Matson, Monarchs Shut Out Explorers

/in /by

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Zach Matson threw six shutout innings, Micker Adolfo blasted his fifth home run of the year and the Kansas City Monarchs blanked the Sioux City Explorers 4-0 Sunday afternoon at Lewis and Clark Park.

Matson, Miller Hogan and Jordan Martinson combined for the shutout, which snapped a six-game losing streak for Kansas City. They return home to face Winnipeg Tuesday night.

The Monarchs remain 2.5 games ahead of Fargo-Moorhead for first place in the American Association West Division.

Kansas City scored all four of their runs in the fourth inning. Chris Herrmann delivered an RBI double to make it 1-0. It was the 66th RBI of the season for the player of the year contender.

Jan Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the Monarchs’ second run. Adolfo homered a couple batters later to make it 4-0.

That was all the scoring either team managed. Sioux City starter Jared Wetherbee tossed three perfect innings with six strikeouts in his first outing since missing close to a month with a hamstring injury.

Brenden Heiss threw the final five innings for the Explorers, allowing no runs on three hits. He walked one and struck out four.

Hogan pitched a scoreless seventh and got the first two outs of the eighth before Sioux City loaded the bases. Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra brought Martinson in to get the final out of the frame.

The left-hander stayed in to pitch the ninth and earn the save for Kansas City.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs begin a six-game series with Winnipeg Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Explorers Walk Off Monarchs In 11

/in /by

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Kansas City Monarchs hung tough in another tight game, but suffered a walk-off defeat to Sioux City for the second straight night.

Miguel Sierra’s walk-off two-run single in the 11th sealed the 5-4 win for the Explorers at Lewis and Clark Park on Saturday.

Cody Deason threw six solid innings for the Monarchs, allowing three runs on three hits. All three runs came on a home run from Daniel Perez in the second inning. Deason walked four and struck out five, throwing a season-high 102 pitches.

It was Sioux City’s second walk-off win in as many nights after a 6-5, nine-inning victory Friday.

The Monarchs will look to salvage the final game of the series Sunday at 4:05 p.m.

Sioux City took the early lead Saturday on Perez’s home run, his fifth of the season.

The Monarchs put two runs across in the sixth to close the gap. Chris Herrmann delivered an RBI double, his 65th run driven in of the year. Brian O’Grady scored Herrmann with a sacrifice fly a couple batters later.

Another sac fly, from Justin Wylie, allowed LJ Hatch to score the tying run in the seventh.

The game stayed scoreless until the 11th inning. Trey Jeans and Grant Gavin each threw two innings without allowing a run to keep the game tied.

Kansas City took the lead in the top of the 11th. LJ Hatch knocked an RBI single off Sioux City closer Sean Rackoski, in his third inning of work. Justin Wylie hit a single later in the inning, but Hatch was thrown out at home plate for out number three.

Sioux City drew two walks to load the bases with two out in the bottom of the eleventh, setting the stage for Sierra’s walk-off.

UP NEXT

Kansas City lefty Zach Matson will get the start in Sunday’s series finale at 4:05 p.m. Sioux City’s starter has yet to be announced.

Hernandez Drives In Four, But Explorers Walk Off Monarchs

/in /by

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Jan Hernandez hit his first home run since coming off the injured list on a four-RBI night, but the Kansas City Monarchs lost to the Sioux City explorers 6-5 Friday night at Lewis and Clark Park.

The Explorers walked off the Monarchs, plating two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Kansas City is now 1-6 since the All-Star break, with all but one of those losses coming by just one run.

The Monarchs are still in first place in the American Association West, though their lead on second-place Fargo-Moorhead dropped to 3.5 games.

The Monarchs erased an early deficit to get back in the game. Kansas City starter Jalen Miller allowed three runs over five innings of work. His counterpart Heitor Tokar threw five scoreless frames to start his outing.

Things changed in the sixth. The Monarchs hit four straight singles to lead off the inning, including an RBI knock from Chris Herrmann and a game-tying two-run base hit from Hernandez. That leveled the score at three through six innings.

