You know, I think what jumpstarted the rebuild is we quit talking about the rebuild. I think when you create a mindset that we’re rebuilding, you somehow build in or make an excuse that it’s OK to lose baseball games. It’s not… I think that was a big part of it. We just made a decision we were going to quit talking about this.

Interesting. And a little goofy. A winning culture and, by subset, a positive mindset are clearly important to Moore. If he believes that not talking about a rebuild was what led to a better second half, that’s his prerogative. But facts are facts and the 2018 season was the first year of a rebuild. Not talking about it doesn’t magically make said rebuild go any faster or disappear altogether. 

Rebuild. Rebuild. Rebuild. There. I wrote it. I’ll write it again.

The truth was, Moore didn’t think his team was going to be 100-loss bad last summer. The overall results left him dissatisfied, but the Royals improved second half left him encouraged.

I think for 2019, I’m more encouraged than I was perhaps at the beginning of 2018… I really felt that 2019 would perhaps be a much more challenging year for us from a won-loss standpoint, not 2018. I didn’t see 100 in the 2018 season. I just didn’t. I felt this team was much better than that. 

I’ve heard that Moore has expressed his thoughts that 2019 would be the real difficult year in the rebuild. Sorry. A difficult year in the process to get back to the postseason. I’m not sure why he necessarily targeted 2019. Truthfully, last season and each of the next two or three look to be lean. The Process can be accelerated through savvy drafting and smart international scouting, two things Moore mentioned, but the Royals lost a lot of talent and that makes the climb back all the more challenging.

Moore issued a bit of a mea culpa when it comes to the current state of the team.

I think one of our frustrations and one of my failures, and many failures truthfully, is the fact that we are where we are. So the focus of this next era of Royals baseball, we want to put together a winning team and then win for a long time. I’m not saying we’ll make the playoffs every year, but we want to play winning baseball. Championship caliber baseball. I like the fact that we played that way in the second half, but we want to win more consistently.

It’s a goal we can all get behind.

Of course the not-rebuild still means there is a lot of focus on the minor leagues. The best system in the history of whatever was used to launch the franchise to back to back pennants. That meant the minors need a little extra TLC to get it back to where it once was. That remains a goal and Moore is pleased with the progress that was made during the year.

It’s a lot better now (the minor league system) than it was at the beginning of the season. It’s hard necessarily to quantify that, but I like the fact that we have a lot more depth with pitching than we did at the beginning of the year obviously with the draft picks, the trades that we made as well… Internationally, I think we’re doing much, much better. I’m excited about our commitment to the Eastern Rim. I think we’re positioned really well to make sure our farm system is rebuilt to a level that is acceptable and that can produce championship, winning caliber players. 

I feel really good about where we are. We’re not where we want to be. We’re going to need to get a lot better if we’re going to play in postseason, but I think the foundation is here for us to go forward.

Obviously, most of that talent is in the low minors. Moore says not to expect them to fast-track players. 

I think it’s going to be really important we stay even more patient. I think we were probably a little too aggressive the first time around with maybe pushing players. Not changing the expectations, because the expectations as we know is what drives results. And so our expectations are always going to be very, very high for our players. 

So for example, we don’t like to see a lot of strikeouts with our players at the minor league level. We don’t want to see high strikeouts for guys we think are going to be on base guys and hit in the middle of the order and play the type of style we need to play in order to win in our ballpark. And so we may not be as aggressive with promoting them in the minor leagues until they cut their strikeout rates by 10 or 15 percent let’s say. Don’t hold me to that, but that’s just an example. 

I dig this because it’s always valuable when you get an on the record quote about a detail of organizational philosophy. Of course, we’ve known all along the Royals value contact. It’s just fascinating to hear Moore talk in some depth about this. Sorry, fans of Frank Schwindel. He cut his strikeout rate by four percent last year (from 16.7 percent to 12.8 percent) and still couldn’t get the call to The Show.

Moore specifically named Seuly Matias (34.8 percent strikeout rate last year in Single-A Lexington), Nick Pratto (27.9 percent) and MJ Melendez (30.3 percent) as players who they want to see cut their whiff rate. 

If they’re going to strike out, the Royals want to make damn sure the players they have are athletes who like to compete and are good teammates. Again, we’ve heard this before from Moore. It’s important to him and will guide him and his staff going forward. Moore admitted that they have to have the talent to play baseball as well. Duh. Let’s hope he can find players who fit this magical combination.

At least Ned Yost will be returning. Moore is pleased because of the harmony they share. Moore noted they both hold the same beliefs on how you build a team, maintain an organization and the importance of the things it takes to win.

I’m excited Ned is going to be back for the 2019 season. We’ve always just left it kind of year to year since we won the World Series just because it takes so much commitment and energy to go through the major league season.

As I’ve written before, this makes sense. Yost has managed for a long time and has accomplished everything one would hope to accomplish as a big league manager. He has nothing left to prove and managing a club that is not-rebuilding can become a bit of a chore. You could see it wear on him in the middle part of the year, but the improved second half provided Yost with a bit of positive energy. He’s back and everyone has the flexibility that is inherent in a short-term commitment. It’s a happy front office and manager.

For the most part, it sounds like Yost will be managing most of the same crew that closed out the 2018 season. 

I feel like there won’t be a lot of turnover… A lot of change… A lot of adding to that group. We’re prepared to go forward with them.

Moore mentioned two points of emphasis going forward. One, they need to build an elite farm system. And two, they need to get the major league payroll under control so the Royals are in a better position in 2020 and ’21 and beyond. He says everything will be viewed through those two objectives.

In other words, don’t expect the Royals to make any kind of interesting moves this winter. With over $67 million committed to five players and a rumored projected payroll set somewhere around $90 million (no one at the press conference asked Moore about next year’s payroll, which is really poor form) the organization will go bargain hunting when adding to the roster. The bullpen is an obvious area of need and Moore mentioned they would look into some reclamation projects. They’ve had success in the past with Ryan Madson and Joe Blanton. The Royals will look for another arm or two with some rebound potential.

And when it comes to the relief corps, Moore wouldn’t dismiss the idea of moving starters Danny Duffy or Ian Kennedy to the bullpen. Of course, Duffy has done it before. Kennedy has only made two appearances in relief in his career. Both are interesting candidates, but rotation depth figures to once again be rather thin. I’d wager they will open the year as starters. I won’t wager that they will still be in the rotation when next September rolls around.

It was a freewheeling conversation, lasting over 50 minutes and touched on topics such as analytics and how the Royals mesh the data with scouting, the importance of the team in the community and, as you’ve probably heard, Luke Heimlich. I’m not sure why the Heimlich question came up again, but Moore once again stated his belief in Heimlich as a person and a ballplayer. Why Moore feels the need to answer that question, only he can say. The smart move would be to deflect. Heimlich isn’t in the organization, after all. After the firestorm that kicked up last summer after the draft, not saying anything would have been the smart thing to do.

