Royals on the Farm 8/31 -- Cougars, Chasers are first to clinch playoff spot

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 12, New Orleans 2

RF Cain 5-5, 3 RBI (80), SB (16), E (7) -- .317, gave 'em a dose on Wednesday
DH Mertins 3-5, 3B, RBI (3), K, 2 RS, SB -- .271
2B Y. Navarro 3-5, K, 2 RS, 2 E (10) -- .250
CF Dyson 2-5, BB, HR (3), 3 RBI (24), K, 3 RS -- .289
SS Falu 2-5, BB, 3B (9), 3 RBI (46), 2 RS -- .295
LF Lough 1-5, BB, RBI (63), RS, SB (14) -- .314
Omaha stranded 12.

Mendoza 6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K -- W, 12-5, 2.18 ERA
Miner 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 1.66 ERA
Castaneda IP, H, K, WP -- 0.00 ERA, back from the Mexican League

* Round Rock scored first but Omaha did all the scoring thereafter as the Chasers trimmed the magic number to a measly 1, and later clinched the division title with a Memphis loss. The Express started the game with 3 straight doubles to get two quick runs off Luis Mendoza, but the Omaha ace would only allow 1 more hit over the next 5 innings. Lorenzo Cain started a good personal night with an RBI single in the 1st, and Omaha added 5 in the 2nd on a 2-run Jarrod Dyson single, an Irving Falu RBI single, a David Lough RBI groundout and another Cain RBI single. Falu ripped a 2-run triple in the 3rd and scored on yet another Cain single to make it 9-2. Dyson led off the 5th with his 3rd homer and Kurt Mertins tripled in a run and scored on an error in the 6th. Zach Miner and Federico Castaneda took it home from there. Omaha is 78-60. Mendoza was named PCL Pitcher of the Year Wednesday. I can't believe his season line, but it's a well-deserved honor. He leads the league in ERA, WHIP and opponent BA. How can he be this good at AAA and so bad when he gets to the majors? The series ends Thursday. Jeff Suppan will start. For some reason, KC called up RP Jesse Chavez. He wasn't bad for Omaha, but he wasn't great either. The Chasers will head to the playoffs for the first time this century. It's been since 1999.

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 11, Naturals 5

DH T. Smith 3-4, HR (9), 2 RBI (44), K, RS -- .303
3B Lisson 3-4, 2 2B (19), HR (14), RBI (44), 2 RS, E (16) -- .281
CF Orlando 1-5, HR (4), RBI (24), 2 K, RS -- .311
C Eigsti 1-4, 2B (6), RBI (8), 3 K -- .283
SS Colon 1-5 -- .257
RF Myers 0-4, K, E (7) -- .257

E. Pimentel 3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HRA -- L, 0-1, 12.00 ERA, rough Nats debut
Lafferty 3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, K, WP, balk -- 4.50 ERA
Paulino IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB -- 5.46 ERA
Dobies 2 IP, ER, H, 2 K, HRA -- 5.89 ERA

* The Travelers broke out the bats to beat the Naturals Wednesday. Back-to-back homers scored 4 runs and proved a rude welcome to Elisaul Pimentel in the 1st. Arkansas added another run in the 2nd but Tim Smith smacked his 9th homer in the 2nd to get NWA on the board. Arkansas stranded 2 in the 3rd but scored 1 in the 4th and 2 in the 5th. Ryan Eigsti hit an RBI double in the 5th but the Travs would add 3 more runs. Paulo Orlando led off the 8th with his 4th homer and Smith singled in a run. Mario Lisson led off the 9th with his 14th homer but that's as close as NW Arkansas would come. NWA is 34-31 and now tied with Tulsa for first. Game 3 is Thursday. Chris Dwyer will start. Rehabbing C Matt Treanor was flipped to the Rangers...I have to say, he seemed serviceable at the MLB level. Not the future like Salvador Perez, tho.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 2, Blue Rocks 1

3B Stovall 2-4, RBI (17), SB (6) -- .245
DH Testa 2-4, 2B (25), RS -- .287, like to see him get moved up to help NWA push
C Jul. Rodriguez 1-4, K -- .227

Marks 6 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 WP -- 4.18 ERA
Dennick 2 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 2 K, E (2) -- BS, 3, L, 3-7, 4.36 ERA
Stueve IP, nothing -- 0.00 ERA

* Wilmington couldn't hold a narrow lead late. Neither Justin Marks nor Pelicans SP Chad Bell cruised, necessarily, but the game was scoreless going into the 6th. Carlo Testa led off the Rocks' half of that inning with a double and scored on a Ryan Stovall single to break the ice. The Pelicans got 2 RBI doubles off Ryan Dennick in the 8th, though, to take the lead. Wilmington got a single in the 9th but would get no more. The Rocks are 27-38. The series finishes Thursday. Mike Mariot will start. IF John Whittleman got moved up to AAA before the game.

A - Kane County: Cougars 4, Cedar Rapids 3

3B Franco 2-5, 2B (14), RBI (27) -- .255
DH Eibner 2-5, 3B (2), 2 K, 2 RS -- .215
RF Beltre 2-4, 3B (4), RBI (38), RS -- .255
CF Llanos 2-4, K, SB (13) -- .251
2B Espinal 2-4, K, RS -- .194
SS Calixte 1-4, RBI (29), E (21) -- .208

J. Mitchell 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K -- W, 3-0, 1.05 ERA
A. Cruz 2 1/3 IP, UER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K, WP -- 2.73 ERA
Rogers IP, 2 ER, 3 H, K -- SV, 8, 2.54 ERA

* Jason Mitchell had a good start and the Cougars held on to get a big win as they clinched a playoff slot. Brett Eibner led off the 2nd with a triple and scored on a Geulin Beltre groundout to get it started. KC missed out on a bases-loaded, 0-out situation in the 3rd, but got an Orlando Calixte RBI single in the 4th. Mitchell was perfect through 3 and never faced a strong threat. The Cougars left the bases loaded again in the 5th but Beltre tripled and scored on an error in the 6th. Antonio Cruz came in to strand 2 in the 6th, then struck out 2 with the bases loaded in the 7th. Cruz allowed a run in the 8th but the Cougars got it back in the 9th on an Angel Franco RBI double. Nick Rogers used every bit of the 3-run lead in the 9th as he allowed 2 runs before shutting the door for his 8th save. KC is 35-30 and 63-71 overall. The win clinched an MWL wild-card slot, but the Cougs are only 2 1/2 games back of Clinton for the top divisional spot and the teams start a set Saturday. Game 2 with Cedar Rapids is Thursday. Greg Billo will start.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Orem 6, Chukars 3 (Tue.)

C Escobar 2-4, 2B (12), RBI (18), RS -- .300
RF Davis 2-4, 2 2B (16), RBI (37), K -- .329
SS Antonio 2-4, 2B, K, RS -- .500, IF debut
2B Piterson 2-5, K -- .283
LF Elder 1-4, HR (7), RBI (24), RS -- .302
DH Gallagher 0-4, 2 K -- .000, IF debut, guess they wanted him to get some more ABs before season wraps
1B Espy 1-4, BB, K -- .312

E. Diaz 5 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 5 K, HRA, 2 WP -- L, 0-2, 12.00 ERA
Dooley 3 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- 7.50 ERA
Fassold IP, 2 K -- 4.43 ERA

* Orem put up 3 in the 1st Tuesday and didn't look back. The Owlz nicked Eric Diaz for a 2-run homer and another run to grab the early momentum. The Chukars loaded the bases with 0 out in the 1st but the next 3 struck out to squander the chance. Idaho Falls scored 2 in the 4th on RBI doubles by Edul Escobar and Runey Davis to gouge the lead. Orem had an answer with 2 in the 5th, though, and after IF left the bases loaded again in the 5th, Chris Elder clubbed his 7th homer in the 6th to cut it to 5-3. Orem got the run back in the 8th and the Chukar offense did no more. IF is 12-17. Pitchers Aaron Brooks and Edwin Carl were named to the 2011 Pioneer League all-star team.

Rookie - Burlington: The B-Royals finished 24-44.

OPS rundown
OF Jorge Bonifacio .825 -- .284/.333/.492, 26 RS, 20 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 16 BB/58 K, 5/11 SB, 1 E in 62 G/236 ABs -- 18-yr-old defending DSL Royals player of the year did all right in U.S. debut
OF Lane Adams .814 -- .281/.353/.461, 31 RS, 9 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 17 BB/45 K, 9/10 SB, 2 E in 43 G/167 ABs -- didn't do so hot in A-ball with KC, but held his own in Appy League
1B Murray Watts .803 -- .222/.342/.461, 32 RS, 10 2B, 15 HR, 44 RBI, 41 BB/72 K, 1/2 SB, 7 E in 65 G/230 ABs -- same here, didn't hit much better in Appy League but slugged a bunch better
IF Mike Antonio .783 -- .262/.322/.461, 30 RS, 11 2B, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 17 BB/25 K, 10/15 SB, 25 E in 55 G/206 ABs -- moved up to Idaho Falls
IF Justin Trapp .777 -- .259/.345/.432, 45 RS, 13 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 41 RBI, 29 BB/64 K, 31/38 SB, 22 E in 63 G/243 ABs -- only .607 OPS in August, had his best season as a pro, tho
Others....Steven Brooks .700 (best mark among '11 newbies at Burlington)...Adrian Bringas .651 (improved every month, had .693 OPS in August)...Jin-Ho Shin .641 (better than his .480 in the AZL last season)...Kenny Swab .631 (hit .320 with .793 OPS in August)

WHIP rundown
Matt Murray 1.00 -- 2-4, 3.40, 1 CG, 5 HRA, 10 BB/58 K in 12 starts and 53 IP -- good pro debut
Nick Graffeo 1.00 -- 4-2, 2.04, 4 SV, 4 HRA, 16 BB/53 K in 17 G (6 starts) and 53 IP -- good enough to start season in Kane County in 2012, I'd bet
Alex Rivers 1.02 -- 1-1, 1.02, 1 SV, 4 BB/19 K in 9 G and 17 2/3 IP -- moved up to A ball
Matt Ridings 1.14 -- 3-4, 3.92, 5 HRA, 11 BB/60 K in 14 starts and 66 2/3 IP -- also good pro debut, will he and Murray be in Cougars rotation in 2012?
Tyler Graham 1.28 -- 2-1, 3.09, 2 SV, 3 HRA, 17 BB/38 K in 14 G and 32 IP -- also moved up
Others...Cory Hall 1.29 (2 SV, 12 BB/31 K in 35 2/3 IP)...Abel Gonzalez 1.31 (1 SV, 2 HRA, 5 BB/25 K in 29 IP, decent pro debut)...Eric Cantrell 1.43 (finished strong despite 0-5 record, 22 BB/47 K in 51 2/3 IP)...Andrea Pizziconi 1.59 (21 BB/22 K in 39 2/3 IP)...Andrew Ferguson 1.65 (15 BB/33 K in 36 1/3 IP)...Malcom Culver 1.86 (8.03 ERA, 8 HRA, 23 BB/38 K, transition to pitcher a bumpy one)...Angel Baez 2.06 (yikes)...David Middendorf 2.65 (11.42 ERA in pro debut)...Robinson Yambati 3.11 (0-5, 18.85, 11 BB/9 K in 17 2/3 IP, up and comer bottomed out in 2011)

Royals on the Farm 8/30

AAA - Omaha: Round Rock 3, Storm Chasers 2

LF Lough 2-3, BB, RBI (62), CS (7) -- .316
SS Falu 2-4, 2B (10), SB (21) -- .293
3B-1B Arias 2-3, 2 2B (12), RS -- .225
2B Y. Navarro 0-4, RBI (7), 2 K, CS (4) -- .228
RF Cain 0-4, 2 K -- .309
1B Robinson 0-1 -- .327, left game in 2nd

Montgomery 4 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, BB, 6 K, HRA, 2 WP -- L, 5-10, 5.40 ERA
Tejeda 2 2/3 IP, ER, H, K, HRA -- 3.77 ERA
Sisk 2 IP, BB, 3 K -- 1.45 ERA

* Round Rock dealt Mike Montgomery his 10th loss of the season on Tuesday. Montgomery left the bases full in the 1st but gave up a solo homer and RBI double in the 2nd. Yamaico Navarro hit an RBI fielder's choice in the 4th. Robinson Tejeda gave up Taylor Teagarden's 2nd homer of the game in the 6th. David Lough hit an RBI groundout in the 8th and Omaha squandered an Irving Falu double in the 9th. Omaha is 77-60. Memphis lost so the magic number dropped to 2. 2B Johnny Giavotella was named Omaha's player of the year and P Luis Mendoza was named Omaha pitcher of the year. Omaha would play the Express in round 1 of the PCL playoffs should the present positions hold.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 7, Arkansas 2

CF Orlando 2-5, 3B (10), RBI (23), K, 2 RS -- .315
SS Colon 2-4, BB, 3B (2), RBI (60), RS -- .258
1B Romak 1-2, 2 BB, HR (23), 2 RBI (69), K, 2 RS -- .257
LF-1B Seratelli 1-4, 2 RBI (63), SB (34) -- .283, efforts rewarded with NWA player of year award
DH T. Smith 1-3, BB, 2B (12), RBI (42) -- .294
RF Myers 1-4, 2B (22), K, RS -- .260

W. Smith 7 IP, UER, 3 H, 3 BB, 10 K, WP, E (2) -- W, 13-9, 3.85 ERA, NWA pitcher of the year
Hardy 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K -- 1.45 ERA

* The Naturals put together 6 late runs to win Tuesday. Will Smith worked out of a jam in the 2nd, and Jamie Romak led off the NW Arkansas 2nd with his 23rd homer. Smith retired 11 in a row but gave up a run-scoring wild pitch in the 7th to tie it. The offense picked him up with 4 runs in the inning on bases-loaded walks by Romak and Tim Smith and a 2-run Anthony Seratelli single. Blaine Hardy allowed a run in the 8th but the Nats answered with 3 on back-to-back RBI triples by Paulo Orlando and Christian Colon. NWA is 34-30. Game 2 is Wednesday. Elisaul Pimentel will make his Nats debut. The Nats roster is littered with players headed to the Arizona Fall League this fall. Pitchers Jeremy Jeffress, Brendan Lafferty, Nate Adcock and Bryan Paukovits will join OF Wil Myers, 1B Clint Robinson and SS Christian Colon in the AFL.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Myrtle Beach 6, Blue Rocks 2

LF Testa 1-4, HR (7), RBI (41), K, RS -- .284
1B Lewis 0-3, SF, RBI (22) -- .205
CF Prades 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .300

Melville 4 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 5 BB, 5 K, 2 WP -- L, 10-10, 4.49 ERA
Keck 2 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K, WP -- 6.10 ERA
Paukovits 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K -- 3.52 ERA

* The Rocks were limited to only 2 hits in Tuesday's loss. The Pelicans scored first in the 3rd but Carlo Testa stayed hot by slamming his 7th homer in the bottom of the inning. Myrtle Beach took the lead again in the 4th, then added 2 in the 5th off Tim Melville and Jon Keck. The Pelicans made it 5-1 in the 6th, and Joey Lewis hit a sac fly in the 7th to cut it back to 3 runs. Myrtle Beach scored a run in the 8th and that was all it took. Wilmington is 27-37. Game 3 is Wednesday. Justin Marks will start. Neither Rocks honoree is still with the team as IF Rey Navarro and P Jake Odorizzi earned the team honors.

