BPKC Hitter of the Day: Rosell Herrera 2-4 2R, 2b, RBI, SB (4)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Richard Lovelady 2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 K 1-1 GO-FO 30p/20k

Columbia Fireflies 9 Lexington Legends 4

The Legends bats had trouble making contact on Thursday while their starter had difficulty hitting the strikezone. Starter Yefri Del Rosario in his second start with the squad walked four hitters while giving up four runs while the defense struggled behind him, allowing seven (3 ER) runs to cross against him. With Del Rosario walking hitters and the defense giving up extra outs the Legends hitters were struggling to make contact, striking out fifteen times in the game while losing an early lead and failing to score during the final six innings.

Nick Pratto: 2-4 R, BB, SB (9)
Seuly Matias: 2-5 R, 2B
Cristian Perez: 3-4 RBI, 2E, hitting .388 with a 16 game hitting streak

Winston-Salem Dash 8 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

One of the White Sox top pitching prospects kept the Wilmington offense in check while the Wilmington pitching staff couldn’t do the same. Right-handed Dylan Cease yielded just five hits against the Rocks with Nick Heath coming up with three of those. With a fastball that can touch 99 mph, it was the groundball contact that impressed the most with 12 groundouts created along with four strikeouts in his eight-inning performance while allowing just two runs. Wilmington’s starter Ofreidy Gomez gave up six runs in five innings (5 ER) with three free passes and five hits allowed including a big two-run blast to Yermin Mercedes. The game got away from the Rocks during a three-run fifth that put Wilmington behind 6-1.

Khalil Lee: 0-4 RBI, K
D.J. Burt: 1-3 RBI
Nick Heath: 3-4 R, K, SB (14)

Tulsa Drillers 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

The Naturals offense was limited to just five hits by Tulsa pitching while the Drillers used a three run fourth to take command of the game. After exchanging runs in the first inning, Alex Liddi’s fourth inning home run gave the Naturals a brief lead. The Drillers quickly countered in the home half of the inning with four extra base hits off Pedro Fernandez to plate three runs. From there the Naturals went down in order, hitting in a pair of double plays to eliminate the only two baserunners they had. The loss moved them back into a tie with Arkansas for first place with Springfield sitting a game back and Tulsa just two back with four to play in the first half.

Nicky Lopez: 1-4
Elier Hernandez: 1-4 RBI
Erick Mejia: 1-3 R

Omaha Storm Chasers 5 Tacoma Rainiers 3

Three players who have made appearances in the majors already paced the Chasers offense for a win. Newcomer Rosell Herrera reached base three times, scoring two runs when Jorge Bonifacio drove him in with a pair of hits. It was Bonifacio who was driven in during a three run fifth inning by Cam Gallagher who also drove in another run late with a safety squeeze. The five runs were enough as Heath Fillmyer gave up three runs in his six innings and the bullpen tossed the final three innings scoreless with Richard Lovelady tossing two scoreless in the win.

Adalberto Mondesi: 0-4 RBI, K
Jorge Bonifacio: 2-4 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Heath Fillmyer: 6 IP 5 H 3 R 3 ER 3 BB 4 K 6-3 GO-FO 93p/54k

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Josh Staumont 1-1 1.59 ERA 1.35 WHIP
NW Arkansas – TBA
Wilmington – Gerson Garabito 2-5 4.35 ERA 1.52 WHIP
Lexington – TBA
Idaho Falls – TBA

BPKC Hitter of the Day: John Brontsema 4-4 2R, HR, 2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Wily Peralta 4 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 5 K 5-0 GO-FO 47p/33k

West Virginia Power 3 Lexington Legends 2

Each team had trouble connecting with runners in scoring position in this one, but the Power did just that, powering up for a win. The Legends used errors to plate both of their runs after an 0-5 effort with runners in scoring position. Solo home runs off Nolan Watson in the first and sixth innings combined with a run on a wild pitch against Watson contributed to the other in the loss.

Nick Pratto: 1-4 3K
MJ Melendez: 1-4 2K
Sebastian Rivero: 0-3 SAC

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1

A fluky inside the park home run paved the way for a Wilmington win on Thursday night. The Wilmington pitching staff did their part on the night, limiting Myrtle Beach to just one run on six hits and four walks as they combined to strikeout thirteen hitters on the night. Starter Ofreidy Gomez’s wavering control limited him to just five innings but he was able to escape four hits and three walks allowed to just one run against in that time. From there, the bullpen of Grant Gavin, Josh Mitchell and Bryan Brickhouse shutdown the Pelican lineup for the final four innings. With the game tied 1-1 into the bottom of the eighth, Nick Heath hit a shallow pop up to left that caused the two outfielders to collide, allowing Chris DeVito to come home from second and the blazing fast Heath to race all the way around the bases for a little league inside the park home run.

