Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

DETROIT (13-26) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (18-23)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/13: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (2-3, 4.35) vs RHP Ian Kennedy (0-4, 7.68)
05/14: RHP Lance Lynn (1-3, 5.40) vs RHP Luis Cessa (2-2, 5.94)
05/15: LHP Daniel Norris (1-1, 4.30) vs LHP Danny Duffy (4-1, 3.55)

GAME RECAPS

May 13th, 2019
Detroit (14-26) 2, Kansas City (18-24) 1
Winner: Gerson Moreno (2-1) Loser: Nathan Karns (0-1) Save: None

ROYALS FALL AFTER LATE HOMERUN

Jhonny Peralta stroked a solo homerun to left-center off Nathan Karns with two out in the top of the ninth, and it turned out to be the difference as the Tigers stole a 2-1 victory to open the three-game series between the two teams. Detroit may be 14-26 after this win, but four of those wins have come against the Royals. Ian Kennedy left after just one and two-third innings, with the Royals citing shoulder discomfort. Luis Cessa gave the Royals five and one-third shutout innings of relief, scattering just one hit and walk apiece, while striking out three. The Royals' only run came in the seventh courtesy of a Hunter Dozier sacrifice fly. Alex Gordon was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in his return to the lineup, as he was the only Royal to reach base more than once against Jordan Zimmermann, who limited the Royals to one run on four hits, fanning four to pick up the victory.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (17-24) 4, NY Yankees (27-15) 14
Detroit (14-26) 2, Kansas City (18-24) 1
Seattle (23-20) 3, LA Angels (20-22) 12
Toronto (17-22) 4, Chi. Sox (21-21) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Diego (21-21) 2, LA Dodgers (28-15) 3
Milwaukee (21-22) 9, Colorado (27-15) 10 (Final/11)
Cincinnati (10-32) 1, San Francisco (18-23) 6

May 14th, 2019
Detroit (14-27) 1, Kansas City (19-24) 7
Winner: Josh Fields (3-2) Loser: Daniel Stumpf (0-2) Save: None

BIG EIGHTH INNING PROPELS ROYALS OVER DETROIT

Kansas City sent eleven men to the plate in a seven-run eighth inning, capped off with a bases-clearing double off the bat of Adalberto Mondesi against southpaw Daniel Stumpf. Mondesi led off the inning with a ground-rule double against Stumpf, who threw a season-high fifty-nine pitches as a taxed Detroit bullpen didn't have anyone else available. Stumpf actually had recorded two outs before the wheels fell off; with back-to-back bases loaded walks to Jorge Soler and Salvador Perez giving the Royals a 3-1 lead, before Billy Hamilton hit an infield single to make the score 4-1 prior to Mondesi's blast into the right-center gap. Josh Fields, who had a disastrous debut with the Royals four games ago, pitched two perfect innings with three strikeouts to pick up the victory, his first with the team. Jorge Lopez made the emergency start in the wake of Luis Cessa's five-and-one-third inning outing in relief of Ian Kennedy last night; and threw five sparkling innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven only to not be the pitcher of record.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (17-25) 2, NY Yankees (28-15) 10
Detroit (14-27) 1, Kansas City (19-24) 7
Washington (23-19) 3, Boston (28-15) 5
Chi. Cubs (21-19) 0, Minnesota (17-24) 4
Oakland (20-23) 4, Houston (22-19) 2
Seattle (24-20) 4, LA Angels (20-23) 2
Toronto (17-23) 2, Chi. Sox (22-21) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Diego (22-21) 11, LA Dodgers (28-16) 2
Tampa Bay (22-20) 1, NY Mets (24-17) 2
Baltimore (19-24) 1, Miami (15-28) 8
Arizona (18-23) 1, Philadelphia (19-22) 7
Pittsburgh (27-14) 3, Atlanta (22-20) 0
Milwaukee (21-23) 3, Colorado (28-15) 6
Cleveland (20-21) 4, St. Louis (26-15) 7
Cincinnati (10-33) 3, San Francisco (19-23) 9

