The Royals traded for Melky Cabrera on Sunday in an effort to add to their OF/DH depth, giving up A.J. Puckett and Andre Davis is the process. The two pitchers that the Royals have given up in this deal share an interesting trait in that they have struggled to make quality starts outing to outing.

I’ll start in reverse order with Davis, a big-bodied lefty at 6’6 230 lbs, that gives a strikingly similar appearance to former prospect Cody Reed in terms of throwing motion and size. While Davis works in the mid to low 90’s fastball with a solid, average slider, his big body leads to difficulties repeating mechanics. There are tools to work with here and he’s flashed them at times with an 11 K performance and a 7 inning, 0 run outing with eight K’s, but it’s not there start to start. His likely peak profile is a 7th inning reliever type.

The name some Royals fans may know in the deal is 2016 2nd round pick, A.J. Puckett. On the surface some Royals fans may think this is an overpay, but in my midseason prospect rankings I had Puckett ranked as the Royals fourth-best starting pitching prospect. That didn’t include Jake Junis who is well ahead of Puckett. While Puckett was a second round pick, he hasn’t shown that he can repeat his stuff start to start, riding an on-again, off-again streak until his most recent success of five consecutive starts with a sub 3 ERA. Still, the righty lacked upper-level stuff, mostly peaking at 93-94 mph with a pair of average offerings in his change and breaking ball. The command within the zone has been a struggle for Puckett and the overall control (3.8 BB/9 in ’17) has been less than advertised when drafted.

While some may think the Royals gave up too much, I believe this is a very even deal with Melky giving them what they need currently for a couple pitchers that I doubt will make much impact going forward.

Friday – Omaha Storm Chasers 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 4 – Boxscore HR: Ryan O’Hearn (17)
Saturday – Fresno Grizzlies 5, Omaha Storm Chasers 0 – Boxscore
Sunday – Omaha Storm Chasers 5, Fresno Grizzlies 2 – Boxscore HR: Logan Moon (7)

The Chasers got some much-needed quality pitching over the weekend. On Sunday in particular, the bullpen received quality work from Eric Stout and Kevin McCarthy to earn the win. The Chasers most dependable pitcher all season has been Stout, who uses a quality fastball and slider to get hitters out. The Chasers hottest hitter last two weeks is Frank Schwindel, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games. The DH/1B has put up a .369/.391/.667 with 8 home runs in July.

Friday – Springfield Cardinals 7, NW Arkansas Naturals 4 – Boxscore
Saturday – NW Arkansas Naturals 3, Springfield Cardinals 2 – Boxscore
Sunday – Springfield Cardinals 6, NW Arkansas Naturals 3 – Boxscore

The Naturals struggles in July continued with the team dropping two of three games to send their record to 9-20 this month. The bullpen let the Naturals down over the weekend with newcomers Yunior Marte and Richard Lovelady doing the most damage.

If you read the site often, then I’m sure you saw what I wrote about Foster Griffin, but one player I wanted to mention quickly was Donnie Dewees, the outfielder for the Naturals. The Royals traded Alec Mills for Dewees in an offseason deal to free up a roster spot and appeared to have added someone with a real shot at contributing at the major league level. The speed is quality, using it on the bases and in the field. In addition to a solid plate approach, Dewees flashes better than average raw power and one can dream that he might be able to convert it into more power down the road. The biggest weakness I see for Dewees is an arm that rates well below average and limits his defensive ability. Intelligent players for Tulsa took advantage of his arm on both Saturday and Sunday, advancing to second on what should have been a single when Dewees was playing left, and scoring easily on a hit up the middle on Sunday. The arm likely limits him to left where the power will need to pick up for him to play there. Luckily it’s there, he just needs to access it more.

Friday – Wilmington Blue Rocks 4, Carolina Mudcats 3 – Boxscore
Saturday – Carolina Mudcats 5, Wilmington Blue Rocks 0 – Boxscore
Sunday – Carolina Mudcats 3, Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 – Boxscore

The Rocks mustered just 10 hits over the weekend, scoring only six runs in the process. The Rocks are 17-12 this month and stand 4 games back of Salem for a playoff spot. Catcher Chase Vallot has had a very good three months at the dish, putting up a .252/.399/.482 line in 70 games for Wilmington to help with a couple of other hitters to carry the offense. As usual, the defense with Vallot remains a question as he’s still struggling to control the running game at an 18% caught stealing rate next to his 12 errors and 10 passed balls. The receiving has gotten better than it was a couple of years ago, but Vallot still needs to improve going forward.

Friday – Kannapolis Intimidators 7, Lexington Legends – Boxscore
Saturday – Lexington Legends 2, Kannapolis Intimidators 0 – Boxscore
Sunday – Kannapolis Intimidators 10, Lexington Legends 3 – Boxscore

The Legends offense continued their struggles over the weekend, dropping two of three games while scoring just five runs. One hitter contributing to this loss of offense is outfielder Khalil Lee, with a brutal .150/.289/.239 with just one home run in 22 games.

