Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Giants' rotation suffers blow
By MLB.com Staff
07/30/2020

SHARK TO MISS REST OF SEASON

If the Giants are going to make the postseason, they're going to have to do it without Jeff Samardzija. The big righty is being shut down after leaving his last start on Tuesday night with elbow issues, and then subsequently finding out yesterday he has a torn UCL after an MRI was performed.

General manager Bobby Evans, however, isn't in the market for a starter -- he's already made several deals to get pitching talent to San Francisco, swinging trades for Carson Fulmer, Brad Hand, and Sean Doolittle.

Fulmer is 6-4 in twelve starts for the Giants, with seventy-six strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings, with just twenty-one walks since being acquired back in early June from the White Sox in a surprise deal. Hand and Doolittle have been a mixed bag, with Doolittle walking five hitters in thirteen innings since joining the Giants. He walked just four in twenty-six innings with the Nationals before being dealt.

Hand has a 4.00 ERA in nine innings, fanning ten with two walks. He had a 1.69 ERA with the Royals, covering thirty-two innings. --Evan Smith

BREWERS FLIP BARNES TO PHILLY

The Phillies appear to be gearing up to fight for the wildcard, with the acquisition of Nick Castellanos, and now reliever Jacob Barnes. Barnes, a right-handed specialist who has held same-handed hitters to a .167 BA in seventy-seven plate appearances this season; is on his way to Philadelphia for Andrew Mundy, a right-handed pitcher.

Mundy went undrafted in 2019 out of Hofstra; and after being signed to a free-agent deal, got off to a rough start last season with a 7.71 ERA in his first full professional season. However, the hard-thrower has more than halved his ERA despite moving up to Low-A, striking out sixteen in eighteen innings of work. --David LoPietro

BOSTON'S BARNES TO MISS ANOTHER FIVE TO SIX WEEKS

Another Barnes made news in the past few days, but for a negative reason -- Red Sox right-hander Matt Barnes is expected to be out of action for at least another five weeks after his pitching elbow re-flared in a bullpen session.

He's battled injuries much of the year, pitching in just 12 1/3 innings of work at the MLB level. However, when healthy he's been solid, pitching to a 1.46 ERA with fourteen strikeouts and just five walks. In an earlier rehab stint at Triple-A Pawtucket, Barnes tossed five shutout innings over five appearances, allowing just one baserunner in all with six strikeouts. --Jason Frampton

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

CLEVELAND INDIANS (54-47) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (47-56)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/30: RHP Elijah Morgan (4-4, 4.09) vs RHP Jake Junis (8-7, 4.80)
07/31: RHP Angel Sanchez (2-4, 5.94) vs RHP Heath Fillmyer (5-2, 1.83)
08/01: RHP Danny Salazar (10-6, 3.79) vs RHP Max Povse (0-0, 0.00)
08/02: RHP Trevor Bauer (9-6, 4.56) vs RHP Mitchell White (5-5, 4.98)

GAME RECAPS

Thursday, July 30th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Cleveland (54-48) 1, Kansas City (48-56) 2
Winner: Jake Junis (9-7) Loser: Elijah Morgan (4-5) Save: Drew Smith (3)
HR-CLE: Bobby Bradley (15) HR-KC: None

ROYALS SQUEAK BY THE TRIBE

Behind eight strong innings from Jake Junis in his 100th career MLB start, the Royals finally ended up on the right end of a 2-1 score as they held on in the late innings. Junis fanned six, scattering five hits (one homerun), and didn't walk anyone to pick up his ninth victory of the season, which is the team high now with Danny Duffy in Los Angeles. Cheslor Cuthbert led the charge offensively with three hits, driving in the Royals' second run in the sixth inning against Elijah Morgan, who went the distance in a losing effort. Richard Urena was 2-for-3 with the other RBI hit, a single in the fifth. Nicky Lopez was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Fledgling closer Drew Smith pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout to pick up his third save in three tries in the 2020 season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Yankees (55-49) 8, Boston (57-48) 10
Cleveland (54-48) 1, Kansas City (48-56) 2
Minnesota (55-47) 4, Chi. Sox (36-66) 2
Baltimore (42-61) 2, LA Angels (62-43) 3 (Final/12)
Texas (49-55) 2, Oakland (53-52) 3
Detroit (47-54) 4, Seattle (47-59) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (60-44) 3, Washington (43-59) 3
St. Louis (50-53) 4, Pittsburgh (46-56) 2
San Diego (36-66) 1, NY Mets (64-39) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Relievers Kela, Claudio, Colome all notable names on move in trades

Friday, July 31st, 2020 - First pitch, 6:35 CST
Cleveland (55-48) 12, Kansas City (48-57) 4
Winner: Angel Sanchez (3-4) Loser: Heath Fillmyer (5-3) Save: None
HR-CLE: Yasiel Puig (20) HR-KC: Patrick Mazeika (5)

FILLMYER ROUGHED UP; ROYALS CRUSHED

For the first time in nine MLB starts this season, Heath Fillmyer failed to record a quality start, as he was tagged with eight runs in four and two-third innings in a 12-4 shellacking by the Indians. He allowed eight hits, walked four, and struck out four. The lower half of the Indians' order did the majority of the damage, with spots five through nine driving in all twelve runs, including four from Roberto Perez and three by Aaron Altherr. Nicky Lopez led the Royals with three hits, while Kevin Pillar was 1-for-3 with a double, walk, and RBI. Richard Urena and Peter Alonso also collected RBI singles.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (52-54) 6, Toronto (55-50) 12
NY Yankees (55-50) 2, Boston (58-48) 4
Cleveland (55-48) 12, Kansas City (48-57) 4
Minnesota (55-48) 5, Chi. Sox (37-66) 7
Baltimore (42-62) 0, LA Angels (63-43) 6
Texas (50-55) 7, Oakland (53-53) 4
Detroit (48-54) 7, Seattle (47-60) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (56-49) 4, St. Louis (50-54) 0
Atlanta (60-45) 4, Philadelphia (54-50) 12
LA Dodgers (60-45) 6, Washington (44-59) 9
Pittsburgh (46-57) 2, NY Mets (65-39) 3
Arizona (52-52) 7, Miami (48-53) 11
Chi. Cubs (66-37) 8, Milwaukee (40-65) 3
Colorado (60-45) 2, Cincinnati (54-48) 6
San Francisco (53-51) 4, San Diego (37-66) 6

