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Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Royals Fall To Rays
Hochevar, who had won his previous three starts, certainly pitched well enough to earn another victory last night. He pitched seven strong innings, only giving up one run and five hits while striking out seven. After falling to 4-8 earlier in the year, Hochevar has been downright dominant for the Royals lately. It appears the light may have finally come on for the former top overall pick.
Early in the game, it appeared that Kansas City's offense was poised to put up some big numbers against Hellickson. Alex Gordon lead off the game with a double, and scored on Eric Hosmer's bloop single. The Royals would have plenty of chances to add to their lead later in the game, but failed to drive in several runners in scoring position.
Kansas City faces Tampa Bay again tonight at 6:10 p.m. Jeff Francis (4-11) will get the start for Kansas City, while James Shields (10-9) gets the start for the Rays.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Royals Blow Out Rockies
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Royals Fall to Padres
The Royals got off to a poor start, and found themselves in a quick 2-0 hole afterRyan Ludwick blasted a two run homer in the first. The third inning wasn't much better, as San Diego scored on a Jeff Francis wild pitch as well as a throwing error by Eric Hosmer. Despite all the mistakes, the Royals only trailed by one after six innings due to Brayan Pena's two run double. However, the offense soon stalled and the Royals never got any closer.
Jeff Francis (3-9) never got it going against the Padres, and his performance on the road this season has been downright terrible. In games away from Kansas City, Francis is 1-5 with a 6.75 ERA. Kyle Davies is ready to come off the disabled list, who has been just as bad as Francis this year. Hopefully manager Ned Yost continues to use rookie Danny Duffy, who has pitched well this year, and sends either Francis or Davies (or both) packing.
Game two against the Padres starts tonight at 9:05 p.m. Felipe Paulino (0-1) gets the start for Kansas City, as he looks to rebound from his first loss as a Royal.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Royals Drop Game One of Series vs. Diamondbacks
The big story from the game was Pena, who has bounced around the minor leagues for the past couple of seasons. Predictably, he broke the game open with a home run with two outs in the fifth inning. Before Pena's blast, Hochevar had only given up one hit, and appeared to be cruising towards a rare victory. The Royals former first-overall draft pick has made a bad habit of pitching well for several innings, then imploding later in the game. It is his flashes of dominance that make him so frustrating, just when it looks like he is in control, he gives up five runs in an inning and the game is over.
The lone bright spot offensively for Kansas City was Alex Gordon, who fell a single shy of hitting for the cycle. Gordon's homerun and triple accounted for the Royals' only runs, and the young outfielder has raised his average to .287 for the season. Kansas City fans had waited patiently for Gordon to break out, and the former Nebraska star seems to finally be putting it all together.
Kansas City hosts the Diamondbacks again tonight at 7:10 p.m. Jeff Francis (3-7) will get the start for the Royals.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Royals Drop Home Series to A's - Francis Still Winless
Jeff Francis yet again failed to earn a win, and the Royals starter might hit Independance day before he notches a victory at this rate. Francis isn't pitching terribly, and the Royals had an idea of what they were getting with the veteran. The lefty has a career ERA of 4.79 and an overall record of 55-54, and this season his ERA sits at 5.09. The Royals just need Francis to pitch decently and keep them in games, and he was able to do that in his last start. The Royals offense couldn't get anything going against the A's Tyson Ross, who is off to a solid start this season.
Kansas City is off today, and travels to New York to face the Yankees tomorrow. The matchup with the Yankees gives the Royals an opportunity to prove if they are for real or not to the entire nation. Don't hold your breath.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Royals Win Fourth Straight, Beat Orioles 6-5
Kansas City has participated in several thrilling extra-inning contests this season, and last night's game was yet another nail-biter decided late. Jeff Francoeur ended up being the hero, tying the game with a home run in the sixth inning and hitting a sacrifice fly in tenth that gave the Royals the win. Francoeur is having a strong season, hitting for a .315 average with 7 HRs and 23 RBI. He was a very smart free agent pickup (I guess the Royals were finally due for one) who has helped spark Kansas City's offense while also providing much-needed veteran leadership.
Unfortunately for Kansas City, Jeff Francis continued to struggle. Francis is now winless in his seven starts this season, and has been shelled in his last couple of outings. If the Royals want to keep winning into the summer and make a surprise run at a playoff position, they will need Francis and other starting pitchers to consistently pitch well.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Royals Back in Action After Sweeping Twins
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Royals Fall to Twins in Extras
The difference in last night’s game was the performance of the bullpens: Minnesota’s relievers were absolutely lights out, retiring 12 consecutive batters and never allowing KC to pose a threat. Robinson Tejeda struggled, loading the bases before Danny Valencia won the game with a single.
Kansas City has a bad habit of dropping close slugfests like last night’s game, especially against the Twins. If it wants to continue to win games and be a contender, it has to start beating Minnesota consistently.