Royals on the Farm 8/15 -- Hosmer signs

August 15, 2008, could be a landmark day in Royals history if Tim Melville and Eric Hosmer turn out to be as good as some think they will be. After signing Melville early on deadline day, Hosmer signed with time dwindling, a Boras specialty, and both are now in camp and ready to begin what is hopefully a smooth and successful climb to the majors. Both are supposed to report to the AZL and we'll see if their names are in box scores by the time the AZL season wraps up in a couple weeks. Hosmer signed for a reported franchise record $6 million bonus.

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 8, Albuquerque 2

3B Spann 3-4, 2 RBI, K, RS -- .625, already paying dividends
DH Shealy 2-3, HBP, RBI (55), RS -- .282
CF Gathright 2-5, RS -- .190
RF Hollins 1-3, BB, 2 RBI (50), K, RS -- .228
2B Labandeira 1-4, RBI (6) -- .148
1B Kaaihue 1-3, BB, K, 2 RS -- .339
C B. Pena 1-5, K, RS -- .277
LF Lubanski 0-4, K, OF assist at home -- .230

Colon 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- W, 4-5, 4.45 ERA
Yabuta 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- SV, 2, 4.45 ERA

*** Omaha jumped to a 7-0 lead and didn't look back in taking the finale from the Isotopes. The O-Royals loaded the bases with 1 out in the 1st and Ryan Shealy took a hit by pitch to bring in the first run. A 2-run Albuquerque error bumped it to 3-0 Omaha after 1. Omaha went back to work in the 3rd with 4 runs on a 2-run Chad Spann single for his first RBI for the organization, a Josh Labandeira RBI single and another run-scoring Albuquerque error. Roman Colon had a no-hitter going in the 4th but the Isotopes broke that up in a big way with a solo homer to break the shutout as well. The Isotopes scored another run in the 6th but Chris Lubanski cut the rally short with an OF assist at the plate to end the inning. Two Albuquerque players and the manager were ejected in the 7th after arguing calls and Omaha put the game on ice in the 7th on a Damon Hollins RBI single. Yaz Yabuta pitched well in relief of Colon for his 2nd save. Isotopes SP Chris Seddon took the loss with 6 IP of 7 runs (5 ER) allowed to fall to 9-9 with a 4.98 ERA. LF Tagg Bozied was 3-4 with a double, his 22nd homer and 2 RBI along with a K and RS.

Omaha is 54-73. A 4-game set at the Oklahoma RedHawks (68-59, AAA Rangers) starts tonight. Probables: LH Jimmy Gobble (0-0, 3.52) vs. Oklahoma LH Michael Ballard (1-3, 9.64). The O-Royals are 7-5 versus the RedHawks. P Kyle Davies is Omaha bound after not impressing, again, in a stint in KC. P Jeff Fulchino was the warm body called up to take Davies' 25-man slot, but he may just be holding a spot until Gobble is ready to come off the DL. Jose Capellan is missing some time with shoulder soreness and Carlos Rosa is taking at least one start off with more forearm soreness. I wonder if they'll shut him down for the season.

AA - NW Arkansas: Midland 2, Naturals 0

1B Richardson 2-3, BB -- .297
3B Falu 2-3, BB -- .295
RF McFall 2-4, K, SB (7) -- .236
CF Duarte 1-4, K, picked off -- .260
2B Maddox 0-3, BB -- .281

B. Wood 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K, WP -- L, 4-7, 5.89 ERA, Jekyll start, Hyde run support
de la Vara IP, BB, K -- 2.86 ERA
Crist IP, BB, K, WP -- 4.27 ERA

*** NWA more than doubled Midland's 4-hit output with 9 base hits but got nothing out of them, while Midland scratched out 2 runs to complete a 3-game sweep. The Naturals loaded the bases after Jose Duarte singled and was picked off to start the game, but Cory Aldridge hit into a double play to spoil the scoring chance. Ovandy Suero hit a 2-out would-be RBI single in the 2nd but Brian McFall was cut down at the plate to keep NWA off the board. Blake Wood had a 1-hit shutout going into the 5th but put runners at the corners with 1 out and allowed the first run on a wild pitch. Two singles scored a second run before Wood escaped the jam with a 2-0 deficit. NWA stranded 2 in the 6th, 7th and 8th and then Midland RP Andrew Carignan struck out the side in the 9th for his 20th save. SP James Simmons got the win with 7 scoreless innings of work to improve to 8-6 with a 3.42 ERA. Four 'Hounds had a hit each.

