Royals on the Farm 7/27

Another one bites the dust as Gil Meche gets season-ending surgery. Guess Monday's bad day for Omaha wasn't just a rehab misstep. In a programming note, I'm taking a mini RotF vacation, so this is the last report until Sunday or Monday. Probably Sunday. Feel free to check your friendly Royals affiliate websites or possibly Royals Review in the meantime, as there are shorter-type reports on that site too. Not of the Pipeline ilk, mind you, but hey, not everybody can produce this kind of witty repartee. You get what you pay for here. Also, tonight's report is powered by The Hurt Locker, which I'm watching simultaneously. I don't know how anyone can expect somebody to go from defusing IEDs in Iraq (or taking any kind of action in Iraq or Afghanistan) to bagging groceries in Tahlequah or working on cars in Bloomington and not provide that person some heavy-duty mental support. I'm stressed out just watching a fictional story about it.

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 16, O-Royals 2

1B Ka'aihue 2-3, BB, HR (23), 2 RBI (76), RS -- .318
SS Lucas 2-4, 2 K, E (10) -- .327
CF Dyson 1-4, K, RS, E -- .259
3B Moustakas 1-4, K -- .220
LF Lough 0-4, 3 K -- .255

Mendoza 6 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 6 H, 5 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 5-8, 4.94 ERA
Baez 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, BB -- 7.09 ERA, the pitching cupboard is looking very bare at the upper levels for KC
Herges 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB -- 4.34 ERA
Thorman IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB -- 45.00, that's why he plays 1B

* Nashville handed Omaha almost as bad a loss as KC took Monday with 13 late runs making it a laugher. Luis Mendoza gave up a 2-run homer in the 1st and the Sounds plated another run to take a 3-0 lead. Omaha stranded 2 in the 4th and the game stayed 3-0 into the 6th, when Mendoza allowed 2 more runs before leaving the bases full. Manauris Baez took over in the 7th and combined with Matt Herges to allow 6 runs in the inning. With the game out of hand, Kila Ka'aihue jacked his 23rd homer for a 2-run shot to break up the goose egg. Nashville answered the challenge with 5 runs in the 8th off Scott Thorman. Omaha went down in order in the 9th. Starter Marty McLeary hurled 6 1/3 scoreless IP with 9 Ks to improve to 5-6. Four Sounds had 3 hits and another had 2. DH Erick Almonte and 3B Mat Gamel had 4 RBI. Omaha is 53-51. Blaine Hardy starts Wednesday's game 2.

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 7, Naturals 6

1B Hosmer 2-4, BB, HR (6), 3 RBI (14), RS -- .348, think he's found his power stroke
CF D. Robinson 2-5, RS, SB (43) -- .296
DH T. Smith 2-3, BB, RS, CS (4) -- .296
2B Giavotella 2-5, 2B (23), 2 RS -- .299
LF Seratelli 1-2, 2 BB, HR (3), 2 RBI (30), RS, E (7) -- .278
RF Orlando 1-4, BB, 2B (15), RBI (47), picked off -- .324
3B Romak 1-3, BB -- .400

Osuna 6 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 3 K, 2 HRA -- 2.95 ERA
Barrera 2 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 1-1, 1.13 ERA
Keating 0 IP, BB -- 3.04 ERA

* The Nats fell behind, 3-1, and finally dug out of it in the 8th but lost in the 9th. Paulo Orlando hit a 2-out RBI double in the 1st but pulled a Berroa and was thrown out at third to end the inning. Rockies C prospect Wilin Rosario tied it with an RBI in the 1st and a 2-run homer off Edgar Osuna made it 3-1 Tulsa. Tulsa got a solo homer from Naturals killer CF Charles Blackmon in the 3rd, but Anthony Seratelli smacked a 2-run homer in the 5th for his 3rd of the season to cut it to 4-3. Tulsa added an insurance run off Osuna before Henry Barrera left the bases full in the 7th. Eric Hosmer stepped up and cranked a 3-run homer for his 6th at AA to give NWA a 6-5 lead. The Nats left the bases full in the inning. Seratelli made an error in the 9th and the Drillers loaded the bases before Rosario tied it with an RBI single and Patrick Keating came in to walk in the winning run. RP Chris Malone pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to improve to 3-3. Starter Brandon Durden allowed 4 ER over 7 1/3 IP. Four Drillers had 2 hits. NWA is 19-11. Game 2 is Wednesday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 8, Potomac 2

C S. Perez 4-5, 2B (14), RS, PB (10) -- .255
RF Francis 2-5, 2B (14), HR (7), 2 RBI (35), K, 2 RS -- .279
SS Colon 2-5, 2 RBI (14), K, RS -- .277
1B Mejia 1-5, HR (2), 2 RBI (6), 3 K, RS -- .357
3B Rivera 1-3, S, RBI (3), K, RS -- .152
The Rocks stranded 10.

Duffy 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K -- 2.57 ERA
Lafferty 3 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K, pickoff -- W, 2-1, 3.66 ERA
Worrell IP, 2 H, K, WP -- 0.00 ERA, Rocks debut

* Eight late runs helped the Rocks tie the series. The Rocks left 2 in scoring position in the 2nd and a run-scoring passed ball on Salvador Perez gave the Nationals a 1-0 lead. An RBI single made it 2-0 P-Nats in the 4th and the Rocks offense continued to put up zeroes. Christian Colon finally broke the ice for Wilmington with a 2-run single in the 7th before Nick Francis hit an RBI double, Ernesto Mejia slammed a 2-run homer (his 2nd for Wilmington), an error scored a run and Juan Rivera singled in a run to make it 7-2. Francis clubbed a solo homer in the 8th for his 7th of the season to pile on another run. RP Jimmy Barthmaier allowed 5 runs (4 ER) over 1 1/3 IP to drop to 0-1. Starter Trevor Holder threw 5 scoreless innings. LF Robert Jacobsen had 3 hits and 2B Daniel Lyons had 2 hits. The Rocks are 19-13. Ivor Hodgson starts Wednesday's series finale. Eric Basurto hit the DL to make room for Worrell on the roster.

A - Burlington: off day

* The Bees start a 3-game home set with the Beloit Snappers (13-15, A Twins) Wednesday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Great Falls 10, Chukars 1

LF Ferguson 2-3, picked off -- .320
1B Culver 1-3, RBI (10), 2 K -- .219
3B Cuthbert 0-4, K, E -- .275
DH Watts 0-4, K -- .311
C Cornstubble 0-3 -- .333

Peacock 2 1/3 IP, 7 R (1 ER), 6 H, 3 BB, HRA -- L, 0-1, 3.29 ERA
Billo 1 2/3 IP, 3 K -- 5.14 ERA
J. Mitchell IP, ER, 3 H, 2 K -- 4.26 ERA
Blauer 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- 5.85 ERA
Rivers IP, 2 ER, 4 H, RP -- 4.72 ERA

* Great Falls hit for 7 early runs and never looked back. Brian Peacock had 2 walks come back to bite him for a run in the 1st and then gave up a 3-run homer to fuel a 5-run 2nd for the Voyagers. Yowill Espinal made a run-scoring error in the 3rd and Greg Billo came in to induce a double play to end the rally. Jason Mitchell allowed a run in the 5th and Malcom Culver singled in a run in the 7th. Great Falls scored 2 in the 8th off Alex Rivers to finish off the game. Starter Charles Delk pitched 5 scoreless to improve to 3-2. Four Voyagers had multiple hits. IF is 14-22. NDFA pitcher Edwin Carl has joined the IF roster. He's out of New Mexico.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 6, Johnson City 4

3B-1B Stovall 2-4, 2B (10), RBI (16), CS (3), E (5) -- .331
2B Piterson 1-4, 2 RBI (20), RS, picked off -- .294
SS McClure 1-4, 2B (4), 2 RBI (14), 2 K, RS -- .270
C Escobar 1-3, RBI (7), 2 E (3) -- .250

Dooley 5 IP, UER, 5 H, BB, 7 K -- W, 3-4, 4.70 ERA
Keck 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 4.32 ERA
Leaper 2 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 K -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA

* A 5-run rally got the Royals the win. Both teams scored a run in the 3rd as Anthony Howard tripled and scored on an Edul Escobar groundout. With 2 out and the bases loaded in the 5th, Luis Piterson hit a 2-run single, Alex McClure hit a 2-run double and Ryan Stovall hit an RBI double to make it 6-1 Royals. Jonathon Keck gave up 3 runs in the 7th but J.J. Leaper finished it. Starter Boone Whiting took the loss for JC with 5 ER over 4 2/3 IP to fall to 2-2. Three Cards had 2 hits. The B-Royals are 18-17. The series ends Wednesday with Crawford Simmons getting the start.

Rookie - AZL: off day

Royals on the Farm 7/26

Man, it seems like the Twins just rule the Royals every season. I don't know the season series mark for 2010, but they sure rule them tonight. Yeesh...

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 9, O-Royals 6

DH Ka'aihue 2-4, HR (22), 3 RBI (74), 2 K, RS -- .315
2B Maddox 3-4, 2B (10), 2 RBI (26) -- .253
RF Miller 2-4, K, 2 RS -- .240
LF Lough 1-4, SF, RBI (41), K, RS -- .258
3B Moustakas 1-5, K, RS -- .218
CF Dyson 1-5, K -- .261
SS Lucas 0-4 -- .323

Meche 4 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 0-1, 15.75 ERA, not quite ready for prime time, and that start doesn't help any trade value, but only threw fastballs and changeups
Lowery 3 IP, H, BB, K -- 1.93 ERA
Coleman 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 K, HRA -- 3.00 ERA

* By the time the O-Royals started scoring, it was 7-0 New Orleans and too late for Omaha. Gil Meche gave up 2 runs in the 1st and 2 more in the 2nd. Three Zephyr runs in the 4th off Meche made it 7-0. Kila Ka'aihue broke up the shutout with a 2-run single in the 6th and Marc Maddox hit a 2-run double in the 7th, but Louis Coleman gave up a 2-run homer in the 8th to lose Omaha's momentum. Ka'aihue blasted his 22nd homer of the season for a solo shot in the 8th and David Lough hit a sac fly in the 9th but the rally stopped there. New Orleans SP Tom Mastny allowed 2 ER over 6 IP to improve to 3-1. 2B Danny Richar had 3 hits and SS Brian Barden had 2 hits and his 1st homer for the Zephyrs. Omaha is 53-50. Greg Holland was named PCL Pitcher of the Week after allowing 1 run over 7 IP in three appearances. Luis Mendoza starts the first of 4 at the Nashville Sounds (55-47, AAA Brewers) Tuesday.

AA - NW Arkansas: rainout

* Everett Teaford was perfect through 3 2/3 IP but rain washed it away Monday. The game will be made up in Springfield during the teams' next series. Edgar Osuna starts the first of 3 at the Tulsa Drillers (18-11, AA Rockies) Tuesday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 10, Blue Rocks 1

1B Mejia 2-4, RS -- .378
RF Francis 2-4, picked off -- .276
SS Colon 1-4, 2B (5) -- .271
DH Myers 0-2, BB -- .333
C S. Perez 0-4, K -- .244

Lamb 4 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 7 H, 5 K, E (4) -- L, 6-3, 1.45 ERA, not his best work, still not awful
Thompson 3 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, K, HRA, WP -- 7.75 ERA
Bowden IP, BB, K -- 1.75 ERA
Frost IP, ER, H, 2 BB -- 4.50 ERA

* The Rocks broke up the shutout in the 9th, but that's about the only positive from Monday's loss. The Nationals took the lead with a run in the 1st and added another tally in the 3rd. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 4th and Potomac scored 7 in the 6th and 7th combined. Ernesto Mejia scored on a passed ball in the 9th and that was all the Rocks would get. Nationals SP Daniel Rosenbaum allowed 5 hits and a walk over 8 scoreless to improve to 2-0. All but one Nationals starter had 2 hits. RF Bill Rhinehart hit a grand slam for his 8th homer of the season. The Rocks are 18-13. Bryan Paukovits was named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week with 12 scoreless IP on the week. Danny Duffy starts game 2 Tuesday.

A - Burlington: Fort Wayne 6, Bees 1

SS Hall 2-4, 2B (22), 2 K, RS, SB (15), E (26) -- .237
1B Kuebler 0-3, BB, RBI (5), K -- .292
RF Merrifield 0-4, K -- .212
LF Testa 0-3, BB -- .274

Mitchell 1 2/3 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 2 H, 5 BB, 3 K -- L, 1-7, 5.86 ERA
De La Rosa 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- 3.38 ERA
Encarnacion IP, BB, K -- 6.55 ERA
Sirrett IP, 2 BB, K -- 6.66 ERA
Barrow IP, BB -- 4.35 ERA

* A 6-run TinCaps 2nd earned Fort Wayne the sweep. Matt Mitchell walked the bases loaded with 2 out in the 2nd and gave up a 3-run double, RBI single and 2-run single before the dust settled. Jake Kuebler hit an RBI groundout in the 4th but the Bees stranded 2 and didn't have any better chances from there. RP Jon Berger allowed an ER over 4 IP to improve to 3-0 and starter Jerry Sullivan pitched 3 hitless innings. 1B Nathan Freiman had 2 hits and SS Dean Anna had 3 RBI. The Bees are 13-15. They have Tuesday off.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Great Falls 6, Chukars 4

3B Cuthbert 2-5 -- .306
2B Espinal 2-3, BB, 2 RS, SB (7), E (17) -- .294
CF Ferguson 1-3, BB, 2B (6), RBI (8), 2 RS, OF assist at third -- .312
RF Adams 1-5, RBI (12) -- .260
1B Watts 0-4, 2 K -- .322
C David 0-3, BB -- .306

Garrido 5 IP, 6 R (2 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HRA, WP -- L, 1-3, 6.21 ERA
Martin 3 IP, 3 H, 4 K -- 4.05 ERA

* The Voyagers rapped out 6 early runs to take out the Chukars again. Great Falls scored a run on a wild pitch in the 1st but Tim Ferguson hit an RBI double before scoring on an error in the 2nd to give the Chukars a 2-1 lead. The Voyagers got a solo homer to tie it in the 2nd and surged ahead with 4 in the 3rd thanks in part to a 3-run homer by 1B Leighton Pangilinan for his 3rd of the season and 2nd of the game. Lane Adams hit an RBI groundout in the 7th and Ferguson scored on a wild pitch to cut it to 6-4 but the Chukars would strand 2 in both the 8th and 9th. Starter Paul Burnside pitched 6 innings of 2 runs (1 ER) allowed to move to 4-2. Three Voyagers had 2 hits led by Pangilinan's 2 HR and 4 RBI (16). The Chukars are 14-21. Game 3 is Tuesday.

