Hernandez Homers, But Monarchs Fall Short In Lincoln

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LINCOLN, Neb. — Jan Hernandez’s first home run of the season wasn’t enough for the Kansas City Monarchs on Monday, as KC fell to the Lincoln Saltdogs 11-7 at Haymarket Park.

Hernandez’s three-run blast cut down what was once a 9-3 Saltdogs lead down to two in the seventh inning, but it would be as close as Kansas City (8-8) got in the series-opening defeat.

Nick Anderson hit two home runs and drove in five for the Saltdogs (7-9).

Both sides clogged the basepaths in a game that featured 19 combined walks. The Monarchs left 14 runners on base, a season high.

Kansas City jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead after a two-run double from Chris Herrmann and RBI triple from Edwin Diaz.

The Saltdogs plated four in the bottom of the first of Monarchs starter Jeff Singer, who walked four batters and hit a batter in the inning. Yanio Perez hit a two-run double in the frame.

Singer threw 1.1 innings, allowing four runs on two hits with seven walks and one strikeout.

Anderson expanded the Saltdogs’ advantage with a three-run home run in the third inning. He made it 9-3 Lincoln with a two-run blast in his next at-bat in the fifth.

Keon Broxton scored on a Johneshwy Fargas ground ball to make it 9-4 in the seventh, and Hernandez’s homer made it a 9-7 game.

Monarchs reliever Grant Gavin threw 2.1 scoreless innings to keep the Monarchs close, striking out three while allowing no walks and just one hit.

Will Kengor hit a two-run home run in the eighth off Patrick Weigel to bring the game to its final score.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs will look to level the series with Lincoln Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. Jalen Miller will start for Kansas City; Josh Roeder will get the ball for the Saltdogs.

Robson Stays Hot, But Big 6th Sinks Monarchs

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OCONOMOWOC, Wisc. — Jacob Robson hit his third home run in as many games, but it wasn’t enough for the Kansas City Monarchs Sunday in an 11-2 loss to the Lake Country DockHounds at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park.

Robson and Dylan Rosa both hit solo home runs for Kansas City, but Lake Country (4-10) took control in an eight-run sixth inning to salvage the final game of the weekend series.

The Monarchs (8-7) are still 7-2 over their last nine games. They play Lincoln next in a three-game road series starting Monday night at 7:05 p.m.

Robson’s home run opened the scoring in the top of the third inning. It was his third blast of the year after solo shots on Friday and Saturday.

Lake Country took the lead in the fourth with a three-run inning, including a two-run homer from Pat DeMarco.

Rosa’s homer to lead off the fifth put Kansas City within a run.

The DockHounds pulled away in the sixth inning. Monarchs starter Dalton Moats allowed a solo homer from DeMarco to open the frame, then a single, walk, and single to load the bases. Carlos Sanbabria then came in to relieve Moats.

Sanabria walked in a run, then allowed a bases-clearing double to Nick Banks. Two batters later, Marcus Chiu hit a three-run homer to make it 11-2 DockHounds.

The Monarchs did not register a hit for the remainder of the game against DockHounds reliever Keisy Portorreal.

Beaux Bonvillan pitched the seventh and eighth innings for the Monarchs, allowing no runs on two hits and striking out two.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs travel to Lincoln to face the Saltdogs on Memorial Day at 7 p.m. Starters for the series opener are still to be announced.

Monarchs Keep Rolling, Knock Off DockHounds

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OCONOMOWOC, Wisc. — With every passing pitch of the Kansas City Monarchs season, the team seems to get more and more comfortable.

Three home runs, a solid start from Cody Deason and another great bullpen performance kept Kansas City’s momentum going in a 7-3 win over the Lake Country DockHounds in the middle game of a three-game series.

Kansas City (8-6) has won seven of its last eight games and will go for a road sweep of the DockHounds Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m.

Jacob Robson, Chris Herrmann and Justin Wylie all went yard for the Monarchs in the victory. Robson opened the scoring with a solo shot in the first inning, his second longball in as many nights.

“For me it’s all about my swing. It took me a little bit to find it, but the last few games or so I’ve been trying different things, trying to get it back, and some stuff clicked,” Robson said. “My plan now is to bottle it up and try to repeat it each game.”

Robson drove in Kansas City’s second run with an RBI single in the third, making it 2-0.

Monarchs starter Cody Deason retired the first seven batters he faced, but allowed a walk and a two-run homer from Nick Banks that tied the game after three.

Kansas City pushed across the go-ahead run in the fifth after Jan Hernandez hit an infield single and Olivier Basabe scored on a throwing error from third baseman Brian Rey.

The Monarchs widened the gap in the sixth. Chris Herrmann led off the inning with his sixth home run of the year, which ranks second in the league. The solo shot made it 4-2.