Friday – Orem Owlz 13,  Idaho Falls Chukars 2 – Boxscore 
Saturday – Orem Owlz 15, Idaho Falls Chukars 8 – Boxscore
Sunday – Orem Owlz 17, Idaho Falls Chukars 7 – Boxscore

The Chukars pitching staff continued their struggles over the weekend, giving up 45 runs in just three games. Currently, the staff ERA (7.33) is over a full run worse than the club closest to them. Hard throwing right-handed pitcher Janser Lara has struggled with his control, walking 18 hitters in 22.2 innings, but with 29 K’s, he is getting plenty of swing and miss. The secondary pitches and control need to take a major step forward for the 20-year-old, but he’s one of the few arms in the system that can miss bats with his upper 90’s fastball.

Friday – Burlington Royals 6, Kingsport Mets 1 – Boxscore HR: Sebastian Rivero (4)
Saturday – Kingsport Mets 5, Burlington Royals 4 – Boxscore HR: Dennicher Carrasco (9)
Sunday – Burlington Royals 13, Greeneville Astros 1 – Boxscore

The Burlington Royals won two of three this weekend, with a big on Sunday over the Astros. Centerfielder Michael Gigliotti continues to hit well (.341) while controlling the strikezone to get on base (.464). Much like Nicky Lopez in ’16, the Royals may have added an up-the-middle player with quality on-base skills and superior defense in a prime position with a pick after the 1st round.

Friday – AZL Royals 8, AZL Reds 1 Boxscore HR: Isaiah Smith (1)
Saturday – AZL Royals 11, AZL Mariners 4 Boxscore

The AZL Royals won both of their games this weekend, with Sunday off.  One scary stat for the Royals is third baseman Angel Medina’s 16 errors in 21 games played.

Friday – DSL Rays 1, DSL Royals 0 Boxscore 
Saturday – DSL Royals 1, DSL Rays 0 F/10 Boxscore

Quite the offensive output by the two teams over the weekend. To no surprise, Delvin Capellan put up another five scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out five. The 18-year-old leads the league in ERA and WHIP and is currently riding a 17 consecutive scoreless inning streak.

The Royals will reportedly pay about $2.5 million of the remaining money on Cabrera’s contract, bringing the total added in the last week to more than $4 million.

I imagine Cabrera will take at bats away from all three of Alex Gordon, Brandon Moss and Jorge Bonifacio, but I would guess Bonifacio is impacted the least given his improvements both offensively and defensively. His .296/.327/.500 line in 114 plate appearances against lefties will give him an edge over both Moss and Gordon against southpaws. I’m not entirely sure where Cabrera will fit in the lineup, but I think you could make an argument for him to hit at the top in the number two spot or after Moustakas in the number seven spot if they want to leave Bonifacio at the top. Either way, this gives the Royals a solid top seven on most nights, which can be very difficult for opposing pitchers to navigate.

The acquisition of Cabrera is sort of an homage to the Royals of the World Series seasons for a couple reasons. The reason on the field is that Cabrera just doesn’t strike out. This year, his strikeout rate is 12.1 percent, and that’s nothing new. It was lower last year and is in line with his career rate of 11.9 percent. That will represent an improvement in that category over whoever he replaces in the lineup on any given day. Additionally, there’s the aspect of clubhouse chemistry. That’s something I didn’t believe in very much until I had the chance to be inside the Royals clubhouse during the championship years. Getting a player as respected and well liked as Cabrera is a big pickup.

It’s not like the Royals got him for free, though. They had to give up their first pick from last season, A.J. Puckett. He, of course, wasn’t a first round pick, but he was their first pick. When I’ve seen Puckett, I’ve seen a pitcher better than the mediocre numbers he’s put up, so I probably like him more than most, but a college pitcher with a 3.90 ERA and an only decent strikeout to walk ratio in a pitcher’s park isn’t very encouraging. He could end up a workhorse in time, but I think his ceiling is number three starter and his likely outcome is back of the rotation arm or middle reliever.

Davis was the Royals 8^th round pick in 2015. He’s a big lefty with some potentially good stuff, but he hasn’t had the results either. He’s currently posting a 4.83 in low-A as a 23-year old. The strikeouts are there and the walks are low enough, but he’s giving up a ton of hits and appears to be a pretty big project for the White Sox.

In all, giving that up for a player who can help the Royals reach the postseason and hopefully advance deep into the postseason is a deal you make every day of the week. It also highlights just how difficult a market it is for teams looking to sell rental bats as Cabrera isn’t great, but he’s certainly good enough to help just about every team and was only able to bring back this haul. I was worried they might give up too much for Cabrera if they traded for him, but I loved the idea of bringing him back. Having seen the return, I have to say I really like this move for the Royals and think that with the other move with the Padres, they’re in the driver’s seat for another trip to the postseason.

HR Roll Call: Jorge Soler (15), Cheslor Cuthbert (2), Jonathan McCray (6), Dennicher Carrasco (6), Sebastian Rivero (3), Cal Jones (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Jorge Soler 2-4 2 HR 3 RBI

How strong is Soler Power? Enough to untie a game. pic.twitter.com/Gx52xDIF7d

— Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) July 21, 2017

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Angel Zerpa 6 IP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 10 K 1-4 GO-FO

Omaha Storm Chasers 6 Colorado Springs Sky Sox 4

A pair of players some figured would contribute on the big league roster led the way for Omaha Thursday night. Infielder Cheslor Cuthbert had two hits including his first home run for the Chasers this season. That home run went well with Jorge Soler’s two home runs including a bomb to center in the ninth that broke a 4-4 tie. Reliever Eric Stout was just that, working a perfect ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

