Showing posts with label KC Royals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KC Royals. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Luis Mendoza Wins Final Spot In Royals’ Starting Rotation

After a tough battle with Bruce Chen, Luis Mendoza has been named the fifth starter in the Kansas City Royals’ starting rotation. Chen will be moved to the bullpen.

Mendoza had an impressive spring for Kansas City, allowing only one run in 11 innings pitched. Chen struggled in spring ball, giving up 13 runs and 16 hits in 13 and 2/3 innings. Mendoza also had an impressive showing in the World Baseball Classic for his native Mexico. As a result, Mendoza will be joining James Shields, Ervin Santana, Jeremy Guthrie and Wade Davis in the Royals’ starting rotation.

Chen could be a valuable asset to what is already a strong bullpen, and the veteran provides Kansas City with some nice insurance should one of the starters get hurt or struggle. Chen has won 35 games over the past three seasons and has been very reliable for the organization.

The Royals will have to make several other roster decisions in the near future. The team must decide between Brett Hayes and George Kottaras in the battle for the backup catcher position, and between Miguel Tejada and Irving Falu for the utility infielder spot. Kansas City will also have to settle on its bullpen, where pitchers such as J.C. Gutierrez, Francisley Bueno, Louis Coleman, Dan Wheeler and Donnie Joseph are all competing.

KCMB 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.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Royals Win Club Record 22nd Spring Game, Make More Roster Moves

Following an impressive 8-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Kansas City Royals made several more roster moves last night. The team optioned outfielder David Lough to Class AAA Omaha and released infielder Xavier Nady and relief pitcher George Sherrill.

The release of Lough comes as a surprise, as the 27-year-old has put together an impressive spring. Lough is 20 for 44 in 24 spring games, and many felt he could be a replacement for the struggling Jeff Francoeur. The team currently plans on having four outfielders on its major league roster: Francoeur, Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson.

Many Kansas City fans have voiced their displeasure with Francoeur, who struggled from the plate last season and has had a poor spring. If the veteran gets off to another slow start this season, Lough could be brought up to replace him. Lough also provides some nice insurance should one of the team’s other infielders suffer an injury.

The decision to release Nady and Sherrill rather than assigning them to the minor leagues makes both veterans free agents, however Kansas City is expected to attempt to re-sign the pair. Sherill is recovering from Tommy John surgery and has yet to pitch this spring. The Royals are hopeful that he could return to game action sometime in May. Nady has battled a foot injury this spring, and saw limited action in 13 games.

The win over the Dodgers gave the Royals a club-record 22nd spring win. Kansas City has been impressive all of spring training, compiling a 22-6-1 record fueled by strong hitting from several young players and impressive pitching from its off-season acquisitions. The team will face the Seattle Mariners at 3:05 p.m. today. Bruce Chen will get the start for Kansas City – his last chance to impress the coaching staff in his battle for the fifth starter spot with Luis Mendoza. Mendoza will be starting for Kansas City on Wednesday.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Royals Undefeated In Preseason

The Royals’ preseason has gotten off to a great start, as the team is the only club in baseball to still be undefeated in exhibition play. Kansas City’s offense has been hot all spring, and that continued yesterday in an 8-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Royals fans have to be encouraged from how well the team has hit so far in spring ball. Third baseman Mike Moustakas currently has a .545 batting average, while first baseman Eric Hosmer is hitting .391. Kansas City needs both Moustakas and Hosmer to take the next step this season if the team is going to compete for the postseason, and both are producing so far. Alex Gordon may also be in-line for another good season, as he has hit .471 through exhibition play.

A battle for the fifth starter spot is still taking place between Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen, and it appears that the Royals are now considering trading the pitcher that doesn’t make the starting rotation (as long as the team’s other starters remain healthy). Both Chen and Hochevar will earn $4.5 million this season, and with the Royals’ payroll at a franchise-record $79 million at the moment, it would make sense to trade whichever pitcher will not be starting.

Several scouts were in attendance for the team’s victory over the A’s to watch both Chen and Hochevar pitch. Chen allowed one run on two hits with zero walks, while Hochevar pitched three scoreless innings with three hits and one walk. Chen has led the team in victories over the past three years, but many feel that Hochevar is the current favorite to win the rotation spot.

Kansas City’s undefeated record in spring ball will be put to the test this afternoon, when the team plays the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game will begin at 1:10 p.m.

