KC Royals - KIDS Edition

[SubGod22]

Chasers Cruise to Fourth-Straight Win

OMAHA, Neb. - The calendar may have changed from June to July, but Omaha second baseman Johnny Giavotella hasn't missed a beat at the plate. Following a calendar month in which he hit .398 with 49 hits, 25 runs batted in and 20 runs scored, the 5-foot-8 Giavotella belted a home run and drove in three runs in a 4-1 Storm Chasers victory over Albuquerque Saturday night at Werner Park.

Chasers suffer first shutout at Werner Park, in front of a capacity crowd of 9,023

OMAHA, Neb. - Albuquerque starting pitcher John Ely and two relievers combined on a six-hit shutout, avoiding the four-game sweep while dealing Omaha its first shutout loss at brand-new Werner Park. The Independence Sunday crowd of 9,023 met the maximum capacity allowed in Werner Park, the first time that number had been reached and the eighth-straight game exceeding the fixed-seat capacity of 6,434.

Zephyrs Walk Off With Win Over Chasers

Irving Falu and Jarrod Dyson pulled off a double steal and a throwing error on the play by catcher Brad Davis allowed Falu to score to give the Storm Chasers a 6-5 edge in the top of the ninth. Unfortunately, a pair of miscues in the home half of the frame led to the game-changing rally.

Mazzaro pitches tonight.


Hooks' slams sink Naturals Sunday

SPRINGDALE, AR - Two different Corpus Christi batters hit grand slams, the first time that's ever happened in that club's history, and former Hog Dallas Keuchel took care of the rest as the Naturals fell to the Hooks 16-3 on Sunday evening at Arvest Ballpark. It was the Hooks' first win in Springdale since April 13, 2010, which was their lone win in six tries in Springdale last season.
The Hooks (5-5, 30-50) jumped on Naturals' starter Edgar Osuna and they did it quickly, plating six runs before the Naturals' even came to bat. Osuna plunked Corpus Christi leadoff man Brandon Wikoff in the shoulder blade with the first pitch of the game. Jimmy Parades followed with a single and, after Osuna fanned Jose Altuve, J.D. Martinez singled. Osuna fanned Jacob Goebbert and then Chris Wallace hit a grand slam to put the Naturals in a 4-0 hole.

See-saw battle goes to Naturals

SPRINGDALE, AR - Jeff Bianchi and Rey Navarro provided two RBI's each and Manauris Baez, making a spot start, pitched six solid innings as the Naturals beat Corpus Christi 5-3 Sunday night in front of 8,683 fans, the fourth largest crowd in Arvest Ballpark history.
Bianchi's two run double in the bottom of the seventh was their only hit of the inning as they took advantage of a costly throwing error by Hooks' reliever Arcenio Leon (1-1). Leon, on in relief of Corpus Christi starter Xavier Cedeno, who had allowed three runs over six frames, walked Jamie Romak to start the seventh. Ninth-place hitter Mario Lisson followed and dropped down a bunt to the third base side of the pitching mound that Leon had to spin around and scoop. His throw went wild of first baseman Jimmy Van Ostrand's glove as Lisson reached and Romak moved to third. Derrick Robinson followed and popped a bunt attempt out in a failed squeeze attempt, and Christian Colon popped up for the second out.

Anthony Seratelli, who came on in the fourth for Wil Myers who departed after fouling a ball sharply off his left foot in his second at-bat, drew a walk to load the bases and bring up Bianchi, who split the wickets between left and center field, bringing in two runs to break the 3-3 tie.

Dwyer set to pitch tonight.


POTOMAC ROCKS BLUE CREW, 14-1

Woodbridge, VA - Entering Saturday night's series opener at Pfitzner Stadium, the Blue Rocks' biggest concern was rehabbing big league starter Chien-Ming Wang. While the runner-up for the 2006 A.L. Cy Young Award tossed four scoreless innings, the opposition's bats proved the greater difficulty. The Potomac Nationals (34-45, 5-5) posted 14 runs on 18 hits, both season-worst marks for the Wilmington (40-39, 4-6) pitching staff, in a 14-1 rout of the Blue Crew. The 13-run differential makes for the franchise's most lopsided loss since falling by the same final score on June 30, 2005 versus Lynchburg.

BLUE CREW SPLITS IMPROMPTU TWINBILL[

Woodbridge, VA - An up-and-down Fourth of July saw the Wilmington Blue Rocks (41-40, 5-7) blow a late lead and rally for a win in splitting a pair of games with the Potomac Nationals (35-46, 6-6) at Pfitzner Stadium. In the resumption of Sunday's suspended affair, the Blue Crew lost a 4-2 lead to a five-run eighth in a 7-4 setback. The seven-inning nightcap featured outstanding pitching from Noel Arguelles (3-3) and Bryan Paukovits in turning a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 triumph. The win snapped a seven-game losing skid against Potomac.
Arguelles allowed just one run over five innings in securing his first win since May 11 and his first on the road all year. While he walked a season-high two, he struck out three and faced one over the minimum after Jose Lozada's two-out double knocked in Potomac's only run in the second inning.

He departed with the lead as a result of the Rocks' three-run fifth. Gerard Hall threaded a double down the left-field line to drive in two of the runs, taking third and the throw to the plate. Whit Merrifield followed with an RBI single to right for a 3-1 lead. John Whittleman extended the advantage with a no-doubt-about-it towering homer to right in the sixth, his team-leading 10th of the year. All of the damage came against starter Adam Olbrychowski (2-4) who gave up four runs over six innings and owns a 6.48 ERA in four outings against the Rocks. Paukovits concluded with two perfect innings for his third save, striking out two in the process.

Sample to start.


KC is now 8-3. Appears that maybe the bats have caught up with some of their pitching and they're now winning games.


Errors Doom Royals in Loss to White Sox

Last night saw Burlington put up 13 runs on the Bristol White Sox, but tonight, through eight innings the Royals' offense could only manage one. They put up five in their final at-bat, but it would not be enough as they fell 13-6 in Bristol on Saturday night. Burlington, who committed five errors, gave up less than half of the 13 runs earned, as mistakes were to blame for seven. Robinson Yambati takes the loss for the Royals, while Euclides Leyer earned the win, pitching six innings, and allowing just one run on two hits, with six strikeouts. The win improves the White Sox to 6-6, while Burlington drops to 2-10.

Pitching Leads the Way as Royals Defeat Danville

Danville, VA- Three Burlington hurlers combined to hold the Danville Braves to two hits, and just one run in their 5-1 victory on Sunday at Dan Daniel Memorial Park. The win improves the Royals to 3-10, while Danville falls to 5-8. It was a fourth of July celebration in Danville with postgame fireworks, but Burlington provided the fireworks over the nine inning ballgame, recording four of their five runs via the long ball.
In the bottom of the second inning, starter Matt Ridings gave up a solo homerun to Brandon Drury, his first of the year, to put the Braves up, 1-0. The Royals would counter in the top of the fourth where, with a man on, Jorge Bonifacio took an offering from Lucas La Point deep over the left field fence for a 2-1 Burlington lead. Cam Connor would add to that lead one inning later with his first homer of the season, down the right field line, to give the road team a two run advantage. In the top of the seventh, Justin Trapp added a solo jack to make it a 4-1 game. The Royals would add another run in the top of the ninth off of a passed ball and lead the game by four as Danville went to their final at-bat. They were unable to figure out Tyler Graham in his only inning as Burlington would win 5-1.

