Royals on the Farm 5/31 -- Lamb to get TJS?

Hopefully I'll find the time to do the monthly wrapup in tomorrow's report. That one is a time-suck.

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 15, New Orleans 10

C May 2-4, BB, 2 HR (3), 5 RBI (13), K, 2 RS, E (5), PB (3) -- .176
1B C. Robinson 3-5, HR (12), 2 RBI (36), 3 RS -- .352
RF Dyson 3-6, 2 K, 2 RS, 2 SB (8), OF assist at home -- .313
3B Moustakas 2-5, 2B (12), HR (9), 3 RBI (41), 2 K, RS -- .281
2B Giavotella 2-5, BB, 2B (9), RBI (31), RS, 2 SB (4) -- .285
DH Ka'aihue 2-3, 2 BB, 2B (4), 3 RS -- .300
SS Zawadzki 2-4, BB, 2 RBI (24), 2 K, RS, CS (2), E (6) -- .228
LF Lough 1-3, BB, HBP, RBI (25), 2 RS, SB (4) -- .318
CF Cain 0-5, K -- .295

Suppan 4 IP, 7 ER, 10 H, 3 K, 3 HRA, WP -- 6.14 ERA
M. Santiago 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- 5.65 ERA
B. Johnson 1 1/3 IP, H, K -- W, 2-1, 5.40 ERA
Chavez 2 IP, H, 2 K -- 4.94 ERA

* The Storm Chasers emerged triumphant in a slugfest with the Zephyrs. New Orleans tagged Jeff Suppan for 2 in the 1st and another run in the 2nd to make it 3-0. Lucas May turned it around with one swing of the bat in the 2nd as a grand slam (his 2nd homer of the season) and 2-run Mike Moustakas double made it 6-3 Omaha. Suppan held the lead for 5 batters as the Zephyrs scored 3 in the 3rd to tie it. An error gave Omaha the go-ahead run in the 3rd but New Orleans got a solo homer in the 4th to tie it once more. Moustakas led off the Chasers 5th with his 9th homer and Lance Zawadzki added a 2-out RBI single to make it 9-7. It was Mario Santiago's turn to blow the lead as the Zephyrs scored 3 in the 6th on 3 hits and a walk to take a 10-9 lead. May led off the 6th with his 3rd homer and 2nd of the game, Johnny Giavotella doubled in a run, David Lough cracked an RBI single and Clint Robinson socked a 2-run homer for his 12th of the season. Zawadzki polished it off with an RBI single in the 8th. Blake Johnson and Jesse Chavez actually retired some Zephyrs to salvage the 15-10 win. Six Zephyrs had multiple hits led by 3 hits from DH Chris Aguila, who hit his 7th homer. Marlins 3B prospect Matt Dominguez drove in 2 runs (9) and was 1-4 to improve to .209. Former Royal Ruben Gotay played first for the Zephyrs and is hitting .243. Omaha is 29-23. Vin Mazzaro pitches game 2 Wednesday.

AA - NW Arkansas: off day

* A 3-game home set with Frisco (26-24, AA Rangers) starts Wednesday. Buddy Baumann was named Texas League Pitcher of the Week for May 23-29. He picked up his 1st 2011 win over the week with 6 IP of 2 hits and 7 Ks with 0 BB. Bad news on the John Lamb front as the Royals have the lefty set to meet with a California doctor to be evaluated for possible Tommy John surgery.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Kinston 1, Blue Rocks 0 (3-hitter)

2B Navarro 1-3, HBP, K -- .298
LF Merrifield 0-3, BB, 2 K, OF assist at third -- .289
RF Prades 0-4, 2 K -- .265

Marks CG, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- L, 2-3, 4.80 ERA

* The Rocks outhit the Tribe, 3-2, but Justin Marks took a hard loss for Wilmington. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 1st and Marks took a no-hitter into the 7th. Unfortunately, the Rocks couldn't get him a run and a walk and RBI double cost him the no-hitter and the shutout. The Rocks had 1 more hit but could make nothing of it. Kinston SP Giovanni Soto K'd 10 over 6 scoreless to lower his ERA to 2.44 but took a ND. The Rocks are 28-22. Game 3 is Wednesday as Jake Odorizzi starts.

A - Kane County: Lake County 9, Cougars 4

LF Aparicio 3-3, BB, 2B (6), HR, 2 RBI (7), 2 RS -- .176
RF Beltre 2-4, RS -- .262
3B Cuthbert 1-4, RBI (8), K -- .308
DH Hall 0-5, 2 K -- .283
CF Llanos 0-5, 2 K, RS -- .254

L. Santiago 5 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 10 H, 6 K, 2 HRA, WP -- L, 4-5, 3.09 ERA
Garrido 2 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, 5 K, 2 HRA, 2 WP -- 10.13 ERA

* The Cap'ns had an answer for everything the Cougars threw at them on Tuesday. Julio Aparicio hit an RBI double in the 1st and a run-scoring wild pitch made it 2-0 KC in the 2nd. KC stranded 2 in the 3rd and Leonel Santiago allowed a 2-run roundtripper in the bottom of the inning to tie it. Aparicio worked a leadoff walk in the 6th, advanced to third on 2 wild pitches, and scored on a Cheslor Cuthbert single to give the lead back to the Cougars. It didn't last as an RBI single and 3-run homer chased Santiago and made it 6-3 Lake County. Aparicio hit his 1st homer of the season in the 8th to cut the lead to 2, but the Captains put it away with 3 in the bottom of the inning off Santiago Garrido. C Alexander Lavisky was 2-4 for LC with 2 HR (6) and 5 RBI (21), RF Carlos Moncrief had 2 hits, including his 6th homer, and DH Alex Monsalve had 3 hits. KC is 23-29. The teams play a matinee Wednesday. Yordano Ventura will make the start.

Royals on the Farm 5/29 and 5/30

Happy Memorial Day, everyone....thoughts and prayers to every soldier and veteran serving or with past service in defense of the U.S.A.

AAA - Omaha: Memphis 9, Storm Chasers 4 (Sun.)

2B Giavotella 2-4, K, RS -- .284
1B C. Robinson 1-2, BB, S, 2 RBI (34), K, RS -- .349
3B Moustakas 1-4, 2B (10), RBI (38), K -- .269
SS Arias 0-4, RBI (7), E (4) -- .230
RF Dyson 1-4, RS -- .282
LF Lough 1-3, S, RS -- .321
DH Ka'aihue 1-4, K -- .269
CF Cain 1-4, 2 K -- .304

Montgomery 4 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 5 K, HRA -- L, 2-2, 5.18 ERA, 86 pitches
Rollins 1 2/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, 2 BB -- 10.80 ERA
Hardy 2 IP, K -- 6.05 ERA

* Things fell apart for Omaha in the 5th versus Memphis Sunday. Mike Moustakas hit an RBI groundout and Clint Robinson singled in a run to stake the Chasers to a 2-0 lead in the 1st. Mike Montgomery stranded 2 in the 2nd but allowed 2 runs in the 3rd to tie the game. Joaquin Arias hit an RBI groundout in the 4th and Robinson squeezed home a runner in the 5th to make it 4-2 Omaha. Montgomery gave up a leadoff homer and RBI double before getting pulled in the 5th, and Heath Rollins allowed an RBI groundout and RBI double before closing out the inning with Omaha down, 6-4. Rollins was battered for 3 runs in the 6th as Memphis pulled away from the Chasers. Twelve of the last 13 Chasers went down after Robinson's squeeze play. Five Redbirds had 2 hits, including LF Aaron Luna, who hit his 3rd homer with 2 RBI (10).

Storm Chasers 9, Memphis 2

3B Moustakas 3-5, 2B (11), 2 RS -- .278
DH Ka'aihue 2-5, 2B (3), 2 RBI (15), K, RS -- .281
SS Zawadzki 1-4, BB, GS (4), 4 RBI (22), RS -- .220
2B Giavotella 1-5, RBI (30), K -- .282
CF Cain 1-3, 2 HBP, 2B (14), RBI (22), K, RS -- .304
RF Dyson 1-3, BB, HBP, SB (6), RS -- .286
LF Lough 1-5, 2B (13), SB (4), RS -- .317
1B C. Robinson 0-2, 3 BB, 2 RS -- .345

Jeffress 2 IP, ER, H, 5 BB, K, WP -- 6.35 ERA, 50 pitches
Mendoza 7 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- W, 2-3, 4.17 ERA

* A Lance Zawadzki grand slam in the 6th was the big blow in an easy Storm Chaser victory. Omaha struck first as Jarrod Dyson drew a leadoff walk in the 1st, stole second and scored on a Johnny Giavotella single. Jeremy Jeffress walked the bases full in the 1st but got a double play to get out of the jam. He loaded 'em again in the 2nd and this time let in a run on a wild pitch to tie the game. Dyson was thrown out at home on a botched double steal to end the Omaha 3rd (with Mike Moustakas at the plate, no less, smart move). The game was still tied at 1 in the 6th when the Chasers loaded the bases with 1 out, Lorenzo Cain took an HBP to bring in a run and Zawadzki blasted his 4th of the season to make it 6-1 and chase SP Adam Ottavino. Kila Ka'aihue added a 2-out, 2-run double in the 7th to make it 8-1. A Moustakas single scored a run in the 9th as an error aided the run. Luis Mendoza had retired 13 straight entering the 9th but allowed a run before getting a game-ending double play. Omaha is 28-23. A 4-game home set with the New Orleans Zephyrs (28-23, AAA Marlins) starts Tuesday with Jeff Suppan starting.

AA - NW Arkansas: Midland 11, Naturals 3 (Sun.)

CF D. Robinson 2-4, BB, RS, 2 SB (13), picked off -- .260
2B Bianchi 2-4, RBI (20) -- .253
C Theriot 1-4, HR, RBI (6), K, RS -- .184, I'd like to see the Royals draft a good C and keep him there
SS Colon 0-4 -- .234

Dwyer 5 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K, WP -- L, 1-4, 6.14 ERA
E. Paulino 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- 4.71 ERA
Baez 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, WP -- 13.50 ERA

* Midland scored its runs in two big bunches to drub the Naturals on Sunday. Derrick Robinson led off the game with a single, stole second and advanced to third on an error on the play, then scored on a Jeff Bianchi groundout to make it 1-0 NWA early. Ben Theriot clubbed his 1st homer of the season in the 5th to make it 2-0 as Chris Dwyer took a no-hitter into the 6th. A 1-out single in the 6th broke it up, and the hits didn't stop there. Three more hits and an intentional pass and 2 runs in later, Dwyer was pulled for Eduardo Paulino, who allowed a 2-run single and run-scoring wild pitch before finishing the inning. Nick Van Stratten scored on a Derrick Robinson pickoff play in the 6th to cut it to 5-3, but Midland went off for 6 in the 7th on 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 wild pitches off Paulino and Manauris Baez. The Nats didn't mount any serious threat to the 8-run lead. SS Grant Green had 3 hits but also 2 errors (10) to improve to .287. Two other Hounds had 2 hits as 3B Adam Heether drove in 2 runs (11) and RF Jeremy Barfield drove in 4 (27).

Midland 4, Naturals 2

CF D. Robinson 2-4, RS -- .270
1B Seratelli 2-4, RS, SB (10) -- .294
2B Bianchi 2-3, BB, K -- .262
DH Romak 1-3, SF, RBI (24) -- .245
LF Van Stratten 1-3, OF assist at third -- .255
SS Colon 1-4, 2B (3), K -- .235
C S. Perez 1-4, K -- .264

Baumann 4 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K -- 4.58 ERA
Sisk 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 K, HRA -- L, 2-1, 4.24 ERA
Keating IP, 2 H -- 4.15 ERA

* A Midland rally in the 5th was the difference in the loss for NWA Monday. NW Arkansas got their runs early as SP Polin Trinidad balked in a run and allowed a Jamie Romak sac fly in the 1st. Buddy Baumann also had a rough 1st as Midland tied the game on 3 hits and 2 walks. Nick Van Stratten cut down a runner at third from left to keep one run off the board. Brandon Sisk took over in the 5th and teed up a 2-run homer to 2B Adam Heether (his 5th) to make the difference. Salvador Perez hit into a bases-loaded double play to end the Nats 6th and then hit into another one in the 9th. Heether was 3-4 with the homer and 3 RBI (14) to improve to .260. 3B Stephen Parker also had 2 hits. The Naturals are 24-21. They have Tuesday off.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 9, Blue Rocks 3

RF Prades 2-4, K -- .346
3B Batista 2-4, K -- .240
CF Merrifield 1-5, RBI (19), 2 K, RS, 2 SB (12), OF assist at second -- .301
DH Testa 0-4, RBI (17) -- .293
C Bonilla 1-4, RBI (14), K -- .277
2B Navarro 0-4, K -- .298

E. Pimentel 2 2/3 IP, 9 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, K, HRA -- L, 3-3, A Memorial Day weekend to forget for Elisaul, 5.36 ERA
Paukovits 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- 3.13 ERA
Gibson 2 IP, 3 H -- 4.15 ERA

* Elisaul Pimentel got taken to the woodshed as the Pelicans finished the series strong. Like their two bigger brethren, the Rocks scored a 1st-inning run on a single and 2 stolen bases by Whit Merrifield and a Carlo Testa RBI groundout. Also like their bigger minors brethren, they also gave up runs in bunches as Pimentel gave up a 3-run homer in the 2nd and then combined with Bryan Paukovits to allow 6 runs in the 3rd. Jose Bonilla hit an RBI single in the 7th and Merrifield added an RBI fielder's choice. The Rocks got runners on in the last 2 innings but couldn't get any more home. Pelicans SP Justin Grimm allowed an ER with 5 K over 6 IP to improve to 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA. 2B Santiago Chirino had 3 hits, including his 1st homer, and 4 RBI (12) and CF Jared Hoying had 2 hits. Two other Pelicans had 2 RBI.

