Omaha at Tacoma, 9:00 p.m.
LAST NIGHT: Brian Buchanan drove in 5 runs, Tim Raines, Jr. had 4 RBI and scored 3 runs and Alex Gordon also scored 3 times as the Royals outslugged Tacoma 13-7. Raines hit 2 home runs - a solo shot in the 4th that broke a 3-3 tie and a 3-run blast in the 8th that made it 13-3. Buchanan's grand slam highlighted a 5-run 7th inning that began with Gordon's 2nd hit of the night. Lenny DiNardo (9-5) gave up 3 runs in the 1st inning, then blanked the Rainiers from the 2nd through 7th before being charged with 3 more runs in the 8th. Chris Seddon (7-8) took the loss, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits over 6.0 stanzas.
ROYALS REPORT: Raines became the 4th Royals batter to hit 2 home runs in a game this season. He has hit in 4 straight, going 7-for-12 (.583) and is batting .440 (11-for-25) over his last 8 contests with 4 homers, 7 RBI and 7 runs scored. The hot stretch has upped his average from .207 to .235. *** Buchanan's grand slam was just the 2nd hit for Omaha this year. Tug Hulett smacked the 1st slam on May 17 at Colorado Springs in the Royals' 11-5 win. Buchanan has homered in 2 straight games, July 12 at New Orleans and last night. He was on the disabled list from July 17 until August 14. *** Buchanan, who was the designated hitter Thursday, is 1 of 12 Royals who have filled that role this year. Omaha's DH's have combined for a solid season: a .284 average, 21 home runs and 86 RBI. *** The 6 earned runs allowed by DiNardo last night were his season high. His ERA climbed from 3.24 to 3.47, dropping him from 4th to 6th in the league in ERA. DiNardo matched his season best and the team's season high with 9 strikeouts. That gives him 116 K's on the year, moving him from a tie for 4th to 2nd in the PCL in strikeouts. *** Kila Ka'aihue was 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 runs scored last night. He has hit in 4 straight, going 6-for-14 (.429) with a home run and 5 RBI. He has hit 3 homers over his last 7 games, after hitting just 2 in his previous 38 contests. *** Irving Falu was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI Thursday. The Royals' leadoff batter has had a solid series, going 4-for-11 (.364) with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. *** Over his past 14 tilts, Cory Aldridge is hitting .389 (21-for-54) with 7 home runs and 15 RBI. *** Last night's win was Omaha's 1st vs. Tacoma since 2007, snapping a 6-game losing streak to the Rainiers. *** The Royals have scored in the 1st inning in 4 straight contests. Omaha, which had lost the previous 3 games, improved to 25-19 when scoring in the 1st inning with last night's victory. *** The Royals batted around in the 5-run 7th. Gordon, who led off the inning with a single up the middle, ended it by flying out to left. Tacoma returned the favor in the 8th, sending 9 men to the plate and scoring 3 runs. *** Carlos Rosa's struggles in August continued Thursday, as he gave up 1 run on 4 hits over 1.2 innings. In 6 games this month, he's 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA, surrendering 7 earned runs on 20 hits over 11.1 innings. *** Wilmington lefty Ray Liotta is expected to be added to Omaha's roster Saturday and start tomorrow night's game vs. Oklahoma City. The 26-year old pitcher - who's a distant cousin of the actor by the same name - is 4-2 with a 3.84 ERA in 24 games (8 starts) this season for the Blue Rocks. McFlick's Movie List has Field of Dreams #1.
STARTERS: LH Dusty Hughes (2-3, 3.69) vs. RH Andy Baldwin (6-9, 4.59)
Hughes makes his 9th start (32nd appearance) of the year. The 27-year old lefty's last start was at Portland on Sunday. He combined with Yasuhiko Yabuta and Chris Hayes on a 2-hitter as the Royals posted their PCL-best 16th shutout in a 1-0 win (5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K). In his 8 starts, Hughes is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA. He's 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA and 1 save in 23 relief appearances. In 2008, Hughes opened the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, going 5-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 3 saves in 20 games (4 starts). He was promoted to Omaha and had a memorable Triple-A debut last June 22 at New Orleans, combining with Devon Lowery on a 5-hitter to lead the Royals to a 3-0 win. Hughes wound up 3-2 with a 5.04 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) with Omaha last season. He did not face Tacoma. In 2007, Hughes was named by KC as Double-A Wichita's Pitcher of the Year, after he went 6-2 with a 3.08 ERA and 1 save in 25 games (16 starts). Following the 2007 season, he was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 6 starts for the Surprise Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, earning AFL Pitcher of the Year honors in a fan vote. Hughes missed the entire 2006 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. On April 12, 2004, he combined with Burlington (IA) reliever Jake Mullis on a no-hitter. In his 1st professional season, he was named the 2003 Pitcher of the Year for the Surprise Royals of the Rookie Arizona League, after going 5-2 and ranking 4th in the league with a 2.84 ERA. Hughes was selected by KC in the 11th round of the 2003 draft out of Delta State University in Mississippi, where he earned all-conference and team MVP honors as a junior and senior. He led the Statesmen to the Division II World Series in 2001 and 2002. The Tupelo, Mississippi native was selected by the Marlins in the 50th round of the 2002 draft, but did not sign.
PROBABLES FOR SERIES VS. OKLAHOMA CITY:
Sat., 7:05 p.m.: RH Brandon McCarthy (0-1, 6.23) vs. LH Ray Liotta (NR)
Sun., 1:35 p.m.: RH Guillermo Moscoso (5-3, 2.17) vs. RH Chris Nicoll (0-1, 14.54)
Sun., Gm. 2: RH Josh Rupe (3-7, 7.13) vs. TBA
Mon., 7:05 p.m.: RH Bryan Corey (6-6, 5.14) vs. LH Mike O'Connor (1-1, 4.88)
Tue., 7:05 p.m.: RH Kris Benson (3-3, 5.91) vs. LH Lenny DiNardo (9-5, 3.47)