Royals on the Farm 8/11

I can't believe the Royals are beating the Twins this season. I mean, it's 4-3 KC at this point in the season series, but usually the Twins just have the Royals' number. They split in 2007, 9-9, but the last time the Royals had a winning record against Minnesota was 2003. Before that it was 2000. So basically Minnesota has housed the Royals this decade, much like most other teams. It doesn't matter if Johan Santana or Boof Bonser has pitched. Whereas this year you can actually go into a Twins series thinking maybe you'll win 2 of 3. That Twins formula that has worked so well this decade just isn't in 2009 -- it's been too much crappy infield hitting, not much out of Delmon Young or Carlos Gomez offensively, only 1 starter with an ERA under 4.8, and it's not the same guy that is the only starter with a WHIP under 1.4. Anyway, it's nice to see the Royals able to beat the Twins nowadays.

AAA - Omaha: Reno 6, O-Royals 4

C House 3-4, BB, 2B (19), 3 RBI (42), RS -- .251
2B Hulett 2-4, BB, K, RS -- .304
DH Ka'aihue 1-4, BB, 2B (26), RBI (47), K -- .261
3B Lisson 0-3, BB, 3 K -- .239
LF Lubanski 0-3, BB, RS, OF assist at second -- .234, 2-37 since return
* Omaha stranded 10.

Farnsworth IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA, rehab resumes, getting closer to getting lit up in KC once again
Phillips 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 4 K -- 5.41 ERA
Hayes IP, 3 ER, 4 H, K -- BS, 4, L, 1-5, 4.22 ERA, as much as you can root for Disco to make it, will his stuff get good batters out?
Yabuta 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 3.27 ERA
Marte 2/3 IP, H, WP -- 2.62 ERA

*** A momentary Omaha lead evaporated in the 7th as Reno moved within a game of a 4-game sweep. Omaha stranded 2 in the 1st and Reno took the lead off Heath Phillips in the 5th. Walks loaded the bases with 2 out in the Omaha 5th and J.R. House cleared the bases with a double before a Kila Ka'aihue double made it 4-1 O-Royals. Phillips walked in a run before getting pulled as Chris Hayes left the bases full in the 6th. Three singles and a double, however, brought home 3 runs off Hayes in the 7th as Yas Yabuta wiped up the mess. Omaha stranded 2 in both the 7th and 8th and Yabuta and Victor Marte allowed an insurance run in the 9th. Omaha stranded 2 more in the 9th as RP Doug Slaten went 1 1/3 IP for his 5th save. RP Jose Marte pitched 2 scoreless innings for the win to move to 3-1 with a 4.91 ERA. Starter Tony Barnette worked 5 IP of 4 ER on 3 hits and 5 walks with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 6.29. Four Aces had multiple hits led by a 3-hit night from 1B Brandon Allen, who stole his 5th base, hit his 7th double, drove in his 26th RBI and scored twice to move to .330. RF Cole Gillespie had 2 hits and 2 RBI (35).

The O-Royals are 47-69, which gives them the worst record in the PCL. The series is wrapping today with a getaway matinee. Brandon Duckworth (3-6, 5.36) started versus Aces righty Seth Etherton (9-7, 5.07). There will be no Ka'aihue brothers reunion, as Kala was picked up by Oakland out of the Atlantic League, where he'd been playing since his release from the Braves organization. People can say what they want about Billy Beane and his postseason frustrations, but he turned Matt Holliday into a nice load of prospects from St. Louis, got a decent SS prospect from Minnesota in return for Orlando Cabrera...he makes shrewd moves. Of course it's not 100 percent success, this season they whiffed on Giambi and haven't gotten much out of a couple guys, but I'd be much more optimistic as an A's fan than I am as a KC one. Plus their AAA team (Sacramento) is once again tearing it up, 72-45, best record in the PCL. The Kala Ka'aihue pick-up may be one of those shrewd moves, it may not, same with the Grant Green pick in the 1st round of the draft, but I know what the track record looks like.

AA - NW Arkansas: off day

The Naturals are 26-18 and 2 games up on first. A 3-game home set with the Midland RockHounds (26-18, AA A's, leading TL South) starts tonight with Anthony Lerew (7-6, 4.80) facing Midland righty Tyson Ross (2-1, 4.50). Righty reliever John Bannister was picked up by KC off waivers from Texas and will join NWA. He's 25 and had a 5.40 AAA ERA and 6.30 Texas League ERA in recent times with the Rangers organization. He does take up a 40-man spot.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 10, Winston-Salem 1

