Royals on the Farm 8/26 and 8/27

AAA: Omaha used some late-inning offense to get wins over Oklahoma Friday and Saturday, 1-0 and 4-3. Friday's tilt was a classic pitchers' duel as Oklahoma got its first hit in the 3rd while Omaha got a hit in the 4th but couldn't score. The O-Royals got a 1-out triple from SS Andres Blanco in the 6th but RF Matt Diaz grounded to Oklahoma SS Manny Alexander, who nailed Blanco at the plate to keep goose eggs on the scoreboard. In the 9th, Blanco led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. After a Diaz strikeout and IBB to DH Cal Pickering, LF Chad Santos singled to bring Blanco home with the winning run. SP Chris George went 6 IP and allowed 2 hits and 2 walks with 6 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.56 and RP Dave Elder went 3 IP and allowed 2 hits and a K to improve to 2-0 and keep his ERA at 0.00. Blanco was 3-4 with a triple to improve to .275; Diaz was 0-4 to drop to .368; Santos was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .262; and 1B Justin Huber was 0-2 with a walk to drop to .271.

Saturday, the O-Royals entered the bottom of the 7th down, 3-0, but used the longball to get a 4-3 win. SP Denny Bautista made his first rehab start and didn't do well. He allowed 2 runs in the 1st and, after getting a double play he was pulled (not a good sign) in favor of P Danny Tamayo. Tamayo gave up a run in the 7th to allow Oklahoma to expand the lead to 3 but the Omaha offense came alive that inning. C Jared Price hit a 2-run homer (his 2nd) with 1 out in the 7th to close the gap to 3-2 and, after RP Justin Huisman cruised through the 8th, Huber cracked a 2-run shot in the 8th (his 5th) to give Omaha the 4-3 lead. RP Santiago Ramirez survived a 9th-inning leadoff single to get the save. Bautista went 2/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on a hit and 2 walks to up his ERA to 4.91; Tamayo went 6 1/3 IP and allowed an ER on 5 hits and a walk with 6 Ks to move his ERA to 5.41; Huisman got the win with a hitless IP to improve to 8-1 with an ERA of 3.86; and Ramirez got his 15th save with a hit and K in 1 IP to drop his ERA to 5.37. Blanco was 0-1 before being pulled in the 3rd for fouling a ball off his knee in the 1st-- his BA dropped to .272; 2B Justin Gemoll was 2-3 to improve to .267; Diaz was 3-4 with a double to improve to .374; Santos was 2-4 to improve to .264; Huber was 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI to improve to .280; and IF Rudy Gomez was 2-3 with a walk to improve to .250.

Omaha is 68-67 and 3 games out of first behind Nashville with 9 games left in the season. The home set with Oklahoma ends today. Pitchers: RedHawks LH Michael Tejera (3-2, 4.14) vs. RH Kyle Snyder (2-2, 3.64).

AA: Wichita continued a slide at the worst possible time to fall farther out of the playoff hunt with a 7-5 series-ending loss to Arkansas Friday and a 3-1 loss to Springfield Saturday. Friday, the Wranglers fell behind thanks to two 3-run innings from the Travelers and couldn't come back in the 7-5 loss. Wichita started off the scoring in the 2nd with a solo homer by DH Cory Aldridge (his 24th) but Arkansas rattled off 7 unanswered runs to take a 7-1 lead in the 5th. Wichita scored twice in the 7th on an RBI triple by RF Wilkin Ruan and an RBI ground out by SS Irving Falu and got 2 in the 9th on a 2-run shot by LF Billy Butler (his 3rd) but couldn't get the tying run to the plate. SP Ryan Baerlocher took the loss with 7 ER on 10 hits and 3 walks with 6 Ks over 4 2/3 IP to drop to 7-5 with a 3.18 ERA; RP Juan Cedeno went 2 1/3 hitless IP and walked 1 with 3 Ks to lower his ERA to 7.20; and RP Leo Nunez pitched an inning and allowed a hit with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 0.75. CF Mitch Maier was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .239; 2B Ruben Gotay was 1-4 to improve to .232; 1B Josh Pressley was 1-4 to drop to .318; and Butler was 2-4 with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .320.

Saturday, Wichita took a 1-0 lead in the 4th on a Butler RBI single and held it into the 7th before RP Chris Demaria gave up 2 homers to allow the Cardinals to take a 3-1 lead. Maier hit a 2-out triple in the 9th to bring Ruan to the plate as the tying run but Ruan struck out swinging. SP Derrin Ebert went 6 IP and allowed 1 ER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.94; Demaria blew his 1st save and took the loss with 1 IP of 2 ER on 2 hits and a walk with a K to drop to 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA; and RP Wes Wilkerson went 2 IP and allowed only 2 hits to drop his ERA to 7.13. Gotay was 0-4 to drop to .219; 3B Mike Aviles was 2-4 to improve to .290; Pressley was 1-4 with a double to drop to .314; Butler was 3-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .342; and Maier was 1-4 with the triple to stay at .239.

Wichita is 29-32 and 5 1/2 games back of Arkansas. A doubleheader with Springfield is today as the 5-game set continues. Kyle Middleton (10-8, 5.17) takes the mound in game 1 for Wichita and the Wranglers' game 2 starter hadn't been set as reported by the team site. Nine games remain on Wichita's schedule.

High-A: High Desert took big steps toward a second-half title Friday and Saturday with 15-11 and 2-0 wins over Lancaster to increase the division lead to 5 games. Friday's game wasn't quite as close as it looks as the Mavs put up 10 runs early and coasted from there. High Desert scored 5 in the 1st on RBI doubles by CF Chris Lubanski and 1B Kila Kaaihue and a 3-run homer by RF Alan Moye (his 22nd) and added 2 in the 2nd on a sac fly by SS Angel Sanchez and solo homer by Lubanski (his 24th HR and also his 100th RBI of the season). The Mavs piled on 3 in the 3rd on an RBI double by DH Brandon Powell and a 2-run shot by C Adam Donachie (his 12th) for a 10-0 lead. Three in the 5th on an RBI single by Sanchez, a wild pitch and an RBI double by Lubanski made it a 13-0 game and the Mavs added runs in the 6th and 8th on a Lancaster fielding error and a solo homer by LF Bernard Stephens (his 13th). The JetHawks scored all 11 runs after the 4th to make it closer but left the bases loaded in the 9th. SP John Gragg III got the win with 6 IP of 3 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to improve to 12-5 with a 4.51 ERA; RP Stephen Chamberlain went an inning and allowed 6 ER on 7 hits and a walk to move his ERA to 8.02; RP Drew Endicott went 1 2/3 IP and allowed 2 UER on 2 hits and a walk to drop his ERA to 6.40; and RP Brian Steffek got his 3rd save with 1/3 IP that included a walk to drop his ERA to 6.00. 2B Pete Maestrales went 2-6 with a double to improve to .322; Sanchez was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .304; Lubanski was 3-6 with 2 doubles, a HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .293; Kaaihue was 2-4 with 2 walks, a double and RBI to improve to .313; Stephens was 3-4 with a HBP, HR, RBI and 3 RS to improve to .295; and Donachie was 2-4 with a walk, double, HR, 2 RBI and 3 RS to improve to .298.

Saturday was a different story although still in the Mavs' favor in a 2-0 win over Lancaster. Mavs starter Billy Buckner and JetHawks starter A.J. Shappi dueled through 6 innings and Shappi matched RP Chris Coughlin into the 9th. Shappi only gave up 3 hits before the 9th, when the Mavs rallied for both runs on a 2-run shot by Lubanski (his 25th). RP Gabe DeHoyos mowed the JetHawks down in order in the bottom of the 9th. Buckner allowed 3 hits and 3 walks with 6 Ks over 6 IP to drop his ERA to 4.81; Coughlin went 2 IP and allowed a hit and walk with a K to improve to 5-10 with a 7.03 ERA; and DeHoyos got his 5th save with a perfect 9th that included a K to drop his ERA to 1.41. Maestrales was 0-4 to drop to .319; Sanchez was 1-4 to drop to .304; Lubanski was 1-4 with the HR and 2 RBI to stay at .293; and Kaaihue was 2-4 with a double to improve to .314.

High Desert is 37-25 and up 5 games on Lancaster. The Mavs' "Magic Number" is 4 for both the second-half division title and the wild card with 8 games to play. They end the set at Lancaster tonight. No announced starters. In other Mavs news, the Mavs led all teams with three All-Stars on the recently announced 14-player team -- DH Billy Butler, utility player Brandon Powell and SP John Gragg III. Billy Butler also won the league's Rookie of the Year award. He is the third Maverick to win the award (Matt Mieske in 1991 and Mike Stoner in 1997).

Low-A: Burlington ran its losing streak to 8 games with 7-6 and 4-3 losses to Cedar Rapids Friday and Saturday to all but eliminate themselves from the division race. Friday, the Bees matched Cedar Rapids runs in the 2nd and 4th on an RBI ground out by 2B Gary Perez and an RBI single by CF Cody Cure but the Kernels pounded out 5 runs in the 6th through 8th to take a 7-2 lead. The Bees scored a run in the 8th on a Perez RBI double and a leadoff single by DH Darwinson Salazar started a rally in the 9th. SS Geraldo Valentin tripled home Salazar, RF Edward Lucas singled Valentin home before the Bees got 2 outs and brought 3B Eddie Solis to the plate. Solis doubled home Lucas and LF Kenard Springer singled Solis to third to put runners at the corners with 2 out and the Bees down, 7-6. Perez was hit by a pitch to load the bases but Cure grounded out to end it. SP Justin Sherman went 5 IP and allowed 2 ER on 6 hits and 3 walks with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.55; RP Kraig Schambough went 2 1/3 IP for the loss as he gave up 4 ER on a hit and 5 walks with a K to move to 1-1 with a 4.97 ERA; RP Adam Rowe went 1 2/3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 3 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 5.15. Valentin was 2-5 with a triple and RBI to improve to .238; Lucas was 2-5 with an RBI to improve to .288; Springer was 3-4 with a walk to improve to .232; and Perez was 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .268. Lucas stole his 27th base. Perez made 2 errors to run his season total to 12.

