Royals on the Farm 7/30

AAA - Omaha: Salt Lake 5, O-Royals 4

1B Kaaihue 1-5, HR, RBI, K, RS -- .200, longball in AAA debut
3B Dawkins 2-5, 2B (10), K -- .299
CF Hollins 2-3, BB, 2B (11) -- .219
LF Lubanski 1-4, HR (13), RBI (42), RS -- .246, on HR tear lately
RF Stodolka 1-1, 3 BB, 2 RS, OF assist at second -- .288, nice night
C Tupman 1-4, RBI (26) -- .235
SS Sanchez 0-4, RBI (11), picked off in key spot -- .196
DH Shealy 0-3, BB -- .287

Wright 6 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 HRA, WP -- L, 3-7, 5.89 ERA, doesn't have it this season
Bale IP, K -- 3.60 ERA
Lumsden IP, K -- 7.18 ERA, back from injury
Fulchino IP, BB -- 4.47 ERA

*** Omaha rallied in the 8th but it wasn't enough as Salt Lake opened the series with a 5-4 victory. The Bees scored a run off Matt Wright in the 2nd on a 2-out rally of 2 hits and a walk but Matt Tupman hit an RBI groundout in the bottom of the inning to tie it. A walk and hit in the 3rd plated another Salt Lake run and, after Omaha left the bases full in the 3rd, the Bees got a solo homer in the 4th to take a 3-1 lead. A 2-run homer in the 6th made it 5-1 but Chris Lubanski blasted his 13th homer of the season in the 7th for a solo shot to trim the lead to 3. Kila Kaaihue made his Omaha debut at least a partial success by leading off the 8th with his 1st AAA homer and Omaha loaded the bases with 1 out. Angel Sanchez drove in a run with a forceout to cut the lead to 5-4 but then got picked off first by RP Matt Wilhite to end the inning. Omaha stranded 1 in the 9th as Kaaihue struck out looking to end the game. Jason Bulger picked up his 13th save for the Bees with a scoreless 9th to drop his ERA to 0.56. Starter and former Omaha pitcher Shane Loux got the win with 7 IP of 2 ER allowed to improve to 12-6 with a 3.98 ERA. Two Bees had 2 hits, including OF Dermal Brown, and RF Adam Pavkovich hit his 21st homer with 2 RBI. SS Brandon Wood smacked his 23rd homer and had 2 RBI.

Omaha is 49-62. Game 2 is tonight as Salt Lake RH Giancarlo Alvarado (6-4, 3.95) squares off vs. RH Jose Capellan (3-0, 2.75). Jimmy Gobble has joined the Royals for a rehab assignment. Carlos Rosa has missed a start with an undisclosed injury and Dave Matranga was put on the DL with his shoulder injury. James Nilsen has been sent back to the AZL.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 11, Tulsa 1

1B Richardson 4-5, 2 2B (25), 2 HR (12), 3 RBI (60), K, 3 RS -- .303, must want to follow Kila to Omaha
RF McFall 3-4, HBP, HR (15), 3 RBI (49), RS, SB (6) -- .249, picking up the offense of late
CF Falu 2-4, BB, 3 RBI (32), RS -- .278
SS Lisson 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (47), 2 RS, 2 SB (25) -- .216
3B Lucas 1-5, HR (4), RBI (25), RS -- .303
2B Maddox 1-5, K, RS -- .288

R. Hardy 7 2/3 IP, 7 H, BB, 8 K -- W, 5-8, 4.92 ERA, think that's his highest K total of season
Plummer 1 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 K -- 4.42 ERA

*** The Naturals' offense continued to hit like Roy Hobbs as NWA churned out 11 runs and Rowdy Hardy had one of his best starts of the year. NWA stranded 2 in the 1st but got a run in the 2nd on a Brian McFall RBI single. Juan Richardson smoked his 11th homer of the season in the 3rd to make it 2-0 and Hardy pretty much coasted through 5 with a 5-hit shutout. NWA plated 3 in the 6th on a Mario Lisson RBI single and 2-run McFall homer for his 15th of the season to make it 5-0. The situation repeated itself in the 7th as Irving Falu singled home a run and Richardson cranked his 2nd homer of the game and 12th of the season for a 2-run shot to stretch it to 8-0. Ed Lucas led off the 8th with his 4th homer and Falu hit a 2-run single to finish off the Naturals' scoring at 11-0. Hardy was pulled for Jarod Plummer with 2 on and 2 out in the 8th and Plummer allowed an RBI triple in the 9th before finishing it. Tulsa starter Brandon Hynick couldn't beat the Nats a second consecutive time as he was drilled for 7 ER over 6 1/3 IP to fall to 7-7 with a 5.16 ERA. LF Justin Nelson was 2-4 with his 3rd triple and an RBI. The Drillers got 9 hits but only 1 run to show for them.

The Naturals are white hot at 25-14, 5 games up on first, and on a 6-game tear. The series concludes tonight as Julio Pimentel (4-9, 5.56) tries to keep the good times going versus rehabbing Tulsa and Rockies starter Jeff Francis (0-0, 1.08).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 7, Blue Rocks 6

3B Mertins 2-4, HR (3), 2 RBI (38), K, 2 RS -- .306
2B Bianchi 2-3, BB, 2B (26), RBI (46), RS, CS (3) -- .247
C Morizio 2-4, RBI (18), SB (8) -- .187
DH Correll 1-5, HR (7), 2 RBI (19), RS -- .337
CF D. Robinson 1-4, BB, picked off -- .241
SS McConnell 1-3, 2 HBP, RS, SB (22) -- .281
RF Strait 1-5, K, RS -- .337
* LF Jarrod Dyson stole his 34th base.

Santiago 5 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K -- 3.64 ERA, good start wasted
Chavez 2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, HRA, pickoff -- BS, 1, 6.30 ERA
Chambliss IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, HRA, E (2) -- BS, 3, L, 2-2, 3.63 ERA, not a stellar night for Rocks pen

*** The Blue Rocks blew a 4-1 lead in the 6th and then blew a 6-4 lead in the 9th to get swept by the Nationals in a key turn of events. Brad Correll slugged his 7th homer as a Rock for a 2-run shot in the 1st and Wilmington had a 2-0 lead. The Rocks stranded 2 in scoring position in the 2nd and Mario Santiago pitched well until loading the bases with 1 out in the 5th and allowing a sac fly. Kurt Mertins hit a 2-run homer in the 6th for his 3rd of the season and the Rocks' lead jumped to 4-1. Chris Chavez came in for the 6th and gave up a 2-run homer to trim the lead back to 1 before 2 hits tied it at 4 in the 7th for the Nationals. Jeff Bianchi brought the lead back to the Rocks with an RBI double in the 8th and Matt Morizio singled Bianchi home to make it 6-4. Tyler Chambliss pitched a perfect 8th but, in the 9th, allowed a single and 2-run homer to tie it with no outs, allowed another single and stolen base, then made a throwing error on a sac bunt attempt to allow the winning run to cross the plate and end it. RP Clint Everts got the win for Potomac with 1 2/3 IP of 2 ER allowed to move to 3-1 with a 5.40 ERA. Starter Hassan Pena worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed 4 ER to bump his ERA to 5.06. Two Nats had 2 hits and two others had a homer and 2 RBI. The big blast in the 9th was by C Jhonatan Solano and was his 1st of the season for Potomac.

The Blue Rocks are 17-21 and 5 games back of Potomac after the 3-game sweep. A 4-game set at the Frederick Keys (14-25, A-Adv. O's) starts tonight. The Rocks are 5-7 versus the Keys. Probable starters: right-hander Matt Kniginyzky (6-7, 3.69) vs. O's top prospect righty Brandon Erbe (8-9, 4.55).

A - Burlington: Dayton 14, Bees 4

1B Taylor 3-4, 2B (10), HR (13), 2 RBI (44), RS -- .227
LF Francis 1-4, RBI (3), K, E -- .300
3B Moustakas 1-5, 3 K, RS, E (18) -- .257
C Eigsti 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (29), K, picked off runner -- .215
2B Giavotella 1-4, K -- .297
DH Martin 1-4, 2 K -- .318
RF Van Stratten 1-3, BB, 2B (9), K, RS -- .354

Gutierrez 4 IP, 8 R (4 ER), 11 H, 2 K, 3 HRA -- L, 3-2, 2.48 ERA
M. Peterson 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, HRA -- 6.48 ERA
Baldwin 3 1/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 7 H -- 7.18 ERA

*** Dayton established an early 6-0 lead and rolled to the win with 21 hits, including 11 off starter Danny Gutierrez. A 2-run homer got the Dragons started in the 1st and they tacked on 4 runs in the 2nd on a sac fly and 3-run homer. Nick Van Stratten led off the Bees 3rd with a double and scored on a Ryan Eigsti sac fly to cut it to 6-1 but Dayton got a solo homer and another run on 2 hits in the 4th to pull further away. Jason Taylor clubbed his 13th homer in the bottom of the 4th but the Dragons answered with single runs in the 5th and 6th off Matt Peterson, including another solo homer. Taylor singled home a run in the 6th and a Nick Francis RBI groundout in the 8th cut it to 10-4 but Dayton poured on 4 runs in the 9th off Burke Baldwin to put it in the bag. 3 Bees errors led to 6 unearned runs on the night, and former Bee RP Henry Arias, who the Reds picked up in the Brad Salmon trade, pitched the last 2 innings for the Dragons. Starter Jeremy Horst got the win with 5 IP of 2 ER allowed to move to 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA. Six Dragons had multi-hit games led by a 5-6 night from DH Neftali Soto, who hit his 3rd homer with 3 RBI, and a 4-6 game from 3B Brandon Waring, who hit his 17th homer with 4 RBI.

The Bees are 21-17 and 1/2 a game back of first now. They'll try to salvage the finale with the Dragons tonight as Luis Cota (0-1, 5.19) takes on Dayton's Josh Ravin (2-6, 6.35).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 6, Casper 5 (10)

C Graterol 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI (8, including game winner), K, RS, SB (2) -- .333
LF Griffin 1-3, 2 BB, HR (3), RBI (16), K, 2 RS -- .281
3B Jimenez 1-5, HR (3), RBI (13), 4 K, RS -- .290, did OK when he made contact
CF Norris 1-4, S, 2 K, RS, 2 OF assists at first -- .243
SS Alfaro 1-4, BB, 2B (11), K, E (12) -- .250
C McCauley 0-1 -- .264, pulled in 5th
1B Espinosa 0-4, K -- .159
PR-RF Testa 0-0, BB, RS -- .227

Casey 3 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 2 K -- 3.07 ERA
Carver 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 WP -- 6.75 ERA
Gilgenbach IP, 2 K -- 12.82 ERA
Thompson 2 IP, UER, H, BB, 3 K -- W, 2-2, 2.95 ERA

*** Idaho Falls spent most of the game digging out of a 4-run hole and tied it in the 9th before winning in another comeback in the 10th. The game was scoreless into the 4th before Casper scored 4 that frame on 3 hits and a walk off starter Bryan Casey and a hit, walk and 2 wild pitches by RP Jesse Carver. No Chukar had reached base until Antonio Jimenez changed that with a 2-out solo homer in the 4th for his 3rd of the season. Juan Graterol led off the 5th with a single, advanced on a bunt, stole third and scored on a throwing error on the play to cut the lead to 4-2. Patrick Norris turned two flyouts into double plays in the 5th and 6th by doubling the runners off first. Graterol stepped up again with an RBI double in the 7th to cut it to 4-3 and that was the score entering the 9th. RP Kurt Yacko came in to try and finish it for Casper but U of Tennessee product OF Shawn Griffin took the suspense out of the inning with a leadoff homer for his 3rd as a pro to tie the game. James Thompson pitched a perfect 9th but allowed a 1-out double in the 10th that turned into a run on a J.D. Alfaro error on the next play. The Chukars loaded the bases off Yacko with 1 out in the 10th and a 2-out passed ball scored Carlo Testa to tie it. Griffin, who was at bat when the passed ball occurred, was intentionally walked to re-load the bases and Graterol came through again with a walkoff single to end it. Yacko blew his 1st save and took the loss to drop to 1-1 with 3 ER over 1 2/3 IP to move his ERA to 3.50. Starter Matt Baugh worked 5 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 ER) to move his ERA to 3.56. 3B James Cesario was 3-5 with a double and 2 RS and three others had 2 hits for the Ghosts.

The Chukars are 2-1 and in an early tie for first in the second half. A 3-game set at the Orem Owlz (1-2, first-half champs, Rookie Angels) starts tonight with no announced starters on the team site. The Chukars are 1-7 versus Orem this season.

Rookie - Burlington: double rainout

*** The rainout of Wednesday's twinbill will be made up as doubleheaders tonight and tomorrow between the Royals and Sox. No announced starters on the team site.

Rookie - AZL: Angels 14, Royals 7

DH Beltre 2-5, RS -- .400
CF Llanos 1-5, 2 RBI (13), 2 K, RS, E (2) -- .184, one of 8 Royal errors in the game
2B Nilsen 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI (7) -- .209, back in action
LF Mariano 0-2, 2 BB, RBI (2), 2 K, 2 RS, OF assist at home -- .091
RF Del Rosario 1-4, K, RS -- .318
C J. Bonilla 0-4, K, E (4) -- .370
SS D. Batista 1-1, BB, RS -- .304
3B Kuebler 0-4, 2 K, 2 E (12) -- .220

Sample 3 IP, 11 R (5 ER), 8 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 E (3) -- L, 0-4, 11.49 ERA, YOWCH
Sirrett 3 IP, 3 UER, 4 H, 2 K, 2 WP -- 3.00 ERA
J. Smith IP, K -- 1.80 ERA
B. Richardson IP, nada -- 1.54 ERA

*** The Royals made 8 errors and Tyler Sample paid the price as the '08 draftee gave up 11 runs in 3 innings and a 6-run 9th went for nothing for the Royals. The Angels churned out 4 runs in the 1st on 5 hits and 2 walks and then scored 4 more in the 2nd on a walk, hit and 3 Royal errors. Miguel Mariano scored on a wild pitch in the 3rd but Sample gave up 3 more runs that inning on 2 hits and 3 more Royal errors, including 2 by Sample on the same play. Onassis Sirrett came in for the 4th and allowed 3 runs on 2 hits, 2 wild pitches and 2 more errors, both by Jake Kuebler. The game stayed 14-1 into the 9th when the Royals rallied for 6 runs on a bases-loaded run-scoring wild pitch, a bases-loaded walk by Mariano, a 2-run Alex Llanos single and a 2-run double by James Nilsen. That was it, tho, for the Royals. Angels starter Joshua Blanco worked 7 innings and allowed only an unearned run to improve to 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA. C David Golliner was 4-5 with 3 RBI, a run scored and his 3rd error and 2 other Halos had 2 hits and 3 RBIs.

The Royals are 1-3 and in the cellar of the AZL. They have today off. I think I had the Royals playing the Giants yesterday, and I could have sworn that's what the schedule said. Must not have.