Kinston 9, Blue Rocks 1

2B Navarro 1-4, 3B (6), RBI (28), K -- .297, only Rocks hit
LF Merrifield 0-4 -- .294
RF Testa 0-3, BB, K -- .286
CF Prades 0-4, 2 K -- .300

Melville 3 1/3 IP, 8 R (5 ER), 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 5-5, 4.83 ERA
Lafferty 3 2/3 IP, ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K, WP -- 2.37 ERA
Dennick IP, 2 K -- 2.51 ERA

* The Rocks were shut down by Tribe SP Clayton Cook as he and RP Kyle Landis collaborated on a 1-hitter. Kinston got started with a run in the 2nd and Tim Melville gave up 2 more runs in the 3rd. Kinston did the rest of its work in the 4th on 5 straight hits capped off by a grand slam by SS Casey Frawley, which chased Melville from the game. They added another run off Brendan Lafferty before the dust settled with Kinston up, 9-0. Rey Navarro broke up Cook's no-hit bid with a 2-out RBI triple in the 6th. Landis came on for 3 perfect innings of relief and that was it. Cook improved to 5-3 with a 3.42 ERA. C Roberto Perez had 4 hits and 2 RBI (10) to improve to .210. Two others had 2 hits. Frawley's granny was his 6th and he had 4 RBI (29). Wilmington is 28-21. Game 2 is Tuesday as Justin Marks and Tyler Sample take the reins.

A - Kane County: Wisconsin 2, Cougars 0

1B Kuebler 2-4 -- .143
SS Hall 1-4, K -- .293
CF Llanos 0-4, K -- .251

Marimon 8 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 7 K, 2 HRA -- L, 3-3, 3.16 ERA, tough loss
Keck IP, BB, K -- 4.03 ERA

* Sugar Ray Marimon pitched well but the Cougars took the L. Marimon got a double play to escape a 1st-inning jam but gave up a solo homer in the 3rd. The Cougars had 3 baserunners thrown out at third in the first 5 innings. Marimon gave up another solo homer in the 8th and the Cougars got the tying run to the plate in the 9th but went nowhere. P Tyler Thornburg pitched a complete-game 5-hitter with 8 K to improve to 4-0 with a 1.31 ERA. CF Reggie Keen and C Tyler Roberts had 2 hits, as Roberts provided all the offense with 2 HR (3).

Cougars 5, Wisconsin 4 (11)

CF Llanos 3-5, BB, RS, CS (7), E (2) -- .260
3B Cuthbert 2-5, RBI (7) -- .314
RF Beltre 2-5, RBI (14), K, RS -- .256
C Jenkins 2-5, K -- .250
LF Adams 2-5, 2 K, RS -- .241
DH Stovall 2-5, 2B (10) -- .283
SS Calixte 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI (5), 2 K, RS -- .294
1B Kuebler 0-4, 2 BB, RBI (2), 2 K -- .128
KC stranded 11.

L. Perez 6 IP, UER, H, 3 BB, 5 K, E (4) -- 2.54 ERA, can't buy a win this season
Odenbach 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 2.30 ERA
Boruff 2 IP, 5 H, K, balk -- 1.23 ERA
Mitchell IP, 3 ER, 4 H -- W, 3-1, 5.48 ERA

* A 1-1 game got crazy in the 11th as Kane County locked down a 5-4 extra-innings win. Cheslor Cuthbert singled in a run in the 1st but the Cougars stranded 2, and wouldn't score again until extras. Leondy Perez took a 1-hit shutout into the 6th but made a 1-out throwing error on a pickoff attempt that was compounded by an Alex Llanos throwing error on the play as the tying run scored. Chase Boruff got a bases-loaded double play to keep the tie intact in the 9th, and the Cougars foiled a double steal by throwing out a runner at the plate in the 10th. Matt Mitchell took the mound in the 11th and things went downhill as 4 hits, including 2 doubles, helped 3 runs score to make it 4-1 Rattlers. The Cougs had 2 on with 1 out in their half when Orlando Calixte hit a 2-run double and Geulin Beltre tied it with a single. With 2 out and 2 in scoring position, Llanos was intentionally walked and Jake Kuebler worked a bases-loaded walkoff walk. RF Robert Garvey had 3 hits for Wisconsin while two others had 2 hits. KC is 23-28. A 3-game set at the Lake County Captains (23-28, A Indians) starts Tuesday with Leonel Santiago (4-4, 2.48) starting the opener.

Royals on the Farm 5/28

Programming note -- there will be no Sunday report as I will be incommunicado. I'll sum up Sunday in Monday's report. Hope the readers are having a good Memorial Day weekend....

AAA - Omaha: Memphis 6, Storm Chasers 5

CF Cain 2-4, BB, RBI (21), K -- .305
RF Dyson 2-5, 2 K, RS, 2 SB (5) -- .286
3B Moustakas 2-4, S, RS -- .270
LF Lough 1-2, 3 BB, RBI (24), 2 RS, CS (2), 2 E -- .321
1B Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, RBI (13), K -- .271
2B Arias 1-3, RBI (6) -- .246
SS Zawadzki 1-4, RBI (18), K -- .219
PH-1B C. Robinson 0-1 -- .347
DH Giavotella 1-5, K -- .280
Omaha stranded 10.

Pucetas 5 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, BB, 6 K -- 4.14 ERA
B. Johnson 3 IP, H, BB, 2 K, WP -- 5.87 ERA
Chavez 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, K, HRA -- BS, 2, L, 2-3, 5.33 ERA, not the best week for Omaha pen

* The Storm Chasers were down 2 entering the 8th, stormed back to take the lead, then blew it in the 9th. Memphis got an RBI double in the 2nd to take the lead. Omaha got the first 2 on in the 5th but stranded both. Kila Ka'aihue hit an RBI single in the 6th and Joaquin Arias hit an RBI forceout as Omaha took the lead. Memphis struck back in their half as they started the inning with 4 straight singles to chase Kevin Pucetas. Blake Johnson came in and allowed a run on a wild pitch and another on an RBI single to make it 4-2 Memphis. The Chasers put 2 on with 1 out in the 8th and got a Lorenzo Cain RBI single and Lance Zawadzki RBI single to tie the game. Jarrod Dyson led off the 9th with a single, stole second and scored on a David Lough single to make it 5-4 Omaha. Jesse Chavez came on for the 9th and had Memphis down to its last out before LF Andrew Brown ended it with a 2-run walkoff shot for his 8th of the season. Five Redbirds, including Brown, had 2 hits. Brown's 2 RBI gave him 31 on the season. Omaha is 27-22. Game 3 is Sunday with Mike Montgomery pitching.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 14, Frisco 9

CF Robinson 3-4, BB, 2 2B, 2 RS, SB (11) -- .250
3B Lisson 2-4, BB, 2 RBI (21), K, 2 RS, SB (3) -- .259
SS Bianchi 2-4, BB, 2 RBI (19), K, 2 RS, SB (4) -- .246
1B Seratelli 2-5, BB, RBI (15), 2 K, 2 RS, 2 SB (9) -- .288
LF T. Smith 2-3, 2 BB, 3B, RBI (13), 3 RS, SB (5) -- .261
RF Francis 2-5, 2B (2), K, 2 RS -- .275
2B Mertins 1-4, HBP, 3 RBI (14), K, RS, E (4) -- .255
DH Colon 0-6, 2 RBI (25), K -- .240
C S. Perez 1-5, 2 K -- .264

Osuna 4 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA -- 7.60 ERA
Lebron 3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 1-1, 4.91 ERA
Herrera 2 IP, 4 K -- 2.16 ERA, doesn't Absolute Zero have a nice ring to it?

* NWA put together three 4-run rallies and held on to defeat the RoughRiders. The Naturals wasted little time as Derrick Robinson led off with a double, Tim Smith singled him home, Jeff Bianchi hit an RBI single, and Kurt Mertins hit a 2-run single to make it 4-0 in the 1st. Edgar Osuna allowed a run in the 1st but the Nats struck again in the 4th as Smith tripled and scored on an error, Mertins hit an RBI forceout, and Mario Lisson hit a 2-run single to make it 8-1. Osuna allowed 3 runs in the bottom of the inning and then 2 runs in the 4th to cut the lead to 8-6. Christian Colon hit an RBI groundout in the 5th and Anthony Seratelli added an RBI single to make it 10-6. Willy Lebron came in for the 5th and ended up allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk to cut the lead to 10-9. NWA got some insurance in the 7th as Colon hit another RBI groundout, Jeff Bianchi drew a bases-loaded walk, and a 2-run error made it 14-9. Kelvin Herrera was lockdown over the last 2 innings to finish it. Four Riders had 2 hits as RF Adam Heether hit his 4th homer and drove in 3 runs (9). 1B Mike Spina also had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs (38). NWA is 24-19. Game 2 is Sunday with Chris Dwyer (1-3, 5.82) starting.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 4, Blue Rocks 0

CF Prades 1-4, 2B (4), K -- .318
RF Testa 1-4, 2 K -- .304
2B Navarro 0-4, E (6) -- .305

Arguelles 5 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 3 K, 3 HRA -- L, 2-2, 2.84 ERA, ejected in 6th
Mariot 2 2/3 IP, H, BB, K -- 1.17 ERA

* It wasn't the best night for Noel Arguelles, as 3 homers and an ejection made for an off game for the Cuban. Arguelles labored but stranded 2 in the 1st, and gave up a solo homer in the 2nd to spot the Pelicans an early lead. A 2-out solo homer in the 4th made it 2-0 MB. Wilmington's best chance came in the 5th as they put 2 in scoring position with 0 out, but a strikeout, popout and groundout killed the threat. They took another hit in the 6th as Carlo Testa was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Arguelles gave up a 1-out, 2-run homer in the 6th and was ejected by the home plate umpire. The Rocks didn't have a hit after the 6th. Pelicans SP Joseph Wieland worked 7 scoreless IP and K'd 9 to improve to 5-3 with a 1.53 ERA. 3B Mike Olt hit his 9th homer with 2 RBI (30). Wilmington is 28-19. The series ends Sunday. Elisaul Pimentel starts the finale.

A - Kane County: Cougars 6, Wisconsin 1

SS Calixte 2-4, 3 RBI, K -- .333
CF Adams 2-4, 2B (7), 3B (2), 2 RBI (11), K, 2 RS -- .241
3B Cuthbert 1-2, 2 BB, RBI (6), K, 2 RS -- .300
RF Geulin Beltre had an assist at third.

Adam 6 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K, E (3) -- W, 2-0, 1.96 ERA
Hodge 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, K -- 5.32 ERA
Byrne 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, K -- 3.75 ERA

* Jason Adam had another solid start to lead the Cougars to another win over the T-Rats. Cheslor Cuthbert hit a 2-out RBI single in the 1st. Adam worked out of trouble in the 3rd, and the Cougars added 3 runs in the 4th on a Lane Adams RBI double, and a 2-run Orlando Calixte single. Adams tripled home a run in the 5th and scored on a Calixte single to make it 6-0. Adam lost the shutout in the 6th and Chas Byrne stranded 2 in the 8th and 9th to finish it. 2B Nick Shaw and 1B Mike Walker had 2 hits for Wisconsin. Walker knocked in his 38th run. KC is 22-27. Game 3 is Sunday as Sugar Ray Marimon makes the start.

Royals on the Farm 5/27

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 4, Memphis 2

1B Ka'aihue 3-5, 3 RBI (12) -- .267
RF Dyson 3-5, RS -- .267
CF Cain 2-5, 2B (13), RBI (20), 2 K -- .300
DH Falu 2-4, K, CS (4) -- .218
3B Moustakas 2-5, K, RS -- .264
2B Giavotella 1-5 -- .282
LF Lough 1-4, HBP, K, 2 RS -- .318
Omaha stranded 11.

Mazzaro 6 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K, WP -- W, 2-0, 4.34 ERA, he probably needed that
M. Santiago 3 IP, ER, 2 H, K -- SV, 2, 4.26 ERA

* Omaha put together a key rally in the 3rd and made it stick. Kila Ka'aihue hit a 2-out RBI single in the 1st, then added a 2-run single in the 3rd before a Lorenzo Cain single made it 4-0 Omaha. Vin Mazzaro pretty much cruised until allowing a run in the 4th, and Omaha stranded 2 in each of the 4th, 5th and 6th. Mario Santiago allowed a run in the 7th but recovered to retire the last 7 in a row. RF James Rapoport and LF Andrew Brown had 2 hits for the 'Birds with Brown rapping 2 doubles (5) and driving in his 29th run. Omaha is 27-21. Kevin Pucetas will start game 2 on Saturday. 1B Clint Robinson is dealing with a calf injury. RP Robinson Tejeda may be rejoining Omaha after being DFA'd yesterday, as the Royals picked up RP Felipe Paulino from the Rockies.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 7, Frisco 4

2B Mertins 4-4, BB, 2B (6), HR (2), 3 RBI (11), RS -- .255
1B Seratelli 3-5, K, 3 RS, SB (7) -- .283
C Theriot 1-4, 2B (4), RBI (5) -- .176
SS Colon 1-4, BB, SB (9), E (7) -- .250
CF-RF Van Stratten 1-3, BB, 2B (4), K, RS, OF assist at home -- .256
LF Tim Smith had an assist at third.

