Moats, Monarchs Shut Down Goldeyes In Series Finale

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Dalton Moats delivered his second straight outstanding start in the Kansas City Monarchs’ 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Goldeyes Sunday afternoon.

Moats threw six innings striking out four and allowed only four hits and zero walks.

Justin Wylie continued his hot streak at the plate for Kansas City. Wylie smashed his 12th homer of the season going 2-for-4 at the plate.

The Monarchs improved to 43-30 as they prepare for their matchup against the number one team in the league in the Milwaukee Milkmen next week.

Both teams went scoreless through the first 2.1 innings. Jacob Robson doubled in the bottom of the third. Jan Hernandez popped one up, and Winnipeg’s infield lost it in the sun, allowing the ball to drop and Robson to score. It was 1-0 Monarchs after three innings.

Wylie’s homer came in the bottom of the fifth to make it 2-0 Monarchs.

Winnipeg got on the board in the top of the seventh. Max Murphy reached on a fielding error from Brian O’Grady. Hidekel Gonzalez later hit an RBI ground out scoring Murphy to make it 2-1 Monarchs.

The Monarchs responded with an LJ Hatch triple and a Jacob Robson RBI double putting the Monarchs up 3-1 through seven.

O’Grady homered in the bottom of the eighth to put the Monarchs up 4-1 heading into the ninth.

Patrick Weigel entered in the ninth for Kansas City. He walked one batter and allowed an unearned run to get his eighth save of the year.

Andy Armstrong reached on an error in the ninth and later scored on a double play that made it 4-2 Monarchs and that was the final score.

Moats got the win (5-3) and Goldeyes reliever Luis Ramirez got the loss (5-6) after six innings in relief allowing four earned runs on eight hits.

UP NEXT: The Monarchs begin a three-game road series versus the Milwaukee Milkmen. Game one is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Tuesday night.

Monarchs Drop Heartbreaker To Goldeyes

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Jacob Robson homered and Jan Hernandez and Brian O’Grady each drove in two, but it wasn’t enough for the Kansas City Monarchs in a 7-5 loss to the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Legends Field Saturday.

The Monarchs fell behind 6-1 after three innings. They brought the tying run to scoring position in the ninth inning, but left the bases loaded to end the game.

The result snaps a five-game winning streak for the Monarchs, who remain in first place in the American Association by 4.5 games.

Winnipeg opened the scoring in the first on a home run by Max Murphy, his league-leading 21st of the season. Kansas City tied it up in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly from Hernandez to score Justin Wylie.

Winnipeg added three more in the second, including a two-run single from Andy Armstrong. Chris Burgess hit a two-run blast in the third to make it 6-1 Goldeyes.

Kansas City starter Zach Matson allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits in five innings of work. He walked just one batter and struck out five.

The Monarchs got back into the game with a three-run fifth inning. Hernandez drove in Wylie with an RBI single, and Brian O’Grady delivered a two-run double to make it a 6-4 game.

The Goldeyes scratched across a run in the sixth on an RBI single from Dayson Croes. Robson’s homer in the eighth made it 7-5.

That set the stage for a two-out rally in the Monarchs’ ninth. Wylie and Chris Herrmann hit back-to-back singles to keep the game alive. Hernandez walked to load the bases.

On a 3-2 pitch, O’Grady popped out behind the plate to end the game.

UP NEXT

Kansas City aims to finish their homestand on a high note Sunday at 1 p.m. Tyler Jandron will be the “opener” for the Goldeyes against Kansas City’s Dalton Moats.

Seventh-Inning Heroics Secure Series Win For KC

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Another seventh inning collection of runs for the Kansas City Monarchs boosted them to the 8-7 win over the Winnipeg Goldeyes Friday night.

Gavin Collins batted 2-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the way for the Monarchs.

Relievers Alex Valdez and Bubby Rossman threw two no-hit innings to close out the game.

The win clinches a series win for the Monarchs. They’ve won five in a row and the first four games of the six-game series with Winnipeg.