The Explorers capitalized on a couple of Monarchs errors to push across a run in the seventh, taking a 4-3 lead.

Hernandez gave Kansas City control again with his home run, a two-run blast in the eighth. It was Hernandez’ eighth home run of the season.

The Explorers tied the game in the ninth on an RBI double from Matt Lloyd, scoring Scott Ota. Two batters later, Tyler Rando hit a ground ball to second that Aaron Whitefield had trouble with. Lloyd scored the winning run on the error.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs look to even the series Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. Cody Deason will get the start for Kansas City against Sioux City’s Solomon Bates. Fans can watch the game at AABaseball.tv and listen on MonarchsBaseball.com/LIVE.

Monarchs Sign Big-League Pitcher Rossman

/in /by

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Bubby Rossman’s high-90s fastball has struck out batters in the major leagues and the World Baseball Classic. Now he’s joining the Kansas City Monarchs.

The Monarchs signed the right-hander to a contract, the American Association club announced Friday.

Rossman, 31, made his big-league debut with the Phillies in 2022. He pitched with Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year.

The Monarchs now feature eight former major leaguers on their active roster, a season high. They currently sit in first place in the AAPB West by 4.5 games.

A Southern California native, Rossman made two appearances in the WBC. He allowing one hit over two innings against the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, striking out three batters against the powerhouse lineups.

The righty’s lone big-league appearance came on July 13, 2022 in Toronto. He threw the ninth inning, retiring his last three hitters. That included his first MLB strikeout against former All-Star Matt Chapman.

An outfielder in college, Rossman always had an outstanding arm. He was drafted as a pitcher by the Dodgers in the 22nd round in 2014.

Rossman impressed early with the Dodgers, posting a 2.26 ERA and 9.4 K/9 with Class A Great Lakes in 2015. That earned him a promotion to High-A Rancho Cucamonga for the 2017 campaign.

He spent his next four professional seasons in what was then known as independent baseball. That included two stints in the American Association: with Sioux City in 2017 and Cleburne in 2019.

Rossman returned to affiliated ball with the Phillies organization in 2022. Rossman made 44 appearances (14 starts) between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, posting a 4.11 ERA and 10.7 K/9.

Most recently, Rossman began 2023 with the Triple-A Syracuse Mets. He struck out 8.2 batters per nine innings with an 8.18 ERA over 18 relief outings.

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.

Wylie Hits For The Cycle, Monarchs Fall Short

/in /by

By: Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Justin Wylie hit for the cycle, but the Kansas City Monarchs fell short versus the Kane County Cougars 6-5 at Legends Field Thursday afternoon.

Wylie, an All-Star infielder, went 4-for-5 on the day with three RBIs. It’s the first time a Monarch has hit for the cycle since Jan Hernandez on July 15, 2022.

The Monarchs remain in first place in the American Association West, though they drop to 37-27 on the season. They left 14 on base, matching their season high.

Monarchs starter Brandon Finnegan surrendered five runs early but finished with a season-high eight strikeouts and only one walk in five innings of work.

The Cougars started the scoring in the top of the first on a solo shot from Josh Allen that made it 1-0 Cougars.

The Monarchs answered in the bottom of the first with a leadoff single from Odubel Herrera. He would later score on an RBI fielder’s choice from Chris Herrmann to tie the game 1-1.

Josh Allen followed up his first inning homer with a grand slam that made it 5-1 Kane County in the second inning.

The Monarchs comeback started in the bottom of the third. Wylie’s RBI double made it 5-2 Cougars after three.

Wylie’s homer came in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-3. A Herrmann double, Gavin Collins single and an RBI sac fly from Jan Hernandez led to a 5-4 score through five.

Monarchs relievers Matt Hartman, Grant Gavin, Trey Jeans and Patrick Weigel struck out five across four innings of work. Jeans allowed only one run on an eighth inning home run from Jimmy Kerrigan that made it 6-4.

Wylie completed the cycle with an RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth that made it 6-5 Kane County.

Despite loading the bases on three singles with one out in the bottom of the ninth, the Monarchs fell short.