A - Kane County: Peoria 8, Cougars 7

2B-3B Franco 2-4, 2 S, 2 RBI (26), RS, SB (5) -- .253
CF Eibner 2-3, 3 BB, 2B (13), K -- .211
RF Llanos 2-4, 2B (18), K -- .249
1B Kuebler 1-3, 2 BB, 2B (17), 2 RBI (30), 2 RS -- .217
DH Beltre 0-3, 2 BB, S, RBI (37), K -- .253
LF Fletcher 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K -- .333, Kane Cty player of the year
3B Cuthbert 0-3, 2 K -- .272
The Cougars stranded 14.

L. Perez 3 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 10 H, 3 K, WP, balk -- L, 7-13, 3.53 ERA
Garrido 2 1/3 IP, 4 H, K -- 6.52 ERA
Rivers 2 IP, H, 2 K -- 4.12 ERA
Carl IP, ER, 2 H, BB -- 9.00 ERA, Cougar debut

* The Cougars almost overcame a big Peoria rally, but couldn't quite get over the hump Tuesday. Leondy Perez and Santiago Garrido gave up 7 runs in the 4th. Kane County loaded the bases with 0 out in the 4th and Angel Franco hit an RBI groundout before 2 run-scoring wild pitches trimmed it to 7-3. Jake Kuebler hit a 2-run double in the 7th and Franco singled in a run to cut it to 7-6. Edwin Carl made his KC debut in the 9th and allowed a run that came in handy, as Geulin Beltre hit an RBI fielder's choice in the inning, but the Cougars couldn't get it tied. KC is 34-30. A 3-game set at the Cedar Rapids Kernels (26-37, A Angels) starts Wednesday. Greg Billo was named Kane County's pitcher of the year.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: A 4-game home set with the Orem Owlz (18-10, Rookie Angels) starts tonight. OF Runey Davis was named IF player of the year and, who else, Edwin Carl, was named IF pitcher of the year.

Rookie - Burlington: Johnson City 4, B-Royals 3

2B Hamblen 2-3, 2B, 3B, RBI (3), K, RS -- .121
DH J. Rodriguez 1-3, 2B (5), RBI (14), K, CS (4) -- .252
1B Watts 1-4, HR (15), RBI (44), K, RS -- .222
SS Trapp 0-4, K -- .259

Ridings 4 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- 3.92 ERA
A. Gonzalez 3 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 2-2, 4.66 ERA

* It was another day, another 1-run loss for the Royals as Johnson City swept the season-ending series. The Cardinals scored 2 runs in the 1st off Matt Ridings but Murray Watts led off the 2nd with his 15th homer and Derek Hamblen tripled home the tying run. Johnson City regained the lead in the bottom of the 2nd, but Jose Rodriguez doubled in Hamblen in the 5th to retie it. The tie didn't last long as Johnson City got to Abel Gonzalez for a run in the 6th. The last 4 Royals went down in order to bring the season to a sour end. The Royals finished 24-44. Stat recap tomorrow. OF Jorge Bonifacio was Burlington's player of the year and P Nick Graffeo was Burlington's pitcher of the year.

Rookie - AZL: The Royals finished 22-34

OPS rundown
IF Nick DelGuidice 1.121 OPS, arguably best debut of any 2011 Royals newbies, and he was a non-drafted FA, AZL Royals player of the year
OF D'Andre Toney 1.018 OPS -- .340/.432/.587, 32 RS, 12 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 14 BB/28 K, 7/18 SB, 3 E in 43 G/150 ABs -- other than his SB%, nothing to complain about in pro debut, led the team in several categories
2B Adrian Morales .904 OPS -- .323/.436/.468, 22 RS, 6 2B, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 22 BB/24 K, 5/8 SB, 10 E in 34 G/124 ABs -- another one of the cream of the 2011 crop, not bad for 49th rounder
OF Terrance Gore .852 OPS -- .340/.447/.404, 22 RS, 2 2B, 2 3B, 16 RBI, 15 BB/21 K, 17/17 SB, 2 E in 35 G/94 ABs -- stat line looks like Toney with less pop, better SB instincts, maybe little better plate discipline?
IF Nick Cuckovich .785 OPS -- .302/.418/.367, 23 RS, 7 2B, 3B, 19 RBI, 23 BB/39 K, 24/30 SB, 10 E in 37 G/139 ABs -- led team in BB and SB, held his own in pro debut
Others....IF Carlos Garcia .731 (12 XBH, 16 E in 40 G/147 ABs)...C Rainier Bello .690 (notable as being top C at level)...C Travis Lane .682 (better OBP, less pop than Bello, actually had more XBH than Rainier but in many more ABs)...OF Jerico Blanco .663 (.294 OBP, 9 2B, 23 RBI, 38 K in 47 G/168 ABs)...OF Jerrell Allen .650...SS Humberto Arteaga .614...1B Brian Gaylord .594...C Cameron Gallagher .389 (.141/.209/.179, 6 RS, HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB/15 K, E in 20 G/78 ABs, rough intro as he brings up the rear, but it's only upward and onward from here, right?)

WHIP rundown
Clayton Schulz 0.66 -- 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 BB/17 K in 4 G (1 start) and 16 2/3 IP -- no complaints
Andrew Stueve 1.02 -- 1-3, 2.09, 6 SV, 6 BB/40 K in 22 G (1 start) and 43 IP -- good enough for a promotion -- named AZL pitcher of year for Royals
Ali Williams 1.43 -- 1-1, 3.89, 2 HRA, 10 BB/35 K in 13 G (3 starts) and 37 IP -- that's not a good dropoff from 2nd to 3rd
Eric Diaz 1.45 -- 1-4, 5.65, 3 HRA, 16 BB/42 K in 12 G (9 starts) and 51 IP -- also not great, but both he and Williams had OK K/BB
Casey Edelbrock 1.53 -- 0-2, 8.04, HRA, 5 BB/19 K in 8 G and 15 2/3 IP
Others....Julio "Max" Morales 1.71 (tied for team lead with 3 wins, 22 BB/41 K in 42 IP)...Christian Witt 1.77 (also had 3 wins, 9.11 ERA, 4 HRA, 7 BB/19 K in 27 2/3 IP)...Fernando Cruz 1.90 (15 BB/17 K in 23 2/3 IP, transition to pitcher didn't go well)...Stephen Lumpkins 2.07 (22 BB/26 K in 33 1/3 IP)...Andrew Durden 2.21 (only 6 1/3 IP)...Cesar Ogando 2.34 (10.52 ERA, 4 HRA, 24 BB/23 K in 12 G (11 starts) and 31 2/3 IP, ugly stats)

Royals on the Farm 8/29

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 4, Round Rock 3

RF Cain 2-4, RBI (77), RS, SB (15), assist at second -- .312
1B Robinson 1-4, 2 RBI (99), K -- .328
LF Lough 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (61) -- .313

Mazzaro 6 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 7 H, 3 BB, 5 K, WP -- W, 7-2, 4.29 ERA
Lebron 3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K -- SV, 1, 0.71 ERA

* Willy Lebron came up with 3 great innings of relief to back up Vin Mazzaro as Omaha pruned its magic number for the PCL playoffs to 3. Jarrod Dyson tripled and scored on a David Lough sac fly in the 1st but Round Rock scored 2 in the 3rd and another in the 4th to take a 3-1 lead. Lorenzo Cain singled in a run and Clint Robinson hit a 2-run single in the 5th to flip the lead to 4-3 Omaha. Mazzaro retired the last 5 he faced, and Lebron walked 2 over the last 3 innings but finished strong to lock down his 1st AAA save of 2011. Omaha is 77-59. Game 2 is Tuesday. Mike Montgomery will start. Robinson, Johnny Giavotella and Luis Mendoza made the 2011 All-PCL team as 3 of the 12-member team. Former Omaha players Jai Miller and Victor Marte also made the team, oddly.

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 13, Naturals 9 (10)

C Theriot 4-4, 2 2B (8), 2 RS, PB (8) -- .300
2B Bianchi 4-5, 2 RS, SB (20) -- .262
1B Romak 3-4, BB, 2B (21), RBI (67), 2 RS -- .256
SS Colon 2-6, 2 RBI (59), K, 2 RS -- .255
DH T. Smith 2-3, BB, SF, 2B (11), 2 RBI (41), RS -- .294
RF Myers 2-5, 2 RBI (46), 2 K -- .260
LF Orlando 1-5, RBI (22), K, CS (3) -- .312

Baumann 2 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, BB, K, HRA -- 4.17 ERA
Volz 3 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K, HRA, WP -- 7.36 ERA, Naturals debut
E. Garcia 4 IP, 8 R (5 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, K, 4 HRA -- L, 1-3, 3.73 ERA, guess they didn't want to use another pitcher?

* The Naturals forced extras but Edgar Garcia was teeing 'em up for the Drillers. Tulsa got the first of its 6 HR with a 2-run shot in the 1st. Kendal Volz came in to strand 2 in the 3rd and the Naturals tied it on a Christian Colon RBI single and Tim Smith sac fly. Another 2-run homer helped make it 5-2 in the 6th but a Paulo Orlando single scored 2 runs in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Tulsa error. Tulsa got back-to-back homers in the 7th to make it 8-4. Colon and Smith hit RBI singles and Wil Myers hit a 2-run single to tie the game as the Naturals surged back once more. Tulsa scored a run in the 8th and Jamie Romak hit a clutch RBI double in the 9th to tie the game at 9. Garcia gave up a 3-run homer and solo homer in the 10th, however, as Tulsa drove a stake into the Naturals. The Nats stranded 1 in the 10th. The Naturals are 33-30 and their lead is only 1 game on the Drillers at this point. A 4-game home set with the Arkansas Travelers (28-35, AA Angels) starts Tuesday.

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

RF Van Stratten 2-3, S, RBI (26), CS (3) -- .290
CF Prades 2-4, RBI (24), CS (7) -- .303
2B Merrifield 0-3, BB, RS -- .258
LF Testa 1-4, RS, K -- .285

Caldwell 5 2/3 IP, H, BB, 6 K -- W, 2-0, 1.64 ERA
C. White 3 1/3 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA, Rocks debut

* Allen Caldwell and Cole White collaborated on a 4-hit gem Monday. Nick Van Stratten hit an RBI groundout in the 1st. Caldwell retired 9 in a row at one point but neither he nor White ever really coasted thereafter. They got the job done, tho. Yem Prades singled in a run in the 8th but the Rocks left the bases full. The pitching made that a moot point, however. Wilmington is 27-36. Game 2 is Tuesday. Tim Melville will start. Carlo Testa was named Carolina Lg Player of the Week for Aug 22-28. He hit .476 with 2 HR and 6 RBI in the week.

A - Kane County: Cougars 5, Peoria 4

SS Calixte 3-4, K, RS, E (20) -- .207
1B Kuebler 1-4, 3B (2), 3 RBI (28), 2 K, RS -- .216
DH Pickett 0-3, BB, RBI (4), K -- .261
CF Eibner 0-3, BB -- .206
LF Fletcher 0-4, K -- .336
3B Cuthbert 1-3, BB, 2 K, 2 RS, E (13) -- .275

Adam 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 3 K -- 4.22 ERA
Giovenco 2 IP, H, 2 K -- 6.97 ERA
Graham IP, 2 H, 2 K -- W, 1-0, 4.91 ERA
Boruff IP, 2 ER, H, 3 BB -- SV, 7, 2.40 ERA

* The Cougars put together a 4-run 8th to get a nice comeback win on Monday. Kane County loaded the bases with 0 out in the 2nd but only got a Cheslor Cuthbert RBI walk. Peoria tied it in the 3rd, then took the lead in the 4th. The 2-1 lead held into the 8th, when the Cougars loaded the bases with 2 outs and Jake Kuebler ripped a 3-run triple and scored on an error on the play. Chase Boruff walked in a run and allowed another run to score before leaving the tying run at third in the 9th. KC is 34-29. Leondy Perez starts the series finale Tuesday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: off day

Rookie - Burlington: Johnson City 5, B-Royals 4

LF Conner 2-4, HR (2), RBI (11), 2 K, RS, CS (7) -- .256
RF Bonifacio 1-4, HR (7), 2 RBI (30), K, RS -- .284
2B Hamblen 0-3, RBI (2), SB (3), 2 E (6) -- .095
SS Trapp 1-2, 2 HBP, RS, 3 SB (31), E (22) -- .264

A. Baez 4 1/3 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 9 H, BB, 3 K, E (2) -- 7.09 ERA
A. Ferguson 2 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 0-3, 5.45 ERA
Middendorf IP, nothing -- 11.42 ERA

* A seesaw game went the way of the Cardinals, as usual. Lane Adams was thrown out at the plate in a busy but fruitless Royals 1st, and Angel Baez allowed a Johnson City run. The Royals took the lead on a 2-run homer by Jorge Bonifacio (his 7th) in the 4th, but the Cards tied it off Baez in the inning. Adrian Bringas doubled and scored on a Derek Hamblen groundout in the 5th but the Cards scored 2 that inning thanks in part to 3 Royal errors. Cameron Conner led off the 6th with his 2nd homer to retie it but the Cards scored the go-ahead run in the 7th and made it stick that time. The B-Royals are 24-43. They finish the season Tuesday.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 9, Mariners 2

LF Toney 3-4, 3B (5), HR (5), 3 RBI (29), 3 RS -- .347, ends season on high note
C Lane 2-4, RBI (22), RS, CS (3), PB (9) -- .260
3B Cuckovich 1-4, 2B (7), 2 RBI (19), K -- .302
1B Gaylord 1-4, 2B (11), 2 RBI (26), RS -- .200
SS Garcia 1-4, RBI (22), 2 RS, E (16) -- .272
DH Gallagher 1-4, K -- .141
2B Morales 0-2, K -- .323, ejected in 4th
CF Gore 0-2, BB, RS -- .340

Hodgson 2 IP, BB, K -- 0.00 ERA
Schulz 5 IP, 2 UER, 3 H, BB, 5 K -- W, 2-0, 0.00 ERA
Edelbrock 2 IP, 5 K -- 8.62 ERA

* The Royals ended the season in style by pounding the Mariners Monday. D'Andre Toney led off the 1st with a triple, scored on a Carlos Garcia single, and Travis Lane singled in Garcia to make it 2-0 Royals. Toney came back up in the 3rd and slammed a 2-run homer (his 5th) to make it 4-0. Clayton Schulz allowed a run in the 4th but Brian Gaylord hit an RBI groundout in the 4th to keep the 4-run lead intact. The M's scored a run in the 7th but the Royals put the game away that inning with 4 runs on a Gaylord RBI double, Toney RBI single, and 2-run Nick Cuckovich double. Casey Edelbrock retired all 6 he faced. The Royals finished the season 22-34 and 16 games back of the Rangers. The final stat rehash will come tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 8/28

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 11, New Orleans 10

RF Falu 3-5, BB, 2B (9), RBI (43), RS, SB (20), CS (10) -- .294
2B Zawadzki 3-5, 2 RS -- .248
1B Ka'aihue 2-5, 2 RBI (65) -- .277
LF Dyson 2-4, BB, S, 2 RS, E (6) -- .286
CF Cain 2-4, HBP, SF, RBI (76), K, 3 RS, assist at home -- .310
SS Y. Navarro 2-5, K, E (6) -- .250
DH Robinson 1-4, HBP, HR (23), 2 RBI (97), K, RS -- .329
3B Arias 1-5, HR (3), RBI (22), RS -- .218
Omaha stranded 10.

