Royals on the Farm 9/6 and 9/7 -- Hosmer finally returns, Myers rakes

AAA - Omaha: Round Rock 3, O-Royals 2 (15/Sun.)

RF Aldridge 2-6, 2B (20), 2 K -- .317
DH Gordon 1-5, SF, RBI (10), K -- .313
C House 1-6, RBI (52) -- .250
1B Ka'aihue 0-6, K -- .252, yuck
SS Lisson 0-6, 3 K -- .239, yuckier
2B Tschepikow 1-5, K -- .222
* The Royals turned 5 DPs.

Phillips 6 IP, ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- 4.99 ERA
DiNardo IP, BB -- 3.32 ERA
Hamulack 1 1/3 IP, ER, H, 2 K -- 5.01 ERA
Hayes 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K -- BS, 6, 4.69 ERA
Pena Jr. 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- 0.00 ERA, nice Omaha debut, 34 pitches, 24 strikes
O'Connor 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H -- L, 1-4, 6.81 ERA

*** Three Round Rock relievers retired the last 30 Royals and the Express won in 15. J.R. House hit an RBI single and Alex Gordon followed with a sac fly to account for the Royals' runs in the 3rd. Their last baserunner came on a Cory Aldridge leadoff double in the 6th. Round Rock scored once in the 3rd off Heath Phillips and Chris Hayes came in with a man on second and 1 out in the 9th only to give up the game-tying single. Mike O'Connor gave up the 2-out walkoff single in the 15th to mercifully end it.

Round Rock 3, O-Royals 2 (Mon.)

LF Thorman 2-4, RBI (67), K -- .288
C House 2-5, RBI (53) -- .251
3B Gordon 1-3, HBP, K, RS -- .313
RF Aldridge 1-4, OF assist at second -- .316
1B Ka'aihue 1-4, K -- .252
SS Lisson 0-4, K -- .236
2B Tschepikow 1-3, BB, RS -- .250

Nicoll 7 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 5 K -- L, 2-2, 6.67 ERA
Hayes IP, H -- BS, 7, 4.59 ERA, season came to great ending (sarcasm)

*** The O-Royals took a late lead but the bullpen was up to its old tricks as Chris Hayes blew his 7th save. Omaha stranded 2 in the 3rd and Round Rock scratched out a run that inning to take the lead. Scott Thorman hit an RBI single before Omaha stranded 2 again in the 6th but J.R. House chipped in the go-ahead RBI single in the 7th before stranding 2 more. Hayes came in with 2 on and none out in the 8th and gave up a 2-run single to swing the lead back to the Express. Omaha went down in order in the 9th.

The O-Royals finished 64-80. I'll do the stat wrap thing tomorrow.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 6, Tulsa 3 (Sun.)

C Clark 2-3, BB, 2 HR (8), 3 RBI (32), K, 2 RS, pickoff -- .304
DH V. Wilson 2-4, HR (10), RBI (32), 2 RS -- .270
LF Lough 2-4, 2B (13) -- .330
SS Bianchi 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (41), 3 K -- .308
CF Dyson 1-4, BB, RS, 2 SB (37) -- .261

Castaneda 4 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 4 K -- 4.28 ERA
J. Bannister 3 IP, 2 ER, H, 2 BB, K, HRA, WP -- W, 4-3, 5.89 ERA
Orvella 1/3 IP, H -- 1.64 ERA
R. Hardy 1/3 IP, BB -- 3.43 ERA
Hartsock 1 1/3 IP, H, K -- SV, 8, 2.82 ERA

*** NWA put together 2 rallies and held the lead to clinch the second-half division title Sunday. Tulsa scored a run in the 2nd but the Nats answered with 4 in the 3rd on back-to-back homers by Vance Wilson and Cody Clark (their 10th and 7th, respectively) to start the inning and a 2-run Jeff Bianchi single. Clark came back up in the 4th and smoked a 2-run shot for his 8th of the season and 2nd of the game to make it 6-1 NWA. John Bannister gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th and Aaron Hartsock stranded 2 in scoring position in the 8th before stranding 1 in the 9th for his 8th save. The division-clinch celebration ensued.

Tulsa 18, Naturals 4 (Mon.)

DH Bianchi 3-4, HR (5), RBI (42), K, 2 RS -- .315
RF Duarte 1-3, BB, HR (4), RBI (39), RS -- .248
C Howell 1-4, 2B (10), RBI (24) -- .262
3B Mertins 1-5, RBI (57), K, E (16) -- .275
CF Dyson 0-3, 2 BB, K -- .258
LF Lough 1-3, BB -- .331

Godin 2 1/3 IP, 10 R (8 ER), 9 H, 4 BB, 3 K, HRA, 4 WP -- L, 0-2, 6.48 ERA, BP out there
Swaggerty 1 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 K -- 4.33 ERA
Abreu 3 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, K, HRA -- 5.75 ERA
C. Smith IP, 2 BB, K -- 0.00 ERA, best work of night for NWA came from an infielder

*** Tulsa had a 16-2 lead after 4 but the Drillers' offensive onslaught came a day late. Tulsa had a 3-0 lead off Jason Godin entering the 3rd when NWA scored its first run on a Jose Duarte leadoff homer for his 4th of the season. Tulsa broke out for 7 runs off Godin and Ben Swaggerty in the 3rd and Jeff Howell doubled home a run in the 4th to make it 10-2. Tulsa scored 6 off Swaggerty and Juan Abreu in the 4th and added 2 in the 6th off Abreu. Bianchi went solo in the 7th for his 5th homer for NWA and Kurt Mertins added an RBI single in the 9th.

