Royals on the Farm 7/30

You've gotta love trade deadline day in MLB. I'm a transactions nut so it's the best time of the MLB season for me. I'm hoping the Royals pull the trigger on a Teahen, DeJesus or Bloomquist deal, and Bannister could go too, if the price is right. There's no reason to be over-possessive of guys that aren't helping us win now, anyway. The former "Wait until '08!" crowd is now crying "Wait until '11!" but I'll believe it when Moore produces it. Very little he's done to this point makes me think he can pull off the big moves. Kinda sours my deadline day as a Royals fan. But I hold true to the Shawshank Redemption's tenet that "hope is a good thing."

AAA - Omaha: Iowa 6, O-Royals 1

3B Lisson 1-3, 2B (10), RBI (25), K, E (13) -- .244
DH Hulett 0-4, K -- .311
LF Lubanski 0-3, BB -- .298, finally back in AAA action
RF Parraz 0-3, K -- .000
Ka'aihue DNP -- hope if that's a sign, and not just a day off, it's a callup and not a trade

Hughes 4 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- L, 0-2, 4.24 ERA
Yabuta 2 IP, ER, 3 H, K -- 3.53 ERA
Rosa 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- 4.92 ERA
Hamulack IP, H -- 5.44 ERA

*** The I-Cubs victimized Dusty Hughes and Omaha could amass only a meager 4 hits in the loss to Iowa. The Cubs scored 2 in the 1st off Hughes, then piled on 3 in the 2nd on 3 hits and a walk to make it 5-0. Mario Lisson hit an RBI double in the 2nd to get Omaha on the board but Iowa SP J.R. Mathes retired 15 of the last 18 he faced. Yas Yabuta allowed a run in the 5th to make it 6-1 Iowa and Omaha didn't threaten again. Mathes picked up the win with 7 IP of an unearned run on 4 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to move to 10-5 with a 3.64 ERA. LF John-Ford Griffin had 3 hits, including his 17th double, plus his 24th RBI in moving to .283. RF So Taguchi had 2 hits and 2 RBI (19) and 2B Darwin Barney drove in 2 runs (8) for the Cubs.

Omaha is 43-61. Game 4 is tonight as the Royals try to take 3 of 4. Kyle Davies (4-2, 2.06) is set to start versus Iowa righty Esmailin Caridad (5-10, 4.35).

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 8, Naturals 1

2B Mertins 2-3, BB, RBI (45) -- .284
CF Dyson 2-4, RS, 2 SB (16), OF assist at third -- .277
SS Bianchi 0-4, 2 K -- .348
RF Lough 0-4, OF assist at third -- .347
DH V. Wilson 0-2, 2 BB -- .342
C Clark 0-3, BB, K, E (3) -- .320
LF Duarte 1-4, 2 K, OF assist at first -- .252, all 3 OFs had an assist on the night

Kniginyzky 6 2/3 IP, 4 R (1 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- L, 4-8, 4.96 ERA
de la Vara 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, BB, K -- 5.04 ERA

*** The game was tight going into the bottom of the 7th but was anything but tight thereafter as Tulsa ran away to take 3 of 4 in the series. NWA stranded 2 in the 1st and Tulsa took the lead in the 3rd off Matt Kniginyzky, although Jose Duarte turned a double play from LF to first to cut the rally short. Tulsa scratched out another run thanks to a Naturals error in the 5th but Kurt Mertins hit an RBI single in the 7th to cut the lead to 2-1. Kniginyzky was pulled with 2 on and 2 out in the 7th and Gilbert de la Vara allowed 4 runs to score before the dust settled. Tulsa poured on 2 more runs in the 8th to get the 8-1 win. Starter Chaz Roe worked 6 2/3 IP of an ER allowed on 6 hits and 4 walks with 5 Ks to move to 4-2 with a 3.30 ERA. Four Drillers had 2 hits and CF Cole Garner drove in 2 runs (47).

The Naturals are 21-12 and now only a game up on first. A 4-game home set with the Springfield Cardinals (14-18) starts tonight. Rowdy Hardy (2-1, 3.32) faces Cards righty Scott Gorgen (1-3, 5.23) in game 1. The Naturals are 14-10 versus the Cards, including winners of the last 4.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 4, Salem 3

2B Giavotella 2-4, 2B (15), RBI (36) -- .254
SS Seratelli 2-2, BB, RS, SB (14), E (17) -- .288
DH C. Robinson 1-2, 2 SF, 2 RBI (42) -- .287
CF D. Robinson 1-4, 3B (3), 2 RS, SB (51) -- .225
3B Moustakas 0-2, 2 BB, K -- .249, hey, he took a couple walks
1B Hosmer 1-4, 2 K -- .237
RF Van Stratten 1-4, K -- .143

Santiago 5 IP, 3 ER, 11 H, 2 K, WP -- 4.26 ERA, lucky to only give up 3 ER
Rivas 2 IP, nothing -- W, 3-3, 5.80 ERA
Basurto 2 IP, H, 3 BB, K -- SV, 1, 2.08 ERA

*** A 2-run 7th proved to be the key in the Rocks' 6th straight win. Mario Santiago pitched BP in the 1st as Salem scored 2 runs on 4 hits. Derrick Robinson led off the Rocks 1st with a triple and scored on a Clint Robinson sac fly to cut the lead to 2-1. Wilmington tied it on a Johnny Giavotella RBI double in the 3rd but Santiago gave up another run in the 5th on 2 extra-base hits. Salem held the 3-2 lead into the 7th, when the first 2 Rocks reached base. A passed ball scored the tying run and Clint Robinson hit the go-ahead sac fly to make it 4-3. Salem had runners at the corners with 1 out in the 9th off Eric Basurto but Basurto ended up leaving the bases full to tightrope to his 1st save. RP Armando Zerpa blew his 1st save and took the loss with 2 ER allowed in 2 IP to fall to 0-2 with a 3.55 ERA. Starter Kyle Weiland allowed 2 ER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks over 5 IP to move his ERA to 3.92. Five Sox had multiple hits led by a 3-hit night from CF Kris Negron, who also stole his 19th base. RF Dan Nava had 2 hits and drove in his 12th run to improve to .351.

The Rocks are 19-14 and 3 1/2 games back while on a 6-game win streak. Game 2 with the Red Sox is tonight as Mike Montgomery (0-0, 1.93) makes his 2nd Wilmington start versus Salem righty Bryan Price (1-6, 6.54).

A - Burlington: West Michigan 3, Bees 2

C Bonilla 2-4, RS -- .227
LF Griffin 2-4, K -- .333
1B D. Wood 0-3, SF, RBI (37), K -- .247
CF Norris 0-3, BB, RS, 2 SB (37), OF assist at second -- .258
DH Ortiz 0-3, S -- .225
RF Francis 0-4, 3 K -- .255, has been kind of a hot-or-cold season for Francis
SS R. Wood 0-3, S, K -- .167

Lehmann 5 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 4.59 ERA
R. Pena 2 2/3 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, 2 K -- BS, 1, L, 1-2, 5.09 ERA

*** A 2-0 Burlington lead fell apart in the 6th as the Whitecaps took the series. The Bees manufactured a run without a hit in the 1st as Patrick Norris walked, stole second, advanced on a bunt and scored on a David Wood sac fly to make it 1-0. A West Michigan error scored a Bees run in the 2nd but the Bees left the bases full. Mike Lehmann left the bases full in the WM 2nd as well and then stranded 2 in the 5th to take a 3-hit shutout into the 6th. Two 1-out Lehmann wild pitches in the 6th helped the Whitecaps score their first run and Riquy Pena came in to load the bases before a 2-run single gave the Whitecaps a 3-2 lead. Fifteen of the last 16 Bees went down. Starter Brayan Villarreal allowed 2 runs (1 ER) on 3 hits and 2 walks with 7 Ks over 6 IP to move to 4-1 with a 1.40 ERA. RP Tyler Stohr notched his 15th save. RF Avisail Garcia had 2 hits and 2 RBI (23) along with his 7th SB to move to .254.

The Bees are 14-18 and 5 games out. A 3-game set at the Dayton Dragons (14-18, A Reds) starts tonight with Manauris Baez (5-4, 3.57) facing Dayton righty Curtis Partch (8-7, 4.67). The Bees are 1-2 versus the Dragons.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 4, Orem 1 (2-hitter)

SS D. Batista 2-4, 2B (3), HR (8), 2 RBI (31), K, 2 RS -- .317
RF Testa 2-4, 2B (7), HR (5), 2 RBI (18), K, RS -- .318
3B Morales 2-2, RS -- .308
DH S. Perez 1-4 -- .276
C Theriot 0-4 -- .315
3B Stovall 0-1 -- .182
CF Cooper 1-3, K -- .157

Marimon 5 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K, WP -- W, 1-3, 6.92 ERA, best start I've seen from Sugar Ray
Lafferty 4 IP, 2 BB, 7 K, WP -- SV, 2, 3.47 ERA, very nice outing

*** Sugar Ray Marimon and Brendan Lafferty held the Owlz in check as the Chukars salvaged the series finale. Carlo Testa hit an RBI double in the 1st to give IF the lead and the Chukars left 2 in scoring position in the 2nd. Testa led off the 3rd with his 5th homer of the season to make it 2-0. Orem got a run in the 4th to cut the lead in half but Deivy Batista clubbed a 2-out, 2-run homer in the 4th for his 8th of the season to make it 4-1 Idaho Falls. Lafferty allowed only 2 Owlz to reach in the last 4 innings to lock down his 2nd pro save. Orem SP Orangel Arenas took the loss with 4 ER allowed on 8 hits and a walk with 3 Ks over 4 IP to fall to 1-3 with a 5.46 ERA.

The Chukars are 19-14 and 2 games out going into a pivotal 3-game home set with the division-leading Ogden Raptors (22-13, Rookie Dodgers) to end the first half. One loss means the Chukars' hopes to win the division in the first half are done. No announced starters on the team site. The Chukars are 1-2 versus the Raptors.

Rookie - Burlington: Danville 3, B-Royals 1

1B D. Cruz 0-3, RBI (3), K -- .200
LF Pickett 1-4, 3 K, SB (12) -- .286
RF Del Rosario 0-4, 3 K -- .294
C Moctezuma 0-3, K -- .296

Sample 6 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, BB, 5 K, pickoff, E -- L, 0-2, 4.87 ERA, good start, tho, for the most part
D. De La Cruz 3 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K -- 3.71 ERA

*** The Royals again had more errors than hits, 4-3, which is never a good recipe. Burlington made errors in the first 2 innings but only 1 ended up costing them a run. Danville capitalized on another Royal error in the 5th to take a 2-0 lead and Braves SP Julio Teheran took a perfect game into the 6th. Victor Soto broke it up with a 2-out triple in that inning but the Royals didn't break up the shutout until Diego Cruz hit an RBI groundout in the 8th. Deybi De La Cruz allowed an insurance run in the 9th and the Royals left the would-be tying run at third in the bottom of the inning as RP Casey Hodges got his 2nd save for the Braves. Teheran allowed an ER on 2 hits and a walk with 11 Ks over 8 IP to improve to 2-1 with a 2.68 ERA. No Brave had more than a hit. C Osman Marval scored twice for Danville.

The B-Royals are 10-26. A 3-game set at the Elizabethton Twins (25-9) starts tonight with an as-yet unannounced starter taking on Twins righty Tom Stuifbergen (3-0, 3.46). The Royals are 0-3 versus the Twins.

Rookie - AZL: off day

The 1-3 Royals face the 3-1 Giants tonight.

Royals on the Farm 7/29

Fairly late post today, life got in the way...the Royals and Luke Hochevar got whipped by Baltimore, and the Royals traded cash to Detroit for OF Josh Anderson, which probably means Mitch Maier is headed back to Omaha, perhaps for good. I think it's telling that Detroit sold him within the division, surely they wouldn't do that if they thought he was gonna do any damage. But he is a former Brave and Astro, which makes him much more attractive to Dayton Moore and Astros-owner-buddy-KC-owner David Glass. Will Teahen get dealt to the Cubs? That's the rumor. I'm hoping for SS Darwin Barney in the deal, but will probably get 2 A-ball pitchers coming into the organization instead.

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 5, Iowa 0 (Omaha's 14th shutout, best in PCL)

DH Hulett 3-4, 2B (21), HR (7), RBI (42), RS -- .316
SS Hernandez 2-3, BB, 2B (5), RBI (14), RS -- .284
CF Raines Jr. 2-4, RBI (9), K -- .214
C House 2-3, BB, 2B (17), RS -- .253
2B Falu 1-5, RBI (33), K -- .260
3B Metcalf 1-3, BB, RBI (46), RS -- .222
1B Ka'aihue 0-2, 2 BB, RS -- .260, leads PCL with 80 walks
RF Parraz 0-4, 2 K -- .000
* The Royals turned 4 DPs.

DiNardo 6 IP, 8 H, BB, 4 K -- W, 7-4, 3.26 ERA, been involved in 5 of Omaha's 14 shutouts
Marte 2 IP, H, 2 BB, K -- 3.10 ERA
Waechter IP, H -- 4.91 ERA

*** Lenny DiNardo helped Omaha to its 14th shutout along with assistance from Victor Marte and Doug Waechter. Omaha left the bases loaded in the 1st but took the lead on an Irving Falu RBI single in the 2nd. DiNardo stranded 2 in the 3rd and Travis Metcalf and Tim Raines Jr. hit RBI singles in the bottom of the inning before Metcalf was nabbed at the plate to end the inning. Tug Hulett went solo in the 4th for his 7th homer of the season to make it 4-0 O-Royals. Luis Hernandez finished the scoring with an RBI double in the 8th. Iowa ended up stranding 8 in the game. Starter Greg Reinhard took the loss with 2 2/3 IP of 3 ER on 5 hits and 3 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 2-4 with a 4.89 ERA. 2B Aaron Miles had 3 hits and Barney and C Chris Robinson had 2 hits for the Cubs. Robinson is hitting .325, while Barney is hitting .241. CF Matt Camp had 4 OF assists as the Royals helped Iowa out on the basepaths.

The O-Royals are 43-60. Game 3 is under way as Dusty Hughes (0-1, 3.64) started against Iowa lefty J.R. Mathes (9-5, 3.93). OF Chris Lubanski has been added back to the Omaha roster after ripping it up in rehab in the AZL.