3B Moustakas 3-5, 2B (26), HR (13), 4 RBI (73), RS, E (20) -- .255, when he hits like that, the walks don't matter...
RF Van Stratten 2-3, BB, 2B (4), RBI (6) -- .273, 12-game hit streak ties '09 team high
SS Seratelli 2-3, BB, RBI (29), K, 2 RS, SB (16) -- .294
2B Giavotella 2-4, BB, 2B (19), RBI (39), 2 RS, E (18) -- .259
CF D. Robinson 2-4, SF, 2B (17), RBI (40), 2 RS, SB (53) -- .237
DH C. Robinson 1-4, SF, 2 RBI (49), 2 K, RS -- .296
1B Hosmer 0-5, 3 K -- .194

Montgomery 5 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- W, 2-0, 2.11 ERA, solid
Coleman 1 2/3 IP, 4 K -- 0.00 ERA, very nice
Villa IP, nothing -- 3.64 ERA
Basurto IP, H, 2 K -- 1.23 ERA, fair return for Gload

*** Wilmington churned out 8 runs in the first 4 innings and got a good night all-around from 4 pitchers to keep hold of first place. Mike Moustakas got it started by blasting a 2-run homer for his 13th of the season in the 1st. Anthony Seratelli added an RBI single and Derrick Robinson's sac fly in the 2nd made it 4-0. Nick Van Stratten hit an RBI double in the 3rd and the Rocks scored 3 in the 4th on a Johnny Giavotella RBI single, Moustakas RBI double and Clint Robinson sac fly. Mike Montgomery had a 1-hit shutout through 5 but finally hit trouble in the 6th as a 1-out Giavotella error scored the Dash's first run. Louis Coleman came in and struck out 2 to finish the inning. The Rocks finished the scoring in the 8th with 2 runs on a Moustakas RBI single and Clint Robinson RBI forceout. Dash SP Jacob Rasner allowed 8 ER on 8 hits and 3 walks with 2 Ks over 3 1/3 IP to fall to 3-4 with a 4.26 ERA. 1B Seth Loman had 2 hits for the Dash.

Wilmington is 27-15 and a game up on first. The series continues today with a twinbill as Danny Gutierrez (0-0, 0.00) makes his first 2009 start versus Dash righty Levi Maxwell (4-11, 4.71) in game 1 and Eduardo Paulino (6-6, 4.05) faces Dash righty Dylan Axelrod in his Dash debut in game 2.

A - Burlington: Bees 4, Peoria 2

RF Francis 4-5, 2B (20), 3B (3), 2 RBI (55), RS, SB (13) -- .264
2B F. Garcia 0-4, BB, K -- .264
LF Ortiz 1-5, 2B (3), RS -- .183
3B Taylor 1-2, 2 BB -- .244
DH Griffin 1-4, 2B (10), K -- .318
C Bonilla 1-4, 2 K, RS -- .226
CF Norris 0-4, SB (39) -- .244

Hodgson 7 IP, UER, 2 H, 4 BB, 7 K, WP -- W, 2-1, 4.84 ERA, taken to MWL nicely last couple starts
Thompson 1 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB -- 3.09 ERA
B. Hardy 1/3 IP, nothing -- SV, 6, 2.28 ERA

*** Ivor Hodgson had a second straight standout start and the Bees took down the division-leading Chiefs. Nick Francis hit an RBI single in the 1st, stole second, advanced on a wild pitch, then scored on another wild pitch to give the Bees a quick 2-0 lead. He came back up in the 3rd and ripped an RBI double to make it Francis 3, Chiefs 0. A Chiefs error helped score Jose Bonilla in the 4th to make it 4-0 Bees. Hodgson finally gave up a run without a Peoria hit in the 6th to hold the Chiefs to 1 hit through 6. He allowed his 2nd hit in the 7th before giving way to the bullpen. James Thompson allowed a run before stranding 2 in the 8th and Blaine Hardy came in to strand 2 in the 9th for his 6th save. Chiefs SP Justin Bristow took the loss with 3 2/3 IP of 4 runs (3 ER) allowed on 6 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks to fall to 4-6 with a 4.45 ERA. CF Brett Jackson had 2 hits for Peoria and SS Junior Lake had 3 errors (32) in the loss.

The Bees are 20-24 and 5 games back. Game 2 is tonight as Sam Runion (3-9, 6.81) faces rehabbing Cubs starter Ted Lilly. Tony Pena Jr. has been added to the Bees bullpen.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 6, Billings 2

CF Llanos 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI (3), K, RS, SB -- .167, maybe a sign he's starting to catch on
DH H. Richardson 2-5, 2 RBI (12), SB (15) -- .319
C S. Perez 2-4, 2B (8), K, 2 RS -- .314
RF Caldwell 2-4, RS, SB (3) -- .242
LF Aparicio 2-3, BB, 2B (9), 2 RS, SB (7) -- .203
3B Alfaro 0-3, SF, RBI (12), K -- .244
SS D. Batista 1-3, BB, CS (5) -- .286

Lamb 5 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- W, 1-1, 3.79 ERA
Hodge 2 IP, 3 K -- 7.20 ERA
Folmer IP, ER, H, K, HRA -- 2.60 ERA
Keating IP, 2 K -- 2.49 ERA

