Royals on the Farm 6/30 -- June wrapup

It's June wrapup time. I'm gonna drop the "others of note" and just stick to a top 5 in OPS and WHIP for each team. Feel free to click the links to team sites on the right to check out cumulative stats. I'll probably save the short season leagues' first wrapup until July, since they haven't even played 10 games yet. Note to self: Don't let reports back up when the short season leagues are in play. Yesterday's took forever... I will be on vacation next week (July 8-12), so there will be a hiatus in there until Monday, the 13th. Maybe the 14th.

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 9, Albuquerque 0

2B Falu 3-5, K, RS -- .272
RF Murphy 2-4, 2B (12), HR (3), 3 RBI (13), K, RS -- .243
SS Lisson 2-4, 2 RBI (14), 2 RS -- .246
LF Thorman 2-5, HR (14), 2 RBI (32), RS -- .303
C Buck 2-4, 2B, K, RS -- .263
DH House 1-5, 2B (14), RBI (28), 3 K -- .266
3B Metcalf 1-4, 2B (15), RBI (38), 3 K, RS -- .229
1B Ka'aihue 1-3, BB, K, RS -- .270

Davies 6 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K -- W, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, has AAA down
Hughes 2 IP, BB, 2 K -- 4.29 ERA
Atencio IP, H -- 6.09 ERA

*** Omaha got another great start from Kyle Davies, who has yet to allow a run in AAA this season, and swamped the Isotopes. Davies allowed a single and 2 walks in the 1st but got out unscathed. Omaha took the lead in the 3rd on a Scott Thorman RBI single, then scored again in the 4th on a Tommy Murphy 2-out RBI double to make it 2-0. Omaha pulled away with a 5-run 6th on a Travis Metcalf RBI double, a 2-run Mario Lisson single, and a 2-run homer by Murphy for his 3rd of the season to make it 7-0. Thorman led off the 7th with his 14th homer of the season and J.R. House doubled in the final run in the 8th. The Isotopes didn't have more than 1 baserunner in any inning after the 1st. Starter Scott Elbert took the loss with 6 ER allowed in 5 IP on 10 hits and a walk with 6 Ks to drop to 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA. LF Luis Maza was 2-3 with his 10th double to move to .259.

The O-Royals are 31-47. A 3-game home set versus the New Orleans Zephyrs (35-42, AAA Marlins) starts tonight with Sidney Ponson (0-1, 3.00) facing Zephyrs righty Rick VandenHurk (3-1, 3.31). Alex Gordon is set to join the O-Royals for some rehab starting Friday. Eleven shutouts thus far is the most for an O-Royal team since the 1990 team posted 14. The O-Royals got their first series win since early May.

Omaha's tops in OPS through June are....(* denotes leads team) OF Scott Thorman has surged to the lead with a .969 OPS (.303/.381/.589, 28 RS, 8 2B, 14 HR*, 32 RBI, 14 BB/33 K, 3/5 SB, 2 E in 50 G/175 ABs, has really thrived with Omaha, only current regular hitting over .300, hit for better than 1.000 OPS in June); 1B Kila Ka'aihue is next at a healthy .909 (.270/.409/.500, 51 RS*, 19 2B*, 1 3B, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 60 BB* (more than double anyone else on team)/56 K, 0/1 SB, 2 E in 75 G/248 ABs, only .365 OBP and .820 OPS in June); OF Cory Aldridge is next at .856 (.297/.343/.513, 21 RS, 10 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 40 RBI*, 12 BB/44 K, 0/1 SB, 2 E in 57 G/195 ABs); part-timer DH/OF Brian Buchanan is sitting at .815 (.271/.329/.486, 5 RS, 6 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 6 BB/10 K in 21 G/70 ABs, probably shouldn't qualify, but I listed him anyway); and, surprisingly, SS Mario Lisson is next at .737 (.246/.270/.466, 13 RS, 5 2B, 7 HR, 14 RBI, 4 BB/23 K (yikes), 2/3 SB, 7 E (already second on team in that stat) in 35 G/118 ABs, overall I'd say that's not a pretty picture for Mario).

Omaha's tops in WHIP are....RP Chris Hayes has kept it going strong with a 0.92 WHIP in his first 16 1/3 AAA IP (1-1, 2.76 ERA, 1 HRA, 0 BB/6 K thus far in 6 appearances); SP Lenny DiNardo is sitting at 1.12 (5-3 (tied for team lead in wins with Hochevar), 3.46 ERA, 2 SV, 3 HRA, 15 BB/67 K in 16 games (11 starts)/80 2/3 IP* (leads current roster)); RP Yasuhiko Yabuta has a 1.28 WHIP in 22 2/3 IP (1-1, 4.37, 1 HRA, 6 BB/25 K in 13 appearances); SP Brandon Duckworth is next at a 1.33 WHIP in 64 IP (2-2, 4.64, 8 HRA*, 23 BB/38 K); and RP Greg Atencio has a 1.47 WHIP in 34 IP (2-7 (tied for team lead in losses), 6.09, 2 SV, 2 HRA, 14 BB/41 K in 23 appearances).

