Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: AUGUST 12TH-18TH
Karns suspended; Lopez to disabled list for several weeks
By artoodeetoo
08/19/2019

08/14/2019: KARNS SUSPENDED FOR FIGHT IN INDIANS SERIES

Royals reliever Nathan Karns served a two-game suspension on Wednesday, the 14th, and Thursday, the 15th, for a brief fracas at the mound in the first half of a day-night doubleheader with Cleveland on Tuesday.

The Indians' Richie Shaffer drilled a long homerun against Karns, who took umbrage with Shaffer's reaction to the homerun. Karns threw behind the next hitter, Aaron Altherr, and tempers flared. When Karns threw behind him again, Altherr charged the mound and took a swing at Karns, who took him to the ground.

Altherr absorbed a three-game suspension, while Karns missed a pair of contests (not including the second half of the doubleheader; which he was eligible to pitch in, but did not).

08/15/2019: LOPEZ SUFFERS INTERCOSTAL STRAIN; WILL MISS 2-3 WEEKS

Just a day after allowing three runs in one and one-third innings in a 7-3 loss to Minnesota, Kansas City placed right-hander Jorge Lopez on the 10-day disabled list with an intercostal strain. He'll likely miss the rest of August, and the first week of September.

His fastball, usually in the upper 90's, had dipped into the 92-93 range, and according to pitching coach Cal Eldred, his breaking and offspeed offerings didn't show the same bite they had earlier in the season.

In 70 1/3 innings, Lopez has a 3.33 ERA with sixty-eight strikeouts and twenty-three walks. Josh Staumont was activated from his rehab assignment to replace him on the active roster, while Omaha infielder Kelvin Gutierrez (hamstring) was moved from the 10-day to the 60-day disabled list to make room for him on the 40-man.

08/16/2019: ROYALS DEAL MINOR-LEAGUER STOUT FOR CASH

The Royals dealt former 40-man roster occupant Eric Stout to the Dodgers, receiving cash considerations in return from Los Angeles. Stout threw 14 2/3 innings for the Royals in 2018; but was knocked around a bit, fashioning a 5.52 ERA, although he did fan nineteen with just six walks in that time frame.

In 346 2/3 minor-league innings, Stout posted a 3.54 ERA with 327 career strikeouts after being picked in the 14th round out of Butler in the 2014 draft.

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB STANDINGS UPDATE

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (60-63) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (66-59)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/20: RHP Tyler Eppler (2-5, 6.29) vs LHP Danny Duffy (8-5, 3.87)
08/21: LHP Brandon Waddell (0-4, 8.25) vs RHP Jake Junis (10-5, 3.57)

GAME RECAPS

August 20th, 2019
Pittsburgh (61-63) 5, Kansas City (66-60) 4
Winner: Felipe Vazquez (2-3) Loser: Corey Knebel (3-4) Save: Nick Burdi (23)

ROYALS FALL THANKS TO LATE MARTE BLAST

Starling Marte's three-run homerun with no one out in the ninth put the Pirates ahead 5-4, and they would go on to hold the Royals scoreless in the bottom of the frame to take a 5-4 victory. Corey Knebel entered the game to face Marte with two runners on in the inning after Richard Lovelady put two runners on, thanks to a walk and an error from Cheslor Cuthbert. Max Moroff got Pittsburgh on the board in the seventh, hitting a two-run homerun against Danny Duffy. Duffy went seven innings; allowing just those two runs, while fanning four with two walks. Alex Gordon was 2-for-4 with two RBI, with both runs coming on a double in the first. Adalberto Mondesi also hit an RBI single in the first. Nicky Lopez drove in a run with a double in the sixth inning.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (53-73) 4, Cleveland (65-60) 3
Pittsburgh (61-63) 5, Kansas City (66-60) 4
Boston (81-46) 10, Tampa Bay (53-73) 4
Chi. Sox (62-64) 5, Toronto (52-74) 2
Detroit (42-83) 3, NY Yankees (83-44) 4 (Final/10)
Seattle (52-74) 2, Houston (83-44) 8
Oakland (59-69) 11, Texas (57-68) 12

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (64-61) 7, Miami (49-77) 2
Baltimore (56-69) 5, Philadelphia (63-64) 6 (Final/15)
Colorado (79-48) 4, NY Mets (78-47) 5
Milwaukee (63-63) 5, Cincinnati (42-86) 17
Atlanta (64-61) 3, St. Louis (75-51) 4
LA Dodgers (79-49) 5, San Diego (55-70) 2
Chi. Cubs (78-49) 7, Arizona (59-68) 2
LA Angels (60-66) 7, San Francisco (58-67) 1

August 21st, 2019
Pittsburgh (62-63) 8, Kansas City (66-61) 6
Winner: Trevor Williams (9-9) Loser: Tony Cingrani (3-4) Save: Nick Burdi (24)

BULLPEN SURRENDERS LATE LEAD; ROYALS DROP BOTH ENDS OF SERIES

The Pirates topped the Royals by an 8-6 count, with the lion's share of the credit going to Pittsburgh's Gregory Polanco. The All-Star went 2-for-5, including a two-run homerun in the seventh that put the Bucs up for good, 7-6. They added a run later in the inning on a Josh Harrison single. Jake Junis was charged with five runs in six and one-third innings of work, with Tony Cingrani taking the loss after surrendering the Polanco go-ahead homerun. Brett Phillips went 2-for-4 with his 10th homerun of the season, while Nicky Lopez reached base four times as part of a 3-for-4 day.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (54-73) 9, Cleveland (65-61) 2
Pittsburgh (62-63) 8, Kansas City (66-61) 6
Boston (81-47) 4, Tampa Bay (54-73) 7
Chi. Sox (63-64) 12, Toronto (52-75) 6
Detroit (42-84) 0, NY Yankees (84-44) 5
Seattle (52-75) 1, Houston (84-44) 7
Oakland (59-70) 5, Texas (58-68) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (65-61) 5, Miami (49-78) 1
Baltimore (56-70) 6, Philadelphia (64-64) 7
Colorado (79-49) 6, NY Mets (79-47) 8
Milwaukee (64-63) 5, Cincinnati (42-87) 4
Atlanta (64-62) 4, St. Louis (76-51) 5
LA Dodgers (79-50) 0, San Diego (56-70) 1
Chi. Cubs (78-50) 2, Arizona (60-68) 3
LA Angels (60-67) 2, San Francisco (59-67) 4

