Royals on the Farm 5/2

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 8, Nashville 0 (2-hitter, 7/G1)

3B Metcalf 3-4, 2B (6), 2 RBI (14), 3 RS -- .292
RF Falu 1-2, BB, SF, 2B (3), 3 RBI (7) -- .281
LF Lubanski 2-3, BB, 2B (6), RBI (15) -- .321
DH Shealy 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (9), K -- .333
1B Ka'aihue 0-1, 2 BB, S, RS -- .234, Jirschele had him sac bunt with 2 on and 0 out in 5th, madness
2B Hulett 1-3, BB, K, RS -- .342
C House 0-2, 2 BB, RS -- .342

Hochevar 7 IP (CG), 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K -- W, 5-0, 1.13 ERA, first CG shutout of pro career

*** Luke Hochevar was again dominant and the O-Royals coasted to a win in the first of 2 with Nashville Saturday. Omaha didn't waste any time as the Royals loaded the bases with 1 out in the 1st, got a sac fly from Ryan Shealy, an RBI single from Travis Metcalf and a 2-run single from Irving Falu to post a 4-0 lead. Hochevar got 2 double plays behind him through 4 and Omaha padded the lead with a 3-run 5th on a Nashville error in right, a Metcalf RBI double and Chris Lubanski RBI single to make it 7-0. Falu added a sac fly in the 7th and Hochevar got another double play in the 6th before pitching a perfect 7th to finish the win. Sounds SP Chase Wright took the loss with 4 2/3 IP of 7 ER on 6 hits and 6 walks with 2 Ks to fall to 1-3 with a 5.74 ERA. CF Tony Gwynn Jr. was 1-3 to move to .287 and 2B Hernan Iribarren was 1-2 with his 3rd SB to move to .318. 3B Mat Gamel was 0-2 with a walk and 2 Ks to drop to .382.

Nashville 4, O-Royals 0 (3-hitter, 7/G2)

1B Shealy 1-2, BB, 2B (6) -- .338
3B Metcalf 1-3, 2 E (4) -- .293
RF Falu 1-3 -- .286
2B Hulett 0-3, K -- .329
DH Ka'aihue 0-3, 3 K -- .224
LF Lubanski 0-3 -- .310, has greatly cut down on Ks this season
C Tupman 0-2, K -- .000, season debut
SS Hernandez 0-2 -- .292, got call up

DiNardo 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 1-1, 3.68 ERA
Hamulack IP, nothing -- 7.00 ERA
Atencio IP, ER, 2 H, 3 K -- 5.79 ERA

*** Sounds starter Mike Burns turned the tables on the O-Royals in game 2 with a complete-game 3-hitter to split the twinbill. Omaha lefty Lenny DiNardo had a rough 1st as the Sounds scored 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 errors before DiNardo stranded 2 in scoring position. Omaha stranded 2 in the 2nd and the Sounds got a sac fly in their half to move it to 3-0. That was all the hits the Royals would get, tho, as Burns retired 17 of the last 18, with Shealy reaching on a walk in the 6th, and the Sounds picked up an insurance run that inning en route to the 4-0 win. Burns allowed 3 hits and a walk with 7 Ks in the complete game win to move to 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Iribarren was 2-3 with 2 doubles (8) and his 13th RBI along with a K and RS to move to .333. 1B Joe Koshansky (former Rockies prospect and Texas League terror) was 2-3 with a RS and his 1st SB of '09 to improve to .164. Gamel was 1-2 with a walk and his 27th RBI to move to .385.

Omaha is 13-9 and a 1/2 game back of first. Today's finale has been rained out. SS Luis Hernandez got the call to KC last night after TPJ broke a bone in his hand on a swing. C Matt Tupman, as noted, has also been activated from Omaha's DL while C Cody Clark was put on the DL. No replacement for Hernandez has been named yet on the team site.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 7, Naturals 2

1B McFall 1-3, BB, RBI (19), 2 K -- .257
RF Strait 1-2, 2 BB, RBI (4) -- .271
CF Duarte 1-4, BB, 3 K -- .296
LF Dickerson 0-4, S -- .203
SS Lisson 0-4, BB, K -- .188, think it's time for a DFA
DH Mertins 0-4, 3 K -- .281
C Howell 1-3, BB -- .333
2B McConnell 0-4, K -- .129
* NW Arkansas stranded 10.

Cortes 5 1/3 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- L, 0-4, 5.96 ERA, that's disappointing
de la Vara 1 2/3 IP, 2 UER, 4 H, 3 K -- 4.22 ERA
Marte IP, nothing -- 2.25 ERA
Crist IP, nothing -- 6.75 ERA

*** Arkansas SP Trevor Reckling didn't have as easy a go of it as he did his first AA start versus the Naturals but still got the win as a 5-run Travelers 6th was the gamebreaker. The Naturals got both their runs in the 1st as Brian McFall hit a 2-out RBI single and Cody Strait singled home a run before NWA stranded 2 in scoring position. Arkansas responded with a run in the 2nd on 3 hits off Dan Cortes and the Travs tied it in the 5th on a 2-out RBI double by CF Coby Smith. Reckling didn't allow another hit until the 5th and the Travelers put the game away in the 6th. One run was in and runners were at the corners with 1 out when Gilbert de la Vara came in and a fielding error by 3B Corey Smith allowed a run in before 2 other hits scored 3 runs to make it 7-2 Arkansas. NWA stranded 2 in the 6th and 8th and went down in order in the 9th. Reckling allowed 2 ER on 4 hits and 5 walks with 6 Ks over 6 IP to improve to 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. C Hank Conger was 3-5 with 2 RS to move to .273, two other Travs had 2 hits and 3 others had 2 RBI. Coby Smith was 2-5 with his 4th double, 2 RBI (9), RS and his 5th SB to move to .371.