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Thursday, February 14, 2013

Royals Spring Training Begins, Competition At Pitcher Heats Up

Royals spring training is officially underway! The team has made several key offseason moves in hopes for contending for the playoffs, and several position battles are taking place that could have a big impact on the upcoming season.

Currently, all eyes are on the pitching rotation, as a battle for the fifth starter’s spot has developed. It appears that Luke Hochevar is an early favorite to land the position, but he will have stiff competition from Bruce Chen and Luis Mendoza. Hochevar has the most upside of the group, and manager Ned Yost is still high on the former top overall pick. However, Chen and Mendoza both had solid seasons in 2012, and while Hochevar occasionally flashes brilliance, he had an ERA north of five last year.

Kansas City has high hopes for its rotation, as the additions of James Shields, Wade Davis and Ervin Santana should provide a much-needed improvement. Royals starting pitchers went 47-69 last season with a 5.01 ERA – good for 26th in the majors. The three new additions will be paired with Jeremy Guthrie, who pitched incredibly well for Kansas City at the end of last season.

If Hochevar wins the fifth starter spot, Chen and Mendoza could be added to the bullpen, which already has several talented pitchers. Mendoza was recently named the MVP of the Caribbean Series while he pitched for Mexico, and Chen has been steady for the entirety of his career in Kansas City. If the Royals ever needed a spot-starter, or if a starter suffered an injury, Mendoza and Chen would both be worthy candidates.

Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino are both recovering from elbow injuries, but the pair could be back sometime around the All-Star break. Duffy and Paulino were starters before getting hurt, and both have pitched well in that role for the Royals.

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Saturday, November 3, 2012

Royals Make More Roster Moves

The Royals were busy yesterday making several roster moves, most notably the additions of right-handed pitcher Guillermo Moscoso and catcher Brett Hayes. Moscoso was claimed off of waivers from Rockies, while Hayes was acquired from the marlins.

It is unknown if Moscoso has been acquired to be a starter, although many feel he may get a shot. Last season with Colorado, Moscoso earned a 3-2 record with a 6.12 ERA in 23 appearances, including three starts. Moscoso had a much better year in 2011, when he went 8-10 with a solid 3.38 ERA in 21 starts with Oakland. The Royals recently traded for Ervin Santana, and have talented pitchers like Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino returning from injury (both Duffy and Paulino were reinstated off the disabled list and are back on the roster). Moscoso would likely have to have a strong spring to earn a rotation spot, and may be headed to the Royals’ bullpen.

Hayes has spent the majority of his career as a backup, although he has seen some significant time in the major league. He appeared in 39 games last year, hitting .202, and played in 64 games in 2011, when he posted a .231 batting average.

Kansas City lost Blake Wood, as the right-handed pitcher was claimed off waivers to the Cleveland Indians. The Royals also designated three players for assignment – pitchers Tommy Hottovy and Jeremy Jeffress, as well as outfielder Jason Bourgeois. Catcher Manny Pina was sent to Class AAA Omaha on outright assignment.

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Thursday, November 1, 2012

Royals Trade For Pitcher Ervin Santana

Just hours after announcing that the club had declined an option on closer Joakim Soria, the Royals announced another deal concerning a pitcher. Kansas City has made a trade with the Los Angeles Angels, acquiring right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana for minor league left-hander Brandon Sisk. The Royals also acquired $1 million in cash with the deal.

Santana has been a regular in the Angels’ rotation since 2005, going 96-80 with a 4.33 ERA. He has been extremely durable during this stretch, starting at least 23 games in eight consecutive seasons. The righty struggles last season, finishing with a 9-13 record with a 5.16 ERA while allowing a league-leading 39 home runs. Santana did pitch well in the final two months of the season, hopefully showing that he has put his struggles behind him and can pitch like he did earlier in his career.

Santana only has one year remaining on his contract, and it appears that the Royals have not discussed any long-term deals with him at this time. This might be a wait-and-see situation for Kansas City, mostly due to Santana’s inconsistency. The pitcher is a former all-star who once looked like one of the best in the game, yet really regressed in the early portion of the 2012 season.

Sisk spent last season in Triple-A Omaha, going 3-2 with a 2.54 ERA and also recording eight saves. The Angels didn’t have room for Santana in their starting rotation, and it is believed that Sisk may be an addition to their struggling bullpen.