Rookie - Burlington: Johnson City 5, B-Royals 1

DH Stovall 2-4, K, picked off -- .325
C Jenkins 1-4, RBI (12), picked off, 2 PB -- .247
2B Piterson 1-3, BB, 2B (9), RS -- .295
SS McClure 1-4 -- .270
1B Baldwin 1-3, K, CS (2), E (8) -- .155
CF Llanos 0-3, K, OF assist at third -- .246

Avinazar 3 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- L, 3-1, 2.19 ERA
Lohden 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, K -- 2.57 ERA
Byrne 2 IP, 2 K -- 1.35 ERA
Worrell IP, H, 2 K -- 2.57 ERA

* Johnson City took the series opener from the Royals. The Cards scored 2 in the 1st and the Royals stranded 2 in their half. Ryan Jenkins hit an RBI single in the 3rd but the Cards scored 3 in the 4th off Willian Avinazar and Cole Lohden. The Royals never threatened again. Starter Kevin Siegrist allowed an ER over 5 IP to move to 1-0. Three Cards had 2 hits. The B-Royals are 17-17. Game 2 is Tuesday.

Rookie - AZL: The Royals beat the Padres, 9-7, Sunday.

The Royals lead the A's, 3-0, in the 7th

1B Soto 2-4, 2 RBI (12) -- .316
2B Jos. Rodriguez 2-3, RBI (10), SB (9), CS (4) -- .284
RF Van Stratten 1-2, BB, RS -- .500, rehabbing
SS Antonio 1-4, 3B (4), RS -- .262
CF J. Blanco 0-4, 2 K -- .227
LF Sandford 0-2, BB, RS, SB (9) -- .275
DH Marquez 0-2, BB, 2 K -- .200
RF Juan Polonia had an assist at home.

E. Diaz 2 IP, H, 3 K -- 5.00 ERA
Caldwell 2 IP, 4 K -- 5.79 ERA, nice outing anyway
Jo. Soto 3 IP, 3 H, 3 K, WP -- 0.00 ERA

* The Royals have held the A's in check thus far. Victor Soto singled in a run in the 1st and Jose Rodriguez singled in a run in the 6th. Mike Antonio tripled and scored on a Soto single in the 7th. Eric Diaz pitched 2 scoreless innings before Allen Caldwell had 2 nice innings and Jorge Soto made his 2010 AZL debut with 3 scoreless thus far. The Royals are 17-11 and 2 games up.

Royals on the Farm 7/25

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 7, New Orleans 4 (7/G1)

SS Lucas 3-4, RBI (32) -- .337
DH Thorman 2-4, 2 RBI (58) -- .275
1B Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, 2 RBI (71), RS, E (2) -- .307
CF Dyson 1-3, BB, RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB -- .286
LF Lough 1-2, BB, HBP, 3B (8), RBI (39), 2 RS -- .254
3B Moustakas 1-4, K, RS -- .239
C Pina 0-3 -- .289

Hernandez 4 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA -- 5.58 ERA
Holland 3 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K, HRA -- W, 3-3, 3.81 ERA

* The Royals came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the first of two with New Orleans Sunday. Gaby Hernandez gave up a 2-run homer as part of a 3-run Zephyr 1st but Omaha rallied for 4 runs with 2 outs in the 3rd on a 2-run Kila Ka'aihue single and 2-run Scott Thorman single to take the lead. Both teams stranded 2 in the 4th and Omaha scored 3 in the 6th on a Jarrod Dyson RBI single, a David Lough RBI triple and Ed Lucas RBI single to make it 7-3. Greg Holland gave up a solo homer in the 7th but closed out the win. New Orleans SP Wes Whisler allowed 5 ER over 5 1/3 IP to fall to 1-4. LF Logan Morrison was 2-4 with his 6th homer and 2 RBI (44) and 3B Hector Luna hit his 16th HR.

New Orleans 7, O-Royals 4 (9/G2)

DH Ka'aihue 3-5 -- .312
LF Lough 2-3, BB, S, 2B (9), RBI (40), K -- .258
2B Maddox 2-3, BB, RBI (24), RS, SB (3) -- .245
3B Moustakas 0-4, SF, RBI (5), K -- .220
CF Dyson 1-4, HBP, 2 K, RS -- .278
SS Lucas 0-4 -- .330
RF Parraz 1-4, K, RS -- .272

Humber 5 1/3 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, E (2) -- 4.84 ERA
Rupe 3 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- L, 1-3, 2.41 ERA

* New Orleans finally got to Josh Rupe in the top of the 9th to split the doubleheader with Omaha. Phil Humber allowed a run in the 1st and Omaha stranded 2 in both the 1st and 3rd. Marc Maddox scored on an error in the 5th and Mike Moustakas hit a sac fly to make it 2-1 Omaha. Humber gave up 4 hits in the 6th and Rupe allowed an inherited runner to score as the Zephyrs moved ahead, 4-2. Maddox singled in a run in the bottom of the inning and David Lough took a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. CF Scott Cousins broke it open with a 1-out, 3-run double in the 9th and Rupe would leave the bases loaded. Omaha went down in order in the 9th. RP Scott Strickland pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings to improve to 4-0. Starter James Houser allowed 2 runs (1 ER) over 4 IP. Three Zephyrs had 2 hits but Cousins' 3 RBI (28) were the key. Omaha is 52-49. Gil Meche makes a rehab start Monday.

AA - NW Arkansas: Springfield 5, Naturals 2

RF Seratelli 3-4, HR (2), RBI (28), RS, OF assist at home -- .275
CF Orlando 2-3, BB, CS (8) -- .325
1B Hosmer 1-3, HBP, HR (5), RBI (11), 2 K, RS -- .333
LF D. Robinson 1-5 -- .295
2B Giavotella 0-5, K -- .298
3B Romak 0-3, BB -- .404

Caldera 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 7 K, 2 WP -- L, 3-1, 3.77 ERA
R. Hardy 4 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 WP -- 4.64 ERA

* The Cardinals got the win over the Naturals Sunday. Alex Caldera had trouble settling in as he stranded 2 in the 1st and allowed a run in the 2nd before the Nats stranded 2. Caldera left the bases full in the 4th but was pulled before Rowdy Hardy allowed 2 runs in the 5th that were credited to Caldera. The Cards scored again in the 6th to make it 4-0. Anthony Seratelli got the Naturals on the board with a solo homer in the 7th for his 2nd of the season. The Cards got the run back in the 8th and Eric Hosmer went solo in the 8th for his 5th at AA. The Naturals stranded 2 in the 9th. Starter Trey Hearne allowed an ER over 7 IP to improve to 2-1. Four Cardinals had 3 hits. The Naturals are 19-10. The series ends Monday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 10, Kinston 4

RF Francis 2-5, 2 HR (6), 6 RBI (33), 2 K, 2 RS -- .271, one homer was granny
1B Mejia 2-5, K, RS -- .364
2B Navarro 2-5, K, RS -- .248
C Myers 1-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI (16), K, CS -- .342
LF Oriental 1-4, HR, 2 RBI (4), K, RS -- .185
SS Colon 1-4, BB, RS -- .272
DH Lewis 0-5, K -- .125

Baumann 4 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- 2.24 ERA
Mozingo 3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 K, 2 HRA -- W, 3-1, 4.17 ERA
Chapman 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, K -- 3.38 ERA

* The Rocks rolled past Kinston for the win Sunday. Wil Myers hit an RBI single in the 1st and Buddy Baumann stranded 2 in both of the first 2 innings. Nick Francis went deep in the 4th for his 5th homer of the season as the 2-run shot made it 3-0. Rene Oriental hit his 1st Rocks homer for a 2-run shot in the 5th and Myers took a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 6-0. Harold Mozingo gave up a solo homer in the 6th to break up the shutout but with 2 out and the bases full in the 6th, Francis slammed his 2nd homer of the game and 6th of the season for a grand slam to make it 10-1. Mozingo gave up another solo homer in the 7th and Kevin Chapman allowed 2 runs in the 9th before ending it. Kinston SP Joseph Gardner allowed 6 ER over 4 IP to drop to 8-5. Three Indians had 2 hits. The Rocks are 18-12 and a game up on first. John Lamb starts the first of 3 in Frawley versus the Potomac Nationals (16-12) Monday.

A - Burlington: Fort Wayne 3, Bees 0

1B Kuebler 3-4 -- .333
SS Hall 2-5 -- .234
RF Merrifield 0-4, K, OF assist at first -- .241
LF Testa 1-4, K -- .277
2B Liberto 1-4, K, SB -- .111
C Robertson 1-3, HBP -- .179
The Bees stranded 11.

Marimon 5 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K -- L, 2-3, 7.31 ERA
Hodge IP, H, BB, K -- 5.21 ERA
Kelley IP, nothing -- 4.21 ERA
Runion IP, nothing -- 6.49 ERA

* The Bees got nothing out of 10 hits as Fort Wayne got the shutout. The Bees stranded 2 in the 2nd and 4th and 2 doubles helped generate all the TinCaps' runs in the 4th. The Bees loaded the bases with 2 out in the 8th but left them that way for their last, best chance. Starter Pedro Hernandez allowed 6 hits over 5 IP in improving to 3-3. 3B Edinson Rincon had 2 hits in the win. The Bees are 13-14. The series ends Monday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Great Falls 8, Chukars 7

1B Watts 3-4, BB, RBI (31) -- .333
C David 3-4, 2B (5), RBI (4), RS -- .322
2B Espinal 2-4, HR, RBI (17), K, RS -- .284
LF Ferguson 2-4, 2B (5), RS, OF assist at home -- .311
RF Adams 1-5, RBI (11), 2 RS -- .264
SS Trapp 0-4, BB, RBI (4), RS, SB (3), 2 E (18) -- .235
DH Cuthbert 1-5, RBI (6), K -- .290
CF Beltre 1-4, RBI (15) -- .226

Alexander 5 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 3 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 1-4, 6.62 ERA
Graham 3 IP, 2 UER, H, 3 BB, K -- 5.50 ERA

* A torrid Chukars comeback in the 9th came up just short as Great Falls took the series opener. Geulin Beltre hit an RBI single in the 1st but the Voyagers scored 2 in the 2nd off Scott Alexander. Alexander stranded 2 in the 3rd and escaped trouble in the 4th as Tim Ferguson helped throw out a runner at the plate to end the inning. Murray Watts tied it with an RBI single in the 5th but Alexander couldn't escape trouble in the 5th as Great Falls racked up 4 runs to make it 6-2. Yowill Espinal hit an inside-the-park homer to lead off the 6th but the Voyagers got 2 in the 7th to stretch the lead to 8-3. Ferguson led off the IF 9th with a double and scored on a Kevin David single before Lane Adams singled in a run, Justin Trapp hit an RBI groundout and Cheslor Cuthbert hit an RBI groundout to cut the lead to 1. The rally ended there, though, as Watts lined out for the third out. Starter Steven Upchurch allowed 2 ER over 5 IP to improve to 2-0 for Great Falls. Three Voyagers had 2 hits and C Robert Vaughn had 3 RBI. IF is 14-20. Game 2 is Monday.

Rookie - Burlington: Elizabethton 7, B-Royals 1

SS McClure 2-3, BB, K, RS -- .271
2B Piterson 1-4, 2 K -- .294
1B Stovall 1-4, K -- .318
CF Llanos 0-4, K -- .252
C Jenkins 0-1 -- .247

Giovenco 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, BB, K, HRA -- L, 0-4, 9.12 ERA, that's a rough start
Penny 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K, WP -- 1.93 ERA, that's a nice relief outing
Bavera 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- 2.41 ERA

* The Twins knocked Mike Giovenco out of the box in the 1st and held on for the 7-1 win. A 3-run homer and 2-run double highlighted the Twins 1st as Giovenco didn't survive the inning and Elizabethton took a 7-0 lead. Alex McClure scored the Royals' only run on a wild pitch in the 4th. Outside of that inning the Royals scattered 3 hits and Luis Piterson was thrown out at third to end the 8th. Twins SP Adrian Salcedo allowed an ER over 6 IP with 10 K to improve to 4-2. SS Jamaal Hawkins had 3 hits and 2 RBI for the Twins while two others had 2 hits. The B-Royals are 17-16. A 3-game home set with the Johnson City Cardinals (21-12) starts Monday.

Rookie - AZL: The Royals are up on the Padres, 8-7, in the 6th

1B Soto 2-3, 2B (2), RBI (10), K, 2 RS, SB (3) -- .303
LF J. Blanco 1-3, 2 RBI (5), RS, SB (2) -- .246
DH Eigsti 1-2, HBP, 2B, RBI, RS -- .231
2B Jos. Rodriguez 1-2, HBP, RBI (9), RS -- .269
CF Conner 1-4, RBI (9), K, RS, SB (5) -- .234
3B Mateo 1-4, 3B (4), RBI (12) -- .236
SS Antonio 1-4, 2B (4), SB (3), E (9) -- .268
C Shin 1-3, BB, K, 2 RS, SB -- .236

A. Baez 1 2/3 IP, 6 R (3 ER), 5 H, BB, K, E, 2 WP, balk -- 16.20 ERA, ungood AZL debut
R. Brown 4 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- 2.05 ERA
Rogers 1/3 IP, K -- 1.74 ERA

* The Royals have seesawed to a lead in the middle innings over the Pads. Angel Baez allowed 2 runs in the 1st but the Royals answered with 5 in the 2nd on a Ryan Eigsti RBI double, a 2-run Jerico Blanco single, a Jose Rodriguez RBI single and run-scoring Pads error. Baez couldn't hold it as the Padres scored 4 in the 2nd off he and Rudy Brown. Daniel Mateo hit an RBI triple in the 4th and the Royals scored 2 in the 5th on a Victor Soto RBI double and run-scoring Pads error. Brown gave up a run in the 6th and that's where it stands in the 7th. More to come tomorrow...

