Kyle Isbel, Nick Pratto, Cristian Perez, and Jeison Guzman had a pair of hits each, and Daniel Lynch gave the pitching staff four solid innings on which to build, as Lexington took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Lynch came loaded for bear, as he hit 95 on his second pitch of the game, and 97 (and inside) on Jake Scheiner, who still ended up reaching on an slow-rolling infield single that Perez fielded and threw to second in an unsuccessful attempt to nab Matt Vierling, who reached on Pratto’s error. In the bottom of the inning, Rodolfo Duran popped up to Manny Olloque at third, then Jhailyn Ortiz grounded into a force-out as Perez nabbed Scheiner on a 6-4 putout to Ricky Aracena at second.

In the top of the second, Perez picked up a base knock, then advanced to second, on an infield single off of an incredibly low-and-outside pitch that SS Nick Maton had to bare-hand, his throw getting well past Scheiner at first. RHP Andrew Brown then balked Perez to third. With Cal Jones popping up to Scheiner, Guzman sent a 93-MPH outside fastball to the left field wall, scoring Perez. After Aracena drew the walk, Isbel singled to center after Brown threw him back-to-back change-ups, driving in Guzman. Vierling cut into shallow center for the play and dropped the ball, allowing Aracena to score just ahead of the throw home. Isbel then had to slide back into first after Duran threw to second to head off Isbel. However, Scheiner wasn’t covering first and Isbel made it back easily. Duran got another shot at gunning down Isbel, this time springing out of the crouch and blocking a 1-0 curve that bounced about a foot in front of the plate.

Maton reached on an error by Aracena to start the bottom of the second, and after Madison Stokes went down on strikes, he made it to third on a Dalton Guthrie double to right. Jose Antequera got Maton home on a sac fly to Isbel in center, but Guthrie was left stranded after Vierling flew to Brewer Hicklen in left.

In the top of the third, Brown had trouble locating and walked Melendez. This was followed by a single from Pratto off a 2-0 inside fastball grounded to right that turned into runners on second and third after the ball got past Ortiz. Hicklen sacrificed to center and Melendez came home. After a strikeout for Olloque, Perez lined a single into left off a 2-1 fastball and Pratto scored. Vierling threw home in a failed attempt to get the runner, but Duran cut down Perez at second when he tried to advance on the throw.

Lynch got Muzziotti to start the bottom of the third on a 1-0 fastball that he tried to pull, only to ground out to Pratto. Scheiner was able to send a 94-MPH heater to center for a base hit, and Duran reached when Olloque couldn’t stop his grounder. Scheiner and Duran advanced into scoring position when Lynch was called for a balk. Ortiz worked the count full after Lynch worked back from a 3-0 count, and Scheiner scored when Ortiz put the next pitch in the air to Cal Jones in shallow-right-center, whose throw to third kept Duran at second. Maton struck out to end the threat.

After Jones worked the count full but struck out to start the top of the fourth, Guzman sent a base hit into right. Aracena followed that with a single of his own, Guzman advancing to third. Brown was able to induce the double-play grounder from Isbel on a high-and-inside pitch to end the inning.

Stokes grounded to Perez for the first out of the bottom of the inning, but Guthrie sent a 1-2 pitch into right field that Lynch left high in the zone. Jose Antequera sent his own base hit into left on another high pitch, but Vierling grounded into a 5-4 force-out, once again on a high pitch in virtually the same spot. Muzziotti struck out swinging on a low-and-away pitch, stranding two.

The top of the fifth began with Melendez grounding out to Scheiner at first. Back-to-back singles by Pratto and Hicklen put runners on first and second, though this was followed by back-to-back fly-outs to center by Olloque and Perez and it all went for naught. Scheiner started the Lakewood half with a “single” to Perez after an eight-pitch battle with Legends reliever Garrett Suchey (it hit the heel of his glove, but he had to range back into shallow-left-center to get it). Duran walked on five pitches, then Ortiz struck out on three pitches, foul-tipping a 79-MPH curve into Melendez’s glove, while trying to hit the ball to Pennsylvania. Maton singled on a 1-0 change-up that sat high in the zone, but Jones’ throw home kept the bases loaded. Stokes drove in Scheiner on a base hit to center, and that would be it for Suchey.

With RHP Collin Snider taking over, an 0-1 95-MPH fastball ended in a 5-4-3 double play, and with it the best chance Lakewood had to even the score.

