Royals Fall to Orioles

Kansas City fell to Baltimore 5-3 last night, and has now lost 8 of its last 10 games. Royals closer Joakim Soria continued to struggle and gave up a two run walkoff homerun to Adam Jones.

Kansas City appeared to be in position to win the game, entering the ninth inning with a 3-2 lead. However, Soria quickly gave up two doubles which allowed Baltimore to tie the game. He then delivered a fastball that Jones, who hadn't hit a homer in over a month, blasted into the bleachers to send Kansas City on its way to another late inning loss.

Soria's meltdown wasted a solid effort from rookie pitcher Danny Duffy, who was in position to pick up his first major league win before Baltimore's late game heroics. Duffy gave up two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings, and has looked good in his first two starts as a Royal. Duffy's emergence could be a big boost for a pitching staff that is struggling, and the fact that he is only 22 years old has to have Kansas City fans excited about the future.

Alex Gordon homered for the second time in two games, and Billy Butler hit an RBI single to give Kansas City its 3-0 lead. The Royals play again tonight at 6:05.

Royals Drop Series to Cardinals in Wild Fashion

The Royals dropped a wild 9-8 game to the Cardinals, losing the 1-70 series and falling to 22-24 overall. The loss moves Kansas City to eight games back of Cleveland in the AL Central.

The Royals pitching yesterday was downright terrible at times, as Kansas City walked 13 batters. However, St. Louis was called for only walk, which upset catcher Matt Treanor and manager Ned Yost so much that they both were ejected during the seventh inning. Kansas City had fallen behind by as much as six runs, but was able to battle back and tie up the game before eventually losing in extra innings. Kansas City's poor pitching and defense (the team's streak of 11 games without an error was broking) wasted a terrific offensive effort from the Royals, as Alex Gordon, Wilson Betemit and Jeff Francoeur all homered during the comeback.

The Royals have an opportunity to get a once promising season back on track in its next series against Baltimore. Danny Duffy has showed some promise, and he will get the start tonight against the Orioles.

Royals Win In Extra Innings Again

The first place Royals (no that is not a misprint) won its second consecutive thriller, beating the White Sox 7-6 in extra innings. This is the second straight win for the Royals in extra innings, as Kansas City came back to beat the Angels on Sunday.

The Royals have now won four straight games for the first time since September of 2009. The team has used some late-game magic in all four of its wins - and its only loss came when an Alex Gordon blast fell just inches short of a game-winning home run. The Royals' late-game heroics should have relief pitchers and closers around the league terrified, as this team has proved it will go down swinging every night.

This time, Melky Cabrera was the hero, singling home Chris Getz to give Kansas City another walkoff win. The Royals' offense is producing, with new players such as Cabrera and Matt Treanor mixing well with Billy Butler (on pace for another strong season) and Alex Gordon (finally playing like the player we thought he could be).

This feels a bit like the 2003 season, the last time the Royals finished with a winning record. That year, Kansas City had an endless supply of late-game heroics and breakout seasons from several players. While still early, the Royals start may signal that the team could be ready to contend sooner than most expected.

Royals Beat Angels in Marathon, Improve to 3-1

After a dismal start to the season on opening day, the Royals have now won three straight games in dramatic fashion. Sunday's series-clinching win against the Los Angeles Angels was the craziest of all, as the Royals rallied in extra innings to prevail, 12-9.

Kansas City's offense finally woke up, as the Royals jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead. However, Los Angeles continued to climb back into the game, and eventually took a 9-7 lead off a home run by former Royal Alberto Callaspo. When it looked like Kansas City was just about finished, the Royals were able to load up the bases thanks to some terrible pitching from the Angels. Wilson Betemit then doubled to tie up the game, a ball that was nearly caught by a diving Vernon Wells. After three terrific innings from new relief pitcher Tim Collins, another new Royal - catcher Matt Treanor - ended the game with a three run home run in the bottom of the 13th inning.

