Royals on the Farm 8/17

AAA: Omaha used a 6th-inning rally to get a 6-2 win over New Orleans Wednesday. DH Calvin Pickering came back from his ankle tweak and got the O-Royals started in the 1st with an RBI double but the Zephyrs came back to tie the game going into the 5th. Omaha moved back ahead that inning on an RBI single by 1B Justin Huber and extended the lead in the 6th on an RBI fielder's choice by RF Aaron Guiel and a 2-run triple by LF Matt Diaz. The O-Royals got some insurance in the 8th on another RBI double from Pickering. SP Danny Tamayo got the win with 5 2/3 IP of 2 ER on 6 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to move to 8-7 with a 5.40 ERA; RP Justin Huisman got his 4th hold with 1 2/3 IP of 4 hits and a walk to drop his ERA to 4.09; RP Jaime Cerda got his 6th hold with 2/3 hitless IP to lower his ERA to 5.31; and RP Nate Field went an inning and allowed a hit with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 6.75. Diaz was 2-4 with a walk, triple, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .377; Pickering was 2-3 with a walk, HBP, 2 doubles and 2 RBI to up his BA to .260; Huber was 1-3 with a walk, HBP and RBI to improve to .261; C Jared Price was 2-5 with a double to improve to .206; and SS Andres Blanco was 1-4 with a HBP to improve to .213.

Omaha is 62-63 and 7 games back of first. The O-Royals continue the New Orleans series tonight. RH Kyle Snyder (1-2, 3.50) takes the mound tonight for Omaha.

AA: Wichita finished its run of 4 games in 2 days with San Antonio and returned Tuesday's twinbill sweep by the Missions with a Wednesday Wrangler double victory, 13-5 and 5-4. In game 1, Wichita broke up a late tie with their best inning of the season in a 13-5 win. The game was low-scoring at 1-0 Missions into the 5th when Wichita put up 3 on RBI doubles by CF Mitch Maier and 2B Ruben Gotay and an RBI single by 1B Josh Pressley to take a 3-1 lead. The Missions tied it in the 6th but, in the bottom of the inning, Wichita exploded. RF Shane Costa tripled home SS Brett Groves, 3B Brennan King singled home Costa, Maier singled home a run, Gotay doubled home a run, Pressley added an RBI single, and Groves, who led off the inning with a double, came back up and hit an RBI single and kept the bases loaded. After Costa popped out, LF Billy Butler cranked a grand slam for his 1st AA homer and Wichita took a 13-3 lead. SP Kyle Middleton gave up 2 runs in the 7th and RP Wes Wilkerson finished off the win for Wichita. Middleton got the win with 6 1/3 IP of 5 ER on 10 hits (3 HRs) and 4 Ks to move to 10-8 with a 4.90 ERA and Wilkerson went 2/3 IP and K'd 1 to drop his ERA to 5.56. Maier was 2-4 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .241; Gotay was 2-3 with a walk, 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .200; Pressley was 3-4 with 2 RBI to up his BA to .298; Costa was 2-4 with a double, triple and RBI to improve to .280; Butler was 1-3 with a walk, HR, 4 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .270; and King was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .288.

In game 2, the Wranglers blew one lead and almost let a second one slip away in a 5-4 win to sweep the twinbill. Pressley singled home a run in the 1st to give Wichita an early lead and the Wranglers added a run in the 4th on a solo homer by LF Cory Aldridge (his 21st) to take a 2-0 lead. SP Mike Stodolka and RP Stephen Bray allowed the Missions to tie it in the 5th but Wichita came back in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead with 3 runs on a 2-run single by King and a balk that allowed Aldridge to score. Bray let San Antonio load the bases in the 6th before RP Leo Nunez came in and got out of the jam without trouble. Nunez gave up a 2-run homer in the 7th after a 2-out fielding error by, guess who, SS Mike Aviles, but got a pop out to end it. Stodolka went 4 2/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 4 hits and 3 walks with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 5.27; Bray got the win with 2/3 IP of 2 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to move to 1-0 with a 3.63 ERA; and Nunez got his 3rd save with 1 2/3 IP of 2 UER on a hit and 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 0.93. Maier was 0-4 to drop to .237; Aviles was 3-4 to improve to .289 and added his 10th steal and 36th error; Pressley was 1-2 with 2 walks and an RBI to improve to .299; Butler DH'ed and was 1-4 to drop to .268; and Gotay was 0-1 with 2 walks to drop to .194.

Wichita is 26-26 and 1 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The Wranglers start a 3-game home set with Corpus Christi (28-25) tonight. Pitchers: Hooks’ SP Fernando Rijo (3-1, 4.10) vs. LH Derrin Ebert (5-3, 5.27).

High-A: High Desert also used a late surge to take another game from Stockton, 8-5. High Desert took a 3-1 lead in the 3rd on an RBI double by CF Chris Lubanski and a 2-run single by 1B Kila Kaaihue but Stockton tied it in the 5th. The Mavs reclaimed the lead with a run in the 5th on a Kaaihue RBI single but Stockton took the lead this time with a 2-run 6th. The Mavs knotted it up at 5 with a run in the 7th on a Lubanski RBI single and took the lead for good in the 8th with 3 runs on a fielding error, an RBI ground out by 2B Pete Maestrales and an RBI single by SS Angel Sanchez. SP Billy Buckner went 5 2/3 IP for the ND as he allowed 4 ER on 7 hits and 3 walks with 6 Ks to move his ERA to 4.84; RP Chris Coughlin, who hasn't had the best season, blew his 1st save with 1/3 IP of 1 ER on a HR and added a K to move his ERA to 7.81; RP Gabe DeHoyos made his first High Desert appearance and got the win with 2 hitless IP to move to 5-1 with a 1.51 ERA in A ball; and RP Brian Steffek got his 2nd save with 1 IP of 1 hit and 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.12. Maestrales was 2-5 with an RBI to improve to .322; Sanchez was 2-5 with a double, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .298; Lubanski was 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .288; Kaaihue was 3-4 with 3 RBI to improve to .313; 3B Adam Keim was 2-4 with a double to improve to .286; and RF Alan Moye was 2-4 to improve to .289.

High Desert is 30-22 and up 2 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. The Mavs officially have a "Magic Number" -- its' 18 for the second-half division title and 19 for the wild card. No announced pitchers for tonight's finale with the Ports.

Low-A: Burlington caught fire in the 2nd and ran away for a 10-2 win over Wisconsin Wednesday. The Bees scored 8 in the 2nd to shoot out to the lead on a 2-run homer by RF Brian McFall (his 13th), an RBI single by 2B Gary Perez, 2-run singles by CF Cody Cure and DH Rusty Brown, and a Wisconsin wild pitch. The Bees tacked on a run in the 4th on a Brown solo homer (his 16th) and scored their final run in the 6th on a McFall sac fly. SP Luis Cota had a great start, going 7 IP and allowing 1 ER on 2 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to improve to 5-6 with a 3.82 ERA and RP Adam Rowe went 2 IP and allowed 1 ER on 4 hits with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 5.23. SS Irving Falu was 3-5 to improve to .255; 3B Edward Lucas was 1-3 with 2 walks and 2 RS to improve to .301; Brown was 2-4 with a walk, HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .273; McFall was 2-3 with a walk, double, HR and 3 RBI to improve to .226; and Perez was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .213.

Burlington is 28-25 and 2 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees' set with Wisconsin concludes tonight. Pitchers: RH Dusty Dossett (0-0, 1.29) vs. Rattlers LH Julio Santiago (4-3, 5.13).

Rookie: Idaho Falls had Wednesday off. The Chukars are 7-10 and 2 games out of first. They start a 3-game home set with Helena (13-3) tonight.

The ASL Royals took a game from the Giants, 7-6, Wednesday. Like yesterday, there was no game log so don't know how the runs scored. SP Angelo Morales got the victory with 5 2/3 IP of 6 R (4 ER) on 8 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to move to 3-1 with a 3.67 ERA and RP Gilbert De la vara got his 3rd save with 3 1/3 IP of 2 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.61. 2B Valentino Arce was 1-4 with a HBP and an RBI to drop to .336; CF Joseph Dickerson hit his first pro grand slam in the 4th (his 3rd) and was 1-5 with the HR and 4 RBI to drop to .302; RF Oscar Gonzalez was 2-5 with a double to improve to .297; DH Alvi Morel was 1-3 with 2 walks and a triple to drop to .362; and 1B Willie Matos was 2-3 with a walk, double and 2 RS to improve to .230. Gonzalez also swiped 3 bases to get to 16 on the season. SS Pedro Lopez made his 14th error.

The Royals are 8-8 with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Mariners tonight and the Angels tomorrow.

Lethargy

Well, since I last posted about the Royals, the team has had it's high point, low point (ongoing) and has generally smelled up the league like a rotting corpse. Let's sum it up -- 1. They took 2 of 3 from the White Sox, beating Garland and Buehrle to mark what will surely be the high point of the season other than Pena's resignation (personal high point for the Royals); 2. From then, they've been swept by such teams as Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Detroit (the 2-game rain soaked "85 reunion" series which Baird and Glass neglected to show up for) and are on the verge as I write this of being swept by the lowly Mariners. They are in serious contention to go 0-fer in August, since they have Oakland, Boston, the Yankees and Twins left to play this month; 3. They made absolutely 0 moves at the deadline -- Lima is still here, so are Long and Stairs (not that I'm sad to see Stairs stay) and Affeldt and MacDougal. The only player they gave up was Graffanino, who could be of use right now at second base. Nothing like sitting in your own mess while the season burns down around you. All in all, very dark times for the franchise. I would say the darkest. Cheap ownership, shoddy personnel management, a manager who knows nothing about managing a winning team (don't even bring up the 2-games over .500 one year with the Rockies), and players who don't seem to care too much at this point. Ah, baseball fever, catch it!

Anyway, as 2005 fizzles out like a soggy firecracker for the Royals, it's worth a look to see how the '06 team may shape up. Any of the FA information in this comes from http://www.mlb4u.com/freeagent.html

Catcher -- Like him or not, John Buck isn't getting it done as catcher. He's decent defensively (Seattle's stealfest not withstanding) but can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag. He doesn't even have an OBP of .300 or a SLG of .400. At best he should be the backup next season. Here's a list of FA catchers I'd consider:

Ramon Hernandez
Bengie Molina

I'd like to see them go after either (preferably Ramon Hernandez) for something like a 2-year deal and see how Buck does in developing.

1B -- Sweeney as 1B/DH if he's still around and I wouldn't be against signing Stairs for another year. Huber likely will get some serious playing time at 1B, too, so he'll hopefully be a good option.

2B -- I wouldn't be against using Gotay or Murphy as a backup and hopefully McEwing and Hocking will be dust in the wind for the Royals by March '06. Unfortunately, here's the list of FA 2Bs:

Lou Collier
Bret Boone
Ray Durham (Player Option)
Carlos Baerga
Damion Easley
Mark Loretta (Team Option)
Fernando Vina (Expected to retire)
Frank Menechino (Team Option)(arb.)
Tony Graffanino
Todd Walker (Team + Player options)
Eric Young (Team Option)
Damian Jackson
Ronnie Belliard (Team Option)
Manny Alexander
Marlon Anderson
Mark Grudzielanek
Pokey Reese (Team Option)
Miguel Cairo
Roberto Alomar (Retired)
Enrique Wilson
Denny Hocking
Dave Berg
Joe McEwing

I could take getting Graffanino for another 1 or 2-year deal or, if the Indians don't want him, Ronnie Belliard for a stopgap but I doubt the Royals will do much at the second base spot with Gotay and Murphy in the wings and Baird seemingly so high on them.

3B -- I assume KC will stick with Teahen as the full-timer for 2006 to give him another year to develop and, if/when Alex Gordon gets signed, Gordon may be ready for prime time in September '06. The list of FAs at the hot corner also isn't great:

Herbert Perry
Mike Mordecai (Retired, but could be signed in Sept. to reach 10 years of service to achieve a pension)
Todd Zeile (Retired)
Mark McLemore (Retired)
Shane Halter
Dean Palmer
George Arias
Bill Mueller
Lenny Harris
Abraham O. Nunez
Jared Sandberg
Wes Helms
Joe Randa
Chris Stynes
Jeff Cirillo
Geoff Blum
Brandon Larson

Randa may still make a good backup at 3B for '06 and there aren't many young guys available. If Truby comes back he could also make an OK backup at third.

SS -- I also assume KC will stick with Berroa although I wouldn't be sad to see him go but there aren't many good options in the minors at short for KC. Blanco will be coming off an injury-plagued '05, Mike Aviles is a defensive liability worse than Berroa and Angel Sanchez has struggled at times in A-ball before picking it up recently. As at 2B and 3B, there aren't many good FA possibilities at SS:

Rey Ordonez (Agent Adam Katz)
Barry Larkin (Retired)
Royce Clayton
Ricky Gutierrez
Jose Vizcaino
Chris Woodward
Desi Relaford
Alex Gonzalez (FLA)
Nomar Garciaparra
Deivi Cruz
Jose Hernandez
Jose Valentin
Luis Lopez
Ramon Martinez
Alex Gonzalez (TB)
Rafael Furcal
Benji Gil
Lou Merloni
Chris Gomez
Rich Aurilia
Rey Sanchez
Neifi Perez

Let's bring back Neifi!!! I'm kidding. Furcal would be nice but I doubt he would sign with KC and that KC would even go after him with the investment in Berroa. Maybe Blanco will prove to be a serviceable backup.

LF -- Ambres may make a decent backup but I doubt Terrence Long will be back. You never know, tho. Diaz might work to split the position with Ambres with Butler being a September '06 call-up possibly. I also assume Costa will get a shot in ST as well. All the FA possible signees are old, scrap-heap guys other than Hideki Matsui, who if the Yankees don't work something out with, would never play in KC, and Carlos Lee, who I don't see the Brewers letting go of.