Royals on the Farm 7/29

AAA - Omaha: Tucson 15, O-Royals 3

RF Stodolka 3-5, 2B (11), K, RS -- .284
3B Dawkins 2-5, HR (7), 2 RBI (23), 2 K, RS -- .296
SS Sanchez 2-4, RBI (10) -- .204
LF Lubanski 2-4, 2B (16), K, RS -- .246
2B Smith 2-5, K -- .251
DH B. Pena 1-4, BB -- .294
1B Shealy 0-5, 3 K -- .290
* Omaha stranded 11.

D. Hughes 2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 2-1, 4.95 ERA
Colon 5 IP, 9 R (8 ER), 12 H, BB, 3 K, HRA, WP, E -- 4.98 ERA
Buchanan IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA

*** Tucson drilled Dusty Hughes and Roman Colon and rolled to the win. Hughes allowed 3 runs in the 1st on 2 hits and 2 walks but Angel Sanchez plated Omaha's first run in the 2nd with an RBI single to cut it to 3-1. The Royals couldn't keep up with Tucson's pace, however, as the Sidewinders scored 3 more in the 2nd on 4 hits to make it 6-1. Colon took over in the 3rd and allowed 2 runs that inning on 3 hits, a wild pitch and error. Omaha left the bases loaded in the 4th and Tucson scored 2 runs on 3 hits in the 5th to make it 10-1. A homer in the 6th made it 11-1 and 4 runs in the 7th on 5 hits off Colon finished off the scoring for Tucson. Brian Buchanan pitched a perfect 8th for the Royals and Omaha did score twice in the 9th on a 2-run homer by Gookie Dawkins for his 7th of the season for Omaha. RP Juan Gutierrez got the win with 5 scoreless innings of relief to move to 3-10 with a 6.83 ERA. Juan Cruz made a rehab start and allowed an ER in 2 IP. LF Phil Avlas was 4-5 with an RBI and 3 RS, three other Sidewinders had 3 hits and two more had 2-hit games. 1B Josh Whitesell was 3-4 with a walk, his 20th homer, 4 RBI and 2 RS.

Omaha is 49-61. A 4-game home set with the Salt Lake Bees (65-45, AAA Angels) starts tonight. Probable starters: Bees RH Shane Loux (11-6, 4.05) vs. RH Matt Wright (3-6, 5.80). Salt Lake's roster includes Halos prospects righty Nick Adenhart, righty Nick Green, and IFs Sean Rodriguez and Brandon Wood. Former Royal OF Dermal "Dee" Brown is also on the Bees roster. I guess IF James Nilsen was called up to Omaha to spell IF Dave Matranga, who is having shoulder trouble.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 9, Tulsa 6

LF Falu 4-4, BB, 3B, HR (4), 2 RBI (29), 3 RS, CS (7) -- .275
DH Aldridge 3-4, HR (3), 3 RBI (15), K, 2 RS -- .281
1B Richardson 2-4, BB, 2B (23), RBI (57), K, RS -- .296
RF McFall 1-4, HR (14), 3 RBI (46), RS -- .241
CF Duarte 0-5, 3 K -- .258
2B Maddox 0-4, BB, K, RS -- .290
3B Lucas 0-3, BB, 2 K, RS -- .306
* SS Mario Lisson stole his 23rd base.

B. Wood 4 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 9 K -- 6.59 ERA
Atencio 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, H, 4 BB, 2 K -- W, 3-3, 3.78 ERA
Hamulack 2/3 IP, ER, H, HRA -- 3.65 ERA
C. Hayes 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB -- SV, 7, 1.53 ERA

*** NWA poured on the offense and held off the Drillers to win a 5th straight game. Brian McFall clubbed a 3-run homer in the 2nd for his 14th of the season to get the Naturals started and Cory Aldridge hit an RBI single in the 3rd to make it 4-0. Blake Wood struck out the side in the 2nd but allowed 3 runs in the 3rd on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out the side again in the 4th and NWA added 4 runs to the lead in the 5th on a 2-run Irving Falu homer for his 4th of the season plus a 2-run shot by Aldridge for his 3rd for the Naturals to make it 8-3. Greg Atencio allowed a run in the 5th but Juan Richardson singled home a run in the 7th to make it 9-4. Tim Hamulack served up a 2-run homer in the 7th and was pulled with 1 out in the 8th. Chris Hayes loaded the bases but got a double play to escape the jam and stranded 1 in the 9th for his 7th save. Tulsa starter Alan Johnson allowed 8 runs (7 ER) over 5 IP to take the loss and drop to 3-11 with a 5.28 ERA. Four Drillers had 2 hits, including SS Corey Wimberly, who was 2-3 with 2 walks, an RBI, a K, 3 RS and 3 SB (52).

NWA is 24-14 and 5 games up on first while on a 5-game win streak. The series continues tonight as Rowdy Hardy (4-8, 5.24) pitches vs. Tulsa's Brandon Hynick (7-6, 4.93). Hynick was the last pitcher to beat the Naturals.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 10, Blue Rocks 2

RF Strait 2-4, 2B (7), RS -- .345
2B Mertins 2-4, 2B (24), K -- .303
LF Seratelli 2-4, 2B (12), 2 K -- .217
CF D. Robinson 0-3, BB, SF, RBI (24) -- .241
SS McConnell 1-3, 2 BB -- .281
1B Correll 1-5, 2B (10) -- .345
DH Bianchi 0-4, K -- .242
3B J. Johnson 0-2, BB, HBP, K -- .276
* The Rocks stranded 10.

Mildren 3 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- L, 0-5, 7.98 ERA, might be time to cut him loose?
Swaggerty 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB -- 2.70 ERA
Hartsock 2 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 K -- 4.19 ERA
Haltiwanger IP, nothing -- 3.35 ERA

*** Paul Mildren got torched and the Rocks dropped game 2 to the Nationals. Mildren allowed a run on 3 hits in the 2nd and 2 runs on 2 doubles and a walk in the 3rd but a Jeff Bianchi double play ball scored the Rocks' first run in the 4th to cut it to 3-1. Mildren was pulled with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 3rd and Ben Swaggerty gave up a 2-run single to extend Potomac's lead. Wilmington stranded 2 in the 6th and Potomac surged further ahead with 5 runs that inning on 6 hits and a walk off Swaggerty and Aaron Hartsock. The Rocks loaded the bases in the 7th but a Brad Correll double play ball stymied the would-be rally. Derrick Robinson hit a sac fly in the 9th but the Rocks stranded 2. Potomac starter Ross Detwiler got the win with an ER allowed over 6 IP to improve to 6-7 with a 5.20 ERA. DH Dee Brown (as noted in the AAA notes, not THAT Dee Brown) was 4-4 with a double and 2 RBI, 2 others had 3 hits for Potomac and 2 more had 2 hits.

The Rocks are 17-20 and 4 games back. The series finale is tonight as righty Mario Santiago (7-6, 3.73) takes on Nationals right-hander Hassan Pena (0-1, 3.60).

A - Burlington: Dayton 4, Bees 0 (4-hitter)

3B Moustakas 1-4, 2B (17), K -- .258
RF Francis 1-4 -- .313
CF Lough 1-3, BB, CS (9) -- .264
2B Giavotella 0-3, BB, K, 2 E (8) -- .299, both errors were throwing
1B Taylor 0-3, HBP, K -- .221
DH C. Robinson 0-4, K -- .248
C Billick 0-2, S, 2 K -- .320

Liotta 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K, E -- 0.00 ERA, looking good
Sisk 2 IP, 3 R (2 ER), H, 2 BB, 4 K -- L, 0-1, 9.00 ERA, Bees debut
Baldwin IP, K -- 7.43 ERA
Raglione IP, ER, 2 H, K, WP -- 6.14 ERA

*** Ray Liotta made his first Burlington start a good one but the overall game wasn't a success for the Bees as Dayton scored 4 late runs for the shutout win. Both teams stranded 2 in the 1st but Liotta and Dragons SP Kyle Lotzkar had the game in a scoreless draw when both were pulled. The game was still scoreless into the 7th when Brandon Sisk gave up a 2-out 2-run triple that ended up scoring the batter, too, on a Johnny Giavotella error. Paul Raglione allowed a run in the 9th and the Bees went down in order as reliever Juan Rafael pitched the last 4 scoreless innings for the Dragons to improve to 2-1 with a 4.37 ERA. Lotzkar's 5 innings of scoreless work lowered his ERA to 3.86. Five Dragons had a hit each as LF Brandon Menchaca was 1-4 with the gamebreaking triple and 2 RBI with 2 K and a run scored.

The Bees are 21-16 and tied with Peoria for first. Game 2 of the set is tonight as Danny Gutierrez (3-1, 2.03) hurls versus Dayton's Jeremy Horst (5-2, 2.67). Liotta is no longer rehabbing and has been stationed at Burlington for the time being.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Casper 5, Chukars 0 (5-hitter)

CF Norris 1-4, 2B (7), K -- .243
SS Alfaro 0-4, 3 K -- .250
LF Griffin 1-4, E (2) -- .280
C McCauley 0-3, BB, 2 K, E (6) -- .267
RF Testa 1-3, 2 K -- .227

Toribio 4 2/3 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K, WP -- L, 0-4, 5.81 ERA
Miller 2 1/3 IP, 2 K -- 6.46 ERA
Saito 2 IP, H, BB -- 6.28 ERA

*** The Chukars had almost as many errors (4) as hits (5) as Casper shut them down to even the series. Aneidy Toribio made a throwing error, gave up an RBI triple and threw a run-scoring wild pitch as Casper took a 2-0 lead in the 1st. Two more triples in the 3rd made it 4-0 Ghosts. Casper polished off the scoring with a run in the 5th. The Chukars never really threatened, although they did strand a couple runners twice. Casper starter Ethan Hollingsworth pitched 5 scoreless innings to improve to 4-3 with a 5.29 ERA. SS Carlos Martinez was 2-5 with a triple, 2 RBI and 2 RS along with his 14th SB.

IF is 1-1. The series ends tonight as Bryan Casey (2-2, 2.39) takes the mound for Idaho Falls vs. Casper's Matt Baugh (3-1, 3.79).

Rookie - Burlington: off day

*** A 3-day, 4-game road set with the Bristol (White) Sox (18-17) starts tonight with a doubleheader. No announced starters on the team site. The Royals are 0-2 versus the Sox.

Rookie - AZL: Mariners 12, Royals 1

RF Del Rosario 2-4, 2B (6), RBI (8), 2 K, CS (8) -- .321
CF Llanos 2-4, 2B (5), 2 K -- .183
2B D. Batista 0-4, 2 K -- .297
3B Kuebler 0-3, E (10) -- .231
C Jacobs 1-3, 2B (2), K, 3 PB (4) -- .211

Hodge 4 IP, 4 R (1 ER), 6 H, 2 BB -- L, 0-3, 12.38 ERA
Cuevas 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, WP -- 6.23 ERA
A. Bonilla IP, ER, H, HRA -- 6.06 ERA
A. Martinez IP, 5 R (1 ER), 3 H, BB, 2 K, HRA, balk -- 9.95 ERA

*** The Mariners routed the Royals, plain and simple. Mitch Hodge gave up 3 runs in the 1st on 3 hits, a walk, a passed ball and an error. The M's added a run in the 3rd on a walk, hit and 2 passed balls on Nestor Jacobs to make it 4-0. The Royals ran into 2 outs on the basepaths in the 4th and Gary Cuevas allowed a run in both the 5th and 6th. Luis Del Rosario doubled home a run in the 6th but that was all the offense the Royals would get. The Mariners got a solo homer in the 8th and then piled on 5 runs in the 9th including a 3-run homer off Angel Martinez to finish the massacre. M's starter Kenta Suda got the win with 5 scoreless innings pitched to improve to 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA. LF Joel Mendez was 3-5 with a double, 3 RBI and his 10th SB. Four other M's had 2 hits.

The Royals are 1-2 and 2 games back. They play the 2-1 Giants tonight.

Royals on the Farm 7/28

AAA - Omaha: Tucson 5, O-Royals 4

LF Lubanski 1-3, HR (12), 2 RBI (41), RS -- .242
3B Dawkins 2-4, RS, CS (2) -- .292
1B Shealy 1-4, 2B (16), RBI (45), K -- .295
RF Stodolka 1-4, 2B (10), RBI (20) -- .277
DH B. Pena 1-4, RS -- .295
SS Sanchez 0-3, 3 K -- .191

Duckworth 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K, WP -- 5.01 ERA
Bale IP, 2 H -- 4.50 ERA
Salmon 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, K -- BS, 5, L, 7-6, 4.86 ERA, blown 4 of 5 save opps this month; bullpen as whole has blown 7 of 9 save opps in July

*** Chris Lubanski gave Omaha the lead in the 8th but Brad Salmon helped give the game back to Tucson in the 8th and 9th. Ryan Shealy hit an RBI double in the 1st and Mike Stodolka followed with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 Omaha. Brandon Duckworth made the lead only temporary, tho, by giving up 2 runs on 4 hits in the 1st. Duckworth left 2 in scoring position in the 2nd and neither team threatened again until the 6th when Duckworth gave up a double and run-scoring wild pitch to make it 3-2 Sidewinders. Lubanski smacked a 2-run homer to right in the 8th for his 12th of the season and Omaha grabbed a 4-3 lead. Salmon came in for the 8th and allowed 3 2-out singles to bring the tying run in to score. Tucson struck again with 2 out in the 9th as Salmon gave up a double and then a walkoff RBI single to C Robby Hammock to end it. RP Connor Robertson got the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work to move to 7-2 with a 3.53 ERA. Starter Evan MacLane allowed 4 ER over 7 1/3 IP to move his ERA to 4.86. DH Jeff Salazar was 3-4 with a walk, double and RBI and 4 other Sidewinders had 2 hits.

Omaha is 49-60. The series wraps tonight as LH Dusty Hughes (2-0, 3.67) takes on Tucson RH A.J. Shappi (1-3, 6.37). It's happened -- Kila Kaaihue has been called up to Omaha and will join the team in Omaha Wednesday.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 10, Springfield 4

SS Lisson 3-4, 3B (3), 2 HR (11, one was grand slam), 6 RBI (46), 3 RS -- .214
1B Richardson 4-4, HR (10), 2 RBI (56), 3 RS -- .294
DH Kaaihue 2-5, 2B (11), RBI (79), K, 2 RS -- .314
2B Falu 2-5, 2B (7), 2 K -- .263
LF Suero 0-4, RBI (22), 2 K -- .263
CF Duarte 0-5 -- .261
3B Lucas 1-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .312

Cortes 6 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HRA -- W, 6-4, 4.41 ERA
Crist 2 IP, 3 K -- 4.60 ERA
de la Vara IP, ER, 3 H -- 3.94 ERA

*** Mario Lisson was the man Monday as he showed a flash of the talent that led KC to put him on the 40-man roster. With the bases loaded and no outs in the NWA 2nd, Lisson smoked a grand slam to left for his 10th homer of the season and the Naturals had a 4-0 lead. The Cardinals got a homer off Dan Cortes to get on the board in the 4th and then scored 2 in the 5th on another homer to cut it to 4-3. The Nats were far from done, tho, as Kila Kaaihue doubled home a run in likely his final game of the season for the Naturals per the callup, Juan Richardson followed with a 2-run homer for his 10th of the season and Lisson hammered a solo homer for his 2nd of the game and 11th of the season to make it 8-3. Lisson came through again in the 7th with an RBI triple and scored on an Ovandy Suero groundout to make it 10-3. Gilbert de la Vara allowed a run in the 9th but the Cards would not rally. Starter Jess Todd allowed 8 ER over 5 IP to fall to 3-5 with a 3.12 ERA. 3B Allen Craig was 2-4 with his 19th homer and an RBI and also had a K and his 13th error. LF Daryl Jones also had 2 hits for Springfield.