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
08/19: Orioles' Santander, Rox' McMahon earn Player of the Week honors
08/19: Red Sox acquire Justin Bour from Minnesota for minor-league IF Bobby Dalbec
08/20: Cubs activate RHP Juan Nicasio from rehab assignment
08/21: Rox' Jeff Hoffman out for season with elbow soreness; acquire OF Khris Davis from Oakland

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

CLEVELAND INDIANS (65-61) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (66-61)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/22: RHP Carlos Carrasco (6-7, 5.72) vs RHP Trevor Oaks (12-5, 2.95)
08/23: RHP Trevor Bauer (9-10, 4.44) vs RHP Luis Cessa (10-6, 3.77)
08/24: RHP Danny Salazar (9-5, 3.87) vs RHP Jimmy Nelson (5-4, 4.71)
08/25: RHP Mike Clevinger (5-7, 4.47) vs LHP Danny Duffy (8-5, 3.82)

GAME RECAPS

August 22nd, 2019
Cleveland (66-61) 10, Kansas City (66-62) 4
Winner: Carlos Carrasco (7-7) Loser: Trevor Oaks (12-6) Save: Randall Delgado (4)

ROYALS DROP THIRD STRAIGHT

Edwin Encarnacion drove in four runs, including three on a homerun in the second inning, as the Royals fell 10-4 to a surging Indians squad. Francisco Lindor also had his best game since returning from injury, hitting a three-run bomb in the sixth inning against reliever Josh Fields. Trevor Oaks had his worst outing in months last night, allowing seven runs on ten hits in just five innings, including the homerun to Encarnacion. He's given up seven longballs in his last five starts, including five prior to the fifth inning of those starts. Only David Peralta had more than one hit for the Royals, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single. Peter Alonso, Brett Phillips, and Alex Gordon all had RBI hits for Kansas City, who has now lost three straight and four of their last six. The loss also drops the Royals out of first place after a ten-day stay.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Sox (63-65) 3, Toronto (53-75) 6
Cleveland (66-61) 10, Kansas City (66-62) 4
Detroit (42-85) 1, NY Yankees (85-44) 6
Texas (59-68) 6, Minnesota (54-74) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (66-61) 7, Miami (49-79) 4
Colorado (80-49) 8, NY Mets (79-48) 5
Milwaukee (65-63) 9, Pittsburgh (62-64) 3
Atlanta (64-63) 3, Philadelphia (65-64) 4
LA Dodgers (80-50) 6, San Diego (56-71) 2

August 23rd, 2019
Cleveland (66-62) 7, Kansas City (67-62) 8 (Final/14)
Winner: Nathan Karns (3-2) Loser: Nick Goody (3-2) Save: None

ROYALS WIN IT IN EXTRAS

Kansas City and Cleveland duked it out for fourteen innings; with an Adalberto Mondesi single in the 14th providing for the winning run, as the Royals evened their crucial series with the Indians by an 8-7 count. Alex Gordon led the Royals offensively with a 2-for-4 performance, drawing three walks in the process. Nathan Karns picked up the victory, going three innings for the second straight night, allowing just a solo homerun in the 12th to Edwin Encarnacion.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (67-61) 8, Tampa Bay (54-74) 5
Cleveland (66-62) 7, Kansas City (67-62) 8 (Final/14)
Baltimore (56-71) 2, Boston (82-47) 10
NY Yankees (86-44) 13, Toronto (53-76) 2
Texas (60-68) 4, Minnesota (54-75) 2
Seattle (53-75) 2, LA Angels (60-68) 1
Detroit (42-86) 5, Chi. Sox (64-65) 6 (Final/10)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (66-63) 8, Pittsburgh (62-65) 4
Miami (49-80) 3, NY Mets (80-48) 4
Atlanta (64-64) 2, Philadelphia (66-64) 3
St. Louis (77-51) 10, Cincinnati (42-88) 3
LA Dodgers (81-50) 7, Arizona (60-69) 2
Houston (85-44) 1, San Francisco (59-68) 0
Oakland (59-71) 4, Colorado (81-49) 6
Chi. Cubs (78-51) 4, San Diego (57-71) 9

August 24th, 2019
Cleveland (66-63) 2, Kansas City (68-62) 6
Winner: Jimmy Nelson (6-4) Loser: Danny Salazar (9-6) Save: None

NELSON, MONDESI KEY ROYALS TRIUMPH

Adalberto Mondesi fell a triple short of the cycle, and Jimmy Nelson came through in a big way with a complete-game performance as the Royals clinched at least a series tie with a 6-2 victory over the Indians. Nelson's performance came at a time when they needed it the most, allowing the bullpen to rest after a taxing several days. He fanned five and walked just one over nine innings, allowing a pair of solo homeruns for the only runs he allowed on the night. Mondesi was 3-for-3, hitting a three-run homerun in the fourth, and a two-run double in the sixth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (68-61) 2, Tampa Bay (54-75) 1
Cleveland (66-63) 2, Kansas City (68-62) 6
Baltimore (56-72) 1, Boston (83-47) 6
NY Yankees (87-44) 6, Toronto (53-77) 5
Texas (60-69) 3, Minnesota (55-75) 6
Seattle (54-75) 15, LA Angels (60-69) 1
Detroit (42-87) 1, Chi. Sox (65-65) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (66-64) 2, Pittsburgh (63-65) 7
Miami (49-81) 1, NY Mets (81-48) 3
Atlanta (64-65) 3, Philadelphia (67-64) 4
St. Louis (78-51) 7, Cincinnati (42-89) 4
LA Dodgers (82-50) 6, Arizona (60-70) 5
Houston (86-44) 11, San Francisco (59-69) 1
Oakland (59-72) 3, Colorado (82-49) 11
Chi. Cubs (79-51) 6, San Diego (57-72) 2