CF -- DeJesus has earned his spot in CF and doesn't have a lot of competition for the job. The big names as free agent CFs are Jacque Jones and Johnny Damon, neither of which would likely come to KC. With DeJesus doing all right the Royals don't need a marquee CF.

RF -- Emil Brown is probably out the door as, with Costa and Diaz and Ambres in the mix, do the Royals really need a 31-year-old 4th OF? Richard Hidalgo has been rumored to be in the Royals' sights as a potential signee, which would knock Brown out for sure. If Hidalgo didn't sign, I'd consider Juan Encarnacion for the right price or maybe Matt Lawton if he comes at a discount.

SP -- Hopefully, Lima is also long gone by March and I wonder if D.J. will be back as a starter in 2006. Also, with hope, Bautista will be back and ready to go. I wouldn't mind seeing BA become a thing of the past with his performance for KC. There's nobody other than J.P. Howell really threatening for a starting spot, although Howell could likely use more AAA seasoning. I figure Snyder may get another shot at a rotation spot. The other promising pitchers in the organization would just be moving up in the minors if anything, as none look that close to major-league ready. But that hasn't stopped the Royals recently. Here's a list of the FA SPs I'd consider:

RH:
Albie Lopez (just kidding)
Matt Morris
A.J. Burnett
Jeff Weaver
Jason Schmidt (Team Option)
Joe Mays (Team Option)
Kevin Millwood
Tony Armas Jr.

LHSP:
Ted Lilly
Jarrod Washburn

As far as righties (besides the marquee guys the Royals would have to overpay to play in KC), I'd like to see the Royals try to get Matt Morris, Joe Mays (if the Twins let him go), or Armas Jr. They maybe could get Millwood fairly cheap as he hasn't done much lately. In lefties, I'd be behind throwing some money at Jarrod Washburn or less money at Ted Lilly. We'll see if Sisco gets a shot at starting in '06.

Bullpen -- Assuming Burgos, Affeldt and MacDougal are back, I also think Bayliss will get a shot at opening the season in the pen along with Stemle, Justin Huisman, Shane Nance and Nunez. I bet Gobble will be back starting at Omaha in 2006. Here are the FA relievers I'd consider:

LHRP:
Ricardo Rincon
B.J. Ryan

RHRP:
Ryan Dempster
Julian Tavarez
Felix Rodriguez
Tom Gordon (be nice to end it in KC)
Mike Timlin
Scott Williamson (Team Option) -- at the right price
Jim Mecir

On paper, the team doesn't look much better for next year and Baird nor Glass have talked about upping the payroll for 2006, which should worry all Royals fans. March seems like a long way away but hopefully the Royals have made some good changes by then. I can't help having a feeling Baird and Glass won't do much -- what reason have they given anyone to think differently. Of course, at this point, I'm ready for Baird to go but can understand (somewhat) why Glass would keep him around at this point since they're "committing to the youth movement." I predicted when Bell was hired that Baird would be gone by 2008 but with the way the team is playing, I hope it's much sooner. It would be hard for any season to be much more frustrating than this one has been, but if any team can make that happen, it's the Royals in the Glass/Baird regime.

Royals on the Farm 8/16

AAA: Omaha pounded 4 homers and a 3-run 8th helped the O-Royals to an 8-6 win over New Orleans Tuesday. Omaha jumped on the board in the 1st on a solo homer by LF Matt Diaz (his 12th) but the Zephyrs came back to take a 3-1 lead into the 5th. Omaha scored 4 in the 5th on a 3-run jack by RF Aaron Guiel (his 27th) and a solo jobber by 1B Justin Huber (his 2nd). The lead was short-lived as New Orleans scored 3 off SP J.P. Howell in the bottom of the frame to chase him. The score was still 6-5 into the 8th when DH Chad Santos doubled home Huber with 1 out and C Jared Price hit his first AAA homer with 2 out as the 2-run shot gave Omaha the 8-6 lead. RP Jaime Cerda came in to shut the door in the 9th and got it done. Howell went 4 IP and allowed 6 ER on 8 hits and 3 walks with only 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.94; RP Shane Nance pitched 2 hitless innings with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.21; RP Dave Elder got his 1st win with 2 IP of 2 hits and a walk with a K to move to 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA; and Cerda got his 2nd save with a hitless IP that included 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.40. Diaz was 1-5 with the HR and RBI to drop to .374; Huber was 2-4 with a walk, HR, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .258; Santos was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .261; Price was 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI to improve to .172; and SS Andres Blanco was 1-3 with a HBP to improve to .211 -- heard on 810 last night that he was called up to save his knees from the Wichita turf. I was wondering since he wasn't hitting at AA. Also, Santos has been getting the time at DH as Calvin Pickering has been out with what was called a minor ankle injury. Blanco made his 5th error Tuesday.

Omaha is 61-63 and 8 games back of first. The O-Royals continue the New Orleans series tonight. Pitchers: RH Danny Tamayo (7-7, 5.49) vs. Zephyrs SP Chad Durbin (3-4, 5.94). As a side note for the Chris George watchers, George surrendered his PCL-leading 27th home run Monday. That’s the third highest season total for homers allowed in club history, trailing Mel Bunch (32, 1996) and Kris Wilson (39, 2004). Also, at some point after July 19, RP Matt Ford also must have been released, even though he had a 2.61 ERA through 9 games. I never saw anything on the team site about it, but he's not on the roster anymore.

AA: Wichita had doubleheader one of two Tuesday with San Antonio and dropped both games to the Missions, 4-2 and 4-3. In game 1, the Missions got to SP Ryan Baerlocher for 3 in the 3rd and Wichita had 1 hit into the 5th off Missions SP Thomas Oldham. San Antonio scored another run off Baerlocher in the 6th and Wichita went into the bottom of the 7th and final inning down, 4-0. A 2-out double by CF Mitch Maier scored DH Shane Costa and a fielding error allowed another run to score before SS Mike Aviles grounded out to end it. Baerlocher went 6 IP and allowed 4 ER on 8 hits and a walk with 6 Ks to drop to 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA; RP Wes Wilkerson went a hitless inning and walked 1 to drop his ERA to 5.91. Maier was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .241; 2B Ruben Gotay was 0-4 to drop to .138 and flied out to end the 5th with the bases juiced; 1B Josh Pressley was 0-3 to drop to .294; LF Billy Butler was 0-3 to drop to .258; Costa was 1-3 to up his BA to .272; and C Mathew Tupman was 3-3 to improve to .280. Aviles made his 35th error in the field.

In game 2, the Missions wasted no time off SP Juan Cedeno, scoring 4 in the 1st and holding on for a 4-3 win. The Missions slapped together 3 walks, 3 hits and 2 SBs off Cedeno and Tupman to build the lead. Gotay hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 1st (his 2nd) to cut into the lead and the Wranglers scored in the 2nd and 4th on a solo shot by DH Cory Aldridge (his 20th) and RBI double by Butler. The Wranglers got runners to second and third in the 7th but Maier popped out to end the game. Cedeno went 2/3 IP and allowed 4 ER on 3 hits and 3 walks to drop to 0-2 with a 9.88 ERA -- he hasn't looked like that great of a prospect from the Sox in the Graffanino deal; RP Barry Armitage went 4 IP and allowed 3 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.87; RP Chris Demaria went 1 2/3 IP and allowed 1 hit with 2 Ks to keep his ERA at 0.00; and RP Leo Nunez went 2/3 IP and allowed only a walk to drop his ERA to 1.12. Maier was 0-4 to drop to .237; Gotay was 1-3 with the HR and RBI to improve to .156; Pressley was 0-2 with a walk to drop to .293; Butler was 1-3 with a double and RBI to improve to .265; and Costa was 2-3 to improve to .276.

Wichita is 24-26 and 2 games back of Arkansas. Tonight's doubleheader matchups -- Game 1: Kyle Middleton (9-8, 4.81) vs. Missions SP Jon Huber (6-6, 4.86). Game 2: Mike Stodolka (4-9, 5.33) vs. SA SP Jared Thomas (1-1, 5.25).

High-A: High Desert took down Stockton, 10-3, Tuesday thanks to an early attack. Stockton got 2 runs off SP John Gragg III in the 1st but High Desert came back with 4 in the 2nd on a 3-run homer by DH Brandon Powell (his 14th) and a sac fly by SS Angel Sanchez. The Mavs added 3 in the 3rd on a 3-run shot by RF Alan Moye (his 19th) to take a 7-2 lead. Some insurance came in each of the 5th, 6th and 7th on an RBI single by 2B Pete Maestrales, an RBI triple by LF Bernard Stephens and a Sanchez RBI ground out. Gragg got the win with 5 IP of 3 R (2 ER) on 8 hits and 3 walks with 2 Ks to move to 11-5 with a 4.11 ERA; RP Drew Endicott went 3 IP and allowed only 1 hit to drop his ERA to 5.65; and RP Nate Moore pitched a hitless inning with a K to drop his ERA to 4.85. Maestrales was 2-4 with a BB, triple and RBI to up his BA to .321; Sanchez was 1-4 with 2 RBI to drop to .297; CF Chris Lubanski was 2-5 to improve to .286; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 1-5 to drop to .309; Stephens was 3-4 with a walk, 2 doubles, a triple, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .286; Moye was 2-3 with a walk, HR, 3 RBI and 3 RS to improve to .287; and Powell was 1-4 with the HR and 3 RBI to drop to .298. Kaaihue made his 16th error.

High Desert is 29-22 and up 1 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. No announced pitchers for tonight's game with the Ports.

Low-A: Burlington got blanked by Wisconsin in a 5-0 loss Wednesday. The Bees got only 3 hits in the game and had more errors than hits with 5 miscues in the game. SP Patrick Hicklen took the loss with 4 2/3 IP of 5 R (4 ER) on 8 hits and 3 walks with a K to drop to 6-6 with a 3.96 ERA and RP Rusty Begnaud made his return to A-ball with 4 1/3 IP of 2 hits and 4 walks with a K to drop his ERA to 6.19. SS Irving Falu was 2-3 with a BB to improve to .251 but also made 2 fielding errors to get to 18 on the season -- he did steal his 29th base; 3B Edward Lucas was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .300; and 2B Gary Perez was 0-3 to drop to .186. RF Brian McFall was hit by a pitch twice to set a new team season record at 16 and counting -- OF Mel Stocker, now at High Desert, had held the record set in 2003 at 15. Lucas made his 24th error and Hicklen also had 2 errors to get to 4 on the season.

Burlington is 27-25 and 3 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees' set with Wisconsin continues. Pitchers: Luis Cota (4-6, 3.96) vs. Rattlers SP Cibney Bello (4-2, 3.92).

Rookie: Idaho Falls' late rally was not to be Tuesday as the Chukars blew a 9th-inning lead to lose to Helena, 6-5. Idaho Falls tied the game at 1 in the 5th on a sac fly by OF Andrew Larsen and tied it at 2 in the 6th on an RBI single by DH Shawn Hayes. The Chukars took the lead in the 7th on a wild pitch that allowed a run but the Brewers tied it up in the 8th off RP Matt Kniginyzky. Idaho Falls regained the lead with 2 in the 9th on a 2-run single by 3B Brenan Herrera but Kniginyzky couldn't hold the lead. A throwing error by Kniginyzky on a sac bunt attempt helped the Brewers out and then Helena got two straight singles to end it. SP Mario Santiago went 4 IP and allowed an UER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 7.97; RP Brandon Brantley went 3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 7.07; and Kniginyzky got his 4th blown save and the loss with 1 IP of 4 R (2 ER thanks to his first 2 errors) on 4 hits and a walk to drop to 1-4 with a 4.29 ERA. SS Chris McConnell was 2-4 with a HBP to improve to .353; 1B Brady Everett was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .365; and C Jeff Howell was 0-2 with 2 walks to drop to .354.

Idaho Falls is 7-10 and 2 games out of first. The Chukars have tonight off before starting a 3-game home set with Helena Thursday.

The ASL Royals split a twinbill with the Angels, taking the first game, 4-0, and losing the nightcap, 9-7. In game 1, three pitchers shut the Angels down on 5 hits and the Royals got help from 5 Angel errors to win. There was no game log so don't know how the runs scored. SP Brent Fisher got the win with 5 IP of 2 hits and 2 walks with 9 Ks to improve to 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA; RP Matt Pena got his 1st hold with 2/3 IP of 2 hits and a K to drop his ERA to 4.21; and RP Henry Barrera got his 3rd save with 1 1/3 IP of 1 hit with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.98. LF Jose Duarte was 1-3 with a walk and 2 RS to drop to .344; 2B Valentino Arce was 0-2 with a walk and HBP to drop to .339; CF Joseph Dickerson was 1-4 to drop to .306; and RF Oscar Gonzalez was 1-2 with an RBI to improve to .299. Duarte stole 2 bases to get to 8 on the season.

In game 2, both teams made 3 errors and the Angels got the win. Again, there is no game log posted at the MiLB site. SP Paul Raglione got the loss with 3 IP of 7 R (3 ER) on 8 hits and a walk with a K to drop to 2-3 with a 6.10 ERA; RP John Sokoll went an inning and allowed 2 UER on a hit and walk with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 7.42; and RP Nelson Trifolio pitched 3 hitless innings with a walk and 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.78. Duarte was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .333; Arce was 1-3 with a HBP to drop to .345; Dickerson was 1-4 with a double to drop to .306; RF Alvi Morel was 3-4 with a HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .363; SS Pedro Lopez was 3-4 with an RBI and 2 RS to up his BA to .314; and 1B Oscar Marrero was 2-4 with an RBI to up his BA to .233. Marrero made 2 fielding errors to get to 5 on the season.

