Outside of the top two levels, the 2013 season has not been too good for the KC Royals system so far.

The big league KC Royals went 3-2 last week, as they had two rain outs and a day off. The Royals are now in the midst of ten games in nine days, though all are at home. They are 13-9 overall and in first place in the American League Central.

Omaha went 4-2 last week as they begin a four-game road series against New Orleans tonight. The Storm Chasers are in first place in the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division at 14-9. That is the best record in the PCL.

NW Arkansas went 3-4 last week on the road (and lost their finale this afternoon in Tulsa). The Naturals have the worst record in the Texas League at 8-15 (well now 8-16 after today’s loss) and are four games back of first place in the North.

Wilmington has lost six in a row and last won on Monday in Salem. The Blue Rocks open a four-game series at home tonight versus the Red Sox. They have the worst record in the Carolina League at 9-14, three games back in the Northern Division.

Lexington lost five in a row last week before a win on Sunday. They finished up their home series this morning with a loss to Augusta, before an off day and another road trip. This time, they will be heading north, to Delmarva and Lakewood. The Legends are in last place in the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division at 9-15 (well now 9-16). They are 6.5 games back.

Now to the awards…

» Continue reading “Royals Weekly Awards”

It was a good week to be a Kansas City Royal.

The big league Royals went 5-1 last week. They are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak after sweeping Chicago out of Kauffman Stadium. They continue their stretch of playing playoff contenders, as they begin a three-game road series against Wild Card leading Tampa tonight.

The Royals moved into sole possession of third place in the American League Central, 11 games back.

Omaha clinched their second consecutive American Northern Division title on Saturday night and went 5-2 on the week. Currently, they have the best record in the Pacific Coast League (tied at 77-52). The Storm Chasers continue their long homestand against Nashville tonight.

NW Arkansas was eliminated from postseason competition this week, as they went 1-4. The Naturals are just 17-37 in the second half. They finish up their road trip in Frisco tonight.

Wilmington went 5-2 last week and continue to sit in first place in the Northern Division of the Carolina League (29-26). The Blue Rocks hold a 2.5 game lead over both Frederick and Lynchburg. They begin a BIG road trip tonight, with five in Frederick and three in Lynchburg.

Kane County went 2-4 last week and fell to six games back in the Western Division of the Midwest League (a tie for third place at 28-27). The Cougars continue their road trip in Burlington tonight.

Hitters of the Week

Majors: Alcides Escobar is on FIRE. He went 12-for-25 last week (.480). He scored six runs and stole four bases.

Minors: It is a tie between the left side of the Wilmington infield. Third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak. Last week, he went 11-for-25 (.440) with six runs scored and three RBIs.

Shortstop Orlando Calixte has a hit in five of his last six games, including the game winner on Saturday night. He went 9-for-27 (.333) with two runs scored and four RBIs.

Pitchers of the Week

Majors: Jeremy Guthrie wins this award again, and why not? He carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning on Sunday against the White Sox. In two starts last week (totaling 14.2 innings), he allowed just two unearned runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out 13.

Minors: This is a tie between two pitchers who helped their teams have winning records last week. Ryan Verdugo picked up the victory in Omaha‘s clinching game on Saturday. In two starts last week, he allowed four runs (three earned) on 11 hits and five walks over 13 innings. He struck out 11. Verdugo has won four straight starts.

Brooks Pounders has put together two straight dominant starts, one of which came with a pie in the face. In two starts last week (14 innings), he allowed just one unearned run on seven hits and one walk. He struck out 12.

The KC Royals had a tough week. They went just 1-5 and are coming off being swept in Pittsburgh this weekend. They dropped to just a 1/2 game ahead of Minnesota for last place in the American League Central (24-34). The Royals continue Interleague Play this week, as they welcome Milwaukee to town for three games beginning on Tuesday.

Omaha went 5-1 this past week. The Storm Chasers have won five in a row and increased their lead in the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division to ten games (39-25). They head out on the road to begin a three-game series in Iowa tonight.

NW Arkansas also went 5-1 this past week. Their seven-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday, but the Naturals are now tied for first place in the North Division of the Texas League (33-28). They continue their series at Tulsa tonight (who they are tied with).

Wilmington had a tough week. After getting back in the first half divisional race, they have now lost five in a row and went 2-5 this past week. The Blue Rocks dropped to third place in the Carolina League’s Northern Division (five games back) with just seven games left in the first half. They return home to begin a three-game series with Salem tonight.

Kane County went 3-3 this past week. The Cougars are still in third place in the Midwest League’s Western Division (33-30). They are seven games back with seven to go, though the Cougars are just three games back of second place (and the first half wild card spot). They finish up their series at Peoria today before heading to Quad Cities for three games.

