Royals on the Farm 7/19

AAA - Omaha: Memphis 5, O-Royals 3

RF Raines 2-3, BB -- .226
3B Lisson 1-4, HR (9), 3 RBI (21), K, RS -- .246
CF Maier 1-5, K -- .368
1B Ka'aihue 0-2, 2 BB, 2 K, RS -- .253, .500 OBP for the day, but I bet it doesn't get him noticed

DiNardo 4 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, BB, 3 K, 2 HRA -- L, 5-4, 3.63 ERA
Yabuta 2 IP, K -- 3.82 ERA
Waechter 2 IP, K -- 7.45 ERA
Hamulack IP, BB -- 5.72 ERA, yeah, sure, the bullpen pitches well when they're losing anyway

*** Only 1 of Omaha's 8 hits ended up being of any consequence Sunday as Memphis ended up taking 3 of 4 in the set. Redbirds LF Allen Craig hit his 10th homer of the season to leadoff the 2nd and, after Omaha stranded 2 in the 2nd, Craig came back up in the 4th and slugged a 3-run homer for his 11th of the season and 2nd of the game. Three more hits drove in another Redbird run in the inning to make it 5-0 before Memphis stranded 3. A stretch of 17 straight batters retired lasted into the Omaha 7th, when Mario Lisson connected on a 3-run homer for his 9th at AAA to cut it to 5-3. Omaha loaded the bases after the dinger but Tug Hulett hit into a double play to end the threat. Omaha wouldn't threaten again as RP Jess Todd pitched the last 2 innings for his 22nd save. Starter Adam Ottavino allowed 3 ER on 4 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks over 6 1/3 IP to improve to 2-9 with a 4.55 ERA. Craig was 2-4 with his 2 HR and 4 RBI (40) with 2 Ks to move to .275.

The O-Royals are 37-56. A 4-game set at the Iowa Cubs (49-45) starts tonight as Stephen Randolph (4-3, 6.15) faces Iowa lefty J.R. Mathes (8-4, 3.62). The Royals are 1-3 versus Iowa. Righty reliever Greg Holland has been called up to AAA from NWA as another Greg, RP Greg Atencio, was released (finally) after posting a 7.04 ERA with the Royals. Best of luck to Atencio moving forward. Hey, I don't begrudge him, or anyone they release, a job, just not with the Royals organization.

AA - NW Arkansas: Springfield 4, Naturals 3 (12)

CF Lough 2-4, BB, HR (3), RBI (7), 2 RS, SB (4) -- .352
1B C. Smith 1-5, HR (16), RBI (60), K, RS -- .251
RF Strait 1-5, RBI (34), K -- .280
DH Mertins 1-6, K, SB (8) -- .282
SS Bianchi 1-5 -- .295

Teaford 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HRA -- 4.66 ERA
Hartsock 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K, E (2) -- 4.03 ERA
Holland IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K, HRA -- BS, 2, 3.18 ERA
Nicoll 2 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K -- 3.48 ERA
Swaggerty 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H -- L, 2-1, 4.86 ERA

*** The Naturals went scoreless over the final 8 1/3 innings pitched against them by 3 Springfield pitchers as the Cards pulled the race tight by taking 3 of 4 from NWA. Springfield stranded 2 in the 1st and David Lough clubbed his 3rd AA homer for a solo shot in the 2nd to give NWA a 1-0 lead. Rehabbing Cards SS Khalil Greene took Everett Teaford long in the 3rd to tie the game but Corey Smith returned the lead to NWA in the 4th with a solo homer for his 16th of the season. Cody Strait hit a bases-loaded RBI single but the Nats would leave the bases loaded up, 3-1. RF Tyler Henley dealt Teaford his only other damage of the day with a solo homer in the 4th to cut it to 3-2 but the lead held into the 9th. Both teams stranded 2 in the 8th and Greg Holland came in to finish it in the 9th, but served up a 1-out homer to IF Mike Folli (his 3rd) to blow his 2nd save. Chris Nicoll stranded 2 in the 10th and, with 2 out and none on in the Springfield 12th, Ben Swaggerty gave up a single, double, and then a walkoff single to Henley to finish it. RP Eduardo Sanchez pitched 2 hitless innings for the win to move to 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA for the Cards. Starter David Kopp worked 3 2/3 IP of 3 ER allowed on 4 hits and 2 walks with a K to move his ERA to 6.43. RP Brandon Dickson worked 6 scoreless innings to drop his ERA to 3.43. Four Cards had 2 hits as Henley had a walk, his HR, 2 RBI (49), 2 K and a RS to improve to .335.