The Royals are 7-8 with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Giants tonight and the M's tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 8/15

AAA: The Omaha Royals followed the example of their major league team and had double-digit Ks in a 9-3 loss to Iowa Monday. LH Rich Hill K'd 10 O-Royals over 6 IP and a 4-run 7th helped the Cubs put it out of reach. Iowa took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd but Omaha scored 1 that inning on an RBI single by RF Aaron Guiel. Iowa made the lead 4-1 before Omaha scored again in the 6th on an RBI single by 2B Justin Gemoll. Omaha scored its final run at 9-2 in the 8th with an RBI single by LF Matt Diaz but SP Ryan Jensen and RP Chris George had already let the damage be done. Jensen got the loss with 6 IP of 7 ER on 11 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to drop to 1-8 with a 6.39 ERA -- time to cut bait; and George went 3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 2 hits and a walk to move his ERA to 5.74. CF Adrian Brown was 2-3 with a walk and 2 RS to improve to .281; Diaz was 1-4 with an RBI to drop to .379; 1B Justin Huber was 1-4 to improve to .242; C Jared Price was 0-4 to drop to .120; and SS Andres Blanco returned to Omaha with a 1-3 game to improve to .204. This says it all about Jensen from the O-Royals website: "The Royals have won 15 of their past 19 games; Jensen was the losing pitcher in all four of the club’s defeats."

Omaha is 60-63 and 8 games back of first. The O-Royals start a 4-game set at New Orleans tonight. Pitchers: LH J.P. Howell (3-1, 3.67) vs. Zephyrs RH Kip Bouknight (2-0, 1.88). In other O-Royals news, to make room for Blanco, IF Luis Ugueto was released. Yawn.

AA: Wichita's game against San Antonio Monday was called because of "unplayable field conditions," so the series with the Missions (26-23) starts tonight and Monday's game will be made up as part of a Wednesday double dip.

Wichita is 24-24 and 2 games back of Arkansas. Ryan Baerlocher (7-2, 2.33) pitches for Wichita tonight against the Missions.

High-A: High Desert had Monday off and starts a 3-game home set with Stockton (32-18) tonight.

High Desert is 28-22 and up 1 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. No announced pitchers for tonight's opener with the Ports.

Low-A: Burlington got its first grand slam of the season at a most opportune time in a 5-4 win over Wisconsin Monday. The Bees were being shut out on 2 hits by Wisconsin's Mark Lowe entering the 8th down, 4-0. A walk by 3B Edward Lucas loaded the bases with 2 outs and a wild pitch allowed the Bees' 1st run to score. C Damaso Espino was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and Lowe was pulled in favor of closer Eric O'Flaherty. On a 1-0 pitch to RF Brian McFall, McFall launched it out of the park (his 12th) to give the Bees a 5-4 lead. Bees closer Chad Blackwell came out for the 9th and set the Rattlers down in order to end it. SP Justin Sherman went 7 IP and allowed 4 ER on 4 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to make his ERA 4.19; RP Yovany Damico got the win with 1 IP of 1 hit and 2 walks with a K to move to 2-2 with a 4.61 ERA; and Blackwell's save was his 13th with a hitless IP that included a game-ending K. His ERA is 2.16. Lucas was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .303; McFall was 1-4 with the HR and 4 RBI to improve to .223; and DH Gary Perez was 1-3 to up his BA to .200.

Burlington is 27-24 and 3 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees' set with Wisconsin continues. Pitchers: RH Patrick Hicklen (6-5, 3.81) vs. Wisconsin RH Aaron Jensen (7-12, 5.59).

Rookie: Four Idaho Falls errors helped Helena to an 8-6 win over the Chukars Monday night. The Chukars led off the game with a 3-run 1st on an RBI ground out by 1B Jase Turner and a 2-run double by LF Antonio Sabatini. The Brewers scored 2 quickly off SP Bennett Cromer in the 1st and tacked on 2 more in the inning on a single aided by a throwing error by RF Andrew Larsen. SS Chris McConnell made errors on two straight batters in the 2nd to allow 2 runs to score and the Brewers added another run to take a 7-3 lead into the 3rd. The Chukars came back with 2 in the 5th on an RBI force out by McConnell and a Sabatini sac fly and added another run in the 6th on an RBI ground out by 2B Joshua Johnson to make the score 7-6. Helena got some insurance thanks to McConnell's 3rd error of the game in the 8th and Idaho Falls couldn't get any more offense going. Cromer got his 1st loss with 2 IP of 7 R (3 ER) on 5 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to drop to 5-1 with a 4.95 ERA; RP David Henninger went 4 hitless IP and walked 1 with 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.77; and RP Eliszer Garcia went 2 IP and allowed an UER on 3 hits and a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 3.45. CF Ethien Santana was 3-5 with a double and 2 RS to up his BA to .313; 3B Brenan Herrera was 2-3 with a walk and HBP to improve to .297; McConnell was 1-5 with an RBI and 2 RS to drop to .350 -- his errors upped his season total to 13; and C Kiel Thibault was 1-4 to drop to .340. Santana stole his 11th base.

Idaho Falls is 7-9 and 2 games out of first. The Chukars end the set with Helena tonight.

The ASL Royals had Monday off but their game with the Brewers Sunday was reported and didn't show a good result as the Royals lost, 4-3. The Brewers took an early 2-0 lead off SP Rayner Oliveros but the Royals tied it with runs in the 3rd and 5th on an RBI single and an RBI double by 2B Valentino Arce. Oliveros was touched up for 2 more ER in the 7th but the Royals got 1 back in the 8th on an RBI single by SS Pedro Lopez. They went down without a fight to end it in the 9th, though. Oliveros took his 1st loss with 6 2/3 IP of 4 R (3 ER) on 9 hits and a walk and 0 Ks to drop to 5-1 with a 2.30 ERA; RP Drew Coffey went 2/3 IP and allowed only 2 hits and a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 9.82; and RP Troy Garrett went 2/3 hitless IP to drop his ERA to 5.87. LF Jose Duarte was 1-5 to drop to .344; Arce was 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .345; CF Joseph Dickerson was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .308; and RF Oscar Gonzalez was 2-2 with 2 walks to improve to .297. He also stole 2 bases to up his season total to 13.

The Royals are 6-7 and 3 1/2 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play 2 with the Angels tonight.

Royals on the Farm 8/14

AAA: Omaha capitalized on 2 of 3 Iowa errors to get a 3-2 win over the Cubs in 12 and win their 4th straight game. The O-Royals opened the scoring with 2 in the 5th on a 2-run single by RF Aaron Guiel that was aided by an Iowa throwing error. Iowa got a run back in the 7th and closer Santiago Ramirez gave up a leadoff homer in the 9th to allow the Cubs to tie the game. A throwing error allowed LF Matt Diaz to reach with 1 out in the 12th, 1B Justin Huber was intentionally walked and 2B Justin Gemoll drew a walk to load the bases. DH Chad Santos came through with a single to drive Diaz home and end the game. SP Dennis Tankersley went 6 1/3 IP and allowed only 1 ER on 2 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 4.42; RP Shane Nance got his 7th hold with 1/3 IP of 1 hit and a K to drop his ERA to 4.38; RP Dave Elder got his 1st hold with 1 1/3 IP of 1 hit and 1 walk with 3 Ks to keep his ERA at 0.00; Ramirez blew his 4th save with an IP of 1 ER on a hit to move his ERA to 5.58; and RP Justin Huisman held the Cubs in check in extras with 3 IP of 1 hit and 3 walks with 2 Ks to move to 5-1 with an ERA of 4.19. Guiel was 2-3 with 2 walks, a HBP and an RBI to improve to .274; Diaz was 1-6 to drop to .381; Huber was 0-5 with a walk to drop to .241; Santos was 3-6 with an RBI to improve to .261; and SS Luis Ugueto was 2-5 to improve to .208.

Omaha is 60-62 and 8 games back of first. The series with Iowa ends today as the O-Royals go for the sweep. Pitchers: Cubs LH Rich Hill (3-1, 4.53) vs. RH Ryan Jensen (1-7, 6.00).

AA: Wichita had Sunday off to rest up for a 4-game home set with San Antonio (26-23) that starts tonight. The Wranglers are 24-24 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. Ryan Baerlocher (7-2, 2.33) pitches for Wichita tonight against the Missions. In other Wichita news, SP Thad Markray was put on the DL with an undisclosed injury and SS Andres Blanco was moved up to Omaha after proving his worth with a robust .189 BA in a short AA stint.

High-A: High Desert swept Lake Elsinore and ran the Storm's losing streak to 14 games Sunday with a 9-3 win. The Mavs scored 2 in the 2nd on a 2-run longball by RF Alan Moye (his 18th) and broke it open with 4 in the 3rd on a Storm fielding error, a 2-run double by 1B Kila Kaaihue and an RBI single by C Adam Donachie. High Desert added runs in the 4th and 5th on RBI singles by SS Angel Sanchez and 2B Walter Sevilla. The Mavs' final run came in the 8th on a Moye RBI single. SP Patrick Green got the win with 5 IP of 2 ER on 5 hits and 9 Ks to improve to 8-9 with a 3.89 ERA; RP Stephen Chamberlain went an inning and allowed a hit and a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 7.68; RP Chris Coughlin went 2 IP and gave up an ER on 3 hits with a K to move his ERA to 7.61; and RP Drew Endicott went a hitless inning to drop his ERA to 5.88. DH Pete Maestrales was 3-6 with 2 doubles to improve to .320; Sanchez was 1-5 with an RBI to drop to .299; CF Chris Lubanski was 1-3 with 2 walks, a triple and 2 RS to improve to .285; Kaaihue was 1-4 with a walk, double and 2 RBI to drop to .310; Moye was 3-4 with a triple, HR, walk, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .285; 3B Michael Gaffney was 2-3 with a double to improve to .296; and 3B Brandon Powell got in 2 ABs and was 0-2 to drop to .299.

High Desert is 28-22 and up 1 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. The Mavs have tonight off.

Low-A: Burlington got some decent relief from Kraig Schambough to get a 5-4 win and take the series over Southwest Michigan Sunday. The D-Rays jumped out to a 3-0 lead but Burlington came back to tie it in the 5th on a solo homer by SS Gary Perez (his 3rd), an RBI single by IF Edward Lucas and a sac fly by 1B Damaso Espino. The Bees took the lead in the 6th on a solo homer by RF Brian McFall (his 11th) but the D-Rays tied it in the 7th on a run off Schambough. Burlington took the lead for good in the bottom of the 7th on an Espino RBI ground out and Schambough took care of the rest as he put SWM down without much trouble in the 8th and 9th. SP Daniel Christensen went 5 IP and allowed 3 R (2 ER) on 6 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to move his ERA to 3.93 and Schambough got the win to move to 1-0 with 4 IP of 1 ER on 1 hit and 2 walks with 6 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.29. Lucas was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .305 and CF Kenard Springer was 2-4 to up his BA to .239. Perez was 1-4 with the HR and RBI to improve to .189. Lucas stole his 26th base and Springer swiped his 18th. Perez made his 10th error.

Burlington is 26-24 and 3 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees start a 4-game home set with Wisconsin (28-22) tonight. Pitchers: RH Justin Sherman (3-7, 4.09) vs. Wisconsin RH Mark Lowe (6-4, 5.47). In other Bees news, RHP Gabe DeHoyos was promoted to High Desert and RHP Rusty Begnaud was recalled from Idaho Falls. DeHoyos leaves the Bees with a 4-1 record, a 1.56 ERA, and three saves in 28 games, including his first three professional starts -- at least they aren't just jumping him to AAA like they did earlier in the season, which (surprise!) didn't work out. Begnaud started the season with the Bees and had no record and an 8.49 ERA and one save in nine appearances including one start. In 12 appearances with the Chukars, he was 2-4 with a 5.63 ERA and earned a save in his only relief appearance. In 54.1 innings, he allowed 77 hits and 46 runs (34 earned) while walking 17 and striking out 37.

Rookie: Idaho Falls C Kiel Thibault put on a fireworks show Sunday with 3 HR and 9 RBI in an 18-10 Chukars win over Helena for the Brewers' 3rd loss of the season. Thibault tied the Pioneer League record for homers in a game with 12 other batters and Idaho Falls knocked 6 pitches out of the park Monday. The Chukars scored 1 in the 1st on a solo shot by SS Chris McConnell (his 4th) but went off for 10 in the 2nd on a solo homer by 1B Jase Turner (his 8th), a 2-run shot by 3B Brenan Herrera (his 1st pro homer), an RBI single by RF Felix Peguero, a bases-loaded HBP by Turner, an RBI single by LF Antonio Sabatini and a grand slam by Thibault (his 5th). Five more Chukars scored in the 3rd on a Helena error, a Sabatini RBI single and a 3-run shot by Thibault (his 6th). Idaho Falls padded the lead with 2 in the 8th on a 2-run shot by Thibault (his 7th). Royals 3rd-rounder SP Chris Nicoll had another nice start with 4 2/3 IP of an ER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to move his ERA to 1.69; RP Cody Harkcom got the win with 1 1/3 IP of 3 ER on 3 hits with 2 Ks to move to 3-5 with a 9.00 ERA; RP Jacob Eckley went an inning and allowed 4 ER on 5 hits to up his ERA to 5.79; RP Travis Trammell went an inning and allowed 2 ER on 2 hits to move his ERA to 10.80; and RP Adam Kalkhof went an inning and allowed 2 hits and a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 3.64. McConnell was 1-4 with 2 walks, a HR and RBI with 3 RS to drop to .354; Peguero was 2-6 with an RBI and 2 RS to improve to .225; DH Brady Everett was 1-4 with a walk to drop to .380; Sabatini was 3-4 with a walk, 2 RBI and 4 RS to improve to .281; Thibault was 4-5 with a double, 3 HR, 9 RBI and 3 RS to improve to .344; and Herrera was 2-5 with a triple, HR and 2 RBI to improve to .265. 2B Joshua Johnson made his 10th error.

