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

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Elvis Luciano 7 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 9 K 6-4 GO-FO 89p/61k

Lexington Legends 11 Hagerstown Suns 1

The Legends offense had a big night on Friday to gain a victory over the Nationals Low-A club. Three hitters did much of the heavy lifting with Nick Pratto, Manny Olloque, and Cristian Perez each reaching base four times while combining for 10 of Lexington’s 15 hits. With the game tied 1-1 in the third inning Pratto’s eleventh home run of the season gave Lexington a lead, they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the night. After MJ Melendez drove in a run an inning later with a groundout Pratto upped the lead to 4-1 with a double. In the fifth, it was a Perez double pushing the advantage to 5-1 before a six-run seventh blew the game wide open. Starter Daniel Lynch worked just three innings due to a limited workload, giving up the first home run of his young career while striking out two. Rule 5 draftee Daniel Duarte was outstanding in replacement of Lynch, tossing three hitless innings with five strikeouts to earn the win.

Daniel Lynch 3 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 2K 4-1 GO-FO 32p/23k
Manny Olloque 4-5 2R, RBI
Cristian Perez 4-5 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8 Salem Red Sox 2

The Rocks broke their losing streak on Friday with a big night at the dish by a few different hitters. The 1-2 hitters in the lineup Blake Perkins and Rudy Martin accounted for three runs apiece with Perkins scoring three, Martin scoring one and driving in a pair. Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera joined those two with four runs driven in with three doubles to help Wilmington score eight runs. Those runs were plenty for Ofreidy Gomez who went seven innings with just a run allowed before turning things to Justin Camp and Tyler Zuber for the win.

Ofreidy Gomez 7 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 8-4 GO-FO 91p/66k
Emmanuel Rivera 3-5 3-2b, 4 RBI
Rudy Martin 3-4 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 9 Springfield Cardinals 3

The ten players that made it up to bat in this one for NW Arkansas each reached base at least once with Samir Duenez and Xavier Fernandez leading the charge. Fernandez tripled in a run and scored in the second inning before Duenez doubled in a run during the three-run frame. The two each hit home runs in the middle innings with Fernandez connecting on a solo home run in the fourth before Duenez hit a two-run job in the fifth. An inning later Nick Heath tripled in a pair and scored to put NW Arkansas up 9-3 for their eventual winning margin.

Kelvin Gutierrez 2-5
Xavier Fernandez 3-5 3R, HR, 3b, 2 RBI
Foster Griffin 6 IP 11 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 0 K 9-4 Go-FO 86p/59k

Iowa Cubs 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Scott Barlow got roughed up by the ICubs in his first rehab start back, giving up three home runs and eight runs in just an inning and one-third. Those runs were too much to overcome for the Chasers with the team going 4 for 15 with runners in scoring position.

Nicky Lopez 2-3 R, 2b, 2 RBI, BB
Frank Schwindel 2-5
Donnie Dewees 2-5 2b, RBI

Burlington Royals 5 Kingsport Mets 1

The Royals received another solid start from Elvis Luciano as the pitcher the Royals acquired in the Jon Jay deal set new career highs in strikeouts and innings. Working seven innings of one-run ball in this one while striking out nine hitters with 17 swinging strikes on the evening. After allowing a first-inning run the Royals got a run back in the third inning with an Eric Cole single before scoring two more in the fourth. In the seventh, a wild pitch moved the lead to 4-1 prior to Cole singling in another. Reliever Kyle Hinton worked the final two innings scoreless with four strikeouts.

