Royal Revival (OOTP 21)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
04/23: LHP Mike Minor (1-0, 4.02) vs RHP Casey Mize (1-0, 2.76)
04/24: RHP Brady Singer (0-3, 6.91) vs LHP Matthew Boyd (2-1, 1.37)
04/25: LHP Danny Duffy (2-0, 1.42) vs RHP Michael Fulmer (1-0, 2.04)
04/26: RHP Brad Keller (2-1, 6.88) vs RHP Spencer Turnbull (0-0, 6.75)

WHO'S HOT?
2B Whit Merrifield, Kansas City -- 10 G, 19-for-45 (.422), 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR
IF Jeimer Candelario, Detroit -- 10 G, 15-for-37 (.405), 3 2B, 2 HR

WHO'S NOT?
IF Hanser Alberto, Kansas City -- 3-for-22 (.136)

DETROIT INJURED LIST
1B Miguel Cabrera (arm) -- 10-day IL
RHP Rony Garcia (appendicitis) -- 15-day IL
OF Nomar Mazara (abdominal) -- 10-day IL
RHP Julio Teheran -- 15-day IL

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
RHP Jesse Hahn (shoulder) -- 15-day IL
SS Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) -- 10-day IL

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Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Apr 23, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (12-6)	1	3	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	12	1
Detroit (8-12)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	9	0
W: Mike Minor (2-0) L: Casey Mize (1-1) S: Scott Barlow (2)

Thursday, April 23rd, 2021
Andrew Benintendi homered and tripled in his first two at-bats, falling just a double short of the cycle as the Royals raced out to a 6-1 lead after three innings, eventually winning by a 6-2 count. They could have scored much more, as they walked ten times and collected a dozen hits, but the Tigers kept it as close as they did thanks to two double plays and three outfield assists, including two at home.

The two teams combined to leave twenty-one men on base, but the Royals were able to capitalize on some early scoring opportunities to put the game seemingly out of reach early on. Benintendi drove in three runs in the contest, with Carlos Santana reaching base in all five plate appearances, including four walks. His third-inning walk was his 1,000th career free pass.

With 5 2/3 innings, Mike Minor moved to 2-0 on the season. He scattered five hits and two walks, fanning three. With two outs in the ninth and two men on, Mike Matheny turned to Scott Barlow in relief of Ervin Santana, with the Royals' seemingly anointed new closer striking out Jeimer Candelario on three straight called strikes to end the game and pick up the save.

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Apr 24, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (12-7)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	4	1`
Detroit (9-12)	2	6	0	1	0	0	0	0	X	9	9	0
W: Matthew Boyd (3-1) L: Brady Singer (0-4) S: None

Friday, April 24th, 2021
Thanks to an error in the second inning, the Tigers scored six runs (five unearned) in a 9-1 pasting of the Royals to even the series at one win apiece. It's been a rough go to begin the 2021 season for Brady Singer, who has been beset by some shoddy defense in his four starts, as he has far and away the most unearned runs charged to him in baseball with nine.

As you could likely tell by the score, not much went right at the dish offensively for Kansas City. Whit Merrifield saw his 13-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 (although he did reach base with a walk), and only Michael A. Taylor collected more than one hit. Hunter Dozier and Salvador Perez each collected one hit.

On the bright side, the Royals' bullpen shined with four shutout innings, as the trio of Wade Davis, Jake Brentz, and Josh Staumont combined to strike out seven and allow just three hits (no walks!). Also, the Royals still hold a 1.5 game lead over the White Sox for the division despite the loss.

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Apr 25, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (13-7)	0	1	0	0	0	1	3	0	0	5	7	0
Detroit (9-13)	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	9	1
W: Tyler Zuber (2-0) L: Michael Fulmer (1-1) S: Scott Barlow (3)

Saturday, April 25th, 2021
The Royals looked to be on the verge of dropping their second straight to Detroit, but Salvador Perez hit a two-out, three-run bomb in the top of the seventh inning to give the Royals a 5-4 lead that ended up as the final tally. As part of his 2-for-4 day, Perez also singled and scored twice. Jorge Soler got the Royals on the board first with a solo homerun, but the Tigers got to Danny Duffy early, tagging him for four runs in just 3 1/3 innings.

The bullpen again carried the freight while the offense mounted their comeback, scoring once in the sixth, and then Perez putting a three-spot on the board the following inning. Kyle Zimmer got the Royals through the remainder of the fourth and fifth innings, striking out two.

Tyler Zuber and Greg Holland combined to pitch the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings in scoreless fashion before Scott Barlow hurled a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his third save of the season.

