Just three games on the slate with Wilmington being the only team to claim a win.
HR Roll Call Ryan O’Hearn (4)
BP KC Hitter of the Day – Elier Hernandez 2-3 2b, BB, R, 2 RBI, SB
BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Jake Newberry 2.1 IP 3 H 0 R 0 BB 4 K
Trade Announced – Royals traded Cody Decker to the Colorado Rockies for cash consideration on Wednesday. This is an easy move for the Royals considering the unlikelihood that Decker would be given much of a shot with a Royals roster that already features Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales in the 1b and DH roles. Besides those two, Decker was relegated to part-time duty with Jose Martinez, Balbino Fuenmayor, Travis Snider and Jorge Bonifacio bunched into spots where Decker could find ABs. A PCL All-Star last season with El-Paso, this move will give the former Padres prospect more playing time with the Rockies Triple-A affiliate and a better chance of cracking the major league roster sometime this season. This move also gives Omaha a spot to slide Cheslor Cuthbert over to first base at times if the Royals push Hunter Dozier up to the Triple-A level during the year.
Round Rock Express 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 1
Starter Jon Dziedzic lost his scoreless earned run streak in his third start of the year when he gave up an ER in the 3rd inning Wednesday. The lefty worked around six hits and four walks which was his largest output in the season but still kept his ERA at a tidy 0.53. The Chasers turned to Brian Flynn following the Dziedzic and his fellow lefty continued his struggles when Patrick Kivlehan took him deep for a grand slam in the 7th inning. Those runs were more than enough with the Chasers scoring just one run on the evening.
Jorge Bonifacio 1-4 RBI
Whit Merrifield 0-3 BB, 3 SB (9)
Balbino Fuenmayor 1-4 hitting .326
Wilmington Blue Rocks 13 Frederick Keys 4
The Wilmington offense exploded in Frederick for a season-high 17 hits and 13 runs in cruising to a series-deciding win. The onslaught came early with 10 runs in the first four innings including a five run second inning that featured the team batting around on five hits and a pair of walks. An all-around hitting effort featured seven different Rocks with at least two hits, while five had two or more RBI and only Roman Collins failed to reach base among the eleven players that took plate appearances in the game. The win secured back-to-back series wins for the Rocks and closed out a successful 5-2 roadtrip. Projectable lefty starter Matt Tenuta earned the win with 5.1 innings of two run ball with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. First baseman Ryan O’Hearn hit his 4th home run of the season, his second inside-the-park homer in the past week, which is quite the feat considering he said that he hadn’t even hit one during his little league career. The Rocks head home for a five game home series with Potomac starting Thursday.
Ryan O’Hearn 2-6 HR (4) 3 RBI
Wander Franco 2-5 2-2b (4), 2R, RBI
Corey Toups 2-4 R, BB
Asheville Tourist 10 Lexington Legends 0
The start to the pro career for Nolan Watson has been less than spectacular to say the least for the 2015 1st round pick. The right-handed starter who is said to have four possibly average or more pitches has struggled to get strikeouts both this year and last while being hit around at a significant mark so far this season. Those same things took place during this one as Watson gave up six hits, three for extra bases, while earning just one K and walking two hitters to yield six runs in just 3.2 innings. With an ERA right around 11, things aren’t looking bright in his short pro stint. On the offensive side, things didn’t go well either as the Rockies 2015 2nd round pick shutdown the Legends to the tune of 2 hits and 0 runs over 5 innings to earn an easy victory.
Nolan Watson 3.2 IP 6 H 6 R 5 ER 2 BB K 10.97 ERA
Marten Gasparini 1-4 2b hitting just .136
Amalani Fukofuka 2-4 hitting .278
Is it really accurate to call this a trade? It sounds more like a sale to me.