Royals on the Farm 8/9

AAA - Omaha: Nashville 5, O-Royals 3 (7/G1)

DH Kaaihue 1-3, HR (6), 2 RBI (10), RS -- .389, wow
LF Lubanski 1-3, RBI (47), K -- .241
RF-3B B. Pena 0-1, 2 BB, RS, E (2) -- .287, third base???
1B Shealy 0-2, HBP, K -- .283
SS Sanchez 1-1, 2B (7), RS -- .221

Rosa IP, 4 R (3 ER), 4 H, BB, 2 K -- L, 4-3, 4.25 ERA, 28 pitches
Colon 3 1/3 IP, ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 5 K -- 4.56 ERA
Lumsden 1 2/3 IP, nothing -- 6.72 ERA, been in lockdown mode since move to the pen

*** Carlos Rosa showed some rust in his first start back from a sore arm and the Sounds took the first of a double dip Saturday. Ryan Shealy hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the 1st and Nashville scored a run off Rosa on two 2-out singles and a Brayan Pena error in right. Chris Lubanski singled home a run to tie it in the 2nd but Rosa was pulled with the bases loaded and no outs in the Nashville 2nd. Roman Colon came in and allowed an RBI forceout and 2-out, 2-run single before escaping the inning. Two doubles plated another Sounds run in the 4th to make it 5-1. After Pena walked to start the Omaha 6th, Kila Kaaihue hammered a 2-run homer for his 6th already for Omaha to cut the lead to 5-3. That was all the Royals could do, however, as RP Joe Bateman got the last 5 outs for his 2nd save. Starter Sam Narron got the win for Nashville with 5 1/3 IP of 3 ER allowed to move to 7-3 with a 4.79 ERA. Four Sounds had 2 hits.

Nashville 2, O-Royals 1 (7/G2)

CF Hollins 2-3, RS, OF assist at second -- .221
C Tupman 2-3 -- .237
2B Labandeira 1-3, S, RBI (3), K -- .121
1B Kaaihue 0-1, 2 BB, K, E -- .378, snaps hit streak at AAA
DH Shealy 0-3, K -- .280
3B B. Pena 0-3 -- .281
LF Lubanski 0-3, 2 K -- .239

Wright 6 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, BB, 2 K, HRA -- L, 3-8, 5.65 ERA, not bad, but no run support

*** A Kila Kaaihue error proved pivotal in the Sounds' 2-1 win in the nightcap that swept the doubleheader. Josh Labandeira hit a 2-out RBI single in the 3rd to give Omaha a 1-0 lead but Omaha stranded 2 and Matt Wright served up a solo homer in the 4th to tie it. With 2 out in the Nashville 5th, Kaaihue's error allowed a runner to reach and, after a steal and an RBI single that deflected off Wright's glove, Nashville had a 2-1 lead. Omaha stranded runners at the corners in the 6th and then left the bases full in the 7th as RP Tim Dillard notched his 2nd save. RP Mitch Stetter pitched a hitless 5th for the win to move to 2-3 with a 2.59 ERA. Starter Troy Cate allowed an ER over 4 IP to move his ERA to 4.86. LF Hernan Iribarren was 2-2 with the go-ahead RBI and DH Jay Gibbons cranked his 2nd homer for the Sounds.

Omaha is 52-69. The series continues tonight as righty Jose Capellan (4-1, 3.56) hurls vs. Sounds LH Chris Narveson (4-12, 5.10). The Royals flipped lefty Horacio Ramirez to the ChiSox today in return for high-A CF Paulo Orlando, 22, who will be assigned to Wilmington. Reliever Josh Newman was called up to take Ramirez's 40-man and 25-man roster spot. Orlando was billed pre-season as the fastest baserunner and best defensive outfielder in the CWS organization by BA. I'd figure there will be some roster reshuffling in response to the move, as there is a glut of outfielders in Wilmington.