Eric Cole 2-5 2 RBI
Jose Marquez 2-3 2R, 2-3b, 2 BB
Freddy Fermin 3-5 R, 2b

Friday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Weekend: Donnie Dewees 7-11 2R, 3b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Weekend: Gerson Garabito 7 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 5 K 6-6 GO-FO 98p/60k

Sunday New Orleans Baby Cakes 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 2
Saturday New Orleans Baby Cakes 13 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The Baby Cakes took care of the Omaha starting pitching over the weekend, collecting 24 hits off the two starters in 11 innings of work while scoring 18 runs in the two games. Saturday starter Andres Machado gave up 14 hits and 10 runs in his start before Heath Fillmyer allowed 10 hits and 5 runs on Sunday. The Chasers offense couldn’t match that output, scoring four runs in the two games to continue their dismal offensive output. So far this season, Omaha’s OPS ranks third worst in the PCL while New Orleans came in ranked last, but one wouldn’t know it by the 26-8 drubbing they’ve put on Omaha in three games.

Hot – Josh Staumont – 8 consecutive scoreless appearances; 23 K in that time.

Not – Hunter Dozier – 1 for last 25 with 15 K over his last seven games

Sunday Arkansas Travelers 3 NW Arkansas Naturals 2
Saturday NW Arkansas Naturals 10 Arkansas Travelers 4

The Naturals split their weekend with the Angels Double-A squad with the bullpen giving them seven and one-third innings of one-run ball. The offense had no problem collecting hits over the two days, amassing 27 of them but a 1 for 11 effort with runners in scoring position on Sunday left them with a loss. Starter Scott Blewett took the loss after allowing nine hits and three runs (1 ER) while striking out just two hitters. The right-hander’s 1.73 WHIP isn’t likely what Blewett wanted to see to start his season.

Hot – Nicky Lopez – 4 consecutive multi-hit games 10 for 16 with four walks and a pair of extra-base hit.

Not – Samir Duenez – hitting .158 in his last 10 games

Sunday Frederick Keys 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2
Saturday Frederick Keys 12 Wilmington Blue Rocks 9

The Saturday game was a struggle for the piggyback duo of Anthony Bender and Ofreidy Gomez as the two hard-throwing right-handers walked ten hitters in just four and two-thirds innings. The Rocks fell victim to an umpiring blunder in the third inning when a ball that bounced over the fence was incorrectly ruled a home run, resulting in a three-run mistake. That umpiring mistake might have cost the Rocks the game after their comeback bid fell three runs short. In the Sunday game, starting pitcher Gerson Garabito worked seven shutout innings handing the game to the bullpen a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, reliever Vance Tatum gave up three runs over the final two innings to take the loss.

Hot – Xavier Fernandez 7-17 w/ 4-2b, 2R, 2 RBI

Not – Chase Vallot, hitting .096 for the season with a 48% K-rate

Sunday Charleston RiverDogs 5 Lexington Legends 0
Saturday Charleston RiverDogs 6 Lexington Legends 0

The Legends were shutout by Charleston pitching over the weekend, limited to just seven hits in the two games by the Yankees Low-A club. On their side Sunday starter Carlos Hernandez struggled with the strikezone in his first start of the year, walking four and yielding five runs (3 ER) in just two and one-third innings. Struggling with the zone the right-hander hit the zone with just 36 strikes out of 68 pitches.

Hot – Seuly Matias leads the South Atlantic League with 8 home runs

Not – Marten Gasparini 2-17 since May 1, hitting just .202/.228/.315 in his third tour with Lexington

HR Roll Call: Alex Liddi (1), Xavier Fernandez (1), Michael Gigliotti (1) 

BPKC Hitter of the Day :Michael Gigliotti 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, SB (1)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Foster Griffin 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 5-4 GO-FO, 87p/54k

Lexington Legends 5, Greenville Drive 4

One of those ugly Low-A affairs broke out on Tuesday with 10 combined errors, but the Legends pitchers kept it together a touch better to earn another early-season win. Lexington’s starter Nolan Watson and a pair of relievers limited Greenville to just eight singles and one walk with the defense committing six errors behind them which led to four runs (2 ER). The Lexington offense countered themselves, getting two runs in the first with back to back doubles by Marten Gasparini and Nick Pratto. After Greenville took the lead in the fifth frame, outfielder Michael Gigliotti drove in a run to knot it back up before a Sebastian Rivero sacrifice fly brought home the lead run an inning later. After another Lexington error tied things up in the top half of the seventh, Gigliotti gave Lexington their lead back with his first home run of the year. From there the Legends bullpen shut things down to push their record to 5-1.

