Category: Kansas City Monarchs

by Dan Vaughan Jr., Monarchs

A week ago the Kansas City Monarchs (54-34) went to Canada and had their way with the Winnipeg Goldeyes (49-39) winning all three games. What a difference a week has made, as after two games of the four-game series, the Goldeyes have a 2-0 series lead following a 7-5 win at Legends Field Tuesday night.

The Monarchs’ Mallex Smith started the game with a walk and stole a pair of bases, coming home on a Darnell Sweeney fielders’ choice to take a 1-0 lead after one. The game stayed that way a matter of minutes as Winnipeg got rolling in the second.

The Goldeyes borrowed a page from the Monarchs’ play book using the long ball off Monarchs’ starter Jordan Martinson. Logan Hill walked and then came home on a two-run homer from Kevin Lachance to make it 2-1 Winnipeg.

The Goldeyes then got another walk from Deon Stafford Jr. followed by a fly out by Reggie Pruitt Jr. for out number one. Raul Navarro then stepped to the plate and launched a home run to left to give Winnipeg a 4-1 lead. The Goldeyes added another run on an RBI single from Max Murphy and it was 5-1 in favor of Winnipeg.

The Monarchs grabbed a run back in the top of the third on an RBI single from Sweeney off Goldeyes’ starter Alex Hart. Winnipeg came right back with an answer in the top of the fourth.

Newly signed Monarch Jalen Miller provided Navarro with free transportation to first. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt and a wild pitch moved the runner to third. Max Murphy picked up his second RBI of the game and 82nd on the season on a sacrifice fly scoring Navarro.

On the mound neither starter figured in the decision. In the pen, Miller allowed just one earned run in 4.2 innings of hitless ball in his Monarchs’ debut, while R.J. Martinez allowed one earned run in two innings to pick up the relief win.

With the Monarchs trailing 6-2 in the sixth, Jacob Robson hit a solo home run to right off Martinez. It was his third game with at least one long ball and his sixth of the season.

The Monarchs loaded the bases in the seventh, but Zac Ryan struck out Sweeney to end the threat for KC.

In the top of the ninth the Goldeyes picked up a big insurance run on a double from Murphy off Jameson McGrane. David Washington singled to right and moved Murphy to third. Jacob Rhinesmith hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Murphy and the lead was 7-3.

The Monarchs battled back in the ninth to make it interesting. Pete Kozma singled and Alexis Olmeda doubled off left-hander Tasker Strobel. Mallex Smith singled to load the bases for Kansas City. Ryan Grotjohn hit a fielder’s choice to score one run but force out Smith at second.

Sweeney singled in Olmeda for his third RBI of the night to cut the lead to two runs. Once again, the Monarchs had a chance with the winning run at the plate but back-to-back strikeouts by Robson and Jan Hernandez ended the night for the Monarchs and gave the Goldeyes a 7-5 win.

The loss dropped Kansas City five full games behind front running Fargo and five games clear of Winnipeg for second place in the American Association West.

The Monarchs will try to end their three-game losing streak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, in game three of the four-game series with the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Legends Field.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

by Adam Cook, Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (54-33) set a new American Association single season home run record by belting three long balls on Monday night at Legends Field, but the Winnipeg Goldeyes (48-39) spoiled the historic night by hitting two homers of their own and pounding out 12 hits in a 7-5 win.

The Goldeyes threatened early in this one, as Monarchs starter Brock Gilliam allowed a pair of base hits in the top of the first, putting runners at the corners with two outs.

A wild pitch in the next at-bat scored Ian Sagdal and the Goldeyes left the first half-inning of the game with a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom half, Jacob Robson reached by way of the walk and later reached third on a stolen base with an errant throw to the outfield from catcher Deon Stafford Jr., but he was stranded at third the next at bat, keeping the score 1-0 Winnipeg.

Gilliam looked much sharper in the second inning, as he put together a 1-2-3 inning with back-to-back punchouts to end it. The Monarchs offense followed up with a modified 1-2-3 inning off their own after Darnell Sweeney led the inning off with a single but was thrown out at second base three pitches later.

In the third, the top of the Goldeyes order did some more damage. Raul Navarro led the inning off with a triple, and Ian Sagdal then collected a pair of RBIs with a two-run shot to the right field Home Run Hill, extending the Winnipeg lead to 3-0. The base knock – home run one-two punch came once again after the next batter, Max Murphy, smacked a single before the batter after him, David Washington, added to his American Association lead in the home runs category with a two-run shot, lengthening the Goldeyes’ lead to five.

On the Monarchs’ side, Kevin Santa laced a one-out single to the 5-6 hole and then was moved to second on a fielder’s choice from Mallex Smith. Ryan Grotjohn then got hit by a pitch, bringing Jacob Robson to the plate with runners on first and second. The runners had a head start since Robson drew a full count, and it came in handy when Robson went the other way down the third base line for a double just past a diving Ian Sagdal, scoring Santa.

