Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

CHICAGO CUBS (86-54) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (74-66)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

09/06: RHP Yu Darvish (10-10, 3.41) vs LHP Danny Duffy (8-6, 4.04)
09/07: LHP Jon Lester (13-9, 3.38) vs RHP Jake Junis (11-5, 3.62)
09/08: RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-9, 4.63) vs RHP Trevor Oaks (13-6, 3.21)

GAME RECAPS

September 6th, 2019
Chi. Cubs (87-54) 8, Kansas City (74-67) 2
Winner: Yu Darvish (11-10) Loser: Danny Duffy (8-7) Save: None

CUBS PULL AWAY FOR DECISIVE VICTORY

Albert Almora hit a three-run homerun as part of a 3-for-4 day, and Addison Russell drove in four runs as the Cubs whacked the Royals by an 8-2 count. Danny Duffy allowed six runs (three earned) in six innings of work, fanning nine; but was battered around for eight hits and four walks as he took the loss, his second straight. Brad Keller made his first appearance for the Royals since July 13th, and sailed through two innings, allowing just one hit and fanning four before getting knocked around for two runs in the ninth. Peter Alonso was 2-for-4, driving in the Royals' only two runs of the game with a double in the fourth, and a single in the sixth. The Royals collected just four hits total, with Alonso's double the only extra-base hit against Yu Darvish in seven innings.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (59-82) 0, NY Yankees (95-47) 10
Chi. Cubs (87-54) 8, Kansas City (74-67) 2
Detroit (47-94) 6, Tampa Bay (58-83) 9
Boston (88-53) 0, Toronto (59-81) 7
LA Angels (64-76) 9, Cleveland (74-68) 6
Baltimore (62-79) 5, Houston (93-48) 6
Oakland (64-77) 1, Texas (65-76) 0
Chi. Sox (68-72) 5, Minnesota (63-78) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Pittsburgh (67-73) 8, Miami (56-86) 3
Colorado (87-55) 7, Cincinnati (46-96) 4
Washington (72-68) 0, NY Mets (90-50) 1 (Final/10)
LA Dodgers (91-52) 8, Milwaukee (71-71) 4
Philadelphia (73-68) 4, St. Louis (81-59) 10
Arizona (65-76) 3, San Diego (61-79) 5
Atlanta (70-71) 0, San Francisco (65-76) 7

September 7th, 2019
Chi. Cubs (87-55) 5, Kansas City (75-67) 6 (Final/16)
Winner: Jorge Lopez (5-6) Loser: Juan Nicasio (0-1) Save: None

PHILLIPS DELIVERS WALK-OFF HIT IN 16TH

It took nearly six-and-a-half hours; but the Royals finally tasted victory for the first time in four games as they walked the Cubs off with a Brett Phillips single, clinching a 6-5 victory. Phillips entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth, going 2-for-4 to extend his modest hit streak to six games. Drew Smith had a key role out of the bullpen, throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with six strikeouts. Jorge Lopez picked up the victory, spinning two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Nathan Karns left early with an apparent injury to his left side in the seventh inning.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (59-83) 2, NY Yankees (96-47) 11
Chi. Cubs (87-55) 5, Kansas City (75-67) 6 (Final/16)
Detroit (48-94) 9, Tampa Bay (58-84) 4
Boston (89-53) 10, Toronto (59-82)7
LA Angels (65-76) 5, Cleveland (74-69) 3
Baltimore (62-80) 0, Houston (94-48) 5
Oakland (65-77) 6, Texas (65-77) 4
Chi. Sox (68-73) 5, Minnesota (64-78) 6 (Final/11)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Pittsburgh (67-74) 2, Miami (57-86) 3
Colorado (88-55) 10, Cincinnati (46-97) 9 (Final/11)
Washington (73-68) 5, NY Mets (90-51) 1
LA Dodgers (92-52) 10, Milwaukee (71-72) 1
Philadelphia (74-68) 5, St. Louis (81-60) 3
Arizona (66-76) 9, San Diego (61-80) 5
Atlanta (70-72) 4, San Francisco (66-76) 5

September 8th, 2019
Chi. Cubs (88-55) 5, Kansas City (75-68) 4
Winner: Kyle Hendricks (9-9) Loser: Brad Keller (2-4) Save: Andrew Miller (24)

ROYALS SUFFER CLOSE DEFEAT AFTER LATE CUBS RALLY

A four-run eighth inning against relievers Tony Cingrani and Brad Keller was the difference in the Royals' 5-4 loss to the Cubs on Sunday afternoon. The loss blunted an otherwise solid performance by Trevor Oaks, who went six and one-third innings, allowing seven hits with just two walks and four strikeouts. The only run he gave up was to Ian Happ, who took Oaks' second pitch of the game to deep left field for a solo homerun. After losing Nathan Karns to injury in last night's game, both Adalberto Mondesi and Brett Phillips left with injuries. Mondesi was hit on the left hand with a Kyle Hendricks pitch, while Phillips left with what was reported as a back injury after a diving play in the fourth. Replacing Mondesi in the lineup, rookie infielder Erick Mejia stroked an RBI single in his first MLB at-bat in the fourth, going 1-for-3 with a run scored in addition to his RBI hit.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (59-84) 4, NY Yankees (97-47) 6 (Final/11)
Chi. Cubs (88-55) 5, Kansas City (75-68) 4
Detroit (49-94) 4, Tampa Bay (58-85) 3
Boston (89-54) 6, Toronto (60-82) 7
LA Angels (66-76) 13, Cleveland (74-70) 5 (Final/12)
Baltimore (62-81) 2, Houston (95-48) 3
Oakland (66-77) 5, Texas (65-78) 1
Chi. Sox (68-74) 7, Minnesota (65-78) 8 (Final/10)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Pittsburgh (67-75) 5, Miami (58-86) 6
Colorado (88-56) 3, Cincinnati (47-97) 4
Washington (73-69) 2, NY Mets (91-51) 5
LA Dodgers (92-53) 7, Milwaukee (72-72) 8
Philadelphia (74-69) 1, St. Louis (82-60) 4
Arizona (66-77) 2, San Diego (62-80) 4
Atlanta (70-73) 6, San Francisco (67-76) 7

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
09/05: Blue Jays RHP Aaron Sanchez (elbow) out five to six weeks, placed on 10-day disabled list
09/06: Tampa places RHP Ian Gibaut (elbow) on 10-day disabled list; will miss one to two weeks
09/07: Braves 2B Ozzie Albies to miss three to four weeks with forearm inflammation
09/07: Braves RHP Andy Beltre suffers torn UCL; will miss most of 2020 after TJ surgery
09/08: White Sox RHP Chaz Roe returns from rehab assignment

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: SEPTEMBER 2ND-8TH
Burlington just two wins away from Appalachian League title
By artoodeetoo
09/09/2019

09/02/2019: DUENEZ, SANTANA, MAPLES NAMED PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

The Omaha Storm Chasers had two players split the PCL Player of the Month award, as first baseman Samir Duenez and pitcher Dillon Maples shared the award for August. Duenez hit .400 in the month of August, and Maples posted a 0.73 ERA in 12 1/3 innings (14 appearances), with nineteen strikeouts and two saves.

