Royals on the Farm 7/18

What a sparkling start to the "second half" -- three games with the Rays, three leads and games blown in the 8th. It's disappointing that Juan Cruz blows Friday's game, but to put him back out on Saturday in the same situation? I disagree. Stinks for Greinke and Hochevar to lose good starts, but that's the Royals' O. When it rains, it pours.

AAA - Omaha: Memphis 12, O-Royals 0 (3-hitter)

CF Maier 1-2, 2 BB -- .394
DH Ka'aihue 0-3, BB, K -- .255
3B Lisson 0-3, 3 K, E (11) -- .246

Duckworth 5 IP, 7 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 2-4, 5.64 ERA
Hughes 2 IP, 3 H, BB -- 3.89 ERA
Atencio 2 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, K, HRA -- 7.04 ERA

*** Simply put, Omaha got hammered. Two walks with 2 outs in the 3rd loaded the bases and Brandon Duckworth gave up a grand slam to 2B Dan Descalso for his 1st AAA longball. Omaha had a baserunner in each of the first 4 innings but couldn't cash in and Dusty Hughes was brought in with the bases loaded and none out in the 6th. DH Mark Shorey ripped a 3-run double to make it 7-0 Redbirds. Omaha stranded 2 in the 6th and the score stayed 7-0 into the 9th, when Greg Atencio gave up 5 runs on a run-scoring Mario Lisson error, 4 singles and a 3-run homer by LF Allen Craig (his 9th) to make it 12-0. Redbirds SP Mitch Boggs worked 7 innings of 2 hits and 4 walks allowed with 5 Ks to improve to 5-4 with a 4.55 ERA. Descalso was 3-5 with the slam, 5 RBI (11) and 2 RS to move to .353, 3B Brett Wallace was 3-5 with 2 RS to move to .303 and Craig was 2-5 with the HR, 3 RBI (36) and 2 RS to move to .271. Boggs was the last pitcher to blank the Royals in a 9-inning game in August 2008.

The O-Royals are 37-56 after dropping today's finale as Lenny DiNardo took the loss. Sidney Ponson was activated to replace Gil Meche in the KC rotation after Meche hit the DL with back problems.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 6, Springfield 2

DH V. Wilson 3-4, 2B (5), K, 2 RS -- .357
2B Maddox 2-3, BB, RBI, RS, CS -- .667, '09 NWA debut
LF Lucas 2-5, 2 K -- .296
3B Mertins 2-4, BB, K -- .284
C Clark 1-3, SF, 2 RBI (26) -- .333
SS Bianchi 1-4, S, RBI (12) -- .300
1B C. Smith 1-4, HR (15), RBI (59), K, RS -- .251
RF Strait 1-4, 2B (21), RBI (33), RS -- .281
CF Lough 1-4, RS -- .340

B. Johnson 4 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA -- 4.80 ERA
de la Vara 3 IP, ER, H, BB, K -- W, 5-1, 4.31 ERA
Holland 1 2/3 IP, H, 3 K -- 3.05 ERA

*** The Naturals dealt Springfield SP Trey Hearne only his 2nd loss of the season to set up a chance at a 4-game split. DH Tyler Henley led off the Cards 2nd with his 9th homer of the season but Jeff Bianchi tied it with an RBI single in the 3rd. The Nats took the lead in the 4th as Cody Strait hit an RBI groundout and Cody Clark singled in a run to make it 3-1. NWA stranded 2 in the 5th and then Blake Johnson and Gilbert de la Vara tiptoed out of trouble in the bottom of the inning. Clark hit a sac fly in the 6th and Marc Maddox hit an RBI single in his first game back in AA to make it 5-1. Corey Smith finished the Nats' scoring with a solo homer in the 7th for his 15th of the season. Greg Holland gave up a 2-out RBI single in the 8th but pitched a perfect 9th to finish it. Hearne allowed 5 ER on 13 hits with 3 Ks over 5 1/3 IP to fall to 10-2 with a 2.89 ERA. Five Cards had a hit each. Henley's HR gave him 47 RBI as he fell to .330.

The Naturals are 13-7 and 1 1/2 games up on first. The series ends tonight with Everett Teaford (3-3, 4.96) facing Cards righty David Kopp (1-1, 6.23).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 3, Frederick 1 (2-hitter, 7/G1)

DH Fontaine 2-3, HR, RBI (4), K, RS -- .350
LF Orlando 1-2, HBP, 2 RBI (22) -- .248
CF D. Robinson 1-4, K, 2 RS, 2 SB (44) -- .228
3B Moustakas 0-3, BB, picked off -- .256
2B Giavotella 0-2, 2 BB -- .241
1B C. Robinson 0-2, 2 BB, K -- .276
* The Rocks stranded 10.