Nick Pratto: 2-4, R, 2b, RBI
Seuly Matias: 0-3, 2K, HBP
Nolan Watson: 5.1 IP, 6 H 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 8-1 GO-FO, 89p/62k

Salem Red Sox 3, Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

For the second night in a row, Wilmington was unable to take advantage of opportunities with runners in scoring position in dropping a game in Salem. The Rocks went 1 for 9 in those situations without driving in a run, while Salem used back to back doubles in the fourth to plate a pair of runs before using another double in the fifth to push their advantage to 3-0. Wilmington’s only run came via a solo home run from Xavier Fernandez in the seventh, but would strand multiple runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth to drop their third game in a row.

Khalil Lee 1-4, 2K
Gabe Cancel 2-3, 2b, BB
Kort Peterson 2-4, 2b

NW Arkansas Naturals 4, San Antonio Missions 0

A couple former 1st round pitchers were in a groove Thursday afternoon as Foster Griffin and Cal Quantrill helped their respective clubs play a quick getaway game. Naturals starter Griffin faced the minimum through five innings after getting double-play groundouts to erase singles in each of the first three innings. Padres #3 prospect Cal Quantrill matched Griffin before a two-out single off the bat of Donnie Dewees snuck through the left side which allowed Samir Duenez to come home. The Missions would load the bases off Griffin in the sixth with two outs and the #1 prospect in the organization at the dish in Fernando Tatis Jr., but Foster would get him to fly out to center to end the threat. From there, the Naturals bullpen cruised through the final three innings while the bats tacked on a solo home run in the seventh by Alex Liddi and a two-run double in the eighth by Corey Toups to secure the final margin of victory.

Samir Duenez: 0-2, R, 2 BB, SB, CS
Nicky Lopez: 0-1, R, 3 BB, SB (3)
Donnie Dewees: 1-4, RBI, SB

Memphis Redbirds 7, Omaha Storm Chasers 0

Omaha starter Heath Fillmyer struggled mightily in his first start with his new franchise in Memphis. After the A’s former farmhand worked around a pair of walks in the first inning, he couldn’t escape the second, giving up seven consecutive hits and getting tagged for seven runs after reliever Kevin Lenik let a pair of inherited runners come in. Those runs were more than enough with Omaha going scoreless on six hits and three walks.

Ryan O’Hearn: 1-4, 2b
Hunter Dozier: 2-3, BB
Kevin Lenik: 2.1 IP, 1 h, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Wednesday Probables:
Lexington – Garrett Davila
Wilmington – Jace Vines
Omaha – Trevor Oaks

Boxscore Link

HR Roll Call Frank Schwindel (18), Xavier Fernandez (8), Brandon Dulin (6)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Brandon Dulin 2-3 HR, 4 RBI, BB

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Emilio Ogando 6 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 8 K 1-5 GO-FO 94p/58k

Memphis Redbirds 11 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

The Redbirds separated from a one run game with four in the sixth and three more in the eighth to blow open the game. Former Chaser Jose Martinez had a huge night against his old team, collecting three hits while homering and driving in five of the Redbird runs.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 1-3 R, RBI
Jorge Bonifacio 0-3 R, RBI, BB
Rey Fuentes 1-5 R, 2b

Tulsa Drillers 10 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

The Naturals starter put his club in a hole early and the offense were unable to convert scoring opportunities in Friday’s loss. Big righty Ashton Goudeau couldn’t finish the fourth inning, giving up six runs on seven hits and a pair of walks before turning to the pen. The Naturals went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, getting just a Frank Schwindel solo home run and a fielder’s choice to plate their two runs on the night. Tulsa would bang out three home runs off Goudeau while plating four more runs off reliever Eric Stout later in the game.