The Naturals finished the regular season 37-33 on the second half and 73-67 overall. The Drillers ended up a game better than NWA or anyone else in the TL North but will miss the playoffs. The best-of-5 TL Division Series starts in Springfield Wednesday. C Cody Clark was named TL Player of the Week for Aug. 31-Sept. 7 after hitting .421 (8-19) with 5 RBI on the week.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 8, Frederick 1 (Sun.)

LF Walton 4-4, 3 RBI (37), RS, CS (8) -- .254
RF Van Stratten 3-3, BB, 2B (7), HR (3), 2 RBI (14), 2 RS -- .288
1B C. Robinson 2-4, 2B (30), K, RS -- .296
2B Giavotella 1-5, 2 RBI (52) -- .258
DH Hosmer 1-3, BB, 3B (2), RBI (10), 3 RS -- .200, nice return to lineup
CF D. Robinson 0-4, BB, K -- .241
3B Moustakas 0-3, BB, K -- .251

Montgomery 6 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 6 K -- W, 4-1, 2.25 ERA
Coleman 2 IP, BB, 2 K -- 1.26 ERA
Sisk IP, H, 2 K -- 1.92 ERA

*** Mike Montgomery made another great start in his final one of the regular season and the Rocks eased past the Keys. Eric Hosmer ripped an RBI triple in his first AB back from Lasik eye surgery in the 2nd, Jamar Walton hit an RBI single and Johnny Giavotella hit a 2-run single to make it 4-0 Rocks. Nick Van Stratten clubbed a 2-run homer in the 3rd for his 3rd as a Rock. Montgomery allowed a run in the 6th but the Rocks scored 2 in the 7th on a 2-run Walton single. Louis Coleman and Brandon Sisk took care of the rest.

Blue Rocks 3, Frederick 0 (Mon.)

DH C. Robinson 2-4, 2B (31), K, RS -- .298, finished 2nd in league batting race
SS J. Johnson 2-3, 2B (3), RBI (4), SB (3) -- .333
RF Walton 1-3, 2B (10), 2 RBI (39), K, RS -- .255
1B Hosmer 1-2, BB, K, RS -- .206
CF D. Robinson 0-4, 2 K -- .239
2B Giavotella 1-4, K, SB (26) -- .258
3B Moustakas 0-2 -- .250
LF Del Rosario 0-3, picked off -- .125

Caldera 6 IP, 3 H, BB, 7 K -- 4.77 ERA
Rivas IP, H, 2 K, WP -- W, 5-3, 4.98 ERA
Z. Peterson IP, H -- 2.15 ERA
Keating IP, H -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA

*** Four pitchers combined on a shutout to end the regular season on a good note. The Rocks' rally came in the 7th as Jamar Walton hit a 2-run double and scored on a Josh Johnson double. That was the Rocks' 16th shutout of the season, second in team history behind 17 in 1995.

The Rocks finished the regular season 46-24 on the second half and 84-55 overall for the best record in the Carolina League. The best-of-5 division series with Lynchburg starts at Lynchburg Wednesday.

A - Burlington: Cedar Rapids 5, Bees 3 (Sun.)

1B Taylor 2-4, K, RS, SB (16) -- .263
CF Norris 1-5, K, SB (45) -- .247
C Bonilla 1-3, BB, K, RS -- .217
LF H. Richardson 1-4, 2B (2), 2 K -- .196

Baez 5 IP, 5 R (2 ER), 7 H, 4 BB, 2 K -- L, 8-6, 3.41 ERA
Hodgson IP, H -- 3.98 ERA
B. Hardy 2 IP, 2 K -- 2.05 ERA

*** Three late Bees runs weren't enough. Manauris Baez labored through the early innings and got nicked for 2 runs in the 3rd thanks in part to 2 Yeldrys Molina errors behind him. Two more errors and a wild pitch helped the Kernels to 3 runs in the 5th. Jason Taylor singled and scored on a wild pitch in the 7th and, after the Bees stranded 2 in the 8th, they scored 2 in the 9th on a 2-run CR error before leaving the tying run on base.

Cedar Rapids 5, Bees 4 (Mon.)

