Royals on the Farm 8/7 -- Tony Pena Jr., RP, debuts

AAA - Omaha: Las Vegas 6, O-Royals 3

DH Aldridge 2-3, HR (14), RBI (50), RS -- .307
SS Hernandez 2-4, HR, RBI (17), RS -- .308, first homer since Sept. 2007
RF Parraz 2-4, K, RS, CS (2) -- .317
3B Lisson 1-4, RBI (28), 2 K -- .242
2B Hulett 1-4 -- .309
1B Ka'aihue 0-4, 2 K -- .261
LF Lubanski 0-4 -- .243, yet to get a hit since return to lineup

Duckworth 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, BB, K -- L, 3-6, 5.36 ERA
Hamulack 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 5.12 ERA
Hayes IP, 2 ER, 4 H -- 3.48 ERA

*** Las Vegas got 2 insurance runs in the 9th to lock down the win in game 3 of the series. Mario Lisson hit an RBI single in the 2nd but Omaha stranded 2 and Brandon Duckworth allowed 2 runs in the 3rd on 4 hits to give Vegas the lead. The 51s added 2 more in the 5th to make it 4-1 but Cory Aldridge led off the Omaha 5th with his 14th homer and Luis Hernandez cranked a 1-out homer for his 1st of the season to cut the lead to 1. Chris Hayes gave up 2 runs on 4 singles in the 9th and the last 7 Royals went down in order. RP Ed Buzachero got his 7th save for Vegas. SP Davis Romero got the win with 3 runs (2 ER) allowed on 6 hits and 2 Ks over 5 IP to move to 3-3 with a 6.06 ERA. CF Buck Coats was 4-5 for Las Vegas with his 28th double and 46th RBI along with 2 RS to move to .301. LF Travis Snider had 3 hits, including his 12th double, and his 34th RBI to move to .313 and DH Randy Ruiz, who was, for a short time, in the Royals organization back in '06, had 2 hits and 3 RBI (105) to improve to .324.

The O-Royals are 46-66. The set comes to a close tonight as Gil Meche (0-1, 4.91) makes a second rehab start versus 51s righty T.J. Beam (6-2, 4.26).

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 3, Arkansas 1

SS Bianchi 2-4, SF, 2B (11), 2 RBI (26), K, RS, SB (6) -- .333
1B C. Smith 1-3, BB, 2B (24), RBI (75), K, CS (7) -- .262
CF Lough 1-5, K, RS, SB (9) -- .323
LF Dyson 1-3, BB, S, RS, 2 SB (21) -- .264
3B Mertins 1-4 -- .276
* RF Ed Lucas had OF assists at second and first.

B. Johnson 5 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, K, 2 pickoffs -- W, 7-7, 4.66 ERA
Swaggerty 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 3.86 ERA
Chavez 1 1/3 IP, H, 2 BB, K -- 0.00 ERA, AA debut
Hartsock 2/3 IP, nothing -- SV, 5, 3.41 ERA

*** The Naturals took advantage of Arkansas miscues to win the series opener. Jeff Bianchi and Corey Smith hit back-to-back doubles in the 1st to give NWA the lead. Bianchi hit a sac fly in the 3rd (set up by a Travs throwing error) to make it 2-0, and after the Naturals stranded 2 in the 4th, another error set up a Bianchi RBI single in the 5th. Blake Johnson never faced major trouble as he stranded 2 in the 3rd before getting pulled with 2 out and 1 on in the 6th. Ben Swaggerty allowed the runner to score before stranding 2. Aaron Hartsock replaced Chris Chavez with 2 on and 1 out in the 9th and stranded the runners in scoring position to pick up his 5th save. Arkansas SP Tommy Mendoza took the loss with 3 runs (1 ER) allowed on 5 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to fall to 7-7 with a 3.38 ERA. CF Peter Bourjos and DH Brian Walker had 2 hits for the Travs. Bourjos stole his 22nd base and 1B Mark Trumbo drove in his 70th RBI and committed 2 errors (10). C Hank Conger was 1-3 with a walk to improve to .295. He also made his 10th error.

The Naturals are 25-16 and 3 games up on first. Game 2 with the Travelers is tonight with Everett Teaford (3-5, 5.81) and NWA once again facing Travs lefty Trevor Reckling (7-4, 2.69).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 8, Potomac 1 (2-hitter)

LF Orlando 4-5, 2 RS, SB (15) -- .266
CF D. Robinson 3-5, 2B (16), 3 RBI (39), K, RS, SB (52) -- .240
DH C. Robinson 2-5, 2 HR (10), 2 RBI (47), K, 2 RS -- .291
3B Moustakas 2-5, RBI (68), K, RS -- .254
1B Hosmer 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (7), K, RS, picked off -- .217
C Morizio 1-3, 2 BB, 2B, RBI (3), RS -- .145, and it's not for lack of playing time
2B Giavotella 0-3, 2 BB -- .254
RF Van Stratten 1-5, K -- .214