Right-hander Dennis Santana was named Pitcher of the Month for the Texas League in August, going 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA, striking out thirty in 35 1/3 innings.

09/06/2019: BURLINGTON BEGINS APPALACHIAN LEAGUE TITLE SERIES

The Burlington Royals began their best-of-five Appalachian League Championship eries against the Elizabethton Twins on Friday night, winning 5-2 on a three-run walk-off homerun from Hunter Strong. However, the bullpen imploded in the ninth of Game 2, falling 9-8 after entering the ninth up 8-5.

They resume play at Elizabethton tonight in Game 3, with Julio Pinto (Burlington) and Nick Bennett (Elizabethton) the scheduled starting pitchers. Game 4 will take place in Elizabethton the following night, with Game 5 if necessary in Burlington on Thursday.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

SEATTLE MARINERS (59-84) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (75-68)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

09/09: RHP John Richy (2-1, 4.74) vs RHP Luis Cessa (10-8, 3.91)
09/10: RHP Miguel Gonzalez (3-7, 6.26) vs RHP Jimmy Nelson (7-4, 4.38)
09/11: RHP Josh Smith (0-1, 11.25) vs LHP Danny Duffy (8-7, 4.06)

GAME RECAPS

September 9th, 2019
Seattle (59-85) 1, Kansas City (76-68) 4
Winner: Luis Cessa (11-8) Loser: John Richy (2-2) Save: Corey Knebel (29)

ALONSO, CESSA KEY ROYALS SERIES-OPENING WIN

Peter Alonso collected his fifth straight two-hit game, with a pair of doubles and two RBI; and Luis Cessa threw 6 2/3 innings of sparkling one-run ball as the Royals opened up their three-game set with Seattle with a 4-1 triumph. Cheslor Cuthbert broke out of a mini-lull with three hits, including a double and a run scored in the Royals' two-run eighth. Cessa, now 11-8, struck out six and walked two while scattering eight hits. Closer Corey Knebel continued his hot streak, now with eight straight scoreless innings, covering six appearances (three saves). On his 29th birthday, Billy Hamilton went 1-for-4 with a stolen base, his 62nd of the season; which is just three shy of his career-high sixty-five steals for the Reds in 2018. Seattle has now lost six straight.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Detroit (50-94) 5, Toronto (60-83) 2
Baltimore (62-82) 1, Minnesota (66-78) 12
Seattle (59-85) 1, Kansas City (76-68) 4
Cleveland (75-70) 4, Chi. Sox (68-75) 0
Oakland (66-78) 4, LA Angels (67-76) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (48-97) 6, Pittsburgh (67-76) 5
Philadelphia (74-70) 1, NY Mets (92-51) 5
Miami (58-87) 1, Washington (74-69) 7
Arizona (67-77) 12, Milwaukee (72-73) 5
St. Louis (82-61) 2, Chi. Cubs (89-55) 3
San Francisco (67-77) 6, San Diego (63-80) 7 (Final/14)
Atlanta (71-73) 9, Colorado (88-57) 5

September 10th, 2019
Seattle (59-86) 2, Kansas City (77-68) 3
Winner: Blake Treinen (4-4) Loser: Dario Alvarez (1-5) Save: None

GORDON'S WALK-OFF SINGLE WINS IT

Alex Gordon had just one hit, but he made it count with an RBI single in the ninth off Sam Tuivailala with two outs to give the Royals their second straight win over Seattle by a 3-2 count. Jimmy Nelson survived a shaky first couple of innings to allow just two earned runs over seven innings, striking out five with two walks, and four hits scattered. Peter Alonso was key in the victory, hitting two solo homeruns as part of a 2-for-3 day.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (66-78) 7, Boston (89-55) 5
Tampa Bay (59-85) 12, NY Yankees (97-48) 11 (Final/10)
Detroit (50-95) 2, Toronto (61-83) 5
Baltimore (63-82) 6, Minnesota (66-79) 4
Seattle (59-86) 2, Kansas City (77-68) 3
LA Dodgers (93-53) 3, Houston (95-49) 2
Cleveland (75-71) 1, Chi. Sox (69-75) 2 (Final/11)
Oakland (66-79) 1, LA Angels (68-76) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (49-97) 7, Pittsburgh (67-77) 3
Philadelphia (74-71) 0, NY Mets (93-51) 3
Miami (59-87) 12, Washington (74-70) 8
Arizona (67-78) 4, Milwaukee (73-73) 8
St. Louis (83-61) 9, Chi. Cubs (89-56) 8
San Francisco (68-77) 5, San Diego (63-81) 3
Atlanta (72-73) 2, Colorado (88-58) 1

September 11th, 2019
Seattle (59-87) 0, Kansas City (78-68) 8
Winner: Danny Duffy (9-7) Loser: Josh Smith (0-2) Save: None

DUFFY TOSSES COMPLETE-GAME GEM AS ROYALS ROLL

With his first complete game shutout since 2016, Danny Duffy led the Royals to a 8-0 whitewashing of Seattle to complete the three-game home sweep of the struggling Mariners. He fanned six with no walks and nine hits. Adalberto Mondesi was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple, driving in three runs. Mondesi is the first MLB player since Houston's Jose Altuve in 2014 to hit 40 doubles and steal 40 bases in a season, and is the second Royal to do so (Johnny Damon, 2000). He has forty-one of each.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (67-78) 11, Boston (89-56) 6
Tampa Bay (59-86) 1, NY Yankees (98-48) 6
Detroit (50-96) 0, Toronto (62-83) 8
Baltimore (64-82) 4, Minnesota (66-80) 4
Seattle (59-87) 0, Kansas City (78-68) 8
LA Dodgers (93-54) 12, Houston (96-49) 15
Cleveland (76-71) 6, Chi. Sox (69-76) 4
Oakland (66-80) 1, LA Angels (69-76) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (49-98) 5, Pittsburgh (68-77) 6
Philadelphia (75-71) 13, NY Mets (93-52) 1
Miami (59-88) 11, Washington (75-70) 12
Arizona (67-79) 2, Milwaukee (74-73) 3
St. Louis (83-62) 3, Chi. Cubs (90-56) 4
San Francisco (69-77) 5, San Diego (63-82) 1
Atlanta (73-73) 6, Colorado (88-59) 4

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
09/09: Houston's Stassi, Dodgers' Seager named Players of the Week
09/09: Detroit LHP Tyler Lyons to miss four to five months with shoulder inflammation
09/09: Yankees, Astros, Mets claim top three spots in new Power Rankings
09/09: Red Sox clinch postseason bid
09/10: Indians, Pirates reach trade deal to send 3B Adrian Beltre to Cleveland for Luke Wakamatsu
09/10: Kenley Jansen notches 300th save in 3-2 win over Houston
09/11: Mets clinch NL East title; first division championship since 2015
09/11: Dodgers clinch playoff spot despite loss to Houston