Miner 5 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 2 K, balk -- W, 1-1, 3.27 ERA
Sisk 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K -- 3.98 ERA
Mozingo 2/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 3 H, K -- 13.97 ERA
Keating 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- SV, 6, 4.35 ERA

* The Naturals had the offense clicking in taking down the RoughRiders. A wild pitch and Kurt Mertins single scored runs in the 1st but Zach Miner allowed an RBI double in the bottom of the inning. Nick Van Stratten kept it tied with an assist at the plate to end the inning. An error helped the Naturals extend it to 3-1 in the 3rd, and Mertins led off the 4th with his 2nd homer of the season before a Ben Theriot RBI double made it 5-1. The Nats got an assist from Tim Smith to keep Frisco off the board in the 4th. NWA stranded 2 in the 6th but scored a run on an error and added a Mertins RBI single in the 7th. Harold Mozingo started the 8th but didn't finish it as the Riders scored 3 runs and Patrick Keating came in to strand 2. He stranded 1 in the 9th for his 6th save. CF Leonys Martin and 1B Jose Ruiz had 3 hits for Frisco. Ruiz had 3 doubles (11) and 2 RBI (15) as he improved to .336. Martin is hitting .339. Two others had 2 hits. NWA is 23-19. A 3-game set at the Midland RockHounds (19-27, AA A's) starts Saturday. Edgar Osuna will start.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 3, Blue Rocks 2

CF Ferguson 1-2, BB, HR (4), RBI (19), RS -- .177
SS Navarro 1-4, RBI (27), K -- .312
LF Merrifield 0-3, S -- .304
DH Testa 0-4, 2 K -- .306
RF Prades 1-4, 2B (3) -- .333

Odorizzi 3 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K -- 2.31 ERA, no injury, I guess, just not that efficient
Dennick 2 2/3 IP, H, K -- 2.70 ERA
Chapman 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- BS, 2, L, 0-1, 3.98 ERA

* Wilmington made the most of only 4 hits to take a lead late, but Kevin Chapman couldn't hold it. The Pelicans scored a run on 3 hits off Jake Odorizzi in the 1st, and he stranded 2 on walks in the 3rd. Ryan Dennick took over with 1 out in the 4th, and Yem Prades got the Rocks' first hit with a double in the 5th. Rey Navarro hit an RBI single in the 6th to tie it but the Rocks stranded 2. Tim Ferguson put the Rocks on top with a solo homer in the 7th for his 4th of the season. Chapman hit trouble in the 8th as 2 doubles tied the game and a wild pitch third strike kept the inning alive. The Pelicans got a go-ahead single from DH Jared Prince to take the lead. The Rocks went down in order in the 9th. RF Jared Bolden and 3B Mike Olt had 2 hits with Bolden cracking 2 doubles (7) and scoring 2 runs. Olt drove in 2 runs (28). The Rocks are 28-18. Noel Arguelles and Mike Mariot will try to do their thing in Saturday's game 2.

A - Kane County: Cougars 2, Wisconsin 1

RF Beltre 2-2, BB, S, OF assist at first -- .255
3B Cuthbert 2-4 -- .286
C Jones 1-3, RBI (5) -- .171
CF Llanos 1-4, 2 K -- .257
SS Calixte 1-4, RS -- .250

Ventura 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 10 K -- 7.36 ERA, nice night for Yordano
Billo 4 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 8 K -- W, 3-1, 1.42 ERA, 18 K night for the Cougs

* Yordano Ventura and Greg Billo combined for 18 Ks and only 3 walks as a Rattlers error came up huge in the victory. Ventura allowed 2 hits in the 1st, then retired 12 in a row (including at least 2 Ks in each of the first 4 innings), walked 2, then retired 2 more before handing it off to Billo in the 6th. The problem was Wisconsin SP Jameson Dunn handed a 3-hit shutout to the bullpen in the 6th as well. KC put some pressure on in the 7th but Cheslor Cuthbert got thrown out at the plate. Travis Jones singled in a run to break the stalemate. Billo struck out the side in the 6th, then had the T-Rats down to their last out in the 9th before an RBI double tied the game. Ryan Stovall led off the bottom of the 9th with a double, Cuthbert singled and, after an intentional walk loaded the bases, a throwing error allowed Stovall to score the winning run. Dunn lowered his ERA to 1.54 in the game. Kane County is 21-27. Game 2 is Saturday. Jason Adam is set to make his third start.

Royals on the Farm 5/26

AAA - Omaha: Tucson 3, Storm Chasers 1 (7/G1)

CF Dyson 2-3, 2B, RBI -- .174
3B Moustakas 0-3, K -- .263
1B Ka'aihue 0-3, K -- .237
2B Giavotella 0-3, K -- .280
LF Lough 0-3, K, OF assist at third -- .313

Jeffress 2 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K, WP -- L, 0-1, 7.36 ERA, 53 pitches
Mendoza 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 K -- 4.76 ERA, nifty

* Omaha managed only 2 hits in the loss. Jeremy Jeffress' second start of the season didn't go that well, as he hit trouble in the 2nd and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, a walk and wild pitch. Jarrod Dyson hit a 2-out RBI double in the 3rd and his single in the 6th was Omaha's only other hit. Tucson SP Jon Leicester allowed an ER over 6 IP with 3 K to improve to 3-0 with a 3.45 ERA. CF Cedric Hunter and 2B Jarrett Hoffpauir had 2 hits.

Storm Chasers 8, Tucson 3 (7/G2)

LF Lough 2-3, SF, 3 RBI (23), RS -- .320
CF Cain 1-2, BB, 2B (12), 2 RBI (19), picked off -- .297
DH Moustakas 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (37), 2 K -- .260
1B Ka'aihue 0-2, BB, RBI (9), 2 K -- .225
RF Dyson 1-2, BB, S, 3 RS -- .200
2B Giavotella 1-1, 2 BB, S, 2 RS -- .284

Suppan CG, 3 ER, 6 H, 5 K, HRA -- W, 4-4, 5.43 ERA

* The Chasers slapped together two 3-run innings early on to earn a split of the twinbill. David Lough hit an RBI single in the 1st and Kila Ka'aihue and Lorenzo Cain worked bases-loaded walks to make it 3-0. Jeff Suppan allowed 2 runs in the 2nd but Omaha loaded the bases again in the 2nd and Lough singled in a run, Mike Moustakas hit a sac fly and Cain ripped an RBI double to make it 6-2. Suppan gave up a solo homer in the 3rd but wouldn't allow another runner past second and retired the last 7. A run-scoring wild pitch and Lough sac fly added a couple gravy runs for Omaha in the 6th. 3B Jarrett Hoffpauir hit his 1st homer of the season in the loss. Omaha is 26-21. A 4-game set at the Memphis Redbirds (19-26, AAA Cards) starts Friday. There's no announced starter on the team site. RP Kanekoa Texeira was claimed by the Yankees off waivers.

AA - NW Arkansas: Frisco 3, Naturals 0

LF Francis 2-3 -- .258
CF Robinson 0-4, 2 K -- .227
SS Colon 0-4 -- .250
DH Bianchi 0-3, 2 K -- .239
C S. Perez 0-4, K -- .267

W. Smith 6 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA, pickoff -- L, 3-5, 4.63 ERA
Lebron 2/3 IP, nothing -- 2.08 ERA
Herrera IP, UER, H, 3 K -- 2.84 ERA

* Frisco shut out the Naturals on 5 hits Thursday. Will Smith was pretty much down from the get-go as back-to-back doubles to start the 1st made it 1-0 Frisco. A solo homer in the 4th off Smith made it 2-0. NWA stranded 2 in the 5th. A Jamie Romak error helped Frisco score again in the 8th and the last 7 Nats went down in order. Frisco SP Martin Perez allowed 5 hits and 2 BB with 5 K over 7 IP to improve to 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA. 2B Davis Stoneburner and LF Jonathan Greene had 2 hits. NWA is 22-19. The series wraps Friday with Zach Miner (0-1, 4.50) starting. RP Heath Rollins got moved up to Omaha, and RP Manauris Baez got moved up from Wilmington.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: off day

* The Rocks start a 3-game set at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (27-19, A-Adv. Rangers) on Friday with Jake Odorizzi (4-0, 2.28) starting.

A - Kane County: Cougars 3, Quad Cities 2

RF Beltre 3-4, 2 2B (7), 2 RBI (13), K, CS (5) -- .245
CF Llanos 3-4 -- .257
1B Stovall 1-3, RS, E (8) -- .280
SS Calixte 1-4, 3 K, RS -- .250, organizational debut

L. Santiago 6 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K, pickoff -- W, 4-4, 2.48 ERA
Mitchell IP, K -- 4.50 ERA
Odenbach IP, UER, 2 H -- 2.49 ERA
Boruff IP, UER, H, 2 BB, K, E -- SV, 1, 1.35 ERA

* The Cougars took advantage of the bright lights of Busch Stadium in riding a good start from Leonel Santiago to a win. KC stranded 2 in the 1st and then squandered a bases-loaded situation in the 3rd. Geulin Beltre hit an RBI double in the 4th, then doubled in a run in the 6th before a double-play ball scored a run to make it 3-0. Santiago handed off a 3-hit shutout to the bullpen and it held in the 8th when Dusty Odenbach gave up a run. Chase Boruff allowed a run on an error in the 9th but recovered to strand the bases loaded. DH Cody Stanley and C Robert Stock had 2 hits for QC. KC is 20-26. A 4-game home set with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (26-21, A Brewers) starts Friday. Yordano Ventura (0-0, 13.50) will start the opener.

Royals on the Farm 5/25

A link between the glory days Royals and the sorry days Royals has left us with the passing of Paul Splittorff. Chris Jaffe of Hardball Times posted a nice piece about "Split" and his career today. His consistency and durability helped him become the franchise's winningest pitcher and he continued to stick by KC after his career was done. He was part of a special time in Royals history, and it grows more special with each year that passes that the Royals linger in sub-mediocrity (if that's a word). Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

AAA - Omaha: rainout

* Some monster spring weather took a toll on the Chasers' schedule Wednesday, as the game will be made up as a Thursday double dip. Jeff Suppan and, perhaps, Jeremy Jeffress? will start the games.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 6, Frisco 2

RF Van Stratten 3-4, 3 RBI (23), RS, picked off, OF assist at second -- .252, nice game for Nick
SS Colon 2-4, SF, RBI (23), RS -- .257
C S. Perez 2-4, RS -- .277
DH Romak 1-4, 2B (7), RBI (23) -- .260
2B Bianchi 1-4, RBI (17), K -- .244
CF D. Robinson 1-5, K, RS, SB (10) -- .238

Baumann 6 IP, 2 H, 7 K -- W, 1-2, 4.60 ERA, nice game, Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddy (anyone remember Pauly Shore?)
Paulino 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K -- 3.62 ERA
Sisk 1/3 IP, K -- 4.42 ERA
Keating IP, nothing -- 4.66 ERA

* The Naturals had a solid game behind a good start from Buddy Baumann. Neither team had a baserunner until the 3rd. Action picked up in the 5th as Nick Van Stratten hit a 2-out, 2-run single to break the ice. Baumann gave up one extra-base hit and was never in serious trouble. Jeff Bianchi hit a 2-out RBI single in the 5th and the Naturals pulled away in the 6th with a Van Stratten RBI single, Christian Colon sac fly and Jamie Romak RBI double. Eduardo Paulino lost the shutout in the 8th but Brandon Sisk got out of the jam and Patrick Keating hurled a perfect 9th. RF Engel Beltre had 2 hits and 2B Renny Osuna drove in 2 runs (19). NWA is 22-18. The teams square off again Thursday with Will Smith (3-4, 4.91) starting for the Nats.

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

C Bonilla 2-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI (13), RS -- .278
CF Prades 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RS -- .357
RF Testa 1-4, 2B (12), RBI (16), 3 K -- .317
3B Whittleman 0-3, SF, RBI (29), K, E (7) -- .253
DH Merrifield 1-4, K, RS -- .309
2B Navarro 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .314

Sample 4 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K, WP -- 2.84 ERA
Marks 4 IP, ER, 4 H, 6 K -- 5.48 ERA
Lafferty IP, K -- W, 1-1, 2.35 ERA

* Wilmington found its mojo in the 8th and pulled out a walkoff win. The Keys scored 1 in the 1st off Tyler Sample and an error scored the Keys' run in the 3rd. Jose Bonilla got the Rocks on the board with an RBI double in the 3rd but the Keys finished off Sample and greeted Justin Marks with a combined 2 runs in the 5th. A double play scored a run for Wilmington in the 5th but 2 doubles made it 5-2 Keys in the 6th. Bonilla hit a key RBI single in the 8th, Carlo Testa hit an RBI double and a John Whittleman sac fly tied the game. Yem Prades led off the 9th with a double, moved to third on a sac bunt, and a wild pitch allowed him to score to end the game in the 9th. 1B Tyler Townsend was 4-4 with his 29th RBI to improve to .309 and 2B Bobby Stevens had 3 hits and 2 RS. The Rocks are 28-17. They have Thursday off.

A - Kane County: rainout

* The game was cancelled and will not be made up. The series wraps up under the big lights as the teams will play the finale in Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Leonel Santiago will start.

Royals on the Farm 5/24

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 6, Tucson 5 (11)

3B Moustakas 2-5, 2 RBI (36), K, RS -- .268
2B Giavotella 2-5, K, RS, SB (2) -- .285
LF Lough 0-3, S, SF, RBI (20), K -- .320
RF Dyson 0-3, 2 BB, 2 RS, SB (3) -- .100
1B C. Robinson 0-3, 2 BB -- .349
CF Cain 1-4, S, 3B (3), RS -- .294

Montgomery 3 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K -- 4.58 ERA
B. Johnson 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K -- 7.30 ERA
Chavez 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 4.74 ERA
Hardy IP, 2 BB -- W, 2-2, 6.75 ERA

* Omaha made a 4-run comeback and defeated the Pads in 11 on Tuesday. David Lough spotted the Chasers a lead with a sac fly in the 1st but Mike Montgomery allowed the tying run in the 2nd. Omaha stranded 2 in the 2nd and Tucson broke out in the 4th with 4 runs on 2 hits, 3 walks and a hit batsman off Montgomery and a bases-loaded walk by Blake Johnson that made it 5-1. An error scored an Omaha run in the 4th, but the score stayed 5-2 until the 7th, when Lorenzo Cain led off with a triple and scored on a wild pitch. Jesse Chavez came in to strand 2 in the 8th and Mike Moustakas hit a clutch 2-run single in the bottom of the inning to tie it. Chavez stranded 2 in the 9th and Blaine Hardy stranded 2 in the 11th. Clint Robinson drew a leadoff walk in the Omaha 11th and pinch runner Lance Zawadzki was bunted to second by Cain. After an intentional walk to Irving Falu, Kila Ka'aihue pinch-hit and worked a walk, with ball four getting away from the catcher and allowing Zawadzki to score the winning run. LF and top-level Pads prospect Cedric Hunter had 2 hits and 2 RBI (21) for Tucson. 1B Jesus Guzman also had 2 hits. Omaha is 25-20. Game 3 is a Wednesday day game with Jeremy Jeffress making his second start.