The Monarchs loaded the bases later in the inning, and Johneshwy Fargas cashed in with a two-run double to put Kansas City up by four.

“It reminds me a lot of last year’s lineup; we were just banging one through nine,” Robson said. “If one guy had a bad game, other guys would step up and have a great game.”

Deason allowed a solo homer to Banks in the sixth, but threw 5.2 solid innings to earn the win. He allowed three runs on three hits, walking one and striking out nine, a season high for a Monarchs pitcher.

Wylie’s first home run of the season put the Monarchs in front 7-3. Wylie was 2-for-3 on the game; he’s 8-for-14 over his last four contests with two doubles and the home run.

“He can really hit, that guy,” Robson said of Wylie. “He can hit in the top or the middle of the lineup for a lot of other teams in this league.”

The Monarchs’ bullpen continued to impress Saturday. Grant Gavin worked out of trouble to get the last out of the sixth. Trey Jeans threw scoreless seventh and eighth innings, allowing two hits and nothing more.

Matt Hartman made his season debut for Kansas City in the ninth, working a 1-2-3 frame to shut the door.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs will go for a sweep of Lake Country on Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. Dalton Moats will start for Kansas City; Lake Country’s starter has yet to be announced.

Monarchs Land MVP Talent Diaz

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OCONOMOWOC, Wisc. — The Kansas City Monarchs have added an MVP to their roster, literally.

Edwin Diaz, an infielder and the reigning Most Valuable Player of the Puerto Rican winter league, has signed with the American Association club, the Monarchs announced Saturday.

“We’re excited to have him,” Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra said of Diaz. “He’s another high-level talent we’re happy to add to our organization.”

A former Athletics, Astros and Red Sox prospect, Diaz earned the award after leading the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente with eight home runs and 29 RBIs over 48 games with Caguas.

Born in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, Diaz represented his home island in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, on the roster alongside now-Monarchs teammate Johneshwy Fargas.

Diaz, 27, has made it as high as Triple-A in his affiliated career, most recently with the Worcester Red Sox earlier this season.

Diaz was drafted by the Athletics in the 15th round in 2013. He made his pro debut with Oakland’s Arizona League team later that year at the age of 17.

The infielder got his first taste of Double-A ball in 2018 and reached Triple-A for the first time in 2019. He owns a career .213/.294/.364 slash line in the affiliated minor leagues.

Diaz has eight seasons of winter ball experience on his resume, including trips to the last three Caribbean Series, representing Puerto Rico.

The Monarchs have won six of their last seven games after a come-from-behind road win over Lake Country on Friday night. Game two of the weekend series with the DockHounds is set for 6:05 p.m. Saturday.

About the Kansas City Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs are a professional baseball team in the American Association, an MLB Partner League. This year, they are celebrating their 20th year of baseball in Kansas City, Kansas. In 2020, the team partnered with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and changed their name from the T-Bones to the Monarchs in honor of the legendary Negro League franchise that played from 1920 to 1965. The Monarchs won ten Negro American League championships and two Negro League World Series championships in their history. The team featured numerous notable players over the years, including Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, and Buck O’Neil.

About the American Association

The American Association of Professional Baseball played its first season in 2006. It is a professional partner league that is affiliated with Major League Baseball but not specifically with any one team. The league consists of 12 teams located primarily in the Midwest and the South of the United States. Its season runs from May to September and features players who are looking to showcase their talents for a chance to be signed by a major league team.

Matson’s Dominance, Timely Hitting Power Monarchs To Road Win

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OCONOMOWOC, Wisc. — With the Monarchs’ backs against the wall late, they counted on Zach Matson to keep them in the game. He delivered, and then some.

Matson threw four perfect innings to finish off a come-from-behind 6-5 win to open a three-game series at Wisconsin Brewing Company Park.

The Garden City native struck out four over innings six through nine, earning the win as the Monarchs (7-6) moved to the right side of .500 for the first time this year. Kansas City has won six of its past seven games.

“I felt like when my fastball was in the zone it was playing well, and I was able to throw my splitter off that and keep the hitters off balance,” Matson said. “Herm [catcher Chris Herrmann] did a great job of calling a game back there.”

The Monarchs got timely hitting in a back-and-forth game to earn the win. Herrmann continued his hot streak with a 4-for-5 performance. He and Jacob Robson both hit home runs.

Kansas City took the lead for good in the seventh on a two-out, two-run double from Dylan Rosa.

The win gives Kansas City the chance to clinch the series victory with a win Saturday night (first pitch: 6:05 p.m.).

“Getting that first one out of the way on the road trip, it sets up the road trip nicely,” Matson said. “We’ve got a good thing going here early; let’s keep it going.”

The Monarchs jumped out to an early lead in the first Johneshwy Fargas hit a leadoff double and scored on a sacrifice fly from Jan Hernandez.