A 1-2-3 top of the sixth took the BlueClaws only six pitches to get through, as RHP Luis Carrasco‘s easy heat (96-97) dominated Lexington’s batters. Third baseman Antequera made a very good throw to retire Aracena for the third out, coming in and just over the foul line on the weak grounder, then throwing across his body to Scheiner to get the runner. Snider began the bottom of the inning with a 95-MPH inside on the Lakewood third baseman. He sent the next pitch, another fastball up and in, to his counterpart at third, but Olloque’s bad throw was more than Pratto could handle, and thus allowed Antequera to reach. Vierling grounded into what might have been a 6-4-3, but Perez had to get a handle on the ball when it hopped inches from his feet, and Vierling beat out the turn from Aracena. Muzziotti lined 96-MPH heat on a hard liner to Olloque, who gloved it for the second out. Scheiner singled to center and Vierling moved up a base, but Duran flew out to Hicklen to end the inning.

Isbel lost an eight-pitch at-bat with Carrasco to start the top of the seventh. Melendez sent a liner into center that Muzziotti booted, then advanced to second when the Lakewood center fielder semi-casually threw the ball back to the infield. After Pratto walked, Hicklen struck out and Melendez was caught while trying to swipe third, the final out of the inning. In the bottom half, RHP Daniel Duarte took over from Snider, with Ortiz striking out swinging, Maton striking out looking, and Stokes grounding out to Duarte.

It was a quiet top of the eighth, with Olloque, Perez, and Jones out in order. In the bottom half, Olloque was lifted for Carlos Diaz. Duarte added another pair of strikeouts in Guthrie and Antequera to start the bottom half, but Vierling would send an 87-MPH slider to left for a two-out double. Muzziotti, however, was first-pitch-swinging and flew out to Isbel.

Lefty Keylan Killgore came out to pitch the top of the ninth, retiring Guzman on a fly-out to left and Aracena on swinging strikes. Isbel singled to center when Killgore located back-to-back pitches in the same middle-high part of the zone. Duran lost hold of a middle-in pitch from Killgore and Isbel took off for second, then advanced to third on a wide-ranging throw to second. A wild pitch later, Isbel scored to make it 6-3, Lexington. After Melendez walked, another wild pitch to Pratto allowed him to move to second. Killgore got Pratto on a swinging strike three after ten pitches, but Duran still had to throw him out at first when the pitch skipped off his glove and rolled a couple of feet away. Lakewood’s final three outs were not nearly as eventful, as closer Tad Ratliff sat down Scheiner and Duran on strikes, with Ortiz popping up to Melendez in foul territory to end the game.

Snider picked up the win, with Duarte earning the hold and Ratliff getting his second save of the series. Lakewood’s Brown took the loss.

Lynch threw 57 of his 79 pitches for strikes over four innings of work, allowing two runs on five hits, walking none and striking out four. Suchey was 14-24 for strikes, giving up one run on three hits in a third of an inning before giving way to Snider, who was 12-18 for strikes in 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Duarte’s four strikeouts in his two shutout innings of relief were another highlight for the Legends. He spotted fifteen of nineteen pitches for strikes. Ratliff followed suit, with 11 of 15 in the zone.

Tonight, Lakewood’s Spencer Howard (9-8, 3.78 ERA) will get the start. Lexington will counter with JC Cloney (3-1, 2.73 ERA with Lexington; 12-1, 2.21 ERA overall). First pitch time is 7:05 PM, EST.

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Dennicher Carrasco 3-6 2R, HR, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Collin Snider 5 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 5-4 GO-FO 64p/42k

Gm 1 Lexington Legends 5 Asheville Tourists 4
Gm 2 Lexington Legends 5 Asheville Tourists 3

Starter Nolan Watson fell behind during Sunday’s start but the Legends offense bailed him out in the middle innings for a win. The two teams exchanged sac flies in the first two innings before Asheville connected on a pair of doubles in the third to push ahead 3-1. The score stood there until the fourth inning when Dennicher Carrasco drove in Nick Pratto following his double. With Carrasco standing on first Seuly Matias connected on his 13th home run of the season to grab the lead in the seven-inning affair. An inning later MJ Melendez drove in a run with a single and Watson turned the final two innings over to Tyler Zuber who worked around a run in the seventh to secure the save with five strikeouts in two innings.

In the second game, spot starter Collin Snider gave the Legends five quality innings to help them establish an early lead. Attacking the zone with 42 strikes on 64 pitches Snider limited Asheville to just three hits and one walk to limit them to just one run. A first inning two-run home run by Carrasco gave him a 2-0 lead and MJ Melendez drove in another run in third with a groundout. After Snider had completed five innings of work it was Melendez padding the lead with a two-run double to push Lexington’s advantage to 5-1. Those runs came in handy as Andrew Beckwith gave up a couple in the bottom of the sixth before completing the final six outs to complete the doubleheader sweep.