Saturday, the Bees' woes continued as the Kernels took a 4-3 win in 12. Burlington took a 1-0 lead in the 1st on an RBI force out by IF Damaso Espino and SP Patrick Hicklen left after 6 IP with a 1-0 lead. Cedar Rapids scored 2 in the 8th but Espino came through in the 9th with a 1-out RBI single to tie the game. The Kernels got a 2-run triple off RP Yovany Damico in the 12th to take a 4-2 lead but Solis hit a solo homer (his 9th) with 1 out in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 1. The Bees got two more runners on but couldn't get either home to lose. Hicklen went 6 IP and allowed 3 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.07; RP Chad Blackwell blew his 4th save with 2 IP of 2 ER on 4 hits with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 2.40; and Damico took the loss with 4 IP of 2 ER on 3 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to drop to 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA. Cure was 2-6 with 2 RS to improve to .266; Lucas was 2-4 to improve to .290; Perez was 1-5 to drop to .263; and Solis was 2-4 with a HR and RBI to improve to .198. Perez made his 13th error and Springer had an outfield assist to get to 21 on the season and set a new Bees single-season record.

Burlington is 28-33 and 6 games back of first. The Bees end the set with Cedar Rapids today and have 9 games left on the schedule. Pitchers: RH Luis Cota (5-7, 4.07) vs. Kernels RH Ronnie Ray (5-3, 3.64).

Rookie: Idaho Falls dropped games to Orem, 7-3 Friday and 9-4 Saturday. Friday, the Chukars never led in the 7-3 loss. Orem took a 2-0 lead into the 5th before the Chukars got a run on a solo homer by C Kiel Thibault (his 8th). Orem made the lead 6-1 going into the 7th before Idaho Falls got its final runs in the 7th and 8th on a solo homer by 1B Jase Turner (his 10th) and a Turner RBI single. SP Chris Nicoll took the loss with 4 2/3 IP of 4 R (3 ER) on 5 hits and 2 walks with 6 Ks to drop to 0-2 with a 2.79 ERA; RP David Henninger went 2 1/3 IP and allowed 2 UER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.93; and RP Travis Trammell went an inning and gave up 1 ER on 3 hits with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 8.03. SS Chris McConnell was 2-4 with a triple to improve to .348; Turner was 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI to improve to .276; RF Andrew Larsen was 2-4 to improve to .270; and Thibault was 2-4 with a double, HR and RBI to improve to .348. Henninger had 2 errors to get to 5 on the season.

Saturday, Idaho Falls tied it up early but got blown out, 9-4. The Chukars tied it at 1 in the 2nd on an RBI ground out by 3B Brenan Herrera but the Owlz scored 7 runs in the next 3 innings to take an 8-1 lead that held into the 8th when the Chukars scored 3 on a 2-run triple by DH Ethien Santana and an RBI ground out by McConnell but Orem put it away. SP Bennett Cromer went 3 2/3 IP and allowed 7 R (5 ER) on 11 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to drop to 5-3 with a 5.59 ERA; RP Brandon Brantley went 3 1/3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 4 hits with 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 8.57; RP Kevin Bulger pitched an inning and allowed 1 ER on a hit to move his ERA to 11.57. McConnell was 0-4 with an RBI to drop to .342; C Jeff Howell was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .330; and RF Byron Barber was 1-2 to improve to .317. McConnell made his 19th error.

Idaho Falls is 10-16 and 3 games out of first with 12 games left on the schedule. The Chukars end the series at Orem tonight.

The ASL Royals lost to the Giants, 5-2, Friday and Saturday's game with the Angels wasn't reported. The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the 1st on a Giant throwing error but the Giants came back with 4 off SP Paul Raglione in the 1st to take a 4-1 lead. The Royals scored again in the 2nd on an RBI single by 1B Oscar Marrero to cut the lead to 4-2 but never threatened again. Raglione went 4 IP and took the loss as he allowed 4 ER on 6 hits and 4 walks to drop to 3-4 with a 5.94 ERA; RP Nelson Trifolio went 2 IP and gave up a hit and 3 walks with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.32; and RP Drew Coffey went 2 IP and allowed an ER on 4 hits with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 8.80. LF Jose Duarte was 1-4 with a double to drop to .315; IF Valentino Arce was 0-3 with a HBP to drop to .333; CF Joseph Dickerson was 2-4 with a double to improve to .302; DH Alvi Morel was 0-4 to drop to .339; and 2B Carlos Avila was 3-4 to improve to .222.

Saturday's game with the Angels hasn't been reported to the MiLB site.

The Royals are 13-12 and 4 games back of first with two game unreported on MiLB's site (they beat the Cubs, 8-7, Aug. 2). They play the Brewers tonight and the M's tomorrow. Two games remain in the ASL schedule so the Royals are eliminated from the second-half title chase.

Royals on the Farm 8/25

AAA: Omaha blew another chance to gain ground on Nashville as they lost to Oklahoma despite scoring 11 runs and getting help from 5 errors from Oklahoma. The reason? Who do you think? Ryan Jensen. This time (in his 10th straight loss) he allowed 10!!!! R (9 ER) in 4 IP and the O-Royals lost, 13-11. #1, what is the organization thinking sending him out in the middle of a division race and, #2, what is Mike Jirschele (Omaha's manager) thinking leaving him out there after giving up 5 in the 1st inning and, before a 3-run double, 2 in the 3rd? Omaha scored 3 in the 1st on an RBI single by RF Matt Diaz and a 2-run homer by DH Calvin Pickering (his 21st) but was down 10-3 in the 4th thanks to Jensen's pitching prowess. The Royals scored 5 in the 4th on a grand slam by Diaz (his 14th), who made a fielding error in the 3rd to lead to Jensen's unearned run, and an RBI ground out by CF Adrian Brown to cut the lead to 10-8. Oklahoma scored 2 in the 6th that Omaha matched in the bottom of the frame on two Oklahoma errors on a steal of second by Brown and an RBI force out by Pickering. Both teams tripled with 1 out in the 7th but neither could get the runner home and Pickering hit an RBI single in the 8th to close the gap to 12-11. 3B Chris Truby, who had tripled in the 7th, grounded out with the bases loaded in the 8th to end the inning. Oklahoma got a solo homer from 2B Ian Kinsler in the 9th to get a little insurance but it made little difference as Omaha went down in order in the 9th. Jensen allowed his 10 R on 12 hits and 3 walks with 3 Ks over 4 IP to drop to 1-10 with a 7.29 ERA; RP Shane Nance went 2 IP and allowed 2 ER on 2 hits with 2 walks to move his ERA to 4.66; RP Nate Field went 2 IP and allowed only 2 hits with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.59; and RP Santiago Ramirez gave up 1 ER on 1 hit with a K in 1 IP to up his ERA to 5.46. SS Andres Blanco was 2-3 with 2 walks and 2 RS to improve to .253; Diaz was 2-4 with a HBP, HR, 5 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .374; Pickering was 2-5 with a HR and 3 RBI to improve to .258; 1B Justin Huber was 0-2 with 2 walks and a HBP to drop to .277; and Truby was 2-4 with a walk and triple to improve to .239.

Omaha is 66-67 and 4 games out of first behind Nashville with 11 games left (I had miscounted before) in the season. The home set with Oklahoma continues tonight. Pitchers: RedHawks LH Derek Lee (4-2, 4.56) vs. LH Chris George (7-7, 5.81). With Aaron Guiel getting the call (over Diaz) to KC, OF Jaime Jones was activated from the DL to take his spot.

AA: Wichita's playoff hopes are fading as the Wranglers lost an early lead yet rallied back to tie the game, only to lose, 5-4, to Arkansas Thursday on an error in the 7th. Wichita scored 2 in the 1st on an RBI double by 3B Mike Aviles and an RBI single by LF Cory Aldridge but SP Brian Bass gave up a solo homer in each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings to give Arkansas the lead and allowed another run in the 5th to make the score 4-2 Travs. Wichita tied it up with 2 in the 6th on a 2-run homer by Aldridge (his 23rd) and Bass gave up a 2-out double in the 7th. Travs 2B Howie Kendrick hit a ball to Aviles at third which Aviles fumbled somehow and the runner at second scored to give Arkansas a 5-4 lead. Aviles giveth at the plate but taketh away with the glove. Aldridge led off the 9th with a double and DH Billy Butler followed with a single but Aldridge was cut down at the plate and C Mathew Tupman followed with a double play ball to finish the game. Bass took the loss with 7 IP of 5 R (4 ER) on 10 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to drop to 11-8 with a 5.40 ERA; RP Nate Hoelscher went 2/3 IP and allowed a hit to drop his ERA to 5.40; and RP Chris Demaria went 1/3 IP with a K to keep his ERA at 0.00. CF Mitch Maier and 2B Ruben Gotay were both 0-4 to drop to .241 and .231; 1B Josh Pressley was 1-3 with a walk and 2 RS to improve to .315; Aldridge was 3-4 with a double, HR and 3 RBI to improve to .273; and Butler was 3-4 with 2 doubles to improve to .310. Aviles' error was #40 on the season.

Wichita is 29-30 and 3 1/2 games back of Arkansas. Pitchers for the finale with Arkansas: Travs RHP Kasey Olenberger (8-7, 3.94) vs. RHP Ryan Baerlocher (7-4, 2.58). Eleven games remain on Wichita's schedule. In other Wranglers news, IF Irving Falu was called up from Burlington.

High-A: High Desert hold on the division lead slipped a little Thursday as Rancho Cucamonga took a 4-2 win over the Mavs. High Desert took a 2-1 lead in the 2nd on an RBI double by RF Alan Moye and an RBI ground out by DH Brandon Powell but the Quakes tied it in the 3rd off SP Patrick Green and took the lead in the 5th. The Quakes tacked on a run in the 7th off RP Greg Atencio and High Desert couldn't get another rally generated to lose by the 4-2 count. Green took the loss with 6 IP of 3 R (2 ER) on 8 hits with 4 Ks to drop to 9-10 with a 3.82 ERA and Atencio went 2 IP and allowed an ER on 3 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.44. 3B Pete Maestrales was 2-3 with a walk to improve to .322; SS Angel Sanchez was 0-4 to drop to .301; CF Chris Lubanski was 0-4 to drop to .290; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 1-4 with a double to drop to .311; and Moye was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .292. Maestrales made his 15th error in the loss.