O'Sullivan 2 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, K, HRA -- 3.79 ERA
Pucetas 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, BB, K -- W, 6-6, 5.20 ERA
Chavez IP, 3 ER, 3 H, HRA -- 3.75 ERA
Herrera 1 1/3 IP, UER, H, E -- SV, 6, 0.69 ERA

* The Chasers came back from down, 6-1, to hold on for the win. Lorenzo Cain hit a sac fly in the 1st but Sean O'Sullivan gave up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning. O'Sullivan gave up 4 more runs in the 2nd. Cain nailed a runner at the plate to end the New Orleans 3rd and the Chasers got the offense going in the 4th. Joaquin Arias hit his 3rd homer and an Irving Falu double scored 2 runs to cut it to 6-4. Clint Robinson went deep in the 5th as his 23rd homer was a 2-run shot to tie the game. Omaha took over in the 6th as 4 runs scored on a 2-run error and 2-run Kila Ka'aihue single. Another run-scoring error made it 11-6 in the 8th. The Zephyrs scored 3 runs off Jesse Chavez in the 8th to get back in the game. Kelvin Herrera had some struggles in the 9th as the Zephyrs scored a run but left the tying run at third. Omaha is 76-59 and has a magic number of 4. A 4-game home set with the Round Rock Express (80-55, AAA Rangers) starts Monday. Vin Mazzaro is set to start.

AA - NW Arkansas: Tulsa 7, Naturals 5

LF Orlando 3-4, HR (3), 2 RBI (21), 2 RS -- .316
CF Robinson 1-4, BB, 2 RBI (23) -- .251
DH Romak 1-5, RBI (66), 2 K -- .251
2B Colon 1-4, HBP, 2 K, RS -- .254
RF Myers 0-4, 3 K -- .258

Odorizzi 5 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 4 K, HRA -- L, 4-3, 5.25 ERA
Chapman 3 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 5 K, HRA -- 4.95 ERA
Dobies 1/3 IP, nothing -- 6.06 ERA

* An early Tulsa pounding of Jake Odorizzi held up on Sunday. Tulsa scored 2 in the 1st and got a 3-run homer off Odorizzi in the 2nd. Jamie Romak singled in a run in the 3rd and Tulsa added a run in the 6th to make it 6-1. Paulo Orlando singled in a run in the 6th and Derrick Robinson added a 2-run single to cut it to 6-4. Orlando went deep in the 8th for his 3rd of the season for NWA, but Tulsa got a solo homer in the 9th off Kevin Chapman. NWA is 33-28. The series ends Monday. P Jeremy Jeffress was put on the DL with his ankle bruise, and Mario Santiago also hit the DL.

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

2B Merrifield 2-3, 2 BB, 3B (3), RBI (34), SB (22) -- .260
CF Testa 1-4, BB, HR (6), 2 RBI (40), 2 K, RS -- .285
SS Batista 1-4, 2B (15), RBI (21), 2 K, RS -- .215

Sample 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 3 H, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- 5.50 ERA, also hit 4 batters
Dennick 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- 4.35 ERA
Stueve 2 IP, 3 K -- W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, Rocks debut after promotion from AZL

* The Rocks blew 2 leads but salvaged the game in the 9th. The Rocks left 2 in scoring position in the 1st and Salem scored a run off Tyler Sample in the 1st. Deivy Batista doubled in a run and Whit Merrifield tripled in a run in the 2nd to give the Rocks a 2-1 lead. Sample allowed the tying run in the 3rd, and worked out of tight spots in the 4th and 5th as he labored. Carlo Testa hit a 2-run inside-the-park homer in the 7th for his 6th of the season. Ryan Dennick couldn't hold the newfound lead as the Sox scored 2 in the 7th. Errant pitching helped the Rocks in the 9th as Merrifield walked, advanced on an error on a pickoff attempt, advanced to third on a wild pitch third strike, then scored on a wild pitch. Andrew Stueve retired all 6 he faced in his Carolina League debut to pick up the win. Wilmington is 26-36. A 4-game home set with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (29-34, A-Adv. Rangers) starts Monday. Allen Caldwell will start. Stueve and Cole White were brought up, as Kendal Volz and Elisaul Pimentel got bumped to AA.

A - Kane County: Peoria 2, Cougars 0 (1-hitter)

1B Kuebler 1-3 -- .215
3B Cuthbert 0-3, BB, 2 K, E (12) -- .274
LF Fletcher 0-2, BB, CS (4) -- .341
CF Eibner 0-2, BB -- .208

Ventura 5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K, HRA, WP -- L, 3-6, 4.42 ERA
A. Cruz 2 IP, H, K -- 2.79 ERA
Rogers 2 IP, H, BB, K -- 1.98 ERA

* The Cougars were nearly no-hit by Luis Liria and Yoannis Negrin on Sunday. Yordano Ventura gave up single runs in the 3rd and 4th and Kane County's only hit came with 1 out in the 6th. They stranded 2 that inning and Negrin brought it home. KC is 33-29. Jason Adam pitches game 3 on Monday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 7, Great Falls 1 (Sat.)

DH Espy 4-5, 2 2B (15), 3 RBI (36), RS -- .314
1B Moreno 2-5, RBI (33) -- .269
3B Threlkeld 2-5, 3 K, RS -- .275
CF Chism 1-3, 2 BB, 2B (11), RBI (34), RS -- .267
SS DelGuidice 1-3, SF, RBI (9), K, RS -- .413
LF Fradejas 1-4, RBI (10), K, RS -- .292
RF Davis 1-4, 2B (14), K, RS -- .329

B. Martin 7 IP, ER, 4 H, 5 K, HRA, pickoff -- W, 3-6, 4.36 ERA
Penny 2 IP, 2 K -- SV, 1, 8.93 ERA

* Brennon Martin pitched well and the Chukars used a late surge to beat the Voyagers. Richard Espy was thrown out at third to end the IF 1st and Martin served up a leadoff homer in the 1st as Great Falls grabbed the early momentum. IF stranded 2 in the 4th and Martin pitched well the rest of the way. The offense finally picked him up in the 7th as Nick DelGuidice hit a sac fly, an error scored a run and Tyler Chism doubled in a run to make it 3-1. Espy came up with a 3-run double in the 9th and Henry Moreno singled in a run to make it 7-1. Robert Penny retired all 6 he faced.

Great Falls 3, Chukars 2

RF Davis 0-2, SF, RBI (36), K -- .325
C Escobar 1-3, 2B (11), K, RS -- .295
DH Moreno 1-3, K, RS -- .270
1B DelGuidice 0-3, 2 K -- .388

Moen 3 IP, 2 K -- 6.31 ERA
J. Sanchez 3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 2-4, 9.19 ERA
Avinazar 2 IP, H, 3 BB, K -- 8.88 ERA

* Both teams had 4 hits but the Voyagers wrung a little more out of theirs to win Sunday. Jose Sanchez took over after 3 perfect innings from Kellen Moen, and the Voyagers scored 3 runs in the 4th. The Voyagers retired 20 straight Chukars at one point but Henry Moreno scored on a passed ball in the 8th and Runey Davis added a sac fly to cut it to 3-2. The tying run was stranded at second in the 9th. IF is 12-16. The Chukars have Monday off.

Rookie - Burlington: Johnson City 8, B-Royals 6

DH S. Brooks 2-4, 2 RBI (6), CS (2) -- .288
3B Bringas 1-3, BB, 2B (11), 2 RBI (16), K -- .230
LF Conner 1-5, RBI (10), 2 K, 3 SB (16) -- .250
C Swab 0-1, HBP, RBI (15), E (6) -- .243, left after HBP in 3rd
SS Trapp 0-5, 2 K -- .262

R. Brown 1 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 2 K -- 4.31 ERA
Pizziconi 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, K, HRA -- L, 1-2, 6.81 ERA
Culver 2 2/3 IP, H, BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- 8.03 ERA

* Johnson City kept the upper hand on the Royals as a 3-run 6th was the difference. The Royals scored a run on an Adrian Bringas double in the 2nd but the Cards scored 4 in the inning off Rudy Brown and Andrea Pizziconi. Cameron Conner singled in a run in the 3rd and Kenny Swab took a bases-loaded HBP in the 3rd to cut it to 4-3. The Cards scored a run in the 4th but the Royals scored 3 in the 5th on a Bringas bases-loaded walk and Steven Brooks 2-run single to make it 6-5. Pizziconi gave up a 2-run homer in the 6th and Malcom Culver wild pitched home a run. Burlington is 24-42. Game 2 is Monday with Angel Baez starting.

Rookie - AZL: Rangers 8, Royals 0 (Sat.)

SS Arteaga 2-3, E (15) -- .254
3B Cuckovich 1-4, 2 K -- .308
RF Blanco 1-3, BB, K -- .268
DH Gallagher 0-4, K -- .114, 0-fer at least his last 24

M. Morales 5 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- L, 3-5, 6.64 ERA
N. Blanco IP, 3 UER, H, 2 BB, K, WP -- 3.52 ERA
Durden 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 K, HRA -- 9.95 ERA
Stueve IP, nothing -- 2.09 ERA

* The Royals and Rangers played Saturday after all, but it must have been up to the Royals to report the results, because it didn't post until last night's report was written and the story wasn't pretty. The Rangers got their first run in the 4th and the Royals left the bases full in their half. The Rangers added 2 in the 5th, 3 in the 6th and 2 in the 8th. Sixteen Royals in a row went down until they got 2 2-out singles in the 9th. Nothing was made of it, tho.

Royals 17, Padres 6

C Marquez 4-6, 3 RBI (7), K, 2 RS -- .250
CF Toney 3-4, BB, SF, HBP, 3B (4), 3 RBI (26), K, 3 RS, E (3) -- .336
LF Gore 3-5, HBP, 3 RS, SB (17) -- .348
RF Allen 3-6, 2 RS -- .240
SS Arteaga 2-6, S, 2 2B (11), 5 RBI (28), K, 2 RS -- .256
2B Morales 2-6, HR (4), 2 RBI (28), K, 2 RS, 2 SB (5), E (10) -- .328
DH Gallagher 2-4, 2 BB, RBI (7), K, 2 RS -- .135, snaps out of slump
3B Cuckovich 1-5, BB, RBI (17), 3 K, SB (24) -- .304
The Royals stranded 12.

Ogando 4 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, K, balk -- 10.52 ERA
Edelen 2 IP, 3 R (1 ER), H, 2 BB, 2 K -- W, 2-1, 7.23 ERA
F. Cruz 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- SV, 1, 7.99 ERA

* The Royals turned it on late to roll past the Pads Sunday. The Padres took the early lead with 2 in the 1st, but the Royals answered in the 3rd with 3 runs on a Humberto Arteaga RBI double, run-scoring wild pitch and Cameron Gallagher RBI single. The Royals added 2 runs in the 4th on a D'Andre Toney sac fly and Arteaga RBI groundout. The Pads scored 1 in the 4th but Adrian Morales hit his 4th homer in the 5th to make it 6-3. Toney tripled in a run and scored on a Nick Cuckovich single to make it 8-3. The Friars scored 3 runs in the 6th off Brian Edelen to cut it to 8-6, but it was all Royals thereafter. Alex Marquez singled in a run and an error scored a run in the 7th to make it 10-6. The Royals poured it on in the 8th with 7 runs on a 2-run Marquez single, a Toney RBI single, a 3-run Arteaga double and a Morales RBI single. The Royals are 21-34. The season ends with Monday's game with the Mariners.

Royals on the Farm 8/27

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 6, Storm Chasers 3

RF Cain 4-4, 2B (28), RS, CS (6), assist at home -- .309
1B Robinson 2-4, 2B (35), RBI (95), K, RS -- .329
DH Ka'aihue 1-4, HR (11), 2 RBI (63), 2 K, RS -- .275
LF Lough 1-5, 2 K -- .315

Suppan 5 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 11-7, 4.54 ERA
Miner 2 2/3 IP, ER, 4 H, 4 K, 2 WP -- 1.83 ERA

* The Zephyrs outlasted the Chasers, but a Memphis loss still cut the Chasers' magic number to 5. Jeff Suppan gave up 2 doubles for a run in the 1st and the Zephyrs churned out 3 runs in the 5th to make it 4-0. Omaha had wasted a chance or two early but got a Clint Robinson RBI double in the 6th and a 2-run Kila Ka'aihue blast (his 11th) to cut the lead to 4-3. Zach Miner gave up an RBI double in the 6th and then did the same again in the 7th. Omaha stranded 2 in the 8th and 9th. The Chasers are 75-59. The series wraps Sunday. Sean O'Sullivan will start.