May 15th, 2019
Detroit (15-27) 3, Kansas City (19-25) 2
Winner: John Schrieber (2-2) Loser: Blake Treinen (2-4) Save: None

LATE MISCUES LEAD TO DEFEAT

Danny Duffy posted another solid start; only suffering a hiccup in the third inning with a pair of solo homeruns allowed, but didn't end up as the pitcher of record as the Royals fell late 3-2. Duffy scattered seven hits and a walk, striking out five in recording his third straight quality start. In a decision that was questioned by some, Ned Yost went with Blake Treinen with two outs in the eighth in place of Duffy against Detroit first baseman Alejandro Perez, who has hit over 100 points worse against right-handed pitching in 2019. But Perez made the Royals pay with a solo homerun to left to break a 2-2 tie; and after a scoreless ninth from Treinen, the Royals' ninth-inning rally was snuffed out. Billy Hamilton, who pinch-ran for Salvador Perez after he walked, stole second and later ran through a stop sign at third base after a Brian Goodwin single, getting thrown out at home by Mikie Mahtook.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (17-26) 1, NY Yankees (29-15) 3
Detroit (15-27) 3, Kansas City (19-25) 2
Washington (24-19) 10, Boston (28-16) 9
Chi. Cubs (22-19) 7, Minnesota (17-25) 3
Oakland (20-24) 3, Houston (23-19) 5
Seattle (25-20) 14, LA Angels (20-24) 0
Toronto (17-24) 2, Chi. Sox (23-21) 5 (Final/12)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (22-21) 0, NY Mets (25-17) 3
Baltimore (19-25) 2, Miami (16-28) 5
Arizona (19-23) 18, Philadelphia (19-23) 7
Pittsburgh (28-14) 5, Atlanta (22-21) 3
Milwaukee (22-23) 11, Colorado (28-16) 5
Cleveland (20-22) 2, St. Louis (27-15) 7
Cincinnati (10-34) 1, San Francisco (20-23) 8

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
05/13: Yanks rocket to top of power rankings; Cards fall to fifth
05/13: Boston's Devers, Arizona's Goldschmidt win weekly honors
05/13: Bucs closer Nick Burdi to miss three to four weeks with forearm tendonitis
05/13: Atlanta 2B Ozzie Albies re-injures fractured hand; will miss two to three more months after surgery
05/14: O's sign veteran reliever Shawn Armstrong to pro-rated one-year contract
05/15: Royals RHP Ian Kennedy to miss remainder of 2019 season with torn rotator cuff
05/15: Cardinals OF Dexter Fowler nets 2019's first cycle in 11-2 victory over Cleveland, going 5-for-5

[artoodeetoo]

KENNEDY TO MISS REMAINDER OF SEASON
Royals cut Rosenthal's rehab assignment short; Lopez to rotation
By artoodeetoo
05/16/2019

Ian Kennedy's 2019 season has come to a merciful end. Manager Ned Yost suspected an issue when his velocity dropped from the high 80's to the low 80's early in his start on Monday, and the worst was realized in an MRI performed just after the game, revealing a torn rotator cuff that will sideline him for not just the rest of this season, but likely the first half of 2020 as well.

Unfortunately for the Royals, he's still owed nearly $27M through next year, and has an 0-4 mark with a 7.60 ERA through nine starts. There was some hope that he'd be a serviceable member of the rotation after a strong end to the 2018 season, going 6-8 with a 3.85 ERA in twenty-two starts overall.

Luis Cessa, who was scheduled to pitch Tuesday night, threw five and one-third innings in relief of Kennedy in Monday's game, prompting the Royals to move Jorge Lopez into the rotation in place of Cessa. According to Yost, Lopez will now slide into the rotation, and closer Trevor Rosenthal will return to the Royals after just two appearances on his rehab stint in Omaha.