High Desert is 35-25 and up 3 games on Lancaster. The Mavs' "Magic Number" is 8 for both the second-half division title and the wild card with 10 games to play. They start a crucial 3-game set at Lancaster (32-28) tonight. No announced starters.

Low-A: Burlington dropped its 6th straight game with a 4-2 loss to Cedar Rapids Thursday after rallying to tie the game midway through. The Kernels took a 2-0 lead with runs in the 5th and 6th but Burlington tied it with 2 in the 6th on an RBI double by 3B Edward Lucas and a bases-loaded HBP by RF Brian McFall. RP Zane Carlson gave up a run in the 8th to give Cedar Rapids the lead again and gave up another run in the 9th for a 2-run cushion for the Kernels. The Bees didn't threaten again. SP Danny Christensen went 5 IP and allowed 1 ER on 3 hits and 2 BB with 7 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.55; RP Rusty Begnaud went an inning and allowed an ER on 2 hits to move his ERA to 5.40; and Carlson took the loss with 3 IP of 2 R (1 ER) on 2 hits and a walk with a K to drop to 2-1 with a 4.58 ERA. Lucas was 1-4 with a double and RBI to drop to .286; 2B Gary Perez was 1-4 to improve to .239; and CF Cody Cure was 2-3 to improve to .266. Lucas made his 25th error and C Damaso Espino made his 13th.

Burlington is 28-31 and 4 1/2 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees continue the set with Cedar Rapids tonight and have 11 games left on the schedule. Pitchers: RH Justin Sherman (3-8, 4.62) vs. Kernels RH Karl Gelinas (8-8, 4.15).

Rookie: Idaho Falls had Thursday off.

Idaho Falls is 10-14 and 2 games out of first with 14 games left on the schedule. The Chukars start a 3-game series at Orem (10-14) tonight. In other Chukars news, SS Chris McConnell and CF Ethien Santana have been named 2005 Pioneer League All-Stars in a vote of the league’s managers. McConnell was elected as the league’s shortstop, while Santana was elected as one of the three outfielders. C Kiel Thibault and IF Gary Perez also earned honorable mention.

The ASL Royals had Thursday off.

The Royals are 11-11 and 4 1/2 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Giants tonight and the Angels tomorrow. Four games remain in the ASL schedule so the Royals are eliminated from the second-half title chase.

Royals on the Farm 8/24

AAA: Omaha made 4 errors to help Oklahoma to some unearned runs in a 7-2 loss to the RedHawks Wednesday. The RedHawks scored in each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings to take an early 3-0 lead thanks in part to an error by RF Aaron Guiel in the 2nd that helped lead to the first run. Omaha cut the lead to 3-1 in the 4th on an RBI triple by SS Andres Blanco and an O-Royal run in the 6th on a Blanco RBI single made it a 3-2 ball game. The RedHawks rallied for 3 runs in the 7th on a smattering of hits, walks and a Blanco error to extend the lead to 6-2 and Omaha couldn't recover. Errors by CF Adrian Brown and C Jared Price on the same play helped Oklahoma to its final run in the 9th. SP Dennis Tankersley took the loss to drop to 9-7. He went 6 IP and allowed 3 R (2 ER) on 8 hits and 3 walks with 6 Ks to move his ERA to 4.24; RP Jaime Cerda went 2 IP and allowed 3 R (2 ER) on 3 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to make his ERA 5.84; RP Dave Elder went a hitless IP and allowed an unearned run on a walk with 2 Ks to keep his ERA at 0.00. LF Matt Diaz was 2-4 with a walk to improve to .372; 1B Justin Huber was 2-3 with a walk, double and 2 RS to improve to .283; and Blanco was 2-4 with a triple and 2 RBI to go along with his 8th error to improve to .238. Omaha left 10 on base.

Omaha is 66-66 and 4 games out of first behind Nashville with 15 games left in the season. The home set with Oklahoma continues tonight. Pitchers: RedHawks RH R.A. Dickey (7-6, 6.18) vs. RH Ryan Jensen (1-9, 6.60). Now isn't the time for Jensen to be starting after he's lost 9 in a row. At least Dickey has almost as bad an ERA.

AA: Wichita got taken to the woodshed by Arkansas batters Wednesday night as the Travs scored in each of the 2nd through 7th innings in a 15-7 win over the Wranglers. Five Wrangler errors helped the Travs to 2 unearned runs and, meanwhile, Arkansas SP Jered Weaver lived up to the hype with 6 shutout innings -- including 7 pop outs and 6 Ks. SP Mike Stodolka and RP Wes Wilkerson were torched for 9 of the runs while RP Stephen Bray gave up another 5 ER in his inning of work. The Wranglers finally got on the scoreboard in the 7th off RP Jason Olson with 3 runs on a solo homer by LF Billy Butler (his 2nd) and RBI singles by RF Wilkin Ruan and CF Mitch Maier. The Wranglers added 4 junk runs in the 9th on 2-run shots by 2B Ruben Gotay (his 3rd) and DH Cory Aldridge (his 22nd) to make the final 15-7. Arkansas had 24 hits in the game. Stodolka got tagged with the loss with 2 2/3 IP of 5 ER on 9 hits with 3 Ks to drop to 4-10 with a 5.54 ERA; Wilkerson went 2 1/3 IP and allowed 4 R (3 ER) on 7 hits with a K to move his ERA to 8.04; RP Derrin Ebert went an inning and allowed an unearned run on 2 hits and a walk to drop his ERA to 5.17; Bray went an inning and gave up 5 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to bump his ERA to 4.78; and RP Nate Hoelscher pitched an inning and allowed a hit with a K to drop his ERA to 5.47. Maier was 2-5 with an RBI to improve to .245; Gotay was 1-5 with the HR and 2 RBI to drop to .246; 1B Josh Pressley was 2-5 to improve to .315; SS Mike Aviles was 2-5 with a double to improve to .289; Butler was 1-5 with a HR and RBI to drop to .284 -- he had a pop out and K against Weaver; C Mathew Tupman was 3-4 with a double to improve to .279; and Ruan was 2-4 with an RBI and 2 RS to improve to .248. Butler made his 1st AA error but also made an outfield assist in the loss, Aviles made his 39th error and Pressley made his 13th error.

Wichita is 29-29 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. Pitchers for game 3 with Arkansas: Travs RHP Steven Shell (9-7, 4.42 ERA) vs. RHP Brian Bass (11-7, 5.41 ERA). Twelve games remain on Wichita's schedule.

High-A: High Desert's pitchers made a runaway a tight game as the Mavs took another one from Rancho Cucamonga in a 13-12 win Wednesday. The Mavs stormed out of the dugout with 6 runs in the top of the 1st on a 1-out RBI double by 1B Kila Kaaihue, RBI single by CF Chris Lubanski, 2-run single by LF Bernard Stephens, a Quakes wild pitch and a sac fly by 3B Pete Maestrales. The Mavs scored 2 more in the 2nd on a solo homer by DH Adam Keim (his 23rd) and a Stephens RBI triple before adding 5 in the 4th on a solo homer by RF Alan Moye (his 21st), an RBI double by C Adam Donachie, 2-run double by SS Angel Sanchez and a Kaaihue RBI single to make the score 13-2. SP Cesar Herrera gave up 2 runs in the 4th and left after 7 with a 13-4 lead. The lead held into the 8th when Rancho Cucamonga scored 5 off RPs Drew Endicott and Brian Steffek. Steffek gave up a 3-run homer with 0 out in the bottom of the 9th to make it a 13-12 game and allowed a 1-out single before being pulled in favor of RP Gabe DeHoyos. DeHoyos allowed a double to put runners at second and third with 1 out but the drama ended abruptly when CF Cody Fuller lined out to Maestrales at third and Pete doubled the runner off third to end it. Herrera got the win with 7 IP of 4 ER on 6 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to improve to 7-6 with a 6.87 ERA; Endicott went 1/3 IP and allowed 5 ER on 5 hits and a walk to bump his ERA to 6.53; Steffek pitched an inning and gave up 3 ER on 3 hits and a walk to move his ERA to 6.17; and DeHoyos got his 4th save with 2/3 IP of 1 hit to drop his ERA to 1.43. Maestrales was 1-3 with 2 walks and an RBI to improve to .319; Sanchez was 3-5 with a walk, double, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .304; Kaaihue was 2-4 with a walk, HBP, double and 2 RBI to improve to .312; Lubanski was 2-6 with a double and RBI to improve to .293; Stephens was 4-6 with a double, triple, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .292; and Donachie was 3-6 with a double and RBI to improve to .296. Sanchez made his 25th error and the Mavs left 14 on base.

High Desert is 35-24 and up 4 games on Lancaster. The Mavs' "Magic Number" is 8 for both the second-half division title and the wild card with 11 games to play. They finish the road Rancho Cucamonga series tonight. Pitchers (from rcquakes.com): RHP Patrick Green (3-2, 3.15) vs RHP Rafael Rodriguez (3-3, 7.66).

Low-A: Burlington had Wednesday off.

Burlington is 28-30 and 4 1/2 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees start a 4-game home set with Cedar Rapids (27-31) tonight and have 12 games left on the schedule. Pitchers: Cedar Rapids SP Fernando Rodriguez (6-9, 4.34) vs. Daniel Christensen (3-6, 3.64).

Rookie: Idaho Falls got 2-hit by three Missoula pitchers in a 7-0 loss to the Osprey Wednesday. The Chukars didn't get a hit after the 3rd inning. SP Ryan DiPietro went 4 IP and allowed 3 hits and a walk with 7 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.53; RP Eliszer Garcia took the loss with 3 IP of 2 ER on 4 hits with a K to drop to 2-2 with a 3.62 ERA; RP Jacob Eckley went an inning and allowed 5 ER on 5 hits with a K to move his ERA to 7.07; and RP Matt Kniginyzky went an inning and allowed 1 hit and a walk with a K to drop his ERA to 5.48. C Kiel Thibault was 1-3 with a walk and double to drop to .342 and SS Joshua Colafemina was 1-2 with a walk and triple to improve to .233. 2B Joshua Johnson made his 12th error.