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB STANDINGS UPDATE

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (78-68) @ DETROIT TIGERS (50-96)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

09/13: RHP Jake Junis (11-5, 3.67) vs RHP Kyle Funkhouser (4-5, 4.91)
09/14: RHP Trevor Oaks (13-6, 3.15) vs RHP Colby Lewis (6-16, 6.07)
09/15: RHP Luis Cessa (11-8, 3.81) vs LHP Matt Boyd (1-1, 3.60)

GAME RECAPS

September 13th, 2019
Kansas City (78-69) 9, Detroit (51-96) 10
Winner: John Schreiber (7-6) Loser: Josh Fields (5-5) Save: Gerson Moreno (10)

ROYALS DROP ONE TO DETROIT IN DISAPPOINTING FASHION

Despite owning a 9-5 lead after three innings, the visiting Royals couldn't hang on in the end as the Tigers inched their way back over the late innings, culminating in a 10-9 victory for the home team. Blake Treinen walked in the game-winning run, which was the fourth walk to a Tigers' hitter in the inning. Josh Fields issued a one-out walk to JaCoby Jones, and Richard Lovelady walked the only two hitters he faced in relief of Fields. Treinen walked Alejandro Perez, bringing Jones home. Kansas City did all of their damage in the first three innings with three runs in the second, thanks to a pair of Detroit errors; and then six more in the third, capped off by a bases-loaded triple off the bat of Alex Gordon. Peter Alonso stroked two more doubles, driving in a pair of runs to extend his modest hitting streak to nine games.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (78-69) 9, Detroit (51-96) 10
Cleveland (76-72) 1, Boston (91-56) 5
Tampa Bay (59-88) 3, Baltimore (65-82) 6
Texas (67-80) 2, Toronto (63-83) 7
NY Mets (94-53) 2, NY Yankees (100-48) 4
Houston (97-50) 6, LA Angels (70-77) 4
Minnesota (68-80) 14, Chi. Sox (69-78) 5
San Francisco (70-78) 7, Seattle (60-87) 8 (Final/11)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (74-74) 2, Pittsburgh (69-77) 6
St. Louis (84-62) 8, Cincinnati (49-99) 2
Philadelphia (76-72) 10, Washington (75-71) 1
Miami (59-89) 4, Atlanta (74-73) 8
Arizona (67-81) 0, Chi. Cubs (92-56) 7
Oakland (66-81) 1, LA Dodgers (94-54) 6
San Diego (64-83) 6, Colorado (88-60) 3

September 14th, 2019
Kansas City (78-70) 2, Detroit (52-96) 4
Winner: Colby Lewis (7-16) Loser: Trevor Oaks (13-7) Save: Gerson Moreno (11)

TIGERS CLINCH SERIES VICTORY

Trevor Story went 3-for-3; including an RBI single in the second, as the Royals dropped their second straight to the Tigers by a 4-2 count. Colby Lewis, the wily 39-year-old veteran, kept Kansas City off-balance with just four hits allowed in seven and two-third innings, fanning six with just two walks to pick up his seventh win in twenty-three decisions. Nicky Lopez went 2-for-3, and Peter Alonso extended his hitting streak to ten games with a ninth-inning homerun off Gerson Moreno. Trevor Oaks allowed four earned runs in six innings, fanning four with two walks.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (78-70) 2, Detroit (52-96) 4
Cleveland (77-72) 9, Boston (91-57) 4
Tampa Bay (60-88) 3, Baltimore (65-83) 2
Texas (68-80) 8, Toronto (63-84) 4
NY Mets (94-54) 2, NY Yankees (101-48) 4
Houston (97-51) 0, LA Angels (71-77) 6
Minnesota (69-80) 3, Chi. Sox (69-79) 2 (Final/15)
San Francisco (70-79) 3, Seattle (61-87) 9

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (74-75) 5, Pittsburgh (70-77) 11
St. Louis (85-62) 8, Cincinnati (49-100) 5
Philadelphia (76-73) 5, Washington (76-71) 11
Miami (59-90) 2, Atlanta (75-73) 7
Arizona (67-82) 3, Chi. Cubs (93-56) 5
Oakland (66-82) 0, LA Dodgers (95-54) 5
San Diego (65-83) 5, Colorado (88-61) 3

September 15th, 2019
SKansas City (78-71) 1, Detroit (53-96) 2
Winner: Wander Suero (5-0) Loser: Jorge Lopez (5-7) Save: John Schreiber (5)

OFFENSE IMPOTENT AS TIGERS SWEEP

Manager Ned Yost could hardly hide his frustration after the Royals' latest loss, a 2-1 squeaker to the last-place Tigers. The sweep is the first time the Royals have been swept since May 20th-22nd, and couldn't come at a worse time as they are desperately trying to hang on to the AL Central lead. Again, while the bullpen couldn't maintain a 1-1 tie, the Royals certainly squandered opportunities, as they blew bases-loaded opportunities with one out in the second and sixth innings, grounding into double plays both times. Peter Alonso extended his hitting streak to eleven games with two hits, and Brian Goodwin hit his 11th homerun of the season for the Royals' only run in the third inning.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (78-71) 1, Detroit (53-96) 2
Cleveland (77-73) 4, Boston (92-57) 12
Tampa Bay (60-89) 7, Baltimore (66-83) 8 (Final/13)
Texas (68-81) 4, Toronto (64-84) 6
NY Mets (95-54) 8, NY Yankees (101-49) 1
Houston (98-51) 8, LA Angels (71-78) 5
Minnesota (70-80) 6, Chi. Sox (69-80) 1
San Francisco (70-80) 4, Seattle (62-87) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Miami (59-90) @ Atlanta (75-73) -- PPD
Milwaukee (74-76) 2, Pittsburgh (71-77) 11
St. Louis (86-62) 6, Cincinnati (49-101) 4
Philadelphia (76-74) 4, Washington (77-71) 10
Arizona (67-83) 2, Chi. Cubs (94-56) 8
Oakland (66-83) 3, LA Dodgers (96-54) 6
San Diego (65-84) 5, Colorado (89-61) 5

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
09/13: Mets place OF Michael Conforto (hamstring) on 10-day disabled list; retroactive to 09/12/2019
09/14: Cubs clinch postseason bid; still work to do to take division
09/14: White Sox, Brewers complete deal to send LHP Luis Avilan to Milwaukee with PTBNL for IF Alberis Ferrer
09/15: Dodgers RHP Walker Buehler tosses first career no-hitter in 5-0 victory over Oakland
09/15: Mets extend 3B Todd Frazier through 2023; 2023 season vesting option with 550 PA required
09/15: Indians suffer big blow as Francisco Lindor goes on disabled list with sprained ankle; could miss rest of season

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: SEPTEMBER 9TH-15TH
Royals' minor-league successes continue
By artoodeetoo
09/16/2019

09/11/2019: B-ROYALS WIN APPALACHIAN LEAGUE TITLE

With 8-6 and 8-3 victories on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, the Burlington Royals captured the Appalachian League (Rookie) title at Elizabethton; winning the series by a 3-games-to-1 margin.

