Royals on the Farm 8/8

Run support wasn't a problem for Zack last night, for a change. Finally. On a Pipeline note, I may have problems getting tomorrow's report out for today's games. I expect another hectic Monday. I may or may not roll today and tomorrow together in Tuesday's report. We'll see....

AAA - Omaha: O-Royals 8, Las Vegas 4

DH Aldridge 2-4, 2B (12), HR (15), 2 RBI (52), K, 2 RS -- .310, homered in 5 straight games
3B-SS Lisson 2-2, 2 BB, 2B (14), RBI (29), RS -- .248
C Suomi 1-4, 2B (2), 2 RBI (6), RS -- .171, haven't seen much of John on here since his promotion to AAA
1B Ka'aihue 1-4, RBI (46), K, RS -- .261
CF Falu 1-5, 2B (14), RBI (37), K -- .255
2B Hulett 1-4, 2B (22), K -- .308
RF Parraz 1-4, 2 RS -- .311
LF Lubanski 1-4, 2B (7), K -- .244, broke 0-24 slump, now 1-28 since return

Meche 5 IP, ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 K -- W, 1-1, 3.12 ERA
Yabuta 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K -- 3.18 ERA
Holland IP, H, 2 BB -- 7.88 ERA
Nicoll 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, HRA -- 81.00 ERA, unsuccessful AAA debut
Hamulack 2/3 IP, K -- 5.05 ERA

*** The game wasn't as close as the final score shows as Vegas tightened it up some with a 3-run 9th. Omaha stranded 2 in the 3rd and the 51s took the lead off Gil Meche in the 4th. Cory Aldridge tied it in the 4th with his 15th homer to make it 5 straight games with a longball. He's the first O-Royal since the immortal Calvin Pickering in 2004 to accomplish the feat. Jordan Parraz scored on an error in the 5th and the Royals blew it open in the 6th with 6 runs on an Aldridge RBI double, a Kila Ka'aihue RBI single, Mario Lisson RBI double, 2-run John Suomi double and Irving Falu RBI double. Greg Holland stranded the bases loaded in the 8th and Chris Nicoll made his AAA debut in the 9th. Two singles and a 3-run homer by Vegas SS Angel Sanchez (his 4th) were followed by a popout and Nicoll was pulled. Tim Hamulack finished off the win. Vegas SP T.J. Beam took the loss with 5 1/3 IP of 5 runs (4 ER) on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 6-3 with a 4.40 ERA. RF Aaron Mathews had 3 hits to improve to .285, Sanchez's 3 RBI gave him 45 on the season and DH Randy Ruiz drove in his 106th run.

The O-Royals are 47-66. A 4-game home set with the Reno Aces (59-56, AAA D-Backs) starts tonight with Lenny DiNardo (7-4, 3.47) set to face Aces lefty Travis Blackley (2-6, 5.32). This is the first ever meeting between the Royals and the newest PCL team, which replaced the D-Backs' Tucson Sidewinders affiliate. The Aces roster features Arizona prospects righty Cesar Valdez (6-5, 4.60, 1.31 WHIP in 86 IP), righty Tony Barnette (10-7, 6.25, 1.61 WHIP in 126 2/3 IP), righty Hector Ambriz (5-8, 5.92, 1.57 WHIP in 97 1/3 IP), former Royal farmhand righty Billy Buckner (6-3, 3.60, 1.41 WHIP in 71 IP), righty Bryan Augenstein (2-5, 5.50, 1.39 WHIP in 36 IP), and also former Royal IF Ruben Gotay (.862 OPS, 19 E in 100 G/315 ABs).

AA - NW Arkansas: Arkansas 4, Naturals 1 (1-hitter)

3B Mertins 1-3, S, K, E (13) -- .276
CF Lough 0-0, HBP, RS -- .323, pulled in 1st after HBP
CF Dyson 0-3, K -- .259
SS Bianchi 0-2, BB, SF, RBI (27), 2 K -- .329
LF Duarte 0-3, K -- .253

Teaford 5 IP, ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, E, WP -- 5.46 ERA
Godin 3 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 4 H, K -- L, 0-1, 3.00 ERA

*** Trevor Reckling showed why, at 20, he's already in AA as the Travelers lefty 1-hit the Naturals, but didn't end up getting the victory. David Lough led off the game by getting hit by a pitch, advanced to third on a Reckling throwing error, then scored on a Jeff Bianchi sac fly to make it 1-0 Naturals in the 1st. Lough was pulled in the bottom of the 1st. Everett Teaford stranded 2 in the 1st but hung with Reckling. The Travs scratched out a run in the 3rd to tie it before stranding 2. Teaford stranded 2 more in the 5th and Kurt Mertins broke up Reckling's no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the 6th. NWA stranded 2 that inning and the 1-1 tie held into the 8th. Jason Godin finally faltered by giving up 3 runs in the 8th and Fernando Rodriguez pitched 2 perfect innings for the win to preserve the 1-hitter. He's 2-0 with a 1.48 ERA. Reckling allowed an unearned run on a hit and 4 walks with 5 Ks over 7 IP to lower his ERA to 2.53. 1B Mark Trumbo and C Hank Conger had 2 hits for Arkansas. Trumbo ripped his 27th double and Conger drove in his 54th RBI.