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

RF Myers 2-5, HR (7), 2 RBI (44), 2 K, RS -- .262
1B Seratelli 0-4, BB, RBI (61), K, SB (33) -- .283
2B Colon 1-4, S, K, RS -- .254

Dwyer 7 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, BB, 7 K, 2 HRA -- 5.80 ERA, hurt by the longball tonight
Hardy 3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 4 K, HRA, 2 WP -- L, 2-1, 1.27 ERA

* The Naturals started strong but couldn't maintain as their lead wasted away and they fell in 10. A run-scoring error, Anthony Seratelli RBI groundout and Wil Myers RBI single made it 3-0 NWA after 1. Chris Dwyer gave up a solo homer in the 2nd and another run in the 3rd to trim the lead to 1. Dwyer gave up a solo homer in the 6th to tie it, but the Nats answered with a Myers solo homer in the bottom of the frame for his 7th of the season. Dwyer gave up 2 doubles in the 7th to retie it. Blaine Hardy gave up a solo homer in the 10th and the Naturals left the tying run at second in the bottom of the inning. NWA is 33-28. Game 2 is Sunday. Jake Odorizzi will start.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Salem 10, Blue Rocks 9 (10)

LF Testa 3-5, BB, HR (5), 3 RBI (38), K, RS, SB (17), picked off -- .286
RF Van Stratten 2-6, 2 2B (14), 2 K, 2 RS -- .289
1B Stovall 2-5, BB, 2B (14), HR (2), 2 RBI (15), K, RS, CS (3), E (8) -- .238
SS Batista 2-5, BB, K, RS -- .215
CF Prades 1-5, SF, RBI (15), E (2) -- .300
2B Liberto 1-4, BB, RBI (5), K, 2 RS, SB (2) -- .250
Wilmington stranded 10.

E. Pimentel 4 IP, ER, 4 H, 4 K -- 3.59 ERA
Odenbach 3 IP, 5 R (3 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K -- 3.25 ERA
Cuevas 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K, 4 WP -- BS, 1, 9.00 ERA
Paukovits 2/3 IP, 2 UER, H, BB -- BS, 3, L, 2-3, 3.48 ERA

* Wilmington lost three leads in Saturday's loss. The Rocks took command with 5 runs in the 4th on a Ryan Stovall solo homer (his 2nd), a Mike Liberto RBI fielder's choice, a Yem Prades sac fly and a 2-run Carlo Testa homer (his 5th). Elisaul Pimentel allowed a run in the 4th, then Dusty Odenbach allowed 4 runs in the 5th to tie the game. The Rocks left the bases full in the 6th and Salem notched a run that inning to take the lead. A run-scoring wild pitch and a Testa RBI single in the 8th made it 7-6 Rocks. An error made it 8-6 Rocks in the 9th but Gary Cuevas couldn't hold the lead. Ryan Stovall hit a go-ahead double in the 11th and Bryan Paukovits came on to try and finish it, but Stovall made a run-scoring error and the Sox got a walkoff sac fly. Wilmington is 25-36. The series ends Sunday. C Jose Bonilla went on the DL with a "lower body injury" (what is this, hockey?) and Travis Jones was moved up. Tyler Sample will start Sunday.

A - Kane County: Peoria 4, Cougars 3

RF Llanos 3-4, RS -- .248
2B Espinal 2-3, RS -- .191
3B Franco 1-4, SF, 2 RBI (24) -- .256
CF Eibner 0-4, K -- .210
LF Fletcher 1-4, RS, assist at home -- .343

Billo 6 IP, 4 ER, 11 H, 2 BB, 4 K, E -- L, 9-5, 1.94 ERA
J. Mitchell 3 IP, H, K -- 1.26 ERA

* Kane County didn't get the offense going until late, then didn't get enough to come back. Brian Fletcher teamed up with Orlando Calixte to throw out a Chief at the plate in the 1st but Greg Billo wasn't on top of his game as Peoria scored 4 in the 2nd. The Cougars were hitless until scraping out 2 singles in the 5th. They loaded the bases with 0 out in the 8th but an Angel Franco sac fly was all they got out of it. A Peoria error scored a Cougar run in the 9th and Franco singled in a run, but the game ended with a bang as Cheslor Cuthbert was thrown out at the plate as the would-be tying run. KC is 33-28. Yordano Ventura will start game 2 Sunday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 5, Great Falls 3 (10/Fri.)

2B Piterson 3-5, RS, CS (2) -- .280
CF Chism 2-5, RBI (33), K -- .266
1B Espy 2-4, S, HR (7), RBI (33), RS -- .302
C Escobar 2-5, RBI (17), RS -- .294
RF Elder 2-3, 2 BB, 2B (9) -- .303, Eazy Es in effect on Friday
LF Sandford 0-3, SF, RBI (18), K -- .248
SS DelGuidice 1-4, 2B (6), RS, E (3) -- .419

Peacock 4 2/3 IP, 2 UER, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K -- 3.99 ERA
Patton 2 1/3 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- 3.79 ERA
Carl 2 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 K -- BS, 1, W, 3-1, 1.36 ERA, not his finest outing, but K/BB is up to 71/3 in 33 IP
N. Johnson IP, H -- SV, 2, 4.68 ERA

* The Chukars lost the lead in the 9th, but recovered in the 10th. Great Falls scored first in the 4th, then got an RBI triple in the 5th off Brian Peacock. Richard Espy went deep in the 6th for his 7th of the season, then Darian Sandford hit a sac fly and Tyler Chism singled in the go-ahead run in the 7th. Edwin Carl did his thing and struck out 2 in the 8th, but gave up a leadoff triple in the 9th before a single helped him to his first blown save. The Chukars loaded the bases with 1 out in the 10th and an Edul Escobar forceout scored 2 thanks to an error on the play. Nathan Johnson got a double play to end it in the 10th. IF is 11-15.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 4, Greeneville 3

2B Trapp 1-5, GW RBI (41), 2 K -- .267
SS Antonio 0-4 -- .262
RF Bonifacio 1-1, 3 BB, RS -- .284

Cantrell 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K, balk -- 4.53 ERA
Hall 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K -- 5.55 ERA
Middendorf 1/3 IP, nothing -- W, 1-1, 12.91 ERA, picked up first pro win before season's end

* The Royals got a walkoff win in the home finale. The Astros scored 3 runs off Eric Cantrell in the 5th but the Royals rallied with 2 out in the 6th. Jorge Bonifacio singled and scored on an error and then a 2-run error tied the game. David Middendorf came in to strand 2 in the 9th. The Astros made 2 more errors in the Royals 9th and Justin Trapp hit a walkoff single with 2 on and 2 out. The Royals are 24-41. Burlington will finish the season at the Johnson City Cardinals (42-23) as the first of 3 is Sunday.

Rookie - AZL: Either the Royals and Rangers didn't play, or nobody bothered to report the results.

Royals on the Farm 8/26

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 14, New Orleans 1

3B Arias 3-5, 2B (9), HR (2), 3 RBI (21), K, 3 RS -- .222
LF Lough 3-6, 2 RS -- .316
CF Dyson 2-6, 2 RBI (21), 2 K, RS -- .287
1B Robinson 2-5, 2B (34), 2 RBI (94), K, RS -- .328
SS Y. Navarro 2-2, BB, 2 SF, 2B (3), 3B, 2 RBI (6), 2 RS -- .254
DH Ka'aihue 2-5, 2B (19), RBI (61), 2 K, 2 RS -- .275
2B Falu 2-4, S, RBI (42), 2 K -- .292
RF Cain 1-5, 2B (27), 2 RBI (75), K, RS -- .303
C Pina 1-4, BB, RBI (20), K, 2 RS, 3 PB -- .242

Mendoza 6 IP, ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA, WP -- W, 11-5, 2.15 ERA
Pucetas IP, nothing -- 5.46 ERA
Lebron IP, H, 2 K -- 0.93 ERA
Sisk IP, H, 2 K -- 1.55 ERA

* Everybody got in on the act as a 13-run tear helped the Chasers trim the magic number to 6. Irving Falu hit an RBI single in the 2nd but Luis Mendoza gave up a solo homer in the 2nd to tie it at 1. Yamaico Navarro hit a sac fly in the 4th and Lorenzo Cain hit a 2-run double in the 5th before a Kila Ka'aihue RBI single made it 5-1 Omaha. The Chasers kept it rolling in the 6th with 5 runs on a Manny Pina RBI single, 2-run Jarrod Dyson single, and 2-run Clint Robinson double to stretch it to 10-1. Joaquin Arias clubbed a 3-run homer in the 7th for his 2nd of the season, and Navarro added another sac fly in the 8th for a gravy run. Omaha is 75-58. Game 4 is Saturday. Jeff Suppan will start.

AA - NW Arkansas: Springfield 9, Naturals 0 (2-hitter)

3B Lisson 2-3, K -- .275
SS Colon 0-4, 2 K -- .254
RF Paulo Orlando had an assist at home.

Jeffress 2/3 IP, ER, H -- L, 1-3, 4.40 ERA, left after only 15 pitches
Lafferty 3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, BB, 5 K, WP, pickoff -- 3.79 ERA
Baumann 1 1/3 IP, ER, 4 H, WP -- 4.05 ERA
Paulino 2/3 IP, H, 2 BB, K -- 5.24 ERA
Dobies 2 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, BB, K, HRA -- 6.19 ERA

* It was an ugly night for the Naturals on Friday. Jeremy Jeffress lasted just 15 pitches as he got drilled in the ankle on a comebacker as the Cards scored 1 in the 1st. They added 5 in the 4th and 3 in the 8th. Meanwhile, the Naturals were no-hit until the 5th and got only Mario Lisson's two singles on the night. NWA is 33-27. A key 3-game home set with the Tulsa Drillers (27-31, AA Rockies) starts Saturday with Chris Dwyer taking the mound. C Salvador Perez was named to the Texas League postseason all-star team.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Salem 7, Blue Rocks 4 (9/G1)

1B Stovall 3-4, 2 2B (4), K, 2 RS -- .233
DH Ferguson 2-3, SF, 2B (8), 2 RBI (28), K, RS -- .211
CF Prades 2-4, SB (6), CS (2) -- .279
LF Merrifield 2-4, 2B (18), K, picked off, E (2) -- .266
3B Whittleman 1-4, 2B (19), RBI (44), K, E (12) -- .244
C Bonilla 0-0, SF, RBI (22) -- .212

Mariot 7 IP, 5 R (2 ER), 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K, pickoff -- L, 5-2, 3.07 ERA
Paukovits IP, 2 UER, H, BB, K, WP -- 2.80 ERA

* Mike Mariot couldn't hold a lead in the 7th as Salem got a comeback win. Tim Ferguson hit an RBI double and Jose Bonilla added a sac fly in the 2nd to spot Wilmington a 2-0 lead. Salem scored a run in the 2nd but John Whittleman doubled in a run in the 3rd to make it 3-1 Rocks. Mariot got hit for 2 runs in the 4th but Ferguson hit a sac fly in the 6th to make it 4-3 Rocks. Salem scratched out 2 runs off Mariot in the 7th, then added 2 in the 8th off Bryan Paukovits. The Rocks didn't threaten after the 6th. The game was a completed version of the one that began July 8.

Blue Rocks 6, Salem 5 (7/G2)

3B Liberto 2-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI (4), RS -- .250
LF Testa 2-3, BB, RS -- .281
1B Lewis 1-3, HR (6), 2 RBI (21), K, RS -- .212
CF Prades 1-3, RS -- .302
RF Nick Van Stratten had a big assist at home.

Marks 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 4 K, WP -- 4.37 ERA
Dennick 1 1/3 IP, ER, H, 3 BB, K, WP -- W, 3-6, 4.17 ERA
Keck IP, ER, 2 H -- SV, 3, 6.38 ERA

* The Rocks barely held on to defeat the Salem in Friday's nightcap. Justin Marks gave up 2 runs in the 1st but two run-scoring errors and a 2-run Mike Liberto double flipped the lead to 4-2 Rocks in the 2nd. Joey Lewis continued his hot hitting with a 2-run homer in the 3rd for his 6th of the season. Salem left the bases full in the 3rd and a Ryan Dennick wild pitch scored a Sox run in the 5th. Dennick loaded the bases with 0 out in the 6th and walked in a run before getting out of the inning on a DP. Jon Keck looked shaky in the 7th as he allowed an RBI single and the tying run made it to third. He got a foul flyout to Nick Van Stratten in right for out #2 and Van Stratten came up gunning to nail the would-be tying run at the plate to end the game. Wilmington is 25-35. Game 3 is Saturday. Elisaul Pimentel will start.

A - Kane County: Wisconsin 19, Cougars 7

SS Espinal 3-4, K, 2 RS, E (14) -- .186
2B Franco 2-5, 2B (13), HR (4), 2 RBI (22), 2 RS -- .256
LF Fletcher 2-4, RBI (57), 2 K -- .344
1B Kuebler 1-4, RBI (25) -- .216
RF Llanos 0-4, RBI (30), K, RS -- .242
CF Eibner 0-3, BB, K, RS -- .213
3B Cuthbert 0-3, HBP, K -- .277

Garrido 2 IP, 7 R (5 ER), 4 H, 5 BB, 2 K -- 6.79 ERA
Rivers 2 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, K -- L, 0-1, 4.58 ERA
C. White 1 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K, HRA -- 6.46 ERA
Boruff 1 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- 2.15 ERA
Rogers 1/3 IP, K -- 2.13 ERA
Graterol IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- 9.00 ERA

* It looked to be a slugfest Friday with the Timber Rattlers, but then the T-Rats started to do all the slugging. Santiago Garrido had a less-than-smooth outing as Wisconsin scored 6 runs in the 1st. They added a run in the 2nd. Kane County surged back, however, with 5 runs in the 3rd on an Angel Franco double aided by a Rattler error, Brian Fletcher RBI single, an Alex Llanos forceout that scored 2 runs thanks to another Wisconsin error, and a Jake Kuebler RBI single. Franco slapped a 2-run homer (his 4th) in the 4th to tie it at 7. The Rattlers ended any thoughts of a Cougar momentum grab as they scored 5 in the 4th, then added 1 in the 5th and 5 in the 6th with a run in the 8th to boot. The last 12 Cougars went down in order as RP Maverick Lasker retired all 9 he faced. KC is 33-27. A 4-game home set with the Peoria Chiefs (22-38, A Cubs) starts Saturday with Greg Billo starting.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Great Falls 5, Chukars 4 (Thu.)