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 2, Naturals 1 (7/G1)

C V. Wilson 1-2, BB, RBI (19) -- .349
CF Duarte 1-3, 2B (11) -- .252
2B Mertins 0-3, K -- .283
SS Bianchi 0-3, K -- .358
RF Lough 1-3, K -- .351

Teaford 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K, HRA, pickoff -- L, 3-4, 4.99 ERA

*** Both teams had only 4 hits and 2 Tulsa runs in the 2nd proved enough for the win in the first of two Wednesday. NWA stranded 2 in the 2nd and Tulsa moved ahead on a 2-run homer by DH Cole Garner (his 10th) as one pitch ended up meaning a loss for Everett Teaford. Tulsa starter Brandon Durden retired 13 of 14 going into the 7th but the first two Nats reached to bring in RP Andrew Johnston. Vance Wilson came through with an RBI single to put the tying run at third with 1 out but David Lough was thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice and Marc Maddox hit a game-ending forceout as Johnston got his 27th save. Durden allowed an ER on 3 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks over 6 IP to move to 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA. Garner's HR gave him 2 RBI (45). Four Drillers had a hit each.

Naturals 5, Tulsa 1 (7/G2)

RF Lough 2-3, HR (4), 2 RBI (17), RS -- .361
1B C. Smith 2-4, 2B (20), K, RS -- .252
DH V. Wilson 1-3, BB, HR (6), RBI (20), K, RS -- .349
2B Mertins 0-3, SF, RBI (44), K -- .281
CF Dyson 0-4, RBI (7) -- .269
C Clark 1-3, RS -- .328

Godin 3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, K, WP -- 3.00 ERA
Hartsock 3 IP, 3 H, BB, E (3) -- W, 1-1, 3.64 ERA
Nicoll 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, K -- 3.62 ERA
Abreu 2/3 IP, K -- SV, 2, 0.00 ERA

*** The Naturals turned the tables on Tulsa in the nightcap. Vance Wilson hit a 2-out solo shot (his 6th) in the 1st and, after Corey Smith doubled, David Lough ripped a 2-run shot (his 4th at AA) to make it 3-0 Naturals. Jason Godin pitched 3 scoreless frames and was followed by 3 more scoreless innings from Aaron Hartsock. Jarrod Dyson hit an RBI groundout in the 5th and a Kurt Mertins sac fly made it 5-0. Chris Nicoll allowed a run in the 7th before Juan Abreu shut the door for his 2nd save. Tulsa SP Andy Graham worked 4 IP of 3 ER allowed on 3 hits and 5 Ks to take the loss and drop to 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA. 3B Dan Mayora had 2 hits and DH Jeff Kindel drove in his 45th run.

NWA is 21-11 and 2 games up on first. The series finale is tonight as Matt Kniginyzky (4-7, 5.20) is taking on Tulsa righty Chaz Roe (3-2, 3.50). Baseball America recently reported Joe Dickerson was placed on the restricted list, which I assume leaves him the opportunity to come back in 2010 if he wants, rather than stay retired, if he did so.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 2, Lynchburg 1

3B Moustakas 2-4, 2B (24), K -- .250
RF Van Stratten 1-3, HR, RBI (2), K, RS -- .129
CF D. Robinson 0-4, K, CS (14) -- .225
2B Giavotella 0-4, K, RS -- .252
DH C. Robinson 0-3, HBP -- .285
1B Hosmer 0-4 -- .235

Caldera 7 IP, 8 H, BB, 3 K, WP -- 5.36 ERA, good start
Z. Peterson 2 IP, UER, 2 H, BB, K -- BS, 1, W, 1-0, 0.82 ERA

*** The game was tied going into the 9th before a wild pitch ended it. Alex Caldera left the bases full in the 1st then stranded 2 more in the 2nd and 4th. Lynchburg SP Jeff Locke had faced the minimum over 4 2/3 IP until Nick Van Stratten stroked his 1st homer at the level to give the Rocks the lead. Zach Peterson had 2 on with 2 out in the 8th when a Matt Morizio throwing error brought in the tying run. The Rocks loaded the bases with none out in the 9th and a 1-out wild pitch scored Johnny Giavotella to end it. RP Tom Boleska took the loss with an unearned run allowed over 2 1/3 IP to drop to 1-1 with a 0.68 ERA. Locke allowed an ER on a hit with 7 Ks over 6 IP to move his ERA to 5.42. RF Erik Huber had 3 hits for the 'Cats and CF Alex Presley had 2 hits and stole 2 bases (8).

The Rocks are 18-14 and 3 1/2 games back. A 4-game home set with the Salem Red Sox (17-15) started tonight as Mario Santiago (5-11, 4.21) took on Salem righty Kyle Weiland (3-8, 3.94). Gil Meche is set to make a rehab start for the Rocks Sunday.

A - Burlington: Bees 3, West Michigan 1

LF Ortiz 2-5, RBI (5), SB (2), CS -- .243
CF Norris 2-5, SB (35) -- .261
DH Griffin 2-4, 2B (6), CS (2) -- .323
1B D. Wood 1-4, HR (5), RBI (36), RS -- .250
SS R. Wood 1-3, SF, 2B, RBI, K -- .333, A debut
3B Taylor 0-3, BB, SB (4) -- .253
RF Francis 0-4, 2 K -- .258
C Bonilla 1-3, BB, RS -- .222

Melville 5 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K -- 3.92 ERA
Odenbach 2 IP, 3 H, BB, K -- W, 1-0, 6.75 ERA
Coleman 2 IP, BB, K -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA, first pro save

*** Tim Melville didn't get the run support for the win but pitched well as Burlington evened the series with the Whitecaps. Melville stranded 2 in the 2nd and the Bees took the lead in the 3rd on an Adrian Ortiz RBI groundout. The Whitecaps got a sac fly in the 4th to tie it and the game stayed tied at 1 into the 7th. Ryan Wood hit a sac fly for his 1st RBI as a Bee in the 7th but the Bees had 2 guys thrown out at the plate in the inning. David Wood hit a 2-out solo homer (his 5th) in the 8th to make it 3-1. Louis Coleman stranded 2 in the 8th and then pitched a perfect 9th for his 1st pro save. RP Victor Larez took the loss with an ER allowed in an inning to drop to 4-6 with a 4.16 ERA. Starter Luke Putkonen allowed an ER on 4 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks over 6 IP to move his ERA to 3.68. SS Gustavo Nunez had 2 hits for the Whitecaps to move to .331.

The Bees are 14-18 after falling in today's series finale. Riquy Pena took the loss after Mike Lehmann made the start. IF Antonio Jimenez hit the DL to make room for Ryan Wood.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Orem 9, Chukars 3

LF Testa 2-4, K, RS -- .309
C S. Perez 1-4, RBI (16), K, RS -- .277
DH Theriot 1-3, BB, RBI (12), K -- .340
SS D. Batista 1-1, CS (4) -- .311, left in 3rd
CF Cooper 0-4, K -- .146
* RF Allen Caldwell had an OF assist at first.

Morgan IP, 5 R (4 ER), 4 H, BB, 2 K, WP, E (3) -- L, 2-1, 5.51 ERA
Shimek 4 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, K -- 6.75 ERA
Folmer 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K -- 1.50 ERA
Keating IP, 2 K -- 3.24 ERA

*** Ryan Morgan was battered in the 1st and the Chukars didn't recover. Four XBH, a walk and wild pitch did the damage for Orem for 5 runs in the 1st and the Owlz got to Scott Shimek for 3 in the 3rd to make it 8-0. Salvador Perez hit an RBI groundout in the 4th but Orem got the run back in the 5th. The scoring was finished with 2 Chukar runs in the 6th on a Ben Theriot RBI single and run-scoring Orem error. RP Jeremy Berg pitched 2 scoreless innings for the win to move to 1-0 with a spotless ERA. Starter Carson Andrew worked 4 innings of an unearned run on 3 hits and 2 walks with 4 K to move his ERA to 1.85. Four Owlz had multiple hits, including 3 with 3 hits. LF Richard Cates drove in 3 runs (20) and made his 2nd error while 2 others had 2 RBI.

The Chukars are 18-14 and 3 games out with time running out on the first half. Orem goes for the sweep tonight as Sugar Ray Marimon (0-3, 8.14) faces Owlz righty Orangel Arenas (1-2, 4.91).

Rookie - Burlington: Danville 6, B-Royals 3

LF Pickett 4-4, BB, RS, SB (11) -- .287, has picked it up nicely
RF D. Rodriguez 2-4, RBI, 2 K, SB (5), E -- .179
SS Espinal 1-4, S, 3B (3), RBI (8) -- .222
2B V. Soto 1-4, 3B (2), RBI (9), RS, E (5) -- .176
C F. Cruz 0-4, PB (7) -- .253

Hayenga 4 2/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K, E (3) -- L, 2-4, 3.18 ERA
B. Richardson 2 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K -- 6.00 ERA
Hudnall 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- 8.18 ERA

*** Danville moved to 6-0 versus the Royals this season with the win. The Braves got 2 runs off Keaton Hayenga in the 1st thanks in part to 3 Royal errors. Danville added a run in the 4th and another in the 5th. The Royals stranded 2 in the 6th and the Braves polished off their scoring with 2 in the 7th. Braves SP Matt Crim had a 3-hit shutout going with 2 out in the 7th when the Royals got 2 runs on a Victor Soto RBI triple and Derek Rodriguez RBI single. Yowill Espinal hit a 2-out RBI triple in the 9th but that was it. Crim allowed 2 ER on 7 hits and a walk with 4 Ks over 7 IP to improve to 6-0 with a 3.65 ERA. 1B Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg had 2 hits and 2 RBI (31) to drop to .413 while DH Osman Marval had 2 hits, a walk and his 7th RBI to improve to .194.

The B-Royals are 10-26 after falling again to Danville today as the Braves got the 4-game sweep. Tyler Sample took the loss. IF Gerard Hall got a whopping 2 pro career games in before breaking his ankle Tuesday to go down for the season. He was a NDFA out of Old Dominion.

Rookie - AZL: Mariners 7, Royals 6

RF Llanos 4-5, 2 RS, SB (12), CS (5), OF assist at home -- .318, let's see what he can do at Burlington or IF
1B G. Baldwin 2-4, 2 2B (6), RBI (15), K, RS -- .316
CF Howard 1-5, 2B (2), 2 RBI (6), 2 K, RS -- .209
C E. Escobar 1-2, RBI (6), K, PB (6), 2 pickoffs -- .286
LF S. Cabrera 0-3, SF, RBI (6), 2 K -- .207
2B Tschepikow 1-3, picked off -- .333, pro debut
2B Trapp 0-1, S, K -- .370
DH L. Adams 1-3, BB, 2 K, 2 SB (3) -- .257

L. Santiago 5 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K, 2 WP, E -- 4.91 ERA
G. Batista IP, 2 UER, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- BS, 2, 5.06 ERA
J. Adams 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 K, HRA -- L, 0-1, 2.77 ERA, first runs allowed of career
Worrell 1 2/3 IP, H, 3 K -- 2.35 ERA

*** A 3-run M's 8th helped the Royals blow their third lead of the night. Edul Escobar put the Royals on top with an RBI single in the 3rd but the Mariners tied it in the 4th despite an OF assist at the plate from Alex Llanos. Santos Cabrera hit a sac fly in the 4th to make it 2-1 Royals and Geoff Baldwin hit a 2-out RBI double in the 5th to make it 3-1. Geronimo Batista relieved Leonel Santiago to start the 6th and allowed 2 runs thanks in part to a Luis Piterson throwing error behind him to tie the game. The M's took the lead on a run off Jack Adams in the 7th but Anthony Howard hit a 2-run double in the 7th and scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-4 Royals. Adams gave up a 2-run homer to 3B Rudy van Heydoorn (his 2nd) in the 8th to tie it and Josh Worrell gave up the go-ahead RBI double later in the inning. The Royals didn't threaten again. RP Jeff Breedlove got his 5th save as RP Jonathan Arias got the win despite his 1st blown save and 3 ER allowed in an inning of work to move to 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA. Rehabbing RP Chad Cordero pitched a scoreless 1st. 1B Evan Sharpley and LF Mark Angelo had 3 hits for the M's while DH Henry Contreras had 2 hits.

The Royals are 1-3. They had tonight off.

Royals on the Farm 7/28 -- a Gutierrez appearance for Wilmington

Wow, a 2-game winning streak. Let's see if Zack can get some run support tonight.

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 5, Iowa 4

3B Metcalf 2-4, HR (9), 3 RBI (45), K -- .221
LF Thorman 2-4, RBI (50), K, RS -- .285
DH Hulett 1-3, BB, HR (6), RBI (41), 2 RS -- .309
1B Ka'aihue 0-3, BB, RS -- .261
RF Parraz 0-2, BB, HBP, CS -- .000, AAA debut

Duckworth 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 K, 2 WP -- W, 3-5, 5.59 ERA
Farnsworth IP, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA
Holland 2 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, HRA -- SV, 1, 6.00 ERA

*** Three Royal runs in the 1st made for a successful night for Omaha, as the Royals made the most of 6 hits. Brandon Duckworth labored in the 1st as the Cubs took a 1-0 lead. With 2 on and 2 out in the bottom of the 1st, Scott Thorman hit an RBI single and, after Jordan Parraz was hit by a pitch in his first AAA plate appearance, Travis Metcalf hit a 2-run single to make it 3-1 Omaha. Iowa tied it off Duckworth in the 3rd on 3 hits and 2 wild pitches before an out was recorded. Metcalf led off the Omaha 4th with his 9th homer of the season and Tug Hulett led off the 5th with his 6th homer of the season to give the Royals a 5-3 lead. Duckworth stranded 2 in the 6th but RP Greg Holland gave up a solo homer to LF John-Ford Griffin (his 4th) in the 8th to trim the lead to 1. Holland put 2 on with 2 out in the 9th before getting a game-ending lineout to finish his 1st AAA save. Cubs SP Casey Fossum took the loss with 5 ER allowed on 5 hits and 3 walks with 3 Ks over 5 IP to fall to 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA. CF Sam Fuld and DH Jason Dubois had 2 hits for Iowa. Fuld scored twice and 2B Aaron Miles drove in 2 runs.

The O-Royals are 42-60. Game 2 is tonight as Lenny DiNardo (6-4, 3.45) faces I-Cubs righty Greg Reinhard (2-3, 4.64). The Omaha World-Herald report regarding Stephen Randolph was incorrect, as he is headed to Japan, not Korea. Also, the team site and Tuesday's box score confirm that OF Jordan Parraz is in AAA. As noted, RP Kyle Farnsworth is slated to rehab with Omaha.