Finnegan got the loss (4-4), Cougars starter Tyler Beardsley got the win (6-4) and Cougars closer Daniel Bies got the save (11).

UP NEXT: The Monarchs begin a three-game road series versus the Sioux City Explorers. Game one is scheduled for 7:05 pm Friday night.

Monarchs Go Scoreless, Fall To Cougars

/in /by

By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Seven shutout innings from starter CJ Eldred powered the Kane County Cougars to a 7-0 win over the Kansas City Monarchs at Legends Field Wednesday night.

The Monarchs fall to 37-26 but they maintain their first place spot in the West division standings by 4 ½ games.

The Cougars got on the board in the top of the third inning. An infield single from Armond Upshaw made it 1-0 Cougars.

A base hit from Donivan Williams made it 2-0 in the top of the fourth. Monarchs starter Dalton Moats went four innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out four.

A passed ball in the top of the sixth scored former Monarch Olivier Basabe to make it 3-0. JD Osborne hit an RBI single later in the inning that made it 4-0 Cougars after six.

An eighth inning Jonah Davis RBI single and a Jimmy Kerrigan two-run homer made it 7-0 Cougars after eight.

Moats got the loss (3-3) and Eldred got the win (5-5).

UP NEXT: The Monarchs conclude a three-game series versus the Kane County Cougars. Game three is scheduled for 1 pm Thursday afternoon. Fans can watch the game for free on Facebook Live.

Monarchs Fall Short In Home Run Battle

/in /by

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A three-homer day from Todd Lott powered the Kane County Cougars to an 8-7 victory over the Kansas City Monarchs Tuesday afternoon at Legends Field.

The two teams hit a combined eight home runs, four from each side. All four Cougar home runs were two-run blasts, including Lott’s three.

All four Monarchs homers were solo shots. Micker Adolfo, Justin Wylie, Jacob Robson and Gavin Collins all went yard for Kansas City.

The first-place Monarchs (38-24) have played four straight one-run games, going 1-3 over the stretch. They’ll look to even the series with Kane County Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

Kane County jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning on homers from Armond Upshaw and Lott. The Monarchs got solo homers from Adolfo and Wylie in the second and third, respectively to cut the lead in half.

Brian O’Grady drove Chris Herrmann in with an RBI single to make it 4-3 later in the second.

Robson homered in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score. Wylie knocked an RBI single to give Kansas City their first lead later in the frame.

Kansas City starter Zach Matson allowed Lott’s second home run in the top of the fifth to swing the pendulum back to Kane County. Matson allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out eight.

The Monarchs tied things up in the sixth. Odubel Herrera singled to lead off the inning and stole second and third. He later scored on a sacrifice fly from Collins.

Lott struck again in the seventh with another two-run homer of Kansas City reliever Miller Hogan, putting Kane County up 8-6.

Collins homered in the eighth to cut the deficit to one, but Cougar closer Daniel Bies worked a 1-2-3 ninth to finish the game.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs continue a three-game series versus the Kane County Cougars. Game two is scheduled for 7 pm Wednesday night.

Monarchs Drop Heartbreaker In Cleburne

/in /by

CLEBURNE, Texas — Sunday’s game ended in heartbreak for the Kansas City Monarchs. The Cleburne Railroaders walked off Kansas City 6-5 to claim the rubber game of the three-game series.

Alex Jackson hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to complete a four-run comeback for Cleburne. Kansas City led 5-1 in the sixth inning.

Monarchs starter Cody Deason threw five solid innings, allowing one run on four hits. He walked four and struck out five in the no-decision.

Sam Jacobsak made his Monarchs debut in the defeat, throwing the eighth and the first two outs of the ninth.

The Monarchs remain in first place in the American Association West by five games.

Kansas City took the early lead in the first inning. Gavin Collins made it 1-0 with a double, the first of three RBIs for the Monarchs catcher on the ninth. Micker Adolfo followed him up with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Collins delivered a two-run double in the fourth to double the Monarchs’ edge.

Cleburne got their first run on a Mark Karaviotis RBI single in the fifth, but an LJ Hatch RBI knock put Kansas City up by four once again in the sixth.