Bryan Brickhouse: 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 11p/7k
Josh Mitchell: 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K 16p/12k
Nick Heath: 3-4 2R, HR, 2 RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 9 Arkansas Travelers 7

The Naturals offense continued their hot run, jumping all over Arkansas starter Johendi Jiminian for eight runs in the first three innings of this one. Four different NW Arkansas hitters had multi-hit games with John Brontsema and Anderson Miller leading the way with a home run and double each. It was Brontsema’s fifth inning home run that pushed the advantage to 9-3 which would be too large for the Travelers to overcome despite five runs off Scott Blewett and a late run off reliever Walker Sheller when he struggled to close the door in the ninth.

Scott Blewett: 6 IP 7 H 5 R 5 ER 3 BB 0 K 13-8 GO-FO 101p/56k
Nicky Lopez: 0-3
Anderson Miller: 2-3 2R, HR, 2b, 2 RBI, BB

Iowa Cubs 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 3 F/11

Starter Heath Fillmyer could give his team just four innings in this one, allowing three runs in the fourth to end his night in favor of rehabbing Justin Grimm. The Chasers pen kept Iowa off the board for the next six innings but a struggling Omaha offense could muster just a three-run eighth to tie the game. In that inning, a solo home run by Paulo Orlando, RBI double by Humberto Artea and a run-scoring single from Billy Burns provided the three runs. Tied into extras, the Cubs took home the win in the eleventh frame on a single against Brandon Maurer after Omaha failed to cash in on two opportunities with the free runner.

Ryan O’Hearn: 0-1 3BB
Jack Lopez: 1-4 R, 2b, SB
Paulo Orlando: 1-4 HR

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Scott Barlow 1-1 2.66 ERA 1.33 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Emilio Ogando 2-2 6.26 ERA 2.05 WHIP
Wilmington – Gerson Garabito 1-2 2.34 ERA 1.33 WHIP
Lexington – Carlos Hernandez 1-1 3.68 ERA 0.95 WHIP

HR Roll Call: None

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Darrell Miller 5-6 2R, 2b

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jared Ruxer 6.2 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 7 K 4-7 GO-FO 101p/63k

AZL Royals 4 AZL White Sox 3 

The Arizona squad walked things off in the ninth after giving up the lead earlier in that inning. Starter Gerson Garabito, working his way back from the DL, gave up a first inning two run home run to major league rehabber Leury Garcia in the first inning. The Royals came back with three runs of their own with a sac fly in the fourth and a pair of doubles in the fifth leading to two runs.

That lead held up until the ninth when Garcia connected on a single to drive in the tying run. That Royals quickly rebounded in their half of the ninth getting a Tyler James triple and a Nick Pratto sacrifice fly to walk the game off.

Boxscore Link

Gerson Garabito 2 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 1 K 4-0 GO-FO
Nick Pratto 0-2 RBI 2BB, K, SB (7)
MJ Melendez 0-3 RBI, BB, K, 1-1 CS/Att
Isaiah Henry 2-3 R, 2b, BB, CS (3), OF Assist

Burlington Royals 10 Johnson City Cardinals 6 F/10

The Royals took a 6-2 lead into the ninth, but two errors and three groundball singles off closer Tyler Zuber led to Johnson City tying the game. Fortunately for Burlington, Johnson City returned the favor by making an error that allowed the Royals to retake the lead and open the door to a four run inning. This time Zuber closed the door with that lead.

Boxscore Link

Tyler Zuber 2 IP 3 H 4 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K 4-1 GO-FO 37p/27k
Sal Biasi 5 IP 2 H 2 R 1 ER 3 BB 5 K 1 HR 3-3 GO-FO 98p/60k
Michael Gigliotti 2-4 2R, RBI, BB, 2 SB (9) has a .474 OBP

Idaho Falls Chukars 15 Missoula Osprey 12 F/10

The Chukars tried to give away a huge lead but bounced back in extras to earn a series win in Missoula. Starter Janser Lara struggled with control, walking five in three and two-third innings while giving up three runs in that time. Despite those struggles, Idaho Falls had built a 12-5 lead after just five innings. The bullpen couldn’t hold that lead, giving up seven runs from the sixth through eighth innings to tie the game and eventually send it to extras.

In extra innings, the Chukars got their offense back rolling with three runs on hits by Travis Jones, Freddy Fermin, and Cristhian Vasquez. Reliever Josh Mitchell closed it out to earn the win, tossing two and one-third scoreless innings in the game.

Boxscore Link

Josh Mitchell 2.1 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 4 K 2-1 GO-FO 37p/24k
Janser Lara 3.2 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 5 BB 4 K 3-2 GO-FO 83p/45k
Travis Jones 1-5 R, 2b, 3 RBI

Wilmington Blue Rocks 7 Salem Red Sox 2 

The Rocks finished off the Red Sox on Wednesday to earn a four game sweep of the High-A club. A Nick Heath double followed later by a Travis Maezes sac fly gave Wilmington a 1-0 lead in the first inning. After a Red Sox run in the second, the Rocks took control of the game with a three run inning. Again it was Heath scoring, this time on a Roman Collins double before the Rocks would score runs on a Jonathan McCray sac fly and bases loaded walk to Jecksson Flores.

