Showing posts with label Billy Butler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Billy Butler. Show all posts

Friday, August 10, 2012

Royals Win Third Straight Game

The Royals have been playing some pretty good baseball lately, winning their third straight game last night with a dominating 8-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Kansas City has now won seven out of its past 10 games, and has improved its record to 48-63 on the season.

One big reason the team is winning games is due to a suddenly hot offense, led by Billy Butler and Alex Gordon. Both players homered in the first inning last night, giving the Royals a commanding 4-0 lead early on. Butler has three homers in the past week, and has raised his average to .303 for the season with 23 home runs and 72 RBI. Gordon has also cranked up the offensive production, raising his season average to .294. Gordon is batting .347 since the All-Star break, and while he has failed to provide the Royals’ offense with power, his ability to get on base in front of players like Butler has been very valuable, as has his defense in the outfield.

The Royals have also gotten some strong pitching performances recently, only giving up five total runs over the past three games. The biggest surprise was the recently-acquired Jeremy Guthrie, who was dominate in an eight-inning performance against the White Sox. Guthrie was acquired when Kansas City traded Jonathan Sanchez, and it appeared as if the team had merely swapped one struggling pitcher for another. If Guthrie can turn things around and continue to pitch well, he could find a permanent spot in Kansas City’s rotation entering next season.

The Royals will be back in action tonight, facing the Orioles in game two of the teams’ four-game series. Luke Hochevar (7-9) will start for Kansas City, while Miguel Gonzalez (3-2) will start for Baltimore. The game will begin at 6:05 p.m.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Royals Avoid Sweep With Extra Innings Victory Over Rangers

The Royals pulled off an improbably comeback today, beating the Texas Rangers in extra innings, 7-6. The game winning run was scored by Eric Hosmer, who scored on a costly throwing error by rookie Mike Olt to end the game. With the win, Kansas City moves to 45-62 on the season.

With the scored tied up at 6 in the bottom of the 10th, the Rangers made several critical mistakes that allowed the Royals to steal the game. Olt’s error lead to the end of the game on Jeff Francoeur’s grounder, but Texas had shot itself in the foot previously in the inning to put themselves in that position. Alberto Gonzalez botched a routine ground ball only three pitches earlier which allowed Hosmer to advance.

It appeared as if the Royals were on the verge of being swept all game, as Texas took a three run lead in the fourth inning. After Kansas City regained the lead thanks to home runs by Francoeur and Bryan Pena, Olt tied the game up for the Rangers on a double from Michael Young. Elvis Andrus attempted to give the Rangers the lead on the same play, but was thrown out at home. Texas would have another opportunity to win the game in the top of the tenth, when they loaded the bases with only one out. Alcides Escobar made a great diving catch for the second out of the inning, and Greg Holland struck out Olt to keep Kansas City alive.

The Royals start a seven game road trip tomorrow, when they travel to Chicago to take on the White Sox. Luis Mendoza (5-7), who has been pitching well of late, will take the mound for Kansas City.  Chris Sale (12-3), in the midst of one of the best pitching seasons in the majors this year, will start for Chicago.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Royals' Guthrie Poor In Debut Against Twins

During the offseason, the Royals made one of the worst trades in recent baseball history. The team sent Melky Cabrera packing, trading the future 2012 All Star game MVP to the Giants for pitcher Jonathan Sanchez. This season, Cabrera has been one of the better hitters in baseball, while Sanchez was a complete disaster - a 7.76 ERA in 12 starts, one win and six losses. The trade could very well spell the end for Dayton Moore in Kansas City. The Royals finally cut ties with Sanchez, trading him on Friday for Jeremy Guthrie.

Unfortunately for Kansas City, Guthrie really hasn't been any better than Sanchez this season, and his debut today mirrored his results from earlier this year. Guthrie lasted only five innings, giving up five runs in a 7-5 loss to the Twins and falling to 3-10 on the season with a 6.49 ERA. Hopefully a change of scenery pays off for Guthrie, but his career as a Royal currently got off to a rocky start.

Starting pitching has been a huge problem for the team since the All Star break. On the Royals 10 game homestand, the team's rotation had a 7.38 ERA, a big reason why Kansas City is 3-7 despite facing an easy schedule. Injuries have really decimated this group, and its hard to see the team ever getting back in contention now.