Royals on the Farm 7/24

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 14, New Orleans 2 (7/G1)

1B Ka'aihue 2-2, 2 BB, HR (21), 2 RBI (69), 2 RS -- .310
3B Moustakas 2-4, 2 RBI (4), 2 RS -- .231
C Pina 3-4, 2 RBI (5), K, RS -- .314
CF Dyson 2-4, BB, 2 RS -- .375
LF Lough 1-3, 2 BB, HR (11), 2 RBI (38), 3 RS -- .252
2B Mertins 1-4, 2 RBI (21), K, RS -- .234
SS Lucas 1-3, SF, 2B (11), RBI (31), RS -- .328
DH Thorman 1-4, RBI (56), RS -- .275
RF Miller 1-4, 2B (20), RBI (41), K, RS -- .235

Bullington 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 4 K -- W, 8-2, 2.82 ERA

* Bryan Bullington went the distance and Omaha had a big 5th in the first of two with the Zephyrs Saturday. David Lough smoked a 2-run homer in the 1st for his 11th of the season and Ed Lucas hit a sac fly but Omaha left the bases loaded. The Zephyrs got a run back in the 2nd but Kila Ka'aihue hit his 21st homer of the season for a 2-run shot to make it 5-1. New Orleans scored again in the 3rd but Bullington only allowed 2 more baserunners the rest of the game. A run-scoring error helped spark the big Omaha rally in the 5th as Manny Pina hit an RBI single, Jai Miller doubled in a run, Kurt Mertins hit a 2-run single, Mike Moustakas hit a 2-run single, Scott Thorman hit an RBI groundout and Pina hit another RBI single to make it 14-2. Onetime Royal P Brian Lawrence allowed 12 runs (11 ER) over 4-plus IP to fall to 9-7. Five Zephyrs had a hit each.

New Orleans 8, O-Royals 1 (7/G2)

3B Moustakas 1-3 -- .238
DH Ka'aihue 0-3, K -- .307
LF Lough 1-3, K -- .253
RF Parraz 1-3, 2B (21) -- .272
CF Dyson 0-3, K -- .273
SS Lucas 1-3, K, RS -- .328

Castaneda 4 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, K, WP -- L, 3-2, 3.91 ERA
Baez 3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- 6.06 ERA

* The Royals only had 4 hits as the Zephyrs split the twinbill. NO scored 2 in the 1st and 1 in the 2nd off Federico Castaneda. They then scored 5 in the 5th off Castaneda and Manauris Baez. Omaha was being 1-hit through 4 and got a run-scoring passed ball in the 5th to spoil the shutout. Starter Adalberto Mendez got the win for New Orleans with 5 IP of an unearned run allowed to improve to 4-3. 1B-3B Hector Luna and DH Mark Saccomanno had 2 hits for the Zephyrs. Three had 2 RBI, including Marlins top prospect LF Logan Morrison. Omaha is 51-48. Phil Humber and Gaby Hernandez start as the teams play another twinbill Sunday. Gil Meche is set for a rehab start Monday.

AA - NW Arkansas: Springfield 15, Naturals 2 (7/G1)

1B Hosmer 2-3, 2B (3), 2 RS, SB (2) -- .343
RF Orlando 1-3, RBI (46), K, SB (19) -- .325
DH Smith 0-2, SF, RBI (35) -- .285
CF D. Robinson 0-4, K -- .299
2B Giavotella 1-3, K -- .296
3B Romak 0-2, HBP -- .429

Dwyer 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, K, HRA -- L, 2-1, 3.06 ERA, leaves game early, hope not from any significant injury
Chavez 3 IP, 7 R (4 ER), 9 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- 6.75 ERA
Swaggerty 3 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 4.58 ERA

* Chris Dwyer left the game in the 1st and the Cardinals walloped the Naturals in game 1. Dwyer issued 4 walks and gave up a 2-run homer in the 1st before being pulled with the bases loaded and 2 out. Chris Chavez, who was just activated from the DL, allowed a 2-run single to make it 4-0 Cardinals. Paulo Orlando hit an RBI single in the 1st but Chavez gave up 5 runs in the 2nd to make it 9-1. Springfield added 2 in the 4th and 4 in the 6th. NWA got a Tim Smith sac fly in the 6th and didn't even come close to the monumental rally it needed. P Scott McGregor went the distance to improve to 2-3 in an odd parallel to Omaha's game 1 and Bryan Bullington's outing. C Steven Hill had 4 hits, including 3 doubles (25) and 3 RBI (68). Five others had multiple hits.

Naturals 6, Springfield 2 (7/G2)

2B Giavotella 3-3, BB, 3 2B (22), RBI (38), RS -- .302
LF T. Smith 2-3, 2B (11), CS (3) -- .290
1B Hosmer 1-4, HR (4), 2 RBI (10), RS -- .333
C Howell 1-3, HR (4), 2 RBI (25), K, RS -- .253
DH Romak 1-2, HBP, HR (4), RBI (12), RS -- .432
CF D. Robinson 0-4, 2 K, RS -- .296
RF Orlando 0-3, 2 K -- .321

Crow 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, 7 K, HRA -- W, 7-6, 5.46 ERA
Keating IP, K -- 3.04 ERA

* Aaron Crow moved back above the .500 mark despite 5 walks Saturday. He gave up a 2-out solo homer in the 1st but NWA answered with 2 in their half on an Eric Hosmer 2-run shot for his 4th at AA. Crow stranded 2 in the 4th and Jeff Howell hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning for his 4th of the season before Johnny Giavotella hit an RBI double to make it 5-1. Jamie Romak hit his 5th AA homer of the season to make it 6-1 in the 5th and Crow allowed a run in the 6th. Patrick Keating pitched a perfect 7th to finish it. Starter Arquimedes Nieto allowed 6 ER over 4 2/3 IP to fall to 0-1. Three Cards had a hit each. NWA is 19-9. Shane Costa was put back on the DL with a heel injury as Chris Chavez was activated. The series continues Sunday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Kinston 2, Blue Rocks 1 (G1)

SS Colon 1-4, RBI (10), 2 K -- .262
DH S. Perez 1-3, HBP -- .248
C Myers 0-3, BB, K -- .342

Hodgson 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K, pickoff -- 4.70 ERA
Cuevas 5 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 K -- L, 3-4, 5.72 ERA
Bowden IP, H -- 1.80 ERA

* Friday's rain-paused game resumed Saturday as the K-Tribe took game 1 of the doubleheader. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 1st and play resumed in the 3rd Saturday. Jairo Cuevas allowed a run in the 4th but Christian Colon singled in a run in the 5th to tie the game. Kinston moved back ahead in the 6th and the Rocks left two in scoring position in the 9th. P T.J. House allowed an ER on a hit over 6 IP to improve to 3-8. LF Lucas Montero and RF Abner Abreu had 2 hits for the Tribe.

Blue Rocks 7, Kinston 0 (7/G2)

SS Colon 2-4, 2B (4), 2 RBI (12), RS -- .273
DH Mejia 2-4, HR, RBI (4), K, 2 RS -- .357
1B Lewis 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI -- .182
RF Francis 1-4, 2B (13), RBI (27), K -- .268
2B F. Garcia 0-1, BB, SF, RBI (10), RS, SB (8) -- .194

Paukovits 5 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K -- W, 3-2, 3.73 ERA
Lafferty 2 IP, H, 2 BB, K -- 3.92 ERA

* The Rocks got a good outing from Bryan Paukovits to split the doubleheader. Paukovits loaded the bases with 0 out in the 1st but pulled the Houdini to escape the inning unscathed. He worked around a leadoff double in the 2nd as he was less than lockdown early. Christian Colon continued to show signs of improvement as he ripped a 2-run double in the 3rd and Ernesto Mejia hit his 1st A-Advanced homer of the season in the 4th to make it 3-0. Joey Lewis hit a 2-run double in the 6th and Fernando Garcia hit a sac fly to extend the lead. Nick Francis finished it off with an RBI double in the 7th and Brendan Lafferty pitched the last 2 innings to complete the shutout. Starter David Roberts allowed 2 ER over 2 2/3 IP to fall to 1-3. CF Donnie Webb had 2 hits. The Rocks are 17-12. Buddy Baumann starts Sunday's series finale.

A - Burlington: Fort Wayne 2, Bees 1 (7)

C Bonilla 2-4, 2B (6), K -- .217
RF-CF Merrifield 1-3, RBI (3), K -- .280
LF-RF Testa 1-3, K, SB (20), OF assist at second -- .277
1B Kuebler 0-3 -- .235

Hayenga 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 1-8, 7.63 ERA, better than other recent outings

* Fort Wayne took a 2-1 lead before rain once again washed out a Bees game early. Whit Merrifield hit an RBI single in the 1st but the Bees stranded 2. A 2-run homer in the 4th ended up being the difference as Keaton Hayenga had his best start in a while. The Bees stranded 2 in the 7th and that's when the rain called it. Starter Jose De Paula allowed an ER over 5 IP to move to 5-3. 1B Nathan Freiman hit the 2-run homer for his 10th of the season. The Bees are 13-13. Game 2 is Saturday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 5, Billings 4 (10)

3B Cuthbert 2-5, 3 K, RS -- .308
1B Culver 2-4, BB, RS, SB (5) -- .214
C Cornstubble 3-3, BB, 2B, 2 RBI (5), picked off runner at first -- .375, producing when he plays
RF Adams 1-4, BB, RBI (10), K -- .267
DH Watts 1-4, BB, SB -- .318
LF Ferguson 1-4, BB, K, RS -- .305
IF stranded 10.

Mariot 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 6 K, E (2) -- 2.82 ERA
Graffeo 2 IP, ER, 4 H, 3 K -- BS, 3, 2.00 ERA
Roualdes 2 1/3 IP, 2 K -- W, 1-0, 4.91 ERA

* The Chukars finally overcame the Mustangs in 10. A run-scoring error put IF on top in the 1st and Lane Adams hit an RBI single in the 2nd to make it 2-0 Chukars. Mike Mariot allowed a run in the 3rd but IF matched it in the 4th on a Dale Cornstubble RBI double. The Mustangs scored again in the 4th to cut it to 3-2. Cornstubble singled in another run in the 6th but Billings scored single runs in the 6th and 7th to tie it at 4. The Mustangs made a run-scoring error in the 10th and Jordan Roualdes pitched a perfect 10th for his 1st IF win. RP Jesus Adames allowed an unearned run over an IP to fall to 0-2. C Tucker Barnhart had 3 hits and 3B Oliver Santos had 2 hits. Idaho Falls is 14-19. A 3-game set at the Great Falls Voyagers (19-14, Rookie White Sox) starts Sunday.

Rookie - Burlington: Elizabethon 3, B-Royals 2 (14)

LF MacDougall 3-6, 2 K, 2 SB (3) -- .218
DH Y. Figueroa 2-5, 2 K, picked off -- .243
CF Llanos 2-6, 2 K, RS, SB (8), CS (3), OF assist at home -- .261
2B Piterson 1-5, BB, RBI (18), K, RS, 2 SB (10), 2 E (9) -- .296
C Jenkins 0-6, RBI (11) -- .250
1B Baldwin 0-5, BB, 4 K -- .149
SS McClure 1-6, K -- .260
3B Stovall 1-5, BB, 3 K, 2 E (4) -- .321

L. Santiago 6 IP, UER, 5 H, BB, 7 K -- 2.02 ERA
Leaper 2 IP, 3 BB, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA
Keck 2 IP, UER, 2 H, K -- BS, 1, 3.00 ERA
Mazur 3 1/3 IP, UER, 3 H, BB, K -- L, 0-1, 4.50 ERA

* Elizabethton worked back from a 2-0 deficit to win in 14. The Royals got a run on an error in the 1st and Ryan Jenkins hit an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 before the Twins came to bat. Alex Llanos nailed a runner at the plat to help Leonel Santiago work out of the 4th but the Twins finally got on the board in the 6th to cut the lead in half. Yunior Figueroa got picked off at third in the 8th so the 2-1 lead had to hold into the 9th. Luis Piterson made a throwing error on the would-be last out and the tying run scored. The Royals left the bases loaded in the 11th. Ryan Stovall made an error in the bottom of the 14th and the Twins finished it with a walkoff single. RP Zach See allowed a hit over 3 scoreless innings to move to 4-0. Starter Martire Garcia allowed 2 unearned runs over 6 2/3 IP. CF Oswaldo Arcia had 3 hits with 3 walks and 2 doubles (15). Two others had 2 hits. The Royals are 17-15. The series continues Sunday.

Rookie - AZL: Mariners 5, Royals 2

CF Conner 2-4, HR, RBI (8), 2 K, RS, SB (4) -- .233
1B Soto 0-3, SF, RBI (9), E (5) -- .267
SS Antonio 1-3, BB, K, RS, E (8) -- .269
C Shin 0-1 -- .232
DH Alcantara 0-4, 2 K -- .273
LF Sandford 1-4, K, SB (8) -- .286

Montgomery 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 K -- 0.00 ERA
R. Wood 1 1/3 IP, H, K -- 2.70 ERA
Y. Ventura 4 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 2 H, BB, 7 K, HRA -- L, 2-2, 4.39 ERA
Kriech IP, K -- 4.05 ERA

* The Mariners put together a 4-run 8th to beat the Royals Saturday. Cameron Conner got the Royals off to a good start with his 1st pro homer to lead off the 1st and Victor Soto added a sac fly in the 4th. Two errors on the same play got the M's on the board in the 6th and Yordano Ventura gave up a grand slam to OF Guillermo Pimentel in the 8th to turn it around. The Royals didn't threaten late. The Royals are 16-11.

Royals on the Farm 7/23

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 2, O-Royals 1

LF Lough 1-3, BB, HR (10), RBI (36), RS -- .252
CF Dyson 1-4, K, OF assist at first -- .250, AAA debut
1B Ka'aihue 1-4, K -- .306
3B Moustakas 0-4, K -- .200
SS Lucas 0-3, BB, E (9) -- .328
RF Jai Miller had an assist at home.