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Profar trade to the Mets highlights slightly slower final day of trading
Loser of twenty games in 2019, RHP Dan Straily traded from the Padres to the Angels

Saturday, August 1st, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Cleveland (56-48) 8, Kansas City (48-58) 3
Winner: Danny Salazar (11-6) Loser: Max Povse (0-1) Save: None
HR-CLE: A.J. Pollock (19) HR-KC: Peter Alonso (12), Khalil Lee (4)

ROYALS SLIP TO TEN UNDER

Cleveland jumped on Max Povse early, tagging him for six earned runs (seven total) over five innings as they coasted to an 8-3 victory. Peter Alonso and Khalil Lee each supplied solo homeruns in the contest, but it wasn't close to being enough. Every Cleveland starter collected at least one hit, and seven of the nine starters drove in at least one run. Only Matt Beaty had more than one RBI, driving in single runs in the third and fifth innings with base hits. The loss pushed to the Royals to a season-worst ten games below .500, as they fell to nine games out of first place, and 2.5 games back of the third-place Tigers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (52-55) 8, Toronto (56-50) 13
NY Yankees (55-51) 6, Boston (59-48) 20
Cleveland (56-48) 8, Kansas City (48-58) 3
Minnesota (56-48) 7, Chi. Sox (37-67) 6 (Final/11)
Baltimore (42-63) 3, LA Angels (64-43) 4
Texas (50-56) 4, Oakland (54-53) 7
Detroit (49-54) 5, Seattle (47-61) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (56-50) 4, St. Louis (51-54) 13
Atlanta (61-45) 3, Philadelphia (54-51) 2
LA Dodgers (61-45) 6, Washington (44-60) 3
Pittsburgh (46-58) 4, NY Mets (66-39) 7
Arizona (52-53) 1, Miami (49-53) 4
Chi. Cubs (67-37) 7, Milwaukee (40-66) 2
Colorado (60-46) 2, Cincinnati (55-48) 4
San Francisco (54-51) 6, San Diego (37-67) 5 (Final/12)

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
MLB hands out monthly honors for July

Sunday, August 2nd, 2020 - First pitch, 12:35 CST
Cleveland (56-49) 5, Kansas City (49-58) 6 (Final/12)
Winner: Nate Jones (1-1) Loser: Shane Greene (0-2) Save: None
HR-CLE: Bobby Bradley (16) HR-KC: None

SPLIT SALVAGED WITH 12-INNING VICTORY

Khalil Lee's 12th-inning, two-out single drove in Blaine Bishop, as the Royals broke a 5-5 deadlock to win 6-5 to earn a split of the four-game set. Nicky Lopez was the offensive star, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, two steals, and three walks. Lee was 1-for-4 with two free passes himself, and Peter Alonso was 1-for-3 with a sac fly and two walks. In addition, Cheslor Cuthbert was 3-for-4 with two RBI, but left in the eighth with an elbow injury following an RBI single. Mitchell White allowed just three earned runs over five and two-third innings, but walked five; and was tagged with nine hits to just two strikeouts. Drew Smith blew his first save of the season, allowing a two-run homerun to Bobby Bradley with two down in the ninth inning, but stayed on and pitched a scoreless 10th by fanning the side. Bradley has been a Royal-killer in 2020, with six homeruns against the Royals this season, by far the most against any team.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (52-56) 1, Toronto (57-50) 5
NY Yankees (56-51) 7, Boston (59-49) 1
Cleveland (56-49) 5, Kansas City (49-58) 6 (Final/12)
Minnesota (56-49) 2, Chi. Sox (38-67) 3
Baltimore (43-63) 5, LA Angels (64-44) 2
Texas (51-56) 6, Oakland (54-54) 5 (Final/10)
Detroit (49-55) 0, Seattle (48-61) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (57-50) 5, St. Louis (51-55) 2
Atlanta (62-45) 3, Philadelphia (54-52) 2
LA Dodgers (61-46) 3, Washington (45-60) 4
Pittsburgh (46-59) 3, NY Mets (67-39) 4
Arizona (53-53) 4, Miami (49-54) 3 (Final/11)
Chi. Cubs (67-38) 2, Milwaukee (41-66) 5
Colorado (60-47) 1, Cincinnati (56-48) 8
San Francisco (54-52) 0, San Diego (38-67) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Pirates place LHP Felipe Vasquez (shoulder) on 10-day disabled list

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

PHILLIPS ADDED TO 10-DAY DISABLED LIST
Cuthbert day-to-day with elbow injury; will DH
By artoodeetoo
08/03/2020

Kansas City placed reserve outfielder Brett Phillips on the 10-day disabled list with a strained oblique, according to Rustin Dodd of The Athletic. After a brief return to the minors, Seuly Matias was re-called from Omaha to take his place on the roster.

Phillips' regression has been a mystery the last few years -- after a rookie campaign split between the Brewers and Royals where he hit .279/.347/.529 with twenty-three homeruns and a 132 OPS+, he slipped to a .232/.312/.390 slash in 491 plate appearances during 2019, but still hit a career-high nineteen doubles and stole twelve bases.

In 2020, he got off to a strong start, but currently holds a 35% strikeout rate, and is hitting just .217/.275/.386 in a reserve role, covering exactly 200 plate appearances.

The Royals also announced that third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert is day-to-day with an elbow contusion, but will serve as the team's DH for the "foreseeable future", according to manager Ned Yost. Cuthbert is one of the few remaining offensive threats the team has, as he leads the team in homeruns (22), and RBI (75). He needs just one more homerun to break his career-high from last season.

Jose Peraza will play third base in the meantime, while Richard Urena will man shortstop while Cuthbert serves as the team's DH.

