Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

STAUMONT INJURED IN REHAB STINT
Righty placed on 10-day disabled list; McCarthy expected to be promoted to Omaha
By artoodeetoo
04/22/2019

Just one day into a rehab assignment, Josh Staumont had to leave after two innings upon feeling tingling and numbness in his right hand. After an MRI, Omaha manager Bip Roberts announced after the game that Staumont had suffered an ulnar nerve entrapment, which is not as serious as a tear of that ligament, but can cause temporary loss of feeling in the affected extremity.

Roberts noted that he would not require surgery, but that the effects can linger for weeks, even months. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list, and it's expected that Kevin McCarthy will take his place on Omaha's roster.

"He was throwing the ball real well," said Roberts, who had a clear look of disappointment on his face. "He's had a bit rough of a go this year. I'm hopeful he'll be back and healthy sooner rather than later, but we have to move on right now."

Including Staumont, Omaha has dealt with a trio of pitching injuries in the early going; with Foster Griffin going down from a tricep strain in his last start, and Heath Fillmyer going on the disabled list with a finger tendon issue. Fillmyer is not expected to be out more than one or two starts, but Griffin could miss up to five or six weeks.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING LEADERS

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHING LEADERS

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING LEADERS

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

NATIONAL LEAGUE PITCHING LEADERS

[CalBears]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

Looks like have after the awful start the Royals are starting to turning things around a little bit. How's Lopez been doing in his early cameos with the big club?

Read through the whole thread over the last week or so, enjoying it a lot so far. Hopefully this rebuild doesn't bottom out like the real Royals have!

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (8-14) @ ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (13-9)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

04/23: RHP Ian Kennedy (0-2, 7.36) vs RHP Michael Wacha (1-1, 3.80)
04/24: RHP Luis Cessa (0-2, 7.63) vs RHP Carlos Martinez (2-1, 2.84)
04/25: LHP Danny Duffy (0-1, 4.97) vs RHP Alex Reyes (1-2, 4.91)

GAME RECAPS

April 23rd, 2019
Kansas City (8-15) 1, St. Louis (14-9) 7
Winner: Michael Wacha (2-1) Loser: Ian Kennedy (0-3) Save: None

A CARDINAL CLOBBERING

Ian Kennedy allowed four homeruns in his six innings of work, as St. Louis rode the homerun barrage to a 7-1 series-opening victory. Michael Wacha held the Royals to just one run in his five and one-third innings, surrendering just an RBI double to Ryan O'Hearn in the sixth. Brett Phillips tripled with one out, and then O'Hearn knocked him in with his two-bagger two batters later. Nicky Lopez was the only Royal to reach base more than once, going 1-for-3 with a walk, single, and stolen base. Adalberto Mondesi was 1-for-4 with a stolen base of his own, his seventh in eight tries.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (16-7) 4, Cleveland (15-9) 2
Minnesota (9-13) 1, Baltimore (12-12) 12
Pittsburgh (14-9) 6, Detroit (7-16) 1
Toronto (10-12) 6, Boston (13-12) 5
NY Yankees (12-11) 0, Tampa Bay (14-10) 2
Texas (13-11) 9, Oakland (8-17) 1
Cincinnati (4-20) 5, Chi. Sox (14-9) 7
LA Angels (14-11) 2, Seattle (12-13) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (12-12) 3, Milwaukee (10-14) 6
Kansas City (8-15) 1, St. Louis (14-9) 7
San Francisco (8-14) 6, Washington (13-10) 1
NY Mets (15-8) 4, Chi. Cubs (12-11) 3
Philadelphia (13-10) 7, Arizona (7-16) 3
LA Dodgers (18-7) 7, San Diego (11-14) 3
Miami (9-15) 7, Colorado (17-7) 6

April 24th, 2019
Kansas City (8-16) 5, St. Louis (15-9) 6
Winner: Luke Gregerson (1-0) Loser: Blake Treinen (2-3) Save: Aroldis Chapman (5)

ROYALS BLOW LATE LEAD

The bullpen, namely Blake Treinen, let the Royals down again as he surrendered a pair of runs in the eighth inning to send the Royals to a 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals. He allowed a single, and then back-to-back walks to lead off the inning before Jedd Gyorko launched an RBI double into the left-center gap to give the Cardinals the lead. Tim Hill came in and fanned outfielder LaMonte Wade on three pitches to get out of the inning, but the Royals couldn't mount much of a rally in the ninth, getting a single from Adalberto Mondesi, a 6-4 putout off the bat of Brett Phillips, and then back-to-back strikeouts of Cheslor Cuthbert and pinch-hitter Salvador Perez. Luis Cessa allowed three runs and seven hits in five innings for the Royals, fanning four and walking four.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (16-8) 2, Cleveland (16-9) 8
Minnesota (9-14) 1, Baltimore (13-12) 4
Pittsburgh (15-9) 4, Detroit (7-17) 3 (Final/11)
Toronto (10-13) 2, Boston (14-12) 6
NY Yankees (13-11) 3, Tampa Bay (14-11) 2
Texas (13-12) 1, Oakland (9-17) 5
Cincinnati (5-20) 12, Chi. Sox (14-10) 2
LA Angels (14-12) 0, Seattle (13-13) 11

