Royals on the Farm 6/8

It's MLB draft night! Now they stretch it into 3 days, which to me seems goofy, but once you get TV involved, the logic goes out the window. I'm hoping for a pure SS, a C with potential and a AA-ready pitcher in the first 3 rounds tonight, in that order. After that I don't care. I'm tired of the glaring hole in the 6-hole year after year after mind-numbing year. Aviles last year doesn't count, he's a born 2B. Although it would have been nice if he'd shown some more of that thus far instead of having a horrible 2009. The Royals have tested my patience this season. EDIT: I forgot the Royals lost their second rounder for Juan Cruz. The AA-ready pitcher will have to wait.

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 7, O-Royals 4

LF Thorman 3-4, HR (9), RBI (20), RS -- .267, has thrived for Omaha
DH Buchanan 2-5, 2B (5), HR (3), 3 RBI (7), RS -- .275
3B Metcalf 2-4, K -- .255
2B Hulett 1-5, 2 K, RS -- .309
1B Ka'aihue 1-5, 2 K -- .280
C House 1-4, K -- .287
SS Lisson 1-4, K -- .241

Duckworth 7 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, 7 K, HRA, WP -- 4.79 ERA
Hamulack 2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 K, HRA -- L, 2-2, 8.25 ERA

*** Omaha came back to tie the game twice but a third time wasn't in the cards as the Royals bullpen took another L. Brandon Duckworth stranded 2 Sounds in the 2nd and Scott Thorman got Omaha started with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning for his 9th of the season. Nashville countered with 2 runs in the 3rd on 3 hits off Duckworth to take the lead. Brian Buchanan doubled home a run to tie the game in the 3rd but the Royals stranded 2 and Sounds SS Alcides Escobar hit a 2-run homer in the 5th (his 3rd) to make it 4-2 Nashville. Buchanan stepped back up in the 5th and slammed a 2-out, 2-run homer for his 3rd of the season to retie it at 4. The Royals stranded 2 in the 5th and 6th and Hamulack gave up a double then a 2-run homer to RF Brendan Katin (his 13th) to start the 8th and put Omaha down. A sac fly later in the inning made it 7-4 and the Royals stranded 1 in the 9th. RP Chris Narveson worked 3 1/3 shutout innings with a hit allowed and 6 Ks to improve to 3-3 with a 3.55 ERA. Starter Chase Wright allowed 4 ER on 12 hits and a K over 5 1/3 IP to move his ERA to 4.34. Escobar was 3-5 with his 3rd triple, the HR and 3 RBI (21) with 2 RS to move to .309. Three others had 2 hits for the Sounds. Katin's homer gave him 2 RBI (47).

The O-Royals are 24-35 and 9 1/2 games out in the cellar of the PCL American North. They have two days off for the monumental, grandaddy-of-em-all road trips, the 15-game CWS hike.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 7, Frisco 6

RF Parraz 1-3, BB, HBP, HR (3), 2 RBI (33), K, RS -- .352
1B C. Smith 1-5, HR (11), 2 RBI (41), K, RS, SB (7) -- .249
LF Strait 1-4, RBI (16), K -- .294
CF Duarte 1-4, BB, 3B (2), 2 RS, OF assist at second -- .280
2B Mertins 1-5, RS, SB (5) -- .304
SS McConnell 1-4 -- .224

Kniginyzky 5 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 5 BB, 2 K, WP, pickoff -- W, 2-6, 6.61 ERA
de la Vara 2 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 4.97 ERA
Hartsock 2 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 K -- SV, 2, 4.32 ERA