Burlington Pounded by Braves on Monday Night

Burlington, NC- after a two hour and four minute rain delay, play finally began at Burlington Athletic Stadium, but the play was relatively one sided. Angel Baez was the losing pitcher, giving up six runs, three earned in two innings. Five Royal pitchers gave up a combined 27 runs on 22 hits, falling by the final of 27-6.

Eric Cantrell pitching tonight.


Chukars Lose Pitcher's Duel 3-2

The Idaho Falls Chukars returned home Saturday night and ran into an old-fashioned pitcher's duel. Unfortunately for the Chukars they were on the wrong end of the low scoring affair, falling to the Ogden Raptors 3-2 at Melaleuca Field.


The two pitching staffs combined to allow 17 hits, but struck out 26 batters while not allowing a single walk. The dominant pitching also resulted in the game being the quickest of the season for the Chukars at just two hours and seven minutes.


Left-hander Brian Peacock got the start for Idaho Falls and was in control from the beginning, as he struck out three of the first six hitters he saw and shutout the Raptors through four innings.


Behind Peacock the Chukars jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a two-out double from first baseman Dean Espy and an RBI single from shortstop Adrian Martinez. The score would remain the same until the fifth inning when Ogden pounced for all three of their runs on five hits.

Bullpen Betrays Chukars in 5-2 Loss

For the second straight night the Idaho Falls Chukars received a great performance from their starting pitcher, but for the second straight night the club couldn't put the rest of their game together as they fell to the Ogden Raptors 5-2 Sunday afternoon at Melaleuca Field.


Left-handed starter Brennon Martin had his third straight solid outing this season for the Chukars, as the southpaw allowed just one run on five hits over his seven innings pitched, striking out four. Unfortunately Martin wouldn't receive much support from his offense, as the Chukars managed only two runs for the second straight night.


Martin also didn't get any help from his bullpen either, as lefty reliever David Middendorf entered the game in the eighth inning and promptly gave up four runs on three hits to give the Raptors their 5-2 lead. The Idaho Falls defense wasn't immune to Sunday's shortcomings either, as shortstop Adrian Martinez committed a key error in the decisive eighth inning resulting in two unearned runs.

Chukars Survive Slugfest 13-8

The Idaho Falls Chukars offense finally woke up Monday night, as the team salvaged the final game of their 3- game set against the Ogden Raptors winning 13-8.


In front of a 4th of July crowd of 3,570, the Chukars offense tied a season high with 16 hits, 14 singles, scoring a run in all but two innings.


The two clubs wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard, as both teams scored two runs in the first. Left fielder Joc Pederson and designated hitter Scott Woodward each singled off Chukars starter Kellen Moen to lead off the game, followed by an RBI groundout from right fielder Scott Schebler to drive in Pederson. Woodward would come home later in the inning on a Moen wild pitch. The Chukars answered back in bottom of the frame, with left fielder Tyler Chism reaching on an error, followed by three straight walks to center fielder Darian Sandford, third baseman Daniel Mateo, and designated hitter Henry Moreno. Moreno's free pass pushed Chism across for a run while shortstop Adrian Martinez drove in Sandford with a run scoring ground out.

After the weekend, AZL is 4-8 and DSL is 16-15

[SubGod22]

The Starting 9

Week of June 26 thru July 2

Our weekly look at the top performers in the Royals Minor league system.

Not surprisingly the Omaha Storm Chasers riding a 4 game winning streak put the most members on the Starting 9 lead by a couple players who are pushing their ways toward callups to Kansas City. Giavotella at the moment is a hitting monster leading all of professional baseball with 49 hits in June. Mike Montgomery joins Gio, Cain and Aviles on the list making a nice bounceback start after skipping a start and making a change to his routine. Along with the Omaha group a couple of member who could make late season pushes to Wilmington join the crew.

[SubGod22]

Heath Rollins Retires. Not a big loss.

[SubGod22]

Chasers Storm Back to Stun Zephyrs

Metairie, LA - David Lough delivered the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to finish off a five-run ninth inning rally as Omaha came back to fashion an improbable 6-5 victory over New Orleans Tuesday night in the middle contest of a three-game set at Zephyr Field. The Storm Chasers stopped a two-game slide to improve to 47-39 and maintain their hold on first place in the American Conference North Division.

Trailing 5-1 and held to just three hits entering the ninth, the visitors loaded the bases with nobody out on two hits and an error to chase Mariano Gomez from the hill. Pete Andrelczyk took over and was greeted by a Cody Clark single that knocked in a run and a two-run double by Joaquin Arias that trimmed the deficit to 5-4.


Jarrod Dyson was hit by a pitch to fill the bases before New Orleans native Johnny Giavotella singled home the tying run with his first hit of the series. Lough then followed with a fly ball off Dan Jennings deep enough for Arias to tag from third and score the decisive run. Mike Aviles, who started the game-changing rally with a leadoff double, went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.

Monty pitches this morning.


Perez walkoff hit clinches series

SPRINGDALE, AR - Salvador Perez' two-out single in the bottom of the ninth scored Nick Francis, putting the finishing touches on a scintillating comeback as the Naturals beat Corpus Christi 7-6, taking the final two games of the three game series.
With one out and the game tied at six, Nick Francis got the Naturals a baserunner by singling through the hole at shortstop for his third hit on the night. With Anthony Seratelli at the plate, he swiped second, his second stolen base on the evening, putting himself into scoring position with Seratelli, one of the team's leading RBI men at the plate. Seratelli fanned swinging, and Corpus Christi manager Tom Lawless then called on hard throwing reliever Henry Villar to face Perez, who lined the second pitch he saw from Villar into left-center for the win.

Dwyer struggled. NWA is off today and will have Jake Odorizzi pitching his first game for them on Thursday!


EARLY P-NATS BARRAGE AVALANCHES BLUE ROCKS

Woodbridge, VA - Ryan Stovall's two-out single in the first inning gave his Wilmington Blue Rocks a 1-0 lead. Then things fell apart. The Potomac Nationals (36-46, 7-6) responded with 12 straight runs en route to a 12-3 rout of the Blue Crew (41-41, 5-8) at Pfitzner Stadium. The scoring run included an eight-run second that chased starter Tyler Sample (5-6) with just two outs in the inning. J.P. Ramirez provided the knockout blow with his first career grand slam. The Rocks' eighth loss in 11 games was also their eighth in their last nine clashes with Potomac.

