Royals on the Farm 8/30

AAA - Omaha: Iowa 10, O-Royals 4

3B Spann 3-4, 2B (2), HR, 2 RBI (9), RS -- .302
C B. Pena 1-4, BB, HR (5), 2 RBI (28), RS -- .296, 14-game hit streak
1B Shealy 1-4, 2B (21), K, RS -- .279
CF Bigler 1-4 -- .304
DH Ka'aihue 0-4, 2 K -- .305
2B J. Gutierrez 1-3, S, K -- .250

Bale 2 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, BB, K, HRA -- L, 0-3, 10.80 ERA
Gobble IP, BB, K -- 5.65 ERA
Newman 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- 3.68 ERA
Yabuta 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, K -- 5.17 ERA

*** John Bale got tattooed by the Cubs and Iowa coasted to the victory. The Cubs hit for the cycle as a team in the 1st as a single, double, triple and 2-run homer made it 4-0 off Bale with only 1 out down. Brayan Pena hit a 2-run homer for his 5th as a Royal in the 3rd to cut the lead in half but Josh Newman allowed a run in the 5th. Omaha got the run back in the 6th as Chad Spann hit a 2-out RBI single. Omaha left the bases loaded in the 7th and Iowa got some insurance with 3 runs in the bottom of the inning on 4 extra-base hits. Spann hit a solo homer in the 8th for his 1st for Omaha but Yaz Yabuta allowed a 2-run double in the 8th to make it 10-4 Iowa. Iowa starter Mitch Atkins got the win with 5 IP of 2 ER allowed to move to 8-1 with a 4.47 ERA. Four Cubs had 2 hits as RF Josh Kroeger hit his 36th double, 15th homer and drove in 3. 1B Micah Hoffpauir drove in his 100th run.

Omaha is 61-81 and needs to win these last 2 to finish less than 20 games below .500. Game 3 is ongoing as Brad Salmon got the start and Omaha trails in the 7th.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 7, Tulsa 3

SS Lisson 3-4, 2B (23), HR (14), 2 RBI (64), K, 3 RS, SB (31) -- .226, something to be said for finishing strong
RF McFall 2-4, HR (18), 2 RBI (61), K, RS, picked off -- .244
1B Richardson 2-4, K, 2 RS -- .296
DH Aldridge 1-4, HR (10), 2 RBI (38), K, RS -- .272, been strong down stretch
CF Duarte 1-4, BB, 3B (2) -- .252
2B Maddox 0-3, BB, K -- .281

B. Wood 3 IP, H -- 5.30 ERA, rain delay shortened start
de la Vara 3 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 3 K -- W, 3-0, 2.76 ERA
Hamulack 2 IP, BB, 3 K -- 1.96 ERA
C. Hayes IP, K -- 1.64 ERA

*** The Naturals won their 8th straight and clinched a half division title in their inaugural season in the process. They had 2 comebacks in the game as Tulsa took the lead with 2 runs in the 4th off Gilbert de la Vara on 3 walks and a hit. The Naturals erased the lead in the 5th as Mario Lisson and Brian McFall went back-to-back with longballs for their 14th and 18th of the season. The Nats stranded 2 and Tulsa regained the lead on an RBI double off de la Vara in the 6th. Lisson singled home Juan Richardson to tie it in the 6th and McFall drove in the go-ahead run to make it 4-3 Naturals. Cory Aldridge helped put it away with a 2-run homer in the 8th for his 10th of the season for NW Arkansas and Lisson scored on a fielder's choice to make it 7-3. Chris Hayes pitched a perfect 9th and the Naturals could pop the corks on a celebration. Tulsa RP Adam Bright blew his 4th save and took the loss with 2 ER allowed over 2 IP to fall to 3-8 with a 4.41 ERA. Starter Alan Johnson pitched 5 innings of 2 ER allowed to move his ERA to 5.23. The Drillers only had 3 hits.

NWA is 42-26 and the second-half TL North champs! Game 2 is today as Rowdy Hardy (6-10, 4.56) starts vs. Tulsa's Xavier Cedeno (7-7, 4.01). The Nats will play their archrival Arkansas Travelers in the best-of-5 first round of the playoffs starting Wednesday. I guess IF Ed Lucas was slightly injured when he was hit in the arm with a throw on a pickoff attempt Friday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 14, Potomac 1

LF Ortiz 3-5, BB, 3B (2), 2 RBI (11), 2 RS -- .307
SS Bianchi 3-5, BB, 2B (34), 2 RBI (61), 2 K, 3 RS -- .258
2B Mertins 2-3, 2 BB, 2B (27), 3B (7), 2 RBI (46), 2 RS -- .284
CF D. Robinson 2-5, BB, 2B (21), RBI (33), K, 2 RS, picked off -- .247
DH Dyson 2-5, K -- .256
C Howell 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (44), K -- .262
RF Orlando 0-4, 2 BB, 2 K, RS -- .260
3B J. Johnson 0-4, BB, RBI (38), 2 RS -- .255
1B Seratelli 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (51), 2 RS -- .229
* The Rocks stranded 11.

Santiago 6 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- W, 8-8, 3.43 ERA
Haltiwanger 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K -- SV, 1, 3.83 ERA

*** This is the kind of offensive output the Rocks need against the Nationals when the playoffs come around Wednesday. Mario Santiago and Russ Haltiwanger pitched well and got more than enough run support as Wilmington routed Potomac. The Rocks got started with 5 runs in the 2nd on an Anthony Seratelli RBI single, bases-loaded walk by Jeff Howell, run-scoring double play ball by Jarrod Dyson, Derrick Robinson RBI double and Adrian Ortiz RBI single. Jeff Bianchi doubled and scored on a balk in the 3rd but Potomac got its lone run in the 4th on 2 walks and a hit off Santiago to cut it to 6-1. The Rocks got the run back in the bottom of the inning on a Bianchi RBI single and then put it away with a 7-run 6th on four consecutive walks, including a run-scoring one by Bianchi, a 2-run Potomac error, a 2-run Kurt Mertins triple, a Howell RBI single and Ortiz RBI single before stranding the bases full. Haltiwanger took it from there for his 1st save of the season. Starter Hassan Pena took the loss for the Nationals with 5 IP of 7 runs (3 ER) allowed to fall to 2-2 with a 4.15 ERA. C Pat Nichols was 2-4 for Potomac.

Wilmington is 34-35 and playoff bound after getting a 3-hit shutout in today's game 3. RP Aaron Hartsock picked up his 12th win in the victory.

A - Burlington: Bees 7, Beloit 2

1B Martin 3-4, SF, 2B (13), RBI (27), K -- .322, gonna finish with nice average
LF Francis 2-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI (17), 2 K, 2 RS -- .276
3B Taylor 2-4, BB, K, RS, SB (40), E (20) -- .238, shown some potential in first full season
2B Giavotella 2-5, RS -- .300, sounds lot better than .299
RF Van Stratten 1-4, SF, 2B (13), 2 RBI (18), K, RS -- .348
SS J. Rivera 1-4, BB, 2B (13), RBI (24), RS, SB (17) -- .235

Cota 4 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, BB, 3 K, pickoff -- 5.80 ERA
Raglione 2 IP, H, K -- W, 2-0, 6.42 ERA
Bradley 2 IP, BB, 2 K -- 2.14 ERA
Z. Peterson IP, H, 2 K, WP -- 3.13 ERA

*** The Bees blew open a close game in the 8th to take down the Snappers. The Bees stranded 2 in the 1st but Nick Francis led off the 2nd with his 1st homer as a Bee to make it 1-0. Beloit tied it in the bottom of the inning but Luis Cota stranded 2. A Nick Van Stratten sac fly in the 3rd made it 2-1 but Cota gave up the equalizer again in the bottom of the inning. Kyle Martin hit a sac fly in the 5th to regain the lead and it stayed 3-2 into the 8th thanks to 4 scoreless innings from Paul Raglione and Tony Bradley out of the pen. Van Stratten hit an RBI double in the 8th and Francis socked a 2-run homer for his 2nd of the game before Juan Rivera hit an RBI double to make it 7-2 Bees. Zach Peterson stranded a runner at third in the 9th. Starter Steven Hirschfeld took the loss for Beloit with 6 IP of 3 ER allowed to fall to 10-5 with a 3.30 ERA. C Greg Yersich and 1B Allan de San Miguel had 2 hits for Beloit. Yersich also made his 20th error in the loss.

The Bees are 42-25 and playoff bound. Game 3 is today as Jacob Rodriguez (1-0, 0.00) gets a spot start vs. Beloit's Michael Allen (0-0, 1.48).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 8, Orem 2

3B Jimenez 2-4, BB, 2B (13), 2 RBI (29), 2 RS, SB (20), E (17) -- .297
RF Testa 2-4, 2B (6), RBI (30), 2 K -- .303
1B Van De Keere 1-3, BB, 2B (14), 2 RBI (26) -- .286
SS Alfaro 1-4, HBP, HR (9), RBI (54), 2 RS -- .270
LF Griffin 1-4, BB, RBI (25), 2 K, RS, SB (12), picked off -- .244
CF Norris 1-4, BB, 2B (12), K, 2 RS, 2 SB (32) -- .256

Toribio 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K, HRA, WP -- W, 3-4, 4.84 ERA
Saito 4 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- SV, 1, 4.50 ERA

*** The Chukars rode solid pitching from Aneidy Toribio and Derrick Saito to the victory. They got started with a 2-run 1st on a 2-out, 2-run double by Devery Van De Keere. Van De Keere was thrown out at home on the next play. IF stranded 2 in the 2nd and Orem scored a run in the 3rd on a walk, passed ball, wild pitch and Antonio Jimenez error to cut into the lead. Carlo Testa had a 2-out RBI single in the 3rd to make it 3-1 and the Chukars scored 3 in the 4th on a 2-run Jimenez double and RBI double by Shawn Griffin to make it 6-1 IF. Orem got a solo homer off Toribio in the 5th but IF got the run back on an Owlz error in the bottom of the inning. J.D. Alfaro added a solo homer in the 8th for his 9th as a pro and Saito stranded 1 in the 9th to finish off the 4-inning save. Owlz SP Baron Short took the loss with 4 IP of 6 ER allowed to drop to 3-4 with a 5.81 ERA. CF Tyson Auer was 2-4 with an OF assist at home for Orem.

IF is 15-17 going into today's series and home finale. Pitcher of the year for IF, Bryan Casey, got the start and is getting lit up.

Rookie - AZL: done at 23-33

Tops in OPS (min. 20 games)

C Jose Bonilla .357 BA/.405 OBP/.625 SLG, 1.030 OPS, 20 RS, 9 2B, 3 3B (tied team lead), 5 HR (led team), 24 RBI (led team), 5 BB/22 K, 5/5 CS, 4 E in 34 games and 112 ABs -- easy pick for team player of year
2B Deivy Batista .317/.382/.472, .854 OPS, 37 RS (led team), 12 2B (led team), 2 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 15 BB/32 K, 9/18 SB, 2 E in 49 games and 161 ABs -- will he be in A-ball or rookie ball next year?
2B James Nilsen .273/.367/.468, .834 OPS, 10 RS, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 7 BB/15 K, 5/7 SB, 6 E in 31 games and 77 ABs -- small sample size
RF Luis Del Rosario .279/.380/.372, .752 OPS, 26 RS, 8 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 27 BB (led team)/44 K, 7/18 SB, 3 E in 52 games and 172 ABs -- tailed off as season neared end
SS Lifete Jose .261/.343/.380, .723 OPS, 11 RS, 6 XBH, 17 RBI, 10 BB/31 K, 6/10 SB, 9 E in 30 games and 92 ABs -- ho-hum

others of note.... C Mauricio Matos .617 OPS (1 BB/14 K in 24 games and 78 ABs, did better as season progressed in pro debut).... SS Yowill Espinal .596 OPS (204 ABs led team, as did 49 hits and 18 E in 50 games, also 2 BB/42 K, did have 11 XBH and was third on team with 19 RBI, 13/15 SB).... DH/IF Malcom Culver .492 OPS (only 26 ABs in pro debut, 3 BB/13 K).... 3B Jacob Kuebler .475 OPS (14 errors second on team, 6 BB/23 K, 5/6 SB, Gordon's cousin only hit .187).... CF Alex Llanos .471 OPS (1 behind Espinal for AB lead thanks to leading off a lot despite .240 OBP, 13 BB/63 K (led team), 14/18 SB, 4 E, hit .182 in 54 games)

Tops in WHIP (min. 10 IP)

Michael Montgomery 2-1, 1.69 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 12 BB/34 K, 2 HRA in 12 games (9 starts) and 42 2/3 IP -- deserved pitcher of year honor
Brett Richardson 3-0, 1.37, 1.07 WHIP, 4 SV (led team), 3 BB/9 K in 14 games and 19 2/3 IP -- team's relief ace, pretty much
Jace Smith 1-0, 1.15, 1.21 WHIP, 2 SV, 4 BB/13 K in 13 games and 15 2/3 IP -- also good out of pen for Royals
Onassis Sirrett 3-2, 3.05, 1.23 WHIP, 1 SV, 6 BB/28 K, 1 HRA in 12 games (1 start) and 41 1/3 IP -- finished with pretty decent #s
Leondy Perez 1-2, 2.53, 1.27 WHIP, 1 SV, 16 BB/46 K, 2 HRA in 12 games (1 start) and 42 2/3 IP -- was really good to start season then had his struggles

others of note.... Josh Ruhlman 1.27 WHIP (3.00 ERA in 15 IP, 2 SV, 2 BB/19 K is very nice).... Deybi De La Cruz 1.36 WHIP (led team with 5 wins and 50 K and also 49 1/3 IP, 4.74 ERA, 2 HRA, 14 BB/50 K is solid).... Chase Hentges 1.43 WHIP (2 SV, 3 BB/11 K, led team with 2 holds in 15 IP in pro debut).... Carlos Fortuna 1.50 WHIP (led team with 5 HRA, 19 BB/41 K in 38 2/3 IP, had his bright moments).... Greg Billo 2.02 WHIP (5.65 ERA, HRA, 8 BB/13 K, 1 SV in 14 1/3 IP in pro debut, had one or two good outings late).... Tyler Sample 2.19 WHIP (0-5, led team in losses, 9.00 ERA, 0 HRA, but 29 BB/39 K in 27 IP means a good K rate but nothing to write home about in terms of K/BB, probably back in rookie ball next season, I'd figure).... Mitch Hodge 2.57 WHIP (0-4, 9.79 ERA, 31 BB (led team)/14 K in 30 1/3 IP, scary numbers)

Royals on the Farm 8/29

AAA - Omaha: Iowa 7, O-Royals 2

C B. Pena 2-4, 2B (15), K -- .297
DH Shealy 2-4, 2B (20) -- .279
LF Hollins 2-3, BB, RS -- .221
3B Spann 2-4, RS -- .271
RF Labandeira 1-4, 2 RBI (11), K -- .207
1B Ka'aihue 0-3, BB -- .317
CF Bigler 0-2, BB, S -- .310
2B Gutierrez 1-4 -- .200, first AAA start

Musser 2 IP, ER, H -- 4.45 ERA
Wright 6 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 4 BB, 3 K, HRA, WP -- L, 4-10, 5.47 ERA

*** Both teams pounded out 10 hits but Iowa did much more with its in winning a 9th straight over the Royals. A triple helped the I-Cubs to a run off Neal Musser in the 1st but Josh Labandeira hit a 2-run single in the 2nd to give Omaha a 2-1 lead. Ryan Shealy was thrown out at the plate to end the Omaha 3rd and Matt Wright entered the game only to allow 3 runs in the inning on 2 hits and 2 walks, with the damage coming on a bases-loaded double. A solo homer in the 4th made it 5-2 Iowa and a 2-out, 2-run single in the 6th made it 7-2. The Royals loaded the bases with no outs in the 9th but a Labandeira K and Jorge Gutierrez double play ended the game. Iowa's J.R. Mathes got the win with 5 IP of 2 ER allowed to improve to 9-5 with a 4.29 ERA. Four Cubs had 2 hits as 3B Casey McGehee drove in 3 runs to get over the 90 RBI mark.