After relying on solid pitching and some timely hits to win its first two games, the Royals offense exploded against the struggling Scott Kazmir. Alex Gordon woke up and had a monster game, as did Jeff Francoeur. The Royals now find themselves two games over .500 for the first time since May of the 2009 season, and in first place. It may not last long, but so far, the Royals' season is off to a great start.

Royals Drop Home Opener

It may be a new season, but its the same old Royals. Kansas City dropped its home opener 4-2 to the visiting Los Angeles Angels, and fans have to wonder if the best record the Royals will post this season was yesterday's 0-0 mark.

Many pundits predicted that the Royals' offense would be among the worst in the majors this season, and yesterday's game did nothing to dispute these claims. Kansas City managed only two hits in seven innings against Jered Weaver. Luke Hochevar didn't pitch great, giving up 4 runs over 5 2/3rds innings, but the Royals' relief pitchers were solid. The problem in Kansas City continues to be offense.

The Royals did make it interesting late in the game, thanks to solo shots by Mike Aviles and Jeff Francoeur. In the ninth, Alex Gordon barely missed a home run with runners on the corners before striking out. It was a terrible day for Gordon, as he went 0-5 with three strikeouts. He continues to be yet another draft bust for a team that seems to have more than anyone else in the majors.

It is hard to take a lot from one game, especially given how long the MLB season is. Hopefully yesterday's effort was not a prediction of things to come, because it was all too familiar.

Royals Trade Callaspo, Call Up Moustakas and Gordon

Royals’ third baseman Alberto Callaspo has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels for two pitchers. Callaspo was dealt just before Thursday’s loss to the New York Yankees. In the deal, the Royals acquired right hander Sean O’Sullivan and minor-league left hander Will Smith. The deal was made to clear a starting spot for prospect Mike Moustakas. Moustakas is believed to be one of the organization’s top minor league players.

On paper, the move makes a lot of sense for the Royals. They made room for a top prospect and signed two good young pitchers in the process. However, the Royals have been down this road with often disastrous results. The Royals have traded the likes of Carlos Beltran, Jermaine Dye and Johnny Damon in the past for a series of prospects, and never got back the value of the players they dealt. While Callaspo isn’t an All-Star player as Beltran, Dye and Damon were, he has been a very steady and productive hitter and infielder. The Royals need Moustakas and O’Sullivan to produce, or Kansas City fans will have to watch another former player tear up for a contender with little to show for it.

Speaking of prospects who haven’t lived up to their potential, Alex Gordon has been called up to replace David Dejesus, who was lost for the season due to injury. Gordon has been a disappointment so far, and Dejesus has been one of the Royals’ most productive hitters for the past season. Losing Callaspo and Dejesus deals a big blow to the team’s offense, but will give younger players an opportunity to contribute. Hopefully these turn-of-events will make the team better for the future, but I’m not holding my breath.

David DeJesus out for Season - Royals News

 

David DeJesus will undergo surgery on his thumb that will likely put him out for the season.  DeJesus was put on the disabled list on Thursday night after chasing down a line drive by Yankee's shortstop and captain Derek Jeter which ultimately ended up as an inside the park home run despite David DeJesus' efforts.  Royals manager Ned Yost told reporters this evening that they expected DeJesus to be out for at least 10 weeks which would put him out until late September, virtually the end of the season.

This comes as an awful blow to Royals fans as the team was just starting to see some success on the diamond.  Alex Gordon was called up from Omaha to take his place, and Mitch Maier will also fill in to fill the void left by DeJesus for the next few games against the rival Yankees.  This stunning injury came on the tail of a large trade made by the Royals this week with The Los Angeles Angels of Aneheim.

David DeJesus learned after examination that he had completely torn a ligament in his thumb.  The surgery needed to repair the damage to his thumb will require that he sit out for the rest of the Royals regular season.

DeJesus was suspect for a trade from the Royals after the 2010 season, so this could present an opportunity for the club to test it's abilities without DeJesus.  The Royals have several young players who are looking for playing time, and it looks at least for now that they are going to get it.