The Naturals are 23-14 and 4 games up on first with the big sweep. A 3-game set at the Tulsa Drillers (18-19, AA Rockies) starts tonight. Blake Wood (3-5, 6.58) is slated to take on Tulsa's Alan Johnson (3-10, 5.01) in game 1. NWA is 9-10 versus the Drillers. My money is on 1B Brad Correll or OF Cody Strait to move up from Wilmington to take Kaaihue's spot.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 9, Blue Rocks 3

DH Mertins 2-4 -- .301
2B Bianchi 2-4, 2B (25), K, RS, SB (9) -- .246
LF Ortiz 1-4, RBI, K -- .250, first RBI as a Rock
SS McConnell 1-4, RBI (25), K, E (26) -- .280, what's happened to the D?
1B Correll 0-3, SF, RBI (17), K -- .354
RF Strait 0-4, K -- .338
3B J. Johnson 0-4, K -- .278
CF D. Robinson 0-3, BB, RS -- .243

Cegarra 4 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, BB, K -- L, 3-6, 5.58 ERA, having same problem Blake Wood is at AA....consistency
Holland 3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- 3.75 ERA
Barrera IP, K -- 2.91 ERA, called for 2 more illegal pitches

*** A 5-run Potomac 2nd did the trick for the Nats in the opener with Wilmington. Ed Cegarra left the bases loaded in the 1st but wasn't nearly as lucky in the 2nd as Potomac rapped out 6 singles and a 3-run double in a 5-run inning. The Rocks answered with 3 in the 3rd on RBI singles by Adrian Ortiz and Chris McConnell and a Brad Correll sac fly to cut it to 5-3. Cegarra allowed another run before getting pulled in the 5th and Greg Holland gave up 3 singles for 2 more runs in the inning. Holland served up a solo homer in the 6th to make it 9-3 and the Rocks stranded 2 in the 9th. Potomac SP Erik Arnesen allowed 3 runs (1 ER) over 6 2/3 IP to move to 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA. 2B Mike Martinez was 3-5 with a double, 3 RBI and RS while 5 other Nationals had 2-hit games.

Wilmington is 17-19 and 3 games out. The series continues tonight as lefty Paul Mildren (0-4, 7.27) tries to right the ship against Nationals hot prospect southpaw Ross Detwiler (5-7, 5.44).

A - Burlington: Bees 5, South Bend 0 (5-hitter)

1B Taylor 3-4, 2B (9), RBI (42), RS, SB (34), picked off -- .223
SS Moustakas 2-3, BB, HR (15), 2 RBI (49), 2 RS -- .258
2B Giavotella 2-4, 2B (11), RS -- .305
DH Walton 1-4, 2 RBI (36), K, SB (6) -- .237
LF Francis 1-4, K -- .333
RF Van Stratten 1-4, OF assist at second -- .354

Mitchell 5 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, K -- W, 7-8, 3.72 ERA, walks were a problem, but not a killer
Augustine 4 IP, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- SV, 8, 3.13 ERA

*** Matt Mitchell and Joe Augustine didn't exactly dominate the Silver Hawks but they pitched well enough to get a shutout as the Bees took the series finale. The Bees struck early as Mike Moustakas hit an RBI single, Jason Taylor laced an RBI double and Jamar Walton singled home 2 runs to make it 4-0 in the 1st. That stayed the score for a while as Mitchell worked around 5 walks. Moustakas broke the drought in the 7th with his 15th homer of the season and Augustine stranded 1 in the 9th to finish it. South Bend SP Joshua Collmenter took the loss with 4 ER allowed over 5 IP to fall to 11-6 with a 3.18 ERA. 1B Chance Wheeless was 2-4 with a double in the loss.

The Bees are 21-15 and a half-game up on first. A 3-game home set with the Dayton Dragons (22-15, A Reds) starts tonight as Ray Liotta makes his Bees debut versus Dragons SP Kyle Lotzkar (2-3, 4.50). The Bees are 1-2 versus Dayton. With Liotta added, P Tim Huber was reassigned to Idaho Falls. P Brandon Sisk has also been added to the Bees' roster from IF.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 8, Casper 1

RF Testa 2-3, BB, RS -- .222
SS Alfaro 1-5, HR (4), 3 RBI (32), 2 K, RS -- .258
CF Norris 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (8), K, RS, SB (16) -- .243
LF Griffin 1-4, 3B (2), RBI (15), 2 K, RS, 2 SB (5) -- .281
C McCauley 1-2, 2 BB, HR (2), RBI (15), K, RS, SB (3) -- .274
2B F. Garcia 0-4, RBI (9), 2 K, E (7) -- .261
1B Espinosa 1-3, BB, K, 2 RS -- .165

Morgan 4 IP, ER, 4 H, 3 K, balk -- 4.56 ERA
Rada 4 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- W, 2-1, 4.15 ERA
B. Hardy IP, 2 K -- 5.89 ERA

*** The Chukars also started their second half on the right foot by rolling past Casper in the series opener. Shawn Griffin roped an RBI triple in the 1st but IF stranded 2 and Casper tied it off Ryan Morgan in the 2nd on 3 hits. J.D. Alfaro gave the Chukars a lead they wouldn't relinquish with a 3-run homer in the 2nd for his 4th of the season. Morgan retired the last 5 he faced and Orlando Rada followed with 4 scoreless innings. Sean McCauley made it 5-1 with a solo homer for his 2nd of the season in the 6th and the Chukars put it away with 3 in the 8th on a run-scoring double play, a bases-loaded walk by Patrick Norris and a run-scoring wild pitch. Casper starter Marco Duarte took the loss with 4 ER allowed over 4 IP to fall to 2-3 with a 5.68 ERA. 3B Alex Feinberg was 2-3 with a double.

IF is 1-0 on the second half. The series continues tonight as Aneidy Toribio (0-3, 5.81) is set to go versus Casper's Ethan Hollingsworth (3-3, 6.21).

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 3, Bluefield 0

2B J. Gutierrez 1-4, RBI (8) -- .257
CF Aparicio 1-2, RBI (20), K, RS -- .232
C Moctezuma 1-3, RBI (7) -- .200, back from minor injury
1B Vittek 1-3, HBP, 2 K -- .290
CF H. Richardson 0-2 -- .230
DH Morales 1-3, K, RS, SB -- .208
3B F. Cruz 0-3, K -- .240
*RF Warren McFadden had an OF assist at first.

Lehmann 7 IP, 4 H, 7 K -- W, 3-2, 3.25 ERA, very nice
Bowden 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- SV, 5, 0.49 ERA, been very good NDFA pickup

*** A 3-run Royals 4th and the pitching of Mike Lehmann and Barry Bowden combined to give the Royals the finale with the O's. Julio Aparicio started the scoring with an RBI single in the 4th and the Royals added 2 more runs on RBI singles by Miguel Moctezuma and Jorge Gutierrez. Bluefield made a couple minor scoring threats but nothing serious. Bluefield SP Tyler Sexton was hit for 3 ER over 3 2/3 IP to fall to 2-4 with a 3.28 ERA. 2B Buck Britton was 2-4 for the O's.

Burlington is 14-26. The Royals have today off.

Rookie - AZL: Giants 3, Royals 1

CF Llanos 1-4, K, RS, 2 SB (7) -- .171
RF Del Rosario 0-4, K -- .314
3B D. Batista 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .309
C Matos 1-4, 2 K, 2 PB (3) -- .270
DH Culver 0-2 -- .125

Montgomery 4 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 0-1, 2.61 ERA, first pro decision an L
J. De La Cruz 2/3 IP, 2 H, K -- 2.08 ERA
L. Perez 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- 2.16 ERA

*** Mike Montgomery took his first pro loss but didn't get much run support as the Royals managed only a run on 4 hits in the loss to the Giants. The Giants scored 2 in the 2nd on 3 hits and a walk off Montgomery and, as the Royals were being 2-hit through 5, Montgomery was pulled with 1 on and 1 out in the 5th. Julio De La Cruz allowed 2 hits to push a run home for a 3-0 Giants lead. Alex Llanos scored the Royals' only run in the 6th when he singled, stole 2 bases and scored on a throwing error. The Royals left 2 in scoring position in the 7th and stranded another in the 9th as RP Chris Wilson picked up his 2nd save. Starter Kyle Nicholson got the win for the Giants with an unearned run allowed over 6 IP to improve to 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA. Three Giants had 2-hit games.

The Royals are 1-1 and are set to play the 1-1 Mariners tonight.

Royals on the Farm 7/27

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 5, Tucson 4

2B Smith 3-5, 2B (20), 2 RBI (61) -- .252
C B. Pena 2-5, 2B (10), RBI (15), RS -- .297
CF Hollins 1-4, 2B (10), RBI (36), K -- .219
LF Lubanski 1-3, BB, HR (11), RBI (39), 2 RS -- .241
1B Shealy 1-3, 2 BB, K -- .296
RF Stodolka 0-3, 2 BB, RS -- .277
SS Sanchez 0-3, BB -- .198
* Omaha stranded 10.

Newman 2 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K -- 2.45 ERA, first career start
Lowery 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, K -- 2.38 ERA
Yabuta 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- W, 2-3, 6.20 ERA
Fulchino IP, K -- SV, 4, 4.56 ERA

*** The last 3 innings were interesting in Omaha's win over the Sidewinders Sunday. Jason Smith hit an RBI groundout in the 1st and Josh Newman, making his first career start, allowed a triple and sac fly in the Tucson 1st to tie it. Devon Lowery came in with 2 on and 1 out in the 3rd and allowed a 2-out RBI single to give the Sidewinders a 2-1 lead. Damon Hollins hit an RBI double in the 6th to tie it and Chris Lubanski led off the 7th with his 11th homer to make it 3-2 Royals. The lead lasted 3 batters as Yasuhiko Yabuta allowed a single and RBI double and then another RBI single later in the inning made it 4-3 Tucson. With 1 out and Lubanski on second in the 9th after reaching on an error, Brayan Pena came through with a game-tying double and Smith followed with an RBI double of his own to give Omaha the 5-4 lead. Jeff Fulchino pitched a perfect 9th for his 4th save. Tucson RP Reid Mahon took the loss and his 1st blown save with 2 IP of 2 runs (1 ER) to fall to 0-1. Starter Max Scherzer pitched only 2 innings and allowed an earned run. DH Jeff Salazar and CF Tim Raines Jr. had 2 hits for the Sidewinders. Salazar had a double, triple, RBI and 2 RS and Raines had his 18th SB.

Omaha is 49-59. The series goes to game 3 tonight as RH Brandon Duckworth (3-11, 5.04) pitches vs. Tucson LH Evan MacLane (5-6, 4.86).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 11, Springfield 7

1B Kaaihue 3-5, HR (26), 5 RBI (78), 2 RS -- .312, raking
LF Aldridge 3-4, HR (2), 4 RBI (12), K, RS -- .259
CF Duarte 3-5, K, RS -- .264
SS Falu 2-3, BB, S, HR (3), RBI (27), 4 RS -- .260
2B Maddox 1-4, HBP, RBI (25), 2 RS -- .293
DH Richardson 1-5, 3 K -- .286
3B Lucas 1-4, 2B (9) -- .313

B. Johnson 4 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HRA -- 4.80 ERA, tough day
Nicoll 3 1/3 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- W, 2-1, 2.57 ERA
Hamulack 1 2/3 IP, H, K -- SV, 5, 3.09 ERA

*** Blake Johnson got lit up for 6 runs in an inning but the rest of the game belonged to the Naturals in an 11-7 win. The Naturals loaded the bases with no outs in the 1st and ended up with 3 runs on a Kila Kaaihue 2-run single and Cory Aldridge RBI single. Johnson gave up a double, single, hit batsman and grand slam to start the 2nd and a solo homer and sac fly made it 6-3 Cardinals. The Naturals stormed back into it in the 4th with 4 runs on a Marc Maddox RBI forceout and a Kaaihue 3-run roundtripper (on a 3-0 pitch) for his 26th of the season. Aldridge slammed a 3-run homer in the 6th for his 2nd as a Natural and NWA led, 10-6. Tim Hamulack came in with the bases loaded and 1 out in the Springfield 8th and allowed a sac fly before escaping the inning. Irving Falu answered in the bottom of the inning by going solo for his 3rd homer of the season to make it 11-7. Hamulack stranded 1 in the 9th for his 5th save. Starter Tyler Herron took the loss for the Cards with 7 ER over 4 IP to fall to 5-5. 3B Isa Garcia was 3-5 with the grand slam (4), 4 RBI and 2 RS. Four other Cards had 2-hit games.

The Naturals are 22-14 and 3 games up on first. They go for the big sweep tonight as Dan Cortes (5-4, 4.40) tries to keep the 3-game win streak going versus Springfield's Jess Todd (3-4, 2.45).

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

RF Strait 2-3, SF, 3B, 3 RBI (15), K -- .355
SS Bianchi 2-5, 2B (24), 2 K, RS, SB (8) -- .242
DH Correll 0-2, 2 BB, RS -- .367
2B Mertins 1-4, 2B (23), K -- .299
3B J. Johnson 1-3, BB, SB (12) -- .282
C Balduf 0-3, BB, K -- .000, Wilmington debut
CF Ortiz 1-4, CS -- .250, batted 9th in Rocks debut

Teaford 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 HRA -- L, 6-4, 3.42 ERA
Barrera 0 IP (2 batters), ER, H, BB, 2 balks -- 2.98 ERA, delivery causing problems again
Chavez 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, K -- 4.50 ERA

*** A balk by Henry Barrera was the difference in Kinston's win over the Rocks. It didn't help that Everett Teaford gave up a single and 2-run homer to start the game and spot the Tribe a 2-0 lead. Cody Strait hit a 2-out RBI triple in the 2nd to cut the lead in half and a Strait sac fly in the 3rd tied the game. The tie lasted one whole batter in the Kinston 4th as Teaford served up a leadoff homer. The Rocks left 2 in scoring position in the 6th. Barrera came in for the 7th and his outing went walk, balk, single, run-scoring balk. Barrera has faced issues this year with umpires calling him for taking his back foot off the rubber before releasing his pitch to the plate. Chris Chavez came in and stranded the bases full. Strait came through again in the 7th with a 2-out RBI single but Vinnie Pestano set the Rocks down without issue in the 9th for his 5th save. Starter Hector Rondon got the win with 2 ER allowed over 5 IP to improve to 9-5. 2B Niuman Romero and LF Nick Weglarz had 2-hit games for Kinston and 1B prospect Beau Mills hit his 16th homer with 2 RBI.