Omaha is 61-80. Game 2 is tonight. Probable starters: LH John Bale (0-2, 9.31) vs. Iowa RH Mitch Atkins (7-1, 4.56). Chris Lubanski has missed the last 2 games with vision problems.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 8, Arkansas 2

DH Aldridge 3-3, BB, SF, HR (9), 4 RBI (36), RS -- .272
1B Richardson 3-4, BB, 2B (36), RBI (81), RS -- .295
RF McFall 2-5, 2 2B (16), 2 RBI (59), K -- .241
2B Maddox 2-5, BB, 2B (30), K, 3 RS -- .283
3B Falu 2-5, K, RS -- .297
SS Lisson 1-4, SF, RBI (62), RS -- .222
CF Duarte 0-6, K -- .252
LF Lucas 1-3, 2 BB, K, RS -- .308
* The Naturals stranded 12.

Cortes 6 IP, 2 BB, 3 K -- W, 10-4, 3.78 ERA, awesome start, K rate seems to be shrinking
Mildren 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K, HRA -- SV, 1, 6.64 ERA, lost no-no in 7th

*** Dan Cortes handed a no-hitter to the pen after 79 pitches through 6 and NWA moved closer to nailing down the division title. NWA stranded 2 in the 2nd and Cortes stranded 2 in the 2nd. The Nats got all the needed offense with 5 runs in the 3rd on a Juan Richardson RBI single, 2-run Cory Aldridge homer for his 9th as a Natural, and a 2-run Brian McFall double. Aldridge singled home a run in the 4th but NWA stranded 2. Cortes sat down the last 13 he faced but must have had an 80-pitch limit because he was pulled while cruising with a no-hitter. Aldridge added a sac fly in the 6th to make it 7-0 and Paul Mildren allowed a 2-out single in the 7th to break up the no-hitter. Mario Lisson's sac fly in the 8th made it 8-0 and Mildren lost the shutout on a 2-run homer in the 9th to end it at 8-2. Starter Amalio Diaz took the loss with 6 ER allowed over 5 IP to fall to 3-4 with a 4.40 ERA. 2B Adam Morrissey was 2-4 with his 8th homer and 2 RBI to lead the Travelers.

The Nats are on the verge of clinching the second half title at 42-26 and 2.5 games up on Springfield after a win over the Tulsa Drillers (27-41, AA Rockies) in the opener of the final 3-game regular season set today. If Springfield loses to Arkansas tonight, the Naturals clinch the second-half division title. Gilbert de la Vara got the win today, and the Nats are 15-11 versus the Drillers.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 3, Blue Rocks 1

DH D. Robinson 2-4, BB, SB (62) -- .246
2B Bianchi 0-4, RBI (59), K -- .253
CF Orlando 1-3, BB, 2 K -- .262
RF Strait 1-3, HBP, K, RS -- .298
1B Correll 1-4, 2 K -- .280
LF Ortiz 1-4, K, CS (4) -- .292
SS McConnell 0-3, BB, K, E (27) -- .253
3B Mertins 0-4, K, SB (27) -- .281

Cegarra 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- 4.67 ERA
Holland 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K, WP -- BS, 1, L, 4-5, 3.48 ERA
Swaggerty 1 2/3 IP, UER, H, 3 K -- 2.78 ERA
Chavez 1/3 IP, K -- 2.86 ERA

*** The Rocks held a slim 1-0 lead entering the 6th but lost it as Potomac clinched both halves of the division title. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 1st and Ed Cegarra stranded 2 Nationals in the 4th. Jeff Bianchi hit a bases-loaded RBI forceout in the 5th but the Rocks stranded 2. Greg Holland came on for the 6th and gave up back-to-back doubles, a run-scoring wild pitch and sac fly to flip the lead around to 2-1 Nationals. Wilmington stranded 2 in the 6th and 7th and a run-scoring Chris McConnell error in the 8th ended up finishing the scoring. The Rocks went down in order in the 9th as RP Clint Everts got his 3rd save for Potomac. Starter and Missouri State product Ross Detwiler got the win with an ER allowed over 6 frames to improve to 8-8 with a 4.86 ERA. 2B Michael Martinez and 1B Andrew LeFave had 2 hits for Potomac.

Wilmington is 32-35 and now out of the division race but will get the wild-card playoff spot in the Carolina League Northern division after Frederick lost Friday. Game 2 of the set is tonight as righty Mario Santiago (7-8, 3.52) takes on Potomac's Hassan Pena (2-1, 3.99). The Rocks will also play Potomac starting next Wednesday in the best-of-5 first round of the playoffs. SP Everett Teaford has been named the inaugural winner of the Carolina League's Matt Minker Award for his community service. I guess Teaford took part in every Blue Rocks player appearance event this season. That's a nice honor and speaks well for Teaford.

A - Burlington: Beloit 6, Bees 4

SS J. Rivera 2-4, 2B (8), RBI (23), K, RS -- .235
CF Lough 2-5, 2B (21), RBI (60), RS -- .269
1B Taylor 1-3, BB, RBI (57), K -- .236
3B Moustakas 0-1, 2 BB, HBP, RS -- .271
DH C. Robinson 1-4, K -- .261
2B Giavotella 0-4, S, 2 K -- .299
RF Francis 0-4, 3 K -- .270

Fisher 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, BB, 6 K, HRA, balk -- 3.71 ERA
Augustine 2 1/3 IP, 3 ER, H, 2 BB, 2 K -- L, 3-2, 3.78 ERA
Z. Peterson IP, K -- 3.17 ERA

*** Burlington led for about an inning and Beloit won the battle but the Bees still clinched a playoff spot Friday. The Bees stranded 2 in the 1st and 3 singles brought in a run off Brent Fisher in the bottom of the inning to make it 1-0 Beloit. David Lough hit an RBI double in the 3rd and scored on a Jason Taylor single to make it 2-1 Bees but 3 hits helped the Snappers tie it in the 4th and a solo homer in the 5th made it 3-2 Beloit. Ryan Eigsti struck out in the top of the Bees 7th but the third strike got away from the catcher and Juan Rivera scored on the ensuing throw as Eigsti was thrown out at first. A 2-run Beloit triple in the bottom of the inning helped the Snappers put it away, tho, although Juan Rivera doubled home a run in the 8th. RP Santos Arias picked up his 4th save and SP David Bromberg worked 7 innings of 3 ER allowed to improve to 9-10 with a 4.44 ERA. LF Andrew Schmiesing and 3B Juan Richardson (another one that plays third, too?) both had 2 hits for Beloit. Two others had 2 RBI for Beloit.

The Bees are 41-25 and clinched the division despite the loss as Cedar Rapids also lost. They will play the Kane County Cougars in the first round of the playoffs in a best-of-5 format starting next Wednesday. Game 2 with Beloit is tonight as Luis Cota starts for the Bees.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Orem 7, Chukars 3

C S. Perez 2-4, CS, E -- .346, the guy can hit so far
1B Espinosa 1-3, SF, RBI (16), 2 K -- .204
DH A. Perez 1-3, HR (2), RBI (34), RS -- .255
LF Griffin 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (24), RS -- .244
CF Norris 0-4 -- .256
RF Testa 0-3, HBP, 2 K, SB (10) -- .297

Morgan 2 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, 4 BB, WP -- L, 0-4, 7.28 ERA
Rada 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- 4.19 ERA
Novakowski 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 K -- 6.12 ERA
Gilgenbach 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- 9.99 ERA, hey, single-digit ERA
Carver 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- 6.99 ERA

*** Orem ran wild from the 2nd through the 5th to get another win over IF. Orem scored 2 in the 2nd on 2 hits, 2 walks and a wild pitch but Tito Espinosa kept IF in the game with a sac fly in the bottom of the inning. Orlando Rada came in with 2 on and none out in the 3rd and walked the bases full but escaped with only 1 run allowed in the inning and that was due in part to a Salvador Perez error. Three hits scored 2 runs in the 4th to chase Rada and RP Gary Novakowski allowed 2 more runs in the 5th on 3 hits to make it 7-1 Owlz. Alwin Perez cranked his 2nd homer of the season for a solo shot in the 5th and Shawn Griffin hit a sac fly in the 6th to cut it to 7-3. The Chukars stranded the bases full in the 7th but Orem did the same in the 8th. IF wouldn't threaten again. Starter Jeff Boshers worked 5 innings of 2 ER allowed to improve to 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA. Three Owlz had 2 hits.

IF is 14-17. Game 4 of the 5-game set is tonight as Aneidy Toribio (2-4, 5.13) takes on Orem's Baron Short (3-3, 5.28). Eric Hosmer has officially been pulled from the Chukars' roster and will work out in Arizona the rest of the season. Crap. SP Bryan Casey was named to the Pioneer League postseason all-star team. C Sean McCauley got honorable mention.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 3, Mariners 2

1B-3B Henriquez 1-4, RBI (10), CS (6) -- .179
C T. Jones 1-2, 2 BB, RBI, K -- .188, finished season with first pro RBI
CF Llanos 0-1 -- .182, pulled in 1st
RF Del Rosario 1-2, 2B (8), K, RS -- .279
SS D. Batista 1-3, BB, 2B (12), K, RS -- .317
2B Culver 1-3, SB -- .192

Cuevas 5 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 6 K -- 5.32 ERA, nice start to finish season
Sirrett 3 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 K -- W, 3-2, 3.05 ERA
J. Smith 2/3 IP, H, 2 K -- SV, 2, 1.15 ERA

*** The Royals finished the season on a good note by defeating the M's. Two hits scored a run off Gary Cuevas to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead after 1. Edwin Henriquez hit a 2-out RBI single in the 4th and Cuevas settled down well to get through 5 without further incident. Onassis Sirrett stranded 2 in the 6th and Travis Jones singled home a run before a Mariners error scored another run to make it 3-1 Royals in the 7th. Sirrett surrendered a run in the 9th but Jace Smith came in to strand 1 for his 2nd save. RP Randy Castillo took the loss with 2 runs (1 ER) allowed over 3 IP to fall to 1-1 with a 4.81 ERA. Starter Brandon Maurer worked 4 innings of an ER allowed to move his ERA to 3.09. 3B Alfredo Mateo was 2-4 with a triple and RBI and his 11th error for the M's.

The Royals finished the second half 8-20 and a 1/2 game out of the cellar. They finished 23-33 on the season overall. Wrapup on them tomorrow. The Angels and Giants will play for the AZL crown.

Royals on the Farm 8/28 -- Moustakas is Bees player of year

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 11, O-Royals 5

2B Labandeira 3-4, 2B (2), HR (2), RBI (9), 2 RS -- .205
DH Ka'aihue 1-4, HR (10), 2 RBI (19), K, RS -- .327, sprinted to 10 AAA homers, better get Sept. callup
SS Dawkins 2-4, BB, 2B (16), RBI (30), RS -- .271
C B. Pena 1-5, 2B (14), RBI (26), RS -- .293
1B Shealy 0-4, K -- .277
3B Spann 1-3, HBP, K -- .255
CF Bigler 0-4, K -- .325
* LF Damon Hollins had an OF assist at home.

Lumsden 3 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 4 BB, K, 3 HRA -- L, 3-13, 7.27 ERA, give Ka'aihue his 40-man slot
Atencio 3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, K -- 3.24 ERA
Lowery 1 2/3 IP, 2 BB, K -- 1.88 ERA
B. Richardson IP, 2 H, K -- 20.25 ERA

*** New Orleans kept constant pressure on Omaha's pitchers and the Zephyrs took the Omaha home finale. Three doubles off Tyler Lumsden scored 2 Zephyr runs in the 1st before LF Damon Hollins cut the rally short by cutting down a runner at the plate. A homer in the 2nd made it 3-0 NO and another homer and sac fly in the 3rd stretched it to 5-0 Zephyrs. Josh Labandeira led off the Omaha 3rd with his 2nd homer, Brayan Pena doubled home a run and Kila Ka'aihue clubbed a 2-run homer for his 10th for Omaha to slice the lead down to 5-4. New Orleans got some breathing room back with a 2-run homer off Lumsden in the 4th to chase him from the game and Omaha got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a Gookie Dawkins RBI single. Three hits scored 2 Zephyr runs in the 6th off Greg Atencio and 3 hits and a sac fly scored another run before Devon Lowery was brought in in the 7th. Lowery ended up walking in a run in the inning to finish the scoring at 11-5. Zephyrs RP Jose Santiago pitched 3 innings of 1 ER allowed to get the win and move to 5-2 with a 5.38 ERA. Starter Eude Brito allowed 4 ER over 3 IP to bump his ERA to 8.03. CF Jesus Feliciano was 4-5 with a walk, double and RS, DH Val Pascucci was 3-4 with 2 walks, 2 doubles, his 27th HR, 4 RBI and 3 RS. Three others had 2 hits for the Zephyrs.

