HR Roll Call: Ryan O’Hearn (22), Jack Lopez (5), MJ Melendez (4)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Brewer Hicklen 3-4 2R, 2b, RBI, SB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Colin Rodgers 6 IP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 5 K 8-4 GO-FO 83p/50k 

NW Arkansas Naturals 6 Tulsa Drillers 2

The Naturals Foster Griffin settled down after giving up back to back home runs in the second inning and kept his club in the game before being rewarded later. The lefty was highly efficient after the two home runs, working eight innings on just 90 pitches while retiring 13 of the final 14 hitters he would face before being lifted for Richard Lovelady.

Trailing 2-1 into the eighth inning, the Naturals rewarded their starters quality work by getting a pair of RBI singles by Jack Lopez and Samir Duenez to take the lead. After Griffin made that lead stand up in his half of the eighth, the Naturals gave the bullpen some cushion when Lopez and Ryan O’Hearn hit back to back home runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

The win for Griffin was his 15th of the season. That equals Jake Odorizzi’s 2012 and Rowdy Hardy’s 2007 season for the most by a minor league pitcher during the Dayton Moore era.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 1-4 HR, BB
Donnie Dewees 2-3 2R, RBI, BB, SB (20)
Samir Duenez 1-5 RBI
Foster Griffin 8 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 7 K 2 HR 9-5 GO-FO 90p/60k
Richard Lovelady 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 2-0 GO-FO 10p/7k

Down East Wood Ducks 1 Wilmington Blue Rocks 0 F/12

The Blue Rocks received 10 innings of shutout pitching but couldn’t do anything with it before falling in the twelfth on Thursday night. Starting pitcher Colin Rodgers gave Wilmington six shutout innings to start this one, working around five hits and a pair of walks before leaving. His bullpen mate Franco Terrero kept the zeroes going, allowing just three hits in his three innings.

While those two were working shutout baseball, the Rangers affiliate had a starter blank Wilmington for eight and one-third innings as Steven Bruce struck out seven and didn’t walk one while working around six Blue Rocks singles.

Tied after eleven innings, lefty reliever Justin Camp gave up a two out RBI single to give the Wood Ducks the lead before the Rocks went down 1-2-3 to take the loss.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 0-5
Chris DeVito 0-5

Idaho Falls Chukars 11 Grand Junction Rockies 4

The Chukars offense turned a 3-0 deficit into a 7-3 lead with a pair of multi-run innings to take control of the game versus the Rockies rookie league team. A five run third inning did the majority of the damage as Idaho Falls piled up four hits to go with a walk and a Rockies error. The big hits in the inning were a pair of doubles by Amalani Fukofuka and Freddy Fermin that scored three of the five Chukar runs.

Starter Julio Pinto gave the team six innings of four run ball while Idaho Falls continued to pile on, scoring four more runs including a three run sixth inning that featured a Fukofuka rbi triple to put the game well in hand.

Boxscore Link

Matt Morales 2-3 3R, 2b, RBI, 2 BB
Brewer Hicklen 3-4 2R, 2b, RBI, SB
Amalani Fukofuka 2-3 R, 2b, 3b, 2 RBI

Bristol Pirates 8 Burlington Royals 3 

Starter Andres Sotillet’s struggles continued as the 20-year-old Venezuelan right-handed starter gave up six hits, one walk, and six runs in just one and one-third innings to take his second loss decision for Burlington.

That hole was just too large for the offense to overcome and the Pirates tacked on a couple insurance runs to put the game further out of reach while the Royals fell 10 games below .500.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 2-5 R, 2b
Oliver Nunez 2-5 R, 2-2b

AZL Dodgers 6 AZL Royals 1

The Royals 2017 2nd round pick Evan Steele made his fifth start since joining the organization, working another two innings. The lefty gave up one hit in the first inning before allowing three runs when he gave up a home run, a single and a triple after plunking a hitter. On the bright side, Steele did strikeout three hitters to give him 16 K’s in just eight innings of work.

Lefty Marlin Willis followed with three innings of his own, allowing a run on four hits while helping create six groundouts. Coming into this start Willis had a 60 percent groundball rate and he did nothing to change that in this one with eight of the 10 balls contacted off him ending up in groundballs.

While the two lefties gave up four combined runs the Dodgers pitching limited the Royals to just five hits with the only run coming via MJ Melendez’s fourth home run of the year.

Boxscore Link

MJ Melendez 1-4 HR
Nick Pratto 0-4
Evan Steele 2 IP 4 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 3 K HBP 2-1 GO-FO
Marling Willis 3 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 2 K HBP 6-0 GO-FO

HR Roll Call Samir Duenez (17), Khalil Lee (14)

BPKC Hitter of the Day Khalil Lee 2-3 2R, 3b, HR, BB, SB (19)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Adriam Castillo 5 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 5 K 3-1 GO-FO

Omaha Storm Chasers 6 Iowa Cubs 5

The Chasers and Cubs walked a combined 14 hitters while also combining for 19 hits.With all that action on the bases, Omaha was able to outscore the Cubs squad by a run thanks in part to a four run second frame. In that inning, Brayan Pena plated a pair with a rbi single prior to Corey Toups driving him in and then later scoring on a wild pitch. The difference in the game ended up being a bases loaded walk in the eighth to Raul Mondesi.