Idaho Falls is 7-8 and 2 games out of first. The Chukars continue the set with Helena today.

The ASL Royals' game with the Brewers Sunday was unreported at MiLB's site. The Royals are 6-6 and 3 games back of first with three games unreported on MiLB's site. They have tonight off before 2 with the Angels tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 8/13

AAA: An offensive outburst in the 8th helped Omaha to a 7-5 win over Iowa and assure at least a split for the O-Royals in the 4-game set. Omaha found itself down, 4-0, after a 3-run Iowa 6th but Omaha got on the board that inning with a run on an RBI single by DH Chad Santos. A leadoff double by LF Matt Diaz in the 8th got the big rally started as 1B Justin Huber walked, 2B Justin Gemoll singled home Diaz, Santos doubled home Huber and a sac fly by 3B Chris Truby drove Gemoll home and made the score 4-4. C Jared Price struck out but SS Luis Ugueto and CF Adrian Brown walked to keep the inning alive and load the bases. RF Aaron Guiel came through with a 3-run double to give Omaha a 7-4 lead and Diaz K'd to end the inning. RP Santiago Ramirez gave up a run in the 9th but allowed nothing further. SP Kyle Snyder went 6 IP and allowed 4 ER on 6 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to move his ERA to 3.50; RP Jaime Cerda got the win with 2 IP of 2 hits with 2 Ks to move to 4-1 with a 5.54 ERA; and Ramirez got his 12th save with an IP of 1 UER (thanks to a Price passed ball) on 2 hits with a K to drop his ERA to 5.52. Guiel was 2-5 with the double and 3 RBI to improve to .271; Diaz was 2-5 with a double and 2 RS to improve to .388; Huber was 1-2 with 2 walks to improve to .264; Gemoll was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .280; Santos was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .257; and Price was 0-4 to drop to .188.

Omaha is 59-62 and 9 games back of first. The series with Iowa continues today. Pitchers: Cubs RH Sergio Mitre (4-4, 4.14) vs. RH Dennis Tankersley (8-6, 4.60).

AA: Wichita lost a battle of 2-run innings in a 6-4 series ending loss to Corpus Christi Saturday. Wichita tied the game with 2 runs in the 4th on a 2-run shot by 1B Josh Pressley (his 19th). The Hooks got 2 more off SP Brian Bass in the 5th and tacked on 2 in the 8th to take a 6-2 lead. Wichita got 2 runs in the 9th on a Corpus Christi fielding error and an RBI single by SS Andres Blanco and the lead run came to the plate but C Mathew Tupman lined out to end it. Bass got the loss with 5 2/3 IP of 4 ER on 8 hits and 2 walks with 6 Ks to drop to 10-7 with a 5.55 ERA; RP Nate Hoelscher went 2 IP and allowed 2 ER on 3 hits and 2 walks to move his ERA to 6.00; and RP Stephen Bray went 1/3 IP and allowed 1 hit with 1 K to drop his ERA to 3.74. Blanco was 1-5 with the RBI to drop to .189; 2B Ruben Gotay was 0-5 to drop to .160; Pressley was 1-4 with a HR and 2 RBI to drop to .297; LF Billy Butler was 1-4 to drop to .286; RF Shane Costa was 2-4 to improve to .271; and CF Mitch Maier was 1-3 with a walk to improve to .236.

Wichita is 24-24 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The Wranglers have the day off today.

High-A: High Desert took another game from Lake Elsinore with a 3-1 win Saturday. Three Mavs pitchers held the Storm to 4 hits led by SP Cesar Herrera, who went 7 IP. High Desert took the lead in the 3rd on an RBI single by LF Mel Stocker and added runs in the 5th and 6th on RBI singles by DH Pete Maestrales and 2B Adam Keim. Herrera gave up a leadoff homer in the 7th before giving way to RP Greg Atencio in the 8th. Herrera got the win with 3 hits and 2 walks allowed and 5 Ks over 7 IP to improve to 6-6 with a 6.58 ERA; Atencio got his 2nd hold with a hitless IP of a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 4.64; and RP Brian Steffek got his 1st save with an IP of 1 hit and 1 walk to drop his ERA to 3.52. Maestrales was 2-5 with an RBI to improve to .317; SS Angel Sanchez was 2-4 to improve to .300; CF Chris Lubanski was 1-4 to drop to .285; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 1-3 with a walk to improve to .311; and 3B Brandon Powell was 1-3 with a walk and double with 2 RS to improve to .301.

High Desert is 27-22 and up 1 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. The set at Lake Elsinore ends tonight. No announced pitchers.

Low-A: Burlington took down Southwest Michigan in a 12-inning pitchers' duel, 2-1, Saturday. The teams combined for 12 hits -- 5 for Burlington -- and 4 errors (3 for the Bees). Burlington took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd on a sac fly by SS Irving Falu but the D-Rays tied it in the 6th. The Bees didn't threaten again until the 12th as three relievers held SWM in check. 3B Edward Lucas walked and advanced to second on a ground out before he was singled home by RF Geraldo Valentin for a 2-1 win. Newest Bee SP Dustin Dossett had a great first start with 7 IP of 1 ER on 5 hits with 6 Ks to establish a 1.29 ERA; RP Adam Rowe allowed 1 hit over 2 IP to drop his ERA to 5.25; RP Chad Blackwell pitched 2 hitless innings with a walk and 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.20; and RP Zane Carlson got the win with an IP of 1 hit and a walk with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.25. Lucas was 0-3 with 2 walks to drop to .303; LF Kenard Springer was 3-4 to improve to .235; and 2B Gary Perez was 1-4 with a double to drop to .182. Springer got his 17th steal of the season. Lucas made his 22nd and 23rd errors and Perez made his 9th.

Burlington is 25-24 and 3 1/2 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees have the finale with Southwest Michigan today. Pitchers: LH Danny Christensen (3-6, 3.95) vs. D-Rays LH Jarrad Lavergne (5-9, 4.87).

Rookie: Idaho Falls' late comeback was stymied by a 2-run Helena 7th in a 5-3 loss to the Brewers Saturday. CF Ethien Santana led off the game with a homer (his 1st) and the Chukars had a 1-0 lead. Helena tied the game in the 3rd and took the lead with 2 off RP Phillip Davidson in the 5th but Idaho Falls came back in the 7th with 2 runs on an RBI single by 2B Joshua Johnson and a bases-loaded HBP by DH Brady Everett. Davidson came back out for the 7th and, along with RP Eliszer Garcia, gave up 2 runs and the Chukars made a small threat in the 8th before going down quietly in the 9th to end it. SP Ryan DiPietro went 4 IP and allowed 1 ER on 3 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to move his ERA to 5.64; Davidson got the loss with 2 2/3 IP of 4 ER on 4 hits and 4 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 4-2 with a 3.35 ERA; and Garcia went 1 1/3 IP and allowed 0 hits and 0 walks with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.68. Everett was 2-3 with a walk, HBP and RBI to improve to .385 and C Jeff Howell was 0-4 to drop to .361. The Chukars left 11 on base.

Idaho Falls is 6-8 and 3 games out of first. The Chukars continue the set with Helena today.

The ASL Royals gave up a walkoff triple in the 9th as they dropped a 4-3 game to the Padres Saturday. The Royals took a 2-0 lead with runs in the 2nd and 3rd on a double steal in which SS Pedro Lopez scored and a sac fly by CF Joseph Dickerson. The Padres came back to take a 3-2 lead in the 4th before the Royals tied it in the 5th on a Padre fielding error that allowed LF Jose Duarte to score. The game remained knotted at 3 into the bottom of the 9th when RP Gilbert De la vara gave up a leadoff single and 1-out walkoff triple to end it. SP Juan Abreu went 4 IP and allowed 3 R (2 ER) on 6 hits with 7 Ks to move his ERA to 6.86 and De la vara got the loss with 4 1/3 IP of 1 ER on 2 hits with 6 Ks to drop to 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA. Duarte was 2-3 with a double, 2 walks and 2 RS to up his BA to .350; 3B Valentino Arce was 1-5 to drop to .342; and DH Joseph Dickerson was 0-4 with an RBI to drop to .316. RF Alvi Morel was 0-2 with a walk to drop to .345; and Lopez was 2-4 with a double to improve to .302. Lopez made his 13th error.

The Royals are 6-6 and 2 1/2 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Brewers tonight and have tomorrow off.

Royals on the Farm 8/12

AAA: Omaha used two offensive innings to get the job done in a 7-2 win over Iowa Friday. SP Danny Tamayo held Iowa down through five innings and the O-Royals scored 3 in the 5th on an RBI double by CF Adrian Brown and a 2-run homer by RF Aaron Guiel (his 26th). Iowa closed the gap to 3-2 before Omaha pulled away in the 7th on a bases-loaded walk by 1B Justin Huber, a 2-run single by 3B Justin Gemoll and an RBI single by DH Chad Santos. Tamayo went 8 IP and allowed 2 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to move to 7-7 with a 5.49 ERA and RP Nate Field pitched an inning and allowed 1 hit and a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 7.20. Brown was 2-3 with a walk, double and RBI to move to .281; Guiel was 2-3 with 2 walks, a HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .270; LF Matt Diaz was 0-5 to drop to .387; Huber was 0-3 with a walk and RBI to drop to .255; Santos was 2-3 with a walk, double and RBI to improve to .252; and C Jared Price was 0-4 to drop to .250.

Omaha is 58-62 and 10 games back of first. The series with Iowa goes to game 2 tonight. Pitchers: Cubs RH Bobby Brownlie (6-4, 4.46) vs. RH Kyle Snyder (1-2, 3.11).

AA: Wichita churned out 5 runs and held Corpus Christi pretty much in check in a 5-2 win. The Wranglers started the scoring with 2 in the 3rd on an RBI double by C Mathew Tupman and a Hooks fielding error. They added runs in the 4th and 5th on solo homers by 1B Brett Groves (his 2nd) and 3B Mike Aviles (his 13th) and scored their final run in the 7th on a Tupman solo blast (his 2nd). SP Derrin Ebert went 5 IP and allowed 1 ER on 4 hits and a walk with a K to improve to 5-3 with a 5.27 ERA; RP Barry Armitage got his 7th hold with 1 IP of 1 ER on 2 hits and a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 4.08; RP Chris Demaria made his first AA appearance and went 2 IP with 5 Ks to set an ERA of 0.00; and RP Leo Nunez got his 2nd save with a hitless IP that included 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 1.23. SS Andres Blanco was 1-5 to drop to .188; CF Mitch Maier was 0-4 to drop to .235; LF Billy Butler was 1-4 to drop to .292; 2B Ruben Gotay was 0-4 to drop to .200; RF Shane Costa was 1-4 to drop to .267; and Tupman was 2-3 with a walk, double, HR and 2 RBI to improve to .277. Hey! Aviles made his 34th error. He's having a B.J. Upton-like season in the field. DH Wilkin Ruan stole his 17th base.

Wichita is 24-23 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The series at Corpus Christi continues. Pitchers: Brian Bass (10-6, 5.52) vs. Corpus Christi RHP Tim McClaskey (6-9, 3.08).

High-A: High Desert got back on the winning track with a 9-1 win over Lake Elsinore Friday. DH Chris Lubanski hit an RBI double in the 1st to get the Mavs started and they added 5 in the 4th on a bases-loaded walk by 2B Pete Maestrales, a 2-run single by SS Angel Sanchez, an RBI double by Lubanski and a sac fly by 3B Adam Keim. The Mavs added their final 3 runs in the 7th on an RBI single by C Adam Donachie and a 2-run triple by CF Mel Stocker. SP Devon Lowery is proving why he's on the Royals' 40-man roster as he got another win with 6 2/3 IP of 1 ER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 6 Ks to move to 6-1 with a 2.77 ERA; RP Nate Moore went 1 1/3 IP and allowed only 1 hit with a walk with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.92; and RP Brian Steffek went a hitless inning and walked 1 with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.05. Maestrales was 1-2 with 3 walks, an RBI and 2 RS to improve to .316; Sanchez was 1-5 with 2 RBI to drop to .299; Lubanski was 2-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI to improve to .285; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .310; LF Bernard Stephens was 2-5 to improve to .282; and Donachie was 2-4 with a walk, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .291.

High Desert is 26-22 and up 1 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. The set at Lake Elsinore continues tonight. No announced pitchers.

Low-A: Burlington got back in the win column with a 3-2 win over Southwest Michigan Friday. The Bees scored 2 in the 1st on an RBI single by DH Rusty Brown and bases-loaded HBP by 1B Eddie Solis to take a 2-1 lead and, after the D-Rays tied it in the 5th, pulled back ahead with a run that inning on an RBI single by 3B Edward Lucas. The Bees' bullpen allowed 2 hits but 0 more runs to help secure the victory. SP Luis Cota got the win with 6 IP of 2 ER on 7 hits with a walk and 9 Ks to move to 4-6 with an ERA of 3.96; RP Gabe DeHoyos got his 3rd hold with 2 IP of 1 hit with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 1.56; and RP Chad Blackwell got his 12th save with 1 IP of 1 hit to drop his ERA to 2.28. SS Irving Falu was 2-4 with a double and 2 RS to improve to .251; Lucas was 1-2 with 2 walks and an RBI to move to .306; and 2B Gary Perez was 1-4 to improve to .172. Falu stole 2 bases to get to 27 on the season and Lucas stole his 25th base.

