Flashback: Kansas City Royals

April 16 -- Harold Mozingo and Yovany D'Amico combined on a one-hit shutout as the Burlington Bees blanked the Kane County Cougars, 7-0. Mozingo started the game, yielding one hit over six frames, and D'Amico followed with three perfect innings. The win was the Bees' fifth straight. D'Amico compiled a 1.32 ERA over six relief appearances with Burlington before earning a promotion to Class A Advanced Wilmington.

April 17 -- Luke Hochevar -- the first overall pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft -- struck out 11 batters in 7 2/3 shutout innings and picked up his first win of the season as Wichita blanked San Antonio, 4-0. The 23-year-old hurled seven strong innings in his next start on April 22, and was named the Texas League's Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 22.

May 1 -- After hitting .337 over 25 games with the Omaha Royals, sweet-swinging outfielder Billy Butler received a callup to Kansas City. The highly touted prospect played 10 games with the big-league club in May before getting sent back down to Omaha. He re-joined Kansas City on June 20, and there he remains.

May 2 -- Gerardo Valentin drove in a career-high six runs to lead Wichita to a 15-10 win over visiting Springfield. The 24-year-old second baseman hit a two-run single in the second inning, an RBI single in the fifth, a sacrifice fly in the seventh and a two-run double in the eighth.

May 14 -- Wilmington's Kila Kaaihue was named the Carolina League's Offensive Player of the Week after bashing eight extra-base hits in as many games. The native Hawaiian's hot week -- which included three home runs -- raised his average 48 points to .228.

May 29 -- Omaha's Craig Brazell was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Week, on the strength of an almost superhuman stretch of offensive prowess. The powerful first baseman -- who began the season with Double-A Wichita -- had multiple homers in four of five games to increase his season total to 20 (the most in the Minor Leagues). The standout game of Brazell's hot streak occurred on May 21, when he went 4-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs in a rout of the Oklahoma RedHawks.
Audio: Brazell launches a two-run homer against Oklahoma on May 21

June 3 -- Harold Mozingo hurled a two-hit shutout as the Burlington Bees defeated the Cedar Rapids Kernels, 2-0, to complete a doubleheader sweep. The right-hander fanned eight and faced just one batter over the minimum in his seven-inning stint.

June 4 -- On May 29, Wilmington's Rowdy Hardy started against Kinston and yielded one run on six hits over eight innings. This effort raised his record to 6-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.21. Hardy, a 24-year-old southpaw, was named the Carolina League's Pitcher of the Week as a result of his lights-out work on the mound.

June 10 -- Justin Huber homered and drove in six runs to lead Omaha to a 10-6 victory over Nashville. The native Australian, who was just three games removed from a two home run, five-RBI performance against the Sounds, bashed a three-run double in the fourth inning and a three-run homer in the fifth. Craig Brazell also went yard in the ballgame, his 22nd of the season.

June 18 -- Rowdy Hardy took home Carolina League Pitcher of the Week honors yet again, this time after yielding just one run over two starts spanning 16 innings. The 6'4" Texas native improved his record to 8-1 with an ERA of 1.55.

June 18 -- It was a battle for the ages, as Luke Hochevar and Greg Reynolds -- the top two picks of the 2006 Draft -- faced off against one another in a Texas League contest between the Wranglers and the Drillers. Reynolds hurled five scoreless innings while Hochevar yielded an unearned run over seven. Neither factored into the decision, however, as the contest was suspended due to rain and lightning in the 12th inning with the teams tied at 1-1. Play was resumed the next day, and the Drillers won 4-3 in 13 innings.

June 20 -- Billy Buckner took a no-hitter into the eighth inning as the O-Royals defeated the New Orleans Zephyrs, 3-1. The former second-round pick had his no-hit bid broken up when David Newhan doubled to lead off the eighth and left the game after yielding a run on one hit and three walks in eight innings. The stellar outing improved Butler's record to 6-2 for the season.