AA - NW Arkansas: off day

* A 3-game set at the Frisco RoughRiders (23-21, AA Rangers) starts Wednesday with Buddy Baumann (0-2, 5.68) taking the mound.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 3, Frederick 1

SS McClure 3-3, RBI (9) -- .179
2B Navarro 2-4, 2 RBI (26) -- .319
DH Testa 2-4, K, RS -- .320, hitting .367 in 2 slot
LF Merrifield 0-3, BB, RS, SB (10) -- .311

Melville 5 2/3 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K, WP -- W, 5-4, 4.21 ERA
Paukovits 3 1/3 IP, 3 K -- SV, 1, 3.66 ERA

* Tim Melville and Bryan Paukovits proved to be a formidable duo as the Rocks took down the Keys for the first time in 2011. The Rocks clicked in the 1st as Whit Merrifield walked, stole second, advanced on a Carlo Testa single and scored on a Rey Navarro single to make it 1-0 Wilmington. Melville worked around baserunners in each of the first 3 innings but allowed a run on 2 hits in the 4th. Two errors helped the Rocks regain the lead in the 4th as Alex McClure hit the go-ahead single. Navarro singled home another run in the 5th to make it 3-1. Paukovits retired all 9 batters he faced to pick up his 1st save. CF Miguel Abreu had 2 hits for the Keys and had an OF assist at second. The Rocks are 27-17. The series ends with a Wednesday matinee. Tyler Sample and Justin Marks will tagteam it.

A - Kane County: Quad Cities 5, Cougars 1

C Jones 0-3, RBI (4), K -- .164
CF Llanos 1-4, 2 K, SB (8) -- .246
DH Stovall 1-3, BB -- .279
3B Cuthbert 0-4 -- .261
SS Hall 0-3, K -- .299

L. Perez 6 IP, ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- 2.84 ERA, has had hard, hard luck this season
Keck 2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 4 K -- L, 0-1, 4.22 ERA

* Kane County took a 1-0 lead into the 6th but it vanished as the Bandits took the series opener. KC left 2 in scoring position in the 2nd and Leondy Perez stranded 2 in the 3rd. Travis Jones broke the ice with an RBI groundout in the 5th and Perez escaped putting the first 2 on in the 5th. The Cougars left 2 in scoring position in the 6th and Perez finally gave up the tying run before leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning. Jon Keck allowed the go-ahead double in the 7th, and the backbreaker was a 3-run double in the 8th. The last 5 Cougars went down in order to end it. Quad Cities SP Kevin Siegrist allowed an unearned run over 7 IP with 6 K to improve to 7-1 with a 1.29 ERA. 2B Starlin Rodriguez had 3 hits and 3 other Bandits had 2 hits. KC is 19-27. Game 2 is Wednesday with Leonel Santiago (3-4, 2.75) making the start.

Royals on the Farm 5/23

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 2, Tucson 1

1B C. Robinson 2-4, K, RS -- .355
2B Giavotella 1-4, RBI (29), 2 K -- .282
C Pina 0-2, BB, RBI (8), K, E (5) -- .203
CF Dyson 1-3, BB, SB (2) -- .118
3B Moustakas 1-4, K -- .264
LF Lough 0-4, K -- .326
RF Cain 1-4 -- .295

Pucetas 7 IP, ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- W, 4-1, 3.80 ERA
M. Santiago 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- SV, 1, 4.66 ERA

* Tucson outhit the Chasers but Omaha ended up on top. Tucson stranded some runners early and Omaha took the lead on a Johnny Giavotella RBI single in the 3rd. Manny Pina took a 2-out bases-loaded walk in the 4th to make it 2-0. Kevin Pucetas had a fine start as he took a shutout into the 7th, but the Pads finally scratched out a run that inning. Mario Santiago left the tying run at second in the 9th. RF Aaron Cunningham and DH Alex Cintron had 2 hits for the Padres. Omaha is 24-20. Game 2 is Tuesday night. The win was the 1,000th for manager Mike Jirschele. There is no announced starter on the team site at the moment for Tuesday.

AA - NW Arkansas: double rainout

* The doubleheader will not be made up, as the teams don't play again in the first half in Springdale. The Naturals have Tuesday off.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Frederick 4, Blue Rocks 1

2B Navarro 2-4, CS (3) -- .315
1B Whittleman 0-3, SF, RBI (28), 3 K, E (6) -- .259
LF Merrifield 1-3, BB, RS -- .316
RF Testa 1-3, HBP -- .313

E. Pimentel 6 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 7 H, 5 K, HRA, E -- L, 3-2, 3.86 ERA
Chapman 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- 3.44 ERA
Dennick IP, 2 ER, H, 2 BB -- 3.38 ERA

* The Keys continued to have the Rocks' number as they snapped Wilmington's win streak. Elisaul Pimentel got out to a rocky start, no pun intended, as he gave up a homer and triple in the 1st but held it to 1-0 Keys. Pimentel stranded 2 in the 2nd but 2 errors helped Frederick make it 2-0 in the 3rd. Pimentel held it there, though. Wilmington loaded the bases with 1 out in the 6th and John Whittleman hit a sac fly but the Rocks would leave 'em loaded. The Rocks got the first 2 on in the 8th but left them in scoring position. Ryan Dennick gave up a 2-out, 2-run double in the 9th to ice it and the Rocks stranded 1 in the 9th. Keys SP Nathan Moreau allowed an ER over 7 IP to improve to 4-3 with a 3.89 ERA. Three Keys had 2 hits, including 1B Tyler Townsend, who hit his 13th double and 2nd triple with 2 RBI (28). The Rocks are 26-17. Game 2 is Tuesday with Tim Melville (4-4, 4.57) starting. The Rocks are 0-5 versus the Keys this season.

A - Kane County: Cougars 8, Beloit 5

3B Cuthbert 3-5, 3B, HR (2), 3 RBI (5), K, RS -- .316, Cheslor looking good again, double shy of cycle
C Jenkins 2-5, 2B (7), 2 RBI (14), K, 2 RS -- .257
LF Aparicio 2-4, 2B (5) -- .155
DH Kuebler 1-4, BB, 2B, RBI, K, 2 RS -- .105
RF Adams 1-5, RBI (9) -- .236
1B Stovall 1-4, 3B (3), RBI (17), 2 K -- .278
SS Hall 1-2, BB, S, RS -- .306

Marimon 4 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K, HRA -- 3.32 ERA
Hodge 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 K -- 5.73 ERA
Byrne 3 IP, H, BB, 2 K, WP -- W, 1-1, 3.97 ERA

* The Cougars came back from a 4-0 deficit as 5 late runs earned them the sweep. Kane County stranded 2 in the 3rd and the Snappers got a 3-run double in the 3rd to take command. Sugar Ray Marimon then gave up a leadoff homer in the 4th to make it 4-0 Beloit. The Cougars awoke in the 6th as Jake Kuebler picked up his 1st RBI of the season on a double, Lane Adams hit an RBI groundout and Ryan Stovall hit an RBI triple to cut the lead to 4-3. Beloit got a run back in the 6th off Mitch Hodge to make it 5-3 Snappers. Cheslor Cuthbert cut it back to 1 with a solo homer in the 8th for his 2nd of the season. RP Jose Gonzalez came in to pitch the 9th for Beloit and Julio Aparicio led off with a double. He would be thrown out at the plate and the Cougars would be down to their last out with 2 on. Kuebler drew a walk and Ryan Jenkins came through with a clutch 2-run single before Cuthbert hit a big 2-run triple to make it 8-5 KC. Chas Byrne stranded 1 in the 9th to pick up the win. RF Lance Ray had 2 hits with his 4th HR and 2 RBI (16). LF Derek McCallum had 3 RBI (13). KC is 19-26. A 3-game set at the Quad Cities River Bandits (24-20, A Cards) starts Tuesday. Leondy Perez (1-5, 3.02) is set to start.

Royals on the Farm 5/22 -- Adam pitches gem for first pro win

AAA - Omaha: Las Vegas 11, Storm Chasers 7

RF Cain 3-5, HR (3), RBI (17), K, 3 RS -- .296
3B Arias 2-5, 2B (3), RBI (5), E (3) -- .273
C May 2-4, HR, RBI (8), RS, E (4) -- .169
DH Moustakas 1-4, 2B (9), RBI (34) -- .265
SS Falu 1-5, 3B (5), RBI (15), K, RS, SB (6) -- .346
CF Dyson 0-5 -- .071
2B Giavotella 1-4, BB, 2B (8), K, RS -- .282
1B C. Robinson 1-4, BB, RS -- .352
Omaha stranded 10.

Mazzaro 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA -- 4.88 ERA
Hardy IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- L, 1-2, 7.16 ERA
May 2 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 5 H, HRA -- 9.00 ERA, yes that's catcher Lucas

* Omaha fought back to tie it in the 6th, then gave up 8 late runs, again, to Vegas. Vin Mazzaro's return to Omaha was mediocre as he gave up a 2-run homer before getting an out. Omaha stranded 2 in the 2nd and Vegas scored again in the 3rd to make it 3-0. Irving Falu was thrown out at the plate as Omaha was kept off the board in the 4th. Lucas May broke the ice with his 1st homer of the season in the 5th and a 2-out Mike Moustakas RBI double cut it to 3-2. A run-scoring error tied the game in the 6th, but Blaine Hardy got knocked around for 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks in the 7th. May switched sides of the battery to pitch in the 8th and gave up a 2-run homer. Lorenzo Cain went deep for his 3rd homer of the season in the 8th but May gave up another run in the 9th. Falu hit an RBI triple, scored on a wild pitch and Joaquin Arias doubled in a run to cut it to 11-7, but a Paulo Orlando flyout ended the game. CF DeWayne Wise had 4 hits and was a HR short of the cycle, scored 4 runs and stole his 6th base and had an assist at home to improve to .383. Four other 51s had 2 hits, including 3B Brett Lawrie, who had 2 HR (11) and 4 RBI (37) with 2 E (11) to move to .346. Omaha is 23-20 but still on top of a mediocre division. A 4-game home set with the Tucson Padres (18-25) starts Monday. Kevin Pucetas (3-1, 4.26) is set to start. By the way, the Storm Chasers stranded 1 in the 10th to drop Saturday's game by that 8-6 count at which I left the game, so good riddance to the 51s.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 9, Arkansas 5

SS Colon 3-4, RBI (22), K, 2 RS -- .250
DH T. Smith 2-3, BB, RBI (12), 2 RS -- .250
2B Bianchi 2-4, 2B (10), 2 RBI (16), CS -- .244
1B Romak 1-3, BB, HR (5), 2 RBI (22), 2 RS -- .260
C S. Perez 1-4, RBI (8) -- .269
RF Van Stratten 1-3, HBP, 3B (3), RBI (20), CS, RS -- .236
CF D. Robinson 0-4, 4 K -- .241, golden sombrero

Osuna 5 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, BB, 7 K, HRA -- W, 4-1, 6.82 ERA
Rollins 3 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 4 BB, K, 2 WP -- 4.11 ERA
Herrera 1/3 IP, nothing -- SV, 2, 3.38 ERA

* A 6-run rally helped the Naturals to a win on Sunday. The Travs scored a run on 2 hits in the 1st but Jeff Bianchi hit a 2-out RBI single in the 2nd to tie the game. Edgar Osuna gave up a 2-run homer in the 3rd and 3-1 was the score heading into the NWA 5th. Mario Lisson led off that inning with a double, Nick Van Stratten tripled him home, Christian Colon hit a 1-out RBI single, Tim Smith took a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch scored a run, Salvador Perez hit an RBI groundout, and Bianchi hit an RBI double to make it 7-3 Naturals. Osuna gave up back-to-back doubles before getting pulled in the 6th. Heath Rollins stranded 2 in the 7th and Jamie Romak cranked a 2-run homer in the 7th for his 5th of the season to make it 9-4. Rollins allowed a run in the 9th but Kelvin Herrera came in to get the final out for his 2nd save. 3B Luis Jimenez had 3 hits with 2 doubles (12) and his 3rd HR and 3 RBI (25) and 1B Gabe Jacobo had 2 hits for Arkansas. CF Mike Trout was 0-3 with 2 walks to drop to .308. NWA is 21-18. The teams wrap the series with a Monday twinbill as Chris Dwyer and Eduardo Paulino start the games for NWA.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 3, Myrtle Beach 1

RF Testa 2-4, 2B (11), 2 RBI (15), 2 K, RS -- .312, has produced in 2 slot
2B Navarro 2-4, 2B (12), RBI (24) -- .310
CF Prades 2-3, K, CS -- .667, organizational debut for 23-yr-old Cuban
C Graterol 2-3, K, RS -- .189
LF Merrifield 1-4, RS, SB (9) -- .316

Arguelles 5 2/3 IP, ER, 6 H, BB, 5 K -- 2.31 ERA
Mariot 3 1/3 IP, H, BB, K -- W, 5-0, 1.29 ERA

* Noel Arguelles and Mike Mariot had the mojo working again Sunday as they teamed up to pitch the Rocks to a victory over the Pelicans. Myrtle Beach's only run came on 3 hits in the 2nd off Arguelles. Carlo Testa tied it with an RBI double in the 3rd but was thrown out at the plate on a Rey Navarro single to end the inning. Mariot came in with 2 on and 2 out in the 6th and got out of the jam. The game was still tied at 1 with 2 out and none on in the Wilmington 8th. Whit Merrifield singled and stole second and Testa hit the game-breaking single before a Navarro double made it 3-1. Mariot retired the last 5 to pick up his 5th win. Pelicans SP Joseph Wieland allowed 2 ER on 7 hits with 10 K over 7 2/3 IP but took the loss to drop to 4-3 with a 1.73 ERA. DH Jared Bolden and LF Ryan Strausborger had 2 hits for Myrtle Beach. Strausborger had an assist at the plate. The Rocks are 26-16 and on a 7-game win streak. A 3-game home set with the Frederick Keys (23-18, A-Adv. O's) starts Monday in a pivotal series in the first-half race. Elisaul Pimentel (3-1, 4.23) starts game 1.

A - Kane County: Cougars 4, Beloit 0 (3-hitter)

SS Hall 2-5, 2B (12), RBI (15), K, 2 RS -- .303
CF Llanos 2-5, 2 2B (11), RBI (26), K -- .247
3B Stovall 1-4, 2B (8), RBI (16), K -- .279
C Jones 1-3, BB, HR, RBI (3), 2 RS -- .172
DH Cuthbert 0-3, BB, K -- .214

Adam 8 IP, 3 H, 6 K, E (2) -- W, 1-0, 2.19 ERA, showing his stuff in first pro W
Boruff IP, K -- 1.42 ERA

* Jason Adam and Chase Boruff combined on a 3-hit shutout as the Cougars stymied the Snappers. Travis Jones smacked his 1st homer of the season in the 2nd to make it 1-0 Cougars. Ryan Stovall followed in the 3rd with a 2-out RBI double and Gerard Hall and Alex Llanos hit RBI doubles in the 4th to make it 4-0. Adam never faced a serious rally as he retired the last 10 he faced. Boruff made it 13 in a row with a perfect 9th. The Cougars are 18-26. The series ends Monday as Sugar Ray Marimon (3-2, 2.75) starts for KC.