CF Sandford 3-5, RS, 2 SB (26), CS (6) -- .259
2B Piterson 2-4, S, RBI (12) -- .267
1B Espy 2-4, BB, K, RS -- .299
DH Moreno 1-5, 2B (16), RBI (32), 2 K -- .266
LF Fradejas 1-4, 2B (4), RBI (9), RS -- .294
RF Davis 1-4, K -- .331
SS DelGuidice 1-4, K, RS, SB -- .436

Brooks 7 IP, 4 ER, 9 H, BB, 4 K, 2 HRA, WP -- 3.52 ERA
Fassold 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 1-2, 4.66 ERA

* The Chukars' 4-1 lead slipped away late on Thursday. Henry Moreno got it started with an RBI double in the 1st but the Voyagers matched it off Aaron Brooks. The Chukars struck back with 3 runs in the 2nd on a Justin Fradejas RBI double, run-scoring wild pitch and Luis Piterson RBI single. Brooks never cruised but did hold the Voyagers in check until he gave up 2 homers for 3 runs in the 7th to tie it. The Chukars could never add to their 4 runs, and Cody Fassold gave up a 2-out walkoff double in the 9th. IF is 10-15. Game 2 is tonight.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 3, Greeneville 2

SS Antonio 1-4, HR (10), RBI (37), RS, E (25) -- .267
LF Howard 1-3, 3B, RBI (7), RS -- .163
2B Trapp 0-3, BB, picked off, E (21) -- .269

Graffeo 5 IP, 2 UER, 5 H, BB, 3 K, E (2) -- W, 4-2, 2.04 ERA
A. Gonzalez 4 IP, 2 H, K -- SV, 1, 4.97 ERA

* The Royals made the most of their 3 hits on Friday. Greeneville scored a run in the 3rd but Mike Antonio hit his 10th homer of the season to tie it in the 4th. The Astros regained the lead in the 5th but Burlington again had an answer as Anthony Howard hit an RBI triple and scored on an error to give the Royals the lead. Abel Gonzalez took it from there as he worked around a double in the 8th then got out of a 2-on, 1-out jam in the 9th thanks to a 6-4-3 DP. The Royals are 23-41. The 2011 home schedule wraps up with Saturday's series finale. OF Lane Adams left Friday's game with a head injury in the 3rd.

Rookie - AZL: off day

Royals on the Farm 8/25

AAA - Omaha: New Orleans 8, Storm Chasers 2

1B Robinson 4-4, HR (22), 2 RBI (92), RS -- .327, what a season for Clint, hope he gets a September call
SS Y. Navarro 2-4, 2B (2), 2 K -- .230
LF Lough 1-4, K, assist at home -- .313
RF Cain 1-4, K, RS, E (6) -- .304
DH Ka'aihue 1-4 -- .273

Montgomery 4 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 5-9, 5.44 ERA
Tejeda 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, K -- 3.79 ERA
Chavez IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, 2 K -- 3.34 ERA
Herrera IP, 2 H, K -- 0.77 ERA

* A pair of 4-run rallies doomed Mike Montgomery and the Chasers on Thursday. Omaha stranded 2 in the 2nd but Clint Robinson singled in a run in the 4th to give Omaha the lead. Montgomery got nicked for 4 runs in the 4th and Robinson led off the 6th with his 22nd homer. Jesse Chavez gave up 4 runs in the 7th and Omaha couldn't make any headway late. The Chasers are 74-58. Game 3 is Friday. Luis Mendoza will start.

AA - NW Arkansas: Springfield 1, Naturals 0

LF Seratelli 2-4, K -- .288
SS Colon 1-3, BB, 2 K, picked off -- .257

W. Smith 8 IP, ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 K, HRA -- L, 12-9, 4.02 ERA, tough loss

* With little margin for error on a down offensive night, Will Smith's 1 earned run was enough to get him his 9th loss. It all came down to 1 pitch as Smith teed up a solo homer to LF Jose Garcia in the 5th. NWA had baserunners in 8 of the 9 innings but couldn't break the ice. Cards SP Michael Blazek K'd 10 over 7 IP to improve to 11-6. NWA is 33-26. The series ends Friday. Jeremy Jeffress will start.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 11, Potomac 5

LF Testa 3-5, BB, RBI (35), RS -- .277
RF Van Stratten 2-5, BB, 2B (12), 3 RBI (25), K, RS, assist at home -- .295
CF Prades 2-4, S, RBI (22), K, RS -- .299
C J. Rodriguez 2-5, 2B (5), RBI (8), RS -- .255
SS Batista 2-5, 3B, K, 2 RS -- .213
1B Lewis 1-3, BB, 2B (12), 2 RBI (19), 2 RS -- .211
2B Merrifield 1-5, BB, 2B (27), RBI (33), RS -- .257
DH Ferguson 1-5, 2B (11), RBI (40), 2 K, RS -- .220
The Rocks stranded 10.

Melville 5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K -- W, 10-9, 4.37 ERA, nice to see him get to double digit Ws
Volz 3 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K -- 3.03 ERA
Cuevas IP, 3 BB, 2 K -- 13.50 ERA

* The Rocks put it away in the 8th. Nick Van Stratten gunned down a runner at the plate to end the Nationals 2nd and Whit Merrifield got Wilmington on the board with an RBI double in the 3rd. Tim Melville walked in 2 runs in the 3rd but the Rocks got a Tim Ferguson RBI double and run-scoring error to regain the lead in the 4th. Melville allowed the tying run in the 4th. Julio Rodriguez doubled in a run in the 6th and Nick Van Stratten hit an RBI double in the 7th to make it 5-3 Rocks. The Rocks busted out in the 8th as Carlo Testa worked a bases-loaded walk, Van Stratten hit a 2-run single, Joey Lewis hit a 2-run double and Yem Prades singled in a run to make it 11-3. Potomac scored 2 in the 8th off Kendal Volz but the Rocks finished it from there. Wilmington is 24-34. A 3-day, 4-game set at the Salem Red Sox (26-34) starts with the teams' third straight doubleheader Friday after two last weekend. Mike Mariot and Justin Marks are set to start.

A - Kane County: Wisconsin 5, Cougars 2

LF Fletcher 2-5, RBI (56), 2 K -- .342
RF Beltre 2-5, RBI (36), K, SB (16) -- .255
1B Graterol 2-3, BB, 2B (3), K -- .183
CF Eibner 1-3, BB, HBP, 2 K -- .216
3B Cuthbert 0-5, 2 K, 2 E (11) -- .280
KC stranded 12.

L. Perez 5 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K, pickoff -- L, 7-12, 3.18 ERA, win streak snapped
Giovenco IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K -- 7.71 ERA
Graham 2 IP, 2 K -- 5.68 ERA

* Wisconsin took command in the middle innings to drop the Cougars. KC stranded 2 twice early on. Leondy Perez allowed a run in the 4th but Geulin Beltre singled in a run to tie it in the 5th. Perez allowed 2 runs in the 5th and Mike Giovenco allowed 2 runs in the 6th as the T-Rats surged ahead. KC stranded 2 in the 6th and 7th and got a Brian Fletcher RBI single in the 9th but could get no closer. Kane County is 33-26. Santiago Garrido is set to pitch Friday's series finale.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Billings 13, Chukars 9 (Wed.)

1B Espy 2-5, 2B (13), RBI (32), RS -- .294
2B Mateo 2-5, 2B (8), RBI (34), RS -- .333
3B Threlkeld 2-3, 2 BB, HR (3), RBI (30), 2 RS -- .273
SS DelGuidice 2-5, 2B (5), RBI (8) -- .457
RF Elder 1-4, BB, HR (6), 2 RBI (23), 2 RS -- .292
C Escobar 1-4, BB, RBI (16), 2 K, RS, 2 PB (11) -- .291
LF Chism 0-3, 2 BB, RBI (32), K, RS, picked off -- .263
CF Sandford 1-3, BB, RBI (17), 2 K -- .248

E. Diaz 3 IP, 9 ER, 7 H, 5 BB, K, 2 HRA, 3 WP -- L, 0-1, 15.43 ERA
Avinazar 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K, 2 WP -- 9.64 ERA
Dooley IP, ER, H, 3 K, HRA -- 7.76 ERA

* High hopes for the Chukars in the 1st turned into a 4-run loss on Wednesday. Idaho Falls rallied with 2 outs in the 1st as Dan Mateo singled in a run, Edul Escobar took a bases-loaded walk, Nick DelGuidice and Darian Sandford singled in runs and Tyler Chism took a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-0. Eric Diaz allowed a solo homer in the Billings 1st, then a 2-run homer in the 2nd. Mark Threlkeld went deep for his 3rd homer of the season in the 3rd but Diaz's game continued to fall apart. The Mustangs scored 6 in the 3rd to emerge with a 9-6 lead. Willian Avinazar allowed 2 runs in the 4th but Chris Elder popped a 2-run homer in the 6th for his 6th of the season to cut it to 11-8. Avinazar allowed a run in the 7th and Richard Espy hit an RBI groundout in the 8th. Jon Dooley gave up a solo homer in the 8th and that was it. IF is 10-14. A 4-game set at the Great Falls Voyagers (15-9, Rookie ChiSox) starts tonight.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 7, Greeneville 2

CF Adams 2-4, SF, RBI (20), 2 K, RS, SB (8) -- .293
2B J. Rodriguez 1-2, SF, 2B (4), 2 RBI (13), RS -- .264
1B Watts 1-3, BB, 2B (10), 2 RBI (43) -- .231
C Shin 1-3, BB, HR (3), RBI (15), K, 2 RS -- .221
LF Howard 1-4, RBI (6), K, RS -- .156
2B-SS Trapp 0-4, BB, 4 K, RS -- .272
SS Antonio 0-1 -- .268, left game in 3rd

Ridings 6 IP, 2 H, 6 K -- W, 3-4, 3.75 ERA
A. Ferguson 3 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 K, WP -- SV, 1, 5.61 ERA

* Burlington saw Matt Ridings back high in the saddle as they took down the 'Stros. Ridings was perfect thru 5 and the Royals got 2 in the 4th on a Murray Watts 2-run double. Jose Rodriguez added a sac fly in the 5th to make it 3-0. Ridings allowed 2 hits in the 6th and that would be his last inning of work. Jin-Ho Shin hit his 3rd homer of the season to lead off the 6th and Andrew Ferguson allowed a run in the 7th before stranding the bases full. Rodriguez doubled in a run in the 7th and the Astros scored a run in the 8th. The Royals finished it with 2 in the 8th on an Anthony Howard RBI single and Lane Adams sac fly. Burlington is 22-41. Game 2 is Friday.

Rookie - AZL: Rangers 7, Royals 2

3B Cuckovich 2-3, BB, RBI (16), K, SB (23) -- .310
CF Allen 0-2, 2 BB, RBI (12), K, SB (5) -- .234
LF Toney 1-4, BB, 2 K, CS (11) -- .324
2B Morales 0-4, K -- .328
DH Gallagher 0-4 -- .121

Hodgson 2 IP, UER, 3 H, K -- 0.00 ERA
S. Rosario 4 IP, 6 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, K, 2 HRA, WP -- L, 1-3, 7.71 ERA
A. Williams 2 IP, 3 H, K -- 3.89 ERA

* The Rangers knocked Sergio Rosario around to show why they've been among the best of the AZL this season. The Rangers scored a run in the 1st but Jerrell Allen hit an RBI forceout in the 2nd to tie it. Rosario allowed a run on 2 hits in the 3rd, then gave up a 3-run homer in the 4th. Nick Cuckovich hit an RBI single in the 5th but Rosario gave up a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning. The Royals stranded 2 in the 9th. They are 20-33. They have Friday off.

Royals on the Farm 8/24

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 4, New Orleans 1 (7)

LF Lough 2-3, HR (9), RBI (60), RS -- .314
2B Falu 2-3, 2B (8), 3 RBI (41), picked off -- .293
RF Cain 1-3, RS -- .304
1B Robinson 1-3, RS -- .321

Mazzaro 6 IP, ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 K, WP -- W, 6-2, 4.36 ERA
Miner 2/3 IP, BB -- SV, 1, 1.59 ERA

* Rain ended the proceedings a little early in New Orleans Wednesday as the Chasers took another step toward a division title. Irving Falu hit a 2-out, bases-loaded 3-run double in the 1st to get Omaha out to a nice start. Vin Mazzaro stranded 2 in both the 1st and 4th. David Lough went solo in the 6th for his 9th of the season to make it 4-0 Chasers. Mazzaro finally allowed a Zephyr run in the 6th and Zach Miner had walked 1 with 2 out in the 7th when the rains came. Omaha is 74-57. Game 2 is Thursday. Mike Montgomery will start.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 4, Springfield 3 (11)

CF Robinson 4-6, RBI (21), RS, 4 SB (52), picked off -- .258
3B Lisson 2-3, 2 BB, HR (13), RBI (43), RS, 2 SB (15) -- .273
RF Myers 2-5 -- .259
SS Bianchi 0-3, 2 BB, K, RS, SB (19) -- .259
LF Paulo Orlando had an assist at second.

M. Santiago 6 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 K -- 2.30 ERA
Chapman 1 1/3 IP, 2 BB, K -- 5.18 ERA
E. Garcia 2 IP, H -- W, 1-2, 2.63 ERA
Dobies IP, BB, 2 K -- SV, 1, 5.27 ERA

* The Naturals lost a narrow lead late, battled back to force extras then won it in 11. Mario Lisson led off the 3rd with his 13th homer, and Mario Santiago took a 3-hit shutout into the 7th. The Cardinals got to him for 3 runs that inning, however, to chase him. A double play scored a Naturals run in the 8th. Derrick Robinson hit a 2-out single in the 9th, stole second and scored on a throwing error as NWA stayed alive. Robinson then singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th. Andrew Dobies worked around a leadoff walk in the 11th for the save. NWA is 33-25. Game 3 is Thursday. Will Smith will start.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 11, Blue Rocks 3

CF Prades 3-4, 2B (16), 3B (5), RS -- .296
LF Ferguson 1-3, BB, 2 RBI (39), K, assist at home -- .220
DH Lewis 1-4, HR (5), RBI (17), 2 K, RS -- .209

Caldwell 5 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 5 K, HRA -- 2.20 ERA
Keck 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, K, WP -- L, 0-2, 6.23 ERA
Dennick 2 1/3 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 3 H, BB, K -- 4.10 ERA

* Potomac exploded for 8 runs combined in the 6th and 7th to rout the Rocks again. Tim Ferguson hit a 2-out, bases-loaded single in the 1st to score 2 but John Whittleman was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning. Allen Caldwell gave up a solo homer in the 2nd but Joey Lewis blasted his 5th homer in the 4th to make it 3-1. The Nationals tied it in the 4th but Ferguson teamed up with Mike Liberto to gun down a runner at the plate to end the rally. Jon Keck gave up 4 runs in the 6th and Ryan Dennick did the same in the 7th. The Rocks didn't threaten much after Lewis' homer. Wilmington is 23-34. The series ends Thursday. Tim Melville will start.