And now the winter is truly upon us in Kansas City. Half of the World Series is set. The GM meetings are next month. The winter meetings are about eight weeks away. Pitchers and catchers report in four months. Thanks for spending the season with us at BP Kansas City. It’s an honor when you make us part of your daily Royals routine.

Keep clicking. We’ll keep writing.

Starting Pitcher – Daniel Lynch

Rarely would we select a draftee for this spot, but no starting pitcher in the organization has been as dominant as Lynch in his 12 starts since joining. The lefty has put away nearly 11 hitters per nine innings via strikeout while maintaining a WHIP of 1.013 during his 51.1 innings. He’s been able to do it thanks to a fastball that has risen to the mid-90s, topping out at 97 mph, alongside a pair of advanced offspeed pitches in his curve and changeup.

Honorable Mention – J.C. Cloney with a 12-1 2.21 ERA in 85.2 innings and 14 starts between rookie-level Idaho Falls and Lexington.

Catcher – M.J. Melendez

The Royals second round pick from 2017 had an extremely rare season for a high school catcher with Melendez connecting on 54 extra base hits in his 111 games. Playing at an advanced level for a high school drafted catcher, Melendez handled the pitching staff and running game quite well, tossing out 42 percent of attempted base stealers against him.

Honorable Mention – Meibrys Viloria, the Colombian born catcher held his own in the difficult hitting Carolina League with a .260 average and .342 OBP while tossing out 41 percent of runners.

First Base – Frank Schwindel

The 2018 season was the fourth in five full minor league seasons in which Schwindel hit 20+ home runs, connecting on 24 home runs for Omaha. Posting the third best slugging percentage in the organization, Schwindel also set an Omaha franchise record for doubles in a season with his 38 two-baggers.

Honorable Mention – Nick Pratto’s second half surge of .327/.399/.532 helped him counter a rough first half and lead Lexington into the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Second Base – Jecksson Flores

Coming into this season, Flores had very pedestrian numbers with a .643 career OPS in 422 minor league games. That didn’t prevent him from busting out at Double-A this season, becoming one of the main catalysts to the Naturals lineup. He led the Texas League in hitting while setting new career-high marks in nearly every offensive category.

Honorable Mention – The MVP of the Burlington season, Jose Marquez, led the team in almost all offensive categories with his .301/.355/.498 line with 26 extra base hits in 59 games.

Shortstop – Nicky Lopez 

If there were questions entering the season whether Lopez could handle upper level pitching, the former Creighton shortstop quickly answered that this season. After a somewhat slow start in April for the Naturals, he took off in May and June, hitting .363/.410/.473 to get promoted out of Double-A. In Omaha, he continued to hold his own, hitting .278/.364/.417 with seven home runs in 57 games after hitting just 10 in his previous 284 minor league games. Along with the bat, Lopez was a steady hand defensively, committing just five errors in his 374 chances at the position.

Honorable Mention – Despite having to play all around the infield due to Adalberto Mondesi and Nicky Lopez taking precedent, Humberto Arteaga had a nice season with the bat, hitting .292/.322/.386. As usual, his defense was outstanding when he did get to play his primary position.

Third Base – Rubendy Jaquez

The Royals roster in Arizona didn’t have that great of a season, but Jaquez was a pleasant surprise. Leading the team in OPS while impacting on the bases with 16 steals, he will likely have to move to second in the future. He showed off a good bat in the AZL and briefly in the Pioneer League with a .316/.404/.449 across the two levels.

Honorable Mention – An injury sidetracked Emmanuel Rivera’s season, but a good closing August (.913) helped him finish with a .760 OPS in Wilmington while positioning him for a breakout season at Double-A next year.

Right Field – Seuly Matias

Despite missing more than 40 games, Matias easily led the organization with his 31 home runs. Those home runs resulted in him finishing second to only Brewer Hicklen in OPS within the organization. Just when it appeared that he made an adjustment to do a better job of making contact, his season was cut short by a luggage accident. Still, the power exhibited in a less than full season more than earned him a spot on this list.

Center Field – Kyle Isbel 

No positional player draftee from the ’18 draft made more of an impact than Kyle Isbel this season. Advertised as an outfielder who can also play some infield, Isbel dominated the Pioneer League, hitting .381/.454/.610 before joining Lexington for their playoff push. Playing center field while batting at the top of the Legends lineup, Isbel has become a factor, getting on base at a .345 clip at that level while stealing 24 bags across the two levels this season. It’s somewhat doubtful that his speed will be enough to keep him in center long term, but for this season he has played at a good enough level to take the spot here.

Left Field – Brewer Hicklen

No outfielder in the system had the type of season Hicklen had, combining both power and speed while playing for the Lexington Legends. The 2017 seventh round pick got a late start, not landing with the Legends until late April, but when he received regular playing time in May he showed the football tools that got him drafted. As previously stated, Hicklen ranked first in OPS in the organization among players who started the season the Royals, third in stolen bases, fifth in home runs and in the top ten in runs scored.

Honorable Mention – Kort Peterson had a nice rebound season after his injury in ’17, hitting well in Wilmington before exhibiting power at Double-A. The former UCLA outfielder connected on 45 extra base hits on the season.

Utility Player – Nathan Eaton

The Chukars MVP played four different defensive positions while also taking the DH spot in five games this season. The main catalyst to the Idaho Falls lineup was near the top in most offensive categories for the Chukars with his .354/.427/.581 line while stealing 19 bases in 66 games. A catcher in college, the Royals had him put away the tools of ignorance with Idaho Falls and it may have freed him up as he easily topped all of his college stats this past season. Not shabby for a 21st round draft pick.

Relief Pitcher – Richard Lovelady

If it wasn’t for service time and 40-man roster dynamics, Lovelady surely did enough to earn a spot on this year’s major league team. The left-hander was the most reliable reliever for the Omaha Storm Chasers with his 73 innings and a 1.01 WHIP. Working in 46 different games, Lovelady allowed an earned run in just 10 outings while dominating left-handed hitters with just a .157/224/.258 line against him.

Honorable Mention – Tad Ratliff was dominant for the Legends. Once handed the closing role with the squad, he struck out 22 over his final 20 innings with 10 saves in 14 appearances.

In no particular order, here are 10 good things that have happened to the Royals in 2018:

1. The one-year contracts worked just like they should (mostly). Jon Jay and Mike Moustakas were signed in the early spring for two reasons: provide some reasonably good baseball ability, then get traded for prospects. They held up their end of the bargain (Moose’s WARP as a Royal this year: 2.6, Jay’s: 1.0), and the Royals acquired Elvis Luciano and Gabe Speier for Jay and Jorge Lopez and Brett Phillips for Moustakas. The latter two are in the majors already (and Phillips, thanks to his defense, appears to be at least a useful piece—if he hits, he could be very good). The former two are lottery tickets, probably, but that’s OK since it was highly unlikely Kansas City would receive a top prospect for four months of Jon Jay. For purposes of this point, we’ll ignore that other one-year contracts for Alcides Escobar and Lucas Duda are still on the books. Hey, there’s still a few days to trade those guys!