Wilmington rounded out its run scoring in the sixth. John Whittleman bombed his team-best 11th homer of the year with a pull shot to right. Jose Bonilla later pushed Stovall home with a groundout to shortstop.

Marks gets the call tonight.


KC lost 3-10. Still in first.


Unearned Runs in Ninth Cost Royals Against Rays

Burlington, NC- Burlington got two home runs from Murray Watts, and Justin Trapp was a home run away from the cycle, but the Royals could not hold on, as they fell at home to the Princeton Rays on Tuesday night, 10-8. The loss drops Burlington to 3-12, while Princeton improves on their Eastern Division best record, and is 10-5. This was game one of the three game series, with Alex Rivers taking the loss, while Reinaldo Lopez earned the win, pitching in middle relief.
After a blowout loss on Monday night, Burlington came out hot in the bottom of the first. Justin Trapp sat on third, while Cam Connor was on first. Connor broke from first in an attempt to steal second, and when catcher Justin O'Connor threw down, Trapp broke for home, scoring, as Connor was caught as second. With two out, and a 1-0 lead, Watts stepped in and belted a Eduar Quinonez pitch over the right field fence for this seventh home run of the season, and put the Royals up by two runs after one inning.

To lead off the bottom of the second, Adrian Bringas walked. After a pitch to the next batter, Jared Dyer, Rays' catcher O'Connor threw down to first to try and catch the runner off the bag, but threw the ball away, and allowed Bringas to make it to third. Dyer would single to left to score Bringas, and would later score himself on a wild pitch by Quinonez to make it 4-0. Justin Trapp would add an RBI triple and the Royals would lead the game by five runs entering the third inning.

To lead off the home half of the third inning Watts hit his second home run of the night and his league leading, eighth of the season. The Royals' offense would go quiet for two innings, but where they left off, Princeton began. The Rays would get a run after an error from Burlington shortstop Michael Antonio in the top of the fourth, and catch fire in their next at bat.

Murray takes the hill tonight.


Chukars Erase 7-Run Deficit, Win 9-8

The score would remain 8-1 until the seventh inning when the Idaho Falls offense finally woke up against Ghosts reliever Will Rankin. The Chukars would battle their way back into the game by scoring five runs in the frame to make the score 8-6. The six hit barrage, which included three doubles, was led by first baseman Henry Moreno who plated two with his two-bagger off the top of the left field wall. Center fielder Tyler Chism, third baseman Mark Threlkeld and right fielder Runey Davis all had single RBIs in the inning as well.

The Chukars then completed the miraculous comeback in the eighth with a two out rally. After second base Michael Liberto led off the inning with a single, Catcher Tyler Smith and Chism both made outs to bring up left fielder Darian Sandford. As he has all season Sandford came up with the big 2-out RBI hit, as he singled to right to score Liberto. That set the stage for Mateo, who lined the 1-0 pitch over the right field wall for the winning runs.

Mateo, whose homer was the first Chukars blast at home this season, finished the night 3-5 with two RBI, while Sandford went 4-5 including his clutch eighth inning hit.

AZL won 7-6 and DSL was PPD.

[RoyalShock]

Monty pitching pretty well so far:

3 IP, 3 hits (all singles), 0 runs, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP. 26 strikes, 10 balls.

[SubGod22]

I forget where I read it, but it seemed to be thought that his next few starts we should start seeing Monty return to his old ways. Don't remember why, but hopefully it continues.

[SubGod22]

Storm Chasers Steal Away With Win in NOLA

bases loaded walk to Dyson and consecutive sacrifice flies by Johnny Giavotell and David Lough in the third staked the Storm Chasers to a 3-0 lead. Chris Aguila's run-scoring ground out in the fourth got the hosts on the board.


The game was delayed in the top of the sixth for 41 minutes because of rain and when play resumed, Iriving Falu greeted New Orleans starter Elih Villanueva with a two-out RBI single to chase home Lough to push the margin back to three.


Omaha starter Mike Montgomery allowed a run on five hits while striking out five but did not return after the rain delay. Robinson Tejeda worked a perfect sixth inning but lost control in the seventh. The veteran right-hander issued a walk and hit three batters which led to a Ryan Klosterman sacrifice fly and an RBI hit by Tim Torres before he gave way to Everett Teaford, who walked Jesus Merchan to force in the tying run.

SOS pitching today.


Jake gets his first AA start today!


Mistakes Burn Marks, Rocks' Ninth Loss In 12 Games

Salem, VA - Justin Marks saw two mistakes haunt his night. Solid through 6.2 innings, the southpaw allowed a solo homer and issued one walk that combined on his demise as the Wilmington Blue Rocks (41-42, 5-9) fell to the Salem Red Sox (38-45, 7-7) on Wednesday, 3-2. Delaware native Derrik Gibson played a huge role in the Rocks' loss, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. The Blue Crew's ninth loss in 12 games saw it sink below .500 for the first time since it was 1-2.
With the Rocks up 2-0, Gibson began the third with a double to right-center and later scored on Shannon Wilkerson's single to left. Marks faced the minimum from that point until the sixth when Jorge Padron's one-out homer to right, his first of the year with Salem, tied the game up at 2-all. Marks' lone walk of the night, a five-pitch free pass to Josue Peley, began the very next inning. After a Zach Gentile sacrifice, Gibson doubled Peley in for a 3-2 Salem lead that would go final. Marks (4-6) allowed all three runs over 6.2 innings.

Pimentel takes the mound tonight.


Cougars' Kuebler hits three homers

Jake Kuebler came into Wednesday night's game with two home runs this season. He left with five.

The Royals prospect went deep three times and drove in a career-high four runs, powering the Class A Kane County Cougars to a 10-7 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Kuebler also scored four times in the first multi-homer game of his four-year career.

"I've been working with the guys on our team," Kuebler said. "Our manager [Vance Wilson] and hitting coach [Damon Hollins] have been trying to change things up. The first time I did that was about a week and a half ago. That's when I hit my first home run, then yesterday I had another and then the three today. I've been sticking to my approach and it's been working pretty good."

Kuebler, the cousin of Kansas City's Alex Gordon, missed the start of the season after suffering a head injury in Spring Training. He struggled upon his return on May 20, batting under .200 until Wednesday.

"It was really hard coming back at first," the 2008 17th-round pick said. "For about a month, I was trying to feel my way back in. My mechanics weren't there and I was trying to make up for lost time."

Kuebler homered in his first at-bat Wednesday, taking a 2-0 pitch from starter Del Howell over the left-field wall. He went deep again in the seventh, winning a battle with reliever Dan Britt.

"It was about a 10-pitch at-bat," Kuebler said. "I fouled three pitches off my ankle, which is all bruised up now. I took the count to 3-2 and had a two-strike approach. I squared it up and took it over the fence."

The 21-year-old first baseman's final longball came in the ninth against Skyler Crawford.

