LHP J.C. Cloney went five strong innings, allowing only two hits while walking one and striking out two. Marcelo Martinez and Janser Lara kept Lexington in the fight, combining for three innings of one-run ball, and closer Tad Ratliff worked out of a late-game rally as Lakewood loaded the bases and threatened to force a fifth game.

Lakewood righty Spencer Howard also went five innings, allowing a single run on three hits, walking none and striking out six. Reliever James McArthur stifled Lexington’s offense over three shutout innings, giving up only one hit, walking one and striking out two. Connor Brogdon took the loss in his inning of relief (1 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K).

The Legends went down in order in the first, with Kyle Isbel flying out to LF Matt Vierling on a 2-1 pitch middle-in, MJ Melendez working the count before a swinging strike three right around his knees put him away, and Nick Pratto lifting a pitch right down the heart of the plate to RF Jhailyn Ortiz to end the inning. Cloney got Vierling to whiff on a 1-2 pitch on the outer third of the plate, but CF Simon Muzziotti stayed inside a pitch on the black and sent a base hit to short. Muzziotti stole second, but 1B Jake Scheiner flew out to LF Brewer Hicklen and C Rodolfo Duran‘s grounder to SS Cristian Perez went for the third out when Perez tossed to 3B Manny Olloque, who tagged Muzziotti to end the inning.

Hicklen got the top of the second underway when he flew out to Muzziotti on a 1-1 change-up that split the plate, Olloque took a 98-MPH heater to left that Vierling had to chase to the warning track, and Perez grounded to 2B Dalton Guthrie on the first pitch he saw for the third out. In the home half, Ortiz popped up to Perez (also on the first pitch), who had to chase it into the middle of the diamond. SS Nick Maton smacked a liner just to the right side of second, but 2B Ricky Aracena made a great diving grab to put him away. DH Colby Fitch reached on an miscue by Aracena, then swiped second when Aracena dropped the throw from Sebastian Rivero. Cloney walked Guthrie, but 3B Jose Antequera left them stranded when he lined out to Aracena.

In the top of the third, Howard struck out RF Cal Jones on a 3-2 pitch up and in, then Rivero struck out looking. Aracena flew out to Vierling to end the top half. Vierling led off the bottom of the inning with a 1-3 ground-out. Muzziotti sent an 82-MPH slider into center for a base knock, but was nabbed at second by about five feet on Rivero’s throw to Aracena. Scheiner popped up to Pratto on a 3-0 outside pitch to end the inning.

Isbel grounded into a 4-3 putout on a 93-MPH middle-low fastball to start the top of the fourth. Melendez ripped a 92-MPH inside fastball deep to right, but foul. Howard countered with an 81-MPH change-up that Melendez swung over, but an 0-2 curve got way out of control and Melendez took first on a HBP. He then took second when Howard’s first pitch to Pratto nearly took out his right ankle. At this point, Howard’s velocity was consistently 3-4 MPH lower than his first-inning fastballs. Pratto struck out looking on a 1-2 inside 81-MPH change-up. Duran struck out looking to begin the bottom of the inning, while Ortiz grounded out, Olloque-to-Pratto, and Maton flew out to Jones in right.

The Legends got a little offense going in the top of the fifth, as Olloque led off with a base hit to left. Perez cracked what would turn out to be a key hit in this pitchers’ duel, driving a double into left to score Olloque, moving to third when Jones sent a slow bouncer to second. Maton ranged past the second-base bag to field it, but had no play. Rivero went down on strikes, and Aracena popped out to Duran on a bunt attempt. Jones was able to swipe second, but Isbel struck out after working a full count. In Lakewood’s half, Fitch, Guthrie, and Antequera went down in order.

McArthur took over on the hill to start the sixth, retiring Melendez, who struck out looking, and Pratto, who lined out to Viering. After walking Hicklen, Olloque sent the first pitch he saw into center. With runners at first and second, Perez ended the inning when he popped up to Antequera. Marcelo Martinez took over in the bottom half, retiring Vierling on a fly-ball to Isbel. Muzziotti caught everyone off-guard when he dropped a push-bunt past Martinez and beat it out to first. Scheiner walked next, and Legends pitching coach Mitch Stetter made a visit to the mound (along with the Lexington infield, en masse), a meeting that home plate umpire Justin Whiddon tried in vain to bring to a conclusion. Martinez induced a pop-out from Duran, put away by Aracena (infield fly rule in effect). That would bring an end to Martinez’s night, with Janser Lara taking over. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Ortiz shot a 2-2 99-MPH (!) pitch off the low-outside corner into right to score Muzziotti and tie the game. Scheiner was sent right behind him, but Jones gunned him down at home.

McArthur got Jones to fly out to center on a 71-MPH curve on the outside corner to start the seventh. Rivero also flew out to center on a 92-MPH fastball that caught an awful lot of the plate. Muzziotti had to sprint back and to his right to get to it. Aracena turned on and grounded a 1-0 fastball to Scheiner to end the top half. Lara’s velocity varied widely (along with his location) as he faced Maton to lead off the bottom half of the inning. The Lakewood shortstop fought an eight-pitch battle before popping up to Rivero for the first out. Fitch worked one of the best at-bats seen all night, coaxing the walk out of Lara after working his way through ten pitches. Guthrie flew out to left and Antequera grounded into a 5-4 force-out to end the inning.

To begin the eighth, Isbel lined out to Scheiner on a bunt attempt, the ball (somehow) jumping off his bat on a low trajectory all the way to first base and just inside foul territory. Had one not seen the drag-bunt attempt, one would have thought it was a swinging out. Melendez took a short hack at a high 76-MPH curve but struck out on the pitch. Pratto took a hard cut at a 1-1 pitch that came right down the middle at 87, but grounded out to first for the third out. Lara came back to the mound for the bottom of the inning, inducing a 4-3 ground-out from Vierling on a low-and-away 94-MPH fastball. Muzziotti grounded out to Perez, and the Lexington shortstop had to rush to make the out at first. Scheiner flew out to Isbel to end the inning.