2. Speaking of trades, the Royals seemed to deal Kelvin Herrera at just the right time. And they got Kelvin Gutierrez, Blake Perkins, and Yohanse Morel for him. Herrera went on the disabled list after posting a 4.50 ERA for the Nationals, just returned to the active roster, and got hurt again Sunday. Meanwhile, Gutierrez has hit .281/.338/.419 for Northwest Arkansas and could be manning third base in Kansas City in the near future. Perkins has a .243/.369/.311 line in Wilmington, but more exciting is that he is, by accounts I’ve seen, playing good defense in center field and is also walking a lot: 46 BBs in 250 plate appearances. And Morel? Well…he’s got an interesting name. He’s also pitched 11 games at the Rookie ball level, so who knows?

3. The Royals didn’t just make trades to supplement the future. They also traded with Cincinnati to get Rule 5 selection Brad Keller and went to the waiver wire to add Rosell Herrera. Keller is just 22 and has shown some promise as a starter (3.69 ERA in 15 starts, covering 83 innings). I don’t think he’s a future ace, but he seems to have a role somewhere on a big league staff. Herrera had a decent start to his Royals career but has slumped recently. Still, he has speed and could be a useful utility player/depth piece. That’s OK, because this year should be all about finding talent in unexpected places and then seeing if it can play in the majors.

4. Whit Merrifield has proven his 2017 season was no fluke, hitting .307/.374/.441 so far this season. That’s nice because it’s always good to have at least one player worth watching in the present, and because he could be a very nice trade chip this winter, should the Royals choose to go that direction. I would hate to see him go, but he turns 30 next January, meaning he is unlikely to be this good when the Royals are ready to contend (even the best-case scenario probably puts this in 2021). And he’s still not arbitration-eligible, meaning he is a good, cheap player. His age means he won’t fetch a top-notch prospect probably, but he could still bring back some valuable younger talent.

5. Adalberto Mondesi looks like a pretty good player. Yes, the four(!) walks in 160 plate appearances is a concern, but the four home runs and 17 stolen bases (with three caught stealing), along with the flashy defense, look promising. The Royals could and should be playing him more often, but the early returns are good.

6. The Royals had lots of draft picks this year: four in the first round, six in the top 100, nine in the top 200. That’s a good way to revitalize a farm system in a hurry. And they are almost certainly going to have the first or second overall pick next year. A couple of this year’s early picks, pitcher Daniel Lynch and center fielder Kyle Isbel, are off to good starts, too—Lynch is 5-0 with a 1.46 ERA at Class A Lexington, and Isbel has a 1.063 OPS for Idaho Falls at the Rookie level. The emphasis the Royals placed on college players in this draft means we should be seeing some of these guys in the majors in two or three years.

Um, let’s see…wow, I just had to decide to find 10 good things, not six, didn’t I? Hmm…ok, here’s one.

7. Players already in the system have had some breakout years. Seuly Matias belted 31 homers for Lexington before suffering a season-ending finger injury over the weekend; he’s still only 19 (he turns 20 on September 4). Khalil Lee got everyone’s attention with an .808 OPS at pitcher-friendly Wilmington in High-A ball. He struggled a bit after a promotion to Northwest Arkansas but had an .842 OPS in the last couple of weeks before he went on the disabled list on August 3. MJ Melendez (.807 OPS at Lexington, and he’s also 19) and Nicky Lopez (.819 OPS at Omaha) have also had nice years. One season after being demoted from Omaha to Northwest Arkansas, Ryan O’Hearn made it to the majors and has already launched six home runs in 69 plate appearances. And his co-first baseman at Omaha, Frank Schwndel, has hit .285/.337/.507 this year. He should be in the big leagues soon.

Uhhh…

8. No one died in the Great Kauffman Stadium Flood of 2018.

9. The Royals got one year closer to having massive contracts for Alex Gordon and Ian Kennedy off the books. Gordon only has one more year on his deal, which is worth $20 million annually (plus a mutual option, which at this point I would hope would not even be a consideration for the front office). Kennedy now has two years left at $16.5 million per year. And hey, Gordon has actually been not terrible this year. Not good, mind you (.239/.320/.349), but not as bad as he was in 2017.

And finally…

10. They probably won’t have a worse record than the 1962 Mets, the standard for futility in the modern era with a 40-120 record. Just three more wins to insure they don’t reach 120 losses. I feel fairly confident they can do it.

Phew! Made it!

Please understand, none of this excuses the results this season. I do believe this team has underachieved. Not that they should have been contenders, but they shouldn’t be losing 115 games, either. I think most people and projection systems had them between 90-100 losses, meaning this is on pace to be a 15-20 game underachievement. On the whole, this year is unacceptable. But just because it’s unacceptable doesn’t mean everything is awful.

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nick Dini 2-3 HR, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Emilio Ogando 6 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 5 K 3-4 GO-FO 87p/55k 

Lexington Legends 4 Asheville Tourists 2

The Legends took down the third place Asheville Tourists for the second day in a row Wednesday afternoon. Starter Yefri Del Rosario gave them another quality start as the right-hander won his third straight decision. The right-hander worked six innings while allowing two runs on four hits, both coming in the fifth inning when he gave up three of those hits including a double and a triple. The Legends had built Del Rosario and early lead with a pair of RBI singles by Seuly Matias and Cristian Perez in the first two innings. Two innings later it was MJ Melendez driving in a run with a single and Nick Pratto quickly following with a single against the shift that pushed the advantage to 4-0. Lefty reliever Robert Garcia worked the final three innings scoreless to secure his first save of the season for Lexington and push their winning streak to three games.

Yefri Del Rosario: 6 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 4 K 6-7 GO-FO 95p/67k
Seuly Matias: 2-3 RBI, HBP
MJ Melendez: 2-4 R, 2b, RBI

Wilmington Blue Rocks 6 Salem Red Sox 2

The Blue Rocks Gerson Garabito continued his string of good pitching while the Rocks offense slugged their way to a win. Eight different Wilmington hitters had at least one hit with Travis Jones and Angelo Castellanos each homering over the final two innings to add on three runs to their 3-2 lead. Wilmington used three different pitchers to limit Salem to just two runs with Garabito tossing his seventh straight start with two runs or less as he worked six innings with five hits and four walks allowed but used eight K’s to limit the damage. Relievers Anthony Bender and Julio Pinto worked the final three innings scoreless with just a walk allowed in securing the win.

Gerson Garabito: 6 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 4 BB 8 K 4-4 GO-FO 100p/64k
Travis Jones: 1-4 HR, 2 RBI
Rudy Martin: 2-4 2-2b, RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 4 Midland RockHounds 3 Gm1
NW Arkansas Naturals 2 Midland RockHounds 0 Gm2

The Naturals swept a doubleheader over Midland to run their winning streak to six games. Game one featured the Naturals scoring four runs including two by Kelvin Gutierrez in the second through fourth innings. Those runs were enough with Jace Vines allowing two in his five innings before Gabe Speier and Andres Machado allowed a run over the final two innings. Lefty Emilio Ogando toss six shutout inning in game two with just two hits allowed with Samir Duenez and Jecksson Flores driving in runs with a pair of early singles to gain the lead and the eventual win.