Boxscore Link

Jorge Soler 2-4 2 HR, 3 RBI
Cheslor Cuthbert 2-3 2R, HR, BB
Cam Gallagher 2-4 RBI
Ryan O’Hearn 2-4 R, 2b
Miguel Almonte 2.1 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 1 K
Eric Stout 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 2 K 12p/7k

Tulsa Drillers 2 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

The Naturals couldn’t get much done on offense with three hitters in the lineup collecting hits but the rest coming up empty. Starter Glenn Sparkman tossed five shutout innings, but Jake Kalish couldn’t match that effort, giving up a pair of two out hits to allow both Tulsa runs.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 2-4 RBI
Donnie Dewees 0-4
Nicky Lopez 0-4

Frederick Keys 8 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rocks pitchers were tuned up for eight total runs while the offense couldn’t keep pace on their end, going 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position to push just two runs across. Second baseman Jon McCray, getting some play after a push from Idaho Falls, hit his second home run in as many games, but it wasn’t enough for the Rocks.

Boxscore Link

Chris DeVito 1-4 RBI
Brandon Downes 2-4 R, 2b
Chase Vallot 0-4 4K

Columbia Fireflies 4 Lexington Legends 0

The league’s top pitching squad continued to dominate the South Atlantic League’s top offense as Columbia shutout Lexington and limited them to just three singles on the night. Lefty Andre Davis took the tough luck loss despite giving up just one run in his five innings.

Boxscore Link

Andre Davis 5 IP 6 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 5 K 6-3 GO-FO 93p/59k
Emmanuel Rivera 0-3 BB
Marten Gasparini 2-3

Helena Brewers 7 Idaho Falls Chukars 4

The Chukars relief pitcher Christopher Marte couldn’t keep the Helena Brewers bats silent, losing a 4-1 lead with six runs allowed from the sixth through eighth innings. Starter Janser Lara is still working his way back to full strength and was limited in his pitch count, which ended his day at three and one-third innings when his control wavered with three walks allowed.

Boxscore Link

Janser Lara 3.1 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 3 Bb 3 K 4-1 GO-FO 59p/35k
Amalani Fukofuka 1-3 R, BB, SB (18)

Burlington Royals 8 Johnson City Cardinals 1

Starter Sal Biasi limited the opponent to just two hits to earn his first Appy League win. The Royals 11th round pick has allowed just 12 hits in 21.2 innings since being drafted, but will need to miss more bats as he climbs the chain.

The Royals offense backed the starter with plenty of pop from the bats as the Royals knocked three home runs including a grand slam from centerfielder Cal Jones. The offense scored eight runs despite going 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 2-5 2b
Sebastian Rivero 2-4 HR
Cal Jones 1-4 HR, 4 RBI
Dennicher Carrasco 1-4 HR

DSL Royals 4 DSL Astros 2

The Royals got a pair of early runs and an outstanding start from Angel Zerpa before hanging on with their All-Star reliever on the mound. The 17-year-old Zerpa was dominant, striking out 10 in six innings while working around five hits. The Royals tacked on a couple runs in the eighth thanks to doubles by Warling Vicente and Edickson Soto to push their lead to 4-0 which came in handy as Kelvin Gonzalez struggled with his control, walking three and allowing two runs before earning the save.

Boxscore Link

Angel Zerpa 6 IP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 10 K 1-4 GO-FO
Kelvin Gonzalez 3 IP 2 H 2 R 1 ER 3 Bb 1 K
Warling Vicente 1-3 2R, 2b, BB

Mondesi Photo Via Minda Haas Flickr

Raul Mondesi – The Royals top shortstop in the minor leagues has put together his most impressive stretch of hitting in his career since being sent down. With his two hits on Sunday, Mondesi pushed his hitting streak to 17 games which includes multiple hits in each of his last four games and a .406 average during the streak. The positives to note in the streak for Mondesi is the lack of bunt attempts by the speedster as he has virtually cut out that part of his game while also working the ball to the middle of the field and opposite way more than he had from the left side.

Brian Poldberg on Mondesi “I know up there they wanted him to bunt a lot, so when he first got here he was looking to bunt and hit second. We wanted him to change his thought process and look to hit first and bunt second. He’s come around. He’s got his confidence and has a different stride about him, knowing he belongs.” 

Raul Mondesi on his play – “I keep working on the little things and I’m feeling pretty good at the plate right now. I’ve been working the ball the other way and adjusting to the pitch. They sent me here to work on my hitting and I’m just trying to help the team win and keep working.”

Saturday Omaha Storm Chasers 10, Round Rock Express 0 Boxscore Link
Sunday Omaha Storm Chasers 7, Round Rock Express 5 Boxscore Link HR Ryan O’Hearn (7)

The Chasers carried over their big bats and stellar starting pitching from Friday to Saturday’s series opener with Round Rock. Starter Luke Farrell went a season-high seven innings while allowing just three hits and no runs in that time. The offense backed him up with plenty of run support, scoring ten runs in six innings while connecting for 13 hits in the process to lead to the easy win.

The Chasers built a big lead early Sunday night, then hung on to a win. The suddenly hot bats scored seven runs from the second through fifth, getting a solo home run from Ryan O’Hearn and a two-run triple by Raul Mondesi as part of the run explosion. Spot starter Onelki Garcia helped his club while he was on the mound with five innings of one-run ball before turning things over to a bullpen that made it interesting late. It was Garcia’s first affiliated start in three years, earning the win in the process.