B. Hardy IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 2 BB, K, HRA -- L, 2-3, 2.03 ERA
Herges 5 IP, 2 H, K -- 4.08 ERA
Lowery 3 IP, 4 K -- 2.84 ERA

* All 3 runs in the game scored in the 1st as the Zephyrs took game 1 from Omaha. Blaine Hardy got the start but only went an inning as he threw 41 pitches. A leadoff homer was a bad omen for the Royals and Jai Miller kept 1 run off the board with an assist at the plate in the inning. Hardy loaded the bases and ended up walking in the second run. David Lough hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 1st for his 10th of the season to cut it in half but the offense stopped there for both teams. The Royals had killer DPs in the 5th and 6th and then stranded 1 in the 9th. Starter Rick VandenHurk allowed an ER over 7 IP to improve to 7-4. 3B Hector Luna had 2 hits. Omaha is 51-47. With David DeJesus hitting the DL at the perfect time for his trade value, Alex Gordon got the recall to KC. Anthony Lerew has also been DFA'd to get Sean O'Sullivan on the big league roster. Bryan Bullington and Federico Castaneda start the two ends of Saturday's double dip. As shown, Jarrod Dyson made his AAA debut Friday.

AA - NW Arkansas: Springfield 9, Naturals 8 (10)

2B Giavotella 2-4, S, HR (3), 2 RBI (37), 2 RS -- .296
RF Orlando 2-4, HBP, HR (7), RBI (45), K, 2 RS -- .325
LF T. Smith 1-5, 2B (10), 2 RBI (34), K, RS -- .288
3B Romak 1-2, 2 BB, HBP, 2 RBI (11) -- .450
1B Hosmer 1-4, BB, RBI (8), K, RS -- .313
CF D. Robinson 1-4, BB, 2B (19), RS -- .302
DH Costa 0-3 -- .000, slowly climbing
The Nats turned 4 DPs.

Paulino 5 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 4 BB, 5 K -- 4.26 ERA
B. Johnson 2 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- 6.02 ERA
Barrera 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- BS, 1, 0.00 ERA
Sisk IP, ER, H, 2 K, HRA -- L, 4-4, 4.78 ERA

* The Naturals blew an early 7-1 lead Friday versus Springfield. The Cards scored first in the 1st but NWA got off to a great start with 5 runs on an Eric Hosmer RBI single, a 2-run Tim Smith double and 2-run Jamie Romak single. Johnny Giavotella poured it on with a 2-run homer in the 2nd for his 3rd of the season to make it 7-1 Nats. Springfield started to climb back with 3 in the 5th on 5 hits off Eduardo Paulino. Paulo Orlando led off the NWA 5th with his 7th homer to make it 8-4. The Cards knocked the run back off the lead in the 7th off Blake Johnson, and then Johnson and Henry Barrera allowed 3 runs in the 8th as the Cards tied it. NWA stranded 2 in the 9th and Brandon Sisk's rough patch continued as he gave up a solo homer in the 10th. The Nats couldn't get it tied. RP Blake King pitched 2 scoreless to win and move to 4-2. Starter Brian Broderick allowed 8 ER over 6 IP. Four Cards had 3 hits and 2 others had 2 hits. 3B Matt Carpenter had 3 hits, including his 8th homer, and 3 RBI (36). NWA is 18-8. The teams play two Saturday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: suspended in 2nd

* The game was scoreless when it got washed out in the 2nd and will pick up in a doubleheader Saturday. Will Smith is set to join Wilmington for his first organizational assignment.

A - Burlington: Bees 3, Lake County 1 (7)

DH Aparicio 2-3, K -- .250
1B Kuebler 1-3, RBI (4), K -- .286
3B F. Cruz 0-3, RBI (14) -- .228
CF Merrifield 1-3, K, RS, SB (2) -- .273
RF Testa 0-1, 2 HBP, K, 2 RS, 2 SB (19) -- .277

Sample 6 IP, ER, 6 H, 4 K, HRA -- W, 5-6, 3.51 ERA

* Mother Nature was the 10th Bee on Friday as they won the shortened game. Tyler Sample stranded 2 Captains in the 2nd but gave up a leadoff homer in the 3rd to spot Lake County a lead. The Captains made 2 run-scoring errors in the 4th and Carlo Testa scored on a passed ball in the 6th to make it 3-1 Bees. The Bees had 2 out and 0 on in the 7th when rain finished it. P Matt Packer took the loss with 3 runs (1 ER) over 6 2/3 IP to fall to 8-5. 3B Adam Abraham had 2 hits. The Bees are 13-12. A 3-game set at the Fort Wayne TinCaps (14-13, A Padres) starts Saturday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Billings 7, Chukars 6

3B Cuthbert 3-4, HBP, 2B (2), HR (2), 3 RBI (5), K, 2 RS -- .286
DH Watts 3-5, RBI (30), K -- .321
C T. Jones 1-4, BB, RBI (4), 2 K, PB (6) -- .315
RF Adams 1-4, BB, RBI (9), 2 RS, SB (3) -- .268
CF Ferguson 1-4, K -- .307
SS Zebroski 1-4, 2 K, RS -- .189

Martin 3 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 K -- 7.36 ERA
Peacock 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, pickoff -- 3.18 ERA
Blauer 2 IP, 3 H, 2 K -- 6.50 ERA
Rivers 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, BB, K -- BS, 1, L, 1-2, 3.65 ERA

* Billings continued to have IF's number with another 9th inning comeback. Travis Jones singled in a run in the 1st and Cheslor Cuthbert ignited a solo homer for his 2nd at IF. The Mustangs scored 3 in the 4th off Brennon Martin in his Idaho Falls debut. The Chukars responded with 3 in the 5th on a Cuthbert 2-run double and Murray Watts RBI single. OK, I'll admit it, I have Cheslor Cuthbert fever. Looks like he's gonna hit A-ball next year at 17. Lane Adams took a bases loaded walk in the 8th to make it 6-3 and that was the score Alex Rivers was given in the bottom of the 9th. Three singles scored a run and trouble was brewing with 1 out and the bases loaded. 1B Dominic D'Anna came through with a 3-run double to end it. RP Ryan Smith pitched 2 innings with an ER allowed to improve to 2-0. Starter Daniel Tuttle allowed 5 runs (4 ER) over 5 IP. 2B Billy Hamilton had 4 hits and three others had 3 hits with one more having 2 hits. D'Anna's 3 RBI were his first 3 of the season for the Mustangs. IF is 13-19. The series comes to a merciful end Saturday.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 6, Elizabethton 2

2B Piterson 3-5, 2 2B (8), 2 RS -- .300
CF Llanos 2-5, RBI (11) -- .257
DH Y. Figueroa 1-4, 2 RBI (13), RS -- .232
3B Stovall 1-4, RBI (15) -- .327
C Jenkins 1-4, RBI (10), 2 K -- .271
1B Baldwin 1-4, 2B (3), 2 K, RS -- .157, slowly coming around?
SS McClure 1-4, K, RS -- .265

Simmons 5 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA -- 3.44 ERA
Worrell 2 IP, ER, H, BB, K, HRA -- 2.77 ERA
Bavera 1 1/3 IP, 2 K, WP -- W, 2-2, 2.76 ERA

* The Royals scored 5 late runs to beat the Twinkies. Ryan Stovall hit an RBI groundout in the 1st but that was all the run support Crawford Simmons would get as he gave up a solo homer in the 5th. Josh Worrell came in to strand 2 in the 6th and then gave up a leadoff homer in the 7th to make it 2-1 Twins. Ryan Jenkins tied it with an RBI forceout in the 8th but was thrown out trying to score on a wild pitch to end the inning. The Royals went off in the 9th for 4 runs on a run-scoring wild pitch, a Yunior Figueroa 2-run single and Alex Llanos RBI single. RP Logan Darnell took the loss with 5 runs (4 ER) allowed over 2 IP to blow his 2nd save and drop to 0-1. Starter B.J. Hermsen allowed an ER over 7 IP. Four Twins had a hit each. The Royals are 17-14. Leonel Santiago pitches game 2 Saturday.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 4, Rangers 2

1B Moreno 2-4, 2B (13), 2 K, RS -- .356
RF Alcantara 1-4, RBI (12), K -- .290
2B Jos. Rodriguez 1-4, RBI (8), SB (7), E (5) -- .264
DH Shin 0-3, SF, RBI (9), K, RS -- .235
C Eigsti 0-3, RBI -- .222
SS Antonio 1-4, 3B (3), 2 K, RS, E (7) -- .265
CF J. Blanco 1-4, 2B, K -- .241
LF Sandford 0-3, BB, 2 K, RS, 2 SB (7) -- .289

Caldwell IP, BB, 3 K -- 10.13 ERA
Yambati 4 2/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- W, 4-1, 3.09 ERA
J. Sanchez 1 2/3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- 5.56 ERA
Gatrell 1 2/3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- SV, 7, 0.00 ERA

* The Royals got past the Rangers Friday. Rehabbing Derek Holland held the Royals in check for 3 innings but gave way to Denny Peralta in the 4th and the Royals struck for 3 runs. Mike Antonio tripled and scored on a Jin-Ho Shin sac fly before Ryan Eigsti hit an RBI groundout and Ysmelin Alcantara singled in a run to make it 3-1 as the Rangers had scored off Robinson Yambati in the 3rd. Darian Sandford walked, stole 2 bases and scored on a Jose Rodriguez single in the 5th to make it 4-1. The Rangers got a run back in the 6th but Tyler Gatrell stranded 2 in the 9th for his 7th save. The Royals are 16-10 and 3 games up on the division lead.

Royals on the Farm 7/22 -- Slugfest for the Nats

So Bert Callaspo is gone. Not a bad trade for KC. O'Sullivan I can take or leave, but Will Smith pitched well in both the Pioneer and Midwest Leagues and has hit all the minor levels already. Doesn't appear quite ready for AA/AAA competition yet, but he has some potential.

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 3, Memphis 1

1B Ka'aihue 2-3, BB -- .306
SS Lucas 1-4, RBI (30), K -- .333
C Clark 1-3, BB, HR (3), RBI (17), K, RS -- .224
LF Lough 0-4, BB, SB (10) -- .251
3B Moustakas 1-4, 2B (2), K, RS -- .226
RF Parraz 0-4, 2 K -- .272

Humber IP, ER, H, 2 BB, HRA -- 4.83 ERA, ejected in 2nd
Coleman 4 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- W, 2-0, 2.08 ERA
Holland 3 IP, H, 7 K -- 3.86 ERA
Rupe IP, 2 H, BB, K -- SV, 5, 1.87 ERA

* Louis Coleman and Greg Holland stepped up when Phil Humber got ejected in the 2nd to lead the Royals to the win. Omaha struck in the 1st with a run-scoring wild pitch and Ed Lucas RBI single but the Royals missed a chance to score more runs in the frame. Humber gave up a solo homer to start the 2nd but after a walk was ejected by the home plate umpire. Cody Clark led off the 5th with his 3rd homer of the season to make it 3-1 Royals. Josh Rupe loaded the bases in the 9th but escaped the jam for his 5th save. Memphis SP Oneli Perez took the loss with 4 1/3 IP of 3 ER allowed to fall to 2-4. 1B Mark Hamilton and DH Joe Mather had 2 hits each. Omaha is 52-46. A 4-day, 6-game set with the New Orleans Zephyrs (46-49, AAA Marlins) starts Friday with Blaine Hardy starting.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 19, Arkansas 12

2B Giavotella 5-5, BB, HR (2), 2 RBI (35), 4 RS, E (11) -- .294
RF Orlando 3-5, BB, 2B (14), 3 RBI (44), 4 RS, SB (18) -- .322
3B Romak 3-4, 2 BB, 2B (3), 3 RBI (9), K, 2 RS, CS (2) -- .447
DH Hosmer 3-6, K, 2 RS -- .357
SS Seratelli 2-5, BB, 2B (7), 3 RBI (27), 3 K, 2 RS, SB (12) -- .265
1B C. Robinson 2-5, SF, 2B (31), 3 RBI (36), K, 2 RS, E (13) -- .312
LF Smith 1-5, SF, 3 RBI (32), K -- .290
C Howell 1-4, BB, SF, RBI (23), K, 2 RS -- .252
CF Dyson 0-5, BB, K, RS, OF assist at home -- .240, missed the offensive party, but got a defensive play in

Osuna 5 IP, 5 R (2 ER), 10 H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- 2.66 ERA
R. Hardy 3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 K -- W, 2-1, 4.69 ERA
Sisk 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H -- 4.69 ERA, rough stretch continues
Swaggerty 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 K, WP -- SV, 1, 4.00 ERA

* The Naturals scored 15 runs in the last 3 innings to roll past the Travelers. Arkansas battered Edgar Osuna for 3 runs in the 1st and NWA started slowly as the first run came in the 3rd on a Clint Robinson RBI single. The Travs answered with 2 in the 4th on a 2-run homer but NWA scored 3 in the 5th on a Clint Robinson sac fly and 2-run Jamie Romak single. Rowdy Hardy allowed a run in the 5th to make it 6-4 Arkansas but when the Travs bullpen came into play in the 7th, the Nats went to work. They scored 6 in the 7th on a Johnny Giavotella solo homer (his 2nd), a 2-run Paulo Orlando double, a Romak RBI double, a Tim Smith sac fly and Jeff Howell sac fly. They padded the lead with 3 in the 8th on a run-scoring wild pitch and 2-run Anthony Seratelli single, then scored 6 more in the 9th for good measure on a Giavotella RBI single, run-scoring error, Orlando RBI single, Seratelli RBI double and Smith 2-run single. The late rallies made 6 late Arkansas runs meaningless as Ben Swaggerty finished it off. RP Robert Fish didn't record an out and allowed 4 ER to pick up his 3rd blown save and the loss to drop to 2-5. Starter Trevor Reckling allowed 4 ER over 6 IP. 2B Alexi Amarista and LF Jeremy Moore had 4 hits while 5 others had multi-hit games. NWA is 18-7. A 4-day, 5-game set with the Springfield Cardinals (11-14) starts Friday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Kinston 10, Blue Rocks 3

SS Colon 3-5, RBI (9), picked off -- .263
C Myers 3-4, 2 2B (6), RS, PB (2) -- .357
CF Norris 2-5, RBI (32), RS, SB (18) -- .232
1B Mejia 1-4, 2B (2), RBI (3), 2 K -- .364
DH Lewis 1-4, K -- .125

Duffy 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 K, WP -- 3.00 ERA, yessss
Chapman 1 1/3 IP, UER, 2 BB, 4 K -- 0.00 ERA
J. Thompson 1/3 IP, 5 UER, H, 3 BB -- BS, 1, L, 2-4, 6.55 ERA
Basurto 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 2 H, 5 BB, 2 WP -- 3.97 ERA, had some problems with location, apparently
Frost IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA

* The Rocks were in command until things exploded in the 7th. Patrick Norris hit an RBI single in the 2nd but the Rocks left 'em loaded. Ernesto Mejia doubled home a run in the 3rd and Christian Colon singled in a run in the 4th. Danny Duffy had a good start as he continues to get back to form and Kevin Chapman followed before being pulled with 1 on and 1 out in the 7th. James Thompson got the second out before walking 3 straight to force in 2 runs and then served up a 3-run triple before Eric Basurto allowed another run to score to make it 6-3 K-Tribe. Basurto walked 5 before getting pulled in the 8th and Adam Frost had to come in and put out the fire. The last 8 Rocks went down in order. RP Tyler Sturdevant pitched 2 scoreless to improve to 1-0. Starter T.J. McFarland allowed 3 ER over 5 IP. No Indians batter had more than a hit, but DH Abner Abreu had 4 RBI and 3 others had 2 RBI. The Rocks are 16-11. Ivor Hodgson and Jairo Cuevas will piggyback Friday's game.