"The count went to 1-2 and I was just thinking, 'Let's not strike out right now,'" Kuebler said. "I didn't want to end the game on a bad note. I got a curveball up and put a good swing on it.

Royals Capitalize on Princeton Mishaps on the Way to Their Fourth Win

Matt Murray pitched four innings to start the game, and allowed all four runs on six hits, while recording four strikeouts. Graffeo earned the win, throwing three innings, and allowing just two hits.

Yambati pitches today.


Penny Shuts Down Ghosts in 8-4 Win

Penny, who entered the game with a 0-3 record and a 9.22 ERA, was dominant from the first inning as he held the Ghosts to just one run on three hits over his seven strong frames. He also struck out a season high eight batters while retiring the last 11 men he faced.


The Chukars offense meanwhile gave their starter plenty of support, as the team knocked out 14 hits in scoring eight runs. The Chukars have had at least 14 hits in each of their last three games, all wins.


Casper actually jumped on the scoreboard first, as the Ghosts scored one run in the second inning on a double by designated hitter Francisco Sosa and a sacrifice fly from third baseman Matt Argyropoulos.


Idaho Falls would take the lead for good in the third however, as the Chukars scored three runs on five hits while sending eight men to bat. Center fielder Darian Sandford started the inning with a single followed by a steal of second base. That allowed left fielder Tyler Chism to drive in the Chukars first run with an RBI single to center. After second baseman Luis Piterson walked and designated hitter Daniel Mateo singled to load the bases, both first baseman Dean Espy and third baseman Mark Threlkeld drove in a run with singles to give the Chukars a 3-1 lead.

TBD


DSL won both games of a DH. 13-10 (13) and 3-0 (7) AZL didn't play.

[SubGod22]

Cancel's Blast Sinks Storm Chasers

Oklahoma City, OK - Robinson Cancel's three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Oklahoma City to a 7-5 come-from-behind win over Omaha Thursday night in the opener of a four-game set at Bricktown Ballpark. The Storm Chasers dropped to 48-40 but maintained their 1 1/2 game lead over Memphis in the American Conference North Division after the Redbirds fell at Round Rock.

Jesse Chavez was brought on to face Cancel with runners at first and second one out in the decisive frame . The right-hander ran the count full before the OKC first baseman, with the runners in motion, crunched his fourth home run of the season to left field to put the RedHawks back in front, 7-5. Mickey Storey came on to retire the Storm Chasers in the ninth to earn the save.

Giavotella Named PCL Player of the Month

OMAHA, Neb. - Omaha Storm Chasers second baseman Johnny Giavotella has been honored as the Topps Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for June, the Storm Chasers, Pacific Coast League and Minor League Baseball announced Thursday. The voting was conducted as a survey of the PCL's 16 managers, with each club's skipper getting one vote.
Giavotella, also elected as a starter for the PCL All-Stars in the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 13 in Salt Lake, batted .398 for the month of June (49-for-123) with four home runs, 25 runs batted in, 20 runs scored, 14 doubles and five stolen bases. His 49 hits for the month led all of professional baseball, from Class-A through the Major Leagues. Giavotella will celebrate his 24th birthday on July 10.

The second-round pick (49th overall) of the Kansas City Royals in 2008, Giavotella has made steady progress during his brief professional career. For the season, the 5-foot-8 sparkplug is batting .321 with seven home runs, a team-leading 61 runs batted in and a team-high 25 doubles. Through 86 games, he is already within four RBI of his entire 2010 RBI total of 65, which he accomplished in 134 games for the Texas League Champion Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He hit .322 for the Naturals a season ago.

Odorizzi wins in Double-A debut

SAN ANTONIO, TX - Jake Odorizzi worked five solid innings in his first outing at the Double-A level and got more than enough run support as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals notched their third consecutive win, beating the San Antonio Missions, 10-5, at Wolff Stadium on Thursday night.
Promoted from Advanced-A Wilmington on the last day of June, Odorizzi (1-0) showed no signs of rust after six days of rest between starts. The right-hander struck out Blake Tekotte and Jedd Gyorko in a scoreless first inning.

The Missions plated a run on Daniel Robertson's RBI single in the second inning, but Odorizzi did not allow any more damage until Jedd Gyorko's solo home run in the fifth. Odorizzi threw 104 pitches in his five innings, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out four and walking a pair.

Will Smith starts tonight. Royals prospect allows two runs over five arduous innings

Odorizzi gave up two runs on six hits and a pair of walks over five trouble-filled innings in the Northwest Arkansas Naturals' 10-5 win over the San Antonio Missions.

But as the pitcher himself said afterward, "The team got the win, and that's all that matters."

Calling himself nervous and excited over his chance to make a first impression, Odorizzi (1-0) threw 64 of his 108 pitches in the strike zone. The 21-year-old right-hander, MLB.com's No. 5 Royals prospect, allowed at least one baserunner in each frame, including Jedd Gyorko's trip around the bases in the fifth. The Missions' Gyorko hit 18 home runs in the Cal League before his own recent Double-A callup.

"It was a fastball. I was trying to go [inside]," he said. "Good piece of hitting."

As for the high pitch count, he required 51 pitches to record the game's first six outs.

"I was getting too deep into counts, trying to be too precise," he said. "I was happy to get through it."

What does the Illinois native tell himself on the mound when his pitches pile up?

"Keep throwing strikes," he said. "When you throw strikes, good things will happen."

WHITTLEMAN BOMBS BLUE ROCKS TO TRIUMPH

Salem, VA - John Whittleman hit two of the team's three home runs, all solo shots, as the Wilmington Blue Rocks (42-42, 6-9) defeated the Salem Red Sox (38-46, 7-8) on Thursday night, 5-2. The All-Star infielder has five home runs over his last five games in lifting his season-long total to a team-best 13. Nick Van Stratten added his first dinger on his current stint as a Blue Rock while starter Elisaul Pimentel (5-6) got the win and Bryan Paukovits logged his fourth save in as many tries with a perfect ninth.
Whittleman left the yard in both the second and fourth frames against starter Anthony Ranaudo (1-4) with both pull shots to right giving his team the lead. Salem scratched out a run with Jorge Padron's two-out single in the third, scoring Shannon Wilkerson. Van Stratten's dinger in the sixth, a solo shot to left, stretched the Wilmington advantage to 3-1. Miles Head blasted a homer over the left-center field fence against Pimentel in the sixth for a 3-2 game, but the Sox would not score again.

Mariot starts.


Rattlers storm back to beat Kane County

GRAND CHUTE, WI - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers spotted the Kane County Cougars a four run lead in the top of the first inning before rallying to an 11-5 victory on Thursday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Field. Joey Paciorek went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBI and Mike Walker was 4-for-4 as the Rattlers won for the fifth time in their last six games.
Rattlers starting pitcher Matt Miller had a shaky start. The first five Kane County batters of the game reached base and four of them scored. The Cougars (37-46 overall, 9-5 second half) loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. The first run scored on a passed ball charged to Paciorek. A double by Brian Fletcher scored one run. Then, an error let in another run and put runners on the corners with no outs.