Saturday NW Arkansas Naturals 3, Midland RockHounds 2 Boxscore Link
Sunday NW Arkansas Naturals 10, Midland RockHounds 6 Boxscore Link HR Samir Duenez (7)

Shortstop Humberto Arteaga had a big day at the plate, coming up with three hits to drive in a pair of runs while also scoring the Naturals third – and winning – run. Starter Emilio Ogando made those three runs stand up with a pair of relief pitchers helping out. The lefty worked seven innings of one-run ball with just a pair of walks and four hits allowed to improve to 3-2 with a 2.28 ERA at Double-A.

The Naturals reached base 18 times with eight walks accumulated alongside their ten hits in their Sunday win. A five-run third frame and four-run seventh did most of the damage for the Double-A club, with Samir Duenez clubbing a three-run home run as part of the third inning rally. Starter Corey Ray missed out on the win after allowing four runs in his five innings when reliever Jake Kalish gave up a pair of runs to knot the action up at six apiece in the seventh frame. Reliever Pedro Fernandez’s 2.1 IP of shutout ball put things on ice for the win.

Saturday Wilmington Blue Rocks 7, Potomac Nationals 6 Boxscore Link HR Travis Maezes (2)
Sunday Wilmington Blue Rocks 4, Potomac Nationals 3 Boxscore Link

On Saturday, the Rocks staged another come from behind win over Potomac. Trailing 6-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Wilmington scored on a throwing error against a sac bunt by Wander Franco. From there, the bats of Nicky Lopez and D.J. Burt added two more runs. A Lopez triple plated Franco before Burt’s double scored Lopez. Reliever Franco Terrero secured the save in the ninth for the Blue Rocks.

More come from behind fun on Sunday for Wilmington as the Rocks starter A.J. Puckett gave up three runs in his five innings on the mound. The righty surrendered four consecutive hits to start the game, allowing two runs before settling down and getting out of the inning. The 2016 draft pick allowed another run in the fourth frame when he gave up a pair of two-out hits, the second of which was a run scoring single by Victor Robles. Trailing 3-0, the Rocks first six hitters in the seventh inning reached base with RBI singles by Anderson Miller, Wander Franco and Chris DeVito to take a 4-3 lead and the eventual win after Richard Lovelady closed the door. Reliever Yunior Marte earned the win with his three innings of shutout pitching, striking out three against one hit allowed.

Game 1 Columbia Fireflies 3, Lexington Legends 0 F/7 Boxscore Link
Game 2 Lexington Legends 2, Columbia Fireflies 1 F/7 Boxscore Link

The Legends split a doubleheader on Sunday after their game was rained out on Saturday.

Neither game featured much offense, with just six combined runs in the two games. In game one, a mistake by Legend pitcher Travis Eckert led to a three-run home run by Mets Low-A prospect Dash Winningham to give the Fireflies a 3-0 win. Despite that mistake, Eckert put together a solid line in the loss going six innings with nine strikeouts.

In game two, lefty Andre Davis went toe to toe with Columbia starter Harol Gonzalez. The two pitchers allowed just one run each until Manny Olloque’s one-out double in the bottom of the seventh walked things off for the Legends. For Davis, it was one his better starts of the year with the lefty spinning seven innings with a career best 11 strikeouts in the win.

HR Roll Call: None

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Ruben Sosa 3-4, 2R, 2b, 3b, RBI, SB (4)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Christian Binford 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 5-4 GO-FO, 103p/72k

Game 1 Tacoma Rainiers 1, Omaha Storm Chasers 0
Game 2 Omaha Storm Chasers 5, Tacoma Rainiers 0

The Chasers split another doubleheader with the Mariners Triple-A affiliate Thursday.

In game one, starter Josh Staumont struggled with his control once again, walking seven in just six innings after walking five his last time out. The righty missed out on a chance to get out of an early jam when second baseman Ramon Torres tossed a potential double play ball in the dirt that first baseman Ryan O’Hearn couldn’t pick. On the very next pitch, Staumont uncorked a wild pitch that brought home the game’s only run to take the loss.

Game two went better for Omaha as Christian Binford pushed his run of quality starts to eight for eight with six innings of scoreless ball. The righty worked around four hits and three walks with five strikeouts and five groundouts.

The offense would back him with five runs to earn the win thanks to a pair of RBI by Bubba Starling and Gavin Cecchini.

Boxscore Game 1
Boxscore Game 2

Raul Mondesi 2-6, CS
Josh Staumont 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 BB, 8 K, 5-1 GO-FO, 105p/65k
Bubba Starling 4-6, R, 2 RBI

Arkansas Travelers 7, NW Arkansas Naturals 3

The Travs got to Corey Ray for eight singles in three innings, which led to five runs and chased Ray out of his shortest start of the season.

The Naturals went to the pen but Arkansas quickly extended their lead to 7-0 with a solo home run and a passed ball that scored off reliever Jake Kalish.

The Naturals scored a pair of runs in the ninth to finish off the final deficit at four runs. Outfielder Elier Hernandez who was off to a decent start at Double-A had his legs taken out by center fielder Donnie Dewees in a collision in the fourth inning and had to be carted off the field with a leg injury to his left leg.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 1-4, 2b
Carlos Diaz 2-4, RBI
Elier Hernandez 1-2, left with injury

Rome Braves 7, Lexington Legends 6

The Legends built a big lead only to watch their bullpen blow another one.