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (12-13) 7, Milwaukee (11-14) 9
Kansas City (8-16) 5, St. Louis (15-9) 6
San Francisco (9-14) 8, Washington (13-11) 6
NY Mets (15-9) 3, Chi. Cubs (13-11) 7
Philadelphia (13-11) 3, Arizona (8-16) 4
LA Dodgers (19-7) 7, San Diego (11-15) 4
Miami (9-16) 1, Colorado (18-7) 14

April 25th, 2019
Kansas City (9-16) 6, St. Louis (15-10) 5
Winner: Danny Duffy (1-1) Loser: Chasen Shreve (2-3) Save: Trevor Rosenthal (2)

ROSENTHAL, ROYALS SALVAGE FINAL GAME

Danny Duffy finally picked up his first victory of the season, allowing three runs in five and two-third innings as the Royals claimed a 6-5 victory over the Cardinals to close out the season series with their interstate rivals. Duffy fanned six and walked just one in the contest, allowing a pair of homeruns to Jedd Gyorko in the process. Kansas City was led offensively by catcher Salvador Perez, who banged three hits, including a double and two-run homerun in the victory. Adalberto Mondesi stole a base, and added a double and single as part of a 2-for-5 day. The roadtrip continues tomorrow in Boston, as they begin a three-game series with the Red Sox tomorrow night.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (16-8) @ Detroit (7-17) -- PPD
Cleveland (16-10) 3, Chi. Sox (15-10) 4
Minnesota (9-15) 3, Baltimore (14-12) 10
Toronto (10-14) 4, Boston (15-12) 10
NY Yankees (13-12) 5, Tampa Bay (15-11) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (13-13) 5, Milwaukee (11-15) 2
Kansas City (9-16) 6, St. Louis (15-10) 5
San Francisco (9-15) 5, Washington (14-11) 6 (Final/12)
NY Mets (16-9) 3, Chi. Cubs (13-12) 1
Cincinnati (6-20) 8, Pittsburgh (15-10) 7

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS

04/22: Devers, Ethier win AL, NL weekly awards
04/22: Houston reliever Joe Smith to miss remainder of 2019 season with partially torn UCL
04/22: Royals place RHP Josh Staumont (ulnar nerve entrapment) on 10-day disabled list; could miss up to three months
04/23: Atlanta activates OF Ronald Acuna, Jr. from disabled list
04/23: Houston SS Carlos Correa returns from Triple-A rehab assignment
04/24: Cardinals place RHP Luke Weaver (hamstring) on 10-day disabled list; will miss six to eight weeks
04/25: Dodgers place RHP Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) on the 10-day disabled list; could miss three to four weeks

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

Looks like have after the awful start the Royals are starting to turning things around a little bit. How's Lopez been doing in his early cameos with the big club?

Read through the whole thread over the last week or so, enjoying it a lot so far. Hopefully this rebuild doesn't bottom out like the real Royals have!

Lopez has a .250/.379/.417 line so far, but will need more AB's to really evaluate. The issue has been my bullpen -- Treinen has been awful so far, but it's early. The offense is coming around. Two guys that were terrible last year (Dozier, O'Hearn) have been solid so far and a big reason why I haven't called a few key minor leaguers up yet.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (9-16) @ BOSTON RED SOX (15-12)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

04/26: RHP Jake Junis (1-1, 5.70) vs LHP David Price (1-1, 5.79)
04/27: RHP Trevor Oaks (1-2, 3.82) vs RHP Rick Porcello (2-1, 3.66)
04/28: RHP Ian Kennedy (0-3, 8.14) vs RHP Steven Wright (0-4, 10.03)

GAME RECAPS

April 26th, 2019
Kansas City (9-17) 2, Boston (16-12) 3
Winner: David Price (2-1) Loser: Jake Junis (1-2) Save: Archie Bradley (6)

LATE RALLY FALLS JUST SHORT

The Royals fell just short at Boston, getting a runner to third with no one out in the ninth, but failed to bring him in as they suffered a 3-2 defeat. Hunter Dozier singled to left to lead off the inning against closer Archie Bradley; and was quickly subbed out for Billy Hamilton, who stole second and eventually took third on a bad throw from catcher Oscar Hernandez. But Alex Gordon and Jorge Soler struck out, and pinch-hitter Nicky Lopez grounded out to second, and the rally was all for naught. Jake Junis threw six solid innings in taking the loss, allowing three runs while fanning three and walking one. Adalberto Mondesi was 2-for-3 with a double, walk, and RBI to lead the Royals' offensive attack. Cheslor Cuthbert drove in the other Royals run with an eighth-inning double.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (16-9) 4, Detroit (8-17) 5 (G1, Final/11)
Houston (16-10) 2, Detroit (9-17) 4 (G2)
Kansas City (9-17) 2, Boston (16-12) 3
Oakland (9-18) 8, Tampa Bay (16-11) 10
Toronto (10-15) 3, NY Yankees (14-12) 7
Cleveland (16-11) 2, Chi. Sox (16-10) 7
Milwaukee (12-15) 7, Minnesota (9-16) 4 (Final/11)
Baltimore (14-13) 4, LA Angels (15-12) 5
Texas (13-13) 4, Seattle (14-13) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (6-21) 3, Pittsburgh (16-10) 4
Atlanta (13-14) 3, Washington (15-11) 4
San Francisco (10-15) 8, Miami (9-17) 3
San Diego (12-15) 8, Philadelphia (13-12) 2
Chi. Cubs (13-13) 3, St. Louis (16-10) 8
NY Mets (16-10) 1, LA Dodgers (20-7) 2
Arizona (8-17) 4, Colorado (19-7) 11