Duffy CG, UER, 2 H, 7 K, E, pickoff -- W, 7-3, 3.40 ERA, back on track

*** A great night for Rocks pitching started with Danny Duffy hurling a 2-hit gem in game 1 of a twinbill versus the Keys. Paulo Orlando took a bases-loaded HBP in the 1st as the Rocks got only 1 run out of the situation. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 2nd and an Anthony Seratelli error factored into the Keys tying the game in the 3rd as both of their hits came that inning. Duffy would retire the last 14, including the last 2 in the 3rd. The Rocks left the bases loaded in the 3rd but Chase Fontaine led off the 4th with his 1st homer as a Rock to make it 2-1. Orlando hit an RBI forceout later in the inning before the Rocks stranded 2. Keys SP Pedro Beato took the loss with 3 runs (2 ER) allowed on 6 hits and 4 walks with 2 Ks over 4 IP to fall to 5-6 with a 4.82 ERA. 1B Robert Widlansky was 0-3 with a K and his 3rd error to drop to .396.

Blue Rocks 5, Frederick 0 (4-hitter, 7/G2)

LF Orlando 2-3, 2B (17), RBI (23) -- .253
DH C. Robinson 2-3, RBI (38), RS -- .280
2B Giavotella 2-3, RS -- .245
SS Seratelli 1-3, 3B (3), 2 RBI (23), 2 K -- .280
RF Walton 1-3, RBI (22), K, RS, SB (5) -- .261
CF D. Robinson 1-4, RS, SB (45) -- .228
3B Moustakas 0-2, BB, RS -- .254

Caldera 6 IP, 4 H, BB, 4 K, WP -- W, 3-7, 5.78 ERA
Chavez IP, nothing -- 2.09 ERA

*** It was Alex Caldera's turn to stand out in game 2 as the Rocks shut down the Keys to sweep the double dip. Clint Robinson hit an RBI single in the 1st and Paulo Orlando hit an RBI double to give the Rocks a 2-0 lead. The Rocks loaded the bases with 1 out in the 3rd and, after a Jamar Walton RBI forceout, Anthony Seratelli ripped a 2-run triple to make it 5-0. The Keys never really threatened. Keys SP Nathan Nery took the loss with 5 IP of 5 ER allowed on 9 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to fall to 3-4 with a 4.66 ERA. CF Matt Angle was 2-3 with his 10th double to move to .282. Widlansky was 0-3 to fall to .388.

The Rocks are 11-12 and 4 1/2 games out after falling in today's series finale as Mario Santiago took his 11th loss of the season.

A - Burlington: South Bend 7, Bees 5

3B Taylor 3-3, BB, 2B (5), 2 RBI (12), RS -- .300
C Bonilla 1-3, BB, RBI (22), K, RS -- .222
LF Griffin 1-4, 2B (2), RBI (5), K, RS -- .270
2B F. Garcia 0-5, RBI (16), K -- .254
CF Norris 0-5, K, OF assist at home -- .251
RF Francis 1-3, BB, K -- .263

Lehmann 5 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 5 BB, K, 3 WP -- 4.37 ERA, having some trouble finding the zone
J. Garcia 2 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, K, HRA -- L, 2-6, 4.78 ERA
Thompson 1/3 IP, H, K -- 2.55 ERA

*** The Bees tied it momentarily in the 7th but the Silver Hawks scored 2 in the 8th to get the win. Jason Taylor doubled but was thrown out at home to end the Bees 1st as they stranded 2. South Bend broke the ice in the 3rd with a run on a bases-loaded walk off Mike Lehmann before leaving the bases full. Jose Bonilla tied it with a 2-out RBI single in the 4th but the Silver Hawks surged ahead with 3 runs in the 5th on 4 singles, 3 wild pitches and a walk to make it 4-1, although Patrick Norris gunned down a runner at the plate to end the rally. Justin Garcia gave up a homer to RF Isaias Asencio -- the first batter he faced -- in the 6th for Asencio's 3rd homer of the season to make it 5-1. Shawn Griffin doubled home a run to start a rally in the 4th and, after a Fernando Garcia RBI groundout, Taylor hit a 2-run single to tie the game. Garcia and James Thompson gave up 2 runs on 3 hits in the 8th and RP Terry Hose pitched a perfect 9th for his 11th save. RP Justin Mace got his 1st blown save but got the win with 2 scoreless IP to improve to 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA. Starter Wade Miley worked 5 IP of an ER allowed on 5 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 4.37. Four Hawks had multiple hits as SS Reynaldo Navarro and LF Alberto Diaz had 3 hits. Asencio had 2 hits and 2 RBI (24) along with a walk, his 3rd triple and the HR and 2 RS to move to .232.