Those runs would serve to be plenty for Jared Ruxer and staff as the right spun six and two-thirds scoreless before the pen gave a couple up in the ninth following a pair of insurance runs by the offense. The Blue Rocks currently stand two games behind Salem for second place.

Boxscore Link

Nick Heath 3-5 2R, 2b, SB (14)
Chase Vallot 1-1 R, 2b
Chris DeVito 1-4 R, BB

Arkansas Travelers 6 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

Starter Corey Ray’s struggles continued and the Naturals lack of power continued to haunt them in a loss to Arkansas. In three innings of work, Ray gave up six runs (5ER) including a three run home run in the third. While the NW Arkansas lineup could must just one extra base hit among their ten. A three run eighth inning provide most of the offense in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Yunior Marte 4 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 2 K 4-2 GO-FO 56p/34k
Nicky Lopez 2-4 R, 2b
Donnie Dewees 2-5 R
Anderson Miller 1-3 BB

Albuquerque Isotopes 13 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

A rough one for the Chasers on Wednesday night in Albuquerque. Starter Eric Skoglund and reliever Pedro Fernandez were each tagged for six runs, Fernandez’s damage came in just one inning of work during a lopsided game. The one bright spot for the Chasers was that Frank Schwindel stayed hot, going 3 for 4 with a double and the only RBI in the game for Omaha.

Boxscore Link

Frank Schwindel 3-4 2b, RBI
Eric Skoglund 5 IP 8 H 6 R 5 ER 5 BB 1 K 4-6 GO-FP 92p/54k
Ryan O’Hearn 1-3 BB

Meanwhile in Miami, @Foster_Griffin retired both batters he faced in the #FuturesGame. #RaisedRoyal pic.twitter.com/EWUG91XDud

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) July 9, 2017

Via @Royals

HR Roll Call: Ryan O’Hearn (15), Dean Anna (4), Gabe Cancel (9), Marten Gasparini (7), Cristhian Vasquez (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Cristhian Vasquez 2-4, 2R, HR, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Cristian Castillo 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 7-9 GO-FO

Iowa Cubs 9, Omaha Storm Chasers 4

If you’re looking for positives at the Triple-A level, then it’s been positive that Kyle Zimmer has been able to bounce back in relief. The negative is that the stuff isn’t what it once was in terms of fastball velocity which leads him to get hit hard at times. After striking out a pair,  Zimmer gave up a home run, a single and walked two before getting lifted for Miguel Almonte. This appearance pushed Zimmer’s ERA to 6.75 at Triple-A this season.

Triple-A All-Star shortstop Raul Mondesi left the game after avoiding being hit by a ball in his first at-bat.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 2-5 ,HR
Jake Junis 5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HBP, 79p/56k, 4-5 GO-FO
Cam Gallagher 1-4, 0-4 CS-Att, PO
Miguel Almonte 1.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 21p/17k
Kyle Zimmer 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HR, 32p/18k

San Antonio Missions 6, NW Arkansas Naturals 1

Starter Emilio Ogando gave up just two hits in his 5.1 innings, but the Missions did everything they could with those hits, scoring three runs with a two-run home run and another with a single. Reliever Yunior Marte struggled with his command, giving up two walks and some hard-hit balls when ahead in the count to allow three more runs in his 2.2 innings.

Boxscore Link

Emilio Ogando 5.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 4-3 GO-FO, 90p/52k
Yunior Marte 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1-3 GO-FO, 43p/24k
Nicky Lopez 0-3, R, SB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3, Potomac Nationals 1 

The Royals Mexican-born lefty, Cristian Castillo, came into his start second in the Carolina League in ERA. Much of Castillo’s peripherals to this point suggest he’s been fortunate to put up that ERA, as hitters had 24% line drive rate against him, with a less than average K-rate (17.8%) and walk numbers aren’t that special (8.1%). What the lefty has done is control hitters with runners on (.223/.302/.325), and pitched to his home park and the league’s ability to dwarf home runs (3.6% HR/FB). These won’t be easily repeatable traits when he pitches at Double-A and Triple-A against more advanced hitters.

All of these things were on display in this start for Castillo, who tossed eight scoreless innings with six strikeouts against no walks while allowing just three singles.