April 27th, 2019
Kansas City (10-17) 4, Boston (16-13) 1
Winner: Trevor Oaks (2-2) Loser: Rick Porcello (2-2) Save: Trevor Rosenthal (3)

ROYALS SCORE EARLY; COAST TO VICTORY

Trevor Oaks gave the Royals six and two-third innings of one-run ball; fanning five and walking three, helping the Royals to even the series with a 4-1 victory over Boston. Brett Phillips supplied half the Royals runs, a two-run blast off Rick Porcello in the fourth inning, his fourth round-tripper of the 2019 campaign. Hunter Dozier provided the Royals with some insurance in the ninth with an RBI double, but turned out not needing it as Trevor Rosenthal shut the door in the ninth with his third save, but not before getting runners on first and third with two outs prior to slamming the door shut. Third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert doubled, singled, and scored a run as part of a 2-for-4 day. Cuthbert has been one of the big surprises in the MLB to date, leading the Royals in plate appearances (121), hits (35), doubles (10), and RBI (21). Rookie second baseman Nicky Lopez continued his stellar play since being called up a little over a week ago, going 1-for-2 with a run scored, a double, and a stolen base.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (17-10) 13, Detroit (9-18) 5
Kansas City (10-17) 4, Boston (16-13) 1
Oakland (10-18) 4, Tampa Bay (16-12) 3
Toronto (11-15) 6, NY Yankees (14-13) 2
Cleveland (17-11) 10, Chi. Sox (16-11) 4
Milwaukee (13-15) 4, Minnesota (9-17) 3 (Final/10)
Baltimore (14-14) 4, LA Angels (16-12) 5
Texas (13-14) 4, Seattle (15-13) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (6-22) 3, Pittsburgh (17-10) 4
Atlanta (14-14) 5, Washington (15-12) 2 (Final/10)
San Francisco (10-16) 1, Miami (10-17) 3
San Diego (13-15) 5, Philadelphia (13-13) 3
Chi. Cubs (14-13) 11, St. Louis (16-11) 8
NY Mets (17-10) 6, LA Dodgers (20-8) 5
Arizona (9-17) 11, Colorado (19-8) 7

April 28th, 2019
Kansas City (10-18) 2, Boston (17-13) 3 (Final/11)
Winner: Greg Holland (1-0) Loser: Jorge Lopez (2-1) Save: None

RED SOX EDGE ROYALS IN EXTRAS

Bryce Harper scored on Oscar Hernandez's single in the bottom of the 11th off Tim Hill, as the Red Sox salvaged a season split with the Royals in a 3-2 defeat. Kansas City scored both of their runs in the second inning, with the first one on a groundball out by Alex Gordon, and an RBI single by Nicky Lopez brought home the next one. Ian Kennedy hurled his best start of the season, going seven and two-third innings, allowing a pair of solo homeruns in the third for his only two runs allowed. He scattered four hits and two runs, fanning four with two walks. Jorge Lopez took the loss, going two and one-third innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out two.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (17-11) 6, Detroit (10-18) 8
Kansas City (10-18) 2, Boston (17-13) 3 (Final/11)
Oakland (11-18) 5, Tampa Bay (16-13) 4
Toronto (11-16) 5, NY Yankees (15-13) 7
Cleveland (17-12) 7, Chi. Sox (17-11) 12
Milwaukee (14-15) 6, Minnesota (9-18) 0
Baltimore (15-14) 7, LA Angels (16-13) 5 (Final/15)
Texas (14-14) 15, Seattle (15-14) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (6-23) 5, Pittsburgh (18-10) 7
Atlanta (14-15) 5, Washington (16-12) 6
San Francisco (11-16) 8, Miami (10-18) 6
San Diego (14-15) 9, Philadelphia (13-14) 8
Chi. Cubs (14-14) 1, St. Louis (17-11) 3
NY Mets (18-10) 8, LA Dodgers (20-9) 1
Arizona (9-18) 4, Colorado (20-8) 5

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
04/26: Clayton Kershaw to miss two to three months with herniated disc; same as 2018 injury
04/26: White Sox place 1B Mike Ford (cheekbone) on 10-day disabled list; could miss three to four weeks
04/27: Indians SS Francisco Lindor day-to-day with sore ankle
04/27: San Diego RHP Brandon Kintzler activated from disabled list
04/28: Texas OF Willie Calhoun's 5-for-5 day includes two more HR, now 14 in season's first month

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (11-16) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (10-18)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

04/29: RHP David Paulino (0-2, 5.59) vs RHP Luis Cessa (0-2, 7.08)
04/30: RHP Chris Tillman (0-3, 7.42) vs LHP Danny Duffy (1-1, 4.94)
05/01: LHP Andrew Barbosa (0-2, 4.50) vs RHP Jake Junis (1-2, 5.50)

GAME RECAPS

April 29th, 2019
Toronto (11-17) 4, Kansas City (11-18) 6
Winner: Luis Cessa (1-2) Loser: David Paulino (0-3) Save: Trevor Rosenthal (4)