A - Kane County: Cougars 4, Wisconsin 1

C David 1-3, HBP, 2 RBI (9) -- .244
3B Cuthbert 1-3, HBP, K, RS -- .286
CF Eibner 1-4, 2 K, RS -- .215

Adam 5 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 K -- W, 6-8, 4.34 ERA
J. Mitchell 3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K -- 1.40 ERA
Rogers IP, K -- SV, 7, 2.16 ERA

* KC outlasted the T-Rats for the series opening win on Wednesday. A Cheslor Cuthbert single scored 2 runs in the 1st thanks to a Wisconsin error as the Cougars grabbed the early lead. Jason Adam gave a run back on 2 hits in the 1st but would only allow 2 more hits the rest of his 5 IP. Kevin David gave the Cougs a little breathing room in the 8th with a 2-run single, although he was thrown out at second on the play to end the inning. Jason Mitchell worked out of a couple jams but Nick Rogers slammed the door in the 9th for his 7th save. KC is 33-25. Leondy Perez starts game 2 Thursday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Billings 5, Chukars 3 (Tue.)

C Escobar 2-4, RBI (15), RS -- .292
1B Espy 2-5 -- .292
LF Fradejas 1-4, 2B (3), RBI (8) -- .297
RF Davis 1-2, 2 BB, RS, CS (4) -- .333
PR-SS DelGuidice 1-1 -- .467
IF stranded 10.

Moen 5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, BB, 5 K, 2 HRA -- L, 2-5, 6.70 ERA
Penny 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- 9.38 ERA

* A big Mustang 3rd was enough for the win. Justin Fradejas doubled in a run in the 2nd but the Mustangs tied it off Kellen Moen in the bottom of the inning. Back-to-back homers and a 2-run triple helped Billings take a 5-1 lead in the 3rd. Edul Escobar singled in a run in the 6th and an error scored another run that inning to cut it to 5-3. The Chukars' best chance came in the 8th but they stranded the bases full. IF dropped to 10-13. The series ends tonight.

Rookie - Burlington: Johnson City 13, B-Royals 0 (2-hitter)

DH S. Brooks 2-3, 3B -- .269
SS Antonio 0-4 -- .269
1B Watts 0-3, HBP, K -- .230

A. Baez 3 2/3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 5 K, WP, balk -- L, 0-6, 7.38 ERA
Culver 1 1/3 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, K, HRA, 2 WP -- 8.65 ERA
Pizziconi 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, K, HRA -- 6.50 ERA
Middendorf IP, K -- 13.50 ERA

* It was a Johnson City onslaught Wednesday. Steven Brooks was the only Royal who apparently brought his bat in the game as his 2 hits were all Burlington got. Johnson City scored 1 in the 2nd, 7 in the 4th, 3 in the 6th, and 2 in the 8th as they liked the even innings. There was no no-hit drama as Brooks singled in the 3rd and tripled in the 5th as the Royals stranded 2 that inning. The B-Royals are 21-41. A 3-game home set with the Greeneville Astros (25-37) starts Thursday.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 7, Mariners 3

SS Arteaga 2-5, 2B (9), K, 2 RS, 2 SB (8) -- .248
RF Blanco 1-4, BB, 2B (9), 2 RBI (23), K, RS -- .267
C Lane 1-3, BB, 2 RBI (21), RS -- .252
1B Cuckovich 1-2, 2 BB, SF, RBI (15), K, RS, 2 CS (6) -- .301
3B Morales 1-3, BB, HBP, 2 K, RS -- .339
DH Gallagher 0-3, BB, K -- .129

Schulz 5 2/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K -- W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA
Edelbrock 2 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 3 K, HRA -- 9.88 ERA
Witt IP, nothing -- 9.11 ERA

* The Royals rode a good Clayton Schulz start to the win on Wednesday. Jerico Blanco hit a 2-run double in the 1st to give the Royals the early edge. Schulz handed a 2-hit shutout to the pen in the 6th and Travis Lane singled in 2 runs that inning. Nick Cuckovich added a sac fly in the 7th and an error and wild pitch scored 2 Royal runs in the 8th. Casey Edelbrock lost the shutout on a 2-run homer in the 8th and allowed another run before the inning was through. Christian Witt pitched a perfect 9th. The Royals are 20-32. The Rangers have coasted to the division title as they have a 10-game lead on first. Four games are left.

Royals on the Farm 8/23

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 5, Nashville 2

CF Dyson 3-3, S, 3B (2), 2 RS, assist at home -- .287
DH Robinson 2-4, 2B (33) -- .321
RF Cain 1-2, 2 BB, HR (16), 3 RBI (73), RS, SB (14) -- .304
LF Lough 1-1, 2 S, SF, RBI (59) -- .311
3B Arias 1-4, 2B (8), RBI (18), E (11) -- .213

O'Sullivan 7 IP, 6 H, 8 K -- W, 8-2, 3.12 ERA
Pucetas 2 IP, 2 ER, H, BB -- 5.52 ERA

* Sean O'Sullivan continued his strong AAA performance as the Chasers got their magic number to single digits. Jarrod Dyson led off the Omaha 1st with a triple and scored on a David Lough sac fly. Dyson then threw a runner out at the plate to end the Nashville 2nd. Lorenzo Cain drilled a 3-run homer in the 5th for his 16th of the season and Sullivan handed the shutout to Kevin Pucetas in the 8th. Joaquin Arias hit an RBI double in the 8th and Pucetas let the shutout slip away in the 9th as the Sounds scored 2 runs before he closed it. Omaha is 73-57. A 5-game set at the New Orleans Zephyrs (64-67, AAA Marlins) starts Wednesday.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 7, Midland 6 (Mon.)

SS Bianchi 2-4, 2B (22), RBI (45), RS -- .260
3B Lisson 2-4, 2B (16), SB (13), picked off -- .268
RF Myers 1-2, 2 BB, 2B (21), RBI (42), 2 RS -- .260
C Theriot 1-1, BB, RBI (18) -- .274
1B Seratelli 0-3, HBP, RBI (60), 2 K, RS -- .290
2B Colon 1-5, K, RS -- .256

Dwyer 4 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 3 K, HRA, WP -- 5.84 ERA
Baumann 2 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 2 K -- W, 4-2, 3.99 ERA
Hardy 3 IP, H, 2 K -- SV, 7, 1.11 ERA

* The Naturals put together a flurry of runs early and held on for the win Monday. Chris Dwyer gave up a 2-run homer in the 2nd but the Nats tied it in the bottom of the inning on a double-play ball that scored a run and a Ben Theriot RBI single. Jeff Bianchi doubled in the go-ahead run in the 3rd followed by an Anthony Seratelli RBI groundout, and 2 run-scoring Midland errors. Wil Myers doubled in another run in the 4th to make it 7-2 Naturals. Dwyer was pulled for Buddy Baumann with the bases-loaded and 0 out in the 5th, and Baumann allowed 4 runs to score before getting out of the inning. Blaine Hardy retired 9 of 10 batters faced to finish his 7th save.

Naturals 5, Springfield 4

LF Orlando 3-4, 3B (8), RBI (19), CS -- .333
2B Bianchi 1-3, 2 BB, 2 RBI (47), K -- .261
SS Colon 1-3, S, HBP, RBI (57), RS -- .256
CF Robinson 1-4, BB, K, 2 RS, SB (48) -- .252
RF Myers 0-4, 2 K, assist at second -- .257

Odorizzi 6 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 5 K, 2 HRA -- 4.79 ERA
Lafferty 2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, K -- W, 2-0, 2.25 ERA
E. Garcia IP, nothing -- SV, 5, 2.84 ERA

* The Naturals rallied in the 9th to take the opener from Springfield. A Christian Colon RBI single and run-scoring balk made it 2-0 NWA in the 1st. Jake Odorizzi gave up a solo homer in the 2nd and then 3 straight 2-out singles in the 4th to tie the game. Paulo Orlando made it 3-2 NWA with an RBI single in the 6th, but Odorizzi gave up a 2-run bomb in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-3 Springfield. Jorge Rondon was handed that lead in the 9th but the Naturals loaded the bases with 1 out and Jeff Bianchi hit a clutch 2-run single to flip the game around. Edgar Garcia pitched a perfect 9th for his 5th save. NW Arkansas is 32-25 and 5 games up on first. Game 2 of the 4-game set is Wednesday. Mario Santiago will start.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 11, Blue Rocks 1

3B Whittleman 1-3, BB, RBI (67), E (25) -- .241
2B Merrifield 1-4, K, RS -- .260
DH Testa 1-4, 2 K -- .272

Sample 3 IP, 9 R (5 ER), 8 H, 3 BB, K, E (8) -- L, 7-12, 5.66 ERA
Odenbach 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K -- 2.83 ERA
Cuevas IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K -- 27.00 ERA, hey, better than infinite....

* Wilmington had 4 errors and only 1 run in Tuesday's loss. John Whittleman singled in a run in the 1st but that was the Rocks' peak on Tuesday. Potomac scored 2 in the 1st and 4 in the 2nd off Tyler Sample. Sample had a fairly quiet 3rd, then gave up 3 in the 4th along with Dusty Odenbach to make it 9-1. The last 10 Rocks went down in order. Wilmington is 23-33. Game 2 is Wednesday as Allen Caldwell starts.

A - Kane County: Clinton 4, Cougars 2

LF Fletcher 2-4, 2 2B (30), RBI (55), 2 K -- .341
RF Beltre 2-3, BB, 2 2B (16), RBI (35), RS, CS (10) -- .255
3B Cuthbert 0-3, BB, K -- .285
CF Eibner 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .214

Ventura 5 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 K, WP -- L, 3-5, 4.48 ERA
Rivers 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 K -- 2.30 ERA
Boruff IP, nothing -- 1.91 ERA

* Yordano Ventura didn't have a bad start but didn't get the run support he needed either to get the win. Brian Fletcher hit an RBI double in the 1st but Clinton tied it off Ventura in the 3rd. Ventura allowed another run in the 5th and Alex Rivers allowed 2 runs in the 6th. Geulin Beltre doubled in a run in the 7th and that was KC's last shot. The Cougars are 32-25. A 3-gamer at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (23-33, A Brewers) starts Wednesday with Jason Adam starting.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 5, Billings 3 (Mon.)

SS DelGuidice 3-4, 2 2B (4), 2 RBI (7), RS -- .448
3B Mateo 3-5, 2 K, RS, picked off -- .332
LF Fradejas 3-4 -- .300
C Escobar 2-4, S -- .286
DH Moreno 1-2, 3 BB, 2B (15), RBI (31), RS -- .278
CF Chism 0-4, SF, RBI (31), 3 K -- .267
1B Espy 1-5, RBI (31), 3 K -- .289
RF Davis 0-3, BB, HBP, 3 K, 2 RS -- .331
IF stranded 11.

B. Martin 6 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 6 K, WP -- 4.67 ERA
Dooley IP, UER, 2 H, K -- BS, 1, W, 3-3, 7.74 ERA
Carl 2 IP, H, 5 K -- SV, 5, 1.16 ERA, gotta keep the tally running....3 BB/68 K in 31 IP

* Idaho Falls notched a pair of 2-run innings late to get the win. Brennon Martin gave up a run in the 1st but Henry Moreno hit an RBI double in the 2nd to tie it. The game stayed tied at 1 into the 6th, when the Mustangs took the lead. Nick DelGuidice doubled in a run and Richard Espy hit an RBI single in the 7th to make it 3-2 IF. Jonathan Dooley allowed a run in the 7th to blow his 1st save, but the Chukars responded with 2 in the 8th on a DelGuidice RBI single and Tyler Chism sac fly to make it 5-3. Then it was Edwin Carl time and he didn't disappoint as he struck out the side in the 8th and struck out 2 with 1 on in the 9th for his 5th save. IF is 10-12. Game 2 is tonight.

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

3B Bringas 2-4, 2B (10), HR (5), 2 RBI (14), 2 RS -- .247
CF Adams 2-4, 2B (9), RBI (19), K -- .295
LF Conner 1-3, BB, 2B (6), RBI (9), RS, SB (12) -- .265
2B Trapp 0-4, 2 K -- .277
SS Antonio 0-3, BB, K, E (24) -- .275

R. Brown 4 1/3 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 8 K -- 3.55 ERA
A. Gonzalez 3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 2 H, BB, 4 K -- 6.33 ERA
Hall 1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, K, HRA -- BS, 3, L, 2-2, 6.47 ERA

* The Royals faltered late as the Cardinals scored 5 in the last 2 innings. Johnson City scored a run in the 1st off Rudy Brown but the Royals scored 3 in the 2nd on an Adrian Bringas 2-run homer (his 5th) and Lane Adams doubled in a run to make it 3-1. Abel Gonzalez left the bases loaded in the 5th but Cameron Conner doubled in a run in the 6th to stretch the lead to 4-1. Cory Hall fell victim to a 2-run error in the 8th and then gave up a 2-run homer to flip the lead to 5-4 JC. Hall allowed another run in the 9th and the Royals couldn't rally. Burlington is 21-40. The series wraps Wednesday. Angel Baez will start. SP Matt Murray is getting a "precautionary MRI" on his arm according to the Burlington blog.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 6, Mariners 5

2B Morales 2-4, 3 RBI (26), K -- .339
3B Cuckovich 2-3, HBP, 2 RBI (14), K, RS, SB (22) -- .298
LF Toney 2-4, 2 2B (12), 2 K -- .328
CF Gore 0-2, BB, K, RS, assist at home -- .362

Ogando 2 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, K -- 11.06 ERA, has had rough intro to pro game
Edelen 3 IP, ER, H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- 7.36 ERA
F. Cruz 2 2/3 IP, H, 3 K -- W, 2-3, 9.15 ERA
Stueve 1 1/3 IP, K -- SV, 6, 2.14 ERA

* The Royals recovered from a 3-run Mariner 1st to get the win Tuesday. Four hits and a walk scored 3 Mariner runs in the 1st off Cesar Ogando, but the Royals got a run back on an Adrian Morales RBI single in the bottom of the frame. The Mariners answered with a run in the 2nd. The Royals took their turn and got a run-scoring wild pitch to cut it to 4-2 in the 2nd. The M's got a sac fly in the 5th but Morales hit an RBI groundout in the 6th to trim it back to 5-3. The Royals loaded the bases with 2 out in the 7th and Nick Cuckovich tied it with a 2-run single before Morales hit the go-ahead RBI single to make it 6-5. The Royals retired the final 10 M's. The Royals are 19-32.