The lone bright spot for the Royals was Billy Butler, who belted his 19th homer of the season. Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas have continued to hit and get on base as well, and the team's young core has steadily produced runs since the All Star break. We'll see if the Royals pitching can improve enough to support the team's offense.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Royals Drop Series To Mariners, Resign Jason Kendall

On one of the hottest days of the year, the Royals had absolutely no answer for the red-hot Felix Hernandez, only producing one run in a 6-1 loss to the Mariners yesterday. The loss means that despite an easy post All Star break schedule, the team has yet to win a series since play resumed.

Hernandez worked through the eighth, only allowing a run when Chris Getz hit a single in the 5th to drive home Eric Hosmer. The Royals had a great chance to get back into the game in the eighth inning, when the team loaded the bases with only one out. Hernandez, who leads the league in strikeouts, fanned Alcides Escobar and got Billy Butler to ground out, ending any hope the Royals had for a comeback.

Seattle’s offense was led by Jesus Montero, who homered and drove in four runs of rookie Will Smith. Smith had pitched well in Triple-A Omaha before being called up due to the struggles the Royals have had in the bullpen, and despite his poor performance yesterday, he will likely get several more chances to earn a permanent spot in the rotation.

The Royals were busy making some deals as well, most notably their resigning of catcher Jason Kendall to a minor league contract. Kendall played for Kansas City in 2010 before missing all of 2011 due to injury. At 38, it is hard to imagine that Kendall has much left in the tank, but he played well for the team in 2010 and is a former three-time All Star. If the injury bug that has bitten the Royals pitching staff hits Kansas City’s offense, we may very well see Kendall called up sometime before the season ends.

Kansas City begins a three game series with Minnesota tonight to conclude the team’s ten game home stand. Luke Hochevar (6-8) will start for the Royals, and Nick Blackburn (4-5) will start for the Twins. Game one begins tonight at 7:10 p.m.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Billy Butler's Walk Off Gives Royals Much-Needed Win Over Mariners

After losing four of its first five games since the All Star break, the Royals desperately needed something to give the team hope as it tries to crawl back in contention in the American League. Leave it to the team’s All Star, Billy Butler, to come up huge when the team needed him most. Butler hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth last night, giving the Royals a much needed 8-7 victory over the Mariners. With the win, Kansas City moved to 39-51 on the season, 10.5 games out in the AL Central.

Butler’s heroics saved what could have been a disaster for the Royals, as Kansas City blew a four run lead late in the game thanks to some horrendous pitching from its bullpen. Bruce Chen provided the team with a quality start, and Kansas City’s offense was rolling early thanks to big hits from Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas. The team also got a two run homer from the hot-hitting Lorenzo Cain, who is now 10-20 in the midst of a six game hitting streak. However, after building what seemed to be an insurmountable lead, Kansas City’s Jose Mijares and Aaron Crow gave up three runs in the seventh. Had Butler not saved the day with his walk-off, this would have been an extremely tough loss for Royals fans.

Kansas City’s entire pitching staff struggled all series long, giving up 26 runs over three games and wasting a pretty good offensive series from the Royals. With the troubles on the mound, the Royals have called up lefty Will Smith, who is 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in his last four starts at Triple-A Omaha. To make room for Smith, the team optioned Ryan Verdugo, who struggled in his major league debut on Tuesday.

Smith will pitch for the Royals today in the team’s final game of its series with the Mariners. He will face Felix Hernandez (7-5). The game will begin at 1:10 p.m. at Kauffman Stadium.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Watch The All Star Game at The Zoo! by Kansas City News


If you didn't get tickets to the 2012 MLB All Star Game at the K, you can watch the All Star Game at the Kansas City Zoo. That's right, the FOTZ (Friends of the Zoo) staff have come up with another great party idea, an All Star Game watch party complete with a giant screen TV, food, and drink specials. If we didn't already have our diamond seats reserved we would be joining the fun at The Kansas City Zoo to watch Billy Butler and the American League All Stars swat the ball around Kauffman Stadium. Here's more from The Kansas City Zoo:

Watch the All Star Game with some wild friends!

Love baseball and Kansas City but don't have tickets to the All Star Game? Come watch the game on a big screen in the company of other enthusiastic fans and some finned, furry and feathered friends! The Zoo is honored to be one of the official watch party sites for the MLB All-Star Game. Visit us after 4 p.m. on July 10 for free admission to the Asia, Australia and KidZone areas of the Zoo, concession specials, and a giant screen for viewing the 2012 MLB All Star Game.