Hitter of  the Week

Majors: Eric Hosmer. Maybe he has finally broken out of his yearlong slump. In six games last week, he went 6-for-19 (.316) with three doubles, three runs scored, and three RBIs. He also walked three times (compared to two strikeouts) and stole two bases.

Minors: Jason Bourgoeis, Omaha. Maybe the trade from Houston late in spring training was a tough adjustment for Bourgeois. He finally seems to be getting in a groove in Triple-A. Last week, he went 7-for-15 (.467) in four games. He also scored three runs and hit a homerun.

Pitcher of the Week

Majors: Greg Holland. He made four appearances last week, totaling four innings. He did not allow a run. Holland allowed just one hit and a walk while striking out seven. Maybe he has also found his groove.

Minors: Justin Marks, NW Arkansas. Marks was dominant in his two starts for the Naturals last week. He allowed just one run on 12 hits and four walks over 14 innings. He struck out eight. Unfortunately, he picked up no-decisions in each start.

Honorable Mention: Brooks Pounders, Wilmington. Pounders was promoted to Wilmington from Kane County on Saturday and made a relief appearance on Sunday in Winston-Salem. He allowed one hit while striking out two in one inning. On Monday, he made his final start for the Cougars, as he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out six.

Omaha out-hit Memphis 7-6, but scored just one run en route to their 5-1 loss. They were just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and hit into three double plays.

Irving Falu and Jason Bourgeois each had two hits in the loss.

NW Arkansas won 3-1 over Frisco (for the sweep), as all the runs were scored late. The Naturals scored three runs in the top of the 9th inning.

Justin Marks pitched seven scoreless innings. He allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out six. Five of the Naturals ten hits came from the bottom two hitters in the lineup (Rey Navarro and Ryan Jenkins).

The Wilmington Blue Rocks won a rain-shortened game, the opener of their four-game home series versus Carolina. They played just 4 1/2 innings and won 2-0. A concern is that starter Santiago Garrido was taken out after a double play ball with two outs in the 3rd inning.

Cole White picked up the win with 2.1 hitless innings of relief. Cheslor Cuthbert went 2-for-2 in the win. The Blue Rocks are now 1.5 games back of first place Lynchburg, who lost in ten innings to Myrtle Beach.

Kane County lost a pitcher’s duel, 2-0 to Peoria. The Cougars were hurt by four errors. Brooks Pounders was the hard-luck loser, as he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out six.

The Cougars collected just three hits.

Omaha hit two solo homeruns, one in the 8th to tie the game and one in the 12th to win the game, as they beat New Orleans 2-1. Anthony Seratelli hit a homerun in the 8th inning (he went 2-for-4). Wil Myers hit the game winner in the 12th inning.

Roman Colon picked up the win, as he pitched three scoreless innings of relief. He struck out two and allowed just one hit. Vin Mazzaro got the start and allowed one run on six hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. Jeremy Jeffress followed with two scoreless innings of relief.

Two 3-run innings and two 2-run innings propelled NW Arkansas over Midland, 10-3. The Naturals hit three homeruns, with Carlo Testa and John Whittleman picking up their sixth of the season. Whittleman went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Eric Duncan went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs and Nick Van Stratten went 2-for-4 in the win.

Elisaul Pimentel took advantage of the run support to pick up his second win of the season. He allowed one run (a solo homerun) on seven hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

Tonight’s Wilmington Blue Rocks game in Myrtle Beach was a rematch of last Saturday night’s game in Wilmington, as Nick Tepesch took the mound coming off his no-hitter. He didn’t pitch a no-hitter, but the Pelicans won 10-2.

Tepesch did however pick up a win, as he allowed three runs on five hits over 6.2 innings. His counterpart again, Jason Adam, struggled from the beginning. He ended up allowing seven runs on ten hits over 5.1 innings.

Kevin David continues his hot hitting, as he went 2-for-3 to up his average to .278.

With reliever Jon Keck being promoted to NW Arkansas, Edwin Carl was promoted from Kane County. He will pitch out of the bullpen, despite pitching well out of the rotation for the Cougars.

A seven run 3rd inning was enough for Kane County, as they beat Burlington 7-3.  In that inning, they collected five hits and walked five times.

Justin Trapp, Jorge Bonifacio, Michael Antonio, and Orlando Calixte each had two hits in the win.

All of that offense made a winner of Brooks Pounders. He allowed two unearned runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out four.

The KC Royals won just three games last week (3-4), as their home woes continued. The good news is that they now embark on a nine-game road trip, where they are 11-7 on the road. Overall, the Royals are 16-24 and sitting in fourth place in the American League Central.

Omaha won just two games last week (2-4) and are 27-17 overall. The Storm Chasers are still in first place in the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division with an eight game lead. They gained two of the Royals‘ top prospects: outfielder Wil Myers and right-hander Jake Odorizzi.