It is hard to gauge this trade for the Royals. While the team does need some starting pitching, the acquisition of Jonathan Sanchez – who was downright horrible last season – is still on many Royals fans’ minds. However, the club has shown a knack for helping struggling pitchers find a second life in Kansas City, and Santana did pitch well at the end of last season. The Royals new acquisition has one year left on his contract to prove that he still has the stuff that once made him one of the better starters in the majors.

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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Hosts USA World Cup Qualifying Match Tonight

The United States Men’s National team has a big game tonight against Guatemala, the semi-final round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying. The match will take place at Kansas City’s LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, and will begin at 6 p.m.

The United States needs a win or a tie to advance to the finals. The Americans can also advance with a loss in the game based on the result of the Jamaica vs. Antigua and Barbuda match, but the US squad has made it known it intends to go for the win. USA found itself in this game after winning a critical World Cup qualifying match against Antigua and Barbuda 2-1, with both goals being scored by national team veteran Eddie Johnson.

LIVESTRONG has turned into one of the best venues to watch soccer in the nation, and Kansas City has slowly grown an impressive soccer fan base. A lot of the credit has to go to the success of Sporting Kansas City, which has become one of the best teams in major league soccer and is fueled by a terrific home crowd whenever it plays in KC.

With the Royals stuck in two decades of futility and the Chiefs looking like the worst team in the NFL this season (not to mention they haven’t won a playoff game since January of 1994) Kansas City fans should be grateful that they have Sporting KC and LIVESTRONG park. Our MLS team has given the city a winner to root for, and helps attract marquee matchups like tonight’s world cup qualifier featuring our national team.

Is Kansas City turning into a soccer town? If the Royals and Chiefs keep underperforming, it is entirely possible.

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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Walks Once Again Doom Royals In Loss To Angels

The Royals’ pitching staff has struggled all season long, particularly with allowing walks. The team leads the American League with 344 walks this season, and two key walks ended up being difference makers in the team’s 6-3 loss to the LA Angels last night.

Midway through the game, Kansas City was locked in a tight 2-2 draw, thanks to RBIs early in the game from Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain. However, once the sixth inning hit, the Royals’ shaky pitching once again reared its ugly head. Howie Kendrick drew a leadoff walk, and then scored on a single by Maicer Izturis. After the Royals tied the game again when Bryan Pena drove in Eric Hosmer, Kansas City’s Greg Holland sunk the team’s chances with an awful walk in the eighth. The Royals had already gotten two outs in the inning, and Holland faced Peter Bourjos, who entered the at-bat with a measly .223 batting average. Holland walked Bourjos on four straight pitches, and then gave up a three-run single to Kendrys Morales that essentially was the ball game.

The Royals have been walking batters an alarming rate this season, and once it again it came back to haunt them in a crucial situation. Holland’s mistake wasted a decent outing from Chen, who gave up three runs and give hits in 5 1/3 innings. Chen is now 0-2 with a 9.25 ERA in his last five starts, after a hot streak in which he went 7-2 over his previous 10 outings.

Kansas City will face the Angels in LA again tonight at 9:05 p.m. Will Smith (1-3) will start for the Royals, while Garrett Richards (3-1) will take the mound for 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.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Danny Duffy Out For Season With Torn Elbow Ligament

Danny Duffy only lasted 13 pitches into Kansas City's 9-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox before disaster struck for the young pitcher. Duffy tore his left ulnar collateral ligament, and will likely require Tommy John's surgery. This would mean that the young lefty's 2012 season would be over, delivering a crushing blow to the Royals' starting rotation.

Kansas City already lost All-Star closer Joakim Soria to a similar injury on April 3, and now the Royals have lost two of their best arms. Duffy had a 2-2 record this season with a 3.90 ERA, and seemed to be on the verge of becoming one of the better starters in the American League.

The Royals also lost starter Jonathan Sanchez, who was placed on the 15 day disabled list last Wednesday with bicep tendinitis.

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Friday, May 4, 2012

Royals Beat Yankees For Their First Home Win Of The Season

As sad as it is that it came in May, the Royals won their first home game of the season last night, beating the New York Yankees 4-3. The Royals were able to hold on in ninth thanks to a fantastic play at third base by Mike Moustakas, who made a bare-handed grab to throw at Alex Rodriquez to end the game. The win improved the Royals’ record to 8-16 on the season.