Boxscore Link

Cristian Castillo 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 7-9 GO-FO
D.J. Burt 1-3, R, BB, SB (26), CS (12)
Nick Heath 2-4, 2b, 2 RBI
Chase Vallot 0-4, 2K
Chris DeVito 0-4

Greenville Drive 6, Lexington Legends 5

An error on a missed catch by first baseman Manny Olloque led to a second run scoring in the sixth inning which ended up being the difference.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 2-4, R
Gabe Cancel 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Marten Gasparini 2-4, HR
Emmanuel Rivera 2-4, R, 3b, RBI

Orem Owlz 14, Idaho Falls Chukars 4

The Chukars got blasted by Orem once again. This time six errors from Idaho Falls led to 10 unearned runs.

Boxscore Link

Cristhian Vasquez 2-4, 2R, HR, 2 RBI
Julio Gonzalez 2-4, 2b, RBI, BB, 2E (3)

Danville Braves 5, Burlington Royals 4 

Michael Gigliotti has shown off the patient approach (17.9% walk rate) the Royals liked upon drafting him, while also flashing some good pop (.222 ISO) and speed on the bases with five steals. It will be interesting to see if the Royals take a similar path as Nicky Lopez with Gigs, playing the entire year at Burlington before skipping him to the Carolina League next year.

The Royals tied the game on a run-scoring triple by Jose Marquez but stranded him there. The Braves answered with a walkoff single by Isranel Wilson who drove in four runs.

Boxscore Link

Michael Gigliotti 1-4, R, 2b, BB
Jeison Guzman 0-5
Seuly Matias 1-3, 2BB
Sebastian Rivero 1-3, R, BB

HR Roll Call: Dusty Coleman (4), Samir Duenez (13)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Samir Duenez 4-4, HR, 4 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Matt Tenuta 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 5-5 GO-FO, 94p/66k

Sacramento River Cats 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

It wasn’t as nice of a second Triple-A start for Jake Junis on Monday as the River Cats got after him early. In the first inning a leadoff Gorky Hernandez double lead to the game’s first run. An inning later, Sacramento kept the pressure on with a walk and three more hits that pushed their lead 3-0. After it appeared Junis had corrected the ship, Sacramento got things going once again in the fifth inning when a pair of hit by pitches were sandwiched around three singles to tag Junis with two more runs allowed in his last inning of work. The Chasers would twice get within a run on the night, but couldn’t close the gap the entire way in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 2-4, 2R, 2b, RBI
Ramon Torres 2-3, R, 2b, RBI, BB
Jake Junis 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 6-2 GO-FO, 81p/55k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 7 Potomac Nationals 3

A pair of Blue Rocks bats combined with solid pitching for a win versus Potomac. First baseman Samir Duenez and centerfielder Cody Jones combined for eight hits and five of the seven runs in. It was Duenez with four RBI in his first three at bats including his 13th home run of the season. These runs benefited lefty Matt Tenuta who won his third decision in a row with 6.2 quality innings while allowing just two runs on four hits allowed in the win.

Boxscore Link

Cody Jones 4-5, R, 2-2b, RBI, SB (30)
Robert Pehl 2-3, 2R, RBI, BB
Brennan Henry 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 6-1 GO-FO

Billings Mustangs 12 Idaho Falls Chukars 5

The Idaho Falls pitching staff were knocked around in a game that got ugly for the home team Monday. It was the bullpen that took the brunt of the damage as starter Andre Machado gave up just one run in his five innings of work. From there Drew Milligan and Jason Freeman gave up 11 runs in 3.2 innings to turn a Chukars 2-1 lead into a 12-5 defeat. Catcher Meibrys Viloria has seen his hot season cool a tad with hitless games in three of his last four starts.

Boxscore Link

Manny Olloque 2-4, RBI, BB, SB (6)
Joe Dudek 2-4, R, 2b, BB
Nick Heath 3-3, 2R, RBI, BB, 2SB  (21)

Danville Braves 3 Burlington Royals 2

The Royals offense struggled to get things going while a run off the bullpen cost them a game. A pair of throwing errors in the sixth lead to a tie game for Burlington, but reliever Jesse Camp allowed a one-out double that scored a Braves run just one inning later. Just one more baserunner the rest of the game prevented Burlington from tying the game.

Boxscore Link

Gabriel Cancel 2-4, R, 2-2b
Vance Vizcaino 1-3, 3b
Geoffrey Bramblett 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

DSL Philliles 2 DSL Royals 1

A pair of early runs did in the Royals on Monday after their offense could plate just one run on seven singles. Starter Yarelmy Garcia took a tough luck loss after giving up two runs on just three hits and a walk allowed.

Boxscore Link

Yarelmy Garcia 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 6-5 GO-FO
Esteury Ruiz 1-4, 3 K
Rafael Romero 1-3, R

HR Roll Call Whit Merrifield (8), Colton Frabasilio (1)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Nick Heath 3-4 R, 2b, 2 SB (16)

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Emilio Ogando 6.1 IP 1 H 0 R 2 BB 6 K 10-3 GO-FO 95p/62k

Omaha Storm Chasers 6 Iowa Cubs 4

The Chasers came through enough times in their 13 chances to put up enough offense on the board to claim a win thanks to their starters quality outing. Starter Christian Binford gave Omaha his third consecutive quality start, allowing three runs over seven innings, The Chasers rewarded Binford with his first win since May 22nd, getting a home run from Whit Merrifield and a three run double by Bubba Starling in the first inning to build a 4-1 lead after one inning. The Chasers would tack on a run in the fourth and eighth to secure the lead and the win, their fourth in a row.