Kelvin Gutierrez: 2-6 2R, 2K
Anderson Miller: 1-3 R, RBI, BB
Erick Mejia: 2-6 R, 2b, RBI, 2K

Danville Braves 2 Burlington Royals 1

Starter Yerelmy Garcia got off to a slow start, allowing back to back one out singles before a double and a sacrifice fly that pushed two Danville runs across. From there the right-hander found a groove, retiring 17 of the final 18 hitters he would face while tossing just 60 pitches on the evening. Those two runs stood up as the Royals offense failed to score, going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and getting their only run on a Juan Carlos Negret ninth inning solo home run.

Juan Carlos Negret: 1-4 HR
Brhet Bewley: 2-2 BB, CS
Freddy Fermin: 1-3 BB

Wednesday Boxscores

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

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Marcelo Martinez 6 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 10 K 6-2 GO-FO 93p/67k

Lexington Legends 7 Asheville Tourists 6 F/11

Outfielder Seuly Matias was back in the lineup for the Legends on Tuesday after tweaking his back during a game on August 1st. With the outfielder’s timing likely being off, his teammates had to carry the offensive load, in particular, Nick Pratto with the first baseman connecting on three hits, scoring a run and driving in another. Lexington built a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first, second and fourth innings. Starter Garrett Davila gave back two runs, tossing a wild pitch that scored a run in the fifth before a solo homer off him in the sixth. The teams would exchange runs over the next few innings with two runs by the Rockies Low-A squd in the seventh and a solo home run in the ninth allowing them to send it into extra innings. Again the two teams would exchange runs in the tenth with each squad scoring their free baserunner. In the eleventh inning catcher, Sebastian Rivero would pick off the lead runner at 3rd base to help end that inning without a run allowed. The catcher would again play a factor in the bottom of the inning as the free baserunner, moving to third on a sac bunt by Carlos Diaz before scoring on Kyle Isbel’s sacrifice fly to center to walk the game off for the Legends.

Sebastian Rivero: 2-5 2R
Seuly Matias: 0-5 R, 3K
Cal Jones: 2-4 2R, RBI

Salem Red Sox 7 Wilmington Blue Rocks 0

The Rocks were shut down in the first game of their series in Salem on Tuesday. Starter Ofreidy Gomez struggled mightily in his two innings to start, allowing six runs including his 10th home run allowed this year. The 6-0 deficit was too large for the offense to overcome as they mounted just six hits and three walks as they failed to threaten the three Red Sox pitchers.

Tyler Zuber: 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 1-1 GO-FO 14p/11k
Gabriel Cancel: 2-4 2b
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-4

Omaha Storm Chasers 5 Salt Lake Bees 0

Newly acquired pitcher Jorge Lopez was efficient in finding his groove on Tuesday afternoon for the Storm Chasers. The former Brewers reliever making his second start for Omaha gave up just three singles and a walk. Backed by an Humberto Arteaga double in the second and a solo home run by Paulo Orlando in the fourth inning, Lopez found his own groove in that fourth, striking out six of the final nine hitters he would face in his five and two-thirds innings. With a getaway day and a day off tomorrow manager, Brian Poldberg let loose with the bullpen with five different relievers getting work in replace of Lopez to finish off the shutout with just three hits and a walk the rest of the way with the offense adding on additional runs including a Ramon Torres two-run home run.

Frank Schwindel: 1-4 R, RBI – 15 game hitting streak
Jorge Lopez: 5.2 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 7 K 3-5 GO-FO 73p/50k
Jesse Hahn: 0.2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 17p/10k

Burlington Royals 2 Danville Braves 1

For the second start in a row, left-hander Marcelo Martinez was absolutely dominant for Burlington. Striking out 10 or more for the third time this season he pounded the strikezone with 67 strikes on 93 pitches while earning six groundouts and 10 strikeouts. After allowing just one hit last time out, I Martinez kept the opponent hitless in this one while working around a pair of walks. The Royals scored a pair of runs in the second inning with a Freddy Fermin RBI double and a Braves that allowed Fermin to score. The no-hitter shutout lasted until the eighth inning when reliever Ted Cillis gave up a rbi single to Zack Soria to cut the lead in half but reliever Kyle Hinton worked a scoreless ninth to secure the win.

Juan Carlos Negret: 1-4 2K
Freddy Fermin: 2-4 R, RBI
Rhett Aplin: 2-4 R

Tuesday Boxscores

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

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Luis Lugo 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 6-4 GO-FO, 96p/61k

Lexington Legends 4, Hagerstown Suns 1

The Legends received a pair of home runs from their prospect tandem of Seuly Matias and Nick Pratto while three different pitchers limited the opponent to just one run. In the first inning, Pratto drew a two out walk and scored on the very next pitch that Matias drove 359 feet out to left for his 31st home run of the season. Those two runs were enough for Daniel Lynch as the lefty worked around five hits and a walk, allowing just a run while on the hill. The game was 2-1 into the eighth inning when Nick Pratto connected on his first home run since May 24th, a two run blast that gave the Legends a 4-1 lead. Those two insurance runs would prove to be plenty for Danny Hrbek and Tad Ratliff as the two righties would follow Lynch with four innings of scoreless baseball.

MJ Melendez: 2-4, 3b, 2 K, 1-1 CS/Att
Seuly Matias: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K
Daniel Lynch: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 3-5 GO-FO, 56p/35k

Buies Creek Astros 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

Wilmington dropped the first game of their series with Buies Creek as the teams danced around a short rain delay on Tuesday. Prior to the rain delay in the third inning, the Astros got a pair of runs off starter Andres Sotillet with four hits in that inning. Reliever Carter Hope took over after the delay and didn’t do much better, giving up three runs on three hits in the fifth. A couple of more runs would come across against the Rocks bullpen all while the offense struggled to get much going, getting just a pair of RBI hits by Gabriel Cancel and Emmanuel Rivera in the 7-2 loss.

Gabriel Cancel: 1-5, RBI
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-5, RBI
Travis Jones: 2-4

NW Arkansas Naturals 8, Arkansas Travelers 4 – F/12

The Naturals scored a pair of runs in the first before going dormant until the 10th inning. In fact, from a third inning when Jecksson Flores connected on a leadoff single until the ninth when Samir Duenez drew a walk, the Naturals had 19 consecutive hitters retired. Starter Luis Lugo did his best to keep the Naturals ahead, tossing four consecutive scoreless before allowing a run in the fifth. The lead was held until the seventh when a leadoff single came in on Lugo’s line when reliever Gabe Speier gave up a two-out single, tying the game up 2-2. The game would stay tied until extra innings where the two teams would exchange runs in the tenth and eleventh innings. In the twelfth the Naturals would bust the game open, scoring four runs with three extra-base hits and a wild pitch. Outfielder Kort Peterson tripled to give NW Arkansas the first run before back-to-back doubles by Anderson Miller and Nick Heath tacked on two more to build a lead too large for the Travelers to overcome.

