Royals on the Farm 5/8

NOTE: Got a busy Mothers' Day weekend ahead, so there might be some late reports the next couple days....

AAA - Omaha: Portland 8, O-Royals 7

2B Berroa 3-5, 2B (7), 2 RBI (11), K, RS -- .303
SS Aviles 2-4, BB, 2B (16), 2 RBI (29), RS, SB (3) -- .355, 28 XBH leads PCL
CF Maier 1-3, BB, SF, RBI (9), RS -- .371, 12-game hit streak
RF Costa 1-4, BB, HR (7), RBI (23), 2 K, RS -- .323
C Tupman 1-4, S, RBI (13) -- .282
LF Lubanski 2-3, BB, 2B (6), RS -- .250
DH Buchanan 2-5 -- .308, back from DL
1B Shealy 0-2, K, E -- .222, left after 3 with leg injury
*Omaha stranded 10.

Duckworth 2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 2 K, HRA -- 6.04 ERA, 70 pitches, bleccch
Colon 3 IP, 2 H, BB, K -- 0.00 ERA, '08 Omaha debut
Salmon 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- 5.59 ERA, back from being with wife for childbirth
Musser 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, K -- L, 0-2, 3.38 ERA, not as lockdown in AAA as was last season
Mildren 2/3 IP, K, WP -- 2.70 ERA

*** Aside from a solid relief outing from Roman Colon and 2/3 of an inning from Paul Mildren, the Omaha pitching staff had a night to forget and a comeback effort from the O-Royals went for naught in the 9th. Starter Brandon Duckworth got beaten around in the 2nd for 3 runs on 3 hits (including 2 doubles) and 3 BB before stranding the bases loaded. He then gave up a leadoff homer in the 3rd and was pulled with 2 on, 0 outs and a 4-0 deficit. Colon stranded 2 and Omaha got back in the game in the bottom of the 3rd with 3 runs as Mike Aviles stroked a 2-run double (really, we can't use his bat at KC? the 2B/SS pool has become what the 1B/DH group used to be in KC -- too many guys with the team not willing to make moves to decide on) and Matt Tupman hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-3. Colon stranded 2 in the 5th and was pulled for the 6th. Brad Salmon came in and gave up a run on 2 hits and a walk in the 6th but Omaha tied it with 2 in the bottom of the frame on an Angel Berroa RBI single and Mitch Maier sac fly. Brian Buchanan literally knocked Beavers SP Josh Banks out of the game in the inning with a liner off the head. Salmon was pulled for Neal Musser with 2 out and 2 on in the 7th and Musser served up an RBI double to make it 6-5 Portland. Shane Costa erased the lead with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 7th for his 7th of the season and Berroa hit another RBI single to make it 7-6 O-Royals. Omaha stranded 2, however, and Portland did the same in the 8th. The O-Royals left 2 in scoring position in the 8th and Musser gave up a big 2-run double in the 9th to flip the lead back to the Beavers. Mildren came in and stranded 2 but the damage was done and Omaha went down in order in the 9th as RP Jared Wells picked up his 6th save. RP Mike Adams got the win with an IP of 2 walks, a K and wild pitch to improve to 3-1 with a 6.94 ERA. Banks went 5 1/3 IP and allowed 5 ER on 10 hits, a walk and 5 Ks to move his ERA to 10.22. I guess Buchanan's liner glanced off his glove and face and he just had a bloody nose. LF Chase Headley was an offensive standout at 5-5 with a walk, his 11th double, 15th RBI and 2 RS to move to .304 and RF Edgar Gonzalez was 3-5 with a walk, his 3rd homer and 11th RBI with 2 RS to move to .307.

Omaha is 16-16 and 1.5 games up on first. The series concludes tonight. Probable starters: Portland LH Cesar Ramos (3-2, 5.53) vs. Omaha RH Kyle Davies (3-2, 2.61). When Buchanan was activated, Chin-hui Tsao was put on the DL with a sore right elbow. Uh oh. Thursday's game was the longest 9-inning game for Omaha since 2003 as it lasted close to 3:50.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 6, Springfield 2

1B Kaaihue 2-4, HR (10), 2 RBI (29), 2 RS -- .263, gradually towing BA back up with .310 home BA, hitting only .189 on road
LF Lucas 2-4, RBI (3), 2 K, CS (2) -- .188
RF McFall 1-3, 2 RBI (20), K, picked off -- .229
CF Duarte 1-4, 2 K -- .244

D. Hughes 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K, pickoff -- W, 3-2, 3.13 ERA
C. Hayes 3 IP, BB, K -- 1.59 ERA
Crist IP, K -- 3.86 ERA