August 25th, 2019
Cleveland (66-64) 3, Kansas City (69-62) 4
Winner: Richard Lovelady (6-5) Loser: Brad Hand (2-7) Save: None

ROYALS WALK OFF IN THE NINTH

Brian Goodwin was 2-for-5 with two RBI, including the game-tying hit in the ninth in the Royals' 4-3 victory. Cheslor Cuthbert walked with the bases loaded after Goodwin's hit to bring home the winning run, giving the Royals the series victory, and their third straight win. Richard Lovelady picked up the win out of the bullpen, his sixth of the season. Danny Duffy went just five innings, but fanned eight while allowing just six hits and two walks.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (69-61) 10, Tampa Bay (54-76) 2
Cleveland (66-64) 3, Kansas City (69-62) 4
Baltimore (57-72) 5, Boston (83-48) 2
NY Yankees (88-44) 9, Toronto (53-78) 3
Texas (61-69) 7, Minnesota (55-76) 0
Seattle (54-76) 4, LA Angels (61-69) 9
Detroit (43-87) 2, Chi. Sox (65-66) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (66-65) 3, Pittsburgh (64-65) 4 (Final/11)
Miami (49-82) 2, NY Mets (82-48) 10
Atlanta (64-66) 3, Philadelphia (68-64) 5 (Final/11)
St. Louis (78-52) 3, Cincinnati (43-89) 4
LA Dodgers (82-51) 3, Arizona (61-70) 5
Houston (87-44) 2, San Francisco (59-70) 1 (Final/10)
Oakland (60-72) 7, Colorado (82-50) 6
Chi. Cubs (80-51) 8, San Diego (57-73) 1

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
08/22: Orioles southpaw Nestor Cortes suffers torn elbow ligament, will miss most of 2020 as well as 2019
08/23: Rays LHP Blake Snell could miss all of 2020 with torn UCL; will need surgery
08/24: Cardinals acquire OF/3B Nick Castellanos from Detroit for Jedd Gyorko and two minor-league pitchers
08/25: Yankees win tenth straight with 9-3 victory over Toronto

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: AUGUST 19TH-25TH
Royals sign pitching coach to two-year extension
By artoodeetoo
08/26/2019

08/20/2019: YOST HINTS AT LIMITING STARTERS' INNINGS DOWN THE STRETCH

With the September 1st roster expansion in the windshield view, Ned Yost is looking forward to the option of limiting his starters' innings as they push towards the playoffs. With reliever Jorge Lopez out; and a bullpen-taxing series against Cleveland, the long-time Royals skipper is relishing the chance to use some fresh faces out of the bullpen to keep the starters and main bullpen stalwarts fresh.

Most notably, Trevor Oaks and Luis Cessa have been feeling the pinch of late-season baseball -- they have struggled in their last handful of starts. Oaks has surrendered six homeruns in his last five starts after just four homeruns allowed through the first four months of the season.

Cessa has a 6.10 ERA in four August starts, although he has fanned twenty-two in 20 1/3 innings of work in the same time frame.

08/23/2019: ROYALS EXTEND PITCHING COACH CAL ELDRED

After a solid initial season in 2018, the Royals brought pitching coach Cal Eldred back for 2019 on a one-year extension. This time, the Royals have extended him again, but for the next two seasons. Eldred has the Royals' pitching staff ranked in the top five in most major pitching categories in the American League, including the third-best team ERA (4.00) and second-best starters' ERA (4.08).

The only major category where the Royals aren't in the top five as a team is strikeouts; but even then, they have jumped from 14th in 2018 up to 11th in 2019 to this point. A lot of the jump is due to the bullpen, where nearly every relief pitcher is averaging better than a strikeout per inning. In 2018, the Royals had the fifth-best bullpen ERA, but struggled to miss bats in the late innings.

The exact terms of the extension weren't immediately available; but Eldred has been mentioned as a possible managerial candidate at the end of the season, and it appears the Royals might be getting out ahead of that with this move. Eldred, at 51 and a former MLB pitcher himself, has a son, C.J., that pitches for the Royals' rookie affiliate in Burlington.

08/25/2019: STAUMONT SHARP IN RETURN; INJURES OBLIQUE IN SECOND OUTING

It was a short stay for reliever Josh Staumont, as the hard-throwing righty went back on the disabled list with a strained oblique. He'll miss the next five to six weeks, but he'll be eligible for the playoffs if the Royals are still in the hunt upon his return.

Staumont made just two appearances, allowing one walk in one and one-third innings, fanning three. He left the game after just one hitter in the Royals' 8-7 14-inning victory over Cleveland on Friday night, the 23rd.

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MINOR LEAGUE STANDINGS UPDATE, PT. 1

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MINOR LEAGUE STANDINGS UPDATE, PT. 2

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

REDS PINK-SLIP WILLIAMS; ALOMAR'S FUTURE IN DOUBT
Long-time exec had been with team since 2008
08/26/2019
By David LoPietro

It appeared earlier in the summer that Reds GM Dick Williams' job was safe through the end of the year at the very least, but that notion was put out to pasture earlier this morning, as the Reds have fired Williams just short of completing his fifth year on the job. Cincinnati has the worst record in baseball, though not by much, with a 42-90 mark.

Of course, this move also puts into doubt the future of first-year manager Sandy Alomar Jr. It is unlikely that a managerial move will be made until a permanent successor is put into the GM's chair, but Alomar is likely on a warm seat heading into 2020 if he's retained.

Reds team president Walt Jocketty, who promoted Williams to the top personnel job after his ascension to the role of team president, said that a "thorough" search for a new general manager will begin in earnest.