A - Burlington: Lake County 8, Bees 1

LF Testa 2-4, RS, SB (17) -- .277, numbers aren't spectacular, but it's Rocks time for Carlo
C Robertson 1-3, RBI (3), PB -- .160
SS Liberto 0-4, K -- .083
RF Merrifield 0-4, 2 K -- .263
1B Kuebler 1-4, 2 K -- .273

Odenbach 4 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 4 K -- L, 5-7, 4.67 ERA
Encarnacion 2 IP, 3 K -- 6.75 ERA
Sirrett IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 K -- 6.93 ERA
Barrow IP, BB -- 4.82 ERA

* Dusty Odenbach had a rough outing and the Bees got blitzed by the Captains. Odenbach staggered through the 1st but only allowed 1 run and the Bees tied it in the 2nd with a 2-out Drew Robertson RBI single. Lake County moved back ahead with 3 in the 4th on 4 hits, a walk and hit batsman as it would be Odenbach's last inning of the night. Onassis Sirrett got whapped for 4 runs in the 7th as Lake County put the game on ice. Cap'ns SP Clayton Cook allowed an ER over 6 IP to improve to 5-6. CF Delvi Cid had 3 hits and 2 others had 2 hits. Three Captains had 2 RBI. Cid also swiped 3 bases (46). The Bees are 12-12. Tyler Sample starts Friday's series finale.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Billings 3, Chukars 0 (3-hitter)

2B Espinal 1-3, 2 K -- .290
LF Ferguson 1-3, K -- .309
1B Culver 1-2, BB -- .211
3B Cuthbert 0-4, 2 K -- .176
DH Watts 0-3, 3 K -- .307

Billo 6 IP, ER, 6 H, 6 K -- L, 2-3, 5.40 ERA
J. Mitchell 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K, 2 WP -- 3.86 ERA

* IF's offense couldn't ignite Thursday as the Mustangs shut them down. Billings scored a run in the 1st and 2 in the 8th as IF scattered 3 hits and Greg Billo took a tough loss. Billings SP Tanner Robles allowed 2 hits with 8 Ks over 5 IP to improve to 1-0. RF Yorman Rodriguez had 3 hits and his 3rd SB for Billings. IF is 13-18. Game 3 is Friday.

Rookie - Burlington: Princeton 7, B-Royals 3

CF D. Rodriguez 2-4, HR, RBI (6), K, RS, SB (11), CS (3) -- .203
3B Y. Figueroa 2-4, RBI (11) -- .231
RF Howard 1-4, 2B (3), RBI (7), 3 K -- .298
SS McClure 2-4, K -- .266
1B Stovall 0-3, BB -- .330
C Jenkins 1-3, BB, RS, E -- .273

Dooley 5 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 4 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 2-4, 5.61 ERA
Keck 2 IP, 5 K -- 3.46 ERA
Lohden 2 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 HRA -- 2.95 ERA

* The Royals couldn't get it going as Princeton took the series. The Rays scored 1 in the 1st and after the Royals blew a rally chance in the 1st, the Rays added 2 in the 3rd. The Rays made it 4-0 in the 5th and Derek Rodriguez finally broke the ice with a solo homer in the 5th for his 1st of the season. Cole Lohden allowed 3 late runs and Anthony Howard and Yunior Figueroa had RBI base hits in the 9th to make the final score look a little better. Starter Jacob Partridge allowed an ER over 5 IP to improve to 3-2. CF Todd Glaesmann was 4-4 and a double short of the cycle with his 2nd triple, 2 HR (3) and 3 RBI (8) with 4 RS. 3B Scott Lawson also had 2 hits. The B-Royals are 16-14. A 3-game set at the Elizabethton Twins (18-12) starts Friday.

Rookie - AZL: off day

The Royals ended up beating the Mariners, 7-1, on Wednesday. 1B Henry Moreno had 3 hits including his 2nd homer and 2 RBI (19). LF Jerico Blanco also had 3 hits and an OF assist at the plate. SS Daniel Mateo and 2B Jose Rodriguez had 2 hits. P Jonathan Rodriguez allowed an ER over 5 IP to improve to 3-3 with a 4.65 ERA. The Royals are 15-10 and 2 games up on first.

Royals on the Farm 7/21

AAA - Omaha: Memphis 7, O-Royals 5

RF Parraz 2-4, HR (9), 2 RBI (42), 2 RS -- .275
3B Moustakas 2-4, HR (2), RBI (2), K, 2 RS -- .222, second straight day with HR
C Clark 2-3, S, 2B (8), K -- .222
DH Miller 1-4, 3B (2), RBI (40), 2 K, RS -- .240
LF Lough 0-5, RBI (35) -- .254
SS Lucas 1-3, BB -- .335
CF Ankiel 0-4, 2 K -- .254
1B Ka'aihue 0-4, K -- .302

Mendoza 5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- 4.97 ERA
Castaneda 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, pickoff -- 3.49 ERA
Lowery 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 0-1, 5.40 ERA

* Mike Moustakas had a big hit in the 8th but Memphis answered with a 2-run rally to beat Devon Lowery and the O-Royals. Memphis scored 2 in the 1st off Luis Mendoza but Jai Miller hit an RBI triple and Jordan Parraz clubbed a 2-run homer in the 2nd for his 9th of the season to make it 3-2 Omaha. Memphis tied it in the 2nd and then surged ahead with 2 runs in the 5th. David Lough hit an RBI groundout in the 7th but stranded 2 and Moustakas went deep in the 8th for his 2nd in 2 games to tie it at 5. Lowery allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in the 8th to make it 7-5 Redbirds. RP Mike MacDougal served up Moose's HR for his 1st blown save but picked up the win to move to 1-0. Starter Evan MacLane allowed 3 ER over 6 IP. CF James Rapoport and SS Donovan Solano had 3 hits and 2 others had 2 hits. Omaha is 50-46. OF Rick Ankiel is expected to be the call-up to take Anthony Lerew's roster spot if Lerew hits the DL after taking the wicked comebacker Tuesday. Phil Humber starts Thursday's series finale with Memphis.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 1, Arkansas 0 (3-hitter)

2B-3B Seratelli 3-3, SB (11), E (6) -- .262
DH C. Robinson 1-3, BB, 3B (4), RBI (63), K, CS (3) -- .311
LF Dyson 0-3, BB, K, CS (3) -- .300
CF D. Robinson 0-4 -- .303
1B Hosmer 1-4, RS, SB -- .318
RF Orlando 0-4, 2 K -- .317
3B Romak 0-4, 2 K -- .412

Meche 4 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- 0.00 ERA
Teaford 3 2/3 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 K -- W, 8-3, 4.76 ERA
Keating 1 1/3 IP, K -- SV, 4, 3.18 ERA

* The Naturals plated a run in the 1st and Gil Meche and 2 relievers made it stick for the win. Clint Robinson had the hit of the game with a 2-out RBI triple in the 1st and Meche stranded the bases full in the 3rd. Patrick Keating came in with 2 out and the bases loaded in the 8th and got a clutch K to kill the rally. He then pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his 4th save. Starter Tyler Chatwood allowed an ER over 8 IP to take the tough loss and fall to 1-4. C Anel De Los Santos had 2 hits for the Travs. NWA is 17-7. Game 3 is Wednesday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 4, Blue Rocks 3 (13)

SS Colon 3-6, RBI (8), K, RS, E (7) -- .240
2B Navarro 3-6, 3B (2), 2 RS, E (14) -- .248
CF Francis 3-6, RBI (26), K -- .281
1B Mejia 2-5, BB, 2 K -- .389
C S. Perez 1-4, SF, RBI (34) -- .247
DH Myers 0-6, 2 K -- .333
LF Costa 0-5 -- .111

Lamb 7 1/3 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 3 H, 8 K, E (3), pickoff -- 1.27 ERA
Mozingo 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 6 K -- BS, 1, 4.03 ERA
Bowden 2/3 IP, UER, 2 H -- L, 2-5, 1.85 ERA

* The Pelicans climbed back from a 3-0 Rocks lead to force extras and then won in 13 thanks in part to some Wilmington miscues. Nick Francis hit an RBI groundout in the 1st and the Rocks scored 2 in the 3rd on a Christian Colon RBI single and Salvador Perez sac fly. John Lamb made an error on a pickoff attempt and the Pelicans plated a run in the 3rd. The Rocks left the bases full in the 5th and another Rocks error by Rene Oriental in the 6th helped the Pelicans trim it to 3-2. Harold Mozingo came on with 1 on and 1 out in the 8th and gave up the game-tying single before putting the inning to rest. The game stayed quiet until the 13th when Barry Bowden came on and a 1-out Christian Colon error came back to bite the Rocks when a 2-out walkoff single by CF Cory Harrilchak ended it. RP Yeliar Castro struck out the side in the 13th to get the win and move to 5-2. Starter Zeke Spruill allowed 3 ER over 4 IP. 3B Dan Nelson had 2 hits for the Pelicans. The Rocks are 16-10. OF Jamar Walton has been released. He homered in his final Rocks AB Saturday. Danny Duffy starts the first of 4 at the Kinston Indians (10-14) Thursday.

A - Burlington: Bees 6, Lake County 4

1B Kuebler 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 RS -- .286
2B D. Batista 2-4, HR (3), RBI (19), K, 2 RS -- .228
LF Testa 1-2, 2 BB, 2B (16), RBI (36), K, 2 RS, SB (16) -- .275
RF Merrifield 0-3, S, K, OF assist at second -- .333

Mitchell 4 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, BB, 3 K -- 5.32 ERA
De La Rosa 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, K -- W, 1-0, 9.00 ERA
Runion 2 IP, K -- 6.68 ERA
Dennick IP, BB, 3 K -- SV, 6, 3.86 ERA

* The Bees grabbed the early lead and held on to take down the Captains. The Bees struck out in order in the 1st and Matt Mitchell worked around 3 hits in the 1st as C Jose Bonilla nabbed two baserunners in the inning. Jake Kuebler singled in a run in the 2nd and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 Bees. Mitchell allowed 2 runs on 3 hits in the 2nd as the Cap'ns tied it. The Bees dug the longball in the 3rd as Deivy Batista went solo for his 3rd of the season and Kuebler went deep for his 1st A-ball homer for a 2-run shot to make it 5-2. Lake County scored 2 in the 6th off Starling De La Rosa but Carlo Testa doubled in a run in the 8th for a little insurance for the Bees. Ryan Dennick struck out the side around a walk in the 9th for his 6th save. LC starter Trey Haley allowed 5 ER over 4 2/3 IP to fall to 5-5. 2B Argenis Martinez and 3B Adam Abraham had 2 hits for the Captains. The Bees are 12-11. The series continues Thursday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Billings 7, Chukars 1

1B Watts 2-4, RBI (29), K -- .316
CF Beltre 2-4 -- .245
3B Cuthbert 0-4, 2 K -- .231
LF Ferguson 0-3, 2 K -- .308
C David 0-3, K, PB (4) -- .296

Garrido 6 IP, 7 R (4 ER), 12 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 1-2, 6.75 ERA
Graham 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- 6.60 ERA

* The Chukars got the first punch in but it was all Mustangs thereafter as IF got drilled. Lane Adams led off the game with a double and scored on a Murray Watts single to account for the Chukars' only run. The Mustangs flipped it around with 2 runs in the 2nd off Santiago Garrido and added a run in the 4th to make it 3-1. Garrido was victimized for another run in the 5th and then 3 in the 6th. Billings pitchers retired 17 straight starting in the 1st as the Chukars never threatened again. Mustangs SP Clayton Shunick allowed an ER over 6 IP to improve to 2-1. 3B Oliver Santos had 3 hits and 3 others had 2 hits. SS Devin Lohman had 3 RBI (12). IF is 13-17. P Brennon Martin earned a promotion to IF from the AZL. OF Cameron Monger was sent down to the AZL after hurting his knee July 16. Game 2 is Thursday.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 6, Princeton 5 (13)

DH Stovall 3-6, 2 2B (9), RS, SB (9) -- .340
C Escobar 2-5, HR, 2 RBI (6), RS -- .255
RF Howard 2-6, GW HR, RBI (6), 2 K, 2 RS -- .302
1B Baldwin 2-6, 2B (2), RBI (9), 4 K, RS, CS -- .153
SS McClure 1-4, HBP, RBI (12), K, RS -- .256
3B Y. Figueroa 2-5, K, 2 E (8) -- .213
CF Llanos 1-5, K -- .250
2B Piterson 0-6 -- .286

Avinazar 5 2/3 IP, 4 R (1 ER), 4 H, 6 K, HRA -- 1.07 ERA
Leaper 1 1/3 IP, BB -- 0.00 ERA
Byrne 3 IP, ER, 4 H, 3 K, 2 WP -- BS, 1, 1.50 ERA
Penny 3 IP, 3 BB, 3 K -- W, 1-0, 2.45 ERA

* The Royals fended off the Rays to win in 13. Geoff Baldwin singled in a run in the 1st but that was all the scoring until Edul Escobar went solo in the 5th for his 1st of the season to make it 2-0 B-Royals. Princeton finally got to Willian Avinazar in the 6th with 4 runs on 2 doubles, 2 Yunior Figueroa errors (on the same play) and a 2-run homer to make it 4-2 Rays. A Rays error got the Royals back on the board in the bottom of the inning and Alex McClure singled in a run before Escobar hit an RBI forceout to make it 5-4 Burlington. Chas Byrne couldn't hold the lead as he allowed an RBI triple in the 8th to tie the game. Robert Penny stranded 2 Rays in scoring position in the 11th and the game ended abruptly in the 13th when Anthony Howard cranked a 1-out walkoff homer for his 1st with Burlington. RP Bradley Furdal got 1 out before giving up the homer to fall to 0-2. Starter Eliazer Suero allowed 2 ER over 5 IP. LF Cesar Guillen had 2 hits and 3B Scott Lawson hit his 2nd homer. The B-Royals are 16-13 and 1/2 a game back. The series wraps Thursday.