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Apr 26, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (13-8)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	1`
Detroit (10-13)	1	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	X	5	7	1
W: Spencer Turnbull (1-0) L: Brad Keller (2-2) S: None

Monday, April 26th, 2021
In perhaps his final start of the month, Brad Keller was touched for five runs (four earned) in a 5-1 defeat to the Tigers, as the two teams split their four-game series. The Royals' lineup was thoroughly silenced, scattering just four hits against Spencer Turnbull, making his second start of the season since returning from the Covid list.

Turnbull scattered four hits over seven frames, striking out seven and walking one. Bryan Garcia closed it out two strong, scoreless innings for Detroit, who are off to a decent start, given their preseason predictions. They are in third place in the AL Central with a 10-13 mark.

Aside from Jorge Soler, the Royals did little offensively, scoring just once on a solo homerun in the second. It was the third homerun for the Royals' DH in the last five games, and he was 2-for-4 overall. Despite giving up a couple of homeruns to Wilson Ramos, Keller's final line was not awful -- six innings, six hits, three walks, and seven punchouts.

MLB NEWS
04/22 -- Tigers designated IF Renato Nunez for assignment; purchased contract of IF Zack Short
04/23 -- San Francisco activates RHP Reyes Moronta from the 60-day IL
04/24 -- Royals place OF Kyle Isbel (ankle) on 10-day IL; re-call OF Edward Olivares from alternate site
04/25 -- Mariners activate OF Kyle Lewis from the 60-day IL
04/25 -- Brewers designate IF Jace Peterson; activate IF Kolten Wong from 60-day IL
04/26 -- Orioles place RHP Travis Lakins on 15-day IL; activate RHP Mac Sceroler from 15-day IL

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
04/27: RHP Jakob Junis (0-0, 1.12) vs LHP Tyler Anderson (2-2, 3.32)
04/28: LHP Mike Minor (2-0, 3.38) vs RHP Mitch Keller (1-1, 4.97)

WHO'S HOT?
OF Jorge Soler, Kansas City -- 10-for-26 (.385), 2B, 4 HR
OF Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh -- 14-for-35 (.400), 5 2B, HR

WHO'S NOT?
IF Hanser Alberto, Kansas City -- 3-for-25 (.120)
RHP Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh -- 12 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 14 K, 8 BB (3 GS)

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
RHP Jesse Hahn (shoulder) -- 15-day IL
OF Kyle Isbel (ankle) -- 10-day IL
SS Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) -- 10-day IL

PITTSBURGH INJURED LIST
LHP Steven Brault (back) -- 60-day IL
RHP Blake Cederlind (elbow) -- 60-day IL
LHP Austin Davis (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Michael Feliz (arm) -- 15-day IL
IF Ke'Bryan Hayes (wrist) -- 10-day IL
IF Colin Moran (ankle) -- 10-day IL
C Michael Perez (quad) -- 10-day IL
RHP Cody Ponce (arm) -- 60-day IL
RHP Jose Soriano (elbow) -- 60-day IL

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Kansas City Royals at Pittsburgh Pirates
Apr 27, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (13-9)	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	2	5	2
Pittsburgh (10-12)	1	0	6	0	0	0	0	8	X	15	17	1
W: Tyler Anderson (3-2) L: Jakob Junis (0-1) S: None

Tuesday, April 27th, 2021
It was a performance that would rather soon be forgotten by manager Mike Matheny, as the Pirates scored six runs in the third, and later put up eight in the eighth inning in rolling the Royals 15-2 to open a two-game set on the road. After a string of successful starts, Jakob Junis allowed six earned runs (seven total) in five innings, striking out four and walking just one.

"Not much to really say about this one," Matheny mused. "I think this is one that we'll just put behind us and move on to the next day."

Greg Holland gave up eight runs in the eighth inning, lasting just two-thirds of an inning before getting bailed out by Jake Brentz. Jake Newberry and Wade Davis combined for two scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh.

Struggling on offense coming in, the Pirates pounded out seventeen hits, including four from leadoff hitter Bryan Reynolds, who fell a triple short of the cycle. He scored three times, drove in four, and also drew a walk. Gregory Polanco was 3-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBI of his own.

Carlos Santana and Hunter Dozier both had RBI hits for the Royals, with Santana going 2-for-4 with two doubles in the game. Kansas City collected just five hits overall.