Royals on the Farm 5/21

AAA - Omaha: Vegas is up, 8-6, in the 10th

CF Cain 2-4, RBI (16), K, 2 RS -- .285
SS Falu 2-3, BB, 2B (2), RBI (14), RS, E (5) -- .357
1B C. Robinson 2-3, BB, 2 2B (13), K, 2 RS -- .356
LF Orlando 1-4, 2B (6), 3 RBI (19) -- .241
2B Giavotella 0-4, HBP, E (5) -- .283
3B Moustakas 1-4, BB, picked off, E (9) -- .265
RF Dyson 0-5, 3 K, OF assist at home -- .111

Jeffress IP, H, BB, K -- 0.00 ERA, first start cut short by rain
Suppan 5 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 4 K -- 5.66 ERA
B. Johnson 2 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K -- 10.38 ERA
Chavez 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, HRA -- 5.40 ERA

* It was another nightmare 9th for the Chasers as they once again couldn't put the 51s away. The 51s stranded 2 in the 1st and, after a rain delay, the Chasers got on the board first in the 2nd. Lorenzo Cain singled in a run and an error on a Paulo Orlando forceout scored 2 more runs to make it 3-0. Jeff Suppan stranded the bases loaded in the 3rd but Vegas crawled back in the game with 2 in the 5th on 3 hits and 2 walks. Suppan stranded the bases full in the 6th and Omaha slapped together another 3-run rally on an Irving Falu RBI double and 2-run Orlando double. Blake Johnson stranded 2 in the 7th but allowed a run to score on the 8th to make it 6-3. Johnson got 1 out in the 9th before Vegas went single, walk, RBI single, 2-run triple to tie it. Jesse Chavez came on and got a double play as Jarrod Dyson helped cut down a runner between third and home to end the inning. Chavez has since served up a 2-run homer to OF Travis Snider in the 10th. I'll report on any Omaha would-be comeback tomorrow.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 6, Naturals 3 (7/G1)

DH T. Smith 2-4, 2B (4), RBI (11), 2 K, RS -- .238
3B Lisson 1-3, 2B (5), 2 RBI (19) -- .281
CF D. Robinson 1-4, K, RS -- .253
SS Colon 0-4, K -- .240
C S. Perez 1-2, BB, RS -- .269

W. Smith 6 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 10 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA, pickoff -- L, 3-4, 4.91 ERA
Lebron IP, 2 K -- 2.45 ERA

* Will Smith had a rough start and the Naturals dropped the opener with the Travelers on Saturday. Both teams stranded a runner in the 1st and Arkansas plated 3 in the 2nd on 4 hits and a walk. Mario Lisson cracked a 2-run double in the bottom of the inning but Smith served up a 2-run homer in the 3rd to make it 5-2. Another run in the 4th made it 6-2. Tim Smith hit an RBI double in the 5th but Jamie Romak was nailed at the plate to end the inning on the play and Smith would strike out looking with the bases loaded in the 9th to end the game. Three Travs had 2 hits, including top prospect CF Mike Trout, who improved to .319, and 2B Ryan Mount, who hit his 5th homer with 2 RBI (22) to move to .333. 3B Jon Townsend was the other with 2 hits to improve to .364.

Arkansas 2, Naturals 0 (2-hitter, 7/G2)

RF Francis 1-3, OF assist at third -- .200, looks like AA baserunners are gonna challenge the arm too
C Eigsti 1-2, 2B -- .429
DH Colon 0-3, K -- .235
SS Bianchi 0-3, E (3) -- .236

Miner 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K -- L, 0-1, 4.50 ERA
Baumann 4 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 4 K -- 5.68 ERA
Keating IP, H, 2 K -- 4.91 ERA

* The Naturals fell victim to LH Trevor Reckling in game 2 in a shutout loss. Zach Miner allowed a Travs run in the 1st and stranded the bases full in the 2nd. The Nats stranded 2 in the 3rd and the Travelers added a run in the 4th off Buddy Baumann. NWA made one last push in the 7th but stranded the tying baserunner at 1st. Reckling went the distance with 2 hits and 2 walks and 3 Ks to move to 1-6 with a 3.69 ERA. DH Gabe Jacobo and C Orlando Mercado had 2 hits. Trout was 0-2 with 2 walks to drop to .314. NW Arkansas is 20-18. The teams lock horns again Sunday with Edgar Osuna (3-1, 6.75) starting.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 9, Myrtle Beach 3

RF Testa 3-4, BB, 2B (10), 3B (2), 2 RBI (13), 2 RS -- .303, triple shy of cycle
C Bonilla 2-4, SF, RBI (11), K, RS -- .274
1B Whittleman 2-4, BB, 2B (12), 2 RBI (27), RS -- .271
SS McClure 2-5, RS -- .170
CF Merrifield 1-4, S, 2B (13), RBI (18), K, RS -- .318
2B Navarro 1-4, BB, 2B (11), RBI (23), 2 RS -- .305
3B Batista 1-4, BB, 2B (8), RBI (11), K -- .238
The Rocks stranded 12.

Odorizzi 6 2/3 IP, ER, 7 H, BB, 4 K -- W, 4-0, 2.28 ERA
Gibson 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, K, HRA -- 7.71 ERA
Baez IP, nothing -- 2.33 ERA

* The Rocks poured on the offense in the middle innings to take down the Pelicans Saturday. Wilmington announced its presence with authority in the 1st as Carlo Testa tripled in a run, scored on a Rey Navarro double, and a Jose Bonilla sac fly made it 3-0 before the Rocks stranded 2. Jake Odorizzi allowed his only earned run on a walk and 2 hits in the 2nd and the score stayed 3-1 into the 4th. Testa hit an RBI double that inning and scored on a John Whittleman single to make it 5-1. Whit Merrifield hit an RBI forceout in the 5th, and a Whittleman RBI double, run-scoring error and Deivy Batista RBI double extended the lead to 9-1. Glenn Gibson came on to strand 2 for Odorizzi in the 7th but gave up 2 runs on 3 XBH in the 8th. Manauris Baez pitched the 9th to end it. 3B Mike Olt was 3-3 with his 10th double and 25th RBI to move to .293. Two others had 2 hits. The Rocks are 25-16. The series wraps up Sunday as Noel Arguelles and Mike Mariot try to keep it rolling. IF Steven Caseres made his Rocks debut Saturday after being promoted from Kane County. He was 1-4.

A - Kane County: Cougars 6, Beloit 5

CF Adams 3-5, 2B (5), K, 2 RS, SB (5), OF assist at second -- .238
3B Cuthbert 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, K, RS -- .273
2B Franco 2-3, BB, S, 2B (5), RS, picked off -- .278
DH Watts 1-4, BB, RBI (13), K, RS -- .211
C Jenkins 1-4, RBI (12) -- .250
RF Beltre 1-4, RBI (11), SB (3) -- .238
SS Hall 1-3, 2 BB, RS, SB (4) -- .299

Ventura 3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K, WP -- 13.50 ERA
Billo 6 IP, 4 H, BB, 3 K -- W, 2-1, 1.34 ERA

* The Cougars and Snappers slugged it out for 3 innings, then Greg Billo took over to bring it home for KC. The Cougars wasted little time as Murray Watts hit a 2-out RBI single and Cheslor Cuthbert hit a 2-run homer in the 1st. Ryan Jenkins followed a Lane Adams double with an RBI single to make it 4-0 before the 1st ended. Yordano Ventura's second start of the season didn't go much different than his first, as Beloit got a 2-run double in the 1st to cut the lead in half. A Jake Kuebler double play ball got a run back for the Cougars in the 2nd, but Beloit matched the run in their half of the inning. Geulin Beltre hit an RBI forceout in the 3rd to make it 6-3, but Ventura continued to struggle as 2 doubles and a sac fly cut the lead to 6-5 after 3. Billo came on in the 4th and got a double play to escape a minor jam as Adams threw a runner out at second to end the inning. KC stranded 2 in both the 6th and 7th, and Billo only had one 1-2-3 inning, but a couple caught baserunners by Jenkins helped him secure the victory. DH Nate Roberts had 3 hits to improve to .352 and SS Andy Leer had 2 hits for Beloit. Kane County is 17-26. Jason Adam makes his second pro start in Sunday's game 3.

Royals on the Farm 5/20

AAA - Omaha: Las Vegas 12, Storm Chasers 5 (end of Thu. game)

* Did I not say it was a rough 9th for the Chasers? Vegas pushed across 5 more runs before the dust settled on Friday night. Blaine Hardy took the mound as play resumed with the bases loaded and 0 outs, and a 3-run double and 2-run homer made it 12-5 Vegas. Omaha went down without much fight in the bottom of the inning.

Las Vegas 6, Storm Chasers 1

1B C. Robinson 1-3, BB, HR (11), RBI (32), RS -- .350
RF Dyson 1-4, SB -- .250, welcome to the bench, Paulo Orlando
LF Giavotella 1-3, BB, K, CS (2) -- .290, LF?
3B Moustakas 0-4, K -- .265
CF Cain 1-4, K -- .278

Mendoza 5 IP, 5 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 1-3, 5.46 ERA
M. Santiago 4 IP, ER, H, BB, 4 K -- 5.87 ERA

* The 51s took out the Chasers again in the regularly scheduled Friday game. The fun started with a leadoff homer off Luis Mendoza in the 1st. Omaha stranded 2 in the 2nd and Las Vegas added 2 in the 3rd to make it 3-0. A 2-run double made it 5-0 in the 5th and the 51s added a gravy run in the 8th. Omaha stranded 2 in the 8th but broke up the shutout with a Clint Robinson leadoff homer (his 11th) in the 9th. Vegas SP Brad Mills allowed 4 hits and 3 BB with 5 Ks over 8 scoreless IP to improve to 4-2 with a 2.34 ERA. CF DeWayne Wise had 3 hits and was a double shy of the cycle. Three other 51s had 2 hits. 1B David Cooper drove in 3 runs (24). Omaha is 23-18. Game 3 is Saturday as Jeremy Jeffress makes his first start of the season. OF David Lough and 1B Kila Ka'aihue sat with shoulder problems.

AA - NW Arkansas: rainout

* The game is cancelled and will not be made up. The Naturals and Travelers will play a doubleheader Saturday with Zach Miner (0-0, 4.50) and Buddy Baumann (0-2, 6.33) starting, tho Will Smith might sneak in to start one game. OF Derrick Robinson has been activated from the DL as John Lamb replaces him with "left elbow discomfort" according to the team site.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Myrtle Beach 4

1B Whittleman 3-5, 2B (11), RBI (25), K, RS -- .265
3B Batista 3-4, RS -- .238
LF Merrifield 2-4, BB, 2 RBI (17), 2 RS -- .320
RF Testa 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI (11), K -- .282
2B Navarro 0-5 -- .307
Wilmington stranded 10.

Sample 8 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA -- W, 2-3, 2.45 ERA
Paukovits 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, K -- 4.41 ERA
Dennick 1/3 IP, K -- SV, 2, 1.86 ERA

* Wilmington got a good start from Tyler Sample and capitalized on 3 Pelican errors to win the series opener. John Whittleman singled in a run in the 1st but Sample got nicked for 2 runs in the 2nd on 3 hits. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 3rd then loaded the bases with 0 out in the 4th but got nothing of it as a runner was nailed at the plate to end the inning. A Pelicans error scored a Rocks run in the 5th to tie it. The Rocks loaded the bases with 1 out in the 8th and Whit Merrifield came through with a 2-run single followed by a 2-run Carlo Testa triple that made it 6-2. Bryan Paukovits gave up a 2-run single in the 9th but Ryan Dennick got the last out to end it. C Zach Zaneski had 2 hits and 2 RBI (20) for the Pelicans. Wilmington is 24-16. Jake Odorizzi (3-0, 2.45) starts Saturday.

A - Kane County: Cougars 4, Beloit 3 (13)

RF Beltre 3-6, 3B (2), HR (2), 2 RBI (10), 2 RS, picked off -- .237, double shy of cycle
LF Adams 3-5, BB, RS -- .222
2B Franco 2-6, 3B (2), RBI (6), K -- .255
C Jones 1-5, BB, RBI (2), 2 K, PB, picked off runner -- .164
1B Kuebler 0-6, 3 K -- .000, season debut
3B Cuthbert 1-6, 2 K -- .167, Cheslor's 2011 debut
KC stranded 10.

L. Santiago 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- 2.75 ERA, nice.
Keck IP, ER, 2 H, K -- 2.79 ERA
Mitchell 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- BS, 1, 4.71 ERA
Odenbach 3 2/3 IP, H, BB, 6 K -- BS, 2, W, 2-1, 2.59 ERA

* The Cougars blew a late 2-0 lead, blew another lead in the 10th, but finally finished the Snappers off in the 13th. KC stranded 2 in the 2nd, then wasted an Angel Franco triple in the 3rd. The game was scoreless in the 5th as Geulin Beltre went deep for his 2nd home run of the season. Beltre added an RBI single in the 7th as Leonel Santiago handed a 3-hit shutout to the bullpen in the 8th. Two doubles off Jon Keck scored a run that inning and Matt Mitchell gave up a 2-out RBI double to RF Lance Ray to tie it in the 9th. Beltre had a key hit again in the 10th as a 1-out triple was followed by a Franco RBI single to make it 3-2 Cougars. Dusty Odenbach came in with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 10th and a passed ball tied the game before Odenbach wriggled out of the jam. With 2 out and none on in the 13th, Ryan Stovall walked and Cheslor Cuthbert singled. A Lane Adams walk loaded the bases and Travis Jones drew a key walk to make up for his passed ball in the 10th. Odenbach gave up a leadoff double in the 13th but worked around it. CF Wang-Wei Lin had 3 hits, including 2 doubles (6), and Ray had 2 hits for Beloit. KC is 16-26. Yordano Ventura (0-1, 12.00) starts Saturday.