Wilmington is 17-18 and 2 games back of first place Potomac. The Nationals (19-16) play host to a 3-game set with the Rocks starting tonight. The Rocks are 5-8 versus the Nats. Right-hander Ed Cegarra (3-5, 4.96) will start for the Rocks. To make room for Balduf, C Jeff Howell was put on the DL. RP Tony Bradley was also put on the DL to make room for Adrian Ortiz. There are 6 active OF on the Wilmington roster, so some moves may be brewing.

A - Burlington: South Bend 3, Bees 2 (12)

3B Moustakas 1-5, HR (14), RBI (47), K, RS -- .255
RF Francis 2-4, S, 2B -- .375
LF Walton 2-5, picked off -- .237
1B Taylor 1-4, SF, 2B (8), RBI (41), K -- .216
2B Giavotella 1-4, BB, 2 K, picked off -- .299
DH C. Robinson 1-3, HBP -- .252
PH-SS Martin 0-2 -- .320
* Nick Van Stratten pinch-hit and was 0-1 so his hitting streak stopped at 18 games.

Caldera 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 5 K -- 3.10 ERA
Baldwin 1 1/3 IP, 3 H, BB -- BS, 2, 7.77 ERA
M. Peterson 3 IP, 2 H, K -- 5.40 ERA
Huber 1 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, WP -- L, 0-1, 10.50 ERA

*** The game was tied from the 6th until the bottom of the 12th when a wild pitch ended the Bees' 3-game win streak with a whimper. A wild pitch helped the Bees in the 1st as Jason Taylor hit a sac fly to make it 1-0 Burlington. South Bend got a sac fly in the 5th to tie it but Mike Moustakas hit a solo homer to right in the 6th for his 14th of the season, shortly after Johnny Giavotella got picked off, to make it 2-1 Bees. Burke Baldwin came in with 1 on and 2 outs and allowed 2 singles and the game-tying RBI. Nick Francis doubled to lead off the 7th and was thrown out at home on a Juan Rivera single to keep the game tied at 2. The tie remained in the 12th when Tim Huber gave up a single, walk, sac bunt and walkoff wild pitch to end it. RP William Spottiswood got the win with 2 scoreless innings of work to improve to 4-3. Starter Christian Beltre worked 6 2/3 IP and allowed 2 ER. Four Silver Hawks had 2 hits.

Burlington is 20-15 and a half-game out of first. The series ends tonight as Matt Mitchell (6-8, 3.93) takes on South Bend's Joshua Collmenter (11-5, 2.99).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Orem 7, Chukars 4 (completion of Sat. game)

RF Testa 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (10), K, RS, SB (2) -- .200
C McCauley 1-4, 2B (8), RBI (14), E (5), picked off a runner -- .270
2B A. Perez 1-3, BB, RBI (22), K, E (2) -- .259
CF Norris 0-5, K -- .244
SS Alfaro 0-5, 4 K, E (11) -- .259
LF Griffin 0-3, BB, RS -- .281
3B Jimenez 1-3, BB, 2B (4), RS -- .315
1B Espinosa 1-4, RS -- .155

Sisk 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- 2.45 ERA
Novakowski 2 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 3 H, HRA -- L, 0-3, 4.64 ERA
Saito IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB -- 7.30 ERA
Gilgenbach IP, H, 2 BB -- 13.86 ERA

*** IF held a 4-1 lead at one point and still led, 4-3, when play was suspended by rain Saturday but the lead vanished when the game was completed Sunday. Starter Brandon Sisk allowed a run on a hit, walk and throwing error by Sean McCauley and Orem took a 1-0 lead. Idaho Falls came through with 4 in the 4th as McCauley hit an RBI double, Alwin Perez hit an RBI groundout, and a 2-run inside-the-park homer by Carlo Testa for his 2nd homer with Idaho Falls. Sisk allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the 4th on 2 hits, a wild pitch and Alwin Perez error before play was suspended after the 4th. Gary Novakowski picked up the ball on the mound for IF when play resumed and, in the 6th, allowed a leadoff homer, 2 doubles, and a J.D. Alfaro error as a total of 3 runs crossed the plate to make it 6-4 Orem. Derrick Saito allowed another run in the 7th on 2 hits, 2 walks and a sac fly and the Chukars left the bases loaded in the 9th as Jayson Miller polished off his 4th win for the Owlz. Miller pitched 5 scoreless innings to move to 4-1. 1B Gabriel Jacobo was 3-3 with a walk, double, RBI and run scored and two other Owlz had 2-hit games.

Orem 4, Chukars 3 (7/reg. Sun. game)

SS Alfaro 1-3, RBI (29) -- .261
1B Espinosa 1-3, 2B (2), RBI (7) -- .160
C Graterol 0-3, RBI (6), RS -- .286
CF Norris 0-2, BB, K, RS, SB (15) -- .241
3B Jimenez 0-3, K -- .308
LF Griffin 1-3, K, RS -- .282

Hodgson 4 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 5 H, BB, 8 K -- 4.50 ERA
Beach 1 1/3 IP, K -- 5.29 ERA, left with minor injury
Thompson 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- BS, 1, L, 1-2, 3.31 ERA

*** Orem swept the 2-game series with a walkoff double in the 7th. The Chukars jumped out front with 2 runs in the 2nd on a Juan Graterol RBI forceout and Tito Espinosa RBI double but Ivor Hodgson allowed a run in the bottom of the 2nd on a 2-out walk and RBI double. Two more hits and a Chukar error in the 3rd allowed the tying run to score but J.D. Alfaro singled in the go-ahead run in the 5th to make it 3-2 Chukars. James Thompson allowed a double and walked a batter with 2 outs in the 7th before Owlz SS Darwin Perez hit a 2-run double to end it. RP Francis Cabrera pitched a perfect 7th for the win to move to 2-0. Starter Reyes Dorado worked 3 2/3 innings and allowed 2 earned runs. Three Owlz had 2 hits, including Perez, who had 2 doubles, 2 RBI and a run scored.

IF finished the first half at 14-24. A 3-game set versus the Casper Ghosts (23-15, Rookie Rockies) starts tonight. I thought the first half started July 30 but I guess it starts tonight. Starters are Casper's Marco Duarte (2-2, 5.29) and IF's Ryan Morgan (0-1, 5.03).

Rookie - Burlington: Bluefield 15, B-Royals 4

2B A. Franco 2-4, BB, RS -- .234
DH F. Cruz 1-4, 2B (5), RBI (10) -- .246
CF H. Richardson 0-5, K -- .233
C Vittek 0-2, BB, K, E (2) -- .288
3B Morales 0-3, HBP, K, RS -- .203
* 1B David Wood made 3 errors in the game to move to 4 on the season.

Runion 4 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 6 H, 2 K, HRA, 2 WP -- L, 2-2, 2.19 ERA
J. Rodriguez 2 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 4.26 ERA
Jorge 2 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, BB, HRA, WP -- 7.03 ERA
Mieles IP, 3 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, K -- 5.54 ERA

*** The Orioles buried the Royals to secure a series win. Bluefield battered Sam Runion for 4 runs in the 1st, including a 3-run homer and 3 other hits, a wild pitch, a hit batter and a David Wood error. Bluefield plated another run in the 3rd on a sac fly to make it 5-0 and Burlington didn't get started scoring until scoring 3 in the 5th on a 2-run Orioles error and another error that scored a run to cut it to 5-3. Two doubles, a walk, two wild pitches and a Josh Vittek error in the 6th helped make it 8-3 and Victor Jorge served up a 3-run homer in the 7th as Bluefield extended it to 12-3. Fernando Cruz doubled home a run in the 8th but Bluefield scored 3 in the 9th to further sock the win away. RP Oliver Drake pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to get the win and move to 1-0. Starter Colin Allen allowed 3 unearned runs over 4 2/3 innings of work. Three O's had 3-hit games and 3 others had 2-hit games. 3B Levi Carolus was 3-5 with 2 doubles, a HR, 6 RBI and 3 RS along with his 10th error.

The B-Royals are 14-26 after taking today's series finale in a shutout win. Mike Lehmann got the win over the O's.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 1, Angels 0

2B Jose 2-3, K, SB (4), CS (3) -- .288
C Matos 2-4, K, CS (2), PB -- .273
SS Espinal 2-4, RS, 2 SB (7) -- .207
CF Llanos 1-4, K -- .168
RF Del Rosario 1-3, BB, 2 K -- .327
DH D. Batista 0-3, BB, 2 K, CS (3) -- .319
3B Kuebler 1-3 -- .240

Fisher 4 IP, 3 H, 4 K -- 1.93 ERA, looking like the Brent Fisher of old
D. De La Cruz 4 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- W, 4-0, 2.37 ERA
Billo IP, 2 K -- SV, 1, 10.80 ERA

*** Three pitchers combined on a 5-hit shutout as the Royals started the second half in style by taking down the first-half champ Angels. It was a pitchers' duel as Brent Fisher and Angels starter Manuel Flores both blanked the opposition. Lifete Jose was caught stealing home to end the Royals 2nd and Mauricio Matos was thrown out on a fielder's choice at the plate in the 4th. Flores was pulled after 6 scoreless and Deybi De La Cruz followed Fisher's 4 scoreless innings with 4 of his own. The Royals broke the stalemate in the 8th as Yowill Espinal led off with a single against RP Michael Kenney, stole second, and advanced to third and scored on 2 wild pitches to make it 1-0. Greg Billo left a runner at third for his 1st pro save. Kenney took the loss to fall to 1-1. Five Angels had a hit each.

The Royals are 1-0 to start the second half. They play the 0-1 Giants tonight. The Royals have reportedly released OF Astin Jacobo, even tho the roster on the team site doesn't reflect that.

Royals on the Farm 7/26

AAA - Omaha: Tucson 6, O-Royals 5 (10)

1B Stodolka 3-5, E (5) -- .281
CF Hollins 1-4, HR (9), 3 RBI (35) -- .218
C Tupman 1-4, HBP, RBI (25), RS -- .233
SS Sanchez 1-4, RBI (9), K -- .205
RF B. Pena 0-4, BB, picked off -- .292
LF Lubanski 1-4, K -- .240

Capellan 8 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 K -- 2.75 ERA
Salmon 1 1/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, 2 BB, K -- BS, 4, L, 7-5, 4.72 ERA

*** The Royals took a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the 7th but Tucson scored 2 to tie it in the 9th and won it in 10. Tucson took the first lead of the game when a triple and Jason Smith error scored a run in the 1st. With 2 out and 2 on in the Omaha 4th, Damon Hollins knocked his 9th homer of the season for a 3-run shot to give Omaha a 3-1 lead. The Royals tacked on 2 more in the 6th on RBI singles by Matt Tupman and Angel Sanchez and Jose Capellan cruised into the 7th. Back-to-back doubles and a sac fly that inning closed the gap to 2 for Tucson and it was 5-3 into the 9th. Brad Salmon put 2 on with no out in the 9th and 2 RBI singles tied the game before Salmon got out of the inning. The Tucson 10th started with a Mike Stodolka error to put a bad finish on his 3-5 night at the plate, and a sac bunt and intentional walk were followed by a walkoff RBI single. Sidewinders RP Jailen Peguero got the win with 2 scoreless IP to move to 5-4. Starter Juan Cruz worked a hitless inning in a rehab start. Esmerling Vasquez allowed 5 ER over 4 2/3 IP. SS Jesus Merchan was 3-4 with a HBP, double, the game-winning RBI, 2 RS and his 15th error. Three other Sidewinders had 2-hit games.

Omaha is 48-59. The series continues tonight as LH Josh Newman (1-1, 2.00) starts vs. D-Backs hot prospect RH Max Scherzer (0-0, 3.25). IF James Nilsen was promoted to Omaha from the AZL, where he was hitting .200. This makes no sense to me, when you've got Kila Kaaihue tearing up AA. Or Jose Duarte, who's doing OK and plays great outfield D, or even Marc Maddox, who's an infielder and hitting fairly well in NW Arkansas.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 3, Springfield 2

1B-3B Richardson 2-4, RBI (54), K, RS -- .288
RF McFall 1-2, BB, 2B (13), RBI (43) -- .245
SS Lisson 0-3, RBI (40), K -- .208
CF Duarte 1-3, BB, SB (26) -- .260
DH Maddox 0-4, 3 K -- .294
PH-1B Kaaihue 0-1 -- .307
3B Lucas 0-2, BB, 2 K -- .315

Pimentel 5 IP, 2 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 5.56 ERA, not a good night for the WHIP
Plummer 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- W, 4-1, 4.36 ERA
de la Vara 1/3 IP, BB, K -- 3.60 ERA
Atencio 2/3 IP, K -- SV, 3, 3.62 ERA

*** A 2-out RBI single by Juan Richardson and some great work from the bullpen made the difference as the Naturals took another key game from the Cardinals. Four hits off Julio Pimentel to start the 3rd scored 2 runs to give Springfield the lead. Mario Lisson hit an RBI forceout in the 4th and Brian McFall doubled home a run, although Lisson was thrown out at the plate on the play to end the inning. Jarod Plummer worked 3 stellar innings of relief and, in the bottom of the 8th, Adam Donachie and Irving Falu drew walks and Richardson came through with the RBI single to give the Nats a 3-2 lead. Greg Atencio stranded 1 in the 9th for his 3rd save. Cards RP Fernando Salas took the loss with an ER allowed in an inning of work to fall to 4-3. Starter Justin Fiske allowed 2 ER over 4 2/3 IP. SS Tyler Greene continued to hit well in the series as he was 3-5 with 2 K and a run scored. He was also caught stealing twice. Two others had 2 hits for the Cards.

NWA is 22-14 and now 3 games up on the Cardinals after winning today's game 3. Chris Nicoll got the win.