Khalil Lee: 1-5, 2 R, 2b, BB
Kort Peterson: 3-5, R, 3b, 2 RBI
Anderson Miller: 2-5, R, 2b, RBI

Burlington Royals 6, Pulaski Yankees 4 – F/10

Left-hander Josh Dye gave up a three-run home run to put Burlington behind before the rain delayed this one. After the rain disappeared reliever Bryar Johnson took over, preventing the Yankees from getting a hit in his four innings despite five walks allowed. The South Carolina born right-hander struck out five despite struggling with the zone. While the bullpen was keeping the Yankees off the board, a pair of hits in the seventh by Matt Morales and Eric Cole allowed Burlington to tie the game up. That score remained until the tenth when the Royals plated three runs on a Michael Emodi double and a pair of singles by Brhet Bewley and Jose Marquez. Reliever Kyle Hinton allowed only the free runner to score in the bottom half of the inning to secure the win for Burlington.

Eric Cole: 2-5, 2b, RBI
Michael Emodi: 2-4, R, 2b, RBI
Bryar Johnson: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K, 2-4 GO-FO, 76p/41k

Idaho Falls Chukars 15, Orem Owlz 11

The Chukars and Owlz game was your typical Pioneer League shootout with Idaho Falls jumping out to a huge 14-1 lead. Normally a 14-1 lead would lead to a snoozefest, but this is the Pioneer League and the Chukars have the league’s second-worst pitching staff. After three no-hit innings to start his outing C.J. Eldred struggled, giving up eight runs over the next 2.1 innings to see his lead shrink. The bullpen would give up three more runs to cut the lead to four after a couple errors allowed Idaho Falls to score. Reliever Jordan Floyd was able to toss a scoreless ninth to secure the win. Only Angel Medina failed to get a hit in the Idaho Falls lineup while Chase Vallot contributed three doubles and four runs driven in.

Tyler James: 2-5, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 SB
Reed Rohlman: 2-3, 3 R, 3b, 4 RBI, BB
Hunter Strong: 2-5, 3 R, 2b, BB

Tuesday Boxscores

Friday BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nicky Lopez 5-6 3R, 2b, RBI, BB
Saturday BPKC Hitter of the Day: Seuly Matias 3-4 HR, 2 RBI
Sunday Jose Caraballo: 3-6 3R, 2b, HR, 6 RBI, K, SB

Friday BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Richard Lovelady 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 K 1-1 GO-FO 18p/15k
Saturday BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Gerson Garabito 6 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 3 K 5-3 GO-FO 103p/59k
Sunday BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Charlie Neuweiler 5.2 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 6 K 2-3 GO-FO 96p/60k

Friday Rome Braves 7 Lexington Legends 3
Saturday Lexington Legends 4 Rome Braves 2
Sunday Lexington Legends 6 Rome Braves 5

The Legends kept their winning ways going with a weekend series win over the Braves Low-A squad. During Friday’s game, Carlos Hernandez made his return to the mound after missing a couple of starts and, despite striking out seven in five innings, wasn’t quite as sharp as he had been, giving up a home run and four runs. The bullpen struggled behind him while the offense couldn’t convert enough scoring opportunities in the loss. The next two games featured quality starting pitching and enough offense to get things done as Yefri Del Rosario earned his first win in the Royals organization on Saturday and Charlie Neuweiler followed him with a strong Sunday performance. Outfield Seuly Matias helped power the offense with this 30th home run during a weekend that saw him show a shorter swing and better contact. Catcher MJ Melendez finished the Sunday game by picking off the possible tying run at first base.

Seuly Matias: 6-11 3R, HR, 2 RBI, K, BB, SB
Kyle Isbel: 6-13 3R, 2b, 3b, 2 RBI, 2 SB
Charlie Neuweiler: 5.2 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 6 K 2-3 GO-FO 96p/60k

Saturday Gm 1 Wilmington Blue Rocks 1 Buies Creek Astros 0 F/7
Saturday Gm 2 Buies Creek Astros 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 0 F/7
Sunday Wilmington Blue Rocks 7 Buies Creek Astros 2

The Carolina League’s hottest team kept it going over the weekend with a pair of wins that positions themselves for a fourth consecutive series win with a victory on Monday. Starter Gerson Garabito gave the Rocks another quality start with the right-hander spinning six shutout innings while navigating four hits and three walks. The Rocks had just two hits in the game, but one of them was all it took with Rudy Martin’s third home run of the season making the difference. During the second game of the doubleheader, Dan Tillo struggled with his control once again, walking six in just two innings in which he gave up all three runs in the game. The offense had just one hit in the game. After a pair of games in which the offense struggled, things got going again on Sunday with 10 hits and five walks. Leadoff man Blake Perkins walked three times and scored two runs while Emmanuel Rivera and Meibrys Viloria each scored once and drove in another. Shortstop Angelo Castellanos struck the big blow with a three run double in the sixth that broke a 4-2 game open. Starter Nolan Watson improved his record to 5-1 with five innings of one-run ball in the game.

Nolan Watson: 5 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 4 K 4-3 GO-FO 92p/58k
Blake Perkins: 1-5 2R, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 CS
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-9 R, RBI, 2K

Friday NW Arkansas Naturals 10 Springfield Cardinals 0
Saturday Springfield Cardinals 7 NW Arkansas Naturals 6
Sunday Springfield Cardinals 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

The Naturals looked as if they were going to continue their winning ways on Saturday after a big Friday win only to watch the bullpen give the lead away. Starter Eric Skoglund struggled in the fifth inning himself with the rehabbing lefty allowing three runs in that frame to cut a 6-1 lead to 6-4. That lead stood up until the eighth when reliever Yunior Marte gave up a solo home run before Bryan Brickhouse was knocked around once again, giving up two runs (1 ER) on a solo home run and a double that scored on a Naturals error in the loss. The Friday game featured 14 hits including a pair of home runs by Xavier Fernandez and Kort Peterson that accounted for five of the ten runs. The Sunday game was more of the same with the Naturals taking a lead in the top of the ninth with a sac fly that scored Peterson. It didn’t last though when lefty Cristian Castillo gave up a pair of solo home runs including the two-out walk-off blast by Randy Arozarena that gave the Cardinals the win.