Royals on the Farm 5/19

AAA - Omaha: Las Vegas 7, Storm Chasers 5 (susp. in 9th)

SS Falu 2-3, BB, 2B, 2 RS, SB (5) -- .356
DH C. Robinson 2-4, HR (10), RBI (31), K, RS -- .351
3B Moustakas 1-3, BB, 2B (8), RBI (33), K -- .275
1B Ka'aihue 1-3, SF, RBI (8) -- .257
LF Giavotella 0-2, 2 BB, RS -- .289
CF Cain 0-4, K -- .279
RF Paulo Orlando had an assist at second.

Montgomery 7 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 7 H, 2 BB, 7 K, WP -- 4.01 ERA
Chavez IP, 4 R (3 ER), 5 H -- 3.54 ERA, pitching himself out of high-leverage situations at this rate
Hardy 0 IP, just entered game -- 3.77 ERA

* The Storm Chasers have their work cut out for them when play resumes Friday before the regularly scheduled game. A 5-3 lead has evaporated in the 9th, and the 51s have the bases loaded and 0 out. Omaha loaded the bases with 0 out in the 1st but wasted the opportunity. An error scored Vegas' first run off Mike Montgomery in the 2nd, but a Manny Pina single tied the game in the bottom of the 2nd thanks to a 51s error on the play. Kila Ka'aihue hit a sac fly in the 3rd, but 3 hits and 2 walks off Montgomery gave the 51s a 3-2 lead in the 4th. Another 51s error scored the tying run in the 5th and Clint Robinson went yard for his 10th homer of the season to make it 4-3 Omaha. Montgomery stranded 2 in the 6th. Mike Moustakas doubled in a run in the 7th to make it 5-3 and Jesse Chavez came on for his second inning of work in the 9th. That inning went double, error, RBI single, sac bunt (no out recorded, Omaha MGR Mike Jirschele ejected in aftermath), RBI single, RBI single, RBI single. Then, Chavez was mercifully pulled for Blaine Hardy and the weather kept play from continuing. DH Jason Lane has 3 hits for Vegas while two others have 2 hits. P Jeremy Jeffress and OF Jarrod Dyson have been demoted to Omaha as Jeffress will join the rotation and Dyson will join Lorenzo Cain and David Lough in the Chasers' outfield. Pitchers Greg Holland and Robinson Tejeda were called up to KC.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 2, Tulsa 0 (3-hitter)

C S. Perez 2-4, HR (3), 2 RBI (7), K, RS -- .265
1B Seratelli 2-4, BB, SB (5) -- .282
SS Bianchi 0-5, K -- .242

Lamb 2/3 IP, K -- 3.09, left with injury
Sisk 3 1/3 IP, H, 4 K -- 4.50 ERA
Paulino 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 1-0, 3.16 ERA
Herrera IP, 2 K -- SV, 1, 3.60 ERA

* It was an odd 3-hit shutout for the Naturals as John Lamb lasted 2 outs before leaving with injury and the bullpen slapped together a gem of a game. Both teams stranded 2 in the 2nd and the Naturals stranded 2 more in the 5th. The key AB came in the 6th as Salvador Perez clubbed a 2-run homer for his 3rd of the season. Meanwhile, the Naturals got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from Brandon Sisk, 4 shutout frames from Eduardo Paulino and Kelvin Herrera picked up his 1st AA save. NW Arkansas is 20-16. The Naturals will journey home to lay siege to the Arkansas Travelers (17-19, AA Angels) for a 4-day, 6-game battle royale....er, series. Game 1 is Friday as Will Smith (3-3, 4.46) starts. According to the team site, Lamb's injury is thought to be centered in his left elbow. At this point he was removed from the game as a precaution.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 1, Salem 0

3B Batista 1-3, HR, RBI (10), RS -- .216
CF Merrifield 0-4, 2 K -- .315
RF Testa 0-3, BB, K, picked off -- .275
2B Navarro 0-3, K -- .317

Marks 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- W, 2-2, 5.82 ERA
Lafferty 2 IP, H, 3 K -- SV, 1, 2.51 ERA

* Thursday's game was a 1-hitter.....for the Red Sox, but still a loss as Deivy Batista's 1st homer of the season gave Justin Marks and Brendan Lafferty all they needed. Marks stranded 2 in the 1st and Batista's homer came early as the solo shot in the 3rd made it 1-0 Rocks. Marks worked around doubles in the 5th and 6th, then stranded 2 in the 7th. Lafferty stranded 1 in the 9th and that was it. Salem SP Chris Balcom-Miller took the hard loss with an ER on a hit with a walk and 6 Ks over 6 IP to fall to 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA. 2B Zach Gentile outhit the Rocks, 2-1. Wilmington is 23-16 after the 4-game sweep of the Sox. A 3-game home set with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (25-15, A-Adv. Rangers) starts Friday. Tyler Sample will start.

A - Kane County: Cedar Rapids 3, Cougars 1

2B Espinal 1-3, BB, 2B (3), RBI (11), K -- .191
DH Hall 0-4, K -- .301
3B Stovall 0-3, BB -- .292
CF Alex Llanos had an assist at the plate.

L. Perez 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 5 K, HRA -- L, 1-5, 3.02 ERA
Hodge 2 IP, H, 2 BB -- 5.85 ERA

* One night after no-hitting the Kernels, the Cougars were back to their old ways as they mustered only 3 hits in a loss to Cedar Rapids. Yowill Espinal hit an RBI double in the 2nd but the Cougars left the bases full. Leondy Perez loaded the bases with 1 out in the 2nd and a sac fly and RBI single made it 2-1 Cedar Rapids. The Kernels got a solo homer in the 3rd to make it 3-1. KC got the first 2 on in the 5th but made nothing of it. The Cougars stranded 2 in the 8th and left a runner on in the 9th. Kernels SP Max Russell allowed an ER over 7 2/3 IP to improve to 4-2. RF David Harris had 2 hits. KC is 15-26. A 4-game set at the Beloit Snappers (21-17, A Twins) starts Friday. Leonel Santiago (3-4, 3.14) will start the opener.

Royals on the Farm 5/18 -- No-hitter for Kane County

Thoughts on Danny Duffy's first start.....he showed good stuff, showed good location on the fastball at times, couple wicked curveballs, but he pitched to Endy Chavez and Andres Blanco like they were Rod Carew. I'm sure first-start jitters were part of it, and it gave him something to build on....nice 9th inning blast from Hosmer, too. Great job pinch running by Aviles and Dyson. Top notch.

AAA - Omaha: off day

* A 4-game home set with the Las Vegas 51s (22-18, AAA Blue Jays) starts Thursday. There's no announced starter on the team site, but the World-Herald has Mike Montgomery (2-1, 4.25) climbing the hill. RP Kanekoa Texeira was DFA'd to make room for Duffy.

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 4, Naturals 3

RF Francis 2-3, BB, RBI (3), K -- .188
DH T. Smith 1-4, HR (3), RBI (10), RS -- .237
SS Colon 0-4, RBI (21), K -- .248

Dwyer 6 IP, ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 2 K -- 5.82 ERA, overall a good start, but can't be happy with the BB/K
Rollins 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 4.33 ERA
Keating 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, K, HRA, WP -- BS, 3, L, 1-2, 5.19 ERA

* The Drillers struck oil in the 9th off Patrick Keating to get another walkoff win. Anthony Seratelli led off the game with a double and scored on a Christian Colon groundout to get NW Arkansas on the board in the 1st. Tulsa tied it in the 3rd but Chris Dwyer left the bases full in the 4th. Nick Francis hit the go-ahead single in the 7th and Tim Smith hit a solo shot in the 9th for his 3rd of the season to make it 3-1. Keating had a runner at second with 2 out in the 9th and, after a single put runners at the corners, a wild pitch scored a run and 2B Thomas Field took Keating out for his 4th homer of the season. The 2-run walkoff shot ended it. Field and CF Tim Wheeler had 2 hits for Tulsa. Wheeler also stole his 8th base. NWA is 19-16. The series wraps up Thursday with John Lamb (1-2, 3.15) starting.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 7, Salem 1 (7/G1)

CF Merrifield 2-5, 2 RBI (13), RS -- .324, becoming a Pipeline favorite
3B Batista 2-4, 2 RS, SB (2) -- .220
LF Ferguson 1-4, HR (3), 2 RBI (18), 2 K, RS -- .176
2B Navarro 1-3, BB, 2B (10), RBI (19) -- .324
1B Whittleman 1-2, 2 BB, RBI (24), RS -- .256
The Rocks stranded 10.

E. Pimentel 6 IP, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K -- W, 3-1, 4.23 ERA, has been more impressive this season thus far
Paukovits IP, K -- 3.45 ERA

* A 6-run 6th helped the Rocks take game 1 from Salem on Wednesday. Elisaul Pimentel stranded 2 in the 2nd and John Whittleman took a 2-out bases-loaded walk in the 3rd. Pimentel gave up the tying run on 3 hits in the bottom of the inning. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 5th, but they loaded the bases with 0 out in the 6th. A Whit Merrifield single cleared the bases thanks to a Sox error and Merrifield would score on a Rey Navarro groundout. Tim Ferguson followed with a 2-run homer (his 3rd) to make it 7-1. Pimentel and Bryan Paukovits retired the last 8 Sox. 3B Kolbrin Vitek had 2 hits for Salem.

Blue Rocks 5, Salem 1 (7/G2)

DH Navarro 1-3, HR (2), 3 RBI (22), 2 K, RS -- .324
2B Merrifield 1-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI (15), 2 RS, SB (8) -- .324
RF Testa 1-2, BB, K, RS, picked off -- .286
LF Adrian Ortiz had an assist at the plate.

Melville 5 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, K -- W, 4-4, 4.57 ERA
Chapman 2 IP, 3 K -- 3.86 ERA

* The Rocks used the power of the longball to sweep the twinbill. Tim Melville stranded 2 in the 2nd and Whit Merrifield hammered a 2-run homer in the 3rd for his 1st of the season. Salem got a run back in the 3rd, but Adrian Ortiz kept the Rocks in the lead with an assist at the plate to end the 5th. Rey Navarro put it away with a 3-run homer in the 6th for his 2nd of the season. Kevin Chapman pitched 2 perfect innings of relief to finish the win for Melville. Wilmington is 22-16. They go for the sweep on Thursday as Justin Marks and Tyler Sample team up.

A - Kane County: Cougars 2, Cedar Rapids 0 (no-hitter)

3B Franco 2-4, 3B, RBI (5), K, RS, E (3) -- .244
1B Caseres 2-4 -- .250
RF Adams 2-4, 2 K, OF assist at second -- .207
CF Llanos 0-4, RBI (25) -- .252
SS Hall 0-4, K -- .311

Marimon 7 2/3 IP, 2 BB, 7 K, WP -- W, 3-2, 2.75 ERA
Byrne 1 1/3 IP, K -- SV, 2, 4.58 ERA

* I would have been pretty confident in a bet a couple years ago that Sugar Ray Marimon wouldn't be a part of a no-hitter, especially as a 7 2/3 inning starter. Tonight I stand corrected. He and Chas Byrne teamed up to whitewash the Kernels as 2 walks and an error were between the Cougars and perfection. Angel Franco led off the game with a triple and scored on an Alex Llanos groundout to get KC the only run needed. Marimon issued walks in the 2nd and 3rd but worked around them. Franco hit an RBI single in the 5th to make it 2-0. Marimon retired 17 in a row before getting pulled after an error in the 8th. Byrne then retired the next 4 to end it. Kane County is 15-25. The feat marked the 7th no-hitter in Kane County Cougar history. The series ends Thursday as Leondy Perez (1-4, 2.79) starts.

Royals on the Farm 5/17 -- Duffy time, Adam debuts

So.....a Kyle Davies injury and Vin Mazzaro's horrible outing on Monday mean it's Danny Duffy time in KC. Is it a smart move? I don't know, but it's probably not in the best interests of protecting their rights to his services in the future. Is it necessary? Probably. Who else are they gonna bring up? I think Mazzaro is getting kind of a raw deal in all this, but you can't have that bad of an outing, I guess, and survive. Why bring him back out after he gave up 10 runs in one inning? He obviously wasn't mentally prepared to go and his stuff wasn't exactly working. I've heard the Royals reported as preaching lately that they don't want to bring a pitcher up just to send him right back down and hurt his confidence. I guess that only applies to the chosen few? I know Mazzaro isn't Duffy or Montgomery or Lamb, but he is projected as a 4 or 5 starter if the Royals' system starts producing like the experts think it will. I'm gonna keep the summaries brief tonight.

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 12, Colorado Springs 9

LF Orlando 4-5, 2B (5), HR, 3 RBI (16), 2 RS, CS (2) -- .240, don't type Paulo's name for a while, but he's been hot lately
C Pina 2-4, BB, HR, 2 RBI (7), 2 RS, E (4) -- .209
CF Cain 2-5, 2B (11), RBI (15), 2 RS -- .288
3B Moustakas 2-4, BB, 2B (7), HR (8), RBI (32), K, RS -- .273
RF Falu 2-6, RBI (13), RS -- .345
PH-DH Ka'aihue 1-1, BB, 2B (2), 3 RBI (7), RS -- .250
1B C. Robinson 2-5, RBI (30), K, RS -- .347
SS Arias 2-5, 2B (2), K, 2 RS -- .333
2B Giavotella 1-6 -- .293

Pucetas 6 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 3 HRA, pickoff -- 4.26 ERA
Chavez 2/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 2-0, 2.33 ERA
Hardy IP, H, BB, K -- 3.77 ERA
Texeira IP, K -- SV, 1, 5.23 ERA

* Didn't I say yesterday 12 was the magic number? That's all 4 games in C-Springs with double-digit runs, and 3 straight with 12 runs in Omaha wins as the Chasers get the sweep. Once again the Sky Sox took an early lead as a 4-run 1st off Kevin Pucetas put Omaha in an early hole. Lorenzo Cain hit an RBI double and Paulo Orlando singled him home in the 2nd to get Omaha started and Mike Moustakas cranked his 8th homer of the season in the 3rd to cut it to 4-3. It was 5-3 in the 7th when Omaha tied it on a 2-run homer by Orlando for his 1st of the season. Pucetas was pulled with 2 on and 1 out in the 7th and Jesse Chavez allowed 4 runs to score to make it 9-5 Sky Sox. Omaha struck back in the 8th as they loaded the bases with 1 out. Kila Ka'aihue cleared the bases with a 3-run double, Manny Pina followed with a 2-run homer for his 1st of the season, and Irving Falu and Clint Robinson hit RBI singles to make it 12-9 Omaha. Blaine Hardy stranded 2 in the 8th and Kanekoa Texeira pitched a 1-2-3 9th to finish it. Five Sky Sox had 2 hits. Omaha is 23-16. They have Wednesday off. As noted above, Danny Duffy will get his shot at MLB with a Wednesday start for KC. Vin Mazzaro is headed back to the AAA rotation. Everett Teaford has also been moved up to KC, which is nice to see. I hope he sticks.