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

1B Seratelli 2-3, BB, 3B (6), 2 RBI (44), RS -- .215
CF D. Robinson 1-4, 2 RBI (23), K, SB (49) -- .245
2B Mertins 1-4, RBI (36), RS, SB (23) -- .299
SS Bianchi 0-4, 2 K -- .239
DH Correll 1-3, BB -- .377
RF Strait 1-4, K, RS, SB (5) -- .342
3B J. Johnson 1-3, BB, 2 K, 2 RS -- .281

Kniginyzky 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 3.69 ERA
Haltiwanger 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB -- BS, 2, W, 4-1, 3.43 ERA
Chambliss IP, nothing -- SV, 18, 3.30 ERA

*** Matt Kniginyzky pitched well but Russ Haltiwanger blew his 2nd save before the offense picked up the Rocks for the 5-2 win. Derrick Robinson hit a 2-out, 2-run single in the 2nd and Kniginyzky took a no-hitter into the 5th before losing it on a leadoff double. The score stayed 2-0 into the 7th when Haltiwanger was brought in with 2 on and 1 out. A 2-out walk loaded the bases and a 2-run single tied the game and knocked Kniginyzky into a no-decision. With 2 out in the Rocks 8th, Wilmington rallied as Cody Strait singled and stole second, Kurt Mertins singled him home, stole second and scored on an Anthony Seratelli triple along with Josh Johnson, who had walked, to make it 5-2. Tyler Chambliss pitched a perfect 9th for his 18th save one night after walking 3 straight in a fruitless appearance. RP Matt Meyer took the loss with 2 IP of 3 ER allowed to fall to 3-1. Starter Jeanmar Gomez allowed 2 ER over 6 IP. Four Tribe batters had a hit each and C Armando Camacaro had the big 2-RBI hit to tie the game.

Wilmington is 17-18 after losing today's finale to the K-Tribe. Everett Teaford took the loss. OF Adrian Ortiz has been promoted to Wilmington from Burlington and debuted today.

A - Burlington: Bees 9, South Bend 2

3B Moustakas 2-3, 2 BB, 3 RS -- .256
C Eigsti 2-4, 2B (13), 2 RBI (28), PB (9) -- .221
LF Francis 1-4, SF, 2 RBI -- .250, contributes in Bees debut
CF Lough 2-5, HR (10), RBI (42), CS (8) -- .266
2B Giavotella 2-5, 2B (10), RS, SB (8) -- .301
1B Taylor 2-4, HBP, RS -- .216
DH C. Robinson 1-5, RBI (42), RS -- .251
RF Van Stratten 1-5, 2B (8), RBI (10), RS -- .365, hit streak at 18 games

Duffy 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K, pickoff -- W, 6-4, 2.73 ERA, very nice
Abreu 3 2/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K, WP, pickoff -- SV, 6, 4.02 ERA

*** Danny Duffy and Juan Abreu combined to hold the Silver Hawks to 5 hits and the offense turned a pitchers' duel into a laugher starting in the 6th. Duffy was perfect through 3 and allowed his first hit in the 5th. Unfortunately, South Bend starter Dallas Buck was also shutting the Bees out on 3 hits through 5. David Lough started the 6th with a leadoff homer for his 10th of the season and Nick Francis hit a 2-out RBI single in his first game for the Bees to make it 2-0 Burlington. Duffy was pulled after giving up a 1-out double in the 6th. A Lough double play ball plated a run in the 7th but Abreu gave up 2 runs on 2 hits, a walk and passed ball in the 7th to cut the lead to 3-2. The Bees changed the nature of the game with 4 runs in the 8th on a Clint Robinson RBI single, Nick Van Stratten RBI double and 2-out, 2-run double by Ryan Eigsti. The Bees loaded the bases with no outs in the 9th and Francis hit a sac fly before Mike Moustakas scored on a wild pitch to polish off the win. Buck took the loss with 2 ER allowed over 6 IP to fall to 1-3. LF Collin Cowgill was 2-4 with a double in the losing effort.

The Bees are 20-15 and a 1/2 game out of first after losing in extras to South Bend today. Tim Huber took the loss after Alex Caldera got the start.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: suspended

*** The game with Orem was set to be completed today as part of a makeshift doubleheader. Orem won that one and then won another shortened game to sweep the 2-game set. Gary Novakowski took the loss in the first game and James Thompson took the loss in the second game.

Rookie - Burlington: Bluefield 4, B-Royals 2

C Vittek 2-4, RBI (16), K, PB (5) -- .297
2B A. Franco 1-4, RBI (13) -- .226
CF H. Richardson 0-3, BB -- .241
LF D. Wood 1-4, 2B (7), RS -- .260
3B F. Cruz 1-4 -- .246
DH Morales 0-3 -- .211

Baez 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 6 K, HRA -- 4.42 ERA
G. De La Cruz 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, H, 2 BB, 3 K -- L, 1-3, 7.14 ERA
Roq. Colon 2/3 IP, WP -- 6.46 ERA

*** The Royals got the game tied in the 8th but couldn't hold the O's in the 9th. Josh Vittek's RBI single in the 1st gave the Royals a 1-0 lead but Manauris Baez gave up a 2-run homer in the 3rd to make it 2-1 Bluefield. The scoring was silenced into the 8th when Angel Franco hit a 2-out RBI single to tie the game. Giancarlo De La Cruz loaded the bases with 1 out in the 9th and gave way to Roque Colon, who allowed an RBI groundout and run-scoring wild pitch to make it 4-2. Jose Barajas got his 4th save for the O's in the 9th. P Brian Sisk got the win with an ER allowed in an inning of work to move to 3-1 and also blow his 4th save. Starter Eddie Gamboa allowed an earned run over 7 IP. SS Rodolfo Cardona was 2-3 with his 1st homer and 2 RBI.

The Royals are 13-25. The series is continuing tonight as Sam Runion got the start. RP O.D. Gonzalez, the converted OF, has been shut down for the season after racking up a 12.46 ERA in 6 appearances, reportedly because of an elbow injury.

Rookie - AZL: off day

*** The Royals start the second half tonight versus the first-half champion Angels (20-7).

Royals on the Farm 7/25

AAA - Omaha: Las Vegas 7, O-Royals 1

LF Lubanski 1-4, HR (10), RBI (38), K, RS -- .240
C Tupman 2-3, PB (10) -- .232
DH Buchanan 2-4, K -- .256
3B Dawkins 2-5, 2B (9), K, E (3) -- .293
C-RF B. Pena 1-4 -- .303
1B Shealy 0-1 -- .295, pulled in 2nd
RF-1B Stodolka 0-3, BB -- .273
SS Sanchez 0-3, BB, 2 E (4) -- .202

Bale IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 K, HRA -- L, 0-1, 6.00 ERA, must be working him back into the pen
Wright 6 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 6 H, 3 BB, 5 K, WP, E (5) -- 5.80 ERA, just an innings eater this season
Fulchino IP, nada -- 4.65 ERA

*** Omaha used up all its offense in the game 1 pounding of the 51s as Vegas won the final 3 of the set with Friday's 7-1 victory. John Bale gave up a leadoff homer in the 1st and a run on 2 hits in the 2nd before getting pulled for Matt Wright. Wright got lit up in the 5th for 5 runs on 2 walks, 4 hits, a wild pitch and Wright error. How does it make sense that 1 run is unearned when the error is on the pitcher? I can understand if it's someone else's error, but if it's the pitcher's, it should count as an earned run. Omaha stranded 2 a couple times and didn't get on the board until Chris Lubanski hit a 1-out solo homer in the 7th for his 10th of the season. The Royals stranded 2 in the 9th. 51s starter Heath Totten worked 5 scoreless innings in the spot start for Jon Meloan, who the Dodgers flipped to Cleveland for Casey Blake. Three 51s had 2-hit games as 3B Angel Chavez also drove in 2 runs.

Omaha is 48-58. A 4-game set at the Tucson Sidewinders (44-62, AAA Diamondbacks) starts tonight. Jose Capellan (3-0, 2.57) is slated to start versus an undetermined Sidewinder starter. Tucson's roster features D-Backs prospects righty Max Scherzer (Mizzou product), righty Esmerling Vasquez and righty Matt Torra.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 2, Springfield 1

1B Kaaihue 2-3, BB, 2 RBI (73), K -- .308, getting job done when it counts
CF Duarte 2-4, RS -- .260
2B Maddox 0-3, S -- .297
3B J. Richardson 0-4 -- .285
DH McFall 1-3, K -- .243

Hardy 4 IP, ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 4 K -- 5.24 ERA
C. Hayes 4 IP, 3 H, K -- W, 4-1, 1.58 ERA, submariner pitching well
Hamulack IP, H, K -- SV, 4, 3.60 ERA

*** Chris Hayes pitched well out of the pen and the Naturals got a key win in game 1 with Springfield. Rowdy Hardy loaded the bases with 1 out in the 1st and wriggled out of the jam with 2 Ks. Kila Kaaihue hit a 2-out RBI single in the 1st to get NWA on the board. Hardy loaded the bases with 1 out again in the 3rd and, this time, the Cardinals got a game-tying single before leaving the bases loaded. Irving Falu hit a 1-out double in the 3rd and Kaaihue singled him home to make it 2-1. Hayes took over in the 5th and got a couple double plays behind him. Tim Hamulack stranded 1 in the 9th for his 4th save. Cards SP Kyle Mura worked 6 2/3 innings and allowed 2 ER to take the loss and fall to 3-2. SS Tyler Greene was 4-5 with a run scored.

NWA is 20-14 and a game up on the Cardinals. The series continues tonight as Julio Pimentel (4-9, 5.65) pitches vs. Springfield's Justin Fiske (0-0, 3.70).

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

1B Correll 3-5, 2B (9), HR (6), RBI (16), RS -- .378
2B Bianchi 2-4, SF, 2B (23), GW RBI (45), K, RS, SB (7) -- .243
3B J. Johnson 2-3, SF, RBI (30), K -- .281
SS McConnell 2-5, E (25) -- .281
DH Mertins 2-4, BB, RS, SB (22) -- .300
LF Dyson 2-4, K -- .238
RF Strait 1-5, RBI (12), K, RS -- .348
C Morizio 1-3, S, RBI (17), K -- .169
CF D. Robinson 0-5 -- .245
*The Rocks stranded 11.

Santiago 6 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K -- 3.73 ERA, nice
Holland IP, H, BB, K -- 3.63 ERA
Swaggerty IP, H -- 1.91 ERA
Chambliss 0 IP (3 batters), 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB -- 3.38 ERA, didn't have it Friday
Hartsock IP, UER, 2 H, K -- BS, 1, W, 7-4, 4.02 ERA

*** A crazy 9th saw Wilmington enter with a 6-hit shutout going, then the pen blew a 3-run lead, and the Rocks offense responded by rallying back to win it in the bottom of the 9th. Starter Mario Santiago left the bases full in the 2nd and the Rocks left 2 in scoring position that inning. The Rocks scored 2 in the 4th on a Josh Johnson sac fly and Matt Morizio RBI single but stranded 2 again. Brad Correll smoked his 6th homer as a Rock in the 7th to make it 3-0 entering the 9th. Closer Tyler Chambliss walked the bases full before getting pulled for Aaron Hartsock, who saw Chris McConnell's 25th error of the season score a run before 2 RBI singles and a sac fly gave the K-Tribe a 4-3 lead. Josh Tomlin came on to pitch the 9th for Kinston but Correll hit a 1-out double and a Cody Strait single brought the tying run home. With 1 out and runners at the corners, Jeff Bianchi lifted a sac fly to right and Strait scored to win it for Wilmington. Tomlin got his 1st blown save and the loss with 2/3 IP of 2 ER to fall to 8-5. Starter Shawn Nottingham pitched 4 2/3 innings of 2 ER allowed. 1B Beau Mills and RF Ryan Goleski had 2-hit games and Topeka native DH Jerad Head was 0-4 with an RBI and run scored.

Wilmington is 16-17 and 2 games back. Game 2 is tonight. Probable starters: right-hander Matt Kniginyzky (6-7, 3.74) versus Kinston righty Jeanmar Gomez (3-8, 5.70).

A - Burlington: Bees 7, Cedar Rapids 6 (10)

3B Moustakas 2-4, BB, HR (13), 2 RBI (46), 2 K, 2 RS -- .252
DH C. Robinson 2-5, 2 RBI (41), 2 K -- .252
CF Ortiz 2-4, HBP, 2 K, RS, picked off, OF assist at home -- .308
1B Taylor 1-3, 2 BB, HR (12), 2 RBI (40), RS -- .212, does more offensively with a low-.200s average than anyone I think I've ever seen, poster boy for potential deceitfulness of BA stat
2B Giavotella 1-5, 3B, RS -- .297, first pro triple was big
SS Martin 0-3, BB, RBI (20), K -- .324
RF Van Stratten 1-3, BB, RS, SB (4) -- .377, 17-game hit streak
C Billick 0-2, BB, HBP, K, RS, CS (2) -- .348

Cota 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 6 K, HRA, 2 WP -- 5.19 ERA, showing signs of progress
M. Peterson 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 4 K -- 9.82 ERA
T. Huber 1 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, K, HRA -- 11.57 ERA
Raglione 1 1/3 IP, H, 2 K -- BS, 1, W, 1-0, 5.93 ERA

*** In a near mirror image of the Wilmington game, the Bees blew a lead in the 9th and won it in 10 Friday to sweep the Kernels. Cedar Rapids plated a run on only 1 hit in the 1st thanks to a hit batsman and steal of home. Mike Moustakas tied it with his 13th homer with 2 out in the 1st but the Kernels regained the lead in the 2nd with a run on a solo homer off Luis Cota. Adrian Ortiz cut down a runner at the plate in the 3rd to keep it 2-1 and Jason Taylor tied it in the 4th with his 12th homer of the season. The Bees took the lead with a big 4-run 5th as Moustakas singled in a run, Taylor took a bases-loaded walk, Clint Robinson tagged an RBI single and Kyle Martin hit an RBI forceout to make it 6-2. That was the score entering the 9th as Tim Huber came in for his second full inning of work. With 1 on and 2 out, Huber served up a 2-run homer to cut the lead to 6-4 then gave up another run on 3 singles before Paul Raglione came in with 2 on. Raglione gave up a game-tying single but stranded 2. Johnny Giavotella had the big hit in the 10th with a leadoff triple for his first pro 3-bagger and a Robinson walkoff single ended it after 2 intentional walks to load the bases. RP Eddie McKiernan took the loss without recording an out as he allowed an ER to fall to 1-5. Starter Robert Fish allowed 6 ER over 4 1/3 IP. CF Clay Fuller was 3-3 with a walk, his 13th triple, his 29th SB and a run scored and SS Andy Romine was 3-5 with his 45th SB and a run scored. RF Julio Perez hit a 2-run pinch-hit homer in the 9th for his 12th of the season.

Burlington is 19-14 and 1.5 games back. A 3-game set at the South Bend Silver Hawks (23-11, A D-Backs) starts tonight as Danny Duffy takes the hill for the Bees. The Bees are 2-1 versus South Bend this season.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Ogden 5, Chukars 3

C McCauley 2-4, 2B (7), HR, 2 RBI (13), K, RS -- .270
CF Norris 2-5, RS, CS (3) -- .254
SS Alfaro 1-4, RBI (28), 2 K -- .271
LF Griffin 1-3, BB, K, RS -- .288
DH Testa 0-3, HBP -- .179
1B Espinosa 0-4, 2 K -- .151
* RF Neder Severino had an OF assist at first.