Boxscore Link

Ramon Torres 1-4 R
Raul Mondesi 1-3 RBI, BB
Frank Schwindel 2-4 R, RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 2 Frisco RoughRiders 1

The Naturals scored just two runs on Friday but it was enough thanks to three pitchers holding Frisco at bay. Starter Zach Lovvorn worked around five hits to allow just one run in five and one-third innings. The righty who has gone back and forth between starting and the pen allowed a home run to Luis Marte but worked around everything else to hand the game to Matt Tenuta. Tied 1-1 Tenuta worked two and two-third scoreless, earning the win thanks to a solo home run provided by Samir Duenez in the sixth inning that gave NW Arkansas the lead.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 1-4 HR, CS (3)
Hunter Dozier 1-3 R, 2b
Paulo Orlando 2-3 BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 4 Salem Red Sox 2

The Rocks received a quality start from Jace Vines with the ground ball expert earning 11 groundouts to help navigate around seven hits allowed. Three double plays by the defense helped Vines navigate his six and one-third innings with just two runs allowed.

The Rocks scored three runs in the third inning with a bases loaded two run single by Wander Franco and another rbi single by Brandon Downes. Outfielder Roman Collins singled in an insurance run in the seventh frame and reliever Franco Terrero shut the door from there.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 1-5 RBI
Nick Heath 1-2 2R, 3 BB, 2 SB (14)
Jace Vines 6.1 IP 7 H 2 R 1 ER 1 BB 2 K 11-4 GO-FO 104p/68k

Charleston RiverDogs 7 Lexington Legends 3 

For the second straight night, the Yankees Low-A team put up a big enough inning to take down Lexington. On this night it was the third frame with Charleston plating five runs off starter Anthony Bender, getting a pair of home runs in the inning to push the runs across. The righty gave up three home runs in his three innings including two by Steven Sensley the Yankees 12th round pick who has hit 12 home runs in just 40 games since being drafted.

The Legends offense was mostly provided by Khalil Lee, tripling and scoring in the first frame and hitting his fourteenth home run of the season in the sixth.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 2-3 2R, 3b, HR, BB, SB (19)
Cody Nesbit 2 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 K 31p/22k 0-3 GO-FO
Emmanuel Rivera 0-3 RBI, HBP
Michael Gigliotti 0-4 K

Idaho Falls Chukars 6 Great Falls Voyagers 3

The Chukars won a back and forth game after All Star Janser Lara left with a decent night on the mound. The hard throwing Dominican righty worked five and two-third innings, striking out four and giving up one run on two hits and four walks allowed.

Once he left the game the offenses got rolling with Idaho Falls grabbing three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on a pair of hits and an error.  The Voyagers bounced back for two runs but Idaho Falls answered those runs with two of their own to earn the 6-3 win.

Newcomer Brewer Hicklen had an rbi triple as part of the fun in that inning in his first Pioneer league game.

Boxscore Link

Brewer Hicklen 1-3 R, 3b, RBI, BB
Amalani Fukofuka 2-3 2R, Bb, SB (29)
Travis Jones 2-4 2R, 3b, SB (12)
Janser Lara 5.2 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 4 BB 4 K 6-6 GO-FO

Pulaski Yankees 4 Burlington Royals 2

20-year-old Venezuelan born Andres Sotillet made his first Appalachian start on Friday. After struggling in the Pioneer League and then finding his footing in Arizona Sotillet had a mixed start in this one. Earning just one strikeout the right-handed pitcher had to work around seven hits including four that went for extra bases leaving him able to only avoid so much damage, allowing four runs on the night.

The four runs were enough for the Yankees to take the win as their pitching limited the Royals to two runs thanks in part to 12 strikeouts.

Boxscore Link

Cal Jones 1-4 R, 3K
Sebastian Rivero 2-4 1-1 CS/Att

AZL Rangers 6 AZL Royals 0

The Royals couldn’t connect on an extra base hit in nine innings and mounted just five singles in a shutout loss.

Boxscore Link

Nick Pratto 1-3 BB
MJ Melendez 2-4

DSL Marlins 1 DSL Royals 0
DSL Marlins 5 DSL Royals 0

The Royals were shutout in a pair of games against the Marlins while ruining a pair of shutout starts and going a combined 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

Boxscore G1
Boxscore G2

HR Roll Call: Frank Schwindel (17), Chase Vallot (12), Logan Gray (3), Cal Jones (2)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jake Kalish 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 80p/50k, 7-1 GO-FO

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Oliver Nunez 3-3, R, 2b, SB (11)

Omaha Storm Chasers 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 1

The Chasers hottest bat kept rolling and the squad got another good appearance by Onelki Garcia. Designated hitter/first baseman Frank Schwindel hit his eighth home run in his 10 last games played, hitting a solo home run in the fourth and driving another in the seventh with a single. Additional runs were scored in the fourth and seventh innings and Garcia combined with three additional pitchers to limit Aburquerque to just a first inning run.