Burlington is 24-24 and 4 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees have game 3 with Southwest Michigan tonight. Pitchers: Southwest Michigan's Eddie De La Cruz (5-3, 6.39) vs. Dustin Dossett (0-0, 0.00). In other Bees news, RHP Kyle Crist is out for the year on the disabled list and Dossett was signed from the Shreveport Sports of the independent Central League. Crist is the sixth player lost to a season-ending injury for the Bees. He has a partial tear in the patella tendon in his left knee. Dossett pitched with the Bees last season and went 3-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 38 relief appearances. He tied for the team lead with five saves and allowed 71 hits and 24 walks while striking out 54 in 74 innings. He was released just before the start of the season. In twelve starts with the Sports, Dossett was 4-4 with a 3.22 ERA and struck out 58 batters in 67 innings

Rookie: Idaho Falls dropped the finale of the set with Missoula, 6-3, Friday. The Chukars took the early lead on a sac fly by C Kiel Thibault but the Osprey came back to take a 4-1 lead before Idaho Falls scored late runs on an RBI double by DH Felix Peguero and an RBI single by 2B Josh Johnson. Missoula put the game away, tho, to snap Idaho Falls' 3-game win streak. SP Rusty Begnaud got the loss with 5 IP of 4 ER on 8 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks to drop to 2-4 with a 5.63 ERA and RP Brandon Brantley went 3 IP and allowed 2 R (1 ER) on 2 hits and 2 walks with a K to move his ERA to 7.44. CF Ethien Santana was 2-5 to improve to .311; SS Chris McConnell was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .358; Peguero was 2-5 with a double and RBI to improve to .220; RF Andrew Larsen was 2-3 with a walk to improve to .262; and Thibault was 0-2 with a HBP and RBI to drop to .318. McConnell made his 10th error and Santana stole his 10th base.

Idaho Falls is 6-7 and 3 games out of first. The Chukars start a 4-game series at Helena (10-2) tonight.

The ASL Royals had three pitchers combine for a 1-hit shutout in a 3-0 win over the A's Friday. The Royals scored in the 2nd on an RBI single by SS Pedro Lopez and added 2 in the 8th on a 2-run triple by LF Jose Duarte. SP Angelo Morales got the win with 5 IP of 1 hit and 2 walks with 6 Ks to move to 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA; RP John Sokoll got his 1st hold with 3 hitless IP with 1 K to drop his ERA to 8.03; and RP Henry Barrera got his 2nd save with a hitless IP that included a walk to drop his ERA to 5.31. Duarte was 1-4 with a triple and 2 RBI to drop to .342; 3B Valentino Arce was 1-4 to drop to .349; and DH Joseph Dickerson was 1-3 to move to .324.

The Royals are 6-5 and 1 1/2 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Pads tonight and the Brewers tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 8/11

AAA: Omaha went ahead and lost Wednesday's suspended game with Tucson, 5-2, before coming back to win, 4-3, in the regularly scheduled game Thursday. In the suspended tilt, Omaha scored in the 1st on an RBI single by LF Matt Diaz but Tucson scored 3 off SP Ryan Jensen in the 2nd before the game was held up by rain. Chris George took the mound to finish that half-inning and the O-Royals scored another run in the 2nd on a solo homer by 2B Justin Gemoll (his 8th) to make it a 3-2 game. Tucson tacked on 2 in the 4th and the O-Royals didn't get another base runner from the 3rd until the 8th inning. Diaz came up as the tying run that inning but struck out and Omaha went down easy in the 9th. Jensen went 1 2/3 IP but got the loss with 3 ER on 4 hits and a walk with a K to drop to 1-7 with a 6.00 ERA; George went 3 1/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 4 hits and a walk to move his ERA to 5.73; RP Justin Huisman went 3 IP and allowed only 2 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.39; and RP Dave Elder went 1 IP and allowed a hit with a K to keep his ERA at 0.00. Isn't it about time we cut bait with guys like George and Jensen? They're just placeholders. I know Jensen has pitched with KC this season but he's 30 and has a 6.00 ERA at AAA. Dennis Tankersley could do what Jensen has done at the MLB level this season. CF Adrian Brown was 2-4 to up his BA to .278; Diaz was 1-4 with an RBI to drop to .407; 1B Justin Huber was 0-4 to drop to .227; and C Jared Price was 2-3 with 2 doubles to improve to .333. Brown also stole his 27th base.

In Thursday's game (a 7-inning one), Omaha didn't get a big inning but was consistent in scoring a run in each inning from the 4th to the 7th in a 4-3 win. The O-Royals won despite the bullpen faltering again. SP J.P. Howell gave up a run in the 1st but held the Cubs to only 3 hits until he exited after the 6th. Omaha tied it in the 4th on a bases-loaded walk by SS Luis Ugueto, took the lead in the 5th on an RBI single by Huber, and scored again in the 6th on an RBI single by Brown to take a 3-1 lead into the 7th. RP Santiago Ramirez came in to try for the save and came up short as he gave up a 2-run double to allow Tucson to tie it up. Huber stepped up, though, and saved the day with his first AAA homer, a walk-off job to end it, 4-3. Howell went 6 IP and allowed 1 ER on 5 hits and 3 walks with 7 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.67; and Ramirez blew his 3rd save but got the win with 1 IP of 2 ER on 2 hits and a walk with a K to move to 5-5 with a 5.61 ERA. Diaz was 0-4 to drop to .398; Huber had a big game with a 3-4 effort that included a double, HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .271; and Price was 1-2 to improve to .375.

Omaha is 57-62 and 10 games back of first. A 4-game home series with Iowa (55-60) starts tonight. Pitchers: Cubs RHP Bobby Brownlie (6-4, 4.46) vs. RHP Danny Tamayo (6-7, 5.70).

AA: Wichita could get about one hit per inning Thursday but couldn't score until the 9th in a 3-2 loss to Corpus Christi. The Hooks scored 2 early runs off SP Mike Stodolka and scored another off RP Juan Cedeno in the 8th to take a 3-0 lead. Wichita couldn't figure out Hooks SP Jason Hirsh as he pitched into the 9th. Wichita scored twice that inning on an RBI ground out by LF Billy Butler and an RBI single by RF Shane Costa but CF Mitch Maier popped out to end it. Stodolka went 5 IP and allowed 2 ER on 5 hits with 3 Ks to move to 4-9 with a 5.33 ERA; and Cedeno went 3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 3 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 7.62. SS Andres Blanco and 2B Ruben Gotay were both 0-4 to drop their BAs to .185 and .250; 1B Josh Pressley was 2-3 with a double and HBP to improve to .297; Butler was 0-4 with an RBI to drop to .300; Costa was 3-4 with an RBI to improve to .267; and Maier was 0-4 to drop to .239.

Wichita is 23-23 and 3 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The series at Corpus Christi continues. Pitchers: LHP Derrin Ebert (4-3, 5.49) vs. Hooks' LHP Blake Allen (0-2, 5.57).

High-A: Maybe that Inland Empire hex wasn't over for High Desert as the Mavs dropped 3 out of 4 to the 66ers, culminating Thursday in a 10-3 loss. The 66ers put up 8 runs in the first 3 innings off pitchers Billy Buckner and Chris Coughlin before the Mavs even got on the board. They did in the 3rd on a solo homer by SS Angel Sanchez (his 1st) but it was 10-1 before they scored again in the 6th on an RBI single by DH Brandon Powell. High Desert added a run in the 8th on a solo homer by 3B Adam Keim (his 19th and first after his return from the DL with a wrist injury). Buckner went 2 2/3 IP and allowed 8 R (5 ER) on 7 hits and 4 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 8-13 with a 4.77 ERA at the A level; Coughlin went 2 1/3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 6 hits and a walk with a K to move his ERA to 7.70; RP Stephen Chamberlain went 3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits and 3 walks with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 7.79; and RP Kahi Kaanoi came off the DL to go 1 IP and allow 2 hits with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.91. 2B Pete Maestrales was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .315; Sanchez was 2-5 with a HR and RBI to improve to .300; CF Chris Lubanski was 1-5 to drop to .284; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 0-4 to drop to .313; Keim was 2-4 with a double, HR and RBI to improve to .290; and Powell was 1-4 with an RBI to drop to .300.

High Desert is 25-22 and up 1 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. They finished the season 7-14 against Inland Empire. A 3-game set at Lake Elsinore (18-27) starts tonight. No announced pitchers.

Low-A: Burlington's late season swoon continued as the Bees dropped their 7th straight in an 8-3 loss to Southwest Michigan. The Bees got on the board in the 1st on a sac fly by RF Brian McFall but the D-Rays broke through in the 5th with 7 runs off SP Patrick Hicklen. Burlington added 2 runs in the 8th on a 2-run double by C Damaso Espino but that was it. Hicklen went 5 IP and allowed 7 R (5 ER) on 9 hits and 2 BB with 4 Ks to drop to 6-5 with a 3.81 ERA; RP Adam Rowe went 2 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits with a K to move his ERA to 5.43; RP Zane Carlson went a hitless IP and K'd 1 to drop his ERA to 5.73; and RP Yovany Damico went 1 IP and allowed 1 hit with a K to move his ERA to 4.68. 3B Edward Lucas was 1-4 with 2 RS to drop to .305 and Espino was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .279. Lucas made his 21st error.

Burlington is 23-24 and 5 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees continue the set with Southwest Michigan tonight. Pitchers: Southwest Michigan's James Houser Jr. (6-7, 4.29) vs. Luis Cota (3-6, 4.01).

Rookie: Idaho Falls put out a good effort from start to finish in a 7-5 win over Missoula Thursday. The Chukars scored 3 in the 1st on an RBI single by DH Kiel Thibault and a 2-run double by 3B Brenan Herrera. They added a run in the 4th on a sac fly by SS Chris McConnell and runs in the 6th and 7th on an RBI bunt force out by 2B Joshua Colafemina and solo homer by Thibault (his 4th). Their final run scored in the 9th on a Herrera RBI single. SP Mario Santiago went 3 2/3 IP and allowed 1 UER on 3 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 9.92; RP David Henninger got the win with 3 1/3 IP of 3 ER on 4 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to move to 4-1 with a 4.14 ERA; and RP Matt Kniginyzky got his 4th save with 2 IP of 1 ER on 3 hits and 2 BB with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 3.60. McConnell was 1-3 with an RBI to drop to .364; 1B Brady Everett was 1-4 with a triple and walk to drop to .376; Thibault was 3-5 with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .326; C Jeff Howell was 0-3 with 2 walks to drop to .376; and Herrera was 4-5 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .318. Colafemina swiped three bases to get to 7 on the season.

Idaho Falls is 6-6 and 2 games out of first. The Chukars' series with Missoula ends tonight.

The ASL Royals beat the Giants, 4-1, Thursday to gain a game on the division leaders. The Royals scored 2 in the 4th on a 2-run single by 2B Carlos Avila and added runs in the 5th and 7th on RBI singles by RF Oscar Gonzalez and CF Joseph Dickerson. SP Paul Raglione had a good start with 5 IP of 1 UER on 3 hits and 3 BB with 6 Ks to move to 2-2 with a 5.86 ERA; RP Brent Fisher got his 1st save with 4 IP of 2 hits with 5 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.92. 3B Valentino Arce was 1-4 to drop to .353; Dickerson was 2-2 with 2 walks and an RBI to improve to .324; DH Alvi Morel was 1-3 with a walk to drop to .353; and Avila was 2-3 with 2 RBI to improve to .267. Bianchi didn't play again -- wonder if his back flared up.

The Royals are 5-5 and 2 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the A's tonight and the Pads tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 8/10

AAA: Omaha's game with Tucson was suspended in the 2nd with the Sidewinders leading, 3-1, off SP Ryan Jensen. It will be completed tonight as part of a doubleheader with the regular game going 7 innings. Chris George (7-7, 5.74) will take the mound to start the resumed game vs. Tucson's Edger Gonzalez (8-4, 4.86).

Omaha is 56-61 and 9 1/2 games back of first. The Tucson series concludes tonight. Pitchers: Sidewinders LH Bill Murphy (6-5, 4.25) vs. LH J.P. Howell (3-1, 4.29).

AA: A night after nearly losing a 5-run 8th inning lead, Wichita did blow a late 5-run lead Wednesday in a 7-5 loss to San Antonio. The Wranglers scored 2 in the 3rd on RBI singles by 2B Ruben Gotay and 1B Josh Pressley, added another run in the 5th on a solo homer by Gotay (his 1st) and 2 in the 7th on a 2-run shot by 3B Mike Aviles (his 12th) to take a 5-0 lead. SP Kyle Middleton and RP Stephen Bray gave up 2 runs in the 7th and Bray and Wilkerson combined to give up 5 runs on 5 hits, a walk, an error by Aviles (surprise) and a passed ball by C John Draper. Wichita got the lead run to the plate in the top of the 9th but Aviles grounded into a double play to end it. Middleton went 6 1/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 8 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to move his ERA to 4.81; RP Nate Hoelscher went 1/3 IP to drop his ERA to 5.86 and get his 8th hold; Bray got his 3rd hold with 2/3 IP of 1 ER on a hit and walk to move his ERA to 3.80; and Wilkerson blew his 1st save and got the loss with 2/3 IP of 4 R (1 ER) on 4 hits and a walk with a K to move to 0-2 with an ERA of 6.52. SS Andres Blanco was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .217; Gotay was 3-5 with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .333; Aviles was 2-5 with a HR, 2 RBI and his 33rd error to move his BA to .289; Pressley was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .294; LF Billy Butler was 0-4 to drop to .375; RF Shane Costa was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .259; and CF Mitch Maier was 2-4 to improve to .243.