*** The Naturals held off the RoughRiders to take the series finale. With 1 out and Jose Duarte at third after a leadoff triple in the 1st, Jordan Parraz smoked his 3rd homer of the year and Corey Smith made it back-to-back jacks with his 11th homer to spot the Naturals a 3-0 lead. Matt Kniginyzky wouldn't get through the 1st without damage, tho, either, as a 2-out, 2-run double and RBI single tied the game at 3. Frisco stranded 2 in the 2nd and NWA loaded the bases with 1 out in the 3rd only to get 1 run on a wild pitch for a 4-3 lead. A throwing error by Frisco SP Kasey Kiker scored a Nats run in the 4th and Smith hit an RBI forceout to make it 6-3 before NWA left 2 in scoring position. Frisco manufactured a run in the 5th and then scored a run off Gilbert de la Vara in the 6th before stranding 2 down, 6-5. Cody Strait hit an RBI single in the 8th to get to the Frisco pen for a run and the Nats would need the insurance. Aaron Hartsock stranded 2 in the 8th but allowed a leadoff triple in the 9th that the Riders turned into a run. Hartsock recovered to get the final out, tho, for his 2nd save. Kiker took the loss with 6 runs (4 ER) allowed on 7 hits and 2 walks with a K to fall to 3-4 with a 3.40 ERA. Four Riders had multi-hit games. LF Tim Smith was 3-5 with his 2nd double and 1st 2 Frisco RBI of '09, a K and 2 RS to move to .313. RF Mitchell Moreland also had 2 RBI (10).

The Nats are 27-28 and 4 games back. They have today off.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 1, Salem 0 (4-hitter)

3B Moustakas 2-3, BB -- .273
LF Ortiz 1-3, 2 K, RS, 2 SB (9), OF assist at home -- .254
CF D. Robinson 0-4 -- .231
2B Giavotella 0-2, 2 BB -- .214
SS Bianchi 0-4, SB (12) -- .305
1B C. Robinson 0-3, K -- .284

Santiago 8 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K -- W, 3-5, 4.02 ERA, nice
Sisk IP, 3 K -- SV, 5, 2.92 ERA, dominant save

*** Wilmington only had 3 hits to Salem's 4 but one of 2 Red Sox errors came back to haunt Salem in the loss. Adrian Ortiz hit a 1-out single in the 3rd, stole second, then stole third with 2 outs and scored on a throwing error by C Luis Exposito. Wilmington stranded 2 in the 4th and Ortiz kept Salem off the board in the 5th with an assist at the plate via relay man Jeff Bianchi. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 8th and Brandon Sisk struck out the side in the 9th for his 5th save. Salem SP Kyle Weiland took the loss with 6 IP of an unearned run on 2 hits and 3 walks with 3 Ks to drop to 1-6 with a 5.50 ERA. RF Jason Place was 2-3 with his 18th double and a K to move to .267.

The Rocks are 31-26 and 5 1/2 games back. Game 2 with Salem is tonight as Everett Teaford (6-1, 2.68) faces Salem righty Seth Garrison (2-6, 6.27). The Blue Rocks have a 20-inning scoreless streak going on the mound. The bullpen has a 24 1/3 IP scoreless streak going.

A - Burlington: Bees 2, Cedar Rapids 1

C Bonilla 2-4, HR (2), RBI (15), K, RS, E (7) -- .233
DH Fontaine 2-4, HR, RBI (5), 2 K, RS -- .229
CF Dyson 1-4, K, CS (2) -- .444
RF Van Stratten 1-3, BB, OF assist at second -- .343
Francis DNP -- I wanna know what he did to piss Gabella/the organization off

Montgomery 6 IP, ER, 5 H, K, WP, pickoff -- W, 1-1, 2.57 ERA
Z. Peterson IP, K -- 3.82 ERA
Barrera IP, BB, 2 K -- 13.50 ERA
Bowden IP, BB, K -- SV, 6, 2.59 ERA

*** Mike Montgomery picked up his first A win as Burlington used consecutive homers to overcome the Kernels. The Kernels got their run on 2 hits in the 1st as a 1-out sac fly scored a run but also ended the inning as Nick Van Stratten and David Wood combined to get a runner at second to end the rally. Jose Bonilla led off the 2nd with his 2nd homer of the season and Chase Fontaine replicated the feat for his 1st in the organization to make it 2-1 Bees. Montgomery left a runner at third in the 5th and the Bees stranded 2 in the 7th. Henry Barrera stranded a runner at third in the 8th and Barry Bowden got a double play in the 9th to help him to his 6th save. CR SP Manaurys Correa took the loss with 6 IP of 2 ER allowed on 6 hits and a walk and a K to fall to 2-4 with a 4.69 ERA. DH Roberto Lopez was 2-4 with a K to move to .233. RF Angel Castillo drove in his 24th run.

The Bees are 25-31 and 9 1/2 games out. They go for the sweep tonight as Bryan Casey (4-4, 2.83) faces Kernels righty Ryan Chaffee (5-1, 2.70).