Connor Brogdon took over for McArthur in the top of the ninth. Right out of the gate, he had some trouble with locating and Hicklen drew the walk. Working the count to 1-1 in between three attempts to pick off Hicklen, Olloque drove a 1-1 slider into center when it caught a bit too much of the plate. Now with runners at the corners, manager Marty Malloy and the Lakewood infield rallied to Brogdon. Perez drove an 0-2 97-MPH fastball into right for the first out, but it would score Hicklen and the Legends would take a 2-1 lead. Brogdon intentionally walked Jones, then struck out Rivero. Aracena followed by grounding out to Scheiner.

As closer Tad Ratliff took over in the Lakewood half of the ninth, Carlos Diaz took over at third. Duran worked a seven-pitch at-bat into a lead-off single. Matt Kroon entered to pinch-run for the Lakewood catcher. Ortiz followed with a grounder to Diaz to force Kroon at second. After Maton went down on swinging strikes, Fitch sent a slider into left for a base hit. Another slider, this one to Guthrie, was bounced back to Ratliff, who lunged to stop the come-backer but deflected it away from a charging Perez, and Guthrie reached to load the bases. Stetter and the infield paid a visit to Ratliff to break up the action and perhaps give Ratliff a chance to take a deep breath. On the first pitch he saw, Antequera grounds to Diaz, who took the force at third for the final out of the game, the series, and the season.

Lara earned the win (though he also picked up a blown save; baseball is a weird game), his first of the series, while Ratliff earned his third save. The Lexington closer finished all four games of the series (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K).

Lexington was most recently in the championship in 2001, their first year of existence, and were up 2-0 in the series vs. Asheville when the terrorist attacks on 9/11 occurred. The remainder of the series was canceled, and the two teams were named co-champions. Cloney’s five shutout innings came in his first appearance since September 1^st. The two teams combined to leave 15 runners stranded.

We saw another dominant performance by a Legends starter, this time RHP Jackson Kowar (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K), who followed up his Sept 5^th win vs. the visiting Rome Braves in the first round of the playoffs (5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K) with another excellent showing. Kowar landed 67% of his pitches for strikes (69 pitches, 46 strikes), sat 94-95 mph with his fastball and touched 96 several times throughout the night. He made it look effortless.

Following Kowar, LHP Marcelo Martinez put the hammer down with a fastball that seemed anything but. Sitting at 87-89 mph and pairing it with a breaking ball at 75-77, he seemed to mystify Lakewood batters over two scoreless innings (1 H, 0 BB, 4 K). After giving up a lead-off single to Simon Muzziotti, Jake Scheiner struck out swinging on a pitch near the heart of the plate, Rodolfo Duran popped out to Nick Pratto, And Jhailyn Ortiz flew out to CF Kyle Isbel. All three batters made outs on pitches that cut well into the outer third of the strike zone and just about belt-level.

Martinez continued to live on the outer third of the plate in the seventh, breezing through Madison Stokes, Dalton Guthrie, and Jose Antequera, and all in or very close to the same part of the strike zone in which he set up residence in the sixth.

Janser Lara hit a speed bump in the eighth, giving up a lead-off single to Matt Vierling on an 0-2 pitch that caught an awful lot of the plate. Muzziotti grounded out to Cristian Perez on a waist-high pitch but moved Vierling up to second. After Scheiner flew out to center on a pitch right down Broadway, Duran turned hard on a middle-in pitch and dropped it over the left-field wall and cut Lexington’s lead to three.

Visions of Monday night danced in our heads.

The Legends’ batters went down in order in the bottom of the eighth. The top of the ninth brought Tad Ratliff (whom I am tempted to nickname “Bulldog”) to the bump. Ratliff came right at lead-off batter Maton, who swung at a (seemingly) fat pitch, but only managed to ground out to Aracena. Stokes was next, and he went down easily on three swinging strikes (all outer-third). Guthrie started his own brief two-out rally, singling past Perez, but Antequera lost a six-pitch battle to the Lexington closer to close out the victory for the Legends.

On the offensive side, Lexington started off with MJ Melendez‘s first-pitch homer to opposite field off of Lakewood lefty Kyle Young. Pratto walked and swiped second after several pick-off attempts, then Brewer Hicklen walked behind him. Third baseman Manny Olloque grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, ending the threat.

Beyond a hard-hit single by C Sebastian Rivero in the bottom of the second, the Legends had nothing going in the inning. However, the third had Isbel singling to center and moving to third on a Pratto double to right, an inside pitch that wasn’t inside quite enough. When Hicklen grounded to Maton at short, he reached first when Maton went for the easy out at third. Pratto was erased, but Isbel scored on the play, making it 2-0, Lexington.

The fourth inning was a quiet one, and other than an Aracena base knock to left, there was no action of which to speak. Isbel grounded out to move Aracena into scoring position, but Melendez struck out on a 1-2 pitch that just nicked the low-outside corner, and Pratto flew out to center on a 2-2 outside pitch.

It was all outs for the Legends in the sixth, with Hicklen, Olloque, and Perez going down in order. The (lucky) seventh was another story.

Cal Jones led it off with an 0-2 worm-burner right through the middle of the infield, and after Rivero and Aracena both flew out, Isbel continued what became a two-out rally when he sent a base hit on the same path through the infield and into center, moving Jones to second. Melendez followed suit with his own single, this on a two-strike count, and Jones scored. When Muzziotti tried for Jones at home and Duran couldn’t corral the throw, both runners moved into scoring position. Lakewood reliever Julian Garcia let one fly and Duran couldn’t get to it, allowing Isbel to score. Pratto tacked on a run when he scored Melendez on a right-field single, and that would be it for Garcia. RHP James McArthur (1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K) took over and put out the fire when he struck out Hicklen looking.

By now, it was 5-2, Lexington, and the last home game of the season at Whitaker Bank Ball Park would end that way.