Kansas City Royals at Pittsburgh Pirates
Apr 28, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (14-9)	1	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	12	0
Pittsburgh (10-13)	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	15	0
W: Mike Minor (3-0) L: Mitch Keller (1-2) S: Jake Brentz (1)

Wednesday, April 28th, 2021
Kansas City had to overcome another big night from Bryan Reynolds, who once again fell a triple short of a cycle as the Royals held on for an 8-6 victory to secure a series split with the Pirates. The Royals scored all eight of their runs in the first three innings, as they raced out to a 6-0 lead; only to see that nearly erased by Pittsburgh in the second, as they put up five of their own in that frame.

Working around that horrific second inning, Mike Minor went six innings, scattering ten hits, one walk, and five strikeouts to pick up his third win of the season. Closer Scott Barlow ran into some issues in the final inning, but Jake Brentz came on and retired Ka'ai Tom and Gregory Polanco to pick up his first MLB save.

Jorge Soler hit his team-high sixth homerun of the season in the second inning, going 3-for-5 with a run scored and four RBI. The homerun was also a career milestone for him, his 100th homerun of his career. Nicky Lopez continued a very notable streak on Wednesday night as well, drawing a walk in his seventh straight game, tying George Brett's team record. Lopez also went 2-for-3 in the contest, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances.

Cam Gallagher and Whit Merrifield also joined the ranks of Royal hitters with multiple hits, having collected two each. Merrifield also drove in two runs and scored twice himself.

MLB NEWS
04/27 -- Pirates place IF Colin Moran (hamstring) on 10-day IL; could miss up to six weeks
04/27 -- Yankees IF/OF Jay Bruce announces retirement; effective immediately
04/27 -- Atlanta activates RHP Chris Martin (shoulder) from 60-day IL; places LHP Grant Dayton (elbow) on 15-day IL
04/28 -- Brewers place RHP Devin Williams (back) on 15-day IL
04/28 -- Yankees OF Brett Gardner (knee) placed on 10-day IL; 1B Mike Ford re-called

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April 29th, 2021

After the Royals' 8-6 victory last night against the Pirates, manager Mike Matheny gave an update on injured shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, who strained his left oblique in the final spring training tune-up in late March. Matheny noted that he's begun a light throwing program and some batting practice, with the idea of playing some Triple-A games before returning to the Royals in mid-May.

"He's doing really well at this point," said Matheny optimistically. "If you'd asked me this last week, and I think most of you all did, I wouldn't have been as optimistic...but he's looked really good taking infield. His arm looks strong, range of motion is great, and his swing looks close to what it normally is. He's going to play some games at the alternate site before it breaks early next week, and then play some games at Omaha before we get him back...we're thinking the second or third week of May."

While the Royals could use Mondesi's prowess on the basepaths along with the bat that they saw last September, the biggest impact he could make upon his return is on defense. While a great second baseman, Nicky Lopez's defensive metrics have not been as kind at shortstop. Whit Merrifield has also flashed some leather at second, but has had a few games where he's struggled defensively. The Royals rank 14th of the fifteen AL squads in defensive efficiency, and would be even worse if it weren't for outfielder Michael A. Taylor, whose +3.2 DSR is the best mark in baseball.

The move could allow the Royals to shift Whit Merrifield back to RF, platoon him with Jorge Soler in a RF/DH setup to save some wear and tear, or play Hunter Dozier some in RF against lefties.

Matheny also confirmed that outfielder Kyle Isbel would return to Omaha upon his activation from the injured list, which will be in a matter of days. Isbel suffered the ankle injury against Detroit in the first game of that series, and went on the injured list the next day. Edward Olivares was re-called from the alternate site, only to be optioned for Ryan O'Hearn just two days later.

"He's a guy that needs at bats, and once Adalberto comes back, it's going to be hard to find him regular playing time," said Matheny. "We decided as an organization that it's in his best interest to head back down and get regular plate appearances so he can continue to develop. He has some real tools, but he's not going to be able to refine them with the Royals, at least not yet."