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 5, Naturals 4 (10)

2B Bianchi 1-4, 2 RBI (14), K -- .252
DH T. Smith 1-3, BB, RBI (9), RS, 2 SB (3) -- .236
3B-1B Lisson 1-4, HR (9), RBI (17), 3 K, RS -- .275
SS Colon 0-3, BB, RS, E (6) -- .256
C S. Perez 1-4, K -- .255
LF Anthony Seratelli had an assist at the plate.

Osuna 4 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, BB, 3 K -- 6.75 ERA
Paulino 3 IP, ER, H, BB, 3 K, HRA -- 3.74 ERA
Lebron 2 2/3 IP, ER, H, 4 BB, 5 K, WP -- L, 0-1, 3.38 ERA, liiiiiiiiiiittle wild in organizational debut

* The Naturals scored 2 late runs to force extras but fell in 10. Tulsa got to Edgar Osuna for 2 runs in the 1st and then got another run in the 3rd to make it 3-0. Tim Smith hit an RBI single and Jeff Bianchi hit an RBI groundout in the 4th to cut into the lead, but the Drillers got a solo homer off Eduardo Paulino in the 5th to make it 4-2. Mario Lisson led off the 8th with his 9th homer, and Bianchi hit an RBI single in the 9th to tie the game. Willy Lebron got the first out without incident and a would-be strikeout turned into a runner at first with a third-strike wild pitch. A walk loaded the bases with 2 out and Lebron walked one more Driller to end it. Tulsa SP Juan Nicasio allowed 2 ER over 7 IP with 9 K to move his ERA to 1.99. Three Drillers had 2 hits as C Wilin Rosario drove in 2 runs (14). NWA is 19-15. Game 3 is a Wednesday matinee. Chris Dwyer (1-3, 6.61) starts.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: rainout

* The game with Salem will be made up as a Wednesday doubleheader. Elisaul Pimentel and Tim Melville will start the games. I failed to note yesterday that John Whittleman was named Carolina League Player of the Week for May 9-15. He hit .450 over the week with 8 XBH and 5 RBI.

A - Kane County: Cougars 5, Cedar Rapids 4

CF Llanos 3-5, RBI (24), RS -- .258
1B Watts 2-3, BB, RBI (12) -- .215
2B-3B Franco 2-5, CS -- .220
SS Hall 1-4, BB, 3B (4), RBI (14), K, RS -- .322
LF Adams 0-2, SF, HBP, RBI (8), K, OF assist at third -- .196
C Jenkins 1-4, RBI (11), K -- .261
3B-1B Stovall 1-4, K, RS -- .300

Adam 4 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 3 K, E -- 6.23 ERA, hey, it's his first pro start...
Odenbach 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, WP -- 3.05 ERA
Boruff 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- W, 3-1, 1.50 ERA

* A pivotal 6th inning set up a big 9th for the Cougars as they defeated the Kernels. KC stranded 2 in the 3rd and Jason Adam didn't do badly through his first 2 pro innings of work, but ran into trouble in the 3rd as the Kernels scored 2 runs on 2 walks and 2 hits. Ryan Jenkins hit a 2-out RBI single in the 4th but Cedar Rapids made it 3-1 that inning. Kane County tied it in the 6th on a Lane Adams sac fly and Murray Watts RBI single. Dusty Odenbach allowed the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning to CR. The game went to the 9th with a 4-3 Kernels lead, and with 1 on and 2 out, Gerard Hall hit a game-tying triple and Alex Llanos hit the go-ahead single to turn it around. Chase Boruff pitched a perfect 9th as he had a good relief outing. C Carlos Ramirez and SS Rolando Gomez had 2 hits. KC is 14-25. Sugar Ray Marimon pitches game 2 Wednesday.

Royals on the Farm 5/16

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 12, Colorado Springs 9

RF Falu 5-6, 2 3B (4), 2 RBI (12), 3 RS, SB (4) -- .346, a 5-hit night'll do wonders for your BA
LF Orlando 4-5, 2B (4), RBI (13), 3 RS, SB (3), OF assist at second -- .212
2B Giavotella 2-5, BB, 3 RBI (28) -- .298
3B Moustakas 2-5, BB, 2B (6), 2 RBI (31), K, 2 RS, E (8) -- .267
1B C. Robinson 2-5, BB, 2B (11), 2 RBI (29), RS -- .345
SS Arias 2-5, 2 RS -- .318
DH Ka'aihue 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (4) -- .226
C May 1-5, 3B, RBI (7), 2 K, RS, picked off runner -- .149
CF Cain 0-5, 3 K -- .283, hard couple games since the cycle
Omaha stranded 11.

Suppan 4 1/3 IP, 8 R (7 ER), 13 H, BB, 5 K, 2 HRA -- 5.91 ERA, looks like a little bit of BP off Jeff Monday
M. Santiago 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, HRA -- W, 1-0, 9.82 ERA
Holland 3 IP, H, 4 K -- SV, 2, 2.08 ERA, nice outing

* Omaha once again proved to have the Sky Sox's number, and that number was 12 runs once more. The Chasers came back from down, 7-1, as Colorado Springs scored 4 in the 1st and 1 in the 2nd off Jeff Suppan. Irving Falu enjoyed a career day at the plate as he tripled and scored on a Johnny Giavotella single to cut it to 5-1. C-Springs struck for 2 more off Suppan in the 3rd. Lucas May tripled home a run and scored on a Paulo Orlando RBI single in the 4th to trim it to 7-3. Clint Robinson hit an RBI double and Kila Ka'aihue singled home a run to cut it to 7-5 in the 5th as Omaha continued to chip away. Suppan allowed a solo homer before getting pulled in the 5th but Omaha tied it in the 6th as Mike Moustakas hit a 2-run double and Robinson singled home the tying run. The Chasers took the lead in the 7th on a 2-run Falu triple and Giavotella RBI single. The Sky Sox got a solo homer off Mario Santiago in the 7th to cut it to 11-9 but Greg Holland would hold the line. An error scored an insurance run for Omaha in the 9th and Holland sat down the last 5 Sox consecutively. Seven Sky Sox pitchers appeared in the game with 6 getting credited for earned runs. Three Sox had 3 hits as 2B Brad Emaus hit 2 HR (4) and drove in 3 runs (12). Two others had 2 hits. Omaha is 22-16. The series wraps Tuesday as Kevin Pucetas (3-1, 3.13) starts.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 5, Tulsa 4

1B Seratelli 2-3, BB, HR (4), RBI (14), K, 2 RS, SB (4) -- .289
C S. Perez 2-4, RS -- .255
SS Colon 1-3, SF, 2 RBI (20), CS (4) -- .263
RF Francis 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, E -- .111, picked a great time for his first 2 AA RBI
2B Bianchi 1-4, 2 K, RS -- .252

Miner 4 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K, HRA, balk -- 4.50 ERA, organization debut
Sisk 3 IP, 2 H, 5 K -- 5.52 ERA
Herrera IP, 2 ER, 2 H, K, 2 HRA -- BS, 1, W, 1-0, 4.50 ERA
Rollins IP, 2 K -- SV, 1, 4.68 ERA

* A wild last couple innings settled out with the Naturals on top in a key divisional game. Anthony Seratelli got the scoring started with a solo homer in the 3rd for his 4th of the season. Zach Miner was perfect in his first 2 organizational innings of work, but allowed a run in the 3rd and a solo homer in the 4th as Tulsa took a 2-1 lead. Christian Colon hit a sac fly in the 6th to tie it, then came through with a 2-out RBI single in the 8th to make it 3-2 Naturals. Kelvin Herrera was shaky, however, as he allowed 2 solo homers to turn the lead around for the Drillers. The Naturals were down to their last out in the 9th but a Jeff Bianchi single kept it alive and Salvador Perez did the same. Nick Francis then came to the plate and hit a clutch 2-run double to give the Nats a 5-4 lead. Heath Rollins pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his 1st save. CF Tim Wheeler was 2-4 with his 3rd triple and 12th HR and 2 RBI (35) to move to .326. LF Mike Mitchell also had 2 doubles. NW Arkansas is 19-14. OF Nick Van Stratten and P Will Smith were named the Texas League Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for May 9-15, as Van Stratten hit 8-18 (.444) with 2 HR and 9 RBI over the week. Smith allowed an ER in 13 IP with 2 wins on the week. Zach Miner, who started tonight, joined the roster. OF Wil Myers has joined OF Derrick Robinson back in Arizona to rehab. Minors FA RH Willy Lebron has also been added to the roster. He's 32. To make room, P Harold Mozingo was DL'ed with a calf problem.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 7, Salem 3

1B Graterol 3-5, RBI (3), K, E (4) -- .182
2B Navarro 2-5, RBI (18) -- .324
3B Batista 1-4, 2B (7), 2 RBI (9), K, E (7) -- .207
CF Ferguson 1-4, BB, 2B (6), RBI (16), 2 K, RS -- .174
LF Merrifield 1-4, BB, 2B (12), K, 2 RS -- .321
The Rocks stranded 10.

Arguelles 4 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, BB, 2 K, HRA, 2 WP -- 2.43 ERA, not his best outing
Mariot 5 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K, WP -- W, 4-0, 1.46 ERA

* A pair of 3-run innings helped the Rocks beat the Sox on Monday. A double play helped Noel Arguelles out of a jam in the 1st, and the Rocks loaded the bases with 1 out in the 2nd before a Juan Graterol RBI single and Deivy Batista 2-run double made it 3-0. Salem stranded 2 in the 3rd before the Rocks added 3 in the 4th on a double-play ball that scored a run, a Rey Navarro RBI single and Tim Ferguson bases-loaded walk that made it 6-0. Arguelles gave up a solo homer and another run in the 4th and Mike Mariot took over in the 5th. Whit Merrifield doubled and scored on an error in the 8th and the Sox scored a run that inning to cut it to 7-3. Mariot recovered with a 1-2-3 9th for his 4th win. 2B Zach Gentile had 3 hits for Salem and 2 others had 2 hits. The Rocks are 20-16. Game 2 is Tuesday as Elisaul Pimentel (2-1, 4.73) starts.

A - Kane County: off day

* There's gonna be a big debut on Tuesday as a 3-game set at the Cedar Rapids Kernels (20-17, A Angels) begins. RH Jason Adam, the Royals' 2010 5th rounder out of Overland Park (KS), will start for the Cougars in his organizational debut. OF Brian Fletcher has been placed on the DL.

Royals on the Farm 5/15 -- Moustakas returns, Myers goes to DL

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 12, Colorado Springs 5

1B C. Robinson 3-5, 2B (10), 2 RBI (27), RS -- .343
3B Moustakas 2-5, 2B (5), HR (7), 3 RBI (29), K, 2 RS -- .262
LF Orlando 2-5, 2B (3), 3 RBI (12), K, RS -- .181
RF Falu 2-4, 2 BB, 2 RBI (10), 2 RS, CS (2) -- .307
2B Giavotella 2-6, 2B (7), 2 K, 2 RS, E (4) -- .295
SS Zawadzki 2-4, BB, 2 2B (9), K, 2 RS -- .239
DH Ka'aihue 1-4, BB, RBI (3), 2 K, RS -- .214
C Pina 0-3, 2 BB, RBI (5), RS -- .190
CF Cain 0-4, BB, K, E -- .296

Mendoza 4 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, WP -- 4.74 ERA
B. Johnson 3 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K, WP -- W, 1-1, 8.53 ERA
Texeira IP, UER, BB -- 5.79 ERA

* The Storm Chaser bats were at it again as a 7-run rally fueled another double-digit-run game. Clint Robinson hit an RBI single in the 1st, Paulo Orlando hit an RBI double in the 2nd and Kila Ka'aihue singled in a run in the 3rd to spot Omaha a 3-0 lead. The Sky Sox got a run off Luis Mendoza in the 3rd, but Omaha got 2 in the 5th on a Mike Moustakas RBI double and Robinson RBI single. Omaha left the bases full and the Sox got another run off Mendoza in the bottom of the frame. Omaha put it away with a 7-run 7th as Manny Pina drew a bases-loaded walk, Orlando hit a 2-run single, Irving Falu hit a 2-run single and Moustakas clubbed a 2-run dinger for his 7th of the season. The Sky Sox scraped out 3 late runs but never threatened the necessary monumental rally. Four Sox had 2 hits. RF Charlie Blackmon, who terrorized the Naturals last season, was 2-5 with his 11th double, 33rd RBI and 9th SB. He's hitting .321. Omaha is 21-16. Game 3 is Monday night as Jeff Suppan (3-4, 4.93) is set to start.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 3, Springfield 0 (4-hitter, 7/G1)

LF T. Smith 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (8), RS, SB (2) -- .244
DH Colon 2-4, RS, SB (8) -- .268
SS Bianchi 0-3, 2 K -- .257
C S. Perez 1-3, 2B (6) -- .244
RF Francis 0-2, BB, SB -- .000, AA debut

W. Smith CG, 4 H, 2 BB, K -- W, 3-3, 4.46 ERA

* Will Smith shut down the Cards as the Naturals took the first of 2 on Sunday. The Naturals stranded 2 in the 1st and Smith got a double play to get out of the 3rd. Tim Smith led off the 4th with his 2nd homer of the season and the Naturals added 2 in the 5th on a run-scoring wild pitch and a Tim Smith RBI single. Will Smith stranded 2 in scoring position in the 6th but sat the Cards down in order in the 7th. RF Alex Castellanos had 2 hits for the Cards.