The watch party will be held in the Zoo's Tropics Field. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs for seating. The party will run from 4 p.m. until the 2012 MLB All Star Game wraps up. Come see the game in a unique setting!

Rise and shine for early Zoo admission time!

Are you bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning? Spend some time at the Kansas City Zoo during our mornings at the Zoo week, July 14-22. All week long our gates will open early at 8 a.m. Come watch our animals get active in the morning, have Pancakes for Penguins with Radio Disney, and see special musical and puppet performances! Select days will feature prize giveaways for the first 100 visitors to enter the Zoo's gates. Beat the heat and enjoy a fun-filled morning at the Kansas City Zoo.

Saturday, July 14 : Hula-Hoop Playshop with Luna Breeze
Sunday, July 15: Polar bear stuffed animal giveaway (to the first 100 zoo guests)
Monday, July 16: Jigsaw puzzle giveaway (to the first 100 Zoo guests)
Tuesday, July 17: T-shirt or lunch bag giveaway (to the first 100 Zoo guests)
Wednesday, July 18: Pancakes for Penguins with Radio Disney
Thursday, July 19: Water bottle giveaway (to the first 100 Zoo guests)
Friday, July 20: Paul Mesner Puppets perform Anansi the Spider
Saturday, July 21: She's a Keeper musical performance
Sunday, July 22: Brandon Draper Drum Safari performance

Sea-sational Sea Lions!

Come see Vince, Delilah and Sunshine the sea lions in action during the Sea Lion Show.
Shows run at 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily.


All Star Game at The Zoo by Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Billy Butler Named To 2012 MLB All Star Roster

Billy Butler won’t have to travel very far to attend his first MLB All Star game. The Royals DH was named to the American League squad for the 2012 MLB All Star game held in Kansas City.

Butler has been the Royals’ best offensive weapon this season, and is a big reason why KC is 35-42 and only a couple of games out of first place. Butler currently has a .297 average with 16 HR and 48 RBI for the season, and he has consistently provided the Royals with clutch hitting late in games. Butler is the only Royals player to make the team, despite strong seasons from players such as Jonathan Broxton, Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar.

Broxton still has an opportunity to play for the AL Central, although his fate is in the hands of the fans. Broxton is one of this year’s Final Vote candidates for the AL, joined by Yu Darvish, Jason Hammel, Jake Peavy and Ernesto Frieri.

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton received 11,073,744 votes, easily breaking the previous record of votes for a player that was held by Jose Bautista. Giants catcher Buster Posey received the most NL votes with 7,621,370.

Butler’s AL teammates also include C Mike Napoli, 1B Prince Fielder, 2B Robinson Cano, 3B Adrian Beltre, S Derek Jeter and DH David Ortiz as the starters. Apart from Ortiz, Adam Dunn of the White Sox is the other AL Designated Hitter on the All Star roster.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Royals Win 15 Inning Marathon Against Cardinals

Yuniesky Betancourt blasted a two-run home run in the 15th, giving the Royals a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. The win improved Kansas City’s record to 29-35 on the season, and the Royals have now won five of their last six games and trail the Chicago White Sox by only five games in the AL Central standings.

Betancourt wound up the hero, despite not even starting the game. He was forced into action when Chris Getz suffered a leg injury in the first inning. Betancourt nearly ended the game in the fourteenth inning, when his RBI double gave Kansas City a 3-2 lead. However, Jonathan Broxton blew the save and the game continued.

Before Betancourt’s heroics, Billy Butler had the game’s biggest hit. Butler hit a pinch-hit home run to tie the game in the ninth inning, his 12th blast of the season. Kansas City also got a bizarre contribution from Alex Gordon, who drew a franchise record five walks in the game. Gordon has now drawn five walks in a game twice, the only Royal in club history to achieve this feat.

While Betancourt and Butler stole the headlines with their homers, Kansas City would not have been in the game if it wasn’t for some strong pitching. Luis Mendoza pitched six strong innings, only allowing two runs while striking out five and only allowing one walk. The Royals’ bullpen also pitched well, as the Cardinals did not record a run between the sixth and fourteenth inning.