A two-run second inning and a four-run third, with hits by third baseman Emmanuel Rivera in both innings, gave the Legends lead at 6-0.

Starter Andre Davis left with a 6-3 margin after a Rivera error led to a pair of runs in the sixth. With that lead in the eighth reliever Julio Pinto entered and walked all three hitters he faced before leaving for Matt Wynne. The Braves plated three runs on a one-out single when the Legends chose to get a runner out in a rundown instead of tossing home to try to cut down the tying run.

The Braves would walk things off in the ninth with a one-out double that plated a runner from first.

Boxscore Link

Kort Peterson 3-5 R, 2b, CS
Emmanuel Rivera 2-3 2R, 2b, RBI, BB
Amalani Fukofuka 2-4 R, RBI, 2SB (8)

HR Roll Call Ramon Torres (4), Mauricio Ramos (3), Elier Hernandez (4), Chris DeVito (10), Manny Olloque (4), Meibrys Viloria (2)

BPKC Hitter of the Day Chris DeVito 2-5 HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Emilio Ogando 6 IP 5 H 0 R 0 Er 2 BB 4 K 6-3 GO-FO 91p/57k

Player Spotlight

It’s early in the season but it’s evident that Nicky Lopez is one heck of a player and might be the shortstop of the future in Kansas City. The questions coming out of the draft were on the bat for Lopez and whether or not pitchers would be able to overpower him and knock the bat out of his hand. Thus far Lopez has shown that his solid approach and intelligence are a bit too much for the pitchers at High-A as he’s put up a .311/.373/.410 line while playing his usual brand of spectacular defense and causing havoc on the bases.

’16 Draft Profile BPKC

Jamie Quirk on Lopez – “You can put him in the Major Leagues right now, he’s playing that good.”

The shortstop has always shown he is a major league defender at the most important position in the game but his intelligence and approach are proving he might be the best shortstop in the system.

If this play continues look for a bump to Double-A by the All-Star game.

Lexington Legends 9 West Virginia Power 8 

The Legends broke out the bigs bats to make a comeback Saturday night.

Starter Andre Davis struggled mightily in the first inning, allowing three doubles, hitting two batters and giving up a three-run home run to put his squad down 6-0. From there he started to correct course and gave his offense an opportunity to get back in the game.

Things started in the second for the Legends when Meibrys Viloria and Manny Olloque hit back to back home runs to cut the lead to four runs. One inning later Lexington had trimmed the deficit in half after Kort Peterson doubled to push Khalil Lee to third before a rbi groundout from Chris DeVito.

The rally went into full motion in the fourth inning when the Power pitcher lost the zone, walking the bases loaded. After Ricky Aracena would drive one in with a groundout Peterson and DeVito would complete the rally with a pair of two-run singles that suddenly put Lexington up 8-6.

The Power would tie the game after another run off Davis and reliever Geoffrey Bramblett but DeVito would put the game back in hands of the Legends with his tenth home run of the season before Grant Gavin would finish things off with two and two-thirds scoreless innings.

Boxscore Link

Meibrys Viloria 2-2 2b, 2R, HR, 2b, RBI, 2BB
Kort Peterson 2-5 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Grant Gavin 2.2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 Bb 5 K 0-2 GO-FO 43p/27k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Down East Wood Ducks 4

The Wilmington offense has enjoyed playing on the road in Kinston, NC as their bats have come alive in the three game series by their standards.

With pitcher A.J. Puckett getting through six shutout innings the Rocks offense built a 4-0 lead thanks to a big three-run home run off the batters eye in center by Elier Hernandez. In the seventh Puckett ran into some trouble and had to be saved by Andres Machado leaving with a 4-2 lead after the Rangers affiliate had grouped five singles and two runs off the two pitchers.

With their lead at just two Hernandez would come through once again with an insurance run when he drove in Nicky Lopez with a one out single. That run would prove to be the deciding factor after the Wood Ducks pulled within 5-4 in the ninth but had their comeback attempt sniffed out by a double play that Nicky Lopez started to finish off the Wilmington win.

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 2-4 3R, BB, SB (7)
Anderson Miller 1-3 RBI, BB 21 game on base streak
A.J. Puckett 6.2 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 3 K 12-5 GO-FO 97p/63k

NW Arkansas Naturals 4 Arkansas Travelers 0

Lefty Emilio Ogando made the most of a start at Double-A with the Naturals after Miguel Almonte was moved to Kansas City earlier this week.

The former Wilmington Blue Rock tossed six shutout innings while earning six groundouts, allowing just five singles and a pair of walks in his time on the mound to earn his first Double-A win. Pounding the zone with 57 strikes in 91 pitches Ogando struckout four Traveler hitters and kept them at bay during his time on the mound.

The Naturals rewarded their new teammate with a win thanks in part to Mauricio Ramos home run in the second frame and a four run rally he got started in the seventh with a leadoff triple.

Boxscore Link

Alfred Escalera 2-3 2b, RBI, HBP
Humberto Arteaga 3-4 R, 2b, RBI
Ashton Goudeau 3 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 4 K 4-0 42p/29k

Salt Lake Bees 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The Omaha offense continued their struggles Saturday, scoring just two runs in Salt Lake during another loss.