Omaha is 61-79. The final series of the season, a 4-game set at the Iowa Cubs (81-57, coasting to division title) starts tonight. Probable starters: LH Neal Musser (2-5, 4.44) vs. Iowa LH J.R. Mathes (8-5, 4.31). The system's players and pitchers of the year were named today. OF Mitch Maier took Omaha's player of the year honor after hitting .316 in 345 ABs and RH Devon Lowery was named Omaha pitcher of the year after posting a 1-1 record and 1.88 ERA with a .214 OBA in 30 appearances. I can agree with both of those choices. There wasn't a lot to brag about at Omaha this season. The Royals finished 30-42 at home.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 8, Arkansas 2

1B Richardson 2-5, 3B (2), HR (16), 5 RBI (80), 2 RS -- .291
DH Aldridge 3-5, RBI (32) -- .258
3B Falu 2-4, BB, 2 RBI (42), 2 RS, SB (10) -- .296
CF Duarte 2-3, 2 BB, 2 RS, SB (28) -- .255
LF Lucas 2-4, BB, K, RS, SB (13) -- .308
2B Maddox 0-3, 2 BB, K, RS -- .282
* NWA stranded 10.

Crist 4 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA -- 4.00 ERA
Nicoll 2 IP, ER, H, BB, 2 K -- W, 4-1, 3.09 ERA, left game with shoulder discomfort (uh-oh)
M. Peterson 3 IP, BB, 3 K -- SV, 3, 2.93 ERA, nice night for Peterson

*** The Naturals broke up a 6-hit shutout in a big way starting in the 7th to ensure a season series win over the Travelers. NWA stranded 2 in the 2nd and Kyle Crist stranded 2 Travs in the 3rd. NWA stranded 2 more in the 4th and the Travelers got a leadoff homer in the 4th off Crist to take the lead. NWA continued to struggle by stranding 2 in the 5th and 6th and Chris Nicoll gave up a run in the 6th before getting pulled with shoulder trouble. With 1 out and 2 on in the 7th, Juan Richardson turned the game on one swing for his 16th homer of the season to make it 3-2 Nats. The Naturals loaded the bases with 2 out in the 8th and Irving Falu hit a 2-run single, Richardson ripped a 2-run triple and Cory Aldridge singled Richardson home to make it 8-2. Matt Peterson took it from there with 3 hitless innings of relief for his 3rd save. Arkansas RP Marco Albano took the loss with 1 1/3 IP of 3 ER allowed to fall to 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA and blow his 1st save. Starter Dan Denham pitched 5 scoreless innings to drop his ERA to 4.44. DH Brian Stavisky was 2-3 with a walk, double, K and RS. 3B Corey Smith hit his 26th homer, drove in his 80th run and committed his 25th error.

NWA is 40-26 and now 2 games up on first following some help from Tulsa in beating Springfield. The Nats go for the 4-game sweep tonight as Dan Cortes (9-4, 3.98) takes on Travelers SP Amalio Diaz (3-3, 3.78). Cortes and Kila Ka'aihue were named the first Naturals pitcher and player of the year. Ka'aihue was a no-brainer and Cortes wasn't heavily challenged by anyone else on the Nats' staff, other than maybe RP Chris Hayes, who had a better ERA and WHIP. I might have gone with Hayes. RP Chris Nicoll was put on the DL (never good when they do it that quick, but is likely somewhat precautionary) and Greg Atencio was demoted from Omaha to take his roster slot. Blake Johnson also skipped his start due to an undisclosed injury.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: off day

*** The Rocks start a big final 4-game home set with the division leading Potomac Nationals (35-31), who have a 3-game lead, meaning the Rocks need a sweep to win the division but only need a win or Frederick loss to clinch a playoff spot. Probable starters aren't listed anywhere I've found. The Rocks are 5-11 versus Potomac. Matt Kniginyzky and Derrick Robinson were named the Wilmington pitcher and player of the year. I woulda gone with Joe Dickerson for player despite his injury, although a do acknowledge Robinson's studliness for stealing 61 bases thus far. He only hit .244 with a .633 OPS, tho. The only other pitcher in the conversation is probably Everett Teaford, who had some very similar stats to Kniginyzky (lower WHIP, higher ERA, one less win, same # of Ks, less walks, more than double the HRA). I won't dispute that one.

A - Burlington: Quad Cities 1, Bees 0

CF Lough 2-4, E (6) -- .268
RF Van Stratten 1-3 -- .351
C Eigsti 1-2, BB -- .218, team had 4 hits
3B Moustakas 0-4 -- .272
1B Taylor 0-4 -- .235
2B Giavotella 0-4, CS (7) -- .303
DH C. Robinson 0-3 -- .262
SS Martin 0-3, K, E (11) -- .313

Gutierrez 5 2/3 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 8 K -- L, 4-4, 2.70 ERA
Bowden 3 1/3 IP, H, 3 K -- 0.00 ERA, Bees debut

*** Danny Gutierrez took the hard-luck loss as 1 measly run got the Bandits a win. He stranded 2 in the 1st and the Bees stranded 2 in the 3rd and only had 1 hit thereafter. The lone run scored on 2 hits in the 4th and the last 13 Bees went down in order to earn Quad Cities a 4-hit shutout. Starter Richard Castillo went 8 strong innings of 4 hits and a walk allowed with 2 Ks to improve to 8-4 with a 2.62 ERA and RP Jared Bradford picked up his 1st save for the Bandits. 1B Carlos Pupo was 2-4 with a double, K and his 2nd SB and 2B Nick Peoples drove in the only run.

The Bees are 41-24 and 3.5 games up on first going into the final 4-game set of the season at the Beloit Snappers (33-33, A Twins). The Bees are 4-8 versus the Snappers but need only a win or a Cedar Rapids loss to clinch the division title. Brent Fisher (1-1, 2.92) is set to start vs. Beloit's David Bromberg (8-10, 4.47). Danny Duffy and Mike Moustakas were crowned the Bees pitcher and player of the year. Moustakas was a fairly easy pick while Duffy's only main challengers were Alex Caldera, who leads the team in wins and also has a sub-3.00 ERA and good WHIP, and Gutierrez. Duffy's ERA and WHIP are the best of the 3 and his K rate is better too. I'd lean toward Duffy, too, but Caldera has had a good year and should move up to Wilmington next season. Moustakas may have gotten more pressure from Nick Van Stratten if he'd gotten more PT. There's a photo on the Burlington Hawk Eye website of Jason Taylor kicking his batting helmet that pretty well illustrates how it feels 95 percent of the time to be a Royals fan.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Orem 4, Chukars 1

Hosmer DNP (Pedro Alvarez)
C S. Perez 1-3, 2B -- .318
LF Griffin 1-4, K -- .246
3B Jimenez 1-4, 2 K, picked off -- .298
CF Norris 0-4, K -- .256
SS Alfaro 0-4, RS, SB (9) -- .270
1B Espinosa 0-3, K -- .202

Hodgson 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- L, 2-6, 3.43 ERA
J. Garcia 3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 K, WP -- 3.23 ERA
Thompson IP, 2 H, K -- 4.28 ERA

*** Orem shut IF down on 4 hits to kill the Chukars' slim playoff hopes. Ivor Hodgson gave up a leadoff triple in the 1st as Orem scored a run to take the early lead. Two Owlz errors and a passed ball helped IF to its only run in the bottom of the 1st. Orem scored another run off Hodgson in the 5th and runs off Justin Garcia in the 6th and 8th as IF never seriously threatened offensively. RP Andrew Taylor picked up his 5th save for Orem and starter William Smith got the win with an unearned run allowed over 6 IP to improve to 8-2 with a 3.22 ERA. SS Darwin Perez was 3-4 with a walk, triple, K and RS with his 13th SB and 3 others had 2 hits.

IF is 14-16 and now eliminated from the playoff hunt. Game 3 is tonight as Ryan Morgan (0-3, 7.18) pitches vs. Orem's Jeff Boshers (4-0, 2.66), who I guess got his start bumped back a day from yesterday. Sean McCauley and Bryan Casey were named IF's player and pitcher of the year. Casey earned himself a pretty easy nod as the team's most effective starter. Nobody else was really worthy. McCauley, on the other hand, was decent at a .732 OPS but I would have gone with J.D. Alfaro, who had 53 RBI and a better OPS, or Carlo Testa, who had an even better OPS. Tough call, there. In crappy news, Eric Hosmer has been restricted from playing until the Pedro Alvarez grievance is settled. Who knows how long that's gonna take?

Rookie - Burlington: done at 24-41

*** One final note on the B-Royals. My predictions for pitcher and player of the year were only half right as Kelvin Herrera was named pitcher of the year but Angel Franco robbed....er, beat out Josh Vittek for player of the year. Vittek hit for an .855 OPS compared to a .635 OPS for Franco, but Franco walked more and struck out less, stole some bases and probably played better defense despite 6 more errors. Vittek hit 40 points higher, tho, and had 8 HR to Franco's 1 with more RBI and almost as many runs. Sigh. Herrera was a pretty easy choice at pitcher, so no comment there.

Rookie - AZL: Brewers 4, Royals 3

C Matos 2-4, 2B (5), RBI (7), K, RS, PB (6) -- .269
SS D. Batista 2-5, 2 K -- .316
DH Beltre 1-4, BB, RBI (3), 2 K -- .188
CF Llanos 0-4, BB, 2 K, RS, SB (14) -- .183

Montgomery 5 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, BB, 3 K, HRA, WP, pickoff -- 2.11 ERA
L. Perez 4 IP, ER, 2 H, 9 K, HRA -- L, 1-2, 2.53 ERA

*** The Brew Crew got a 7th inning run to push them over the top. The Brewers scored a run in the 1st without a hit as Mike Montgomery threw a third-strike wild pitch and a steal and passed ball got the runner to third before he scored on a groundout. A homer in the 2nd made it 2-0 Brewers but Mauricio Matos singled home a run in the 2nd to get the Royals on the board. The Brewers scored again in the 3rd but Geulin Beltre singled home a run in the 3rd and Matos scored on a wild pitch in the 4th to tie the game. Leondy Perez gave up a solo homer in the 7th and the Royals didn't threaten again. RP Jacob Odorizzi pitched a hitless inning for the win to move to 1-2 with a 3.48 ERA and RP Rigoberto Almonte picked up the 3-inning save for his 1st of the season. Starter Stosh Wawrzasek (weird to type) worked 3 innings of 2 unearned runs allowed to drop his ERA to 6.94. Six Brewers had a hit each.

The Royals are 7-20 and now in the AZL cellar. The season ends tonight versus the 12-15 Mariners. Mike Montgomery and C Jose Bonilla were named the AZL team's honored players. No argument with either choice there, as Bonilla's OPS is over 1.000 (I know it's not the be-all, end-all offensive stat by any means, but it's a fairly good indicator of performance) and Montgomery had a good debut with a very good 1.03 WHIP and 2.11 ERA in 42 2/3 IP.

One last Dominican Royals note.....P Willian Avinazar was named the Dominican Royals pitcher of the year while C/1B Henry Moreno was named player of the year. Avinazar was 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA with 56 Ks and 19 BB in 68 1/3 IP. Moreno hit .314 with 20 doubles and 41 RBI in 169 ABs.

Royals on the Farm 8/27

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 4, New Orleans 2

LF Lubanski 2-3, HR (15), 2 RBI (54), RS -- .242, hit 15 HR for third straight season
RF Hollins 2-4, 2B (15), K, RS -- .219
CF Bigler 1-2, HBP, 2B (4), RBI (5), RS -- .361
2B Labandeira 1-2, BB, 2B, RBI (8), RS -- .179
1B Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, 2B (3) -- .330, 101st BB most in minors according to team site
C B. Pena 1-4, CS (3) -- .295
DH Shealy 0-4, 3 K -- .280
3B Spann 0-4, K -- .250

Bale IP, K -- 9.31 ERA
Gobble 2 IP, ER, 2 H, K, HRA -- W, 1-1, 6.08 ERA
D. Hughes 5 IP, ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K, HRA, WP, pickoff -- 4.59 ERA
Yabuta IP, K -- SV, 3, 4.86 ERA

*** A 3-run rally and some decent pitching got Omaha the win. Jimmy Gobble served up a solo homer to the first batter he faced in the 2nd inning but Omaha rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the frame on 2-out RBI doubles by Brett Bigler and Josh Labandeira and an RBI single by Chris Lubanski. Gobble and Dusty Hughes had retired 10 straight before Hughes also gave up a solo homer in the 4th to cut it to 3-2. Hughes picked off a runner in the 6th and it came in handy as he stranded the bases loaded to tiptoe through trouble. Omaha stranded 2 in the 6th and Hughes stranded 2 more in the 7th before Lubanski cranked his 15th homer to leadoff the Omaha 7th and make it 4-2 Omaha. Yasuhiko Yabuta pitched a perfect 9th for his 3rd save. NO starter Willie Collazo took the loss with 6 IP of 3 ER allowed to fall to 4-9 with a 4.05 ERA. Three Zephyrs had 2 hits as RF Val Pascucci hit his 26th homer and 1B Michel Abreu hit his 15th longball.

