Royals on the Farm 4/15

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 14, Round Rock 7

C House 4-4, 2 BB, HR (2), 4 RBI (8), 3 RS -- .370
1B Shealy 4-6, 2B (2), 2 RBI (5), K, RS -- .276
DH Ka'aihue 2-3, 3 BB, 2B, 2 RS -- .120, OBP is still decent at .343, first multi-hit game of season for Kila
LF Lubanski 2-6, 3B, RBI (6), 2 K, 2 RS -- .414, has hit in every game thus far
2B Hulett 2-5, 2 RBI (11), K, RS -- .433, ditto
SS Falu 2-4, BB, K, 2 RS -- .500
3B Metcalf 1-5, BB, HR, 2 RBI (3), K, 2 RS -- .261, first Royal longball
RF Aldridge 1-5, BB, 2B, 2 RBI (4), K, RS -- .125
CF Maier 1-6 -- .370, only one who didn't get in on barrage
* The Royals drew 8 walks with 19 hits and stranded 11.

Hochevar 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA -- W, 2-0, 2.45 ERA, 84 pitches
Newman 1 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, K, HRA -- 12.46 ERA, yeesh
Atencio 1 2/3 IP, H, K -- 11.57 ERA

*** The O-Royals pounded out 11 of their 14 runs off former Royals Jose Capellan and Tyler Lumsden and Luke Hochevar had another good outing as the Royals steamrolled the Express. J.R. House got it started with a 1-out, 2-run homer in the 1st for his 2nd of the season, and after a Kila Ka'aihue single, Travis Metcalf followed with his 1st organizational homer to make it 4-0 Omaha off Capellan. Chris Lubanski hit a 2-out RBI single in the 3rd and Tug Hulett did the same before the Royals left 'em loaded. Hochevar stumbled a bit in the 3rd as the Express plated one on 2 doubles and 2 walks but also left the bases full. With 2 out and the bases loaded in the Omaha 4th, Ryan Shealy cleared the bases with a double that was aided by an error by Express LF Reggie Abercrombie to make it 9-1 Omaha. Hochevar served up a solo homer to DH John Gall in the 6th but that was his only other ding through his 6 innings of work. Lumsden had pitched a quiet couple of innings going into the 7th when Omaha scored 2 runs on a 2-out, 2-run double by Cory Aldridge. The Royals would once again leave the bases full and Josh Newman gave up a solo homer to RF Yordany Ramirez in the 7th to make it 11-3. Lubanski led off the 8th with a triple and scored on a Hulett single and House added a 2-run single later in the inning to polish off the Omaha scoring. Newman and Greg Atencio combined to give up 4 runs in the Round Rock 8th but it was too little, too late as Atencio finished off the 14-7 win. Capellan allowed 9 runs (8 ER) on 10 hits with 5 walks and 4 Ks over 3 2/3 IP to fall to 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA. Lumsden allowed 2 earned to move his ERA to 6.14. Ramirez was 3-3 with a sac fly, his 3rd double, 1st homer and 2 RBI (4) to move his BA to .421 and chipped in an OF assist at third. 3B Matt Kata also had 2 hits for Round Rock and C Lou Santangelo knocked in his first 2 runs of the season.

The O-Royals are 5-2 and back in first for the moment. They go for 3 of 4 from the Express in tonight's finale as lefty Heath Phillips (1-0, 0.00) takes on Express righty Alberto Arias (0-1, 15.43).

AA - NW Arkansas: off day

The Naturals are 3-3 and open the home part of their schedule with the first of 3 against the San Antonio Missions (3-3, AA Padres) tonight. Anthony Lerew (0-0, 6.00) takes on Missions righty Will Inman (0-0, 4.50) in the opener. The Nats were 1-2 versus the Missions in the season opening set.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Kinston 2

SS Bianchi 2-5, 2B (2), HR, 3 RBI (4), RS -- .259
3B Moustakas 2-5, RBI (4), 2 RS, E -- .200
1B C. Robinson 2-4, RBI (3), K -- .364
2B Giavotella 0-3, BB, SF, RBI (10), K, E -- .217
CF D. Robinson 1-3, BB, S, RS, SB (5), OF assist at the plate -- .292, looking good thus far
LF Orlando 1-4, BB, K, RS, 2 SB -- .095
DH Ortiz 1-4, K, RS -- .292

Duffy 5 IP, 3 H, BB, 6 K, 2 WP -- W, 1-0, 0.93 ERA, niiiiiice
Villa 2 IP, 2 H -- 3.86 ERA
Rodriguez 2/3 IP, 2 UER, H, BB -- 6.75 ERA
Hartsock 1 1/3 IP, 2 H -- SV, 2, 0.00 ERA