The Naturals are 13-8 and 1/2 a game up on the Cards. A 4-game home set with the Arkansas Travelers (7-15, AA Angels) starts tonight as Matt Kniginyzky (3-7, 5.46) faces Travs righty Tim Kiely (2-1, 4.24). The Nats are 13-7 versus the Travs in this year's intrastate Diamond Series, including winning 8 of the last 9. RP Chad Orvella has been activated from the DL. Righty Juan Abreu has been called up from Wilmington and, I assume, will take over closer duties. Righty Federico Castaneda has also been moved up to AA from the AZL. One of Dayton's ex-Braves, RP Carlos Sencion, was released after posting a 6.02 ERA in 46 1/3 IP. Rumors are swirling that OF Joe Dickerson, who is on the NWA DL, has retired, but I have yet to see confirmation. He's still listed as rehabbing in the AZL and on NWA's DL.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Frederick 8, Blue Rocks 5

CF D. Robinson 2-5, RBI (28), 2 K, RS, SB (46) -- .231
2B Giavotella 2-5, RBI (33), 2 SB (16) -- .247
SS Seratelli 2-3, BB, RS, 2 E (14) -- .286, he's not a natural SS
RF Walton 1-4, RBI (23), RS -- .261
C Eigsti 1-3, BB, 2B (8), RBI (24), RS, 2 E (5) -- .213
DH Fontaine 1-4, RBI (5), K -- .296
3B Moustakas 0-5, 2 K -- .251, hitting .188 in July
1B C. Robinson 1-5, 2B (19), K, RS -- .279

Santiago 5 IP, 7 R (3 ER), 6 H, BB, 5 K, HRA -- L, 4-11, 4.30 ERA, leads league in losses
Liotta 2 IP, UER, H, BB -- 3.67 ERA
Z. Peterson 2 IP, nothing -- 1.15 ERA

*** Frederick scored 7 runs in the first 4 innings and didn't look back in taking the series finale. Mario Santiago gave up 2 runs in the 1st on a walk and 2 hits. The Keys followed that up with 3 in the 2nd on 2 hits and 2 Anthony Seratelli errors. Then, Santiago gave up a solo homer to RF Wally Crancer (his 5th) in the 3rd to make it 6-0 Keys. Chase Fontaine and Derrick Robinson hit RBI singles in the 3rd but the Rocks left 2 in scoring position. A sac fly in the 4th made it 7-2 Keys and Ray Liotta gave up a run on an error in the 6th to make it 8-2. Jamar Walton got Wilmington back on the board with an RBI single in the 6th and Ryan Eigsti hit an RBI groundout to cut it to 8-4. Johnny Giavotella's RBI single in the 7th cut it to 8-5 but he was stranded at third. Wilmington left 2 in scoring position in the 8th as RP Eddie Gamboa pitched a perfect 1 2/3 innings for his 1st save. Keys SP Sean Gleason went 6 IP of 4 ER allowed on 8 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to improve to 2-3 with a 4.28 ERA. SS Pedro Florimon Jr. and Crancer had 2 hits and 2 RS each. Florimon Jr. stole his 17th base and he and 1B Robert Widlansky drove in 2 runs each.

The Rocks are 11-12 and 4 1/2 games out. They have today off before starting a road trip. Eric Hosmer and Nick Van Stratten are expected to debut on the road trip.

A - Burlington: Bees 3, South Bend 0 (2-hitter)

RF D. Wood 2-4, RBI (34), RS -- .259
C McCauley 1-4, RBI (13), RS -- .223
LF Griffin 1-4, 2B (3), RBI (6) -- .268
CF-LF Ortiz 0-4, 2 K -- .000, '09 Bees debut
2B F. Garcia 0-3, BB, RS, SB (22) -- .250
3B Taylor 1-4, 2B (6) -- .297

Baez 6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K, WP -- W, 4-4, 3.64 ERA
B. Hardy 3 IP, K -- SV, 4, 2.25 ERA

*** Manauris Baez and Blaine Hardy combined on a 2-hit shutout as the Bees evened the series with South Bend. Shawn Griffin hit a 2-out RBI double in the 2nd and the Silver Hawks got their final hit to lead off the 5th. Baez ended up stranding the bases full in the inning. David Wood and Sean McCauley hit RBI singles in the 6th to make it 3-0 and Baez and Hardy retired the last 12 in a row. Silver Hawks SP Ryan Cook took the loss with 6 IP of 3 runs (2 ER) allowed on 5 hits and a walk with a K to fall to 6-9 with a 4.18 ERA.