Paulino 6 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 5 K, HRA -- W, 6-6, 4.05 ERA
Villa 1 1/3 IP, 2 K -- 3.70 ERA
Coleman IP, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA, nice Wilmington debut

*** A Wilmington offensive surge and another night of great pitching meant a new franchise record with a 12th straight Blue Rocks victory Friday. Clint Robinson set off the scoring with a bang with a leadoff homer in the 2nd for his 9th of the season. Derrick Robinson hit an RBI single in the 3rd and Eduardo Paulino had a 1-hit shutout through 4. P-Nats 3B Tim Pahuta broke that up with a leadoff homer in the 5th for his 6th of the season, but Wilmington got the run back in the 6th on a Mike Moustakas RBI single to make it 3-1. Matt Morizio doubled home a run in the 7th and Clint Robinson led off the 8th with another homer for his 2nd of the game and 10th of the season. Derrick Robinson added a 2-run double later in the inning as the rout was on. Rocks pitchers retired the last 15 Nationals after Pahuta's homer, including a perfect 9th from Louis Coleman in his Rocks debut. Eric Hosmer poured on an RBI single in the 9th to finish the scoring. Potomac SP Adam Carr took the loss with 4 ER allowed on 8 hits and 4 walks with 3 Ks over 6 1/3 IP to drop to 1-3 with a 4.80 ERA. Nationals '09 1st rounder Drew Storen allowed an ER in 1 inning of work to move his ERA to 2.00. The Nationals only had 2 hits. Pahuta's HR gave him his 29th RBI. Nationals prospect RF Michael Burgess was 0-3 with a K and an OF assist at second to fall to .230.

The Blue Rocks are 25-14 and 1 game up on first with a new franchise-record winning streak. Next in their sights would be the modern Carolina League record of 14 straight wins that was set by Salem in 2006. Game 3 with the Nationals is tonight with Alex Caldera (4-8, 5.28) set to face P-Nats lefty Tom Milone (7-4, 3.50).

A - Burlington: Quad Cities 4, Bees 2

LF D. Wood 2-4, 2B (15), RBI (46), RS -- .252
3B Taylor 0-2, 2 BB, RS, SB (6) -- .240
CF Ortiz 0-4, K -- .162, lost season for Adrian
RF Francis 1-4, 2 K, SB (12) -- .251
C Bonilla 0-3, HBP, 3 K -- .233
DH Griffin 1-4, 2 K -- .298
1B Graterol 0-3 -- .349
SS R. Wood 0-3 -- .103
2B F. Garcia 0-3, K, E (14) -- .262

Runion 5 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 3-9, 6.81 ERA, at least kept hits allowed to single digits
Thompson 3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- 3.02 ERA
R. Pena IP, 3 BB, K -- 4.67 ERA

*** The Bees managed only 4 hits as the offense sputtered in the series opener with Quad Cities. Two of those hits came in the 1st as David Wood doubled then scored on a Nick Francis single aided by a Bandits error. Quad Cities responded with 2 runs in the 2nd off Sam Runion but Runion stranded 2 in the 3rd and the Bees' final hit came on a David Wood RBI single in the 3rd to tie the game. Two Bandit doubles scored the go-ahead run in the 5th and, as the last 13 Bees went down in order, the Bandits added a run in the 8th for insurance. RP Matt Frevert struck out the side in the 9th for a dominant 4th save for the Bandits. Starter Miguel Tapia allowed 2 runs (1 ER) on 4 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks over 5 IP to move to 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA. C Roberto Espinoza had 3 hits to move to .234, and 3B Jermaine Curtis was 2-4 with 2 doubles (5), a walk and 2 SB (4), plus his 3rd error, to set a .500 BA.

The Bees are 17-23 and 6 games out. Game 2 with the Bandits pits Tim Melville (3-6, 4.08) against QC righty Kevin Thomas (5-7, 4.23).

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 4, Ogden 3

RF Caldwell 2-4, 2B (4), RBI (15) -- .240
2B Franco 2-4, 3B, RBI (14), RS -- .237
C S. Perez 2-4 -- .308
SS D. Batista 1-3, SF, 2B (5), RBI (37), RS -- .300
CF H. Richardson 1-3, HBP, 2B (8), RBI (10), K, RS -- .320
DH Llanos 0-4, S, 2 K -- .105, some struggles in advancing to IF
LF Testa 0-4, 2 K, OF assist at home -- .293

Paukovits 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 3 K, HRA, 2 WP -- 5.12 ERA
Arias 1 1/3 IP, H -- W, 2-3, 5.57 ERA
Folmer 2 IP, H, BB -- 2.20 ERA
Keating IP, 3 K -- SV, 3, 2.61 ERA, dominant