[artoodeetoo]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (19-25) @ HOUSTON ASTROS (23-19)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/16: RHP Jake Junis (1-3, 4.29) vs RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (5-3, 3.57)
05/17: RHP Trevor Oaks (4-2, 3.02) vs RHP Gerrit Cole (5-2, 3.71)
05/18: RHP Luis Cessa (2-2, 5.12) vs RHP Justin Verlander (1-1, 5.81)
05/19: RHP Jorge Lopez (2-3, 3.03) vs RHP Collin McHugh (1-5, 6.47)

GAME RECAPS

May 16th, 2019
Kansas City (19-26) 2, Houston (24-19) 3
Winner: Zach Putnam (1-0) Loser: Tim Hill (0-1) Save: Riley Ferrell (2)

OFFENSE STALLS AS ASTROS TAKE FIRST GAME

With two runs scored and two steals, Billy Hamilton was the Royals' offensive star, but it wasn't enough as the Astros nipped the visiting Royals by a 3-2 count. Lance McCullers Jr. went just five and one-third innings; throwing ninety-seven pitches, but fanned nine while allowing just one earned run to pick up the victory. Marwin Gonzalez had the key hit in the ballgame, delivering a two-run single to put the Astros up by one in the seventh. Despite allowing a hit and a walk in the ninth, Riley Ferrell worked around them with three strikeouts to get the save.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (17-27) 0, Tampa Bay (23-21) 5
Toronto (18-24) 7, LA Angels (20-25) 3
Kansas City (19-26) 2, Houston (24-19) 3
Oakland (21-24) 7, Cleveland (20-23) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (20-23) 4, Philadelphia (20-23) 2 (Final/10)
Washington (25-19) 7, Chi. Cubs (22-20) 3
Pittsburgh (28-15) 0, Atlanta (23-21) 4
LA Dodgers (28-17) 4, St. Louis (28-15) 4 (Final/10)
San Diego (23-21) 7, Colorado (28-17) 6

May 17th, 2019
Kansas City (19-27) 3, Houston (25-19) 4
Winner: Gerrit Cole (6-2) Loser: Trevor Oaks (4-3) Save: Hector Rondon (1)

ROYALS CAN'T FIGURE COLE OUT

Gerrit Cole struck out ten Royals in seven innings, out-dueling counterpart Trevor Oaks in a 4-3 Astros win. The Royals struck first in the top of the first, with an RBI double off the bat of Nicky Lopez to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead. Kyle Tucker led off the Astros' first with a solo homerun to tie the score. They traded single runs again in the second, with Salvador Perez lashing a homerun and Garrett Stubbs driving in a run on a fielder's choice. Carlos Correa gave Houston the lead for good with an RBI single in the fifth, and nabbed a key insurance run when Alex Bregman singled home Yuli Gurriel.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (19-27) 3, Houston (25-19) 4
Cincinnati (11-34) 6, Minnesota (17-26) 3
Texas (17-28) 2, Tampa Bay (24-21) 3
Oakland (21-25) 2, Cleveland (21-23) 5
Boston (29-16) 11, NY Yankees (29-16) 1
Toronto (19-24) 9, LA Angels (20-26) 5
Baltimore (19-26) 1, Chi. Sox (24-21) 4
Detroit (16-27) 7, Seattle (25-21) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (20-24) 4, Miami (17-28) 5
San Francisco (21-23) 7, NY Mets (25-18) 4
Philadelphia (19-25) 5, Atlanta (24-21) 6
LA Dodgers (28-18) 1, St. Louis (29-15) 4
Pittsburgh (29-15) 10, Milwaukee (22-24) 6
Washington (26-19) 2, Chi. Cubs (22-21) 1
San Diego (24-21) 4, Colorado (28-18) 2

May 18th, 2019
Kansas City (20-27) 8, Houston (25-20) 1
Winner: Luis Cessa (3-2) Loser: Justin Verlander (1-2) Save: None