Brian O’Grady smashed a solo homer in the bottom of the second that made it 1-0 KC.

The Monarchs plated two more runs in the bottom of the third. Aaron Whitefield singled and stole second base. Whitefield later scored on a throwing error from Max Murphy that made it 2-0 KC.

Justin Wylie followed the Whitefield score with another solo home run just one batter later. It was 3-0 Monarchs after three innings.

Winnipeg came alive in the fourth inning, plating five runs. RBI singles from Tommy McCarthy, Brynn Martinez, and Dayson Croes made it 5-3 Winnipeg through four.

The Monarchs bounced back in the fifth inning. After loading the bases, Gavin Collins smashed an RBI single to tie the game 5-5.

Another Martinez hit led to an RBI single from Croes that put the Goldeyes back ahead 6-5 in the top of the sixth inning.

The Goldeyes added one more run after a Miles Simington single set up an RBI single from Chris Burgess. It was 7-5 Goldeyes in the top of the seventh.

The Monarchs wasted no time responding in the bottom of the seventh. Collins put Jan Hernandez on third with a single. Micker Adolfo hit what could have been an RBI triple, but it bounced over the wall for a one-run automatic double. That made it 7-6 Winnipeg.
After loading the bases again, Whitefield hit an RBI single to tie the game 7-7. LJ Hatch then hit an RBI sac fly to bring in Adolfo and give KC the 8-7 lead in the seventh.

Valdez threw a perfect eighth inning to keep the Monarchs ahead 8-7. Newcomer Bubby Rossman entered in the ninth and threw a no-hit inning to get his first save as a Monarch.

Monarchs reliever Matt Hartman got the win (2-1) and Goldeyes reliever Josh Vincent got the loss (0-1).

UP NEXT: The Monarchs continue a six-game series versus the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Game five is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday night. Zach Matson will start for Kansas City against Winnipeg’s Landen Bourassa.

Late-Inning Runs Boost Monarchs To Win

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Kansas City Monarchs scored ten runs across the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings in a 13-4 win over the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Legends Field Thursday night.

Justin Wylie finished the game 4-for-6 with three RBIs and fell a triple shy of his second cycle of the season.

Jordan Martinson threw 2.1 perfect innings in relief for Kansas City, striking out three.

The Monarchs started the scoring in the third inning. Wylie smashed a two-run homer that made it 2-0 Monarchs after three.

Miles Simington got the Goldeyes on the board in the fourth with a solo home run, his second of the season.

The Monarchs answered in the bottom of the fourth. Brian O’Grady singled and stole second to set up an RBI single from Aaron Whitefield. The RBI made it 3-1 Monarchs through four.

Winnipeg tied the game in the fifth inning. An RBI single from Dayson Croes plated a run. A throwing error from Wylie later scored Brynn Martinez. It was 3-3 after five innings.

Wylie struck again in the sixth inning, driving Aaron Whitefield across with an RBI single to put KC up 4-3.

After a wild pitch that advanced Wylie and Odubel Herrera, Jan Hernandez drove them in with an RBI double. After six, it was 6-3 Monarchs.

The Monarchs poured it on from there. Seventh-inning RBI’s from Whitefield and Herrera made it 9-3 Monarchs.

RBIs from Jacob Robson, Whitefield, LJ Hatch and Herrera in the bottom of the eighth made it 13-3 Monarchs.

Winnipeg scored a run in the top of the ninth on an RBI single from Javeyan Williams that made it 13-4 for the final score.

Newly acquired Monarch Trey Cobb pitched the ninth to shut the door on the game. He struck out two, allowing one earned run.

Martinson got the win (5-1) and Tyler Landron got the loss (1-6).

UP NEXT: The Monarchs continue a six-game series versus the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Game four is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night. Cody Deason will start for Kansas City against Winnipeg’s Travis Seabrooke.

Cobb Joins Monarchs’ Pitching Staff

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A right-hander with a big arm is headed to the Kansas City Monarchs’ bullpen.