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 3, Naturals 2

CF Dyson 4-5, SB (14), OF assist at third -- .279
RF Lough 2-4, RBI (15), K, CS (2) -- .352
DH V. Wilson 1-3, BB, 2B (8), RBI (18), K -- .346
SS Bianchi 1-4, BB, 2 K, CS (3) -- .366
2B Mertins 1-5, 3 K -- .285
C Howell 0-3, BB, K -- .295
3B Maddox 0-1, 3 BB, RS -- .256
* NWA stranded 10.

B. Johnson 6 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- L, 6-7, 5.27 ERA
Swaggerty 1 2/3 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- 4.76 ERA

*** The Naturals outhit the Drillers but didn't outscore them. The Naturals left the bases full in the 2nd and had 2 runners thrown out on the basepaths in the 3rd. Tulsa struck for 2 runs on 2 doubles and a walk in the 4th and Jarrod Dyson was thrown out at third to end the NWA 5th. The Drillers added a run in the 5th but NWA finally got on the board with a Vance Wilson RBI double in the 6th. David Lough hit a 2-out, bases-loaded RBI single in the 7th to cut the lead to 1 but the bases were left loaded and that was the last NWA threat. RP Andrew Johnston picked up his 26th save for Tulsa and SP Sam Deduno got the win with 6 IP of an ER allowed on 7 hits and 5 walks with 8 Ks to improve to 10-2 with a 2.36 ERA. C Mike McKenry had 3 hits including his 21st double to move to .265 and LF Brad Corley had 2 hits for the Drillers plus an OF assist at second.

The Naturals are 20-10 and 2 games up on first. The teams play a doubleheader tonight as Everett Teaford (3-3, 5.27) faces Tulsa lefty Brandon Durden (3-2, 3.54) in game 1. Haven't seen who the game 2 starters are.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Lynchburg 4

LF Orlando 2-4, 2B (18), HR (2), 4 RBI (28), K, 2 RS, OF assist at third -- .256
2B Fontaine 2-3, RBI (8), K, CS -- .344
DH C. Robinson 2-4, 2B (21), K, 2 RS -- .288
3B Moustakas 1-3, HBP, HR (12), RBI (62), 2 RS -- .247
CF D. Robinson 1-4, K -- .227
RF Van Stratten 1-4 -- .107
1B Hosmer 1-4 -- .267

Duffy 3 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, BB, 3 K -- 3.51 ERA, left with tightness in back
Villa 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 3-6, 3.90 ERA
Gutierrez IP, H -- 0.00 ERA, '09 debut for Dan
Chavez IP, BB, K -- SV, 3, 2.08 ERA

*** Dan Gutierrez finally made his 2009 debut in relief and Wilmington got 3 runs in the 4th to fuel the win. Paulo Orlando hammered a 2-run homer in the 2nd for his 2nd of the season but Danny Duffy's short outing started going south in the 3rd with 2 runs on a walk and 2 hits. Three hits to start the 4th scored 2 more runs and chased Duffy, who had some tightness in his lower back, for Kelvin Villa. Orlando stroked a 2-run double in the bottom of the 4th to tie it and Chase Fontaine added an RBI single to make it 5-4 Rocks. Both teams took turns stranding runners and Gutierrez pitched around a double in an inning of work in the 8th. Mike Moustakas led off the Wilmington 8th with his 12th homer of the season to make it 6-4. Chris Chavez stranded 2 in the 9th for his 3rd save. Hillcats SP Ron Uviedo took the loss with 5 IP of 5 ER allowed on 7 hits with 3 Ks to drop to 5-4 with a 3.61 ERA. 2B Jose De Los Santos led the 'Cats with 3 hits to move to .248 while DH Kent Sakamoto had 2 hits and SS Jordy Mercer and RF Erik Huber drove in 2 runs each.

The Rocks are 18-14 and 3 games back for the moment following a walkoff win in today's getaway day series finale. Zach Peterson got the win for Wilmington.

A - Burlington: West Michigan 7, Bees 2

DH Griffin 2-4, 2 2B (5), RS -- .310
LF Ortiz 1-4, RBI (4) -- .219
SS Molina 0-3, RBI (3), K -- .172
CF Norris 1-4, 3B (2), K, RS -- .259
3B Taylor 1-4, CS (5), E (9) -- .261
RF Francis 0-4, K -- .261
C Bonilla 1-4, K -- .221

Runion 6 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA, WP, E (2) -- L, 3-7, 6.55 ERA, let's face it, he gives up more hits than an iPod Shuffle
B. Hardy 2 IP, 2 K -- 2.33 ERA

*** West Michigan knocked Sam Runion around and scored 3 in the 1st en route to the win. Runion gave up 4 hits, including a 2-run homer to Whitecaps DH Billy Nowlin (his 8th) as part of the 1st inning rally to put the Bees down, 3-0. WM added a run in the 3rd to make it 4-0 but Shawn Griffin doubled and scored on a Yeldrys Molina groundout in the 5th to cut into the lead. The Whitecaps responded with 3 more runs on 2 doubles, a walk and sac fly to make it 7-1. Patrick Norris tripled and scored on an Adrian Ortiz groundout in the 6th but that was all the Bees would get. Whitecaps SP Mark Sorensen went the distance, allowing 2 ER on 7 hits with 5 Ks to move to 8-2 with a 2.44 ERA. 1B Jordan Lennerton had 3 hits and 2 RBI (48) for West Michigan while 2 others had 2 hits and Nowlin's HR drove in 2 runs (54). He and 2B Brandon Douglas both scored twice.

The Bees are 13-17 and 4 games back. Game 2 is tonight as Tim Melville (3-5, 4.10) faces Whitecaps righty Luke Putkonen (6-7, 3.81).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Orem 2, Chukars 0 (4-hitter)

SS D. Batista 1-4, 2 K, CS (3) -- .305
2B Franco 1-4, 2B (4), K, E (8) -- .219
CF Testa 0-4, 2 K -- .299
C S. Perez 0-3, BB, PB (3) -- .278
DH Stovall 0-3, K -- .200

J. Garcia 4 IP, 5 H, K -- 0.00 ERA
Arias 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- L, 1-3, 5.09 ERA
Toribio 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, E -- 3.27 ERA
Hodge 2 IP, H, 2 K -- 5.54 ERA

*** Two runs in the middle innings got Orem the win in a 4-hit shutout. IF stranded 2 in the 2nd and Carlos Arias gave up a leadoff triple in the 5th as Orem scored its first run before stranding 2. IF stranded 2 in the 5th and Arias and Aneidy Toribio allowed another run in the 6th. The Chukars didn't really threaten again. Orem RP Jonathan Garrett picked up his 2nd save, and P Patrick Corbin worked 5 scoreless innings for the win to move to 1-1 with a 5.06 ERA. Garrett Richards started for the Owlz and allowed a hit and walk with 2 Ks over 2 IP to keep a spotless ERA. Three Owlz had 2 hits, including 2B Jean Segura, who hit his 10th double and drove in his 19th RBI to move to .373. He also made his 6th error. CF Travis Witherspoon hit 2 triples (4) and drove in his 4th run to move to .209.

The Chukars are 18-13 and 2 games back. Game 2 is tonight as Ryan Morgan (2-0, 3.52) faces Owlz righty Carson Andrew (1-0, 2.21).

Rookie - Burlington: Danville 6, B-Royals 4

CF G. Beltre 2-4, 2 2B (7), RBI (15), K, RS -- .220
DH Moctezuma 2-4, 3B, RS -- .333
C F. Cruz 1-3, S, RBI (12), RS, SB -- .263
3B G. Hall 1-4, 2B, RBI -- .200, first pro RBI?
LF Pickett 0-4, BB, 2 K, 2 SB (10), CS (6) -- .250
SS Espinal 1-3, 2 BB, K, RS, 2 SB (12), picked off, E (11) -- .221
RF Del Rosario 0-4, 2 K, E (2) -- .304

L. Perez 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 6 K, 2 HRA, 2 WP -- 3.38 ERA
Cuevas 3 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, BB, K, WP -- L, 0-2, 3.47 ERA
Sirrett 2/3 IP, UER, 2 H, K -- 1.69 ERA

*** Burlington had the game tied going into the 9th but then the tie fell apart as the Braves surged ahead for the win. Back-to-back homers by SS Mycal Jones (his 4th) and RF Cory Harrilchak (his 1st) in the 1st and an RBI double made it 3-0 Braves after 1. The Royals had 2 in scoring position with 0 out in the 1st but squandered the chance. The game stayed 3-0 until the 6th when the Royals rallied back on a Geulin Beltre RBI double, Fernando Cruz RBI single and run-scoring wild pitch to tie it at 3. RP Gary Cuevas left the bases loaded in the 8th but wasn't as lucky in the 9th as he was pulled with 1 out and 2 on. Onassis Sirrett came in and allowed 2 RBI singles aided by a Luis Del Rosario error in right to make it 6-3 Braves. Miguel Moctezuma tripled and scored on a Gerard Hall double in the 9th but the Royals didn't have another rally in them. RP Casey Hodges picked up his 1st save. RP Cody Railsback picked up the blown save but also the win with 2 2/3 scoreless IP to move to 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA. Starter Tyler Stovall allowed 3 runs (2 ER) on 5 hits and 4 walks with 6 Ks over 5 1/3 IP to move his ERA to 4.05. Harrilchak had 3 hits and 2 RBI (25) along with 2 RS to move to .357 and 2 others had 2 hits for Danville. Harrilchak also stole his 10th base.

The B-Royals are 10-24. Game 3 is tonight as Keaton Hayenga (2-3, 3.07) takes on Danville lefty Matt Crim (5-0, 3.90). IF Ryan Wood has been promoted to A ball in Burlington after struggling at the plate in the Appy League.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 9, Padres 1

2B Piterson 3-4, HBP, RS, SB (7) -- .317
SS Trapp 3-5, K, 2 RS, SB (5) -- .378
LF Lubanski 2-4, BB, 2 HR (3), 5 RBI (13), K, 3 RS -- .467
1B G. Baldwin 2-4, HBP, 2B (4), 2 RBI (14), K -- .308
DH Llanos 2-6, 2 K, RS, picked off -- .294
C Matos 1-5, RBI (4), K, RS -- .313
RF J. Adams 0-3, 2 BB, SB -- .000, pitcher gets a position start
* The Royals stranded 10.

Peacock 4 1/3 IP, ER, 6 H, 9 K, HRA -- 3.27 ERA, nice outing
Yambati 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, K -- W, 1-1, 12.60 ERA
Bavera 2 IP, BB, 3 K -- 0.79 ERA

*** The Royals got their first win of the second half thanks mainly to 7 early runs and the pitching of three members of the staff. Chris Lubanski got it started with a 2-run homer in the 1st for the 2nd of his rehab stint. The Royals poured on 5 more runs in the 2nd on a Mauricio Matos RBI single, run-scoring wild pitch, and 3-run Lubanski homer for his 2nd in 2 innings and 3rd overall in the AZL. 1B Cody Decker took Brian Peacock long in the 3rd for his 10th homer of the season but that was the only damage Peacock would take. Geoff Baldwin hit a 2-run double in the 8th to make it 9-1 and Robinson Yambati and Claudio Bavera followed Peacock with 4 2/3 scoreless IP to finish it. Pads SP John Hussey lasted only 1 1/3 IP and allowed 7 ER on 6 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 2-2 with a 9.67 ERA. Decker and LF Wande Olabisi had 2 hits for the Padres. Decker's RBI was his 35th.

The Royals are 1-2. They play the 2-0 Mariners tonight.

Royals on the Farm 7/27

AAA - Omaha: Round Rock 6, O-Royals 5

DH Aldridge 3-5, 2B (11), HR (11), 3 RBI (45), 2 K, RS -- .296
LF Thorman 2-4, BB, 2B (12), 2 RBI (49), RS -- .282
RF Hulett 2-3, 2 BB, 2B (20), K, RS -- .309
1B Ka'aihue 0-1, 4 BB, RS -- .264
3B Lisson 0-5, 2 K, SB (5) -- .243
* Omaha stranded 12.

Phillips 8 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, BB, 7 K, HRA -- 5.92 ERA
C. Hayes 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H -- BS, 3, L, 1-4, 3.33 ERA

*** Round Rock bookended 3-run innings as Chris Hayes blew his 3rd save in the 9th. 1B Mark Saccomanno hammered a 3-run homer (his 10th) off Heath Phillips in the 1st and the Express had a 3-0 lead. Omaha left the bases loaded in the 1st but got a leadoff homer from Cory Aldridge (his 11th) in the 2nd to cut into the lead. Luis Hernandez was thrown out at the plate in the inning and Omaha would strand 2 more. Aldridge came back up in the 3rd with 2 on and 1 out and laced a 2-run double to right to tie the game. Omaha stranded 2 in the 4th but Scott Thorman came up with a 2-out, bases-loaded, 2-run single in the 6th to make it 5-3 Royals. Phillips was pulled with runners at second and third and 1 out in the 9th and Hayes came in to give up a 2-run triple to Saccomanno, and the eventual game-winning RBI single to DH John Gall made it 6-5 Round Rock. Thorman led off the Omaha 9th with a double but was thrown out at third on the next play and the Royals left the tying run at second. RP Casey Daigle (aka Mr. Jennie Finch) picked up his 4th save as RP Josh Muecke allowed 2 ER over 5 IP for the win to move to 4-8 with a 5.16 ERA. Starter Felipe Paulino allowed 3 ER on 5 hits and 5 walks with 2 Ks over 3 IP to move his ERA to 2.28. Saccomanno was 3-4 with his 4th triple, the HR, 5 RBI (46) and 2 RS to improve to .269. Gall was 2-4 with his 41st RBI to move to .263. SS Tommy Manzella also had 2 hits.