AA - NW Arkansas: all-star break

The Naturals are 4-1 and atop the TL North. The all-star game is tonight in Frisco. IFs Kurt Mertins and Corey Smith along with RP Greg Holland are slated to play. OF Jordan Parraz was selected but is sitting it out with a leg injury.

NWA's tops in OPS through June are....small sample-size alert here, but I'm gonna put SS Jeff Bianchi at the top with a 1.245 OPS in his first 40 AA ABs (.500/.545/.700, 5 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB/4 K, 2/3 SB, 2 E in 10 games); C Cody Clark is also over 1.000 at a 1.103 OPS in 19 G/48 ABs (.333/.458/.646, 9 RS, 3 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB/6 K, 1/2 SB); Parraz is next with a 1.005 OPS in a much more legit 64 G/226 ABs (.358*/.451/.553, 35 RS, 17 2B, 3 3B*, 7 HR, 42 RBI, 29 BB/25 K, 4/12 SB, and 4 E, very nice pickup from Houston); C Jeff Howell was at .817 in 38 G/119 ABs before hitting the DL recently (.303/.346/.471, 17 RS, 6 2B, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 8 BB/22 K, 3 E); and 1B Brian McFall was at .752 in 59 G/204 ABs before also hitting the DL (.250/.335/.417, 29 RS, 13 2B, 7 HR, 37 RBI, 19 BB/57 K, 3/4 SB, 6 E).

NWA's tops in WHIP are....RP Ben Swaggerty leads the current crew with a 1.14 WHIP in his first 9 2/3 IP at AA, so very small sample size (1-0, 1 SV, 1.86 ERA, 4 BB/11 K in 6 appearances); SP Blake Wood is next at a 1.38 mark but has hit the DL with elbow inflammation, which isn't good. It could explain his inconsistency, tho (2-6 (tied for team lead in losses), 5.27 ERA, 1 CG, 7 HRA, 23 BB/46 K in 13 starts/71 2/3 IP); RP Chris Nicoll doesn't look as lockdown now as he did after May but is next at a 1.45 WHIP (6-0 (leads team in wins), 4.22 ERA, 1 SV, 2 HRA, 17 BB/37 K in 24 app./42 2/3 IP); RP Greg Holland is next at 1.47 (3-2, 2.25, 6 SV*, 15 BB/34 K in 36 IP); and SP Matt Kniginyzky is at a 1.58 WHIP (2-6, 6.18, 13 HRA*, 27 BB/30 K in 67 IP, yikes). That leaves 4 other starters at WHIPs of 1.59 or above, including Dan Cortes at a 1.63 WHIP. Cortes has 49 BB/51 K in 74 1/3 IP.

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Frederick 7, Blue Rocks 5

3B Moustakas 3-3, BB, S, 2B (17), RBI (44) -- .268
RF Orlando 2-4, SF, RBI (18), RS, SB (10) -- .239
DH Walton 2-5, 2B (3), RBI (16) -- .259
2B Giavotella 2-4, BB, RS -- .233
CF D. Robinson 2-5, 2B (11), 2 RS -- .242
C Eigsti 1-3, 2 HBP, RBI (21), K -- .223
SS Seratelli 0-5, RBI (21), K, RS -- .285
1B Jimenez 0-3, HBP, K -- .000, A-Adv. debut
PH Fontaine 0-1 -- .000, Wilmington debut
* The Rocks stranded 12.

Caldera 5 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, BB, HRA, WP -- L, 1-7, 6.59 ERA
Villa 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, K, HRA -- 3.68 ERA

