Royals on the Farm 9/3 and 9/4

Still 2 spots open for fantasy football, need to fill 'em...

Dayton Moore continues to divert any responsibility for the most disappointing season in team history to the players, never mind who put the roster together and who made no moves when he had the chances to. It's not a good sign that he refuses to accept any of the blame, and the Royals sent another anchor down by extending him for 4 years.

His latest move was to trade a potentially good but troublesome (to the franchise) pitching prospect in Danny Gutierrez to the Rangers for a corner OF/DH type in Tim Smith (he can produce at the plate though) and a so-so catcher in Manny Pina. Neither is gonna play again this season -- Smith is on Team Canada at the World Cup with Matt Kniginyzky and Pina is on the DL. To me, this trade doesn't mean much. Maybe Gutierrez pans out, maybe Smith keeps hitting, he has everywhere so far. I'd rather get people with promise than guys like Yuniesky Betancourt.

It comes down to this: I'm torn between wanting to see how certain guys in the Royals minors develop and wanting nothing to do with this front office or ownership group anymore. Forget Allard Baird (wish I could), I want Cedric Tallis back, but unless you've got a time machine, that's not happening. It's a quandary....

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 8, Iowa 7 (Thu.)

SS Lisson 2-4, HBP, 2B (20), 2 RBI (42), K, RS -- .236, walkoff double
RF Aldridge 2-4, BB, K, RS -- .322
DH Gordon 2-4, HBP, 2B (4), K, 2 RS -- .320
3B Thorman 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (64) -- .288
2B Hernandez 1-5, 2 RBI (25) -- .300
1B Ka'aihue 0-1, 4 BB, RBI (56), 2 RS -- .255, 102 walks tied him for PCL lead, 2nd on Omaha's all-time season list, isn't gonna break 128 by Ken Phelps in 1980
CF Raines 1-4, RBI (26), K, RS, E (5) -- .230
* Omaha stranded 10.

O'Connor 3 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, BB, 2 K -- 6.87 ERA, somehow it got worse with O'Connor
Hayes 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB -- 4.86 ERA, been Disco Demolition lately
Marte 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- 2.13 ERA, has righted the ship well at AAA
Rosa IP, H, K -- 4.56 ERA
Hamulack IP, H -- W, 4-3, 5.14 ERA

*** Mike O'Connor and Chris Hayes put Omaha in a hole but they crawled out in the 9th. Iowa took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd but Tim Raines Jr. hit an RBI single and Luis Hernandez hit a 2-run single to tie it in the bottom of the frame. Iowa scored 2 in the 3rd off O'Connor but Omaha got a run back on a Scott Thorman groundout before stranding 2. Hayes gave up 2 runs thanks in part to 2 doubles in the 5th and Iowa took the 7-4 lead into the 9th. Omaha left the bases full in the 5th and 6 in a row had gone down when J.R. House drew a 1-out walk in the 9th. Alex Gordon doubled and Cory Aldridge walked to load the bases before Kila Ka'aihue drew his 4th walk of the game to force in a run. Thorman did likewise, and it was Mario Lisson who came through with a big 2-run walkoff double to end it.

O-Royals 8, Round Rock 2 (Fri.)

DH Gordon 3-5, RBI (9), K, RS -- .345
3B Lisson 3-5, 3 2B (23), RBI (43), K, 2 RS -- .242, must have Sept. callup fever
LF Thorman 2-4, SF, 2 RBI (66), RS, OF assist at second -- .290
CF Raines 2-4, 2B (11), RBI (27), RS -- .235
SS Hernandez 2-4, BB, RBI (26), RS -- .304
RF Aldridge 1-5, 2B (19), RBI (71), 2 K, RS -- .321
1B Ka'aihue 1-4, SF, RBI (57) -- .255
2B Tschepikow 0-2, HBP, S -- .250

DiNardo 2 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, K, WP -- 3.35 ERA, only 40 pitches, taking Meche's rotation spot?
Chavez 5 IP, ER, 6 H, 5 K -- W, 1-2, 3.00 ERA
Hamulack 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 4.97 ERA

*** No 9th inning heroics were needed Friday. Omaha scored 3 in the 1st as Cory Aldridge hit an RBI double, Kila Ka'aihue hit a sac fly and Scott Thorman singled home a run. Lenny DiNardo allowed a run in the 1st but was pulled after 2. Mario Lisson and Tim Raines Jr. hit RBI doubles in the 4th and a Thorman sac fly in the 5th made it 6-1. The Express scored a run in the 5th but Chris Chavez and Tim Hamulack otherwise held them at bay. Luis Hernandez and Alex Gordon knocked in the rest of the runs in the 8th.