Boxscore Link

Cheslor Cuthbert 0-2, BB
Ryan O’Hearn 0-1
Kyle Zimmer 0.2, IP 1 H – He left the game with undisclosed injury.
Eric Stout 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R

Arkansas Travelers 5, NW Arkansas Naturals 0

The Naturals couldn’t get a run across after being limited to seven singles. Starter Jake Kalish kept them tied over five innings, but reliever Zach Lovvorn gave up a run in his inning of work and four unearned runs came across on Jake Newberry to put the game out of reach.

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 0-4
Samir Duenez 0-4
Donnie Dewees 1-1
Anderson Miller 0-4

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3, Salem Red Sox 1 – F/10

The Rocks walked off to end the suspended game in the tenth inning when Chase Vallot smashed his 12th home run of the season.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2BB
Brandon Downes 1-4, R, 2b, 2 K
Chris DeVito 0-5, 3K
Scott Blewett 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 5-4 GO-FO, 78p/51k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 6, Salem Red Sox 4

The Rocks new addition, Jace Vines, struggled in his first inning of his first Carolina League start, giving up four runs in the first before settling down. The righty settled down retiring 11 of 12 that he faced from the first through fourth before getting into a jam in the fifth and getting bailed out by Walker Sheller.

Luckily for Vines, the Rocks offense scored three in the first inning on hits by Wander Franco, Brandon Downes, and Colton Frabasilio to pull within one before taking the lead in the sixth. In that sixth inning, wayward throws by Salem helped give the Rocks the lead. To start the inning, two hit-by-pitches put runners on before a throwing error gave Wilmington the lead after D.J. Burt had tied the game with a RBI single.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 2-4, R, 2b, RBI
Chase Vallot 0-2, R, BB, HBP, K
Jace Vines 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 8/2 GO-FO, 96p/50k

West Virginia Power 7, Lexington Legends 3

The Legends mid-July swoon continued with the sweep at the hands of the Power on Tuesday. The loss for Lexington was their eighth in nine games as lefty Andre Davis got tagged for six runs in five innings. The offense went 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position, and leadoff hitter Khalil Lee’s rough July continued with an 0 for 5 night with a pair of strikeouts. The Royals top 5 prospect has seen his average plummet with a .174 average in the month.

This type of rough month is typical for a player in his first year of full-season ball and should not be paid major weight. Rather, look for any adjustments Lee might make the rest of the season and into next year to see how he can mentally handle the failure.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 0-5, SB (18), 2K
Marten Gasparini 1-4, R, SB (15)
Emmanuel Rivera 1-4, RBI

Missoula Osprey 8, Idaho Falls Chukars 6

Lefthanded starter Holden Capps took his first loss in the Pioneer League, giving up six runs on six hits and three walks over just 3.1 innings. The Chukars couldn’t overcome the eight runs by Missoula despite 13 hits and five walks by Idaho Falls, falling a couple runs short.

Boxscore Link

Amalani Fukofuka 2-4, 2R, 2b, RBI, BB
Logan Gray 1-5, HR

Johnson City Cardinals 5, Burlington Royals 2

The Royals went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and reliever Joey Markus’s struggles continued in Burlington’s loss to Johnson City.

Boxscore Link

Michael Gigliotti 0-3, BB
Seuly Matias 0-4, 3K
Jeison Guzman 1-3
Cal Jones 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2K

Wednesday Probables:
Omaha – Eric Skoglund
NW Arkansas – Corey Ray
Wilmington – Jared Ruxer
Lexington – Off
Idaho Falls – Janser Lara
Burlington – Sal Biasi
AZL Royals – TBD

HR Roll Call: Ryan O’Hearn (16), Logan Moon (6), Anderson Miller (9), Jon McCray (5)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Ryan O’Hearn 3-4 2R, HR, 2b, 2 RBI

Postgame Audio from O’Hearn

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Yender Caramo 6 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 2 K 8-5 GO-FO 62p/45k

Omaha Storm Chasers 9 Colorado Springs Sky Sox 7

The Chasers built a big lead during their Tuesday afternoon contest and then had to hang on late for the win.

Starting pitcher Yender Caramo tossed six innings of efficient shutout baseball on just 60 pitches before tweaking his shoulder on the second pitch of the seventh inning. With a 7-0 lead at the time, it seemed as if the Chasers would cruise to a victory only to watch the bullpen struggle and end up in a dog fight. Reliever Christian Binford walked four of the five hitters he faced allowing three runs before yielding to Seth Manness who gave up five hits and three runs of his own. With their lead wavering at 8-6, the Chasers turned to reliable reliever Eric Stout to close the door, getting a four out save for his first Triple-A save.

