Royals June 29th Minors Recap

Omaha lost their third straight to Iowa with an 8-5 loss. The Cubs put the game away with four runs in the top of the eighth.

Chris Getz made his first start since being sent back to the minors and went 1-for-4 with an RBI while batting leadoff and playing second base.

The Storm Chasers offense collected 14 hits, but hit into three double plays and went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Max Ramirez and Paulo Orlando each picked up three hits. Brett Hayes and Irving Falu each had two hits.

NW Arkansas lost a heartbreaker, 10-7. Their bullpen allowed seven runs in the top of the ninth.

That was after Jason Adam had another solid start. He allowed one run on two hits and three walks over seven innings. He struck out five.

The Naturals offense collected 14 hits, with each hitter collecting at least one hit. Brett Eibner, Orlando Calixte, Brian Fletcher, Roman Hernandez, and Whit Merrifield each had two hits. However, they struck out 14 times.

Kyle Zimmer (Jen Nevius)

With KC Royals GM Dayton Moore in attendance, Wilmington played two on Saturday night. Kyle Zimmer was on from the beginning and did not allow a hit until a little dribbler halfway down the third base line to lead off the 6th inning. Was he upset about giving up that type of hit to break up his potential no-no? “Yeah, but you have to move past it.”

He allowed another single right after that, but escaped the only jam he was in all night. The Blue Rocks beat visiting Potomac, 2-0.

Zimmer threw (by my count) 87 pitches, 54 for strikes. He had five three ball counts during his seven inning complete game, two coming to the last two batters he faced. It was his longest outing of the season.

Why was Zimmer so good tonight? He worked backwards. Manager Vance Wilson said he did a “really nice job controlling his offspeed” pitches and “started with offspeed a little more.”

The Blue Rocks offense gave him a lead in the very first inning when Lane Adams hit a solo homerun with two outs. In the fourth, Jared Schlehuber hit a solo homerun to account for the scoring.

The second game was a little different, as the P-Nats won 6-5.

Somehow, Tyler Sample lasted into the 4th inning, even after a 24 pitch, four run 2nd inning. Cody Fassold did a good job of getting out of the 4th inning jam, but gave up a solo homerun in the sixth. That run proved to be costly when the Blue Rocks made their comeback in the bottom of the seventh.

Kenny Swab and Geulin Beltre (who struck out in his two previous at-bats) led the final inning off with singles. After a great play in centerfield on Ethan Chapman‘s line drive gave the Blue Rocks their first out, Jack Lopez tripled in the two runs. That brought the infield in, but the Blue Rocks could not tie the game.

Lopez started the game off by hitting the first pitch from P-Nats starter AJ Cole out of the park.

Lexington was suspended in Hagerstown leading 5-0 in the top of the fourth. The Legends have runners at second and third base and two outs when they re-start the game on Sunday afternoon.