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Trade deadline has come and gone
By MLB.com Staff
08/03/2020

MLB HANDS OUT JULY AWARDS

Major League Baseball doled out their awards for July, with one rookie earning AL Pitcher of the Month honors. Lewis Thorpe of Minnesota took home that honor, fashioning a 1.50 ERA in thirty-six innings, striking out thirty four (covering five starts). He went 4-1 in the month, with his only defeat a 2-1 decision against Tampa Bay on July 2nd.

Other AL awards handed out were the Rookie of the Month, which went to the Angels' Chris Shaw, and the Hitter of the Month, which went to Bryce Harper of Boston.

In the National League, the NL West dominated the awards. Ryan McMahon took home the Hitter of the Month, drilling twelve homeruns with a .348 BA during July. Ty Blach of San Francisco went 4-1 with a miniscule 1.14 ERA in 39 1/3 innings, while Arizona rookie first baseman Pavin Smith took home the NL Rookie of the Month for the second straight month.

Smith leads the entirety of the league in doubles (45), and leads all NL rookies in BA (.292). --Jason Frampton

TRADING DEADLINE ENDS WITH A BANG

As expected, the last few days leading up to the 7/31 trade deadline were busy, with several big names swapping threads. Jurickson Profar is on his way to the Big Apple to play for the Mets, in exchange for a pair of minor-league infielders heading back to the Rangers.

The Rangers also traded closer Alex Claudio to the Yankees for three prospects, but with Tommy Kahnle and Craig Kimbrel higher on the pecking order, it's likely that Claudio will return to his usual position as a lefty stopper and set-up maven.

A surprise deal also went down, with San Diego shipping Bryan Mitchell to Houston for Dennis Santana. Santana was acquired by the Kansas City Royals in June of 2019 in the Trevor Rosenthal deal; and was not re-signed by the club, ending up in Houston.

He should immediately step into Mitchell's rotation slot, along with fellow youngsters Osvaldo Hernandez, Joey Lucchesi, and (soon) Cal Quantrill. In twenty starts with Houston's Triple-A affiliate, Fresno, Santana sported a 3.68 ERA in 115 innings, fanning 108 with just thirty-four walks.

The surging Cincinnati Reds also made a move to bolster their bullpen with the rotation options quickly dwindling, grabbing Baltimore closer Alex Colome for a pitcher and a catcher. He's not expected to supplant Raisel Iglesias as the closer, but is a great backup option and set-up arm. --David LoPietro

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

GENERAL MANAGER'S JULY REPORT

AL CENTRAL STANDINGS

Cleveland Indians: 55-48
Minnesota Twins: 55-48
Detroit Tigers: 48-54
Kansas City Royals: 48-57
Chicago White Sox: 37-66

MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATE RECORDS

Omaha: 55-49 (1st, PCL Amer. North)
NW Arkansas: 64-41 (1st, Texas League North)
Wilmington: 61-44 (1st, Carolina League, Northern Division)
Lexington: 50-54 (4th, South Atlantic League, Southern Division)
Burlington: 17-19 (t-4th, Appalachian League East)
Idaho Falls: 23-16 (2nd, Pioneer League South)
AZL Royals: 18-20 (3rd, AZL West)
DSL Royals 1: 26-21 (3rd, Boca Chica NW Division)
DSL Royals 2: 19-27 (t-6th, Boca Chica NW Division)

REPORTS FROM MINOR LEAGUE MANAGERS

No issues to report.

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH - JULY

Kansas City: Nicky Lopez, 2B
Lopez led the team in hits (36), doubles (8), steals (6), and tied for the team lead in walks (7) for the month; all while slashing .343/.389/.419 in 112 plate apperances.

Omaha: Jay Bruce, 1B/DH
In 103 plate appearances, Bruce slashed .307/.408/.500 in the month of July, stroking five doubles, four homeruns, and walking a team-high fifteen times.

NW Arkansas: Jackson Kowar, RHP
Nick Pratto put up a good fight to defend his award from June, but Kowar was dominant through the previous month. In five starts, covering thirty-three innings, Kowar pitched to a 1.09 ERA with twenty-eight strikeouts to just eight walks, posting a 2-1 mark. He's since been promoted to Omaha, and struck out eight in seven innings in his first start on July 29th.

Wilmington: Nolan Watson, RHP
The 2015 first-rounder appears to be finally beginning to live up to that billing, going 2-2 with a 3.06 ERA in six July starts. In thirty-seven innings, he fanned thirty-six with a miniscule three walks, and posted a WHIP of 0.81. The work earned him a promotion to Double-A, where he struggled in his first start last night, allowing four earned runs through five innings.

Lexington: Robert Trujillo, OF
He's the first 2020 draft pick to appear on this list, as he hit .280 (28-of-100) with ten doubles, three homeruns, sixteen runs scored, and eighteen RBI in July. The latter figure led the team in the last month, and also tied for the team lead in walks (eleven).

Burlington: Joey Markus, LHP*
This was a no-brainer. Markus fanned sixty-five in fifty innings of work, pitching to a 2.16 ERA while recording a 4-0 mark in eight starts (covering two starts in June). At twenty-four, he is likely due for a quick ascension through the system.

Idaho Falls: Sammy Siani, OF*
The 19-year-old Siani absolutely destroyed Pioneer League pitching, hitting .429/.529/.735 in 116 plate appearances, walking more (18) than striking out (17). He also led the team in homeruns (five), and fourth in RBI (22).

Kansas City (AZL): Matthew Davis, OF*
Davis led the AZL Royals with fifty-five hits, and is slashing a .331/.370/.476 line in 179 plate appearances. He also leads the team in doubles (10), triples (4), and tied for second in steals (2).

Kansas City (DSL): Diego Hernandez, OF
Hernandez, signed as an international free agent roughly three years ago in July of 2017 as a 16-year-old, led the team in hits (39), homeruns (5), runs scored (23), RBI (24), BA (.382), and OPS (1.075).