With the series tied at one, the Legends hit the road for Lakewood, NJ, to play Game Three of the Championship tomorrow at 7 PM in the BlueClaw’s First Energy Stadium. LHP Daniel Lynch faces RHP Andrew Brown (6-3, 2.10 ERA, 14 appearances, 68 2/3 IP, 49 H, 2 HRA, 16 BB, 58 K).

They face off against the Rome Braves (71-62 overall, 40-29 in the first half), the first-half champion of the Southern Division in the South Atlantic League. The Legends (76-60 overall, 39-29 in the second half) finished the year as the Southern Division second-half champs, clinching in the first game of a four-game series at Greenville to end the regular season.

Both the Legends and the Braves are young teams, with the average age of each team’s batters under 21 years old. The Legends finished first in the league in runs scored (682; 4.98 R/G), fourth in hits (1151), second in homers (137), first in steals (164), third in team average (.258), and second in OPS (.733). Rome finished seventh in runs scored (578), third in hits (1176), sixth in homers (89), eleventh in steals (78), third in team average (.258; tied with Lexington), and fifth in OPS (.699).

Lexington’s pitchers finished seventh in team ERA (3.62), sixth in hits allowed (1119), second in most HR allowed (129), eleventh in fewest BB allowed (349), and sixth in strikeouts (1147). Overall, Rome finished in ninth in team ERA (3.74), seventh in hits allowed (1085), eighth in HR allowed (86), first in fewest walks allowed (422), and seventh in strikeouts (1143).

By now, the overall talent level on this Lexington roster is no secret, and they took on even more prospects in the last couple of months of the season. Their pitching staff received a significant boost. The loss of RHP Carlos Hernandez (6-5, 3.29 ERA in 79 1/3 IP, 82 K, 3.57 K/BB ratio) might have been felt more acutely had the Legends not added pitchers like LHP Daniel Lynch (5-1, 1.58 ERA in 40 IP, 47 K, 6 BB), RHP Jackson Kowar (3.42 ERA in 26 1/3 IP, 12 BB, 22 K), and LHP JC Cloney (2.73 ERA in 29 2/3 IP, 9 BB, 18 K) was like adding nitrous to an engine that was slowly, but consistently, revving faster as the season came to a close.

Starting Game One will be RHP and 2018 1st-round pick Jackson Kowar, who has made nine short appearances for the Legends this year. Over 26 1/3 innings, Kowar racked up 22 strikeouts against 12 walks. His 19 hits allowed, even over this short sample size, is evidence of his ability to command a plus fastball in the low-to-mid 90s along with a plus change-up in the low-80s that shows good tail and sink, and is delivered with precisely the same arm speed, slot, and release as his fastball when it’s at its best. He mixes in a slurvy breaking ball that is solid enough for a third pitch, but his command with it is still somewhat inconsistent. The Royals have kept his time on the mound short as a precautionary measure against overwork, so a four-inning start is a definite possibility.

He will face off against RHP Alan Rangel (4.09 ERA, 125 1/3 IP, 31 BB, 105 K), who posted a sterling 2.12 ERA in six starts over the month of August, but got knocked around in away games (3.14 ERA at home, 5.05 ERA on the road), and gave up six runs (five earned) and two homers over five innings in his only appearance at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. Perhaps also of note, he allowed a .810 OPS vs. RHH, while lefties had a tougher time (.668 over 57 PA).

RHP Tad Ratliff (1.68 ERA, 48 1/3 IP, 53 K, 10 BB, 10 SV) has been outstanding out of the pen, this year, and is the de facto closer. RHP Janser Lara (3.41 ERA, 23 appearances, 8 starts, 66 IP, 28 BB, 75 K) has steadily improved over the last few months, and can give the Legends a long stint in relief or start the game, though he has been outstanding as a reliever (1.98 ERA in 36 1/3 relief innings; 5.91 ERA in 35 innings as a starter). He brings a fastball that sits 94-95 and a tight slider around 83-84 with good tilt. Lara struck out 25 batters in 18 relief innings in August, so he ended on a high note. 2017’s 26th-round selection RHP Garrett Suchey (1.36 ERA in 21 appearances, 33 IP, 4 BB, 30 K) was a lock-down arm in his professional debut season. A 15th-round pick last year, LHP Robert Garcia (13 appearances, 24 IP, 31 K, 11 BB) and RHP Daniel Duarte (6 appearances, 11 2/3 IP, 11 K, 5 BB) show early signs of promise.

This is a quick look at some of the key batters heading into the first round of the SAL Playoffs.

1B Nick Pratto (.280 BA, .786 OPS 33 2B, 14 HR, 62 RBI, 22 SB in 127 games) is still a month away from his 20^th birthday. That alone says a lot about Pratto’s talent. While he hit the wall in June (.225 BA, .589 OPS in 25 games), he slowly picked up steam in July (.258, .717 OPS in 25 games) and caught fire in August (.358, 1.005 OPS, 20 RBI in 28 games). The steals were a little surprise, but he runs well enough, especially for his position.

C MJ Melendez made a lot of noise this year, becoming the single-season leader in home runs for teen-aged Class-A catchers. Sounds like a lot to say, but 19-year-old catchers don’t typically push 20 homers in their full-season debut. Melendez finished with 26 doubles, nine triples, and 19 homers, driving in 73 runs (.251 BA, .814 OPS in 111 games). In 73 games behind the dish, he threw out 42 percent of base thieves, a dramatic increase from 2017’s 26 percent, though last year he made only thirty appearances at catcher. While he did commit 13 errors (w/ 8 passed balls), there’s no reason for concern there; Melendez’s calling card is his agility, arm strength and glove work, and his defense will improve over time. He’s highly athletic, moves very well (not only for his position), and is an above-average base-runner. By all appearances, Melendez is a safe bet to make it to Kauffman, perhaps by 2021.