*** Danny Duffy had a good, but not lengthy, start and the Rocks held on for the 6-2 win. With 2 out in the Wilmington 1st, Mike Moustakas singled and Jeff Bianchi started a nice day at the plate by doubling him home to give Duffy a 1-0 lead. Duffy had a spot of trouble in the 2nd as with 1 out and a man on 2nd, a single threatened to score a run but Derrick Robinson nailed the runner at the plate from center to keep the Tribe scoreless. Duffy rebounded to strike out the side in the 3rd and stranded 2 in the 4th. Johnny Giavotella made it 2-0 Rocks with a sac fly in the 5th and the Rocks rallied with 2 outs again in the 6th as Clint Robinson singled home a run to make it 3-0. The Rocks got some more insurance in a 3-run 7th as Moustakas cracked an RBI single and Bianchi went yard for his 1st homer of the season as the 2-run job made it 6-0. Craig Rodriguez was victimized by 2 errors behind him in the 8th as Moustakas and Giavotella committed miscues and 2 runs were in when Aaron Hartsock came in to strand 2. Hartsock worked around 2 hits in the 9th for his 2nd save. Starter Jeanmar Gomez took the loss for Kinston with 5 IP of 2 ER on 4 hits and 2 walks with a K to fall to 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA. 3B Lonnie Chisenhall and RF Matt Brown had 2 hits for the Tribe.

The Rocks are 4-3 and a game back of first. The series wraps up tonight as Eduardo Paulino (1-0, 3.00) takes the hill versus K-Tribe lefty Eric Berger (0-1, 4.50).

A - Burlington: Kane County 7, Bees 4 (7/G1)

DH Bonilla 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, RS -- .100
CF Van Stratten 1-2, 2 BB, 2B, RBI (2), RS, SB -- .176
1B Hosmer 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (2), 2 K -- .250
SS Alfaro 1-2, BB, S -- .111
RF Francis 0-0, 3 BB, RS, 2 SB -- .286, productive yet hitless night
C S. Perez 1-3, K, RS -- .111

Fisher 3 1/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, WP, E -- 5.40 ERA
Saito 2 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 K, WP -- L, 0-1, 7.71 ERA

*** The Bees saw a 4-0 lead go by the wayside as the Cougars got a comeback win in the doubleheader opener Wednesday. Nick Van Stratten led off the Bees 1st with a walk, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on an Eric Hosmer sac fly to give the Bees a 1-0 lead. Brent Fisher made his season debut and stranded 2 in the 1st. Nick Francis drew the first of his 3 walks on the day in the 2nd but was later thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice. The Bees left 2 in scoring position in the 3rd but Jose Bonilla drilled a 2-run double in the 4th and Van Stratten doubled in another run to make it 4-0 Bees. Fisher was doing well but that ended abruptly in the 4th as his inning went double, groundout, run-scoring Fisher throwing error, wild pitch, RBI triple, RBI single, walk. Derrick Saito came in and allowed the tying run to score before escaping the jam. Saito allowed the lead run to come across in the 5th and then 2 more runs scored on 3 hits in the 6th as the Cougars moved ahead, 7-4. RP Jamie Richmond stranded 1 in the 7th to get his 1st save. RP Josue Selenis got the win with 2 ER allowed on 3 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks over 2 IP to move to 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Starter Brett Hunter allowed 2 ER on a hit with 5 walks and 3 Ks over 3 IP to move his ERA to 6.00. SS Dusty Coleman was 3-3 with a double, triple, RBI and 2 RS and C Juan Nunez was 2-3 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 RS for Kane County.

Kane County 6, Bees 1 (7/G2, 1-hitter)

LF Van Stratten 1-3, K -- .200, Bees' only hit of the game
2B Jimenez 0-2, K, RS, SB -- .000
1B Hosmer 0-3, 3 K -- .211, hat trick
RF Francis 0-3, E -- .235

Casey 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- L, 0-2, 4.70 ERA
Thompson 1/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 2 H, 2 BB, HRA, WP, balk -- 13.50 ERA
B. Hardy IP, 2 H -- 0.00 ERA

*** The Bees were held to 1 hit by 2 Cougar pitchers and dropped both ends of the twinbill in dismal fashion. Antonio Jimenez reached on an error in the 3rd, stole second and advanced to third on another error, then scored on a wild pitch to give the Bees a 1-0 lead. Bees SP Bryan Casey stranded 2 in the 4th and was pulled with 2 on and 2 out in the 5th. James Thompson came in and gave up a grand slam to 3B Jason Christian and allowed 2 more runs on a Nick Francis error in right and a balk to make it 6-1 Cougars. Van Stratten led off the 7th with a single to avoid the no-hit bid but that was all she wrote for Burlington in the game. Starter Ben Hornbeck dominated the Bees to the tune of 1 UER on 0 hits, 0 walks and 6 Ks over 5 IP to win and move to 1-0 with a spotless ERA. RP Scott Deal finished off the win with 3 Ks in 2 IP. Christian's homer was his 1st of the season and his 4 RBI pushed his season total to 6 as he was 1-4 in the game. 1B Steve Kleen was 2-2 with a walk, RS, and his 2nd error to move to .409 on the season.

The Bees are 1-5 after the sweep of the double dip and already are 4 games out. A 4-game set at the Beloit Snappers (1-5, A Twins) starts tonight. Sam Runion (0-1, 13.50) takes on an unannounced Snappers starter. The Snappers roster features Twinkies prospects righty Shooter Hunt (6.43 ERA, 2.29 WHIP in 7 IP), OF Angel Morales (mighty .205 OPS in 19 AB), and righty Bobby Lanigan (3.60, 1.00 in 5 IP). The Snappers were themselves no-hit by Quad Cities Wednesday.