Omaha is 61-78. The series wraps tonight in the home finale as Zephyrs LH Eude Brito (0-1, 7.48) takes on LH Tyler Lumsden (3-12, 6.88). KC and Omaha have extended their working agreement through 2010.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 3, Arkansas 0

CF Duarte 1-4, HR (10), RBI (46), K, RS -- .252
LF Lucas 1-3, SF, 3B (4), RBI (30), RS -- .305
RF McFall 1-3, SF, RBI (57), K -- .242, outfield doing offensive work
2B Maddox 0-4 -- .284
3B Falu 1-3, BB, SB (9) -- .294
1B Richardson 1-4, K -- .290

Pimentel 7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, WP -- W, 7-12, 5.32 ERA, big start at clutch time
de la Vara 1 2/3 IP, BB -- SV, 2, 2.12 ERA

*** Julio Pimentel and Gilbert de la Vara combined on a 5-hit shutout as the Naturals ensured at least a split of the season set with their intrastate rivals. NWA stranded 2 in the 1st but Jose Duarte came up for his 2nd AB of the game in the 3rd and smacked his 10th homer of the season to put NWA up, 1-0. Cory Aldridge hit a 1-out triple in the 4th and scored on an Ed Lucas sac fly to make it 2-0. Lucas tripled and scored on a Brian McFall sac fly in the 7th and Pimentel didn't allow more than 1 runner in any inning until the 8th, when he was pulled with 2 on and 1 out. de la Vara got an inning-ending double play to escape the minor jam and stranded 1 in the 9th for his 2nd save. Arkansas SP Robert Mosebach took the loss with 7 IP of 3 ER allowed to fall to 9-12 with a 4.70 ERA. LF Adam Morrissey was 2-2 with a walk and double in the loss.

NWA is 39-26 and a game up on first. The Naturals are actually 2 games up on a playoff spot as they hold the tiebreaker with Springfield. Game 3 is tonight as Kyle Crist (4-1, 4.10) makes a start vs. Travs SP Dan Denham (9-10, 4.60).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 11, Myrtle Beach 6

C Howell 3-5, HR (6), 4 RBI (42), 2 RS -- .263
CF Ortiz 2-6, 2B (5), 2 RBI (9), RS -- .293
1B Correll 2-4, BB, 2B (17), K, RS -- .280
SS McConnell 1-6, 2 RBI (34), K -- .254
DH Orlando 1-5, BB, HR (12), RBI (50), 2 K, RS -- .262
RF Strait 1-4, BB, HR (13), RBI (33), 2 K, RS -- .297
3B J. Johnson 1-3, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 RS, 3 E (11) -- .258, rough night defensively
2B Bianchi 1-5, 2B (33), 2 K, RS -- .256
* The Rocks stranded 10 and Anthony Seratelli stole his 17th base of the season.

Teaford 3 2/3 IP, 6 R (2 ER), 4 H, 4 BB, 3 K -- 3.86 ERA
Holland 2 1/3 IP, 5 K -- 3.35 ERA
Barrera IP, 2 K -- 2.95 ERA
Hartsock IP, BB, E -- W, 11-5, 3.60 ERA
Chambliss IP, H, BB, K -- 3.95 ERA, combined 5 1/3 scoreless IP from the pen

*** A big 2-out 9th inning rally brought the Rocks a game closer to a playoff berth in the Carolina League Wednesday. Two Josh Johnson errors in the 1st led to a Pelicans run without a hit off Everett Teaford and, after the Rocks stranded 2 in the 2nd, Myrtle Beach scored 3 in the 2nd on 3 hits, a walk and yet another Johnson error. Wilmington got its scoring started in the 4th as Paulo Orlando and Cody Strait led off the inning with back-to-back solo shots for their 12th and 13th of the season, respectively. Jeff Howell added an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-3 but the Rocks left the bases full. With 2 out in the 4th, Teaford walked 2 then gave up a 2-run double to chase him from the game down, 6-3. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 7th and the Rocks pen retired 11 straight after Teaford was pulled. With 2 out in the 8th, Howell cranked a 2-run homer for his 6th of the season to cut it to 6-5. Nick Fellman came on to finish it for the Pelicans in the 9th and got the first 2 outs before Brad Correll kept the Rocks alive with a single, pinch-runner Anthony Seratelli stole second, Josh Johnson walked, an error on a Jeff Bianchi grounder scored Seratelli to tie the game, Howell hit an RBI single, Jarrod Dyson walked, Adrian Ortiz hit a 2-run double, and Chris McConnell hit an RBI single to make it 11-6. Tyler Chambliss put the first 2 on in the bottom of the 9th but stranded them to finish it. Fellman blew his 3rd save and took the loss with 2/3 IP of 6 unearned runs to fall to 4-4 with a 3.63 ERA. SP Ryne Reynoso worked 3 innings and allowed 3 ER to move his ERA to 3.29. DH Tyler Flowers was 2-4 with a walk, 2 doubles and 4 RBI in the loss.

Wilmington is 32-34 and 2.5 games back of first. They have today off before starting the final 4-game set at home versus the division-leading Potomac Nationals. The Rocks need a sweep to win the division. Rocks IF Kurt Mertins as well as pitchers Jason Godin and Ben Swaggerty will play in the Hawaii Winter League.

A - Burlington: Bees 4, Quad Cities 3

3B Moustakas 3-4, 2B (25), 2 RBI (71), RS -- .274
2B Giavotella 2-3, BB, 2B (17), 3B (2), RBI (24), 2 RS -- .308
1B Taylor 2-4, K, CS (13) -- .237
RF Francis 2-4, K -- .281
CF Lough 1-3, BB, RS -- .266
DH C. Robinson 0-4 -- .264

Herrera 4 2/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 8 H, 2 K -- 2.13 ERA
J. Rodriguez 2 1/3 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K -- W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, Bees debut
Sisk 2 IP, BB, 3 K -- SV, 2, 1.40 ERA

*** The Bees came back from behind 3 times before locking in the win behind 4 1/3 solid innings from the bullpen. Two hits and a Jamar Walton error scored a Bandits run in the 1st but Johnny Giavotella doubled and scored on a Mike Moustakas single in the bottom of the inning to tie it. The Bandits took the lead again in the 3rd on a run on 3 hits off Kelvin Herrera but Mike Moustakas doubled and scored on a Jason Taylor single in the 4th that was aided by a QC error. Herrera couldn't hold on as the Bandits scored again in the 5th to make it 3-2 and chase Herrera from the game. With 2 out in the Bees 5th, David Lough walked and scored on a Giavotella triple and a Moustakas single scored the go-ahead run to make it 4-3. Jacob Rodriguez stranded 2 in the 6th but after that, he and Brandon Sisk had no trouble finishing off the win. Bandits SP Jameson Maj took the loss with 4 ER allowed over 4 2/3 IP to fall to 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA. Three Bandits had 2 hits and 1B Curt Smith drove in 2 runs.

The Bees are 41-23 and 3.5 games up on first. The series ends tonight as Danny Gutierrez starts for Burlington. The magic number is 2 for a second-half division title.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Orem 12, Chukars 3

CF Norris 3-5, K, 2 RS, SB (30) -- .261
C S. Perez 2-4 -- .316
1B Hosmer 1-5, K -- .364, first game in field
LF Testa 1-4, RBI (29), 2 K, SB (9) -- .303
3B Jimenez 1-5, 2B (12), RBI (27), K -- .299
SS Alfaro 0-5, 2 K -- .275
DH Espinosa 1-3, BB, RS -- .206
* IF stranded 10.

Beach 2 IP, 8 ER, 8 H, BB, 2 K, 2 HRA -- L, 3-4, 6.86 ERA
T. Huber 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 5 K, HRA, WP -- 3.52 ERA
Miller IP, K -- 6.64 ERA
B. Hardy IP, ER, H, K, WP -- 4.55 ERA

*** Colby Beach was shelled for 8 runs over 2+ innings of work and the Chukars didn't recover. Beach gave up 2 runs in the 1st on 2 hits, a walk and hit batsman but IF got 1 run back on an Antonio Jimenez RBI double in the bottom of the inning. Orem padded the lead with 5 runs in the 2nd on 4 hits and a grand slam by 1B Roberto Lopez. Beach gave up a leadoff homer in the 3rd and was pulled for Tim Huber, who allowed 2 more runs in the inning on 2 hits, 2 walks and a sac fly to make it 10-1. IF got a run on a Carlo Testa RBI forceout in the 4th but Orem got a solo homer in the 7th off Tim Huber. The Chukars left the bases full in the 8th and Blaine Hardy allowed an Orem gravy run in the 9th before a wild pitch scored Patrick Norris to finish the scoring in the bottom of the 9th. Orem SP Jayson Miller worked 5 IP of 2 ER allowed to improve to 8-2 with a 2.11 ERA. 2B Ivan Contreras and C Alex Silversmith had 3 hits for the Owlz, three others had 2 hits and Lopez had 5 RBI.

IF is 14-15 and 7.5 games out with 9 to play. Game 2 is tonight as Ivor Hodgson (2-5, 3.41) takes on Orem's Jeff Boshers (4-0, 2.66).

Rookie - Burlington: done at 24-41

Tops in OPS (min. 75 ABs)

C/1B/DH Josh Vittek .297 BA/.345 OBP/.510 SLG, .855 OPS, 24 R, 7 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR (led team), 34 RBI (led team), 10 BB/57 K, 0/1 SB, 5 E in 42 games and 155 ABs -- surely B-Royals player of the year
SS Yeldrys Molina .280/.398/.439, .837 OPS, 12 R, 1 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 16 BB/28 K, 1/3 SB, 7 E in 27 games and 82 ABs -- showed flashes, I guess
1B David Wood .289/.352/.409, .761 OPS, 17 R, 10 2B (tied team lead), 1 3B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 15 BB/14 K, 1/6 SB, 4 E in 40 games and 149 ABs -- needs to hit for more power, plus he was lackluster in chance at A-ball
2B/IF Angel Franco .257/.314/.321, .635 OPS, 27 R, 10 2B (tied team lead), 1 3B, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 19 BB/41 K, 14/21 SB, 11 E in 62 games and 237 ABs -- blah
OF Julio Aparicio .252/.307/.326, .633 OPS, 32 R, 8 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 15 BB/66 K, 7/11 SB, 3 E in 57 games and 218 ABs -- don't know that he earned a shot at A-ball but he got it

others of note.....1B Diego Cruz .621 OPS (sub-.300 OBP, 3 BB/27 K in 135 ABs)..... OF Hilton Richardson .620 OPS (sub-.300 OBP, led team with 36 R and 5 3B, 17 BB/61 K, 10/17 SB in 205 ABs).... OF Warren McFadden .614 OPS (at least his OBP was over .300 in pro debut).... OF Allen Caldwell .595 OPS (7 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 17 BB/44 K, 6 E in 54 games and 199 ABs in pro debut, barely over Mendoza line at .201).... SS Jorge Gutierrez .549 OPS (nearly .300 OBP in 120 ABs, don't get call to Omaha but whatever).... 3B Fernando Cruz .543 OPS (9 2B, none of his rate stats were good, 3 BB/43 K, 9 E in 53 games and 198 ABs, still very young).... 3B Jason Morales .539 OPS (hit only .187, 6 XBH, 13 BB/32 K, 6 E in 35 games and 123 ABs, rough pro debut)....C Miguel Moctezuma .429 OPS (hit .158, 4 XBH in 31 games and 101 ABs)

Tops in WHIP (min. 20 IP)

Kelvin Herrera 1.05 WHIP, 2-2, 1.42 ERA, 5 BB/45 K in 11 games (8 starts) and 50 2/3 IP -- should be B-Royals pitcher of year, deserved call to Burlington
Manauris Baez 1.07 WHIP, 2-2, 2.89, 10 BB/35 K in 15 games (3 starts) and 37 1/3 IP -- improved as season went along
John Flanagan 1.09 WHIP, 3-3, 2.56, 14 BB/43 K in 12 games (7 starts) and 45 2/3 IP -- looked good among '08 draftees
Barry Bowden 1.14 WHIP, 3-2, 1.86, 12 BB/40 K in 20 games and 29 IP -- was relief ace for Burlington, deserved call to Bees
Jacob Rodriguez 1.17 WHIP, 2-2, 3.51, 12 BB/48 K in 13 games and 33 1/3 IP -- also deserved call to Burlington
Sam Runion 1.18 WHIP, 3-4, 3.35, 10 BB/30 K in 10 starts and 48 1/3 IP -- was very good at times after struggling in A-ball

others of note.... Mike Lehmann 1.27 WHIP (led team in wins at 4-4, 3.43 ERA, 16 BB/42 K in 13 games (9 starts) and 57 2/3 IP (also led team there)).... Carson Bryant 1.38 WHIP (0-4, 4.62, 10 BB/42 K in 13 games (5 starts) and 37 IP, OK debut).... Giancarlo De La Cruz 1.39 WHIP (3-5 (led team in losses), 5.69, 7 HRA (led team), 13 BB/44 K in 13 games (8 starts) and 49 IP).... Pernell Halliman 2.08 WHIP (yikes, 8.31 ERA, 16 BB/20 K, 4 HRA in 12 games (3 starts) and 26 IP, couldn't handle rookie ball batters in pro debut).... O.D. Gonzalez and Sugar Ray Marimon 2.23 WHIP (conversion from OF didn't go well for O.D., Sugar Ray has good name but can't get outs)

Rookie - AZL: Angels 7, Royals 6

2B Nilsen 2-4, BB, 2B (4), RBI (15), RS -- .286
LF D. Rodriguez 2-3, BB, K, 2 RS -- .221
1B Henriquez 2-5, RBI (9), RS -- .176
SS Espinal 1-4, 3B (3), RBI (19), K -- .240
SS D. Batista 1-1, RBI (21) -- .314
3B Kuebler 1-4, BB, RBI (10), 2 K, RS, SB (5) -- .187
CF Llanos 0-5, 3 K -- .187
RF Del Rosario 1-4, 2 K -- .276
C T. Jones 1-3, BB -- .143
* The Royals stranded 10.

D. De La Cruz 4 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- L, 5-3, 4.74 ERA
Billo 2 2/3 IP, ER, 5 H, 3 BB, WP -- 5.65 ERA
A. Martinez 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- 7.71 ERA

*** The Royals made a run at the Angels late but fell short. James Nilsen hit an RBI double in the 1st to give the Royals a lead but left the bases full in the 2nd. Edwin Henriquez hit an RBI single in the 3rd but the Angels scored 3 in the 4th off Deybi De La Cruz on 3 doubles and 2 singles. Yowill Espinal tied it with an RBI single in the 4th but the Angels plated 3 in the 5th as De La Cruz struggled again and Greg Billo let an inherited runner in before getting out of the inning. The Angels got an insurance run off Billo in the 7th to make it 7-3 but the Royals rallied in the 8th as Jake Kuebler singled home a run, a 2-out error scored another run and Deivy Batista singled home a run to cut it to 7-6. The Royals stranded 2 and then left the tying run at third in the 9th as RP Nick Pugliese picked up his 1st save for the Halos. RP Matt Shoemaker pitched 2 innings with 1 ER allowed to get the win and move to 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA after starter Tyler Chatwood worked 3 IP of 2 ER allowed to move his ERA to 3.08. RF Terrell Alliman was 3-5 with a double, RBI and RS with an OF assist at second and five others had 2 hits for the Angels. SS Adam Younger drove in 3 runs.