Boxscore Link

Whit Merrifield 2-4 2R, HR, RBI, BB, SB (18)
Hunter Dozier 2-4 R, 2b, BB
Reymond Fuentes 1-3 R, RBI, BB

Springfield Cardinals 1 NW Arkansas Naturals 0

The Naturals offense couldn’t get anything going on offense Saturday, dropping a 1-0 game. Starter Yender Caramo took the loss despite giving up just one run in 5.2 innings on five hits while striking out eight.

Boxscore Link

Yender Caramo 5.2 IP 5 H 1 Er 0 BB 8 K 6-3 GO-FO 77p/55k
Cam Gallagher 1-3
Terrance Gore 1-1

Lexington Legends 6 Charleston RiverDogs 1

Outstanding starting pitching effort and some thump on offense gave the Legends their first win in Charleston in three tries. After back to back games when the Lexington offense couldn’t muster more than two hits their starter pulled a role reversal. Lefty Emilio Ogando and the bullpen limited the RiverDogs to just two hits with Ogando working 6.2 innings of one hit ball with two walks allowed and six K’s. The offense woke up with 11 hits and Colton Frabsilio’s first home runs for the Legends. They will go for the split in the for games series tomorrow.

Boxscore Link

Colton Frabasilio 1-3 HR, 2 RBI
DJ Burt 1-4 RBI, SB (32)
Chase Vallot 2-5

Idaho Falls Chukars 7 Grand Junction Rockies 5

Trailing 4-1 after five innings the Chukars put up six runs in their final three at bats to win another game at home. Rockies starter Ty Culbreth limited Idaho Falls to just one run through five innings with seven strikeouts while Idaho Falls starter fell behind with four runs in seven innings. Trailing 5-3 in the eighth the Chukars came up big with a four run inning, Meibrys Viloria got it started with a RBI double to score the first run and was quickly brought home on a two run single by Angelo Castellano. One hitter later Joe Dudek drove in Castellano to setup the Chukars with the two run lead that they would win with. The eighth inning hit for Viloria extended his hit streak to 17 games.

Boxscore Link 

Angelo Castellano 2-4 2R, 2 RBI
Nick Heath 3-4 R, 2b, 2 SB (16)
Richard Lovelady 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 3 K 11p/9k

Burlington Royals 4 Pulaski Yankees 2

Another solid pitching performance with some timely hits lead to a second consecutive series sweep for the Royals Saturday. Trailing 1-0 the Royals got a RBI single by Nicky Lopez to tie the game in the bottom of the third. After taking the lead in the fourth on a wild pitch it was Lopez adding room in the fifth with another RBI single and then scoring himself when a wild pitch and a passed ball moved him around. Starter Garrett Davila moved to 3-0 with six innings and two runs allowed (1 ER) with six strikeouts against no walks.

Boxscore Link

Garrett Davila 6 IP 6 H 2 R 1 ER 0 BB 6 K 8-4 GO-FO
Nicky Lopez 2-3 R, 2 RBI, BB
Michael Silva 1 Ip 0 H 0 R 2 BB 2 K

AZL A’s 6 AZL Royals 5

After falling behind the Royals 6-1 the Royals made a comeback only to fall short in the loss. Starter Grant Gavin gave up his first earned runs of the season with five earned allowed in 3.1 innings. in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Offerman Collado 2-4 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Jeison Guzman 1-5 R, SB (3)
Khalil Lee 1-4 RBI, BB

DSL Royals 6 DSL Phillies 0

DSL Royals Randy Acevedo continued his solid season while creating more worm burners for the Royals. The 19 year old earned 9 ground outs in six shutout innings to push his to a microscopic 0.60 in the win. The offense backed Acevedo up with six runs on 10 hits.

Boxscore Link

Esteury Ruiz 2-4 R, 2b
Randy Acevedo 6 IP 4 H 0 R 0 BB 1 K 9-1 GO-FO
Dennicher Carrasco 2-4 2R, 2b, 2 RBI, SB (5)

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

HR Roll Call Orlando Calixte (6), Mauricio Ramos (4), Anderson Miller (3)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Orlando Calixte 4-6 3R, 2-2b, HR, 2 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Matt Strahm 5.1 IP 5 H 2 R 0 ER 0 BB 8 K 5-2 GO-FO 101p/68k

Omaha Storm Chasers 12 Iowa Cubs 4

Chasers exploded for 18 hits and 12 runs to cruise to an easy win over Iowa on Tuesday. Every Omaha hitter contributed at least one hit or a run driven in while Orlando Calixte had a big day on offense. Calixte, a once promising Latin prospect, punched out two doubles and a home run while scoring three times to pace the offense that put together three multi-run innings. Starter Kris Medlen didn’t fare too well, giving up a pair of solo home runs in addition to three other hits in his two and two-third innings but the bullpen picked him up to earn the Omaha win.

