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.