Wichita is 23-22 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. A 3-game series at Corpus Christi (25-22) starts tonight. Pitchers: LHP Mike Stodolka (4-8, 5.42) vs. Hooks’ RHP Jason Hirsh (10-8, 3.39).

High-A: In a rare low-scoring Cal League game, High Desert dropped its second straight to Inland Empire, 3-2, Wednesday. The 66ers scored 3 early runs off SP John Gragg III and IE starter Brandon Moorhead held the Mavs hitless into the 6th before giving up 2 in the 8th on a 2-run double by LF Bernard Stephens. The Mavs didn't get another hitter to first. Gragg got the loss with 6 IP of 3 ER on 6 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks to drop to 10-5 with a 4.13 ERA; RP Greg Atencio went 2 IP and allowed 1 hit and a walk with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.71; and RP Chris Demaria pitched a hitless inning with a K to drop his ERA to 2.23. The Mavs ended up with 6 hits in the game. SS Angel Sanchez was 1-4 to keep at .299; CF Chris Lubanski was 0-4 to drop to .285; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 1-4 to drop to .317; C Adam Donachie was 2-3 to improve to .291; and Brandon Powell was 1-1 as a PH to improve to .301.

High Desert is 25-21 and still up 2 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. The set with Inland Empire ends tonight. No announced pitchers.

Low-A: Burlington had a slim early lead Wednesday versus Quad Cities but couldn't hold it in a 9-5 loss. The Swing scored 2 in the first off SP Justin Sherman but the Bees got them back in the 2nd on a 2-run double by 1B Eddie Solis and took the lead in the 3rd on an RBI groundout by 3B Edward Lucas. The lead didn't last long as Quad Cities scored 3 in the 3rd and 2 in the 6th to take a 7-3 lead. Burlington scored 2 in the 7th on a Solis solo homer (his 8th) and a QC fielding error. The Swing regained their 4-run lead with 2 in the 7th and the 9-5 score held as the final. Sherman got the loss with 6 IP of 7 R (5 ER) on 12 hits and a walk with a K to drop to 3-7 with a 4.09 ERA -- might be time to take him back to the 'pen; RP Gabe DeHoyos went 2/3 IP and allowed 2 UER on a hit with a K to drop his ERA to 1.60; and RP Chad Blackwell went 1 1/3 hitless IP with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.32. Lucas was 0-4 with an RBI to drop to .305; Solis was 2-3 with a HBP, double, HR and 3 RBI to improve to .215; and 2B Gary Perez was 0-4 to drop to .160. The Bees made 4 errors on the night as Perez made his 8th (he's quickly becoming the Mike Aviles of Burlington), 2 by SS Irving Falu upped his season total to 16 and Solis made his 7th. Falu also stole his 25th base. CF Geraldo Valentin had 2 outfield assists in the loss.

Burlington is 23-23 and 5 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees start a 4-game home set with Southwest Michigan (25-21) tonight. Pitchers: Southwest Michigan's Matt Larson (3-3, 3.78) vs. Patrick Hicklen (6-4, 3.58).

Rookie: Idaho Falls won its fourth straight Wednesday in a shootout 12-9 win over the Missoula Osprey (they must be big on the obscure bird mascots in the Pioneer League). Idaho Falls took a 4-1 lead in the 3rd on an RBI triple by SS Chris McConnell, an RBI single by LF Antonio Sabatini and a 2-run homer by 1B Jase Turner (his 7th) and 2 in the 5th on a 2-run single by Sabatini made it a 6-2 lead. Missoula closed the gap with 2 in the 5th but Idaho Falls came back with 4 in the 6th on back-to-back jacks by DH Brady Everett (his 5th) and C Kiel Thibault (his 3rd), a wild pitch and a McConnell sac fly. The Chukars took a 10-6 lead into the 9th and added 2 on bases-loaded walks by 3B Joshua Colafemina and CF Ethien Santana. RP Travis Trammell gave up 3 in the 9th but was able to get out of the inning and the game. SP Bennett Cromer got the win with 5 IP of 4 ER on 7 hits with 3 Ks to move to 5-0 with an ERA of 4.50; RP Adam Kalkhof went 3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 4 hits with 5 Ks to move his ERA to 3.77; and Trammell allowed 3 ER on 4 hits with 2 Ks over 1 IP to move his ERA to 9.82. McConnell was 2-3 with 2 walks, a triple, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .364; Sabatini was 2-5 with 3 RBI to improve to .278; Everett was 3-5 with a HR, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .382; and Thibault was 2-4 with a walk, HR and RBI to improve to .309.

Idaho Falls is 5-6 and 2 games out of first. The Chukars' series with Missoula continues tonight.

The ASL Royals had the day off Wednesday. The Royals are 4-5 and 3 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the league-leading Giants tonight and the A's tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 8/9

AAA: Omaha SP Dennis Tankersley held Tucson down and the O-Royals got all their runs in the 4th in a 3-2 win. The Royals scored on a 2-run double by 1B Justin Huber and an RBI single by 3B Chris Truby. Tankersley went 6 IP and allowed 2 R (1 ER) on 5 hits and 2 BB with 4 Ks to move to 8-6 with a 4.60 ERA; RP Shane Nance got his 6th hold with 2 IP of 3 hits on a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 4.41; and RP Santiago Ramirez got his 11th save with an IP that included a K to drop his ERA to 5.40. LF Matt Diaz was 2-4 to improve to .410; Huber was 1-3 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .250; and C Jared Price was 0-3 in his AAA debut. RF Aaron Guiel threw the tying run out at the plate to end the 7th.

Omaha is 56-61 and 9 games back of first. The Tucson series continues tonight. Pitchers: Sidewinders RH Brandon Lyon (0-1, 4.50) vs. RH Ryan Jensen (1-6, 5.72).

AA: Wichita almost blew a 7-2 8th inning lead but salvaged a 7-6 win over San Antonio. The Wranglers trailed, 1-0, entering the 3rd but Wichita scored 2 that inning on RBI singles by 3B Mike Aviles and 1B Josh Pressley. After San Antonio tied it in the 4th, the Wranglers scored 4 in the 5th on an Aviles RBI single and bases-loaded walks by DH Cory Aldridge, 2B Ruben Gotay and C John Draper. Wichita added a run in the 7th on an Aldridge RBI triple and took the 7-2 lead into the 8th. RP Barry Armitage allowed a run in the 8th and RP Stephen Bray entered for the 9th. He and RP Leo Nunez gave up 4 combined runs but Nunez got a line out to end it. SP Ryan Baerlocher got another win with 6 IP of 2 R (1 ER) on 8 hits with 5 Ks to move to 7-2 with a 2.33 ERA; Armitage went 2 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.01; Bray went 2/3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 4 hits with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 3.48; and Nunez got his 1st save with 1/3 IP of 1 hit to drop his ERA to 1.42. SS Andres Blanco was 2-6 with 2 RS to improve to .250; RF Shane Costa was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .263; Aviles was 3-5 with 2 RBI to improve to .287; LF Billy Butler was 2-4 with a walk and 2 RS to improve to .500; Aldridge was 2-4 with a walk, triple and 2 RBI to improve to .278; and Gotay was 0-4 with a walk and RBI to drop to .143. Aviles made his 32nd error.

Wichita is 23-21 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The set with the Missions continues tonight. Pitchers: SP Kyle Middleton (9-8, 4.90) vs. Missions RH Yorman Bazardo (1-0, 0.00).

High-A: High Desert got stung by Inland Empire in an 8-2 loss Tuesday. The 66ers took a 7-0 lead into the 7th before High Desert scored runs in the 7th and 8th on an RBI double by 2B Walter Sevilla and an RBI single by CF Chris Lubanski. SP Patrick Green took the loss with 6 1/3 IP of 6 ER on 10 hits and 2 BB with 7 Ks to drop to 7-9 with a 3.90 ERA; RP Drew Endicott went 1 2/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 2 hits and a walk to move his ERA to 5.96; and RP Nate Moore went 1 IP with a walk to drop his ERA to 5.02. SS Angel Sanchez was 1-3 with 2 walks to keep at .299; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 1-5 with a triple to drop to .317; Lubanski was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .287; and Sevilla was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .236.

High Desert is 25-20 and up 2 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. The set with Inland Empire continues. No announced pitchers.

Low-A: Burlington got only 3 hits in a 9-2 loss to Quad Cities Tuesday. The Bees scored both runs in the 2nd on a bases-loaded walk by SS Gary Perez and a bases-loaded HBP by 2B Irving Falu. SP Daniel Christensen went 3 1/3 IP and allowed 7 R (6 ER) on 7 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 3-6 with a 3.95 ERA; RP Zane Carlson went 1 2/3 IP and allowed 2 hits and 2 walks to drop his ERA to 6.30; RP Yovany Damico went an inning and allowed 1 hit to drop his ERA to 4.76; RP Kraig Schambough allowed 2 ER on 4 hits and a walk with 2 Ks over an IP to move his ERA to 6.23; and RP Adam Rowe went 1 IP and gave up 1 hit to drop his ERA to 5.46. 3B Edward Lucas was 0-5 to drop to .309 and Perez was 0-3 with a walk and RBI to drop to .190. He made 2 errors to get to 7 on the season.

Burlington is 23-22 and 4 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees wrapped up the short set with Quad Cities tonight.

Rookie: Idaho Falls got a sweep with a 4-2 win over Ogden Tuesday. The Chukars scored once in the 1st on an RBI single by LF Antonio Sabatini and, after Ogden tied it, scored 2 in the 5th on an Ogden throwing error and a sac fly by SS Antonio McConnell. Idaho Falls added another run in the 6th on an RBI double by C Jeff Howell. SP Chris Nicoll did all right in his 2nd pro start with 4 IP of 1 ER on 2 hits with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 1.50; RP Cody Harkcom got the win with 3 2/3 IP of 1 ER on 5 hits and 2 BB with 3 Ks to move to 2-5 with an 8.53 ERA; and RP Jacob Eckley got his 2nd save with 1 1/3 hitless IP that included a K to drop his ERA to 4.43. McConnell was 2-3 with a double and RBI to improve to .359; CF Ethien Santana was 1-4 to drop to .315; and Howell was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .389.

Idaho Falls is 4-6 and 3 games out of first. The Chukars stared a 3-game set with Missoula (3-6) tonight.

The ASL Royals had another phantom game with the Brewers Tuesday. No score reported on MiLB's site.

The ASL Royals are 4-5 and 3 games back of first. They have tonight off.

Royals on the Farm 8/8

AAA: Omaha lost a lead three times but persevered to take out a 10-8 win in 10 over Tucson Monday. The O-Royals scored in the 1st on a fielding error on a ball hit by LF Matt Diaz but Tucson came back to take a 2-1 lead in the 3rd. Omaha scored 4 that inning on a 3-run longball by Diaz (his 11th) and, immediately after, a solo shot by DH Calvin Pickering (his 16th) to take a 5-2 lead. Tucson took a 6-5 lead in the 6th but Omaha surged back ahead with 2 that frame on a 2-run homer by 3B Chris Truby. The O-Royals added a run in the 7th on an RBI single by RF Aaron Guiel but RP Chris George coughed up a 2-run double in the 8th to tie it. 1B Justin Huber tripled in the 8th with 1 out but was stranded and the game remained tied at 8 into the bottom of the 10th when Pickering untied it with a walkoff 2-run homer (his 17th). He's bounced back well from his horrible first half. SP Kyle Snyder allowed 4 ER on 5 hits and 4 BB with 3 Ks over 4 2/3 IP to move his ERA to 3.11; RP Nate Field went 1 1/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 3 hits and 2 BB with a K to bump his ERA to 7.71 (yeesh); George got his 1st blown save with 1 IP of 2 ER on 4 hits with a K to drop his ERA to 5.74; newest O-Royal RP Dave Elder went 2 hitless innings with 3 Ks to keep his ERA at 0.00; and RP Justin Huisman got the win with 1 IP of 1 hit and 2 BB with a K to move to 4-1 with a 4.60 ERA. Guiel was 2-5 with an RBI to move to .269; Diaz was 1-5 with a HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to drop to .408; Pickering was 2-5 with 2 HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .256; Huber was 2-4 with a double and triple to move to .243; and Truby was 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI to move to .263. All of a sudden Omaha has won 10 of 12 over the recent Pacific Conference foes.

Omaha is 55-61 and 9 games back of first. The Tucson series continues tonight. Pitchers: Sidewinders LH Mark Freed (7-4, 4.86) vs. RH Dennis Tankersley (7-6, 4.80). In other Omaha notes, check out Diaz's stats from the last 16 games -- .529, 37-70, 5 HR, 20 RBI.

AA: Wichita got taken down by San Antonio, 8-5, Monday. The Wranglers started the scoring in the 2nd on an RBI single by LF Billy Butler but the Missions came back to take a 5-1 lead. Wichita scored again in the 6th on a sac fly by DH Cory Aldridge but San Antonio scored 3 that inning to make it 8-2. Wichita scored 3 in the 8th on an RBI single by 3B Mike Aviles and a 2-run double by Butler to make it closer but it wasn't that close. SP Brian Bass got the loss with 4 1/3 IP of 4 R (3 ER) on 3 hits and 2 BB with 5 Ks to drop to 10-6 with a 5.52 ERA -- he left the game with an undisclosed injury; RP Wes Wilkerson went 2/3 IP and allowed an UER on 2 hits to drop his ERA to 6.00; RP Juan Cedeno continued his struggles with 2 IP of 3 R (2 ER) on a hit and walk with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 9.00; and RP Leo Nunez was welcomed back with a hitless inning that included a K to drop his ERA to 1.50. CF Mitch Maier was 0-5 to drop to .239; RF Shane Costa was 0-4 with a HBP to drop to .267; 2B Ruben Gotay was 1-3 with 2 walks, a double and 2 RS to set a .333 BA; 1B Josh Pressley was 2-3 with 2 walks and 2 RS to move to .292; Butler was 3-4 with a double and 3 RBI to improve to .500; and SS Andres Blanco was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .214.