* denotes full-season stats (limited June results)

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (57-50) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (49-58)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/03: RHP Luis Cessa (6-10, 5.92) vs LHP Eric Skoglund (1-1, 3.54)
08/04: LHP Tayler Saucedo (4-5, 5.90) vs RHP Jake Junis (9-7, 4.58)
08/05: RHP Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 7.36) vs RHP Heath Fillmyer (5-3, 2.91)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, August 3rd, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Toronto (58-50) 10, Kansas City (49-59) 9
Winner: Keone Kela (3-3) Loser: Nick Gardewine (1-2) Save: Blake Treinen (27)
HR-TOR: Forrest Wall (11), Curt Casali 2 (5), Rowdy Tellez 2 (16) HR-KC: Seuly Matias (7), Peter Alonso (13), Khalil Lee (5)

BULLPEN DOESN'T HOLD DESPITE STRONG OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE

Despite scoring in the first five innings, the Royals were held scoreless over the final four as the Blue Jays overcame an 8-4 deficit to post a 10-9 victory. Curt Casali and Rowdy Tellez each chipped in with a pair of homeruns, driving in three runs each; and Forrest Wall also went deep for the 11th time on the season. Eric Skoglund was tagged for seven runs in five innings, allowing four of those homeruns. Up 9-7 in the seventh inning, an RBI hit followed by a wild pitch from Patrick Murphy tied the score at nine, and Casali hit the go-ahead dinger in the next inning off Nick Gardewine. Former Royal Blake Treinen notched his 27th save of the season, working around a leadoff single and walk to pick it up.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (58-50) 10, Kansas City (49-59) 9
Detroit (49-56) 3, LA Angels (65-44) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (54-53) 2, Miami (49-55) 1 (Final/11)
LA Dodgers (62-46) 9, Colorado (60-48) 2
Pittsburgh (46-60) 0, Cincinnati (57-48) 8

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Mets claim top spot in Power Rankings

Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Toronto (58-51) 3, Kansas City (50-59) 9
Winner: Jorge Lopez (4-8) Loser: Ken Giles (2-2) Save: Drew Smith (4)
HR-TOR: Rowdy Tellez (17) HR-KC: Seuly Matias (8), Peter Alonso (14)

LATE HOMERUN PUSHES ROYALS OVER THE LINE

Seuly Matias has homered in both games since being re-called from Omaha, but last night's homerun was a big one as his three-run shot was the decider in a 6-3 Royals' victory. His homerun came off Ken Giles in the eighth, breaking a 3-3 tie; just one-half inning after the Jays had tied it at three following a two-run homerun from Rowdy Tellez. Peter Alonso also homered in his second straight game, and has three homeruns in his last four contests as part of a brief five-game hit streak. Jake Junis posted a third-consecutive fantastic start, going seven innings while allowing just one earned run with one walk and three strikeouts. Drew Smith recorded the final two outs of the game in dominating fashion, striking out both Brandon Drury and Forrest Wall on three pitches apiece, to pick up his fourth save.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (54-54) 4, NY Yankees (57-51) 10
Toronto (58-51) 3, Kansas City (50-59) 6
Seattle (49-61) 11, Texas (51-57) 8 (Final/10)
NY Mets (67-40) 4, Chi. Sox (39-67) 6
Detroit (49-57) 3, LA Angels (66-44) 8
Houston (58-50) 9, Cleveland (56-50) 8
Tampa Bay (53-56) 3, Boston (59-50) 2
Milwaukee (42-66) 7, Oakland (54-55) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (63-46) 2, Washington (46-61) 7
San Francisco (54-53) 2, Philadelphia (55-52) 3
Baltimore (45-63) 3, San Diego (38-69) 0
Minnesota (56-50) 1, Miami (50-55) 3
Pittsburgh (47-60) 8, Cincinnati (57-49) 6
LA Dodgers (63-46) 14, Colorado (60-49) 7
Chi. Cubs (67-39) 1, St. Louis (52-55) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Texas RHP Jose Leclerc leaves relief outing with undisclosed arm injury
Braves LHP Luiz Gohara (shoulder) to miss rest of season after surgery

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Toronto (58-52) 3, Kansas City (51-59) 8
Winner: Heath Fillmyer (6-3) Loser: Jeremy Hellickson (1-2) Save: None
HR-TOR: Josh Donaldson (27) HR-KC: Seuly Matias (9), Jose Peraza (1), Patrick Mazeika (6)

PERAZA, FILLMYER LEAD ROYALS TO VICTORY

Heath Fillmyer was tagged for three runs in the first inning, but held the Blue Jays scoreless over the next five innings as the Royals coasted to an 8-3 victory. Kansas City scored five runs in the second, and two more in the third against Jeremy Hellickson, who was chased from the game after five innings and seven runs. Fillmyer, coming off his last start where he allowed eight earned runs in four and two-third innings, fanned a season-high eight over six innings. Jose Peraza led the Royals with a 2-for-4 day; hitting a three-run homerun in the five-run second, and stealing three bases. Seuly Matias was 2-for-4 with a double and a homerun, his third homerun in three games since being re-called from Omaha.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (54-55) 5, NY Yankees (58-51) 10
Toronto (58-52) 3, Kansas City (51-59) 8
Seattle (50-61) 14, Texas (51-58) 5
NY Mets (67-41) 9, Chi. Sox (40-67) 11
Detroit (50-57) 5, LA Angels (66-45) 2
Houston (58-51) 6, Cleveland (57-50) 12
Tampa Bay (53-57) 4, Boston (60-50) 5
Milwaukee (42-67) 4, Oakland (55-55) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (63-47) 5, Washington (47-61) 6
San Francisco (54-53) 2, Philadelphia (55-52) 3
Baltimore (45-63) 3, San Diego (38-69) 0
Minnesota (56-50) 1, Miami (50-55) 3
Pittsburgh (47-61) 5, Cincinnati (58-49) 11
LA Dodgers (64-46) 9, Colorado (60-50) 0
Chi. Cubs (67-40) 2, St. Louis (53-55) 8

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Seattle catcher Victor Caratini hits for fourth MLB cycle of season
Tampa Bay OF Kevin Kiermaier suffers second setback in recovery from broken hand

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KARNS ACTIVATED; POVSE OPTIONED
White's start moved up to tomorrow
By artoodeetoo
08/06/2020

The Royals are off today, but they made some moves in the wake of Nathan Karns' return from the disabled list. Max Povse was set to start against the Twins tomorrow, but was demoted to Triple-A Omaha just ahead of it.