Boxscore Link

Corey Toups 2-4 2-2b
Frank Schwindel 2-4 HR
Daniel Stumpf 2.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 4 K

Potomac Nationals 2 Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

The Rocks Zach Lovvorn dropped his 13th decision of the season while losing a pitching duel with one of the Nationals top prospects. The Rocks plated a run in the second off Erick Fedde to tie the game at 1-1. From there Fedde though found a groove, retiring 15 of the last 17 hitters he faced including the last 10 in a row and setting a career high with 10 strikeouts. Wilmington’s starter kept pace until a fourth inning home run, but he would finish off seven innings also despite his offenses inability to equal the score against Fedde or the bullpen. The loss pushed Lovvorn’s record to 2-13 despite a 3.58 ERA on the season.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 2-4
Chad Johnson 1-4 R, 2b
Zach Lovvorn 7 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 3 K 8-3 GO-FO 86p/59k

Lexington Legends 6 Hickory Crawdads 2

The Legends plated four runs in the seventh to back their All Star starter to another win. Staked to an early 2-0 lead on a Brandon Dulin two run home run in the first, Ogando got into a groove following a home run given up in the second. His was just a solo home run allowed and from there he would give up just two more base runners allowed in his six innings with neither advancing to second. A solo home run would start the seventh inning for the Legends, but they were not finished there, using three walks to a plate a run before Dulin chipped in two more with a single to push the lead to 6-1. Reliever Franco Terrero would earn his first save by working the final three innings while giving up just a ninth inning run.

Boxscore Link

Xavier Fernandez 3-4 HR
Chase Vallot 1-3 2b, BB
Franco Terrero 3 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 2 K

Great Falls Voyagers 12 Idaho Falls Chukars 0

The Chukars were mauled in the one, getting just one hit while the Voyagers pounded out 12 runs while scoring on three different Idaho Falls pitchers.

Boxscore Link

Luke Willis 1-3
Matt Portland 4.1 IP 6 H 6 R 5 ER 4 BB 5 K 2 HR
Drew Milligan 2 IP 7 H 5 ER 0 BB 1 K

Burlington Royals 10 Kingsport Mets 5

The Royals piled on late to break open a tie game through six innings. Starter Cristian Castillo was continuing his stellar effort from last time out, spinning four scoreless until running into trouble in the fifth. Sitting on a 3-0 lead Castillo gave up three runs in the frame, giving up five hits in the inning including a pair of doubles. The Royals would break open the game in the final three innigns, scoring seven runs over that time. Two ’16 draftees would drive in runs in the seventh when Kort Peterson singled in a run before stealing second and scoring on Chris DeVito’s two run single. An error would open up the eighth to two runs for the Royals before scoring two more in the ninth to run away in this one.

Boxscore Link

Kort Peterson 2-5 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Nathan Esposito 3-4 2R, 2b, 2 RBI
Alex Close 2 IP 1 H 0 R 1 BB 1 K 1-4 GO-FO

HR Roll Call Xavier Fernandez (8), Roman Collins (7)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Chris DeVito 3-3 2 RBI, BB

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Travis Eckert 5 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 7 K 6-0 GO-FO

Memphis Redbirds 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

Starter Christian Binford was solid for five innings, but the Redbirds got to him in the sixth to hand the team and the righty another loss. A Dusty Coleman RBI single in the third and a Tony Cruz sac fly in the sixth gave Omaha a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. In that inning the game quickly was knotted after a two run home run by David Washington. A walk would get Binford removed but Brooks Pounders would let that walk come around to score on a single, crediting the run to the Omaha starter. The Chasers would get just one base runner the rest of the way, to drop the game by the smallest of fashions.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 2-4 R, 3b
Reymond Fuentes 2-4
Orlando Calixte 3-4 R