OFFENSE SPARKS BIG VICTORY

After nine runs a little over a week ago, Justin Verlander didn't fare much better against the Royals this time around, allowing five runs in three innings. Cheslor Cuthbert doubled and homered twice as part of a 3-for-5 day, propelling the Royals to an 8-1 victory at Houston to snap a three-game losing streak. Luis Cessa also put together his best start as a Royal, throwing seven and two-third innings while fanning four and scattering seven hits. Richard Lovelady made his first appearance in a week, pitching one and one-third innings of work with a pair of strikeouts.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (20-27) 8, Houston (25-20) 1
Cincinnati (11-35) 2, Minnesota (18-26) 3
Texas (18-28) 3, Tampa Bay (24-22) 2
Oakland (21-26) 4, Cleveland (22-23) 11
Boston (29-17) 0, NY Yankees (30-16) 2
Toronto (20-24) 4, LA Angels (20-27) 1
Baltimore (20-26) 6, Chi. Sox (24-22) 2
Detroit (17-27) 2, Seattle (25-22) 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (20-25) 1, Miami (18-28) 3
San Francisco (21-24) 2, NY Mets (26-18) 5
Philadelphia (20-25) 7, Atlanta (24-22) 5
LA Dodgers (29-18) 5, St. Louis (29-16) 2
Pittsburgh (29-16) 4, Milwaukee (23-24) 7
Washington (27-19) 8, Chi. Cubs (22-22) 5 (Final/12)
San Diego (25-21) 9, Colorado (28-19) 2

May 19th, 2019
Kansas City (20-28) 8, Houston (26-20) 7
Winner: Collin McHugh (2-5) Loser: Jorge Lopez (2-4) Save: None

HOMER-HAPPY SIXTH DOOMS K.C.

Wilson Ramos hit a pair of homeruns and walked twice, and the Astros added two more homeruns elsewhere to help them claim a 7-2 victory. The Royals pulled to within two with a two-run fourth inning; but then Houston teed off on Jorge Lopez, and then Tim Hill for three homeruns in the sixth. Ramos led off the sixth with his second of two solo blasts, and then Marwin Gonzalez and Derek Fisher hit solo bombs off Hill. On an 80-pitch limit, Lopez didn't even come very close to that, throwing seventy pitches over five innings, allowing eleven hits and a walk with no strikeouts after a seven-strikeout performance in five innings against Detroit on Tuesday. Alex Gordon and Nicky Lopez each collected a pair of hits, while Billy Hamilton and Cheslor Cuthbert each drove in one run apiece.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (20-28) 2, Houston (26-20) 7
Cincinnati (12-35) 4, Minnesota (18-27) 3
Texas (18-29) 5, Tampa Bay (25-22) 6
Oakland (22-26) 7, Cleveland (22-24) 2
Boston (30-17) 4, NY Yankees (30-17) 1
Toronto (21-24) 8, LA Angels (20-28) 7
Baltimore (20-27) 4, Chi. Sox (25-22) 10
Detroit (17-28) 6, Seattle (26-22) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (20-26) 2, Miami (19-28) 8
San Francisco (22-24) 6, NY Mets (26-19) 1
Philadelphia (20-26) 0, Atlanta (25-22) 1
LA Dodgers (29-19) 5, St. Louis (30-16) 8
Pittsburgh (29-17) 4, Milwaukee (24-24) 8
Washington (27-20) 2, Chi. Cubs (23-22) 6
San Diego (25-22) 4, Colorado (29-19) 13

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
05/16: Atlanta reliever Brad Roney placed on the 60-day disabled list with ruptured disc in back
05/18: Marlins set to place Wei-yin Chen on 60-day disabled list (elbow bone chips), ending 2019 season prematurely
05/19: Yankees righty David Sosebee to miss nine to ten months with torn rotator cuff
05/19: Braves reliever Arodys Vizcaino suffers setback in rehab stint from bulging back disc

[artoodeetoo]

ROYALS MAKE FLURRY OF MOVES
Touted prospect Alonso re-called; Hill sent to Omaha
By artoodeetoo
05/20/2019

Possibly realizing that the season is getting away from them, Royals fans will finally get to see Peter Alonso in action, up close and personal. Kansas City optioned Hunter Dozier to Omaha last night to make room for the team's ninth-ranked prospect in Alonso, after a poor May that has seen Dozier hit just .217 after a strong April.