Wichita is 22-21 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The set with the Missions continues tonight. Pitchers: SP Ryan Baerlocher (6-2, 2.41) goes for his third straight complete game and his 5th straight win vs. Missions LHP Thomas Oldham (10-6, 3.52).

High-A: High Desert pounded out 7 runs in the 1st to get started in a 14-7 win over Inland Empire Monday. 1B Kila Kaaihue started it off with a 2-run double followed by a 2-run triple two batters later by RF Bernard Stephens. A wild pitch scored Stephens before 3B Brandon Powell hit a solo longball (his 13th) and 2B Pete Maestrales, batting for the 2nd time in the inning, hit an RBI single to make it a 7-0 lead. The Mavs added 2 in the 2nd on an RBI double by C Luis Gonzalez and an RBI ground out by Powell and poured on 4 more in the 4th on an RBI single by SS Angel Sanchez and a 3-run double by Kaaihue. The Mavs scored their final run in the 6th on a bases-loaded walk by Kaaihue. SP Cesar Herrera got the win with 5 IP of 4 R (3 ER) on 8 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to move to 5-6 with a 6.96 ERA; RP Chris Coughlin allowed 2 ER on 3 hits and 2 BB with 2 Ks over 2 IP to move his ERA to 7.83; and RP Stephen Chamberlain went 2 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits to move his ERA to 8.03. Almost every Mav had 2 hits. Maestrales was 2-4 with 2 walks, a double, an RBI and 3 RS to improve to .318; Sanchez was 3-4 with 2 walks and an RBI to improve to .299; CF Chris Lubanski was 2-5 with a walk and 2 RS to improve to .285; Kaaihue was 4-5 with a walk, 3 doubles, 6 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .319 -- he's raking again; and 3B Brandon Powell was 2-5 with a HR and 2 RBI to improve to .302. Powell also had 2 errors to get to 11 on the season.

High Desert is 25-19 and up 2 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. The set with Inland Empire continues. Pitchers: SP Patrick Green (1-1, 0.60) vs. 66ers SP Ryan Feierabend (6-6, 3.93).

Low-A: Burlington had Monday off and starts a 2-game set at Quad Cities (26-18) tonight. Burlington is 23-21 and 3 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees will try to snap a 4-game losing streak.

Rookie: Idaho Falls took advantage of Ogden pitching blunders to win, 3-2 Monday. The game was scoreless into the 6th before the Chukars scored 2 on a 2-run double by C Kiel Thibault. RP Phillip Davidson gave up a run in both the 8th and 9th to tie it but Thibault singled with 1 out in the 9th, moved to second on a passed ball, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch by Ogden RP Nathan Hochgesang with 2 out to end it. SP Ryan DiPietro went 4 IP and allowed only 1 hit and 3 BB with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.98; RP David Henninger went 3 IP and allowed 1 ER on a hit with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 3.79; and Davidson blew his 1st save but got the win with 2 IP of 2 ER on 3 hits and a walk with a K to move to 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA. SS Chris McConnell was 1-4 to drop to .354; 1B Brady Everett was 1-4 to drop to .369; and Thibault was 2-3 with a walk, double and 2 RBI to improve to .299. 3B Joshua Colafemina made 2 errors to get to 11 on the season.

Idaho Falls is 3-6 and 3 games out of first. The Chukars go for the sweep over Ogden tonight. SP Chris Nicoll (0-0, 0.00) makes his second pro start for Idaho Falls.

The ASL Royals went into extras with the Cubs Monday before dispatching them, 6-3, in 13. The Royals scored in the 2nd and 4th to take a 2-0 lead (no game log so I'm not sure how they scored) and took a 3-1 lead into the 7th before the bullpen allowed the Cubs to tie it. The game remained scoreless into the 13th when the Royals rallied for 3 runs and RP Henry Barrera pitched a perfect inning to end it. SP Juan Abreu went 5 IP and allowed 1 ER on 5 hits with 6 Ks to drop his ERA to 7.11; RP Drew Coffey got his 1st hold with 1 2/3 IP of 2 ER on 3 hits with 2 walks and a K to move his ERA to 10.45; RP Nelson Trifolio blew his 1st save with 2/3 IP of 2 hits to drop his ERA to 4.61; RP Troy Garrett got the win with 4 2/3 IP of 2 hits and a walk with 6 Ks to move to 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA; and Barrera got his 1st save with 2 Ks in his IP to drop his ERA to 5.59. 3B Valentino Arce was 1-4 with a HBP to drop to .357; CF Joseph Dickerson was 2-4 with 2 walks to improve to .315; RF Alvi Morel was 0-5 with a walk and 2 RS to drop to .354; and SS Pedro Lopez was 2-6 with a triple and 2 RBI to improve to .303. Jeff Bianchi didn't play.

The ASL Royals are 4-5 and 3 1/2 games back of first. They play the Brewers tonight and have tomorrow off.

Royals on the Farm 8/7

AAA: Omaha nearly blew an early 4-run lead but the O-Royals pulled it out, 7-6, over Las Vegas in the 9th. Las Vegas scored 2 in the 1st but Omaha came back with 3 on an RBI single by DH Cal Pickering and a 2-run homer by C Scott Walter (his 7th). The O-Royals scored 3 in the 2nd on an RBI double by CF Adrian Brown and a 2-run shot by LF Matt Diaz (his 10th) to take a 6-2 lead but Las Vegas came back to tie it in the 7th off RP Shawn Sonnier. The score held at 6-6 into the bottom of the 9th when Walter, Huber and Truby came through with three straight singles to end it. SP Danny Tamayo went 6 IP and allowed 5 ER on 5 hits (inc. 3 HRs) and a walk with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 5.70; Sonnier blew his 4th save with 1 IP of 1 ER on 1 hit and 2 BB with a K to make his ERA 4.81; and RP Jaime Cerda got the win with 2 IP of 0 hits and 0 BB with 4 Ks to move to 3-1 with a 5.84 ERA. Brown was 2-4 with a walk, double and RBI to improve to .278; Diaz was 3-5 with a double, HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .414; Pickering was 2-5 with an RBI to move to .253; Walter was 3-4 with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to move to .277; Huber was 2-5 to improve to .212; and SS Luis Ugueto was 2-4 with a double and triple to move to .212.

Omaha is 54-61 and 9 games back of first. A 4-game set with Tucson (58-57) started tonight. Pitchers: Sidewinders SP Russ Ortiz (0-0, 0.00) vs. RH Kyle Snyder (1-2, 2.45). In other Omaha news, Sonnier, who had two blown saves in his last three appearances, was released. The Royals signed 29-year old RHP Dave Elder, who had been pitching for the Somerset Patriots in the independent Atlantic League. Elder was 4-1 with a 1.47 ERA and 6 saves. In 43.0 innings, he allowed only 24 hits and 19 walks, while chalking up 61 strikeouts and not giving up a home run. Elder was named to the 2005 Atlantic League South Division All-Star team and helped the Patriots win their division’s first half championship. The Georgia Tech product pitched in parts of the 2002 and 2003 seasons in the big leagues with Cleveland.

AA: Wichita had the day off Sunday. Wichita is 22-20 and 1 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The set with San Antonio (23-20) started tonight. In other Wranglers news, RHP Ryan Baerlocher was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for August 1-7. Baerlocher threw a 3-hit complete game shutout at Tulsa Aug. 4 in an 11-0 Wichita victory. Ryan’s record now stands at 6-2 on the season with a 2.41 ERA in 10 starts. He has struck out 33 over 59.2 innings.

High-A: High Desert held off Lancaster to salvage one game of the series with a 5-3 win Sunday. Lancaster took an early 1-0 lead but High Desert tied it in the 2nd on an RBI double by LF Bernard Stephens and took the lead with 2 in the 3rd on RBI singles by Stephens and RF Alan Moye. After Lancaster trimmed the lead to 1, High Desert scored 2 in the 6th on RBI singles by 2B Pete Maestrales and SS Angel Sanchez to take a 5-2 lead. RP Chris Demaria gave up a run in the 9th but got his 19th save. SP Devon Lowery got the win with a quality start of 7 IP of 2 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to improve to 5-1 with a 3.00 ERA; RP Brian Steffek got his 2nd hold with a hitless IP to drop his ERA to 4.76; and Demaria allowed 1 ER on 2 hits with a K in 1 IP to move his ERA to 2.26. Maestrales was 1-5 with an RBI to drop to .316; Sanchez was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .295; CF Chris Lubanski was 1-4 to drop to .284; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 0-4 to drop to .312; 3B Adam Keim was 2-4 with 2 RS to improve to .291; Stephens was 2-3 with a walk, double and 2 RBI to improve to .279; DH Brandon Powell was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .301; and C Adam Donachie was 3-4 to up his BA to .285.

High Desert is 24-19 and up 2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. A 4-game home set with Inland Empire (19-23) started tonight. No announced pitchers on either team site.

Low-A: Burlington dropped another game with an 8-1 loss to Quad Cities Sunday. The Bees only had 5 hits in the game and scored their run in the 7th on an RBI triple by CF Cody Cure. SP Luis Cota got the loss with 6 1/3 IP of 8 ER on 7 hits and 4 BB with 5 Ks to drop to 3-6 with a 4.01 ERA; and RP Yovany Damico went 1 2/3 IP and allowed only 3 hits with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.83. 3B Edward Lucas was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .314.

Burlington is 23-21 and 3 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees had today off before starting 2 more with Quad Cities.

Rookie: Idaho Falls went extra innings to beat Ogden, 7-6, in 12 innings Sunday. Idaho Falls scored in the 1st on an RBI single by LF Antonio Sabatini and took a 2-1 lead in the 3rd on a wild pitch. Ogden took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th and Idaho Falls scored 1 that inning on a bases-loaded walk by Sabatini and tied it in the 8th on an RBI single by RF Felix Peguero and an RBI double by 1B Brady Everett. RP Travis Trammell gave up a run in the 9th to put Idaho Falls down, 6-5, but the Chukars scrapped out extras on a 2-out RBI single by 2B Joshua Johnson. Everett ended it in the 12th with a 1-out RBI single. SP Rusty Begnaud went 5 2/3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 5 hits and 3 BB with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 5.47; RP Eliszer Garcia went 2 IP and allowed 2 R (1 ER) on 2 hits and 3 BB with a K to move his ERA to 3.86; Trammell allowed 1 ER on 1 hit and 2 BB with a K in 1 IP to move his ERA to 7.11; and RP Matt Kniginyzky got the win with 3 1/3 IP of 2 hits with 4 Ks to move to 1-3 with a 3.50 ERA. SS Chris McConnell was 4-6 to improve to .356; Everett was 3-5 with 2 BB, a double and 2 RBI to improve to .375; and C Jeff Howell was 2-5 to improve to .384. Idaho Falls left 17 on base.

Idaho Falls is 2-6 and 4 games out of first. The series vs. Ogden continues tonight.

All but one of the ASL Royals' phantom games has been reported as the Aug. 2 Cubs game remains a mystery. The Royals lost to the Mariners Saturday, 5-2. The Royals scored their runs on a 7th-inning 2-run single by SS Jeff Bianchi. Bianchi was 1-3 with a walk and 2 RBI to drop to .418; CF Joseph Dickerson was 1-4 to drop to .319; 2B Pedro Lopez was 3-4 to improve to .309; and 3B Valentino Arce was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .363. SP Brent Fisher got the loss to drop to 4-2 with a 3.25 ERA.

The Royals beat the Rangers Sunday, 5-4, as a 3-run 8th did the trick. The Royals scored in the 1st on an RBI ground out by Arce and again in the 6th on an Arce RBI double but the Rangers took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 8th. DH Felix Peralta turned the tables with a 3-run homer in the 8th (his 3rd) and RP Gilbert De la vara finished it. SP Angelo Morales went 5 IP and allowed 2 R (1 ER) on 4 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to move to 3.80; RP John Sokoll went 2 IP and allowed 2 R (1 ER) on 2 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 10.61; and De la vara got the win with 2 hitless IP with 5 Ks to move to 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA. Bianchi was 1-4 with a triple and 2 RS to drop to .411; Arce was 1-3 with a walk, double and 2 RBI to move to .362; Dickerson was 0-4 with 4 Ks to drop to .309; and OF Alvi Morel was 1-3 to drop to .382.

The ASL Royals are 3-5 and 3 1/2 games back of first. They play the Cubs tonight and the Brewers tomorrow.

Royals on the Farm 8/5 and 8/6

AAA: Omaha lost to Vegas, 9-5, Friday, but bounced back to get in position for a series win Saturday with a 6-4 victory over the 51's. Friday night, Las Vegas got to SP Ryan Jensen in the 4th and ran away for the 9-5 win. The game was scoreless as neither team had a hit going into the 4th before the 51's got to Jensen for 3 runs and tagged Jensen and RP Chris George for 4 in the 5th (on a GS served up by George). Omaha scored once in the 5th on a solo shot by 3B Chris Truby (his 15th). Las Vegas matched that run in the 6th to take an 8-1 lead before Omaha scored 3 in the 6th on a 2-run longball by LF Matt Diaz (his 9th) and an RBI single by C Scott Walter. The O-Royals scored their final run in the 9th on an RBI ground out by SS Luis Ugueto. Jensen went 4 2/3 IP and was credited with 5 ER on 2 hits and 4 BB with 2 Ks to drop to 1-6 with a 5.72 ERA; George went 1 1/3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 4 hits (inc. 2 HRs) and 3 BB with 2 Ks to up his ERA to 5.64; RP Nate Field went 2 IP and gave up 1 ER on 2 hits with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 7.11; and RP Santiago Ramirez pitched a perfect 9th to drop his ERA to 5.43. CF Adrian Brown was 3-5 to improve to .274; Diaz was 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI to improve to .406; and 1B Justin Huber was 2-4 with a double to improve to .200.