The Bees are 9-13 and 6 1/2 games back after getting a 2-hit shutout on the Hawks today. Manauris Baez got the win. IF Antonio Jimenez has been returned to the Bees after hitting around .100 at Wilmington.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 2, Missoula 1

3B Alfaro 2-4, K, E (5) -- .289
DH Testa 1-3, HR, 2 RBI (7), K, RS -- .277
SS D. Batista 0-4 -- .296
C S. Perez 1-3, K -- .314
CF H. Richardson 0-3, 2 K -- .373

Hodgson 7 IP, ER, 6 H, 5 K -- W, 2-0, 2.18 ERA, nice
Keating 2 IP, BB, 4 K -- SV, 1, 3.95 ERA, first pro save

*** Ivor Hodgson and Patrick Keating pitched well and the Chukars got a narrow win over the Osprey. Half of Missoula's 6 hits came in the 1st as they got a run but stranded 2. Carlo Testa hit a 2-run homer in the 2nd for his 1st of the season and that would be all the Chukars would need. Missoula didn't have a hit after the 5th. Keating gave up a walk before striking out the side in the 9th. Starter Keny Sosa took the loss for Missoula with 5 IP of 2 ER allowed on 6 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to fall to 1-2 with a 4.10 ERA. DH Ramon Castillo and LF Ender Inciarte both had 2 hits to boost their BAs to .348. Castillo got his 14th RBI.

The Chukars are 14-8 and a game up on first. Game 2 of the set is ongoing as Santiago Garrido (0-0, 5.89) faced Missoula righty Eric Smith (0-0, 0.00).

Rookie - Burlington: Elizabethton 4, B-Royals 3

RF Del Rosario 2-4, 3B (3), RBI (12), OF assist at second -- .379
1B-3B Kuebler 2-4, 2 K, RS, SB, CS -- .167
SS Espinal 1-4, RBI (5), K, RS, E (10) -- .267
2B Soto 0-3, BB, RBI (6), 2 K, SB (6) -- .179
LF Pickett 1-4, S, K -- .188
DH F. Cruz 1-4, K -- .242

L. Perez 5 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 4 K, 2 HRA, WP -- L, 1-2, 2.45 ERA
Cuevas 2 1/3 IP, BB, 2 K -- 4.50 ERA
Dennick IP, BB -- 3.09 ERA

*** Elizabethton scored 2 in the 1st and held off the Royals late to win the series opener. Two doubles and a Leondy Perez run-scoring wild pitch made it 2-0 Twins in the 1st. Perez gave up a leadoff homer to CF Jonathan Goncalves (his 2nd) in the 3rd but the Royals got a Yowill Espinal RBI single and Luis Del Rosario RBI triple in the bottom of the inning to cut it to 3-2. Burlington left the tying run at third in the 5th and Perez gave up a solo homer to C Tobias Streich (his 5th) in the 6th for an insurance run. Victor Soto hit an RBI groundout in the 9th to cut it to 4-3 but Jovan Pickett flew out to end it as RP Kyle Carr got his 4th save. Starter Martire Garcia worked 5 IP of 2 ER allowed on 4 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to improve to 3-0 with a 3.74 ERA. 2B Derek McCallum was 2-3 with a walk, his 7th double, a K and RS along with his 1st SB to move to .275. Streich's HR gave him 17 RBI on the season and he also committed his 1st pro error.

Burlington is 7-17 and 9 games out. Game 3 is tonight as the Twins hammered Carlos Fortuna (1-2, 4.86). Righty Angelo Sanchez (2-0, 3.63) started for the Twinkies. IF Ryan Wood is out with an elbow strain.

Rookie - AZL: Cubs 6, Royals 4

SS Trapp 2-4, BB, 2B, 3 RBI (4), CS -- .214
C Matos 2-4, 2B (2), RBI (3), K, 2 RS, E (2) -- .318
DH Howard 2-4, 3B (3), RS, CS -- .222
CF Llanos 0-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .276
1B G. Baldwin 1-4 -- .250
RF L. Adams 0-4, K -- .214

Peacock 2/3 IP, 5 R (1 ER), 3 H, WP -- L, 0-1, 4.91 ERA, rough night
L. Ortega 4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 K, WP -- 4.70 ERA
Fisher IP, H, K -- 0.00 ERA
Castaneda IP, H, K -- 2.61 ERA
L. Roberts IP, ER, 4 H, K, pickoff -- 1.80 ERA

*** Brian Peacock and Luis Ortega allowed 5 runs in a rough 1st inning as the Cubs didn't look back in the 6-4 win. The Royals stranded 2 in the 1st and Peacock's outing went single, wild pitch + error, RBI groundout, error, single, HBP, popout, 2-run double. Then Ortega gave up a 2-run single to make it 5-0. The Royals answered with 3 in the 2nd on a Mauricio Matos RBI double and 2-run Justin Trapp double to cut it to 5-3. Two outs on the basepaths in the 5th and 6th helped stymie potential rallies and the Royals stranded 2 in the 8th. The Cubs scratched out an insurance run off Lee Roberts in the 8th and Trapp hit an RBI groundout in the 9th before Yunior Figueroa struck out to end it as RP Jesse Ginley got his 1st save. P Diego Encarnacion worked 4 scoreless innings for the win to move to 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA. Starter Carlos Rojas allowed 3 ER on 5 hits and a walk over 2 IP to move his ERA to 7.00. Three Cubs had multiple hits as 3B Jordan Petraitis had 3 hits and 2 RBI along with his 1st error and 2 RS to move to .375 and C Jose Guevara had 2 hits and 2 RBI (3) along with his 3rd passed ball to move to .087.

The Royals are 7-16 and 7 1/2 games out. They play the 8-14 A's tonight.