Rookie - AZL: The Royals got past the Dodgers, 5-4, in 11 Tuesday. Daniel Mateo and Henry Moreno had 2 hits and CF Darian Sandford ended up with 2 RBI (5). SS Mike Antonio (2010 3rd rounder) had a memorable first pro homer as his solo shot in the 10th kept the Royals alive for a second straight inning. The Royals took a 2-1 lead in the 7th but the Dodgers scored 2 in the 9th and a Sandford sac fly helped the Royals force extras. The Dodgers regained the lead in the 10th but Antonio hit a 2-out homer in the bottom of the inning to keep it going. Jose Rodriguez took a bases-loaded walkoff walk in the 11th.

The Royals are up, 6-1, on the Mariners late.

LF J. Blanco 3-4, OF assist at home -- .241
1B Moreno 2-4, 2B (12), HR (2), RBI (18), 2 RS -- .341
2B Jos. Rodriguez 2-2, HBP, RS, SB (6) -- .265
CF Conner 1-4, RBI (7), K -- .221
SS Mateo 1-4, RBI (11), RS, E (13) -- .245
DH Antonio 1-4, 3B (2), RBI (5), CS (4) -- .273
3B Soto 1-4, RBI (8), 2 K -- .308
RF Polonia 1-4, RBI (2), RS, CS (2) -- .114

Diaz 2 IP, H, K -- 6.43 ERA
Jon. Rodriguez 5 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, K, HRA, WP -- 4.65 ERA
Rogers 0 IP -- 2.25 ERA

* The Royals are in command late in the game with the M's. The Royals threw out a runner at the plate in the 1st as Eric Diaz dodged an early bullet but the M's returned the favor in the 3rd. Henry Moreno broke the ice with a solo homer in the 4th for his 2nd of the season. Cameron Conner hit an RBI groundout in the 5th, Daniel Mateo singled in a run and Mike Antonio hit an RBI triple to make it 4-0. Jonathan Rodriguez gave up a solo homer in the 5th and Jose Rodriguez left the game after getting beaned in the 6th. The Royals scored 2 in the 8th on a Victor Soto RBI single and Juan Polonia RBI forceout. The 6-1 lead has held into the 9th. I'll wrap it up tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 7/20 -- Moustakas hits 1st AAA longball, and a farewell to Disco

AAA - Omaha: Memphis 3, O-Royals 2

3B Moustakas 1-3, HR, RBI, K, RS -- .174
SS Lucas 1-3, RBI (29), K -- .335
LF Lough 1-4 -- .258
CF Ankiel 0-4, 3 K -- .270
RF Gordon 0-4, K -- .315
1B Ka'aihue 0-3, BB, 3 K, RS, SB (2) -- .307, no SB in Omaha for two-plus seasons, then 2 in a week

Hernandez 5 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K, HRA -- L, 7-6, 5.54 ERA
Herges 3 IP, H -- 4.47 ERA

* Both teams had 4 hits but the Redbirds did more with theirs as they squeaked out a 3-2 win. Rehabbing big leaguer Ryan Ludwick took Gaby Hernandez deep for a 2-run shot in the 1st and the Redbirds added a sac fly in the 3rd. The Royals were being 1-hit into the 5th when Mike Moustakas clubbed his 1st AAA homer off starter Lance Lynn to cut into the lead. Kila Ka'aihue walked and stole second in the 7th before scoring on an Ed Lucas RBI single but Mac the Ninth doused the rally with 1 1/3 scoreless IP of relief for Memphis. That's right, revenge by Mike MacDougal. Lynn got the win with 6 2/3 IP of 2 ER with a walk and 11 K to improve to 7-8. Four Redbirds had a hit each, as Ludwick's HR came in his 1st rehab game with Memphis. Omaha is 50-45. Gaby Hernandez was named PCL Pitcher of the Week after his masterful 1-run, 11-K start versus Nashville. Luis Mendoza starts Wednesday's game 3. As indicated in the headline above, Chris "Disco" Hayes was handed his walking papers by KC today. I figured the heat had been turned up on him, perhaps, when he stopped blogging going into this season. Tough break for Disco. Hopefully he can latch on somewhere else, but with what appears to be a good head on his shoulders I'm sure he'll land on his feet one way or another. Pitchers Adam Bostick (been on 50-game suspension) and Jorge Campillo were also released.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 5, Arkansas 0 (3-hitter)

RF Smith 3-4, 2B (9), HR (6), 2 RBI (29), 2 RS, E (5) -- .292
C Theriot 2-4, K, RS -- .282
SS McConnell 2-4, 2B (12), RS -- .226
LF Dyson 1-5, RBI (6), OF assist at home -- .353
DH C. Robinson 1-4, BB, RBI (62), K, SB (4) -- .311
CF D. Robinson 1-5, RS, SB (42) -- .306
1B Hosmer 0-4, BB -- .333
2B Giavotella 1-3, BB -- .284

Caldera 7 IP, 3 H, 3 K -- W, 3-0, 3.38 ERA
Barrera 2 IP, BB, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA

* Alex Caldera had a very nice start as the Naturals shut down the Travelers. The Travs only had 1 hit after the 1st as Jarrod Dyson helped throw a runner out at the plate to keep Arkansas off the board. Dyson provided NWA's first run with an RBI groundout in the 3rd and Clint Robinson singled in a run to make it 2-0 Nats. Tim Smith led off the 4th with his 6th homer and then doubled and scored on a wild pitch in the 6th. Meanwhile, Caldera retired 19 of 20 after the scare in the 1st. Smith continued to be a wrecking crew as he singled home a run in the 7th to make it 5-0. Henry Barrera pitched 2 solid innings to finish it. Arkansas SP Ryan Brasier allowed 5 ER over 6 2/3 IP to fall to 5-8. CF Jeremy Moore had 2 hits and his 14th SB. The Naturals are 16-7. Game 3 is Wednesday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 5, Blue Rocks 4

LF Costa 1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K, RS -- .250, comeback trail winds on
RF Francis 1-4, RBI (25), K -- .273
SS Colon 0-3, SF, RBI (7), K -- .217
DH Myers 1-2, 2 BB, RS -- .367
C S. Perez 1-4, RS -- .247

Baumann 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 6 K, HRA -- 2.38 ERA
Lafferty 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 4.10 ERA
Basurto IP, ER, H, K, WP, balk -- L, 3-1, 2.42 ERA

* The Rocks lost a late 4-2 lead. The Rocks left runners at the corners in the 1st and Christian Colon gave Wilmington the lead with a sac fly in the 3rd. Shane Costa's rehab moved to the Carolina League and he slammed a 2-run homer in the 4th to make it 3-0 Rocks. The Pelicans scored a run in the 4th and Buddy Baumann served up a leadoff homer in the 5th to cut it to 3-2. Nick Francis singled in a run in the 8th but Brendan Lafferty teed up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning to tie the game. Eric Basurto gave up a leadoff double in the 9th and then committed the rare walkoff balk to end it. RP Tyrelle Harris allowed an ER over 2 IP in improving to 1-2. Starter J.J. Hoover allowed 3 runs (2 ER) over 6 IP. 2B Jordan Kreke and 3B Samuel Sime homered for the Pelicans. The Rocks are 16-9. Staff ace John Lamb pitches Wednesday.

A - Burlington: off day

* The Bees open a 3-game set at the Lake County Captains (12-12, A Indians) Wednesday as Matt Mitchell gets the start.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: The Chukars won, 4-3, in 10 Monday as Yowill Espinal hit the big walkoff single in the 10th.

Great Falls 7, Chukars 6

CF Beltre 2-4, 2B (2), HR (4), 2 RBI (14), 2 RS, OF assist at third -- .233
3B Cuthbert 2-5, 2B, RBI (2), RS, SB -- .333
2B Espinal 1-3, S, 2 RBI (16), E (16) -- .297
DH Watts 0-2, 2 BB, 2 RS -- .309
LF Ferguson 0-4, 3 K -- .317
C David 0-4, K -- .314
RF Lane Adams had an assist at first.

Alexander 6 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K -- 5.90 ERA
Roualdes 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, WP -- 13.50 ERA
Graffeo 1 2/3 IP, 2 UER, H, 3 BB, 4 K -- BS, 2, L, 0-1, 1.69 ERA

* The Chukars watched a 6-1 lead evaporate as the Voyagers avenged Monday's extra-inning loss. Scott Alexander allowed a run in the 1st but IF answered with a 2-run Geulin Beltre homer (his 4th) in the 2nd. The Chukars added 4 in the 3rd on a Cheslor Cuthbert RBI single, a run-scoring passed ball and 2-run Yowill Espinal single to make it 6-1. Espinal committed a run-scoring error in the 4th and Great Falls added a run in the 6th to cut it to 6-3. Jordan Roualdes allowed 2 runs in the 7th in his Chukars debut but the lead held at 6-5 into the 9th. Nick Graffeo had 1 on with 2 out when a single and Justin Trapp error loaded the bases and things unraveled. Graffeo walked in the tying and go-ahead runs as the Voyagers took a 7-6 lead. IF stranded 1 in the 9th. RP Jacob Wilson pitched 2 scoreless in moving to 4-0. Starter Steven Upchurch allowed 6 runs (2 ER) over 4 IP. RF Ryan Lee and 3B Andy Wilkins had 2 hits for Great Falls. IF is 13-16. A 4-game set at the Billings Mustangs (14-15, Rookie Reds) starts Wednesday.

Rookie - Burlington: Princeton 8, B-Royals 2

C Escobar 1-4, RBI (4), K, E -- .239
1B Baldwin 1-4, RBI (8) -- .139
CF Llanos 1-4, K, RS, CS (2), OF assist at third -- .252
2B Piterson 1-4 -- .303
3B Stovall 1-3, BB -- .330
DH Jenkins 1-4, picked off -- .270
SS McClure 0-3, BB -- .256

Giovenco 3 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 4 K -- L, 0-3, 6.84 ERA
Worrell 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K -- 2.45 ERA
Bavera 2 IP, H, K -- 3.00 ERA
Mazur 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 5.52 ERA

* Mike Giovenco got rocked by the Rays and Princeton came away with the win. Princeton notched a run in the 3rd then broke out with 5 in the 4th off Giovenco and Josh Worrell. Burlington got a run back on an Edul Escobar RBI single in the 5th but Princeton scored 2 in the 6th off Worrell and Claudio Bavera. Geoff Baldwin singled in a run in the 8th but the Royals left the bases full and went down in order in the 9th. Starter Braulio Lara allowed an ER over 5 IP to improve to 3-3. SS Felix Gonzalez had 3 hits and 2 RBI and 2 others had 2 hits. The Royals are 15-13. Game 3 is Wednesday.

Rookie - AZL: The Royals came back to beat the Cubs, 2-1, on Monday. Daniel Mateo and Jose Rodriguez had 2 hits for the Royals and Mateo and Cameron Conner had the ribbies for the Royals in the 6th. Mike Antonio, Jin-Ho Shin and Ysmelin Alcantara were among the hitless for the Royals.

The Royals and Dodgers are tied at 1 in the middle innings.

3B Mateo 2-2, 2B (5) -- .253, team's only hits thus far
SS Antonio 0-2 -- .270
C Shin 0-2 -- .258
1B Moreno 0-2, K -- .316
RF Alcantara 0-2 -- .304
CF Sandford 0-1 -- .316

R. Wood IP, ER, H -- 4.50 ERA
Martin 3 IP, 3 K -- 2.60 ERA

* Daniel Mateo has kept his bat hot and Brennon Martin has pitched well. Ryan Wood gave up a run in the 1st and rehabbing Ryan Eigsti walked and scored on a wild pitch in the 2nd to tie it. Martin has pitched 3 perfect innings as the game heads into the 5th. More to come tomorrow...