OF Brewer Hicklen (.307, 18 doubles, 17 HR, 65 RBI, 29 SB in 82 games at Lexington) returned to the Legends after a 22-game stint in High-A Wilmington that didn’t pan out for him (.211, .573 OPS in 22 games), and the timing could not have been better. With RF Seuly Matias going to the DL because of a thumb laceration, incurred while moving his bags from the baggage compartment on the team bus, the team was going to need that boost to the offense. Hicklen does a lot of things well; he covers lots of ground in the outfield with sure-handed glove work (71 games in OF, 2 errors, 1.87 RF/9), he squares up the ball frequently and has shown a great deal of pop (18 doubles, 3 triples, 17 homers), and he steals bags fearlessly. It seemed that, once he swiped second, he was almost a lock to try for (likely successfully) third immediately afterward. Isbel was a similar runner, in terms of style and aggression. Hicklen also brings added energy to this lineup, though it’s not as if they lack for it. At 22 years old, with his current tool profile, it’s safe to say that his performance at Wilmington is no concern.

SS Cristian Perez (.278, 14 doubles, 37 RBI, 10 SB) isn’t a power bat, but makes a lot of contact and shows a very good eye at the plate. Perez has struck out a total of 94 times over his 194 career games (784 PA), only 43 this year, and while he isn’t likely to walk much (53 BB, career; 11 in 2018), he doesn’t need to. He puts the ball in play with regularity, and aside from a .221 BA/.566 OPS in 24 games in July, Perez has been one of them more consistent hitters on this team. A .348 BA/.756 OPS in June certainly made an impression, during which he struck out only six times in 91 plate appearances. Yet another nineteen-year-old player on this Legends roster, Perez had little difficulty adjusting to Class-A competition. A .252 average vs. RHP (.354 in 92 PA vs. LHP) is acceptable, and should improve in 2019. Making 14 appearances at third base after the loss of Dennicher Carrasco, Perez sometimes struggled with the throw to first, but he also made some low throws from short (10 errors in 69 games at SS, 3 errors in 14 games at 3B). Second base may be in his future, though he could certainly gain arm strength over the next year or two.

Speaking of second base, Ricky Aracena (.261 BA, 10 doubles, 40 RBI, 17 steals in 95 games) is slowly building on the promise that led some international scouts to label him the next Rafael Furcal. With almost no present power of which to speak, Aracena’s value lies primarily in his glove. Coming into 2018, he already had 30 games at short with Lexington, and has been learning second base on the fly since SS Jeison Guzman has been getting the bulk of the time at Aracena’s old position. He is taking reasonably well to the keystone (94 games at 2B, 16 errors, 4.21 RF/9), and has the quickness and footwork to settle in permanently. Listed at 5’8”, which may be generous, there is still room for added strength.

CF Kyle Isbel made his Class-A debut on July 19^th and promptly made his presence known. Isbel batted .342 (.984 OPS) over 10 July games, with five extra-base hits and six steals. He also struck out only four times in his 44 plate appearances. August was more of the same, with a dip in Isbel’s average (.286) and OPS (.750), but he tacked on nine doubles, two homers, ten RBI and six more steals. His strikeouts spiked (36 in 121 PA), even though his pitch selection appeared to be advanced for Low-A. Also intriguing was his lack of a platoon split vs. LHP (.354 between Idaho Falls and Lexington in 89 PA, .314 in 204 PA vs. RHP). He demolished rookie-league pitching to the tune of a 1.063 OPS in 119 PA over 25 games.

UT Manny Olloque made his return to Lexington after starting the year in Triple-A Omaha (.544 OPS in 9 games), then heading to the Pioneer League and the Idaho Falls Chukars, where he performed well enough (.317 BA, 1.006 OPS in 11 games). Olloque’s power seems to have improved since last year, as he popped 21 XBH in 48 games with the Legends. The BB/K ratio is atrocious (7 BB, 67 K), but he did seem more comfortable at the plate this year. He definitely slowed down in August, with his OPS dropping 181 points from July (.690 in August, .871 in July), but he finished on the upswing, tallying a .787 OPS in his final 10 games (3 XBH, 10 RBI).

C Sebastian Rivero (.258, 16 doubles, 7 HR, 34 RBI, .692 OPS in 77 games) had a June to forget (.167 BA, .406 OPS in 17 games), but ranged in OPS between .597 (August) and .898 (July) the rest of the year. In 60 appearances behind the plate, Rivero threw out 35% of base-runners, and made only five errors in that time-span (8 passed balls). He took well to the backup role, but certainly could progress further than that in the coming years.

This is bound to be an exciting series. Lexington hasn’t seen playoff baseball in a very long time, and the team is running half a dozen promotions for this series opener, so the place will likely be packed to the gills. More to come after the completion of Game One.

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Samir Duenez 3-4 2R, 2b, HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Yefri Del Rosario 6 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 2K 6-3 GO-FO 86p/58k

Transactions – Eric Skoglund assigned to Omaha for rehab.

Lexington Legends 4 Lakewood BlueClaws 0

After earning his first win of the season last time out, starter Yefri Del Rosario turned out a quality start for the Legends. Working six innings scoreless, Del Rosario was able to scatter four hits and a walk despite just two strikeouts. Outfielder Kyle Isbel paced the Legends offense in backing the starter, scoring a run in the fourth after a single before singling in a run in the fifth and doubling in a run in the seventh to account for three of the four Legends runs. Right-hander Janser Lara was dominant in relief with three strikeouts in two innings before Garrett Suchey tossed a scoreless ninth.

Kyle Isbel: 4-5, R, 2-2b, 2 RBI
Jeison Guzman: 2-4 K
Janser Lara: 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 K 2-2 GO-FO 31p/22k

Buies Creek Astros 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

The Rocks received another quality start from Gerson Garabito on Thursday night to place his squad in good position to earn a win. For the Dominican born Garabito it was his seventh start in a row of two or fewer runs and his tenth quality start this season. After working five scoreless innings to start his night the righty ran into some troubles in the sixth, walking a pair and giving up two singles to score the run against him. The Rocks offense scored single runs in the second, fourth and eighth innings to build what looked like a big enough lead into the ninth. Unfortunately, in that ninth inning, reliever Tyler Zuber couldn’t keep the opponent off the board, loading the bases and giving up a walk-off bases-clearing double to hand the Rocks a defeat.