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Jorge Bonifacio 2-4 2R, RBI, BB
Hunter Dozier 3-5 2b, 2RBI
Balbino Fuenmayor 3-5 2R, RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 7 Frisco RoughRiders 2

Matt Strahm has dialed up the gas over his the last four starts and the results have been solid for the Royals pitching prospect. Counting his eight strikeout performance on Tuesday, the lefty has put away 29 hitters via strikeout in his last 23 innings of work. This was the best start yet for Strahm despite the lack of efficiency as he worked five and one-third innings with just two runs allowed, both via a Carlos Garcia dropped flyball on the warning track, on five hits without a walk allowed. The eight strikeouts combined by the offense’s five runs off Rangers #5 prospect Luis Ortiz led to a Naturals win. Third baseman Mauricio Ramos brought the biggest stick, connecting on a two run home run in the first and a two run single in the sixth that pushed the lead and the eventual winning margin to five runs.

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Raul Mondesi 2-5 R, SB (17)
Mauricio Ramos 2-5 HR, 4 RBI
Corey Toups 3-4 R, 3b

Potomac Nationals 14 Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

After the Rocks ran up the score on the Nationals Monday, the favor was returned to them on Tuesday. Potomac knocked out 14 runs in the first four innings while compiling fifteen hits in the game. Starter Colin Rodgers was victim of much of the damage with the lefty getting knocked around for nine hits and seven runs in just two innings. While the Nationals were batting around Wilmington, the Rocks weren’t getting much accomplished on offense, connecting on just three hits and one run during the 14-1 loss.

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Alfredo Escalera 1-4
Wander Franco 1-4 R
Luis Rico 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 4 K

Lexington Legends 10 Asheville Tourists 1

The Legends offense exploded for 17 hits en route to an easy win in game two of their series in Asheville. It took a few innings to really get going for the offense as they scored just two runs in the first five innings. The first run came courtesy of an Anderson Miller RBI single and the second via a wild pitch that let Mike Hill run home. Scott Blewett was tossing up zeroes in his one of his better starts of the year when the Legends put a stranglehold on the game with a three runs sixth inning to push the lead to 5-0. A two-run home run by Miller as part of a three run inning expanded the lead to 8-1 and a couple more runs in the ninth put the capper on a 10-1 win.

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Scott Blewett 6 IP 1 H 1 ER 3 BB 4 K 5-2 GO-FO 86p/56k
Anderson Miller 3-5 HR, 3 RBI
Mike Hill 3-5 3R, 2b

Idaho Falls Chukars 12 Ogden Raptors 10

The Chukars built a 12-2 lead in the first four innings and hung on late for a win to pull within a half of a game of first place. A six run first that featured RBI doubles by David Edwards and Nick Heath got the Chukars started. Heath added a run scoring triple in the second before extra base hits from Tanner Stanley and Ricky Aracena played part in a three run third. The score ballooned to 12-2 after two more in the fourth but the bats would go cold the rest of the way as Idaho Falls would collect just two singles from the fifth inning on. The Raptors would draw close with a four run fifth, a three run seventh and a single tally in the eighth but Nicolas Andros would work a perfect ninth to secure the win for Idaho Falls.

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Ricky Aracena 1-4 2R, 3b, RBI, BB
Nick Heath 2-5 R, 2b, 3b, 2 RBI
Andres Machado 4 IP 6 H 2 R 0 ER 0 BB 7 K 2-4 GO-FO 71p/49

Danville Braves 3 Burlington Royals 2

Lefty Garrett Davila gave up a run finally and the Royals lost a game late to drop their second in a row to Danville. Davila who had tossed 11.2 scoreless innings over his first two starts gave up a second inning two run home run to put his team behind early. From there the lefty settled and tossed four consecutive scoreless innings while working around just a fifth inning jam. Burlington scored a pair of runs in the sixth to even the game but an eighth inning run via a David McKay wild pitch did in Burlington in this one.

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Logan Gray 1-4 R
Vance Vizcaino 1-3 R
Garrett Davila 6 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 4 K HBP 10-2 GO-FO

DSL Red Sox 4 DSL Royals 1

Just two hits and one run with the Red Sox scoring four runs (2 ER) off starter Andres Sotillet for the win.

