HR Roll Call Orlando Calixte (3), Irving Falu (1)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Parker Morin 2-2 2BB, RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Emilio Ogando 7 IP 3 H 2 R 1 ER 1 BB 8 K 7-6 GO-FO 90p/69k

Chase Vallot and Emilio Ogando were named South Atlantic League All Stars.

Polberg on the possibility of promoting a Double-A starting pitcher to Omaha. “With the Texas League playing halves it is likely to keep them there to see if they can win the first half. Then with two of them being on the 40-man roster, you could look at bringing them up because they have pitched well down there.”

Nashville Sounds 13 Omaha Storm Chasers 4

A thinned out Chasers roster continued it’s struggles in the field, on the mound and at the plate during the home finale versus Nashville. Second baseman Angel Franco’s throwing error in the 3rd inning of the game lead to five Sounds runs to turn 1-0 Omaha lead into a 5-1 deficit and eventual loss. Lefty Jon Dziedzic had induced a possible 4-6-3 double play to end a bases loaded jam but Franco thought he caught it on a line instead of a bounce, tossed the ball over his shortstop’s head which allowed two runs to come in. Dziedzic was unable to stop the bleeding in the inning, giving up an RBI single and two run triple soon after. The game got ugly in the later innings when Nashville got after a taxed Chasers pen for eight runs over the final four innings. All-time great Omaha Royal and Storm Chaser Irving Falu hit his first home run as a member of the Royals organization since August 2nd, 2013 when he hit a solo home run in the 8th inning. Royals top five prospect Miguel Almonte could pitch out of the bullpen to start the series in New Orleans in an effort to build him back up to starting.

Boxscore Link

Irving Falu 2-2 2R, HR
Parker Morin 2-2 2 BB, RBI
Orlando Calixte 2-4 HR

Game 1
Tulsa Drillers 3 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

The Naturals let a couple opportunities escape them early in the first game of the doubleheader playing a part in the loss. In the 1st and the 3rd innings the Naturals loaded the bases but were able to get just one run to cross. With a 1-0 lead Eric Skoglund was unable to get through the 4th inning without any damage, surrendering five hits and three runs in the inning. The Naturals would get a hit in each of the next three innings but were unable to mount a rally to get the game knotted.

Boxscore Link

Carlos Garcia 2-4 R
Bubba Starling 1-3
Ryan O’Hearn 0-2 BB, RBI

Game 2
Tulsa Drillers 6 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

The second game got away from the Naturals after they had built a early 4-1 lead. Struggling centerfielder Bubba Starling had a good start to the game, knocking in three runs with a pair of singles in the 3rd and 4th innings. After not giving up a home run in 21 consecutive starts and 108 innings starter Alec Mills got touched up for two home runs via Willie Calhoun. The Naturals were unable to keep adding on while Calhoun got after reliever Tim Hill for a double to tie the game in the 5th to finish off Mills line at four runs allowed. For Mills it was the first time that he had given up more than three runs in a game this season and the first time since August 15th of last year. The shortened doubleheader game went to extras where an Alex Verdugo two run home run in the bottom of the 8th won it for the Drillers.

Boxscore Link

Alec Mills 4.2 IP 4 H 4 ER 1 BB 3 K 5-5 GO-FO 68p/43k
Bubba Starling 2-5 3 RBI, SB (9)
Terrance Gore 1-2 R, RBI, BB, 2SB (13)

Wiston-Salem Dash 5 Wilmington Blue Rocks 4

The Rocks were a woeful 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position Tuesday to drop their third straight game to Winston-Salem. The Dash built a four run lead off starter Josh Staumont before the Rocks fought back to get within a run before the outs ran out on them in the ninth. In the final stanza the Rocks loaded the bases with one out in the inning but a strikeout to Elier Hernandez and a groundout by Austin Bailey ended the rally. After an outstanding April, Staumont has struggled greatly with the strike zone, walking 33 in the 28.2 innings since.

Boxscore Link

Josh Staumont 5 IP 8 H 5 R 4 ER 3 BB 3 K 6-3 GO-FO 89p/54k
Wander Franco 1-3 2b, 2 RBI, BB
Cody Jones 1-4 2b, BB

Lakewood BlueClaws 2 Lexington Legends 0

The Legends wasted a solid starting performance from newly elected South Atlantic League All Star starter Emilio Ogando in dropping their fourth game in a row. The lefty gave up a single run in the 1st after giving up a triple and a sac fly before giving up another run in the eighth before giving way to Matt Ditman. Despite the solid start from their pitcher, the Legends offense was unable to back their All Star, going 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position while getting shutout.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 1-4 3b
Anderson Miller 1-3 BB
Ben Johnson 2-4

DSL Royals 3 DSL Marlins Suspended 4th inning

Jeison Guzman 1-2 R, SB
Darwin Feliz 3 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 2 K

HR Roll Call Josh Banuelos (2)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Parker Morin 2b, 3b, 3 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day Jake Junis 6 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 1 HBP 8 K 1-5 GO-FO 93p/58k

Nashville Sounds 13 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

Starter John Lannan couldn’t continue his run of good starts for the Chasers, getting knocked around for 10 runs on nine hits in just four innings to put Omaha in a big hole. The Chasers offense couldn’t match the Nashville output collecting just six hits as the middle of the order was punchless, unable to register a hit. Reliever Mark Peterson tossed gas onto an ugly game with six walks in just two and one-third innings while uncorking three wild pitches in that time. The Chasers have lost six in a row, nine out of their last ten and fallen from first into last place of a tight division.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 0-4 3 K
Jorge Bonifacio 0-3 R. BB
Christian Colon 2-4 R, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 2 Corpus Christi Hooks 1

Starter Jake Junis is quickly making a name for himself with some spectacular pitching at the Double-A level. The Texas League and Kansas City Royals Pitcher of the Month for May toss a gem in his first start of June, working six shutout innings. In those six innings Junis gave up only a leadoff single to start the game prior to a hitting a batter in the 4th, another single to start the 5th and then a walk in his final inning. In between the righthander struck out eight hitters to add to his Texas League high total, two of which came versus uber-prospect Alex Bregman who had struckout twice in the same game only once previously this season. On the offensive side the Naturals scored a pair of runs in the most unique way possible. In the 5th inning a throw from pitcher Evan Grills after a Terrance Gore bunt eluded the Hooks first baseman and down the foul territory in rightfield, allowing Carlos Diaz to score from first and Gore to run all the way around little league style for the score. Closer Kevin McCarthy worked the final inning and two-thirds scoreless to earn his 10th save of the season.

Boxscore Link

Cam Gallagher 2-4
Terrance Gore 2-3 R
Carlos Diaz 1-3 R

Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 Winston-Salem Dash 2

Following a slugfest on Friday the Rocks and Hillcats played to a 2-2 tie until the rain forced them to push the game onto Sunday. Starter Zach Lovvorn gave the bullpen a slight rest with six innings of quality starting pitching, giving up two runs in the 1st stanza prior to five scoreless the rest of the way for the righty. The Rocks offense tied the game in the 3rd on Josh Banuelos two run home run, his first since joining the Rocks in early May. The two clubs went scoreless through the bottom of the 7th when the rains came and forced them to resume on Sunday.

Boxscore Link

Wander Franco 2-3
Josh Banuelos 1-2 HR 2 RBI
Zach Lovvorn 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 0 BB 3 K 7-3 GO-FO 81p/52k