Omaha is 64-77 and finishing the season strong. Game 2 of the last series of the season with the Round Rock Express (60-81, AAA Astros) is tonight as Dusty Hughes (3-3, 3.50) faces Express lefty (and former Royal farmhand) Andy Van Hekken (0-1, 5.09). Local Omaha media reps picked Victor Marte as the team's best prospect while Cory Aldridge was chosen as player of the year and Lenny DiNardo was chosen as pitcher of the year. J.R. House was picked as the fan favorite. Omaha is 5-8 versus the Express this season.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 9, Naturals 3 (Thu.)

C V. Wilson 2-4, HR (9), 2 RBI (31), RS -- .272
DH Howell 2-4 -- .262
1B C. Smith 2-4, 2B (29), 2 K, RS -- .254
3B Mertins 2-4, K -- .279
RF Lucas 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (57), K, E (15) -- .295
CF Dyson 0-3, BB, 3 K, RS, 2 SB (34) -- .265, 34/40 SB at AA, 43/53 overall this season
LF Lough 1-4, SB (13) -- .324

R. Hardy 4 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- L, 4-4, 3.45 ERA, last year's AA Rowdy was back
Godin 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- 2.51 ERA
Abreu 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB -- 5.29 ERA
J. Bannister 1/3 IP, nada -- 5.88 ERA

*** Rowdy Hardy got knocked around and the Naturals lost a chance to move closer to a playoff spot as Tulsa lost, too. Ed Lucas hit a sac fly in the 3rd but Arkansas rattled off 9 runs through the 8th to take command. Vance Wilson hit a 2-run homer in the 9th for his 9th of the season but that was all she wrote.

Naturals 5, Arkansas 2 (11/Fri.)

3B Mertins 2-5, 3B (8), HR (2), 3 RBI (56), 2 RS, E (15) -- .280
LF Lough 2-3, BB, S, K -- .329
RF Lucas 1-4, HBP, RBI (58), K, RS, SB (18), OF assist at second -- .295
1B C. Smith 1-5, RBI (89) -- .253
CF Dyson 0-4, BB, 2 K, RS -- .261
SS Bianchi 0-4, BB -- .310

B. Johnson 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 11 H, 3 K -- 4.57 ERA, Runion-esque hits allowed Friday
Swaggerty 2 IP, H, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- BS, 2, 3.40 ERA, some control probs
Orvella 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 K -- W, 1-1, 1.69 ERA
Hartsock IP, K -- SV, 7, 2.90 ERA

*** NWA took the lead and lost it in the 7th but won in 11 to move one step closer to the playoffs. Arkansas took a 1-0 lead off Blake Johnson and held it until starter Jeremy Thorne gave way to the bullpen in the 7th. Kurt Mertins abruptly tied it with a leadoff homer that inning for his 2nd of the season and Corey Smith added the go-ahead RBI single before NWA stranded 2. Ben Swaggerty relieved Johnson with 1 on and 1 out in the 7th but would allow the tying run to score before leaving the bases full. The big hit came in the 11th when 2 walks set up a 2-run Mertins triple to break the deadlock. An Ed Lucas RBI groundout gave NWA some insurance and Aaron Hartsock pitched a perfect inning for his 7th save.

The Naturals are 36-31 and 2 games up on Tulsa going into the final 3-game series of the season at the Drillers (34-33, AA Rockies), so NWA can clinch with a win, any win in the set. Everett Teaford (3-7, 5.52) faces Tulsa righty Andy Graham (4-4, 4.42) in the pivotal game 1. NWA is 12-13 versus Tulsa.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: off day (Thu.)

Blue Rocks 5, Frederick 2 (Fri.)

LF Walton 2-3, 2B (9), 2 RBI (33), RS, SB (7) -- .244
1B C. Robinson 2-3, BB, 2 2B (29), RBI (56), 2 RS, E (8) -- .295, only 1 point behind league BA lead
DH Fontaine 1-3, 2 RBI (16), K, 2 CS (3) -- .311
CF D. Robinson 0-4, 2 K -- .243
3B Moustakas 0-4 -- .253
RF Van Stratten 1-3, K, RS -- .280

Paulino 7 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K, WP -- W, 10-6, 3.63 ERA, has been lockdown down stretch
Z. Peterson 2 IP, H, K -- SV, 3, 2.21 ERA

*** Eduardo Paulino and Zach Peterson combined to propel the Rocks into the playoffs with the final series-opening win over the Keys. Clint Robinson and Jamar Walton hit RBI doubles and Chase Fontaine hit an RBI fielder's choice in the 4th as Paulino was perfect through 4. He got nicked for 2 runs in the 5th but Wilmington got them back in the 6th on RBI singles by Walton and Fontaine. That was all the scoring.

