Royals on the Farm 8/20 -- Myers cranks 1st pro homer

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 13, Tacoma 7

CF Raines 3-4, BB, 2B (7), 2 HR (6), 4 RBI (21), 3 RS, E (3) -- .235, nice production out of 8 slot
DH Buchanan 2-5, 2B (7), GS (6), 5 RBI (19), K, RS -- .245
2B Falu 2-5, S, 2B (16), RBI (39) -- .252
3B Gordon 2-5, BB, 3 RS -- .375
1B Ka'aihue 2-4, BB, 2 RS -- .265
C House 1-3, BB, SF, 2B (22), RBI (45), K, RS -- .246
RF Aldridge 1-4, 2 BB, K, 2 RS -- .308

DiNardo 7 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 9 K, WP -- W, 9-5, 3.47 ERA, let him throw 121 pitches, which I protest
Rosa 1 2/3 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K, WP -- 5.04 ERA

*** Omaha scored 10 straight runs to leave Tacoma in the dust and get the O-Royals' first win over the Rainiers since 2007. A run-scoring balk, J.R. House sac fly and Brian Buchanan RBI double made it 3-0 Omaha in the 1st as the Royals stranded 2. Tacoma answered to tie it off Lenny DiNardo on 3 hits and a walk. Tim Raines Jr. popped his 5th homer of the season for a solo shot in the 4th and, after DiNardo struck out the side in the 4th, a run scored on a Kila Ka'aihue double-play ball in the 5th to make it 5-3 Omaha. The Royals all but put it away with 5 runs in the 7th on a Buchanan grand slam (his 6th homer) and Irving Falu RBI double, but kept running DiNardo out there, I suppose to save the bullpen some work. Raines cranked a 3-run homer in the 8th for his 6th of the season and 2nd of the game and, again, DiNardo came out for the 8th with a 13-3 lead. The Rainiers had a run in and 2 on with 1 out when Mike Jirschele finally pulled his starter for Carlos Rosa, who allowed both inherited runners to score before stranding the bases full. Rosa allowed another run in the 9th before finishing it. Tacoma SP Chris Seddon worked 6 IP of 5 ER allowed on 8 hits and 4 walks with 2 Ks to fall to 7-8 with a 4.51 ERA. Four Rainiers had multiple hits. DH Chris Shelton and LF Bryan LaHair had 3 hits apiece, with Shelton driving home 2 (75) and scoring twice to move to .327 and LaHair driving home 3 (73) to move to .294. 3B Matt Tuiasosopo also had 2 hits and scored thrice.

The O-Royals are 52-72. The series wraps tonight as Dusty Hughes (2-3, 3.69) faces Tacoma righty Andy Baldwin (6-9, 4.59). It will not be somebody from AA taking a rotation slot, at least not yet, as lefty Ray Liotta got the call up from Wilmington to make Saturday's start. He had a 3.84 ERA in the Carolina League, and hasn't done great in his starts (2-2, 5.30 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 14 BB/12 K) -- he's worked better out of the pen (2-0, 2.05, 1.27 WHIP, 10 BB/22 K). Plus that gives them 4 lefties in the rotation. Another typical KC move, but part of the reason is probably that Omaha is done in the postseason race, for all intents and purposes. NWA and Wilmington are in a playoff race. Chris Nicoll is also staying in the rotation for now, which I'd be fine with if he had shown any durability as a starter. I'm assuming they'll keep his pitch count low. Alex Gordon missed a chance to play Wednesday when traffic delayed him getting to the park on time.