NWA is 32-21 and 3 games up on first after the sweep by the RockHounds. They'll try to revisit their recent success versus the Frisco RoughRiders (31-22, AA Rangers) in the first of 3 in Frisco tonight. Rowdy Hardy (6-9, 4.71) is set to start vs. Frisco's Michael Schlact (6-9, 5.67). The Naturals are 6-3 versus Frisco after sweeping the 'Riders last week.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Salem 4 (comp. of Thu. game)

RF Strait 2-4, 2B (8), HR (7), 5 RBI (26), RS -- .301, one-man wrecking crew
DH D. Robinson 0-3, BB, RBI (30), RS, SB (57) -- .252
LF Ortiz 1-2, HBP, 2 RS -- .281, team only had 3 hits
CF Orlando 0-3, S, K -- .267, first 0-fer as Rock
SS McConnell 0-3, BB, 2 K, RS -- .256
2B Bianchi 0-4, 3 K, E (3) -- .252
3B J. Johnson 0-3, K -- .265

Santiago 3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 5 H, BB, K, WP -- 3.66 ERA, outing cut short by rain suspension
Chavez 3 IP, H, 3 BB, K -- W, 2-0, 3.57 ERA
Haltiwanger 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- 3.81 ERA
Chambliss IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 HRA -- 3.83 ERA

*** The Rocks emerged from the suspension of play down 2-0 in the 3rd and got 5 solid innings from the bullpen while moving ahead to grab a 6-4 win. Mario Santiago gave up a run on 3 hits and a walk in the 1st and 2 hits, a wild pitch and sac fly in the 3rd made it 2-0. The Rocks had 1 on with 0 out when the rain put the game on hold and, when it resumed Friday, a Derrick Robinson RBI forceout cut the lead in half. Chris Chavez took over for Santiago and stranded the bases loaded in the 4th before stranding 2 in the 6th. Cody Strait came through in the bottom of the inning with a 2-out, 2-run double to give Wilmington a 3-2 lead. He came back up with 2 on and 2 out in the 8th and blasted a 3-run homer for his 7th as a Blue Rock to make it 6-2 Rocks. Tyler Chambliss struggled again as he allowed 2 solo homers in the 9th and he ended up stranding 2. RP David Qualben took the loss with 3 IP of 2 ER with no hits allowed to fall to 3-11 with a 5.80 ERA. Starter Corey Bass had worked 2 scoreless innings before the rain came to drop his ERA to 6.27. 3B Jhon Florentino and DH Mark Ori had 3 hits for Salem while 2 others had 2 hits. Ori hit his 10th homer and had 3 RBI.

Salem 8, Blue Rocks 6 (7/reg. Fri. game)

LF Ortiz 3-4, RBI (6), K, RS -- .311, earning his playing time
C Howell 2-3, 2B (18), RBI (36), 2 RS, PB (9) -- .256
RF Dyson 2-3, 2B (7), RBI (22), K, RS, OF assist at second -- .255, Rocks have arguably best OF in league
SS Bianchi 2-3, RS, picked off, E (4) -- .256
CF D. Robinson 1-4, 3B (7), 2 RBI (32), K, RS -- .252
DH Orlando 1-4, RBI (47), CS (10) -- .267
1B Correll 0-2, BB -- .297

Kniginyzky 5 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 8 H, BB, 5 K, 2 WP -- 3.53 ERA
Swaggerty 2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- BS, 1, L, 3-2, 3.10 ERA