Tulsa Drillers 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

Four first inning runs combined with a lack of offense ruined the Naturals night. Three first inning singles to start the game of Yender Caramo plated a run and put NW Arkansas down 1-0. After the righty settled and a got a pair of outs, stud first base prospect Cody Bellinger quickly put NW Arkansas in a 4-0 with his fifteenth home run of the season. The Naturals would struggle most of the night to plate runs as the top four hitters in their order would combine to go 0 for 20. A sixth inning solo home run would put the deficit at 5-0, where it would stand until the ninth. In that final inning the Naturals would place the first five on thanks to a pair of Drillers errors and a couple hits, scoring three runs in the process. With the tying runs on and no outs the 2-3-4 hitters would be unable to do any damage as they would go down in order to finish off the loss.

Boxscore Link

Carlos Garcia 3-4 R, 2b
Cam Gallagher 2-4 BB
Aroni Nina 2 IP 2 H 0 R 1 BB 2 K 1-1 42/22k

Potomac Nationals 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rock starter gave up single run from the second through fifth inning, putting them in a 4-0 hole that the offense couldn’t climb out from. The reason, a 1 for 12 showing with runners in scoring position while the team missed scoring opportunities in the final three innings after scoring a pair in the sixth inning.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 2-5
Foster Griffin 6 Ip 6 H 4 ER 3 BB 5 K 5-2 GO-FO 91p/56k
Luis Villegas 3-4 RBI

Hickory Crawdads 19 Lexington Legends 4

Coming into the game Gerson Garabito hadn’t given up a run in 13 consecutive innings. The Hickory Crawdads didn’t seem to care much about that streak as they rocked the Dominican righty for seven runs in the second inning and then laid waste to the Legends bullpen. All told Hickory punched out the Lexington’s pitchers for 20 hits and 19 runs in the mauling.

Boxscore Link

Gerson Garabito 1.1 IP 6 H 7 ER 3 BB 2 K
Roman Collins 1-4 HR
Xavier Fernandez 1-4 HR, 3 RBI

Great Falls Voyagers 7 Idaho Falls Chukars 3

The Voyagers got after starter Jace Vines in the Chukars first game back after the All Star festivities. The righty from Texas A&M yielded eight hits and four walks in four and two-third innings, allowing seven runs in the outing. The seven runs pushed his ERA to 6.39 on the season in the highly offensive Pioneer League. Those runs were too much to overcome for the Chukars offense who had just one extra base hit on the evening. All star catcher Meibrys Viloria went 1 for 3 with a walk and reached base on an error that was originally scored a hit.

Boxscore Link

Meibrys Viloria 1-3 R, RBI, BB
Manny Olloque 3-5 R, 2b
Ricky Aracena 2-5 2 SB(9), E (23)

Burlington Royals 5 Kingsport Mets 0

The Royals pitching staff overwhelmed the Kingsport Mets Thursday night, striking out 10 hitters while spinning a shutout. Starter Travis Eckert worked five innings while striking out seven against just three singles to improve his record 3-1. Infielder Nicky Lopez scored on a Vance Vizcaino single in the first and scored in the fifth on an error. Those two runs were part of a five run day that earned the Royals a win while securing a two game lead in the division.

Boxscore Link

Emmanuel Rivera 1-2 2R, 3 BB, SB (6)
Vance Vizcaino 2-5 R, 2b, RBI
Nicky Lopez 1-3 2R, BB

DSL Royals 4 DSL A’s 2

The Royals received six shutout innings from their starter and single runs in the early going to hang onto a 4-2 win. Miscues lead to single runs in each of the second through fifth innings for the Royals with throwing errors leading to runs in the three of the innings and a wild pitch scoring a run in the other. Centerfielder Raymond Lopez scored two of those runs while also stealing his 21st bag of the year. Starter Andres Sotillet spun six scoreless with just a pair of hits and a couple walks allowed while earning six groundouts and his fourth win on the season.