The offense was keyed by a pair of two run home runs from Ryan O’Hearn and Logan Moon. Those hitters were on base multiple times each, accounting for seven of the nine runs scored in the game for Omaha.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 3-4 2R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI
Cheslor Cuthbert 0-3 R, BB
Eric Stout 1.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 Bb 1 K 2-1 GO-FO 23p/15k

Springfield Cardinals 8 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

The struggles to Josh Staumont’s season continued in this game versus Springfield. He threw just 38 strikes on 81 pitches in this one for Staumont who walked five hitters in just four innings while allowing five runs on seven hits. After three innings of shutout ball from Zach Lovvorn helped NW Arkansas claw within a couple runs, reliever Yunior Marte was roughed up for three runs on a pair of home runs to put the game out of reach.

A pair of hitters moved up from Wilmington had good nights at the plate with Nicky Lopez collecting three hits and Anderson Miller connecting on a double and a home run.

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 3-5
Samir Duenez 1-4 R, BB
Donnie Dewees 0-4 BB
Anderson Miller 2-5 2b, HR, 3 RBI, OF Assist

Potomac Nationals 7 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

The Rocks Scott Blewett kept them in the game despite less than his best stuff, working around three first inning runs and nine hits to limit the damage against to four runs in seven innings. This gave the lineup some time to pull within a couple runs but an 0 for 8 night with runners in scoring position and reliever Walker Sheller’s three runs allowed ultimately blew the game for Wilmington.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 0-4 BB
Chris DeVito 3-4
Chase Vallot 1-2 2b, RBI, BB
Scott Blewett 7 IP 9 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 4 K 7-5 GO-FO 88p/57k

Idaho Falls 6 Missoula Osprey 1

For a team that has struggled to pitch, Holden Capps has been a welcome addition. The lefty worked another scoreless outing, tossing five innings while striking out four hitters. The offense backed Capps up with three runs in the third inning, two coming on an Amalani Fukofuka triple before he scored on a wild pitch. After a run in the fifth another triple, this one from Robby Rinn plated two more to put the game well out of reach.

Boxscore Link

Holden Capps 5 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 4 K 6-2 GO-FO
Amalani Fukofuka 1-3 2R, 3b, 2 RBI, SB (17)
Cristhian Vasquez 2-3 2R, 3b

Johnson City Cardinals 6 Burlington Royals 3

The Royals two pitchers were knocked around for 11 hits and six runs while the offense was limited to just six hits. Catcher Sebastian Rivero had two hits at the plate while driving in a pair of runs. The 18-year-old is doing a decent job of holding his own at the plate hitting .263/.305/.408 with a pair of home runs.

Boxscore Link

Nolan Watson 4 IP 6 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 3 K 68p/44k 2-2 GO-fO
Michael Gigliotti 0-2 RBI, 2 BB
Jeison Guzman 0-4 2K
Seuly Matias 0-4
Sebastian Rivero 2-4 R, 2 RBI

AZL Royals 5 AZL Mariners 3

The Royals 3rd round pick, Dan Tillo, took the hill again on Tuesday for the Arizona League squad, tossing three innings with one run allowed. The lefty worked two scoreless innings before a one out triple and infield single plated a run in the third inning. An Isaiah Smith double plated Mauricio Ramos and Esteury Ruiz in the fourth to give the Royals a one run lead that they would not relinquish.

Royals Latin lefty Andres Sotillet struggled in Idaho Falls but has performed well in Arizona, working five and two-thirds innings on this night while allowing two runs and striking out nine to earn the win.

Boxscore Link

Esteury Ruiz 3-4 R, 2b, SB (8), PO
MJ Melendez 0-3 BB, 1/2 CS/Att, 1 PB
Dan Tillo 3 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 4 K
Cristian Perez 1-4 2R,

DSL Royals 1 DSL A’s 0

The Royals Delvin Capellan is making a serious case to win DSL pitcher of the year after another solid start on Tuesday. Coming into the game Capellan had a microscopic WHIP of 0.66 and all he did in this one is lower it, allowing just one hit in his six innings of work. The righty didn’t miss as many bats, as usual, striking out just one in that time but he got 11 groundouts and left with a season high innings worked for a game. The games lone run came on a two out rbi single by Edickson Soto in the fourth inning.

Boxscore Link

Delvin Capellan 6 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 11-4 GO-FO
Reynin Reynoso 2-3 R, CS (10)
Ismaldo Rodriguez 0-3 3K

Wednesday’s Projected Starters
Omaha RHP Luke Farrell 7-4 4.14 ERA
NW Arkansas LHP Emilio Ogando 7-6 3.86
Lexington RHP Jace Vines 9-4 2.71
Burlington LHP Joey Markus 0-1 9.45
AZL Royals LHP Marlin Willis Royals 18th Round Pick makes his debut.

HR Roll Call Amalani Fukofuka (4), Robby Rinn (2), Jonathan McCray (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Amalani Fukofuka 3-5 3R, 2-2b, HR, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jake Kalish 6 H 3 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 5 K 7-1 GO-FO 61p/42k

Arkansas Travelers 1 NW Arkansas Naturals 0

The Naturals offense was held scoreless despite outhitting Arkansas nine to three, snapping their nine-game road winning streak in the process.