The O-Royals are 41-60. A 4-game home set with the Iowa Cubs (52-50) starts tonight. Probable starters are Brandon Duckworth (2-5, 5.67) and Iowa lefty Casey Fossum (2-2, 4.68). Word from Minda Haas at Royal Blues is that OF Jordan Parraz is headed to Omaha.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 4, Springfield 3

SS Bianchi 2-5, 2 K, RS, SB (5) -- .369
2B Maddox 2-5, 2B (3), RS, CS (2) -- .263
DH V. Wilson 2-4, 2 K, RS -- .347
LF Duarte 1-3, BB, 2B (10), 2 RBI (29) -- .251
RF Lough 1-4, RBI (14), RS, E (2) -- .345
1B C. Smith 0-3, SF, RBI (68) -- .253
CF Dyson 0-4, BB, 2 K -- .253
C Clark 1-3, BB -- .328

Lerew 7 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 5 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 6-5, 4.71 ERA
Castaneda 2 IP, 3 K -- SV, 1, 1.69 ERA

*** The Naturals swept the Cards by a count of 44-20 in 4 games. Anthony Lerew allowed a run in the 3rd but stranded the bases full. David Lough tied it with an RBI single in the 4th and the Naturals added 2 more runs on a 2-out, 2-run Jose Duarte double to make it 3-1 NWA. NWA left the bases full in the 6th and a Corey Smith sac fly in the 7th stretched the lead to 4-1. Lerew allowed 2 runs in the 7th but left the would-be tying run at third. Federico Castaneda followed with 2 perfect innings of relief for his 1st AA save. Cards SP Lance Lynn allowed 3 ER on 7 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks over 6 IP to fall to 9-4 with a 3.30 ERA. Five Cards had a hit each.

The Naturals are 20-9 and 3 games up on first. A 3-day, 4-game set at the second-place Tulsa Drillers (17-12, AA Rockies) starts tonight with Blake Johnson (6-6, 5.35) facing Tulsa righty Sam Deduno (9-2, 2.43). The Nats are 7-8 versus Tulsa. The Royals have traded OF Cody Strait to the Rays for cash. He's a solid player, but wasn't probably going anywhere with KC's organization. C Jeff Howell has rejoined the team after rehabbing his broken thumb.

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

SS Seratelli 2-3, K, CS (5) -- .289
RF Van Stratten 0-3, RBI -- .083
3B Moustakas 1-3 -- .247
DH C. Robinson 1-3, 2B (20), K, RS -- .285
CF D. Robinson 1-3, S, 2B (14) -- .227
2B Giavotella 1-4 -- .255
1B Hosmer 0-3 -- .269, had hit in every game with Rocks until Mon.

Paulino 7 IP, 3 H, 4 K -- W, 4-6, 4.22 ERA
Basurto 1 2/3 IP, H, K -- 3.86 ERA
Sisk 1/3 IP, BB, K -- SV, 11, 2.18 ERA

*** Three Rocks pitchers combined on a gem to shut down the Hillcats. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 1st and the only run came in the 4th when Clint Robinson led off with a double and scored on a Nick Van Stratten RBI groundout. Rocks pitchers retired 11 in a row going into the 9th and made it 13 before Brandon Sisk stranded 2 for his 11th save. Lynchburg SP Matt McSwain took a very tough loss with 7 IP of an ER on 6 hits and 2 Ks to fall to 8-6 with a 3.46 ERA. Four different 'Cats had hits.

The Rocks are 16-14 and 4 1/2 games back. Game 2 is tonight with Danny Duffy (8-3, 3.26) facing Hillcats righty Ron Uviedo (5-3, 3.24).

A - Burlington: Bees 5, Ft. Wayne 4

LF Norris 2-4, RS, SB (34) -- .259
DH Griffin 1-3, HR, 2 RBI (8), RS -- .296
1B Graterol 1-2, S, RBI, K -- .353
RF Francis 1-4, RBI (50), picked off, OF assist at second -- .265
CF Ortiz 0-3, BB, RS, SB -- .214
3B Taylor 1-4, K, RS, SB (3) -- .261
C Bonilla 0-2, BB, RS, PB (9) -- .220

C. Rodriguez 2 1/3 IP, H, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 0.00 ERA
Thompson 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- 2.64 ERA
Bowden 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K -- W, 3-2, 2.68 ERA

*** The Bees took 2 of 3 from the best team in the MWL with Monday's win. Patrick Norris hit a 2-out single in the 3rd, stole second and scored on an error to give Burlington a 1-0 lead. James Thompson loaded the bases with 0 out in the 4th and allowed 2 runs before getting out of the jam. Juan Graterol tied it back up with an RBI single in the 4th and Barry Bowden came on to strand 2 TinCaps in the 6th. Shawn Griffin gave the Bees the lead with a 2-run homer in the 7th for his 1st at the A level to make it 4-2. Bowden loaded the bases with 0 out in the 8th and ended up losing the lead before leaving the bases full. Nick Francis hit a 2-out RBI single in the 8th to make it 5-4 Bees and Bowden stranded 1 in the 9th for the win. RP Rob Musgrave took the loss with 1 ER allowed in 1 IP to fall to 1-4 with a 6.17 ERA. Starter Mike Watt worked 7 IP of 4 runs (3 ER) allowed on 5 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 3.58. 2B Kevin Hansen had 2 hits and 2 RBI (22) along with his 8th double to move to .242, and 1B Allan Dykstra also had 2 hits for Fort Wayne.

The Bees are 13-16 and 4 games out. They should have some confidence going into a 3-game set at the West Michigan Whitecaps (18-12, A Tigers). Sam Runion (3-6, 6.30) is set to start the opener versus Whitecaps righty Mark Sorensen (7-2, 2.48).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Ogden 9, Chukars 4

DH Testa 2-4, HR (4), RBI (16), RS, SB (5) -- .315
2B Franco 2-5, K, 2 RS, SB (10) -- .218
CF H. Richardson 2-3, K, RS, 2 SB (13) -- .326
SS D. Batista 1-3, SF, 2 RBI (29) -- .307
3B Alfaro 0-3, BB, RBI (10), 2 K, E (7) -- .272
C Theriot 1-4, 2B (3), 2 K -- .340
CF Cooper 0-1, K -- .159

Halliman 4 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, BB, 4 K, 2 HRA, WP -- L, 2-1, 5.91 ERA
Wooley 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K -- 4.07 ERA

*** Ogden took an early lead and held on to take sole command of first place in the division. IF stranded 2 in the 1st and Chukars SP Pernell Halliman walked the leadoff batter before giving up a 2-run homer to 3B Austin Yount (his 2nd, Robin's nephew). Halliman also served up a 2-run shot to SS Bryant Hernandez (his 1st) in the 2nd to make it 4-0 Raptors. Carlo Testa led off the 4th with his 4th homer of the season but Ogden answered with 2 off Halliman in the bottom of the inning. The Chukars stayed in the game with 2 runs in the 5th on a J.D. Alfaro RBI groundout and Deivy Batista sac fly that cut it to 6-3. Nick Wooley gave up 3 runs in the 6th as Ogden pretty much put it away. Batista hit an RBI single in the 7th but the Chukars wouldn't have another baserunner. Ogden SP Elisaul Pimentel got the win with 5 IP of 3 runs (2 ER) allowed on 6 hits with 4 Ks to improve to 3-2 with a 3.62 ERA. RF Brian Cavazos-Galvez was 3-5 with 3 doubles (18) and 2 RBI (26) to move to .328 and two other Raptors had 2 hits. Yount had 2 hits, including his HR, and 3 RBI (11) with 3 K and 2 RS to move to .302. Hernandez also had 2 RBI (4).

The Chukars are 18-12 and 1 game back. A 3-game home set with the Orem Owlz (17-15, Rookie Angels) starts tonight with Justin Garcia (0-0, 0.00) making the start versus Orem lefty Patrick Corbin (0-1, 7.36). IF is 4-3 versus Orem thus far. The first half ends Sunday.

Rookie - Burlington: Danville 2, B-Royals 1

C Moctezuma 2-4, 2 2B (4), RBI (3), PB (3) -- .300
LF Pickett 1-4, SB (8) -- .264
RF Del Rosario 0-4, 3 K -- .315
SS R. Wood 0-3, BB -- .174
3B G. Hall 0-1, BB, S, K -- .000, pro debut?

Billo 7 IP, UER, 2 H, 8 K -- 2.84 ERA, great start
Fortuna 1 2/3 IP, ER, H, K, WP -- L, 1-4, 4.22 ERA

*** The Royals got the game tied in the 9th but lost on a walkoff wild pitch shortly thereafter. The Royals stranded 2 in the 2nd and Danville got its first run in the 2nd on a passed ball. The Royals stranded 2 in the 4th and 6th and 7 Royals had gone down in a row going into the 9th. Miguel Moctezuma hit a clutch RBI double in the 9th to tie the game at 1. SS Mycal Jones hit a 1-out double in the bottom of the 9th off Carlos Fortuna, advanced on a groundout then scored on a wild pitch to end it. RP Thomas Berryhill blew his 2nd save but got the win with an ER allowed in 1 IP to move to 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA. Starter Brett Oberholtzer worked 3 2/3 scoreless IP with 3 hits and a walk allowed with 4 Ks to lower his ERA to 1.42. RF Cory Harrilchak was 1-4 with a K and his 9th SB to drop to .345.

The B-Royals are 10-23. The series shifts to Burlington for 3 games starting tonight as Leondy Perez (1-3, 3.03) faces Braves lefty Tyler Stovall (1-0, 4.22). IF Gerard Hall, as noted, has been added to the roster.

Rookie - AZL: Indians 6, Royals 5

3B Figueroa 3-5, RBI (19), RS -- .279
SS Trapp 2-5, 2B (2), 3B, 2 RBI (10) -- .350
DH L. Adams 2-4, BB, K, 2 RS, SB -- .250
2B A. Martinez 2-5, K -- .229
CF Llanos 1-3, BB, S, RBI (16), RS, SB (11), CS (3), OF assist at second -- .292
RF Mariano 1-4, RBI (2), 2 K, RS -- .200
LF Lubanski 1-4, BB, K -- .462
1B G. Baldwin 0-1, K -- .299, left in third with leg injury
* The Royals stranded 11.

Amador 5 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 8 H, BB, 2 K -- 6.96 ERA
E. Diaz 2 2/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K, WP, balk -- BS, 2, L, 1-1, 3.12 ERA
L. Roberts 1/3 IP, nothing -- 1.46 ERA

*** The Indians scored 2 in the 8th for the win. Ezequiel Amador allowed a run in the 1st and the Royals blew a chance in the 3rd as Alex Llanos was caught stealing right before a Justin Trapp triple. The Royals stranded 2 in the inning, but roared back with 4 in the 4th on a Miguel Mariano RBI single, Llanos RBI single and 2-run Trapp double to take a 4-1 lead. The Royals added a run in the 5th on a Yunior Figueroa RBI single before stranding 2. Amador stranded 2 Indians in the 5th but was pulled after giving up a single and 2 doubles to start the 5th. Eric Diaz allowed 1 more run to come in to cut it to 5-4 before escaping the inning. The Royals stranded 2 in the 7th and 8th. Diaz allowed a run-scoring wild pitch to tie it in the 8th and SS Jose Camargo hit the go-ahead RBI single. RP Daniel Jimenez pitched 4 scoreless innings for the win to move to 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA. Starter Joseph Colon allowed 3 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks over 3 IP to move his ERA to 3.12. Five Indians had multiple hits led by 3 hits from 2B Lurvin Basabe, who scored twice in improving to .375. Camargo and 1B Chris Kersten had 2 RBI.

The Royals are 0-2. They play the 1-1 Padres tonight.

Royals on the Farm 7/26

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 5, Round Rock 3

DH Hulett 2-3, BB, 2B (19), RBI (40), RS -- .305
SS Falu 1-2, 2 BB, 2B (12), 2 RBI (32), RS, E (9) -- .262
1B Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, RBI (41) -- .265
LF Thorman 0-4, RBI (47), 2 K -- .279, Omaha honeymoon over for Thorman's bat?
3B Lisson 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB (4) -- .249

Davies 6 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 6 H, BB, 7 K, HRA -- W, 4-2, 2.06 ERA
Hamulack IP, H, K -- 5.58 ERA
Waechter 2 IP, 2 H -- SV, 1, 5.27 ERA

*** Irving Falu had the big hit in the 5th as Omaha won despite 4 less hits than the Express. Omaha wasted no time with 2 runs in the 1st on a Kila Ka'aihue RBI single and Scott Thorman RBI groundout. Kyle Davies allowed a run in the 4th and then gave up a leadoff homer to RR 3B Chris Johnson (his 6th) in the 5th to tie the game at 2. Falu ripped a 2-run double, tho, in the 5th to make it 4-2 Royals. A Falu error helped lead to a Round Rock run in the 6th but Omaha got its cushion back in the 7th on a Tug Hulett RBI double to make it 5-3. Doug Waechter got out of a minor jam in the 8th then pitched a perfect 9th for his 1st save as his rehab continues. Express SP Mark McLemore took the loss with 6 1/3 IP of 5 ER on 4 hits and 5 walks with 5 Ks to fall to 3-6 with a 4.11 ERA. CF Yordany Ramirez was 3-4 with 2 SB (9) to move to .274.

Omaha is 41-59. The series wraps today as Omaha goes for 3 of 4. Heath Phillips (6-7, 5.96) faces Round Rock righty Felipe Paulino (1-0, 1.31).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 16, Springfield 4

SS Bianchi 4-6, HR (3), 5 RBI (23), 3 RS -- .368
RF Lough 4-5, 3 RBI (13), RS -- .349, recent additions producing big time
C Clark 3-5, 2 2B (10), 3 RS -- .327
LF Duarte 2-4, BB, RBI (27), K, 2 RS -- .250
DH V. Wilson 2-5, RBI (17), 2 K, 2 RS -- .340
1B C. Smith 1-5, BB, RBI (67), 2 K, 2 RS -- .255
3B Lucas 1-5, RBI (33), 2 K, RS -- .290
CF Dyson 0-5, BB, 4 K, CS (1) -- .263, only Natural with disappointing night
2B Mertins 0-3, 3 BB, 2 RBI (43), 2 RS -- .287

R. Hardy 6 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 6 K, HRA -- W, 2-1, 3.32 ERA
Godin 0 IP, ER, 4 BB, WP -- ERA is infinite, ungood AA debut
Abreu 2 IP, 6 K -- 0.00 ERA, wow, can't get better than that
Nicoll IP, 2 H, 3 K -- 3.49 ERA

*** The Naturals scored 6 runs early and 10 runs late to continue their domination of the series with Springfield. Jeff Bianchi hit a solo homer in the 1st for his 3rd of the season and Ed Lucas hit an RBI single to spot the Nats a 2-0 lead. NWA heaped on 4 runs in the 2nd on two run-scoring Cards errors, a Bianchi RBI single and David Lough RBI single to make it 6-0. Rowdy Hardy stranded 2 in the 2nd and left 'em loaded in the 3rd. Springfield finally got to him for 3 runs in the 5th, including a 2-run homer by DH Steven Hill (his 16th), as Hill continued his good output in the series. Jason Godin's AA debut was shaky as he came out and went walk, walk, wild pitch, walk, run-scoring walk before getting pulled in the 6th. Juan Abreu came in and pulled the Houdini by striking out the side with the bases loaded as NWA escaped with a 6-4 lead. That changed in a big way in the 8th as the Nats scored 7 runs on a Vance Wilson RBI single, and, with 2 outs, Kurt Mertins took a bases-loaded walk, Bianchi hit a 2-run single, Corey Smith hit an RBI single, and Lough hit a 2-run single to make it 13-4. NWA poured on 3 gravy runs in the 9th as Jose Duarte hit an RBI fielder's choice, Cody Clark scored on a wild pitch and Bianchi hit an RBI groundout. Chris Nicoll notched 3 strikeouts in the 9th as the Nats got the last 9 outs via K. Cards SP Scott Gorgen took the loss with 6 runs (3 ER) allowed on 7 hits and 4 walks with 7 Ks to fall to 1-3 with a 5.23 ERA. Three Cards had 2 hits as Hill was 2-4 with the HR and 2 RBI (51) to move to .272.