SUPER SIXTH INNING LEADS TO VICTORY

A five-run sixth inning proved to be the difference in the Royals' series opener against Toronto, downing the Blue Jays 6-4. Nicky Lopez was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, including the key blow in the sixth as he lashed a double to right-center with the sacks full to bring home all three runs, giving the Royals a 5-2 lead at the time. Luis Cessa went six and one-third innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out five and scattering five hits to pick up the victory. Ryan O'Hearn was 2-for-3 with an RBI single, and Billy Hamilton was 3-for-5 with a triple, his first of the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (11-17) 4, Kansas City (11-18) 6
Chi. Sox (17-12) 7, NY Yankees (16-13) 8
Oakland (12-18) 6, Detroit (10-19) 5 (Final/10)
Tampa Bay (17-13) 9, Minnesota (9-19) 1
Baltimore (15-15) 1, Seattle (16-14) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Diego (15-15) 9, Pittsburgh (18-11) 2
St. Louis (18-11) 4, Miami (10-19) 3
Washington (17-12) 10, Philadelphia (13-15) 6
LA Dodgers (21-9) 8, Colorado (20-9) 4
Cincinnati (6-24) 7, Milwaukee (15-15) 11
Arizona (10-18) 7, San Francisco (11-17) 4

April 30th, 2019
Toronto (11-18) 1, Kansas City (12-18) 5
Winner: Danny Duffy (2-1) Loser: Chris Tillman (0-4) Save: None

DUFFY, ROYALS STIFLE TORONTO

Danny Duffy tossed five shutout innings, and the Royals coasted to a 5-1 victory behind two runs in the first, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh. Hitting leadoff for the first time this season, Nicky Lopez was 3-for-5 with a run scored, and Adalberto Mondesi was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Brett Phillips and Alex Gordon accounted for four RBI, with Phillips knocking home a pair with two RBI singles, and Gordon hit a two-run homerun in the sixth off Chris Tillman. Kelvin Herrera and Nathan Karns each tossed two innings out of the bullpen, combining to allow one run with nine strikeouts and one walk.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Sox (17-13) 1, NY Yankees (17-13) 7
Oakland (13-18) 1, Detroit (10-20) 0
Toronto (11-18) 1, Kansas City (12-18) 5
Tampa Bay (17-14) 5, Minnesota (10-19) 8
Texas (14-15) 5, Houston (18-11) 9
Baltimore (15-16) 4, Seattle (17-14) 8
Boston (18-13) 10, LA Angels (16-14) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (14-15) @ NY Mets (18-10) -- PPD
San Diego (15-16) 2, Pittsburgh (19-11) 3
Washington (18-12) 8, Philadelphia (13-16) 3
St. Louis (19-11) 9, Miami (10-20) 2
Cincinnati (6-25) 4, Milwaukee (16-15) 8
Cleveland (17-13) 2, Chi. Cubs (15-14) 7
Arizona (11-18) 13, San Francisco (11-18) 1
LA Dodgers (21-10) 8, Colorado (21-9) 9

May 1st, 2019
Toronto (12-18) 6, Kansas City (12-19) 3
Winner: Wade LeBlanc (3-0) Loser: Jorge Lopez (2-2) Save: Ken Giles (7)

RED SOX EDGE ROYALS IN EXTRAS

Kansas City received a terrific performance from Jake Junis, but it wasn't enough to push the Royals past the Blue Jays, as the Jays won 6-3. Junis posted seven and one-third solid innings, allowing three runs (one earned), while walking just one and striking out four. Down 3-2 in the eighth, the Royals came up with the tying run on an Adalberto Mondesi RBI single, but homeruns by Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales in the ninth off Jorge Lopez put the game out of reach, as the Royals went quietly in the ninth against closer Ken Giles.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Sox (17-14) 1, NY Yankees (18-13) 6
Oakland (14-18) 12, Detroit (10-21) 2
Toronto (12-18) 6, Kansas City (12-19) 3
Tampa Bay (18-14) 7, Minnesota (10-20) 4 (Final/12)
Texas (15-15) 4, Houston (18-12) 3 (Final/12)
Baltimore (16-16) 6, Seattle (17-15) 5
Boston (18-14) 0, LA Angels (17-14) 9

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (15-15) 3, NY Mets (18-11) 2 (G1)
Atlanta (16-15) 5, NY Mets (18-12) 3 (G2)
San Diego (15-17) 1, Pittsburgh (20-11) 2
Washington (19-12) 4, Philadelphia (13-17) 2
St. Louis (20-11) 5, Miami (10-21) 1
Cincinnati (6-26) 1, Milwaukee (17-15) 11
Cleveland (17-14) 1, Chi. Cubs (16-14) 9
Arizona (12-18) 8, San Francisco (11-19) 6
LA Dodgers (21-11) 2, Colorado (22-9) 3

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
04/29: Baltimore's Villar, Cardinals' Gyorko win their respective league's Player of the Week honors
04/29: Washington SS Trea Turner's return pushed back a week; re-injures hamstring
04/29: Giants RHP Tyler Beede's season comes to end with ruptured UCL diagnosis
04/29: Rockies take over top spot in new Power Rankings
04/30: Reds 1B Joey Votto hits 300th career homerun in 8-4 loss to Milwaukee
05/01: Rangers' Calhoun, Rockies' McMahon win monthly awards for April
05/01: Bucs' Burdi, Mariners' Paxton win monthly pitching awards for April
05/01: Detroit's Perez, Robles of Washington win April's Rookie of the Month honors

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

GENERAL MANAGER'S REPORT (APRIL)

AL CENTRAL STANDINGS

Chicago White Sox: 17-13
Cleveland Indians: 17-13
Kansas City Royals: 12-18
Minnesota Twins: 10-19
Detroit Tigers: 10-20

MAJOR TRANSACTIONS

We didn't make any major moves this month, other than bringing up Nicky Lopez. He's been a real shot in the arm for the offense, as he slashed .359/.457/.538 in forty-six plate appearances. It's not feasible that he'll maintain that kind of production, but our scouts think he could be a .300 hitter year after year.

MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORDS

Omaha: 13-7 (2nd, PCL Amer. North)
NW Arkansas: 10-9 (2nd, Texas League North)
Wilmington: 15-5 (1st, Carolina League, Northern Division)
Lexington: 12-8 (3rd, South Atlantic League, Southern Division)

REPORTS FROM MINOR LEAGUE MANAGERS

Nothing negative or positive to report, but it is still early in the season. The teams are still finding out who their locker room leaders are.

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH - APRIL

Kansas City: Cheslor Cuthbert, 3B
Honestly, we weren't sure we were going to bring him back this year, as he was out of options and up for arbitration. He's responded with twenty-one RBI in the month and a .301 batting average. These numbers include the three games in March.

Omaha: Cody Ponce, RHP
Acquired from Milwaukee for Brian Flynn over the offseason, Ponce fanned nineteen hitters in twenty-seven innings, allowing just twenty-three hits and six walks while pitching to a 1.67 ERA in four April starts.

NW Arkansas: Donnie Dewees, OF
Not known for power, Dewees hit eleven doubles in seventy plate appearances, slashing a ridiculous .400/.451/.692 line.

Wilmington: Jackson Kowar, RHP
The Royals' second of four first-rounders in 2018, Kowar struck out nearly a batter per inning (25 K in 25 1/3 IP), going 3-0 in four April starts with a 1.78 ERA. He also walked just seven, and didn't allow a homerun. He's been one of the fastest risers in the organization, and another promotion could be around the corner soon if he continues to produce at this level.

Lexington: Chase Vallot, C
Vallot went 21-for-48 in April (.438!) with six doubles, a triple, and three homeruns. He also had an upside down K/BB ratio, with eleven walks to just eight strikeouts.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (12-19) @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX (17-14)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/02: RHP Trevor Oaks (2-2, 3.38) vs RHP Miguel Gonzalez (1-1, 6.83)
05/03: RHP Ian Kennedy (0-3, 6.75) vs RHP Reynaldo Lopez (2-0, 4.97)
05/04: RHP Luis Cessa (1-2, 6.41) vs RHP Ryan Helsley (2-2, 1.98)
05/05: LHP Carlos Rodon (3-2, 3.52) vs LHP Danny Duffy (2-1, 4.25)

GAME RECAPS

May 2nd, 2019
Kansas City (13-19) 4, Chi. Sox (17-15) 3
Winner: Richard Lovelady (2-2) Loser: Nate Jones (2-1) Save: Jorge Lopez (1)

KANSAS CITY HANGS ON FOR VICTORY

Tied at two heading into the eighth, an RBI single by Salvador Perez, and passed ball by Brian McCann in the top of that frame brought home two runs; which as it turns out, they needed both of them as the White Sox rallied for one in the bottom of the inning. Trevor Rosenthal came on for the save in the bottom of the ninth, and had to be pulled with two outs due to what turned out to be an oblique issue. Jorge Lopez got the last out, and picked up his first save as the Royals held on for a 4-3 victory. Brett Phillips was 2-for-5 with a double, and Cheslor Cuthbert also contributed an RBI two-bagger in going 1-for-5. Even though he allowed ten hits, Trevor Oaks was in control for most of his outing, allowing just two runs with five strikeouts and no walks. He didn't, however, factor into the decision.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (11-20) 8, Cleveland (17-15) 4
Kansas City (13-19) 4, Chi. Sox (17-15) 3
Texas (15-16) 3, Houston (19-12) 4
Baltimore (17-16) 6, Seattle (17-16) 2
NY Yankees (18-14) 4, Oakland (15-18) 5
Boston (19-14) 10, LA Angels (17-15) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (16-16) 0, NY Mets (19-12)
Arizona (13-18) 5, San Francisco (11-20) 2
St. Louis (21-11) 2, Miami (10-22) 0

May 3rd, 2019
Kansas City (13-20) 9, Chi. Sox (18-15) 11
Winner: Juan Minaya (2-1) Loser: Ian Kennedy (0-4) Save: Luis Avilan (5)

LATE COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

Nicky Lopez had himself a whale of a ballgame, but it still wasn't enough to put the Royals over the top as Kansas City fell 11-9 in a high-scoring affair. Officially going 2-for-2, Lopez hit his first MLB homerun in the Royals' six-run third inning, and sandwiched three free passes and a single around that homerun. Billy Hamilton also hit his first homerun of the season; his first as a Royal, in the third inning. Ian Kennedy was a human punching bag for the White Sox, allowing three homeruns and ten earned runs in five and one-third innings of work. Nathan Karns threw two and two-third scoreless innings in relief as the Royals' late-inning comeback efforts fell short, scoring once each in the seventh and ninth innings.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (13-20) 9, Chi. Sox (18-15) 11
Minnesota (12-20) 10, Cleveland (17-16) 1
Detroit (11-21) 6, Baltimore (17-17) 1
Tampa Bay (18-15) 6, Toronto (13-18) 7 (Final/12)
Boston (20-14) 10, Texas (15-17) 7
NY Yankees (18-15) 7, Oakland (16-18) 10
LA Angels (17-16) 3, Houston (20-12) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (19-13) 1, Miami (11-22) 4
St. Louis (22-11) 7, Cincinnati (6-27) 2
San Diego (16-17) 5, NY Mets (19-13) 3
Colorado (22-10) 1, Atlanta (17-16) 5
Philadelphia (14-17) 9, Milwaukee (17-16) 1
Arizona (14-18) 2, LA Dodgers (21-12) 1
Pittsburgh (20-12) 1, Chi. Cubs (17-14) 2
Seattle (17-17) 1, San Francisco (12-20) 7