Starter Josh Staumont would get saddled with the loss after the righty got touched up for four runs in six and one-third innings. The big frame came off the hard thrower came in the second when he plunked a batter, gave up a singled and a two-run triple prior to a sac fly that put his team behind 3-0.

After a Ramon Torres two-run home run pushed the deficit to one Staumont gave up a rbi single following a walk and a sac bunt in the fourth inning. The Chasers would threaten to score in the sixth following a one out double by Ryan O’Hearn but would fail to cross the plate in that inning and then go silent the rest of the night in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 1-3 R, 2b
Ramon Torres 1-3 HR, 2 RBI
Josh Staumont 6.1 IP 4 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 4 K 10-6 GO-FO 101p/60k

HR Roll Call: Jorge Soler (2), Frank Schwindel (2), Humberto Arteaga (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Frank Schwindel 2-4, HR, 2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Miguel Almonte 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 2-2 GO-FO, 87p/53

Omaha Storm Chasers 7, New Orleans Baby Cakes 5

The Chasers used three multi-run innings to earn a split in New Orleans, while securing a winning road trip. Trailing 2-1 at the start of the fourth, Ramon Torres tripled to drive in Peter O’Brien before scoring on a Corey Toups sac fly to take a 3-2 Omaha lead. That lead would get pushed to 5-2 in the sixth when catcher Parker Morin doubled in Ryan O’Hearn and Bubba Starling. The Baby Cakes would close the gap to one run, but a Toups two-run single to bring in Torres and Starling in the eighth would push enough runs across to earn the win.

Rehabbing Jorge Soler hit his second home run with the club in the first inning while Raul Mondesi’s struggles continued with a 0-4 day with four strikeouts.

Boxscore Link

Jorge Soler 1-4, HR, BB
Ramon Torres 3-5, 2R, 3b, RBI
Corey Toups 1-2, 3 RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 4, Springfield Cardinals 1

Starter Miguel Almonte had to work a bit Tuesday night, but still managed to put up zeroes on the board over his 5.2 innings. The hard-throwing righty was up to 97 mph per Levi Payton while striking out seven and allowing just three singles. The game was knotted up until the seventh inning when Frank Schwindel and Humberto Arteaga both homered to give the Naturals a 3-0 lead. The two teams would exchange runs in the eighth before Reid Redman averted some trouble in the ninth to close things out.

Boxscore Link

Terrance Gore 2-3, R, SB (2)
Humberto Arteaga 2-3, HR
Reid Redman 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 13p/9k

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks 6

The Rocks and Pelicans exchanged big eighth innings with the Blue Rocks coming up on the short end of the stick Tuesday night. Trailing 3-2, Wilmington mounted a two-out rally with four consecutive singles to plate three runs and take a 5-3 lead. Reliever Franco Terrero put the tying runs on with two outs in the bottom of the frame before striking out a hitter on a pitch that eluded Chase Vallot and brought in a run. The reliever couldn’t prevent any more damage, allowing a triple and a single to the next two hitters which allowed Myrtle Beach to take the lead.

The Blue Rocks would threaten in the ninth, pulling within a run but ultimately falling short.

Nicky Lopez 4-6, 2R, 3b, SB (6)
Emilio Ogando 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 7-3 GO-FO, 74p/48k
D.J. Burt 2-5, R, 2b, 3 RBI

Augusta GreenJackets 9 Lexington Legends 0 

This was a perfect game on just 85 pitches with nine strikeouts for Giants prospect Domenic Mazza. The Legends have one hit in just 19 innings so far in this series. All this while South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week Andre Davis got knocked around for seven hits and five runs in just three innings of work.

Boxscore Link

Andre Davis 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Khalil Lee 0-3, 3 K
Nick Dini ejected in the 8th inning.

HR Roll Corey Toups (2)

BPKC Hitter of the Day Corey Toups 2-3 HR, 2b, 2R, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Andre Davis 8 IP 3 H 0 R 0 BB 8 K 5-3 GO-FO 89p/64k

Player Spotlight

The Royals may have found a steal in their 5th round pick from 2015, Andre Davis from Arkansas Pine Bluff. On this night his frame, motion and slider reminded me of former Royals prospect Cody Reed. Working his fastball in the low 90’s, according to the announcer, Davis was able to control the Columbia lineup by attacking the glove side of the plate with both his fastball and slider. The lefty tossed in a few change ups that had some dip, but for the most part he was a two pitch pitcher that stayed in the zone. Past reports had Davis working in the mid to upper 90’s with his fastball. If he is able to work from that velocity he could have a future as a backend of the rotation type or lefty reliever in the major leagues given the slider bite and ability to attack the bottom of the zone.

Game of the Day

Lexington Legends 2 Columbia Fireflies 0

Lefty Andre Davis and Columbia starting pitcher Gabriel Llanes dominated the two lineups to the tune of just six hits allowed over seven innings. The only blemish on the board for the two pitchers was a run by the Legends on Emmanuel Rivera’s single to drive in Chris DeVito following his one out double. The seven shutout innings by Davis ran his scoreless streak to 15 innings after giving up four runs in his first start of the year.

The Legends tacked on a run in the ninth when Rivera and DeVito repeated their single following a double magic, this time with two outs. The win for Lexington improves their record in opening series games to 5-0 on the year, unfortunately they are 0-10 in all other games.