Gerson Garabito: 6 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 6 K 4-4 96p/53k
Emmanuel Rivera: 3-3 2b, RBI, BB
Gabriel Cancel: 2-5 2R, 2b, 2K

NW Arkansas Naturals 9 Springfield Cardinals 1

Six scoreless innings from Emilio Ogando and plenty of hits from the middle of the order built a large lead for the Naturals. Six hits by the 2-3-4 hitters of Samir Duenez, Kelvin Gutierrez and Kort Peterson led to the threesome scoring six of the clubs nine runs. It was Peterson’s fourth consecutive multihit game as the right fielder connected on a double and a triple to give him seven extra-base hits in those games. The Naturals starter worked around four hits and three walks while managing to keep Springfield off the scoreboard. After a three-hit night last night Duenez put three more on the board in this one, including a smash to right for his second home run since coming off the DL.

Kort Peterson: 2-4 2R, 2b, 3b, RBI, 2K
Kelvin Gutierrez: 2-3 2R, BB, SB (7)
Jecksson Flores: 2-4 2R, SB (17)

Las Vegas 51s 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Things didn’t go too great in Eric Skoglund’s rehab appearance in Omaha as the left-hander gave up a pair of home runs early before being carted off late. Former Royals infielder Christian Colon hit the first home run in the second inning before Bryce Brentz followed with a two-run shot that same inning. After a scoreless third, the left-hander tried to retrieve a bunt single, twisting his ankle in the process to the point where he needed to be carted off. After Skoglund was forced out, Josh Staumont had to replace him, giving up a double and a sac fly to allow two runs in. The Chasers offense scored three runs but couldn’t come all the way back with six hits on the night.

Frank Schwindel: 1-4 R, 2b, 3K
Cam Gallagher: 0-2 2BB, K
Elier Hernandez: 1-4 K

Pulaski Yankees 13 Burlington Royals 7

A difficult pitching night for the Royals as three different pitchers gave up multiple runs. Starter Yerelmy Garcia coming off an outstanding start last time out was knocked around for a pair of home runs and five runs total in five innings. The offense tried to keep pace, connecting on 13 hits including three from Freddy Fermin and Rafael Romero but the squad went just 4 for 18 with runners in scoring position to be limited to the seven runs in the loss.

Eric Cole: 1-3 R, 3 BB
Juan Carlos Negret: 0-3 RBI, BB, 2K
Jose Marquez: 2-5 R, RBI, 2K

Grand Junction Rockies 8 Idaho Falls Chukars 6

The Chukars grabbed an early lead in this one with a pair of first inning runs on Jose Caraballo’s double. From there the club attempted to hang onto the lead, getting five innings of four run ball by Connor Mayes. The Chukars held a 6-4 lead after an insurance run in the seventh as the team collected 13 hits including four doubles but that would not be enough as the defense and reliever Jaret Hellinger struggled in the ninth. The left-handed reliever gave up three hits, a walk and the defense and shortstop Offerman Collado committed a fielding error as part of a four run inning that would put the Chukars behind by two runs and ultimately hand them the loss.

Nathan Eaton: 2-5 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Jose Caraballo: 2-4 R, 2b, 2 RBI, BB
Daniel Duarte: 3 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 5-1 GO-FO 24p/13k

Thursday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Kelvin Gutierrez 2-5, 3b, HR, 5 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Janser Lara 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2-3 GO-FO, 35p/22k

Gm 1 – Lexington Legends 5, Asheville Tourists 1
Gm 2 – Lexington Legends 2, Asheville Tourists 1

Pitching was the order of the day for the Legends in their doubleheader sweep of the Rockies Low-A squad to help push their winning streak to eight games. In the first game, starter Jackson Kowar tossed three innings with a solo home run given up in the second inning as he worked mostly in the zone with 26 strikes on 39 pitches. He was piggybacked by Janser Lara who tossed three shutout innings of relief before Garrett Suchey closed it out. Batterymate M.J. Melendez provided an RBI single and a solo home run blast, while Nick Pratto doubled in one and Seuly Matias singled in a pair. Game two saw lefty Garrett Davila toss six innings with one run allowed as he gave up a solo home run and worked around two other hits and a pair of walks. An error scored a run for Lexington in the third inning to tie the game and Cal Jones triple in the sixth scored Nick Pratto to break the tie before Colin Snider tossed a perfect inning to earn his first save of the season.

Seuly Matias: 1-7, 2 RBI, 2K
Nick Pratto: 3-5, R, 2-2b, RBI, 2BB, K
M.J. Melendez: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2K

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8, Salem Red Sox 4

The Rocks offense is extremely patient, and lately, they have been connecting plenty of hits with the team scoring seven or more runs in six consecutive games with Wednesday’s win. All nine hitters in the lineup reached base with eight of the hitters collecting at least one hit as the 10 hits and six walks continuously put on pressure against the Red Spx. Trailing 2-0 into the fourth, the Rocks loaded the bases quickly scoring four runs with a Brewer Hicklen bases-loaded walk and Rudy Martin’s bases-clearing double. A Travis Jones home run in the sixth added to the lead before a three-run frame put the game away. Relievers Carter Hope and Josh Mitchell gave up two runs each before Corey Ray and Julio Pinto tossed the final three innings without a run allowed. The win was Wilmington’s sixth in a row while pushing their division lead to three and a half games over Lynchburg.