May 4th, 2019
Kansas City (14-20) 5, Chi. Sox (18-16) 3
Winner: Luis Cessa (2-2) Loser: Gregory Infante (0-1) Save: Blake Treinen (3)

ROYALS CLINCH SERIES SPLIT

White Sox pitcher Ryan Helsley, who held the Royals to one unearned run April 1st in Kansas City, fanned thirteen Royals in this one only to end up not factoring into the decision in a 5-3 Royals victory. Helsley went just five and two-third innings, expending over a hundred pitches to notch those strikeouts. He scattered five hits and two earned runs, falling an out short of a quality start. Meanwhile, Luis Cessa picked up his second victory of the season, going six and two-third innings with five strikeouts and three earned runs allowed. Three relievers combined to hold the White Sox down, with Blake Treinen picking up the four-out save, allowing just a two-out hit to Charlie Tilson in the ninth. Adalberto Mondesi and Brett Phillips each collected RBI hits, while Cheslor Cuthbert went 1-for-3 with two RBI to expand his team-leading total in that category to 27.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (14-20) 5, Chi. Sox (18-16) 3
Minnesota (13-20) 4, Cleveland (17-17) 1
Detroit (12-21) 4, Baltimore (17-18) 3
Tampa Bay (19-15) 4, Toronto (13-19) 1
Boston (21-14) 10, Texas (15-18) 6
NY Yankees (19-15) 10, Oakland (16-19) 4
LA Angels (17-17) 5, Houston (21-12) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (19-14) 4, Miami (12-22) 8
St. Louis (23-11) 10, Cincinnati (6-28) 7
San Diego (17-17) 5, NY Mets (19-14) 2 (Final/11)
Colorado (22-11) 6, Atlanta (18-16) 8
Philadelphia (14-18) 2, Milwaukee (18-16) 3
Arizona (15-18) 5, LA Dodgers (21-13) 0
Pittsburgh (21-12) 8, Chi. Cubs (17-15) 2
Seattle (17-18) 2, San Francisco (13-20) 3

May 5th, 2019
Kansas City (15-20) 10, Chi. Sox (18-17) 3
Winner: Danny Duffy (3-1) Loser: Carlos Rodon (3-3) Save: None

KANSAS CITY WINS BY TOUCHDOWN; TAKES SERIES

The Royals topped the White Sox by a 10-3 count, with Billy Hamilton and Danny Duffy taking center stage in the victory. They jumped all over White Sox starter Carlos Rodon early, tagging him for five runs in the first two innings, and two more in the fourth before being lifted for Danny Farquhar. Hamilton was 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and a stolen base. Duffy picked up his third straight victory, going seven strong innings. He fanned six, and only ran into trouble in one inning, allowing a pair of homeruns in the sixth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (15-20) 10, Chi. Sox (18-17) 3
Minnesota (13-21) 1, Cleveland (18-17) 2
Detroit (12-22) 1, Baltimore (18-18) 2
Tampa Bay (19-16) 1, Toronto (14-19) 6
Boston (22-14) 15, Texas (15-19) 3
NY Yankees (20-15) 3, Oakland (16-20) 1
LA Angels (18-17) 2, Houston (21-13) 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (19-15) 2, Miami (13-22) 3
St. Louis (23-12) 5, Cincinnati (7-28) 6
San Diego (17-18) 4, NY Mets (20-14) 6
Colorado (22-12) 4, Atlanta (19-16) 5
Philadelphia (15-18) 11, Milwaukee (18-17) 3
Arizona (15-19) 1, LA Dodgers (22-13) 7
Pittsburgh (22-12) 4, Chi. Cubs (17-16) 2
Seattle (18-18) 1, San Francisco (13-21) 0

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
05/02: Mets designate Tim Lincecum for assignment, place on waivers
05/02: Pirates place 3B Adrian Beltre (back tightness) on 10-day disabled list; retro to 04/30/2018
05/03: Red Alert: Cincinnati fires pitching coach Mack Jenkins
05/04: Yankee reliever Jonathan Holder shut down for season with elbow bone chips
05/04: Arizona's Zack Greinke tosses near-perfecto, allows one hit and faces the minimum in 5-0 win over the Dodgers
05/05: Cincinnati hires Dave Righetti to mentor their pitchers on two-year contract

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ZIMMER GETS THE CALL
2012 first-rounder has dealt with bicep, shoulder injuries throughout career
By artoodeetoo
05/06/2019

It's been the road less taken to get to the major leagues for Kyle Zimmer, but nearly seven years after he entered professional baseball in 2012 out of the University of San Francisco, the end of the journey is nigh.