MJ Melendez: 2-7 2b, 4 RBI
Seuly Matias: 1-3 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Travis Jones: 3-6 4R, 2b, 2 BB, SB (13)

Salem Red Sox 7 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rocks offense was stalled in this one, limited to just four hits while the defense made an equal number of errors in defeat. Starter Jace Vines got ran over by the singles train in the second inning when Salem got on board with four of them while also reaching with a walk and a hit by pitch in the inning to score four times. The Rocks countered with a pair of runs in that inning but struggled the rest of the way, going scoreless over the final seven innings. Unfortunately for Vines he was tagged for a pair of unearned runs in the fourth and seventh innings after the leadoff hitter reached base on shortstop Angelo Castellanos errors in both innings. Wilmington which leads the Carolina League in walks drawn did draw six of them on the day but were unable to cash in with a 2 for 11 effort with runners in scoring position.

Kort Peterson: 1-3 2b, BB
Jace Vines: 7 IP 9 H 6 R 4 ER 1 BB 2 K 7-9 GO-FO 95p/68k
Vance Vizcaino: 2-4 R, 2b, RBI

Midland RockHounds 6 NW Arkansas Naturals 5

The Naturals fell behind by a large margin early before battling back late against Midland in search of their sixth consecutive series win. Starter Scott Blewett struggled early, giving up five runs in the first three innings of this one. In the first frame, it was Eli White jumping on a 3-1 pitch to put Midland up 2-0 on Blewett’s fourth home run allowed of the season. Two innings later a pair of doubles followed a White sac fly to give Midland a 5-1 lead, a deficit that would get increased to 6-1 on an RBI single in the sixth. Despite the five-run deficit, the Naturals would make a game of it, scoring two runs in the fifth on an Elier Hernandez single and then two more an inning later with a double by Donnie Dewees. Trailing by a run the Naturals would get the tying run to second in each of the final three innings but in all three they would fail to advance them any further, dropping the game and ending their series win streak at five.

Nicky Lopez: 3-5 R, SB (8), CS (3)
Elier Hernandez: 2-4 RBI, BB
Donnie Dewees: 2-5 R, 2b, 2 RBI, 2 OF Assist

Round Rock Express 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Heath Fillmyer didn’t have it going in this one, giving up twelve hits and seven runs in just five innings for Omaha. The right-hander acquired in a deal with Oakland this offseason saw his ERA spike back up to 5.58 with the loss that saw him give up a home run to big leaguer Tommy Joseph in the first before surrendering five more runs over the next two innings. A three-run second inning by Omaha briefly tied the game off former All-Star Yovani Gallardo before he settled in, retiring the last eight that he faced while striking out nine Chasers in six innings of work. The Chasers didn’t get much going against the bullpen also, getting just one hit off the final three pitchers in defeat.

Richard Lovelady: 2 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 2 K 4-0 GO-FO 35p/26k
Adalberto Mondesi: 1-4 2b, K
Humberto Arteaga: 2-4 R hitting .615 over last 7 games

Sunday Boxscores

Monday Probables
Omaha – Scott Barlow 1-1 3.94 ERA 1.41 WHIP
Wilmington – Anthony Bender 1-2 6.00 ERA 1.83 WHIP
Lexington – Carlos Hernandez 2-2 2.33 ERA 0.83 WHIP

Follow me on Twitter @ClintScoles

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Travis Jones 3-5 2R, HR, RBI, HBP

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Gerson Garabito 6 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 9 K 2-4 GO-FO

Lexington Legends 7 Charleston River Dogs 4
Charleston River Dogs 2 Lexington Legends 1

In game one, the Yankees Low-A club jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against starter Collin Snider after a pair of walks and a couple errors by the defense. That lead didn’t matter though as the Legends offense exploded for seven runs in the second frame as Jeison Guzman tripled in a pair and Seuly Matias connected on the fourth home run of his young season, a three-run, 352-foot line shot to left-center. That would be all Snider would need as he found a groove to finish off six innings before handing it off to Pinto to finish off the win in the seventh. The Lexington offense couldn’t get much going in the second game, getting just a solo home run from Travis Jones while going 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position. Starter Dan Tillo allowed just one run on four hits and a walk as he did what he does best, attack the bottom of the zone and collect groundouts. Reliever Dillon Drabble couldn’t match that effort, allowing a run in seventh that the offense couldn’t match, taking their first loss of the young season.