*** A Wilmington comeback wasn't in the cards Tuesday as Frederick kept up the offense. Mike Moustakas hit an RBI single but the Rocks stranded 2 in the 3rd. Ryan Eigsti was thrown out at the plate to end the Wilmington 4th and Frederick took the lead with 3 runs that inning thanks in part to a 2-run homer by LF Tyler Henson for his 5th of the season. Wilmington responded with a 3-run rally in the 5th as Anthony Seratelli hit a bases-loaded RBI forceout, Paulo Orlando hit a sac fly and Eigsti hit an RBI single to give Wilmington a 4-3 lead before the Rocks left the bases full. Alex Caldera couldn't hold the lead as 4 hits scored 2 Keys runs in the 5th and they wouldn't trail again. They scratched out a run off Kelvin Villa in the 7th and Henson went long again in the 8th for his 6th of the season and 2nd of the game to make it 7-4. Jamar Walton hit an RBI double in the 9th but that was all the Rocks would get. RP Jake Stevens went 1 1/3 IP of scoreless relief to improve to 3-4 with a 6.08 ERA. Starter Pedro Beato uncorked 3 wild pitches and allowed 4 ER on 9 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks over 4 2/3 IP to move his ERA to 4.80. RP Ryan Rodriguez got his 1st save. Henson and SS Pedro Florimon Jr. had 2 hits each for Frederick. Henson's 2 HR gave him 3 RBI (41) and he had an OF assist at the plate to improve to .246. Florimon committed his 19th and 20th errors but had 2 doubles (20), 2 RS and his 39th RBI to improve to .274.

The Rocks are 3-3 and in a 3-way tie for first. The series ends tonight as Danny Duffy (6-2, 3.43) faces Keys righty Sean Gleason (0-2, 4.56).

Wilmington's tops in OPS through June are....since OF David Lough hasn't played at NWA yet, I'll list him at the top with an .843 mark, although he technically doesn't qualify since he's at AA (.320/.370/.473, 28 RS, 15 2B, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 12 BB/34 K, 6/10 SB, 1 E in 65 G/222 ABs); 1B Clint Robinson is at .803 (.288* (among current players)/.347/.456, 34 RS, 17 2B*, 7 HR, 36 RBI, 17 BB/44 K, 4 E in 67 G/226 ABs); UT Anthony Seratelli is at .757 (.285/.326/.431, 18 RS, 9 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 9 BB/24 K, 6/9 SB, 10 E in 43 G/130 ABs); 3B Mike Moustakas is at .734 (.268/.307/.428 (not great), 43 RS, 17 2B*, 8 HR*, 44 RBI*, 16 BB/43 K, 7/11 SB, 15 E* in 70 G/269 ABs, only .699 OPS in both May and June); and 2B Johnny Giavotella is at .707 (.233/.357/.350, 48 RS*, 10 2B, 6 3B*, 2 HR, 28 RBI, 45 BB*/32 K, 11/17 SB, 13 E in 71 G/240 ABs, second in league in walks).

Tops among the Rocks in WHIP are.... RP Brandon Sisk at 0.87 in 31 IP (2-2, 2.61, 7 SV, HRA, 8 BB/37 K, looking good); RP Juan Abreu at 0.98 in 16 1/3 IP (3-1, 1.65, 8 SV, HRA, 13 BB/21 K); SP Danny Duffy is at 1.22 in 76 IP (6-2, 3.43, 5 HRA, 22 BB/69 K* in 14 starts); SP Mario Santiago is at a 1.40 mark in 80 IP* (3-8 (leads team in losses), 4.16, 4 HRA, 24 BB/57 K in 14 starts); and RP Jason Godin is at 1.41 (1-0, 2.11, 9 BB/19 K in 21 1/3 IP).

A - Burlington: Quad Cities 9, Bees 4

CF Norris 2-4, K, SB (26) -- .247
1B D. Wood 1-4, 2B (11), 2 RBI (25) -- .242
RF Francis 1-3, BB, RBI (45), 2 K, RS, E (6) -- .288
DH Hosmer 1-4, 2B (15), RBI (40), RS -- .248
LF Van Stratten 1-5, RS, SB (12), OF assist at third -- .322
3B Taylor 1-4, K, RS -- .250, '09 Bees debut
C Bonilla 1-4, 2B (9), 2 K, PB (5) -- .249

Runion 5 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, K, HRA -- 6.08 ERA
Saito 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, HRA -- BS, 2, L, 2-6, 4.44 ERA
R. Pena IP, nothing -- 4.05 ERA
J. Thompson IP, ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 2.52 ERA

*** The Bees staged a comeback in the 6th but the River Bandits had an answer to win the series opener. Sam Runion got in and out of trouble in the 1st and 3rd but gave up a 2-run homer to 1B Osvaldo Morales (his 10th) in the 4th to give Quad Cities the lead. Eric Hosmer got Burlington on the board with an RBI double in the 6th and Nick Francis singled him home to tie the game before David Wood hit a 2-run double to make it 4-2 Bees. Derrick Saito came on with 2 on and 1 out in the 6th and allowed 3 runs to score on 2 hits and a walk before 3B Alex Castellanos went long for a 3-run bomb for his 4th of the season to make it 8-4 Bandits. The Bees left 2 in scoring position in the 7th and James Thompson gave up a run in the 8th to cement the lead. RP Ramon Delgado went 2 2/3 IP of scoreless relief to pick up the win and move to 5-2 with a 2.38 ERA. Starter Brett Zawacki worked 5 1/3 IP of 4 ER allowed on 6 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 5.96. Castellanos and LF Jarred Bogany had 2 hits for the Bandits. Castellanos and C Roberto Espinoza also had 3 RBI each, as Castellanos added his 12th SB and Espinoza his 4th error. Morales' 2 RBI bumped his season total to 52.