NWA is 25-17 and 2 games up on first. The series continues tonight as Matt Kniginyzky (4-9, 5.07) faces Travelers lefty Alex Torres (1-0, 3.18).

A-Adv. - Wilmington: Potomac 9, Blue Rocks 0

DH C. Robinson 2-4, 2B (22) -- .294
2B Giavotella 2-4, 2B (17), K -- .257
3B Moustakas 0-3, BB, 2 K -- .252
1B Hosmer 0-3, HBP, K -- .206
CF D. Robinson 0-4, HBP, 2 K -- .237
RF Van Stratten 1-4 -- .217, 10-game hit streak
* The Rocks stranded 10.

Caldera 1 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, HRA, WP, E (3) -- L, 4-9, 5.78 ERA, yikes
Rivas 2 1/3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K -- 5.77 ERA
Gutierrez 3 IP, H, 6 K -- 0.00 ERA, looks like he's in top form
Basurto IP, 2 K -- 1.42 ERA

*** The Rocks' 12-game win streak came to an abrupt halt as the P-Nats broke out the bats on Alex Caldera. Potomac scored 3 in the 1st on 3 hits, a walk, wild pitch and sac fly off Caldera and then, after Wilmington stranded 2 in the 2nd, added 4 runs in the 2nd. The big blow was a 3-run homer by Nationals RF Michael Burgess (his 19th). Carlos Rivas finished the inning but gave up 2 more runs in the 3rd to account for all the scoring. The Rocks stranded 2 in the 3rd and left the bases full in the 8th for their best scoring chance. Potomac SP Tom Milone got the win with 6 1/3 IP of 6 hits and a walk allowed with 6 Ks to move to 8-4 with a 3.32 ERA. Burgess was 2-4 with his 19th double, the homer, 5 RBI (67), 2 K and 2 RS to move to .232. LF Dan Nelson had 2 hits, C Devin Ivany drove in 2 (12) and DH Jesus Valdez scored twice.

The Rocks are 25-15 and back in a tie with the P-Nats for first. Today's finale is a key, then, as Ray Liotta (4-2, 3.66) faces Nationals righty Brad Peacock (1-1, 8.00).

A - Burlington: Bees 2, Quad Cities 1

LF D. Wood 2-4, 2B (16), OF assist at third -- .256
3B Morales 1-3, 2B, RBI, K, RS -- .333, Bees debut
CF-LF Ortiz 1-4, 2B, RBI (8), K -- .167
2B F. Garcia 1-4, K, CS (10) -- .262
RF Francis 0-3, OF assist at first -- .249
C Bonilla 0-2, BB -- .231
DH Griffin 1-3, 2B (7) -- .299
1B Graterol 0-3 -- .326
SS R. Wood 1-2, BB, 3B, K, RS -- .129

Melville 6 2/3 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 6 K -- W, 4-6, 3.84 ERA, very nice
B. Hardy 2 1/3 IP, BB, 4 K -- SV, 5, 2.29 ERA

*** Tim Melville had another promising start and the Bees slipped past the River Bandits. The Bees scored both their runs in the 3rd on a Jason Morales RBI double in his first Bees AB and an Adrian Ortiz RBI double. Melville retired 16 in a row before giving up a walk and RBI triple in the 7th and getting pulled. Blaine Hardy pitched 2 1/3 hitless frames for his 5th save. RP Adam Veres took the loss with 2 ER allowed over 2 1/3 IP to fall to 3-5 with a 3.95 ERA. Starter Kevin Thomas worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings before leaving with a hand injury. His ERA is 4.15. 1B Xavier Scruggs had 2 hits, including his 1st triple, and his 12th RBI to move to .476.

The Bees are 18-23 and 6 games back. Game 3 is today as Mike Lehmann (4-4, 4.65) takes on QC righty Jorge Rondon (0-2, 3.43). C Sean McCauley was placed on the DL.

Rookie - Idaho Falls: Ogden 4, Chukars 3

2B Franco 2-3, BB, RBI (15), RS -- .245
RF Caldwell 1-3, BB, 2B (5), RBI (16), SB (2), OF assist at home -- .242
3B Stovall 1-3, SF, RBI (6), K, RS -- .286
DH H. Richardson 0-4, HBP -- .308
SS D. Batista 0-4, 2 K -- .292
C Theriot 1-4, 2 K -- .333
CF Llanos 0-4, K -- .087

Garrido 5 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 WP -- 5.30 ERA
J. Garcia IP, H, 2 K -- BS, 1, 0.90 ERA
Morgan 1/3 IP, ER, H, BB -- L, 2-2, 5.60 ERA
Toribio 1 2/3 IP, nothing -- 4.50 ERA