Seuly Matias: 2-7 HR, 3b, 3 RBI
Nick Pratto: 0-6 R, BB
Dan Tillo: 6 Ip 4 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 3 K 9-3 GO-FO 80p/50k

Potomac Nationals 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rocks wasted an outstanding effort by starter Gerson Garabito in the finale of their four-game series in Potomac. In Garabito’s first start at the High-A level, the Dominican born pitcher tossed six scoreless frames, equaling a career high with nine strikeouts while allowing just one single and issuing a pair of walks. Wilmington had taken a 1-0 lead in the first frame after Khalil Lee scored on an Emmanuel Rivera double, but from there the squad struggled to cash on opportunities, going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. That lead stood up until the eighth frame when Potomac plated a pair of runs on a throw that got away from Chris DeVito, scoring two runs in the process. The Rocks tied it up in the ninth but the Nats quickly walked off the game with a double and a single off reliever Walker Sheller.

Khalil Lee: 2-3 R, 3b, 2BB, K
Emmanuel Rivera: 1-5 2b, RBI

Video of Khalil Lee Courtesy Adam McInturff 2080 Baseball

San Antonio Missions 8 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

The Padres Double-A squad thumped their way to a win over the Naturals on Sunday. Starter Emilio Ogando was the victim as he was tagged for a pair of home runs in allowing five runs in four innings. The Padres Josh Naylor struck for his third home run in four games while their squad tagged eight runs on Ogando and reliever Jake Kalish. The Naturals offense went 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position with the 4 thru 9 hitters struggling to push across the top three hitters who had seven hits collectively.

Samir Duenez: 2-5 2b, 2K
Erick Mejia: 3-5 3b, RBI
Jake Newberry: 2 IP 2 H 0 R 0 BB 2 K 34p/20k

All Boxscores

Monday Probables
Omaha Heath Fillmyer
NW Arkansas Glenn Sparkman
Wilmington Arnaldo Hernandez
Lexington Andres Sotillet

In this article, we’ll review rounds 11-20 and will look at rounds 21-40 a little later today.

Quick Analysis
Best Pick: Nick Pratto
Favorite Pick: Michael Gigliotti
Most Physical Position Pick: Brewer Hicklen
Biggest Upside: M.J. Melendez
Might Surprise Top 10 Rd: Tyler Zuber
Might Surprise Rd 11-40: Bryar Johnson

Check out previous Royals draft pieces:

Rounds 1-4
Rounds 5-10
Interview with Lonnie Goldberg

11. Sal Biasi RHP 6′ 190 lbs Penn St. 9/30/95 Signed $125k 

In Biasi, the Royals are getting a stocky right-handed college starter who works his fastball in the low 90s while topping out at 95 mph. A durable and dependent starter at pitcher at Penn State, Biasi took the hill for 27 starts the last two years with consistency and an ability to keep the ball low in the zone. This attribute helped him limit the home runs he allowed while striking out more than a hitter per inning the last two seasons.

Biasi has a body similar to that of Jake Junis, so perhaps the Royals believe they can refine his three-pitch mix to help him become a back end starting pitcher. If  he’s unable to make that step, then Biasi’s fastball and curveball combination could play up in the pen.

Analysis – An innings eater body who you hope can refine the changeup to become an impact pitcher.

12. Collin Snider RHP 6’4 200lbs Vanderbilt University 10/10/95 Signed $125k

Inconsistency has been the name of Snider’s game in college during the Vanderbilt season and in summer league seasons. After two solid seasons from the Vanderbilt bullpen, Snider struggled this past season after an up and down summer in the Cape Cod League. Hopes of refining and tightening the slider along with the changeup could help him in the bullpen or even as a starter in the minor leagues.

d1baseball.com – Snider is high-waisted with a very strong lower half and long limbs, and his arm action looked very free and easy on Saturday. He generated good plane on his consistent 91-93 mph fastball and he showed easy life through the zone. He varies his breaking ball from a truer 82-84 mph short, above average two plane slider to a shorter 10-4 curveball at 80-81 mph. Snider also sprinkled in a big league average 85-86 mph changeup, a pitch he retained his arm speed and slot with consistently. He pounded away at the lower part of the zone in this one for most of the summer, throwing all three pitches for strikes.

Analysis – He looks like organizational depth with a lottery ticket as a bullpen piece.

13. Cason Sherrod RHP 6’4 215 lbs Texas A&M 6/25/96

Sherrod is a hard thrower who can run his fastball as high as 98 mph while working mostly in the mid 90s from his physical 6’4 215 lbs frame. The right-handed reliever is hearing impaired which lagged his on field development when he was younger, but it has shown no signs of holding him back in college. The control has wavered this season, walking 24 hitters in just 43 innings this season for the College World Series participant Aggies.