AA - NW Arkansas: Midland 3, Naturals 2

RF Lucas 2-3, BB, K -- .284
3B Mertins 2-4, K, RS, CS (9) -- .286
C Clark 2-3, 2B (12), K, RS -- .297
LF Lough 1-4, 2B (9), RBI (27), K -- .341
SS Bianchi 1-4 -- .327
CF Dyson 0-4, K -- .240

Teaford 5 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 K -- L, 3-6, 5.95 ERA
Hartsock 3 IP, 2 H -- 3.07 ERA

*** Midland did all its damage in one inning to move into position for a potential sweep. Both offenses were quiet until the 5th when NWA got on the board with a David Lough RBI double. Everett Teaford got the first 2 outs in the 5th but then hit a rough patch as the RockHounds scored 3 runs on 5 consecutive hits before stranding 2. Kurt Mertins scored on a wild pitch in the 7th but NWA would only have 1 more hit. RP Jared Lansford notched his 10th save as RP Justin Friend allowed an ER in 1 1/3 IP for the win to move to 1-0 with an 8.10 ERA. Starter Arnold Leon allowed 5 hits with 6 Ks over 4 2/3 IP to lower his ERA to 3.58. Three Midland batters had 2 hits and Oakland IF prospect Jemile Weeks drove in his first 2 AA runs.

The Naturals are 29-23 and a game up on first. They'll try to avoid the sweep tonight as Matt Kniginyzky (5-9, 5.15) faces 'Hounds righty and Wichita St. product Travis Banwart (9-5, 4.81).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Frederick 5

no Moustakas or Hosmer, again
2B Giavotella 2-5, 2B (21), RBI (42), K, 2 RS, E (19) -- .255
RF Orlando 2-5, K, RS -- .268
C Eigsti 1-3, BB, 2 RBI (30), RS -- .197
LF Walton 1-4, 2B (6), RBI (29), K, RS -- .249
CF D. Robinson 0-3, 2 BB, K, RS, SB (65) -- .238
1B C. Robinson 1-4, BB, K -- .283

Duffy 5 IP, 3 BB, 6 K, pickoff -- 3.22 ERA
Z. Peterson 1 1/3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 3 H, 2 BB, K -- 2.05 ERA
Coleman 2/3 IP, H, BB -- BS, 1, W, 2-0, 0.00 ERA
Sisk 2 IP, H, BB, K, pickoff -- SV, 16, 2.15 ERA

*** The Rocks lost a 5-0 lead but salvaged the victory to sweep the Keys. Ryan Eigsti put the Rocks on top with a 2-run single in the 2nd and Wilmington scored 2 more in the 3rd on a Johnny Giavotella RBI double and run-scoring wild pitch. Jamar Walton hit an RBI groundout in the 5th but Wilmington left the bases full. Danny Duffy handed a no-hitter to the pen in the 6th but Zach Peterson lost it and the shutout that inning as the Keys scored 2. Peterson had 2 runs in, 2 on and 1 out in the 7th when Louis Coleman allowed the game-tying single but stranded the bases full. Eigsti scored on a wild pitch in the 8th to regain the lead for the Rocks and Brandon Sisk pitched 2 scoreless innings for his 16th save. RP Brett Jacobson took the loss with an ER allowed in 2 IP to fall to 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Starter Zach Britton worked 4 2/3 IP of 5 runs (3 ER) allowed on 6 hits and 3 walks with 8 Ks to make his ERA 2.82. Five Keys had a hit each.

The Rocks are 33-19 and 1 1/2 games up on first. A 3-game home set with the Kinston Indians (25-28) starts tonight as Mike Montgomery (2-0, 2.63) faces K-Tribe righty Paolo Espino (5-6, 2.70). The Rocks are 11-6 versus the Tribe.