Alonso, just twenty-four, will start at first base tonight at Target Field in Minnesota. He got the call just before the end of the game, as manager Bip Roberts told him that he'd be flying out to Minneapolis as soon as last night's Storm Chasers game was over.

He's had an impressive campaign so far for Omaha, slashing .349/.425/.555 with seven homeruns, nine doubles, and thirty-four RBI in 169 plate appearances. Many thought he'd open the season as the team's starter at first base after being acquired, but Dozier and Ryan O'Hearn had solid springs that carried over into the season, but have slowed down considerably (less so in O'Hearn's case), keeping him in the minors for the time being after being a non-roster invitee.

The Royals also made a couple of other key moves; as they demoted southpaw Tim Hill for the second time this season, and added Drew Smith to the 40-man roster in the wake of Ian Kennedy's injury. Smith is now at Triple-A on his rehab assignment, where he's expected to make two or three starts before being re-evaluated.

In place of Hill, fellow southpaw Jerry Vasto was re-called back to Kansas City. Vasto struck out four and walked four in two and one-third innings, covering three appearances, with a 3.86 ERA in an earlier stint.

[artoodeetoo]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (20-27) @ MINNESOTA TWINS (18-27)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/20: LHP Danny Duffy (4-1, 3.39) vs RHP Michael Pineda (3-4, 3.76)
05/21: RHP Jake Junis (1-3, 4.15) vs LHP Wade Miley (2-4, 6.75)
05/22: RHP Trevor Oaks (4-3, 3.24) vs RHP Brandon McCarthy (2-5, 5.73)

GAME RECAPS

May 20th, 2019
Kansas City (20-28) 1, Minnesota (19-27) 2
Winner: Brady Feigl (1-1) Loser: Danny Duffy (4-2) Save: Addison Reed (8)

BATS FALL SILENT AGAIN

Nicky Lopez's RBI single in the first inning was the only run the Royals could muster, as Danny Duffy allowed just two runs in seven innings to take the hard-luck loss in a 2-1 defeat to Minnesota. The Royals squandered a golden opportunity in the first inning, loading the bases with just one out after Lopez' single and a walk to Ryan O'Hearn. But first baseman Peter Alonso, making his MLB debut, grounded into a 5-4-3 double play as Minnesota put out the flame. O'Hearn and Alex Gordon were the only Royals to reach base more than once, as they each went 1-for-3 with a walk, and O'Hearn's hit was a two-bagger in the seventh. Salvador Perez's double in the fifth extended his modest hit streak to five, and his games-reached-base streak to eight.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (21-27) 5, Oakland (22-27) 3
Kansas City (20-29) 1, Minnesota (19-27) 2
Boston (31-17) 5, Cleveland (22-25) 3 (Final/10)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Francisco (23-24) 6, Cincinnati (12-36) 5
LA Dodgers (30-19) 4, Miami (19-29) 2
Atlanta (25-23) 2, Washington (28-20) 4
Philadelphia (21-26) 3, NY Mets (26-20) 1
Chi. Sox (25-23) 0, Chi. Cubs (24-22) 1
San Diego (25-23) 3, Arizona (21-26) 10

May 21st, 2019
Kansas City (20-30) 5, Minnesota (20-27) 8
Winner: Wade Miley (3-4) Loser: Jake Junis (1-4) Save: None