The Royals continue their interleague schedule tonight, when they will travel to Houston to begin a series with the Astros. Jonathan Sanchez (1-2) will start for Kansas City, while J.A. Happ (4-7) will start for Houston. The Royals have won seven of their last ten games against the Astros.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Billy Butler's Blast Leads Royals To Victory - Kansas City News

On a day in which Texas’ Josh Hamilton made headlines by hitting four home runs in one game, Billy Butler decided to grab a bit of the spotlight as well. Butler hit a three-run homerun in the eighth inning to propel Kansas City to a 6-4 victory over Boston. The win improved the Royals’ record to 10-19 on the season.

It appeared that Kansas City was on its way towards another frustrating loss. Despite giving up just three runs, Danny Duffy struggled and lasted 4 1/3 innings. Kansas City’s offense had a big third inning, but had been dormant since. The game was in doubt until Daniel Bard walked both Jarrod Dyson and Alex Gordon in the eighth. That would be the end for Bard, who struggled with his control all night and even had two balks. Boston’s Matt Albers relieved Bard, and three pitches later, Butler crushed a pitch to give Kansas City a lead it would not relinquish.

While Butler’s homer will get all of the headlines, several other Royals had key contributions to the win. Chris Getz and Humberto Quintero both came up with big hits in the second inning to drive in some runs. Getz has significantly improved his performance at the plate this season, and has been a pleasant surprise for a Royals team that is struggling to consistently score. Kansas City also got quality pitching from Kelvin Herrera, Jose Mijares and Jonathan Broxton after Duffy left the game. With the Royals’ starting pitching struggling lately, it is encouraging to see the bullpen step up.

The Royals’ face the Red Sox again tonight at 7:10 p.m. A victory would give the Royals a winning record in its AL East home stand against New York and Boston. Bruce Chen (0-4) will start for the Royals, while Jon Lester (1-2) will take the mound for the Red Sox.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Home Runs Help Royals End 12 Game Losing Streak

The Royals 12 game losing streak started with a home sweep at the hands of the Indians, so it was fitting that Kansas City ended its horrendous slide against the team that started it all. Backed by several key home runs, the Royals creamed the Indians 8-2, ending its 12 game losing streak and improving its record to 4-14 on the season.

The Royals relied on the long ball last night, and Kansas City’s big three delivered. Billy Butler started off the offensive barrage with a two run blast in the first, and later added a solo shot in the ninth. Eric Hosmer’s two-run home run in the fifth made it 4-0, while Alex Gordon belted a three run home run in the ninth to ensure the streak was over.

There is no way to sugar coat this win – things were getting beyond desperate for Kansas City and the Royals needed to get the monkey of their backs. Not only did the team pick up a much-needed win, but Butler, Gordon and Hosmer all should get a good deal of confidence after great days at the plate. Luke Hochevar also pitched very well, giving Royals fans hope that he can produce the way he did after the All-Star break last season.

Kansas City wraps up its series with Cleveland today before traveling to Minnesota to begin a three game series with the Twins. Luis Mendoza (0-2) will start for the Royals, while Josh Tomlin (1-1) will get the nod for the Indians.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Kansas City Royals vs Blue Jays April 21st, 2012 Rookie Drew Hutchinson Handles the Royals - Kansas City News

Along the way to their 10 game losing streak, The Kansas City Royals were embarrassingly overmatched losing game number 9 of the streak on Saturday April 21st when the Royals self-destructed vs the Toronto Blue Jays.  The Kansas City Royals followed up Saturday's game with an equally terrible outing vs the Blue Jays, stretching their losing streak to 10 games.

Back to Saturday's game;  this was a game that the Royals could have won.  Take away a few bad coaching decisions, and we could have had this one.

Bad Decision Number 1 - Pulling Mendoza Too Early
The first coaching mistake falls into the "hindsight is 20/20" category and it is hard to fault the management on this one, but even after starting Royals pitcher Luis Mendoza got shelled in the 4th inning, it would have been wise not to panic and pull him out so early in the game.  It is easy to understand why Grand Master Ned would take Mendoza out of the game after allowing 4 runs in one inning, but Teaford and eventually Herrera did nothing to stop the bleeding.  It is conceivable that the Royals would have stood a better chance if they would have left Mendoza in for a few more innings as the Royals offense indeed started making a hasty comeback after he was benched...a comeback that Teaford and Herrera basically threw out the window.  Teaford, the left hander was just throwing up ducks, the Blue Jays just swatted almost everything he threw at them, he had absolutely no skills on Saturday.