Saturday, four homers, including 2 by Brown, propelled the O-Royals to a 6-4 win over Vegas. The 51's scored first in the 5th before Omaha scored 4 that inning on Truby's 16th homer -- a solo shot -- a 2-run shot by Brown (his 7th) and a solo homer by RF Aaron Guiel (his 25th). Omaha added 2 in the 7th on another 2-run shot by Brown for his 8th of the season. Las Vegas scored 3 late runs but Omaha held the 51's off to win. SP J.P. Howell got his 3rd AAA win with 5 2/3 IP of 1 ER on 6 hits and 3 BB with 4 Ks to move to 3-1 with a 4.29 ERA; RP Shane Nance got his 5th hold with 2 1/3 IP of 2 ER on 2 hits and a walk to move his ERA to 4.60; and RP Santiago Ramirez got his 10th save with 1 IP of 1 ER on 1 hit to move his ERA to 5.49. Brown was 2-4 with a walk, 2 HR, 4 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .276; RF Matt Diaz was 2-4 to improve to .409; Walter was 2-4 with 2 doubles to improve to .263; Huber was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .179; and Ugueto was 2-3 with a walk and 2 RS to improve to .207. Ugueto stole 2 bases to get to 11 on the season.

Omaha is 53-61 and 10 games back of first. The finale with the 51's is this afternoon. Pitchers: 51's RH Mike Neu (1-1, 4.50) vs. RH Danny Tamayo (6-7, 5.61). In other Omaha news, C Paul Phillips and UT Denny Hocking got the call to KC and SP Kyle Snyder was returned to the team. Also, 23-year old C Jared Price was brought to Omaha from high-A High Desert. Price was selected by KC from the Dodgers in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft last December and was hitting .318 with eleven home runs and 32 RBI in 30 games from June 5-Aug. 4 with the Mavs. IF Rudy Gomez was also promoted to Omaha from Wichita. Gomez hit .262 with 1 homer and 14 RBI in 39 games for the Wranglers. He also made three relief appearances for Wichita, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA.

AA: Wichita got smoked by Tulsa, 10-1, Friday before bouncing back for a 5-4 win Saturday. In Friday's game, Tulsa tagged SP Kyle Middleton for 8 ER over 4 innings and it was never a contest. Wichita's only run scored in the 4th on a sac fly by 1B Josh Pressley. Middleton allowed 8 ER on 9 hits and 2 BB with 2 Ks to drop to 9-8 with a 4.90 ERA as the bullpen got a workout; RP Stephen Bray went a hitless IP to drop his ERA to 2.50; RP Nate Hoelscher went 1 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits with 1 K to move his ERA to 6.00; RP Wes Wilkerson went 1 IP and allowed 1 UER to drop his ERA to 3.38; and RP Juan Cedeno walked 1 and K'd 1 in 1 IP to drop his ERA to 9.00. CF Mitch Maier was 2-4 with a double to improve to .241; LF Shane Costa was 1-4 to drop to .277; and SS Andres Blanco was 0-3 to drop to .250. Pressley made 2 errors to get to 9 on the season.

Saturday, each team got 1 inning's worth of offense as Wichita came out on top, 5-4. The game was scoreless into the 5th when Wichita broke free for 5 runs on a 2-run single by Pressley and a 3-run homer by RF Cory Aldridge (his 19th). Five Wrangler pitchers held Tulsa scoreless into the 9th before the Drillers rallied for 4 runs. Tulsa left the bases loaded to end it. SP Mike Stodolka went 3 IP and allowed 3 hits and 2 BB with 0 ER and 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.42 before a rain delay hit; RP Barry Armitage went 2 IP and allowed 2 hits and 2 BB with a K to get the win and improve to 4-3 with a 4.00 ERA; Bray went 2 IP and allowed 1 hit and 1 BB with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.25; Hoelscher went 2/3 IP and allowed 1 hit with a K to drop his ERA to 5.91; Wilkerson went 1/3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 3 walks with a K to move his ERA to 6.48; and RP Derrin Ebert got his 1st save with 1 IP of 1 ER on 2 hits and 2 walks with a K to move his ERA to 5.49. Maier was 2-5 with a double to improve to .244; Costa was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .272; 3B Mike Aviles was 2-5 to improve to .284; Pressley was 2-4 with a walk and 2 RBI to improve to .289; DH Billy Butler made his first Wichita appearance and went 1-4 with a 2nd-inning single to establish a .250 BA; 2B Brett Groves was 3-4 to improve to .236; and Blanco was 1-3 with a walk to improve to .273.

Wichita is 22-20 and 1 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The Wranglers have tonight off before starting a 3-game set at San Antonio Monday. In other Wranglers news, OF Billy Butler was promoted to Wichita from High Desert (finally) after hitting .348 with 25 home runs and 91 RBI in 92 games with the Mavs ; RHP Jonah Bayliss was recalled to Kansas City and OF Mel Stocker was sent to High Desert. Stodolka was also activated from the disabled list for his start. IF Ruben Gotay and RHP Leo Nunez have been optioned to Wichita from KC as well.

High-A: High Desert got obliterated by Lancaster in the series opener Friday, 16-2, and then lost again to the JetHawks Saturday, 6-3. Lancaster jumped out to a 7-0 lead Friday before High Desert scored its runs in the 4th on an RBI single by RF Bernard Stephens and an RBI double by 3B Brandon Powell. SP John Gragg III didn't get out of the 1st as he went 1/3 IP and allowed 5 R (3 ER thanks to 2 Powell errors) on 4 hits and 2 BB to drop to 10-4 with a 4.11 ERA; RP Drew Endicott allowed 2 ER on 4 hits and a walk with a K over 3 2/3 IP to move his ERA to 5.85; RP Chris Coughlin went 1 1/3 IP and allowed 6 ER on 4 hits and 2 BB with a K to move his ERA to 7.79; RP Nate Moore went 2/3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 5 hits and a walk to bump his ERA to 5.18; RP Brian Steffek went 2 IP and allowed 2 hits with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.79; and RP Chris Demaria went an inning and allowed 2 hits to drop his ERA to 2.15. 2B Pete Maestrales was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .321; LF Billy Butler was 1-3 with a walk and double in his final HD game of the season to drop to .348; DH Kila Kaaihue was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .312; Stephens was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .279; and Powell was 1-4 with a double and RBI to drop to .304 -- his 2 errors moved his season total to 9.

Saturday, the Mavs took an early 1-0 lead before the JetHawks finally got to SP Billy Buckner in the 6th and took the 6-3 win. Kaaihue hit an RBI single in the 1st and the game remained 1-0 HD into the 6th before Buckner gave up a leadoff homer to tie it and helped contribute to the 2nd Lancaster run on a throwing error. Lancaster added 4 runs in the 7th to take a 6-1 lead before High Desert scored 2 in the 9th on RBI singles by CF Mel Stocker and Kaaihue. Buckner went 6 IP and allowed 2 R (1 ER) on 3 hits and 4 BB with 2 Ks to drop to 8-12 with a 4.52 ERA; RP Greg Atencio went 2 IP and allowed 4 R (3 ER) on 4 hits and 2 walks with a K to move his ERA to 4.86; and RP Nate Moore went 1 IP and allowed 1 hit and 1 walk to drop his ERA to 5.10. Maestrales was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .318; SS Angel Sanchez was 2-5 to improve to .293; Kaaihue was 3-5 with 2 RBI to improve to .316; RF Alan Moye was 2-5 to improve to .287; and Powell was 1-4 with a double to drop to .304. Kaaihue made his 15th error.

High Desert is 23-19 and up a game on Rancho Cucamonga. The Lancaster series ends tonight.

Low-A: Burlington lost to Lansing, 12-4, Friday before faltering late Saturday to drop a game to Quad Cities, 6-5, in 10 innings. The Bees took a 2-0 lead over Lansing in the 1st Friday on a sac fly by C Damaso Espino and a solo homer by DH Rusty Brown (his 15th). Another Burlington run in the 6th on 3B Edward Lucas' 1st homer tied the game at 3 but Lansing added 4 in the 7th and 5 in the 8th to get all the lead the Lugnuts needed. The Bees scored their final run in the 8th on a solo homer by 1B Eddie Solis (his 7th). SP Justin Sherman went 5 IP and allowed 7 ER on 7 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to drop to 3-6 with a 3.75 ERA; RP Zane Carlson went 2 IP and allowed 5 ER on 6 hits to bump his ERA to 7.56; and RP Yovany Damico went an inning and allowed 2 hits with a K to drop his ERA to 4.96. Lucas was 3-3 with a HR and RBI to improve to .318; RF Geraldo Valentin was 2-4 to up his BA to .247; and SS Gary Perez was 0-4 to drop to .267. 2B Irving Falu made his 14th error.

Burlington took a 5-0 lead into the 8th Saturday but came away with a 6-5 loss in 10 after the bullpen squandered the lead. The Bees scored 4 in the 3rd on a Quad Cities error, a 2-run double by Brown and RBI single by RF Brian McFall. They tacked on a run in the 6th on a Falu RBI ground out and SP Patrick Hicklen left in the 7th with a 5-0 lead. The Swing tied it in the 8th and the game went into extras before the Swing got a walkoff single in the 10th. Hicklen went 6 2/3 IP and allowed 7 hits and 2 BB with 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.58; RP Kraig Schambough allowed 5 R (3 ER) on 4 hits over 2/3 IP to bump his ERA to 5.25; and RP Chad Blackwell blew his 3rd save and got the loss with 2 IP of 1 UER on 3 hits and a walk with a K to drop to 7-3 with a 2.38 ERA. Lucas was 1-4 with a walk to drop to .317 and Perez was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .222. McFall and Falu each stole 2 bases to get to 15 and 24 on the season, respectively, and Lucas also stole his 24th base. Lucas also made his 20th error. Perez had 3 errors to get to 5 on the season.

Burlington is 23-20 and 2 games back of Quad Cities. The 2-gamer with Quad Cities ends today.

Rookie: Idaho Falls got its first win of the second half Friday over Orem, 10-0, but took another loss to the Owlz Saturday in a 12-6 game. Friday, the Chukars got on the board early and often as they scored 3 in the 1st on an RBI single by LF Antonio Sabatini and a 2-run double by C Jeff Howell. They added 2 in the 2nd on a 2-run double by SS Chris McConnell and scored 4 in the 3rd on a 2-run double by 2B Joshua Johnson, an RBI single by RF Byron Barber and an RBI double by CF Ethien Santana. The final run scored in the 7th on an RBI single by McConnell. SP Bennett Cromer got the win with 6 IP of 2 hits with 5 Ks to improve to 4-0 with a 4.09 ERA. RP Cody Harkcom got his 1st save with 3 IP of 2 hits with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 9.32. Santana was 4-5 with a double and RBI to improve to .319; McConnell was 2-3 with a walk, double and 3 RBI to improve to .345; Howell was 2-4 with a walk, double and 2 RBI to improve to .383; Johnson was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .242; 3B Brenan Herrera was 2-5 with a double to improve to .250; and Barber was 2-4 with a double, HBP, RBI and 3 RS to improve to .306.

Saturday, the Chukars gave up 4 to Orem in the 1st and the Owlz never trailed. Idaho Falls scored 2 in the 2nd on a solo homer by 1B Jase Turner (his 6th) and a Johnson RBI ground out. Orem expanded its lead to 8-2 in the 3rd but Idaho Falls scored 2 that inning on a Owlz throwing error and wild pitch. The Chukars scored again in the 5th and 9th on a bases-loaded HBP by DH Kiel Thibault and another Orem error. SP Mario Santiago got the loss with 2 1/3 IP of 7 ER on 6 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to drop to 0-3 with a 12.79 ERA; RP Jacob Eckley went 2 2/3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 4 hits and 3 BB with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.71; RP Brandon Brantley went 1 1/3 IP and gave up 4 ER on 2 hits and 3 BB with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 7.89; and RP Adam Kalkhof went 2 2/3 IP and allowed 2 hits with 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.51. McConnell was 1-3 with 2 BB to stay at .345; Turner was 2-2 with 3 BB, a HR, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .295; Everett was 1-4 with a walk and double to drop to .360; and Santana was 1-4 with a walk to drop to .317. Idaho Falls left 12 on base.

Idaho Falls is 1-6 and 4 games out of first. A 3-game set with Ogden (5-2) starts tonight.

The ASL Royals have another phantom game as both the Aug. 2 Cubs game and Saturday's Mariners game have yet to be posted at MiLB.com. The Royals lost to the Padres, 6-0, Thursday as they mustered only 5 hits. SP Rayner Oliveros went 6 IP and allowed 3 hits with 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.08; RP Troy Garrett went 1/3 IP and allowed 4 ER on 4 hits to drop to 1-2 with a 9.00 ERA; RP Tim Rice went 1 2/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 3 hits and 3 BB with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 10.50; and RP Gilbert De la vara went 1 IP and allowed 1 hit with a K to drop his ERA to 3.38. LF Jose Duarte was 1-4 with a walk to drop to .365; 3B Valentino Arce was 1-3 with a HBP to drop to .379; SS Jeff Bianchi was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .420; CF Joseph Dickerson was 1-2 with 2 walks to improve to .321; and PH Alvi Morel was 1-1 to improve to .384.

The ASL Royals are 2-4 with the Cubs and M's scores unposted. They play the Rangers tonight and the Cubs tomorrow.