Those nine hits don’t tell the whole story as the Naturals had very few opportunities to actually score, getting a runner in scoring position in the second, sixth and eighth innings while never getting there with fewer than two outs. Each time, the Naturals offense would come up empty.

Starter Jake Kalish would take the tough luck loss despite giving his squad six quality innings. The lefthander allowed just three hits, but the Travelers paired two of them together in the second with a leadoff double and a one-out single to score the only run they would need.

Boxscore Link

Zach Lovvorn 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 Bb 2 K 1-2 GO-FO 27p/18k
Logan Moon 3-4
Alfredo Escalera 1-4 SB (7)

Idaho Falls Chukars 15 Grand Junction Rockies 5

The Chukars blew open a 5-5 game with 10 runs over the final two innings to earn at least a series split in Grand Junction.

Each team’s starter gave up five runs before hard-throwing righthander Janser Lara settled things down for Idaho Falls. In his first appearance for the Chukars, Lara worked four and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and working around four walks allowed thanks to eight punchouts. Reports had the righty working 92-94 mph while topping out near 95 mph and mixing in his curveball with regularity.

The Idaho Falls offense put six runs on the board in the eighth with three coming on a Robby Rinn three-run home run, his second of the young season for Idaho Falls. The visiting squad would tack on four more runs in the ninth with Rinn figuring in on one run with a rbi single in that inning.

Boxscore Link

Robby Rinn 3-5 HR, 5 RBI
Jon McCray 3-5 3R, HR
Janser Lara 4.2 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 4 Bb 8 K 2-3 GO-FO 80p/50k

HR Roll Call: Amalani Fukofuka (3), Ricky Aracena (1), Darrell Miller (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Ricky Aracena 3-4, 4R, 3b, HR, RBI, BB, SB 

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Wilmer Jimenez 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 0-2 GO-FO

Draft Update – Coach Rima of Kirkwood Community College updated the profile on Royals 19th round draft pick Korry Howell. He stated that Howell is extremely athletic with tremendous range and a knack for running the bases. They personally have timed him at 4.2 seconds to first from the right side with his 6.4 speed in the 60 yard dash.

That speed isn’t the only tool Howell brings to the table, with an arm that he’s measured at 88-90 mph across the diamond from shortstop and tremendous range one would expect out of a player with that speed. On top of the speed, Howell features bat speed that Rima believes will carry well as he fills out and adds more strength later.

Should Howell determine to pass on the Royals, the shortstop has several upper level Division I offers waiting for him at the end of next season.

Iowa Cubs 6, Omaha Storm Chasers 4

The Chasers pitching struggles continued Tuesday afternoon in Des Moines.

Starting pitcher Jon Dziedzic gave up three longballs which accounted for four Iowa runs in his five innings. The lefty gave up five hits, with the three with the home runs coming in the second and third frames. Reliever Seth Manness gave up a couple more runs in his inning of work while allowing four hits before the rest of the pen quieted things down.

The six runs were too much for an offense that went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position. The four runs on the board for Omaha came via a pair of outs and a couple of errant pitches.

Boxscore Link

Bubba Starling 2-5, 2b
Frank Schwindel 4-4, R, 2-2b
Eric Stout 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 13p/11k

NW Arkansas Naturals 3, Arkansas Travelers 1

The Royals 2014 1st round pick Foster Griffin kept the train that is his stellar ’17 season moving on Tuesday night.

The lefty improved his overall record to 8-3 while pushing his Double-A mark to 4-1 with another quality outing. In this one, Griffin spread out seven hits, all singles, and a walk over 6.2 innings but limited the Angels Double-A squad to just one run. The six strikeouts that Griffin spun helped him around those baserunners along with three additional runners thanks to errors the defense committed behind him.

The offense banged out 10 hits of their own, getting single runs in first on a single by Humberto Arteaga and another in the second on a Jack Lopez single. Second baseman Corey Toups brought home Lopez in the fifth on his second hit of the night to increase the Naturals lead to 3-0.

The bullpen of Pedro Fernandez and Andrew Edwards put away four hitters with strikeouts over the final 2.1 innings to finish off the win.

Boxscore Link

Foster Griffin 6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 7-7 GO-FO, 97p/67k
Corey Toups 2-4, R, RBI
Pedro Fernandez 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 20p/14k

Grand Junction Rockies 17, Idaho Falls Chukars 11

The Chukars lost a good ol’ fashioned Pioneer League slugfest in their second game in Grand Junction.

The Rockies outpaced them 23 hits to 15 with seven extra base hits and 11 total hits with runners in scoring position. Starter Julio Pinto gave up nine hits and nine runs (6 ER) in just three innings before Randy Acevedo slowed things down with just a run allowed over four frames.

That outing got Idaho Falls back in the game as the offense was allowed to pull within a run at 9-8. Seven runs off reliever Garrettson Harris in the eighth ended any chances at a comeback.