*** The Naturals gave starter Dusty Hughes some run support and Hughes and 2 relievers took care of the rest as NWA moved back into a first-place tie with Springfield. Kila Kaaihue hit a 2-out, 2-run homer in the 1st for his 10th of the season and the Naturals quickly had a 2-0 lead. Hughes kept the Cards in check through 4 innings and the offense padded the lead with 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th on a Mario Lisson fielder's choice that was aided by a Springfield error, and RBI singles by Ed Lucas and Brian McFall that made it 5-0. The Naturals stranded 2. After 2 doubles and a walk to start the 6th, Hughes was pulled for Chris Hayes, who allowed a sac fly but kept a 3-run lead after the dust settled. McFall hit an RBI forceout in the bottom of the 6th to make it 6-2 and Hayes and Crist allowed no hits the rest of the way to close out the victory. Cards SP Clayton Mortensen went 3 2/3 IP and allowed 5 runs (4 ER) on 6 hits, 2 walks and 6 Ks to fall to 1-3 with a 5.61 ERA. LF Shane Robinson was 2-3 with a walk, his 9th double and 19th RBI to move to .429.

NW Arkansas is 17-17 and tied for first. Game 3 of the set is tonight as NWA's Blake Johnson (2-2, 4.35) takes the mound vs. Springfield's Tyler Herron (0-0, 7.36).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: off day

*** The Blue Rocks are 15-17 and 5 games back. They start a 3-game home set versus the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (20-13, A-Adv. Braves) tonight. Wilmington is 1-3 versus the Pelicans as this is the first time they've squared off since the opening series of the season. Probable game 1 starters: Rocks righty Greg Holland and southpaw Everett Teaford will piggyback it against Pelicans right-hander Ryne Reynoso.

A - Burlington: Beloit 8, Bees 6

1B Jimenez 3-5, 2B (3), RBI (8), K, RS -- .165
SS Moustakas 2-5, 2B (2), 2 K, RS -- .221
CF Ortiz 2-5, RBI (8), RS, OF assist at home -- .333
LF Lough 2-5, RBI (12), K, OF assist at first -- .259
DH Walton 1-5, 2 RBI (10), 2 K -- .234
3B Taylor 0-4, BB, RBI (17), RS -- .231
2B A. Perez 2-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .188
RF Tucker 2-5, 2B (5), K, picked off -- .123
* The Bees stranded 12.

Paulino 5 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, K, HRA, pickoff -- 6.16 ERA
Lopez 2 IP, H, 3 K -- 4.61 ERA
Arias 2 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, K -- BS, 4, L, 2-2, 4.66 ERA, maybe not quite closer material?

*** The Bees came back from a 5-run deficit and had the lead in the 8th but the Snappers scored 3 runs in the last 2 innings to take the opener. Starter Eduardo Paulino gave up 3 runs in the 2nd on 3 hits, including a 2-run homer, and then 2 more in the 3rd on 3 hits and a walk to make it 5-0 Beloit. Burlington got back in the game in the 3rd with 4 runs on RBI singles by Adrian Ortiz and David Lough, a run-scoring Beloit error and a Jamar Walton RBI single to make it 5-4. The Bees took the lead in the 5th with 2 runs on another Beloit error on a Walton grounder that scored Mike Moustakas after he had led off with a double, and an Antonio Jimenez RBI single off 7-foot-tall reliever Loek Van Mil. Paulino didn't allow a hit after the 3rd but 2 walks to start the 6th got him pulled for Yensi Lopez, who worked out of the jam and pitched 2 solid innings. The Bees stranded 2 in the 7th and Henry Arias coughed up the lead in the 8th with a run on 2 walks, a double and single, although Ortiz saved a run by cutting down a runner at the plate. Arias stranded 2 and Ortiz was thrown out at the plate in the bottom of the inning as the Bees left 2 in scoring position. A walk and 3 straight singles with 1 out in the 9th scored 2 runs off Arias and Beloit led, 8-6. The Bees, again, left 2 in scoring position in the 9th as RP Matt Williams notched his 3rd save. RP Brad Tippett got the win with an IP of 3 hits to improve to 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Starter Mike Tarsi went 4 IP and allowed 6 runs (5 ER) on 8 hits, a walk and 3 Ks to bump his ERA to 7.23. C Jair Fernandez was 3-4 with a walk, his 5th double and 6th RBI to move to .333; LF Mark Dolenc was 2-5 with his 8th RBI and 2 RS to move to .214; and CF Ben Revere was 2-4 with a walk, K, 2 RS and his 5th SB (also his 5th CS) to move to .439.

The Bees are 14-18 and 9.5 games back. Game 2 is tonight. Probable starters: Bees' Ed Cegarra (1-2, 2.12) vs. Snappers' Daniel Berlind (2-2, 4.71).