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
04/30: RHP Brady Singer (0-4, 7.36) vs RHP Matt Shoemaker (1-1, 4.82)
05/01: LHP Danny Duffy (2-0, 2.82) vs RHP Kenta Maeda (1-2, 3.86)
05/02: RHP Brad Keller (2-2, 6.65) vs LHP J.A. Happ (0-1, 6.16)

WHO'S HOT?
OF Byron Buxton, Minnesota -- 16-game hitting streak (25-for-61, .410)
OF Jorge Soler, Kansas City -- 13-for-33 (.394), 2B, 5 HR

WHO'S NOT?
3B Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 5-for-23 (.217)

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
RHP Jesse Hahn (shoulder) -- 15-day IL
OF Kyle Isbel (ankle) -- 10-day IL
SS Adalberto Mondesi (oblique) -- 10-day IL

MINNESOTA INJURED LIST
RHP Jorge Alcala (shoulder) -- 60-day IL
RHP Edwar Colina (elbow) -- 60-day IL
OF Brent Rooker (neck) -- 10-day IL

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Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins
Apr 30, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (15-9)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	8	1
Minnesota (9-16)	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	0
W: Brady Singer (1-4) L: Hansel Robles (1-3) S: Scott Barlow (4)

Friday, April 30th, 2021
With seven strong innings, Brady Singer finally got the proverbial monkey off his back as the Royals eked out a 3-2 win on the road to open a three-game series with divisional rival Minnesota. Once again, though, poor defense played a role in the two Twins' runs, as a two-out error by shortstop Nicky Lopez allowed Miguel Sano to come to bat and spank a two-run homerun to give the Twins a 2-0 lead after one inning. However, Singer didn't let that bother him, as he went on to set down eight Minnesota hitters on strikes in tossing six straight scoreless innings to finish his outing.

"A big part of being a big-league pitcher is just putting mistakes behind you," said Singer after the game. "Starting pitchers and quarterbacks are pretty similar in that regard; just have to focus on the next play, next pitch. Salvy came out and told me to basically forget about it, it's over and done, there's a long way to go in this one."

He scattered just four hits and didn't walk a batter in his seven innings. Josh Staumont and Scott Barlow came on for the eighth and ninth innings, each tossing a 1-2-3 inning. Barlow picked up his fourth save in as many tries. The Royals got a boost from Jorge Soler, who continues to swing a white-hot bat with two more hits and a walk in four plate appearances. Playing right field in this one, Soler went to the opposite field off Hansel Robles in the top of the eighth to put the Royals up 3-2. That enabled Singer to emerge with the winning decision.

Hanser Alberto also broke out of a long slump with a 3-for-4 day, including one of the Royals' three RBI on the day.

Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins
May 1, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (15-10)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1
Minnesota (10-16)	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	x	4	7	0
W: Kenta Maeda (2-2) L: Danny Duffy (2-1) S: Taylor Rogers (2)

Saturday, May 1st, 2021
Making his first career appearance against the Royals, Japanese righty Kenta Maeda shut the Royals down to the tune of just one earned run over seven innings as the Twins evened up the series by handing the Royals a 4-1 loss. For the second straight start, Danny Duffy was roughed up a bit, allowing four earned runs in four innings, throwing just seventy-six pitches before getting pulled for Ervin Santana, who allowed just two hits in three shutout relief frames.

The only run for the Royals came in the third inning when Andrew Benintendi crossed the plate on a Maeda wild pitch to tie the game at one run apiece. However, the Twins responded with three runs in the third, including a two-run triple from Miguel Sano. Josh Donaldson would hit a solo homerun later in the inning, just his second of the year.

Kansas City collected just three hits, with two of them going to Hanser Alberto, who also doubled. Benintendi was 1-for-3 with a single and a run scored in the loss.

Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins
May 2, 2021	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City (16-10)	0	0	0	0	5	2	3	0	0	10	13	0
Minnesota (10-17)	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	3	5	0
W: Brad Keller (3-2) L: J.A. Happ (0-2) S: None

Sunday, May 2nd, 2021
By virtue of their 10-3 win on Sunday, the Royals locked up a winning road trip (5-4), and maintained a slim half-game lead in the AL Central over the White Sox. Brad Keller picked up his third win of the season, tossing eight sterling innings with his only blemish a three-run homerun off the bat of Josh Donaldson in the seventh. He struck out six, walked zero, and scattered just four hits with three earned runs.

Jake Newberry pitched the final inning, working around a two-out hit with one strikeout.

The Royals would hit three dingers of their own, as Hunter Dozier, Michael A. Taylor, and Jorge Soler all went yard in the victory. For Soler, he continues to swing an extremely hot bat, as his fifth-inning longball was his eighth of the season. Carlos Santana also drove in three runs, going 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.

MLB NEWS
04/30 -- Twins activate SS Andrelton Simmons from Covid-19 list
05/01 -- Angels release OF Jon Jay
05/02 -- Indians sign 1B/DH Renato Nunez to minor-league contract
05/02 -- Blue Jays activate OF George Springer, RHP Nate Pearson from the 60-day IL
05/02 -- Cardinals LHP Genesis Cabrera (elbow) placed on 60-day IL