Bringas Helps Power Royals to Series Win

Burlington, NC- Adrian Bringas hit his first and second homeruns of the season to help the Royals to a 14-6 victory on Thursday night in Burlington. The Royals take two of three from the Princeton Rays, who game into the series tied for the top spot in the Eastern Division, but leave trailing the leader by a game. Jason Mitchell earned the win, his first decision of the year, while Marcus Jenson takes the loss for Princeton.
Burlington opened the game with an opportunity in the bottom of the first, as they had the bases loaded with no outs, but could only generate two runs, and ended the inning as Michael Antonio was picked off third base on a snap throw from catcher Jake DePew. The Rays would put up two runs in both the second and third innings helped by a Burlington error in the second, and a home run from Justin O'Connor in the third.

The Royals would climb back after Bringas hit his first career home run, a solo shot, over the left field fence to make it 4-3. An inning later, Antonio would knock his third long-ball of the season to tie the game at four. After the Rays retook the lead in the top of the sixth, Burlington again answered. Justin Trapp's sacrifice fly to center scored Kenny Swab, who made his Royal debut. One batter later, Jose Rodriguez would find a big gap in right-center field and send a ball to the wall, two runs would score, and manager Nilson Liriano waived Rodriguez around third. The relay throw was on time, as Rodriguez was gunned down trying for the inside the park home run. Though he was the third out, he knocked in two runs to give Burlington a 7-5 lead.

Ridings pitches tonight.


Chukars Denied Sweep in 9-5 Loss

The Ghosts offense scored two runs in four different innings, including two runs in the seventh after the Chukars seemed to have regained some momentum with a two-run sixth of their own.


The two teams swapped runs for the first three innings, with each squad scoring once in the first, twice in the second and no runs in the third for a 3-3 tie. Casper scored their first inning run thanks to a solo home run from shortstop Rosell Herrera to dead centerfield and plated two unearned tallies in the second thanks to errors from Chukars second baseman Luis Piterson and pitcher Aaron Brooks. The Chukars meanwhile scored in the first when first baseman Dean Espy singled in center fielder Darian Sanford and tied up the game in the second when left fielder Runey Davis tripled in shortstop Adrian Martinez. Davis would later come in to score on an error from Casper left fielder Francisco Sosa.

TBD


AZL wins 10-7. DSL wins 6-4.

[SubGod22]

Myers on his way with Futures appearance

PHOENIX -- No matter how one looks at it, Wil Myers is in a good place. And by that we don't necessarily mean Chase Field, for Sunday's XM All-Star Futures Game.

That is a prestigious situation, but even better is being a hot 20-year-old outfield prospect in an organization with an admired farm system.

Myers was part of the Royals' Sizzling Six-Pack of preseason prospects -- three of whom have already reached Kansas City and are making major contributions to the Royals.

Five months shy of his 21st birthday, Myers may not be next. But being the United States' starting Futures right fielder is a definite sign that he's on the way.

"It's awesome to be here," Myers, the High Point, N.C., product said before going hitless, but driving in a second-inning run with an infield grounder in the U.S.'s comeback 6-4 victory.

While not bad, not quite as impressive as Myers' pre-game: He spent batting practice littering the left-field grandstand with balls.

[SubGod22]

RedHawks Walk Off With Win Over Chasers

Oklahoma City, OK - Tommy Manzella's sacrifice fly brought home the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to push Oklahoma City past Omaha, 4-3, Friday night in the second of a four-game set at Bricktown Ballpark. The Storm Chasers dropped their second straight game to fall to 48-41 and saw their lead over Memphis in the American Conference North Division trimmed to one-half game.

Anderson Hernandez led off the home ninth with a looping single off Robinson Tejeda and moved to second base on a balk. Oswaldo Navarro dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Hernandez to third from where he scored the decisive marker on Manzella's fly ball to center field.

Mendoza Flirts With No-Hitter in Chasers Win

Oklahoma City, OK - Luis Mendoza threw seven no-hit innings as Omaha subdued Oklahoma City, 7-1, Saturday night in the third of a four-game set at Bricktown Ballpark. The Storm Chasers stopped a two-game slide to lift their record to 49-41 and increase their lead over Memphis to 1 1/2 games in the American Conference North Division after the Redbirds fell at Round Rock.

Mendoza opened the eighth inning by issuing a walk to the leadoff man J.R. Towles, his fourth of the night. Anderson Hernandez then looped a base hit into right-center field to spoil the no-hit bid and spell the end of the evening for the All-Star right-hander. Luis Aquino was the last Omaha hurler to author a no-hitter on June 20, 1988.


Third baseman Irving Falu made two sensational defensive plays at third base in the first four innings to help keep the RedHawks hitless while Mendoza helped his own cause by initiating an inning-ending double play in the sixth.


Mendoza was charged with one unearned run on the lone hit he allowed while striking out five to earn his sixth win of the season. Ironically, the last no-hitter thrown in the PCL was by Mendoza on August 14, 2009 when he was with OKC as a member of the Texas Rangers organization. Jeremy Jeffress tossed two scoreless innings to close out the victory as Omaha evened its road record at 23-23

Chasers Head Into Break With Win over OKC

Oklahoma City, OK - Vin Mazzaro spun seven solid innings to pitch Omaha past Oklahoma City, 4-1, Sunday afternoon and evening in the last of a four-game set at Bricktown Ballpark. The Storm Chasers held the RedHawks to four hits in winning the last two contests to earn a series split and head into the All-Star break in first place in the American Conference North Division.

Koby Clemens doubled home Robinson Cancel with two outs in the fourth inning to produce the game's first run before the Chasers took the lead for good in the fifth.


Mazzaro then blanked the hosts on two hits over the next six frames to earn his fifth win of the season. The right-hander walked one and fanned three and was followed by Brandon Sisk, who retired all six hitters he faced to close out the victory and earn his first Triple-A save.

Omaha doesn't play again until Thursday. Duffy will start.


Naturals fall in series finale vs. Missions

SAN ANTONIO, TX - Casey Kelly, the San Diego Padres' top pitching prospect, combined with one reliever to hold the Naturals to six hits en route to a 10-2 victory over Northwest Arkansas Saturday night at Wolff Municipal Stadium.
Looking for their fifth consecutive win, the Naturals (6-9, 41-41) took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third but San Antonio proceeded to score the next nine runs in what ended up a rout.

The Missions took the first lead on a leadoff homer by Blake Tekotte in the bottom of the first that put them up 1-0.

Rey Navarro singled to start the Naturals' third and Jamie Romak followed with his team leading 12th homer on the season to give the Naturals the 2-1 lead.

It was all Missions from there as their vaunted offense unleashed on Naturals' starter Zach Miner (1-5). Jedd Gyorko, the new Missions' third baseman just up from Class-A ball, hit a grand slam in the bottom of the third to give San Antonio (10-5, 59-26) a 5-2 lead, and they tacked on two more in the fourth and another run in the fifth, all charged to Miner.