Idaho Falls is 10-14 and 2 games out of first with 14 games left on the schedule. The Chukars have tonight off.

The ASL Royals dropped a game, 6-5, in 11 innings to the Padres Wednesday. It was another game with no game log. SP Rayner Oliveros went 2 IP and allowed 4 ER on 6 hits with 3 Ks to make his ERA 2.60; RP Matt Pena went 3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 3 hits and a walk with a K to move his ERA to 4.85; RP John Sokoll went 2 hitless IP with a walk and 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.21; RP Troy Garrett went 3 IP and allowed 2 hits with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.64; RP Henry Barrera took the loss with 2/3 IP of 1 ER on 3 hits and a walk to drop to 1-1 with a 4.88 ERA; and RP Gilbert De la vara went 1/3 IP to lower his ERA to 2.48. LF Jose Duarte was 2-6 with a HR, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .325; IF Valentino Arce was 2-5 with a double to improve to .342; CF Joseph Dickerson was 2-5 with 2 RBI to improve to .302; and RF Oscar Gonzalez was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .305. For Jeff Bianchi's back problems being minor, he hasn't played a whole lot lately.

The Royals are 11-11 and 4 1/2 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They have tonight off and play the Giants tomorrow. Four games remain in the ASL schedule so the Royals are eliminated from the second-half title chase.

Royals on the Farm 8/23

AAA: Omaha moved to 2-52 when trailing after 8 innings Tuesday with a pair of homers in the 9th to defeat New Orleans, 8-7. A pair of errors by SS Andres Blanco in the 1st helped the Zephyrs notch an early run off SP Kyle Snyder but the O-Royals came back with 3 in the 1st on a 3-run homer by DH Calvin Pickering (his 20th) to take a 3-1 lead. New Orleans came right back with 3 in the 2nd off Snyder but then it was Omaha's turn as the Royals scored 2 in the 3rd on an RBI single by 2B Justin Gemoll and a sac fly by 3B Chris Truby to take a 5-4 lead. The Zephyrs tied it up in the 6th and took the lead with 2 in the 7th off RP Shane Nance. Omaha cut the lead to 7-6 with a run in the 7th on an RBI single by CF Adrian Brown and went into the bottom of the 9th down by the same score. New Orleans closer Travis Hughes came in and served up a leadoff homer to 1B Justin Huber (his 4th) to tie it up, which brought PH Chad Santos to the plate batting for C Tommy Duenas. His 1st pitch to Santos left the yard (Santos' 16th) to give Omaha an 8-7 win. Snyder went 4 1/3 IP and allowed 4 R (3 ER) on 9 hits and 3 walks with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 3.64; Nance went 2 IP and allowed 3 ER on 4 hits and a walk with a K to make his ERA 4.50; and RP Justin Huisman got the win with 2 2/3 hitless IP of 1 walk with 2 Ks to improve to 7-1 with a 3.91 ERA. LF Matt Diaz was 1-4 to drop to .370; Huber was 1-4 with the HR and RBI to drop to .270; and Pickering was 1-2 with a walk, HBP, HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .258. Blanco was 1-3 with a double to improve to .225 and his 2 errors gave him 7 at AAA this season.

Omaha is 66-65 and 4 games out of first behind Nashville with 16 games left in the season coming into today. So far the O-Royals have gained 9 1/2 games on the Sounds in the month of August and last couple days of July. A 5-game home set with Oklahoma (71-59) starts tonight. Pitchers: RedHawks RH Josh Rupe (5-6, 6.49) vs. RH Dennis Tankersley (9-6, 4.31).

AA: Wichita got a big 9-8 win over Arkansas with a nice 5-run comeback. A Wranglers run in the 2nd on a solo shot by 1B Josh Pressley (his 20th) was sandwiched between 3-run Travs innings off SP Kyle Middleton as Arkansas took an early 6-1 lead. Wichita started the comeback with 2 in the 4th on an RBI double by LF Billy Butler and an RBI ground out by DH Cory Aldridge to cut the lead to 3 at 6-3 and, with 2 out in the 5th, Pressley cranked a grand slam (#21 for him) to give Wichita a 7-6 lead. Arkansas again took the lead in the 6th off Middleton before the Wranglers tied it in the 7th on an RBI double by SS Mike Aviles. RPs Chris Demaria and Nate Hoelscher took care of the 7th and 8th to keep the score tied at 7 into the 9th. With 2 out in the top of the 9th, Aviles singled RF Wilkin Ruan to third and Pressley followed with another big hit to score Ruan with the lead run. RP Leo Nunez shut the door in the bottom of the 9th for the win. Middleton went 6 IP and allowed 8 ER on 9 hits and 2 walks with 3 Ks to make his ERA 5.17; Demaria went 1 2/3 hitless IP with 3 Ks to keep his ERA at 0.00; Hoelscher went 1/3 IP for the win to improve to 3-2 with a 5.59 ERA; and Nunez got his 4th save in allowing 1 hit with 1 K in 1 IP to drop his ERA to 0.82. CF Mitch Maier was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .242; 2B Ruben Gotay was 1-4 with a walk and 2 RS to improve to .250; Aviles was 3-5 with a double, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .288; Pressley was 3-4 with a walk, 2 HR, 6 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .314; and Butler was 2-5 with 2 doubles to improve to .290.

Wichita is 29-28 and 1 1/2 games back of Arkansas. Pitchers for game 2 with Arkansas: Travs RHP Jered Weaver (2-1, 4.91 ERA) vs. LHP Mike Stodolka (4-9, 5.27 ERA). Thirteen games remain on Wichita's schedule. In other Wrangler news, Huber and Aviles were selected to the TL Post Season All Star Team. Huber was selected as the Texas League's best first baseman and Aviles was selected to the postseason team as a utility player -- I assume for his bat and not his glove.

High-A: High Desert bowed to the almighty bat of Angels' top prospect Brandon Wood in a 6-4 loss Tuesday. Wood was 4-4 with 2 HR and 3 RBI in the win for Rancho Cucamonga. High Desert took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd on a Quake wild pitch but the Quakes took the lead in the 3rd on Wood's 40th homer, a 2-run shot and added a run in the 4th for a 3-1 lead. Rancho Cucamonga added 2 more in the 6th and another on Wood's 41st homer in the 7th after High Desert had closed the gap to 1 with 3 in the 7th on a 2-run shot by DH Brandon Powell (his 17th) and a solo shot by C Adam Donachie (his 11th). Wood's second homer was insurance the Quakes didn't waste as they came away with the 6-4 win. SP Devon Lowery went 6 IP and allowed 5 ER on 10 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to drop to 6-2 with a 3.32 ERA and RP Stephen Chamberlain went 2 IP and allowed 1 ER on 3 hits to move his ERA to 7.36. 2B Pete Maestrales was 1-5 with a double to drop to .319; SS Angel Sanchez was 1-4 to drop to .309; CF Chris Lubanski was 1-4 with a double to drop to .292; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 0-4 to drop to .310; Powell was 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI to improve to .296; and Donachie was 3-4 with a HR and RBI to improve to .292.

High Desert is 34-24 and up 4 games on Lancaster. The Mavs' "Magic Number" is 9 for both the second-half division title and the wild card with 12 games to play. They continue the road Rancho Cucamonga series tonight. Pitchers (from rcquakes.com): RHP Cesar Herrera (6-6, 6.98) vs Quakes LHP Micah Posey (0-1, 8.59). In other Mavs news, Lubanski was Cal League Hitter of the Week for the week ending Aug. 21. Here's his line: 6 G, 31 AB, 5 R, 13 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, .419 AVG, .871 SLG. Lubanski is hitting .345 with 16 homers and 59 RBIs in 56 home games compared to .245 with seven homers and 38 RBIs in 57 road games.

Low-A: Burlington had Tuesday off.

Burlington is 28-30 and 4 1/2 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees have today off and have 12 games left on the schedule.

Rookie: Idaho Falls rallied for 5 runs in the 1st off Missoula starter Jason Neighborgall and never looked back in a 14-6 win over the Osprey. Neighborgall walked the bases loaded with 0 out in the 1st and proceeded to walk 1B Jase Turner to bring home the first run. A throwing error helped the second run score and kept the bases loaded before RF Andrew Larsen and DH Antonio Sabatini drew walks to score the next 2 runs. C Jeff Howell drove the 5th runner home on a double-play ball so the Chukars got 5 runs on 0 hits and Neighborgall was chased. Missoula scored in the 3rd to crack the shutout but the Chukars bounced back with 2 in the 3rd on a 2-run shot by LF Felix Peguero (his 5th) and scored 4 in the 4th on a 3-run shot by Turner (his 9th) and a Larsen RBI double to make it an 11-1 game. The Chukars piled on 2 more in the 5th on a wild pitch and passed ball before scoring their final run in the 7th on another Osprey fielding error. SP Phillip Davidson got the win for Idaho Falls with 5 IP of 1 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to improve to 6-2 with a 3.17 ERA; RP Travis Trammell went 2 IP and allowed an UER on 4 hits with a K to drop his ERA to 7.94; and RP Brandon Brantley went 2 IP and allowed 4 ER on 2 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 9.08. CF Ethien Santana was 0-5 with a walk to drop to .304; SS Chris McConnell was 1-4 with 2 walks, a double and 3 RS to drop to .345; Larsen was 2-4 with a walk, double and 2 RBI to improve to .269; and Howell was 1-5 to drop to .339. Santana stole his 13th base and McConnell made 2 errors to move to 18 on the season.

Idaho Falls is 10-13 and 2 games out of first with 15 games left on the schedule. The home set with Missoula ends tonight.