The Royals are 7-19 with 2 games left. They were to play the 6-18 Brewers tonight.

Royals on the Farm 8/26

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 14, O-Royals 4

CF Bigler 3-4, RBI (4), K -- .353, en fuego
C B. Pena 2-3, BB, RS -- .296
DH Shealy 1-5, HR (21), 2 RBI (61), 4 K, RS -- .283, HR and the golden sombrero in same game
SS Dawkins 0-4, RBI (29) -- .271
1B Ka'aihue 0-3, 2 BB, K, RS -- .330
LF Lubanski 1-2, 2 BB, 3B (8), K, RS -- .238
3B Spann 0-4, K, E (4) -- .271
SS Gutierrez 0-1 -- .000, Omaha debut
C Balduf 0-1, K -- .000, Omaha debut

Musser IP, 3 BB, 2 K, WP -- 4.44 ERA
Newman 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K -- 3.12 ERA
Salmon 1 2/3 IP, 7 R (3 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 8-7, 4.86 ERA
B. Richardson 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 WP -- 81.00 ERA, Omaha debut wasn't pretty
Buchanan 2 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, K, WP -- 4.50 ERA, perfect ERA no more

*** The game got out of hand with Omaha's pen in the game late and the Zephyrs rolled to the win to even the series. Neal Musser pitched an inning and left the bases loaded in the 1st but Josh Newman gave up 2 runs in the 2nd on 2 hits and 2 walks. Omaha got on the board in the 3rd as Chris Lubanski tripled and scored on a Gookie Dawkins groundout to cut the lead in half. Newman stranded 2 in the 4th and Omaha tied it as Brett Bigler hit a 2-out RBI single. Omaha left the bases loaded in the 5th and Brad Salmon came on for the 6th and struggled. The Zephyrs scored 3 in the 6th on 5 hits, a walk and a Damon Hollins error before stranding the bases full. New Orleans put it away with 7 runs in the 7th on 2 walks, 5 hits, 2 wild pitches and Chad Spann error to give Salmon and Brett Richardson the Charlie Brown treatment. Ryan Shealy clubbed a 2-run homer in the 7th for his 21st of the season but that only cut it to 12-4. Brian Buchanan made his 3rd pitching appearance of the season and allowed 2 runs over 2 frames to finish the scoring. Starter Bobby Parnell worked 6 innings for the Zephyrs and allowed 2 ER to improve to 2-2 with a 6.05 ERA. Three Zephyrs had 3 hits and four others had 2 hits. RF Val Pascucci drove in 3 runs and four others drove in 2.

Omaha is 60-78. Game 3 is tonight as Zephyrs LH Willie Collazo (4-8, 4.03) faces LH John Bale (0-2, 10.38).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 4, Arkansas 3 (10)

3B Falu 2-4, BB, RS -- .293
2B Maddox 2-5 -- .286
SS Lisson 2-5, 2B (21), CS (6) -- .223
1B Richardson 1-4, BB, HR (15), 2 RBI (75), 2 RS -- .290, HR was eventual game-winner
DH Aldridge 1-5, HR (8), 2 RBI (31), RS -- .247
CF Duarte 0-5, 2 K -- .252
RF McFall 0-2, S, HBP -- .241

Hardy 5 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- 4.56 ERA
M. Peterson 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, HRA -- BS, 1, 3.65 ERA
C. Hayes 2 IP, ER, 2 H -- W, 5-2, 1.67 ERA
Hamulack IP, 2 H, K -- SV, 6, 2.14 ERA

*** A homer by Juan Richardson was the difference in the 10th as the Naturals held on for the win and moved back into sole possession of first place with a Springfield loss. Both teams stranded 2 in the 1st and the teams traded stranded runners until Arkansas scored a run in the 5th on 2 hits. Cory Aldridge smoked a 2-out, 2-run homer to right for his 8th homer for NWA and the Naturals flipped the lead around. The lead lasted one batter into the Arkansas 6th as Matt Peterson served up a leadoff homer to tie the game at 2. Peterson stranded 2 in the 7th and the Nats got a runner to third with 1 out in the 9th but couldn't get him home and the game eventually went to extras. Richardson's homer came with 1 on and 1 out in the 10th and was his 15th of the season to give the Nats a 4-2 lead. Chris Hayes was pulled after giving up a leadoff single in the 10th and Tim Hamulack allowed 2 hits to score a run before stranding runners on the corners for his 6th save. RP Barret Browning allowed 2 ER over 2 1/3 IP to lose and fall to 1-1 with a 6.37 ERA. Starter David Austen worked 7 2/3 innings and allowed 2 ER to move his ERA to 4.50. CF Jordan Czarniecki and SS Ryan Leahy had 2 hits and 3B Corey Smith hit his 25th homer for the Travs.

NWA is 38-26 and a game up on first. Game 2 is tonight as Julio Pimentel gets the start. Nats pitchers Dan Cortes, Rowdy Hardy, Chris Nicoll and Chris Hayes along with OF Brian McFall have been slated by the organization to play in the Arizona Fall League this year. Two other Royals farmhands will also go -- SS Chris McConnell and OF Joe Dickerson from Wilmington.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 6, Blue Rocks 0 (7/G1)

RF Orlando 1-3, 2B (20) -- .264
1B Correll 1-3, 2B (16), E (8) -- .280
CF D. Robinson 1-3 -- .245
SS McConnell 1-3 -- .255
3B J. Johnson 1-3, E (8) -- .259
2B Bianchi 0-2, BB -- .259
LF Ortiz 0-2 -- .291
DH Mertins 0-3, K -- .284

Kniginyzky 4 1/3 IP, 5 R (2 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HRA -- L, 9-8, 3.57 ERA
Haltiwanger 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, K -- 4.05 ERA
Swaggerty IP, BB, WP -- 2.89 ERA

*** Pelicans starter Scott Diamond avenged one of his 2 defeats for Myrtle Beach by shutting down the Rocks. Matt Kniginyzky put the Rocks down early by giving up a 3-run homer in the 1st as the Rocks had 2 errors in the inning. Derrick Robinson hit a 2-out would-be RBI single in the 3rd but Adrian Ortiz was nailed at the plate by Braves prospect CF Gorkys Hernandez to end the inning. Kniginyzky gave up a solo homer in the 4th and the Pelicans plated 2 in the 5th off Kniginyzky and Russ Haltiwanger to make it 6-0. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 7th as Diamond went the distance and allowed 5 hits and a walk with a K to improve to 12-2 with a 2.79 ERA. 3B Eric Campbell was 2-3 with his 18th homer and 3 RBI.

Myrtle Beach 2, Blue Rocks 0 (2-hitter, 7/G2)

LF Strait 1-3, 2B (12), E (2) -- .298
SS McConnell 1-3 -- .256
CF D. Robinson 0-3, K -- .244
RF Orlando 0-3, E (8) -- .262
DH Correll 0-3, K -- .275
2B Bianchi 0-3 -- .257
3B J. Johnson 0-2 -- .257

Liotta 5 IP, 2 UER, 4 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 1-1, 1.93 ERA
Chambliss IP, nothing -- 4.02 ERA

*** The "banner day" for the Rocks offense continued as the Rocks were shut out on 2 hits to most likely finish the season 0-8 in doubleheaders. The Pelicans got their runs in the 2nd on 2 hits, a walk and 2 Rocks errors. Wilmington didn't have a hit after the 4th as Cole Rohrbough pitched a complete game with 2 hits allowed and 4 Ks to move to 2-1 with a 3.51 ERA. The Pelicans only had 4 hits off Rocks starter Ray Liotta, who took the hard luck loss.

Wilmington is 31-34 and 3.5 games back of first. Tonight is the series finale as southpaw Everett Teaford (8-6, 3.83) takes on Pelicans right-hander Ryne Reynoso (10-6, 3.15). OF Joe Dickerson was the only Rock named to the postseason Carolina League all-star team. His last game was July 13 when he was hit by a pitch while trying to lay down a bunt and broke his finger.

A - Burlington: Bees 14, Quad Cities 4

2B Giavotella 4-5, BB, RBI (23), K, 2 RS -- .304
RF Van Stratten 3-5, 2B (12), 3 RBI (16), 2 RS -- .352
SS J. Rivera 3-5, 2 RBI (22), 2 RS, SB (16) -- .233
DH C. Robinson 3-5, BB, K, 2 RS -- .267
LF Francis 2-5, 2B (6), 2 RBI (14), K, 2 RS -- .272
1B Taylor 1-5, SF, 2B (17), 2 RBI (56), 2 K -- .235
3B Moustakas 1-4, BB, SF, HR (22), 2 RBI (69), 2 RS -- .270
CF Lough 1-5, BB, RBI (59), RS -- .265
* The Bees stranded 12.

Caldera 7 IP, 3 H, 3 K -- W, 12-6, 2.90 ERA, will he or Duffy be Bees pitcher of year?
Bradley IP, 4 ER, 4 H, K -- 2.25 ERA
Z. Peterson IP, 2 K -- 3.21 ERA

*** The Bees churned out 11 runs in the first 3 innings and coasted to the 14-4 win. Burlington scored 5 in the 1st on a Jason Taylor sac fly, a 2-run Nick Francis double, a Nick Van Stratten RBI single, and a Juan Rivera RBI single. The Bees tacked on 5 more runs in the 2nd on a Taylor RBI double, a 2-run Van Stratten double, a Rivera RBI single and David Lough RBI single to make it 10-0. Mike Moustakas led off the 3rd with his 22nd homer and that stretched it to 11-0. Alex Caldera pitched excellently as he struck out the side in the 5th and handed a 3-hit shutout to the pen in the 8th. Tony Bradley had trouble in the 8th as Quad Cities broke up the shutout with 4 runs on 4 hits and a hit batsman. The Bees answered with 3 runs in the 8th as Johnny Giavotella hit a 2-run single and a Moustakas sac fly and that finished off the 14-4 win. Bandits SP Ryan Kulik took the loss with 1 2/3 IP of 9 runs (4 ER) allowed to drop to 5-5 with a 5.57 ERA. LF Adron Chambers and DH Curt Smith had 2 RBI each for Quad Cities.

The Bees are 40-23 and 3.5 games up on first. Game 3 is tonight as Kelvin Herrera (2-0, 1.13) matches up with Bandits SP Jameson Maj (0-1, 4.50). Somehow, no Bees were voted to the Midwest League postseason all-star squad. No Moustakas, at least?

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Ogden 9, Chukars 5

DH Hosmer 2-3, 2 BB, 2B (2), RBI (2), K, RS -- .500, looking good
LF Griffin 2-3, 2B (14), 3B (3), RBI (23), K, E (3) -- .246
3B Jimenez 2-4, BB, RS, CS (6) -- .301
C S. Perez 1-4, HR, RBI (2), RS -- .267
SS Alfaro 1-5, RBI (53), 3 K, SB (8) -- .282
CF Norris 0-3, 2 BB, RBI (17), SB (29) -- .253
1B Van De Keere 0-4, BB, 2 K -- .291
RF Testa 1-2, 2 BB, 3B (3), K, 2 RS, SB (8), E (2) -- .305
* IF stranded 10.

Casey 4 2/3 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K, HRA, WP -- L, 3-4, 2.85 ERA
Carver 2 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 K, HRA -- 7.52 ERA
Gilgenbach 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 K, 2 HRA -- 10.88 ERA

*** Ogden pulled away late to end the series with the Chukars with another win. Shawn Griffin led off the IF 2nd with a tripled but the Chukars ended up stranding 2 and Ogden scored a run in the 3rd to take the first lead of the game. With 2 out in the bottom of the 3rd, Eric Hosmer hit an RBI double and scored on a Griffin double to make it 2-1 Idaho Falls. Ogden got a 2-run homer off Bryan Casey in the 4th to regain the lead but IF answered with 2 runs on Salvador Perez's 1st homer as a Chukar and a Patrick Norris RBI groundout. Casey didn't have his best stuff Tuesday as Ogden scored 3 runs in the 5th on a hit, walk, hit batsman, wild pitch, sac fly and Carlo Testa error to make it 6-4 Raptors. IF stranded 2 in the 5th and Ogden added a run in the 6th on a solo homer but Testa tripled in the 6th and scored on a J.D. Alfaro single to cut it to 7-5. The Chukars would leave 2 in scoring position, however, and stranded 2 more in the 7th. Stephen Gilgenbach gave up solo homers in the 8th and 9th and the Chukars couldn't rally. RP Jon Runnels got the win with 2 IP of an ER allowed to improve to 3-0 with a 6.43 ERA. Starter Kyle Smit worked 4 innings and allowed 4 ER to move his ERA to 6.00. 3B Pedro Baez was 3-4 with 2 doubles, his 11th HR and an RBI, C Matt Wallach was 2-4 with 2 HR (7) and 3 RBI and CF Travis Vetters also had 2 hits for Ogden.

IF is 14-14 and 6.5 games back. A 5-game home set with the Orem Owlz (20-7, Rookie Halos, first-half division champ and current division leader) starts tonight as Colby Beach (3-3, 5.40) faces Orem's Jayson Miller (7-2, 2.01). The Chukars are 3-8 versus the Owlz.

Rookie - Burlington: rainout

*** What a way for the season to end -- a rainout that won't be rescheduled. That sums up the kind of season it was for the B-Royals as they finished 24-41 with the worst record in the Appalachian League. Pulaski and Elizabethton were the division winners. I'll wrap up the Royals tomorrow.