Naturals comeback to thrash Hooks

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - Chris Dwyer had difficulty finding the strike zone, but fortunately for him, the Naturals didn't have any trouble finding their bats, rapping out 15 hits en route to a 10-7 victory Sunday evening over the Hooks at Whataburger Field.
Northwest Arkansas (7-9, 42-41) gave Dwyer some backing right out of the gate with two runs in the first inning and three more in the third, but the erratic Dwyer displayed the worst control of any of his starts this season, leading to a six-run frame for the Hooks in the third.

In the Naturals first, Christian Colon singled and Jeff Bianchi and both runners moved up on a double steal. Nick Francis then drove in the first run, beating out an infield single for an RBI, and Anthony Seratelli followed with his team-leading 44th RBI.

Derrick Robinson led off the third inning with his first homer on the season for the Naturals, giving Northwest Arkansas a 3-0 lead. Later in the frame, two runs came in on a single from Salvador Perez, the latter of which scored on a wild throw from Hooks' third baseman Jimmy Paredes as he attempted to get the second runner Francis scoring from third.

Baumann starts tonight.


RAIN SUSPENDS PLAY AT SALEM

Salem, VA - Dark skies at first pitch turned into pouring rain by the bottom of the second inning as Friday night's rubber match between the Wilmington Blue Rocks (42-42, 6-9) and Salem Red Sox (38-46, 7-8) was delayed and eventually suspended. The Blue Rocks owned a 2-0 advantage when home plate umpire Carlos Torres called for the tarp. The teams will conclude the contest when they next clash in Salem on August 26.
A pair of doubles led to the Rocks' tallies in the top of the second inning off starter Drake Britton. Ryan Stovall began the frame with a double to right-center field. One out later, Tim Ferguson doubled the first baseman home with his blow to left-center. David Mailman's subsequent errant throw from the gap allowed Ferguson to take third before Jose Bonilla hit the ball to deep right for a sac fly.

BLUE ROCKS BLOW LATE LEAD AND FALL IN EXTRAS

Wilmington, DE - Entering Saturday the Wilmington Blue Rocks had taken a lead into the ninth inning 32 times in 2011, and 32 times they had come out victorious. That trend came to a disappointing halt for the Blue Crew on Saturday night. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans scored two runs in the ninth inning to pull even, and then used a solo homer by Vinny DiFazio in the 10th to earn a 7-6 win over Wilmington at Frawley Stadium.
Bryan Paukovits was one pitch away from victory in the top of the ninth. The Blue Crew right-hander had Myrtle Beach down to its last strike. With David Paisano at second base and the Rocks on top, 6-4, Paukovits was ahead in the count to Jared Bolden one ball and two strikes. Three pitches later the game was tied and Wilmington was left in a state of shock from which it could not recover.

Bolden laced a double to left, that scored Paisano and cut the lead to one run. Andres James followed with a chopper toward short. Gerard Hall charged and gloved, but he bobbled the ball in the exchange and James had himself an infield single. With runners at the corners Travis Adair evened the game on the very next pitch with a liner into right. It was Paukovits' first blown save in five tries.

SAMPLE STELLAR AS ROCKS BLANK MYRTLE BEACH

Wilmington, DE - Tyler Sample tossed seven scoreless innings and an opportunistic Wilmington offense cashed in on its limited chances against heralded pitching prospect Barret Loux as the Blue Rocks beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, 3-0, on Sunday at Frawley Stadium.
For the second straight game Wilmington raced out to a 2-0 lead in the opening inning. With two outs and nobody on, was hit by a pitch and John Whittleman worked a walk. That put runners at first and second for Ryan Stovall who brought them both home when his double split the outfielders and headed into the left-centerfield alley.

This time the early cushion would prove to be enough for the Blue Crew. Sample (6-6) allowed just three hits as he kept Myrtle Beach off the board. The right-hander whiffed seven and walked only two on his way to the win.

He saw just three runners advance into scoring position during his outing. Sample worked his way out of a first and second two-out jam in the first. He then walked a pair in the third, but got C.L. All-Star Ryan Strausborger to bounce one meekly toward second that ended the inning. Strausborger tried to redeem himself with a one-out double in the sixth, but Sample followed that up with consecutive grounders to short. The right-hander retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced.

Marks is expected to lead the Blue Crew tonight.


KC knocked off Burlington and are now 12-5 with a 2 game lead in the 2nd half.


Royals Hang On, Win Third Straight

Burlington, NC- After a 39 minute weather delay, the Burlington Royals won their third straight game on Friday night, improving their record to 6-12, as they beat the Bristol White Sox, 7-6, at Burlington Athletic Stadium. The loss is the second straight for the White Sox, who are now 8-10. Malcom Culver gets the win on the mound, his first, while Matthew Lane takes the loss after giving up five runs, all earned, in two thirds of an inning. Tyler Graham recorded the save for the Royals.
Burlington manufactured the first run of the game in the bottom of the third, after Cam Connor led off with a single, He would steal second base, and be bunted to third on a sacrifice by Jovan Pickett, and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Justin Trapp. Bristol would counter in their next at bat, scoring two unearned runs after an error from Michael Antonio cost the Royals a double play that would have ended the inning.

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Trapp led off with a double that went off Rangel Ravelo's glove at third base, and into left field. He would move up to third on a sacrifice bunt from Jose Rodriguez, and score on an RBI single from Murray Watts. Small ball had helped lead the way for Burlington, helping them to their two runs, and making it a 2-2 game through six innings.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Royals put up five runs, coming off two singles, and three doubles, as they batted around. The inning's runs were charged to Lane, who would leave the game with two outs, in favor of Jason Van Skike, who struck out the only batter he faced.

Burlington Rolling, Wins Fourth Straight

Burlington, NC- The Royals won their fourth straight game on Saturday night, defeating the Bristol White Sox, 3-2 at Burlington Athletic Stadium in front of a crowd of 1,860. Cory Hall blew the save, but came away with the win, while Tim Kiley takes the loss. Nick Graffeo pitched the ninth for the Royals to record the save. It is the second one-run win in two nights for Burlington, who is now 7-12, while Bristol falls to 8-11.
The Royals opened the scoring in their first at bat with four straight singles, and RBI's from Michael Antonio and Murray Watts. The game would remain scoreless until the top of the fifth, when Bristol would cut the deficit in half. Jordan Keegan scored on a fielder's choice to make it 2-1. Two innings later, the White Sox would tie the game on an RBI double from Grant Buckner, scoring Keegan again.

In the bottom half of the seventh inning, with Kenney Swab on first, Jovan Pickett would double into the left field corner to put the go-ahead run 90 feet away. The next batter, Justin Trapp, would fly out to center, but deep enough for Swab to tag from third and score to put the Royals on top, 3-2. With two outs in the top of the eighth, the White Sox had the tying run on second, and brought in Brad Salgado to pinch run, but could not capitalize. In the ninth, Graffeo entered the game, protecting a one-run lead facing the top of the Bristol lineup. He struck out all three batters he faced, two looking, to earn his second save, and the seventh win of the season for the Royals.