1B Taylor 3-4, 2B (14), 2 RS, SB (17), CS (10) -- .272
C Graterol 2-3, SF, 2 RBI (10), K, E (3) -- .310
3B Morales 2-4, K -- .300
DH Griffin 1-4, RBI (26), RS -- .285
SS Rivera 0-1, SF, RBI (9) -- .229
CF Norris 0-4 -- .244
LF Ortiz 0-4 -- .244
SS R. Wood 0-1 -- .237

Runion 2 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- 6.60 ERA, surely not in playoff rotation?
Lehmann IP, H, BB -- 5.85 ERA
R. Pena 2 IP, 2 H, BB, K, WP -- 4.35 ERA
Odenbach 1 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, K, HRA -- BS, 1, L, 2-1, 3.97 ERA
J. Garcia 1 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 K -- 3.86 ERA

*** Cedar Rapids came from behind three times to take the regular season finale. Juan Graterol hit a sac fly in the 2nd but the Kernels matched the run. Graterol hit an RBI single in the 4th but the Kernels tied it in the 6th as Dusty Odenbach couldn't hold the lead. Juan Rivera hit a sac fly in the 7th to regain the Burlington lead but the Kernels scored 2 off Odenbach in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Justin Garcia allowed a run in the 8th to give CR some insurance. Shawn Griffin hit an RBI groundout in the 9th to cut it to 5-4 but that was all the Bees could get.

The Bees finished the regular season 35-34 on the second half and 64-75 overall. The best-of-3 first-round playoff series with the Kane County Cougars starts Wednesday in Burlington. Lefty Brendan Lafferty has joined the team from IF.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 5, Ogden 3 (Sun.)

DH Myers 3-4, 2B (4), RBI (10), K -- .380
1B Espinosa 2-3, BB, 2B (12), RS -- .274
LF Aparicio 1-3, S, HR (5), 3 RBI (20), RS -- .210
2B Franco 0-3, BB, RBI (27) -- .286
SS D. Batista 1-4, 2 K, RS -- .270
C S. Perez 0-4, RS -- .307
RF Stovall 0-3, BB, K, RS, OF assist at home -- .313
CF Pickett 0-3, BB -- .250

Marimon 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- W, 3-3, 6.23 ERA
Lafferty 3 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 K -- SV, 4, 2.85 ERA

*** Idaho Falls got a 3-run rally en route to the win. The rally came on one swing of the bat -- a 3-run homer by Julio Aparicio (his 5th) to give IF a 3-0 lead in the 2nd. Ogden got a run in the 3rd but IF matched it on a Wil Myers RBI single. Ogden got another run in the 4th and, after IF stranded 2 in the 5th, a solo homer off Sugar Ray Marimon cut it to 4-3 in the 6th. Angel Franco hit an RBI groundout in the 7th for some insurance as Brendan Lafferty finished off the win.

Chukars 15, Ogden 9 (Mon.)

C Myers 5-5, BB, 2B (5), HR (4), RBI (11), 4 RS, PB (4) -- .436, about time the Royals apparently picked the right guy at the right time
2B Franco 4-6, 2B (7), 2 K, 2 RS -- .295
CF Llanos 3-5, BB, 3 RBI (13), K, RS, CS (4) -- .216
RF Stovall 3-6, 2B (14), 2 K, 3 RS -- .322
1B Espinosa 2-4, 2 BB, 2 2B (14), 3 RBI (26), SB (2) -- .278
SS D. Batista 2-6, HR (12), 2 RBI (54), K, RS -- .271
DH S. Perez 2-6, 2 RBI (37), 2 K, RS -- .308
LF Aparicio 2-6, 2B (14), RBI (21), K, 3 RS -- .214
3B Alfaro 2-4, BB, RBI (25), K -- .251
* IF stranded 14.

Dwyer 3 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, BB, 6 K, 2 WP -- 4.15 ERA
Arias 2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, BB, 2 HRA -- 5.80 ERA
Dennick 3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA
Hodge IP, H, K -- 4.66 ERA

*** The Chukars cranked out 10 runs in the first 2 innings and hung on to win. Chris Dwyer allowed a run in the 1st but IF answered with 5 in the bottom of the frame on a 2-run Salvador Perez single, a Wil Myers solo homer (his 4th at IF) that jumpstarted a great day at the plate for the 3rd rounder, and a 2-run Tito Espinosa double. Deivy Batista started another 5-run rally in the 2nd with a 2-run homer for his 12th of the season, Espinosa took a bases-loaded walk, and Alex Llanos hit a 2-run single to make it 10-1. Ogden cut it to 10-9 in the 5th before the Chukars offense produced more runs to put it away. Julio Aparicio hit an RBI double in the 5th and scored on an error to make it 12-9, J.D. Alfaro and Llanos hit RBI singles in the 7th and Perez scored on a wild pitch in the 8th to finish the scoring.

The Chukars are 21-13 and out of the playoff hunt in the season's final week. The last series of the season, a 4-gamer at the Casper Ghosts (14-20, Rookie Rockies) starts tonight as Bryan Paukovits (3-3, 4.76) faces an unnamed Casper SP. The Chukars are 7-3 versus the Ghosts. Lefty John Lamb was shut down for the year because of workload.