Boxscore Link

Andres Sotillet 6 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 3 K 6-2 GO-FO
Raymond Lopez 2-3 2R, SB (21), CS (6)
Freddy Fermin 1-4 RBI

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.

Boxscore Link

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.

Boxscore Link

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.

Boxscore Link

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.

Boxscore Link

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.

Boxscore Link

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.

Boxscore Link

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.

Boxscore Link

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

HR Roll Call Xavier Fernandez (3)

BP KC Hitter of the Day Xavier Fernandez 3-4 HR 

BP KC Pitcher of the Day Derek Gordon 3 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 5 K 2-0 GO-FO 39p/31k

Oklahoma City Dodgers 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

The Chasers offense continues to struggle as the team fell to a season high nine games under .500. Nine strikeouts did in the Omaha offense but the four hits on the night didn’t help much either. The fact that they pushed three across thanks in part to a couple Dodgers errors shows they pretty much maxed out their opportunities. On the other side of the diamond the Dodgers power was on display versus Christian Binford, slugging a pair of home runs that accounted for three of their five runs off of him. After a run of six good starts for Binford between Double-A and Triple-A the righthander has started to get touched up again, allowing 19 runs over his last 23 innings pitched with each outing lasting less time than the previous.

Boxscore Link

Brett Eibner 0-4
Hunter Dozier 0-3 R, BB
Jorge Bonfiacio 0-2 R, 2BB

Arkansas Travelers 6 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

It had to happen sooner or later for Jake Junis and Tuesday night was the night. After an impressive run in which the righthanded starter allowed 2 earned runs or less in eight consecutive starter an opponent finally got to him. The Travelers knocked Junis around over his five innings to the tune of 10 hits and six runs over just 4.2 innings. Named a Texas League All Star for his first half performance Junis was unable to escape jams in the 3rd and the 5th inning as Arkansas score three apiece in those frames.

Boxscore Link

Cam Gallagher 2-4
Ryan O’Hearn 1-4
Bubba Starling 1-4 RBI

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Winston-Salem Dash 2 F/14

It took the Rocks nine innings to tie the game Monday but it paid off in a win. Starter Foster Griffin gave Wilmington a decent start, navigating around six hits and a walk to allow just two runs over seven innings. He trailed after exiting in the top of the seventh 2-0. Trailing by the score Austin Bailey came through in the bottom of that inning to cut the lead in half with a two run single. Two inning later it was Bailey again coming through, this time with a one out sacrifice fly that pushed the game to extra innings. The bullpens would exchange blows for the next four innings, keeping the two teams off the board until the Rocks broke through in the 14th. Two quick outs in the inning made it look as if the game would head to the 15th until an errant pitch by Dash reliever Jacob Morris would plunk Josh Banuelos. Rattled by the hit by pitch Morris would lose control and quickly walk Cody Jones to push the Rocks runner to 2nd. Coach Jamie Quirk seeing an opportunity to end the game would pinch run for Banuelos and the move would payoff as the Rocks All Star shortstop Humberto Arteaga would come through with a groundball single to center that would allow Robert Pehl, the pinch runner to come around for the walkoff win. The Rocks will try to complete the sweep tomorrow night with winless starter Zach Lovvorn on the hill.

Boxscore Link

Elier Hernandez 2-5 2R
Alfredo Escalera 2-6 4K
Austin Bailey 1-5 2 RBI

West Virginia Power 7 Lexington Legends 3

The Power continued their dominance of the Legends, knocking around young Latin starter Gerson Garabito for five runs in 3.1 innings of work on five hits and a pair of walks. The Legends couldn’t play catch up due to the Power starter striking out nine in his six innings. Catcher Xavier Fernandez had a good day at the dish with three hits and a solo home run but Lexington’s 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position prevented any chance at a comeback. Chase Vallot made his first appearance since June 1st but made just one at bat on the night prior before getting plunked in the face.