With closer Trevor Rosenthal headed to the disabled list for an oblique issue, the Royals made the call to Omaha to bring the 27-year-old righty two nights ago up to the parent club to take his spot on the active roster. Rosenthal is not expected to be out more than a few weeks; so it will likely be just a cup of coffee, and he wasn't available to pitch in last night's game due to the fact he hadn't made it to Oakland. But Zimmer, the fifth-overall pick in 2012, is going to relish the opportunity to make his mark on the team when he sets foot on a big-league mound for the first time.

If he's able to stick around until at least the weekend of the 24th through the 26th, he may get an opportunity to face his brother Bradley, who plays for Cleveland. The Indians will be in Kansas City that weekend.

"I have to admit, I was a little emotional," he said to MLB.com Royals analyst Jeffrey Flanagan, recalling when his manager, Bip Roberts, called him into his office to deliver the good news. "It usually means one of two things -- you're getting waived, or getting promoted. Fortunately, it was the latter. My first call was to my parents, and the next call went to my brother, Bradley. About fifteen to twenty minutes after calling them, my phone started blowing up as I was packing my stuff to head to Oakland to meet up with the team there."

Arm issues have haunted him ever since he began his professional career in the organization, with biceps tendinitis prematurely ending his 2013 seasons after 108 1/3 innings, which would have been his first full season in professional baseball. He underwent shoulder surgery in October 2014 after just four and two-third innings with Idaho Falls, one of the Royals' rookie league affliates.

To protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, the Royals added him to the 40-man roster at the end of the 2015 season. He again dealt with shoulder issues in 2016, pitching just three games before undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and undergoing surgery just weeks after his last outing that season. He returned in 2017, pitching to a 5.40 ERA with forty strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings of work between Double-A and Triple-A while dealing with minor shoulder discomfort at different points. He made it through Spring Training prior to last season; but was abruptly designated for assignment, re-signed to a minor league contract a few days later on April 2nd, and subsequently assigned to Omaha.

Formerly a starting pitcher with a four-pitch mix of a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup, hes now cut the slider largely out of his arsenal, primarily throwing the fastball and curveball, with the changeup mixed in nearly 10% of the time, according to a recent Fangraphs piece on Zimmer. Despite two operations on his shoulder, he can still run his fastball into the upper 90's, topping out at 99 MPH on three different occasions, and sitting at 94, 95, 96 MPH. His curve is still a plus offering, as well as his changeup, which is a league-average pitch.

Zimmer has also noted in the past that cutting back on the slider helped with the arm issues. 2018 was the first year that he didn't throw the slider on a consistent basis, and responded with the best season of his career with a blistering 1.26 ERA in 64 1/3 of work, fanning fifty-eight hitters while walking just twenty-three in thirty-three appearances out of the bullpen. He also credited a rigorous training program over the winter after the 2017 season that helped him regain strength and mobility in his shoulder.

The 64 1/3 innings of work were the most he'd thrown since 2013, the season he threw 108 1/3 innings between two different minor league levels.

That said, even with all the departures in the bullpen, the organization initially declined to re-purchase his contract and re-add him to the 40-man roster, so he opted for free agency again with the goal of finding a team that would be willing to take him on with an MLB contract. Ultimately, there wasn't a team willing to ignore his injury history for a coveted 40-man roster spot, as he received a half-dozen or so minor league contract offers.

However, general manager Travis Greenleaf eventually relented, signing him to a major-league deal for an above-the-league-minimum dollar figure ($600K) in a show of good faith near the beginning of spring training. In addition to an injury-free 2018 season, he's been healthy for the short* time so far this season, so there's optimism that he could finally be putting his injury-laden history behind him.

In 2019 to date, despite an ERA nearly a point higher than last year (2.21), he's allowed just five hits and five earned runs in 20 1/3 innings, with six walks and twenty-four strikeouts. What's more impressive is that he's managed to drop his walk rate while raising his swing-and-miss rate, all the while with multiple procedures on his shoulder.

"I'm excited to see what he can do to help us," manager Ned Yost quipped after the Royals' 10-3 victory last night. "There were times that I wasn't sure he'd get to this point. To see him here, it's a bit of a surprise. He's worked his tail off to get here and have a chance to show what he can do."

In addition to Zimmer, the Royals also placed Alex Gordon on the disabled list retroactive to Monday with a back injury. He scored on a base hit by Hunter Dozier, not showing any sign of injury until he was pulled for Brian Goodwin prior to the next half-inning. Jorge Bonifacio, who spent much of the last two seasons with the Royals when he wasn't serving his 80-game PED suspension; and who is off to a roaring start in Omaha, was re-called to take Gordon's place on the roster. His injury is being termed as a sore back, and will likely miss just a week or two, according to team officials.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (15-20) @ OAKLAND ATHLETICS (16-20)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/06: RHP Jake Junis (1-2, 4.78) vs RHP Kendall Graveman (2-5, 9.42)
05/07: RHP Trevor Oaks (2-2, 3.30) vs RHP Andrew Triggs (1-3, 8.73)
05/08: RHP Ian Kennedy (0-4, 8.20) vs RHP Paul Blackburn (0-0, 8.38)

GAME RECAPS

May 6th, 2019
Kansas City (15-21) 2, Oakland (17-20) 5
Winner: Kendall Graveman (3-5) Loser: Jake Junis (1-3) Save: Liam Hendriks (8)