Samir Duenez: 7-11 3R, 4-2b, 4 RBI, 2 Bb, K
Kelvin Gutierrez: 5-13 R, 2b, 6 RBI, 2 SB
Scott Blewett: 5 IP 7 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 6 K 2-4 GO-FO 92p/58k

Friday Omaha Storm Chasers 15 Fresno Grizzlies 4
Saturday Fresno Grizzlies 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2
Sunday Omaha Storm Chasers 5 Fresno Grizzlies 4 F/11

Omaha’s offense exploded for 23 hits on Friday during a lopsided win. In addition to the 23 hits, the Chasers walked eight times with Nicky Lopez leading the way with five hits and a walk while scoring three runs and driving in another. Sunday’s game featured considerably less offense with just four hits and a pair of runs early but starter Zach Lovvorn gave up single tallies in three different innings before the offense went silent in the loss. The Sunday game was a back and forth affair in which lefty Jake Kalish gave the Chasers another quality start, working six innings with three runs allowed on seven hits while striking out eight. It was Kalish’s sixth quality start in eight chances for the club. After Donnie Dewees’s fifth inning two run home run tied the game up earlier the Chasers were down again in the seventh when the club manufactured a run with a Elier Hernandez double moving Cam Gallagher to third where he would score from on Humberto Arteaga’s forceout. The club would take the lead in the tenth on a  Nicky Lopez rbi triple before Fresno struck back with a run off Jake Newberry but a sac fly in the eleventh scored Terrance Gore and Newberry was able to strikeout the final two hitters of the night to secure the win. The Chasers have won five of six on their seven game roadtrip and will send Trevor Oaks out Monday in an attempt to secure the series with Fresno.

Nicky Lopez 7-11 3R, 2-2b, 3b, 2 RBI, BB
Elier Hernandez 5-9 2R, 2b, 2 RBI, 2BB
Jake Kalish 6 IP 7 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 8 K 2-4 GO-FO 95p/68k

Friday Kingsport Mets 8 Burlington Royals 0
Saturday Burlington Royals 4 Kingsport Mets 3
Sunday Kingsport Mets 7 Burlington Royals 6

The Royals starters were unable to hold their own with even Austin Cox lasting just a couple innings during Saturday’s game. The best performance of the weekend came from Malcolm Van Buren in the group with seven strikeouts in five innings but the righty took the loss with three runs given up. Saturday’s game was led by Chris Hudgins with a two-run home run and another run scored by the catcher while the bullpen tossed seven-plus innings of one-run ball to earn the win. Starter Elvis Luciano gave up a pair of three run innings in his five and two-thirds innings as the right-hander walked two and gave up five hits. The offense came up one run short thanks to a 1 for 11 effort with runners in scoring position.

Eric Cole: 4-10 R, 2-2b, RBI, 2BB, 3 SB
Juan Carlos Negret: 1-10 2 BB, 3 K
Malcolm Van Buren: 5 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 3 BB 7 K 4-2 GO-FO 82p/50k

Friday Orem Owls 13 Idaho Falls Chukars 12
Saturday Ogden Raptors 13 Idaho Falls Chukars 3
Sunday Ogden Raptors 20 Idaho Falls Chukars 19

Wow, that’s some horrible pitching this weekend for the Chukars with 13 runs or more given up in each game. All three starters gave up at least six runs with Jon Heasley giving up 10 on Sunday. The bullpen didn’t fare any better and the offense scored plenty in Friday and Sunday’s games if not for the atrocious pitching.

Jose Caraballo: 5-16 5R, 2-2b, 3b, HR, 8 RBI, 3K
Chase Vallot: 6-14 3R, 2-2b, HR, 6 RBI, 7K
Reed Rohlman: 6-11 5R, 2-2b, 2 RBI, 5 BB, CS

Friday Boxscores
Saturday Boxscores
Sunday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Seuly Matias 3-5, 2b, 2 HR, 4 RBI, K

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Yerelmy Garcia 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 11-6 GO-FO, 65p/41k

Lexington Legends 11, Asheville Tourists 0

The Legends offense exploded on the Rockies Low-A squad in the finale of their four-game series. Things got going in the first when slugger Seuly Matias doubled in a pair of runs to put the Legends up 2-0. A couple innings later, the power kicked in when MJ Melendez connected on a three-run home run before Manny Olloque knocked out a solo homer to increase the lead to 6-0. The scoring barrage kept coming. Ricky Aracena homered with a man on before driving in another with an RBI single in the fifth inning. That fifth inning also featured the 28th home run of the season by Seuly Matias prior to him connecting on his 29th just an inning later to give Lexington an 11-0 advantage. While Lexington’s offense was shoving their weight around, Daniel Lynch was tossing up zeroes with five innings of scoreless ball with three strikeouts and seven groundouts to start what would end up being a shutout win.

The 29 home runs for Matias broke the Lexington organization record set by Brian Pellegrini during 2007 when the former Astros farmhand connected on 27 in 103 games. It took 81 games for the Royals slugger to break the mark and leaves him 11 short of the South Atlantic League record that Russell Branyan set during the 1996 season, his second season in the league at the time.

MJ Melendez: 2-5, 2R, HR, 3 RBI
Ricky Aracena: 3-4, HR, 3 RBI
Nick Pratto: 0-2, 2R, 3 BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5, Salem Red Sox 4

The Rocks pushed their win streak to seven despite seeing their streak of seven runs or more ending at six games. Run-scoring singles by Travis Jones and Blake Perkins in the first two innings gave Wilmington a quick 2-0 lead. The Rocks early lead helped starter Ofreidy Gomez who gave the club a quality start despite getting just one strikeout in his 6.1 innings with the righty allowing three runs (2 ER) in that time. With that lead, the Rocks answered each score that Salem put on the board following Salem runs in the third, fifth and seventh with runs of their own in each inning to take a 5-3 lead into the ninth. The Red Sox would plate a run in the ninth against reliever Anthony Bender, but Tyler Zuber came in with two down to secure the winning streak and the series sweep with a pop out in foul territory.

Gabriel Cancel: 2-5, 2R, 2-2b
D.J. Burt: 1-4, 2R, 2b, BB, SB (26)
Travis Jones: 2-2, RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 7, Springfield Cardinals 3

The Naturals took their offense on the road to Springfield for the first game of their series as the club collected 12 hits and earned six walks. Rightfielder Kort Peterson connected on a pair of doubles during his three-hit game, driving in a pair and scoring another to lead the offense. Third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez who struggled when he initially came over has been hot over his last 14 games, hitting .340 over that stretch including the 2 for 5, two RBI night that he added in this one. After Jesse Hahn made another quick rehab appearance, tossing two-thirds of an inning with a hit and walk allowed, Jace Vines found his groove to earn the win. The struggling right-hander worked 7.1 innings with just a solo home run while working around three other hits and walk with seven strikeouts before turning over to Franco Terrero who finished off the final inning.