Rookie - AZL: Giants 9, Royals 3

RF Del Rosario 2-4, 3B, K, 2 RS, OF assist at first -- .277
SS Espinal 1-4, 2B (4), RBI (18), 2 K, 2 E (18) -- .240
LF Mariano 0-2, SF, RBI (7), K -- .098, never good when BA starts with a 0
CF Llanos 1-5, 3 K -- .192
3B D. Batista 1-4, K -- .309
2B Culver 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K, RS -- .174
C T. Jones 1-4, K -- .091, first pro hit

Fortuna 3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 8 H, 2 BB, K, HRA -- L, 2-2, 5.82 ERA
Garrido 4 IP, ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 WP -- 5.49 ERA
Feickert IP, 3 ER, 3 H, K -- 13.50 ERA

*** The Giants got to all 3 Royal pitchers in the win. '08 #5 overall pick C Buster Posey got the Giants started with a 2-run homer (his 1st as a pro) off Carlos Fortuna in the 1st but Fortuna stranded 2 and the Royals scored a run in the 2nd on a Miguel Mariano sac fly. Posey walked and scored on a triple in the 3rd as a Yowill Espinal error allowed the batter to also score to make it 4-1 Giants. Luis Del Rosario tripled and scored on a passed ball in the 4th to cut it to 4-2 but Santiago Garrido uncorked a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning to score a Giant run and make it 5-2. Garrido pulled a Houdini in the 5th by loading the bases with none out and escaping without a run allowed. Espinal hit an RBI double in the 7th but the Giants got the run back on a walk and double in the 7th before touching up Casey Feickert for 3 runs on 3 hits in the 8th. RP Ryan Verdugo struck out six of seven batters in the 8th and 9th to lock down his 2nd save. Starter Jorge Bucardo got the win with 5 IP of 2 runs (1 ER) allowed to improve to 3-1 with a 3.68 ERA. Posey was 3-3 and a single short of the cycle with 2 walks, a double, his 1st pro triple, his 1st pro homer and 3 RBI with 3 RS to move to .438, 3B Josh Mazzola was 3-5 with a triple, RBI and RS and 2 others had 2 hits for the Giants. Posey also had his 1st pro passed ball.

The Royals are 7-18 with 3 games left in the season. They play the 15-10 Angels tonight.

Royals on the Farm 8/25 -- Hosmer 1-3, 2B, RBI in debut

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 8, New Orleans 2

LF Lubanski 3-3, BB, 2B (20), RBI (52), RS -- .237
SS Dawkins 3-5, 2B (15), HR (9), 2 RBI (28), K, 2 RS -- .276
DH Shealy 2-5, HR (20), 2 RBI (59), 2 RS -- .284
RF Hollins 1-4, 2B (14), 2 RBI (54), 2 K -- .218
CF Bigler 1-4, 2B (3), RBI (3), K, RS -- .300
1B Ka'aihue 1-3, 2 BB, 2B (2), RS -- .341, nice to see him back in lineup
C B. Pena 1-4, BB, 2 K -- .291
3B Spann 1-3, BB, RS -- .295
* Omaha turned a remarkable 6 double plays -- 1 short of the PCL single game record. Kila Ka'aihue was involved in all 6, including turning 2 on his own.

Colon 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 6 K, HRA -- W, 5-5, 4.64 ERA
Atencio 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB -- SV, 1, 2.05 ERA

*** Omaha churned out 7 early runs and capitalized on 6 double plays to cruise past the Zephyrs in the series opener. Gookie Dawkins greeted N'awlins SP Ruddy Lugo with a homer to leadoff the 1st for his 9th for Omaha this season. The Royals loaded the bases with 1 out and Damon Hollins laced a 2-run double to right before a Brett Bigler groundout scored a run to make it 4-0 Omaha. Roman Colon served up a solo homer in the 2nd but Omaha answered with 3 runs in the 2nd on a Dawkins RBI double and 2-run homer by Ryan Shealy for his 20th of the season. Omaha turned a double play in 6 of 7 innings starting in the 3rd. The Zephyrs plated a run in the 4th but a double play with the bases full ended the rally. Chris Lubanski singled home the last run of the game in the 5th and Roman Colon and Greg Atencio took care of the rest. Lugo took the loss with 7 ER allowed over 1 1/3 IP to fall to 7-12 with a 5.36 ERA. 1B Val Pascucci and RF Chris Aguila had 2 hits for the Zephyrs as Aguila hit his 27th HR.

Omaha is 60-77. Game 2 is tonight. Probable starters: Zephyrs RH Bobby Parnell (1-2, 7.43) vs. LH Neal Musser (2-5, 4.53). The rookie league callups continue as Omaha will add RP Brett Richardson from rookie AZL today. Didn't figure Richardson would be the first '08 draftee to hit Omaha, but whatever.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 14, Tulsa 1

DH Aldridge 3-5, 2B (6), 2 HR (7), 7 RBI (29) (!), 3 RS -- .248
SS Lisson 3-4, BB, HR (13), 4 RBI (61), 2 RS -- .221
2B Maddox 4-6, 2 2B (29), 4 RS -- .285
CF Duarte 2-5, BB, 3B, 2 RBI (45), 2 RS -- .255, log his stats every day and still surprised me that was his first 3B
3B Lucas 2-5, RS, SB (12) -- .304
C Thibault 0-4, SF, RBI (9), K -- .165
1B Richardson 1-4, BB, 2B (35), K, RS -- .290

B. Wood 6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K, WP, E -- W, 5-7, 5.49 ERA, good Dr. Jekyll back for a start
Mildren 2 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 K -- 6.69 ERA
de la Vara IP, H -- 2.25 ERA

*** Cory Aldridge became the third Royal farmhand in recent days to drive in 7 runs in a game and the Naturals cruised to the sweep of the Drillers. Mario Lisson started things off for the Naturals with a 3-run blast in the 1st for his 13th of the season. Blake Wood stranded the bases loaded in the 1st but settled down after stranding 2 in the 2nd to retire 14 of the last 15 he faced. Aldridge doubled home a run in the 3rd and scored on a Lisson single to make it 5-0 NWA. Aldridge came back up in the 4th and clubbed his 6th homer for the Naturals for a 3-run shot to make it 8-0. The Nats poured on 3 more runs in the 5th on a Kiel Thibault sac fly and Jose Duarte 2-run triple. Aldridge finished off his great game in the 7th with a 3-run homer for his 7th for NW Arkansas and 2nd of the game to make it 14-0. Paul Mildren allowed a run in the 8th but Gilbert de la Vara pitched the 9th to lock in the W. Tulsa SP Alan Johnson allowed 11 runs (8 ER) over 4 2/3 IP to fall to 4-14 with a 5.27 ERA. 2B Corey Wimberly and 3B Gary Cates had 2 hits each for Tulsa and both made an error in the loss.

NWA is 37-26 and remains tied with Springfield for first with 7 games left in the season. A 4-game set at the Arkansas Travelers (24-39, AA Angels) starts tonight. The season series is tied at 14. Nats pitching coach Larry Carter was named the Texas League Coach of the Year today. It was his second time winning the award.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: rainout

*** The Rocks and Myrtle Beach will play a twinbill tonight. Game 1 starters: Wilmington’s Matt Kniginyzky (9-7, 3.56) vs. Pelicans southpaw Scott Diamond (11-2, 3.00). Game 2 starters: Rocks southpaw Ray Liotta (1-0, 3.00) vs. MB lefty Cole Rohrbough (1-1, 4.82).

A - Burlington: Quad Cities 11, Bees 4

3B Martin 2-3, BB, HR (8), 3 RBI (26), K, RS, 2 E (10) -- .318
CF-RF Francis 2-3, BB, 2 3B (3), K, 3 RS -- .264
DH Moustakas 2-5 -- .270
RF-C Evangelho 2-4, RBI (12) -- .213
2B Giavotella 0-4, BB, K -- .294
LF Taylor 1-4, HBP -- .235
1B C. Robinson 1-3, E (5) -- .262
* The Bees stranded 10.

Cota 3 IP, 10 R (9 ER), 8 H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA -- L, 2-3, 5.97 ERA, yowch
Raglione 4 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- 6.82 ERA
Bradley 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 K, WP -- 1.38 ERA
Sisk 1/3 IP, BB -- 1.56 ERA

*** The first 4 innings were rough ones for Burlington and Luis Cota as the Bandits routed the Bees in the opener of 4. Three hits and a walk brought in 3 Bandits in the 1st off Cota and a hit batsman, Clint Robinson error and single in the 2nd made it 4-0 QC. Cota gave up a 2-run homer in the 3rd and was pulled after walking in a run in the 4th. Paul Raglione came in with the bases loaded and none out and 2 hits and a Kyle Martin error helped make it 11-0 Bandits when the dust settled on the inning. Martin atoned somewhat with a 2-run homer in the 4th for his 8th of the season and Nick Francis tripled and scored on a Martin single in the 6th to cut it to 11-3. The Bees stranded 2 in the 7th but Francis tripled again in the 8th and scored on a Zach Evangelho single to mark the final run of the game. QC SP Chuckie Fick got the win with 7 IP of 3 ER allowed to improve to 5-5 with a 3.18 ERA. DH Curt Smith was 3-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI along with 2 RS. Three other Bandits had 2 hits and RF Jon Edwards also drove in 3 runs.

Burlington is 39-23 and 3.5 games up on first. Game 2 is tonight as Alex Caldera (11-6, 3.04) takes on Bandits SP Ryan Kulik (5-4, 5.04).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Ogden 7, Chukars 4

DH Hosmer 1-3, BB, HBP, 2B, RBI, RS -- .333, solid debut
3B Jimenez 2-5, 2 2B (11), 2 K, RS, picked off, E (16) -- .298
SS Alfaro 1-5, RBI (52), 3 K -- .284
1B Espinosa 1-3, SF, RBI (15) -- .203
RF Severino 1-4, HR (2), RBI (11), RS -- .198
CF Norris 1-5, K -- .257
LF Griffin 1-5, 2 K -- .240
C S. Perez 1-3, BB, RS, picked off runner -- .273
* IF stranded 10.

Toribio 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K -- 5.13 ERA
Novakowski 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 HRA -- L, 0-4, 5.81 ERA
Saito 2 2/3 IP, UER, H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- 5.19 ERA
Miller IP, H, BB, WP -- 6.98 ERA

*** A 4-run 6th got Ogden a comeback win in Eric Hosmer's pro debut. IF stranded 2 in the 1st but got on the board in the 2nd on J.D. Alfaro's 2-out RBI single. The Chukars left the bases loaded, however. Ogden took the lead with 2 runs in the 4th off Aneidy Toribio, who had pitched well going into the inning. Neder Severino cranked his 2nd homer of the season to tie it in the 4th. After getting hit by a pitch and popping out in his first 2 pro plate appearances, Hosmer hit an RBI double in the 5th to give IF the lead and he later scored on a Tito Espinosa sac fly to make it 4-2 IF. Gary Novakowski gave up 2 homers in the 6th to tie it and then was pulled with 1 out and 2 on. Derrick Saito allowed an RBI groundout and run-scoring wild pitch to make it 6-4 Ogden before the inning came to an end. An Antonio Jimenez error allowed another run in the 8th and IF wouldn't score again. Cole St. Clair got his 4th save for the Raptors and starter Jon Dutton got the win despite allowing 4 ER over 5 IP to improve to 8-2 with a 5.22 ERA. 2B Anthony Delmonico and 3B Pedro Baez had 2 hits for Ogden as Baez hit his 10th homer and Delmonico hit his 6th. Baez also made his 21st error.

IF is 14-13 and 5.5 games out. The series ends tonight as Bryan Casey (3-3, 2.34) takes on Ogden's Kyle Smit (0-1, 5.14).

Rookie - Burlington: Danville 5, B-Royals 4 (10)

SS Molina 3-4, 3B (3), HR (2), RBI (4), K, RS -- .280
DH Vittek 2-3, BB, 2B (7), RBI (34), K, RS -- .297
CF Caldwell 2-4, 3B (3), RBI (21), K, RS -- .201
RF McFadden 0-4, RBI (7), 2 K -- .212
3B F. Cruz 1-5, 2 K, RS -- .237
1B Morales 0-4, K -- .187
C Moctezuma 1-4, K -- .158

Lehmann 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, HRA -- 3.43 ERA
Roq. Colon 2 IP, 2 BB, 3 K -- 7.23 ERA
Bowden 2 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA, 2 WP -- BS, 2, L, 3-2, 1.86 ERA
Farinas 2/3 IP, K -- 7.91 ERA

*** Danville got it tied in the 8th and won it in 10 as the seasons winds to a close. Mike Lehmann gave up a leadoff homer in the 1st and stranded the bases loaded in the 2nd. An RBI double in the 5th made it 2-0 Braves but the Royals finally broke into the hit and run columns in the 5th with 3 runs on an Allen Caldwell RBI triple, Warren McFadden RBI groundout and Yeldrys Molina solo homer for his 2nd of the season. Josh Vittek singled in a run in the 6th but the Royals stranded 2. Barry Bowden came in for the 8th and was shaky for a change. He allowed a 2-run homer to tie it but escaped without further damage. Danville loaded the bases with 1 out in the 10th and got an RBI single to knock Bowden out of the game. Williams Farinas stranded the bases full, and Molina was thrown out trying to score on a single in the bottom of the frame as Burlington left the tying run at second. RP Clayton McMillan got his 5th save for Danville as RP J.J. Hoover worked 3 scoreless innings for the win to move to 1-0 with a spotless ERA. Starter Randall Delgado worked 6 innings of 4 ER allowed to move his ERA to 3.13. 3B Jon Gilmore was 3-4 with a walk, his 4th homer and 2 RBI and 2 other Braves had 2 hits.

The Royals are 24-41. The season ends tonight. No announced starters on the team site. After tonight's finale, Bowden and RP Jacob Rodriguez will hit A-ball in Burlington. The loss assured Burlington the worst record in the league.