Burlington first baseman Dennicher Carrasco won the series MVP, going 5-for-13 (.385) with a pair of homeruns and four RBI, including a triple and three runs scored. Tylor Fischer struck out eight in five and two-third innings in the decisive Game 4 win.

09/12/2019: LEGENDS' SMITH BREAKS ELBOW ON DIVING PLAY

In the third inning of the Lexington Legends' 4-2 loss to Charleston in the first round of the South Atlantic League playoffs, outfielder Isaiah Smith (#22 Royals prospect), suffered a broken elbow on a diving attempt in the outfield, as he rolled over his elbow at an awkward angle.

The Royals' 21st-round pick out of Battle Ground HS in Battle Ground, Wash., in 2017, Smith has split time between Single-A Lexington and high Rookie ball in Burlington. With the Legends, he sported a triple-slash of .268/.327/.399 with eight steals, five homeruns, and twenty-one RBI.

09/15/2019: STORM CHASERS DOWN 2-TO-1 IN PCL POSTSEASON

With a 10-1 loss to Memphis in Game 3 of the PCL's first-round series, the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers now face elimination. Game 4 will take place tonight at 6:10 PM in Omaha, as the Chasers try to move the series back to Memphis for the decisive Game 5. Mitchell White will go against Chris Ellis of the Redbirds.

09/15/2019: LEGENDS SEE SEASON COME TO END; BLUE ROCKS ADVANCE TO TITLE SERIES

Despite owning the best record in the South Atlantic League's (Single-A) South Division, the Lexington Legends were swept three games to zero in the first round of that league's postseason, culminating in a 4-3 loss to Charleston. They lost all three games by two or fewer runs, including the final two.

On the other hand, the upstart Wilmington Blue Rocks (High-A) won their first-round series three games to one, as they moved on to the Carolina League World Series to face the Winston-Salem Dash. They begin play at Winston-Salem beginning Tuesday night at 7 PM Eastern time.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MINNESOTA (70-80) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (78-71)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

09/16: LHP Stephen Gonsalves (6-2, 4.00) vs RHP Jimmy Nelson (7-4, 4.30)
09/17: RHP Jose Berrios (5-10, 4.33) vs LHP Danny Duffy (9-7, 3.86)
09/18: LHP Adalberto Mejia (3-9, 6.24) vs RHP Jake Junis (11-5, 3.95)

GAME RECAPS

September 16th, 2019
Minnesota (70-81) 6, Kansas City (79-71) 7
Winner: Corey Knebel (4-4) Loser: Gabriel Moya (1-7) Save: None

CUTHBERT COMES UP BIG; ROYALS WALK-OFF

It's been an up-and-down second half for Cheslor Cuthbert since his All-Star appearance, but Kansas City's RBI king came through with the game-winning hit in the ninth off Trevor Hildenberger as the Royals stopped a three-game slide with a crucial 7-6 walk-off victory over Minnesota. Jimmy Nelson surrendered six runs in his six innings of work, allowing a pair of homeruns with five strikeouts, eleven hits, and one walk. Corey Knebel picked up the victory, striking out the only batter he faced in Miguel Sano to end the top of the ninth, before Cuthbert's heroics in the bottom of the frame. Nathan Karns also pitched two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth innings. Cuthbert also drove in the game-tying run in the seventh, a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to score Nicky Lopez.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (65-84) 12, Oakland (66-84) 4
Minnesota (70-81) 6, Kansas City (79-71) 7
Tampa Bay (60-90) 3, Boston (93-57) 4
Houston (99-51) 3, Seattle (62-88) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (75-76) 4, Cincinnati (49-102) 1
Miami (59-91) 6, Philadelphia (77-74) 8
NY Mets (96-54) 10, Washington (77-72) 7
Chi. Cubs (94-57) 0, Atlanta (76-73) 4
Chi. Sox (70-80) 5, St. Louis (86-63) 0
Pittsburgh (71-78) 1, San Francisco (71-80) 8
San Diego (66-84) 6, Arizona (67-84) 5
Colorado (89-62) 1, LA Dodgers (97-54) 5

September 17th, 2019
Minnesota (70-82) 2, Kansas City (80-71) 12
Winner: Danny Duffy (10-7) Loser: Jose Berrios (5-11) Save: None

ALONSO KEYS ROYALS BLOWOUT WIN

Peter Alonso won the AL Player of the Week award for last week, and may well win it again after this week. He hit two more homeruns, including a grand slam in the fifth as the Royals whitewashed the Twins by a 12-2 score. He went 2-for-3 before bowing out with an undisclosed illness. Danny Duffy backed up his complete-game effort last week against Seattle, with an eight-inning performance against the Twins, allowing just a pair of solo homeruns in the eighth inning. He struck out eleven with no walks, scattering seven hits. The victory for Duffy makes him the fourth Royals pitcher with ten victories.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (71-79) 2, Texas (69-81) 3 (G1)
LA Angels (71-80) 7, Texas (70-81) 9 (G2)
NY Yankees (101-50) 3, Baltimore (67-83) 6
Cleveland (77-74) 1, Detroit (54-96) 9
Toronto (66-84) 5, Oakland (66-85) 4
Minnesota (70-82) 2, Kansas City (80-71) 12
Tampa Bay (60-91) 9, Boston (94-57) 10 (Final/10)
Houston (99-52) 0, Seattle (63-88) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (76-76) 7, Cincinnati (49-103) 3
Miami (59-92) 8, Philadelphia (78-74) 9
NY Mets (97-54) 5, Washington (77-73) 3 (Final/11)
Chi. Cubs (94-58) 10, Atlanta (77-73) 11
Chi. Sox (70-81) 1, St. Louis (87-63) 2
Pittsburgh (71-79) 5, San Francisco (72-80) 7
San Diego (66-85) 3, Arizona (68-84) 4
Colorado (90-62) 9, LA Dodgers (97-55) 7

September 18th, 2019
Minnesota (70-83) 3, Kansas City (81-71) 4
Winner: Jake Junis (12-5) Loser: Adalberto Mejia (3-10) Save: Corey Knebel (30)