Bad Decision Number 2 - What Was Billy Butler Doing?
In the Royals highest scoring inning so far this season, Billy Butler let all of the air out of the tires.  After the nightmare that was the 4th inning, the Royals started a big time rally in the 5th inning.  The inning started off with a double by Alcides Escobar, who was pushed home by Mitch Maier's super hustle triple (Mitch STREAKED around those base pads, son).  Yuniesky Betancourt kept the magic going with a nice little single that brought Maier home, and then the rookie pitcher Drew Hutchinson started to sweat and walked Alex Gordon.  Up comes our 2012 MLB All Star Game candidate Billy Butler, who has been carrying the Royals offense all season...until Saturday.  With Butler at the plate with two men on base, the Royals fans rose to their feet.  Rookie pitcher Drew Hutchinson, who was literally pulled up from the AA roster that week, was obviously freaking out.  He could NOT find the plate and quickly put the pitch count up to 3-0.  Yes, 3-0.  Now what does a professional baseball player do at the plate when the count is 3-0?  That's right kids, he TAKES THE FREAKING NEXT PITCH.  We don't know if old Ned gave Butler the green light to swing on a 3-0 count or whether Billy took matters into his own hands, but with the entire stadium on it's feet and the rookie pitcher about to pee his pants and simultaneously walk the bases loaded, Billy Butler decided to swing the bat.  Clearly the pitch was going to be ball 4, as Butler awkwardly reached for a total squirrel pitch and grounded into an AROUND THE HORN double play.  We just have one question for you Billy, what the hell were you doing?  Butler would go hitless for the game.

The Blue Jays finished the job after that debacle, smacking the Royals up 9-5.  Oh well, the Royals keep losing, but the fans keep coming.  I suppose that is why management trades away all of our good players and keeps the fans dangling by promising them that "we're building our team from our farm team program" - yeah, right.  Attendance for the entire weekend series was around 27,000 each night - so if the people of Kansas City keep spending money to come out to the games no matter how dismal the Royals perform, why change the formula?  The reality is that Royals stadium is just a giant bar - well - it's a giant bar......with a mascot....and a massive cover charge.....and you have to pay for parking......and....oh well, we've got to be the most gullible and sheepish city with an MLB team, we just sit back and take it.

~~ Kansas City News, Royals vs. Blue Jays April 21st, 2012

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Friday, April 20, 2012

All-Star Ballot Unveiled Today - Kansas City News

The 2012 MLB All-Star game has unveiled its ballot today, allowing fans across the nation to cast ballots for their team’s best players. Fans will have until July 5 to cast votes in at their team’s stadium for who they think should be in the game, which takes place on July 10 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Online voting will end on June 28. Royals fans who attend today’s game against Toronto will have an opportunity to be the first fans in Kansas City to vote, as in-park balloting begins today.

Despite a terrible start to the season, there are several Royals on the ballot. Despite an All-Star worthy season last year, Alex Gordon was snubbed from the team. This season, the only player in Kansas City who is playing at an All-Star level is Billy Butler, who is on his way towards a career year.

The following is a full list of players on the ballot:

Billy Butler
Jeff Francoeur
Alex Gordon
Lorenzo Cain
Salvador Perez
Chris Getz
Alcides Escobar
Eric Hosmer
Mike Moustakas

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Royals Swept By Indians, Off To Terrible Start - Kansas City News

After a promising road trip to start the year, the Royals season has completely fallen apart during the team’s recent home stand. The Royals lost their sixth straight game at home last night to Detroit, which lead to two troubling outcomes – the Royals are winless at home for the season, and Kansas City is now alone in last place in the AL Central.

Kansas City’s offense completely disappeared during its series against the league-leading Tigers. The Royals only scored six runs combined for the entire series, wasting three good outings from its starting pitching. The only player who has consistently produced at the plate this season is Billy Butler. Butler is batting .375 so far this season, with 2 home runs, 9 RBI and 6 doubles. The other big bats in the Royals lineup have yet to consistently produce, and hopefully Butler will get some help from his teammates soon.