Jace Vines: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 5-8 GO-FO, 91p/61k
Kort Peterson: 3-5, R, 2-2b, 2 RBI, SB
Kelvin Gutierrez: 2-5, 2 RBI, SB (3)

Omaha Storm Chasers 10, Sacramento River Cats 7

The Chasers took advantage of an early gift before getting the bats going late to take another road win. Following a rbi double by Ramon Torres the Giants two fielding errors in the first inning turned what should’ve been a one run inning into a 3-0 advantage. Those runs were quickly countered with a pair of home runs in the first and second inning off Jonathan Dziedzic, tying the game up 3-3. The offenses awoke again in the fifth with an RBI double by Ryan O’Hearn, scoring one and moving Frank Schwindel to third where he would score a couple hitters later on a groundout. That started a run of three consecutive innings with runs on the board including the next frame in which Schwindel tagged a three run home run as part of a four run frame. The advantage stood at 10-3 when Dziedzic left after six innings. The bullpen of Josh Staumont and Sam Selman would struggle in their two innings, giving up four runs but Michael Mariot would close out the ninth to earn the save and the series sweep.

Nicky Lopez: 2-5, 2R, RBI, BB
Frank Schwindel: 3-4, 2R, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Ryan O’Hearn: 2-5, R, 2b, RBI

Burlington Royals 5, Elizabethton Twins 0

The Royals were the beneficiary of a good start by Yerelmy Garcia against the Twins on Thursday night. The Dominican born 22-year-old spun seven shutout innings, allowing just a seventh innings groundball single with a pair of walks while striking out three along the way. Outfielder Eric Cole drove in a run on a groundout in the first inning before Juan Carlos Negret connected on his sixth home run in the second inning to push the advantage to 2-0. That score held up until the eighth when Cole doubled in a pair and scored on a sac fly to give Burlington their eventual winning margin.

Juan Carlos Negret: 1-4, HR
Eric Cole: 1-4, R, 2b, 3 RBI
Jose Marquez: 1-4, 2R

Thursday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day Friday Chase Vallot 4-6 3R, 2-2b, HR, 4 RBI, 2K
BPKC Pitcher of the Day Richard Lovelady 2.2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 2K 3-1 GO-FO 38p/22k

BPKC Hitter of the Day Saturday Nicky Lopez 2-4 2R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB
BPKC Pitcher of the Day Arnaldo Hernandez 7 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 6 K 4-8 GO-FO 70p/51k

Friday Omaha Storm Chasers 6 Round Rock Express 3
Saturday Gm 1 Omaha Storm Chasers 4 Round Rock Express 1 F/7

The Chasers received excellent pitching Friday and Saturday in game one to win a pair of games. Friday’s game was former bonus baby Elier Hernandez’s first at Triple-A and he didn’t disappoint, connecting for three hits, a pair of rbi and his first double. That double was part of a three-run inning that featured doubles by Hernandez, Nicky Lopez, and Cam Gallagher. After the Chasers piled up three more runs starter Jon Dziedzic loaded the bases and gave up a run in the seventh. In a jam manager, Brian Poldberg turned to Richard Lovelady and the lefty prospect did the trick, earning a double play to get out of the inning and finishing the final two innings to earn the save. During Saturday’s day game starter, Arnaldo Hernandez worked efficiently and dominantly over seven innings. The right-hander yielded just an Andy Ibanez solo home run in the second frame and a fifth-inning single while pounding the zone with 51 strikes on 70 pitches with seven strikeouts to lead the way to a win. In support of the Lopez boys, Nicky and Jack, each hit two-run home runs to key the win. In game two Saturday, reliever Kevin Lenik struggled with five runs allowed in just an inning and two-thirds with seven hits allowed. The Chasers went just 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position to drop the game.

Ryan O’Hearn 1-5 RBI, 2BB
Donnie Dewees 1-6 R, 3b, K
Elier Hernandez 2-5 2 RBI, BB

Friday NW Arkansas Naturals 3 Tulsa Drillers 0
Saturday Tulsa Drillers 12 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

The Naturals pitching has struggled in the second half of the season but on Friday they received a quality spot start from a former regular starter. Right-hander Pedro Fernandez tossed five innings scoreless, working around just one hit and one walk while striking out three on 65 pitches. The Naturals offense backed Fernandez with three runs, getting a rbi single in the first, Samir Duenez rbi double in the third and Duenez rbi in the eighth. Lefty Cristian Castillo tossed three scoreless in relief before Franco Terrero finished it off with a scoreless ninth to secure the win. The Saturday game didn’t go well with starter Jace Vines giving up seven runs in two innings before reliever Yunior Marte gave up four more to put the game well out of reach for an offense that was limited to just five hits.

Khalil Lee 2-8 R, 2b, 4 K
Erick Mejia 4-6 2R, 2-2b, SB
Pedro Fernandez 5 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 3K 65p/42k

Friday Wilmington Blue Rocks 12 Lynchburg Hillcats 11 F/10
Saturday Postponed

The Rocks pitchers gave up 10 runs between two different innings but the offense managed to overcome that to take over first place in the division. The lineup combined for 13 hits and seven walks to score their 12 runs including a pair of home runs from Emmanuel River and Gabe Cancel. It was Cancel’s solo home run in the ninth was part of a two-run inning that gave the Rocks a brief lead. After Lynchburg tied things up Cancel’s sac fly gave the Rocks the lead prior to Tyler Zuber finishing it off to secure the win.

Gabe Cancel 2-3 2R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Emmanuel Rivera 2-4 HR, 4 RBI, BB
Rudy Martin 2-4 R, 2b, 2 RBI, BB

Saturday Gm 1 Lexington Legends 6 West Virginia Power 4
Saturday Gm 2 Lexington Legends 4 

A two-run home run and a sac fly off Yefri Del Rosario in the first inning put the Legends down early but Seuly Matias answered with a two-run double and the pitching settled. With another run allowed in the fourth Del Rosario completed five innings with four allowed despite putting away eight hitters with strikeouts. A Manny Olloque two-run home run in the fourth tied things up and Tad Ratliff’s two scoreless innings combined with an error by West Virginia that plated two runs gave Lexington the win. Much like the first game, the Legends came back after a first-inning deficit giving up two runs in the first but pitching settled and the offense made the comeback. A two-run inning single off Holden Capps put the squad down 2-0. New outfielder Kyle Isbel drove in a run in the third inning before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Cristian Perez to tie the game. The fourth inning featured Seuly Matias 27th home run of the season, a 433-foot blast to center that tied the Lexington record for most home runs in a season. An error by the West Virginia shortstop scored another run and Sal Biasi shut things down over the final two innings to secure the win.

Seuly Matias 2-5 2R, HR, 2b, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Kyle Isbel 2-6 2R, RBI, BB, SB
Manny Olloque 2-6 R, HR, 2 RBI,

Friday Idaho Falls Chukars 18 Helena Brewers 5
Saturday Missoula Osprey 11 Idaho Falls Chukars 1

The Chukars lineup exploded for 20 hits, six walks, and 18 runs in a blowout win. Catcher Chase Vallot led the way with four hits including a pair of doubles and a home run while driving in four runs. In addition to Offerman Collado drove in five runs on three hits while hitting his first home run of the year. A ten-run sixth paved the way towards the win while Connor Mayes earned the victory with five innings of three-run ball. The Saturday game was an ugly one the other way as the offense was limited to just one run on four hits and 2nd round pick Jonathan Bowlan was knocked around for his second start in a row, giving up seven runs on 12 hits in five innings during a 11-1 loss.