NW Arkansas saw their six game winning streak come to an end on Saturday, as they went 5-2 last week. Overall, the Naturals are 24-19 and one game back of Tulsa in the Texas League’s North Division. They are finishing up their road trip right now with Arkansas before returning home for a six-game homestand.

It was an interesting week, especially weekend, for Wilmington. They had two walk-offs wins around being no-hit by Myrtle Beach. They went 4-3 last week and the Blue Rocks are 19-23 overall. They are tied for second place in the Carolina League’s Northern Division with Potomac, who is in town for a three-game series beginning tonight (which is where I will be baring a rainout).

Kane County went 4-3 this past week. The Cougars are 23-21 and sit in third place in the Midwest League’s Western Division. They finish up their roadtrip today with first-place Wisconsin (four games back) before a day off and a seven-game homestand.

It was a fairly decent week for the Royals farm system, so who will take home the awards?

Hitter of the Week:

Major: Billy Butler‘s average has dipped below .300, but he had the best week of any of his teammates. In seven games, he went 9-for-15 (.360) with an on-base percentage of .433. He drove in six runs (he hit two homeruns) and scored three runs.

Minors: Tim Ferguson, Kane County. He has upped his overall batting average to .281, as he is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak. This past week, Ferguson went 8-for-19 (.421) with three runs scored.

Pitcher of the Week:

Majors: Felipe Paulino has been stellar since coming off the DL. This past week, he made one start at home against Baltimore. He pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed five hits and two walks while striking out nine. However, the Royals lost in 15 innings.

Minors: Brooks Pounders, Kane County. He made two starts this week, while picking up a win. He allowed just two runs on seven hits and four walks over 11 innings. He struck out 15 in those two starts.

Honorable Mention: Chris Dwyer, NW Arkansas. Coming off a combined no-hitter, he was solid in two starts this week (picking up a win). Over 12 innings, Dwyer allowed three runs on six hits and five walks. He struck out 11.

The Omaha Storm Chasers split their doubleheader against Tacoma. They won the first game, 8-5 in comeback fashion. Down 4-0, they scored six runs in the 4th inning to take the lead for good.

Despite giving up two solo homeruns, Storm Chasers starter Vin Mazzaro picked up the win. He allowed five runs on nine hits and a walk over 5.1 innings.

On offense, Omaha collected just nine hits (only one extra base hit), but went 5-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Jason Bourgeois, Clint Robinson, and David Lough each had two hits. Robinson drove in three runs.

Omaha lost the second game, 4-0. They collected as many hits (3) as they made errors (3).

If you check out the box score, it has Omaha starter Sean O’Sullivan allowing three runs (two earned) over 5.1 innings. It then has no one else allowing a run. It also had the Tacoma reliever allowing a run.

Moving on to NW Arkansas, who lost 4-3 to Arkansas. The Travelers scored two runs each in the 7th and 8th innings to win. Yem Prades‘ 8th inning solo homerun gave the Naturals a short-lived 3-2 lead.

Naturals starter Chris Dwyer was solid, as he allowed two runs on three hits and three walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out five.

On offense, Christian Colon went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Julio Rodriguez went 2-for-3 in the loss.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks walked off against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans for the second time in three days, as they won 2-1. Brett Eibner drove in the game winner in the bottom of the 9th inning on a shot into the left-centerfield gap (it may have been gone in any other ballpark). You can check out my live blog HERE.

Check out my Facebook page for video of Vance Wilson’s postgame interview and pictures of today’s game. I will also have video up shortly of Eibner’s postgame interview.

Despite a strong start from Brooks Pounders, Kane County lost to Wisconsin, 7-6. All but three of the game’s runs were scored from the 7th inning on.

The Timber Rattlers walked off on Nick Ramirez‘ two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. Kane County reliever Robinson Yambati walked three in that inning to load the bases.

On offense for the Cougars, Justin Trapp, Jorge Bonifacio, Lane Adams, and Michael Antonio each had two hits. Adams hit a two-run homerun in the top of the 9th inning that gave the Cougars a short-loved 6-5 lead (he also scored three runs while driving in three).

Pounders allowed one run on four hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out eight.

Omaha out-hit Fresno 12-11, but lost the game, 6-4. The Storm Chasers tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the 8th inning, only to see the Grizzlies score two runs in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead.

Omaha was just 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and hit into two double plays. The Robinson‘s (Derrick and Clint) went 5-for-9 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Tony Abreu, Anthony Seratelli, and Kevin Kouzmanoff each had two hits.

NW Arkansas led 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning, but Kendal Volz loaded the bases with two outs. However Volz induced a double play line out to end the game.

The Naturals hit three solo homeruns to account for their runs, including Rey Navarro‘s first of the season (he went 2-for-3).

