Royals Make Roster Moves Following Losses To Blue Jays

After winning four games in a row to pull four games under .500, the Royals have entered a bit of a tailspin, losing five of their last six. Their past two losses to the Toronto Blue Jays have forced the team to make several roster changes as Kansas City looks to get back in contention before the All Star game.

To address both injuries and a lack of production in their pitching staff, the Royals have recalled pitchers Nate Adcock and Louis Coleman from Triple-A Omaha. Adcock is 0-3 with a 3.12 ERA in nine games, including two starts with the Royals this season, while Coleman has a 4.91 ERA in 17 appearances out of the bullpen. After a disastrous last outing, pitcher Vin Mazzaro will be heading back to Triple-A. After being handed a 3-0 lead, Mazzaro gave up six runs and 13 hits in only 5 1/3 innings in Kansas City’s 6-3 loss to Toronto. Mazzaro has gone 3-3 for the Royals this season with a 5.70 ERA. The Royals also designated Mitch Maier for assignment. Maier has hit .172 with two homers and seven RBI in 32 games this year.

The Royals only have four games remaining before the 2012 All Star game festivities hit Kansas City, and it will need to get pick up some wins to stay in contention in the AL Central. Tonight, the Royals will try to salvage a four game split with the Blue Jays, playing at 6:07 p.m. Luke Hochevar (5-8) will start for Kansas City, while the red hot Henderson Alvarez (5-6) will start for Toronto. After wrapping up its series with the Blue Jays, the Royals will travel to Detroit for a three game series before the All Star break.

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Royals Back In Contention With Win Over Rangers - Kansas City News

After an embarrassing 12 game losing streak, it looked like the Royals were headed towards another disappointing season. However, Kansas City has won four games in a row and suddenly finds itself back in contention in the AL Central. Last night, the Royals beat the Texas Rangers 7-4, improving their record to 15-20.

The story of last night’s game was Vin Mazzaro, who made his season debut against the best offense in the American League. Mazzaro was called up to replace Danny Duffy, who was recently lost for the season due to an elbow injury. The young right hander gave up three runs over five innings, keeping the Rangers in check while the Royals offense got big hits from Billy Butler, Mike Moustakas and Bryan Pena to take the lead. Kansas City also got a strong pitching performance from reliever Tim Collins, who struck out five of the six batters he faced in two innings of work.

The question now is can Kansas City keep its momentum going? The loss of Duffy is a huge blow to the starting pitching rotation, and the Royals have some tough series coming up. The good news is the Royals have a puncher’s chance to reach the top of the AL Central standings, something that was unimaginable a few weeks ago.

Kansas City will look to keep its winning streak alive tonight, when they begin a three game series with Baltimore. Felipe Paulino (1-1) will start for the Royals, while Tommy Hunter (2-2) will get the start for the Orioles.

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Injuries Force Royals to Move Duffy Up

Injuries to Royals starters Kyle Davies and Bruce Chen have forced Dayton Moore to call up young gun Danny Duffy. Vin Mazzaro was seen as a possible in the rotation, but after his awful outing on Monday, the team had to look elsewhere. In the midst of a 4 game skid and a possible drop out of the division race, the Royals know something must be done with a starting rotation that is second to last in the American league in ERA.

Davies left in the first inning Monday night and went on the 15 day DL before Mazzaro's meltdown. Bruce Chen has been sidelined since last week with a strain in his back, and likely won't see action at Major League level until early June. That leaves Duffy and fellow rookie Nate Adcock to fill the void. Duffy has a 3-1 record this year at AAA Omaha, with a 3.00 ERA and 43 Strikeouts in 36 innings, he has been regarded as a top pitching prospect since being drafted in the 3rd round in 2007.


Nate Adcock was a Rule 5 draftee in the off season and has been excellent out of the bullpen this year for the Royals compiling a 2.08 ERA in 8 appearances. Adcock will likely get the start on Saturday in Davies's spot in the Rotation.

Royals Lose In Record-Setting Fashion

Just when things had started looking up for Kansas City, disaster struck. Vin Mazzaro made major league history in the worst way imaginable - giving up 14 runs in less than three innings - and the Royals were mauled by Cleveland 19-1.

No major league pitcher has given up 14 runs in as few of innings as Mazzaro did, which means he now owns a major league record. His horrible performance also cost him a spot on the team, as the Royals sent him back down to the minors after the debacle was over. It is hard to imagine that Mazzaro - who know boasts a 22.74 ERA - will get another major league shot anytime soon.

As bad as Mazzaro was, the Royals coaching staff has to shoulder some blame here. One has to wonder what on earth they were thinking while they stood there and watched the young pitcher get absolutely shelled. Was it to send a message? Did they hope to kill as much of his confidence as they could? The guy gave up ten runs in the fourth inning, so naturally we should bring him back out for the fifth, right?

It is nights like last night and coaching decisions such as leaving in a guy getting tormented that make the Kansas City Royals what they are. Just baffling.

Royals Loss to Yankees Shows How Far Team has to Go

The Royals you were expecting this year have surfaced, as Kansas City has regressed back to its 2010 season form. Last night's 3-1 loss to the Yankees was a bad trip down memory lane for Royals fans, and it appears as if this year's magic may be slowly wearing off.

On paper, a two run loss to a dangerous Yankee team doesn't appear that bad. However, it was the way Kansas City lost that was so cringeworthy. Every inning, it seemed that the Royals put men in scoring position and failed to manufacture runs. Melky Cabrera provided Kansas City with its only run, a solo shot in the fourth inning. The bottom of Kansas City's order is what will ultimately hold this team back, proven last night when the Royals 7 through 9 hitters constantly left players on base.

The Royals also made several head-scratching plays that showed this club still has a long way to go. Matt Treanor got picked off in a horrible steal attempt, and Chris Getz was easily thrown out trying to reach second base off a pitch that hit the dirt.

The Royals also announced yesterday that starter Bruce Chen will be placed on the 15 day DL due to a sore side. Kansas City will call up Vin Mazzaro from Omaha to take his place. This could be a big blow as Chen has been the rotation's most consistent pitcher this year. The Royals are still above .500, but the team has a lot of work to do and obstacles to overcome if they want to keep the cinderella story going.