Lake Country responded with two in the third, including a squeeze bunt from Aaron Simmons to make it 2-1.

Herrmann’s solo homer tied it at three in the fourth. It was his fifth blast of the year and 19th RBI, both of which rank second in the league.

An RBI single from Brian Rey put the DockHounds back in front in the fourth, but Robson’s fifth-inning blast tied the score once more.

Simmons struck again in the fifth, hitting a two-run home run off Monarchs starter Brandon Finnegan to make it 5-3 Lake Country.

Finnegan threw five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits, walking three and striking out a season-high seven batters.

Jan Hernandez led off the seventh inning with a double, and Herrmann hit a pop fly that the Lake Country infield lost in the lights and fell for a hit.

Micker Adolfo knocked Hernandez in with an RBI single one batter later. After a strikeout, Dylan Rosa delivered his game-winning knock to put the Monarchs in front.

Matson took it from there, including throwing a 1-2-3 ninth with the Monarchs up by one.

“Those last three outs, when you’re out there for a while, they don’t seem much different,” Matson said. “You just focus in on what’s going on.”

Hernandez was 3-for-4 for Kansas City; Robson was 2-for-5.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs look to clinch the series win Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. Cody Deason will start for Kansas City; Lake Country’s starter is still to be announced.

Monarchs Grind Out Win, Take Series Finale

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Runs, runs, and more runs was the name of the game in a thrilling series finale between the Milwaukee Milkmen and Kansas City Monarchs at Legends Field.

The Milkmen took an early lead, but the Monarchs had an answer every time. Eighth-inning home runs from Johneshwy Fargas and Chris Herrmann were the deciding factor in the 11-10 Kansas City victory.

The Milkmen struck first on the scoreboard with a solo shot from Gabriel Cancel that made it 1-0 Milwaukee early.

However, the Monarchs wasted no time scoring some runs thanks to an RBI double from Dylan Rosa. Then Olivier Basabe got his first RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly and it was 2-1 Monarchs after two innings.

Milwaukee then matched the Monarchs in the third inning with an RBI single from former T-Bone Roy Morales. Cancel was not done hitting homers just yet as he smashed his second of the evening, a three-run blast to make it 5-2.

Milkmen right fielder Justin Williams made it back-to-back homers with a solo shot on the next pitch, giving the Milkmen a 6-2 edge.

But here came the Monarchs with another run matching inning. Jacob Robson made it 6-3 with an RBI triple. Then, Chris Herrmann grounded out but Robson crossed the plate and it was 6-4 after three innings.

The Monarchs were not done yet, LJ Hatch continued his stellar hitting with an RBI double and Robson added another RBI with a sacrifice fly and it was all tied at six runs apiece after four.

The Monarchs added two more runs in the fifth to take an 8-6 advantage, capped off by a Dylan Rosa RBI double.

Milwaukee would snag another run in sixth, and tie the game up in the eighth on a Delvin Zinn sacrifice fly.

Patrick Weigel entered the game for Kansas City with two out in the eighth, striking out both hitters he faced to leave the tying run stranded on third.

But just when it looked like fans could see extra baseball, Fargas destroyed a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth that gave the Monarchs a 9-8 lead.

A couple batters later, Herrmann delivered a two-run shot to right that gave the Monarchs a few insurance runs and an 11-8 lead heading into the ninth.

The Milkmen gave one final push in the top of the ninth. Cancel continued his productive game with a fielders choice that drove in a run. Aaron Hill smoked an RBI double to center and just like that it was a one-run game.

After that final push, Weigel buckled down and ended the Milwaukee rally, striking out Rudy Martin to finish off a thrilling 11-10 victory of the series finale.

Weigel got the win (1-0), Jack Mahoney got the loss (0-2) and the Monarchs got their second series win of the 2023 season.

UP NEXT: The Monarchs head on the road to begin a three game series against the Lake Country Dockhounds. Game one is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Friday evening.

Monarchs Make Late Push, Come Up Short

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – After beginning the season 4-0 at Legends Field, the Kansas City Monarchs ran into a buzzsaw pitching performance.

Milwaukee Milkmen starter Jose Fuentes tossed six scoreless innings allowing three hits, two walks and two strikeouts in the 7-4 victory for Milwaukee.

After the Monarchs 6-1 victory in game one of the teams’ series, Milwaukee came out swinging in game two.

Former Fargo-Moorhead Redhawk Drew Ward kicked off the scoring for Milwaukee with an RBI single on just the third at bat of the game.

Milwaukee was not done there as the Milkmen center fielder Rudy Martin Jr smashed a solo shot to center.

The Milkmen continued to add to the scoreboard via an RBI double from Miguel Gomez that made it 3-0.

The Monarchs showed signs of life in the seventh inning after a Micker Adolfo single and RBI single from LJ Hatch made the score 3-1.