The main problem for Kansas City has been consistency. The nights the Royals get strong pitching, its offense disappears. The nights Kansas City’s bats come alive, the pitching and defense struggle. The team has shown some flashes here and there, and for the most part, the starting pitching has been solid. The team must find some consistency and soon, or it will suffer yet another lackluster season.

The Royals have a good opportunity to turn things around Friday, when they start a four game home series with the Blue Jays. Luke Hochevar (1-1) will try to atone his dismal start last week in which he allowed seven runs in the first inning of the Royals’ home opener. He will face Kyle Drabek (2-0), who has pitched extremely well this season.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Late Collapse Costs Royals Series Vs. A's - Kansas City News

There are “tough” ways to lose a baseball game, and then there is the manner in which the Royals dropped last night’s extra-inning affair to the A’s. After taking the lead in the top of the 12th off of a Billy Butler double, reliever Jonathan Broxton allowed two runs and Oakland had a walk-off victory. It was how Broxton gave up the last run that has Kansas City fans fuming.

After former Royal Coco Crisp tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with an RBI grounder, Broxton’s control issues began. He hit Yoenis Cespedes on the first pitch of the at-bat to load the bases, then beamed Jonny Gomes on the first pitch of his at-bat to give Oakland the win. It was only the third time the A’s have won a game on a hit-by-pitch in the club’s history.

Broxton’s meltdown wasted some clutch hitting by two of Kansas City’s stars. Billy Butler and Alex Gordon both hit home runs and were responsible for all four of the Royals’ runs. The Royals had chances to add to their total, including a bases-loaded situation in the 5th, but were unable to capitalize.

The Royals’ return home tomorrow with a 3-3 record, and Kansas City can’t help but feel like it missed a golden opportunity to win its first two series of the year. There are some positive signs that should give fans hope – Kansas City’s starting pitching has been fantastic, and the Royals’ main offensive weapons are starting to find their groove. The Royals have a very easy April schedule, and there is no reason to doubt that Kansas City can emerge from the first month of the season with a winning record.

The Royals return to Kansas City tomorrow for the team’s home opener. Luke Hochevar (1-0) will start for Kansas City, while Derek Lowe (1-0) will start for the visiting Cleveland Indians. The Royals lost last year's home opener, 4-2, to the Angels.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Royals Fall To Orioles In Hottest Game In Team History

After an impressive series victory over Cleveland, Kansas City fell flat on its face last night. The Royals got hammered at home by the Orioles, 8-2, and fell to 28-30 at home for the season.

Kansas City had no answer for Baltimore's Mark Reynolds, who drove in five runs and outscored the Royals by himself. Kansas City cut the lead to two runs in the eighth inning when Alex Gordon scored on Billy Butler's sacrifice fly, only to watch Reynolds blast a three run homer in the ninth to put the game out of reach.

Bruce Chen picked up the loss for Kansas City, dropping his record to 5-5 on the season. Chen has now lost three of his last four decisions, and appears to have lost the magic he had earlier in the year. Chen has pitched past the fifth inning only once since the All-Star break, and Kansas City may need to sit him or send him down to the minors for a week or two to get it together.

The game time temperature was 107 degrees, which allegedly is a record for a game at Kauffman Stadium. With a record heat wave heating the area, tonight and tomorrow's games will likely be just as hot, and fans at the K are encouraged to stay hydrated and avoid the sun as much as possible.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Royals Take Series Against Indians

With a strong performance from Danny Duffy and some timely hitting, Kansas City was able to defeat Cleveland today, 5-3. The win gave Kansas City a series victory over their struggling AL Central rival, and the Royals have now won eight of 12.

Duffy, who was filling in for the injured Kyle Davies, was able to escape several jams and struck out six in five innings of work. He gave up eight hits, but was also able to pick off two runners. Joakim Soria picked up the save, his 20th in 26 chances.

Offensively, the Royals were aided by Alex Gordon, who has been putting on a clinic during Kansas City's hot streak. In the month of July, Gordon batted .323 with four home runs and 13 RBI, and has raised his average on the season to .302. Gordon's emergence, paired with strong seasons from Jeff Francoeur and Billy Butler, has given the Royals offense some much-needed consistency.

Kansas City has tomorrow off, then starts a home series against Baltimore on Tuesday. The game is scheduled to start at 7:10 pm

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Royals Can't Keep Up With Red Sox

The Royals enjoyed one of their better offensive games of the season, blasting several homers and notching seven runs by the fourth inning. Only problem was, Boston's offense was even better, and Kansas City fell 13-9.

