After looking so good earlier in the week, the KC Royals were swept by the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. They lost the Sunday series finale, 11-8.

It was homerun derby Sunday at Kauffman Stadium and the Royals won that battle 4-2. Mike Moustakas hit two of them to drive in three runs (he had three hits to up his average to .280).

Even though Jonathan Sanchez got into the 6th inning, he had another ugly start. He allowed six runs on four hits and six walks over 5.2 innings. He also allowed two homeruns (one to Carlos Beltran).

It got ugly for the Royals in the 8th inning. With lefty Tim Collins on the mound for his second inning of work (doesn’t it seem like he pitches every day?), the Cardinals scored five runs.

Collins left with two outs in the inning and the bases loaded. Aaron Crow entered and allowed all three to score, two on an Allen Craig single and one on Matt Holliday’s sac fly.

The Royals had 14 hits, but went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Every starter had a hit except Irving Falu.

The Royals did prove that Cardinals starter Lance Lynn is human. They tagged him for six runs on nine hits over 5.1 innings. The Royals hit three homeruns off him.

*Interleague Play is complete, as the Royals will welcome Tampa Bay to town Monday for a three-game series. As I write this, the Rays are playing the second game of a doubleheader.

To talk about the Omaha Storm Chasers 1-0 victory, you have to talk about the pitching. Lefty Danny Duffy started and allowed five hits (and two walks) over 4.1 innings. I’m guessing he’s on a strict pitch count because he only threw 86 pitches. Greg Holland and Luis Mendoza combined for 4.2 shutout innings while only allowing three hits. Plus they only combined to throw 73 pitches. Not bad for a team that saw their closer (Louis Coleman) promoted to the big leagues. The Storm Chasers scored the game’s lone run in the 1st inning on a Mike Moustakas RBI single, and their stellar pitching made it stand up. Memphis Redbirds starter Lance Lynn (and St. Louis Cardinals prospect) pitched 7.1 four-hit innings while striking out five.

The NW Arkansas Naturals were set to open up their homestand against the in-state rival Arkansas Travelers, but the opening game was postponed due to inclement weather and standing water on the field. Is everyone having terrible weather? They will play a doubleheader tonight. What to look for in this matchup? LA Angels top prospect (and Baseball America’s top prospect), outfielder Mike Trout, who may be the fastest guy in the minors (and maybe the Majors). Trout is from Millville, NJ (which isn’t too far where I’m from) and has been the only amateur to attend the MLB draft at the MLB Network studios.

*On Saturday, Naturals players will serve as buddies during Miracle League games. Here is an excerpt from the Naturals press release:

“The Miracle League Baseball program is a specially designed program for children with disabilities which allows children four years of age and up to play America’s most beloved pastime. The field includes special features such as a synthetic turf to prevent injuries, wheelchairs-accessible dugouts and a completely flat surface to eliminate barriers to walkers, wheelchair bound and/or visually impaired players.  Any child with a diagnosis may play, and the mission of the Miracle League is to include every child in games no matter his or her special needs….Several Major Leaguers with Arkansas ties have supported their events, including Philadelphia Phillies’ pitcher Cliff Lee, San Diego Padres’ pitcher Dustin Moseley, New York Yankees’ pitcher A.J. Burnett, and others.

Find out more about the Miracle League and what you can do to help by visiting www.MiracleLeagueAr.com”

The Wilmington Blue Rocks continue their winning ways and this time some of the struggling offensive players stepped up. Tim Ferguson and Carlo Testa, who were just 7-for-53 (.153), combined for three extra-base hits (two of which were homeruns), four RBIs, and three runs scored. After being down 3-0 after one inning, the Blue Rocks erupted for three runs in both the second and third innings. The host Winston-Salem Dash would make it interesting by scoring three total runs in the 7th and 8th innings to cut the Blue Rocks lead to 7-6, but the game’s final out came when Blue Rocks catcher Jose Bonilla caught Dash player Kyle Colligan trying to steal second base.

Down 4-1 after four innings, the Kane County Cougars came back to score seven runs between the 5th and 7th innings to win 8-4. The Cougars collected 13 hits, with the top three in the order, Alex Llanos, Yowill Espinal, and Brian Fletcher going 6-for-12 with four RBIs. Gerard Hall went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the nine-hole for the Cougars. Dusty Odenbach earned the win in relief, as he pitched two one-hit innings with four strikeouts. Chase Boruff followed with two no-hit innings and also struck out four.