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Angel Medina 1-4
Juan Peguero 0-3 RBI
Esteury Ruiz 0-3 BB

HR Roll Call: Xavier Fernandez (4), Nick Heath (2), Tanner Stanley (1), Esteury Ruiz (2)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Nick Heath 3-4, 2R, HR, 2b, BB, 3 RBI, SB (4)

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Cristian Castillo 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K, HBP, 4-2 GO-FO

MLB announced this year’s Futures Game participants with the Royals selecting Jorge Bonifacio and Hunter Dozier to represent the team.

Double-A All Star Game – Frank Schwindel finished third in the HR derby before going 0 for 3 in the game. Teammate Mauricio Ramos finished 1 for 2 with an RBI and Jake Junis pitched a perfect inning on just 12 pitches with two K’s.

Nashville Sounds 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

The Chasers couldn’t get anything going against Nashville starter Chris Smith in the third consecutive loss to drop the four game series. The Chasers mustered just six hits with Smith blowing them away in his eight innings with 10 K’s. While he was doing that, Almonte was walking the yard with six free passes in just three innings, allowing three runs in that time. Reliever Brooks Pounders would pitch impressively with eight strikeouts in four innings, allowing just one run to continue his impressive season of relief. The big righty has put away 39 via strikeout in 27.1 innings this season. Omaha will return home with on Thursday with what is likely to be Kris Medlen’s final rehab start before returning to Kansas City.

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Brett Eibner 2-4
Brooks Pounders 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 2-2 GO-FO, 54p/39k
Orlando Calixte 2-3, R, 2b

Lynchburg Hillcats 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 0

It was Zach Lovvorn start night for the Wilmington Blue Rocks and if you have followed them this season that means just one thing, a lack of offense. Tuesday would fit that theme perfectly with the team collecting just two hits and a pair of walks while getting shutout. Lovvorn wouldn’t pitch great despite setting a new career high with 10 strikeouts. He would allow eight hits and four runs (3 ER) to fall to 0-9 on the season. The Rocks bullpen would record seven additional strikeouts to finish with a team-high for one game this season with 17 in the loss.

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Zach Lovvorn 4.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 2-1 GO-FO, 99p/64k
Alfredo Escalera 1-4
Raul Mondesi 0-3, 2k

West Virginia Power 3 Lexington Legends 2 

An 0 for 10 performance with runners in scoring position shot down a Lexington opportunity to knock off West Virginia for a second game in a row. The Power flexed  in the first, hitting back to back home runs off Lexington All-Star Emilio Ogando before scoring a third run in the second on a pair of two-out singles. Ogando would calm things down and the rest of the staff would combine with him to shutout West Virginia for the rest of the game. The Legends couldn’t take advantage after Xavier Fernandez homered in the fourth to cut the lead to just one. Twice with a runner on first and less than two out they would have base stealers gunned down at second including in the ninth inning, when pinch runner Marten Gasparini was tossed out for the seventh time this season.

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D.J. Burt 1-4, SB (21)
Xavier Fernandez 3-4, 2b, HR, 2 RBI
Daniel Concepcion 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Ogden Raptors 12 Idaho Falls Chukars 11

The Chukars made a comeback from a three run deficit only to watch the opponent walk-off on them for a second night in a row. Starting pitcher Arnaldo Hernandez struggled for a second consecutive start, giving up eight runs in just three innings to put Idaho Falls behind early. Idaho Falls would score at least one run from the second through eighth innings to comeback and take a 11-9 lead as the bullpen was slowing Ogden down. That lead wouldn’t be safe in the ninth when reliever Jason Freeman would give up four consecutive singles to tie the game and a groundout to let Ogden score three for the walkoff win.

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Manny Olloque 3-5, R, 2-2b, 2 RBI
Tanner Stanley 3-6, 2R, 3b, HR, RBI
David Edwards 1-3, 3R, 2b, BB

Burlington Royals 4 Bluefield Blue Jays 0

The Royals received outstanding pitching in finishing off a series win over Bluefield Tuesday night. Left-handed starter Cristian Castillo dominated the Blue Jays lineup over five and one-third innings limiting them to just three hits while striking out eight. It was a nice bounceback start for Castillo who gave up five runs in 4.2 innings during his opening start of the year. He was rewarded with a victory thanks to four runs from the offense with doubles by four different hitters in the first and fourth innings accounting for each run. The bullpen matched Castillo’s effort with 3.2 innings scoreless including four strikeouts from 2016 draftee Justin Camp in his 2.2 innings.

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Emmanuel Rivera 2-4, 2b, RBI
Kort Peterson 2-3, R, 2b, RBI, SB
Gabriel Cancel 1-2, R, 2b, BB, RBI

AZL Royals 6 AZL Indians 5

The Royals used four hits, a hit by pitch and a walk to plate five runs in the sixth inning to build a lead that they would hang onto late. Rehabbing starter Glenn Sparkman had his best outing to date, working two scoreless innings with just a walk allowed and three strikeouts.