*** The scoring stopped in the 5th as the Chukars' bullpen locked down the victory. Angel Franco tripled and scored on a Deivy Batista sac fly in the 1st to get IF on the right track. Ogden tied it off Bryan Paukovits in the 3rd but Idaho Falls regained the lead on an Allen Caldwell RBI double in the 4th. Hilton Richardson ripped an RBI double in the 5th and scored on a Franco single to make it 4-1 Chukars. Paukovits gave up a 2-run homer to SS Bryant Hernandez (his 2nd) in the 5th to cut the lead to 1 but Carlos Arias finished the inning, Carlo Testa nailed a runner at the plate to end the 8th, and Patrick Keating struck out the side in the 9th to preserve his 3rd save. Ogden SP Matt Magill took the loss with 4 IP of 2 ER allowed on 5 hits and 4 Ks to drop to 3-2 with a 4.60 ERA. CF Lenell McGee and Hernandez had 2 hits for Ogden. Hernandez's 2 RBI gave him 7 on the season and he also stole his 6th base and scored twice to improve to .269. McGee drove in his 12th run and improved to .266.

The Chukars are 2-3 and 2 games back. The series concludes tonight with Santiago Garrido (1-1, 5.29) pitted against an unnamed Ogden starter.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 2, Princeton 1

1B Kuebler 2-3, HBP, RS -- .246
LF Pickett 1-3, BB, RBI (7), SB (16) -- .290
2B Tschepikow 0-4, RBI (5), K -- .308
RF Del Rosario 0-4, K -- .283
C F. Cruz 1-3, 2 K -- .273

Hentges 4 2/3 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K -- 5.32 ERA
L. Roberts 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, K -- W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, nice B-Royal debut
Sirrett 1 2/3 IP, H -- SV, 2, 3.07 ERA

*** All 3 runs in the game were in the books by the 4th as the B-Royals also got good production out of the bullpen Friday. Ben Tschepikow hit an RBI groundout in the 2nd, and after Princeton tied it off Chase Hentges in the 3rd, Jovan Pickett hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd to make it 2-1. The Royals stranded 2 in the frame. Hentges and Lee Roberts retired 10 in a row at one point and Onassis Sirrett stranded 2 inherited runners in the 8th. The Royals left the bases full in the 8th and Sirrett left 2 in scoring position in the 9th for his 2nd save. Rays SP Julius Dettrich took the loss with 6 IP of 2 runs (1 ER) on 5 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to fall to 3-3 with a 2.92 ERA. RF Brian Bryles and 3B Julio Cedeno had 2 hits for the Rays. Bryles drove in his 6th run in improving to .194.

The B-Royals are 15-29. Game 2 with Princeton sets Greg Billo (1-1, 2.60) against Rays righty Wilking Rodriguez (1-2, 3.12).

Rookie - AZL: Royals 10, A's 5

LF S. Cabrera 2-5, 2 RBI (10), 3 RS -- .218
3B Figueroa 2-4, BB, 2 RS -- .277
1B G. Baldwin 0-3, BB, HBP, 2 RBI (18), K, RS, E (9) -- .291
C Matos 1-5, 2 RBI (9), SB, 2 PB -- .333
RF L. Adams 1-4, BB, RBI (8), RS -- .241
SS A. Martinez 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (14), K, RS, SB (10) -- .236
CF Polonia 0-3, BB, RBI (12), K, 2 SB (8) -- .210
SS McConnell 1-3, BB, 2 K, 2 RS -- .350

T. Pena Jr. 2/3 IP, H, BB -- 0.00 ERA
Yambati 3 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, K, WP -- W, 2-1, 9.60 ERA
Peacock 1 2/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, BB, 3 K -- 5.09 ERA
Worrell 2 1/3 IP, H, 6 K -- 2.45 ERA, nice night
J. Adams IP, nothing -- 2.40 ERA

*** A night that saw Tony Pena Jr.'s official debut as a reliever also saw the Royals churn out a 6-run rally to get past the Athletics. Lane Adams and Geoff Baldwin hit RBI groundouts in the 1st to give the Royals a 2-0 lead and Pena's outing went groundout, groundout, single, walk, pulled for Robinson Yambati, who stranded both runners. Yambati allowed a run in the 2nd but the Royals put together the big rally in the 3rd on a Baldwin bases-loaded walk, run-scoring wild pitch, 2-run Santos Cabrera single, Mauricio Matos RBI fielder's choice and Juan Polonia RBI forceout to make it 8-1. The A's scored a run off Yambati in the 4th but the Royals got it back in the 5th on an Adrian Martinez RBI single. Brian Peacock and Josh Worrell allowed 3 runs in the 6th but that was all the A's would get. The Royals' final run came on a Matos RBI single in the 7th. The Royals retired the last 8 A's. SP Hector Garcia took the loss with 2 1/3 IP of 8 runs (7 ER) allowed on 4 hits and 5 walks with a K to drop to 0-1 with a 10.29 ERA. 1B Chris Affinito and RF Royce Consigli had 2 hits for the A's. Consigli drove in 2 runs (6). Affinito stroked his 7th double in improving to .339.

The Royals are 4-7 and 3 1/2 games out. They take on the 5-6 Indians tonight.