The Monarchs made one final push in the bottom of the ninth scoring three runs but Milwaukee shut the door after that.

While the Milkmen offense got it done, it was their pitching that made the game difficult for KC until the ninth inning. Milwaukee’s pitching staff tallied nine strikeouts, six walks and four runs across the four pitchers the Milkmen used Tuesday.

Jose Fuentes got the win (1-1) and Jeff Singer the loss (0-2). Trevin Reynolds shut the door on the Monarchs.

UP NEXT: The Monarchs continue their home slate with the series finale against the Milwaukee Milkmen. Game three is scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow evening.

Star-Studded Lineups Clash, Monarchs Win

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas City Monarchs and Milwaukee Milkmen feature two lineups that are loaded with talent. In game one of their first 2023 matchup, the Monarchs’ bats helped but the pitchers led the way.

Monarchs pitchers Dalton Moats, Zach Matson and Patrick Weigel were nearly unhittable in a 6-1 win at Legends Field. The win is the Monarchs’ fourth straight (all at home) and brings the team back to .500 on the young season.

Moats put together his best start of 2023, allowing only one run on four hits, walking one and striking out three in five innings.

Janeshwy Fargas kicked it off for the Monarchs with a leadoff double in the first. Chris Herrmann would then ground into a double-play but Fargas would come across for the first run of the night.

Miker Adolfo was the big contributor at the plate for Kansas City in game one. He finished 2 for 3 with three runs scored and three RBIs including a solo homer in the bottom of the second inning that gave the Monarchs a 2-0 lead.

The third inning was the big push for Kansas City thanks to a Gavin Collins RBI double and then Adolfo’s two-RBI base hit that put KC up 5-0.

From there, the Monarchs remained in control with three innings of work from Zach Matson, who allowed only two hits and one walk.

Weigel tossed a scoreless ninth to shut the door for Kansas City.

UP NEXT: The Monarchs continue their home slate with game two against the Milwaukee Milkmen. Game two is scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow evening.

Herrmann Scorching Hot, Earns League Weekly Honor

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kansas City Monarchs catcher Chris Herrmann has been unstoppable to start the season, and the league is taking notice.

Herrmann has won the American Association’s Pointstreak Batter of the Week award for the week ending May 21, the league announced Monday.

The former Twins and Diamondbacks catcher has been at the center of a resurgent Monarchs lineup.

Herrmann is riding a six-game hitting streak, during which he’s batting .583 with three home runs, 14 RBIs, five walks and just four strikeouts.

10 of those RBIs have come in the last three games alone, when the Monarchs swept Sioux Falls in a weekend series. Herrmann blasted an eighth-inning grand slam in the Monarchs’ 18-6 victory on Friday, and added three more RBIs in an 11-3 triumph on Sunday night.

Herrmann is the Monarchs’ first weekly honoree of 2023. He’s the first Kansas City player to take Batter of the Week honors since Jan Hernandez won the honor in the week ending May 29, 2022.

Herrmann, 35, has eight years of big-league experience with the Twins, Diamondbacks, Mariners and Athletics. His most recent action in the US before arriving in KC came with Triple-A Rochester in the Nationals system in 2022.

The Monarchs begin a three-game home series tonight at Legends Field against the Milwaukee Milkmen. First pitch Monday is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Monarchs Offense Unstoppable In Sweep Of Canaries

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Kansas City Monarchs’ offense shined in the series finale against Sioux Falls, scoring double-digit runs for the second time in three nights and cruising to a three-game sweep.

The Monarchs lit up the scoreboard again with ten runs across the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The Monarchs’ bullpen also contributed with another solid outing that helped the Monarchs cruise to an 11-3 win at Legends Field.

Johneshwy Fargas has been red hot at the plate for the Monarchs at home. Fargas kicked off the series finale with a leadoff triple and later scored thanks to Jan Hernandez getting the RBI groundout.

Unfortunately, the Canaries loved the third inning in this series as Darnell Sweeney smashed a double and scored one batter later thanks to an RBI ground-rule double from Welington Dotel that tied the game at 1-1.

Sioux Falls continued to score runs in the fourth inning via a solo moonshot homer from Trevor Achenbach that gave the Canaries a 2-1 lead.

But just when the Canaries seemed to have the Monarchs figured out, here came Kansas City.

The Monarchs broke the game open with five runs in the fifth. Another RBI from Hernandez, a Micker Adolfo RBI double that scored two runs and a sacrifice fly from Justin Wylie that scored Keon Broxton helped put the Monarchs in front 9-2.

Monarchs starter Cody Deason got the win (1-0) and Canaries starter Colby Wyatt got the loss (1-1).

UP NEXT: The Monarchs continue their home slate with a new series against the Milwaukee Milkmen. Game one is scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow evening.