AA - NW Arkansas: Naturals 4, Frisco 0 (6/rain)

2B Maddox 2-3, HR (3), 2 RBI (29), 2 RS -- .291
RF Falu 2-3, 2 RBI (37), CS (9) -- .281
3B Lucas 2-2 -- .298
CF Duarte 1-2, BB, RS, CS (7) -- .262
1B Richardson 0-2, BB, K, E (6) -- .295
LF Suero 1-2, RS, SB (41) -- .258

B. Wood 5 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K -- W, 4-6, 6.15 ERA, Dr. Jekyll is back

*** Blake Wood held the RoughRiders to 2 hits and rain helped wash away the remainder of the Naturals' series opening win. Both Frisco hits came in the 3rd but Wood left both runners in scoring position and Marc Maddox cranked a 2-run homer in the 3rd for his 3rd of the season to make it 2-0 NWA. Wood struck out the side in the 4th and Irving Falu cracked a 2-run single in the 5th to make it 4-0. There was 1 on with 2 out in the Frisco 6th when the rain took care of the rest. Starter Jared Hyatt took the loss for Frisco with 5 IP of 4 runs (3 ER) allowed to fall to 2-3 with a 4.20 ERA. Two Riders had a hit each. SS Elvis Andrus stole his 45th base but was 0-3 to drop to .287.

The Nats are 30-18 and 4 games up on first. The series continues this afternoon as Rowdy Hardy (5-9, 4.97) takes on rehabbing Kevin Millwood, who had his appearance backed up a day to today. After pitching poorly in Wilmington, for some reason P Paul Mildren has been recalled to NWA, where he has posted a 7.36 ERA in 29 1/3 innings this season.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Frederick 4, Blue Rocks 2 (13)

LF Ortiz 2-5, BB, 3B, RBI (5), SB (3) -- .273
1B-RF Seratelli 2-5, RBI (48), K -- .233
DH Strait 2-5, BB, RS, SB (6) -- .299
CF D. Robinson 1-6, SB (55), CS (15) -- .249
SS McConnell 0-5, HBP, 2 K -- .265
2B Bianchi 0-6, 3 K -- .255
3B J. Johnson 1-4, BB -- .271
PH-1B Correll 0-1, BB, E (4) -- .310
RF Dyson 1-3, RS, OF assist at third -- .252

Santiago 6 IP, ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 K -- 3.67 ERA
Swaggerty 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K -- 2.70 ERA
Chambliss 2 IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K -- BS, 4, 3.42 ERA
Hartsock 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K -- L, 8-5, 4.26 ERA

*** Tyler Chambliss couldn't hold a narrow lead in the 9th and Frederick got to Aaron Hartsock in the 13th for the win. Anthony Seratelli singled home a run in the 2nd to give the Rocks a 1-0 lead and, after Derrick Robinson was caught trying to steal home to end the Rocks 3rd, Adrian Ortiz ripped his first high-A triple in the 5th to bring home a run and make it 2-0. Mario Santiago had a 3-hit shutout going into the 6th but got tagged for a run on 3 hits in the 6th to cut the lead in half. Jarrod Dyson helped cut the rally short with an OF assist at third and the 2-1 lead held into the 9th. Chambliss came in and allowed a single and RBI double to the first 2 batters in the 9th and the lead was gone. He ended up leaving the bases loaded in the inning. In the 13th, Hartsock came on for his 3rd inning of work and loaded the bases with 1 out before a 2-run single made it 4-2 Keys. Wilmington stranded 1 in the bottom of the inning as RP Scott Mueller got his 2nd save. RP Jeff Moore pitched a scoreless 3 2/3 innings to win and move to 3-3 with a 3.78 ERA. Starter Jacob Renshaw worked 5 2/3 IP and allowed 2 ER to move his ERA to 4.74. 2B Miguel Abreu was 3-5 with a walk and 2 RS and C Justin Johnson was 2-4 with a walk and the 2 game-winning RBI but also had 2 passed balls.

Wilmington is 22-26 and 4 games back. The series wraps today as right-hander Matt Kniginyzky (8-7, 3.43) takes on Frederick's Brandon Erbe (9-10, 4.19).