Casey 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 K -- L, 2-2, 2.39 ERA
Carver 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, HRA -- 8.76 ERA
B. Hardy IP, 2 K -- 6.23 ERA

*** A 2-run 5th was the key to Ogden's sweep of the short 2-game set. Ogden scored a run on 2 hits in the 1st and the Chukars stranded 2 in the 2nd before tying it in the 4th on a Sean McCauley RBI double. Bryan Casey allowed an RBI triple and single in the 5th to help make it 3-1 Ogden. McCauley clubbed his 1st homer of the season in the 6th to cut it to 3-2 but Ogden matched it with a leadoff homer off Jesse Carver in the bottom of the 6th. J.D. Alfaro singled home a run in the 7th to cut it back to a 1-run lead but, again, Ogden responded as C Matt Wallach (Tim's son, I believe) hit his 2nd triple of the game and scored to make it 5-3. RP Allen St. Clair pitched a perfect 9th for his 1st save. Starter Geison Aguasviva won with 7 IP of 3 runs (1 ER) allowed to improve to 2-2. Wallach was one of 3 Raptors with 2 hits as he tripled his triple count to 3 in the win. 2B Brian Ruggiano had 2 RBI.

IF is 14-22. A 2-game set at the Orem Owlz (23-13, Rookie Halos) starts tonight as Brandon Sisk (0-0, 1.29) takes the mound for Idaho Falls. IF is 1-5 versus Orem. OF Nick Francis got promoted to A ball in Burlington and P John Foster will continue rehabbing in Arizona

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 13, Pulaski 7

C Vittek 2-5, GS (5), 5 RBI (15), RS, 2 PB (4) -- .283
CF H. Richardson 3-6, K, 3 RS -- .246
2B A. Franco 2-5, BB, RBI (12), K, 2 RS, SB (7) -- .225
DH D. Wood 2-6, HR (2), RBI (10), 2 RS -- .260
RF McFadden 2-6, HR (2), RBI (4), RS -- .250
3B F. Cruz 1-5, RBI (9), 2 K -- .245
SS Gutierrez 1-3, 2 BB, 3 RS, SB (4) -- .254
* The B-Royals stranded 11.

Marimon 2 1/3 IP, 4 ER, H, 4 BB, 2 K, 2 WP -- 11.08 ERA
Herrera 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K -- W, 2-1, 1.66 ERA
Mieles IP, 2 BB, K -- 5.25 ERA
Farinas 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB -- 9.64 ERA
Bowden 1 1/3 IP, K -- SV, 4, 0.55 ERA

*** A 6-run 4th including back-to-back-to-back homers by Burlington was the difference as the Royals won their 3rd straight series. A 4-run 1st got the Royals going as two Pulaski errors helped load the bases and two more on one play scored all 3 runners. Fernando Cruz also singled in a run to make it 4-0 Royals. Sugar Ray Marimon gave up a run in the 1st and, after Angel Franco singled home a run in the 2nd to make it 5-1, Marimon loaded the bases and allowed a run before getting pulled in the 3rd. Kelvin Herrera came in and the Mariners ended up with 3 runs in the inning to cut it to 5-4. With the bases loaded and 1 out in the Royal 4th, Josh Vittek slammed his 5th pro homer and David Wood and Warren McFadden followed by homering as well to make it 11-4. Williams Farinas allowed 3 runs in the 8th but the Royals polished it off with 2 in the 9th on a 2-run Vittek single aided by a Pulaski error. The Mariners committed 9 in the game. Pulaski SP Kyle Haas took the loss with 5 runs (1 ER) allowed over 2 IP to fall to 1-3. RF Jose Rivero was 3-5 with a double, 2 RBI, K and RS and C Tommy Johnson was 2-3 with a double and run scored. DH Deybis Benitez drew 4 walks.

Burlington is 13-24. A 3-game set with the Bluefield Orioles (15-22) starts tonight with no announced starters on the team site. The Royals are 2-1 versus the O's.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 4, Brewers 3 (11)

C Matos 2-3, BB, SF, 2 RBI (3, including game winner), K, picked off runner -- .241
SS Jose 2-3, 2 BB, RBI (10), K, 2 RS, SB (3), E (4) -- .265
3B Kuebler 1-5, RBI (7), K -- .236
CF Llanos 0-4, BB, 3 K -- .165
RF Del Rosario 1-4, BB, 2 K, RS, E (3) -- .326
DH D. Batista 1-4, BB, picked off -- .330

J. De La Cruz 1/3 IP, H, BB -- 2.45 ERA
Fortuna 3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA -- 6.65 ERA
Garrido 3 2/3 IP, K -- 7.36 ERA
Hentges 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K, WP -- W, 1-0, 2.70 ERA
Ruhlman IP, H, K -- SV, 2, 3.48 ERA

*** The Royals rallied in the 9th to force extras and '08 draftee C Mauricio Matos had the go-ahead hit in the 11th to help the Royals finish the first half on a high note. Julio De La Cruz loaded the bases with 1 out in the 1st before Carlos Fortuna got out of the jam. Fortuna loaded the bases with no outs in the 3rd but pulled a Houdini to escape trouble. He wasn't as lucky in the 4th as he served up a 2-run homer and a Royals error helped the Brewers to a third run in the inning. Jake Kuebler hit an RBI single in the 5th to cut into the lead but the score was still 3-1 entering the 9th. The Royals loaded the bases with no outs off RP Bob McEwen and Lifete Jose took a walk and a Matos sac fly tied the game. In the 11th, Jose walked and advanced on a balk before Matos singled him home to break the tie. Josh Ruhlman stranded 1 in the bottom of the inning for his 2nd save. RP Jose Sanchez took the loss with an ER allowed over 1 2/3 IP to fall to 0-1. Starter Adrian Rosario allowed an ER over 6 IP. 2B Carlos George was 2-5 with 2 doubles, 2 K and a run scored. He also made his 17th error and was picked off.

The Royals are 15-13. The second half starts tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 7/24

AAA - Omaha: Las Vegas 4, O-Royals 3 (10)

LF Lubanski 2-3, BB, 2B (15), HR (9), RBI (37), K, 2 RS -- .240
PH-1B Shealy 1-1, 2B (15), 2 RBI (44) -- .296
C B. Pena 1-5, K -- .305
RF Stodolka 1-4, 2B (9) -- .277
SS Sanchez 1-3, S -- .210
* Omaha turned 4 DPs.

D. Hughes 5 1/3 IP, ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 3 K -- 3.67 ERA
Colon 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K -- 4.24 ERA
Yabuta 0 IP (3 batters), 3 ER, 3 H, HRA -- BS, 1, L, 1-3, 6.23 ERA, definitely closer to Yoshii than Saito

*** Omaha appeared to take command in an exciting 10th inning but Yasuhiko Yabuta was victimized for a walkoff 2-run homer to swing the game back to the 51s. The game was scoreless into the 4th when Dusty Hughes allowed a run on 2 hits and a walk. Chris Lubanski led off the 6th with his 9th homer of the season and the game was tied. Omaha stranded 2 in scoring position in the 8th and the game went to extras. In the top of the 10th, Damon Hollins walked and Lubanski was intentionally walked with 1 out to bring up pinch-hitter Ryan Shealy, who came through with a double to right to score both runners and make it 3-1 Omaha. Yabuta came on for the bottom of the 10th and allowed a single, RBI double, and walkoff 2-run homer to DH John Lindsey to end it for his 3rd loss for the O-Royals. RP Mike Koplove got the win despite allowing 2 ER in his inning of work to move to 2-1. Starter Miguel Pinango allowed 1 ER over 6 IP. 3B Terry Tiffee and Lindsey both had 3 hits as Lindsey hit his 19th homer with 2 RBI. Tiffee had the RBI double in the 10th.

Omaha is 48-57. The series wraps tonight as John Bale makes another rehab start vs. 51s SP Jon Meloan (5-10, 4.97). If you saw the Royals game last night, you noted that OF Mitch Maier has gotten the call to KC as Joey Gathright hit the DL with a bone bruise in his shoulder. No announcement that I've seen on Maier's Omaha replacement. Could be Kila Kaaihue time and, possibly soon, bye bye Brian Buchanan time.

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 11, Naturals 6

3B Lucas 2-4, BB, 3B (3), HR (3), 2 RBI (24), 2 RS -- .319
RF McFall 1-3, BB, HR (13), 3 RBI (42), K, RS, OF assist at third -- .242
CF Duarte 2-5, 2B (18), K, RS, E (4) -- .257
DH Aldridge 2-4, K, RS -- .235
LF Suero 2-4, 2 2B (8), K -- .271
1B Kaaihue 0-4, SF, RBI (71), K -- .304
2B Maddox 0-5 -- .300

B. Wood 5 IP, 9 ER, 9 H, 4 BB, K, WP -- L, 3-5, 6.58 ERA, inconsistency hurting him
Crist 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, K -- 4.76 ERA
Atencio IP, BB -- 3.67 ERA

*** A 6-run 3rd was about all the Drillers would need in avoiding a sweep by the Naturals. The game was scoreless entering the 3rd when the Drillers' half went groundout, single, walk, RBI single (plus Jose Duarte throwing error), fielder's choice with no out recorded, 2-run single, K, RBI single, 2-run double, flyout -- so you can see Blake Wood didn't necessarily get hammered, but 6 runs in an inning is harsh to the numbers. Wood allowed another run in the 4th that NWA answered with 2 in the bottom of the inning on an Ed Lucas RBI triple and Kila Kaaihue sac fly. Wood allowed 2 more runs in the 5th although Brian McFall cut the rally short by helping nail a runner at third. Kyle Crist allowed 2 more runs on a 2-out rally in the 6th to make it 11-2 Tulsa and enough damage had been done. McFall hit a 3-run homer in the 6th for his 13th of the season and Lucas went solo in the 7th for his 3rd of the season to cut it to 11-6 but NWA stranded 2 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th. Starter Brandon Hynick got the win for Tulsa despite allowing 6 ER over 6 2/3 IP to move to 7-6. RF Dan Carte was 3-4 with a double, 3 RBI and 2 RS and 3 other Drillers had 2-hit games.

NWA is 19-14 and tied with Springfield for first. That makes the 4-game home set with the Cardinals that starts tonight pivotal. Rowdy Hardy (4-8, 5.35) is slated to start vs. Cards SP Kyle Mura (3-1, 2.08).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: off day

*** The Rocks start a 3-game home set with the Kinston Indians (19-13) tonight. The Rocks are 9-5 versus the "K-Tribe". Scheduled starters: Rocks righty Mario Santiago (7-6, 3.96) vs. Kinston southpaw Shawn Nottingham (1-1, 2.79).

A - Burlington: Bees 14, Cedar Rapids 7

1B Taylor 2-5, 2 HR (11), 3 RBI (38), K, 2 RS -- .211
DH C. Robinson 2-3, SF, HR (11), 3 RBI (39), 2 RS -- .249
SS Martin 3-4, BB, HR (6), RBI (19), K, 3 RS -- .331
C Eigsti 1-3, BB, GS (7), 4 RBI (26), K, RS -- .216
CF Ortiz 2-4, BB, 2 K, 2 RS, 2 SB (29), OF assist at home -- .306
RF Van Stratten 2-3, BB, 2B (7), RS -- .379
2B Giavotella 0-4, RBI (12), K -- .301
3B Moustakas 0-4, BB, RS -- .249

Gutierrez 5 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 6 K -- W, 3-1, 2.03 ERA
Baldwin 1 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, WP -- 8.27 ERA
Raglione 2 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, balk -- 6.57 ERA
Huber 1/3 IP, nothing -- 6.00 ERA

*** The Bees pounded out 5 homers, including a grand slam by Ryan Eigsti, to beat the Kernels by a touchdown and extra point. Adrian Ortiz led off the 1st with a single, stole two bases and scored on a passed ball to get Burlington started and Jason Taylor hit the first of his 2 homers on the day for a 2-run shot in the inning. Clint Robinson added a sac fly and the Bees had a 4-0 lead after 1. Ortiz had another highlight play in the 2nd when he shot down an inside-the-park homer attempt by combining with cutoff man Johnny Giavotella to nail the runner at the plate. He singled and advanced to third on an error in the 2nd and scored on a Giavotella groundout to make it 5-0 Bees. Kyle Martin slammed his 6th homer of the season for a solo shot in the 3rd and Cedar Rapids finally got to Danny Gutierrez for a run on 2 hits and a walk in the 5th. The Bees answered by putting it away as Taylor smacked his 2nd homer of the game and 11th of the season and Eigsti hit the 2-out grand slam for his 7th homer of the season to make it 11-1. Burke Baldwin allowed 3 runs in the 6th but the Bees matched that output on a 2-run Clint Robinson homer for his 11th of the season and a run-scoring wild pitch to make it 14-4. Baldwin allowed a 2-run double before getting pulled in the 7th and Paul Raglione gave up a meaningless run in the 9th. Kernels SP Trevor Reckling took the loss with 9 runs (8 ER) allowed over 4 2/3 IP to fall to 7-4. RF Tyler Johnson was 3-5 with a double, RBI, his 18th SB and 2 RS and 3 other Kernels had 2-hit games.

The Bees are 18-14 and 2.5 games back of Peoria. The series ends tonight as Luis Cota (0-1, 6.75) pitches versus Kernels SP Robert Fish (7-3, 5.07).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Ogden 10, Chukars 9

LF Griffin 2-3, 2 BB, 2B (9), 2 RBI (14), K, OF assist at second -- .287
RF Francis 1-5, RBI (21), K, 2 RS -- .320
DH A. Perez 1-4, BB, RBI (21), 3 K, RS -- .257
1B Espinosa 1-4, BB, RBI (6) -- .157
CF Norris 0-3, 2 BB, K, 2 RS, OF assist at third -- .248
SS Alfaro 0-3, BB, S, 2 K, 2 RS -- .272
C McCauley 1-3, BB, HBP, K, 2 RS, E (4) -- .262
3B Jimenez 1-4, BB, K -- .325
2B F. Garcia 0-5, SB (11) -- .308

Toribio 3 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 3 HRA -- 5.81 ERA
Miller 1 1/3 IP, H, 3 BB -- 7.62 ERA
J. Garcia 1 2/3 IP, 2 K -- 1.83 ERA
Gilgenbach 1 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 15.09 ERA
Novakowski 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, BB, K -- L, 0-2, 4.66 ERA

*** The Chukar pen blew the game in a big way in the 9th to spoil a great IF comeback. Ogden scored 2 in the 1st on back-to-back homers and then added 3 in the 3rd on a 3-run homer off Aneidy Toribio to take a 5-0 lead. Idaho Falls was being shutout on 2 hits into the 7th when they got a run on a 2-out RBI single by Tito Espinosa. Stephen Gilgenbach gave the run back in the bottom of the 7th to make it 6-1 but IF scored 4 in the 8th on a 2-run Shawn Griffin double, a bases-loaded passed ball and Alwin Perez RBI single to cut the lead to 1. They jumped on RP Luis Garcia in the 9th for 4 more runs on a run-scoring wild pitch, a Nick Francis RBI fielder's choice and a 2-run Ogden error to take a 9-6 lead. Gary Novakowski had gotten the last 2 outs in the Ogden 8th and came back out for the 9th. A single and 2 doubles later the lead was cut to 9-8 with no outs. A wild pitch and walk were followed by a game-tying RBI groundout and, with 2 outs, Novakowski gave up a walkoff single to DH Brian Ruggiano. Garcia got the win with 4 runs (1 ER) on no hits over 1 IP to improve to 2-0 but blow his 2nd save. Starter Jon Michael Redding went 5 scoreless IP. 2B Anthony Delmonico led the way for the Raptors by going 3-5 with his 1st 2 HR of the season, 4 RBI and 3 RS. Three other Raptors had 2 hits.