The Rocks are playoff locked at 44-23. Game 2 is tonight as Danny Duffy (9-3, 3.13) faces Keys righty Pat Kantakevich in his level debut. They are 12-5 versus the Keys. RP Eric Basurto was placed on the DL.

A - Burlington: Bees 3, Clinton 1 (Thu.)

1B D. Wood 3-4, 2B (25), RBI (62), K, CS (4) -- .274
SS R. Wood 2-3, 2 RBI (12), E (8) -- .247
CF Norris 0-4, K -- .246
RF-LF Ortiz 1-4, K, RS, SB (10) -- .256
DH Taylor 1-3, BB -- .250
C Bonilla 0-2, BB, K, RS -- .218
3B Morales 1-3, 2B (5), RS -- .321

Runion 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- W, 5-11, 6.63 ERA, in my face....got the win when they needed it
Pena Jr. 2 2/3 IP, ER, H, K -- 3.14 ERA
B. Hardy IP, H -- SV, 9, 2.09 ERA

*** Sam Runion came through with a good start and the Bees made 3 early runs stand to clinch a playoff spot. David Wood hit an RBI double in the 1st and Ryan Wood hit a 2-run single in the 2nd to account for the Bees' runs. Runion retired 14 of the last 16 he faced but Tony Pena Jr. gave up a run in the 7th but he and Blaine Hardy finished the win.

Clinton 5, Bees 4 (Fri.)

1B Taylor 3-4, 2B (13), 3 RBI (27), RS, picked off -- .260
3B Morales 1-3, S, 2B (6), RBI (12) -- .322
CF-LF Ortiz 1-4, K, RS -- .256
RF H. Richardson 0-4, K, RS -- .111
CF Norris 1-2, E (3) -- .247
DH F. Garcia 1-3, RS, SB (28) -- .260

Lehmann 4 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 K -- L, 5-7, 5.92 ERA
R. Pena 2 2/3 IP, 3 K -- 4.58 ERA
J. Garcia 2 IP, 2 H, K -- 3.82 ERA

*** The Bees couldn't quite get back into a tie as Clinton escaped with the win. Jason Taylor hit an RBI single in the 1st but Clinton scored 3 off Mike Lehmann in the 3rd to take the lead. Taylor singled in another run in the 3rd to cut the lead to 1, but Clinton scored twice in the 5th to make it 5-2. Taylor and Jason Morales hit RBI doubles in the 6th but Clinton allowed only 1 hit thereafter to hold on to the 1-run win.

The Bees are 34-32 and have clinched a wildcard playoff spot. A 3-game set at the Cedar Rapids Kernels (36-29, A Angels) starts to wrap the season tonight as Tim Melville (6-7, 4.00) faces Kernels righty Ryan Chaffee (8-7, 4.32). The Bees are 6-6 versus the Kernels. The Bees are set to play Kane County in the first round of the playoffs.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 13, Casper 3 (Thu.)

DH S. Perez 3-4, BB, 2 2B (14), 2 RBI (34), 2 RS -- .309
RF Stovall 2-4, SF, 2B (12), 2 RBI (11), K, 2 RS, OF assist at home -- .314
SS D. Batista 2-5, 2B (8), 2 RBI (52), K, 2 RS -- .277
C Myers 2-5, RBI (9), K, 2 RS -- .359
2B Franco 2-3, HBP, BB, 2B (6), K, RS -- .291
1B Lewis 2-4, BB, 2B (6), RBI (9), RS, 2 E -- .339
3B Alfaro 1-4, GS (3), 4 RBI (24), 2 RS -- .250
LF Pickett 0-4, RBI (2), K, RS -- .222
CF Llanos 0-4, BB -- .198

Paukovits 5 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, BB, 8 K, HRA, WP -- W, 3-3, 4.76 ERA
Dennick 2 1/3 IP, 2 BB, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA, nice IF debut
Shimek IP, ER, H, 2 BB -- 9.98 ERA

*** Rallies of 6 and 5 runs helped the Chukars roll over the Ghosts. Both teams were quiet through 3 as Bryan Paukovits worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 2nd. Casper got a solo homer in the 4th but IF responded with 6 runs on a Wil Myers RBI single, Ryan Stovall RBI double, and J.D. Alfaro grand slam for his 3rd homer of the season. Casper scored a run again in the 5th but IF scored 2 that inning on a Stovall sac fly and Joey Lewis RBI double. The Chukars finished their scoring with 5 in the 7th on a run-scoring error, 2-run Deivy Batista single and 2-run Salvador Perez double. Scott Shimek allowed a run before finishing it in the 9th.

water main problem postponed Friday's game

The Chukars are 18-12 and 7 1/2 games out with 8 games left, so they're out of the playoff hunt for all intents and purposes. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader today with Pernell Halliman (4-1, 5.85) taking the mound in one of the games. No Casper starter is announced.