A - Burlington: Bees 9, Cedar Rapids 2

2B Giavotella 4-5, 2B (13), 2 RBI (17), 2 RS, picked off -- .313
3B Moustakas 3-5, 2 2B (21), 2 RBI (62), K, 2 RS -- .268
DH Taylor 1-1, 3 BB, HBP, 2B (13), RBI (46), 2 RS -- .229, 1.000 OBP for the day
LF Walton 2-4, RBI (43), K -- .255
SS J. Rivera 2-3, HBP, K, RS, CS (4) -- .246
1B C. Robinson 1-3, BB, S, RBI (46) -- .244
RF Van Stratten 1-4, SF, 2B (11), RBI (12) -- .327
C Billick 0-3, BB, 2 K, RS -- .303

Caldera 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HRA -- W, 9-6, 3.18 ERA
Z. Peterson 2 IP, H, K -- 3.68 ERA
Sisk IP, nothing -- 3.38 ERA

*** The Bees came back from a 2-0 deficit in the 6th to rout the Kernels and gain a game on their lead. Alex Caldera gave up a 2-out solo homer in the 1st and a 1-out solo homer in the 5th to make it 2-0 Kernels but otherwise didn't have a lot of trouble. The problem was the Bees were being shut out on 5 hits through 5 innings and ran into 3 outs on the basepaths in the process. They broke the ice in the 6th, finally, as Johnny Giavotella led off with a double and scored on a Mike Moustakas 2-bagger. Nick Van Stratten lifted a sac fly to tie it and Jamar Walton's RBI single gave the Bees a 3-2 lead. Moustakas singled home a run in the 7th but the Bees left the bases loaded. They put the game away in the 8th with 5 runs on a 2-run Giavotella single, a Moustakas run-scoring double aided by a Kernels error, a Jason Taylor RBI double and Clint Robinson RBI single to make it 9-2. Brandon Sisk pitched a perfect 9th to end it. Kernels SP Trevor Reckling took the loss with 3 ER allowed over 6 IP to fall to 9-5 with a 3.04 ERA. DH Clay Fuller was 2-3 with his 8th homer and an RBI in the loss. LF Jeremy Moore cranked his 13th homer.

The Bees are 29-18 and 3 games up on first. The series is continuing today as Matt Mitchell got the start for Burlington.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Billings 11, Chukars 2

1B Espinosa 2-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (12), K, RS -- .205
SS Jimenez 1-4, 2B (7), K -- .301
LF Griffin 0-3, BB -- .256, slumping
CF Testa 0-3, BB, 2 K, SB (4) -- .226

Toribio 3 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 BB, 5 K, HRA -- 5.82 ERA
J. Garcia 1 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB -- L, 3-1, 3.60 ERA
Carver 2 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 K, HRA, 2 WP -- 8.38 ERA
Thompson IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB -- 4.50 ERA

*** No Chukar pitcher was safe as Billings once again proved to be the elite of the Pioneer League in moving to 11-1 in the second half with the win. The Chukars loaded the bases in the 1st but got nothing of it. They did take the lead in the 4th with 2 runs on a Tito Espinosa 2-run homer for his 2nd as a pro. They would again load the bases after the homer but, again, got nothing out of it. Billings got a leadoff homer off Aneidy Toribio in the 4th and a 2-out RBI single off Justin Garcia later in the inning to tie the game. Garcia was victimized for 5 runs in the 5th as the Mustangs pounded out 5 hits, including a triple, and drew 2 walks in the frame. Jesse Carver served up a 2-run homer in the 7th and James Thompson allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk in the 8th to make it 11-2. The Chukars didn't have a hit after the 6th. RP Brandon Rice picked up the win with 2 innings of 2 runs (1 ER) allowed to improve to 1-2 with a 5.74 ERA. Starter Clayton Shunick pitched 3 scoreless innings to drop his ERA to 6.37. 3B Carlos Mendez was 4-5 with 4 RBI, 2 RS and his 6th error. Three other Mustangs had 2 hits and 3 also had 2 RBIs.