The Bees are 9-13 and 6 1/2 games back. The series is wrapping tonight as Mike Montgomery (2-3, 2.25) is facing Silver Hawks lefty Taylor Sinclair (3-3, 3.42).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 3, Missoula 2

2B D. Batista 2-4, RS -- .306
RF Testa 1-3, S, HR (2), 3 RBI (10), RS -- .280
C S. Perez 0-3, BB -- .301
CF H. Richardson 1-3, 2B (6), K, SB (9) -- .371

Garrido 5 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K, WP -- W, 1-0, 5.01 ERA
Toribio IP, H -- 4.32 ERA
White 2 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 2.08 ERA
Folmer IP, H, K -- SV, 4, 1.13 ERA

*** Idaho Falls made a 3-run 1st stick for the win over the Osprey. The runs came on 1 hit off the bat of Carlo Testa as he hit his 2nd homer of the season to make it 3-0 Chukars. Three Osprey hits scored a run off Santiago Garrido in the 3rd but Missoula would strand 2. Cole White gave up a homer to the first batter he faced, 1B Paul Goldschmidt (his 6th), to lead off the 7th but stranded 2 in the 8th and Richard Folmer finished it in the 9th for his 4th save. Starter Eric Smith took the loss for the Osprey with 1 2/3 IP of 3 ER allowed on 3 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to fall to 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA. Goldschmidt and LF Ender Inciarte had 2 hits each for the Osprey. Goldschmidt's HR gave him 23 RBI on the season as he improved to .296. Inciarte is hitting .357.

The Chukars are 15-8 and a game up on first. Game 3 is tonight as Sugar Ray Marimon (0-2, 8.36) faces Missoula righty Enrique Burgos (1-2, 11.74). RP Justin Garcia was sent down from Burlington, making it 16 pitchers on the Chukar roster.

Rookie - Burlington: Elizabethton 9, B-Royals 2

3B Culver 2-3, BB -- .255
SS Espinal 1-3, BB, HR (3), RBI (6), 2 RS -- .270
CF G. Beltre 1-4, RBI (11), K -- .227
LF Pickett 0-4 -- .167
RF Del Rosario 0-4, K -- .363
DH F. Cruz 0-4 -- .229
1B Kuebler 1-2, 2 BB, E (10) -- .176

Fortuna 2 2/3 IP, 6 UER, 5 H, 4 BB, K, 2 HRA -- L, 1-3, 4.19 ERA
Sample 3 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K -- 6.52 ERA
Sirrett 2 IP, H, 4 K -- 2.35 ERA
Hudnall IP, H, 2 K -- 12.00 ERA

*** The B-Royals managed only 1 error Sunday but it ended up costing them in a Twins rout. Yowill Espinal cracked his 3rd homer for a solo shot in the 1st but the Royals stranded 2 in the 2nd. Jake Kuebler made a run-scoring error in the 3rd and, with 2 out in the inning, 1B Michael Gonzales clubbed a grand slam off Carlos Fortuna for his 2nd homer of the season to make it 5-1. 3B Anderson Hidalgo made it back-to-back longballs with his 2nd homer of the season to make it 6-1. Tyler Sample gave up 3 runs in the 5th on 3 hits, a walk and passed ball. Geulin Beltre hit an RBI single in the 6th but the Royals stranded 2 and didn't have another rally in them. Elizabethton starter Angelo Sanchez worked 5 IP of an ER allowed on a hit, 3 walks and 2 Ks to improve to 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA. Hidalgo was 3-4 with a walk, the HR, 2 RBI (10) and 2 RS to move to .338, Gonzales' granny gave him 4 RBI (11) as he dropped to .286 and 2 others had 2 hits for the Twins. 2B Derek McCallum drove in 2 runs (16).

The Royals are 7-19 after falling in today's finale for the sweep to make it a 9-game losing streak. Jaeson Hudnall took the loss. Lefty Buddy Baumann has gone to Arizona to rehab his arm.

Rookie - AZL: A's 5, Royals 1

DH Figueroa 2-4, RBI (14), K -- .259
1B G. Baldwin 2-3, BB, picked off -- .269, looking solid thus far
CF Howard 1-3, BB, 2 K, RS, SB (4), E -- .233
SS Trapp 0-3, S, K -- .176
RF L. Adams 0-4, 2 K, E -- .167

L. Santiago 5 IP, UER, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K, WP -- 5.87 ERA, at least one Santiago had a good night in KC's minors
C. Rodriguez IP, H -- 2.84 ERA, rehabbing
Yambati 2/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 4 H -- 16.88 ERA
G. Batista 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 6.39 ERA

*** A 4-run 7th sealed the Royals' fate. The A's stranded 2 in the 1st and the Royals took the early lead with a Yunior Figueroa RBI single. The A's answered with a run off Leonel Santiago in the 2nd on 3 hits and an Anthony Howard error but stranded 2. The Royals stranded 2 in scoring position in the 3rd and Geoff Baldwin was picked off at third to end the 6th with the game still tied at 1. Robinson Yambati got the first 2 outs in the 7th but then got touched up for 4 runs on 4 doubles and a Lane Adams error as the Athletics took command. The Royals couldn't rally back. RP Chris Mederos worked 3 scoreless innings for the win to move to 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA. SP Deivi Jimenez allowed an ER on 4 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks over 4 IP to move his ERA to 6.27. CF Doug Landaeta was 3-5 with his 4th double and 10th RBI to move to .294 and former Seattle prospect 3B Yung Chi Chen and C Ramon Soto had 2 hits each for the A's.

The Royals are 7-17 and 7 1/2 games out. They have tonight off.