Royals on the Farm 7/19

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 7, Nashville 2

1B Ka'aihue 3-4, 2 HR (20), 4 RBI (67), 2 RS -- .310
CF Ankiel 2-5, HR (4), 2 RBI (9), 2 K, 2 RS -- .288
SS Lucas 2-4, K -- .335
LF Gordon 1-3, BB, HR (14), RBI (44), K, 2 RS -- .320
RF Lough 1-4, BB, RS -- .258
3B Moustakas 1-4, 2B -- .150
C Pina 0-4, 2 K -- .258

Bullington 7 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K -- W, 7-2, 2.84 ERA
B. Hardy IP, 2 K -- 1.80 ERA
Holland IP, BB, K -- 4.09 ERA

* The Royals rolled past the Redbirds Monday. Rick Ankiel bashed a 2-run homer in the 1st for his 4th of the season at AAA but Memphis got a run back off Bryan Bullington in the bottom of the inning. Kila Ka'aihue made it 5-1 with a 3-run homer in the 3rd for his 19th of the season. Alex Gordon and Kila went back-to-back in the 5th for their 14th and 20th of the season to make it 7-1 Omaha. Former Royal Ruben Gotay doubled home a run in the 7th for Memphis but no more Redbirds reached. Memphis SP Chuckie Fick allowed 7 ER over 5 IP to drop to 2-1. Four 'Birds had a hit each. Omaha is 50-44. Gaby Hernandez starts Tuesday.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 7, Naturals 6

1B Hosmer 3-5, 2B (2), HR (3), 3 RBI (7), 2 RS -- .429, no, Frawley wasn't dragging down Hosmer or Moustakas' numbers at Wilmington
LF Dyson 2-2, 2 BB, HBP, 2 RBI (5), RS, SB (3), CS, picked off -- .417
RF Orlando 0-2, BB, K, SF, RBI (41), RS, SB (17), E (8) -- .322
CF D. Robinson 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K, RS, SB (41) -- .308
DH C. Robinson 1-3, HBP, K, CS (3) -- .312
2B Giavotella 1-2, BB, S, RS, SB (13) -- .283
3B Romak 0-3, BB, K -- .467

Crow 5 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K, pickoff, balk -- 5.60 ERA
B. Johnson 3 IP, 2 H, K -- 5.44 ERA
Sisk 0 IP, 3 ER, 3 H -- L, 4-3, 4.37 ERA, second straight rough outing
R. Hardy 0 IP, 2 H -- BS, 3, 4.40 ERA

* If you can't figure it out from the pitching lines above, the Nats blew it in the 9th Monday. Aaron Crow gave up a run on a walk and hit in the 1st and then allowed 3 runs in the 4th a walk and 3 hits to make it 4-0 Cards. Run support didn't trickle through until the 6th when Eric Hosmer blasted his 3rd AA homer for a 2-run shot to cut the lead in half. With 2 out and the bases loaded in the 7th, Jarrod Dyson came through with a clutch 2-run single to tie it. Hosmer led off the 8th with a double and scored on a Paulo Orlando sac fly to give the Naturals the lead. Hosmer knocked an RBI single in the 9th but Derrick Robinson was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning. Brandon Sisk had a rocky start to the 9th as he gave up 3 hits for a run before recording an out and in came Rowdy Hardy. Hardy fared no better as he gave up 2 singles, including a 2-run walkoff single to LF Jeremy Moore to end it. RP Ismael Carmona allowed an ER over 1 2/3 IP to improve to 2-1. Starter Michael Anton allowed 2 ER over 5 2/3 IP. SS Carlos Colmenares had 3 hits and 1B Efren Navarro had 2 hits for the Travs. The Naturals are 15-7.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 2, Myrtle Beach 0 (4-hitter)

RF Francis 2-3, BB, RS, SB (4) -- .273
C Myers 1-4, RBI (14), K -- .362
LF Oriental 1-4, 2B (2), RBI (2), K -- .375
SS Colon 0-3, BB, K, E (6) -- .227
DH Lewis 0-4, 3 K -- .000, Rocks debut

Paukovits 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 2-2, 4.44 ERA
Chapman IP, 3 K -- 0.00 ERA
Bowden IP, H -- SV, 9, 1.89 ERA

* Bryan Paukovits led the Rocks to the shutout win over the Pelicans. Rene Oriental hit an RBI double in the 5th and Wil Myers singled in a run in the 8th. Paukovits scattered 3 hits and Kevin Chapman struck out the side in the 8th. Barry Bowden got a lineout double play in the 9th to end it for his 9th save. Randall Delgado took the loss with an ER over 7 IP to fall to 4-7. Four Pelicans had a hit each. The Rocks are 16-8 and 2 1/2 games up on first place at the moment. Buddy Baumann starts Tuesday.

A - Burlington: rainout

* The game with Dayton is cancelled, as they don't play each other again this season. The Bees have Tuesday off. Tyler Sample was named MWL Pitcher of the Week after his 7 IP, 1-hit start against Dayton.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: The Chukars and Great Falls are tied at 3 late

DH Cuthbert 1-4, HR, RBI, K, RS -- .250, 16-year-old hitting fast track in Pioneer League
3B Culver 1-3, 3B, RBI (9), K, RS -- .214
C Cornstubble 0-2, SF, RBI (3), K -- .300
1B Watts 1-4, K -- .315
LF Ferguson 1-3, K, RS -- .323

Mariot 6 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K, WP -- 2.48 ERA
J. Mitchell 2 2/3 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 2.79 ERA
Rivers 1/3 IP, K -- 0.82 ERA

* The Chukars took the lead in the middle innings but lost it in the 7th as the game appeared headed to extras. Cheslor Cuthbert made his 1st Pioneer League AB a smash hit with a homer in the 1st to make it 1-0 Chukars. The Voyagers tied it in the 3rd and took the lead in the 4th off Mike Mariot but Malcom Culver tripled in the tying run in the 5th and Dale Cornstubble hit a sac fly to make it 3-2 IF. Jason Mitchell threw 2 wild pitches to help score the tying run in the 7th. Justin Trapp was thrown out at home to end the Chukars 8th and Alex Rivers came on to strand 2 Voyagers in the 9th. The game is headed to the 10th. LH Jordan Roualdes has also been promoted to IF along with Cuthbert.

Rookie - Burlington: Princeton 7, B-Royals 5

1B Baldwin 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI (7), K, 2 RS -- .133, bat starting to come around?
SS McClure 2-4, RBI (11), K -- .265
CF Llanos 2-5, 2B (10), RS -- .253
LF MacDougall 1-4, RBI (14), K, RS, E -- .224
DH Ad. Martinez 0-4, RBI (4), 2 K -- .200
2B Piterson 1-3, S, RS, CS (2) -- .305

L. Santiago 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 2.38 ERA
Keck 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, H, 2 BB -- 4.09 ERA
Lohden 1/3 IP, 3 UER, H, BB, K, 2 WP -- BS, 2, L, 0-2, 1.65 ERA
Leaper 1/3 IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA

* The Royals took command in the 8th but saw the Rays roar back for the win. Leonel Santiago gave up the game's first hit in the 3rd as he escaped a minor jam. The Rays scored 2 in the 4th but Adrian Martinez cut it in half with an RBI groundout in the 5th. The Royals stranded 2 in the 6th but rallied in the 8th with a Gabe MacDougall game-tying RBI single, a big 2-run Geoff Baldwin double and Alex McClure RBI single to make it 5-2. Cole Lohden came in with 2 on and 1 out in the 8th and got the second out before a run-scoring wild pitch and walk were followed by the would-be last out but a third strike wild pitch and throwing error scored 2 runs to tie the game. A Yunior Figueroa throwing error scored the go-ahead run and an RBI single finished the rally at 7-5. The Royals went down in order in the 9th. RP Mickey Jannis allowed 4 unearned runs over 2 IP for his 1st blown save but got the win to move to 3-0. Starter Andrew Bellatti allowed an ER with 8 K over 6 IP. Three Rays had 2 hits. The Royals are 15-12. The teams shift to Burlington for 3 games starting Tuesday as Mike Giovenco starts.

Rookie - AZL: The Royals ended up winning, 8-5, Sunday over the Brewers. DH Shane Costa ended up with 3 hits, his 1st comeback homer and 3 RBI (6). CF Cameron Conner and 2B Daniel Mateo had 2 hits and 3B Victor Soto had 2 RBI (7). The player of the game for the Royals was Robinson Yambati, who allowed only 2 hits and a walk with 10 K over 6 IP to improve to 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA.

The Royals are down, 1-0, to the Cubs in the middle innings.

3B Mateo 1-2 -- .229, Royals' only hit thus far
SS Antonio 0-2, CS (3) -- .303
DH Shin 0-2 -- .276
1B Moreno 0-2, 2 K -- .319
RF Alcantara 0-2 -- .321
CF Conner 0-2, K -- .213
LF J. Blanco 0-1 -- .208
C Marquez 0-1 -- .240

Montgomery 2 IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA, rehabbing
Caldwell IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA
Y. Ventura 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K -- 4.58 ERA

* The Royals got an inning's dose of Carlos Zambrano and have yet to figure out P Luis Liria in the middle frames. Zambrano pitched a scoreless 2nd for the Cubs while Mike Montgomery pitched 2 scoreless for the Royals. Yordano Ventura gave up a run on 2 hits and a 2-out run-scoring wild pitch to notch the game's only run. A 1st inning Daniel Mateo single is the Royals' only hit thus far. More to come tomorrow...

Royals on the Farm 7/18 -- Three AA games, 2 HR for Hosmer

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 8, O-Royals 2

SS Lucas 3-4, 2B (10), RBI (28), RS -- .331
1B Ka'aihue 2-4 -- .304
2B Maddox 2-3, 2B (9), K, RS, E (8) -- .248
CF Ankiel 1-4, RBI (7), K -- .278
LF Lough 1-3, BB, picked off -- .258
3B Moustakas 0-4, 2 K -- .125
C Pina 1-4, 2B (2) -- .296
RF Parraz 0-3, 2 K -- .272

Baez 3 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA, WP -- L, 2-2, 5.76 ERA
Coleman 2 IP, BB, K -- 3.00 ERA
Lowery IP, BB, K -- 0.00 ERA
Herges IP, ER, 2 H -- 4.74 ERA
Rupe IP, H -- 1.93 ERA

* Manauris Baez got rocked and the Sounds whipped Omaha Sunday. Nashville got right to work with 3 runs in the 1st on 2 walks and 2 hits off Baez. Ed Lucas hit an RBI single in the 3rd but Nashville answered with 4 runs to make it 7-1 Sounds. Rick Ankiel singled home a run in the 6th but Nashville got the run back in the 7th. Omaha couldn't rally in any of the last 3 innings. Starter Sam Narron allowed 2 ER over 7 IP to improve to 5-3. Three Sounds had 2 hits as RF Brendan Katin hit his 13th homer with 4 RBI (40). Omaha is 49-45. A 4-game set at the Memphis Redbirds (50-44, AAA Cardinals) starts Monday with Bryan Bullington getting the start.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 4, Springfield 3

1B Hosmer 2-4, 2B, HR (2), 3 RBI (4), RS -- .333
C Howell 2-3, K, picked off -- .259
LF D. Robinson 1-3, BB, 2B (18), RBI (39), K, RS -- .311
CF Dyson 1-3, BB, 2 RS, 2 SB -- .300
DH C. Robinson 1-3, BB -- .311
2B Giavotella 0-3, BB, K, E (10), picked off -- .282
RF Orlando 0-3 -- .324
3B Romak 0-2, BB, CS -- .514

Dwyer 6 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K, HRA, E -- 1.06 ERA
Swaggerty 2 IP, H, 2 K -- W, 4-4, 3.63 ERA
Keating IP, H, K -- SV, 3, 3.38 ERA

* The Nats got a comeback win Sunday. The game was scoreless until Chris Dwyer allowed 2 runs on a hit, 2 walks and a Johnny Giavotella error in the 4th. Dwyer gave up a solo homer in the 6th to make it 3-0 Cardinals. Derrick Robinson got the Naturals off ground zero with an RBI double in the bottom of the frame and Eric Hosmer followed with a 2-run homer for his 2nd in 3 AA games to tie the game at 3. Jarrod Dyson stole 2 bases in the 8th and scored on a Hosmer double to give the Naturals the 4-3 lead. Patrick Keating stranded 1 at second for his 3rd save. RP Thomas Eager allowed an ER in an inning of work to drop to 2-3. Starter Ryan Kulik allowed 3 ER over 6 IP. Four Naturals had a hit each. RF Andrew Brown hit his 11th homer. NWA is 15-6. Aaron Crow starts the first of 4 at the Arkansas Travelers (9-13, AA Halos) Monday.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: off day

* A 3-game set at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (10-13, A-Adv. Braves) starts Monday.

A - Burlington: Dayton 6, Bees 2

3B F. Cruz 1-3, 3B, RBI (13), RS -- .233
DH Del Rosario 1-3, RBI (4) -- .191
RF Merrifield 0-3, BB, K -- .417
LF Testa 0-3, BB, K, RS, SB (15) -- .273
1B Kuebler 0-3, BB -- .000, A debut
C Robertson 0-3 -- .136

Hayenga 5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, K -- L, 1-7, 8.15 ERA, not as bad as past outings
Hodge 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, K, HRA, WP -- 5.32 ERA
Kelley 2 IP, 2 K -- 4.30 ERA

* Keaton Hayenga had a scoreless start until faltering in the 6th as Dayton evened the series. Both teams had minor chances to score but neither cashed in. Hayenga finally had 1 run in and 2 on in the 6th when he was pulled for Mitch Hodge, who allowed an RBI forceout and 2-run single to make it 4-0 Dragons. Hodge then gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th to make it 6-0 Dayton. Fernando Cruz broke up the shutout with an RBI triple in the 7th and Luis Del Rosario added an RBI single to cut it to 6-2. The Bees could get no more, however. Starter Jacob Johnson allowed 2 ER over 6 1/3 IP to get the win and move to 5-6. SS Didi Gregorius and DH Alex Oliveras had 2 hits and Oliveras had 2 RBI. The Bees are 11-11. Lefty Starling De La Rosa also was moved back to the Bees along with Jake Kuebler.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Great Falls 14, Chukars 6

1B Watts 3-5, 2B (7), 3 RBI (28), RS -- .318
CF Beltre 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI (12), K, RS -- .222
SS Trapp 2-4, HBP, RS, E (14) -- .282
2B Espinal 2-5, K, RS -- .301
C T. Jones 2-4, BB, RS, 2 E (3), PB (5) -- .340
DH David 2-3, BB, HBP, K -- .340
3B Zebroski 0-5 -- .182
IF stranded 12. LF Reggie Taylor had an assist at home.