The Naturals are 10-11 and 1 1/2 games back of first. The teams play game 2 of the set today as Anthony Lerew (1-0, 3.66) starts versus Travelers righty Tommy Mendoza (0-0, 5.79).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 10, Winston-Salem 5

DH Ortiz 3-4, 3 RBI (8) -- .286, out of 9 slot
1B C. Robinson 3-3, BB, 2 2B (10), 2 RBI (18), 3 RS -- .380
RF Walton 2-4, RBI (5), 2 K, 2 RS -- .294
SS Bianchi 2-4, BB, 2 2B (8), 2 RS -- .346
3B Moustakas 1-4, BB, RBI (18), K -- .275
2B Giavotella 1-5, 3B (3), RBI (13), RS, E (6) -- .243
C Eigsti 1-3, BB, RBI (7), RS -- .235
CF D. Robinson 0-4, BB, K -- .213
LF Lough 0-0, HBP, RS -- .329, left game going into 3rd after hit in leg with pitch

Duffy 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K, pickoff, WP -- W, 3-1, 4.21 ERA
Villa 4 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 6 H, 2 K -- SV, 1, 3.06 ERA

*** Three 3-run innings helped Wilmington pick up the win Saturday. The Rocks got started in the 2nd with 3 runs on a 2-run Clint Robinson double and an Adrian Ortiz RBI single. Danny Duffy picked off a Dash runner in the 1st and then stranded the bases full in the 4th. The Rocks struck again with 3 runs in the 4th on RBI singles by Ryan Eigsti and Ortiz and an RBI groundout by Johnny Giavotella before leaving 'em loaded. Winston-Salem got back in the game in the 6th as Duffy gave up a run on 2 hits before getting pulled for Kelvin Villa, who proceeded to allow 3 more runs in the inning on 3 hits and a Giavotella error. The Rocks struck for 3 runs again in the 7th to gain some breathing room as Jamar Walton hit an RBI single and Ortiz hit a 2-run, 2-out bases-loaded single to make it 9-4 as Eigsti was thrown out at third on the play to pull a Berroa and end the inning. The Dash scratched out a run on 2 hits in the 8th but Wilmington got the run back on a Mike Moustakas RBI groundout, and Villa got a double play in the 9th to help finish off a 4-inning save for his 1st of the season. Dash SP Anthony Carter took the loss with 4 IP of 6 runs (5 ER) on 7 hits and 3 walks with 0 K to drop to 2-2 with a 4.82 ERA. Three Dash had 2 hits and C Adam Ricks had 2 RBI to move to 5 on the season. CF Jordan Danks was 2-4 with a walk and his 9th double and was picked off while improving to .340. RF Salvador Sanchez had 2 hits and drove in his 22nd run to move to .240. LF Christian Marrero was 1-3 with a walk, K, RS and an OF assist at third to move to .384.

The Rocks are 12-11 and 2 games back of first. Today's finale has been rained out and will be made up in June.

A - Burlington: West Michigan 8, Bees 2

CF Norris 2-4, 2 K, RS, 2 SB (8) -- .230, showing more production in 9 hole
2B F. Garcia 1-2, 2 BB, RBI, RS, SB (2), E -- .429
SS Alfaro 1-4, 2 K, SB (2), E (2) -- .176
1B Hosmer 0-2, 2 K -- .224, pulled going into 4th
RF Francis 0-3, BB, K, SB (4) -- .314
C McCauley 0-4 -- .159
DH Bonilla 0-4, 2 K -- .182

Fisher 4 2/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K -- L, 0-2, 6.19 ERA
Baez 1 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, WP -- 4.11 ERA
Thompson 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 5.56 ERA
J. Garcia IP, ER, H, 2 K, HRA -- 2.31 ERA

*** The Whitecaps started scoring in the 4th and didn't stop until bagging an 8-2 win. The Bees scored a run in the 1st on a 2-out run scoring passed ball to take a 1-0 lead. The Bees left the bases full in the 2nd and took the 1-0 lead into the 4th, although top prospect Eric Hosmer was pulled from the game after striking out twice, once swinging, once looking. Brent Fisher didn't cruise through the first 2 innings but had a relatively quick 3rd before West Michigan took the lead in the 4th on a hit batsman and 2 hits that produced a 2-1 Whitecaps lead. The Bees rallied to tie the game with 2 out in the bottom of the 4th on a Patrick Norris single and steal and a Fernando Garcia RBI single. The Whitecaps regained the lead for good in the 5th on a Garcia error and RBI double off Fisher and 2 hits for another run off Manauris Baez. Baez allowed another run in the 6th to make it 5-2 and Baez and James Thompson gave up 2 runs in the 7th to make it 7-2. Justin Garcia served up a solo homer to 2B Luis Palacios (his 2nd) in the 9th and RP Victor Larez retired 15 of 16 he faced for the win. Larez allowed only a hit with 8 Ks over 5 IP of relief to improve to 1-1 with a 2.95 ERA. Starter Luke Putkonen allowed 2 runs (1 ER) on 5 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks over 4 IP to move his ERA to 1.57. Palacios was 3-5 with his 3rd double, the homer, and 3 RBI (7) with a K and 2 RS to move to .211 and LF Billy Nowlin was 3-3 with a walk, his 5th double, 16th RBI and 3 RS to move to .396. Two others also had 2 hits for the Whitecaps.

The Bees are 6-15. Game 2 is under way as Bryan Casey (0-3, 4.50) starts versus Whitecaps lefty Mauricio Robles (2-1, 3.92).