Blake Perkins: 2-4, 2R, BB, 2 SB
Travis Jones: 1-3, 2R, HR, BB
Brewer Hicklen: 1-3, 2R, RBI, BB, 2K

NW Arkansas Naturals 13, Arkansas Travelers 3

The Naturals powered up to an easy win over Arkansas in the finale of their four game series with the M’s Double-A squad. After the Naturals fell behind on a pair of doubles in the first inning off Pedro Fernandez, the offense powered up with two runs in the second with Alex Liddi connecting on a solo home run before a double steal scored Nick Dini from third. An inning later, third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez tagged a three-run home run as part of a four run frame to give NW Arkansas a 6-1 lead. That lead quickly ballooned to 10-1 in the fourth with Kort Peterson’s two-run home run before Gutierrez tripled in two more later. Those runs were plenty for Fernandez and a pair of relievers as the threesome gave up just three runs while the offense tacked on three more with Xavier Fernandez hitting the team’s fourth home run of the game in the convincing win to give them a series win.

Omaha Storm Chasers 5, Sacramento River Cats 3

The Chasers received yet another quality start from Trevor Oaks as the right-hander acquired this offseason in the Dodgers deal spun 7.2 innings while allowing just one run. In typical fashion for Oaks, he was able to navigate around runners on the bases having given up eight hits and three walks with the use of 11 groundouts including three double plays. The Chasers had a 2-1 lead after a fourth-inning throwing error by Evan Longoria allowed Jack Lopez to reach and Humberto Arteaga to score. With Oaks tossing up a bunch of zeroes, the Chasers tacked on three insurance runs in the ninth to take a 5-1 lead. That came in handy after Eric Stout ran into trouble with a pair of runs allowed before Jake Newberry bailed Omaha out with a double play ball off the bat of Evan Longoria to end it.

Nicky Lopez: 2-4, RBI, BB
Donnie Dewees: 3-4, R, 2b
Trevor Oaks: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 11-6 GO-FO, 96p/62k

Elizabethton Twins 6, Burlington Royals 5

The Royals built a slim lead that the bullpen gave away in this one.  Starter Marcelo Martinez had given up four runs in five innings, allowing seven hits and two walks, while the lefty struckout five hitters. Trailing 4-1 into the fifth, the Royals scored a run on a two-out fielding error before Juan Carlos Negret blasted his fifth home run to give Burlington a 5-4 lead. That lead wouldn’t last long with reliever Austin Lambright giving up single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. The Royals would threaten in the seventh with a pair of one-out singles but failed to cash in before going down in the final two innings to drop the game.

Juan Carlos Negret: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Jackson Lueck: 1-4, R, BB, K
Marcelo Martinez: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 7-2 GO-FO, 86p/61k

Idaho Falls Chukars 12 Orem Owlz 3

Royals first round pick Kris Bubic bounced back somewhat from a rough start last time. Working just 3.2 innings, the lefty gave up just an unearned run, striking out five while earning four groundouts. It would’ve been four scoreless innings had Offerman Collado fielded a routine ground ball with two down, opening the inning up to a one-run frame after a pair of singles, but that’s how it goes from time to time at the rookie level. The offense pounded out nine runs on eleven hits in the first four innings to build a nearly insurmountable lead with Bubic and ’18 draftee Tyler Gray doing much of the heavy lifting on the mound while the offense continued adding on.

Offerman Collado: 2-4, R, 3b, 2 RBI, BB
Hunter Strong: 2-5, R, 2b, 2 RBI
Kris Bubic: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 4-1 GO-FO, 73p/50k

Wednesday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: MJ Melendez 3-4 2R, HR, 1-2 CS-Att

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Janser Lara 4 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 7 K 1-1 GO-FO 64p/40k

Lexington Legends 4 Greenville Drive 3

The Legends homered their way to a series win over the Red Sox Low-A squad on Tuesday. Starter Andres Sotillet generated groundballs getting nine in five innings but also gave up a single tally in the first three innings after allowing seven hits including a solo home run in the third. Piggyback partner Janser Lara entered in the sixth and kept Greenville’s offense static the rest of the way while the Lexington offense powered their way back even. In the seventh Ricky Aracena unloaded on a home run to trim the deficit to one run, it was just Aracena’s fourth career home run but a no-doubt shot that landed some 377 feet away and cleared the left field bleachers. An inning later a double by Dennicher Carrasco allowed MJ Melendez to score from first base to tie the game up. In the ninth Lara worked around a pair of hits and a walk with the help of a Melendez caught stealing, sending the game to the home half where he as awarded with a win thanks to the bat of Cal Jones. The Alabama outfielder hitting just .162 tagged a ball to left into the left-field stands to walk the game off for Lexington.

Cal Jones 1-4 HR
Ricky Aracena 1-4 HR
Seuly Matias 0-4 K

NW Arkansas Naturals 4 Arkansas Travelers 2 F/10

NW Arkansas couldn’t continue their team run of 10 hit games going but they did receive some excellent pitching which allowed the offense time to do enough in extras to win the game. Starter Foster Griffin led the way on this night, working around eight hits and a walk while giving up two runs over seven innings. Four of the hits allowed by Griffin came in the seventh when Arkansas got a pair of infield hits in front of a line drive to left to even the game but  Anderson Miller’s assist at the plate on the trail runner kept the game even. The Naturals bullpen of Jake Newberry and Luis Vazquez kept the Trevelers off the board from the eighth on, getting six strikeouts over that time. Despite a free runner in the tenth, the Naturals had two runners tossed out trying to advance to third base. With two outs and a runner on second for the third time in the inning catcher, Nick Dini took the game in his own hands walking it off with his first Double-A home run of the season.

Nick Dini 1-4 HR, 2 RBI
Nicky Lopez 2-3 3b
Jake Newberry 2 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 4 K 1-1 GO-FO

New Orleans Baby Cakes 16 Omaha Storm Chasers 0

A position player pitched in this one, enough said.