L. Perez 5 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 9 H, 2 BB, 6 K -- L, 2-3, 6.99 ERA
Blauer 3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H -- 7.31 ERA
Graham IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, HRA, WP -- 7.62 ERA

* Great Falls took a 7-0 lead en route to the 14-6 win. The Voyagers stranded 2 in the 2nd but got a run in the 3rd off Leondy Perez. Great Falls scored 4 in the 4th and then added 2 off Chad Blauer in the 6th to make it 7-0. The Bees had a couple chances but didn't get on the board until the bottom of the 6th when Geulin Beltre hit a 2-run triple and scored on a wild pitch to cut it to 7-3. Great Falls scored 2 in the 7th and then knocked Tyler Graham around for 5 in the 9th to put it away. Murray Watts hit a 3-run double in the 9th but IF would leave the bases full. IF is 12-15 and on a 4-game skid. Game 3 is Monday night.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 3, Princeton 0 (4-hitter)

SS Ad. Martinez 3-4, K, RS -- .214
1B Baldwin 2-4, RS -- .113
2B Piterson 1-5, 2 RBI (17), K -- .304
RF Howard 1-3, BB, 2B (2), RBI (5), K, RS -- .314
CF Llanos 1-5, 3 K -- .245
DH Jenkins 0-4 -- .271

Simmons 6 IP, H, 2 BB, 6 K -- W, 2-1, 3.77 ERA
Penny 3 IP, 3 H, 3 K -- SV, 2, 2.93 ERA

* Crawford Simmons had his best pro start to date and the Royals slid past the Rays. Luis Piterson shook off a recent slump to hit a 2-run single in the 3rd and Simmons allowed only a 2nd inning single to the Rays. He retired 14 of the last 15 he faced and the Royals got an Anthony Howard RBI double in the 7th. Robert Penny stranded 2 in the 9th as he got the 3-inning save. Rays SP Enny Romero allowed 2 ER over 6 IP to drop to 0-1. C Alejandro Segovia had 2 hits for Princeton. Burlington is 16-11. Seth Furmanek has rejoined the Royals, as evidenced by yesterday's longball.

Rookie - AZL: The Royals are up, 3-0, on the Brewers early

CF Conner 2-2, RBI (5), SB (3) -- .228
3B Soto 1-1, 2B, 2 RBI (7) -- .300
SS Antonio 0-1 -- .321
DH Costa 0-1 -- .303
C Shin 1-1, RS -- .302
1B Moreno 1-1, RS -- .343
LF Sandford 0-1 -- .343

Yambati 3 IP, BB, 5 K -- 3.70 ERA

* A 3-run 2nd has the Royals on top early in support of Robinson Yambati. Victor Soto got it started with a 2-run double in the 2nd and Cameron Conner hit a 2-out RBI single to make it 3-0. Yambati stranded 2 in the 3rd but hasn't allowed a hit as of yet. More to come tomorrow...

Royals on the Farm 7/17 -- Hosmer hits AA in big way, Sample shines

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 5, O-Royals 2

2B Maddox 2-4, 2B (8), RBI (23) -- .243
3B Moustakas 2-4, RS, SB, E -- .167, first AAA hit is out of the way
LF Gordon 1-5, 2B (20), RBI (43), 2 K -- .320
CF Lough 0-5 -- .257
SS Lucas 1-4, BB, RS -- .321
DH Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, 2 K, SB -- .301
RF Parraz 1-4, K -- .275
Omaha stranded 10.

Humber 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, HRA -- L, 4-6, 4.79 ERA, left with shoulder injury after getting hit, again
Castaneda 3 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- 3.61 ERA
Herges 2 IP, H, K -- 4.66 ERA
Lowery IP, H, K -- 0.00 ERA

* Nashville took down the Royals as Phil Humber left with an early shoulder injury. Humber gave up a 2-out solo homer in the 1st but Marc Maddox tied it with an RBI double in the 2nd. Humber and Federico Castaneda gave up 2 runs in the 2nd as Humber's bad luck with liners continued as he took one off his shoulder that forced him from the game. Omaha got an RBI double from Alex Gordon in the 3rd to cut it to 3-2 but the Sounds scored 2 in the 5th for some needed breathing room. Omaha stranded 2 in the 8th and didn't threaten in the 9th. Devon Lowery made his first AAA pitching appearance since 2008 with a scoreless 9th. Starter Marty McLeary allowed 2 ER over 6 IP to improve to 3-6. LF Adam Stern had 3 hits, including his 3rd homer, and 2 RBI (16), and DH Erick Almonte had 2 hits. Omaha is 49-43. Manauris Baez starts Sunday's series finale.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 10, Springfield 1 (7/G1)

RF Orlando 2-3, RBI (40), 2 RS -- .328
2B Giavotella 2-4 -- .287
SS McConnell 1-3, HR (2), 3 RBI (29), K, RS -- .227
LF D. Robinson 1-4, 3B (7), 2 RBI (38), 2 K -- .308
CF Dyson 1-4, 2 RBI, RS -- .250, nice 2010 Nats debut
1B Hosmer 1-2, BB, HR, RBI, 2 RS -- .500, homers in first AA AB
C Howell 1-2, S, RBI (22), RS -- .250
DH C. Robinson 0-3, K -- .311, need to make room for him at Omaha
3B Romak 1-2, BB, 2 RS -- .545

Osuna 4 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 2.57 ERA
Barrera 2 IP, BB, K -- W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA
Keating IP, 3 K -- 3.54 ERA

* Nine late runs blew open a close game in the first of 2 with the Cardinals Saturday. Springfield took the lead off Edgar Osuna in the 1st but Eric Hosmer made the best of his first NWA AB with a solo homer in the 2nd off Nick Additon to tie the game. Springfield squandered a couple chances in the middle innings and Chris McConnell changed the game with one swing as he clubbed a 3-run homer in the 5th for his 2nd of the season. Paulo Orlando and Jeff Howell had RBI singles in the 6th and Jarrod Dyson hit a 2-run single before Derrick Robinson put it away with a 2-run triple. Henry Barrera and Patrick Keating pitched 3 hitless innings to finish off the 2-hitter. Additon allowed 4 ER over 5 IP to drop to 4-6.

Springfield 11, Naturals 4 (7/G2)

3B Romak 2-3, RS -- .565
LF D. Robinson 2-4, 2B (17), SB (40) -- .311
CF Dyson 1-3, SF, RBI (3), RS -- .333
SS Seratelli 1-3, 2B (6), RBI (24), RS -- .255
C Theriot 1-3, RBI (3), K, E (2) -- .257
2B Giavotella 0-3, K -- .282
1B C. Robinson 1-3, E (12) -- .314
DH Hosmer 0-3, K -- .200

Paulino 3 1/3 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 5 H, 4 BB, K, WP -- L, 7-5, 4.08 ERA
R. Hardy 1 2/3 IP, H, K -- 4.40 ERA
Teaford IP, H -- 0.00 ERA
Sisk 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, BB, K, HRA -- 3.80 ERA
B. Johnson 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H -- 5.87 ERA

* Springfield returned the favor for game 1 as the teams combined for 10 runs in the 9th and the Cardinals got 7 of them. A run-scoring error helped Springfield to a run in the 1st and they added 2 in the 3rd off Eduardo Paulino. The Cards made it 4-0 in the 4th and the Nats didn't get on the board until the 6th. Brandon Sisk had his worst outing in a long time as the Cards victimized him and Blake Johnson for 7 runs to make it 11-1. The Naturals tightened the score a little bit as Anthony Seratelli hit an RBI double, Ben Theriot hit an RBI single and Jarrod Dyson hit a sac fly before they finally ran out of outs. Starter Brian Broderick allowed 4 runs (3 ER) over 6 1/3 IP to improve to 3-2. C Steven Hill had 3 hits, including his 13th homer, and 6 RBI (61) to single-handedly (of course other guys had to get on base) take down the Nats. Four Cards had 2 hits. The Nats are 14-6. Chris Dwyer starts Sunday's series finale. Ernesto Mejia was demoted to make room for Hosmer.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Frederick 10, Blue Rocks 7

1B Mejia 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, RS -- .600, makes best of demotion
2B Navarro 3-5 -- .249
LF Walton 2-5, HR (3), 3 RBI (24), K, RS -- .200
RF Francis 2-4, BB, RBI (24), RS, OF assist at second -- .266
DH S. Perez 2-5, RBI (33), RS, picked off -- .247
SS Colon 1-4, HBP, 2 RS, E (5) -- .238
C Myers 0-4, BB, RS -- .370
The Rocks stranded 10.

Duffy 4 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HRA, pickoff -- 6.75 ERA, still has some shape to round into
Hodgson 2 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 2 BB -- L, 5-8, 4.81 ERA
Thompson 2 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 2 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- 6.61 ERA
Bowden IP, H -- 1.95 ERA

* The Rocks lost the lead for good in the 6th. Ernesto Mejia and Salvador Perez hit RBI singles in the 1st to spot Danny Duffy a 2-0 lead. Duffy gave up back-to-back homers as the Keys took a 3-2 lead in the 2nd but Mejia tied it with an RBI double in the 3rd and a Jamar Walton RBI single made it 4-3 Wilmington. A Christian Colon error factored into the tying run scoring in the 4th for Frederick but Nick Francis hit an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to make it 5-4. Frederick regained the lead with 3 runs in the 6th and then battered James Thompson for 3 runs in the 7th. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 8th but Walton hit a 2-run homer in the 9th for his 3rd of the season to make the final score a little closer. RP John Mariotti pitched 4 scoreless to improve to 3-3. Starter Nathan Nery allowed 4 ER over 3 IP. SS Pedro Florimon Jr. had 2 hits including his 3rd homer. The Rocks are 15-8. They have Sunday off. 1B-DH type Joey Lewis was promoted from Burlington. Tim Melville was put on the DL for as of yet undisclosed reasons.

A - Burlington: Bees 13, Dayton 5

CF Merrifield 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, K, 3 RS -- .556
RF Testa 3-4, 2B (15), 3B (11), 2 RBI (35), K, 3 RS -- .276
SS Hall 2-4, BB, 2B (21), HR (3), RBI (34), 2 K, 3 RS, E (23) -- .234
3B D. Batista 2-5, RBI (18), 2 K, 2 RS -- .227
1B F. Cruz 2-3, 2 BB, RBI (12), 2 RS, CS (2), E (15) -- .232
2B Liberto 1-4, BB, RBI -- .125
DH Aparicio 1-5, 2 RBI (4), 2 K -- .200

Sample 7 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 K -- W, 4-6, 3.65 ERA
Barrow IP, BB -- 5.40 ERA
Encarnacion IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA, WP -- 7.18 ERA

* The Bees took a 1-hitter into the 9th in dominating the Dragons Saturday. Whit Merrifield had an RBI single in his first AB of the night and Carlo Testa followed with an RBI triple and Julio Aparicio added a 2-run single to make it 4-0 Bees after 1. Gerard Hall doubled and scored on a wild pitch in the 2nd and the Bees scored 4 again in the 4th on a Deivy Batista RBI single, Merrifield RBI double, Testa RBI double and another run-scoring wild pitch to make it 9-0. Hall hit his 3rd homer of the season in the 5th and the Bees surged to a 13-0 lead with 3 in the 6th on a Fernando Cruz RBI single, a Mike Liberto RBI groundout and run-scoring error. The Dragons got a hit in the 1st but didn't get another until the 9th. Rodolfo Encarnacion gave up a 3-run homer and 2-run double in the 9th to spoil the shutout. Dayton SP J.C. Sulbaran allowed 8 runs (7 ER) over 3 1/3 IP to drop to 4-6. SS Didi Gregorius had 2 hits for the Dragons. DH Cameron Satterwhite hit his 6th HR. The Bees are 11-10. The series continues Sunday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Great Falls 12, Chukars 6

1B Watts 3-4, HR (5), 4 RBI (25), RS -- .301
SS Trapp 2-5, RBI (3), RS, SB -- .270
LF Ferguson 1-3, RS -- .323
LF Figueroa 1-2, K, RS -- .412
2B Espinal 1-5, 3 K -- .295
DH David 1-4, 2B (4), 3 K, RS -- .318

Billo 5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HRA, 3 WP -- L, 2-2, 6.26 ERA, not handling the Pioneer League well
Peacock 2 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, K, 2 HRA -- 4.00 ERA
Morizio 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 3.29 ERA
Graffeo 2/3 IP, H, BB, 2 K -- 1.88 ERA

* The Chukars got close in the middle innings but the Voyagers pulled away to win. A run-scoring error and Murray Watts RBI groundout made it 2-0 IF in the 1st. Greg Billo gave up a 3-run homer and 2-run homer in the 2nd as Great Falls took a 5-2 lead. Justin Trapp hit an RBI groundout in the 5th and Watts went solo in the 6th for his 5th of the season to cut it to 5-4. Brian Peacock served up back-to-back homers in the 7th as Great Falls moved it to 8-4. Watts came through with a 2-out, 2-run single in the 7th to keep the Chukars close but the Voyagers closed it out with 4 in the 9th off Matt Morizio and Nick Graffeo. The last 6 Chukars went down consecutively. Starter Charles Delk allowed 3 runs (2 ER) over 5 IP to move to 1-2. CF Ryan Lee and RF Michael Early had 4 hits, including homers, and Early had 5 RBI (18). Four other Voyagers had 2 hits. IF is 12-14. The series continues Sunday.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 3, Princeton 2 (6)

LF MacDougall 2-2, HR (3), RBI (13), RS, CS (3) -- .218
1B Furmanek 1-2, HR (3), RBI (3), RS -- .471
DH Jenkins 1-3, 2B (8), RBI (9) -- .291
3B Stovall 1-3, RS, SB (8) -- .338
SS McClure 0-2, CS (2), E (6) -- .253

Dooley 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, 4 K -- W, 2-3, 5.66 ERA
Worrell 0 IP, H -- 0.96 ERA

* Mother Nature helped the Royals secure the win. Ryan Jenkins hit a 2-out RBI double in the 1st but Princeton matched it off Jonathan Dooley. Gabe MacDougall socked his 3rd homer of the season to start the 2nd and Seth Furmanek went solo in the 4th for his 3rd of the season to make it 3-1 Royals. Princeton scored another run in the 4th to cut it to 3-2. Josh Worrell gave up a leadoff double in the 6th but then the rains washed it out to lock in the Royal win. Starter Jacob Partridge took the loss for the Rays with 3 ER over 5 IP to fall to 2-2. LF Bryan Fogle and 2B Hector Guevara had 2 hits and RBI for the Rays. The Royals are 14-11. Crawford Simmons starts Sunday.

Rookie - AZL: off day