The Naturals are 19-9 and 2 games up on first. They go for the 4-game sweep tonight as Anthony Lerew (5-5, 4.94) takes on Cards righty Lance Lynn (9-3, 3.22). Bianchi was named TL Player of the Week for July 20-26 after hitting 18-30 (.600) with 11 RBI on the week.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 5, Kinston 4

DH C. Robinson 3-5 -- .285, Moustakas took all his RBIs
3B Moustakas 2-5, HR (11), 4 RBI (61), K, 2 RS, E (18) -- .246
LF Walton 2-3, BB -- .262
1B Hosmer 1-3, BB, RBI (2) -- .304
CF D. Robinson 0-5, 2 K -- .226
2B Giavotella 0-3, 2 BB, 2 RS, SB (18) -- .255
RF Van Stratten 0-4, 2 K -- .095, transition to high-A hasn't gone well for Nick

Montgomery 4 2/3 IP, ER, H, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 1.93 ERA, one out short of earning win
Liotta 2 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 4-2, 3.86 ERA
Z. Peterson 2 1/3 IP, BB -- SV, 1, 0.90 ERA

*** Mike Montgomery had a jittery line but held the Indians in check in his Advanced-A debut for the Rocks. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 2nd but plated 3 in the 3rd on a 3-run jack by Mike Moustakas for his 11th homer of the season. Wilmington added 2 in the 5th on a Moustakas RBI single and Eric Hosmer RBI single to chase Tribe starter Alex Perez. Montgomery took a no-hitter into the 5th but allowed a leadoff single, then wild pitch, before 2 groundouts brought home Kinston's 1st run of the game. Montgomery walked the bases loaded thereafter and was pulled for Ray Liotta, who got out of the jam. Liotta loaded the bases with 1 out in the 7th and a run-scoring passed ball and 2-run single cut the lead to 5-4. Zach Peterson came in to strand 1, and the Rocks left the bases full in the 8th. Peterson pitched 2 more quiet innings for his 1st save. Perez allowed 5 ER on 7 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks over 4 1/3 IP to drop to 1-2 with a 3.09 ERA. Four Indians had a hit each and 3B Lonnie Chisenhall drove in 2 runs (69).

The Rocks are 15-14 and 4 1/2 games out. A 3-game home set with the Lynchburg Hillcats (11-18, A-Adv. Pirates) starts tonight with Eduardo Paulino (3-6, 4.57) facing 'Cats lefty Chi-Hung Cheng (7-3, 4.16).

A - Burlington: Ft. Wayne 11, Bees 2

SS Y. Molina 2-4, RBI (2), E (2) -- .217
CF Norris 2-4, 2B (3), RS -- .255
DH Griffin 2-4, K -- .294
RF Francis 1-3, BB, RBI (49), RS -- .265
3B Taylor 0-4 -- .262
LF Ortiz 0-4, OF assist at home -- .240
C Bonilla 0-3, BB -- .222
* The Bees turned 4 DPs.

Hodgson 4 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 WP -- L, 0-1, 12.60 ERA, A-ball debut
R. Pena 2 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 3 H, 3 BB -- 5.31 ERA
Coleman IP, H, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA, pro debut
Odenbach 2 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 10.80 ERA

*** Fort Wayne poured it on early and often to even the series at a game each. Ivor Hodgson made his level debut and allowed a run in the 1st, then stranded 2 in the 2nd before giving up 4 runs in the 3rd on 5 singles and a walk with 2 outs. The Bees stranded 2 in the 3rd and the TinCaps added another run in the 4th before Adrian Ortiz ended the inning by gunning down a runner at the plate. Riquy Pena allowed a run in the 5th and 3 in the 6th as the TinCaps made it 10-0. Royals 5th round draftee P Louis Coleman made his pro debut with a scoreless 7th and the Bees got a bases-loaded RBI single from Yeldrys Molina before leaving 'em loaded in the 7th. Nick Francis hit an RBI single in the 8th but the Bees would get no more runs. TinCaps starter Erik Davis got the win with 6 2/3 IP of an ER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks to improve to 10-4 with a 3.83 ERA. Five TinCaps had multiple hits and 3 drove in 2 runs. 3B Brayden Drake had 3 hits and 2 RBI (5) to move to .304, and DH Jaff Decker had 2 hits and 2 RBI (43) to move to .289. LF Dan Robertson had 2 hits and 2 RS to improve to .314.

The Bees are 12-16 and 5 games out. Craig Rodriguez (0-0, 0.00) makes a rehab start tonight in the finale versus TinCaps lefty Michael Watt (5-2, 3.55).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 8, Ogden 7

C Theriot 3-5, 3 RBI (11), RS -- .349
2B Stovall 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI, K, RS, 2 E -- .286
3B Alvaro 1-4, BB, 3B, RBI (9), 2 K -- .280
SS D. Batista 1-4, BB, K, RS, CS (2) -- .306
DH Testa 1-3, 2 BB, K, RS, SB (4) -- .304
CF Cooper 0-3, BB, K, SB (4) -- .163

Lamb 4 2/3 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K, HRA, 2 E -- 5.79 ERA, IF debut
Morgan 1/3 IP, 2 ER, H, BB, HRA -- 3.52 ERA
C. White 3 IP, H, BB, K -- W, 3-2, 1.65 ERA
Keating IP, H, BB -- SV, 2, 3.45 ERA

*** A 5-run 7th keyed a Chukar comeback win. John Lamb got off to a rough Idaho Falls debut as Ogden 3B Brian Ruggiano took him deep to leadoff the 1st for his 4th homer of the season. Tito Espinosa singled and scored on a 2-out Ogden error in the 2nd to tie it, but the Raptors regained the lead thanks to 2 IF errors in the 2nd. The Chukars stranded 2 in the 3rd and Ogden widened its lead with 2 runs on two extra-base hits and another Chukar error to make it 4-1. J.D. Alfaro hit an RBI triple in the 5th to cut the lead to 2 but Lamb was pulled with 1 out and 2 on in the 5th. Ryan Morgan came in and gave up a walk, then a 3-run homer to 1B Chris Jacobs to make it 7-2 Ogden. Ben Theriot hit an RBI single in the 6th and the rally began in earnest in the 7th. With 2 out and the bases loaded, Theriot hit a 2-run single and Ryan Stovall followed with a big 2-run triple to tie the game at 7. Stovall then scored on a passed ball to give IF an 8-7 lead. Patrick Keating stranded 2 in the 9th following 3 good innings of relief from Cole White, who got the win. Ogden RP Fredy Quintero took the loss with 2 runs (1 ER) allowed over 1 2/3 IP to fall to 0-1 with a 1.32 ERA and also got his 1st blown save. Starter Brett Wallach allowed an unearned run on a hit and 2 walks with 3 Ks over 2 2/3 IP to move his ERA to 2.35. Jacobs and LF Brian Cavazos-Galvez had 3 hits each for Ogden. Jacobs drove in 4 runs (11) in improving to .315 and Cavazos-Galvez hit 2 doubles (15) and his 2nd triple and added an OF assist at second in improving to .318.

IF is 18-11 and tied for first. First place will be decided tonight in the series finale as Pernell Halliman (2-0, 4.15) faces an unannounced Ogden SP.

Rookie - Burlington: Greeneville 4, B-Royals 3

LF Pickett 2-3, S, 3B, 2 RBI (5), K, RS, CS (5), E -- .265
3B Culver 2-4, K, CS, E (8) -- .256
SS R. Wood 0-2, 2 BB, E (5) -- .180
C F. Cruz 0-4 -- .261
2B Espinal 0-3, HBP, K, 2 SB (10), CS (5) -- .224

Hentges 3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- L, 0-1, 7.20 ERA
Kelley 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 1.27 ERA

*** The teams combined for 7 errors but the Astros came out on top to salvage the series finale. Yowill Espinal was caught stealing home in the 1st and the Royals left 2 in scoring position. Chase Hentges gave up a 2-out RBI double in the 2nd and then 3 runs in the 3rd on 4 hits and a walk to make it 4-0 Astros. Jovan Pickett hit an RBI single in the 5th to get Burlington on the board but ended up getting caught stealing third to end the inning. With 2 out, it's gonna take some kind of base hit to get you home anyway, why pull a Berroa there? Pickett recovered to hit an RBI triple in the 8th and scored on an error on the play to cut the lead to 4-3. He would be the last Royal to reach, however, as RP Nathan Pettus picked up his 6th save. Starter Jose Cisnero allowed an unearned run on 2 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks over 5 IP to move to 3-1 with a 3.95 ERA. DH Aaron Bray was 2-4 and 3B Jonathan Meyer drove in 2 runs (14).

The B-Royals are 10-22. A 1-game/3-game away/home set with the Danville Braves (21-12) starts tonight. Greg Billo (1-1, 3.65) is starting versus Braves lefty Brett Oberholtzer (1-1, 1.61). The Royals are 0-3 versus the Braves thus far. The Braves roster features ATL prospect righty J.J. Hoover, plus '09 draftees 3rd round righty David Hale, 4th round SS Mycal Jones (.858 OPS in 123 ABs), 5th round righty Thomas Berryhill (6 saves thus far), 7th round OF Robby Hefflinger, 9th round IF Matt Weaver, 11th round lefty Chris Masters (1.01 WHIP, 2.84 ERA, outstanding 3 BB/39 K in 31 2/3 IP thus far) and others. 16th round 1B Riann Spanjer-Furstenburg has stood out not only for his name but also for his 1.095 OPS and .411 BA in 112 ABs thus far.

Rookie - AZL: Padres 19, Royals 8

LF Lubanski 2-5, 2B (5), HR, 3 RBI (8), K, 2 RS -- .500, bat is ready, hope he's back in Omaha soon
1B G. Baldwin 2-5, RBI (12), K -- .302, most impressive positional '09 draftee all-around thus far?
C Matos 2-4, RS -- .333
SS Trapp 1-4, BB, RBI (8), K, 2 RS, CS (2), 2 E (4) -- .343
3B Figueroa 1-4, BB, 2B (3), RBI (18) -- .264
RF Polonia 1-4, 2B (2), RBI (11), K, RS -- .274
DH Llanos 1-5, 3 K -- .290
CF L. Adams 1-3, 2 BB, 3B, RS -- .214

Avinazar 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 2 HRA -- L, 2-2, 7.04 ERA
Keck 2 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 10 H, HRA -- 9.90 ERA
L. Ortega 4 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 K, HRA -- 4.63 ERA
S. De La Rosa 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, K, WP -- 9.72 ERA
Worrell IP, H, 2 K -- 3.00 ERA

*** The Royals didn't start matching runs with the Padres until the 6th and, by then, it was way too late. The Friars struck for 5 runs in the 1st as 2B Jonathan Galvez hit a 2-run homer for his 3rd of the season and CF Rymer Liriano took Willian Avinazar deep for his 4th homer, a 3-run shot to help chase Avinazar before the inning was done. Jonathon Keck got lit up for 4 runs in the 2nd on a 2-run triple, then a 2-run homer by Liriano for his 5th of the season and 2nd of the game. Yunior Figueroa hit an RBI double in the 2nd but the Pads matched it in the 3rd on 2 hits off Keck. The Padres then poured on 2 more runs in the 4th on 4 hits off Keck and Luis Ortega to make it 12-1. Liriano led off the 6th with yet another homer for his 6th of the season and 3rd of the game, but the Royals matched the run in the inning on a Geoff Baldwin RBI single. The Padres chased Ortega with a run in the 8th, and the Royals again matched it with a run scored on a wild pitch. The Padres finished the slaughter with a 5-run 9th off Starling De La Rosa and Josh Worrell. The Royals scored 5 meaningless runs in the 9th on a Juan Polonia RBI double, run-scoring Padre error and 3-run homer by Chris Lubanski for the 1st of his rehab assignment. Starter Simon Berroa got the win for the Pads with an ER allowed on 4 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks over 5 IP to improve to 1-3 with a 4.43 ERA. Seven Padres had multiple hits with 6 having 3 or 4. Liriano was 4-4 with a walk, 3 HR, 6 RBI (29) and 6 RS to improve to .369. That's the best line I've seen in a long time. Galvez also had 4 hits and 2 RBI (17) to move to .340. Three others also had 2 RBI.

The Royals are 0-1 to start the second half. They play the 0-1 Indians tonight.

Royals on the Farm 7/25

Good job, Luke Hochevar.

AAA - Omaha: Round Rock 4, O-Royals 2

SS Falu 2-4 -- .260
LF Thorman 1-3, SF, 2B (11), RBI (46), K, RS -- .283
1B Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, K -- .264
3B Lisson 0-3 -- .252
RF Hulett 0-2, 2 BB, RS -- .300

Hughes 3 IP, ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 K, pickoff -- 3.64 ERA
Yabuta 3 IP, BB, 3 K -- 3.48 ERA
Rosa 3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, K -- L, 1-7, 5.12 ERA, breaks string of decent outings

*** A 3-run Round Rock 9th sealed Omaha's fate Saturday. Dusty Hughes stranded the bases loaded in the 2nd then gave up a run in the 3rd before leaving the bases loaded again. Scott Thorman scored on a 2-out, bases-loaded wild pitch in the 5th to tie it but Omaha would strand the other 2. Round Rock had gone hitless since the 3rd but finally got to Carlos Rosa in the 9th as 3 hits and a walk drove in 3 runs to make it 4-1. Thorman hit a sac fly in the bottom of the 9th but that was all Omaha would get. RP Casey Daigle picked up his 3rd save in relief of Yorman Bazardo, who worked 8 IP of an ER on 5 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to improve to 9-4 with a 2.76 ERA. RF Reggie Abercrombie had 3 hits and his 35th RBI in improving to .267. He also scored twice. C Lou Santangelo had 2 RBI (21).