The Monarchs have signed former Mets and Phillies prospect Trey Cobb, the American Association club announced Thursday.

In a corresponding move, Monarchs infielder Peter Maris was moved to the injured list.

Cobb, 29, was an eighth-round draft choice by the New York Mets out of Oklahoma State University. The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native pitched four years in Stillwater, posting a 2.99 ERA in 92 games.

Cobb was the Cowboys’ Opening Day starter in 2016, transitioning to a closer role for the team’s postseason run. The squad appeared in the 2016 College World Series.

He’d make his pro debut with Low-A Brooklyn in 2017, posting a 2.65 ERA and 9.9 K/9 in his first year as a pro.

He earned a 2.22 ERA in 27 games with Class A Columbia the following season, getting promoted to High-A St. Lucie later that year.

Though he’d miss the 2019 season with Tommy John surgery, Cobb made his Triple-A debut in 2021. He’d play most of 2022 there as well, making 31 appearances with a 5.33 ERA.

The Phillies claimed Cobb off waivers the following offseason, and he started the 2023 campaign with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He allowed just 21 hits in 31 innings over 34 appearances.

The Monarchs are in first place in the American Association West with a 40-29 heading into Thursday’s game with Winnipeg. Fans can watch every Monarchs game on AABaseball.tv.

Monarchs Bullpen Shuts Down Goldeyes

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By: Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A dominant bullpen performance helped the Kansas City Monarchs to a 6-2 victory over the Winnipeg Goldeyes at Legends Field Wednesday night.

Matt Hartman, Trey Jeans, and Patrick Weigel combined for four perfect innings in relief, striking out five batters.

Monarchs starter Brandon Finnegan kept the Goldeyes in check. Finnegan allowed two unearned runs on five hits, five walks and struck out three in five innings of work.

Chris Herrmann went 2-for-5 for Kansas City, extending his hitting streak to six games to continue his productive 2023 season.

Both teams were quiet at the plate before the Monarchs got on the board in the bottom of the third inning.

Walks from Jacob Robson and Odubel Herrera as well as LJ Hatch being hit by a pitch loaded the bases. Justin Wylie then drew a walk to bring in the first run to make it 1-0 Monarchs.

Herrmann drove in his league-best 69th RBI with a single that scored Robson to make it 2-0. A Jan Hernandez RBI sac fly scored Herrera and made it 3-0 after three innings.

Winnipeg would answer in the top of the fourth inning. A stolen base by Tra Holmes led to a throwing error on Herrmann that brought Holmes in to make it 3-1 Monarchs.

Max Murphy’s single in the top of the fifth set the table for an RBI single for Hidekel Gonzalez. That cut the Monarchs’ lead to one.

The Monarchs would answer in the bottom of the fifth. Justin Wylie started the rally with a double on a ball that Goldeyes left fielder Javeyan Williams lost in the lights. Hernandez continued to heat up at the plate with an RBI single to score Wylie and make it 4-2 through five innings.

The Monarchs would plate two more runs in the eighth inning on two Winnipeg throwing errors to make it 6-2.

After a perfect eighth inning from Jeans, Weigel entered in the ninth to close the door on the Goldeyes. He struck out Dayson Croes to end a 1-2-3 frame.

Finnegan got the win (5-4) and Goldeyes starter Joey Matulovich got the loss (3-8).

UP NEXT: The Monarchs continue a six-game series versus the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Game three is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday night. Jalen Miller will start for Kansas City against Winnipeg’s RJ Martinez.

Monarchs Light Up Scoreboard In Series Opener

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By Nolan Brooks

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Kansas City Monarchs offense came alive in a 14-2 victory over the Winnipeg Goldeyes Tuesday night at Legends Field.

Jacob Robson went a perfect 5-for-5 with three RBIs to lead the way for KC.

Micker Adolfo went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and five RBIs including a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Monarchs starter Dalton Moats had his best outing of the season. Moats had four strikeouts allowing only one walk and one earned run on four hits.