ROYALS FINISH OFF HOME SWEEP OF TWINS

The Royals negated their road sweep at the hands of the Tigers with a home sweep of the Twins, finishing the trifecta off with a 4-3 victory over Minnesota. Peter Alonso's bases-juiced walk in the sixth inning proved to be the game-winner, as the Royals' bullpen held strong to preserve the one-run lead throughout. Corey Knebel picked up his 30th save of the season, and his 12th since joining the Royals. Jake Junis had a rough third inning, but surrendered just those three runs over six, fanning five with just two walks. Nicky Lopez went 2-for-3 with a triple, single, and a stolen base. The stolen base gave him twenty for the season, making him the first Royal since Johnny Damon in 2000 to accumulate 20 doubles, 10 triples, and 20 steals in the same season; and the first rookie in team history to turn the feat.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (71-79) 2, Texas (69-81) 3 (G1)
LA Angels (71-80) 7, Texas (70-81) 9 (G2)
NY Yankees (101-50) 3, Baltimore (67-83) 6
Cleveland (77-74) 1, Detroit (54-96) 9
Toronto (66-84) 5, Oakland (66-85) 4
Minnesota (70-82) 2, Kansas City (80-71) 12
Tampa Bay (60-91) 9, Boston (94-57) 10 (Final/10)
Houston (99-52) 0, Seattle (63-88) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (76-76) 7, Cincinnati (49-103) 3
Miami (59-92) 8, Philadelphia (78-74) 9
NY Mets (97-54) 5, Washington (77-73) 3 (Final/11)
Chi. Cubs (94-58) 10, Atlanta (77-73) 11
Chi. Sox (70-81) 1, St. Louis (87-63) 2
Pittsburgh (71-79) 5, San Francisco (72-80) 7
San Diego (66-85) 3, Arizona (68-84) 4
Colorado (90-62) 9, LA Dodgers (97-55) 7

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
09/16: Yanks retain top spot in Power Rankings; Cubs, Dodgers move up
09/16: Royals' Alonso, Nats' Rendon each earn Player of the Week honors
09/17: Former MLB standouts Kozma, Morales retire from professional baseball
09/17: Dodger blues: Kenley Jansen to miss rest of 2019 (and most of 2020) with torn elbow ligament
09/18: Rox first baseman Ryan McMahon goes 5-for-5 against the Dodgers; hits for cycle as Rox claim playoff berth

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

CHICAGO WHITE SOX (70-82) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (81-71)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

09/19: LHP Carlos Rodon (10-9, 3.81) vs RHP Trevor Oaks (13-7, 3.24)
09/20: RHP Carson Fulmer (2-4, 4.73) vs RHP Luis Cessa (11-8, 3.73)
09/21: RHP Ryan Helsley (7-7, 4.74) vs RHP Jimmy Nelson (7-4, 4.47)
09/22: RHP Drew Hutchison (1-3, 5.86) vs LHP Danny Duffy (10-7, 3.79)

GAME RECAPS

September 19th, 2019
Chi. Sox (70-83) 7, Kansas City (82-71) 13
Winner: Max Povse (4-1) Loser: Juan Minaya (6-3) Save: None

DUENEZ MAKES HISTORY AS ROYALS ROAR BACK

With the Royals down 7-4, and pinch-hitting for Jorge Soler in the seventh inning with the bases loaded; rookie first baseman Samir Duenez parked Juan Minaya's first pitch into the right-center fountains for a grand slam to give the Royals the lead for good as they went on to win 13-7. With the grand slam, Duenez launched himself into the annals of MLB lore; as he became the first MLB player in league history to hit a pinch-hit grand slam in their first MLB at-bat on their very first pitch. He joins two other players (Daniel Nava, Kevin Kouzmanoff) to hit grand slams in their first MLB at-bats. He later added an RBI on a fielder's choice, giving him the team record for most RBI in an MLB debut. Max Povse picked up the victory in relief of Trevor Oaks, striking out four over two and two-third innings in his Royals debut, allowing just one hit.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (72-80) @ Texas (70-82) -- PPD
Toronto (66-86) 4, Tampa Bay (62-91) 5 (Final/12)
Chi. Sox (70-83) 7, Kansas City (82-71) 13
NY Yankees (103-50) 8, Baltimore (67-85) 5
Cleveland (78-75) 3, Detroit (55-97) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Mets (99-54) 3, Miami (59-93) 1
Washington (77-75) 2, Atlanta (78-74) 3
Milwaukee (77-77) 3, Philadelphia (79-74) 8

September 20th, 2019
Chi. Sox (70-84) 3, Kansas City (83-71) 6
Winner: Richard Lovelady (7-5) Loser: Zack Burdi (5-6) Save: Corey Knebel (31)

EIGHTH-INNING HOMERUNS SPARK ROYALS COMEBACK

The offense is beginning to catch fire at the right time, as the Royals utilized a pair of homeruns from Peter Alonso and Brian Goodwin in the eighth inning to key a 6-3 come-from-behind victory over the White Sox. Alonso tied the game at three, leading off the frame with his 26th round-tripper of the season. A double and a walk later, Goodwin laced a Zack Burdi inside fastball over the right-field wall to put the Royals up three. Corey Knebel worked around a single and a walk for the save in the ninth. Luis Cessa didn't factor into the decision; but worked a solid six innings, scattering six hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (72-81) 9, Seattle (64-89) 12
Minnesota (70-84) 2, Texas (71-82) 5
Boston (95-58) 4, Baltimore (67-86) 2
Pittsburgh (72-80) 2, Cleveland (78-76) 1
Houston (101-52) 6, Oakland (67-86) 1
Toronto (66-87) 3, Tampa Bay (63-91) 10
Chi. Sox (70-84) 3, Kansas City (83-71) 6
NY Yankees (104-50) 10, Detroit (55-98) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (92-62) 9, Chi. Cubs (95-59) 2
Milwaukee (77-78) 1, Philadelphia (80-74) 5
NY Mets (100-54) 4, Miami (59-94) 3
Washington (77-76) 5, Atlanta (79-74) 10
Cincinnati (50-104) 6, St. Louis (88-64) 3
San Diego (68-85) 8, San Francisco (73-81) 4
LA Dodgers (98-56) 5, Arizona (68-86) 3

September 21st, 2019
Chi. Sox (70-85) 1, Kansas City (84-71) 10
Winner: Jimmy Nelson (8-4) Loser: Ryan Helsley (7-8) Save: None

LOPSIDED VICTORY CLINCHES PLAYOFF BERTH

With the Royals' 10-1 victory on Saturday night, they clinched a post-season berth for the first time since 2015, and maintained a five-game lead over the Indians for the division with just seven games to go for each team. Kansas City was buoyed by a pair of three-run homeruns, with Peter Alonso's 27th of the year, and Cheslor Cuthbert cracked the 20-homerun mark with a three-run shot of his own. The Royals would later added two runs apiece in the seventh and eighth innings, thanks to a pair of miscues by White Sox defenders. Jimmy Nelson dealt with some command issues, but allowed just one earned run over six and one-third innings, picking up his eighth victory of the year to move to 8-4 on the season, including 4-0 as a member of the Royals.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (72-82) 4, Seattle (65-89) 7
Minnesota (71-84) 10, Texas (71-83) 5
Boston (96-58) 6, Baltimore (67-87) 5
Pittsburgh (72-81) 5, Cleveland (79-76) 6
Houston (101-53) 2, Oakland (68-86) 5
Toronto (67-87) 2, Tampa Bay (64-91) 6
Chi. Sox (70-85) 1, Kansas City (84-71) 10
NY Yankees (105-50) 8, Detroit (55-99) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (93-62) 7, Chi. Cubs (95-60) 3
Milwaukee (77-79) 6, Philadelphia (81-74) 7
NY Mets (101-54) 7, Miami (59-95) 3
Washington (77-77) 1, Atlanta (80-74) 12
Cincinnati (50-105) 7, St. Louis (89-64) 10
San Diego (69-85) 4, San Francisco (73-82) 2
LA Dodgers (99-56) 5, Arizona (68-87) 4

