July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; USA batter Wil Myers drives in a run with a fielder

Omaha ended the regular season by losing two in a row to Albuquerque, with a 4-3 loss on Monday. The two teams will meet again on Wednesday in the playoffs.

Nate Adcock started, but for the second straight game, the Omaha starter was on a short pitch count. He threw 40 pitches over two innings (two runs on four hits).

The Storm Chasers collected ten hits (just two for extra bases) but went just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Wil Myers went 2-for-4, but fell one homerun shy of the minor league lead.

NW Arkansas was swept in their final home series of the season, as they lost to Tulsa, 7-4. The Drillers scored five runs in the 4th inning.

Sugar Ray Marimon was chased from the game after four innings. He allowed five runs on eight hits (two homeruns) and two walks. He struck out six.

Wilmington finished off the regular season by losing two in a row, with a 3-0 loss to Potomac. Kevin Keyes hit a two-run homerun in the 4th inning that was the difference in the game.

The game started in a rain delay and ended when the skies opened up in the bottom of the 6th inning.

Juan Graterol went 1-for-1 to raise his average to .301.

Matt Ridings finished his season with a solid start, as he allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk. He struck out a career-high nine. Ridings attributed all the strikeouts to the P-Nats aggressiveness in the game. Many were swinging at the first pitch or chasing fastballs out of the zone (the P-Nats were still in street clothes when the game was supposed to start, hoping for a rainout).

Following the game (and the half hour delay before it was called), Ridings talked about his performance not only today, but on the season. He also looked to the postseason, which begins on Wednesday for the Blue Rocks at home against Lynchburg (weather permitting).

Kane County had the chance to sneak in as a Midwest League wild card. Burlington was playing a doubleheader (and lost the first game), but the Cougars lost their game to Peoria, 6-2.

In the Chiefs’ four-run 5th inning, Cougars starter Michael Giovenco was tossed after hitting a batter following a three-run homerun. The Cougars bullpen followed with 4.2 solid innings (one run on four hits).

On offense, Daniel Mateo and Julio Aparicio collected two hits in the loss.

Veteran Doug Davis courtesy of Minda Haas (Royal Blues)

It was a matchup of Doug Davis against former Storm Chaser Sean O’Sullivan and O’Sullivan won the battle. Davis allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out eight, but allowed two solo homeruns. O’Sullivan allowed just one run on four hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out six.

The Storm Chasers lone run came via Mitch Maier‘s 4th inning solo homerun. Anthony Seratelli went 2-for-3 in the loss. In case you were wondering, Johnny Giavotella did not play.

NW Arkansas‘ game in Midland was postponed due to bad weather. However, the Naturals were eliminated from the postseason, as Springfield beat San Antonio.

Where did all of Wilmington‘s offense suddenly come from (and where has it been all season)? They scored ten runs in the 2nd inning and cruised to an 11-1 victory over Lynchburg. The Blue Rocks hold a 2.5 game lead over the Hillcats for the second half Northern Division title (the Hillcats won the first half).

The Blue Rocks collected 12 hits, but just three doubles, so they singled the Hillcats to death and capitalized on three Hillcats errors. Five Blue Rocks hitters had multi-hit games.

Matt Ridings was the beneficiary of all that offense, though he didn’t need a whole lot. He allowed an unearned run on three hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out seven.

Kane County and Clinton took their scoreless duel into the 10th inning when the LumberKings scored two runs. The Cougars got a run in the bottom of the 10th inning on Justin Trapp‘s solo homerun (he went 3-for-5). However they could not complete the comeback and lost 2-1.

Remember Tim Melville? He started for the Cougars in his return from the DL (where he has spent most of the season) and allowed just one hit and two walks over four innings. He struck out four. Andrew Triggs followed with four perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in Burlington’s 5-1 loss to Greenville. Playing shortstop for the Astros (in just his sixth game), the top pick in this past June’s draft, Carlos Correa, went 2-for-4 with a homerun.

Omaha outfielder David Lough courtesy of Minda Haas (Royal Blues)

Omaha blew out one of the worst teams in the Pacific Coast League (Tuscon), 20-3.  The Storm Chasers pounded out 33 hits (that is not a typo) and every starter had at least two hits. The game was over after the third inning when Omaha scored eight runs in the 2nd and seven more in the 3rd. Mitch Maier hit a two-run homerun in the 2nd inning. Wil Myers hit a three-run homerun and David Lough hit a two-run homerun with two outs in the 3rd inning.

Myers (5-for-7 with four runs scored and three RBIs) and Lough (3-for-5 with five RBIs) fell a triple short of the cycle. Clint Robinson fell a homerun short of the cycle (5-for-7 with three runs scored and two RBIs).