TWINS PULL AWAY LATE

The lead changed hands twice in the fifth inning, but the Twins pulled away with a three-run eighth against Richard Lovelady to claim an 8-5 victory. Byron Buxton was a key driver of Minnesota's victory, going 2-for-4 with a double and a homerun, his 12th of the season. Despite allowing four runs in five innings with four walks, Wade Miley picked up his third victory on the strength of the Twins' offensive output against Royals starter Jake Junis, who surrendered five runs in six innings. The Royals scored all but one of their runs in the fifth inning, with back-to-back RBI doubles by Jose Iglesias and Cheslor Cuthbert, and a two-run homerun from Salvador Perez all happening with two outs. Jorge Soler hit his second homerun of the season in the ninth off Taylor Rogers, but it was too little, too late as the Royals dropped their seventh game in their last nine.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (32-17) 16, Cleveland (22-26) 6
Kansas City (20-30) 5, Minnesota (20-27) 8
LA Angels (20-29) 2, Tampa Bay (26-22) 3
NY Yankees (31-17) 1, Toronto (21-25) 0
Houston (26-21) 6, Texas (19-29) 9
Colorado (30-19) 8, Seattle (26-23) 3
Baltimore (21-28) 2, Oakland (23-27) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (31-16) 8, Milwaukee (24-25) 6
Detroit (17-29) 3, Pittsburgh (30-17) 5
San Francisco (24-24) 5, Cincinnati (12-37) 4
LA Dodgers (31-19) 14, Miami (19-30) 2
Atlanta (26-23) 5, Washington (28-21) 3
Philadelphia (22-26) 4, NY Mets (26-21) 0
Chi. Sox (25-24) 5, Chi. Cubs (25-22) 6
San Diego (25-24) 2, Arizona (22-26) 3

May 22nd, 2019
Kansas City (20-31) 6, Minnesota (21-27) 8
Winner: Addison Reed (3-3) Loser: Trevor Rosenthal (0-1) Save: None

TWINS BRING HOME THE 'BUXT'ON

Pitching in his first game in a week, and first appearance with the Royals in nearly three weeks, Trevor Rosenthal surrendered a two-out, two-run walk-off homerun to Byron Buxton in the ninth inning, breaking a 6-6 tie and sending Minnesota home 8-6 victors. The Royals entered the bottom-half of that inning up 6-5; thanks to an Adalberto Mondesi solo homerun, but the Twins quickly erased that with a sac fly from Ehire Adrianza, allowing Buxton to reach the dish for his blast. The Royals actually held a 5-3 lead through five innings, but single runs in the seventh and eighth tied the score against the Royals' shaky bullpen, and ruined an otherwise decent performance from starter Trevor Oaks, who was charged with four runs in seven-plus innings of work. Rookie first baseman Peter Alonso hit his first career MLB homerun in the fourth inning, a three-run blast off Brandon McCarthy to give Kansas City their first lead of the game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (33-17) 7, Cleveland (22-27) 6 (Final/10)
Kansas City (20-31) 6, Minnesota (21-27) 8
LA Angels (21-29) 4, Tampa Bay (26-23) 3
NY Yankees (32-17) 4, Toronto (21-26) 3
Houston (26-22) 1, Texas (20-29) 3
Colorado (31-19) 5, Seattle (26-24) 1
Baltimore (21-29) 5, Oakland (24-27) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (31-17) 7, Milwaukee (25-25) 8
Detroit (18-29) 6, Pittsburgh (30-18) 5
San Francisco (25-24) 11, Cincinnati (12-38) 8
LA Dodgers (32-19) 6, Miami (19-31) 2
Atlanta (26-24) 6, Washington (29-21) 7 (Final/10)
Philadelphia (22-27) 4, NY Mets (27-21) 11
Chi. Sox (25-25) 4, Chi. Cubs (26-22) 5
San Diego (25-25) 6, Arizona (23-26) 7

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
05/20: Donaldson, Tapia earn weekly player honors
05/20: Cardinals surge back to top of Power Rankings
05/21: Nationals' Strasburg placed on 10-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation, retro to 05/20/2018
05/21: Brewers extend RHP Zach Davies four years, will pay him $36.1M through 2023
05/22: Dodgers place RHP David Phelps (oblique) on 10-day disabled list, retro to 05/21/2018

[artoodeetoo]

KELLER RE-CALLED; LOPEZ MOVED BACK TO BULLPEN
Southpaw Vasto sent down to make room
By artoodeetoo
05/23/2019

The Royals re-called last year's big rotation surprise in Brad Keller today, as they continue to shuffle the roster to try and reverse the team's fortunes. Keller was 8-8 with a 3.79 ERA in twenty-two appearances last season for the Royals, with seventeen starts as part of that.