Omaha is 40-59. Game 3 is ongoing as Kyle Davies (3-2, 2.16) faces Express lefty Mark McLemore (3-5, 3.76). The Royals are making the move to try Tony Pena Jr. as a reliever. He's headed to Arizona to work on the transition. Starter Stephen Randolph was scratched, as he left the team to take an offer to pitch in Korea. That's telling about what he thought of the Royals.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 12, Springfield 3

3B Mertins 3-6, 2 RS -- .289
1B C. Smith 2-4, BB, 2B (19), HR (18), 4 RBI (66), K, 2 RS -- .256
DH V. Wilson 2-5, BB, 2B (7), HR (5), RBI (16), K, 2 RS -- .337
RF Lough 1-5, 2 RBI (10), 3 K, RS -- .321
2B Maddox 1-5, 2 RBI (7), RS -- .242
CF Dyson 1-3, 2 BB, S, RBI (6), K, 2 RS -- .278
C Clark 1-5, PB (2) -- .315

Kniginyzky 7 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K, HRA, WP -- W, 4-7, 5.20 ERA, nice start
de la Vara 2 IP, ER, 2 H -- SV, 2, 4.55 ERA

*** The Naturals scored 9 late runs, including 7 in the 9th, to crack open a tight game with Springfield. Vance Wilson got things started with a 2-out solo homer (his 5th) in the 2nd. Matt Kniginyzky gave the run back in the 1st but settled down to blank the Cardinals over the next 5 frames. NWA loaded the bases with 2 outs in the 3rd and got a 2-run double from Corey Smith to take a 3-1 lead. The score stayed that way until Kniginyzky gave up a solo homer to LF Steven Hill (his 15th) in the 7th to cut the lead to 1. Corey Smith stepped up and hit a 2-run homer for his 18th of the season in the 8th to make it 5-2, and the Nats finished it off in the 9th. The 7-run rally consisted of a bases-loaded run-scoring wild pitch, 2-run David Lough single, 2-run Marc Maddox single, bases-loaded walk by Jarrod Dyson and a run-scoring Cardinal error. Springfield got a run in the 9th before Gilbert de la Vara finished the game for his 2nd save. Cards SP Ryan Kulik took the loss with 3 ER allowed on 6 hits and a walk with 7 Ks over 6 IP to fall to 4-7 with a 5.15 ERA. 3B David Freese was 2-4 with his 1st error, and Hill's 2 RBI gave him 49 on the season. 1B Troy Glaus was 0-3 with a walk, K and error.

The Naturals are 18-9 and 2 games up on first. Game 3 is tonight as Rowdy Hardy (1-1, 2.77) takes on Cards righty Scott Gorgen (1-2, 5.17).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 4, Kinston 3

3B Moustakas 2-5, 2 2B (23), 2 RBI (57), 2 K -- .244, hopefully breaks him out of funk
2B Giavotella 2-4, BB, 3B (8), RBI (35), RS -- .257, batting .343 in last 29 games
SS Seratelli 1-4, BB, RBI (24), 2 K, RS -- .281
DH C. Robinson 0-5, 2 K -- .279, cleanup spot blues continue
1B Hosmer 1-4, 2 K -- .300
RF Van Stratten 1-3, S, SB (2) -- .118

Santiago 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- W, 5-11, 4.21 ERA
Chavez 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, K -- 2.12 ERA
Sisk IP, 2 BB -- SV, 10, 2.20 ERA

*** Mario Santiago pitched well and all 7 runs were scored in the 7th, which turned out lucky for Wilmington. Santiago stranded 2 in the 1st and 4th and finally got some run support after K-Tribe starter Eric Berger was pulled going into the 7th with a 3-hit shutout. Two 2-out singles set up an Anthony Seratelli RBI single followed by a Johnny Giavotella RBI single and Mike Moustakas 2-run double to make it 4-0 Rocks. Chris Chavez came on with 2 on and 1 out in the 7th and 2 2-out singles cut the lead to 4-3. Brandon Sisk stranded 2 in the 9th for his 10th save. RP Jonathan Holt allowed 4 ER over 2/3 of an inning to fall to 1-5 with a 5.40 ERA. Berger allowed 3 hits and 2 walks with 11 Ks over 6 IP to drop his ERA to 2.29. 2B Cord Phelps and SS Ron Rivas had 2 hits for Kinston while DH Lonnie Chisenhall drove in 2 runs (67).

The Rocks are 14-14 and 4 1/2 games out. The series is wrapping today as Mike Montgomery makes his Blue Rock debut versus righty Alex Perez (1-1, 1.42).

A - Burlington: Bees 3, Fort Wayne 2

SS Jimenez 2-3, RBI (22), RS -- .218
C Graterol 2-3, 2B -- .333
RF Francis 1-4, RBI (48), RS, CS (3) -- .264
CF-LF Ortiz 1-4, RBI (3), K, OF assist at home -- .286
2B F. Garcia 1-3, BB, RS, SB (23) -- .249
3B Taylor 1-4 -- .275

Baez 6 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K -- W, 5-4, 3.57 ERA
B. Hardy 1 1/3 IP, 3 K -- 2.39 ERA
Thompson IP, H, BB -- SV, 5, 2.44 ERA

*** A 2-run rally in the 6th was the difference in the Bees victory as the TinCaps lost for only the 5th time in the second half. Manauris Baez allowed a run in the 2nd and another in the 4th as Ft. Wayne took a 2-0 lead. Adrian Ortiz got Burlington on the board with a 2-out RBI single in the 5th, although Juan Graterol was thrown out at home on the play to keep the TinCaps' 2-1 lead. Nick Francis tied it with an RBI forceout in the 6th and Antonio Jimenez came through with the go-ahead RBI single. Blaine Hardy stranded 2 inherited baserunners in the 7th and James Thompson got a timely double play in the 9th to finish off the win. Starter Chris Fetter took the loss for the TinCaps with 6 IP of 3 ER on 8 hits and 2 walks with 6 Ks to fall to 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA. SS Cole Figueroa was 3-4 with his 14th RBI to move to .331 and RF Yefri Carvajal had his 15th RBI and 2 OF assists in the loss.

The Bees are 12-15 and 4 games out. Game 2 is ongoing as Ivor Hodgson got called up from Idaho Falls to make his Burlington debut versus TinCaps righty Erik Davis (9-4, 4.05). Simply put, it hasn't gone well for Ivor.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Ogden 12, Chukars 8

3B Alfaro 3-4, BB, 2 2B (10), K, 2 RS -- .281
1B Morales 2-5, 2B (5), 3 RBI (12), 2 K, E (4) -- .286
SS D. Batista 2-5, HR (7), 2 RBI (27), 2 K, 2 RS -- .308
LF Testa 2-3, 2 BB, SB (3), picked off, E, OF assist at home -- .303
DH Caldwell 2-3, HBP, BB, 2B (2), 2 RS -- .259
RF Parraz 1-5, HR, 2 RBI (5), RS, OF assists at home and first -- .353
CF H. Richardson 0-5, RBI (9), RS, SB (11) -- .314
* IF stranded 10.

Marimon 3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA -- L, 0-3, 8.14 ERA
Lafferty 4 IP, 6 R (3 ER), 10 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 4.19 ERA, worst beating as a pro
Folmer IP, ER, H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 2.00 ERA

*** Ogden had rallies of 6 and 4 runs en route to the win to knock the Chukars from their first-place perch. Deivy Batista got things started right for IF with a solo homer in the 1st for his 7th of the season and the Chukars added 2 in the 3rd on a 2-run homer by Jordan Parraz for his 1st of his rehab assignment. Sugar Ray Marimon got an OF assist from Carlo Testa to bail him out of a jam in the 3rd and Ogden got to him in a big way in the 4th. A 2-run double and then a 3-run homer by 1B Kyle Orr (his 2nd) chased Marimon and Brendan Lafferty allowed another run in the inning, although Parraz helped him out with another assist at the plate. Jason Morales hit a 2-run double in the 6th to cut it to 6-5 but Ogden got a run back in the bottom of the inning, then scored 4 in the 7th off Lafferty, including a solo homer by CF Jerry Sands (his 11th) to make it 11-5. Morales hit an RBI single in the 8th, Hilton Richardson hit an RBI forceout and Deivy Batista hit an RBI groundout to cut it to 11-8. Richard Folmer gave up a leadoff homer to LF Brian Cavazos-Galvez (his 10th) in the 8th and that finished the scoring, although IF did leave the bases full in the 9th. RP Graham Miller worked 2 1/3 IP with 2 ER allowed for the win to move to 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA. Starter Luis Vasquez allowed 3 ER on 7 hits with 2 Ks over 3 1/3 IP to move his ERA to 5.14. Six Raptors had multiple hits, including 3-hit nights from 3B Brian Ruggiano and SS Bryant Hernandez. Ruggiano and Orr drove in 3 runs each and C Gorman Erickson drove in 2. Ruggiano also stole 2 bases while Hernandez swiped 1.

The Chukars are 17-11 and now a game back of first. Game 2 is late this afternoon as John Lamb makes his IF debut versus an unannounced Ogden SP.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 9, Greeneville 1 (completion of Fri. game)

LF Pickett 2-5, RBI (2), RS, CS (4) -- .237
1B Kuebler 1-2, 2 BB, HR (2), 2 RBI (7), K, 3 RS -- .198
C Moctezuma 1-3, BB, 2B (2), 2 RBI, RS, PB (2) -- .250
SS Espinal 1-4, BB, RBI (7), SB (8), CS (4) -- .234
CF G. Beltre 1-4, BB, HR (3), RBI (13), K, RS -- .221
2B-RF V. Soto 1-4, 2B (3), RBI (7), K, RS -- .155
RF Del Rosario 0-2, BB -- .327
PH-2B R. Wood 0-2 -- .183
DH F. Cruz 0-3, BB, RS -- .241

Hayenga 5 2/3 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K, 2 WP -- W, 2-3, 3.07 ERA
Fortuna 1/3 IP, K -- 4.12 ERA
D. De La Cruz 2 IP, 2 H, BB -- 3.86 ERA
B. Richardson IP, H -- 5.59 ERA

*** The Royals picked up where they left off Saturday to get a win over the Astros. Keaton Hayenga stranded 2 in the 4th and Jake Kuebler went long in the 5th for a 2-run shot for his 2nd of the season to make it 2-0 Burlington. Hayenga stranded 2 in the 5th but allowed a run in the 6th before being pulled. The Royals responded with 4 runs in the 7th on a 2-out rally of a Victor Soto RBI double, Jovan Pickett single that brought in 2 thanks to an Astro error and a Yowill Espinal RBI single that made it 6-1. Geulin Beltre clubbed his 3rd homer in the 8th and Miguel Moctezuma's 2-run double later in the inning finished the scoring. Starter Angel Gonzalez took the loss with 5 IP of 2 ER allowed on 3 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to drop to 2-2 with an 11.70 ERA. 1B Kyle Miller and RF Nathan Metroka had 2 hits for Greeneville.

B-Royals 11, Greeneville 6

C F. Cruz 4-5, 2B (7), 2 HR, 5 RBI (11), K, 2 RS, PB (6) -- .273
RF Soto 3-5, 2B (4), RBI (8), 2 RS, SB (7) -- .190
LF Pickett 2-6, RBI (3), K, RS, SB (7) -- .246
DH D. Cruz 2-4, BB, RBI (2), RS -- .238
3B Culver 2-5, 2B (3), RS -- .244
SS R. Wood 1-5, BB, 2B (4), RBI (6), RS -- .184
CF G. Beltre 1-5, S, 2B (5), RBI (14), K -- .220
1B Kuebler 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (8), K, 3 RS, 2 SB (4), E (12) -- .202
* The Royals stranded 11.

Sample 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K, WP -- 6.28 ERA
Dennick 3 1/3 IP, 3 ER, H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA -- W, 1-1, 3.94 ERA
Hudnall IP, BB, K, WP -- 10.00 ERA

*** The Royals scored in each inning from the 2nd through the 7th in drubbing the Astros again. Fernando Cruz hit an RBI single in the 2nd but the Royals left the bases full. Tyler Sample stranded 2 in the 2nd and the Royals struck for 5 in the 3rd on a Jake Kuebler RBI single, 2-run Cruz homer for his 1st of the season, Victor Soto RBI single and Diego Cruz RBI single to make it 6-0. Fernando Cruz stepped up again in the 4th with an RBI double and Jovan Pickett hit an RBI forceout in the 5th to push the lead to 8-0. Sample was pulled after giving up a 2-out, 3-run double in the 5th but Fernando Cruz got 1 run back with his 2nd homer of both the game and season in the 6th. Ryan Wood hit an RBI groundout followed by a Geulin Beltre RBI double to stretch the lead to 11-3 in the 7th. Greeneville's other 3 runs came on a 3-run homer by C Luis Alvarez (his 1st) in the 8th. Starter Carlos Quevedo took the loss with 6 ER allowed on 9 hits and a walk with 2 Ks over 2 1/3 IP to fall to 1-4 with a 7.22 ERA. LF Frank Almonte and Alvarez drove in 3 runs each.

Burlington is 10-21. The B-Royals go for the sweep tonight as an unannounced starter takes on Greeneville lefty Luis Cruz (1-2, 5.35).

Rookie - AZL: off day

The 10-18 Royals face the 13-15 Padres tonight.

Royals on the Farm 7/24

The Greinke start has turned from an inspiring event to an experiment to see how the Royals can leave Zack with a no-decision or loss of late. I had hopes for a run at 20 wins but at this rate he'll be lucky to get 15.