ROYALS CAN'T FIGURE GRAVEMAN OUT

A's pitcher Kendall Graveman came into the game with a 9.42 ERA, but eight shutout innings against the visiting Royals shaved nearly two points off that as Oakland eventually claimed a 5-2 victory in the end. Graveman fanned six and walked three; allowing just one hit, a sixth-inning double by Jorge Soler. His counterpart, Jake Junis, was equally as solid, only allowing one run in seven-plus innings, later being charged with an additional run in the eighth inning. The Royals were able to score a pair of runs in the ninth off Daniel Coulombe and Ryan Buchter, but Oakland brought in closer Liam Hendriks to shut the door; and was able to lock down the save after sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around a pair of walks, fanning Brian Goodwin with the bases loaded to end the contest.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (15-21) 2, Oakland (17-20) 5
Seattle (19-18) 10, Texas (15-20) 9

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (22-13) 3, Washington (20-15) 5 (Final/10)
NY Mets (21-14) 2, Milwaukee (18-18) 1
Philadelphia (16-18) 3, Pittsburgh (22-13) 1
Minnesota (13-22) 3, Chi. Cubs (18-16) 5
Miami (13-23) 5, LA Dodgers (23-13) 15

May 7th, 2019
Kansas City (16-21) 5, Oakland (17-21) 0
Winner: Trevor Oaks (3-2) Loser: Andrew Triggs (1-4) Save: None

OAKS FIRES SHUTOUT; ROYALS COAST TO WIN

Already the most consistent starting pitcher the Royals have had this season, righty Trevor Oaks pitched up, down, and around Oakland's bats in a seven-hit shutout of the A's, as the Royals posted their first shutout of the season in a 5-0 victory. In a tidy 102 pitches, Oaks fanned nine with no walks, allowing just seven hits. Only two of those hits went for extra bases; and in addition to his nine strikeouts, he was able to get eleven groundouts out of an offense that has one of the highest flyball rates in all of baseball. Hunter Dozier led the way offensively, hitting his fourth homerun as part of a 3-for-4 day, scoring twice with one run batted in. Adalberto Mondesi was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, and Brian Goodwin hit his second homerun of the season, a two-run shot off Andrew Triggs in the second.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (16-21) 5, Oakland (17-21) 0
NY Yankees (21-15) 11, Baltimore (18-19) 4
Chi. Sox (18-18) 5, Boston (23-14) 6 (Final/11)
Houston (21-14) 1, Tampa Bay (20-16) 2
Atlanta (19-17) 1, Toronto (15-19) 5
Seattle (20-18) 3, Texas (15-21) 1
St. Louis (23-13) 1, Cleveland (19-17) 14

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (13-23) 1, Chi. Cubs (19-16) 3
Philadelphia (16-19) 4, Pittsburgh (23-13) 5
Detroit (13-22) 5, Cincinnati (7-29) 1
Colorado (22-14) 0, Washington (21-15) 8
NY Mets (21-15) 8, Milwaukee (19-18) 11 (Final/13)
LA Angels (18-18) 1, San Diego (18-18) 8
San Francisco (13-22) 2, Arizona (16-19) 6
Miami (13-24) 3, LA Dodgers (24-13) 7

May 8th, 2019
Kansas City (16-22) 3, Oakland (17-21) 4 (Final/11)
Winner: Liam Hendriks (2-0) Loser: Jorge Lopez (2-3) Save: None

OLSON, A'S WIN IN WALKOFF

Kansas City wasted a fine effort from Ian Kennedy, as the veteran right-hander allowed three runs over six innings, only to see Matt Olson walk off with a solo homerun in the 11th off Jorge Lopez in a 4-3 defeat. Lopez had already pitched two scoreless innings, but Olson took Lopez's first pitch of the inning and parked it nearly 430 feet away in the right field seats for his 14th homerun of the season. Hunter Dozier and Ryan O'Hearn each went 2-for-4 with RBI hits in the game, with Jorge Bonifacio adding his first hit and RBI since being recalled to the Royals in the wake of Alex Gordon going to the disabled list. Chad Pinder was the A's offensive star, going 3-for-4 with a two-run homerun off Kennedy in the sixth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (16-22) 3, Oakland (17-21) 4 (Final/11)
NY Yankees (22-15) 10, Baltimore (18-20) 2
Chi. Sox (18-19) 2, Boston (24-14) 4
Houston (21-15) 1, Tampa Bay (21-16) 5
Atlanta (20-17) 7, Toronto (15-20) 4
Seattle (21-18) 8, Texas (15-22) 2
St. Louis (24-13) 4, Cleveland (19-18) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Philadelphia (16-20) 1, Pittsburgh (24-13) 6
Detroit (13-23) 3, Cincinnati (8-29) 4 (Final/10)
Colorado (23-14) 13, Washington (21-16) 7
NY Mets (22-15) 3, Milwaukee (19-19) 1
LA Angels (18-19) 1, San Diego (19-18) 7
San Francisco (14-22) 6, Arizona (16-20) 1
Miami (13-25) 2, LA Dodgers (25-13) 14

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
05/06: Benintendi, Goldy win Player of the Week honors
05/06: Cardinals, Pirates claim top spots in new Power Rankings
05/07: Dodgers designate reliever Josh Fields for assignment
05/08: MLB suspends Angels' Murphy, Padres' Joey Lucchesi three and seven games respectively

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB STANDINGS UPDATE