"I've considered Dick a close friend these past ten years, but this franchise has to go in a new direction," said Jocketty in a press conference announcing the move. In that same press conference, Jocketty said that he would take over day-to-day operations of the team until a new GM is named, likely in the weeks after the regular season ends.

It will take several days for some potential replacements to come into focus, but a few names to watch for are former Marlins GM Michael Hill, former Braves GM Frank Wren, and even former Reds GM and current MLB Network analyst Jim Bowden.

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (69-62) @ CHICAGO WHITE SOX (65-66)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/27: RHP Jake Junis (10-5, 3.71) vs LHP Carlos Rodon (9-8, 3.61)
08/28: RHP Trevor Oaks (12-6, 3.23) vs RHP Hector Noesi (10-9, 4.14)

GAME RECAPS

August 27th, 2019
Kansas City (70-62) 6, Chi. Sox (65-67) 3
Winner: Jake Junis (11-5) Loser: Carlos Rodon (9-9) Save: Corey Knebel (27)

SOLER POWERS ROYALS WIN

The Royals raced out to a 4-0 lead, thanks in no small part to Jorge Soler, who drilled a three-run homerun in the top of the first off Carlos Rodon. They tacked on single runs against Rodon in the third and fourth, and held on for a 6-3 victory. Jake Junis went six strong innings, scattering three hits and two walks with three strikeouts to pick up his 11th victory of the season. Corey Knebel struck out the side to pick up his 27th save of the season, his ninth since joining the Royals.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (70-62) 6, Chi. Sox (65-67) 3
Cleveland (69-64) 6, Baltimore (57-75) 4
Tampa Bay (54-78) 3, Boston (85-48) 6
Philadelphia (68-65) 4, NY Yankees (89-44) 13
San Diego (59-73) 15, LA Angels (61-71) 7
Minnesota (56-76) 11, Detroit (43-88) 6 (Final/11)
Arizona (61-71) 4, Oakland (61-72) 5
Texas (62-70) 7, Seattle (55-77) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (53-78) @ Atlanta (64-66) -- PPD
Miami (51-82) 4, Washington (69-63) 2
Cincinnati (43-90) 1, Milwaukee (67-65) 7
NY Mets (84-48) 8, Pittsburgh (64-67) 3
St. Louis (79-52) 5, Chi. Cubs (80-52) 3
San Francisco (60-71) 2, Colorado (83-51) 1
Houston (87-45) 3, LA Dodgers (83-51) 6

August 28th, 2019
Kansas City (71-62) 8, Chi. Sox (65-68) 3
Winner: Trevor Oaks (13-6) Loser: Hector Noesi (10-10) Save: None

ROYALS SWEEP TWO-GAME SET BEHIND OAKS

Trevor Oaks had one of his typical performances -- six innings, seven hits, two earned runs, and no walks with five strikeouts as the Royals rolled to an 8-3 victory over the White Sox. They continue to increase their lead in the division, as it's now up to two games over Cleveland, and six over the White Sox. Brian Goodwin, Cheslor Cuthbert, and Cam Gallagher all had two hits for the Royals, who now stand at a season-high nine games over .500. Nicky Lopez hit his team-best 10th triple in the third inning, and scored the Royals' first run on Goodwin's single. Kansas City did all of their damage in two innings, with a five-spot in the third, and three in the fifth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (71-62) 8, Chi. Sox (65-68) 3
Cleveland (69-65) 3, Baltimore (58-75) 4
Tampa Bay (55-78) 3, Boston (85-49) 0
Philadelphia (68-66) 3, NY Yankees (90-44) 4
San Diego (59-73) 15, LA Angels (61-71) 7
Minnesota (56-77) 5, Detroit (44-88) 7
Arizona (62-71) 6, Oakland (61-73) 2
Texas (63-70) 10, Seattle (55-78) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (53-79) 1, Atlanta (65-66) 3 (G1)
Toronto (54-79) 4, Atlanta (65-67) 3 (G2)
Miami (51-83) 0, Washington (70-63) 12
Cincinnati (44-90) 10, Milwaukee (67-66) 4
NY Mets (85-48) 3, Pittsburgh (64-68) 1
St. Louis (79-53) 4, Chi. Cubs (81-52) 5
San Francisco (61-71) 14, Colorado (83-52) 5
Houston (87-46) 3, LA Dodgers (84-51) 5
Chi. Cubs (78-51) 4, San Diego (57-71) 9

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
08/26: Reds fire GM Dick Williams; nationwide search to begin immediately
08/26: Mets place RHP Jacob deGrom (oblique) on 10-day disabled list; will miss 10-14 days
08/27: Reds activate RHP Anthony DeSclafani from the disabled list
08/28: Red Sox activate RHP Archie Bradley from 10-day disabled list; designate LHP Tyler Lyons for assignment
08/28: Astros activate RHP Justin Verlander from the 10-day disabled list

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]



CANDIDATES BEGIN TO EMERGE FOR REDS' OPEN GM SPOT
Search seems to be centering around four names
08/29/2019
By Anthony Castrovince, MLB.com

It's been several days since the Reds fired Dick Williams, and some names have begun to surface over that time. There have been a few that have flatly denied they're a candidate, such as former Tigers and Red Sox executive Dave Dombrowski, who is recovering from an illness that caused him to step down after last season. Former Rockies exec Dan O'Dowd has also reportedly denied any interest or contact from the Reds. The most visible name that has come up has been former Reds executive Jim Bowden, who is now an MLB Network radio co-host of 'Inside Pitch', a daily show he co-hosts with Casey Stern, but it's unlikely that he and the Reds are a match due to their past history.

The four most common names we have heard in conversations over the past few days are below. There is also a rumor that the Reds may also look to someone currently employed with another organization, such as St. Louis assistant GM Michael Girsch, the Cubs' Jason McLeod, or the Royals' J.J. Piccolo. The latter two are heavily involved in minor-league scouting and procurement of talent, and are young-ish guys (late-30's, early 40's).