The Bees are 2-3 and a game back. Game 2 of the set is tonight as Tim Melville (2-4, 4.00) faces Bandits righty Gary Daley (3-2, 7.79).

The Bees' tops in OPS through June are.... OF Nick Van Stratten leads the way at .844 in 56 G/202 ABs (.322*/.403/.441, 43 RS*, 13 2B, 4 3B*, HR, 29 RBI, 24 BB/23 K, 12/18 SB, 2 E, not a HR guy, but good for XBH and seems solid all-around); OF Nick Francis at .830 in 64 G/233 ABs (.288/.341/.489, 35 RS, 15 2B*, 10 HR*, 45 RBI*, 19 BB/78 K*, 11/13 SB, 6 E, streakier than Van Stratten, but can also produce); IF Fernando Garcia at .826 in 50 G/158 ABs (.285/.447*/.380, 27 RS, 6 2B, 3 3B, HR, 15 RBI, 44 BB*/29 K, 19/26 SB*, 12 E*, has been steady part of top of lineup); 1B/DH Eric Hosmer at .720 in 64 G/226 ABs (.248/.348/.372, expected more slugging than that, 22 RS, 15 2B*, 2 3B, 3 HR, 40 RBI, 36 BB/62 K (has been patient at plate), 3/4 SB, 2 E, .211 BA/.590 OPS in June has been worst month of season); and 1B David Wood at .670 in 54 G/198 ABs (.242/.306/.364, 24 RS, 11 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 25 RBI, 17 BB/36 K, 4/6 SB, 4 E).

The Bees' tops in WHIP are.... RP Barry Bowden at 1.07 in 33 2/3 IP (2-2, 2.94, 6 SV, 2 HRA, 16 BB/38 K in 25 app.); SP Mike Montgomery at 1.10 in 37 1/3 IP (1-1, 1.93, 15 BB/35 K, .200 OAV in 8 starts, so far, so good, batters only hit .167 off him in June); RP Blaine Hardy at 1.12 in 59 IP (3-3, 2.75, 2 HRA, 11 BB/57 K* in 17 app., K/BB is stellar); RP Derrick Saito at 1.19 in 48 2/3 IP (2-6, 4.44, 1 SV, 4 HRA, 13 BB/50 K in 20 app., also very good K/BB, but he's been inconsistent); and SP Tim Melville at 1.42 in 36 IP (2-4, 4.00, 4 HRA, 15 BB/25 K, .265 OAV in first 8 starts, got hit around in June to tune of .310 OAV). Bryan Casey leads the team in both wins and losses with a 4-7 record but has a 1.61 WHIP and 33 BB/51 K in 61 1/3 IP. Runion has allowed 100 hits in a team leading 74 IP and has a 24/34 BB/K and 1.68 WHIP.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Chukars 12, Casper 9

C S. Perez 3-5, 2 RBI (5), K -- .440
2B D. Batista 2-6, RBI (10), K, RS -- .379
PH-C Theriot 1-1, 3B, 3 RBI, RS -- .167, first pro triple and RBI
SS Franco 1-4, BB, S, 2B, 3 RBI (6), K, RS, E (5) -- .259
3B Alfaro 1-5, HBP, HR (2), RBI (7), K, 2 RS, E (2) -- .462
CF Cooper 0-3, BB, K, 2 RS, SB (2) -- .077

Garrido 3 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K, HRA, 2 WP -- 8.10 ERA
Morgan 2 IP, 4 R (2 ER), 7 H, K -- 3.86 ERA
C. White 2 2/3 IP, 2 BB, 5 K, balk -- W, 1-1, 0.00 ERA, first pro W
Hodge 1/3 IP, ER, H, BB, K, HRA -- 16.20 ERA
Folmer 2/3 IP, K -- SV, 1, 0.00 ERA, IF debut