Rookie - AZL: off day

*** The 7-17 Royals play the 18-6 Giants tonight.

Royals on the Farm 8/24

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 5, Memphis 4 (10)

1B Ka'aihue DNP (wrist)
2B Labandeira 2-4, RS -- .176
C B. Pena 1-3, BB, SF, HR (4), 2 RBI (25), K, RS, CS (2) -- .291
LF Lubanski 1-4, 2B (19), 2 RBI (51), K -- .231
CF Bigler 0-0, 4 BB, SF, RBI (2), RS, CS -- .308, what a weird line
1B Shealy 1-3, 2 BB, 2B (19), RS -- .282
3B Spann 1-5, 2 K -- .293

Bale IP, 3 ER, 2 H, BB, HRA -- 10.38 ERA
Gobble IP, H, BB -- 6.35 ERA
Wright 6 2/3 IP, ER, 8 H, BB, 5 K, WP -- 5.32 ERA
Lowery 1 1/3 IP, BB, K -- W, 1-1, 1.94 ERA

*** Omaha tied it in the 7th and won it in the 10th to take 3 of 5 from the Redbirds. John Bale gave up a 3-run homer in the 1st in his only inning of work and Omaha stranded 2 in the 2nd before Memphis added a run in the 3rd on 3 hits off Matt Wright. Wright stranded 2 in the 4th and Brayan Pena slugged his 4th homer as a Royal to lead off the Omaha 4th and cut it to 4-1. The Royals loaded the bases with none out in the 7th and Chris Lubanski doubled home 2 runs before Pena tied it with a sac fly. Devon Lowery relieved Wright with 2 on and 2 out and allowed a walk to load the bases before getting a forceout to end the inning. The game went to the 10th and Omaha loaded the bases with 1 out before Brett Bigler, who had walked 4 times, came through with a sac fly to end it. RP Matt Scherer took the loss with an ER allowed over 1 1/3 IP to drop to 2-3 with a 4.15 ERA. Starter Jess Todd allowed 2 ER over 6 IP to move his ERA to 2.41. RF Nick Stavinoha was 3-5 with a run scored and 3B David Freese was 2-4 with his 25th homer and 3 RBI.

Omaha is 59-77, and Iowa has clinched the division title. The Royals continue their final homestand with 4 games versus the New Orleans Zephyrs (63-73, AAA Mets) starting tonight. Starters: NO RH Ruddy Lugo (7-11, 4.94) vs. RH Roman Colon (4-5, 4.75). Omaha is 9-3 versus the Zephyrs. P Josh Newman is heading back to Omaha in Brandon Duckworth's place. Kila Ka'aihue was named Texas League Player of the Year today. No Royals were named to the PCL end-of-season all-star team. C Todd Balduf has been added to the Royals' roster from A-ball as P Carlos Rosa was placed on the DL. IF Jorge Gutierrez has also been added to Omaha's roster from the rookie leagues.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 3, Tulsa 1

2B Maddox 2-2, BB, S, HR (4), RBI (30), RS -- .280
3B Lucas 2-4 -- .302
1B Richardson 1-4, 2B (34), RBI (73) -- .291
RF McFall 0-3, SF, RBI (56), 2 K -- .243
CF Duarte 1-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .254
* SS Mario Lisson stole his 30th base.

Cortes 6 IP, ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K -- W, 9-4, 3.98 ERA
Nicoll 3 IP, BB, 4 K -- SV, 3, 3.02 ERA

*** Dan Cortes and Chris Nicoll pitched an efficient game and the Naturals set up a chance at a 3-game sweep tonight. Marc Maddox started his night with a bang in the form of a solo homer in the 1st for his 4th of the season. Tulsa got a sac fly in the 4th to tie it but Brian McFall hit a sac fly and Juan Richardson roped an RBI double to make it 3-1 NWA in the 5th. Cortes stranded 2 in the 6th and Nicoll pitched 3 hitless innings for his 3rd save. Tulsa SP Chaz Roe went 7 IP and allowed 3 ER to fall to 5-4 with a 4.35 ERA. Four Drillers had a hit each and CF Eric Young Jr. stole his 46th base.

NWA is 36-26 and still tied for first. The series is ending tonight as Blake Wood started for NWA. As noted, Kila Ka'aihue was named TL Player of the Year and Cortes was named to the league postseason all-star team along with Kila.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 4, Blue Rocks 1

LF Ortiz 1-3, RBI (7), K -- .298
CF D. Robinson 1-4 -- .245
DH Correll 1-4 -- .279
1B Seratelli 1-3, 2B (16), 2 K, RS -- .229
RF Strait 0-4 -- .298

Santiago 7 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 9 H, BB, 4 K, HRA, E -- L, 7-8, 3.52 ERA
Hartsock IP, H, K, WP -- 3.65 ERA

*** The Rocks spoiled a 1-hit shutout in the 8th but couldn't overcome a deficit to the Pelicans. Mario Santiago gave up a solo homer in the 2nd but stranded 2 before allowing another run on 2 hits and his own error in the 3rd. Derrick Robinson's single in the 2nd was the lone Rocks hit through 7 and the Pelicans added 2 runs in the 6th on 2 hits and a walk. Adrian Ortiz hit a 2-out RBI single in the 8th but a double play in the 9th ended it and gave Pelicans RP Nick Fellman his 8th save. Starter Kyle Cofield pitched 6 scoreless innings to improve to 8-6 with a 3.26 ERA. Three Pelicans had 2 hits led by 1B Ernesto Mejia, who was 2-4 with his 46th double and 2 RBI.

Wilmington is 31-32 and 2.5 games out, but still has a solid lead on a wild-card playoff spot. Game 2 was tonight but was rained out. It'll be made up tomorrow.

A - Burlington: Beloit 7, Bees 2

1B Martin 2-4, HR (7), RBI (23), K, RS -- .312
LF Evangelho 2-3, K -- .204
RF Francis 1-4, 2B (5), RBI (12), 2 K -- .250
3B Moustakas 0-3, BB, 2 K, E (22) -- .269
2B Giavotella 1-5 -- .298
DH C. Robinson 0-1, 2 BB, HBP, K, RS -- .261

Fisher 3 2/3 IP, 6 R (4 ER), 8 H, BB, 4 K -- L, 1-1, 2.92 ERA
Augustine 3 1/3 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 3.59 ERA, back from DL
Raglione 2 IP, BB -- 7.48 ERA

*** Brent Fisher had a rough night on the mound and Beloit coasted past the Bees. A passed ball and Mike Moustakas error helped the Snappers to a run in the 1st and Beloit plated another run on 2 hits in the 2nd. A 4th inning surge made a big difference as Beloit scored 4 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and a passed ball off Fisher and Joe Augustine to make it 6-0. Augustine allowed another run on 2 hits in the 5th. The Bees stranded 2 in the 5th but got an RBI double from Nick Francis in the 6th. They stranded 2 in scoring position in the 7th but Kyle Martin led off the 8th with his 7th homer of the season to cut it to 7-2. That was it for the Bees, however, as Beloit SP David Bromberg worked 6 2/3 IP and allowed an ER to move to 8-10 with a 4.47 ERA. LF Andrew Schmiesing was 3-4 with a double, 2 RBI and RS along with his 2nd error. Four other Snappers had 2 hits.

The Bees are 39-22 and 4.5 games up on first. A 4-game home set with the Quad Cities River Bandits (31-31, A Cards) starts tonight. Luis Cota started and got drilled, to put it bluntly. The Rocks are 9-8 versus Quad Cities, and this is the final home series of the season. OF Julio Aparicio has been added to the Bees' roster from rookie Burlington. The Burlington Hawk Eye contradicts yesterday's team site report by stating this will be the first team playoff appearance since 2002. The team site said 1999.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 18, Ogden 7

3B Van De Keere 4-6, 3B, 2 HR (6, one was grand slam), 7 RBI (24) (!), 4 RS -- .297, very nice night at plate
2B F. Garcia 3-6, HBP, 2 RBI (16), K, 2 RS, SB (16) -- .237
CF Testa 3-6, 2B (5), 2 RBI (28), 3 RS -- .302
C Graterol 3-5, HBP, 2B (3), RBI (14) -- .284
SS Alfaro 2-5, BB, 2B (20), 3 RBI (51), K, 2 RS, SB (7) -- .286, has piled up RBI quickly
LF Griffin 2-4, 2 BB, RBI (22), 4 RS -- .241
RF A. Perez 2-5, BB, 3B (2), K, 2 RS -- .258
1B Espinosa 1-6, RBI (14), 2 K, RS -- .201
* IF stranded 10.

Morgan 2 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, K -- 7.18 ERA
Rada 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- W, 4-2, 3.89 ERA
J. Garcia 3 1/3 IP, 2 K -- SV, 2, 3.00 ERA

*** The Chukars roared out of the gates and swamped Ogden for the easy win. With 2 out and 2 on in the 1st, Devery Van De Keere started his big game with a 2-run triple and scored on a Juan Graterol single to make it 3-0 IF. Shawn Griffin hit a 2-out RBI single in the 2nd and DVDK followed with a grand slam for his 5th homer of the season to make it 8-0. Ryan Morgan allowed 3 runs in the 2nd on 3 walks and 3 hits before stranding 2. IF got the runs back in the 3rd as Fernando Garcia hit an RBI single and a 2-run Ogden error made it 11-3 Chukars. Orlando Rada came on for the 3rd and stranded 2 in the 4th. Garcia hit an RBI single in the 5th but Ogden answered with 2 runs off Rada on a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning. DVDK hit his 6th homer of the season and 2nd of the game in the 6th for a solo shot but 2 doubles scored 2 runs to chase Rada in the 6th with IF up, 13-7. The Chukars gained some space back in the lead with 4 runs in the 8th on a Tito Espinosa RBI forceout, a Carlo Testa RBI forceout and a 2-run J.D. Alfaro double. Testa singled home another run in the 9th for gravy as Justin Garcia pitched well to lock down the 18-7 win. Ogden SP Jon Michael Redding went only 2 IP and allowed 8 runs (3 ER) to fall to 0-4 with a 5.72 ERA. Three Raptors had 2 hits and three had 2 RBI as well.

IF is 14-12 and 5.5 games out. The series continues tonight as Aneidy Toribio starts on the mound and, more importantly, Eric Hosmer makes his organizational debut at DH. He was hit by a pitch in his first pro AB, or I guess I should say plate appearance since it wasn't an official AB. Hosmer, however, is not the youngest Chukar as C Salvador Perez is 7 months younger and just turned 18 in May.

Rookie - Burlington: Danville 4, B-Royals 0 (4-hitter)

3B F. Cruz 1-3, 2B (9), K -- .238
DH Vittek 1-4, 2 K -- .289
LF D. Wood 1-4, K -- .297
CF Caldwell 0-3, BB, K -- .195
C Moctezuma 0-3, K, E -- .155

Runion 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, K -- L, 3-4, 3.35 ERA
J. Rodriguez 3 IP, 2 ER, H, BB, 5 K -- 3.51 ERA
Hudnall IP, H, K -- 3.38 ERA

*** A pair of 2-run innings was enough for Danville in the win. The Royals had a whopping 5 baserunners in the game and no more than 1 in any inning. Sam Runion pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 runs in the 5th on a single, triple and squeeze bunt. Jacob Rodriguez came on for the 6th and served up another triple as part of a 2-run inning. SP Steven Kent got the win for Danville with 6 scoreless IP to improve to 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA and RP Rico Reid pitched 3 innings for his 2nd save. CF L.V. Ware was 2-4 with a triple, RBI, K and RS along with his 13th SB.

The Royals are 24-41 after falling tonight in game 2. Barry Bowden took only his 2nd loss of the season. The season wraps up Tuesday night.

Rookie - AZL: Padres 8, Royals 4

2B Nilsen 1-1, HR (3), 2 RBI (14), RS -- .277
2B Jose 1-2, 2B (3), RBI (17), K, RS -- .261
CF H. Richardson 1-3, K, CS, E -- .474
C Matos 0-3, K, E (2) -- .257
RF Llanos 0-2, BB, K, RS -- .191
3B Kuebler 0-3, E (14) -- .185

Sirrett 4 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 6 H, BB, 2 WP -- L, 2-2, 3.08 ERA
Hentges IP, 2 ER, H, 2 BB, WP -- 4.11 ERA
B. Richardson 2 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K, WP -- 1.37 ERA
J. Smith 2 IP, 3 H, BB, K -- 1.20 ERA

*** The Padres scored 5 in the 5th to get the victory. The Pads rallied for a run with 2 out in the 1st off Onassis Sirrett thanks in part to an error and 2 wild pitches. Lifete Jose hit an RBI double in the 3rd and scored on a Hilton Richardson caught stealing to make it 2-1 Royals. The Padres tied it in the 4th and took command in the 5th with 5 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks, a wild pitch and Royals error off Sirrett and Chase Hentges. Brett Richardson allowed a run in the 6th and James Nilsen slammed a 2-run homer in the 8th for his 3rd as a pro but the Royals would get no closer. SP Stiven Osuna pitched 6 innings of 2 ER allowed to get the win and move to 7-2 with a 2.26 ERA. CF Jaff Decker was 3-4 with a walk, double, 9th SB, RBI, K and 2 RS. Two other Pads had 2 hits as C Robert Lara drove in 3 runs and RF Aaron Murphree drove in 2 runs.

The Royals are 7-17. They have today off and 4 games left in the season.

Royals on the Farm 8/23

AAA - Omaha: Memphis 9, O-Royals 4

CF Bigler 2-4, 2B (2), K, RS -- .308
PH-DH-P Buchanan 1-4, 2B (11), RBI (34), K -- .232
2B Labandeira 1-4, RBI (7), RS -- .157
C Tupman 0-3, BB, SF, RBI (34) -- .241
1B Shealy 1-2, 3 BB, 2B (18), RS -- .282
DH Ka'aihue 0-0, HBP -- .341, pulled for PH in 2nd
3B Spann 1-4, K -- .306
LF Lubanski 0-4, 2 K -- .231

Musser 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, WP -- L, 2-5, 4.53 ERA
Yabuta 2 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 K -- 5.00 ERA, ended nice string of outings with really bad one
Lumsden 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 6.88 ERA, shocker line of game
Buchanan IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA

*** Neal Musser and Yaz Yabuta got rocked and Memphis cruised to the victory. Musser gave up 4 runs and lasted only 1 out as he gave up 3 hits and walked in 2 runs before Yabuta got a double play to end the rally. Kila Ka'aihue was hit by a pitch on the wrist in the 1st but didn't leave the game until he was pinch-hit for in the 2nd. Yabuta pitched a perfect 2nd and Omaha got back in the game with 3 runs on a Josh Labandeira RBI single, a run-scoring Redbirds error and a Matt Tupman sac fly. Yabuta was much shakier in the 3rd as Memphis plated 5 runs on 7 hits, although only 1 went for extra bases. Tyler Lumsden came on for the 4th and held the line well through the 8th. Omaha stranded 2 in the 5th and Brian Buchanan doubled in a run in the 7th to cut it to 9-4 before he pitched a perfect 9th in his second pitching appearance of the season. The Royals stranded 1 in the 9th. Memphis SP Blake Hawksworth got the win with 3 runs (1 ER) allowed over 5 innings to improve to 4-7 with a 6.56 ERA. SS Tyler Greene and 3B David Freese both had 3 hits, a double and RBI, although Freese scored 2 runs to Greene's 1. 2B Brendan Ryan also had 2 hits, an RBI and 2 RS.