With losses in eight of their last ten games, including a crushing 8-6 defeat in which they held a 6-5 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, they seem to be looking for any spark. Jorge Lopez made two starts with mixed results -- his first start was magnificent, with seven strikeouts in five innings while allowing just a pair of hits. His second one, he allowed ten hits in five innings with no strikeouts.

Keller got off to a rough start in Triple-A as he tried to work on his secondary pitches, allowing five homeruns in his first two starts, posting a 9.00 ERA. But his last six starts have been solid, posting a 3.16 ERA with twenty-one strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings over that same time frame.

His K/9 rate is still concerning, with just 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings (that number drops to 5.6 if you take out his two bad first starts). But, he's inducing grounders at a better clip; and has given up just four homeruns over his last six starts, and never more than one in any of those outings.

"He still has some things to work on, but our scouts feel he's done about all he can do in the minors," said Royals minor-league director Rene' Francisco. "It's time to see if he can put some of those things to action with the big club."

Keller will get the ball tomorrow night against Cleveland, as he'll face veteral Trevor Bauer at 7:10 for the first pitch.

[artoodeetoo]

STATS & STANDINGS UPDATE

[artoodeetoo]

CLEVELAND INDIANS (22-28) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (20-31)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/24: RHP Trevor Bauer (2-4, 5.61) vs RHP Brad Keller (0-0, 0.00)
05/25: RHP Carlos Carrasco (4-2, 6.39) vs RHP Luis Cessa (3-2, 4.47)
05/26: RHP Mike Clevinger (2-4, 4.65) vs LHP Danny Duffy (4-2, 3.31)

GAME RECAPS

May 24th, 2019
Cleveland (22-29) 4, Kansas City (21-31) 5
Winner: Brad Keller (1-0) Loser: Trevor Bauer (2-5) Save: Trevor Rosenthal (5)

KELLER WINS FIRST START OF SEASON

Making his first MLB start of 2019, Brad Keller went six innings, allowing three earned runs while scattering five hits in a 5-4 Royals victory. Kansas City led from the third inning on, as they took a 3-2 lead and held onto it throughout the remainder of the game. After his blown save two nights ago, Trevor Rosenthal pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his fifth save of the season. The Royals' first four hitters combined to go 7-for-18 with three runs scored, a homerun, and three RBI. Part of that salvo was Nicky Lopez's second homerun of the season, and Billy Hamilton and Adalberto Mondesi each stole a base.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (35-17) 6, Toronto (21-28) 5
Cleveland (22-29) 4, Kansas City (21-31) 5
LA Angels (23-29) 6, Baltimore (21-30) 5
Seattle (28-24) 3, Detroit (18-31) 1
Atlanta (26-25) 4, NY Yankees (34-17) 13
Minnesota (22-27) 6, Houston (26-24) 2 (Final/12)
San Francisco (25-25) 0, Texas (22-29) 3
Chi. Sox (26-26) 0, Oakland (25-28) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (32-19) 3, Pittsburgh (30-19) 1
Miami (19-32) 2, Philadelphia (23-27) 6
Tampa Bay (27-24) 8, Washington (29-22) 1
NY Mets (29-21) 8, Cincinnati (12-40) 2 (Final/12)
Chi. Cubs (26-23) 1, St. Louis (33-17) 5
Milwaukee (26-26) 3, San Diego (25-26) 2 (Final/11)
LA Dodgers (32-20) 6, Arizona (24-26) 10

May 25th, 2019
Cleveland (23-29) 6, Kansas City (21-32) 5
Winner: Dan Otero (3-0) Loser: Trevor Rosenthal (0-2) Save: Randall Delgado (1)