Boxscore Link

Chris DeVito 2-4 2R 2-2b
Emmanuel Rivera 2-4 2RBI, SB (2)
Vance Tatum 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 2 K 1-0 GO-FO 14p/9k

Omaha Storm Chasers 5 Round Rock Express 3

The Chasers pounded out 13 hits in securing a second straight win over Round Rock Thursday evening. Starter Kyle Zimmer left after just one inning of work after giving up a solo home run and striking out a pair. With him gone the Express score another run in the second inning before the Chasers offense got started with a solo home run by Corey Toups and a pair of doubles from Billy Burns and Dean Anna to tie the game up in the third inning.

Two innings later it was Toups and Anna leading the offense again, this time with a double and walk. Coming around on an rbi hit by Ryan O’Hearn and an error by the Express. The final run would score in the ninth on an O’Hearn rbi double while the Omaha bullpen put up zeros from the seventh inning on.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 2-5 2b, 2 RBI
Al Alburquerque 2.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 1 K 4-1 GO-FO 19p/15k
Kyle Zimmer 1 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 2 K 24p/13k

NW Arkansas Naturals 2 Tulsa Drillers 1

The Royals send Miguel Almonte to Double-A in hopes of helping the talented Dominican corral his immense potential. So far so good for ’17 as Almonte spun six innings of one run ball with no walks in his second start of the year with seven strikeouts. That wasn’t enough to earn the winning decision, but the Naturals would do enough to earn the win as a team.

With game tied 1-1 in the seventh inning Mauricio Ramos would single in Frank Schwindel after a leadoff double, setting them up for the win after the bullpen shut things down.

Boxscore Link

Alfredo Escalera 3-4 R, 2b
Frank Schwindel 1-2 R, 2b, RBI
Miguel Almonte 6 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 7 K 5-3 GO-FO 85p/57k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 1 Winston-Salem Dash 0

The Royals 2016 2nd round pick A.J. Puckett put together one of his better starts of his young career on Thursday. Working seven scoreless innings with just one walk allowed Puckett attacked the zone with 58 strikes in 82 pitches thrown. With nine swinging strikes on the even and that solid control he was able to earn a career high eight strikeouts while allowing just three singles to improve to 2-1 on the season. The only run of the game was provided in the first inning on a single by Elier Hernandez to drive in Nicky Lopez.

Boxscore Link 

A.J. Puckett 7 IP 3 H 0 R 1 BB 8 K 8-4 GO-FO 82p/58k
Jacob Bonder 2 IP 3 H 0 R 0 BB 2 K 2-0 GO-FO 25p/19k
Elier Hernandez 2-3 2b, RBI

HR Roll Call None

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Chase Vallot 2-3 R, 2b, RBI, 2BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Sam Selman 1.2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 5 K 0-1 GO-FO 27p/19k 

New Orleans Baby Cakes 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

One day after the New Orleans Baby Cakes tossed a no-hitter, they held the Omaha Storm Chasers to just two hits in a Saturday win. Those two hits helped the Chasers cash in two runs as Dean Anna connected on an RBI single in the second inning and a double by Garin Cecchini pushed Anna to third in the fifth prior to a Billy Burns RBI groundout in that frame. It wasn’t enough however as the Baby Cakes used a big day offensively by Matt den Dekker to score four runs. The former Mets prospect had a pair of doubles and a home run to drive in two of the four runs for the visitors. The two teams will square off on Sunday with Omaha sending out Jon Dziedzic.

Boxscore Link

Luke Farrell 5.1 IP 5 H 3 ER 1 BB 1 K 6-6 GO-FO 98p/64k
Eric Stout 1 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 2 K 0-1 GO-FO 22p/15k
Bubba Starling 0-2 R, HBP, SB, CS

NW Arkansas Naturals 2 San Antonio Missions 1

Excellent pitching keyed a Naturals win over San Antonio on Saturday night. The NW Arkansas starter Christian Binford worked six innings of three hit, one run ball with just two walks allowed before turning things over to the bullpen to shut things down. It was a 1-1 game into the top of the seventh when Terrance Gore doubled, stole third and came home on a bunt single by Jack Lopez to give the Naturals a 2-1 lead. From there, the combo of Sam Selman and Evan Beal closed things out with eight strikeouts (seven retired) and a diving catch by Gore to save the win.

Boxscore Link

Christian Binford 6 IP 3 H 1 R 2 BB 4 K 8-2 GO-FO 76/51p/k
Donnie Dewees 1-4 R
Frank Schwindel 2-4 RBI

Wilmington Blue Rocks 6 Potomac Nationals 3

The Blue Rocks were gifted plenty of baserunners during their game with the P-Nats, walking nine times including seven from the Nats starting pitcher Joan Baez in three and two-third innings. Those seven walks paired with a couple of errors and two hits in that time to build a 6-0 lead. From there, starter A.J. Puckett cooled down after a three-run third inning to make it five to qualify for the win before handing things to the pen. Once in Yunior Marte’s hands, the game seem in control as the Dominican righty spun three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and just one hit allowed. Fellow Dominican teammate Franco Terrero worked around his two walks to close out the ninth for his first save of the year and put Wilmington in position for a series win on Sunday.