Povse is returning to an Omaha rotation that is much different than when he left it a little over a week ago -- top prospects Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, and Derek West are all now in the Storm Chasers' rotation.

Manager Bip Roberts noted that Povse would likely pitch out of the bullpen unless injuries begin to mount.

Mitchell White, who was slated to start on Saturday, will now start tomorrow night against Tyler Glasnow. Patrick Murphy will make his first start as a Royal on Saturday, while Eric Skoglund remains the scheduled starter on Sunday.

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Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Braves, Albies agree to extension
By MLB.com Staff
08/06/2020

ALBIES, BRAVES AGREE TO MONSTER EXTENSION

As has long been rumored, the Braves have agreed to an extension with star second baseman Ozzie Albies, inking the two-time All-Star and 2018 Gold Glove recipient to a seven-year, $95M base pact. He missed most of 2019 with a fractured right hand, making just 166 plate appearances, but has returned with a vengeance, posting a ridiculous 4.7 WAR through roughly 2/3 of the 2020 season.

There is an opt out after the third year of the deal, which would be his final year of team control, and would give him the opportunity to test the market at just twenty-six.

However, he could potentially leave millions on the table if he stayed in, as his salary jumps from $12.2M that year, to $17.4 in 2023 if he stays in the contract. Over the final four years, he stands to earn nearly $70M ($17.4M in each of the final four years).

His bonus structure could also earn him an extra $7M over the life of the contract, taking his total compensation to just short of $103M. It's the biggest contract ever handed out to a pre-FA in Braves' history. --Jason Frampton

RAYS' KIERMAIER SUFFERS ANOTHER SETBACK

Rays Gold Glove centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier continues to recover from a broken left hand, but can't seem to completely heal. During a batting practice session, Kiermaier had to exit early due to what was described as "searing" pain in the affected appendage after a swing.

The 30-year-old veteran has made just 125 plate appearances this season, hitting five homeruns with a .280/.343/.480 triple-slash. He injured the hand on a diving play in the second inning of a 7-4 loss to Baltimore back on May 10th, rolling his hand underneath his body. --David LoPietro

BRAVES CLAIM BRAULT OFF WAIVERS

In the wake of Luiz Gohara going on the disabled list with a torn rotator cuff, the Braves claimed former Pirates southpaw Steven Brault off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.

Brault has pitched well in his brief career, with his best season coming in 2018. He posted a 3.73 ERA that season in 89 1/3 innings, with twelve starts (nineteen total appearances).

He won a career-high nine games last year for the Pirates, but was waived after a poor spring in the run-up to 2020, and ended up getting claimed by Detroit. Again, he was decent, not great, for the Tigers so far in 2020.

He has struck out just sixty-nine hitters in 109 2/3 innings, and has an okay FIP of 4.57 against an AL schedule. He also has an rWAR of 1.5, which is solid at this point of the season. --Evan Smith

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (51-59) @ MINNESOTA TWINS (57-51)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/07: RHP Mitchell White (5-5, 4.97) vs RHP Tyler Glasnow (5-8, 4.99)
08/08: RHP Patrick Murphy (3-1, 2.06) vs LHP Frank Garces (0-2, 6.64)
08/09: LHP Eric Skoglund (1-1, 5.33) vs RHP Jose Berrios (6-11, 5.91)

GAME RECAPS

Friday, August 7th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (51-60) 2, Minnesota (58-51) 3 (Final/17)
Winner: Gabriel Moya (3-0) Loser: Jorge Lopez (4-9) Save: None
HR-KC: None HR-MIN: Travis d'Arnaud (14)

ROYALS DROP MARATHON EXTRA-INNING CONTEST

A wild pitch brought home the winning run in the wee hours of the morning; as the Royals sunk to 51-60 after a 3-2 defeat in seventeen innings, covering five hours and fifty minutes of baseball. Jorge Lopez pitched a spotless 16th, but a leadoff walk and a single put runners on first and third with no one out in the 17th. His next pitch squeaked by Patrick Mazeika, and the Twins managed to stay atop the Central. Only two players recorded hits for the Royals, with Nicky Lopez going 3-for-7 with a double, and Cheslor Cuthbert's 2-for-7 performance. Cuthbert was also responsible for the Royals' only two runs, a two-run single in the fourth to draw first blood. More potential bad news in the bullpen also occurred, with relievers Nate Jones and Drew Smith also having to exit early with arm injuries.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (60-52) 9, Baltimore (45-65) 3
Seattle (50-62) 1, Houston (60-51) 6
Kansas City (51-60) 2, Minnesota (58-51) 3 (Final/17)
Detroit (50-58) 2, Texas (52-58) 4
LA Angels (66-46) 6, Cleveland (58-51) 10
Boston (61-51) 5, NY Yankees (59-51) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (44-67) 3, Chi. Cubs (68-41) 2
NY Mets (68-42) 8, Pittsburgh (47-62) 4
Cincinnati (60-49) 4, Atlanta (63-49) 1
Washington (47-62) 3, Arizona (55-55) 4
San Diego (38-71) 4, LA Dodgers (66-46) 5 (Final/10)
Chi. Sox (41-68) 6, Philadelphia (56-54) 8
San Francisco (57-53) 11, Colorado (60-51) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Royals RHP Drew Smith leaves outing early with shoulder issue
Marlins LHP Quinton Torres-Costa shut down for season with elbow problems

Saturday, August 8th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (52-60) 6, Minnesota (58-52) 2 (Final/10)
Winner: Nathan Karns (3-2) Loser: Ryan Pressly (1-2) Save: None
HR-KC: None HR-MIN: Travis d'Arnaud (15)