Omaha is 58-77. The series finale is under way. Starters were Redbirds RH Jess Todd (1-0, 2.13) and LH John Bale (0-2, 8.22). Ka'aihue isn't in Sunday's starting lineup. IF Alberto Callaspo was called off the DL to fill Alex Gordon's vacated roster spot. Brandon Duckworth has also been called up to start for KC.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 4, Tulsa 1

RF McFall 2-4, RS -- .245
SS Lisson 1-4, HR (12), 2 RBI (57), K, RS -- .216, finishing strong at least
CF Duarte 1-5, RBI (43), OF assist at first -- .254
1B Richardson 1-4, K, RS, picked off -- .291
3B Lucas 1-4, K, RS -- .299

B. Johnson 5 2/3 IP, ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA -- W, 10-9, 4.85 ERA, first Nat to 10 wins
Hamulack 1 2/3 IP, K -- 2.25 ERA
C. Hayes 1 2/3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- SV, 12, 1.58 ERA

*** The Naturals opened the series with Tulsa with a win. Blake Johnson stranded the bases full in the 1st and a Jose Duarte RBI groundout in the 3rd gave NWA the lead. Johnson gave up a solo homer in the 3rd to tie it but the Nats scored 2 in the 4th on a 2-run shot by Mario Lisson for his 12th of the season to make it 3-1. A Tulsa error scored an insurance run in the 9th and Tim Hamulack and Chris Hayes were solid out of the pen to finish the win. Tulsa starter Keith Weiser worked 8 innings and allowed 3 unearned runs in falling to 0-2 with a 3.54 ERA. Three Drillers had 2 hits and LF Tony Blanco drilled his 22nd homer.

NWA is 35-26 and still tied for first. Game 2 with Tulsa is ongoing as Dan Cortes started for NW Arkansas.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 8, Kinston 2

2B Mertins 3-4, BB, RBI (44), 3 RS, SB (26) -- .288
SS Bianchi 3-5, 2B (32), RBI (58), K, RS, 2 E (7) -- .260
LF Strait 3-5, 2 2B (11), K, 2 RS -- .305
C Howell 2-4, BB, RBI (38), K, CS (3), picked off runner -- .259
3B J. Johnson 1-3, BB, S, 3B (4), 2 RBI (37), RS -- .260
DH Dyson 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (24), K, SB (38) -- .254
1B Correll 1-5, HR (8), RBI (28), 3 K, RS -- .280
CF D. Robinson 0-3, 3 BB, 2 K, SB (61) -- .245
RF Orlando 1-5, S -- .263
* The Rocks stranded 12.

Cegarra 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, K -- W, 6-7, 4.90 ERA
Chavez 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- 2.91 ERA
Holland IP, 2 K -- 3.45 ERA

*** A 4-run 9th polished off the Rocks win and sweep in the finale with the Tribe. Ed Cegarra allowed a run on 2 hits in the 1st but survived a Jeff Bianchi error to escape with only a 1-0 deficit. Wilmington surged ahead with 2 runs in the 4th on a Kurt Mertins RBI single and bases-loaded walk by Jarrod Dyson, although they stranded 3. Cegarra loaded the bases in the 5th and allowed a sac fly before stranding 2. The Rocks regained the lead in the 6th on a Dyson RBI single and then got a Bianchi RBI single in the 7th to make it 4-2. The 9th began with a Brad Correll solo homer for his 8th as a Rock and Josh Johnson ripped a 2-run triple before scoring on a Jeff Howell single to make it 8-2. Greg Holland pitched a perfect 9th to end it. Kinston RP Kyle Landis took the loss with an ER allowed over 2 IP to fall to 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA and starter Kelvin De La Cruz worked 4 innings of 2 ER allowed to move his ERA to 6.08. Topeka native and Kinston 1B Jerad Head was 2-4 with a double, K and RS.

Wilmington is 31-31 and 2.5 games back. A 4-game set at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans starts tonight. Starters: right-hander Mario Santiago (7-7, 3.50) vs. Pelicans righty Kyle Cofield (7-6, 3.44). The Rocks are 5-11 versus the Pelicans this season.

A - Burlington: Bees 5, Beloit 3

2B Giavotella 2-4, 2B (16), 2 RBI (22) -- .300
3B Moustakas 2-4, 2B (24), RBI (67) -- .271
LF Walton 2-4, 2B (20), RS -- .269
CF Lough 1-3, BB, 2B (20), 2 RBI (58), 2 RS -- .270
1B Taylor 0-4, 3 K, E (19) -- .235
DH C. Robinson 1-4 -- .262
RF Francis 0-3, HBP, K, SB (3), E (2) -- .250
* SS Juan Rivera swiped 2 bases to get to 15 in that stat but also made his 14th error.

Gutierrez 6 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 5 H, BB, 3 K, E -- 2.77 ERA
Z. Peterson 3 IP, H, BB, 5 K -- W, 3-3, 3.25 ERA

*** Two rallies helped the Bees win their 9th in a row. Danny Gutierrez allowed 2 runs in the 3rd on 3 hits, a walk and Nick Francis error in right. The Bees slugged back in the 5th with 3 runs on a 2-out, 2-run David Lough double and a Johnny Giavotella RBI double to take a 3-2 lead. Two errors, including 1 by Gutierrez, helped Beloit tie the game in the 6th but the Bees scored twice in the 7th on RBI singles by Giavotella and Mike Moustakas to make it 5-3 Bees. Zach Peterson pitched well out of the pen to get the win. Beloit SP Mike McCardell took the loss with 6 2/3 IP of 5 ER allowed to fall to 9-4 with a 3.02 ERA. RF Yangervis Solarte was 2-4 with an RBI and run scored.

The Bees are 39-22 and 4.5 games up on first. The series wrapped today with a Bees loss to snap the 9-game win streak but Burlington clinched a playoff spot with a Quad Cities loss. Brent Fisher took the loss. This will be the Bees' first playoff appearance since 1999. If the Bees' win the second half title, they play Kane County in the first round (not good as the Cougars have led the season series) and if they get the wild card they play Clinton, which would be better as they have fared better versus the LumberKings. A division title would be nice, tho. The Bees are 17-5 in August.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Ogden 4, Chukars 3

DH Severino 2-3, 2B (4), RS -- .196
RF Testa 2-3, K, RS, CS (3) -- .293
SS Alfaro 1-4, 2B (19), 2 RBI (48) -- .283
CF Norris 0-4, RBI (16), RS, SB (28) -- .258
3B Jimenez 1-4, K -- .303
LF Griffin 0-4, 2 K -- .236
1B Espinosa 1-4, 2 K -- .202
C S. Perez 0-4 -- .250

Hodgson 5 IP, ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K -- 3.41 ERA, pretty good for Pioneer League
Gilgenbach 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, K -- 11.07 ERA, would be nice for him to get to single digit ERA
Huber IP, 2 ER, H, BB -- 3.00 ERA
Thompson 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, K -- BS, 2, L, 3-3, 4.44 ERA

*** The Chukars had the game in hand in the 8th but the bullpen faltered and Ogden came back for the win. Neder Severino doubled and scored on a Patrick Norris forceout in the 3rd but Ivor Hodgson allowed the tying run in the 4th on a walk and double. With 2 on and 2 out in the 5th, J.D. Alfaro came through with a 2-run double to make it 3-1 and it stayed that way into the 8th. James Thompson came in with 2 on and 1 out but allowed a 2-run double to tie it and a 2-out RBI double to give Ogden the lead. The last 8 Chukars went down in order. Ogden SP Mike Watt went the distance with 3 ER allowed to improve to 7-4 with a 4.46 ERA. SS Devaris Gordon was 3-4 with a double and K and 3B Pedro Baez was 2-4 with a double, 2 RBI and RS.

IF is 13-12 and 6.5 games out. The series wraps in Ogden today before shifting to Idaho Falls Monday. Ryan Morgan started for IF.

Rookie - Burlington: Pulaski 5, B-Royals 3

DH D. Wood 2-5, RBI (21), K, RS -- .298
2B A. Franco 2-4, S, 2B (10), RS -- .268
1B D. Cruz 1-3, BB, RBI (14), K -- .273
SS Molina 1-3, BB, HR, RBI (3), K, RS -- .253
C Vittek 1-5, 3 K, PB (9) -- .291
3B F. Cruz 1-5, 2B (8) -- .237
LF Caldwell 1-4 -- .198
* The Royals stranded 11.

G. De La Cruz 3 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, BB, 2 K, HRA, 2 WP -- L, 3-5, 5.69 ERA
Baez 3 1/3 IP, H, BB, 2 K -- 2.89 ERA, has had nice season
Bowden IP, 2 K -- 1.01 ERA, class of the B-Royal pen

*** The Royals tried to stage a late comeback but fell short. A walk, hit, wild pitch and passed ball helped the Mariners to a run off Giancarlo De La Cruz in the 1st and Burlington stranded 2 in the 2nd before the M's added 3 runs in the 3rd on a solo homer and 3 other hits. De La Cruz was pulled after allowing another run in the 4th and Manauri Baez held Pulaski in check. The Royals stranded 2 in the 4th but finally got on the scoreboard on Yeldrys Molina's 1st homer of the season for the Royals to cut it to 5-1. Diego Cruz hit a 2-out RBI single in the 8th but the Royals stranded 2. David Wood came through with an RBI single in the 9th but Burlington stranded 2 as Philip Roy got his 5th save for Pulaski. Starter Brooks Mohr worked 5 scoreless innings to improve to 6-4 with a 3.27 ERA. Three M's had 2 hits and C Juan Fuentes hit 2 doubles and drove home 3 runs.

The Royals are 24-39. The final series of the season starts tonight at home versus the Danville Braves (33-32). The Royals are 4-4 versus the Braves. Sam Runion is starting the opener.

Rookie - AZL: Cubs 12, Royals 3 (Fri.)

CF H. Richardson 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, RS, OF assist at third -- .583
3B Nilsen 3-4, 2B (3), RBI (12), E (6) -- .267
RF Llanos 0-4, 2 K -- .188
C Matos 1-4, 2B (4), RS -- .268
2B Culver 0-2, K -- .190

Montgomery 2 IP, 2 UER, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 WP -- 1.43 ERA
L. Perez 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K -- L, 1-1, 2.56 ERA
Feickert 1 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, K -- 12.41 ERA, yikes
A. Martinez 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB -- 9.00 ERA

*** The Cubs put it away with a 7-run 7th. Mike Montgomery stranded 2 Cubs in the 1st but allowed 2 runs in the 2nd on a bases-loaded walk and RBI single before stranding 3. Hilton Richardson cranked a 2-run homer in the 3rd to tie the game for his 1st at the AZL this season but the Cubs got to Leondy Perez for a run in the 5th to regain the lead. James Nilsen retied the game with an RBI double in the 6th and Perez was pulled for Casey Feickert with 2 on and none out in the Cubs 7th. From there, the wheels fell off as 6 hits and a walk drove in 7 runs and the rally ended only when Richardson nailed a runner at third. Feickert and Angel Martinez were tagged for 2 more runs in the 8th and the Royals scored no more. RP Yohan Gonzalez blew his 1st save but picked up the win with 2 1/3 IP of scoreless pitching to move to 5-1 with a 1.95 ERA. Starter Miguel Sierra worked 4 innings of 2 ER allowed to move his ERA to 4.43. DH Starlin Castro was 5-6 with an RBI and RS, LF Jericho Jones was 3-6 with a double, RBI and RS, and CF Tony Campana had 2 hits and drove in 3 runs along with his 18th SB.

A's 6, Royals 5 (Sat.)

SS Espinal 2-5, RBI (17), 2 K, RS, E (16) -- .240
DH Beltre 2-5, RS -- .200
RF Llanos 2-5, 2B (8), K, RS, 2 SB (13), OF assist at first -- .194
LF D. Rodriguez 2-4, 2B (3), HR, RBI (6), 2 RS -- .210
3B D. Batista 1-5, 3B (2), 2 RBI (20), K -- .311
1B Henriquez 1-4, RBI (8), K -- .164
CF H. Richardson 1-4, BB, K -- .500
C T. Jones 0-4, 3 K -- .000

Hodge 4 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, BB, 4 K -- 9.79 ERA
Cuevas 4 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, 5 K, HRA, 2 WP -- L, 3-2, 5.75 ERA

*** The Royals got it tied in the 9th but lost it in the bottom of the inning. Mitch Hodge's rough season continued with a rough 1st as the A's scored 3 runs on 3 hits and a hit batsman. Derek Rodriguez hit a solo homer in the 3rd to get the Royals a run and Edwin Henriquez singled in a run in the 4th to cut it to 3-2. Gary Cuevas came in with 1 on and 1 out in the 5th and gave up a 2-run homer to extend the A's lead. Rodriguez started a rally with a double in the 9th as Yowill Espinal singled in a run and Deivy Batista hit a 2-out, 2-run triple to tie the game. He was left at third and, with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, an Espinal error allowed a batter to reach and a double ended it. RP Jonathan Joseph blew his 1st save but got the win with 1/3 scoreless IP to move to 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA. Starter Jose Garcia worked 2 scoreless innings to keep a perfect ERA. CF Rashun Dixon was 3-4 with his 9th triple, 8th homer and 4 RBI along with 2 RS and RF Chris Berroa had 2 hits for the A's.

The Royals are 7-16. They play the 16-6 Padres tonight.