Royals on the Farm 8/22

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 7, Storm Chasers 3 (11)

SS Y. Navarro 2-4, clutch RBI (4), 2 K, 2 E (5) -- .222
LF Lough 2-5, 2B (26), RS -- .310
2B Falu 1-3, BB, RBI (38) -- .290
DH Ka'aihue 1-2, 2 BB, RBI (60), K -- .280
RF Cain 1-5, RS, E (5) -- .303
1B Robinson 0-3, BB, 2 K, 2 E (8) -- .320

Suppan 6 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 6 H, K -- 4.40 ERA
Lebron 1 2/3 IP, UER, 3 H, K -- 1.04 ERA
Sisk 2 2/3 IP, 4 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, 2 K, HRA, E -- L, 4-2, 1.61 ERA
Tejeda 1/3 IP, K -- 3.52 ERA

* Omaha rallied in the 9th to force extras but fell in 11. An Omaha error scored a run in the 4th and Willy Lebron gave up a sac fly in the 7th to make it 2-0 Sounds. Irving Falu singled in Omaha's first run in the 7th as Lorenzo Cain had broken up Wily Peralta's no-hitter earlier in the inning with an infield single. Lebron gave up a run in the 8th to make it 3-1, but Kila Ka'aihue hit a 2-out RBI single in the 9th and, after Falu walked, Yamaico Navarro tied it with a single. Kurt Mertins went for the win but was gunned down at the plate on the play to end the inning. Brandon Sisk kept it going but faltered in the 11th as the Sounds scored 4 runs. There would be no big rally this time. Omaha is 72-57. The series ends Tuesday. Luis Mendoza was named PCL Pitcher of the Week as he went 2-0 in the week with a 6 IP, 2 ER effort versus Tacoma and 7 IP, 0 ER effort versus Nashville. Sean O'Sullivan starts Tuesday.

AA - NW Arkansas: Rain forced a late start Monday, so I'll pick this one up tomorrow....NWA is up early

A-Adv. - Wilmington: off day

* A 3-game set at the Potomac Nationals (30-26) starts Tuesday.

A - Kane County: Clinton 12, Cougars 1

2B Franco 2-4, K -- .253
C David 2-4, RS -- .241
DH Llanos 1-3, RBI (29), K -- .245

Billo 2 2/3 IP, 8 R (3 ER), 9 H, 2 K -- L, 9-4, 1.74 ERA, not his usual lockdown self
Graham 3 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, BB, 2 K -- 8.31 ERA
C. White 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K -- 4.50 ERA

* Clinton wasted no time putting the Cougars away Monday. Greg Billo had a rough game as an Orlando Calixte error scored the 'Kings' first run and they would add 5 more before the inning was through. Billo allowed 2 more runs before getting pulled in the 3rd. Clinton went on to add 2 in the 4th and 2 in the 5th. Alex Llanos hit a 2-out RBI single in the 7th but all it did was spoil the shutout. KC is 32-24. The series wraps Tuesday with Yordano Ventura starting.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: report tomorrow

Rookie - Burlington: Johnson City 5, B-Royals 3

LF Conner 2-4, 2B (5), K, 2 RS, 2 SB (11) -- .263
CF Adams 1-3, BB, SF, 2 RBI (18), K, SB (7) -- .290
RF Bonifacio 1-3, BB, RBI (28), 2 K, SB (5), assist at home -- .284
2B Trapp 1-5, 3 K, RS -- .282
SS Antonio 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .279

Cantrell 6 IP, ER, 3 H, 7 K -- 4.44 ERA, his best start I can remember
Middendorf 2 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, BB, K, HRA -- L, 0-1, 15.63 ERA
Ferguson IP, H, pickoff -- 5.58 ERA

* The Cardinals came on late to defeat the Royals. Lane Adams hit a sac fly in the 3rd and that was the only run of the game heading into the 6th. Eric Cantrell took a 1-hit shutout into the 6th but the Cards evened the game that inning. The Royals stranded the bases full in the 6th and David Middendorf served up a 3-run homer in the 7th, and the Cardinals added a run in the 8th to make it 5-1. Jorge Bonifacio singled in a run in the 8th and Adams singled in a run in the 9th to cut it to 5-3. With 2 on and 1 out, tho, Jose Rodriguez was caught stealing third and Justin Trapp struck out to end it. The B-Royals are 21-39. Game 2 is Tuesday. Matt Murray will start.

Rookie - AZL: Padres 7, Royals 6

SS Cuckovich 3-4, BB, K, 2 RS, 2 SB (21), 2 E (10) -- .288
LF Gore 2-3, BB, 2 SB (16) -- .372
1B Gaylord 1-3, BB, 2B (8), 2 RBI (24) -- .206
3B Morales 1-5, RBI (23), K, RS -- .333
RF Blanco 1-5, RBI (21), RS -- .275
C Marquez 1-3, S, RBI (4) -- .176
DH Gallagher 0-4, BB, 2 K -- .136

O. Gomez 2/3 IP, UER, BB -- 0.00 ERA
Witt 1 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), BB, 2 WP -- 9.45 ERA
Hodgson IP, H, BB, K -- 0.00 ERA
M. Morales 2 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, K, pickoff -- BS, 1, L, 3-4, 7.05 ERA
Edelbrock 1 2/3 IP, H, 2 K, WP -- 9.53 ERA
Durden IP, 2 BB -- 10.38 ERA
N. Blanco IP, H, pickoff -- 4.05 ERA

* The Royals had it going early but the Pads finished strong. Two Nick Cuckovich errors scored Padre runs in the 1st but Adrian Morales got a run back with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the inning. Christian Witt allowed a sac fly in the 2nd but the Royals got that run back on an Alex Marquez RBI single. The Royals surged into the lead in the 3rd with 4 runs on a Jerico Blanco RBI single, run-scoring error, and 2-run Brian Gaylord double. Max Morales came on for his third inning of work in the 6th and ran into trouble. Five straight Padre hits to start the inning scored 3 runs and another run would be plated before Casey Edelbrock finished the inning with a 7-6 Padre lead. The Royals left the bases loaded in the 6th and they wouldn't have another hit thereafter. The Royals are 18-32. Six games remain.

Royals on the Farm 8/21

Video of the triple play turned on the Storm Chasers Saturday earned a mention on Deadspin. I knew by the fact it started with a flyout it was probably a crazy play.

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 5, Nashville 3

1B Robinson 2-4, 2B (32), HR (21), 4 RBI (90), RS -- .322
CF Cain 1-3, BB, RBI (70), 2 K, 2 RS, E (4) -- .304
RF Lough 0-2, 2 BB, RS -- .309

Mendoza 7 IP, UER, 5 H, BB, K -- W, 10-5, 2.18 ERA
Chavez 1 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K, 2 HRA -- 3.23 ERA
Herrera 1/3 IP, nada -- SV, 5, 0.84 ERA

* The Chasers rallied late yet again to even the series with the Sounds. Clint Robinson hit an RBI double in the 1st and Luis Mendoza took a 2-hit shutout into the 7th. The Sounds scratched out a run that inning, but the Chasers answered with 4 in the bottom of the frame on a Lorenzo Cain RBI single and 3-run Robinson homer (his 21st) to make it 5-1. Jesse Chavez gave up a homer in the 8th and another solo homer in the 9th to cut it to 5-3 before Kelvin Herrera picked up the final out. Omaha is 72-56. Game 3 is Monday. Jeff Suppan will start. C Manny Pina was put on the DL with a knee problem, as Ryan Jenkins was moved up from the lower rungs to take a roster slot.

AA - NW Arkansas: Midland 8, Naturals 2

DH Romak 2-3, BB, 3B, RBI (65) -- .262
2B Bianchi 2-5, K, RS, SB (18) -- .258
CF Myers 1-4, RBI (41) -- .259
SS Colon 0-4, S -- .256
NWA stranded 10.

Jeffress 4 1/3 IP, ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 6 K, WP -- 4.18 ERA
Dobies 1 2/3 IP, H, BB, K -- 5.68 ERA
Chapman 1/3 IP, 6 R (5 ER), H, 2 BB, K, HRA, WP, E -- L, 1-2, 5.40 ERA
Lafferty 1 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K, HRA -- 2.57 ERA
Paulino 1 1/3 IP, nothing -- 5.30 ERA

* A big Midland 7th keyed the RockHounds' win. Jamie Romak hit a 2-out RBI single in the 3rd but Andrew Dobies came in with 1 out and the bases full in the 5th and walked in a run before getting out of the inning. NWA squandered a leadoff triple in the 6th, and Kevin Chapman gave up a grand slam in the 7th before giving way to Brendan Lafferty, who gave up a 3-run homer to the first batter he faced. Wil Myers hit an RBI single in the 8th but that was all the Naturals could muster. NWA is 30-25. The series wraps Monday. Chris Dwyer will start.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 6, Salem 3 (7/G1)

LF Testa 2-3, RBI (34), K, RS -- .274
3B Whittleman 2-2, BB, RBI (64), RS -- .239
CF Prades 1-2, SF, 2 RBI (21), RS -- .288
2B Merrifield 1-3, BB, RBI (32), K -- .261
C Jul. Rodriguez 0-1, BB, SF, RBI (7) -- .255

Marks 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 5 K -- 4.32 ERA
Caldwell 2 IP, K -- W, 1-0, 0.79 ERA
Cuevas 0 IP, ER, 2 H, BB -- infinite ERA, Rocks debut
Volz IP, nothing -- SV, 3, 2.88 ERA

* The Rocks got off to a good start in Sunday's twinbill by winning the opener. Justin Marks gave up a 2-run double in the 1st and Salem had the early advantage. The Rocks rallied back in the 2nd as Yem Prades hit an RBI single, Julio Rodriguez hit a sac fly, and Whit Merrifield and Carlo Testa singled in runs to make it 4-2 Rocks. The Rocks added a Whittleman RBI single and Prades sac fly in the 5th to make it 6-2. Gary Cuevas allowed a run without getting an out in his Rocks debut in the 7th, but Kendal Volz came in to get a double play and the final out.

Blue Rocks 4, Salem 0 (4-hitter, 7/G2)

3B Whittleman 1-3, 2B (23), 2 RBI (66), K -- .240
1B Lewis 1-2, HR (4), RBI (16), RS -- .208
LF Ferguson 0-1, SF, RBI (37) -- .221
RF Testa 0-2, BB, K, RS -- .273

E. Pimentel 6 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K, WP -- W, 6-7, 3.63 ERA
Dennick IP, K -- 3.72 ERA

* Both teams had 4 hits but the Rocks did much more with theirs to sweep another doubleheader from the Red Sox. Joey Lewis got it going with a solo homer in the 3rd for his 4th of the season and Yem Prades tripled and scored on a Tim Ferguson sac fly in the 5th. The team's other 2 hits also contributed to runs as a Nick Van Stratten single loaded the bases in the 6th and John Whittleman followed with a 2-run double. Salem didn't have a hit after the 4th. The Rocks are 23-32. They have Monday off.

A - Kane County: Clinton 7, Cougars 1

LF Fletcher 0-2, HBP, SF, RBI (54), 2 K -- .340
CF Eibner 0-1, 3 BB, K -- .220
DH Pickett 1-4, RS, SB (5) -- .313

Garrido 3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 2-5, 6.20 ERA
A. Cruz 3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, BB, 5 K, HRA -- 2.85 ERA
Giovenco 2 IP, H, BB, 5 K -- 7.13 ERA

* The Cougar offense sputtered as Clinton won Sunday. Things went wrong from the get-go as Santiago Garrido gave up a leadoff homer in the 1st and another run to make it 2-0 LumberKings. Clinton scored again in the 2nd. Brian Fletcher hit a sac fly in the 3rd to cut it to 3-1 but the 'Kings tacked on a run in the 3rd then added 3 combined runs in the 5th and 6th to put it away. The Cougars didn't have a hit after the 4th. KC is 32-23. Greg Billo starts game 3 Monday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 4, Great Falls 2 (Sat.)

DH Mateo 2-4 -- .311
LF Elder 1-4, RBI (18), RS -- .281
CF Chism 1-3, SF, 2B (9), RBI (29), K, RS -- .264
RF Davis 1-2, 2 BB, K, E (2) -- .338

A. Brooks 6 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 5 H, BB, 5 K -- 3.34 ERA
Patton 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- W, 2-1, 4.05 ERA
Fassold IP, nothing -- SV, 3, 4.58 ERA

* A 7th inning rally helped the Chukars get the best of the Voyagers. Chris Elder hit an RBI forceout in the 2nd but Great Falls answered with 2 in the 3rd off Aaron Brooks. Tyler Chism doubled and scored on an error in the 4th to tie it. Both teams wasted scoring chances in the middle innings, but Idaho Falls cashed in in the 7th as two Voyager errors on the same play scored the go-ahead run and Chism added a sac fly to make it 4-2. Great Falls only had 1 hit after the 6th.

Great Falls 14, Chukars 12

DH Mateo 4-5, BB, HR (3), 3 RBI (33), K, RS -- .324
RF Elder 3-6, HR (5), 3 RBI (21), 2 RS, two assists at home -- .294
CF Chism 3-5, BB, 2B (10), RBI (30), K, 3 RS -- .272
2B DelGuidice 3-5, 2B (2), RBI (5), 2 RS -- .400
1B Espy 1-5, SF, 2B (12), 2 RBI (30), K, RS -- .291
3B Threlkeld 1-3, 2 BB, RBI (29) -- .267
IF stranded 10.

Peacock 4 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 5 K -- 4.30 ERA
Jo. Sanchez 2 IP, 7 R (6 ER), 5 H, 4 BB, K, HRA -- L, 2-3, 9.21 ERA
N. Johnson 3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 K, HRA -- 4.88 ERA

* A 9-run Voyagers surge in the middle innings was enough for them to outlast Idaho Falls on Sunday. Brian Peacock had a rough start as Great Falls tallied 4 runs in the 1st, and it took an assist at the plate from RF Chris Elder to end the rally. Richard Espy doubled in a run and a run-scoring error helped IF cut it to 4-2 by inning's end. Peacock left the bases loaded in the 2nd and the offense continued to pick him up with a 4-run 2nd on a Nick DelGuidice RBI double, run-scoring Voyager error, Espy sac fly and Daniel Mateo RBI single. The Voyagers scored a run in the 3rd but IF matched it on a Tyler Chism RBI single that made it 7-5 Chukars. Jose Sanchez gave up 2 runs to tie it in the 5th, then allowed 5 runs in the 6th to give Great Falls a 12-7 lead. Nathan Johnson gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th to make it 14-7. Mateo clubbed a 2-run homer in the 8th for his 3rd of the season, and Elder hit a 3-run homer in the 9th (his 5th) to cut it to 14-12 but the rally died there. IF is 9-12. A 3-game set at the Billings Mustangs (12-9, Rookie Reds) starts Monday.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 6, Kingsport 2

1B Watts 2-4, 2 HR (14), 3 RBI (41), K, 2 RS -- .243
SS Antonio 2-5, 2B (11), K, E (23) -- .283
2B Trapp 1-3, 2 BB, HR (7), RBI (40), K, 2 RS, 3 SB (27) -- .284
RF Bonifacio 1-3, BB, HR (6), RBI (27), RS -- .284
CF Adams 1-5, HR (5), RBI (16), K, RS -- .289

Graffeo 4 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K, HRA -- 2.25 ERA
Pizziconi 2 1/3 IP, ER, 3 H, 2 BB, K -- W, 1-1, 6.55 ERA
Hall 2 2/3 IP, K -- SV, 2, 5.93 ERA

* The Royals finally beat the Mets to salvage the series finale. The Royals left 'em loaded in the 1st and Nick Graffeo gave up a solo homer in the bottom of the inning. Murray Watts slammed a 2-run homer in the 3rd (his 13) to flip the lead to 2-1 Royals. Lane Adams hammered his 5th homer of the season to make it 3-1 in the 4th and Watts and Jorge Bonifacio went back-to-back in the 5th for their 14th and 6th homers, respectively, to stretch it to 5-1. The Mets scored a run in the 7th but the Royals matched it on a Justin Trapp solo homer in the 9th (his 7th). Cory Hall retired all 8 Mets he faced to pick up his 2nd save. The Royals are 21-38. A 3-game home set with the Johnson City Cardinals (38-20) starts Monday. Nine games remain on the schedule.