MURPHY SOLID IN ROYALS VICTORY

Making his first start as a Royal, Patrick Murphy carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but a pitch limit prevented him from going too much farther; leaving after six innings in a 6-2 ten-inning victory. The Royals scored four runs in the top of the 10th, punctuated by a bases-clearing double off the bat of Jose Peraza to extend the lead from 3-2 to 6-2. Murphy didn't factor into the decision, as Nate Jones surrendered a leadoff homerun in the bottom of the eighth to Travis d'Arnaud to tie the game at two. He went six innings, allowing three hits and just one run while fanning five. Nicky Lopez was caught stealing twice, but was 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI. Peraza was 1-for-3 with a walk in addition to his three-RBI double.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (54-56) 8, Oakland (55-57)
Miami (52-56) 6, Tampa Bay (53-59) 3
Toronto (61-52) 9, Baltimore (45-66) 4
Seattle (50-63) 3, Houston (61-51) 4
Kansas City (52-60) 6, Minnesota (58-52) 2 (Final/10)
Detroit (51-58) 7, Texas (52-59) 1
LA Angels (67-46) 8, Cleveland (58-52) 4
Boston (62-51) 8, NY Yankees (59-52) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (45-67) 9, Chi. Cubs (68-42) 6
NY Mets (69-42) 9, Pittsburgh (47-63) 1
Cincinnati (61-49) 6, Atlanta (63-50) 3
Washington (47-63) 2, Arizona (56-55) 3
San Diego (39-71) 2, LA Dodgers (66-47) 1
Chi. Sox (41-69) 5, Philadelphia (57-54) 6 (Final/10)
San Francisco (58-53) 4, Colorado (60-52) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Mariners OF Hisayoshi Chono in legal quagmire back home in Japan after bankruptcy of chain restaurants
Baltimore designates RHP Mychal Givens for assignment
Red Sox send LHP Eduardo Rodriguez to Triple-A Pawtucket for rehab assignment
Dodgers place OF Joc Pederson (finger) on 10-day disabled list, retroactive to 08/06/2020

Sunday, August 9th, 2020 - First pitch, 1:10 CST
Kansas City (52-61) 3, Minnesota (59-52) 4
Winner: John Curtiss (6-3) Loser: Nick Gardewine (0-3) Save: None
HR-KC: Kevin Pillar (3) HR-MIN: None

ROYALS SEE LEAD SLIP AWAY LATE

The Royals wasted a strong effort from Eric Skoglund; as he retired the first thirteen hitters he faced, but didn't factor into the decision as the Royals' bullpen faltered late. Getting the first crack at replacing Drew Smith, who is out indefinitely, in the closer's role, Nick Gardewine couldn't retire a single hitter in the ninth inning with the Royals up one, allowing three straight walks and then a two-run base hit as the Twins walked off with a 4-3 victory. Skoglund left with a 2-1 lead after seven innings of work, allowing just one run with no walks and six strikeouts. Jorge Lopez came on for the eighth inning, and allowed a run to tie the game at two. Kevin Pillar's RBI double gave the Royals the lead back, but it was ill-fated after Gardewine's horrific ninth. Pillar also homered in the fifth, his third homerun of the season, as part of a two-hit day. Alex Call, Peter Alonso, and Patrick Mazeika also each had two hits for the Royals.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (55-56) 6, Oakland (55-58) 4 (Final/11)
Miami (52-57) 7, Tampa Bay (54-59) 8
Toronto (62-52) 4, Baltimore (45-67) 3 (Final/14)
Seattle (51-63) 6, Houston (61-52) 1
Kansas City (52-61) 3, Minnesota (59-52) 4
Detroit (51-59) 3, Texas (53-59) 7
LA Angels (68-46) 4, Cleveland (58-53) 1
Boston (63-51) 8, NY Yankees (59-53) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Francisco (58-53) @ Colorado (60-52) -- PPD
Milwaukee (45-68) 1, Chi. Cubs (69-42) 3
NY Mets (69-43) 2, Pittsburgh (48-63) 5
Cincinnati (62-49) 2, Atlanta (63-51) 1
Washington (47-64) 3, Arizona (57-55) 7
San Diego (39-72) 1, LA Dodgers (67-47) 11
Chi. Sox (41-70) 7, Philadelphia (58-54) 8

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
White Sox activate OF Charlie Tilson from rehab assignment
Blue Jays send INF Troy Tulowitzki to Triple-A for rehab assignment
Giants place 2B Joe Panik (hamstring) on 10-day disabled list, retroactive to 08/07/2020

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS NEWS & NOTES
Pitching injuries leave Royals scrambling for options
By artoodeetoo
08/10/2020

SMITH OUT FOR SEASON WITH LABRUM INJURY

Another young bullpen standout will miss the remainder of the season, as Drew Smith was diagnosed with a partially torn labrum following his outing on Friday night against the Twins. It will not require surgery, but the fireballing Smith won't be able to resume any throwing activity for at least two months, according to team officials.

In addition, team officials also noted he won't be able to resume normal activities for likely three or four months. However, there wasn't any indication that he would not be ready for Spring Training.

The Royals also sent right-hander Walker Sheller on a rehab assignment to Single-A Lexington, and purchased the contract of Trey Wingenter, who pitched briefly for the Royals in September of last year before being designated for assignment.

With Corey Knebel gone, and Richard Lovelady and now Smith out for the season, the Royals' top three bullpen arms to begin the season are now unavailable. It's left the Royals scrambling to fill the back end of the rotation. Nick Gardewine received first crack at the closer's role last night, and couldn't record an out in four hitters as he allowed a walk-off, two-run single with the Royals up one in the bottom of the ninth.

Manager Ned Yost has opined that he'd like to go with a closer-by-committee, but also noted that he'd like to have one guy fill the role eventually.

"It's not a tenable situation for more than a few weeks," he said. "I'm inclined to go with the hot hand after ten days or so, so guys can settle into roles."