Chris Dwyer followed up his combined no-hitter with another solid outing. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out six. Bryan Paukovits entered in relief and allowed the lone run. He allowed one hit over 2.2 innings.

It seems every time Wilmington receives a strong starting pitching performance, they lose a pitcher’s duel by one run (5-11 in one-run games). That is exactly what happened Tuesday night in Lynchburg when they lost 1-0.

Santiago Garrido made his first start for the Blue Rocks and made just one mistake over six innings: a solo homerun to Robby Hefflinger in the 5th inning. Garrido allowed six hits and walked one while striking out four, but picked up the hard luck loss.

The Blue Rocks collected just four hits, three off Hillcats starter Gus Schlosser in seven innings. It was the Blue Rocks fifth shutout loss of the season (which is worst in the Carolina League). They have now lost 9-of-13, seven of those losses came by one run each. (Former Royals minor leaguer Tim Smith, who played for the Hillcats, was promoted to Double-A following the game).

Kane County used a seven run 3rd inning en route to their 11-5 victory over Wisconsin. In that inning, Justin Trapp hit a grand slam (he had two hits).

The offense busted out for 15 hits. Dean Espy and Tim Ferguson picked up two hits each. Jorge Bonifacio went 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Michael Antonio went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

Brooks Pounders pitched five innings in relief to pick up the win. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out seven.

All of the KC Royals affiliates won on Saturday (including the Royals)!

After a crazy 9th inning that sent the game into extra innings, Johnny Giavotella hit a walk off homerun to send the Omaha fans happy with a 10-9 win. Gio went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

Oklahoma City scored four runs in the top of the 9th inning after Omaha scored two runs in the bottom of the 8th inning. The Storm Chasers then scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to send the game to the tenth. Max Ramirez and Anthony Seratelli hit solo homeruns in the 9th inning (Ramirez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs).

In the pitcher’s duel for NW Arkansas and Tulsa, the Naturals got the best performance in their 2-1 victory. Jake Odorizzi allowed just one run (a solo homerun to Josh Rutledge) over 7.1 innings. He allowed two hits and one walk while striking out 11.

The Naturals collected nine hits. John Whittleman went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Carlo Testa went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base.

Down 2-0, Wilmington scored three runs in the 2nd inning and another in the 3rd inning and never looked back in their 8-3 win at Potomac.

Brian Fletcher went 4-for-5 with a run scored. Brett Eibner went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. He hit his fourth homerun of the season.

Greg Billo got the win, as he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out five. The Blue Rocks bullpen did not allow a run or walk over the final 3.1 innings. Nick Rogers allowed one hit while striking out three over two shutout innings.

Kane County scored two runs each over the final two innings en route to their 7-4 victory over Beloit. Brooks Pounders earned the victory despite blowing the save. He allowed three runs (one earned) over three innings. Orlando Calixte‘s 17th error, a wild pitch, and all three hits Pounders allowed came in the 6th inning.

Santiago Garrido got the no decision, despite allowing an unearned run on five hits over five innings. He struck out four.

Runey Davis hit a two-run homerun (he went 2-for-2) and Daniel Mateo went 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Omaha lost their series finale at Memphis, 5-4. After Omaha took a 4-2 lead in the top of the 8th inning, Pete Kozma hit a three-run walk-off homerun to send the fans and Redbirds home happy. An error by Johnny Giavotella kept the inning alive and Memphis took advantage off Francisley Bueno.

Ryan Verdugo started and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks over seven innings. He struck out five.

The Storm Chasers collected 12 hits. Derrick Robinson and Irving Falu each went 2-for-3. Clint Robinson and Max Ramirez also collected two hits each.

Nine hits weren’t enough, as NW Arkansas lost to Arkansas, 9-3. The Travelers added five runs of insurance in the top of the 9th inning.

The offense couldn’t make a winner of Naturals starter Jake Odorizzi, who allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over six innings.

Christian Colon went 2-for-2 with three walks, a run scored, and a stolen base. Paulo Orlando went 2-for-4.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks collected eight hits, but scored just two runs in their 9-2 loss to Winston-Salem. The Blue Rocks were just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They committed three errors. The pitchers walked six.

Whit Merrifield went 3-for-4 in the loss.

Great Lakes scored two runs in the first inning and their pitching held up in their 2-1 win over Kane County. Jorge Bonifacio went 2-for-4 and drove in the Cougars lone run.

Brooks Pounders took the loss, as he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks over four innings. Santiago Garrido was virtually spotless in his four relief innings. He allowed one hit while striking out one.

Not sure if the boxscore is right, but it says Cougars shortstop Orlando Calixte made his 12th error of the season, which cost Pounders a run in the first inning. That is A LOT of errors considering the season isn’t a month old.