Naturals 8, Springfield 4 (7/G2)

LF Seratelli 3-3, BB, 2 RS -- .277
1B Romak 2-4, RBI (20), K, RS -- .275
CF Van Stratten 1-3, GS (4), 4 RBI (19), RS -- .262, had the big blow
C Eigsti 1-3, HR, RBI, K, RS -- .400
PH-DH Bianchi 0-2, RBI (12), RS -- .252
SS Colon 0-3, S -- .261
RF Francis 0-3, BB, RS -- .000

Baumann 4 IP, ER, H, 5 BB, 4 K, E, WP -- 6.33 ERA
Mozingo 2 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K, HRA -- W, 1-0, 13.00 ERA
Keating IP, BB -- 3.78 ERA

* A 7-run rally and big hit by Nick Van Stratten helped NW Arkansas sweep the doubleheader. An error scored a run for NW Arkansas in the 1st, but Buddy Baumann allowed a run on a walk and hit to tie it at 1 after 1. Baumann received the benefit of a runner thrown out at the plate in the 3rd as he stranded the bases full. Harold Mozingo came in for the 5th and gave up a run before stranding 2. Jose Rada came in to pitch the 6th for Springfield and the Naturals went to work. They loaded the bases with 1 out and in came RP Nick Greenwood, who allowed a run on an error and then served up a grand slam to Van Stratten to make it 6-2 NWA. Ryan Eigsti made it back-to-back homers with a solo shot for his 1st of the season and Jamie Romak added a 2-out RBI single to extend it to 8-2. Mozingo gave up a 2-run homer in the 6th and Patrick Keating got a double play to help finish it in the 7th. 1B Matt Adams had 2 hits and 2 RBI (32) for the Cards. CF Alex Castellanos hit his 7th homer with 2 RBI (22). NW Arkansas is 18-14. A key 4-gamer at the Tulsa Drillers (20-15, AA Rockies, division leader) starts Monday. No announced starter on the team site. The Naturals received Nick Francis from Wilmington as Wil Myers was put on the DL with a knee injury.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 5, Blue Rocks 4

3B Batista 4-4, 2B (6), 2 RBI (7), RS -- .205
1B Whittleman 2-4, 2 2B (10), RBI (23) -- .260
CF Merrifield 1-4, BB, RBI (11), K, RS -- .323
RF Testa 1-3, HBP, S, 2B (9), SB (4) -- .278
2B Navarro 0-4 -- .321

Odorizzi 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 4 K, WP -- 2.45 ERA, not a great weekend for the top organization pitching prospects, Lamb and Smith's outings aside
Baez 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 5 K, HRA -- L, 1-1, 2.45 ERA

* Wilmington mounted a nice comeback rally to tie it in the 9th but just as quickly watched the P-Nats walk off with it. John Whittleman hit a 2-out RBI double in the 1st but Jake Odorizzi allowed a run on 2 hits in the bottom of the frame. The Nationals moved ahead by a run in the 3rd and then chased Odorizzi before scoring a run in the 5th to make it 3-1. Deivy Batista singled home a run in the 7th but the Rocks stranded 2. Manauris Baez allowed a solo homer in the 8th to make it 4-2 but Batista hit a 2-out RBI double in the 9th and Whit Merrifield hit a clutch RBI single to tie the game. Baez got the first 2 outs in the Potomac 9th but then 2 singles scored a run as speedster LF Eury Perez scored to end the game. Perez and RF Destin Hood had 4 hits for the Nationals, as Perez had 3 doubles and Hood had his 2nd HR with 3 RBI (16). The Rocks are 19-16. A 4-game set at the Salem Red Sox (21-12) starts Monday. Noel Arguelles (2-1, 2.15) and Mike Mariot will tagteam the opener.

A - Kane County: Peoria 11, Cougars 8

1B Caseres 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, RS, picked off, E -- .235
DH Watts 2-5, 2B (3), HR (2), 2 RBI (11), K, RS -- .202
3B Franco 2-4, BB, 2 2B (4), 3 RS, SB -- .194
SS Hall 1-4, BB, 2B (11), 2 RBI (13) -- .324
CF Llanos 1-5, RBI (23), 2 K, RS -- .247
RF Adams 1-4, BB, 3B, RBI (7), K, RS, SB (4) -- .200

Ventura 3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 2 K, HRA, 3 WP -- 12.00 ERA, season debut
Mitchell 2 1/3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, BB -- L, 2-1, 4.12 ERA
Keck 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, HRA, WP, balk -- 2.45 ERA
Byrne 2 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 K, WP -- 4.91 ERA

* Seven late runs helped Peoria defeat the Cougars. Yordano Ventura made his 2011 debut and served up a 2-run homer in the 1st. Steven Caseres singled home his first run of the season to cut the lead in half in the 1st but two doubles off Ventura made it 3-1 Chiefs in the 2nd. The Chiefs made it 4-1 in the 3rd but Kane County came back in the 4th. Murray Watts slammed a 2-run homer (his 2nd) and Gerard Hall smacked a 2-out, 2-run double to make it 5-4 Cougars. That lasted until the 6th when the Chiefs scored 4 off Matt Mitchell and Jon Keck. They added 2 in the 7th and 1 in the 8th to make it 11-5. The Cougars mounted a rally with 2 outs in the 9th as Alex Llanos singled in a run, Caseres hit an RBI double and Lane Adams hit an RBI triple before Watts struck out looking to end it. Three Chiefs had 4 hits including LF Anthony Giansanti, who hit 2 doubles (6), his 2nd homer, and drove in 3 runs (13). KC is 13-25. They have Monday off.

Royals on the Farm 5/14 -- Sky Sox get big dose of Lorenzocain

AAA - Omaha: Reno 7, Storm Chasers 2 (Fri.)

2B Giavotella 2-5, 2B (5), RBI (22), RS -- .276
LF Lough 2-2, 2B (12), RS -- .336, pulled in 4th
1B C. Robinson 1-4, RBI (25) -- .318
DH Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, K -- .211
CF Cain 1-4 -- .283

Duffy 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 3-1, 3.00 ERA, 88 pitches, rough night
Teaford IP, ER, H, BB, K, HRA -- 3.16 ERA
Tejeda IP, H -- 0.00 ERA
Hardy IP, ER, 2 H, BB, K -- 4.05 ERA
Chavez IP, ER, 2 H, BB -- 2.04 ERA

* Omaha's offense began and ended in the 1st inning as Reno came away with the series finale. David Lough led off the game with a single followed by a Johnny Giavotella RBI double and Clint Robinson RBI groundout that made it 2-0 Storm Chasers. Danny Duffy ran into trouble as a 2-run homer and RBI double made it 3-2 Aces in the 2nd. Reno added a run in the 4th and Everett Teaford gave up Wily Mo Pena's 14th homer to lead off the 5th. The Chasers stranded 2 in the 7th and the Aces plated 2 late runs to pull away. The Chasers left 2 in scoring position in the 9th. Pena was 3-5 with the homer and 2 RBI (36) to improve to .376. Two other Aces had 2 hits. No word on the Moustakas front on the team site.

Storm Chasers 16, Colorado Springs 11

CF Cain 4-5, 2B (10), 3B (2), GS (2), 7 RBI (14, !), 3 RS -- .308, that's what we call hitting for the cycle
1B C. Robinson 4-6, 2 2B (9), K, 2 RS, 2 E -- .333
2B Giavotella 4-6, 2B (6), HR (2), 3 RBI (25), 3 RS -- .293
SS Zawadzki 3-5, 3B (3), HR (3), 4 RBI (17), 2 RS -- .229
3B Arias 2-4, BB, 2B, 3B, RBI (4), 2 RS -- .294
RF Falu 2-5, BB, K, 2 RS, SB (3) -- .296
C May 1-5, RBI (6), PB (2) -- .145
DH Ka'aihue 1-5, BB, 2 RS -- .208

Montgomery 4 1/3 IP, 11 R (8 ER), 9 H, 4 BB, 3 K, WP -- 4.25 ERA, yowch, not a good time for Mike in the thin air
Holland 1 2/3 IP, BB, K, WP -- W, 2-0, 1.41 ERA
Tejeda IP, H, 2 BB, K -- 0.00 ERA
Teaford IP, nothing -- 3.04 ERA
Chavez IP, 2 H -- 1.93 ERA

* The teams combined for 27 runs on 33 hits as Omaha got a big game from Lorenzo Cain to emerge on top. Cain got the Chasers started with a bang as he cranked a grand slam in the 1st for his 2nd homer of the season. Mike Montgomery had his struggles, though, as the Sky Sox scored 2 runs on a hit and walk in the bottom of the 1st. Johnny Giavotella ripped a 2-run homer in the 2nd (his 2nd) to make it 6-2 Chasers, but Montgomery allowed 4 runs in the 2nd on 3 hits, a walk, error and wild pitch. Omaha kept the pressure on with 3 in the 3rd on a Joaquin Arias RBI double (after a Cain leadoff double), Lance Zawadzki RBI triple and Lucas May RBI single. Cain singled in a run in the 4th to make it 10-6 Omaha. The Sky Sox went back to work on Montgomery in the 5th as 4 hits, an error and passed ball scored 4 runs and brought Greg Holland in with 1 out. The Sox plated one more run to take an 11-10 lead before Holland finished the inning. Cain hit a 2-run triple in the 6th to finish the cycle and was singled home by Zawadzki to make it 13-11 Omaha. Giavotella doubled in a run in the 7th and Zawadzki clubbed a 2-run homer in the 8th for his 3rd of the season to finish the scoring. Four Sox had 2 hits and former Royal 1B Mike Jacobs drove in 3 runs (25). CF Eric Young Jr. had 2 hits, including his 6th triple, 2 RBI (13), 2 BB, 3 RS and 2 SB (14) as he moved to .355. Omaha is 20-16. Game 2 is Sunday as Blake Johnson (0-1, 12.00) starts.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 5, Springfield 1

DH Bianchi 3-4, BB, 2B (9), RBI (11), K, RS -- .264
RF Seratelli 2-5, 2 RBI (13), K -- .256
2B Mertins 2-3, 2 BB, RBI (8), K, 2 RS, SB (4) -- .260
CF Van Stratten 2-3, BB, RBI (15), RS -- .258
SS Colon 1-5 -- .259
C S. Perez 1-5, K -- .241
NWA stranded 12.

Lamb 6 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- W, 1-2, 3.15 ERA
Paulino 2 IP, H -- 3.86 ERA
Herrera IP, 2 K -- 0.00 ERA

* John Lamb pitched well and the Nats took down the Cardinals. Lamb stranded 2 in the 1st and Kurt Mertins and Nick Van Stratten hit RBI singles in the 2nd before the Nats left the bases loaded. Anthony Seratelli added a 2-out, 2-run single in the 4th. Lamb's only damage came on a 5th inning solo shot. The Naturals had a couple runners thrown out at the plate in the middle innings. Jeff Bianchi singled in an insurance run in the 9th before NW Arkansas left the bases full. Kelvin Herrera pitched a 1-2-3 9th. CF Jose Garcia had 2 hits for the Cards. 2B Eric Duncan hit the homer for his 1st of the season. NWA is 16-14. The teams will play a twinbill Sunday as Will Smith and Buddy Baumann will start.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 5, Blue Rocks 4 (F/8)

CF Ferguson 2-3, BB, 2 RBI (15), picked off, E (2) -- .177
SS McClure 2-3, HBP, RBI (8), K, CS (4) -- .162
LF Merrifield 2-4, CS (4) -- .325
DH Testa 1-4, 3 K -- .275
2B Navarro 0-4, RS -- .331
RF Francis 1-3, BB, 2 RS -- .270

Sample 6 2/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 6 H, BB, 4 K, HRA -- 2.51 ERA
Marks 1 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- BS, 1, L, 1-2, 7.11 ERA

* An early lead vanished late as Mother Nature put an early end to Saturday's game for the Rocks. They started off right as Tim Ferguson singled in a run and Alex McClure singled in 2 runs thanks to an error to make it 3-0 after 1. Tyler Sample served up a solo homer in the 2nd but Ferguson singled home another run in the 3rd. Sample stranded 2 in the 3rd and 5th and the Rocks left 2 in scoring position in the 6th. Sample allowed a run before exiting in the 7th and things fell apart in the 8th for Justin Marks. A 1-out solo homer cut the lead to 1 and a 2-out, 2-run single turned it around. Play stopped after the inning and didn't resume. CF Eury Perez had 3 hits, including the game-winner, with 3 RBI (6) and his 12th SB. Two others had 2 hits, including 3B Justin Bloxom, who clubbed 2 HR. Wilmington is 19-15. Jake Odorizzi (3-0, 1.97) starts Sunday's series finale.

A - Kane County: Cougars 7, Peoria 3

CF Adams 2-2, 2 BB, 2B (4), RBI (6), RS, SB (3) -- .198
DH Llanos 0-4, BB, RBI (22), K, 2 RS, SB (7) -- .248
LF Aparicio 1-4, RBI (5), K, RS -- .157
C Jenkins 0-4, RBI (10), RS -- .262
SS Hall 0-2, BB, S, K, RS, 2 SB (3), E (8) -- .327
3B Stovall 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB (4) -- .302

L. Santiago 7 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, 4 K -- W, 3-4, 3.14 ERA
Hodge IP, ER, H -- 6.50 ERA
Boruff IP, nothing -- 1.80 ERA

* A 4-run rally keyed a suddenly resilient Cougars victory. Alex Llanos walked to lead off the Kane County 1st, stole second and scored on an error to put KC on the board. Peoria answered with a run in the 2nd off Leonel Santiago but Gerard Hall drew a leadoff walk in the 3rd, stole 2 bases and scored on a Ryan Jenkins groundout. Julio Aparicio singled in a run in the 4th and Llanos hit an RBI forceout before a 2-run error made it 6-1 Cougars. Santiago allowed a run in the 5th. Lane Adams singled in a run in the 7th and Mitch Hodge allowed a run in the 8th but the Cougars shut the door. 1B Richard Jones had 2 hits for the Chiefs. Kane County is 13-24. The series wraps Sunday as Sugar Ray Marimon starts.