A - Burlington: Quad Cities 5, Bees 4

DH Griffin 2-3, BB, 3B, RBI (17), K, CS (5) -- .297
LF Ortiz 2-4, S, RBI (15), RS, SB (5) -- .221
RF Francis 2-4, K, RS -- .278
1B D. Wood 1-5, RBI (57), RS -- .267
3B Taylor 1-3, BB, 2B (9), RBI (21), K -- .242, ejected in 8th
CF Norris 1-4, BB, K, SB (41) -- .240
C Bonilla 0-4, 2 K, PB (12) -- .219

Lehmann 4 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA, WP -- 5.71 ERA
T. Pena Jr. 2 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 7.71 ERA, .300 OAV thus far in A ball
Thompson 1 1/3 IP, UER, 2 H, 2 BB -- BS, 1, L, 4-3, 2.82 ERA

*** The Bees blew 2 leads in the loss to Quad Cities. It was the Bandits who struck first with a 2-run 1st off Mike Lehmann. Jason Taylor got the Bees on the board with an RBI double in the 2nd and, after Quad Cities stranded 2 in the 2nd, the Bees took the lead in the 3rd with 2 runs on a David Wood RBI single and bases-loaded walk by Shawn Griffin before stranding the bases full. SS Domnit Bolivar clubbed his 4th homer to tie it off Lehmann in the 4th and Tony Pena Jr. stranded 2 in the 5th. He also worked a quiet 6th and the Bees got a successful squeeze bunt from Adrian Ortiz to regain the lead in the 7th. Pena was pulled with 1 on and 2 out in the 7th and James Thompson gave up a game-tying double. Thompson then gave up the go-ahead run in the 8th and RP David Carpenter pitched the 9th for his 11th save for Quad Cities. RP Mark Diapoules worked 2 IP of an ER allowed to move to 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA. Starter Kevin Thomas worked 6 IP of 3 ER allowed on 6 hits and 3 walks with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.22. Bolivar and 2B Jason Stidham had 2 hits for the Bandits.

The Bees are 23-29 and 9 games out. Game 2 is tonight as Manauris Baez (6-5, 3.62) faces QC righty Jorge Rondon (1-2, 3.48).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 3, Great Falls 2

3B Stovall 2-3, BB, 2B (6), 2 RS, E (6) -- .321
RF Llanos 1-3, S, 3B, RBI (6), 2 K -- .217
CF H. Richardson 0-4, BB, RBI (16), 3 K, SB (19) -- .306
DH S. Perez 0-4, K -- .313
C Theriot 0-3, BB, K, RS, E (4), PB (4) -- .293

Lafferty 6 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 3 WP -- W, 4-1, 2.57 ERA, OK first start
Marimon 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, K, WP -- 6.21 ERA
Keating 1 1/3 IP, BB, 2 K -- SV, 6, 2.22 ERA

*** Idaho Falls was outhit by the Voyagers but made the best of 4 hits to win the series opener. The Voyagers scored both their runs in the 2nd off Brendan Lafferty but Ryan Stovall doubled and scored on a Hilton Richardson groundout in the 3rd. Alex Llanos tripled home the tying run in the 5th and a run-scoring wild pitch in the 7th was the difference. Lafferty stranded 2 in the 4th but didn't face any more trouble after that. Patrick Keating relieved Sugar Ray Marimon with the bases loaded and 2 out in the 8th and allowed only a walk from there, in the 9th, to pick up his 6th save. RP Ryan Buch took the loss with 2 IP of an ER allowed to drop to 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA. Starter Jimmy Ballinger worked 5 IP of 2 ER allowed on 2 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks to make his ERA 3.81. CF Kyle Colligan had 2 hits for the Voyagers.

The Chukars are 10-7 and still 5 1/2 games back of Orem, as the Owlz refuse to lose at 15-1. Game 2 with the Voyagers is tonight as John Lamb (2-1, 2.77) faces GF righty Joucer Martinez (3-2, 3.30). OF Allen Caldwell has returned home with a shoulder injury. Lefty Chris Dwyer will join the IF roster. Caldwell was to visit the team doc and is expected to be ready for the fall instructional league.