*** The Rocks had a 5-2 lead at one point but Salem came on late to even the series. Three hits scored 2 Salem runs off Matt Kniginyzky in the 1st but Paulo Orlando singled home a run to cut the lead in half after 1. Wilmington took command with 4 runs in the 2nd on a Jeff Howell RBI single, a 2-run Derrick Robinson triple and Adrian Ortiz RBI single. A Jeff Bianchi error scored a Salem run in the 4th to cut the lead to 2 but Jeff Howell and Jarrod Dyson hit back-to-back doubles to get the run back and make it 6-3 Rocks. A walk and 3 hits scored 2 Salem runs in the 5th to trim the lead to 1. Ben Swaggerty relieved Kniginyzky for the 6th and 3 hits and a walk plated 2 more Avalanche runs to swing the lead in Salem's favor. The Avalanche got a leadoff homer in the 7th for a little insurance and the Rocks stranded 1 as Sean Walker picked up his 1st save. Jason Dominguez pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings of relief to win and move to 4-4 with a 3.86 ERA. Starter Erick Abreu pitched 3 2/3 innings of 6 runs (5 ER) allowed to move his ERA to 4.12. CF Tim Torres was 3-4 with his 9th homer and 2 RBI and 3 other Salem batters had 2 hits with 2 more having 2 RBI.

Wilmington is 26-28 and 3 games back. The series continues tonight as southpaw Ray Liotta makes his Wilmington debut versus Salem's Chad Wagler (3-3, 2.91).

A - Burlington: Bees 7, Clinton 4

DH C. Robinson 3-4, 2B (19), HR (12), 2 RBI (52), RS, CS (3) -- .258
3B Moustakas 3-5, RS -- .269
LF Walton 2-4, 2B (19), RBI (47), RS -- .264, really picking it up offensively
2B Giavotella 1-5, HR (4), RBI (20), K, RS, E (10) -- .297
RF Francis 1-4, 3B, RBI (8), 2 K, 2 RS -- .233
SS J. Rivera 1-3, SF, RBI (19) -- .243
1B Taylor 1-4, BB, 2B (14), K, RS -- .232

Caldera 7 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 WP -- W, 10-6, 3.09 ERA, think he's first Royal farmhand to 10 wins this season
Raglione 1 2/3 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 3 H, HRA -- 8.39 ERA
Bradley 1/3 IP, BB -- SV, 4, 1.49 ERA

*** Burlington put the game and the series away with a 4-run 8th. Clint Robinson led off the 2nd with his 12th homer of the season and Nick Francis followed with a triple before scoring on a Juan Rivera double play ball to make it 2-0 Bees. Alex Caldera pitched well for the Bees but walked the leadoff guy in the 2nd and 2 wild pitches helped the LumberKings cut the lead in half. The score stayed 2-1 until Johnny Giavotella led off the Bees 6th with his 4th pro homer. The Bees rallied in the 8th as Robinson stroked an RBI single, Francis hit an RBI fielder's choice, Jamar Walton hit an RBI double and Rivera hit a sac fly to make it 7-1. Paul Raglione served up a leadoff homer in the 9th and a Giavotella error helped lead to another run. The 'Kings would cut it to 7-4 before Tony Bradley came in and put out the fire for his 4th save. Clinton SP Ryan Tatusko took the loss with 7 IP of 3 ER allowed to fall to 2-9 with a 4.50 ERA. LF Tim Smith was 3-4 with his 10th homer and 3B Jon Greene was 2-3 with a walk, double and 2 RS.

Burlington is 32-21 and 3.5 games up on first. Another key 4-game set at the Quad Cities River Bandits (29-25, A Cardinals, tied for second behind Bees) starts tonight as Matt Mitchell (8-8, 3.40) takes on Bandits SP Jared Bradford (2-2, 3.64). The Bees are 5-8 versus the Bandits.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 4, Great Falls 3

LF Griffin 2-4, 2B (11), K, RS, SB (7), OF assist at third -- .245
2B F. Garcia 2-3, K -- .221
RF Testa 1-2, BB, 2 RBI (18), RS, CS (2) -- .265
C McCauley 1-3, BB, RBI (18), RS -- .264, 10-game hit streak
CF Norris 1-4, K -- .253
SS Alfaro 0-4, 2 K, E (13) -- .251
1B Espinosa 0-3, 2 K -- .200