September 22nd, 2019
Chi. Sox (70-86) 2, Kansas City (85-71) 6
Winner: Danny Duffy (11-7) Loser: Drew Hutchison (1-4) Save: None

DUFFY, ROYALS SWEEP SOX; NOTCH SEVENTH STRAIGHT VICTORY

With six strong innings from Danny Duffy, the Royals swept the White Sox; and swept their final homestand of the season in a 6-2 victory over Chicago. Once again, Peter Alonso played a huge role in the victory, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, reaching base in his 19th straight game. He also extended his RBI streak to seven games, and has driven in a whopping eighteen runs in that timeframe. David Peralta was 2-for-4 with two RBI, driving in the Royals' first two runs in the first and third innings.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (72-83) 4, Seattle (66-89) 6
Minnesota (71-85) 7, Texas (72-83) 8
Boston (97-58) 11, Baltimore (67-88) 6
Pittsburgh (72-82) 7, Cleveland (80-76) 13
Houston (102-53) 10, Oakland (68-87) 7 (Final/13)
Toronto (67-88) 5, Tampa Bay (64-92) 2
Chi. Sox (70-86) 2, Kansas City (85-71) 6
NY Yankees (105-51) 3, Detroit (56-99) 11

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (93-63) 0, Chi. Cubs (96-60) 5
Milwaukee (78-79) 5, Philadelphia (81-75) 4
NY Mets (102-54) 4, Miami (59-96) 3
Washington (77-78) 1, Atlanta (81-74) 4
Cincinnati (50-106) 3, St. Louis (90-64) 7
San Diego (69-86) 8, San Francisco (74-82) 13
LA Dodgers (99-57) 5, Arizona (69-87) 7

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
09/19: Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (herniated disc) to miss additional start
09/21: Seattle's Kyle Seager (two) and the Angels' Griffin Canning (one start) suspended by MLB for bench-clearing fight
09/21: Oakland reliever Lou Trivino to miss all of 2020 with torn UCL, will need Tommy John procedure
09/21: Royals clinch first postseason berth since 2015; magic number down to two
09/22: Indians shut OF Bradley Zimmer (torn labrum) down; out for next seven to eight months
09/22: Yankees secure AL East title
09/22: Cardinals lock up playoff bid; still in NL Central hunt

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THE WEEK THAT WAS: SEPTEMBER 16TH-22ND
Remainder of 40-man roster makes their way to Kansas City
By artoodeetoo
09/23/2019

09/17/2019: FORMER ROYAL LEFTY MORALES RETIRES FROM BASEBALL

Former Royals pitcher Franklin Morales called it a career earlier this morning. He was still having some recent success in the minors and independent leagues, with a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings of work for Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley, Pa.

Morales was a key cog in the Royals' bullpen in the 2015 World Series season, pitching to a 3.18 ERA in 62 1/3 innings of work that year. While he didn't pitch in the World Series, he received a World Series ring for his efforts in helping the Royals get there for a second straight season. He also won a ring in 2013 as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

He appeared in three games in the ALDS against Houston in 2015, but struggled with a 22.50 ERA in three appearances, covering two innings. He was also the member of four postseason teams, including making a start in Game 1 of the 2007 World Series against Boston.

09/18/2019: OMAHA DROPS GAME 5 OF PCL ROUND 1

The Storm Chasers are done for the 2019 season, as they fell 9-2 to Memphis. They led 2-1 after the first inning, but Memphis scored three runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, and then two more in the eighth to run away with the victory.

Patrick Mazeika's two-run double in the first was all that Omaha could muster offensively. Eric Skoglund allowed seven earned runs in four and two-third innings of work, including four homeruns.

The loss leaves the High-A Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks as the only Royals' minor league squad left standing. The Royals' advanced Rookie League squad in Burlington, N.C., won the Appalachian League title earlier this month.

09/19/2019: STORM CHASERS REPORT TO KANSAS CITY

With the Triple-A season over, the Royals began calling up the remainder of their 40-man roster to the majors to finish out the season, as they met with the big-league squad in Kansas City as they take on the White Sox.

The only two members of the 40-man not active are outfielder Brett Phillips, who is out with a back issue; and southpaw Daniel Lynch, who is still on the Double-A NW Arkansas Naturals roster.

09/20/2019: ROYALS CLAIM WINGENTER FROM PADRES

Kansas City claimed Padres farmhand Trey Wingenter on Friday, and immediately called him up to the Royals after placing him on the 40-man roster. In a bit of a surprise move, the Royals designated Brad Keller for assignment after a rough 2019 to make room for the 25-year-old Wingenter.

Despite never pitching above Double-A, the six-foot-seven righty has put up some impressive numbers in the minors, as he has a career 2.90 ERA in 270 1/3 innings, striking out 340 batters in that span. He was picked in the 17th round out of Auburn by the Padres in the 2015 draft.

09/22/2019: BLUE ROCKS PLAY FOR CAROLINA LEAGUE TITLE AFTER GAME 4 WIN

With an 11-8 victory on Saturday, the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks forced a Game 5 for all the marbles in the Carolina League on Monday night.

They pounded out eleven runs on fourteen hits, and took advantage of four Winston-Salem errors in the win. Yimaury Pena gets the start for the Blue Rocks, as he'll be opposed by Jonathan Stiever of the Dash.

A Wilmington victory would give the Royals two league championships in their minor league affiliates for the 2019 season.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

DAYS LATER, DUENEZ GRAND SLAM STILL MAKING WAVES
History-making ball, bat headed to Cooperstown
By artoodeetoo
09/23/2019

It's been several days since Samir Duenez hit a pinch-hit grand slam on Thursday night, the first pinch-hit grand slam in league history to be hit in the player's first MLB at-bat on the first pitch.

However, the event is still reverberating throughout the league. Duenez has been invited onto several MLB talk shows to talk about the hit, and received standing ovations whenever he came to plate during the Chicago series.

The ball and the bat used to hit it are on their way to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. While the young Royals fan's name who caught the ball was not released, they reportedly received a nice gift package in exchange for the history-making piece of memorabilia -- 2020 home game tickets to a game of their choice, a jersey signed by the team and coaching staff, and an invite to meet with players and coaches at Spring Training in February.

"To witness a part of baseball history is something I won't soon forget," said manager Ned Yost. "Even if Samir doesn't hit another homerun in his career, it's something that he's not likely to forget anytime soon, either."