Rookie - AZL: off day

Royals on the Farm 8/20

AAA - Omaha: Storm Chasers 3, Tacoma 1 (Fri.)

CF Cain 1-4, clutch 2B (26), 2 RBI (69), 2 K, assist at second -- .305
DH Robinson 1-3, HBP, HR (20), RBI (86), K, RS -- .320

Mazzaro 6 2/3 IP, ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 5 K, WP -- 4.51 ERA
Miner 1 1/3 IP, K -- W, 2-1, 1.65 ERA
Herrera IP, 3 K -- dominant SV, 4, 0.87 ERA, Absolute Zero on top of his game Friday

* Omaha had more late-inning magic for the Rainiers on Friday. Clint Robinson led off the 2nd with his 20th homer of the season to give the Chasers a 1-0 lead. Vin Mazzaro stranded the bases full in the 2nd but allowed the tying run in the 4th. The 1-1 lead held intact into the 9th, when Lorenzo Cain greeted RP Shawn Kelley with a 2-run double to break the game open. Kelvin Herrera then struck out the side in the 9th for his 4th save.

Nashville 4, Storm Chasers 1

2B Zawadzki 1-2, 2 BB, RBI (40), K -- .244
CF Cain 1-5, K -- .304
1B Robinson 1-3, 2 BB, 2B (31), K -- .320
DH Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, K -- .277
Omaha stranded 12.

Montgomery 7 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, BB, 6 K -- L, 5-8, 5.33 ERA
Sisk 1 2/3 IP, 2 BB -- 1.42 ERA
Tejeda 1/3 IP -- 3.55 ERA

* The Storm Chasers returned home from their west coast swing and couldn't survive a rough 1st on Saturday. Mike Montgomery gave up 4 runs in the 1st and the Sounds put the game on SP Josh Butler's shoulders. Lance Zawadzki hit an RBI single in the 2nd to get Omaha on the board. The first 2 Chasers reached in the 3rd but a Clint Robinson flyout turned into a triple play, and the Chasers left the bases loaded in the 4th. Omaha left 'em loaded again in the 8th and left one more on in the 9th. Omaha is 71-56. Game 2 is Sunday. Luis Mendoza will start.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 6, Midland 3

RF Myers 2-3, BB, 2 2B (20), 2 RBI (40), 2 RS -- .259
SS Colon 2-3, BB, 2 2B (13), RBI (56) -- .259
1B Seratelli 2-4, RBI (59), K, RS -- .293
LF Orlando 1-3, BB, 3B (7), RBI (18) -- .324
3B Navarro 0-3, SF, RBI (16), K -- .286

W. Smith 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, BB, 5 K, pickoff -- W, 12-8, 4.18 ERA
Ed. Garcia 3 IP, H, BB, 4 K -- SV, 4, 2.96 ERA

* The Naturals came back from down, 3-1, to win the game. The Nats stranded 2 in the 1st and Will Smith allowed 2 Midland runs in the 2nd. Wil Myers doubled and scored on a Rey Navarro sac fly in the 2nd to cut the lead in half. Midland added a run in the 5th but the Naturals' offense exploded in the inning for 5 runs on a Christian Colon RBI double, Anthony Seratelli RBI single, 2-run Myers double and Paulo Orlando RBI triple. Edgar Garcia worked a relatively quiet 3 innings in relief for his 4th save. The game was halted by a rain delay at one point. NWA is 30-24. Game 2 is Sunday as Jeremy Jeffress starts. OF Tim Smith was activated from the DL as OF Nick Francis has run afoul of the organization and been placed on the suspended list for violating organizational policy. He has gone through a drug suspension previously and, if I remember correctly, had missed some games in at least one prior season for off-the-field behavior toward coaching staff as well.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Blue Rocks 3, Salem 2 (7/G1)

SS Liberto 1-2, RBI (2), K, RS, SB, E -- .182
DH Testa 1-3, RBI (32), CS (5) -- .266
2B Merrifield 0-1, 2 BB, RS -- .258
C Dyer 1-1, BB, 2B, RS -- 1.000, Rocks debut
RF Nick Van Stratten had an assist at third.

Mariot 5 IP, UER, 6 H, 4 K -- W, 8-3, 3.34 ERA
Keck IP, ER, 3 H, BB -- 4.32 ERA
Paukovits IP, BB, K -- SV, 6, 3.60 ERA

* The Rocks made the most of their 5 hits on Saturday to take game 1 of 2 with the Red Sox. Mike Liberto hit an RBI single in the 3rd and a Carlo Testa single later in the inning scored 2 thanks in part to a Salem error. Mike Mariot didn't avoid baserunners in any of his 5 innings of work, and a Liberto error helped Salem plate a run in the 5th. Jon Keck allowed another run in the 6th but Nick Van Stratten came up big with an assist at third on the play to end the inning abruptly. Bryan Paukovits got a double play to end it in the 7th.

Blue Rocks 6, Salem 2 (7/G2)

3B Whittleman 2-3, 2B (22), HR (20), 3 RBI (63), 2 RS, E (24) -- .235
LF Testa 2-2, BB, 2B (24), RBI (33), RS -- .271
2B Merrifield 2-3, BB, K, RS -- .261
C Jul. Rodriguez 2-3, 2B (4) -- .261
SS Batista 2-3, K, 2 RS, SB (4) -- .209

Melville 6 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 6 H, BB, 7 K, HRA -- W, 9-9, 4.32 ERA
Odenbach IP, BB, K -- 3.13 ERA

* Wilmington had a strong 1st and went on to sweep Saturday's double dip. John Whittleman hit a 2-run double and scored on an error in the 1st as the Rocks staked Tim Melville to a 3-0 lead. Whittleman led off the 3rd with his 20th homer and Melville finally allowed a run in the 4th, though a wild pitch scored a run for Wilmington that inning to make it 5-1. Melville gave up a solo homer in the 6th but the Rocks matched it again as Carlo Testa singled in a run. Wilmington is 21-32. The teams play two once more on Sunday as Justin Marks and Elisaul Pimentel will start.

A - Kane County: Cougars 7, Clinton 1

DH Beltre 3-5, 2B (14), RBI (34), 2 RS -- .254
LF Fletcher 2-5, 2 2B (28), K, RS -- .342
C David 2-5, 2B (6), 2 K -- .232
1B Kuebler 2-5, 2B (16), K -- .223
CF Eibner 1-4, BB, HR (12), 3 RBI (31), 2 K, RS -- .221
3B Cuthbert 1-3, 2 BB, HR (8), 2 RBI (48), K, 2 RS -- .293
SS Calixte 1-4, BB, RBI (28), 2 K -- .213
The Cougars stranded 10.

L. Perez 5 IP, 3 H, 5 K -- W, 7-11, 3.23 ERA, consistency has turned his fortunes, 5 straight wins
Rivers 2 IP, ER, H, 2 K, HRA -- 1.32 ERA
Rogers 2 IP, BB, 2 K -- 2.25 ERA

* The Cougars supported another strong start from Leondy Perez to take the opener from Clinton. Cheslor Cuthbert popped a 2-run homer (his 8th) in the 1st to start the Cougars on the right foot. Perez worked out of a minor jam in the 2nd and the Cougars added 3 runs in the 5th on a 3-run homer by Brett Eibner (his 12th). Geulin Beltre singled in a run in the 6th to give Perez a 6-0 lead, which he handed to Alex Rivers that inning. Rivers lost the shutout with a leadoff homer in the 7th but Orlando Calixte singled in a run in the 9th and Nick Rogers polished off the last 2 innings. KC is 32-22. Santiago Garrido starts game 2 Sunday.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 10, Great Falls 9 (Fri.)

RF Davis 2-4, 3 RBI (35), K -- .336
LF Chism 3-5, 2B (8), 2 RS -- .263
CF Sandford 2-4, RBI (16), RS, SB (23) -- .243
3B Threlkeld 1-4, 2B (13), 3 RBI (28), 2 K, RS -- .267
1B Moreno 2-4, BB, 2B (14), RBI (30), 2 K, 2 RS -- .282
2B Piterson 1-5, RBI (11), K, RS -- .286
SS DelGuidice 1-4, E (2) -- .350

E. Diaz 4 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 6 H, 4 BB, 5 K, HRA, WP -- 6.75 ERA
Avinazar IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, balk -- 10.24 ERA
Penny 2 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K, HRA -- W, 3-4, 10.16 ERA
Carl 2 IP, 5 K -- SV, 4, 1.24 ERA, that makes it 3 BB/63 K in 29 IP, can we see what he can do higher than the rookie leagues, perhaps? He does turn 23 in 11 days.

* Two big rallies helped the Chukars outlast the Voyagers. Great Falls scored a run in the 1st off Eric Diaz but the Chukars had more than an adequate answer with 4 runs in their half on a Henry Moreno RBI single, 2-run Runey Davis single and Darian Sandford RBI single. The Voyagers tied it in the 3rd off Diaz. Luis Piterson hit an RBI fielder's choice in the 4th but Willian Avinazar gave up 3 runs in the 5th to make it 7-5 Great Falls. The Chukars pieced together a key rally in the 6th as a wild pitch scored a run, the Royals loaded the bases, Mark Threlkeld cleared 'em with a 3-run double, and Davis singled home Threlkeld to swing the lead to 10-7 IF. Robert Penny promptly gave up a 2-run homer to cut the lead to 1, but the Chukars got it to Edwin Carl time in the 8th, and he did not disappoint. He struck out the side in the 8th, then "only" K'd 2 in the 9th to finish off his 4th save. IF is 8-11. The series is continuing tonight.

Rookie - Burlington: Kingsport 17, B-Royals 14

SS Antonio 3-5, BB, 2B (10), 2 HR (9), 5 RBI (36), K, 4 RS, 2 E (22) -- .280
C Swab 2-5, HBP, 2 RBI (14), K, RS, 2 E (5) -- .245
LF Howard 2-5, HR (3), RBI (5), 2 K, RS -- .164
3B Bringas 2-6, 2B (9), RBI (12), RS, E (19) -- .240
2B Trapp 2-4, BB, HBP, K, 4 RS, SB (24) -- .284
RF Bonifacio 1-5, BB, 2B (18), 2 RBI (26), 2 K -- .283
CF Conner 1-3, 3 BB, RBI (8), 2 RS, 2 SB (9), CS (6) -- .256
DH S. Brooks 1-4, BB, RBI (4), RS -- .245
PR-1B Watts 0-0, SF, RBI (38) -- .237
The Royals stranded 10.

Ridings 3 IP, 6 R (3 ER), 6 H, BB, 5 K -- 4.15 ERA
Culver 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, K, HRA, WP -- 7.36 ERA
R. Brown 1/3 IP, 6 R (3 ER), 4 H, K, WP -- BS, 1, L, 1-3, 3.74 ERA
A. Gonzalez 1 2/3 IP, 3 R (1 ER), 3 H, BB, 2 K -- 6.87 ERA

* A slugfest went the way of the Mets thanks to a 7-run 7th. The Royals batted around in the 1st and scored 3 runs on a 2-run Jorge Bonifacio double and run-scoring error. They batted around again in the 2nd and scored 4 runs on a Mike Antonio RBI double, 2-run Kenny Swab single and Steven Brooks RBI single to make it 7-0 Burlington. The Mets matched the 4 runs in the 2nd off Matt Ridings thanks in part to 3 Royal errors in the inning. Antonio went deep in the 3rd for his 8th homer of the season as the 2-run shot made it 9-4 Royals. The Mets answered that salvo, too, to trim it to 9-6, then trimmed it to 9-8 with a 2-run 4th. Cameron Conner was caught stealing home in the 5th right before Antonio cranked another 2-run job (his 9th) to make it 11-8. Anthony Howard clubbed a homer in the 6th for his 3rd of the season to stretch it to 12-8. Rudy Brown came in to pitch the 7th and the Royals' momentum came to a screeching halt. Four singles, a sac fly and error later, Brown was gone for Abel Gonzalez, who allowed 3 more runs to score as the Mets flipped the lead to 15-12 in their favor. Murray Watts hit a sac fly in the 8th and Conner singled in a run to trim it to 15-14. The Royals couldn't get it tied, tho, and the Mets tacked on 2 insurance runs in the bottom of the frame. The Royals are 20-38. The series ends Sunday.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 5, Reds 1

LF Toney 2-5, 2 2B (10), RBI (23), K, RS -- .328
DH Llanos 1-5, RBI (2), 2 K, RS, SB -- .190
3B Cuckovich 1-4, BB, RBI (12), RS, 2 SB (19) -- .272
2B Garcia 1-4, RBI (21), K -- .295
C Gallagher 0-3 -- .145

A. Williams 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- 4.11 ERA
S. Rosario 4 1/3 IP, H, 2 BB, 6 K -- W, 1-2, 6.84 ERA
Stueve 1 1/3 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, WP -- 2.21 ERA

* The Royals let a 3-hit shutout slip away in the 9th, but didn't let the win slip away. D'Andre Toney hit an RBI double in the 1st and a run-scoring Red error made it 2-0 Royals in the 2nd. A wild pitch scored a Royal run in the 4th and Carlos Garcia kept the offense chipping away with an RBI single in the 5th. Another error scored a run in the 7th to make it 5-0. Meanwhile, Ali Williams and Sergio Rosario combined to strike out 13 over 7 2/3 IP. Andrew Stueve came in to strand the bases full in the 8th and the Reds spoiled the shutout with a sac fly in the 9th before he shut the door. The Royals are 18-31.