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 4, Round Rock 0 (2-hitter)

1B Ka'aihue 2-4, 2B (25), RS -- .263
3B Lisson 1-3, BB, RBI (24), K, RS, E (12) -- .256
RF Aldridge 1-4, RBI (42), K -- .289
DH Suomi 1-3, HBP, RBI (4) -- .174
CF Raines 1-4, RBI (8), K -- .221
2B Hulett 1-3, BB, K, RS -- .303

DiNardo 5 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 6 K, WP -- W, 6-4, 3.45 ERA
Marte 3 IP, BB, 4 K -- 3.33 ERA
C. Hayes IP, K -- 3.08 ERA

*** Three Royals pitchers dominated Round Rock. Lenny DiNardo stranded the bases loaded in the 3rd and Omaha took the lead with 2 runs in the 4th on a Mario Lisson RBI single and Cory Aldridge RBI forceout. Omaha left the bases full in the 6th but Round Rock didn't have a hit after the 4th. The Royals got to former Royal P Jose Capellan for 2 runs in the 8th on RBI singles by John Suomi and Tim Raines Jr. to make it 4-0. Express SP Bud Norris took the loss with 6 IP of 2 ER on 6 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks to fall to 4-9 with a 2.63 ERA.

The O-Royals are 39-58. Game 2 is tonight as Stephen Randolph (5-3, 5.90) is set to face Express righty Yorman Bazardo (8-4, 2.87). IF Tony Pena Jr. has been added to Omaha's roster but is in "reserve".

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 12, Springfield 10 (12)

SS Bianchi 4-6, HBP, 2B (9), RBI (18), K, RS, SB (4) -- .353
LF Lucas 3-6, 2 HR (6), 4 RBI (32), 2 K, 3 RS -- .296
C V. Wilson 2-5, 2B (6), 2 RBI (15), K -- .333
3B Mertins 2-7, 2B (20), 2 RBI (41), 2 K, RS, SB (10) -- .285
CF Dyson 2-7, RBI (5), 2 RS, picked off, OF assist at third -- .276
1B C. Smith 2-7, 2B (18), K, RS -- .253
2B Maddox 1-5, BB, RBI (5) -- .250
RF Lough 1-6, BB, 3 K, RS, CS, E -- .329
*NWA stranded 11.

Teaford 4 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 HRA -- 5.27 ERA
Swaggerty 3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- 5.14 ERA
Hartsock 3 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K -- 4.05 ERA
de la Vara 2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, K -- W, 6-1, 4.55 ERA

*** A wild game saw NWA come back from two 4-run deficits, including a rally in the 9th to force extras, and win in a 12-inning slugfest. Everett Teaford got the first 2 outs in the 1st but was then blistered for 4 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and a hit batsman, plus a David Lough error in right as the Cards took a 4-0 lead. Ed Lucas cut the lead in half with a 2-run homer in the 2nd for his 5th of the season and, later in the inning, Jarrod Dyson hit an RBI single and Kurt Mertins hit an RBI double to tie the game. Teaford gave up solo homers to DH Andrew Brown (his 3rd) and C Tony Cruz (his 7th) in the 3rd to make it 6-4 Springfield. NWA stranded 2 in the 5th and Ben Swaggerty gave up a leadoff homer to the first batter he faced, LF Steven Hill (his 14th) in the 5th to make it 7-4. The Cards scratched out another run in the 6th to increase the lead to 8-4. Lucas got the Nats back on the board in the 8th with his 6th homer of the season and 2nd of the game to cut it to 8-5. NWA stranded 2 and Cards closer Francisco Samuel came on to pitch the 9th. Lucas hit a 2-out RBI single to keep NWA alive and journeyman Vance Wilson came through with a big 2-run double to tie the game. The Nats stranded 2 and the game went to extras. Aaron Hartsock left the bases loaded in the 10th and Gilbert de la Vara stranded 2 in the 11th. NWA took control in the 12th as Marc Maddox hit an RBI single, Cody Strait scored on an error, Mertins singled home a run and Jeff Bianchi hit an RBI double to make it 12-8 Nats. de la Vara gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the inning before finishing it. RP Marco Gonzalez took the loss with 4 runs (3 ER) allowed over 1 1/3 IP to fall to 0-3 with a 5.97 ERA. Starter Brandon Dickson allowed 4 ER on 7 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks over 5 IP to move his ERA to 3.62. Seven Cardinals had multiple hits. Three Cards had 2 RBI as RF Tyler Henley was 3-7 with 2 RBI (53) to move to .336. Rehabbing IF Troy Glaus and Cruz also had 2 hits and 2 RBI for Springfield.

The Naturals are 17-9 and a game up on first. Game 2 is tonight as Matt Kniginyzky (3-7, 5.40) takes on Cards lefty Ryan Kulik (4-6, 5.19).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Kinston 3, Blue Rocks 2

1B Hosmer 2-4, 2B, RBI, RS -- .313
2B Giavotella 1-4, 2B (14), K, RS -- .254
3B Moustakas 0-4, K -- .242, make that, what, like 1 for his last 40?
CF D. Robinson 0-4, SB (50) -- .229
DH C. Robinson 1-4 -- .284
RF Van Stratten 0-4 -- .071, rough start at Advanced A level

Caldera 5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 3-8, 5.76 ERA
Z. Peterson 2 IP, H -- 1.02 ERA
Villa IP, 2 H, K -- 4.18 ERA

*** The Rocks almost rallied back to tie it in the 9th but almost doesn't count. Alex Caldera gave up a run in the 1st on 2 hits and 2 walks before leaving the bases full. Eric Hosmer scored on an error in the 2nd and the game was tied at 1. Caldera allowed another run in the 4th and then gave up a solo homer to 3B Lonnie Chisenhall (his 16th) in the 5th to make it 3-1 K-Tribe. With 2 out and Johnny Giavotella at second in the 9th, Hosmer hit a clutch RBI double but Nick Van Stratten grounded out to end it. RP Kyle Landis got 1 out for his 2nd save. Starter Russell Young went 8 2/3 IP of 2 runs (1 ER) on 7 hits with 6 Ks to improve to 3-5 with a 3.93 ERA. Three Indians had 2 hits, including LF Lucas Montero, who also stole 3 bases (29) in improving to .264. Chisenhall's HR gave him 65 RBI.

The Rocks are 13-14 and 4 1/2 games back. Game 2 is tonight as Mario Santiago (4-11, 4.30) faces Kinston lefty Eric Berger (7-7, 2.42).

A - Burlington: Great Lakes 11, Bees 3

LF-CF Ortiz 1-3, SF, RBI (2), K, OF assist at home -- .294
CF Norris 1-2, BB, RBI (14), K, RS, 2 SB (33), OF assist at third -- .251
DH McCauley 1-4, 2B (8), RBI (14) -- .222
3B Taylor 1-4, K, CS (4) -- .276
RF Francis 0-1 -- .264, pulled after 2
C Bonilla 1-4, 2 K -- .225

Lehmann 5 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 3 HRA -- L, 3-4, 4.70 ERA
R. Pena IP, 3 ER, H, 3 BB, 2 K, 3 WP, E (3) -- 4.42 ERA
Odenbach 1 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 20.25 ERA, Burlington debut
Bowden IP, BB, K -- 2.45 ERA

*** Eight late Loons runs turned a tie game into a rout. Mike Lehmann gave up a 2-run homer to RF Kyle Russell (his 22nd) in the 1st but the Bees tied it with single runs in the 2nd and 3rd on a Sean McCauley RBI double and Adrian Ortiz sac fly. Lehmann gave up a leadoff homer to 3B Anthony Hatch (his 5th) in the 4th but Ortiz killed a potential rally with an OF assist at the plate to end the inning. Patrick Norris hit a 2-out RBI single in the 5th to tie it at 3. Lehmann wasn't done giving up the longball, however, as C Tony Delmonico lit him up for a 2-run shot for his 7th of the season in the 6th. Riquy Pena stranded 2 in scoring position, but got touched up for 3 runs in the 7th before Dusty Odenbach left the bases full. Odenbach then gave up 3 runs in the 8th to make it 11-3 Great Lakes. Starter Josh Walter got the win for the Loons with 5 IP of 3 runs (2 ER) allowed on 3 hits and 3 walks with 6 Ks to move to 6-3 with a 3.33 ERA. Four Loons had multiple hits as DH Alfredo Silverio was 3-5 and Russell had 2 hits, including the HR and his 5th triple, and 4 RBI (72) along with a walk and 3 RS to move to .273. Two others had 2 RBI for the Loons and SS Dee Gordon stole his 55th base.

The Bees are 11-15 and 5 games out. A 3-game home set with the Fort Wayne TinCaps (23-4 (!), A Padres) starts tonight as Manauris Baez (4-4, 3.64) hurls against TinCaps righty Chris Fetter (0-0, 2.08). The Bees are 1-2 versus the TinCaps, who are 68-29 overall this season. Wow.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Orem 5, Chukars 1

RF Parraz 2-4, 2 2B (3), K, RS -- .417
PH Theriot 1-1, RBI (8) -- .316
3B D. Batista 0-3, K -- .304
C S. Perez 1-3 -- .303
CF H. Richardson 0-3 -- .333
* LF Julio Aparicio had an OF assist at home.

Garrido 4 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, K, HRA -- L, 1-1, 5.60 ERA
Morgan IP, UER, 2 H, K, 2 E -- 2.40 ERA
Shimek IP, H -- 4.50 ERA
J. Garcia IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA
Toribio IP, H -- 3.86 ERA

*** Idaho Falls couldn't scratch out a run until the 9th. Santiago Garrido stranded 2 Owlz in the 1st, then got bailed out by Julio Aparicio's assist at the plate in the 2nd to strand 2 more. Garrido stranded 2 more in the 3rd but the Owlz finally got to him for 4 runs in the 4th on a leadoff homer by SS Jon Karcich (his 1st) along with 4 other hits. Ryan Morgan gave up a run in the 5th thanks in part to 2 of his own errors. The Chukars didn't really threaten until the 9th when Ben Theriot hit a 2-out, pinch-hit RBI single. Aparicio struck out to end it. P Carson Andrew worked 4 scoreless innings for the win to move to 1-0 with a 2.21 ERA. Starter Garrett Richards was pulled after a scoreless 1st to keep his ERA at 0.00. Five Owlz had 2 hits. 1B Dillon Baird was 2-4 with his 2nd triple and 12th RBI to move to .411.

The Chukars are 17-10 and tied for first with the Ogden Raptors (18-11, Rookie Dodgers), who play host to a 3-game set starting tonight. Sugar Ray Marimon (0-2, 7.00) faces an unannouced Raptors SP. Ogden's roster features Dodgers '09 draftees 2nd round OF Blake Smith, 3rd round righty Brett Wallach, 5th round C J.T. Wise (1.042 OPS in 44 ABs), 9th round SS Bryant Hernandez, 10th round lefty Andy Suiter and others.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 5, Greeneville 1 (7, susp./darkness)

*** The game will be finished tonight before the regularly scheduled game. I'll report on both games tomorrow.

The B-Royals are 8-21. Game 2 with the Astros is tonight with no announced starters on the team site.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 5, Mariners 4

SS A. Martinez 3-4, 2B (2), 2 RBI (10), K, RS -- .225
RF Polonia 2-4, RBI (10), 2 K, SB (6), CS (2) -- .276
LF Lubanski 2-5, 2B (4), K, RS -- .529
C Howell 2-5, 2 K, RS, E -- .278
CF Howard 1-5, 2B, RBI (4), 4 K, OF assist at second -- .211
1B G. Baldwin 1-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .296

L. Santiago 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 4 K, WP -- 5.46 ERA
Fisher 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB -- BS, 1, 2.84 ERA
G. Batista 2 1/3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- W, 1-2, 5.40 ERA
J. Adams IP, nothing -- SV, 2, 0.00 ERA

*** An 8th inning run got the Royals the win over the division-leading M's. After stranding 2 in the 1st off rehabbing reliever Chad Cordero, the Royals got a run in the 2nd on a steal of home by Luis Piterson to make it 1-0. Anthony Howard hit an RBI ground-rule double in the 5th to make it 2-0 but the Mariners got to Leonel Santiago for 2 runs in the bottom of the inning to tie it. Adrian Martinez hit a 2-run double in the 6th to put the Royals back up, 4-2, but Brent Fisher gave the runs back in the bottom of the inning. Juan Polonia hit a bases-loaded single in the 8th to give the Royals a 5-4 lead but the Royals left them loaded. Geronimo Batista and Jack Adams finished off the win. RP Anthony Fernandez allowed 3 runs (2 ER) over 4 IP to take the loss and drop to 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA. Four M's had 2 hits.

The Royals are 10-18 and 6 1/2 games back. They have tonight off.

Royals on the Farm 7/23

After all the losing of the 2000s, I think Royals fans are finally getting fed up. As evidenced here and here (less a fan as much as an observer on the second link, but still a fan). Also to a lesser degree here, and I'm omitting a bunch of others, I'm sure. There was also word on 810 when I was listening recently that the Royals don't plan to spend over this year's level in 2010, which was correlated to the widespread renovations at "the New K" as an unwise tack to take. Of course, it doesn't matter how much you spend if you spend as dumbly as the Royals have in recent years. Doesn't look like that's gonna change. And to think this organization once used the season slogan, "Something Special in the Air" and actually lived up to it. Depressing.