Casey 6 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- 2.56 ERA, nice outing
Saito 2 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, BB, K, WP -- W, 2-4, 6.33 ERA
Thompson IP, ER, 2 H, BB, K -- SV, 2, 4.38 ERA

*** The Chukars made a 4-run rally stand up for the win to take their second straight from Great Falls. The game was pretty cut-and-dry as Bryan Casey and Josh Billeaud dueled through 6. IF stranded 2 in the 6th and Derrick Saito allowed a run in the 7th on a walk, hit, wild pitch and J.D. Alfaro error. Idaho Falls also broke through versus the bullpen as Sean McCauley tied it with an RBI single in the 7th and Carlo Testa came through with a big 2-out, 2-run single before Fernando Garcia singled and a Voyager error scored another run to make it 4-1 IF. Saito allowed another run in the 8th and James Thompson came in for the 9th but allowed a 2-out rally on 2 hits and a walk before stranding 2 for his 2nd save. RP Ron Morales took the loss with 1/3 IP of 3 ER allowed for his 2nd blown save and the loss to fall to 2-3 with a 3.09 ERA. Billeaud pitched 6 scoreless frames to drop his ERA to 3.19. 1B Kyle Shelton and RF Doug Thennis had 2 hits for Great Falls.

IF is 8-10 and 6 games back. The series continues tonight as Colby Beach (2-3, 5.97) starts vs. Great Falls' Dan Hudson (3-4, 2.87).

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 5, Bluefield 3

CF H. Richardson 2-5, 2B (7), GW HR, 2 RBI (16), RS -- .234
RF McFadden 2-4, RBI (5), 2 RS -- .223
1B D. Wood 2-4, 2 K, RS -- .293
SS J. Gutierrez 1-3, SF, RBI (9), RS -- .248
DH Morales 0-4, K -- .190
3B F. Cruz 1-4, E (7) -- .244

Bryant 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, BB, 7 K -- 4.86 ERA
Halliman 2 1/3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- 8.34 ERA
Roq. Colon 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- BS, 2, 8.69 ERA
Bowden 1/3 IP, nothing -- W, 3-1, 1.14 ERA

*** The Royals took a 6-hit shutout into the 9th and almost blew it before Hilton Richardson came through big-time to pull the Royals closer to Princeton in the standings. Warren McFadden got the Royals started with an RBI single in the 2nd and later scored on a O's error to make it 2-0 Burlington. Carson Bryant got a bases-loaded double play to escape the 3rd and Jorge Gutierrez hit a sac fly in the 4th to give the Royals a 3-0 lead. The Orioles got runners to the corners with no outs in the 8th but Pernell Halliman wriggled out of the jam unscathed. Roque Colon loaded the bases, however, with 2 out in the 9th and gave up a big 3-run triple to Bluefield RF Ronnie Welty to blow the lead. Barry Bowden got the final out of the inning and Burlington was down to its final out when Gutierrez singled and Richardson cranked a 2-run homer for his 1st of the season to end it in walkoff style. RP Travis Keating allowed 2 ER over 1 2/3 IP to take the loss and fall to 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA. Starter Tyler Sexton lasted 5 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 ER) to move his ERA to 2.96. 2B Buck Britton was 3-5 with a K, RS, and his 6th error, Welty was 2-4 with a HBP, triple and 3 RBI along with his 5th SB and C Dustin Black also had 2 hits for the O's.

The Royals are 20-36 and on a 3-game win streak. The series wraps up tonight with no announced starters on the team site. The Royals are 1 1/2 games back of the Rays for the worst record in the Appalachian League. I guess Bowden's move up really was temporary. I guess it was a 1-day thing. Richardson is leaving the team after today's game to start fall-semester college classes.

Rookie - AZL: off day

*** The 6-10 Royals are slated to play the 7-8 Angels tonight.