Category: Kansas City Monarchs

by G.M.W. Vaughan, Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (54-31) clinched a playoff spot as they defeated the Lincoln Saltdogs (39-47) Saturday night at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Matt Hall, starting pitcher for the Monarchs, struck out a season-high 12 batters, notching the win against the Saltdogs, 3-2. It was the fourth straight season that Kansas City has clinched an American Association playoff spot.

The Monarchs’ batters took a while to get started in Lincoln. Pete Kozma got the momentum going in the top of the third inning with a double to left field. A base hit from Ryan Grotjohn allowed the Monarchs to get on the board first, 1-0.

Monarchs’ bats remained quiet until Ryan Grotjohn’s base hit started the sixth inning. Jacob Robson and Casey Gillaspie followed with walks, loading the bases, and the Monarchs were in business. Another walk by Gio Brusa brought in Grotjohn, bringing the lead to 2-0.

The walks resulted in a pitching change for the Saltdogs as Jonathan Cheshire came in for John Bezdicek. Alexis Olmeda followed the pitching change with a single, scoring Robson and ending the inning with some insurance and a KC lead, 3-0.

Hall ended his quality start with 12 punch-outs, a season high for him as Brian Glowicki came in in the top of the seventh inning for relief. The first batter, Luke Roskam, hit a home run, followed by an error that advanced Randy Norris, but Glowicki and the Monarchs’ defense held off the Saltdog advance, ending the inning with a 3-1 lead.

In the home half of the eighth inning, Ryan Long started the Saltdog offense off with a walk from Glowicki, followed by a single by Jason Rogers, then a sacrifice fly from Hunter Clanin scored Long, narrowing the 3-2 Monarchs lead.

Brandon Koch came in for the Monarchs’ save, and he worked a 1-2-3 inning, ending the game with a 3-2 victory and a spot in the 2022 playoffs American Association playoffs.

The winning pitcher was Hall (8-2), the losing pitcher Bezdicek (0-3).

The Monarchs trail the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks by 3.5 games for the top seed in the post season with 15 games left to play including four head-to-head games over Labor Day weekend.

The Monarchs will look to sweep the three-game weekend series at 1:05 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, in Lincoln.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 12:30 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.

The Kansas City Monarchs (53-31) got a grand slam home run in the top of the fourth inning from Kevin Santa and a quality start from Matt Hartman to take game one of the three-game series from the Lincoln Saltdogs (39-46), Friday night at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Monarchs took the lead in the top of the second on Casey Gillaspie’s solo shot to right field. It was his 16th home run of the season and his 51st in franchise history, placing him fifth all time for Kansas City.

Matt Hartman was in a good groove early for Kansas City as the right-hander tossed five scoreless frames, giving up just two hits and holding Lincoln off the board through five.

In the top of the fourth, the Monarchs loaded the sacks off starter Zach St. Pierre. Gillaspie was hit by a pitch with one out and was followed by Gio Brusa, who walked. J.C.Escarra singled to right to load the bases.

Santa then hit a grand slam to right field to wipe the bases clean and push the Monarchs to a 5-0 lead.

In the sixth the Saltdogs got back-to-back home runs from Rayder Ascanio and Ryan Long with one out to cut into the lead at 5-2. Hartman then righted the ship and got the final two outs, finishing the night with six innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits with five strikeouts.

Jameson McGrane worked a three up and three down seventh inning, but saw the Saltdogs pick up two runs off the right-hander in the home half of the eighth. Ascanio launched his second home run of the game, a two-run shot, to cut the lead to 5-4 as the game went to the ninth.

The Monarchs went in order in the ninth and turned to Brandon Koch to close the game out in the bottom of the inning. Koch struck out the first two batters, then got a ground out to end the game and record his third save of the season.

The Monarchs’ winning streak is now six in a row and they are 4-0 on the current six-game road trip.

The Monarchs and Saltdogs play game two of the three-game weekend series at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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 (52-31) completed the three-game sweep of the Winnipeg Goldeyes (46-37) by a score of 7-2 Thursday night at Shaw Park in Winnipeg.

Some injuries in the rotation and awkward timing of starts required Kansas City’s Jordan Martinson to make his first start of the season, and Martinson took the opportunity by storm as he went six innings of one-run ball, only allowing two hits in the process.

Kansas City’s usual back-end bullpen arm Martinson began the game on the mound for the first time this season, and his phenomenal showing played a large part in keeping the match a low-scoring one. The game started quietly, with the first two innings with only seven batters seeing the plate each inning.

It wasn’t until the third inning that the first run was scored as, after a 1-2-3 top half, Winnipeg second baseman Kevin Lachance belted a leadoff home run, spoiling Martinson’s perfect start. Eric Rivera later smacked a two-out double to center field, but Martinson retired the next batter, only allowing one run through three innings.

As usual for the 2022 Monarchs offense, this opposing score was soon met by the Monarchs scoring a run of their own. Darnell Sweeney reached on a single and Jan Hernandez was hit by a pitch by Alex Manasa. Casey Gillaspie then delivered with a double to right field, scoring Sweeney and evening the game at one. In the bottom half, Martinson settled back into his groove and retired the side in order.

In the fifth, Kansas City once again put a run on the board with two outs when Ryan Grotjohn stepped up to the plate after the first two batters of the inning were sat down. Grotjohn extended the inning and the Monarchs’ run total with a solo home run to right field, giving Kansas City its first lead of the game, 2-1. In the bottom half, Martinson made it seven straight outs when he retired the side in order.

The Monarchs led the top of the sixth off with back-to-back singles, which chased Goldeyes starter Alex Manasa from the game. After relief pitcher Travis Seabrooke got Gillaspie to fly out for the second out of the inning, J.C. Escarra doubled to right field and moved Jan Hernandez to third base.

Pete Kozma then hit a single that scored Hernandez and lengthened the KC lead to 3-1, but Escarra was thrown out on a close play at the plate to end the half-inning.

In the bottom half, Martinson allowed back-to-back walks after retiring the first batter of the inning. He then induced a 1-4-3 double play, ending the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Ryan Grotjohn blasted another solo homer, extending the Monarchs lead to 4-1.
In the bottom half, Jeremy Rhoades entered to begin the inning, ending the stellar night for Martinson. Rhoades struck out two of the four batters he faced, keeping the score 4-1 Monarchs.

Bryan Blanton came in for the top of the eighth and limited the Monarchs to nothing but a Jan Hernandez walk and stolen base. Rhoades remained on for the Monarchs in the eighth and recorded a 1-2-3 inning.

Kozma stepped up to the plate in the top of the ninth as the beginning of the Monarchs’ last chance to add on to their lead. Kozma then delivered with a leadoff single. Two batters later, Grotjohn hit a single, putting runners at first and second. With two outs on the board, Matt Adams hit a three-run bomb, giving the Monarchs a late 7-1 lead. After a pitching change and a pair of free bags, a Gillaspie strikeout ended the half-inning.

Jacob Lindgren relieved Rhoades in the ninth and walked the first batter, which then was followed by an infield single, and then another walk, loading the bases with no outs. Frank Rubio came on for the Monarchs and struck out the first batter he saw. The next batter, Logan Hill, hit a sacrifice fly to left, leaving the Goldeyes with one last chance to make up the now five-run deficit. A ground ball from Kevin Lachance ended those hopes, making the final score 7-2 Monarchs for the final game of the three-game sweep.

The Monarchs begin a three-game weekend series at 7:05 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, against the Lincoln Saltdogs at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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.