Bristol Ends Burlington Streak in Series Finale

Burlington, NC- The Burlington Royals concluded their home stand by falling to the Bristol White Sox, 4-3. Though losing game three, the Royals won the series, their second straight, with each game having a one-run decision. Eric Cantrell, who came in as relief for starter Andrea Pizziconi, is tagged with the loss, while the win was awarded to Jake Cose.
The Royals opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, when Michael Antonio's single scored Justin Trapp from third to make it 1-0. Antonio went to second on a passed ball, and scored on a single from Murray Watts to give Burlington an early two run advantage. The White Sox would get their first runs in the top of the third, as Jordan Keegan would hit his first homer of the year to cut the lead in half. Three batters later, an RBI single from Cory Farris would tie the game. A sacrifice fly would follow to score Collin Kuhn, and Bristol would take a 3-2 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Murray Watts hit his ninth home run of the season, taking it to the opposite field to tie the game.

In the top of the seventh, an error from pitcher Eric Cantrell turned what would have been an out at first from Collin Kuhn into a tight situation with the go-ahead run at third. Juhn would score on a sacrifice fly from Cory Farris to make it 4-3.

Burlington has the day off today. Murray will pitch tomorrow.


Owlz Fly Past Chukars 5-1

The Idaho Falls Chukars entered Friday night's contest in Orem with a 5-1 road record this season, but the Owlz pitching staff flew through the Chukars offense en route to a 5-1 loss in just 1 hour and 56 minutes.


The game, which was the quickest of the season for the Chukars, was controlled by both pitching staffs, as the two clubs combined for 12 hits, no walks and 17 strikeouts.


Orem starting pitcher Logan Odem was the main story as the right-hander, who had averaged less than three innings per start coming in, held the Chukars to just one run on three hits over six innings pitched, striking out five.


In fact, the lone Idaho Falls run came from the very first batter of the game as left fielder Tyler Chism launched his first home run of the year over the left field wall to put the Chukars up 1-0.

Chukars Bombed by Owlz 12-1 in Route

The Idaho Falls Chukars had to like their chances of evening up their series against the Orem Owlz with ace Brennon Martin taking the mound Saturday night, but Orem had other plans as the Owlz crushed five home runs off the Chukars starter en route to a 12-1 win at Brent Brown Ballpark.


Martin entered the game with a 1-0 record and a 2.57 ERA, but the left-hander was absolutely crushed by the Owlz to the tune of 10 runs allowed on 10 hits, including the five homers, over just three innings pitched.


Orem wasted no time in jumping on the Chukars number one hurler, as right fielder Ryan Jones tripled in the first and came in to score on designated hitter C.J. Cron's RBI groundout.


The real damage started in the second inning, when the Owlz erupted for six runs on seven hits, including their first four blasts over the wall. Catcher Francis Larson started the inning with a solo homer over the left field wall, followed by a 2-run blast from left fielder Andrew Ray, another 2-run bomb to right field by Jones and a solo-shot by Cron to put Orem up 7-0.

Chukars Blow 7 Run Lead, Lose 10-9

For the first five innings of Sunday afternoon's game the Idaho Falls Chukars looked to be in complete control and well on their way to their first victory in Orem, but the Owlz feasted on the Chukars bullpen starting in the sixth and rallied all the way back for a 10-9 win at Brent Brown Ballpark.


The Chukars built a 7-0 lead through the firs t 3 ½ innings with designated hitter Dean Espy leading the way. Espy smoked a three-run home run to left field in the third inning, followed by an RBI double in the fourth, to give Idaho Falls a commanding lead.


The Owlz would score once in the bottom of the fourth off of Chukars starting pitcher Kellen Moen, but the real damage would come off the Idaho Falls bullpen in the sixth. With Moen out of the game the Owlz offense woke up against Chukars reliever Spencer Patton, scoring four runs on four hits to make the score 7-5. The big blast in the sixth came from Owlz right fielder Gary Mitchell who hit a 3-run homer to right field.


After Chukars first baseman Henry Moreno hit his first home run of the season to right field to put Idaho Falls up 8-5, the Owlz would continue their bludgeoning of the Chukars pen in the seventh scoring four more runs on three hits to take a 9-5 lead. The decisive moment in the inning came with the bases loaded and one out, as Orem first baseman Frazier Hall hit a line drive to right field that Justin Fradejas tried to slide and catch. He missed the catch however, and the ball rolled all the way to the wall and cleared the bases.

AZL won yesterday to move their record to 7-10. DSL also won 12-2 to put them 2 games out of first at 20-15

[SubGod22]

Double-A Scouting Report.

As many of you know, I’m in Kansas City this weekend to attend the Royals series. While I’ve spent most of the last two days doing a lot of media engagements – including my first-ever Kansas City TV appearance on the pre-game show today – tomorrow is dedicated to the fans. We’re having our first-ever Baseball Prospectus event at Kauffman Stadium tomorrow; while it’s sold out, if you happen to be at the game, feel free to stop by the right field stands in front of Rivals restaurant and say hi. I’ll be the guy wearing the 90s-era gray Royals cap.

I figure I owe you guys a column, and since the alternative is paying more attention to Kyle Davies on the mound – he’s not fooling anyone, well besides the Royals – here you go.

I have a friend I see who works as a scout for a major-league team, who I see every now and again in a social setting. I happen to run into him on Wednesday, and casually asked if he just got back from the road.

“Actually, I just came back from seeing Northwest Arkansas play,” he said.

So the following is a distillation of his comments about some of the Royals’ prospects. I wasn’t taking notes, so this isn’t a verbatim recollection. But it’s accurate enough.

Reading the comments afterward crack me up. I'm not sure anyone expected Colon to be an everyday SS. Maybe 2B. Dwyer is having issues as a starter and may end up in the pen. Nothing else said is really bad.

[SubGod22]

9 innings with Omaha Storm Chasers C Cody Clark

[SubGod22]

Midseason Minor League All Stars

While some would say it has been a rough 1st half for Royals prospects with injuries and poor performance of a few there are still plenty of Royals prospects having solid seasons. If many teams had graduated the seven players to the bigs that the Royals have their roster of talent at the minors would be completed depleted, that isn’t the case for Kansas City. So lets take a look at who has performed in the first half.

I can't really argue with any of it. There are still a number of guys showing a lot of potential in the system. KC/Burlington/Wilmington should be fun to watch over the next couple years.

[SubGod22]

Omaha returns Thursday.

Hooks take early lead, beat Naturals

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - A three-run second inning ended up the difference as the Naturals fell to the Hooks Monday night by a 5-2 final at Whataburger Field.
For the second straight night in south Texas, a Naturals' starter had difficulties keeping the ball in the strike zone, as Manauris Baez (1-1) walked five and fanned just three one night after Chris Dwyer issued six walks in his Sunday night start.