Frank Schwindel 1-3 BB
Ryan O’Hearn 1-4
Josh Staumont 1 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 2 K 1-0 GO-FO 25p/15

Tuesday Boxscores

Wednesday Probables
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn 1-2 4.85 ERA 1.85 WHIP
Wilmington Gm1 – Jace Vines 1-5 7.08 ERA 1.81 WHIP
Wilmington Gm2 – Anthony Bender 1-1 4.81 ERA 1.85 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Seuly Matias 2-4 2HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jon Dziedzic 7 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 8 K 8-2 GO-FO 96p/65k

Delmarva Shorebirds 9 Lexington Legends 5

Coming into this game Janser Lara was exhibiting better control, having walked fewer than 3 per 9 innings while showing off the good fastball and breaking ball combination to miss bats. That wasn’t the case on this night though as the Latin right-hander struggled with the zone, throwing just 39 strikes among his 70 pitches while walking three and allowing six hits in just three innings of work. It wasn’t a ton of hard contact with four of the five singles coming on the ground and the other as a soft line drive but the high pitch counts and the wild pitch and errors drove him out of the game early. Piggyback partner Andres Sotillet was also knocked around on his arrival into the game, allowing three runs on eleven hits over the final six innings. The closest the Legends got after the third inning was a three-run deficit in the eighth inning on Seuly Matias’s second two-run home run on the night.

Nick Pratto: 1-4 R, 2b
Jeison Guzman: 3-4 2R, HR
Brewer Hicklen: 2-4 2b

Carolina Mudcats 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

Hard throwing Ofreidy Gomez struggled with the zone and threw a few too many hittable pitches in Carolina in game one of the series with the Mudcats. The right-hander that works in the low to mid 90s hit the zone with just 53 of 99 pitches, walked three and gave up six hits and four runs in four and two-thirds. Trailing 4-1 after a rain delay Emmanuel Rivera doubled to left-center to bring Wilmington within a run but Xavier Fernandez and Chris DeVito would fail to advance him home, ending the rally in the inning and eventually the game.

Emmanuel Rivera: 2-4 2b, 2 RBI
Khalil Lee: 1-4 2k, SB(7)
D.J. Burt: 1-4 R, BB

Tulsa Drillers 9 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

The Drillers got to Foster Griffin early and late while the offense had plenty of hits but didn’t do enough damage with them in a loss. Three separate two-out doubles plated a single run in the first and two more in the second against Griffin while the Naturals answered with just a run-scoring double by newly promoted Brandon Downes over the first two innings. Zeroes went up over the next three innings before another two-out two run double in the sixth added to the tally against Griffin. From there the Drillers tacked on against the bullpen while the Naturals added a couple of late runs in a loss.

Nicky Lopez: 2-5
Brandon Downes: 2-4 2b, HR, 2 RBI
Foster Griffin: 7 IP 10 H 5 R 5 ER 1 BB 5K 8-3 GO-FO 97p/62k

Omaha Storm Chasers 3 Iowa Cubs 2

The Chasers received an outstanding start from Jonathan Dziedzic to snap their losing skid. The lefty spun seven innings of scoreless ball allowing just three hits while filling the zone with 65 strikes on 96 pitches in that time. The eight strikeouts for Jon was a season high and a nice rebound effort from the seven runs he allowed against New Orleans. The game was scoreless until the seventh when Paulo Orlando unloaded on a three-run home run to give the Chasers all they would need to secure a win.

Hunter Dozier: 1-3 BB
Ryan O’Hearn: 1-3 BB
Cam Gallagher: 1-4 R

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Heath Fillmyer 2-2 5.46 ERA 1.54 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn 0-3 5.90 ERA 1.45 WHIP
Wilmington – Gerson Garabito 1-2 2.12 ERA 1.18 WHIP
Lexington – Nolan Watson 2-2 6.33 ERA 1.74 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day Nick Pratto 3-5 3R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI 

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Janser Lara 4 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 5 K 2-2 GO-FO 55p/33k

Lexington Legends 11 Charleston RiverDogs 4

The Legends offense liked their first visit to the Yankees Low-A stadium in Charleston with the club connecting on fifteen hits Friday night. The squad scored runs in six of the nine innings including a five-run third frame that included back to back doubles by Seuly Matias and MJ Melendez. A Nick Pratto two-run blast in the sixth inning pushed the advantage to 10-4 which was more than enough for Andres Sotillet and Janser Lara. In his piggyback role, Lara struckout five hitters against just one hit allowed over the final four innings to earn the save.

Seuly Matias 2-5 R, 2-2b, RBI, 2K
MJ Melendez 2-4 2R, 2b, 3b, 2 RBI, BB
Marten Gasparini 2-5 R, 2-2b

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8 Frederick Keys 5

The Carolina League’s most patient squad was back at it against Frederick in the first game of their series. The offense walked eight times on the night with three different hitters walking twice while the also connected on eleven hits to push across eight runs despite a 2 for 10 effort with runners in scoring position. Infielder D.J. Burt drove in three runs on the night while also connecting on his first extra-base hit with a double that drove in a run in the fifth. That two-run inning was the first of four consecutive two-run innings that led to the eventual win. Newly promoted reliever Carter Hope got the win with two innings of one-run ball (0 ER) as his comeback effort jumped to the next level before handing things off to Matt Wynne for the win.

Jace Vines 6 IP 5 H 4 R 4 ER 3 BB 2 K 12-2 GO-FO 80p/46k
Emmanuel Rivera 2-3 HR, 2BB
D.J. Burt 2-4 2b, 3 RBI, BB

Springfield Cardinals 9 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

Starter Foster Griffin struggled the second time through the lineup Friday, giving up a pair of runs in the third before running into more trouble in the fifth. The lefty made an error in the fifth which opened up a five run frame, tagging him with six runs on the night. That was more than enough to put the game out of reach while the Naturals offense collected just six hits and one run.

Nicky Lopez 2-3 BB
Anderson Miller 2-4 2b, RBI
Foster Griffin 4.2 IP 6 H 6 R 4 ER 3 BB 1 K 6-3 GO-FO 79p/47k

New Orleans Baby Cakes 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 4

The Chasers Jon Dziedzic struggled in the sixth inning, giving up five singles and a walk before reliever Wily Peralta gave up a triple that allowed two runners still on base when he left. That run of hits pegged seven runs to Dziedzic’s line and left the Omaha offense too far behind. Leadoff Adalberto Mondesi struggled in his first game back at Werner Park going 0-4 with four strikeouts while the offense went 3-11 with runners in scoring position.