The ASL Royals couldn't recover from a 3-run A's 3rd and dropped the game, 3-2, to the division leading Athletics. The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd on an A's fielding error before the A's got 3 off SP Juan Abreu. The Royals couldn't get to the A's pitchers until the 8th on an RBI ground out by DH Alvi Morel and only managed 6 hits in the game. Abreu took the loss with 3 IP of 3 ER on 4 hits and 4 walks with 4 Ks to drop to 2-4 with a 6.43 ERA; RP Tim Rice went 4 IP and allowed a hit and walk with 5 Ks to drop his ERA to 6.30; and RP Drew Coffey went an inning and allowed a hit to drop his ERA to 9.45. LF Jose Duarte was 0-3 with 2 walks to drop to .325; 3B Valentino Arce was 1-3 with a HBP and double to drop to .340; CF Joseph Dickerson was 1-4 to drop to .299; RF Oscar Gonzalez was 2-4 with a triple to improve to .312; and Morel was 1-4 with an RBI to drop to .348. He also stole his 13th base.

The Royals are 11-10 and 4 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Pads tonight and have tomorrow off. Five games remain in the ASL schedule.

Royals on the Farm 8/22

AAA: Omaha couldn't get a big inning off New Orleans starter and former Royal Chad Durbin Monday and lost to the Zephyrs, 9-2. Omaha tied the game at 2 in the 4th on a 2-run homer by DH Calvin Pickering (his 19th) but it was all Zephyrs from there as Omaha only had 6 hits in the game. SP Danny Tamayo got the loss with 5 IP of 6 ER on 12 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to drop to 8-8 with a 5.58 ERA; RP Jaime Cerda went 2 IP and allowed 3 ER on 5 hits with a K to make his ERA 5.70; RP Dave Elder went a hitless inning with a walk to keep his ERA at 0.00; and RP Nate Field pitched an inning and allowed a hit and walk with a K to drop his ERA to 6.23. CF Adrian Brown was 2-3 with a walk to improve to .278; LF Matt Diaz was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .372; 1B Justin Huber was 0-4 to drop to .271; SS Andres Blanco was 1-3 to up his BA to .221; and Pickering was 1-4 with the HR and 2 RBI to drop to .256. Brown threw in his 28th stolen base.

Omaha was 65-65 with 16 games left in the season coming into today. The home series with New Orleans continued today with the Royals getting a 9th-inning comeback win. Report coming on that one tomorrow.

AA: Wichita had Monday off to prepare for a 4-game set with division leader Arkansas in the Wranglers' biggest series of the season.

Wichita is 28-28 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. Pitchers for today's opener: Kyle Middleton (10-8, 4.90) vs. Travs LH Daniel Davidson (12-5, 4.19). Fourteen games remain on Wichita's schedule.

High-A: High Desert took another big game from Rancho Cucamonga Monday thanks to an 8th-inning rally. Rancho Cucamonga scored 3 in the 1st off SP Billy Buckner and High Desert drew blood in the 2nd on a solo homer by 3B Adam Keim (his 22nd). The Mavs kept the Quake lead at 2 with a run in the 3rd on an RBI single by 1B Kila Kaaihue and another in the 4th on an RBI single by DH Brandon Powell to make the score 5-3 RC. High Desert took the lead in the 5th with 4 runs on a Keim RBI single and a 3-run longball by RF Alan Moye (his 20th) but the Quakes came back to tie it up at 7 in the top of the 8th. The Mavs loaded the bases with 2 out in the bottom of the 8th when Kaaihue came through with a 2-run single to put High Desert ahead, 9-7. RP Gabe DeHoyos shut the door in the 9th. Buckner went 4 IP and allowed 5 ER on 8 hits and 3 walks with 8 Ks to bump his ERA to 5.02; RP Chris Coughlin went 3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits with 3 Ks to make his ERA 7.22; RP Nate Moore blew his 4th save with 2/3 IP of 1 ER on 2 hits and 2 walks with a K to move his ERA to 4.79; and DeHoyos got the win with 1 1/3 IP of 1 hit with 1 K to move to 6-1 with a 1.45 ERA. 2B Pete Maestrales went 1-4 with a walk to drop to .321; SS Angel Sanchez was 1-5 to drop to .301; CF Chris Lubanski was 0-2 with 2 walks and a HBP to drop to .293; Kaaihue was 2-4 with a walk and 3 RBI to improve to .313; Keim was 2-5 with a HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .293; Moye was 2-4 with a double, HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .291; and C Adam Donachie was 2-3 with a walk to improve to .286.

High Desert is 34-23 and up 5 games on Lancaster. The Mavs' "Magic Number" is 9 for both the second-half division title and the wild card with 13 games to play. They head to Rancho Cucamonga to commence another 3-game set tonight. Pitchers (from rcquakes.com): RHP Devon Lowery (6-1, 2.85) vs. Quakes RHP James Holcomb (8-7, 5.44).

Low-A: Burlington dropped yet another game to Southwest Michigan Monday in a 6-2 loss to the D-Rays to fall farther from the playoff picture. The D-Rays rapped out 6 runs off SP Luis Cota in the first 3 innings to take a comfortable lead and the Bees got a runner to third only once before scoring 2 in the 8th on a D-Ray wild pitch and an RBI ground out by RF Brian McFall. Cota went 5 IP and allowed 6 ER on 10 hits and 3 walks with 4 Ks to drop to 5-7 with a 4.07 ERA -- he hasn't pitched like a top organizational pitching prospect since getting shelled at the Midwest League All-Star Game. RP Zane Carlson went 2 IP and allowed 2 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.86; and RP Chad Blackwell went a hitless inning with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 2.19. The Bees' offensive attack again had little sting as they only had 5 hits. DH Rusty Brown was 2-4 to improve to .271; 2B Gary Perez was 1-4 to improve to .238; and 3B Edward Lucas was 0-4 to drop to .287.

Burlington is 28-30 and 4 1/2 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees have today and Wednesday off and have 12 games left on the schedule.

Rookie: Idaho Falls staved off a Missoula comeback to win on a walkoff longball, 10-8 in 10 innings Monday. Missoula rallied for 2 in the 1st off SP Mario Santiago but the Chukars matched that with RBI singles by 1B Jase Turner and DH Shawn Hayes. Missoula regained the lead in the 3rd but Idaho Falls tied it up in the 5th on a bases-loaded HBP by LF Felix Peguero. Missoula took a 4-3 lead in the 6th but Idaho Falls came back with 2 in the bottom of the inning on RBI doubles by 3B Joshua Colafemina and CF Ethien Santana and followed that with 2 in the 7th on a Peguero RBI double and an RBI single by PH Andrew Larsen for a 7-4 lead. The Osprey scored twice in the 8th to close the gap to 1 but Idaho Falls expanded the lead back to 2 with an RBI double by SS Chris McConnell in the bottom of the frame. RP Adam Kalkhof gave up a 2-run homer with 2 out in the 9th to allow Missoula to tie it up and the game went into extras. McConnell drew a 2-out walk in the 10th and Peguero followed with a 2-run walkoff shot (his 4th) to end it. Santiago went 4 2/3 IP and allowed 3 R (1 ER thanks to errors by Colafemina and C Jeff Howell) on 4 hits and 2 walks with 6 Ks to drop his ERA to 6.84; RP Cody Harkcom went 3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 7 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to move his ERA to 8.76; Kalkhof blew his 2nd save with 1 1/3 IP of 2 ER on a hit and walk with a K to make his ERA 3.71; and RP Matt Kniginyzky went an inning for the win and allowed 1 hit with 1 K to move to 2-4 with a 5.73 ERA. Santana was 1-4 with a double and RBI to drop to .313; McConnell was 3-4 with a walk, HBP, double, RBI and 3 RS to improve to .347; Peguero was 3-5 with a HBP, 2 doubles, a HR, 4 RBI and 3 RS to improve to .246; Howell was 1-4 with a walk to drop to .346; and RF Byron Barber was 1-4 with a walk, double and 2 RS to drop to .310. McConnell made his 12th error and Colafemina's was his 12th.

Idaho Falls is 9-13 and 3 games out of first with 16 games left on the schedule. The home set with Missoula continues tonight.

The ASL Royals dropped a 7-inning game to the Cubs, 5-2, Monday. The Royals scored 2 out of the gate in the 1st on an RBI ground out by CF Joseph Dickerson and an RBI double by RF Alvi Morel but only had 2 hits the rest of the way. The Cubs tied it up in the 2nd and took the lead for good in the 4th. SP Angelo Morales took the loss with 5 IP of 4 ER on 9 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to drop to 3-2 with a 4.12 ERA and RP Nelson Trifolio went 2 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits with a K to move his ERA to 3.66. LF Jose Duarte was 1-3 with a walk to move to .331; 2B Valentino Arce was 0-4 to drop to .340; Dickerson was 1-3 with an RBI to improve to .301; DH Oscar Gonzalez was 2-3 to improve to .308; and Morel was 1-3 with a double and RBI to drop to .352. Gonzalez stole his 17th base.

The Royals are 11-9 and 3 games back of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the A's tonight and the Pads tomorrow. Six games remain in the ASL schedule.

Royals on the Farm 8/21

AAA: Omaha got the best start of J.P. Howell's pro career and RF Aaron Guiel provided the big hit in a 1-0 O-Royals win Sunday. Howell gave up an infield single in the 4th and that was it as far as hits go. He was pulled in the 7th for unexplained reasons (I assume pitch count???) and three relievers combined to allow only 1 more hit by New Orleans. Guiel hit his 30th homer to lead off the 8th and RP Santiago Ramirez set the Zephyrs down quietly in the 9th to end it. Howell went 6 2/3 IP and allowed 1 hit and 2 walks with 6 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.06 (too bad he got a ND); RP Shane Nance went 2/3 IP and allowed 1 hit and a K to drop his ERA to 4.15; RP Justin Huisman got the win with 2/3 hitless IP that included a K to move to 6-1 with a 4.06 ERA; and Ramirez chalked up his 14th save with a hitless 9th in which he walked 1 to drop his ERA to 5.40. Guiel was 2-3 with a walk, HR and RBI to improve to .276; LF Matt Diaz was 1-4 to drop to .377; 1B Justin Huber was 1-2 with a walk to improve to .284; and SS Andres Blanco was 0-2 with a walk to drop to .216. C Tommy Duenas played his first game for Omaha Sunday and was 1-3 -- no word yet on the circumstances of his signing.

Omaha is 65-64 and 5 games back of first with 17 games left in the season. The home series with New Orleans continues tonight. Pitchers: New Orleans RH Chad Durbin (3-5, 5.98) vs. RH Danny Tamayo (8-7, 5.40).