Corpus Christi (7-10, 32-55) got a one out homer from Jimmy Paredes in the bottom of the first and didn't look back from there.

The Hooks tagged Baez with another homer to start thier three-run third as light-hitting shortstop Jonathan Villar led off the frame with a solo shot to put Corpus Christi up 2-0. Paredes then worked a walk and Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases with nobody out.

Baez then issued a bases loaded walk to Kody Hinze to make it 3-0, and a fourth run came across on a double play grounder from Jacob Goebbert.

Odorizzi makes his second start.

ROCKS HOLD ON TO EDGE MYRTLE BEACH

Wilmington, DE - It sure was not pretty on Monday night at Frawley Stadium, but the end result was beautiful as far as the Wilmington Blue Rocks were concerned. In a game that saw five errors, two passed balls and five double plays combined between the two teams, the Blue Crew held on for a 3-2 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
Justin Marks was the key to Wilmington's win. The left-hander did his best Houdini impersonation by wiggling his way into and out of numerous en route to six scoreless innings pitched.

Marks' magic act began in the opening inning when he saw the first two Myrtle Beach batters reach on errors. So the pitcher used some defense of his own to quell the threat, picking Leury Garcia off of second base.

The 23-year-old Kentucky native used his glove to get out of two more jams later in the contest. He avoided damage after a leadoff double in the fourth by stabbing a line drive and then tossing it to third to complete a rally-killing double play. Marks (5-6) then showed off his reflexes by fielding a sharp one-hopper to the mound with two down and runners at second and third in the sixth.

Wilmington's offense did much of its work early. The Rocks plated a pair in the opening frame for the third straight time. John Whittleman drove in one of the scores with his RBI grounder to first and Ryan Stovall added another on a double that landed on the warning track in center.

The Blue Crew get today off. Pimentel will start tomorrow.

KC beats Burlington again, 7-3. (13-5)

Burlington had the day off. Murray starts tonight.

Owlz Come From Behind Again, Win 7-5

The Chukars jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the third, when left fielder Justin Fradejas belted a 2-run home run to left field, his first of the season. Idaho Falls would push their lead to 3-0 with another run in the top of the third, thanks to a triple from second baseman Daniel Mateo off the top of the wall and an RBI groundout by first baseman Dean Espy.


The Owlz got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, as third baseman Kaleb Cowert had an RBI single and catcher Abel Baker an RBI sacrifice fly to make the score 3-2. Orem would score two more runs in the fifth inning on a two-run double by left fielder Ryan Jones to put them up 4-3.


The Chukars would answer back however, scoring two runs of their own in the top of the sixth thanks to a 2-run homer from designated hitter Henry Moreno, which put Idaho Falls up 5-4. The lead would be short lived though, as Baker doubled in a run in the bottom of the sixth for Orem to tie the game up at 5-5.

Chukars have the day off and resume play tomorrow. No word on the starter.

AZL had the day off. DSL appears to have won 6-1.

[SubGod22]

Duffy pitches tomorrow.

Odorizzi gets no-decision after seven strong in second Double-A start

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - Chris Wallace snapped an eighth-inning tie with a pinch-hit grand slam as the Corpus Christi Hooks topped the Naturals, 7-3, in the rubber game of their series at Whataburger Field on Tuesday night.
The Naturals (7-11, 42-43) had tied the score at three in the top of the eighth when Wil Myers drove in Jamie Romak with a sacrifice fly off of reliever Henry Villar (1-2). Kevin Chapman (1-1) entered the game to start the bottom of the frame and yielded a base hit to two of the first three hitters he faced.

After striking out Jacob Goebbert for the second out of the inning, Chapman walked J.D. Martinez to load the bases. Corpus Christi (8-10, 33-55) skipper Tom Lawless sent Chris Wallace to the plate in place of Jon Gaston, and Wallace promptly deposited an 0-1 pitch over the left field fence for the game's decisive blow.

The home run was Wallace's third since a mid-season promotion from Class-A Lexington - and his second grand slam against the Naturals in the month of July. Wallace also cleared the bases with a home run at Arvest Ballpark on July 3.

Though his efforts did not lead to a win for the Naturals, Jake Odorizzi delivered another solid outing in his second Double-A start. After Jonathan Villar tagged the right-hander for a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first, Odorizzi did not allow another run until the fifth.

Odorizzi solid in second Double-A start

Jake Odorizzi is adjusting well to life at Double-A.
MLB.com's No. 29 prospect allowed three runs on five hits over seven innings in his second start for Northwest Arkansas, but the Naturals fell to Corpus Christi, 7-3.

After winning in his Double-A debut, Odorizzi struck out four and walked one in his first quality start with his new team.

The 21-year-old right-hander's night did not start out well as he allowed a leadoff homer to Jonathan Villar in the first. But Odorizzi quickly got over the hiccup.

"Anyone that's played at Corpus Christi knows how the wind goes out to left," Odorizzi said. "I thought it was a fly ball and it just kept going. I just thought I'd start over, reset. I went back to work and forgot about it, it happens."

He went on to retire 14 of the next 16 batters he faced, walking only J.D. Martinez in the first and yielding a leadoff single to Jacob Goebbert in the fourth.

"I was throwing the ball pretty well, and the defense made plays behind me," Odorizzi said. "We got through those innings pretty quickly."

He gave up his final two runs in the sixth, when he surrendered back-to-back RBI doubles to Jimmy Paredes and Goebbert. He then retired the final five batters he faced, not allowing the ball to leave the infield.

Will Smith starts tomorrow as NWA has today off.

Wilmington had yesterday off and will start Pimentel tonight.

KC had the day off

Royals Fall in Series Opener at Princeton

Princeton, WV- The Princeton Rays downed the Burlington Royals 4-1 on Tuesday night in the first game of the series at H.P. Hunnicutt Field. Matt Murray takes the loss, his first, while Matthew Spann earned his second win.
The Royals took the lead in the top of the second inning. With one out, Jorge Bonifacio tripled and would score on a groundout by Jin-Ho Shin to give the road team a 1-0 advantage. In the bottom of the fourth, the Rays would take the lead on a two-run home run from Cameron Seitzer, his third of the year.

In Princeton's next at-bat, Joshua Sale would try to score from second on a single from Ryan Brett, but was gunned down at the plate from Bonifacio in right. Brett would advance to second on the throw, and Jake Hager, who was on first, moved up to third. The next batter, Drew Vettleson, would single to score both men on base, and give the Rays a 4-1 lead.

In the top of the seventh Burlington was able to load the bases with one out, but Jovan Pickett would strike out swinging, and Lane Adams would ground out to end the threat.

Yambati starts tonight.

Chukars had the day off as well. No clue who's starting tonight.

AZL had the day off too. DSL lost 6-7 in 10.