The arm action is long which likely leads to the difficulty in repeating the delivery. To go with his fastball that features armside run, Sherrod tosses a hard breaking curveball in the high 70s to low 80s that can be above average at times.

Analysis - You can’t go wrong adding a hard thrower. Clean up the delivery and the Royals could have a nice bullpen piece here.

14. Isaiah Henry CF 6’3 185 lbs North Shore H.S. Houston, TX 3/22/99

Henry has extreme athleticism with a short stroke but impactful bat speed that could present a solid gap to gap power if he can develop more strength and bat control down the road. Considering the bat speed, the arm strength at 95 mph off the mound, and the running speed, Henry has more than a few tools from which to build on in a development program.

Perfect Game – He is also a 70-grade runner with a long and angular build and plenty of bat speed and leverage in his right-handed swing to drive the ball into the gaps. Henry has also been a football standout at a football oriented high school, so his relative lack of repetitions and experience both as a hitter and on the mound is understandable. 

Analysis - Getting Henry away from Alvin Community College shouldn’t be that difficult, and this type of athlete isn’t falling off trees. Big time upside here in the 14th Round by the Royals.

15. Robert Garcia LHP 6’3 220 lbs UC Davis 6/14/96

Garica is a lefty who throws his fastball in the 88-92 mph range and as high as 94 mph from the left side. In addition to the fastball, he mixes in a low-80s slider and a changeup that also registers in the low 80s.

After a strong season in ’16, Garcia’s numbers backed up despite a decent Cape Cod season the summer prior.

Analysis – A good frame that needs a secondary pitch to come forward.

16. Chris Hudgins C 6’1 190 lbs Cal State Fullerton 3/2/96

Teams always need quality catching depth, and that’s what Hudgins offers as a decent catch and throw backstop. The catcher features some decent power but hasn’t been able to get to it much in his career at Cal State.

Analysis – He’s an organizational catcher.

17. Julio Gonzalez SS 5’10 185 lbs Florida Gulf Coast 6/14/95 Signed $125k

After a couple seasons at Seminole State JUCO, Gonzalez got the bump to FGCU. Coach Tollet knew he was getting a solid defender at shortstop from the alma mater of Manny Machado’s high school, but likely got more than he bargained for at the plate.

A patient hitter with as many walks as strikeouts, Gonzalez shows off a gap to gap approach at the top of the order that allowed him to put up a nearly identical line in his first year of Division I ball despite the jump in competition.

Analysis – Adding a solid middle of the infield defender with a patient plate approach is a smart move for any organization.

18. Marlin Willis LHP 6’4 195 lbs McEachern HS Powder Springs, GA 6/5/98

A high school left-hander with a commitment to Georgia State, Willis features a tantalizing frame for a future starter and relatively clean mechanics. He features a fastball that currently works in the high 80s while topping out at 91 mph, and the lefty also works a curveball that needs refinement. The length of delivery, ability to repeat his mechanics and athleticism gives a team something to dream on here.

Analysis – If they’re able to sign him, then this is a nice developmental piece to add.

19. Korry Howell SS 6’2 175 lbs Kirkwood Community College 9/1/98

A 6.5 runner in the 60, Howell showed off his great speed at the JUCO ranks this season, setting a Kirkwood record with 43 stolen bases. Not just a speedster, Howell paced his team with a .394 average while also ranking second in home runs on the club with six this season out of the leadoff spot.

Perfect Game – Howell is a very athletic shortstop at present; though some feel that his likely future home is center field. He’s a plus runner with the instincts to be a base-stealing threat at the next level; along with some raw bat speed and projectable power potential. 

Analysis – Strong all-around tools to provide an impact in the middle of the diamond. Solid get with projection in this round.

20. Bryar Johnson RHP 6’3 200 lbs Carolina Forest HS Myrtle Beach, SC 8/17/99 Signed $125

This right-handed pitcher with a physical body features a fastball that he currently pumps into the high 80s to just into the low 90s while topping out at 91 mph at present from a high 3/4 delivery. Alongside the fastball, Johnson features a tight breaking curveball that he tosses in the high 70s. The righty is able to manipulate the breaking ball and turn it into a slurve offering featuring tight movement or making it a larger curve version with 12-6 movement.

It sounds like adding him to the organization is a real possibility, which could be a plus considering the age as he’s not yet 18. His ability to manipulate spin and short quick movement with arm speed makes him intriguing.

Analysis – Despite the round, I believe this is an upside play with a real chance to develop considering the acumen for spin next to the quick arm. If he gets a tick up in velocity the Royals could really have something here.