Moustakas also contributed at the plate, belting a solo shot in the second inning to give the Royals an early lead, and adding two more RBIs in the fifth. The young third baseman is silently having a very good season for the Royals, hitting for a .318 average this season with 4 home runs and 15 RBIs. He has also played excellent defense at third base, and last night’s game winning throw was just one of several highlight-reel plays he has made at third base this season.

Danny Duffy pitched very well for Kansas City, and improved his record to 2-2 on the season while lowering his ERA to 3.57. The Royals bullpen was solid, save for a shaky outing from closer Jonathan Broxton. Broxton gave up a hit and a walk before a big double play got Kansas City closer to victory.

The big story before the game was New York’s loss of Mariano Rivera, who tore his ACL before the game shagging balls and may be done for his career. Rivera is the greatest closer in MLB history, and his absence surely played a part on the Yankee’s struggles. However, give a lot of credit to Kansas City, the Royals deserved the win and got the winless-at-home monkey off their back.

Kansas City will play New York again tonight at 7:10 p.m. Bruce Chen (0-3) will start for the Royals, while C.C. Sabathia (3-0) will start for the Yankees.

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Monday, April 23, 2012

Royals Announce Green Renovations To Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City News

In honor of Earth Day, which took place on Sunday, the Royals have announced a new partnership with Kansas City Power and Light to install a new solar array at Kauffman stadium to produce solar energy. This new feature, part of the MLB Greening Program, will be the largest in-stadium solar array in Major League Baseball. Kansas City Power and Light installed a 28.8 kilowatt solar array on the roof of Kauffman Stadium, which will produce 36,000 kWh of renewable energy each year.

This addition is the first step in a long-term partnership between the Royals and KCPL to maximize renewable energy resources at Kauffman Stadium.
While Kansas City’s solar array will be the biggest in the league, they are not the only MLB team to add panels to their stadium. The Cardinals added solar panels to Busch Stadium this year, and other teams have made renovations to their ballparks in an effort to go green.

The Royals, currently in the middle of a league worst 10 game losing streak, will wrap up its series with Toronto today at 7:10 p.m.

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Sunday, April 22, 2012

Royals Losing Streak Reaches 10 Games - Kansas City News

After starting the season with a lot of promise, the Royals have hit rock bottom. Kansas City lost its 10th straight game today, falling 5-3 to Toronto. With the loss, Kansas City fell to 3-12 on the season.

Out of all the losses during the losing streak, today's game might have been the best summary as to why Kansas City is off to a terrible start. The offense couldn't generate runs. Danny Duffy threw good pitches, but got rocked in the 5th inning and took his second loss of the season. Kansas City allowed Brett Lawrie to steal home. The Royals went a paltry 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. The team got two runners on in the bottom of the ninth with only one out, and Bryan Pena hit into a game ending double play. The list goes on and on, but the point remains - this team is playing terrible baseball right now. Kansas City is hosting the 2012 All-Star game, which has allowed Kansas City to receive more regional and national attention than normal. Unfortunately, the team has only made its negative stigma worse this season.

Kansas City will try to salvage a win in the last game of the series tomorrow, which takes place at 7:10 p.m. Bruce Chen (0-1) will get the start for the Royals, while Brandon Morrow (0-1) will start for Toronto. The Royals will start a series with the Indians in Cleveland on Tuesday.

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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.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Royals Shut Out Again In Loss To A's - Kansas City News

For the second time this season, the Royals’ offense failed to put a run on the board, and Kansas City fell to Oakland 1-0 last night. The Royals had absolutely no answer for Tommy Milone, who threw eight scoreless innings while only surrendering three hits. The loss dropped the Royals record to 2-2 on the season.

The embarrassing offensive output wasted a great outing from Luis Mendoza, who pitched 5 2/3rds innings and only gave up one run on five hits. Mendoza had a fantastic spring, compiling a 4-0 record and a 0.47 ERA in exhibition play, and hopefully this is a sign of things to come for the journeyman the Royals are counting on this year.

While early, it has been hard to figure out the Royals this season. The offense has looked great in the team’s two wins, and dreadful in Kansas City’s two losses. One constant so far has been starting pitching – the Royals starters have all pitched extremely well. With a young and talented lineup, the Royals offense should start to find some consistency. The big question mark entering the season was the starting rotation, and so far, the Royals’ rotation has looked good.

With Kansas City hosting the 2012 All Star game and young stars like Eric Hosmer, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the Royals early in the season. With an easy early schedule, the Royals have a great chance to build some momentum and live up to the early hype.