Boxscore Link

Amalani Fukofuka 2-5, 2R, HR, 3 RBI
Darrell Miller 3-4, HR, 3 RBI
Jon McCray 3-3, 2R, RBI, CS

DSL Royals 6, DSL Red Sox 2

Another well pitched affair by the DSL Royals in a win over the Red Sox.

Starter Wilmer Jimenez worked five shutout innings allowing just three hits, while the left-handed pitcher put away seven via the strikeout. Four additional pitchers finished the game.

The offense had staked the club to a 3-0 lead with a three-run second that featured a pair of doubles by Felix Familia and Rafael Romero. Two more scored in the sixth, one via a Familia single, before a bases-loaded walk in the eighth brought home the final run.

Boxscore Link

Felix Familia 2-3, R, 2b, RBI
Hector Pineda 1-3, R, 2 RBI, BB
Wilmer Jimenez 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 0-2 GO-FO

HR Roll Call: Kort Peterson (3)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Amalani Fukofuka 2-4, R, 2b, SB (23)

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Anthony Bender 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 10-2 GO-FO

Sacramento River Cats 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 3
Last place 16 GB

Atypical to his normal game, starter Christian Binford walked five hitters in just four innings which lead to four runs allowed and an Omaha loss. The offense was a one man crew with Dusty Coleman driving in all three runs.

Boxscore Link

Jorge Bonifacio 1-3, BB
Dusty Coleman 3-4, 3 RBI, SB (5) CS (2)
Ramon Torres 1-2, R, 2b, BB

San Antonio Missions 4 NW Arkansas Naturals 0
1st place 1.5 games up

The Padres Double-A squad limited the Naturals to just three hits in a shutout win. The Naturals gave up just six hits of their own, but also walked six hitters in allowing four runs in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Alfredo Escalera 2-4
Ryan O’Hearn 0-4, 2K
Mauricio Ramos 1-4

Salem Red Sox 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 F/11
Last place 16 GB

The Blue Rocks bullpen gave up a ninth inning lead before losing in extra innings. An Austin Bailey sac fly in the seventh gave Wilmington a 3-2 lead after Glenn Sparkman had given up an earlier lead by allowing two runs in the fifth. A steal and a two out hit in the eleventh inning allowed Salem to walkoff with the win after Wilmington contributed to the loss with a 1 for 10 performance with runners in scoring position.

Boxscore Link

Austin Bailey 2-4, 2b, RBI
Chad Johnson 2-5 RBI
Glenn Sparkman 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 9-2 GO-FO, 88p/59k

Augusta GreenJackets 7 Lexington Legends 5
Last place 13.5 GB

Draftee A.J. Puckett rolled through the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth that lead to a Lexington loss. After giving up just one hit through the first four innings Puckett gave up three hits and walked a pair (5 in the start) that lead to five runs before getting pulled in the frame. Two more unearned runs in the sixth lead the loss as Lexington was able to score five runs to come up two short.

Boxscore Link

AJ Puckett 4.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 6-4 GO-FO, 96p/51k
DJ Burt 2-5, R, RBI, CS (13)
Amalani Fukofuka 2-4, R, 2b, SB (13)

Idaho Falls Chukars 7 Great Falls Voyagers 3
3rd place 3 GB

The Chukars used a five-run second inning to snap a season high five-game losing streak. A pair of doubles by Joe Dudek and Ryan Dale helped plate three of the five runs in that inning. That was enough for Igol Feliz to earn the Chukars a win. The righty spun seven innings of two run ball on nine hits and no walks allowed. It was the second win of the season for the 23 year old Feliz.

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Igol Feliz 7 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 7-7 GO-FO, 89p/63k
Angelo Castellano 2-4, R, 2b
Ryan Dale 1-3, R, 2b, RBI, BB

Danville Braves 11 Burlington Royals 2
1st place up 1.5 games

The Royals pitching staff was knocked around in the game two loss to the Braves. Starter Ofreidy Gomez took the worst of it, giving up six runs in just one and one-third innings. The only offense provided came courtesy of a Kort Peterson two-run home run.

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Kort Peterson 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Vance Vizcaino 2-3, R, BB
Nicky Lopez 1-2, 2b

AZL Royals 2 AZL Padres 1
1st place 4.5 games up

The Royals scored a pair of runs early and received outstanding pitching for a win Sunday evening. Starter Anthony Bender put up his best performance yet, tossing five inning of perfect baseball that featured four strikeouts and 10 ground outs for the hard throwing righty. On offense, Cal Jones doubled and scored in the first inning and Joel Arias doubled in Sebastian Rivero in the second inning to provide all the runs the Royals would need.

Boxscore Link

Cal Jones 1-4, R, 2b
Sebastian Rivero 3-4, R
Khalil Lee 1-3, BB

HR Roll Call: Brett Eibner (10)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Frank Schwindel 3-3, 2b, R, RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Eric Skoglund 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 6-7 GO-FO, 79p/54k

Reno Aces 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

The Chasers ran into a buzzsaw Saturday as former 1st round pick Archie Bradley chewed them up and spit them out over 8 innings of work. The big Oklahoman right-handed starter worked 108 pitches allowing only three hits while striking out nine, preventing the Chasers from mounting much of a threat all night long. Lefty Jonathan Dziedzic fell on the losing end of Bradley’s performance, giving up eight hits and three runs in five innings to drop to 1-5 on the season. Outfielder Brett Eibner hit his third home run in as many games in the ninth but the Chasers were unable to mount any additional comeback.