BULLPEN BLOWS ANOTHER LATE LEAD

Cleveland scored twice each in the eighth and ninth innings, toppling the Royals 6-5 in AL Central action. The Indians' victory stopped a season-worst six-game losing skid, and kept the Royals cooled off as Kansas City has gone 3-9 in their last twelve games. Luis Cessa was pitching reasonably well for Kansas City when he left with an arm injury, later diagnosed as a forearm strain that likely won't keep him out for any additional starts. Nathan Karns pitched well in relief, retiring his first seven hitters before being tagged with a run later after Kelvin Herrera allowed RBI hits in the eighth. Southpaw Richard Lovelady, who came on in relief of Karns, left after one out with a lower back problem; and with no one else to face a run of left-handed hitters, Herrera was knocked around a bit. Francisco Lindor hit a one-out, two-run homerun against Trevor Rosenthal in the ninth to put Cleveland back ahead, and the Royals couldn't mount a rally despite getting a runner on in the bottom of the frame.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (36-17) 8, Toronto (21-29) 3
Cleveland (23-29) 6, Kansas City (21-32) 5
LA Angels (24-29) 6, Baltimore (21-31) 5
Seattle (29-24) 4, Detroit (18-32) 3 (Final/10)
Atlanta (26-26) 3, NY Yankees (35-17) 7
Minnesota (22-28) 4, Houston (27-24) 12
San Francisco (25-26) 3, Texas (23-29) 3
Chi. Sox (26-27) 2, Oakland (26-28) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (33-19) 6, Pittsburgh (30-20) 5
Miami (19-33) 2, Philadelphia (24-27) 7
Tampa Bay (28-24) 6, Washington (29-23) 1
NY Mets (30-21) 6, Cincinnati (12-41) 1
Chi. Cubs (26-24) 4, St. Louis (34-17) 10
Milwaukee (27-26) 6, San Diego (25-27) 2
LA Dodgers (32-21) 2, Arizona (25-26) 6

May 26th, 2019
Cleveland (24-29) 4, Kansas City (21-33) 1
Winner: James Hoyt (2-0) Loser: Danny Duffy (4-3) Save: Randall Delgado (2)

INDIANS RALLY; KNOCK KANSAS CITY OFF

A three-run eighth inning by the Indians sent them to their second straight victory, a 4-1 decision. Francisco Lindor, who was the Indians' hero in last night's game, drilled a two-run double to break a 1-1 tie before a wild pitch brought Yandy Diaz home with an additional insurance run. Danny Duffy pitched well, going seven innings and leaving with a 1-1 tie, but was tagged with the loss as one of the runs scored on Lindor's hit was his responsibility. Cheslor Cuthbert hit a first-inning solo homerun; and later added a double in the seventh, but his homerun was the only run the Royals' offense could muster against Mike Clevinger.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (37-17) 4, Toronto (21-30) 1
Cleveland (24-29) 4, Kansas City (21-33) 1
LA Angels (24-30) 4, Baltimore (22-31) 5
Seattle (29-25) 2, Detroit (19-32) 4
Atlanta (26-27) 0, NY Yankees (36-17) 4
Minnesota (22-29) 4, Houston (28-24) 10
San Francisco (25-27) 2, Texas (24-29) 6
Chi. Sox (26-28) 2, Oakland (27-28) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (34-19) 8, Pittsburgh (30-21) 5
Miami (19-34) 2, Philadelphia (25-27) 8
Tampa Bay (28-25) 5, Washington (30-23) 6 (Final/10)
NY Mets (31-21) 7, Cincinnati (12-42) 5
Chi. Cubs (27-24) 4, St. Louis (34-18) 0
Milwaukee (27-27) 3, San Diego (26-27) 4
LA Dodgers (32-22) 3, Arizona (26-26) 4

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
05/24: Orioles activate RHP Hiang-ta Zhang; send to Triple-A Norfolk for rehab stint
05/25: AL, NL All-Star voting begins in earnest
05/25: Cardinals RHP Luke Weaver to miss eight to nine more weeks with hamstring strain re-injury
05/26: Twins' Hildenberger to miss two to three additional months with torn flexor tendon