Kansas City faces Oakland again today at 9:05 PM. Danny Duffy (0-0) will get the start for the Royals, while Graham Godfrey (0-0) will start for the A’s.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Royals Season Comes to and End

The Kansas City Royals have completed another losing season, leaving only 5 teams in the entire league with worse records than the Royals. Although this season ended on a positive note, with the Royals stringing together several wins and many players stepping up and improving their batting averages and ERAs, it was still just another losing season for a team that hasn't seen a decent win / loss record since 1985. Ah, thank God for the 1985 Royals, George Brett, Willie Wilson, the good old days...

I suppose the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about is David Glass and the way he refuses to spend money on quality players, and furthermore, the players who emerge from Kansas City as stars are immediately traded away.

The Kansas City Royals are talking a big game right now about how their farm team approach is ready for harvest in 2012, and that they are predicting a playoff appearance by 2013. KANSAS CITY, MO (January 25, 2011) – Baseball America, baseball’s preeminent authority on minor league prospects, has rated the Kansas City Royals farm system as the best in all of baseball in the soon-to-be-released 2011 Prospect Handbook.

"The Royals have one of the deepest and most talented farm systems in recent memory,” said Jim Callis, Executive Editor at Baseball America. “It's unusual to see a system with three stud hitters like Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Wil Myers, or four quality lefties like John Lamb, Mike Montgomery, Danny Duffy and Chris Dwyer, and the Royals have both. To show how highly we regard the Royals system, we ranked it No. 1 before the Zack Greinke trade, which netted more top prospects. "Seven of the Royals’ top 10 prospects will be in Major League Spring Training camp next month in Surprise, Ariz. The group includes first baseman Eric Hosmer (ranked #1), third baseman Mike Moustakas (#3) and left-handed pitcher John Lamb (#4).

The Royals have been nurturing a great farm team system that is creating future star players, but how do we know that isn't just another way for Glass to make money? At what point will the Royals start trading away their star players, as they have done with every star player we've ever had since the 1990's? I started to get suspicious the minute they renovated Kauffman Stadium last season.

It is no accident that they turned Royals stadium into a giant BAR with the new renovations. Fans can now go to a game and not even watch the game, they can go to one of the many indoor bars, go watch a live band, pretty much anything but pay attention to just the game itself. Glass figures that if all there is to do at a Royals game is actually watch the Royals, then the fans would go home thus spending less money on concessions. Glass has figured out a way to make more money off the ever-losing Royals franchise and I think that they have no intention of EVER spending money on players, thus eliminating us from the big race indefinitely.

But hey, I was lucky enough to actually ATTEND the big games in 1985, so I will always have that. I'm sorry that you young fans will probably never see Kansas City in a celebration of that magnitude in your lifetime. At least we will be able to watch the great players come through Kansas City next season for the All Star Game 2012.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Royals Fall To Rays

A dominant pitching performance by Luke Hochevar wasn't enough, as the Royals' offense couldn't get anything going all night against Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson. Kansas City ended up on the wrong end of a pitchers' dual, losing 2-1.

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, August 7, 2011

Johnny Giavotella, Bruce Chen Lead Royals To Win Over Tigers

It appears that the Kansas City Royals may have found their second baseman of the future. Johnny Giavotella, who was recently called up from triple A ball, had a monster game today against Detroit, leading the Royals to a 4-3 victory.

Giavotella's start to his big league career has been stunning; since being called up, he has gone 5 for 11 from the plate with a .909 slugging percentage. He has also played very solid defense and has not been intimidated by some of the best pitchers in the American League. Giavotella put up very impressive numbers at Omaha, boasting a .338 batting average, suggesting that his fast start in the big leagues isn't a fluke.

While Giavotella got the Royals' offense going with a homer and a double, Bruce Chen made sure his efforts were not in vain. Chen finally displayed a glimpse of the stuff that made him so effective earlier this season, striking out five over five plus innings while allowing only three runs. Not the most dominating performance, but a significant improvement over his last several outings.

Alex Gordon picked up his 18th outfield assist for the season, breaking the club record shared by Jermaine Dye and Mark Teahen. Kansas City now has 40 outfield assists this season, which leads the major leagues. Jeff Francoeur also picked up an outfield assist in the seventh inning, and has the most assists in MLB since he debuted in 2005.

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.

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