Boxscore Link

Brett Eibner 1-4, HR
Hunter Dozier 1-3, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 4 Tulsa Drillers 0

Naturals pitchers have tossed 18 consecutive shutout innings in the first two games of their series with the Drillers after their victory Saturday. Game two belonged to starter Eric Skoglund and the lefty was on cruise control through his six innings, allowing just two hits while on the hill. Skoglund gave up a leadoff double in the second, retired 12 in a row before a leadoff single in the sixth, and then finished off his inning and start. The Naturals offense had plenty of opportunities to put runs on the board having collected 11 hits on the evening, but needed just one big rally in the 4th to cash in. In that inning, a run of four consecutive singles plated one before Carlos Garcia unloaded the bases with triple that gave NW Arkansas a 4-0 lead. Reliever Ashton Goudeau worked two scoreless innings in his first Double-A appearance. Starting pitcher Alec Mills will start Sunday after making his major league debut last week with the Royals.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 2-3, R, BB
Terrance Gore 2-4, 2 SB (5)
Carlos Garcia 1-3, 3b, 3RBI

Game 1
Lexington Legends 4 Greenville Drive 0 

The Legends scored three times in the fifth inning of game one to push that game out of reach, thanks to solid pitching from Emilio Ogando. The lefty worked around a one out double in the 1st and gave up a pair of solo home runs in the game but really didn’t face much adversity in his six innings on the hill. Former Rice closer Matt Ditman shut the door in the seventh for his first Single-A save of the season. Outfielder Amalani Fukofuka had his hit streak snapped at 11 games.

Boxscore Link

Emilio Ogando 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 89p/57k
Samir Duenez 2-3, 2b, BB, RBI
Amalani Fukofuka 0-3, R, BB, RBI

Game 2
Greenville Drive 7 Lexingon Legends 0

Just four singles and a pair of walks for the offense while Drive rightfielder Trent Kemp hit a pair of home runs and drove in four runs in game two. The eight and nine hitters in the Greenville lineup reached base all six times they came to the plate while scoring four runs combined. Tate Matheny, son of Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, drove in a pair after homering in game one of the doubleheader.

Boxscore Link

Franco Terrero 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Cody Jones 1-2, HBP, hitting .300
Mike Hill 1-2, BB, 1st game at catcher this season

HR Roll Call Chase Vallot (7)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Chase Vallot 2-4 HR, 2b(9), 2 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Zach Lovvorn 6 IP 6 H 1 R 0 ER 0 BB 7 K 5-3 GO-FO 92p/61k

Arkansas Travelers 2 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

The Naturals bats have gone silent the past two days in dropping their second consecutive game to the Travelers and their sixth in eight tries overall. The lone run for the good guys came via an RBI single by Mike Moustakas in his first game of this rehab stint. The Royals third bagger went 2-4 with a pair of singles. The lack of offense dealt starter Matt Strahm with a loss despite six and two-thirds innings of a decent start that exhibited some erratic control. The lefty, who is normally sharp, walked three while getting behind in the count with regularity early on in the game. He righted the ship in the middle of his start getting into a grove that allowed him to pitch into the 7th inning. A throwing error in the 3rd by Carlos Garcia gave Arkansas one run and 1st to 3rd base running on a pair of singles in the 5th put them into position to score their second run of the game. It was a enough for the Travelers to secure the win with the Naturals offense scuffling. The Naturals hitter that is struggling the most is center fielder Bubba Starling. His 0-4 day pushed him to 3 for his last 37 and just .198 on the season as he continues to try to pull every pitch he sees.

Boxscore Link

Matt Strahm 6.2 IP 5 H 2 R 1 ER 3 BB 4 K 5-6 GO-FO 95p/59k
Ramon Torres 2-4 2b, R
Mauricio Ramos 2-4

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Frederick Keys 2

After going winless versus Frederick in their last seven games, the Blue Rocks knocked the monkey off their back with a walkoff win on Wednesday. Prior to the comeback, the Rocks got a an excellent start from opening day starter Zach Lovvorn. The 2012 6th round selection gave Wilmington 6 quality innings, giving up just an unearned run on six hits over that time. The unearned run came via Corey Toups sixth error of the season, a fielding error that allowed a runners to get into scoring position prior to a groundout that brought one home. The Rocks offense was punchless as usual getting just four singles and nary a run through 8 innings, but then suddenly it came alive versus Keys reliever Jimmy Yacabonis. A one out single from Elier Hernandez got things started and a big run scoring double from Robert Pehl awoke the Rocks bench. With the tying run in scoring position, a nine pitch battle with catcher Luis Villegas went the Rocks way when he tripled to left field to tie the game up. After a Josh Banuelos strikeout, Alfredo Escalera lined a single into right to drive in Villegas and start the gatorade splashdown at second base. Getting the win versus Frederick was nice but the Rocks still own a seven game losing streak to fellow division rival Potomac.