The onslaught of offense made a winner of veteran Doug Davis, who allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. The Storm Chasers bullpen trio allowed just two hits over the final three innings.

Leading 4-2 heading into the top of the 9th inning, NW Arkansas lost to Frisco, 6-4. The Rough Riders scored four runs on a Chris McGuiness one out grand slam. In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Naturals went down quietly, with three strikeouts.

That blast negated the solid start by Noel Arguelles, who allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and five walks while striking out five over seven innings.

The Naturals collected nine hits, with Paulo Orlando and Mario Lisson each picking up three (Lisson hit a homerun).

The Naturals welcomed Justin Marks back from a long DL stint, but placed Yordano Ventura on the DL (he has minor carpal tunnel).

Wilmington beat Salem 5-0, as they swept Salem over their final three-game set. The Blue Rocks rode the arm of Matt Ridings, who did not allow a hit until the 6th inning. He pitched a career-high seven innings and allowed just three hits while striking out three and hitting two batters. He also had good defense behind him, as he induced ten ground ball outs.

Murray Watts and Luis Piterson provided the bulk of the Blue Rocks offense, as both collected two hits, scored a run, and drove in a run (Watts hit a homerun).

For more on Ridings’ outing, check out this article on milb.com.

Kane County pounded out 15 hits, as they beat Cedar Rapids, 9-5. Five Cougars had multi-hit games. The bottom two in their order, Henry Moreno and Kevin David, went a combined 5-for-8 with four runs scored. Moreno hit his first homerun.

All of that offense made a winner of Kyle Smith, who allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 2-for-2 with two walks in Burlington’s 8-0 loss to Bluefield.

Omaha is currently in their All-Star break, as the Triple-A All-Star Game will be held in Buffalo on Wednesday night. It will be broadcast live on MLB Network at 7pm ET. Representing the Storm Chasers are starting outfielder Wil Myers, pitchers Ryan Verdugo and Tommy Hottovy, and first baseman/DH Clint Robinson.

August 05, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Manny Pina (28) makes a throw to second during a game against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

NW Arkansas‘ losing streak has reached eight games, as they lost another to San Antonio, 7-6. The Naturals finish up their series tomorrow with the Missions before taking Wednesday off. The Missions took a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Nathan Freiman‘s three-run homerun off Naturals starter Chris Dwyer.

The Naturals collected 16 hits (and out-hit the Missions 16-12), but went 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Every starter except Paulo Orlando collected at least one hit and seven had multi-hit games. Michael Liberto, who rarely played in Wilmington, went 2-for-4.

Catcher Manny Pina continued his rehab, as he went 2-for-3 with two walks and three RBIs. He caught all nine innings.

Wilmington road a great pitching performance from  three pitchers en route to their 6-2 victory over Myrtle Beach. The Blue Rocks have off tomorrow before starting a four-game home series, this time against Potomac.

Reliever Matt Ridings got the start and only allowed one hit and a walk over 5.2 innings. He allowed both runs (though only one was earned) while striking out five. Antonio Cruz picked up the victory with 1.1 perfect innings of relief. Sam Runion closed out the game with two scoreless innings (he only allowed one hit).

The Blue Rocks surprisingly used the homerun ball. Lane Adams hit a solo homerun and Whit Merrifield hit a two-run homerun with two outs in the 8th inning to give them some insurance.

Andy Ferguson has been promoted from Idaho Falls and will be in uniform for the Blue Rocks on Wednesday night (he most likely will be taking the spot of Yordano Ventura, who was promoted to Double-A).

Kane County finished up their road series at Wisconsin with a 6-4 loss. They have off tomorrow before returning home for a six-game homestand.

The Cougars collected ten hits, but went just 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Julio Aparicio and Tim Ferguson each hit solo homeruns while collecting four of the team’s hits.

Bubba Watch: Burlington’s game was suspended in the first inning and will be completed as part of a doubleheader on August 10th. The Royals were losing 1-0, but had runners at the corners with Bubba Starling coming to the plate.

June 04, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Will Smith (53) delivers a pitch in the fourth inning of the game against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Omaha defeated Albuquerque, 6-0. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the 6th inning when Wil Myers hit a three-run homerun.

Will Smith was dominant against the Isotopes, as he pitched six shutout innings. He allowed three hits and a walk while striking out nine. Ryan Verdugo made his second appearance out of the Storm Chasers bullpen, with one scoreless inning (he struck out two).

NW Arkansas beat Corpus Christi, 2-1. Sugar Ray Marimon earned his first Double-A victory with 5.2 scoreless innings. He allowed just two hits (though he walked four).

Naturals catcher Julio Rodriguez gave them the 1-0 lead with his first homerun of the season (he had two hits). Rey Navarro and Eric Duncan also had two hits.