Ryan O’Hearn 1-4
Hunter Dozier 1=4 2 RBI
Humberto Arteaga 2-3 R, BB hitting .288

Friday Boxscores

Saturday Probables
Omaha – Andres Machado 0-3 7.91 ERA 2.02 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn 0-3 5.84 ERA 1.34 WHIP
Wilmington – Anthony Bender 1-0 3.79 ERA 1.74 WHIP
Lexington – Nolan Watson 2-1 5.79 ERA 1.59 WHIP

HR Roll Call: Angelo Castellano (8), Reed Rohlman (2)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Julio Gonzalez 4-5, R, 2b, 3b, 6 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Garrett Davila 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HBP, 10-2 GO-FO, 83p/49k

Oklahoma City Dodgers 4, Omaha Storm Chasers 3 

The Chasers built an early lead only to watch it slip away in the fourth of five games with the Dodgers. Back to back second inning doubles by Bubba Starling and Frank Schwindel led to two runs in the second to give Omaha a 2-1 lead. In the third inning, Raul Mondesi doubled, stole third and scored on Jorge Soler’s ground out.

The Dodgers answered with two runs in the fourth off starter Andre Machado, hitting a solo home run and getting an Alex Verdugo RBI single to tie the game up. A walk and a pair of singles off Mark Peterson gave the Dodgers a lead. The Chasers would get at least one hitter on base in every inning from the fifth onward, but they were unable to push another run across.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 3-5, R, 2b, 3b, SB (20)
Paulo Orlando 1-3, BB
Frank Schwindel 1-4, R, 2b
Bubba Starling 1-2, R, 2b, RBI

Midland RockHounds 6, NW Arkansas Naturals 0

The Naturals were shut out by Heath Fillmyer and company on Thursday night. The A’s righty worked seven innings scoreless, working around four singles and earning 12 Naturals groundouts in the process. While their starter was keeping the ball on the ground, Josh Staumont gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks in just 4.2 innings to take another loss.

Boxscore Link

Josh Staumont 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 3-2 GO-FO, 92p/53k
Yunior Marte 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2K, 23p/13k
Ryan O’Hearn 0-3, BB
Samir Duenez 0-4
Nicky Lopez 1-4

Frederick Keys 9, Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Wilmington pitching foursome got roughed up for 16 hits and nine runs in another defeat at the hands of the Keys. Starter Jared Ruxer gave up six hits and five runs in just 1.2 innings. Reliever Franco Terrero gave up three runs in 2.1 innings, putting the Rocks down 8-0 after four.

The Rocks offense was kept off the board until the ninth when Chris DeVito scored on a Wander Franco triple prior to him scoring via Travis Maezes single.

Boxscore Link

Chris DeVito 3-4, R, 2b
Brandon Downes 0-3, 2K

Lexington Legends 9, West Virginia Power 0

A pair of Legends pitchers who have struggled at times in ’17 combined to limit West Virginia to just two hits in a convincing win. Lefty starter Garrett Davila worked six shutout innings with just a pair of walks and a single allowed in earning his eighth win of the season.

The offense rewarded Davila with plenty of backing, getting a run in the second on an Angelo Castellano single to drive in Meibrys Viloria. The game stayed at 1-0 until the sixth when Castellano again came through, this time with a three-run home run as part of a four-run inning.

The Legends would continue to pile on, scoring four more runs while reliever Nolan Watson worked the final three innings scoreless to earn his first career save.

Boxscore Link

Garrett Davila 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 10-2 GO-FO, 83p/49k
Michael Gigliotti 3-5, R, 2b, RBI, SB/CS
Khalil Lee 2-5, R, 2b, RBI
Gabe Cancel 1-4, R, BB

Idaho Falls Chukars 17, Billings Mustangs 2

The Chukars put up double digit runs for the second night in a row in a romp against the Mustangs. The story of the night besides the runs was the outstanding effort from starter Janser Lara. The fireballing right-handed pitcher that one scout told me has 20 control had it working on this night, retiring the first eight hitters he faced and not allowing a hit until the fourth inning. Working a career best 6.2 innings, Lara would give up just a two-run home run during his outing while striking out six hitters on the night.

While Lara was spinning good baseball, the offense was working over the Billings pitchers with 22 hits and 17 runs as eight different Chukars batters had two or more hits on the night.

Boxscore Link

Matt Morales 2-6, 2 RBI
Amalani Fukofuka 2-5, 3R
Julio Gonzalez 4-5, R, 2b, 3b, 6 RBI

Princeton Rays 6, Burlington Royals 5

The Royals took a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning on a solo home run by Reed Rohlman, but reliever Yarelmy Garcia gave it up in the bottom of the ninth. In that inning, the first two hitters reached via a double and a sac bunt that the hitter reached on. A fly out where Seuly Matias threw home advanced the runner from first, leaving Burlington’s manager to load the bases. A sac fly to center would tie the game before Princeton would walk it off with a single to right.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 1-4, 2b, 2K
Jeison Guzman 1-4, R, 2b, RBI
Sebastian Rivero 1-4, RBI

AZL Royals 9, AZL Angels 1

Royals second round pick Evan Steele made his pro debut on Friday working a clean inning on just 12 pitches while striking out all three hitters he faced.

Excellent 1st inn by AZL #Royals LHP Evan Steele. 3 Ks on 12 pitches. FB 89-91, CB 78. 3rd rndr from Chipola.

— Bill Mitchell (@billazbbphotog) August 18, 2017

After Steele left, reliever Randy Acevedo kept the Angels hitless until the seventh inning before giving up a pair of hits and a run in that inning. Despite that run, the offense had already given Acevedo and company a big lead with a four-run frame after single runs in the first and third before capping the scoring with a three-run eighth inning. All nine hitters reached base at least once while Tyler James had two hits and two walks while scoring three runs on the night.

Boxscore Link

MJ Melendez 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 3K
Nick Pratto 1-4, R, RBI, 3K
Evan Steele 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

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.