Boxscore Link

Alfredo Escalera 2-4 RBI, BB
Corey Toups 0-3 BB
Brandon Downes 1-3 BB

Lexington Legends 4 Hickory Crawdads 2

The Legends received seven quality inning from starter Corey Ray and some big knocks from the middle of the order to salvage the finale of their series with Hickory. Ray, a Texas A&M alum, gave Lexington his fourth consecutive start allowing two earn runs or less while using eight ground balls to avoid damage and getting in a groove from the 3rd through 7th innings that allowed him to retire twelve of thirteen hitters faced. The one hitter that did reach was on a solo home run in the 4th to draw Hickory within 3-1. Those three runs from the Legends came via a two run single from Amalani Fukofuka in the first inning and a run scoring double by Chase Vallot in the 3rd. After Hickory drew near at 3-2 in the 7th, a Vallot home run in the bottom of the 8th gave the Legends enough insurance for righty Yunior Marte to close the door. The two hits for Fukofuka gave him a ten game hitting streak, his numbers have increased as the weather has warmed in May.

Boxscore Link

Amalani Fukofuka 2-3 2 RBI 2SB(11)
Cody Jones 1-3 2R, BB
Yunior Marte 2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 3 K

HR Roll Call – Frank Schwindel (6)
BP Kansas City Hitter of the Day – Elier Hernandez: 3-4, 2B, R, 2 BB
BP Kansas City Pitcher of the Day – Jake Junis: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K

Omaha Storm Chasers 2 Tacoma Rainiers 3

The Chasers got out to an early 2-0 lead after two innings, but only had one more scoring opportunity when they loaded the bases with one out in the fourth. Whit Merrifield proceeded to ground into a double play, and only one man reached base in the last five innings. Jonathan Dziedzic took the loss, surrendering a run in the fourth after a double, wild pitch, and sac fly, then he gave up a double and a dinger in the seventh, knocking him out of the game. Brett Eibner continued his offensive resurgence, going 1-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored.

Boxscore Link

Jose Martinez: 2-4, 6 hits in his last 4 games
Brett Eibner: 1-3, R, BB, SB
Travis Snider: 1-4, 2B, R

  Northwest Arkansas Naturals 7 Springfield Cardinals 2

Frank Schwindel’s second inning grand slam was more than enough offense in support of yet another solid start from Jake Junis. Following tonight’s 6.2 shutout innings, Junis has allowed just one run in his last 19.2 innings. The 23-year old righty also struck out six without walking a batter, and induced seven groundouts. On offense, the Naturals didn’t get much going for several innings after Schwindel’s blast, but Mauricio Ramos drove in a pair in the eighth with his third hit of the night, and Bubba Starling added an RBI double in the ninth – his league-leading 12th of the season. Benino Pruneda struck out four in 2.1 innings of relief work.

Boxscore Link

Jake Junis: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Frank Schwindel: 1-4, GS, 4 RBI
Mauricio Ramos: 3-4, R, 2 RBI,

  Wilmington Blue Rocks 7 Salem Red Sox 8 (10)

Despite a 15-hit explosion from the offense, the Rocks dropped another game, this one thanks to a walkoff single from Red Sox prospect Andrew Benintendi in the first extra frame. Every hitter reached base at least once, and six Rocks collected multiple hits on the evening. The Sox jumped all over Matt Tenuta, scoring two in the first, three in the third, and one more in the fourth inning. While the bullpen handed out eight (!) free passes over the following five innings, they only allowed two runs, which gave Wilmington their chance to come back in the ninth inning. Down two runs, and down to their final out, Austin Bailey and Alfredo Escalera hit back-to-back singles, before being driven in on a triple from Humberto Arteaga. They couldn’t capitalize on a two on, one out situation in the tenth, and Benintendi’s single sent everyone home.

Boxscore Link

Wander Franco: 2-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Corey Toups: 2-4, R, 2 BB, SB (6)
Elier Hernandez: 3-4, 2B, R, 2 BB

   Charleston RiverDogs 5 Lexington Legends 1

Nolan Watson struck out a career-high six batters in his four innings of work, but he also gave up two home runs in the first inning, and the Legends were unable to produce any kind of offense to pick up the former first-rounder. Watson’s ERA now stands at 10.52. An ERA starting with a one is good, but not if it’s followed by three more numbers. He did only issue one walk, and 41 of his 69 pitches went for strikes, so perhaps this can get him going. Offensively, the Legends collected just six hits, three of which left the bat of Amalani Fukofuka. The RiverDogs scored two more runs against Niklas Stephenson in the eighth, putting the game out of reach.

Boxscore Link

Amalani Fukofuka: 3-4, RBI
Nolan Watson: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Chase Vallot: 1-3, 2B, throwing error (6), 2 SB allowed