Royals Farm Report: June 2nd

Triple-A

It was a busy week for the Omaha Storm Chasers (Pacific Coast League), who played a doubleheader and did not get a day off as the team totaled eight games in seven days. After losing three of the first five of those games, the Storm Chasers rattled off three straight wins to finish the week at 5-3. Their 30-23 overall record allows Omaha to maintain a comfortable five-game lead over second-place Iowa in the league's American Northern Division.

Who's Hot

Third baseman Mike Moustakas appears to have put his early-season slump completely behind him. With hits in his last six games (and multiple hits in five of those six), Moustakas has raised his batting average to .289 and on-base percentage to .355, both season-high totals. Jarrod Dyson struggled after a demotion from Kansas City, but the speedy outfielder has bounced back with hits in eight straight games. Dyson also stole five bases last week and has eight thefts in nine attempts with Omaha. On the mound, Vin Mazzaro earned a win in each of his two starts last week, allowing just three runs in a total of 13 innings over those starts.

Who's Not

Joaquin Arias has hit a bit of a slide of late, as the infielder had just one hit in the four games he started last week. Arias has just one extra-base hit since May 17. The Royals recently sent down Jeremy Jeffress and have used him in Omaha's rotation, but the hard-throwing righty has struggled so far, allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings since joining the Storm Chasers. Mike Montgomery had a rough start in his last outing, as he yielded six runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 against Memphis on May 29.

Double-A

A trip to the state of Texas allowed the Northwest Arkansas Naturals to escape the rain and play all of their scheduled games last week. The team posted a 2-4 record since last Thursday, encompassing most of that road trip and the first game of the team's current homestand. The Naturals have dipped to one game behind first-place Tulsa as the Texas League's first half race begins to heat up.

Who's Hot

Last year's playoff hero has been a key cog in the Naturals' lineup in recent days, as Anthony Seratelli carries a string of four consecutive multi-hit games into this week's report. Seratelli now boasts an on-base percentage of .410 and has walked (25) more often than he has struck out (24). Derrick Robinson also seems to have shaken off the rust from his recent stint on the DL, as the speedy outfielder has four straight games with a hit and stole four bases last week. No word other than filthy can describe Kelvin Herrera's work of late, as the right-hander has routinely touched the upper 90s with his fastball and has displayed a devastating changeup. Herrera has struck out 15 batters in 9 1/3 innings since joining the Naturals.

Who's Not

One player who did not take advantage of the Texas heat is Christian Colon, who went just 2-for-23 last week. Colon continues make contact (only 16 strikeouts in 263 at bats), but has just six extra-base hits this season. On the mound, Chris Dwyer took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Midland on May 29 but stalled there, allowing five runs as he suffered his fourth loss of the season. Manauris Baez also struggled in his first Double-A outing, yielding two runs on four hits in just an inning and a third.

Class-A Advanced

It was a rare tough week for the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Carolina League), who posted a 1-5 mark in the last seven days despite more impressive pitching performances. At 29-22, the Blue Rocks have dipped a half-game behind the Frederick Keys in the league's Northern Division.

Who's Hot

Last week featured more of the same from right-hander Jake Odorizzi. Though a pitch limit caused him to last just 3 1/3 innings on May 23, Odorizzi still struck out seven in that game and then fanned eight over six shutout innings on Wednesday against Kinston. Odorizzi now has 74 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings and has walked just 12 this season. Justin Marks was a tough-luck loser against Kinston on May 31, as he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and allowed just one run on two hits - but took the loss as the Blue Rocks fell, 1-0. Michael Mariot continues to shine in relief, as the righty tossed 2 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in his lone appearance of the week, lowering his ERA to a miniscule 1.17.

Who's Not

It's tough to find struggling pitchers on a staff with a collective 3.25 ERA, but Elisaul Pimentel had a rough outing on May 29 against Myrtle Beach, allowing nine runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. He also walked four in that game and raised his ERA from 3.86 to 5.36. Offensively, John Whittleman has struggled of late as he had just one hit in five games last week. Alex McClure snapped a string of five hitless games his last time out but is still hitting just .170.

Class-A

The second half of the season can't come soon enough for the Kane County Cougars (Midwest League), as a recent injection of talent has given the team three consecutive winning weeks. The Cougars went 4-3 over the past seven days, and though there probably isn't enough time for the team to claw back into the first half race, it will be a different story once July rolls around.

Who's Hot

Pitching has been the story of late for Kane County, led by the tremendous work of Greg Billo. In two relief appearances last week, Billo racked up 13 strikeouts in just 7 2/3 innings and now holds a remarkable 1.50 ERA. Right-hander Jason Adam delivered another impressive start, allowing just a run on three hits over six innings his last time out. Though Yordano Ventura has allowed four or more runs in three of his four starts, he fanned 18 batters over two starts last week, continuing to impress in his full-season debut.

Who's Not

Several members of Kane County's offense have struggled in 2011, as Yowill Espinal has not gotten his batting average above the Mendoza line since April 25. Jacob Kuebler is also off to a slow start with the team, as he has just six hits in 11 games with the Cougars and is hitting .146. Santiago Garrido recently joined Kane County and yielded two home runs in his first outing of the year on May 31.

Former Naturals outside the Kansas City organization

There are now four former Naturals on the roster of the Gwinnett Braves, as both Ben Swaggerty and Rowdy Hardy recently earned promotions from Double-A Mississippi. Swaggerty's second outing with the G-Braves did not go as planned, though, as he gave up five runs in just two innings of relief against Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. Two days prior, Hardy yielded two unearned runs against the IronPigs, though the left-hander did toss a perfect inning against Buffalo on May 29.

The third former Natural in Gwinnett's bullpen, Juan Abreu endured a rare rough outing last week as he allowed five runs (though just one was earned) in two thirds of an inning on May 30. Still, Abreu boasts a 2.10 ERA this season and has 33 strikeouts against just eight walks. Ed Lucas had just three hits last week for Gwinnett but showed his versatility by playing two different positions in three games over the past seven days.

The promotions of Hardy and Swaggerty leave Ernesto Mejia as the lone former Natural with Mississippi. Mejia will have to break out of his recent slump if he wants to earn a bump to Triple-A, as he went hitless in 16 at bats last week.

Corey Smith is also currently in a slump with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque, as his average dipped below .300 for the first time since his mid-April promotion. Smith has not homered since May 6 against Memphis. It was also a tough week for Syracuse shortstop Chris McConnell, who had just three hits last week, dipping his average to .167. Dan Cortes endured a rough outing for Triple-A Tacoma as he yielded four runs on five hits in just a third of an inning on May 27.

Finally, Jose Duarte has been nothing if not consistent for Advanced-A Jupiter, going exactly 1-for-4 in his last four games, keeping his batting average at .244. Duarte has impressed with his plate discipline, drawing 35 walks (against 35 strikeouts) in 51 games this season.