*** A 4-run 19th made the difference in a 3-run Chukar win to continue a nice start to the season. J.D. Alfaro hit a 2-out solo homer in the 1st for his 2nd of the season and IF had the lead. Santiago Garrido allowed a Casper run, tho, in the 1st to tie it. Idaho Falls loaded the bases with 2 out in the 2nd and Angel Franco cleared the bases with a double to give IF a 4-1 lead, although Franco pulled a Berroa and was thrown out at third on the play to end the rally. Garrido allowed 2 Casper runs in the 2nd on a walk and 2 hits to cut it to 4-3 but the Chukars scored 2 in the 3rd on a run-scoring wild pitch and Salvador Perez RBI groundout. Garrido served up a solo homer to SS Jeff Squier in the 4th for his 1st of the season and Ryan Morgan was brought in. Idaho Falls left the bases loaded in the 5th and Morgan was roughed up for 4 runs that inning to give Casper an 8-6 lead. Idaho Falls tied it with 2 in the 6th on a run-scoring Ghosts error and Perez RBI single before stranding 2. Cole White came in to strand 2 in scoring position in the 6th and the 8-8 tie held into the 9th. The Chukars loaded the bases with 1 out and Ben Theriot hit a big pinch-hit 3-run triple to break the game open. Deivy Batista singled Theriot home and it was 12-8 Chukars. Mitch Hodge came in to pitch the 9th for IF but gave up a leadoff homer to LF David Dinatale for his 1st of the season. Richard Folmer came in with 1 on and 1 out and finished it in his first Chukar appearance for the save. RP Trevor Gibson allowed 4 ER in 1 inning of work to take the loss and fall to 0-1 with a 12.00 ERA. SP Jonathan Vargas allowed 6 ER on 5 hits and 4 walks with 2 Ks over 4 IP to bump his ERA to 11.25. CF Eliezer Mesa was 4-6 with 3 RBI and an OF assist at third for Casper to move to .379 and 3 others had 2 hits, including Squier, who drove in 2 runs (3) in improving to .130.

The Chukars are 6-1 and 1 1/2 games up on first. A doubleheader is tonight as Sugar Ray Marimon (0-0, 4.50) faces Ghosts righty Ricardo Ferrer (0-0, 7.71) in one of the games. Alfaro, Batista, Salvador Perez and Juan Graterol all have OPS numbers over 1.000 through the first week.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 10, Bluefield 3

LF Del Rosario 3-5, 3B (2), HR, 4 RBI (7), K, 2 RS, SB (2) -- .394
C T. Jones 2-4, 2B (5), RBI (4), 2 K, PB -- .292
3B Culver 1-4, HR, RBI, K, RS -- .273, first pro HR
RF MacDougall 0-4, HBP, K, RS -- .214
SS Espinal 0-4, BB, RS, 2 SB (5) -- .382
2B R. Wood 1-4, BB, K, RS, SB -- .143
CF G. Beltre 1-3, 2 BB, K, 3 RS, SB -- .154

Fortuna 6 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K, HRA, E -- W, 1-0, 2.70 ERA
Cuevas 3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, BB, 4 K, HRA, balk -- SV, 1, 3.86 ERA

*** Carlos Fortuna had a good start and the Royals enjoyed their easiest win of the season thus far. A 2-run Bluefield error got the B-Royals started in the 1st and Luis Del Rosario hit an RBI triple in the 3rd and later stole home before Travis Jones ripped an RBI double to make it 4-0. Del Rosario came back up in the 4th and slammed a 3-run homer to left center for his 1st of the season to make it 7-0. The Royals stranded 2 in the 5th and Fortuna's only ER came on a solo homer by O's 2B Omar Casamayor in the 6th (his 1st). Another O's error scored a Royal run in the 6th and Malcom Culver led off the 7th with his 1st pro longball to finish the Royals' scoring. RP Gary Cuevas served up a 2-run homer to RF Luis Ramirez (his 1st) in the 8th but that was all Bluefield would get. SP Robert Bundy took the loss with 3 IP of 5 runs (3 ER) on 2 hits and 4 walks with 3 Ks to fall to 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA. Three Orioles had 2 hits as Ramirez's 2 RBI gave him 9 on the season as he improved to .303.

Burlington is 4-4 and a game back. The set wraps tonight as Leondy Perez (0-1, 3.60) faces O's righty Jorge Almanzar (1-0, 0.00). Del Rosario, Espinal, Culver and Victor Soto are among those with OPS numbers over 1.000 thus far.

Rookie - AZL: off day

The Royals are 4-4. They play the 5-2 division leading Rangers tonight. No big numbers to report at this level so far. Alex Gordon has hit for over a 1.000 OPS in 3 games of rehab work, but you'd hope he would.