The fourth inning began with a single to center field that got under the glove of Mallex Smith, landing Deon Stafford at third base. Reggie Pruitt Jr. then roped an RBI single for the Goldeyes’ sixth run. A fielder’s choice advanced Pruitt to second, and a steal of third set Ian Sagdal up for a sacrifice fly to left, helping the Goldeyes leave the inning with a 7-1 lead.

In the Monarchs’ half, Darnell Sweeney put a charge into a 3-2 fastball, turning it out to right field for a solo home run. Unfortunately for Kansas City, this was the only base hit of the half inning, and the Monarchs left the frame down 7-2.

After a four-batter top of the fifth, Kevin Santa led the home half off with a single. Following a steal of second, Ryan Grotjohn smacked a hard ground ball straight back to the pitcher Manasa, catching Santa between second and third. Manasa looked Santa back to the bag and threw to second, but Santa got in safely before shortstop Navarro made an errant throw to first, giving Santa third base. Grotjohn also stole second, but Casey Gillaspie grounded out to strand the runners in scoring position.

Reggie Pruitt represented the only offense for the Goldeyes with a double, but he didn’t come around to score. The same happened to the Monarchs after a leadoff Sweeney double, but the inning ended with him stranded at third.

Frank Rubio entered in the beginning of the seventh, ending Brock Gilliam’s night with 10 hits and seven earned, but nine strikeouts through six innings pitched. Rubio got the job done, getting himself a 1-2-3 inning.

For the Monarchs, Santa stayed involved in this one and got on base again, this time by way of an error. This turned the lineup over to leadoff hitter Mallex Smith, who reached base on an infield single. Robson then loaded the bases with one out with yet another infield single to first base. Gillaspie followed Robson with a hard hit sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Santa and making the score 7-3 Winnipeg.

The eighth marked Rubio’s second inning of work, where he once again retired the side scoreless.

In the bottom half, Jan Hernandez sent a moonshot past the out-of-town bullpen for the Monarchs’ 148th home run of the season, setting a new American Association single-season record and bringing the score to 7-4. The Monarchs set the old record last season hitting 147 during their championship 2021 season.

In the ninth, Jeremy Rhoades relieved Rubio and struck out two of three, turning it over to the bottom of the ninth with the Monarchs chasing three. Three proved to be too much, as despite a solo homer from Robson, the Monarchs couldn’t mount a comeback, making the final score 7-5.

The Monarchs continue the four-game home series against Winnipeg at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Legends Field. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

by Dan Vaughan Jr., Monarchs

Two outs stood between a perfect 6-0 road trip for the Kansas City Monarchs (54-32) Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, but a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a wild finish at Haymarket Park, giving the local nine a 6-5 win.

Lincoln (40-47) got off to a fast start in the home half of the first inning with a two-out RBI single from Jason Rogers, scoring two runs off Monarchs starter Nick Belzer to take a 2-0 lead.

The Lincoln Saltdogs sent in the Pitcher of the Month of July, Greg Minier, and he delivered. The Monarchs only mustered one run on three hits — one of them was a solo home run off the bat of Jacob Robson in the top of the third inning that cut the early Lincoln lead to 2-1.

The Saltdogs added another run in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI double from Rogers to take a 3-1. Belzer tossed a quality start (3 earned runs or less in at least 6 innings pitched), the seventh in a row for the Monarchs and the sixth on the road trip.

The right-hander left after six and scattered seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts in a no decision. In the seventh, Jeremy Rhoades entered the game in relief of Belzer. Rhoades retired the first two batters, but Justin Byrd hit a solo home run to right to make it 4-1 in favor of the Saltdogs.

The Saltdogs turned to Matt Cronin in the top of the eighth after Minier left the game. The left-hander out of California finished with seven innings, giving up one earned run on three hits with eight punchouts.

Cronin surrendered a lead-off double to Pete Kozma and a walk to J.C. Escarra. Kevin Santa reached on a bunt single that loaded the bases for KC. Robson knocked a deep ball to center to wipe the bases clean for the 10th grand slam of the year for the Monarchs, giving the Monarchs a 5-4 lead.

Frank Rubio worked a scoreless eighth, and after a scoreless top of the ninth, at the plate for Kansas City came Brandon Koch in the bottom of the ninth. Koch, working for his third save in three days, walked the leadoff batter Hunter Clanin.

He then got a fly out from Randy Norris, but pinch hitter Matt Goodheart singled to right to put runners at first and second. Justin Byrd drove a single to right center to score Clanin to tie the game at five.

Jameson McGrane was summoned from the pen and saw Rayder Ascanio reach on a soft grounder to second that Santa fielded, but his throw to first pulled Casey Gillaspie off the bag to load the bases.

With one ball and one strike on Ryan Long, McGrane uncorked a wild pitch that sent Goodheart home from third and ended the Monarchs’ seven-game winning streak.

The Monarchs (54-32) finished the road trip 5-1 and return home at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22, to face the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.