Triple-A

The Omaha Storm Chasers (Pacific Coast League) went 6-1 over the last week improving to 54-31 on the season. The Storm Chasers have the best record in the PCL and are a league best 34-12 when playing at Werner Park. They are leading the Northern Division by 18 games over the Nashville Sounds.

Who's Hot

The Storm Chasers have continued to pile up runs on offense. David Lough has spent most of the season living in the shadows of the other big bats Omaha has, but has turned it on as of late. The outfielder is hitting .359 (14-for-39) over his last ten games with a home run and seven RBI, to go along with seven runs scored. Another outfielder, Wil Myers has been hot all season long. Myers has hit .341 (14-for-41) over his last ten games with three home runs and eight RBI.

Who's Not

Tony Abreu has spent most of his season on the hot list, but has cooled off a bit recently. The shortstop is hitting .216 (8-for-37) over his last eight games. On the mound for the Storm Chasers Nathan Adcock ran into some trouble this past week. Adcock did go 1-0, but allowed 12 hits and nine runs over nine innings.

Double-A

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Texas League) have gone 1-3, so far on their first road trip following the All-Star break. The Naturals are 4-6 in the second half of the season and trail the Springfield Cardinals by four games for the North Division lead.

Who's Hot

Rey Navarro has continued to play well in the second half of the season. The Naturals second baseman is hitting .314 (11-for-35) over his last ten games with three RBI. On the mound for the Naturals, Ryan Dennick and Jon Keck have been getting the job done in relief. Dennick has gone 2-0 over his last three games and allowed just one run in seven innings of work, while striking out six. Keck worked three hit less innings on July 2 against the San Antonio Missions and has allowed just one run in his last six innings of work.

Who's Not

Carlo Testa has been struggling at the plate for the last few games. The outfielder is hitting .056 (1-for-18) over his last eight games, but does have two RBI in that stretch. Mario Lisson has also been mired in a slump hitting just .037 (1-for-27) over his last ten games. Noel Arguelles is coming off a rough start against the Corpus Christi Hooks. The left-hander has worked seven and two-thirds innings in his last two starts allowing eight hits and eight runs, while issuing five walks. Class-A Advanced

The Wilmington Blue Rocks (Carolina League) turned in one of their best weeks of the season going 5-2 last week to improve to 35-47 on the season. The Blue Rocks sit tied with both Potomac and Lynchburg for first in the Northern Division in the second half..

Who's Hot

One of the top prospects in the Royals system, Cheslor Cuthbert has been clutch lately. The third baseman is hitting just .263 (10-for-38) over his last nine games, but does have two home runs and 11 RBI over that span. Sam Runion has been on fire lately on the mound for the Blue Rocks. The Royals second round pick in 2007, has allowed just one run over his last five and two-thirds innings. The lone run he surrendered came on July 2 against the Frederick Keys, when he threw a season high four innings.

Who's Not

Brett Eibner hit .200 (7-for-35) over the past week, but has continued to show promising power. The center fielder belted two home runs and has driven home six runs in his past nine games. Brooks Pounders had a bumpy outing in his last start. The right-hander went three and two-thirds innings allowing seven hits and four runs, while issuing five walks. Pounders was promoted from Class-A Kane County in June and is 1-2 with a 5.57 ERA in five games, four starts for the Blue Rocks.

Class-A

The Kane County Cougars (Midwest League) also turned in a good week going 5-2 and improving to 7-4 in the second half of the season. The Cougars are tied with Burlington and Quad Cities for the lead in the Midwest League's West Division.

Who's Hot

Outfielder Julio Aparicio has been tearing the cover off of the ball since being promoted from Rookie level Idaho Falls. The outfielder is hitting .375 (9-for-24) with a home run and six RBI in his first seven games at Class-A. He went 7-for-14 (.500) in three games with the Chukars driving in six runs. Angel Baez has continued to impress on the mound. He went 2-0 and has in his last two starts allowing just five hits over 11.2 innings of work.

Who's Not

Infielder Justin Trapp has hit a rough spell at the plate. Over his last seven games, he is hitting .107 (3-for-28) with one RBI and three runs scored. Aaron Brooks has gone 0-2 in his last two starts for the Cougars. In those two outings Brooks has surrendered 17 hits and seven runs over 11.0 innings, but did notch ten strikeouts.

Rookie

The Idaho Falls Chukars (Pioneer League) have cooled off after a 5-3 start. The Chukars went 3-4 over the last week. They sit at 8-7 and are in second place in the Pioneer League's South Division two games behind the Ogden Raptors.

Who's Hot

The Chukars have gotten big starts at the plate from Ysmelin Alcantara and catcher Parker Morin. Alcantara is 12-for-30 (.400) over his last seven games at the plate. He also has a home run and five RBI in that same span. Morin has come on of late hitting .600 (9-for-15) in his last five games with two home runs and six RBI, to go along with six runs scored. Alec Mills has been solid at the back end of the bullpen for the Chukars. The 6'4" right-hander has saved three of the teams last ten games. In those outings, he has gone five and a third innings allowing just three hits and fanning seven.

Who's Not

Jerico Blanco is off to a slow start. The outfielder is still searching for his first hit of the season, beginning the year in an 0-for-16 slump. Left-hander Jon Killen worked an inning and a third this past week allowing five hit and four runs out of the Chukars bullpen.

The Burlington Royals (Appalachian League) went 4-3 for the second straight week improving to 8-6 on the season. The Royals sit one game behind a pair of teams in the Appalachian League's west division.

Who's Hot Bubba Starling turned in a monster game on July 2. The Royals 2011 first round pick, went 3-for-6 with a pair of home runs and six RBI for Burlington. The outfielder is hitting .294 with two home runs and eight RBI through the first four games of his minor league career. Left-hander Colin Rogers has been a bright spot on the mound so far this season for Burlington. Rogers has made three starts on the young season. He has worked eight and two-thirds innings scattering seven hits and allowing just two runs.

Who's Not

Humberto Arteaga has been slumping lately for Burlington. The shortstop is hitting .176 (6-for-34) over his last eight games, but does have three RBI, and four runs scored over that same stretch. On the mound for the Royals, Lincoln Rossi is still looking to find his groove. Rossi has appeared in three games out of the bullpen allowing eight hits and seven runs in four and two-thirds innings of work.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.