IF is 14-21. The 2-game set ends tonight as Bryan Casey (2-1, 1.93) hurls versus Ogden's Geison Aguasviva (1-2, 4.15).

Rookie - Burlington: Pulaski 3, B-Royals 2

RF McFadden 2-4, BB, 2B (2), 2 K, RS -- .238
3B Morales 1-4, BB, 3B, RBI (7), 2 K, RS -- .221
C Y. Reyes 1-3, BB, 2B (2), RBI, K -- .194
CF Caldwell 0-4, BB, 2 K, picked off -- .195
DH F. Cruz 0-5, 2 K -- .248
* The Royals stranded 15.

Bryant 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 K, WP -- L, 0-2, 6.11 ERA
Jorge 1 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB -- 6.04 ERA
Roq. Colon 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 K, balk -- 6.75 ERA

*** A 2-run 1st helped Pulaski to even the series with the Royals and snap Burlington's 3-game win streak. The Mariners got their runs on 2 singles, a triple and wild pitch off Carson Bryant to take a 2-0 lead. The Royals left the bases loaded in the 5th and Victor Jorge gave up a key run in the 6th to make it 3-0 M's. Burlington broke through in the 7th with 2 runs on a Jason Morales RBI triple and Yenssi Reyes RBI double but left 2 in scoring position. The tying run got to third in the 9th but stayed there as pinch hitter Josh Vittek struck out to end it. Pulaski starter Fabian Williamson pitched 5 scoreless frames for the win to move to 3-2 and had 10 Ks in the outing. Philip Roy got his 3rd save for the Mariners. DH Deybis Benitez was 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RS and RF Jose Rivero was 2-3 with a triple and RBI.

The B-Royals are 12-24. The series ends tonight. No announced starters on the team site.

Rookie - AZL: Padres 6, Royals 2

2B Nilsen 3-4, HBP, RS, SB (3) -- .200
3B D. Batista 3-5, RBI (8) -- .333
SS Espinal 2-4 -- .196
RF Del Rosario 0-5, 3 K -- .330
C J. Bonilla 1-2, BB, 2B (7), K -- .390
CF Llanos 0-4 -- .172
DH Culver 1-3, HBP, K, RS -- .167
* LF Miguel Mariano had an OF assist at second and the Royals stranded 11.

Sample 2 2/3 IP, 5 ER, H, 6 BB, 5 K, WP, balk -- L, 0-3, 10.66 ERA
Sirrett 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 3.50 ERA
Feickert IP, UER, 2 H -- 8.59 ERA
J. Smith IP, nothing -- 2.00 ERA

*** Tyler Sample got touched up and the Royals left 11 on base in the loss to the Pads. James Nilsen led off the game with a single, advanced on a balk and single and scored on a wild pitch to stake the Royals to a 1-0 lead. The Pads got to Sample for 5 runs in the 3rd on 4 walks, a hit and passed ball with Onassis Sirrett also walking in a run and giving up a 2-run single. The Royals stranded runners here and there and RP Casey Feickert allowed a run in the 7th thanks in part to an error to make it 6-1. Deivy Batista singled in a run in the 9th but the Royals stranded 2. Padres SP Chris Wilkes got the win with an ER allowed over 5 IP to move to 3-0. Five Pads had a hit each as the Royals outhit them, 11-5. 3B Matt Gaski drove in 2 runs and had 2 errors.

The Royals wrapped the first half at 15-13 after beating the Brewers today.

Royals on the Farm 7/23

AAA - Omaha: Las Vegas 11, O-Royals 6

RF Stodolka 4-5, RBI (19), K, RS, E (4) -- .278, hot streak couldn't have come at better time for him
CF Maier 2-5, HR (9), 3 RBI (41), RS -- .316
C Tupman 2-5, 2B (7), 2 RBI (24), RS -- .226
2B Smith 2-5, K, RS -- .253
SS Sanchez 2-5, 2B (5), RS -- .205
LF Lubanski 1-3, BB, K, SB (4) -- .236
1B Shealy 0-4, BB, K -- .294, hit streak snapped at 12 G
* Omaha stranded 11.

Duckworth 5 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 5 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 3-11, 5.04 ERA, pretty much roster filler at this point
Fulchino IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K -- 4.74 ERA
Lowery 2 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB -- 2.53 ERA

*** A 1st inning grand slam got the 51s started and they kept inching away from the Royals to even the series. Omaha stranded 2 in the 1st and Las Vegas got a 1-out grand slam from 1B Mitch Jones off Brandon Duckworth to jump out to a 4-0 lead. The Royals loaded the bases in the 2nd and Mitch Maier hit an RBI groundout before Omaha stranded 2. Mike Stodolka hit a 2-out RBI single in the 3rd and Matt Tupman followed with an RBI double to cut it to 4-3. Duckworth gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in the 4th but Maier hit a 2-run homer in the 6th for his 9th of the season to cut the deficit back to 1. Jeff Fulchino came in for the 6th and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk as the 51s started to put the game away. They added 2 runs off Devon Lowery in the 8th on 4 hits and a walk. Brian Buchanan led off the Omaha 9th with a triple and scored on a Tupman groundout but the O-Royals couldn't mount a rally. Starter B.J. LaMura got the win with 3 ER over 5 IP to move to 1-1. SS Chin-lung Hu was 3-5 with a double and 2 RS, and 5 other 51s had 2-hit games. Jones finished 2-4 with a walk, his 8th homer and 5 RBI.

Omaha is 48-56. Game 3 is tonight as lefty Dusty Hughes (2-0, 4.03) is slated to pitch vs. 51s RH Miguel Pinango (4-6, 5.71).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 4, Tulsa 3

DH Kaaihue 1-2, BB, SF, HR (25), 3 RBI (70), RS -- .309
2B Maddox 3-4, 2B (23), RBI (24), 2 RS -- .305
CF-LF Suero 1-5, K, RS, SB (39) -- .267
1B Richardson 0-4 -- .289
3B Lucas 0-3, BB -- .314
SS Lisson 1-2, BB, S, SB (22) -- .211

Cortes 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- W, 5-4, 4.40 ERA
Nicoll 3 IP, 3 H, 4 K -- 2.55 ERA
de la Vara IP, H -- SV, 1, 3.68 ERA

*** The Naturals slapped 4 runs on the board then held off the Drillers to earn a series win no matter the result of tonight's finale. Kila Kaaihue hit a 2-out, 2-run homer in the 1st for his 25th of the season and Marc Maddox hit an RBI single in the 3rd before a Kaaihue sac fly made it 4-0. Tulsa finally got to starter Dan Cortes in the 5th with 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks, with a bases-loaded double by nemesis DH Matt Miller being the big blow. Neither Chris Nicoll nor Gilbert de la Vara allowed a runner past second from the 6th on, and it should be noted that Adam Donachie did catch a couple runners stealing in the late innings, even if Tulsa was 4-6 in SB on the night. Tulsa starter Alan Johnson took the loss with 4 runs (3 ER) allowed over 6 IP to fall to 3-10. RF Dan Carte was 2-4 and Miller was 1-4 with a double and 3 RBI for Tulsa.

NWA is 19-13 and a game up on first. The series finale is tonight as Blake Wood (3-4, 5.55) matches up with Tulsa's Brandon Hynick (6-6, 4.76).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Lynchburg 9, Blue Rocks 3 (5/cut short by rain)

CF D. Robinson 2-3, 2B (17), RBI (21), RS, SB (48) -- .248
RF Strait 1-2, RBI (11) -- .359
C Morizio 0-2, RBI (16) -- .165
SS McConnell 0-2, S -- .279
DH Correll 0-3, K -- .362, hit streak snapped at 13 G
2B Bianchi 0-2, K -- .239
3B J. Johnson 1-2, SB (11) -- .276

Mildren 3 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 10 H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 0-4, 7.27 ERA, yeesh
Haltiwanger 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, K, HRA -- 3.57 ERA, boy, it'd be nice to have Jeff Keppinger in the KC infield right now

*** The Hillcats pounded out 5 runs in the 1st off Paul Mildren and rain washed the game away early. Cody Strait hit an RBI single in the 1st to drive in Derrick Robinson but Mildren loaded the bases with no outs, and with 2 outs, gave up a 2-run single and 3-run homer to make it 5-1 Lynchburg. C Jeff Howell left with an injured head in the inning after chasing a foul popup and hitting his face on a railing. Anthony Seratelli tripled and scored on a Matt Morizio groundout in the 2nd to cut it to 5-2 but Lynchburg scored 2 in the 4th on 4 hits, including 3 doubles, to chase Mildren. Robinson hit an RBI double in the top of the 5th to cut it to 5-3 but Russ Haltiwanger served up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 5th before the rain ended it. Hillcats SP Brad Lincoln, the #4 overall pick in the Hochevar draft in '06, worked all 5 innings and allowed 3 ER to move to 1-1. He's working his way back from Tommy John surgery. Five 'Cats had 2-hit games despite it being shortened, and LF Jared Keel was 2-3 with 2 HR (12) and 5 RBI.

Wilmington is 15-17 and 3.5 games out. The Rocks have today off.

A - Burlington: Bees 6, Cedar Rapids 4

3B Moustakas 3-4, 2 2B (16), RBI (44), 2 RS -- .252
LF Lough 2-4, HR (9), 2 RBI (41), 2 K, RS -- .264
C Eigsti 2-3, 2 2B (12), 2 RBI (22), RS, PB (8) -- .215
CF Ortiz 0-4 -- .304
2B Giavotella 0-3, BB, K -- .310
1B Taylor 0-4, SB (33) -- .208
DH C. Robinson 0-2, 2 BB, K, RS -- .244

Mitchell 5 IP, UER, 4 H, BB, 3 K, E (6) -- W, 6-8, 3.93 ERA
M. Peterson IP, H, 2 K -- 27.00 ERA
Augustine 3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB -- SV, 7, 3.29 ERA

*** The Bees built a 6-1 lead and held on to take the opener from the Kernels. Mike Moustakas hit a 2-out double in the 1st, advanced on a balk and scored on a wild pitch to give the Bees a 1-0 lead. Matt Mitchell stranded the bases full in the 3rd and Moustakas hit an RBI double in the bottom of the inning to extend the lead. The Bees stranded 2 in scoring position but bounced back with 2 in the 4th on a 2-run Ryan Eigsti double to make it 4-0. Mitchell gave up a single, error and RBI double in the 5th to get Cedar Rapids on the board but the Bees answered with 2 runs in the inning on David Lough's 9th homer of the year, which was a 2-run shot. Joe Augustine followed Matt Peterson's nice 6th to start the 7th and allowed 3 runs in the inning on 5 hits and a passed ball to cut it to 6-4. He settled down to strand 1 in the 8th and 9th for his 7th save. Kernels SP Esmerlin Jimenez took the loss with 6 ER allowed over 4 1/3 IP to drop to 4-5. SS Andy Romine was 3-5 with a double, 2 RBI, his 44th SB and a RS and four other Kernels had 2-hit games.

The Bees are 17-14 and 3.5 games out. The series continues tonight as Danny Gutierrez is slated to go for the Bees. Former Royal IF Joe Randa has been in Burlington working with some of the infielders and the team.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: off day

*** The Chukars start a 2-game set at the Ogden Raptors (14-19, Rookie Dodgers) tonight. No announced starters on the team site. IF is 3-3 versus Ogden.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 5, Pulaski 0

LF Aparicio 2-4, HR, 3 RBI (19), K, RS -- .240
DH McFadden 2-4, K, RS -- .211
1B D. Cruz 2-4, RS -- .209
CF H. Richardson 1-5, RBI (11), 3 K, RS, E (4) -- .235, slumping
SS J. Gutierrez 1-4, RBI (7), K, SB (3), E (4) -- .250
RF Caldwell 0-3, BB, K, RS -- .202
C Vittek 0-4, 3 K -- .278
3B F. Cruz 1-4, K -- .260

Flanagan 4 2/3 IP, 6 H, BB, 5 K -- 0.74 ERA, got good feeling about him
Lehmann 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 4 K -- W, 2-2, 4.03 ERA
Halliman IP, BB, 2 K -- 9.24 ERA

*** Three pitchers combined on an 8-hit shutout as the Royals continued their roll. Julio Aparicio slammed a 3-run homer in the 1st for his 1st of the season and John Flanagan was staked to a lead before he took the mound. He survived a dodgy 1st and the Royals scored 2 more runs in the 4th on a Jorge Gutierrez RBI single and Hilton Richardson RBI forceout to make it 5-0. Flanagan pitched well after the 1st but was pulled with 2 on and 2 out in the 5th. Mike Lehmann finished the inning and worked 3 more solid frames. Pernell Halliman stranded 1 in the 9th. Mariners SP Taylor Lewis took the loss with 3 ER allowed over 3 IP to fall to 0-2. 1B Guy Welsh and DH Tommy Johnson both had 2 hits for Pulaski.

The B-Royals are 12-23 and on a 3-game win streak. The series continues tonight with Carson Bryant set to pitch for Burlington.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 5, A's 4 (12)

PH-C J. Bonilla 3-3, 2 2B (6), 2 RBI (19), RS -- .387
RF Del Rosario 3-4, BB, S, 2 RS, CS (7), OF assists at third and home -- .349
2B-SS D. Batista 2-6, K, 2 RS -- .317
1B-2B Henriquez 1-5, S, RBI (5), 2 K, CS (2) -- .177
LF Llanos 0-0, SF, GW RBI (11) -- .180
C Matos 1-3, K -- .192
3B Kuebler 2-4, BB, S, K, SB (3), E (9) -- .239
* The Royals stranded 13.