AAA - Omaha: Iowa 5, O-Royals 1

2B Hulett 2-4, HR (5), RBI (39), K, RS -- .302
C House 2-4 -- .259
DH Ka'aihue 1-3, HBP, K -- .260
3B Lisson 1-4 -- .255

Duckworth 6 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 2-5, 5.67 ERA
Waechter IP, K -- 6.17 ERA
Holland IP, ER, 2 H, BB, K -- 9.00 ERA, AAA debut

*** Omaha scored in the 1st but went dry thereafter as the Cubs split the series. Tug Hulett hit his 5th homer with 1 out in the 1st but the rest of Omaha's 8 hits would go for naught. Iowa tied it before stranding 2 in the 3rd, then scored 2 runs on 3 hits in the 4th. 1B Matt Craig hit his 5th homer to lead off the 6th and make it 4-1 Iowa. Omaha left the bases full in the 8th and Greg Holland allowed a run in the 8th for some insurance. Starter Casey Fossum got the win for Iowa with 7 IP of an ER allowed on 5 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to improve to 2-2 with a 4.68 ERA. Three Cubs had 2 hits as LF Bobby Scales drove in 2 runs (24)

The O-Royals are 39-58. A 4-game home set with the Round Rock Express (43-56, AAA Astros) starts tonight as Lenny DiNardo (5-4, 3.63) faces Express righty Bud Norris (4-8, 2.61). The Royals are 2-6 versus the Express, including losing the last 5. OF Mitch Maier is headed back to KC as waste of money OF Jose Guillen has a torn knee ligament.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 10, Naturals 7

CF Duarte 2-5, 2 2B (9), 3 RBI (26) -- .246
1B C. Smith 2-5, 2B (17), RBI (62) -- .253
DH Bianchi 2-4, BB, 2B (8), 2 RS -- .336
2B Maddox 1-5, 2B (2), 2 RBI (4), K -- .261
RF Strait 1-4, BB, RBI (38), 2 K, RS -- .280
3B Mertins 1-5, K -- .285

B. Johnson 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, HRA -- L, 6-6, 5.35 ERA, 37 pitches, ouch
Castaneda 2 1/3 IP, 3 K -- 2.70 ERA, nice
Nicoll 4 IP, 5 R (2 ER), 6 H, BB, K, HRA -- 3.55 ERA
Abreu 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA

*** A 5-run Arkansas 1st set the tone as the Travelers avoided the sweep. Blake Johnson didn't survive the 1st inning as a 2-run homer by DH Mark Trumbo (his 10th) was part of a 7-hit, 5-run onslaught as Federico Castaneda came in to strand the bases loaded. Jose Duarte hit a 3-run double in the 2nd to cut into the lead but Chris Nicoll was knocked around for 4 runs in the 4th on a walk, 3 hits and 2 Ed Lucas errors. One of the hits was a 3-run homer by RF Jeremy Moore for his 2nd of the season. Corey Smith hit an RBI double in the 5th but Nicoll gave up a run in the 6th to make it 10-4. Cody Strait hit an RBI single in the 7th but the Nats stranded 2. Marc Maddox hit a 2-out, 2-run double in the 9th but that was NWA's last gasp. Starter Trevor Reckling allowed 4 ER on 5 hits and 4 walks with 5 Ks over 6 IP to improve to 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA for Arkansas. 3B Chris Gutierrez was 3-4 with a walk, his 8th RBI and a RS to move to .360 and 2 other Travs had 2 hits. Moore's homer gave him 10 RBI on the season and he stole his 1st base plus scored twice in improving to .333. Trumbo also drove in 3 runs (53).

The Naturals are 16-9 and a game up on first. A 4-game set at the Springfield Cardinals (13-13) starts tonight with Everett Teaford (3-3, 4.66) squaring off with Cards righty Brandon Dickson (6-6, 3.43). Teaford's former Wilmington cohort, P Jason Godin, has been called up to NWA as Chad Orvella went back on the DL with his groin problem.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 5, Myrtle Beach 3

DH C. Robinson 3-3, 2 RBI (40), CS (3) -- .285
2B Giavotella 2-3, S, RBI (34), RS, E (16) -- .254
3B Moustakas 1-4, 3B (2), 2 RBI (55), RS -- .244, hitless streak snapped
CF D. Robinson 1-3, BB, 2 RS -- .232
1B Hosmer 1-4, 2 K -- .250
RF Van Stratten 0-4, 2 K, E -- .100

Duffy 6 2/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 5 H, BB, 5 K, balk, E (2), pickoff -- W, 8-3, 3.26 ERA, good again
Basurto 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K, HRA -- 13.50 ERA, Wilmington debut
Sisk 1 2/3 IP, 2 K -- SV, 9, 2.25 ERA

*** Danny Duffy had another good start and the Rocks took down the Pelicans in the series finale. Duffy stranded 2 in the 1st but retired 8 in a row early in the game. The Rocks surged ahead with 3 runs off rehabbing Tim Hudson in the 3rd on a Johnny Giavotella RBI single, Mike Moustakas RBI groundout and Clint Robinson RBI single before stranding 2. Duffy allowed a run in the 4th but Wilmington scored 2 in the 5th on a Moustakas RBI triple and Clint Robinson RBI single. Two errors on one play in the 5th helped Myrtle Beach cut it to 5-2 and Eric Basurto gave up a homer to the first batter he faced -- SS Robert Marcial (his 2nd) -- in the 7th to cut it to 5-3. Brandon Sisk got out of an inherited jam in the 8th then pitched a perfect 9th for his 9th save. Hudson took the loss with 2 2/3 IP of 3 ER allowed on 5 hits and a walk with a K to fall to 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA. DH Donell Linares and RF C.J. Lee had 2 hits for the Pelicans.

The Rocks are 13-13 and 4 1/2 games back. A 3-game set at the Kinston Indians (10-17) starts tonight with Alex Caldera (3-7, 5.78) facing K-Tribe lefty Russell Young (2-5, 4.25). The Rocks are 9-5 versus the Tribe.

A - Burlington: Bees 7, Great Lakes 3 (8/G1)

C Bonilla 2-4, walkoff GS (4), 4 RBI (27), K, RS -- .225
LF Ortiz 2-3, S, 3B, RBI, RS -- .182, off to slow start back in MWL
3B Taylor 1-2, BB, SF, RBI (13), RS -- .290
RF Francis 1-3, BB, 3B (2), 2 RS -- .268
CF Norris 0-3, BB, RS, OF assist at home -- .248

Runion 5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, BB, K -- 6.30 ERA
C. Rodriguez 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA, rehab continues
J. Thompson IP, H, BB, K -- W, 4-1, 2.49 ERA

*** Burlington rallied back to tie the game in the 6th then got the grandaddy of all walkoffs in the 8th to defeat the Loons in the first of 2 Thursday. Sam Runion allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk before stranding 2 in the 1st but settled down. The Loons threatened again in the 5th but Patrick Norris nailed a runner at the plate to end the inning. Runion and Craig Rodriguez allowed a run in the 6th and the Bees were being shutout on 3 hits by Loons SP Jon Michael Redding going into that frame. Adrian Ortiz broke up the shutout with an RBI triple, scored on a Jason Taylor sac fly, and then Nick Francis tripled and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3. James Thompson stranded 2 in the 8th and the Bees loaded the bases with 1 out in the 8th. Bonilla stepped up with 2 outs and crushed a pitch to left center to end the game abruptly. RP Cole St. Clair took the loss by allowing 4 runs (3 ER) over 2 IP to fall to 3-1 with a 4.03 ERA and blow his 1st save. Redding allowed 3 ER on 6 hits with 2 Ks over 5 2/3 IP to move his ERA to 4.48. Former Royal Tom's son SS Devaris Gordon was 3-4 with his 52nd SB and a RS to move to .301. C Tony Delmonico also had 2 hits and his 34th RBI for Great Lakes. Tim's son 1B Matt Wallach drove in 2 runs (33) in the loss.

Great Lakes 2, Bees 0 (4-hitter, 7/G2)

LF Ortiz 2-3 -- .286
CF Norris 1-3 -- .249
3B Taylor 0-3, K -- .278
RF Francis 0-3, K -- .265

Melville 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 7 K -- 4.10 ERA, great start, very tough no-decision
B. Hardy 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 4-4, 2.43 ERA

*** The Bees could provide Tim Melville with no run support as he dueled with Loons lefty Geison Aguasviva, but neither would figure in the decision. Melville stranded 2 on walks in the 1st but retired 13 in a row at one point. His no-hit bid was lost in the 5th. The Bees stranded 2 in the 3rd and the Loons loaded the bases with 1 out in the 7th before a sac fly and steal of home gave them the 2 runs they needed. RP Luis Garcia pitched 2 scoreless for the win to move to 5-1 with a 2.52 ERA. Aguasviva worked 5 IP of 3 hits and a walk allowed with 3 Ks to lower his ERA to 1.34. Three Loons had a hit each and Gordon stole 2 bases to get to 54 on the season. He was 0-2 with a walk to drop to .299.

The Bees are 11-14 and 4 1/2 games out. The series ends tonight as Mike Lehmann (3-3, 4.37) faces Loons righty Josh Walter (5-3, 3.30). As noted, RP Craig Rodriguez has been added to the roster.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 11, Orem 7

DH Testa 2-5, 2B (6), HR (3), 4 RBI (15), K, 2 RS, SB (2) -- .286
SS D. Batista 2-5, 3B (4), HR (6), 2 RBI (25), 2 K, 2 RS -- .313
2B Franco 2-4, K, 2 RS, SB (9) -- .224
C S. Perez 2-5, 2B (5), RBI (15) -- .302
RF Parraz 1-4, 2B, RBI (3), 2 K, RS -- .375
1B Espinosa 1-4, RBI (11), 2 K, E (2) -- .261
CF H. Richardson 1-4, RBI (8), K, SB (10) -- .346
PH-3B Stovall 0-1, K -- .000, IF debut

Hodgson IP, ER, H, BB, WP -- 2.49 ERA, injury?
Paukovits 5 IP, ER, 6 H, BB, 3 K -- W, 2-1, 5.09 ERA
Arias IP, ER, 3 H, K -- 4.41 ERA
Hodge 2/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 4 H, E -- 6.55 ERA
Keating IP, 2 BB -- 3.68 ERA
White 1/3 IP, nothing -- SV, 3, 2.02 ERA

*** Four late Orem runs made the game look somewhat closer than it was as IF took the first of 2 with the Owlz. Salvador Perez hit an RBI double in the 1st but Ivor Hodgson and Bryan Paukovits allowed the Owlz to tie it in the 2nd. Deivy Batista cranked a 2-run homer in the 3rd for his 6th of the season but Orem hung in with a run on 2 doubles in the bottom of the inning. A run-scoring wild pitch and Tito Espinosa RBI single in the 4th made it 5-2 and IF padded the lead with 2 more in the 6th on a Carlo Testa RBI double and Hilton Richardson RBI single. Paukovits left the bases full in the 6th and the Chukars put it away with 4 runs in the 7th on a Jordan Parraz RBI double and 3-run Testa homer for his 3rd of the season. Carlos Arias allowed a run in the 7th and Mitch Hodge allowed 4 runs in the 8th as Orem cut it to 11-7. Cole White came in with 2 on and 2 out in the 9th and got the final out for his 3rd pro save. Orem SP Patrick Corbin took the loss with 3 1/3 IP of 5 ER on 6 hits and 5 Ks to drop to 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA. Four Owlz had multiple hits. 2B Jean Segura and RF Richard Cates had 3 hits each as Segura doubled thrice (7) and scored 3 times as well in moving to .387. He also drove in his 18th RBI.

The Chukars are 17-9 and a game up on first. The short set wraps tonight as Santiago Garrido (1-0, 5.01) faces an unannounced Orem SP. IF Ryan Stovall has been bumped to Idaho Falls from the AZL.

Rookie -- Burlington: Bristol 4, B-Royals 1

CF G. Beltre 1-4, HR (2), RBI (12), 2 K, RS -- .220
LF Pickett 1-4, K, SB (6) -- .222
RF Del Rosario 0-4, K -- .333

L. Perez 4 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 7 H, 2 K -- L, 1-3, 3.03 ERA
Cuevas 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K -- 3.60 ERA
Hudnall IP, BB, K, WP -- 11.25 ERA

*** Bristol held the Royals to 4 hits in the series finale. The Sox took the lead in the 2nd on 3 hits off Leondy Perez before stranding 2. Two more hits helped lead to another run in the 3rd and 2 runs in the 4th made it 4-0 Bristol. Geulin Beltre got the Royals' only run with a solo homer in the 4th for his 2nd of the season. RP Alex Farotto got his 3rd save and RP Dan Wiltz worked 2 scoreless innings to move to 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA. Starter David Holmberg allowed an ER on 2 hits with 2 Ks over 4 IP to move his ERA to 4.97. Three Sox had 2 hits in the win, including LF Brady Shoemaker, who kept hitting at 2-3 with his 11th double and 17th RBI and a RS to move to .421. DH Harold Baines Jr. was 2-4 with his 4th pro RBI to move to .171.

The B-Royals are 8-21. A 3-game set at the Greeneville Astros (14-16) starts tonight with no announced starters on the team site. Greeneville's roster features 'Stros '09 draftees 1st round SS Jiovanni Mier (hitting .312, .888 OPS in 93 ABs), supplemental 3rd round IF Jonathan Meyer, 4th round righty B.J. Hyatt, 11th round C Bubby Williams and others. OF J.D. Martinez is hitting over. 400 with an OPS over 1.100 to lead the Astros thus far.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 12, Indians 6

2B Piterson 3-5, 2B (4), 3 RBI (7), RS -- .295
1B G. Baldwin 3-4, BB, RBI (11), RS -- .299
SS Trapp 2-5, HBP, 2 RBI (7), K, RS, SB (4), E (2) -- .355
CF Llanos 2-6, 2B (5), 2 RS, 2 SB (10) -- .295
LF Lubanski 2-4, 2 BB, 2B (3), RBI (5), K, RS -- .583
3B Figueroa 2-4, HBP, 3 RS -- .278
DH Howell 1-5, BB, RBI (3), K, RS -- .231
RF L. Adams 1-5, 2 RBI (4), 2 K, RS, E (2) -- .200
* The Royals stranded 13.

Peacock 3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 2 K, HRA, WP -- 4.05 ERA
Yambati 2 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, BB -- 17.18 ERA
Bavera 2 IP, WP -- W, 2-0, 0.96 ERA
L. Roberts 2 IP, H, K -- 1.50 ERA

*** A 6-run 2nd propelled the Royals to the win over the Indians. Alex Llanos led off the Royals 1st with a double and scored on a Justin Trapp single to make it 1-0 Royals. They all but put the game away in the 2nd with 6 runs on a Trapp RBI single, Llanos steal of home, Jeff Howell RBI single, Geoff Baldwin RBI single, Luis Piterson RBI single and Lane Adams RBI forceout before stranding 2. Brian Peacock had an easy first 2 innings but gave up a solo homer to 1B Rolando Petit (his 1st) in the 3rd. The Indians got another run in the 4th thanks in part to a Royal error before Robinson Yambati finished out the frame. Piterson hit an RBI double in the 4th to make it 8-2 but the Indians got to Yambati for 4 runs in the 5th to cut the lead to 2. The Royals got back in command with a 3-run 6th as Piterson hit an RBI single, Adams hit an RBI groundout and Piterson scored on an error to make it 11-6. Chris Lubanski took a bases-loaded walk in the 8th to account for the Royals' final run. Starter Alex Morales took the loss for the Indians with 1 2/3 IP of 7 ER on 10 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to fall to 3-2 with a 5.76 ERA. Two Indians had 2 hits. 3B Jesus Brito had 2 hits and 2 RS along with his 7th triple, 11th error and 22nd RBI to move to .371.

The Royals are 9-18 and 7 1/2 games out. They play the 16-10 Mariners tonight.