Gardewine figures to get another chance. Veteran right-handers Nate Jones and Nate Karns also figure to get opportunities, along with Josh Staumont and possibly southpaw Adam Liberatore, who you could argue has been the team's best relief pitcher not named Smith the last month.

For Jones, the injuries may be his saving grace when it comes to his 2021 team option, as he's one of the few proven bullpen arms the Royals have left on the 40-man roster, despite a season where he's been optioned to the minors, and has seen two different stints on the disabled list.

ROYALS CLAIM MULLINS OFF WAIVERS FROM BALTIMORE

Kansas City added to their outfield depth on Monday, as they claimed Orioles farmhand Cedric Mullins off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Mullins played with the big-league club briefly in 2019, logging just twelve plate appearances in eight games, with two starts, during September with a .167 BA.

Drafted in the 13th round back in 2015 out of Campbell University, the dimunitive (five-foot-eight), 180-pound Mullins has shown flashes of potential throughout his journey in the minors, with his 2018 season for Double-A Bowie being his best effort. That year, he stroked twenty-three homeruns and thirty-three doubles in 610 plate appearances, stealing nineteen bases in twenty-eight attempts and was in the top five of the Eastern League MVP race that year.

He's shown to be a competent hitter at the Triple-A level as well. Despite not having the homerun numbers as in Double-A, Mullins owns a lifetime .278/.334/.416 slash in 598 Triple-A plate apperances, hitting eleven homeruns, thirty-five doubles, and driving in sixty-seven runs. Mullins' issue has been finding a position in the outfield for him, as despite his above-average speed, takes questionable angles at times while possessing an average arm.

Mullins, who will only be twenty-six on Opening Day 2021, and has an option remaining, figures to be an insurance policy for youngster Khalil Lee, who will be entering his age-22 season next year. Lee has shown nice pop and strike-zone awareness in his first few weeks in the bigs (five HR, ten BB in 83 PA), but holds just a .153 BA with one double amongst his eleven total hits in seventy-two AB's.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MAJOR TRADES RECAP
Trading to resume following completion of World Series
By MLB.com Staff
08/10/2020

May 3rd, 2020
Angels receive: OF Odubel Herrera
Phillies receive: RHP Griffin Canning, 1B Matt Thaiss

May 22nd, 2020
Giants receive: RHP Carson Fulmer
White Sox receive: 3B Ryder Jones, RHP Ben Madison

June 16th, 2020
Giants receive: LHP Sean Doolittle, PTBNL (RHP Carlos Jose Romero)
Nationals receive: C Miguel Gomez

Brewers receive: OF Bradley Zimmer, PTBNL (LHP Luke Heimlich)
Indians receive: 3B Lucas Erceg

June 25th, 2020
Twins receive: C Travis d'Arnaud, RHP Leif Strom
Nationals receive: RHP Randy LeBlanc, OF DaShawn Keirsey, Jr.

July 2nd, 2020
Giants receive: LHP Brad Hand
Royals receive: RHP Jensen Elliott

July 4th, 2020
Phillies receive: RHP Cory Gearrin
Brewers receive: 1B Max Guzman

July 7th, 2020
Rockies receive: RHP Greg Holland, PTBNL (RHP Jose Maldonado)
Pirates receive: RHP Enrique Castillo

July 11th, 2020
Blue Jays receive: LHP Robbie Ross, Jr., PTBNL (C Jack Rockefeller)
White Sox receive: OF Cal Stevenson

July 12th, 2020
Braves receive: LHP Tyler Anderson
Marlins receive: 3B C.J. Alexander

July 15th, 2020
Twins receive: RHP Wilmer Font, LHP Frank Garces
Marlins receive: IF Brad Miller, C Ben Rortvedt, C Ryan Jeffers

Red Sox receive: LHP Adam Morgan, PTBNL (3B Romy Gonzalez)
White Sox receive: RHP Juan Florentino

Mets receive: RHP Edwin Diaz
Mariners receive: SS Luis Guillorme, LHP Hunter Milam

July 19th, 2020
Diamondbacks receive: RHP Yonny Chirinos
Rays receive: 1B Yordan Alvarez, 3B L.T. Tolbert

Angels receive: OF Robbie Grossman
Athletics receive: IF Bernabe Camargo

Dodgers receive: LHP Danny Duffy, RHP Corey Knebel
Royals receive: LHP John Rooney, LHP Fernando Villacana, RHP Ryan McDonald, IF/C Connor Wong, OF Brayan Rodriguez

July 21st, 2020
Phillies receive: 3B/OF Nick Castellanos
Royals receive: 3B Luke Miller

July 22nd, 2020
Athletics receive: LHP Matt Grace
Marlins receive: OF Anthony Churlin

July 23rd, 2020
Twins receive: IF Matt Duffy
Rays receive: IF Luis Arraez

July 25th, 2020
Red Sox receive: LHP Mike Minor, $1.025M cash
Nationals receive: 1B Josh Ockimey, RHP Joan Martinez

Diamondbacks receive: OF Yoenis Cespedes*
Royals receive: RHP Chris Viall, RHP Justin Lewis, IF Alex King

July 28th, 2020
Phillies receive: RHP Jacob Barnes
Brewers receive: RHP Andrew Mundy

Indians receive: LHP Jake Diekman, PTBNL (C Xavier Fernandez)
Royals receive: IF Richard Palacios

July 30th, 2020
Reds receive: RHP Alex Colome
Orioles receive: C Brandon Martorano, RHP Burton Delaney

Astros receive: RHP Bryan Mitchell
Padres receive: RHP Dennis Santana

Yankees receive: LHP Alex Claudio
Rangers receive: RHP Trevor Stephan, LHP Justus Sheffield

Cubs receive: RHP Kelvin Herrera
Rays receive: RHP Cameron Sanders

Rockies receive: LHP Boone Logan
Tigers receive: RHP Justin Lawrence

Blue Jays receive: RHP Keone Kela
Pirates receive: RHP T.J. Zeuch, RHP Fitz Stadler

