, SB -- .300

Godin 5 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, WP, balk -- ND, 5.40 ERA
de la Vara 2 1/3 IP, K -- W, 2-2, 7.30 ERA
Chambliss IP, K -- SV, 2, 1.69 ERA

*** Two late rallies helped the Blue Rocks snap Potomac's 10-game win streak. Wilmington struck against P-Nats starter Ross Detwiler in the 2nd as the Rocks loaded the bases with 2 outs and Derrick Robinson singled in 2 runs. Jeff Bianchi struck out with the bases loaded to end the threat. Potomac finally got to Rocks starter Jason Godin in the 3rd with back-to-back doubles and an RBI groundout driving in 2 runs to tie the game. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 4th and Potomac surged ahead in the 5th with, again, back-to-back doubles and an RBI groundout plating 2 to make it 4-2. Gilbert de la Vara replaced Godin with 2 on and 2 out in the 6th and got a rally-killing pop out to preserve the 2-run deficit. With Chris McConnell at second and 2 out in the 7th, Anthony Seratelli stepped up and drilled a 2-run homer to right to tie the game at 4. Joe Dickerson pinch hit for Jarrod Dyson with runners at second and third and 1 out in the 8th and came through with a sac fly to give Wilmington a 5-4 lead. de la Vara and Tyler Chambliss combined for perfect 8th and 9th innings to finish out the 1-run win as Chambliss picked up save No. 2 on the season. Reliever Adam Carr took the loss with 2 IP of an ER on a hit, walk and 3 Ks to drop to 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA. Detwiler went 4 IP and allowed 2 ER on 4 hits, 5 walks and 4 Ks to bump his ERA to 4.05. P-Nats C Brian Peacock was 1-3 with his 2nd double and 8th RBI to move to .353 and 2B Matt Rogelstad was 1-4 with his 6th double and 6th RBI to move to .333.

Wilmington is 6-8 and 4.5 games back of the Nationals. The series goes to game 2 tonight. Probable starters: Rocks SP Mario Santiago (0-0, 11.81) vs. Nats right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (1-0, 0.93). Wilmington is on a break-neck pace to steal 380 bases this season.

A - Burlington: off day

*** The Bees start a 3-game set at the West Michigan Whitecaps (7-6, A Tigers) tonight. Probable starters: Bees SP Alex Caldera (0-1, 1.74) vs. WM's Emmanuel Miguelez (0-0, 10.50). The Whitecaps' roster features Motor City Kitties prospects righty Noah Krol (0-0, 2.70 in 4 relief appearances), IF Kody Kaiser (.750 OPS) and a rehabbing Curtis Granderson.