Justin Wylie and Chris Herrmann also homered. Herrmann now has a league-best 68 RBIs on the season.

The Monarchs started the scoring in the bottom of the first, plating five runs. Odubel Herrera smashed a solo shot for his first Legends Field homer that made it 1-0 KC. An Adolfo RBI double and Robson RBI single made it 5-0 in the blink of an eye.

Winnipeg answered with a solo homer from Chris Burgess that made it 5-1 through the top of the second.

The Monarchs wasted no time scoring more runs in the bottom of the second. Wylie hit his solo home run to make it 6-1. RBI singles from Adolfo and Robson made it 8-1 through only two innings.

By the seventh inning, the Monarchs led 14-1 after Herrmann and Adolfo both hit two-run homers.

Winnipeg would score a run on an RBI single from Keith Torres in the top of the eighth that made it 14-2, but the Monarchs closed it out from there.

Newly acquired Bubby Rossman finished out the game for the Monarchs, striking out three in the ninth inning.

Moats got the win (4-3) and Luis Ramirez got the loss (5-5). Newly acquired Bubby Rossman made his Monarchs debut striking out three to finish the game.

UP NEXT

The Monarchs continue a six-game series versus the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Game two is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday night. Brandon Finnegan will start for Kansas City against Winnipeg’s Joey Matulovich.

Monarchs’ Matson Named Pitcher of the Month

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Another Kansas City Monarch has picked up some major hardware.

Monarchs starter Zach Matson has earned the American Association’s Rawlings Pitcher of the Month Award for July, the league announced Tuesday.

The left-hander from Garden City, Missouri produced an impressive 2.48 ERA over five starts in the month of July. He struck out 32 and walked just 10 in 29 innings of work. Batters hit just .196 against him for the month.

Matson went at least six innings while allowing two or fewer runs in four of his five outings.

That included six shutout frames against Sioux City on July 30. He allowed just two hits in that game while walking three and striking out five.

2023 is Matson’s seventh pro season and first in the American Association. The Crowder College product sports a 3.59 ERA and 8.0 K/9 over the 2023 campaign.

A former Orioles, Rockies and Pirates prospect, Matson’s most recent affiliated action came at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2022. He finished the season in that club’s rotation before joining the Monarchs as a free agent before the 2023 campaign.

The Monarchs are in first place in the American Association West by three games over second-place Fargo-Moorhead. They face Winnipeg for a six-game home series starting Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

ERA King Matt Hall Named Monarchs’ Pitching Coach

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Matt Hall had perhaps the greatest season in American Association history last season. He’s now returning to the Kansas City Monarchs as pitching coach.

Hall will start as the Monarchs’ pitching coach for their game with Winnipeg Tuesday, the club and manager Joe Calfapietra announced.

“Everybody in Kansas City has always treated me like family,” Hall said. “I’m looking forward to returning to the team, reuniting with the coaches, and hopefully bringing a championship back to Kansas City.”

Hall said he’s excited to pass his knowledge and experience to the Monarchs’ pitching staff.

“We’re all experienced baseball guys, so most of the stuff they know already,” Hall said. “It’s just a matter of finding a way to explain it to them to execute it.”

Hall is a former major leaguer, making 25 appearances with the Tigers and Red Sox.

The left-hander had a historic season with the Monarchs in 2022. He recorded a 1.10 ERA in 14 starts (82 innings pitched). That shattered the previous league record of 1.75. The previous Monarchs club record sat at 2.58.

The outstanding campaign earned Hall the American Association’s 2022 Starting Pitcher of the Year Award.

Born in Independence, Missouri, Hall went to high school at Lee’s Summit West and attended college at Missouri State. He made his MLB debut with Detroit in 2018, and most recently appeared in The Show with the Red Sox in 2020.

Hall made his Monarchs debut late in the 2021 season. He made five appearances (four starts) in the regular season and playoffs with a 2.25 ERA.

The Monarchs are in first place in the American Association West heading into a six-game home series with Winnipeg starting Tuesday night.