AA: Wichita SP Ryan Baerlocher gave up bookend runs on 4 hits to Corpus Christi Sunday and the Wranglers could only push 1 across the plate in a 2-1 loss. The Hooks manufactured a run in the 1st to take the lead and Wichita had only 1 baserunner for the game going into the 5th, when the Wranglers got a runner to third but couldn't get him home. In the 6th, 2B Ruben Gotay walked and 1B Josh Pressley doubled him home to tie the game at 1. Baerlocher gave up an RBI double in the 9th to put the Hooks back on top, 2-1, and Wichita got two on with 0 out in the bottom of the 9th before a fly out by SS Mike Aviles advanced a runner to third with 1 out. 3B Brennan King struck out swinging and LF Billy Butler flied out to end it. Baerlocher took the loss with 8 2/3 IP of 2 ER on 4 hits and 2 walks with 8 Ks to drop to 7-4 with a 2.58 ERA and RP Leo Nunez got the final out for Wichita to drop his ERA to 0.90. CF Mitch Maier was 0-4 to drop to .245; Gotay was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .250; Pressley was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .309 but made 2 errors to make his season total 12; King was 2-4 with a double to improve to .290; and Butler was 0-4 to drop to .281.

Wichita is 28-28 and 2 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The Wranglers have today off before starting a 4-game showdown with the Travelers Tuesday. Fourteen games remain on Wichita's schedule.

High-A: High Desert dug itself out of an early 11-2 hole Sunday vs. Rancho Cucamonga but couldn't get over the top in a 12-11 loss. The Quakes scored 2 in the 1st off Mavs SP John Gragg III but High Desert matched it in the bottom of the inning on a 2-run double by CF Chris Lubanski. Rancho Cucamonga pounded out 5 more runs in the 2nd off Gragg and 4 in the 3rd off RP Drew Endicott to take an 11-2 lead but the Mavs came back with 2 in the 3rd on an RBI ground out by Lubanski and a Quakes throwing error. The Mavs scored in the 4th on another Lubanski RBI double and added 4 in the 5th on a 3-run double by 3B Michael Gaffney and an RBI double by LF Pete Maestrales to make the score 11-9. Two runs in the 6th on an RBI double by 2B Adam Keim and a sac fly by newest Mav C Brady Everett (fresh from Idaho Falls) tied the score at 11. RP Greg Atencio gave up a solo homer in the 8th to give the Quakes a 12-11 lead and Lubanski struck out to end the game with 2 on. Gragg went 2 IP and allowed 7 ER on 10 hits with a K to bump his ERA to 4.51; Endicott went 2 IP and allowed 4 ER on 6 hits and 2 BB to move his ERA to 6.00; RP Stephen Chamberlain pitched an inning and allowed 1 hit and 2 walks to drop his ERA to 7.45; Atencio went 3 IP and gave up 1 ER on 3 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks to drop to 8-3 with a 4.44 ERA; and RP Brian Steffek went an inning and allowed 2 hits with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.22. Maestrales was 3-5 with a walk, double, RBI and 3 RS to improve to .321; SS Angel Sanchez was 5-5 with a walk, double and 2 RS to improve to .302; Lubanski was 3-6 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI to improve to .294 (his RBI total is now 97); 1B Kila Kaaihue was 1-5 with a double and walk to drop to .311; and Everett was 0-3 with a walk and RBI to establish an .000 BA.

High Desert is 33-23 and up 4 1/2 games on Lancaster and Rancho Cucamonga. The Mavs' "Magic Number" is 11 for both the second-half division title and the wild card with 14 games to play. They conclude the set with Rancho Cucamonga tonight before heading to the Quakes' place for more. Pitchers: Quakes SP Bill Edwards (6-7, 4.57) vs. Billy Buckner (8-13, 4.84).

Low-A: Burlington had more errors than runs Sunday in an 8-1 loss to Southwest Michigan. Burlington didn't get a runner past second until the 8th off D-Rays pitcher James Houser and, in the meantime, the D-Rays scored 8 runs to take a commanding lead. C Felipe Del Rosario had the Bees' lone RBI on an 8th-inning single. SP Patrick Hicklen got the loss with 4 IP of 7 R (6 ER) on 9 hits and a walk with a K to drop to 6-7 with a 4.27 ERA; RP Yovany Damico went 3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 2 hits with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 4.67; and RP Adam Rowe went an inning and gave up a hit with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.14. 2B Gary Perez was 1-3 with a walk to improve to .237; 1B Edward Lucas was 0-3 to drop to .290; and Del Rosario was 2-3 with an RBI to improve to .237. SS Irving Falu stole his 31st base and made his 19th error.

Burlington is 28-29 and 4 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees end the series at Southwest Michigan today and have 13 games left on the schedule. Pitchers: RH Luis Cota (5-6, 3.82) vs. SWM LH Brandon Mann (7-11, 4.33).

Rookie: Idaho Falls also had 2 errors but only 1 run Sunday in a 7-1 loss to Missoula. The game was tied at 1 in the 3rd when Idaho Falls scored on an RBI single by 3B Brenan Herrera but it was all Osprey from there. SP Bennett Cromer got the loss with 4 2/3 IP of 3 ER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 5-2 with a 5.04 ERA; RP David Henninger went 2 2/3 IP and allowed 4 R (3 ER) on 2 hits and 2 walks with 4 Ks to make his ERA 4.12; and RP Jacob Eckley went 1 2/3 hitless IP with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.67. C Kiel Thibault was 1-4 to drop to .343 and RF Byron Barber was 1-4 to drop to .315. Herrera made his 5th error and Henninger made his 3rd.

Idaho Falls is 8-13 and 3 games out of first with 17 games left on the schedule. The home set with Missoula continues tonight.

The ASL Royals took an 8-6 win over the Rangers Sunday. Another game with no game log. SP Brent Fisher only lasted 1/3 IP and gave up 4 ER on 2 hits and 2 walks with a K to move his ERA to 3.38; RP Paul Raglione got the win with 4 2/3 IP of 1 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 4 Ks to improve to 3-3 with a 5.65 ERA; RP John Sokoll got his 2nd hold with 2 IP of 2 hits with a K to drop his ERA to 5.82; RP Troy Garrett got his 1st hold with 1 IP of 1 UER on 1 hit and 2 walks with a K to drop his ERA to 5.40; and RP Henry Barrera got his 5th save with a hitless 9th to drop his ERA to 4.63. LF Jose Duarte was 2-5 with an RBI to improve to .331; 3B Valentino Arce was 1-5 to drop to .350; CF Joseph Dickerson was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .300; RF Oscar Gonzalez was 2-4 with a triple, HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .301; and DH Alvi Morel was 1-3 with a walk, triple and RBI to drop to .352. Morel stole his 12th base.

The Royals are 11-8 with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Cubs tonight and the A's tomorrow. Seven games remain in the ASL schedule.

Royals on the Farm 8/19 and 8/20

AAA: Omaha finished off a 4-game road sweep of New Orleans Friday with an 8-3 homer-laden win but promptly came back home to start another 4-game set with the Zephyrs Saturday and got pounded, 9-1. Friday, Omaha jumped out to an early lead and never trailed in the 8-3 victory. The O-Royals scored 2 in the 2nd on a 2-run single by SS Andres Blanco and tacked on 2 in the 4th on a 2-run shot by 3B Chris Truby (his 18th). Omaha scored runs in the 5th and 6th on a solo homer by RF Aaron Guiel (his 29th) and a solo longball by 1B Justin Huber (his 3rd) and finished the Zephyrs off with 2 in the 7th on solo shots by CF Adrian Brown (his 9th) and DH Calvin Pickering (his 18th). SP Dennis Tankersley went the distance and allowed 3 ER on 5 hits with 3 Ks to move to 9-6 with a 4.31 ERA. Every Royal had a hit in the win. LF Matt Diaz was 2-5 to improve to .379; Huber was 1-4 with a HR and RBI to lower his BA to .263; C Jared Price was 3-4 to up his average to .244; and Blanco was 1-4 with 2 RBI to improve to .206. Tankersley's complete game was Omaha's first of the season.

Guess who took the mound for Omaha in today's big loss to the Zephyrs? That's right, Ryan "Kiss of Death" Jensen continued his streak of nine straight losses as he gave up 6 runs in 6 IP and Omaha didn't score until the 9th on a Blanco RBI single. Jensen's 6 runs allowed were given up on 9 hits and 3 walks with 3 Ks to drop to 1-9 with a 6.60 ERA; RP Chris George went 2 2/3 IP and allowed 3 ER on 2 hits and 5 walks with a K to move his ERA to 5.81; and RP Nate Field went 1/3 IP to drop his ERA to 6.61. Diaz was 1-3 with a walk to drop to .379; 2B Justin Gemoll was 2-4 to improve to .272; Huber was 2-3 with a walk to improve to .278; and Blanco was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .222. Huber made his 1st error at AAA in the loss.

Omaha is 64-64 and 6 games back of first with 18 games left in the season. The home series with New Orleans continues tomorrow. Pitchers: Zephyrs RH Kip Bouknight (2-0, 3.18) vs. LH J.P. Howell (3-1, 4.94).

AA: Wichita pulled within a 1/2-game of Arkansas for the division lead with an 8-2 win over Corpus Christi Friday but fell back to 1 1/2 games out Saturday after a 7-2 loss to the Hooks. Friday, a 6-run 3rd gave Wichita what it needed to get the win. The Wranglers trailed, 1-0, going into the 3rd when they broke out for 6 on a single by CF Wilkin Ruan that scored C Mathew Tupman after a CC throwing error, RBI singles by DH Mitch Maier, 1B Josh Pressley, RF Cory Aldridge and LF Billy Butler, and a Tupman sac fly. Wichita added another run in the 4th on an Aldridge RBI single and scored the final run in the 8th on an RBI single by 2B Ruben Gotay. SP Brian Bass got the win with 7 IP of 2 ER on 7 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to improve to 11-7 with a 5.41 ERA and RP Chris Demaria pitched 2 innings and allowed 1 hit and a walk with 4 Ks to keep his ERA at 0.00. Maier was 2-4 with a walk, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .245; Gotay was 2-4 with a walk and RBI to improve to .267; Pressley was 2-5 with a double and RBI to up his BA to .307; Aldridge was 2-5 with 2 RBI to improve to .272; Butler was 1-3 with a walk and an RBI to improve to .306; and Ruan was 2-4 with 2 RS to improve to .248. Pressley made his 10th error.

