Royals on the Farm 4/25

AAA - Omaha: rainout

The home game with Oklahoma City was rained out and will be made up as part of a Monday doubleheader. The series instead opens today with Luke Hochevar and Doug Mathis starting, as was planned yesterday.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 4, Naturals 1

RF Parraz 2-4 -- .318
CF Strait 1-4, 2B (2), RS -- .235
2B Mertins 1-4, K -- .317
LF Dickerson 1-4, 2 K -- .208
SS McConnell 0-3, K -- .150

Kniginyzky 4 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 0-1, 4.20 ERA, 80 pitches
Hayes 2 IP, ER, 4 H, BB -- 2.08 ERA
Nicoll IP, H, K -- 0.96 ERA
Crist IP, H -- 9.53 ERA

*** The Naturals offense was again sluggish but this time the pitching wasn't strong enough to pick it up as Arkansas earned at least a split of the 4-game set. Starter Matt Kniginyzky labored somewhat through the first before stranding 2 and then gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in the 3rd to spot the Travelers a 2-0 lead. 2B Ryan Mount went long for his 2nd homer of the season for a solo shot in the 4th and Kniginyzky would strand 2 more in scoring position before getting pulled for Chris Hayes to start the 5th. The Naturals scored their run in the 5th as Cody Strait led off with a double and scored on a Travelers throwing error. The Nats stranded 2 and Arkansas got the run back off Hayes in the 6th on 3 hits and a walk before leaving the bases full. The Naturals had a baserunner in each of the last 3 innings but made nothing of them as RP David Herndon picked up his 2nd save. Starter Trevor Bell got the win with 7 IP of an UER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 6 Ks to improve to 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA. C Hank Conger and LF Nate Sutton had 3 hits each for Arkansas while Mount and CF Peter Bourjos had 2 hits each. Mount's HR also counted as his 11th RBI and Bourjos hit his 3rd triple with 2 RBI (8) and his 8th SB to improve to .321.

NWA is 7-8 and 3 games back of first. The Naturals will try to salvage a split in today's finale as Dan Cortes (0-2, 7.71) tries to get on track versus Arkansas lefty Trevor Reckling, making his AA debut.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Winston-Salem 14, Blue Rocks 13

CF D. Robinson 3-6, 2B, 2 RBI (7), 3 RS, 2 SB (11) -- .250
1B C. Robinson 3-4, BB, 2 2B (7), RBI (12), 2 RS -- .383, finally in cleanup spot
3B Moustakas 2-5, 2B (4), HR (4), 2 RBI (15), 2 RS, E (2) -- .279, he's producing
LF Orlando 2-5, 3B, RBI (6), RS, OF assist at home -- .170
2B Seratelli 2-5, 2B (2), RS, SB -- .267
SS Bianchi 1-5, BB, RBI (7), 2 K -- .290
RF Lough 1-4, BB, RBI (13), RS, SB (2), OF assists at third and home -- .339
DH Walton 1-4, BB, RBI (4), K, 2 RS -- .286, getting some PT and producing
C Eigsti 1-3, BB, SF, RBI (5), RS -- .263

Godin 2/3 IP, 8 R (2 ER), 4 H, 4 BB, K -- 2.89 ERA, yowza
Chavez 3 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 3.46 ERA
Liotta 3 IP, 6 H, BB -- 7.50 ERA
Sisk IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K -- BS, 1, L, 0-1, 3.86 ERA