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Jeison Guzman 2-4, R, RBI
Sebastian Rivera 2-4, R, 2 RBI
Luke Farrell 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 5-1 GO-FO

DSL Astros 3 DSL Royals 2

The Royals lost for the second day in a row as their offense was limited to just five hits and a pair of runs. A pair of defensive errors opened the door to a three-run inning for the Astros in the fourth via a Nestor Tejada home run. Royals shorstop Esteury Ruiz homered for the second consecutive day in the loss.

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Esteury Ruiz 1-4, HR
Juan Peguero 1-3, 2b
Christian Perez 2-4, R

HR Roll Call Angel Franco (1), Ryan O’Hearn (14), Nick Heath (1), Angel Medina (2), Dennicher Carrasco (2)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Dennicher Carrasco – 4-6, 3R, 2b, HR, 4 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Pedro Fernandez – 7.2 IP, 4 H,, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, HBP, 5 K, 8-4 GO-FO, 87p/56k

Pitcher Emilio Ogando spun one perfect inning during the South Atlantic League All-Star Game with one strikeout on 11 pitches.

Infielder Humberto Arteaga grounded out twice in his two Carolina vs California League All-Star Game appearance.

New Orleans Zephyrs 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

The Chasers trailed much of the night in the opener of their series against New Orleans but threatened in the ninth before coming just feet short of tying the game. The Zephyrs knocked around Omaha’s starter John Lannan for five runs to put Omaha into a 5-3 hole. An Angel Franco home run in the seventh cut the two-run deficit in half, before a New Orleans insurance run off reliever Malcom Culver made it 6-4. Omaha threatened in the bottom of the ninth, loading the bases and getting a two out single from Ramon Torres to score Balbino Fuenmayor, but a throw from Destin Hood to the plate cut down Irving Falu to end the game.

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Ramon Torres 1-5, RBI
Balbino Fuenmayor 3-4, R, 2b, RBI
Angel Franco 2-4, 2R, 2b, HR, BB, 2 RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 9 Arkansas Travelers 2

The Naturals broke a five game losing streak Tuesday with an outstanding starting pitching performance combined with plenty of offense. Starter Pedro Fernandez, who had not went further than 3.2 innings previously, gave NW Arkansas 7.2 innings of two-run ball to earn the win. The Dominican righty gave up a solo home run to Caleb Adams to start the game and an RBI double to Adams in the third, but around those two hits allowed just two more in his time in the mound. Attacking the zone with a three pitch mix, Fernandez kept the ball on the ground with eight groundouts. The Naturals offense backed up Fernandez with a 13 hit, four walk performance that allowed them to plate nine runs. Sam Houston teammates Corey Toups and Ryan O’Hearn continued their solid seasons with Toups scoring three runs on a pair of hits and walk, while O’Hearn hit his 14th home run of the season.

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Alex Gordon 1-5, RBI
Ryan O’Hearn 1-4, HR, BB
Corey Toups 2-4, 3R, 2b, BB, 2 RBI

Orem Owlz 7 Idaho Falls Chukars 4 

Angels 1st round pick Matt Thaiss was a little too much for Chukars pitching in game two of their series with Orem. The former Virginia bopper had a pair of doubles and a home run in his five at bats, scoring two runs and driving in four as part of the 7-4 win for Orem. The Owlz had 12 hits, with Thaiss and 8th round pick Troy Montgomery accounting for six of them, while the two drove in five of the seven runs. A three-run home run by Thaiss in the ninth was the difference after Royals 16th round pick Nick Heath had tied the game with a solo home run in the 6th.

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Manny Olloque 2-4, 2b, 2 RBI
Luke Willis 3-3, R, BB
Tanner Stanley 2-4, R, RBI, BB

AZL Royals 5 AZL Rangers 3

The Arizona squad won their opener thanks in part to a solid pitching effort of Jose Rodriguez. The 19 year old Dominican lefty worked one past the minimum in his five innings relief of Glenn Sparkman. Recording three strikeouts in that time, Rodriguez let the Royals early 3-2 lead stand up until they could tack on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth. In his return from Tommy John surgery, Sparkman gave up a two-run home run in the first, but the Royals quickly gave his squad the lead back with three runs in the bottom of the frame. 2016 draftee Robby Rinn helped pace the offense with two hits, an RBI, and a pair of runs scored.

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Seuly Matias 1-3, R, BB, SB
Khalil Lee 1-4, R, SB
Jose Marquez 2-3, RBI

DSL Royals 12 DSL Rays 6

A big offensive day for the DSL Royals as the club pounded out 16 hits and 12 runs. Five different Royals had multi-hit games including Dennicher Carrasco and Angel Medina who each drove in four while hitting home runs.

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Angel Medina 2-5, 3R, HR, 4 RBI
Esteury Ruiz 2-5, 2R, 2b, BB
Darwin Feliz 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K