Saturday, Corpus Christi turned the tables on Wichita for a 7-2 win. The Hooks scored 6 in the first 3 innings off SP Wes Wilkerson and the Wranglers didn't recover. Wichita got on the board in the 3rd on an RBI force out by SS Mike Aviles and tallied the 2nd run in the 6th on an RBI single by 1B Brennan King. Wilkerson took the loss with 2 IP of 6 R (4 ER) on 8 hits to drop to 0-3 with a 7.42 ERA; RP Juan Cedeno went 4 IP and allowed 1 ER on 4 hits and K'd 4 to drop his ERA to 8.15; and RP Stephen Bray went 3 IP and allowed only 2 hits with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.20. Gotay was 1-4 to drop to .265; Aviles was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .287 and made 2 errors to make his season total 38; Pressley was 1-3 with a walk to improve to .307; Butler was 1-4 to drop to .302; King was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .288; and Maier was 2-4 to improve to .249.

Wichita is 28-27 and 1 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The Wranglers end the Corpus Christi series today. Pitchers: Ryan Baerlocher (7-3, 2.64) vs. Hooks SP Peter Bauer (2-2, 2.81).

High-A: High Desert ran its winning streak to 8 with 14-7 and 8-3 wins over Rancho Cucamonga Friday and Saturday that dropped the Quakes back to third. Friday, the Quakes took an early 7-0 lead but the High Desert bullpen shut them down and the Mavs came back in a big way. Rancho Cucamonga scored 7 off SP Cesar Herrera to take a 7-0 lead in the 3rd before the Mavs got on the board that inning on an RBI double by SS Walter Sevilla and an RBI ground out by 1B Kila Kaaihue. The Mavs took the lead with a 7-run rally in the 5th on a solo shot by CF Chris Lubanski (his 23rd), a 3-run shot by RF Bernard Stephens (his 12th) and a 3-run homer by Sevilla (his 5th). The Mavs tacked on 5 in the 6th on back-to-back solo homers by Kaaihue (his 15th) and 2B Adam Keim (his 20th) and a 3-run double by LF Pete Maestrales. Herrera went 3 IP and allowed 7 ER on 11 hits and a walk with 3 Ks to move his ERA to 6.98; RP Chris Coughlin had his best outing of the season with 4 hitless IP that included 2 Ks to move to 4-10 with a 7.39 ERA; and RP Nate Moore went 2 IP and allowed 1 hit with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.71. Maestrales was 2-5 with a walk, double, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .321; Sevilla was 2-5 with a walk, double, HR and 4 RBI to improve to .238; Lubanski was 1-5 with a HR and RBI to drop to .292; Kaaihue was 1-4 with a walk, HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to drop to .311; Keim was 3-5 with a double, HR, RBI and 2 RS to improve to .290; Stephens was 3-5 with a HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .286; and 3B Brandon Powell was 1-4 with a walk to drop to .297.

Saturday, the Mavs cranked 4 more longballs to take an 8-3 win. The Mavs went into the bottom of the 2nd down, 2-0, but tied it up on a Keim 2-run blast (his 21st) and took the lead in the 3rd on a solo homer by SS Angel Sanchez (his 2nd) and an RBI double by Kaaihue. High Desert rallied for 4 in the 6th to put the game out of reach on a solo homer by Powell (his 16th) and a 3-run longball by Sanchez (his 3rd). SP Patrick Green got the win with 7 IP of 3 ER on 3 hits and 2 walks with 7 Ks to improve to 9-9 with a 3.86 ERA and RP Gabe DeHoyos went 2 IP and allowed 2 hits with 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 1.47. Maestrales was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .318; Sanchez was 2-5 with 2 HR and 4 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .295; Lubanski was 1-4 with a walk and triple to drop to .291; Kaaihue was 1-2 with 3 walks and an RBI to improve to .312; Keim was 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI to improve to .293; Stephens was 2-4 to improve to .288; and Powell was 1-4 with a HR and RBI to drop to .296.

High Desert is 33-22 and up 4 1/2 games on Lancaster. The Mavs' "Magic Number" is 11 for the second-half division title and 12 for the wild card. They continue the set with Rancho Cucamonga tonight. Pitchers (courtesy rcquakes.com) : Quakes RHP Kevin Jepsen (0-0, 7.36) vs. RHP John Gragg III (11-5, 4.11).

Low-A: Burlington dropped two games to Southwest Michigan, 1-0 in a 16-inning marathon Friday and 6-3 Saturday. Friday, the teams combined for 15 hits in the 16-inning game that defined a pitchers' duel as neither team could score a run. Burlington got some runners into scoring position but couldn't get the big hit needed and got a runner to third in the top of the 16th before C Damaso Espino flied out to end the inning. The D-Rays strung together three singles off RP Chad Blackwell in the bottom of the frame to end the game. SP Daniel Christensen went 7 IP and allowed only 2 hits and 4 walks with 3 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.64; RP Kraig Schambough nearly matched that with 6 IP of 2 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to drop his ERA to 3.91; Blackwell went 2 1/3 IP before giving up the game-winner. He allowed 4 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to drop to 7-4 with a 2.23 ERA. DH Edward Lucas came in as a pinch-hitter and was 0-2 to drop to .296; 2B Gary Perez was 1-5 with a walk and double to drop to .212; and LF Cody Cure was 2-5 with a walk and double to improve to .257. 3B Geraldo Valentin made his 13th error.

Saturday's game was a regular 9 inning one that the Bees dropped, 6-3. Southwest Michigan took a 5-0 lead into the 5th before the Bees scored a run on a solo shot by RF Brian McFall (his 14th) and Burlington scored 2 in the 8th on a Cure RBI double and an RBI ground out by Lucas. SP Justin Sherman got the loss with 5 IP of 6 ER on 10 hits and a walk with a K to drop to 3-8 with a 4.62 ERA; and RP Rusty Begnaud went 3 IP and allowed only 2 hits to drop his ERA to 5.21. Lucas was 0-4 with an RBI to drop to .292; McFall was 2-4 with a HR and RBI to improve to .235; and Perez was 2-4 to improve to .232. SS Irving Falu stole his 30th base and Espino made his 12th error.

Burlington is 28-28 and 3 1/2 games back of Quad Cities. The Bees continue the series at Southwest Michigan today. Pitchers: Patrick Hicklen (6-6, 3.96) vs. D-Rays LH James Houser (6-7, 4.36).

Rookie: Idaho Falls dropped 2 more games to Helena Friday and Saturday, 8-3 and 13-5, to drop farther back in the division. Friday, a 6-run 6th helped Helena to a 7-0 lead before Idaho Falls got on the scoreboard with RBI singles by RF Andrew Larsen and C Brady Everett. The Chukars scored their final run in the 9th on an RBI single by DH Brenan Herrera. SP Ryan DiPietro took the loss with 5 IP of 5 ER on 6 hits with 3 Ks to drop to 0-5 with a 5.98 ERA; RP Jacob Eckley went 2 IP and allowed 2 ER on 3 hits and a walk to move his ERA to 6.04; and RP Cody Harkcom went 2 IP and gave up 1 ER on 3 hits with 2 Ks to make his ERA 8.74. The Chukars had only 7 hits in the game. CF Ethien Santana was 0-2 with 3 walks to drop to .316; Herrera was 2-4 with a walk and RBI to improve to .294; SS Chris McConnell was 0-4 with a walk to drop to .347; Larsen was 2-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .267; and Everett was 1-4 with an RBI to drop to .361. Santana stole his 12th base and 1B Jase Turner made 2 errors to get to 6 on the season.

Saturday, Idaho Falls staged a comeback to make it a close game late but the bullpen faltered in the 9th as the Chukars lost, 13-5. Helena took a 6-0 lead into the 8th when Idaho Falls scored 5 on a McConnell RBI ground out, a Turner RBI single, a passed ball, an RBI single by DH Felix Peguero and a wild pitch. RP Brandon Brantley gave up 7 ER in the 9th as Helena pulled away. SP Chris Nicoll got his first pro loss with 4 IP of 1 ER on 4 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to drop to 0-1 with a 1.84 ERA; RP Travis Trammell went an inning and gave up 2 hits to drop his ERA to 9.64; RP Matt Kniginyzky didn't get an out and gave up 4 ER on 4 hits to move his ERA to 6.00; RP Eliszer Garcia went 3 IP and allowed 1 ER on 4 hits with 5 Ks to make his ERA 3.41; and Brantley went 1 IP and allowed 7 ER on 6 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to bump his ERA to 8.59. Santana was 1-4 with a HBP to drop to .314; McConnell was 0-5 with an RBI to drop to .339; Turner was 3-4 with a double and RBI to improve to .275; and C Kiel Thibault was 0-2 with a walk and HBP to drop to .346. McConnell made 2 errors to get to 15 on the season.

Idaho Falls is 8-12 and 3 games out of first. A 4-game home set with Missoula (10-9) starts tonight.

The ASL Royals held off the Angels for a 4-3 win Friday and had Saturday off. The Royals scored 2 in both the 3rd and 6th innings on a throwing error, RBI single by CF Oscar Gonzalez, RBI double by 1B Willie Matos and a wild pitch to take a 4-0 lead. RP Matt Pena gave up 3 ER in the bottom of the 6th but three other relievers kept the Angels down for the win. SP Rayner Oliveros got the win with 5 IP of 4 hits with 7 Ks to improve to 6-1 with a 2.12 ERA; Pena allowed 3 ER on 4 hits with 2 Ks over his IP to move his ERA to 5.06; RP Nelson Trifolio got his 2nd hold with 1 IP of 2 hits and a K to drop his ERA to 3.57; RP Gilbert De la vara got his 1st hold with 1 1/3 IP of 1 BB and 1 K to drop his ERA to 2.51; and RP Henry Barrera got his 4th save with 2/3 hitless IP to drop his ERA to 4.84. LF Jose Duarte was 1-5 to drop to .329; 3B Valentino Arce was 1-5 with a double to drop to .356; DH Joseph Dickerson was 1-3 with a walk to improve to .305; and RF Alvi Morel was 1-4 with a triple to drop to .353. SS Pedro Lopez made his 15th error.