*** The Rocks came back from 8-2 and 11-9 deficits but the bullpen couldn't hold a late lead as the teams combined for 37 hits on the game (a Rocks franchise record). Derrick Robinson singled and stole 2 bases in the 1st then scored on a Mike Moustakas double before Clint Robinson singled home Moustakas to make it 2-0 Rocks. Jason Godin was in trouble from the first batter he faced in the bottom of the 1st as he wouldn't last the inning. A walk and Moustakas error put the first 2 batters on and the rest of Godin's outing went swinging K, RBI single, walk, 2-run single, RBI groundout, RBI single, 2 walks, 3-run double before Chris Chavez came in to get the final out with Wilmington down, 8-2. The Rocks got 3 runs back in the 2nd on a 2-run Derrick Robinson single aided by a Dash error, and another run-scoring Dash error to cut it to 8-5. Paulo Orlando and Anthony Seratelli combined to throw a runner out at the plate in the 2nd as Chavez stranded the bases loaded and the Rocks tied the game in the 3rd on a Jamar Walton RBI single, Ryan Eigsti sac fly and run-scoring wild pitch. Clint Robinson hit a 2-out double in the 4th and scored on a David Lough single and the Rocks had a hard-fought 9-8 lead. The lead didn't last long as Chavez gave up 3 runs in the WS 4th on 5 hits and a walk before, again, leaving the bases full. Again, the Rocks wouldn't go away as they got it tied in the 5th on a 2-out Derrick Robinson RBI double and Jeff Bianchi RBI single. Lough had 2 outfield assists in the 5th in support of Ray Liotta out of the bullpen and Wilmington kept the Dash off the board. The game stayed 11-11 into the 8th when Moustakas clubbed his 4th homer of the season for a solo shot and Orlando hit an RBI triple to make it 13-11 Rocks. Brandon Sisk came on for the 8th and struggled for the first time this season as, with 2 out and a man at second, 2 walks and a 3-run double by RF Salvador Sanchez swung the lead to the Dash, 14-13. The Rocks got the tying runner to third with 2 out in the 9th but Bianchi struck out to end the game as Santo Luis picked up his 2nd save. RP Henry Mabee got the win with 2 IP of 2 ER on 2 hits and 2 walks with a K to move to 2-0 with a 4.00 ERA. Starter Matt Long lasted only 3 IP, giving up 8 runs (6 ER) on 7 hits and 3 walks to move his ERA to 8.66. LF Christian Marrero led the Dash with a 4-5 night at the plate with 2 RBI (10) and 2 RS to move to .385. Three other Dash batters had 3-hit games and three others had 2-hit games. Sanchez was 3-6 with his 4th double and 4 RBI (17) along with a K, an OF assist at second and his 1st error as he improved to .108. CF Jordan Danks had 3 hits, including 2 doubles (7) along with 2 walks and his 11th RBI, 2 RS and his 4th SB in improving to .324.

The Rocks are 9-8 and 2 games back. The series wraps up today as Danny Duffy (2-0, 2.30) takes the hill versus Dash righty Anthony Carter (1-1, 4.50).

A - Burlington: Bees 3, Clinton 1

RF Francis 3-5, 2B (4), RBI (10), 2 K, RS -- .413, staying hot, GW RBI
2B Jimenez 3-4, 2B, RBI (3), SB (2) -- .212
DH McCauley 2-4, 2B (5) -- .211
PH-DH D. Wood 1-1, 2B, RBI -- .250
SS Alfaro 0-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .211
1B Hosmer 1-3, 2 BB -- .152, OPS is .455, slugging only .196 thus far
CF Norris 1-4, picked off -- .171, bumped down to 9 slot
*The Bees stranded 12.

Cota 5 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K, WP -- 3.00 ERA
J. Garcia 3 IP, 3 H, 3 K -- W, 1-0, 1.17 ERA
Bowden IP, H, K -- SV, 2, 0.00 ERA

*** It took a late rally but the Bees got their 4th win. The Bees stranded 7 over the first 3 innings, including leaving 'em loaded in the 3rd, and Clinton took the lead with a run on 2 walks, a hit and wild pitch off Luis Cota in the 3rd. Cota stranded 2 in the 4th but Clinton still had a 1-0 lead going into the 8th. Sean McCauley led off that inning with a double and Antonio Jimenez came through with the key 2-out RBI double to tie the game. Justin Garcia stranded 2 in the 8th and the Bees finally rallied in the 9th as Nick Francis hit a 2-out RBI double and scored on a pinch-hit RBI double by David Wood to make it 3-1 Bees. Barry Bowden got a double play to end it for his 2nd save. RP Blake Nation took his first blown save and the loss with 1 1/3 IP of 2 ER on 3 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to drop to 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA. Starter Adam Harben pitched 4 scoreless innings of 6 hits and 2 walks with a K to drop his ERA to 1.50. CF Denny Almonte and DH Scott Savastano had 2 hits for Clinton. Savastano hit his 1st triple of the season in improving to .351.

The Bees are 4-10. Game 2 of the set is today as Zach Peterson (1-1, 3.86) starts versus Clinton righty Kenn Kasparek (0-2, 12.79).