Base hits by Cleburne’s Zach Nehrir and Elmer Reyes made it a one-run game in the seventh. Guillermo Quintana tied the game with an RBI single in the eighth.

That set the stage for Jackson’s game-winning single, which scored Nehrir.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs are off Monday. They head home to face the Kane County Cougars Tuesday at 11 a.m. from Legends Field.

Robson’s Throw Helps Monarchs To Thrilling Win

/in /by

CLEBURNE, Texas — Jacob Robson had to make a perfect throw. That’s exactly what he did.

The former Detroit Tigers outfielder started a 9-2 double play to throw out the tying run at home plate in the ninth, helping the Kansas City Monarchs to a thrilling 3-2 win over the Cleburne Railroaders from La Moderna Field.

“I had it in my mind, if he hits a fly ball here, make sure to get behind it and just try and throw a strike to [catcher] Gavin [Collins],” Robson said, crediting closer Patrick Weigel for keeping the ball from going too deep. “I was just trying to get behind the ball and let it eat and throw a strike.”

The Monarchs extended their division lead to 5.5 games with the win. They’ll look to clinch the series in a rubber game Saturday night at 6 p.m.

“We drove a long way to play these guys, and they’re not a bad team at all, credit to them,” Robson said “We wanted to put them away today since we’re going for the series win tomorrow.”

Kansas City opened the scoring in the first on a sacrifice fly from Brian O’Grady, scoring Justin Wylie. O’Grady hit a double-play ball that pushed across another run in the third, making it 2-0.

Cleburne left fielder Blaze Brothers hit a double to bring in two and tie the game up in the bottom of the third off Monarchs starter Jalen Miller.

Miller (7-2) put together another solid outing for Kansas City. The right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits in 5.2 innings. He walked five and struck out five.

The Monarchs took the lead back in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Chris Herrmann, scoring LJ Hatch. It was Herrmann’s league-leading 62nd RBI of the season.

Grant Gavin and Trey Jeans bridged the gap to closer Patrick Weigel without allowing a baserunner.

Weigel allowed a leadoff double to Guillermo Quintana to start the ninth, and he’d take third on a passed ball.

That brought up Jarel McDade, who hit the fly ball to Robson. Elmer Reyes grounded out to end the game.

UP NEXT

Game three of the series is set for 6:05 p.m. Sunday night. Cody Deason will start for Kansas City against Cleburne’s Trey Cumbie. Fans can catch the game on MonarchsBaseball.com/LIVE.

Monarchs Rally Falls Short In Cleburne

/in /by

CLEBURNE, Texas — A ninth-inning rally fell just short for the Kansas City Monarchs Friday night in a 7-6 loss to the Cleburne Railroaders at La Moderna Field.

Kansas City scored two runs in the top of the ninth but left the bases loaded in the final inning, dropping their first game after the All-Star break to begin a three-game series.

The Monarchs (36-23) remain in first place in the American Association West by 4.5 games. They’ll look to level the series with Cleburne Saturday night at 7:06 p.m.

Kansas City took an early edge behind three home runs. Chris Herrmann hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning. His 16th blast of the season gave him 61 RBIs on the year, the most in the league.

Odubel Herrera and Justin Wylie hit back-to-back solo shots in the fifth to give Kansas City a 4-1 edge.

Monarchs starter Brandon Finnegan was ejected in the fourth inning of the game arguing a hit-by-pitch call. He allowed one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts, throwing 70 pitches.

Alex Valdez got the last out of the fourth inning, but ran into trouble in the fifth. The Railroaders scored six runs in the inning on six hits to take a 7-4 edge.

That score held until the ninth inning, when Kansas City made it a one-run game on back-to-back singles from Gavin Collins and Brian O’Grady.

Aaron Whitefield drew a two-out walk to load the bases, but Jacob Robson grounded out to first base to end the game.

UP NEXT

Jalen Miller will get the ball for Kansas City in Saturday’s game
against Cleburne’s Travis Perry. Monarchs fans can catch the game on MonarchsBaseball.com/LIVE.