Early on, it appeared that the Royals were en route to a victory. The team jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, and later took a 7-5 lead in the fourth thanks to home runs by Alex Gordon and Billy Butler. However, Boston had a field day from the plate, and used a monster fifth inning to put the game out of reach.

The game was a polor opposite of Monday night's contest, a pitcher's dual that included a 1-1 tie entering the 14th inning. Kansas City was able to win that game despite scoring only one run in nine innings, yet nine runs weren't even close to good enough last night. Baseball can be a funny game sometimes.

Kansas City will play Boston again tonight at 6:10 PM. Bruce Chen (5-3) will get the start for the Royals. Chen only allowed one run over eight innings in his last start, a no decision against the White Sox.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Who Will Represent the Royals in the 2011 MLB All Star Game?

The 2011 MLB All Star game is approaching, and managers will be making their player selections soon. In baseball, each team must have at least one representative in the game, which means Kansas City will be sending someone to Phoenix - we just don't know who that player will be.

Several candidates are being mentioned as a possible representative for the Royals. Many experts feel Billy Butler should be in the All Star game. Butler leads the team with a .303 batting average and a .403 on base percentage. Others feel that Jeff Francoeur is deserving of a bid, and for good reason. Francoeur leads the team in home runs (10) and RBI (46).

Despite the impressive stats of both Butler and Francoeur, Alex Gordon is leading most fan polls in regards to which Kansas City player should earn the big. Gordon leads the Royals in runs and OPS, while hitting a respectable .293. He also narrowly trails Francoeur in home runs with nine. Gordon's well-rounded game certainly make him worth of a bid, but Francoeur seems to be the man to beat at this point.

Other Royals in consideration are relief pitcher Aaron Crow, centerfielder Melky Cabrera, shortstop Alcides Escobar, relief pitcher Joakim Soria, and first baseman Eric Hosmer. The results will be announced on July 3rd on TBS.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Royals Beat Cubs, Win Series

The Kansas City Royals defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-3 today, giving them a rare inter-league series victory. Luke Hochevar pitched well, giving up only three runs in 5 2/3rds innings to improve his record on the season to 5-8. Joakim Soria earned another save, and has now converted 13 saves in his last 18 opportunities.

The Royals' bats were hot from the start, as Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur all delivered RBI hits in the first inning. Gordon's RBI double in the first extended his hitting streak to 13 games, and the young outfielder has been playing at an all-star level the past month. Six Royals batters wound up reaching base in the first inning, as Kansas City quickly built a four run lead it would not relinquish.

The Cubs battled back, cutting the lead to 4-3 with runs in the third and fourth inning. However, Eric Hosmer and Chris Getz added RBI singles in the bottom of the fourth to give Kansas City a bigger cushion and fend off Chicago's comeback bid. It was the most runs the Royals have scored in a game since June 14, when they defeated the Oakland A's 7-4.

The win moved Kansas City out of last place in the AL Central, as they are now a half game better than the Minnesota Twins. The Royals will be back in action tonight, traveling to San Diego to begin a series with the Padres. Jeff Francis (3-8) will get the start for Kansas City.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Royals Fall to Blue Jays 9-8

Kansas City's comeback effort came up just short, as the Royals lost a back-and-forth slugfest to the Blue Jays, 9-8. Despite three run home runs from Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler, Kansas City was undone by poor pitching. The loss dropped the Royals to 26-36 for the season, nine games behind Cleveland in the AL Central standings.

Early on, it appeared that Kansas City was in a good position to pick up the win. After falling behind 2-0 early, Cabrera blasted a three run shot to give the Royals a 4-2 lead. That lead would disappear quickly, however, as Jayson Nix hit a three run home run of his own to give Toronto the lead. The Blue Jays then seemingly put the game out of reach in the sixth inning, as Adam Lind hit a grand slam to give Toronto a 9-4 lead.

The Royals wouldn't quit, and made an impressive late charge to get back in the game. Butler's three run homer in eighth cut the lead to two runs, and Alex Gordon doubled in the ninth to make it a one run game.

It is a shame that such an impressive offensive performance came in a losing effort. The Royals get another shot at Toronto this afternoon. Luke Hochevar, who has really struggled over the last couple of games, will get the start for Kansas City.

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