*** A flurry of middle-inning scoring ended with Ogden on top as the Raptors finished the series with a W. Santiago Garrido allowed a run in the 1st then escaped trouble in the 4th as Allen Caldwell threw out a runner at the plate in the inning. A Ryan Stovall sac fly in the 5th finally got IF on the board and, after Garrido stranded 2 in the 5th, Caldwell hit a 2-out RBI double in the 6th, but the Chukars would strand 2. Garrido was pulled with 2 on and 0 out in the 6th and Justin Garcia allowed both runners to score to make it 3-2 Ogden. Angel Franco hit a 2-out RBI single in the 7th to tie it but Ryan Morgan gave up the eventual winning run in the 7th. RP Steven Ames pitched 2 hitless frames for his 5th save. RP Luis Ferreras blew his 1st save but got the win with an ER allowed in an inning of work to move to 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA. Starter Edwin Contreras worked 6 IP of 2 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 5 Ks to move his ERA to 2.70. LF Brian Cavazos-Galvez had 2 hits and his 35th RBI to improve to .335. RF Blake Smith also drove in 2 runs (6).

IF is 2-4 and 3 games out. The Chukars have today off.

Rookie - Burlington: B-Royals 5, Princeton 3

RF Del Rosario 3-4, 2B (4), SB (15), CS (6) -- .295
SS Espinal 1-4, RBI (10), RS, SB (15) -- .211
1B Kuebler 1-3, BB, 2B (5), RBI (12), RS -- .248
LF Pickett 1-4, RS -- .288
2B Tschepikow 0-3, K -- .250
C F. Cruz 0-3, PB (9) -- .266

Billo 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K, pickoff -- W, 2-1, 2.27 ERA
Fortuna 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 WP -- SV, 1, 4.45 ERA

*** Greg Billo had a good start and the Burlington Royals continued their best play of the season. Jake Kuebler hit an RBI double in the 1st and a 2-run Rays error made it 3-0 Royals. Princeton stranded 2 in the 2nd and the Royals scored their last 2 runs of the game on a Yowill Espinal RBI single. Espinal stole home to make it 5-0. Billo handed a 2-hit shutout to Carlos Fortuna in the 6th and he hit a rough patch as the Rays scored 3 in the 7th. Fortuna recovered to work around baserunners in the 8th and 9th to secure his 1st save. Starter Wilking Rodriguez allowed 5 runs (3 ER) on 5 hits and a walk with a K over 2 IP to fall to 1-3 with a 3.68 ERA. LF Ty Morrison and DH Jason Patton had 2 hits for the Rays. Patton stole 2 bases (6) and drove in his 13th run.

The B-Royals are 16-29 and on a 5-game win streak. They go for the 3-game sweep tonight with Leondy Perez (1-3, 3.96) taking the mound vs. Rays righty Deivis Mavares (2-0, 3.13).

Rookie - AZL: Royals 8, Indians 7 (12)

C Moreno 2-2, BB, HBP, 2B (5), 3 RBI (7), 2 PB (10) -- .214
2B McConnell 2-5, BB, HR, 2 RBI (4), RS -- .360
LF Howard 1-3, 3 BB, 2B (3), 2 RBI (8), K, 2 RS, 2 SB (8) -- .200
RF L. Adams 1-5, BB, RBI (9), 3 K, RS, SB (8) -- .238
SS Trapp 1-6, 2 K, E (7) -- .297
1B G. Baldwin 0-5, S, 3 K, RS -- .279, in first pro slump
DH A. Martinez 1-4, 2 BB, K, 2 RS, SB (11) -- .237
CF Cooper 0-5, BB, 2 K -- .182
* The Royals stranded 10.

L. Santiago 5 IP, 4 R (3 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K -- 6.10 ERA
G. Batista 3 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, K, 2 WP -- 4.98 ERA
S. De La Rosa 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K, WP -- 7.50 ERA
Bavera 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 3 K -- W, 3-0, 0.59 ERA

*** The Royals put together a 4-run 9th to force extras, came back again in the 10th and won it in 12. Leonel Santiago gave up a run on 2 doubles in the 1st and the Royals didn't get it tied until Chris McConnell led off the 4th with his 1st rehab homer. The Indians got a run on 2 hits off Santiago in the 5th then scored 2 off Santiago and Geronimo Batista in the 6th. Edul Escobar was thrown out at home to end the Royals 6th and the Tribe scored 2 in the 7th to take a 6-1 lead. McConnell singled home a run in the 8th and the big rally came in the 9th. Geoff Baldwin reached on a wild pitch third strike and the Royals made good use of the extra out as Anthony Howard hit a 2-run double and Henry Moreno hit a 2-out, 2-run double that wouldn't have happened if not for the wild pitch. Claudio Bavera walked in the go-ahead run in the 10th but the Royals again survived as Lane Adams hit a clutch RBI single. The Royals stranded 2, tho. The Indians stranded 2 in the 11th and the Royals rallied again with 2 outs in the 12th as Moreno hit a walkoff single. RP Franklin Soto allowed an ER over 2/3 IP to take the loss and fall to 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA. Starter Gregorio Rosario pitched 2 hitless innings to lower his ERA to 3.52. 1B Chris Kersten and LF Kevin Rucker had 3 hits for the Tribe. Kersten also drove in 3 runs (25). 2B Argenis Martinez had 2 hits, 2 doubles (6) and 3 RS. He also stole his 10th base.

The 5-7 Royals have today off.