Friday Burlington 10 Bristol Pirates 8 Suspended 10th Inning
Saturday Postponed

Friday Boxscores
Saturday Boxscores 

Sunday Probables
Omaha – Zach Lovvorn 5-6 5.73 ERA 1.54 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Emilio Ogando 5-6 6.69 ERA 2.14 WHIP
Wilmington Gm1 – Gerson Garabito 3-6 3.91 ERA 1.40 WHIP
Wilmington Gm2 – Nolan Watson 7-7 5.40 ERA 1.73 WHIP
Lexington – Carlos Hernandez 6-4 3.34 ERA 1.23 WHIP
Burlington Gm1- Austin Cox 0-1 2.70 ERA 1.02 WHIP
Burlington Gm2 – Elvis Luciano 0-3 7.17 ERA 1.78 WHIP
Idaho Falls – Jon Heasley 0-0 3.32 ERA 1.42 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Seuly Matias 2-3 HR, K

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jon Heasley 5 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3K 7-4 GO-FO 52p/38k

Future’s Game – In a highly offensive game that featured eight home runs between the two teams, the minor league home run leader, Seuly Matias connected on the first one of the day. The Royals uber-prospect lined a 94 mph fastball from Yankees prospect Justus Sheffield 360 feet over the right-field fence to tie the game up 1-1. That was the first home run in a highly offensive game that Team USA won 10-6 with Torii Hunter’s squad piling on four runs between the seventh and eighth innings to separate after the World team tied things up 6-6. In addition to the home run, Matias struck out versus Hunter Greene on a fastball better than 100 mph and singled on a groundball up the middle versus Detroit prospect Matt Manning.

Greenville Drive 3 Lexington Legends 1

The Legends offense struggled for the second night in a row while one of their hot pitchers didn’t have his best stuff on Sunday. Starter Carlos Hernandez entered the game with a 21 inning streak without allowing an earned run but struggled to avoid hits on this day, giving up nine hits in five and one-third innings including six doubles in that time. The right-hander gave up a run in the second on back to back doubles down the leftfield line to end his streak at 22 innings and was forced to navigate plenty of runners during the start. He also gave up a run in the fifth inning and left with two runners for Andrew Beckwith to clean up in the sixth. Infielder Ricky Aracena drove in the Legends only run in the eighth with a sac fly as Lexington pieced just four hits together during the game.

Carlos Hernandez: 5.1 IP 9 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 4 K 4-6 GO-FO 95p/63k
MJ Melendez: 0-3 BB
Nick Pratto: 0-4 K

Salem Red Sox 7 Wilmington Blue Rocks 4

Infielder Gabe Cancel’s hot bat kept going on Sunday as the Rocks got a good start form Gerson Garabito but the bullpen struggled in a loss against Salem. Since June 1, Cancel has hit .315/.363/.469 thanks in part to a 3 for 5 day on Sunday that featured two doubles and a home run while playing part in three of the Rocks four runs. Starter Gerson Garabito worked seven innings giving up single runs in the fifth and seventh innings while allowing three hits and three  walks against five strikeouts. Reliever Julio Pinto struggled mightily in relief, giving up five runs in the eighth inning to take a 2-2 game and put it firmly in the grasp of the Red Sox farm club.

Gabe Cancel: 3-5 R, 2-2b, HR, 3 RBI
Blake Perkins: 2-4 2R, BB
Gerson Garabito: 7 IP 3 H 2R 2 ER 3 BB 5 K 3-7 GO-FO 86p/54k

Springfield Cardinals 7 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

Starter Dallas Beeler was knocked around again, giving up five runs on five hits in just 2/3 of an inning on Sunday. While he was getting tattooed, the Cardinals starter shut out the Naturals offense for seven innings, limiting the Naturals to just three hits versus five strikeouts and a pair of walks. The NW Arkansas bullpens continued their struggles with Andres Machado and Pedro Fernandez each giving up a run in the loss.

Khalil Lee: 0-4 2K
Kelvin Gutierrez: 1-3 R, 2b
Jecksson Flores: 2-4 2b, RBI

Memphis Redbirds 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 0

A day after Chasers pitchers shut out Memphis, the offense returned the favor, getting shutout by Daniel Poncedeleon. The 26-year-old righthander allowed just a second-inning double by Ramon Torres while tossing a nine-inning complete game on 110 pitches, 77  of which were strikes while striking out five. Lefty Jon Dziedzic gave up a pair of home runs in his six and one-third innings, allowing four runs in the loss.

Nicky Lopez: 0-3 BB, K
Ramon Torres: 1-3 2b
Jon Dziedzic: 6.1 IP 5 H 4 R 3 ER 2 BB 2 K 2 HR 7-5 GO-FO 106p/62k

Johnson City Cardinals 7 Burlington Royals 6

Starter Elvis Luciano tossed three scoreless innings before giving up a pair of home runs and five total runs in the next inning and two-thirds. The big blow came via a three-run shot by Benito Santiago, the son of the former Royals catcher. Trailing 5-2 the Royals countered with three runs over the fifth and sixth innings getting a pair of rbi hits by Colby Schultz and Montae Bradshaw in the sixth to tie the game. Unfortunately, the Cardinals countered with a two-run double in the eighth to take a lead that the Royals couldn’t comeback against, falling a run short in the loss.

Chris Hudgins 2-5 2R, HR, 2b, 2 RBI
Jackson Lueck 2-4 R
Elvis Luciano 4.2 IP 5 H 5 R 5 ER 2 BB 6 K 2 HR 4-4 GO-FO 82p/53k

Missoula Osprey 3 Idaho Falls Chukars 1

The Chukars offense was shut down by the Missoula pitching staff for the second game in a row as the D-Backs squad limited the top hitting team in the league to just one run. Idaho Falls went just 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position while starter Jon Heasley tossed five shutout innings himself just 52 pitches. A 1-0 lead was overcome by a run in the seventh off Domingo Pena and two more in the ninth when he surrendered an RBI double and a sac fly. The offense couldn’t counter in the loss despite loading the bases.

Tyler James: 1-3 R, BB, SB (21)
Kyle Isbel: 0-4 2K
Reed Rohlman: 2-4 RBI, 2K

Featured Photo via @Royals Twitter

Sunday Boxscores

Monday Probables
Omaha – TBD
NW Arkansas – Jace Vines 2-8 5.04 ERA 1.58 WHIP
Wilmington – Nolan Watson 6-7 5.62 ERA 1.80 WHIP
Lexington – Charlie Neuweiler 0-1 3.81 ERA 1.31 WHIP
Burlington – Randy Acevedo 0-2 6.95 ERA 1.82 WHIP
Idaho Falls – JC Cloney 5-0 2.35 ERA 1.01 WHIP