IF is 4-8 and has lost 6 in a row. The Mustangs go for the sweep today as IF sends Bryan Casey (2-3, 3.18) to the hill to face Billings' Oscar Castro (2-2, 4.80).

Rookie - Burlington: Elizabethton 10, B-Royals 2

1B Morales 3-4 -- .211
DH A. Franco 2-5, 2B (8), 2 K -- .249
C Moctezuma 1-4, RBI (11), 2 K -- .182
LF Aparicio 1-4, HR (2), RBI (22), K, RS -- .224
CF Caldwell 0-3, BB, K -- .197
3B F. Cruz 1-4, K, RS -- .248

Lehmann 2 IP, 7 R (4 ER), 4 H, 3 BB, 2 K, HRA, WP -- L, 3-3, 3.95 ERA
Fisher 4 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 4 K, WP -- 6.43 ERA
Bowden IP, 2 K -- 1.23 ERA
Farinas IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HRA -- 10.66 ERA

*** Make it Elizabethton 55, Burlington 10 in 5 games. The carnage started calmly as Mike Lehmann gave up a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 1st but the Royals matched the run on a Miguel Moctezuma RBI single in the 2nd. Lehmann made a wild pitch on a third strike that would have been the third out of the 2nd but a single, walk, 2-run Yeldrys Molina error, and RBI single later, the Twins' lead was 4-1. A walk, double and RBI fielder's choice into the Elizabethton 3rd, Lehmann was pulled for Brent Fisher, who allowed a sac fly, RBI single and RBI double in the inning to stretch it to 8-1 Twins. Julio Aparicio led off the Royals 6th with his 2nd homer of the season but the Royals would strand 2 in the 7th and Williams Farinas gave up back-to-back solo shots in the 8th before stranding the bases full. Starter Dan Osterbrock got the win for the Twins with 6 IP of 2 ER allowed to improve to 5-2 with a 3.03 ERA. 2B Dominic De La Osa was 3-5 with a double, 2 HR (6), 3 RBI, a K, 2 RS and his 11th error. 3B Nick Romero was 2-3 with 2 walks, his 7th homer, 2 RBI and his 6th error.

Burlington is 16-34. The series wraps tonight with Pernell Halliman starting for Burlington.

Rookie - AZL: Royals 5, Brewers 0

DH Beltre 2-3, BB, HR, RBI (2), K, RS, CS -- .258
C Matos 2-4, 2B (2), RS -- .271
RF Del Rosario 1-3, BB, RBI (10), K, RS -- .304
3B Kuebler 1-3, RBI (8), RS -- .212
1B Henriquez 1-3, RBI (7), CS (5) -- .154
CF Llanos 0-4, 2 K -- .164
2B Culver 0-2 -- .143
* LF Derek Rodriguez had an OF assist at home.

Montgomery 5 IP, 3 H, 3 K -- W, 2-1, 1.76 ERA
L. Perez 4 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 K -- SV, 1, 1.69 ERA

*** Mike Montgomery and Leondy Perez combined to shut down the Brewers and get the Royals their 3rd win of the second half. The Royals got started with 3 runs in the 2nd on a 2-run Jacob Kuebler single that was aided by a Brewers error. Edwin Henriquez added an RBI single to make it 3-0. LF Derek Rodriguez cut down a runner at the plate to keep the Brewers scoreless in the 4th and Geulin Beltre led off the Royals 6th with his 1st homer of the season to make it 4-0. Perez loaded the bases in the 7th but escaped the jam with a double play and Luis Del Rosario added some insurance with an RBI single in the 8th. Perez allowed a 2-out triple in the 9th but closed the door. Starter Damon Krestalude took the loss with 3 runs (1 ER) allowed over 4 IP to drop to 0-4 with a 2.49 ERA. DH Lou Palmisano was 3-3 with a walk and triple in the loss. RF Hitaniel Arias also had 2 hits for the Brewers.

The Royals are 3-9 and still in last place. They had today off.