Former Royal Kevin Chapman pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Hooks.

The one not-so-good start of the night came from Wilmington, but the Blue Rocks beat Frederick, 8-7. It got ugly in the 9th inning, as the Keys came back with three runs, but Sam Runion came in and picked up the two out save.

Matt Ridings picked up the win after 3.1 hitless innings of relief.

The Blue Rocks offense was alive, collecting 16 hits and going 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They hit three homeruns: Brett Eibner‘s tenth, Jose Bonilla‘s second, and Matt Fields‘ first. Angel Franco, Lane Adams, and Cheslor Cuthbert each had three hits. Only one starter did not pick up a hit (Geulin Beltre).

Kane County added four runs of insurance in the top of the 9th inning, as they beat Peoria, 7-2. Dean Espy hit a two out, three-run homerun in that inning.

Jason Mitchell earned the win, as he allowed two runs on seven hits over five innings. Jonathan Dooley followed that up with three scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just one hit.

Bubba Watch: He got Sunday off, as Burlington lost 7-3.

Sugar Ray Marimon

Let’s start with the CL-CL game. The Wilmington Blue Rocks were represented by two starting pitchers, Yordano Ventura and Sugar Ray Marimon. Despite the fact that neither started the game in Winston-Salem, Marimon did pick up the victory. He pitched the 4th inning, struck out two, and only threw 13 pitches. The Carolina League took the lead in the bottom of the 4th inning and held on for the 9-1 win. Ventura followed him up with a scoreless 5th inning (though he walked a batter).

Kane County was the host for the Midwest League ASG and it was over after the first two innings (though they played all nine). The East led 13-0 after two innings and won 18-2 while pounding out 20 hits. Unfortunately, the Cougars representatives played for the West squad. Outfielders Jorge Bonifacio and Lane Adams started and batted 3-4 in the order. They went a combined 0-for-5. The bright spot was reliever Matt Ridings. He got into the game in the 5th inning with two outs and struck out the only batter he faced (on three pitches).

Now onto the other regular season games.

Omaha won again, as they beat Memphis, 3-2. Jeremy Jeffress made it interesting in the 9th inning, as he allowed a run and the Redbirds had the tying run on second base. However Jeffress got Pete Kozma to line out to end the game.

It was all about pitching, as veteran Doug Davis made the start and allowed just one run over six innings of work. Francisley Bueno followed with two scoreless innings of relief.

NW Arkansas seems to still have fight left in them at the end of the first half. They have won the first two games of their series against first-place Tulsa, as they won again Tuesday night in walk-off fashion. The Naturals won 5-4 in 11 innings.

With two outs and two men on base in the bottom of the 11th inning, Yem Prades delivered the game winning single.

For the Naturals, there was good starting pitching and a good finish. Michael Mariot allowed just one run on six hits and a walk over seven innings. Tim Sexton picked up the win after throwing three scoreless innings of relief.

After spending three weeks focused on the Idaho Falls Chukars, it’s finally time to move on. The next logical step is the Burlington Royals so that is where we’re heading. As you can surmise from the title, today I’m breaking down the pitchers and in the next column I’ll delve into the position players.

All 14 of the pitchers on the Burlington roster have been introduced to the Royals system in the last 4 years. 3 came in 2008, 5 in 2010 and 6 in 2011. 9 pitchers were added via the draft, 2 were international free agents, 2 were non-drafted free agents and one was acquired via trade. In Baseball America’s 2011 Prospect Handbook, RHP Robinson Yambati cracked Kansas City’s pre-season top-30 (#16) and RHP Eric Cantrell made the organizational depth chart but the rest of the pack haven’t received much pub as of yet. (more…)

Hello again! For the last month I’ve been standing on the banks of Lake Kauffman. From time to time I’ve dipped my toes in the water but have been unable to take the plunge and publish my first article here since November 11th of last year. Now, things have changed.

As you have read, Jeff Herr has moved on to head up our network’s KU coverage over on Through the Phog. His departure leaves a gap in the minor league coverage on this site, but if you’re a long time reader of Kings of Kauffman you may remember my days as this site’s lead. You may also remember that I spent a lot of time writing about prospects and the draft. Since leaving KoK, my nomadic writing tendencies have taken me to several sites, but at all of my stops I’ve tried to work in coverage of the minor leagues as it has always been a facet of the game that I love to follow and write about.

With the launch of Seedlings to Stars just over a month ago, I’ve been able to hone my content focus more fully to minor league coverage. So when Jeff notified us that he was leaving KoK and S2S to take a lead position, it seemed natural that I pick up the baton and carry forward the weekly minor league feature here on this site. (more…)