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS 2019 ROSTER/STATISTICS UPDATE

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB STANDINGS UPDATE

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (85-71) @ MINNESOTA TWINS (71-85)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

09/24: RHP Jake Junis (12-5, 3.97) vs RHP Trevor Clifton (0-0, 0.00)
09/25: RHP Trevor Oaks (13-7, 3.48) vs LHP Adalberto Mejia (3-10, 6.14)
09/26: RHP Luis Cessa (11-8, 3.70) vs RHP Shelby Miller (4-11, 4.56)

GAME RECAPS

September 24th, 2019
Kansas City (86-71) 8, Minnesota (71-86) 1
Winner: Jake Junis (13-5) Loser: Trevor Clifton (0-1) Save: Eric Skoglund (1)

ROYALS CLINCH DIVISION; ROLL OVER TWINS

Salvador Perez drove in three runs as part of a 3-for-3 game, and Peter Alonso hit his 28th homerun of the season as the Royals rolled to an 8-1 victory at Target Field, notching their eighth consecutive victory while wrapping up their first division title since 2015. Making possibly his final start of the regular season, Jake Junis won his 13th game, going six innings while allowing just one run, striking out six with two walks. Billy Hamilton went just 1-for-5, but his one hit was a bases-clearing double in the sixth. Brian Goodwin also had three hits for the Royals, falling just a homerun short of the cycle.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (86-71) 8, Minnesota (71-86) 1
Baltimore (67-90) 2, Toronto (69-88) 7
Seattle (66-91) 2, Tampa Bay (66-92) 3
Detroit (57-100) 1, Cleveland (81-77) 4
Boston (97-60) 1, NY Yankees (107-51) 14
Oakland (68-89) 2, LA Angels (74-83) 10
Texas (72-85) 8, Houston (104-53) 10

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Philadelphia (83-75) 6, Miami (59-98) 5 (Final/10)
Atlanta (82-74) 6, NY Mets (102-55) 4 (Final/11)
St. Louis (92-65) 4, Pittsburgh (73-84) 6
Chi. Sox (71-86) 6, Milwaukee (78-80) 1
Cincinnati (50-108) 4, Chi. Cubs (98-60) 11
Washington (78-79) 11, San Diego (70-87) 2
LA Dodgers (101-57) 8, Colorado (93-65) 3
Arizona (69-89) 4, San Francisco (76-82) 14

September 25th, 2019
Kansas City (86-72) 1, Minnesota (72-86) 2 (Final/11)
Winner: Gabriel Moya (2-7) Loser: Tim Hill (0-2) Save: None

WIN STREAK STOPPED AT EIGHT; TWINS WIN IN WALK-OFF

An RBI on a fielder's choice from Adalberto Mondesi was the only run the Royals could churn up, as Minnesota's Mitch Garver singled home the winning run in the 11th inning in the Royals' 2-1 loss to the Twins, snapping their eight-game streak. Trevor Oaks got the start, allowing just one earned run over seven innings, but didn't factor into the decision as he tried to wrest the team lead in victories back after Jake Junis' 13th win last night. Tim Hill came in for the 11th inning, and sandwiched two walks around a base hit. Jorge Lopez came in to try to get them out of the inning, but Garver's single walked them off.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Detroit (57-100) @ Cleveland (81-77) -- PPD
Kansas City (86-72) 1, Minnesota (72-86) 2 (Final/11)
Baltimore (68-90) 6, Toronto (69-89) 2
Seattle (66-92) 1, Tampa Bay (67-92) 2
Boston (97-61) 3, NY Yankees (108-51) 4
Oakland (69-89) 8, LA Angels (74-84) 6
Texas (73-85) 7, Houston (104-54) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Philadelphia (83-76) 1, Miami (60-98) 5
Atlanta (82-75) 3, NY Mets (103-55) 6
St. Louis (93-65) 3, Pittsburgh (73-85) 1
Chi. Sox (71-87) 1, Milwaukee (79-80) 3
Cincinnati (50-109) 2, Chi. Cubs (99-60) 12
Washington (79-79) 9, San Diego (70-88) 8
LA Dodgers (102-57) 15, Colorado (93-66) 8
Arizona (70-89) 5, San Francisco (76-83) 2

September 26th, 2019
Kansas City (86-73) 4, Minnesota (73-86) 5
Winner: Shelby Miller (4-7) Loser: Nathan Karns (3-3) Save: John Curtiss (12)

ROYALS DROP SQUEAKER TO MINNESOTA

Despite homeruns from Peter Alonso and Erick Mejia, the Royals couldn't muster a comeback as they dropped the rubber match of their final series of the year, falling 5-4. Mejia's homerun was his first career MLB homerun, and Alonso needs just one more to join the 30 2B/30 HR club as a rookie. He'd be the first Royals rookie in team history to reach that plateau, even over greats such as George Brett and Lou Piniella. Nathan Karns suffered the loss, just his third of the season, allowing two earned runs in one and two-third innings of work. Drew Smith pitched the final two innings, retiring all six hitters he faced, including three by way of strikeout. Kansas City now begins their final series of the season, as they travel to Cincinnati to finish the 2019 regular season before facing the Astros in the ALDS.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Detroit (58-100) 8, Chi. Sox (71-88) 7
Kansas City (86-73) 4, Minnesota (73-86) 5
Baltimore (68-91) 4, Toronto (70-89) 5
Seattle (66-93) 1, Boston (98-61) 3
Oakland (69-90) 4, Houston (105-54) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (82-76) 1, NY Mets (104-55) 6
St. Louis (94-65) 4, Pittsburgh (73-86) 3
Washington (80-79) 9, San Diego (70-89) 7

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
09/23: Cardinals' Abreu, Royals' Alonso named Players of the Week
09/23: Diamondbacks 3B Jake Lamb day-to-day with back strain
09/23: Mets take over top spot in new Power Rankings
09/23: Indians secure Wild Card spot; will play Boston in Fenway
09/24: Phillies 2B Scott Kingery hits for cycle
09/24: Dodgers secure NL West title
09/24: Kansas City wins first AL Central title for first time since 2015
09/25: Dodgers' Bellinger and Rox' Eiji Ri suspended three games each for dustup
09/25: Cubs claim NL Central championship with 12-2 win over Cincinnati
09/26: Dodgers take another hit; Puig out for playoffs with knee injury

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (86-73) @ CINCINNATI REDS (50-109)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

09/27: RHP Jimmy Nelson (8-4. 4.36) vs LHP Amir Garrett (2-6, 6.98)
09/28: RHP Cody Ponce (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Anthony DeSclafani (3-6, 5.20)
09/29: LHP Eric Skoglund (0-1, 2.08) vs RHP Luis Castillo (7-14, 4.31)

GAME RECAPS

September 27th, 2019
Kansas City (86-74) 7, Cincinnati (51-109) 8
Winner: Raisel Iglesias (7-10) Loser: Richard Lovelady (7-6) Save: None