MICHAEL HILL
Current Job: None
Former Executive Role(s): Marlins General Manager (2007-2013); Marlins VP of Player Personnel (2014-2018)
Analysis: Hill was retained by the ownership group headed by Derek Jeter took over; but after a 100-loss campaign in 2018, was let go. He had been with the Marlins since 2002, so has been a part of some great Marlins teams, and some not-so-great Marlins squads. He's generally regarded as a pretty bright baseball mind around the league when it comes to scouting and the amateur level, but the free-agent signings of Starlin Castro, Wei-yin Chen, and Martin Prado have hamstrung the franchise.

TONY REAGINS
Current Job: MLB EVP of Baseball/Softball Development (since 2018)
Former Executive Role(s): Angels General Manager (2007-2011), MLB SVP of Youth Development (2015-2018)
Analysis: Reagins is probably most well-known for trading away Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera for Vernon Wells in 2011, but other than that, he has done well as an executive and an overseer of the Angels' minor-league system. He was the final decision-maker on the selection of Mike Trout in 2009, and even after he was let go by owner Arte Moreno in September of 2011, he remained with the team as a special assistant until taking a position with the MLB corporate office in 2015.

JIM BOWDEN
Current Job: MLB Radio co-host (Inside Pitch)
Former Executive Role(s): Reds General Manager (1992-2003), Nationals General Manager (2005-2009)
Analysis: This is probably the one name that Reds fans don't want to hear, but Bowden has been interested in re-entering the general manager market; and despite some of his alleged skirting of gray area with the league, is a guy that's been around the game a long, long time, and would likely have the Reds competitive sooner rather than later. However, he's not really a fit for the kind of roster and direction that Cincinnati needs to go. He's notorious for being reckless in the trade market, and they do have a nice core of young players that could be the foundation of a rebuild.

FRANK WREN
Current Job: Boston Red Sox SVP of Baseball Ops (since 2015)
Former Executive Role(s): Orioles General Manager (1999), Braves EVP/GM (2007-2014)
Analysis: Wren, like Bowden, has been around the game quite a while, and has been successful at nearly every stop, save for his one year with Baltimore in 1999. As Michael Hill had done with the Marlins, free-agent signings were Wren's Achilles -- Derek Lowe, Dan Uggla, and Melvin Upton were all busts, although he has a strong track record as a minor-league system builder. When Dave Dombrowski stepped down after last season, instead of taking the reins of the Red Sox himself, Wren hired a front office newbie in former player Bret Barberie as the team's general manager, and has the Red Sox with an 85-49 mark so far. As highly-regarded as Wren is, he would likely need an EVP or SVP-type position to take on a more day-to-day role, especially at sixty-one years old.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (71-62) @ BALTIMORE ORIOLES (58-75)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/29: RHP Luis Cessa (10-6, 3.64) vs LHP Tanner Scott (3-9. 6.86)
08/30: RHP Jimmy Nelson (6-4, 4.53) vs RHP Andrew Cashner (11-7, 3.81)
08/31: LHP Danny Duffy (8-5, 3.81) vs LHP Paul Fry (3-7, 5.00)
09/01: RHP Jake Junis (11-5, 3.63) vs RHP Dylan Bundy (8-7, 4.40)

GAME RECAPS

August 29th, 2019
Kansas City (71-63) 4, Baltimore (59-75) 6
Winner: Sam Holland (2-2) Loser: Luis Cessa (10-7) Save: Jimmy Yacabonis (1)

ORIOLES HALT ROYALS' WIN STREAK AT FIVE

It was a wild first few innings, with starting pitchers Tanner Scott and Luis Cessa unable to hit the strike zone consistently, but the Orioles came out on top in a 6-3 decision. Sam Holland picked up the victory for Baltimore in relief, pitching three-plus scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Cheslor Cuthbert was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI hit for the Royals, while former Royal Mike Moustakas was 2-for-4 with an RBI hit of his own. Anthony Santander was 2-for-3 with two RBI, including the go-ahead RBI in the fifth with a solo homerun off Cessa.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Yankees (90-45) 4, Cleveland (70-65) 5 (Final/11)
Kansas City (71-63) 4, Baltimore (59-75) 6
Minnesota (57-77) 4, Detroit (44-89) 1
Houston (88-46) 9, Texas (63-71) 4
LA Angels (61-72) 7, Seattle (56-78) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (44-91) 3, Milwaukee (68-66) 8
St. Louis (79-54) 5, Chi. Cubs (82-52) 10
San Francisco (61-72) 1, Arizona (63-71) 2
San Diego (59-74) 1, LA Dodgers (85-51) 8

August 30th, 2019
Kansas City (72-63) 12, Baltimore (59-76) 4
Winner: Jimmy Nelson (7-4) Loser: Andrew Cashner (11-8) Save: None

LATE-INNING SURGE PROPELS K.C. TO LOPSIDED VICTORY

With a grand slam and RBI triple, Brett Phillips finished 4-for-5 with five RBI as the Royals rolled up on the Orioles by a 12-4 count. He fell just a double short of the cycle; and came up in the ninth with a chance to hit one, but struck out. Jimmy Nelson picked up his second straight victory, going seven innings while allowing four runs and fanning seven. Adalberto Mondesi drove in runs in his first three plate appearances, and David Peralta hit his ninth homerun of the season in the fourth inning as part of a 2-for-4 day.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (72-63) 12, Baltimore (59-76) 4
NY Yankees (90-46) 3, Cleveland (71-65) 5
Toronto (55-79) 4, Detroit (44-90) 2
Houston (89-46) 7, Texas (63-72) 6
Boston (86-49) 3, Chi. Sox (65-69) 2
LA Angels (61-73) 4, Seattle (57-78) 16
Minnesota (58-77) 9, Oakland (61-74) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (44-92) 6, Miami (52-83) 9
Tampa Bay (55-79) 1, Philadelphia (69-66) 9
Pittsburgh (65-68) 2, Washington (70-64) 0
St. Louis (79-55) 2, Atlanta (66-67) 10
Milwaukee (68-67) 4, Chi. Cubs (83-52) 5 (Final/13)
NY Mets (86-48) 13, Colorado (83-53) 5
San Francisco (62-72) 2, Arizona (63-72) 1
San Diego (59-75) 5, LA Dodgers (86-51) 6