Rookie - Burlington: Johnson City 4, B-Royals 2

C Myers 1-4, HR, RBI, RS, PB -- .125, first pro hit is a homer
CF Pickett 0-4, K, SB (19) -- .264
LF Del Rosario 0-4, K, OF assist at home -- .282

Sample 6 IP, ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 4 K -- .382 ERA, not bad start, no run support
Dennick 3 IP, 3 UER, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- L, 1-2, 2.37 ERA

*** A 3-run 7th got Johnson City the win. Tyler Sample left the bases full in the 1st and Wil Myers stepped up in the 2nd and slammed his 1st pro homer to give Burlington a 1-0 lead. Sample allowed only 1 more hit through 5 but got no additional offense from his teammates. He loaded the bases with none out in the 6th and a run scored on a Diego Cruz error at first to tie the game. He wriggled out of the bases loaded jam but Ryan Dennick gave up 3 runs in the 7th thanks in part to another Cruz error as JC took a 4-1 lead. Malcom Culver doubled and scored on an error in the 8th but Myers hit into a double play in the 9th and the Royals didn't threaten. RP Aaron Terry got his 4th save for the Cardinals. RP Chris Notti worked 2 1/3 IP of an unearned run allowed to move to 3-1 with a 4.72 ERA. Starter Zach Russell allowed an ER on 2 hits with 5 Ks over 5 IP to make his ERA 2.19. 2B Ted Obregon and LF Rainel Rosario had 2 hits for the Cards and CF Ross Smith drove in 2 (13).

The B-Royals are 18-38. Game 2 with Johnson City is tonight with Leondy Perez (1-5, 4.53) squaring off with Cards lefty Anthony Ferrara (2-1, 3.65).

Rookie - AZL: Royals 10, Padres 8

RF Polonia 3-4, HR, 4 RBI (16), 2 RS, SB (12) -- .232
3B Figueroa 2-5, HR (3), 2 RBI (26), RS, E (11) -- .263
SS Trapp 2-5, 2B (3), RBI (15), 2 K, picked off -- .284
2B Piterson 2-3, 2 BB, 2B (8), 3B, K, RS -- .305
DH A. Martinez 1-4, 2B (3), RBI (17), 2 RS -- .221
C E. Escobar 1-2, S, RBI (8), K, RS, PB (7) -- .302
1B G. Baldwin 1-4, BB, 2B (7), 2 K, E (12) -- .261
CF L. Adams 1-4, HBP, K, 2 RS, SB (12) -- .226
LF Howard 1-5, RS, E (2) -- .183

Avinazar 5 1/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- W, 4-4, 5.85 ERA
Keck 1 2/3 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- 8.72 ERA
Worrell IP, BB, 3 K -- 4.05 ERA
J. Adams IP, BB, K -- SV, 3, 1.83 ERA

*** The teams both had 2 4-run innings but the Royals' 2 1-run innings were the difference. Yunior Figueroa hit an RBI single in the 1st but the Royals stranded 2. Willian Avinazar got knocked around for 4 runs in the 3rd thanks in part to a 2-out error by Geoff Baldwin. Avinazar stranded 2 in the 4th and the Royals regained the lead with 4 runs in the inning on two Pads throwing errors on a steal by Lane Adams, and a 3-run homer by Juan Polonia (his 1st) that made it 5-4 Royals. The Royals turned the 4-run trick again in the 5th on an Adrian Martinez RBI double, Edul Escobar RBI single, Polonia RBI single and Justin Trapp RBI double to make it 9-4. Jonathon Keck gave up 4 runs in the 7th to cut it to 9-8 as the Royals made 2 2-out errors but Figueroa hit his 3rd homer in the 8th and Josh Worrell and Jack Adams pitched out the win. Pads SP James Needy took the loss with 4 IP of 5 runs (4 ER) allowed on 6 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks to fall to 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA. DH Jonathan Alia had 3 hits and CF Rymer Liriano had 2 hits for the Padres. 1B Cody Decker drove in 2 runs (54).

The 7-13 Royals play the 7-14 Dodgers tonight.