Boxscore Link

Anderson Miller 1-4
Samir Duenez 3-5 2b, R
DJ Burt 1-4 R, SB (14)

DSL Royals 3 DSL A’s 1

The Dominican team got off the schneid with another solid pitching effort as the team limited the A’s DSL club to just four hits and one run. Starter Darwin Feliz tossed five scoreless with four K’s and a pair of hits allowed which was capably relieved by Jeicol Escotto and his four K’s in two innings. A run in the 7th and two more in the ninth gave the Royals the victory.

Boxscore Link

Angel Medina 2-3 2b
Seuly Matias 0-4 K
Sebastian Rivera 2-4

HR Roll Call – Cheslor Cuthbert (5), Jose Martinez (2), Brett Eibner (2)

BP Kansas City Hitter of the Day – Brett Eibner: 3-6, 2B, HR

BP Kansas City Pitcher of the Day – Colin Rodgers: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

  Oklahoma City Dodgers 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 3 (12 innings)

Despite loading the bases with one out in the 12th inning, the Chasers were unable to come back a second time, as a nice play robbed Whit Merrifield of what could’ve been a game-tying single to end the game. Six Dodgers’ pitchers allowed 12 hits and issued six walks on the evening, but Omaha went 0-12 with runners in scoring position, and left 16 men on base. They got a robust 0-18 line from the bottom four spots in the order tonight, and sequencing can be hard when that happens. The three runs they did score were courtesy of three solo home runs. Cheslor Cuthbert hit his fifth of the season in the fourth inning, while Jose Martinez and Brett Eibner went back-to-back in the seventh to tie the game at three. Eibner now has two dingers in his last two games. Both teams had baserunners in every extra inning, but neither cashed in until OKC scored on two walks with the bases loaded, courtesy of Malcolm Culver.

Boxscore Link

Cheslor Cuthbert: 3-6, HR
Jose Martinez: 3-6, 2B, HR
Brett Eibner: 3-6, 2B, HR
Whit Merrifield: 2-6, SB (now 16-16 on the season)

  Wilmington Blue Rocks 1 Potomac Nationals 5

Another frustrating night for the Blue Rocks’ offense resulted in the team’s 10th loss to the P-Nats this season. Nationals’ starter Luis Reyes struck out eight in 5.2 innings, and their bullpen tacked on four more, so even though the Rocks had 11 at-bats with runners in scoring position, they only collected one hit. Corey Toups led off the game with a double, and added another in the fifth inning, but the rest of the lineup could never get him across. Wilmington did have a chance to do some damage in the fifth, when they loaded the bases with two outs. Unfortunately, Elier Hernandez’s struggles continued, as he grounded out to end the threat. Colin Rodgers struck out six in 5.1 innings, allowing just two runs.

Boxscore Link

Corey Toups: 2-5, 2 2B
Roman Collins: 2-3, 2B, BB, 1 RBI
Elier Hernandez: 1-5, 2 K, hitting .158/.210/.263

   Lexington Legends 2 Hickory Crawdads 6

The Legends were unable to get anything going against Crawdads’ starter Erik Swanson, and only collected four hits on the evening. A five-run outburst off of Foster Griffin in the first inning was more than enough to keep Hickory on top. Griffin had only allowed one run before getting the second out of the inning, then, this sequence happened: single, balk, single, stolen base, single, single. It’s like the Royals were cloned and placed in the South Appalachian League, only to face Griffin. The tall lefty did settle down to get through five innings, but the damage was done. The Legends had just two innings with multiple baserunners, and didn’t have a single extra-base hit. D.J. Burt and Cody Jones each stole a base, though, so that’s something.

Boxscore Link

Xavier Fernandez: 2-4
D.J. Burt: 1-4, SB, 2 RBI
Foster Griffin: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K