August 31st, 2019
ansas City (72-64) 3, Baltimore (60-76) 8
Winner: Paul Fry (4-7) Loser: Danny Duffy (8-6) Save: None

ORIOLES SLUG THEIR WAY AS ROYALS SUFFER DEFEAT

Trey Mancini hit a pair of two-run homeruns, and Adeiny Hechevarria and Chance Sisco each hit a solo homerun as the Orioles defeated Kansas City 8-3. Danny Duffy went just four innings, allowing six runs on six hits, with all runs coming on homeruns. Nicky Lopez led the Royals offensively, hitting a pair of doubles and driving in two runs, with Salvador Perez hitting his 20th homerun of the season, which leads the team, and is the first Royal to reach twenty homeruns for the 2019 year.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (72-64) 3, Baltimore (60-76) 8
NY Yankees (90-47) 3, Cleveland (72-65) 11
Toronto (56-79) 8, Detroit (44-91) 5
Houston (89-47) 1, Texas (64-72) 2
Boston (86-50) 1, Chi. Sox (66-69) 3
LA Angels (62-73) 6, Seattle (57-79) 3 (Final/13)
Minnesota (59-77) 6, Oakland (61-75) 4 (Final/12)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (44-93) 0, Miami (53-83) 1 (Final/11)
Tampa Bay (55-80) 0, Philadelphia (70-66) 9
Pittsburgh (65-69) 1, Washington (71-64) 3
St. Louis (79-56) 4, Atlanta (67-67) 6
Milwaukee (68-68) 4, Chi. Cubs (84-52) 5
NY Mets (87-48) 7, Colorado (83-54) 0
San Francisco (63-72) 3, Arizona (63-73) 2
San Diego (59-76) 3, LA Dodgers (87-51) 7

September 1st, 2019
Kansas City (73-64) 5, Baltimore (60-77) 2 (Final/13)
Winner: Drew Smith (3-2) Loser: Miguel Castro (4-5) Save: Richard Lovelady (2)

GOODWIN LEADS THE ROYALS TO GOOD WIN

Brian Goodwin extended his hitting streak to eleven games, including hitting the game-winning homerun in the top of the 13th, in the Royals' 5-2 victory to split the four-game roadie at Baltimore. It was also Goodwin's fifth-straight multi-hit game, and his eighth multi-hit game as part of his streak. Drew Smith gave the Royals three solid innings out of the bullpen beginning in the tenth, allowing just one walk while striking out three to pick up his first win out of the bullpen for Kansas City in 2019. Richard Lovelady picked up his second save, working a 1-2-3 inning.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (73-64) 5, Baltimore (60-77) 2 (Final/13)
NY Yankees (91-47) 5, Cleveland (72-66) 2
Toronto (56-80) 2, Detroit (45-91) 3
Houston (90-47) 6, Texas (64-73) 5
Boston (87-50) 3, Chi. Sox (66-70) 0
LA Angels (62-74) 8, Seattle (58-79) 9 (Final/11)
Minnesota (60-77) 4, Oakland (61-76) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (44-94) 0, Miami (54-83) 3
Tampa Bay (56-80) 8, Philadelphia (70-67) 5 (Final/14)
Pittsburgh (65-70) 1, Washington (72-64) 3
St. Louis (79-57) 2, Atlanta (68-67) 7
Milwaukee (69-68) 7, Chi. Cubs (84-53) 4
NY Mets (87-49) 4, Colorado (84-54) 10
San Francisco (63-73) 1, Arizona (64-73) 2
San Diego (59-77) 1, LA Dodgers (88-51) 5

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
08/29: Candidates begin to emerge in Reds' GM search
08/30: Giants C Buster Posey placed on 60-day disabled list (labrum)
08/31: Astros RHP Roberto Osuna placed on 60-day disabled list (torn UCL), could miss the first few months of 2020
08/31: Mariners place LHP James Paxton (herniated disc in back) on 10-day disabled list
09/01: Yankees' Bird, Mets' Conforto named AL, NL Players of the Month
09/01: Astros' Cole, Cubs' Quintana named AL, NL Pitchers of the Month
09/01: Mariners' Rios, Rockies' Rodgers named AL, NL Rookies of the Month

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: AUGUST 26TH-SEPTEMBER 1ST
Royals sign pitching coach to two-year extension
By artoodeetoo
09/02/2019

08/27/2019: ROYALS' ARIZONA LEAGUE SQUAD'S SEASON COMES TO END

With a 6-2 defeat to Cleveland on Tuesday, the Arizona League Royals were knocked out of the post-season after dropping the best-of-three series two games to one. Ismaldo Rodriguez had four hits for the Royals, while Bryan Asencio was 3-for-5 in the contest.

08/27/2019: IDAHO FALLS' BRYANT TO MISS 2020

2018 draftee Noah Bryant, picked in the 17th round out of Cal State-Monterey Bay, will miss the rest of this season and quite possibly all of 2020 after suffering his second UCL injury in as many seasons.

He struggled badly in his first pro season, spinning a 12.91 ERA in 7 2/3 innings before his first UCL injury last year. He wasn't faring much better in 2019, posting an 11.40 ERA in 15 IP this season for the Chukars. Bryant had surgery on Wednesday, the 28th, in Kansas City.