June 21 -- Blake Johnson and two relievers combined on a one-hitter as Wilmington coasted to an 8-1 win over Frederick. Johnson -- who allowed one hit in seven innings against Winston-Salem on April 29 -- yielded one hit over six frames, and Rayner Oliveros, David Humen and Patrick Green each followed with a scoreless inning.

July 7 -- Clint Robinson slammed a pair of home runs and drove in seven runs to lead the Idaho Falls Chukars to a 17-9 win over the Ogden Raptors. The 22-year-old designated hitter kept getting better as the game went on, as he hit an RBI single in the third inning, a two-run homer in the fifth and a grand slam in the ninth. Robinson's big night capped an impressive five-game stretch in which he hit .500 (11-for-22) en route to being named the Pioneer League Player of the Week.
Audio: Clint Robinson hits a two-run homer and a grand slam

July 9 -- Geraldo Valentin was named the Texas League Player of the Week after hitting .480 (12-for-25) in seven games. The native of Puerto Rico particularly excelled in a doubleheader against Corpus Christi on July 5, collecting six hits and driving in four runs in eight at-bats.

July 16 -- Kyle Martin smashed two homers and drove in six runs to lead the Burlington Royals to a 12-8 win over the Johnson City Cardinals. The 22-year-old shortstop belted a grand slam in the first inning and a two-run dinger in the third. Martin hit 10 home runs in 215 at-bats for Burlington before earning a late-season promotion to Idaho Falls.

July 20 -- Luke Hochevar picked up his first Triple-A win as the O-Royals defeated the Memphis Redbirds, 3-1. In his second start for Omaha, Hochevar allowed one hit and five walks in five shutout innings. The University of Tennessee product was promoted after going 3-6 with a 4.69 ERA in 17 appearances with Double-A Wichita.

July 23 -- Tyler Chambliss of the Wilmington Blue Rocks was named the Carolina League's Pitcher of the Week after turning in a pair of strong five-inning starts. The 22-year-old made his debut with Wilmington on June 30 after going 3-0 with three saves in 19 appearances (two starts) with the Burlington Bees.

July 24 -- Brian McFall drove in a season-high five runs and Rowdy Hardy picked up his league-leading 13th win as the Blue Rocks defeated Salem, 7-4. McFall collected four hits in the ballgame, including a two-run double in the first inning, a two-run homer in the third and an RBI single in the ninth. The right fielder's big game was the highlight of a week in which he hit .417 and drove in 12 runs. He was named the Carolina League Player of the Week on July 30.
Audio: Brian McFall's two-run homer

Aug. 2 -- John Leonard and Ben Swaggerty combined on a rain-shortened five-inning no-hitter as Idaho Falls defeated the Casper Rockies, 6-1. Leonard allowed a run on four walks over four innings while striking out four, and Swaggerty struck out the side in the fifth before the game was called. Clint Robinson ripped a three-run homer in the first inning, his eighth of the season.

Aug. 4 -- The Omaha Royals defeated the Las Vegas 51s, 9-0, for their second shutout in as many nights. Ben Hendrickson notched the complete-game victory, allowing four hits while striking out four to improve to 10-5. The day before, Billy Buckner and Jason Shiell combined on a six-hitter as Omaha blanked Las Vegas, 2-0.

Aug. 4 -- Anthony Seratelli collected his second two-homer game of the season and drove in a career-high five runs to lead Idaho Falls to a 7-0 victory over Casper. The 24-year-old shortstop launched a solo shot in the second inning before connecting for a grand slam in the fifth.

Aug. 6 -- Mario Santiago was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week on the strength of two strong outings for the Burlington Bees. The native of Puerto Rico scattered two hits over seven shutout innings on July 30, then fired 6 2/3 frames of scoreless relief on Aug. 4. Santiago finished the season with a 5-10 record and a 3.74 ERA in 132 1/3 innings.

Aug. 10 -- Ben Hendrickson continued his sustained run of dominant pitching, as he limited the Redbirds to one run on two hits over seven innings. The right-hander left the game with the score tied, 1-1, but Matt Tupman secured a Royals' victory by stroking a two-run double in the ninth. Craig Brazell added to his Minor League lead by bashing his 34th home run of the season in the second.