Boxscore Link

A.J. Puckett 5 IP 7 H 3 R 2 ER 3 BB 4 K 5-4 GO-FO
Yunior Marte 3 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 5 K 2-1 GO-FO
Nicky Lopez 2-4 R, BB, 2 SB (3)

West Virginia Hatfields 3 Lexington McCoys 2

The McCoys couldn’t get enough offense going during their latest feud with the Hatfields. Both team’s starting pitchers baffled the opposing squad as Lexington’s Andre Davis twirled six scoreless innings with five strikeouts before leaving a scoreless tie. His opposite gave up a run in the sixth inning but received better bullpen work with West Virginia scoring a run off Grant Gavin and a pair on Walker Sheller to take a 3-1 lead. The Legends (McCoys) threatened in the ninth when Gabe Cancel scored on Emmanuel Rivera’s ninth inning single and an error pushed Rivera to second, but the Power avoided extra innings when Chris DeVito grounded out to end the game.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 1-3 BB, CS
Gabe Cancel 1-4 R, 2b (6)
Chris DeVito 2-4

HR Roll Call Orland Calixte (7), Mauricio Ramos (5), Logan Moon (2), Chris Devito (4), Emmanuel Rivera (1), Meibrys Viloria (4)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Meibrys Viloria 5-5 2R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Matt Tenuta 4 IP 1 H 1 R 0 ER 1 BB 3 K 2-6 GO-FO 67p/42k

Oklahoma City Dodgers 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

The Chasers couldn’t keep pace with the Dodgers in their last game before the Triple-A All Star break Sunday. Starter Luke Farrell was knocked around for eight runs in just four innings of work while giving up seven of the eight Omaha hits allowed on the day. Trailing 8-3 after three innings the Chaser bats could provide just two runs late to fall by three runs. Outfielder Orlando Calixte remained hot in finishing off the first half, going 4 for 5 with a home run to close out the final 26 games of the first half with a .347 average and 19 extra base hits over that span.

Boxscore Link

Bubba Starling 1-3 RBI, BB
Orlando Calixte 4-5 3R, HR, RBI
Tony Cruz 1-3 R, 2b, 2 RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 8 Frisco RoughRiders 6

Trailing 6-3 the Naturals came up with a big three run home run to tie the game and send it to extras. After lefty Matt Strahm struggled some in his five innings, allowing three home runs the Naturals came up big in the ninth to save him from a loss. It was Logan Moon’s three run home run in the ninth that sent the game to extra innings. In extras, the RoughRiders made an error on a Cam Gallagher ball that brought two Naturals in which allowed them to take the win.

Boxscore Link

Matt Strahm 5 IP 7 H 4 ER 2 BB 5 K 3-4 GO-FO 89p/55k
Ryan O’Hearn 0-3 2R, 2BB
Terrance Gore 3-5 R, 2SB (23), CS (4)

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 9 Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

Former 3rd round pick Colin Rodgers’ season in Wilmington continued with difficulties on Sunday, allowing seven runs on five hits and four walks in just two innings plus of work. The Rocks offense couldn’t muster much on their end in dropping their fifth game in six tries.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 2-3 R, BB, SB (17)
Cody Jones 2-4
Carlos Diaz 1-3

Greenville Drive 8 Lexington Legends  

Not much went well for the Legends as the Greenville knocked around their pitching and kept their bats on ice. Going 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position while the pitching combo of Yunior Marte and Emilio Ogando were tagged for eight runs on nine hits gave Lexington their first losing series since late June.

Boxscore Link

Yunior Marte 3.2 IP 3 H 4 R 3 ER 3 BB 1 K 5-5 GO-FO 98p/54k
Emilio Ogando 5.1 IP 6 H 4 R 2 ER 1 BB 5 K 7-2 GO-FO 84p/60k
Brandon Dulin 2-2 2BB

Orem Owlz 10 Idaho Falls Chukars 9

After being spotted a five run lead early, the Chukars pitching staff coughed it up to drop their fourth game in five tries. An RBI single from Manny Olloque in the first and a solo home run by Meibrys Viloria in the 2nd quickly gave Idaho Falls a 2-0 lead. The rest of the lineup would add on in the 2nd, getting three consecutive singles by and an error on a Luke Willis bunt to plate three more runs. Viloria would drive in Olloque in the fifth to push the lead to 6-3 before Orem plated six runs to take a 9-6 lead to the ninth. In that inning the offense would get rolling with a pair of singles by Olloque and Yeison Melo to get the inning started. An error would push Viloria into scoring position which he would score from on Nick Heath’s one out single to tie the game. That momentum was short lived however as Luke Willis would hit into a double play to end the top half of the ninth. An error by Ricky Aracena, his 13th, would put the leadoff man on and he would come around to score two hitters later after a sac bunt and a single to walk things off for the Owlz.

Boxscore Link

Manny Olloque 3-4 2R, RBI, BB
Nick Heath 3-5 R, RBI
Tanner Stanley 2-4 R, 2b, RBI, BB

Burlington Royals 8 Pulaski 5

Trailing 4-3 the Royals used runs in each of the last four innings to takedown the Yankees in the first game of their series. Trailing 4-3 the Royals plated a two out run on a Nathan Esposito single sixth to tie the game and took 5-4 lead in the seventh off Emmanuel Rivera’s first home run of the season. The Yankees would tie the game back up in their half of the seventh but a the Royals plated three runs in the final two innings with Chris Devito driving the final nail with a two run home run in the ninth.

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 1-3 R, 2BB, SB (13)
Cristhian Vasquez 2-5 R, 3b
Andre Davis 5 IP 6 H 4 ER 2 BB 5 K 7-3 GO-FO