08/28/2019: TOP PITCHING PROSPECTS PROMOTED

Two of the Royals' top pitching prospects were bumped up a classification on Wednesday, the 28th as right-handers Jackson Kowar and Mitchell White were promoted to Double-A and Triple-A, respectively. White joined a team that is headed to the PCL postseason, while Kowar went from a contender to a team that is close to being out of the race.

Acquired from the Dodgers in the Trevor Rosenthal deal back in June, White fanned thirty-eight hitters in 33 1/3 innings for the Naturals, which covered seven appearances (five starts). In addition, he's since made a start in Triple-A, allowing ten hits and two walks over seven innings in a 6-4 win over Colorado Springs, a game in which he did not factor into the decision.

Kowar became the second 2018 draftee to hit Double-A, joining fellow classmate Daniel Lynch after going 11-6 with a 2.96 ERA in twenty-seven starts with Wilmington. In the lower minors, the Royals also promoted second-round pick Derek West, picked 47th overall this past June, to Lexington; and 2018 first-rounder Kris Bubic is headed back up to Wilmington, where he's had the most success in 2019.

08/31/2019: SHELLER PLACED ON DISABLED LIST; WILL NEED TJ SURGERY

Royals minor-league hurler Walker Sheller, who has split time between Double-A and Triple-A this season, will miss the remainder of 2019, and possibly all of 2020 with a ruptured UCL in his pitching elbow. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list, freeing up a 40-man roster slot which was eventually filled by Omaha infielder Samir Duenez.

He started out as the Double-A Naturals' closer before being promoted to Triple-A Omaha. He didn't have a successful stint with the Storm Chasers, going 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in 11 innings, although he did strike out eleven. He was demoted back to Double-A, but newly-acquired-at-the-time Riley McCauley took over the closer's role.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

GENERAL MANAGER'S AUGUST REPORT

AL CENTRAL STANDINGS

Kansas City Royals: 72-64
Cleveland Indians: 72-65
Chicago White Sox: 66-69
Minnesota Twins: 59-77
Detroit Tigers: 44-91

MAJOR TRANSACTIONS

None.

MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORDS

Omaha: 73-56 (1st, PCL Amer. North)
NW Arkansas: 59-72 (3rd, Texas League North)
Wilmington: 67-63 (2nd, Carolina League, Northern Division)
Lexington: 77-54 (1st, South Atlantic League, Southern Division)
Burlington: 44-21 (1st, Appalachian League East Champions)
Idaho Falls: 22-41 (3rd, Pioneer League South)
Kansas City AZL: 36-20 (1st, Arizona League West)
Kansas City DSL 1: 32-39 (6th, Boca Chica NW)
Kansas City DSL 2: 35-37 (T-5th, Boca Chica NW)

REPORTS FROM MINOR LEAGUE MANAGERS

Our Arizona League team made the postseason, but fell short against the Cleveland squad. 36-20 is a solid record, and we extended manager Tony Pena, Jr., to one more season. We're looking at making the postseason in Triple-A Omaha, Single-A Lexington, and Rookie League Burlington. We're locked into a pretty tight race in High-A, where Wilmington is second in the division with eight games to go.

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH - AUGUST

Kansas City: Peter Alonso, 1B
With a 29-for-87 (.333) month, Alonso barely edged out Billy Hamilton, who had a solid .308/.348/.338 line with fourteen steals in fifteen attempts. Alonso sported a 1:1 K/BB ratio, and hit team highs in doubles (10) and RBI (18).

Omaha: Samir Duenez, 1B
Recently re-added to the 40-man roster, Duenez hit .400 in August and appears to have the PCL Player of the Year award wrapped up with just a few weeks left in the season. Out of his forty-eight hits, he hit ten doubles, a triple, and six homeruns with a league-high twenty-six RBI, and has eighty-two RBI for the season to go with a career-high twenty-four homeruns.

NW Arkansas: Michael Gigliotti, OF
In his first full month in Double-A, the Royals' fourth-round pick in 2017 went 38-for-114 (.333), hitting eleven doubles, a triple, two homeruns, and sixteen RBI to go with seven steals in as many attempts.

Wilmington: Jackson Kowar, RHP
He's now in Double-A, but Kowar had a huge month of August, going 3-0 in five starts with a 1.62 ERA in 33 1/3 innings of work. He fanned thirty-eight with just eleven walks, and didn't allow one homerun in August.

Lexington: Kyle Hinton, RHP
After a month off, Hinton roared back to win the August award for Lexington, saving nine games with an 0-1 mark. In 15 1/3 innings, he fanned twenty-three with just five walks and eleven hits allowed. He leads the South Atlantic League with thirty-five saves in 2019.

Burlington: Kody Hoese, 3B
Twice-drafted by the Royals; most recently in the 39th round this past year, Hoese won his first monthly award with a .320/.405/.577 triple-slash, hitting ten doubles and five homeruns with eighteen RBI. He was called up late in August to the Lexington Legends.

Idaho Falls: Dallas Beaver, C
Beaver has won the Idaho Falls' player of the month award for the second straight month, leading the Pioneer League with a .392 BA (29-of-74), with ten doubles, two homeruns, and twelve RBI.

Royals AZL: Kyle Marsh, IF
Marsh earned himslef a promotion up to Burlington, hitting four doubles, two triples, and four homeruns with twenty-one RBI in just seventy-six plate appearances. He slashed .329/.422/.592 in that same time period.

