By JACK JOHNSON
Kansas City Monarchs
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — After taking sole possession of first place on Friday night, the Monarchs lost two of their pitchers to the Miami Marlins’ system. RHP Cody Mincey and LHP Erik Cha had their contracts transferred to the Marlins on Saturday — making them the third and fourth Kansas City pitchers to join Miami’s organization this season (LHP Eric Stout, RHP Robinson Martinez).
Mincey, 29, was leading the American Association in ERA (1.13). The right-hander began his stint with the Monarchs out of the bullpen, but eventually shifted to the starting rotation to fill an open spot. In total, he made four starts with the club and tossed seven innings with two runs or less in three of them. In his four professional seasons, Mincey has never pitched in a Major League organization.
Cha, 24, joined Kansas City on June 11th and appeared in seven games for the team. After failing to record an out in his Monarchs debut on June 12th, Cha went on to toss five consecutive scoreless outings. In total, Cha posted a 2.25 ERA with nine strikeouts and six walks in eight innings.
A corresponding roster move has yet to be announced.
The Monarchs will face the Sioux City Explorers in game two of the three-game series tonight at Legends Field. First pitch on Saturday is slated for 7 p.m. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:35 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.