Aug. 19 -- Blake Wood fired eight no-hit innings for the Burlington Bees, but had to settle for a no-decision after Quad Cities scored two runs in the ninth inning off reliever Ryan DiPietro to pull out a 2-1 win. Wood struck out five and walked two in his stellar outing, but left after the eighth due to pitch count considerations. The Georgia Tech product -- who was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week as a result of his no-hit bid -- went 2-1 with a 3.03 ERA in seven starts for the Bees.

Aug. 20 -- Burlington Royals right-hander Alexander Caldera was named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week after compiling a 1.64 ERA in two starts totaling 11 innings. The highlight of the 21-year-old's week came on Aug. 14, when he pitched a seven-inning complete game against the Danville Braves.

Aug. 21 -- Zach Peterson set a Pioneer League record by striking out 11 consecutive batters in Idaho Falls' 9-1 win over Billings. The streak began when Peterson fanned Brandon Waring to end the second inning, and ended when Angel Cabrera led off the sixth with a flyout. The University of Illinois alumnus hurled six shutout innings in the contest and recorded 13 strikeouts overall. He was later named Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week.

Aug. 24 -- The Appalachian League announced its All-Star team, and the only Burlington Royal represented was designated hitter Jake Lane. The 22-year-old Tennessean hit .315 with six home runs, 45 runs scored and 41 RBIs in 53 games with Burlington. He reached base at a .453 clip and slugged .543.

Aug. 25 -- Mike Moustakas, the Royals' first pick in the 2007 Draft, made a successful professional debut with the Idaho Falls Chukars. The 18-year-old, who set a California high school record with 24 home runs as a senior, went 2-for-5 with two RBIs as the Chukars doubled up Ogden, 8-4. Moustakas went on to hit .293 in 11 games with Idaho Falls.

Aug. 26 -- Kila Kaaihue drove in a season-high five runs to lead Wichita to an 8-1 win over Tulsa. The 23-year-old first baseman accomplished this feat with a pair of two-baggers, as he ripped a two-run double in the third and a three-run double in the fifth. In 2007, Kaaihue hit .248 with 21 home runs and 82 RBIs in 130 games split between Wilmington and Wichita.

Aug. 27 -- Daniel Cortes of the Wilmington Blue Rocks was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week after a magnificent start on Aug. 23 in which he struck out eight batters in seven scoreless innings. After a slow start to the season, Cortes won his last six decisions to finish 8-8.

Aug. 28 -- The Midwest League announced its Postseason All-Star Team, and designated hitter Michael Thompson was the only Burlington Bee represented. The 23-year-old slugger hit just .217, but bashed 19 home runs and drove in 54 runs.
Audio: Michael Thompson hits a two-run homer

Aug. 30 -- In a move that surprised absolutely no one, Rowdy Hardy was named the Carolina League's Pitcher of the Year after going 15-5 with a 2.48 ERA and walking just 16 batters in 167 innings. Joining Hardy on the league's Postseason All-Star Team were infielder Mario Lisson and outfielder Jose Duarte.
Video: Interview with Rowdy Hardy

Aug. 31 -- The Blue Rocks defeated Salem, 4-0, to clinch the second-half Northern Division championship. Julio Pimentel and two relievers combined on a four-hitter in the contest, which earned Wilmington its 12th Carolina League playoff berth in 15 years. With the victory, Pimentel improved to 12-4 on the season.

Sept. 6 -- Frederick's Chorye Spoone came within one out of a no-hitter as the Keys swept the Blue Rocks out of the Carolina League playoffs with a 3-1 victory. Jose Duarte's home run with two outs in the ninth broke up the no-hit bid, but Marc Maddox then grounded out to end the game.

Sept. 9 -- Robert Fish struck out a career-high 13 batters to lead the Orem Owlz to a 3-0 victory and two-game sweep of Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League postseason. Fish struck out the side in the fourth and fifth innings and retired the last 13 batters he faced. The Chukars posted the division's best record in both halves of the 76-game Pioneer League season and went 46-30 overall.