*** Three 2-run innings and some good pitching got the Chukars another win over Billings. A 2-out throwing error in the 2nd led to IF's first run and Alex Llanos singled home another run to make it 2-0 Chukars. John Lamb stranded 2 Mustangs in the 4th and Idaho Falls did the same in the bottom of the frame. Lamb allowed a run in the 5th and Deivy Batista was thrown out at the plate to end the Chukars 5th. J.D. Alfaro lifted a sac fly in the 6th and Hilton Richardson singled home a run to make it 4-1 IF. RF Tyler Stovall greeted Richard Folmer with a leadoff homer (his 1st) in the 8th but the Chukars scored 2 in the bottom of the inning on a Llanos RBI double and Richardson RBI single. The last 6 Mustangs went down as IF finished the win. Billings SP Leonardo Astorga allowed 2 ER on 8 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks over 5 IP to fall to 2-4 with a 4.44 ERA. Four Mustangs had a hit each. Stovall's homer gave him his 10th RBI.

IF is 4-4 and 3 games back. Game 3 is tonight as Nick Wooley (2-1, 4.50) faces Mustangs righty Ricky Bowen (0-0, 0.00).

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 10, Kingsport 5

DH F. Cruz 3-6, 3 RBI (16), RS, picked off -- .281
RF Del Rosario 3-4, HBP, BB, 2 2B (7), HR (3), 2 RBI (16), K, 3 RS -- .306
1B D. Cruz 2-5, RBI (4), 3 K -- .206
SS Espinal 2-5, HBP, 2 RS, 2 E (14) -- .218
C T. Jones 2-5, BB, RS -- .152
2B V. Soto 0-3, 2 BB, RBI (10), 3 K, E (8) -- .194
LF Pickett 1-6, 3 K, 2 RS, SB (17) -- .288
* The Royals stranded 13.

Sample 5 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, BB, 7 K, HRA, WP, balk -- W, 2-2, 4.11 ERA, showing signs of potential
D. De La Cruz 3 2/3 IP, 3 UER, 5 H, BB, 3 K -- SV, 1, 2.45 ERA

*** Tyler Sample got plenty of run support for the win. Luis Del Rosario started the fireworks with an RBI double in the 1st, Fernando Cruz added a 2-run single and Diego Cruz singled home Fernando to make it 4-0 Royals. Jovan Pickett stole second and scored on an error in the 2nd to make it 5-0. Fernando Cruz hit an RBI single in the 4th and a run-scoring balk made it 7-0 Burlington. An error scored the Mets' first run off Sample in the 4th but he left 2 in scoring position. Another Met error helped Burlington get the run back in the 5th and Del Rosario led off the 6th with his 3rd homer of the year to make it 9-1. Victor Soto took a bases-loaded walk later in the inning before the Royals left the bases full. Sample allowed a solo homer to 2B Ryan Mollica (his 1st) in the 6th and Deybi De La Cruz allowed 3 unearned runs in the 7th but that was all the Mets would get. SP Angel Cuan took the loss for the Mets with 4 IP of 7 runs (6 ER) allowed on 9 hits with 4 K to fall to 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA. Mollica had 3 hits, including his 4th double and the HR, and 2 RBI (17) along with 2 RS to move to .277. Two other Mets had 2 hits. Mollica also had his 9th error.

The B-Royals are 17-31. The series wraps tonight with no announced starters on the team site.

Rookie - AZL: Mariners 13, Royals 0

SS Trapp 1-3, BB, K, E (9) -- .293
2B Piterson 1-4 -- .304
1B G. Baldwin 1-3, E (11) -- .279
RF L. Adams 1-4, K, SB (10) -- .257
LF Howard 0-2, BB, K -- .194
CF Cooper 0-2, BB, K -- .154

Yambati 2 IP, 8 R (7 ER), 7 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 2-2, 12.18 ERA
E. Diaz 4 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 5 H, 5 K, 2 WP -- 4.61 ERA
L. Ortega 3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 K -- 4.32 ERA

*** The Mariners cranked out 8 runs in the first 2 innings en route to the shutout win. The rout started with 3 runs in the 1st off Robinson Yambati and continued with 5 runs in the 2nd. The Royals had hits in each of the first 4 innings but couldn't cash in. Twelve Royals in a row went down and the M's added 5 late gravy runs. The Royals only had 1 hit after the 4th, and that runner was picked off at first in the 9th. M's SP Miguel Celestino allowed only 5 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks over 7 IP to improve to 4-2 with a 5.33 ERA. Four M's had multiple hits led by a 3-hit night from C Carlton Tanabe. He had a pickoff on defense plus his 2nd double and 2 RBI (4). Three others also had 2 RBI. 2B Kevin Mailloux's 2 RBI gave him 30 on the season.

The 5-9 Royals face the 4-10 Dodgers tonight.