Royals DSL Combined: Wilmin Candelario, SS
The 17-year-old phenom is now with the Royals' Arizona League rookie affiliate, but had another solid month with a .303/.319/.505 line, hitting seven doubles, six triples, and a homerun with three steals in as many attempts.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB STANDINGS UPDATE (09/05/2019)

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (73-64) @ CLEVELAND INDIANS (72-66)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

09/02: RHP Trevor Oaks (13-6, 3.22) vs RHP Danny Salazar (9-7, 4.26)
09/03: RHP Luis Cessa (10-7, 3.75) vs RHP Mike Clevinger (5-7, 4.40)
09/04: RHP Jimmy Nelson (7-4, 4.56) vs RHP Carlos Carrasco (8-7, 5.64)

GAME RECAPS

September 2nd, 2019
Kansas City (74-64) 3, Cleveland (72-67) 2
Winner: Tony Cingrani (4-4) Loser: A.J. Ramos (1-7) Save: Corey Knebel (28)

LATE RALLY PUSHES ROYALS PAST CLEVELAND

Back-to-back RBI hits from Salvador Perez and Nicky Lopez propelled the Royals to a 3-2 victory over Cleveland to begin a crucial three-game series on Monday night. Corey Knebel worked around a pair of two-out walks to post his 28th save of the season. Adalberto Mondesi was 3-for-4 in the contest, hitting his 13th homerun of the season; and also stealing his 40th base in the ninth before coming around to score on Perez's single. Brian Goodwin extended his career-high hitting streak to twelve games with a single in the seventh.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (60-77) @ Texas (64-73) -- PPD
Kansas City (74-64) 3, Cleveland (72-67) 2
Chi. Sox (67-70) 3, Detroit (45-92) 0
Minnesota (60-78) 5, Seattle (59-79) 8
Toronto (56-81) 2, Tampa Bay (57-80) 6
Boston (87-51) 5, Houston (91-47) 6
LA Angels (62-75) 2, Oakland (62-76) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Cubs (84-54) 5, Miami (55-83) 7
Pittsburgh (65-71) 5, Cincinnati (45-94) 6 (Final/11)
Washington (72-65) 1, Philadelphia (71-67) 4
NY Yankees (92-47) 6, Atlanta (68-68) 2
Milwaukee (70-68) 4, St. Louis (79-58) 3
LA Dodgers (88-52) 7, San Francisco (64-73) 11
NY Mets (88-49) 1, Arizona (64-74) 0
Colorado (84-55) 1, San Diego (60-77) 6

September 3rd, 2019
Kansas City (74-65) 4, Cleveland (73-67) 8
Winner: Randall Delgado (5-2) Loser: Luis Cessa (10-8) Save: James Hoyt (1)

RAMIREZ, GONZALEZ HIT THREE-RUN BOMBS IN ROYALS DEFEAT

The Indians utilized big innings in the fifth and seventh inning to post an 8-4 win over Kansas City to pull back to within 1 1/2 games of the Royals in the divisional race. Jose Ramirez's three-run round-tripper against Luis Cessa in the fifth, and Carlos Gonzalez's three-run shot in the seventh against Josh Fields were the big blows in the contest, and A.J. Pollock also added a solo homerun off Cessa in the fifth. Nicky Lopez drove in a pair of runs with a single in the second, and Cheslor Cuthbert hit his 19th homerun in the fourth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (60-78) 0, Texas (65-73) 15 (G1)
Baltimore (61-78) 19, Texas (65-74) 1 (G2)
Kansas City (74-65) 4, Cleveland (73-67) 8
Chi. Sox (67-71) 5, Detroit (46-92) 7
Minnesota (61-78) 6, Seattle (59-80) 2
Toronto (57-81) 4, Tampa Bay (57-81) 1
Boston (88-51) 9, Houston (91-48) 2
LA Angels (62-76) 4, Oakland (63-76) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Cubs (85-54) 2, Miami (55-84) 0
Pittsburgh (66-71) 5, Cincinnati (45-95) 3
Washington (72-66) 5, Philadelphia (72-67) 6 (Final/13)
NY Yankees (93-47) 4, Atlanta (68-69) 3
Milwaukee (71-68) 5, St. Louis (79-59) 1
LA Dodgers (89-52) 4, San Francisco (64-74) 2
NY Mets (88-50) 5, Arizona (65-74) 6 (Final/10)
Colorado (85-55) 5, San Diego (60-78) 1

September 4th, 2019
Kansas City (74-66) 2, Cleveland (74-67) 3 (Final/10)
Winner: Adam Warren (1-3) Loser: Drew Smith (3-3) Save: None

BRADLEY'S BIG FLY IN EXTRAS WALKS THE ROYALS OFF

Bobby Bradley has barely been in the bigs for two weeks, but the rookie first baseman has already made a profound impact with two homeruns, both of them of the game-winning variety. His second one was a solo shot that clinched the Indians' 3-2 victory in the 10th inning, off Drew Smith. Francisco Lindor was 2-for-4, and Edwin Encarnacion got the Tribe on the board with a two-run homerun in the fourth. Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision, but both put up strong performances. Jimmy Nelson allowed just two runs in six innings with six strikeouts, while Carlos Carrasco allowed just one run in seven innings.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (62-78) 12, Texas (65-75) 9
Kansas City (74-66) 2, Cleveland (74-67) 3 (Final/10)
Chi. Sox (68-71) 8, Detroit (46-93) 4
Minnesota (62-78) 6, Seattle (59-81) 1
Toronto (58-81) 4, Tampa Bay (57-82) 0
Boston (88-52) 3, Houston (92-48) 5
LA Angels (63-76) 14, Oakland (63-77) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Cubs (86-54) 4, Miami (55-85) 0
Pittsburgh (66-72) 4, Cincinnati (46-95) 6
Washington (72-67) 4, Philadelphia (73-67) 6
NY Yankees (94-47) 13, Atlanta (68-70) 8 (Final/13)
Milwaukee (71-69) 1, St. Louis (80-59) 4
NY Mets (89-50) 6, Arizona (65-75) 5
Colorado (86-55) 6, San Diego (60-79) 0

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
09/02: Yankees' Neil Walker, Giants' Miguel Gomez earn Player of the Week honors
09/02: Dodgers surge into top spot in new Power Rankings
09/02: Astros clinch AL West division; earliest clinch in team history
09/03: Dodgers sign LHP Alex Wood to six-year, $148M extension through 2025
09/04: Cardinals LHP Patrick Corbin expected to miss additional start (elbow inflammation)
09/04: Wild Card clinch: Yankees secure playoff bid