Liotta 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 3 K -- 0.96 ERA, I have high hopes for rule 5 pick
Hodge 2 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, K -- 15.75 ERA, something's not right
Cuevas 5 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- 6.26 ERA, nice outing
B. Richardson IP, H, K -- W, 2-0, 1.69 ERA

*** Ray Liotta had a fine rehab outing and the Royals came back from 4 down to force extras and win in 12. Liotta tiptoed through trouble in the 1st as Luis Del Rosario had an OF assist to third and Liotta stranded the bases full. Mauricio Matos was thrown out at home in the 2nd and the game stayed scoreless into the 5th. In that inning, the A's got to Mitch Hodge for a run on 3 walks and a hit batsman. Del Rosario cut down another runner at the plate to keep it 1-0. Hodge had a rough 6th also as the A's scored 3 runs on 4 hits, including a 2-run triple. The Royals cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning as Edwin Henriquez singled in a run and Deivy Batista scored while Henriquez was caught stealing second. The Royals rallied again in the 8th as Jose Bonilla came through with a pinch-hit 2-run single to tie it. The Royals left the bases loaded and loaded the bases again with no outs in the 10th only to squander the chance to end it. Gary Cuevas pitched 5 scoreless innings of relief and Brett Richardson stranded 1 in the 12th. Bonilla led off the Royals 12th with a double, advanced on a groundout and scored on an Alex Llanos sac fly to end the game. RP Ronald Ferreras took the loss with 1 2/3 IP of an ER allowed to fall to 0-2. Starter Julio Ramos pitched 5 scoreless innings. LF Rashun Dixon and C Carmelo Penaloza had 3-hit games as Dixon was 3-4 with 2 walks, 2 triples and 2 RBI along with a steal. Two other A's had 2-hit games, including 2B Nino Leyja, who also swiped 4 bases.

The Royals are 14-12. They were set to play the 12-13 Padres today.

Royals on the Farm 7/22

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 17, Las Vegas 5

RF Stodolka 3-5, HBP, HR (5), 2 RBI (18), 3 RS -- .264, getting regular playing time and bat is responding....
C Tupman 3-5, BB, 2 2B (6), 2 RBI (22), 2 RS -- .222
LF Lubanski 3-6, 3B (5), 2 RBI (36), K, RS -- .234
2B Smith 2-5, HBP, HR (19), 3 RBI (59), 3 RS -- .251
1B Shealy 2-4, BB, HBP, HR (15), 2 RBI (42), K, 3 RS -- .298, 12-game hit streak, time to move Gload
DH Buchanan 2-4, BB, HBP, HR (8), RBI (32), K, 3 RS, CS -- .258
SS Sanchez 2-6, 2B (4), 2 RBI (8), E (2) -- .192
3B Matranga 2-5, BB, 2 RBI (31), 2 K, RS, CS (3) -- .269
CF Maier 1-6, RBI (38), 3 K, RS -- .315
* Omaha stranded 10.

Salmon 5 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K, HRA, WP -- W, 7-4, 4.56 ERA
Newman 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 2.00 ERA
Yabuta IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB -- 4.67 ERA

*** Everybody in the lineup got into the act versus Las Vegas as only 2 Royal starters didn't have more than 1 RBI and only 1 (Angel Sanchez) didn't score a run in the 17-5 rout. Nine of the runs came in the first 5 innings as Jason Smith cranked a 3-run homer in the 1st for his 19th of the season, Dave Matranga singled in a run in the 2nd, Ryan Shealy and Brian Buchanan went yard in the 3rd for their 15th and 8th of the season, respectively, Mitch Maier singled home Chris Lubanski after he tripled in the 4th, and Mike Stodolka led off the 5th with his 5th longball of the season. Brad Salmon took a 2-hit shutout into the 5th but the 51s scored 3 runs that inning on a walk, wild pitch, RBI single and 2-run homer. Omaha went scoreless for only 1 inning of the game in the 6th and bounced back with 2 in the 7th on a Sanchez RBI double and Lubanski RBI single. The Royals tacked on 5 in the 8th on a bases-loaded HBP by Stodolka, bases-loaded walk by Matt Tupman and RBI singles from Sanchez, Lubanski and Matranga to make it 16-3. Tupman doubled home another run in the 9th and Yaz Yabuta ran into some trouble in the 9th with 2 runs allowed but stranded 2 to finish it off. Starter Justin Orenduff took the loss with 4 IP of 8 runs (7 earned) allowed to fall to 2-7. RF Jason Repko was 2-5 with his 7th homer and 2 RBI and C A.J. Ellis was 2-3 with a walk, double and 2 RBI.

Omaha is 48-55. The series continues tonight as Brandon Duckworth (3-10, 4.75) takes the mound vs. 51s SP B.J. LaMura (0-1, 7.20). The 17 runs were the most by the O-Royals since 7/26/04 when they beat Albuquerque, 17-8. The Royals also notched 20 hits for the first time since 7/27/05. Joel Peralta is headed back to KC as Jimmy Gobble was put on the DL with "back stiffness". I think he's just pitching like a stiff. Peralta responded by getting beaten around by Detroit Monday. I failed to mention Tuesday that the Las Vegas roster includes Dodgers prospects righty Jon Meloan (5-10, 4.97, 1.70 WHIP in 105 IP), SS Chin-lung Hu (.572 OPS in only 7 games since not doing much at LA this season) and OF Xavier Paul (.798 OPS in 80 games).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 11, Tulsa 8

DH Aldridge 2-4, BB, 2B (2), 3 RBI (8), 2 RS, SB -- .222
LF Suero 3-3, BB, SF, 2B (6), 4 RBI (21), RS, 3 SB (38) -- .268, what a game...
C Donachie 1-4, BB, HR (4), 2 RBI (24), 3 K, RS -- .215
1B Kaaihue 1-3, BB, 2B (10), RS, 2 E (8) -- .307
CF Duarte 1-3, 2 BB, HR (7), RBI (36), K, RS, SB (25) -- .255
3B Lucas 1-4, BB, 3B (2), RBI (22), K, 3 RS -- .320
2B Maddox 1-5, K -- .299
* NWA stranded 10.

B. Johnson 5 IP, 7 R (6 ER), 7 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 HRA -- 4.49 ERA
Plummer 3 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 5 K, HRA -- BS, 2, W, 3-1, 4.62 ERA
Hamulack IP, nada -- SV, 3, 4.00 ERA

*** The offense was in full bore for the Royals' AA affiliate as well as the Naturals churned out 11 runs, although their pitching wasn't as solid Tuesday. NWA was actually down, 7-0, early on as Blake Johnson got slapped for 3 runs in the 1st on 2 hits, 2 walks and a Kila Kaaihue error and then gave up 4 runs in the second on 2 homers. The Naturals responded in a big way in the 2nd with 6 runs on a Cory Aldridge RBI single, 2-run Ovandy Suero single, 2-run homer by Adam Donachie (his 4th) and a solo shot by Jose Duarte (his 7th) to make it back-to-back longballs and cut the lead to 7-6. NWA moved ahead in the 3rd as Ed Lucas hit an RBI triple and scored on a Suero sac fly to make it 8-7 Naturals. Johnson retired 10 of the last 12 he faced and Jarod Plummer came in for the 6th. That went well until Plummer gave up a 2-out solo homer in the 8th to tie the game at 8. With 2 out and 2 on in the Naturals 8th, Aldridge ripped a 2-run double and Suero singled him home to make it 11-8. Tim Hamulack pitched a perfect 9th for save #3. RP Adam Bright took the loss for Tulsa with 2/3 IP of an ER allowed to fall to 3-6. Starter Chaz Roe allowed 8 ER over 4 2/3 IP. Three Drillers had 2-hit games and 1B Jeff Kindel was 1-5 with his 9th homer and 4 RBI. Two of the 2-hit guys were OFs Dexter Fowler and Matt Miller, who have victimized NWA pitching all season.

NWA is 18-13 and tied with Springfield for first. The series continues tonight as Dan Cortes (4-4, 4.33) tries to get back on track versus Tulsa's Alan Johnson (3-9, 5.03).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Lynchburg 11, Blue Rocks 3

1B Correll 1-5, 2B (8), 2 RBI (15) -- .379, 13-game hit streak
SS McConnell 3-4, BB, K, RS, SB (21), E (24) -- .281
2B Bianchi 2-4, 2B (22), K -- .241
CF D. Robinson 1-4, BB, K, RS, SB (47) -- .245
RF Strait 1-4, SB (4) -- .355
3B Mertins 0-4 -- .298
LF Dyson 1-3, BB, RS, OF assist at home -- .234

Cegarra 4 1/3 IP, 7 R (6 ER), 10 H, 2 K, HRA -- L, 3-5, 4.96 ERA, don't think he's gonna win back-to-back pitcher of the week awards
Chavez 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 5 K -- 7.20 ERA, mopup duty

*** Lynchburg battered Ed Cegarra for 4 runs in the 1st and kept up the hitting onslaught in taking game 3 of the set. Three doubles and a 2-run homer did the trick in the 4-run Hillcats 1st. The Rocks cut into the lead with 2 runs in the 5th on a 2-run Brad Correll double but the Hillcats knocked Cegarra out of the game in the 5th with 3 more run-scoring doubles to make it 7-2. Jarrod Dyson scored on a passed ball in the 7th to cut the lead to 4 but Wilmington would get no closer. Five more hits, including 2 doubles, off Chris Chavez plated 4 runs in the 8th to make it 11-3. Lynchburg SP Mike Crotta allowed 2 ER over 6 IP to win and move to 8-7. Five 'Cats had multi-hit games as three players -- RF Jamie Romak (4-5), 2B Jim Negrych (3-5) and DH Kent Sakamoto (3-5) -- combined for 8 of the team's 9 doubles.

Wilmington is 15-16 and 3 games back. The series wraps tonight. Starters are Rocks southpaw Paul Mildren (0-3, 5.64) and Hillcats hot prospect righty Brad Lincoln (0-1, 11.25).

A - Burlington: off day

*** The Bees (16-14) start a 3-game home set with the Cedar Rapids Kernels (15-15, A Angels) tonight. Matt Mitchell (5-8, 4.15) hurls for the Bees versus Kernels SP Esmerlin Jimenez (4-4, 3.72). The Bees are 1-6 versus the Kernels and were swept in the last 4-game set with Cedar Rapids.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Missoula 8, Chukars 7

DH A. Perez 3-5, 2 2B (9), 3 RBI (20), 2 K, 2 RS, 2 SB (7) -- .257
LF Griffin 1-4, BB, HR (2), RBI (12), K, RS -- .277
2B F. Garcia 2-4, BB, 2B (5), K, 3 RS, 2 SB (10) -- .329
CF Francis 0-4, BB, 2 K -- .325
C McCauley 0-4, BB, K, PB (6) -- .260
SS Jimenez 1-4, 3B (2), RS -- .328
1B Espinosa 0-4, K -- .153
* RF Neder Severino had an OF assist at home.

Morgan 4 IP, ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 K -- 5.03 ERA
Saito IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, WP -- 7.15 ERA
B. Hardy 2 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, K, E -- BS, 1, 6.61 ERA
Thompson 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- L, 1-1, 2.40 ERA

*** The Chukars held a 6-2 lead entering the 6th but it evaporated and the Osprey salvaged the series finale. Fernando Garcia and Alwin Perez hit back-to-back doubles to kick off the Chukar 1st and get IF on the board. Ryan Morgan allowed a run on 2 hits and 2 walks in the 2nd. IF scored 2 in the 3rd on a Perez RBI single and run-scoring Missoula error and then padded the lead to 5-1 with 2 in the 4th on a Perez RBI double and another run-scoring Osprey error. Derrick Saito came in to pitch the 5th and allowed a run on 2 hits and a wild pitch but Antonio Jimenez tripled and scored on an error in the 5th to make it 6-2. Missoula broke out in the 6th with 5 runs on a 3-run triple off Saito and 2 more runs on 3 hits, a walk and error by Blaine Hardy. Shawn Griffin clubbed his 2nd pro homer for a solo shot in the 6th to tie it at 7. James Thompson came in to pitch the 8th and put the first two batters on and allowed the go-ahead run. The Chukars stranded 1 in the 9th as RP Trevor Harden got his 1st save. Starter Kenny Sosa worked 3 IP of 3 runs (2 ER) allowed and RP Justin Mace blew his 2nd save but got the win to move to 1-2 with 3 IP of an ER. Four Osprey had multi-hit games and CF Winston Linton was 2-5 with a triple and 3 RBI.

IF is 14-20. The Chukars have today off as they're headed on a road trip. Six games remain in the first half.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 2, Bluefield 1 (10)

C Vittek 2-5, 2B (2), K, RS -- .300
2B A. Franco 3-5, 2B (5), RBI (11), K -- .212
LF Aparicio 1-5, RBI (16), K -- .231
3B F. Cruz 2-5 -- .260, picking it up
CF H. Richardson 0-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .236
RF Caldwell 1-3, 2 BB, K -- .207
DH Morales 1-3, BB, S -- .219
* The Royals stranded 13.

Runion 5 IP, 4 H, BB, 7 K -- 0.87 ERA, second straight great start, 17 2/3 scoreless IP streak
J. Rodriguez 4 IP, UER, 2 H, 5 K, 2 WP, E -- BS, 1, W, 1-2, 3.71 ERA
Bowden IP, BB, K -- SV, 3, 0.60 ERA

*** Sam Runion pitched well and Angel Franco had the breakthrough hit in the 10th as the Royals won the series with the O's. Runion pitched 5 scoreless and the Royals took the lead in the 3rd on a Julio Aparicio RBI single. The Royals left the bases loaded in the 4th and stranded 2 in the 5th. Jacob Rodriguez came in to pitch the 6th and allowed the tying run to come in on a hit, wild pitch and 2 errors. The 1-1 tie went into the 10th when the Royals loaded the bases with no outs and Franco hit a 1-out RBI single to make it 2-1. Barry Bowden walked the leadoff guy in the 10th but the runner was caught stealing and Bowden finished it for his 3rd save. RP Dan Eastham took the loss with 2 IP of an ER allowed to fall to 1-3. Starter Colin Allen allowed an ER over 4 2/3 IP. 2B Buck Britton was 3-4 and RF Ronnie Welty was 2-4 for Bluefield.

Burlington is 11-23. A 3-game set at the Pulaski Mariners (22-12) starts tonight. The Royals are 1-2 versus the M's.

Rookie - AZL: Giants 9, Royals 0

3B Kuebler 2-3, SB (2), E (8) -- .222
CF Llanos 0-3 -- .180
RF Del Rosario 1-4, 3 K -- .329
1B D. Batista 0-4, K -- .316
C J. Bonilla 0-2 -- .361
DH Culver 0-3, 3 K -- .000, still awaiting first pro hit
* The Royals did turn 4 double plays.

Fisher 2 2/3 IP, 2 UER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- L, 0-2, 3.38 ERA
J. De La Cruz 1 1/3 IP, WP -- 2.70 ERA
Garrido 0 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB -- infinite ERA, AZL debut
Montgomery 3 IP, ER, H, BB, K, HRA -- 1.65 ERA
L. Perez IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 WP -- 2.45 ERA
Ruhlman IP, 2 H -- 3.86 ERA

*** Three Giants pitchers combined on a 5-hitter as the Royals got shut down. The Giants scored 2 in the 3rd off rehabbing Brent Fisher to take the lead and poured on 3 in the 5th, 1 in the 7th and 3 in the 8th. The Royals got a runner to third 3 times but couldn't get one home. Three Giants had 2-hit games and everyone in the lineup had a hit.

The Royals are 14-12 after beating the A's in extras today. Brett Richardson got the win.