The Royals are 10-8 and 3 games out of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Rangers tonight and the Cubs tomorrow. Eight games remain in the ASL schedule.

Royals on the Farm 8/18

AAA: Omaha moved ahead in the 5th and got some 8th-inning insurance to get a 7-4 win over New Orleans Thursday. LF Matt Diaz socked a 2-run homer in the 1st (his 13th) to give Omaha a 2-0 lead but the Zephyrs scored 4 in the 2nd and 3rd off SP Kyle Snyder to take the lead. Omaha got 3 in the 5th on a 3-run shot by RF Aaron Guiel to take a 5-4 lead and tacked on 2 in the 8th on a 2-run double by Diaz. RPs Dave Elder and Santiago Ramirez polished off the 8th and 9th to secure the win. Snyder got the win with 6 1/3 IP of 4 R (2 ER) on 7 hits and 2 walks with 5 Ks to move to 2-2 with a 3.42 ERA; RP Chris George got his 2nd hold with 1/3 IP to drop his ERA to 5.72; Elder got his 2nd hold with 1 1/3 hitless IP but had 2 walks and a K to keep his ERA at 0.00; and Ramirez got his 13th save with a perfect 9th to drop his ERA to 5.49. Guiel was 2-3 with a walk, HR, 3 RBI and 3 RS to improve to .274; Diaz was 2-4 with a double, HR and 3 RBI to improve to .379; 1B Justin Huber was 1-3 with a walk to improve to .264; and SS Andres Blanco was 0-3 with a walk to drop to .203. Huber swiped his 3rd base at AAA.

Omaha is 63-63 and 6 games back of first. I can't believe they're back at .500 after starting the second half so badly. They're also back in second place. The O-Royals go for the sweep tonight over New Orleans. Pitchers: RH Dennis Tankersley (8-6, 4.42) vs. Zephyrs RH Brian Powell (7-9, 5.59).

AA: Wichita poured it on Thursday for a 10-3 win over Corpus Christi. The Wranglers tied it at 3 in the 3rd on an RBI double by 2B Ruben Gotay and an RBI single by 1B Josh Pressley and took the lead in the 4th on an RBI double by LF Billy Butler and an RBI triple by RF Wilkin Ruan. It was all Wranglers from there as Wichita scored 1 in the 5th on a Butler RBI single; 2 in the 6th on RBI singles by CF Mitch Maier and Pressley; and 3 in the 8th on a 2-run double by Gotay and an RBI single by DH Cory Aldridge. SP Derrin Ebert got the victory with 6 IP of 3 ER on 9 hits and 2 walks with 2 Ks to move to 6-3 with a 5.22 ERA and RP Nate Hoelscher got his 4th save with 3 IP of 1 hit and 2 walks with 4 Ks to drop his ERA to 5.62. Maier was 2-4 with a walk, RBI and 3 RS to improve to .241; Gotay finally came around and was 3-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 3 RS to improve to .244; Pressley was 4-5 with 2 RBI to improve to .306; Butler was 3-5 with a double and 2 RBI to improve to .304; and Ruan was 2-4 with a triple and RBI to improve to .243.

Wichita is 27-26 and 1 1/2 games back of Arkansas. The Wranglers continue the Corpus Christi series tonight. Pitchers: Brian Bass (10-7, 5.55) vs. Hooks' SP Tim McClaskey (6-9, 3.11).

High-A: High Desert got a great game from CF Chris Lubanski to pick up a sweep of North division leader Stockton with a 6-5 10-inning win Thursday. The Mavs took a 2-0 lead on runs in the 1st and 2nd on solo shots by Lubanski (his 21st) and DH Brandon Powell (his 15th) but Stockton tied it up in the 3rd. High Desert pulled back ahead with 3 in the 3rd on a 2-run homer by Lubanski (#22 for him) and a Powell RBI single and the score held at 5-2 into the 8th when Stockton got 1 off RP Drew Endicott and tied it in the 9th off closer Brian Steffek. RP Stephen Chamberlain got past a 1-out double in the 10th to get out of the inning unscathed before C Adam Donachie led off the bottom of the 10th with a single. He was sacrificed to second and, with 2 out, Lubanski came through with a single to bring Donachie in with the game winner. SP Devon Lowery went 5 IP and allowed 2 ER on 7 hits and a walk with 6 Ks to move his ERA to 2.85; RP Greg Atencio got his 3rd hold with 2 IP of 2 hits and 2 Ks to drop his ERA to 4.50; Endicott got his 5th hold with 1 IP of 1 ER on a hit to make his ERA 5.70; Steffek blew his 1st save with 1 IP of 2 ER on 4 hits with 2 Ks to move his ERA to 4.66; and Chamberlain got the win with 1 IP of 1 hit and 1 walk to move to 3-0 with a 7.56 ERA. 2B Pete Maestrales was 0-3 with 3 BB to drop to .320; Lubanski was 4-6 with 2 HR, 4 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .293; 1B Kila Kaaihue was 0-1 with a HBP and 3 walks to drop to .312; Powell was 2-4 with a walk, HR and 2 RBI to improve to .297; and SS Angel Sanchez was 0-6 to drop to .294. Lubanski is nearing the .300 echelon and has 92 RBI.

High Desert is 31-22 and up 3 1/2 games on Rancho Cucamonga. The Mavs' "Magic Number" -- 15 for both the second-half division title and the wild card (yesterday's must not have been adjusted). They start a colossal 4-game home set with Cucamonga tonight. Pitchers (courtesy rcquakes.com) : Quakes LHP Micah Posey (0-1, 10.13) vs. RHP Cesar Herrera (6-6, 6.58).

Low-A: Burlington settled for a split of the 4-gamer with Wisconsin after the Timber Rattlers swatted the Bees, 10-2, Thursday. Burlington scored first in the 2nd on a sac fly by 1B Eddie Solis but Wisconsin rattled off 8 unanswered runs before the Bees scored their 2nd run in the 7th on an RBI ground out by SS Irving Falu. SP Dustin Dossett had a rough go with 4 1/3 IP of 6 ER on 11 hits and a walk with 0 Ks to drop to 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA; RP Zane Carlson went 2 2/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 3 hits and a walk with a K to move his ERA to 5.52; and RP Yovany Damico went 2 IP and gave up 2 ER on 3 hits and a walk with 2 Ks to make his ERA 4.74. 3B Edward Lucas was 0-4 to drop to .297; C Damaso Espino was 3-4 to improve to .279; and RF Brian McFall was 3-3 with a walk and double to improve to .233.

Burlington is 28-26 and 2 games back of Quad Cities and Wisconsin. The Bees start 4 games at Southwest Michigan (28-26) tonight. LH Danny Christensen (3-6, 3.93) goes for Burlington.

Rookie: Idaho Falls got good pitching in a 10-2 win over Helena Thursday. The Chukars got runs in the 1st, 2nd and 4th on a solo homer by CF Ethien Santana (his 2nd), an RBI single by DH Kiel Thibault and a solo shot by LF Felix Peguero (his 3rd) to take a 3-0 lead. Helena scored twice to make it a 3-2 game before Idaho Falls put it away with 7 in the 5th on RBI singles by 1B Jase Turner, RF Andrew Larsen and Peguero and a wild pitch before 2B Joshua Johnson cranked a 3-run homer (his 2nd) to finish it off. SP Phillip Davidson got the win with 6 IP of 2 ER on 5 hits and a walk with 9 Ks to move to 5-2 with a 3.31 ERA and RP Adam Kalkhof got his 1st save with 3 hitless IP in which he walked 1 and K'd 6 to drop his ERA to 3.31. Santana was 2-5 with a HR and RBI to improve to .320; SS Chris McConnell was 2-5 to up his BA to .354; Larsen was 3-5 with an RBI and 2 RS to improve to .261; Peguero was 3-3 with a walk, HBP, HR, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .232; Thibault was 3-5 with an RBI to improve to .353; and C Jeff Howell was 1-4 to drop to .350. Johnson made his 11th error.

Idaho Falls is 8-10 and 1 1/2 games out of first. They continue their set with Helena tonight.

The ASL Royals' game with the Mariners was close until the 8th when the Royals rallied for 8 runs to get a 12-4 win. The M's jumped out to a 1-0 lead off SP Juan Abreu in the 1st but the Royals scored 2 in the opening inning on a 2-run homer by CF Joseph Dickerson (his 4th). The Royals added a run in the 4th on an RBI single by 1B Willie Matos but the Mariners tied it up in the 6th. The Royals went back ahead with a run in the 6th on an RBI triple by LF Jose Duarte (his 6th 3-bagger) but RP John Sokoll threw two consecutive wild pitches in the 8th to allow the tying run to score. DH Alvi Morel reached on an error to start the bottom of the 8th and the rally was underway. C John Lowen doubled home a run, 2B Valentino Arce hit a 2-run single, Dickerson singled home a run and Morel finished it off in grand style with a grand slam (his 2nd HR). Abreu went 4 IP and allowed an UER on 2 hits and 4 walks with 9 Ks to drop his ERA to 6.26; RP Drew Coffey went 1 1/3 IP and allowed 2 ER on 2 hits and 3 walks with a K to move his ERA to 10.22; RP Troy Garrett blew his 4th save with 2 IP of 1 ER on 2 hits and a walk with a K to move his ERA to 5.71; and Sokoll blew his 1st save but got the win with 1 2/3 IP of 1 hit to move to 1-0 with a 6.60 ERA. Duarte was 2-4 with a walk, triple and RBI to improve to .333; Arce was 5-5 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .362; Dickerson was 2-5 with a HR, 3 RBI and 2 RS to improve to .305; Morel was 1-4 with a walk, HR, 4 RBI and 2 RS to drop to .357; and Matos was 2-4 with an RBI to improve to .238.

The Royals are 9-8 and 3 games out of first with two games unreported on MiLB's site. They play the Angels tonight and have tomorrow off. Nine games remain in the ASL schedule.

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.