REDS MOUNT HUGE COMEBACK, WALK ROYALS OFF

With three runs each in the eighth and ninth innings from Cincinnati, the Royals fell 8-7 to the worst-record-in-baseball Reds, who now move to 51-109 on the season. The normally-steady Richard Lovelady was charged with the loss, allowing three earned runs in just one-third of an inning, as his early-season control issues reared its ugly head. Corey Knebel couldn't slam the door, as he sandwiched two hits around a strikeout, with the second hit off the bat of Tucker Barnhart that brought home the winning run. After eight straight wins, the Royals have now lost three straight, all on the road. Eugenio Suarez hit his eighth homerun of the season in the eighth with the Reds down 7-2 off Joe Palumbo, setting the stage for the ninth-inning rally.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (74-85) 0, Texas (74-85) 6 (G1)
Texas (74-86) 2, LA Angels (75-85) 8 (G2)
Baltimore (68-92) 3, NY Yankees (109-51) 4
Seattle (66-94) 3, Boston (99-61) 6
Tampa Bay (67-93) 3, Toronto (71-89) 5
Oakland (69-91) 2, Houston (106-54) 9
Detroit (59-100) 4, Chi. Sox (71-89) 3 (Final/11)
Cleveland (81-78) 3, Minnesota (74-86) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (86-74) 7, Cincinnati (51-109) 8
Atlanta (82-77) 9, Washington (81-79) 11
Chi. Cubs (99-61) 3, Pittsburgh (74-86) 4
Philadelphia (83-77) 1, NY Mets (105-55) 3
St. Louis (95-65) 12, Milwaukee (79-81) 4
Arizona (70-90) 2, Colorado (94-66) 3
Miami (61-98) 6, San Diego (70-90) 4
San Francisco (77-83) 12, LA Dodgers (102-58) 5

September 28th, 2019
Kansas City (86-72) 1, Minnesota (72-86) 2 (Final/11)
Winner: Cody Ponce (1-0) Loser: Anthony DeSclafani (3-7) Save: None

ROYALS BASH FIVE HOMERUNS IN LOPSIDED VICTORY

Kansas City hit five homeruns, including a grand slam from Brian Goodwin, as they rolled to a 13-4 victory at Cincinnati to stop a three-game losing streak. Peter Alonso continued his torrid hitting in the month of September, hitting two more homeruns to raise his season total to thirty-one, a Royals rookie record. Cody Ponce went six innings in his first MLB start, allowing four earned runs with eight strikeouts. Cheslor Cuthbert and Samir Duenez also hit homeruns in the contest.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (74-87) 3, LA Angels (76-85) 8
Baltimore (69-92) 5, NY Yankees (109-52) 0
Seattle (66-95) 4, Boston (100-61) 13
Tampa Bay (68-93) 8, Toronto (71-90) 2
Oakland (69-92) 6, Houston (107-54) 10
Detroit (60-100) 4, Chi. Sox (71-90) 3
Cleveland (82-78) 6, Minnesota (74-87) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (87-74) 13, Cincinnati (51-110) 4
Atlanta (82-78) 1, Washington (82-79) 10
Chi. Cubs (100-61) 5, Pittsburgh (74-87) 3
Philadelphia (83-78) 2, NY Mets (106-55) 3
St. Louis (95-66) 1, Milwaukee (80-81) 6
Arizona (70-91) 2, Colorado (95-66) 4
Miami (61-99) 6, San Diego (71-90) 4
San Francisco (78-83) 3, LA Dodgers (102-59) 0

September 29th, 2019
Kansas City (86-73) 4, Minnesota (73-86) 5
Winner: Josh Fields (6-5) Loser: Jimmy Herget (4-6) Save: Corey Knebel (32)

ROYALS RALLY TO WIN SEASON FINALE

Brian Goodwin's eighth-inning two-run homerun propelled the Royals over the Reds in a 4-3 victory. Kansas City finishes the season with an 88-74 mark, while the Reds fell to 51-111. Eric Skoglund scattered eight hits over six innings, fanning five with four walks. He also hit a two-run homerun in the third inning, the first Royals pitcher to hit a homerun in the interleague era. Corey Knebel notched the save, his 32nd of the season, fanning his 100th batter of the season in the process. The Royals will begin their playoff series on October 4th, as they travel to Houston to begin the ALDS in a rematch of the 2015 ALDS.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (74-88) 3, LA Angels (77-85) 5
Baltimore (70-92) 8, NY Yankees (109-53) 0
Seattle (66-96) 5, Boston (101-61) 6 (Final/10)
Tampa Bay (69-93) 4, Toronto (71-91) 2
Oakland (69-93) 3, Houston (108-54) 4
Detroit (60-101) 4, Chi. Sox (72-90) 5
Cleveland (82-79) 5, Minnesota (75-87) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (82-78) @ Washington (82-79) -- PPD
Kansas City (88-74) 4, Cincinnati (51-11) 3
Chi. Cubs (101-61) 4, Pittsburgh (74-88) 2
Philadelphia (84-78) 4, NY Mets (106-56) 1
St. Louis (96-66) 4, Milwaukee (80-82) 3 (Final/14)
Arizona (70-92) 6, Colorado (96-66) 14
Miami (61-100) 6, San Diego (72-90) 4
San Francisco (79-83) 3, LA Dodgers (102-59) 0

MAJOR NEWS/INJURIES/TRANSACTIONS
09/27: Cubs LHP Jon Lester activated from the disabled list; will pitch in NLDS
09/28: Angels RHP Charlie Morton (shoulder) placed on 10-day disabled list
09/29: Red Sox place DH J.D. Martinez (back strain) on 10-day disabled list
09/29: Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez (elbow) placed on 10-day disabled list
09/29: Dodgers' Turner ruled out for postseason

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

SEATTLE CLEANS HOUSE; FIRES BOTH MANAGER AND GM
Three other skippers also out of a job
10/01/2019
By Anthony Castrovince, MLB.com

When Jerry Dipoto was hired in 2015, he promised to be a different kind of general manager; one that took emotion out of decision-making with the heavier utilization of statistical trends and sabermetrics. Fast-forward to the end of 2019, and the results from Jack Zduriencik have not been much different -- five years, five losing seasons.

In one fell swoop, team president Kevin Mather, who oversees most of the executive personnel in the organization, pink-slipped both Dipoto and manager Scott Servais on the day after the regular season ended. Servais, 52, went just 308-340 in four seasons. Mather announced that a search for a new day-to-day executive would take place immediately.

"We're going to conduct an exhaustive search, and bring the right person in who can restore faith in the franchise," Mather said in his season-ending press conference. "There are plenty of brilliant baseball minds out there, but fit is important, as well."

Three other managers were also shown the door this morning -- Baltimore's John Russell, who lasted just one season after being promoted from his role as bench coach in 2018; Toronto's John Gibbons, whose second stint with the Blue Jays is over, and in a bit of a surprise, Tampa Bay parted ways with manager Kevin Cash.

Despite having one of the younger rosters in the league at season's end, the Rays' executive group found Cash's 378-432 record not good enough to get a sixth season as the Rays' skipper.