Diamondbacks receive: RHP Hunter Strickland
Nationals receive: RHP Evan Marquardt, 3B Wesley Rodriguez

July 31st, 2020
Athletics receive: RHP Juan Nicasio
Rays receive: C Jose Felix Rivas

Angels receive: RHP Dan Straily
Padres receive: IF Yomar Valentin

Cubs receive: LHP Brett Cecil
Cardinals receive: OF Ian Matos

Rockies receive: RHP Bud Norris
Rays receive: RHP Diego Blanco

Mets receive: IF Jurickson Profar
Rangers receive: IF Wade Bailey, IF Luis Carpio

* denotes the Royals retaining 100% of their remaining 40% share of Cespedes' 2020 salary (Mets control the other 60%)

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB STANDINGS UPDATE

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (52-61) @ BOSTON RED SOX (63-51)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/10: RHP Jake Junis (9-7, 4.41) vs RHP Alex Scherff (3-1, 5.22)
08/11: RHP Heath Fillmyer (6-3, 3.06) vs LHP Chris Sale (15-3, 3.38)
08/12: RHP Mitchell White (5-5, 4.78) vs LHP Wade Miley (7-3, 4.17)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, August 10th, 2020 - First pitch, 6:10 CST
Kansas City (52-62) 3, Boston (64-51) 3
Winner: Grant Dayton (3-3) Loser: Adam Liberatore (4-1) Save: Will Harris (17)
HR-KC: Nicky Lopez (3) HR-BOS: Rafael Devers (29)

BULLPEN, DEFENSE FALTER IN CLOSE DEFEAT

The Royals loaded the bases in the ninth against Will Harris with a one-run deficit and no outs, but couldn't get a run home as they dropped the first game of a three-game series with a 4-3 loss to the red-hot Red Sox. An increasingly faulty bullpen also played a role, as the usually-reliable Adam Liberatore walked a pair, leading to two runs in the eighth. However, only one was earned as Jose Peraza dropped the throw to second on a sure double play ball back to the mound. Nicky Lopez hit his third homerun of the season, wrapping it just inside of the Pesky Pole in right field. That homerun gave the Royals a 3-2 lead, just after they had relinquished a 2-1 lead the previous half-inning. Jake Junis didn't factor into the decision, but posted another solid outing with just two earned runs and five hits over six and two-third innings, with three strikeouts and just one walk.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Yankees (60-53) 7, Baltimore (45-68) 1
Texas (53-60) 4, Cleveland (59-53) 11
Kansas City (52-62) 3, Boston (64-51) 4
Chi. Sox (41-71) 0, Detroit (52-59) 7
Toronto (62-53) 4, Tampa Bay (55-59) 3
Atlanta (63-52) 3, Minnesota (60-52) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (48-64) 7, San Francisco (58-54) 6
LA Angels (68-47) 5, Cincinnati (63-49) 10
Milwaukee (45-69) 5, Pittsburgh (49-63) 6
Miami (52-58) 0, NY Mets (70-43) 5
St. Louis (56-56) 7, LA Dodgers (67-48) 5
Philadelphia (58-55) 0, Arizona (58-55) 3
Oakland (56-58) 9, Chi. Cubs (69-43) 5

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Red-hot Big Red Machine takes over top spot in Power Rankings
Rockies activate OF Charlie Blackmon from disabled list
Royals place RHP Drew Smith (labrum) on 10-day disabled list, will miss rest of 2020
OF Cedric Mullins claimed by Kansas City off waivers from Baltimore
Baltimore activates OF Anthony Santander; adds OF D.J. Stewart (back) to 10-day disabled list

Tuesday, August 11th, 2020 - First pitch, 6:10 CST
Kansas City (53-62) 14, Boston (64-52) 13 (Final/14)
Winner: Jorge Lopez (5-9) Loser: Brad Boxberger (2-3) Save: None
HR-KC: Nicky Lopez (4), Cheslor Cuthbert (23), Peter Alonso 2 (16), Blaine Bishop (2) HR-BOS: Robinson Chirinos 2 (13), Bryce Harper (39), Andrew Benintendi (22), Justin Bour (21)

ROYALS PREVAIL IN SLUGFEST

Ten homeruns. Three blown saves. Forty-four hits. Twenty-seven runs. Those are just some of the superlatives from the Royals' 14-13 14-inning victory on Tuesday night. Heath Fillmyer didn't factor into the decision, allowing eight runs in five innings. Five different Royals had at least four hits, with Peter Alonso's five hits (including two homeruns) leading the way. Blaine Bishop and Alonso each drove in four runs, with Alonso and Nicky Lopez each scoring three runs. In just his second game as a Royal, Cedric Mullins was 4-for-7 with three stolen bases, a walk, and two runs scored. Boston also hit five homeruns, with Robinson Chirinos' two homeruns and four RBI leading the way for the BoSox. Jorge Lopez picked up the victory, tossing three scoreless innings in relief.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (60-53) 4, Houston (62-52) 8
Texas (53-61) 3, Cleveland (60-53) 10
NY Yankees (60-54) 4, Baltimore (46-68) 5
San Diego (39-73) 3, Seattle (52-63) 5
Kansas City (53-62) 14, Boston (64-52) 13 (Final/14)
Chi. Sox (42-71) 6, Detroit (52-60) 4 (Final/10)
Toronto (62-54) 0, Tampa Bay (56-59) 4
Atlanta (64-52) 8, Minnesota (60-53) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (49-64) 2, San Francisco (58-55) 0
LA Angels (68-48) 6, Cincinnati (64-49) 8
Milwaukee (45-70) 8, Pittsburgh (50-63) 9
Miami (52-59) 1, NY Mets (71-43) 2
St. Louis (57-56) 8, LA Dodgers (67-49) 4
Philadelphia (58-56) 1, Arizona (59-55) 2
Oakland (56-59) 0, Chi. Cubs (70-43) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Orioles designate RHP Jimmy Yacabonis for assignment
Mariners activate RHP Andrew Cashner from disabled list
Red Sox send RHP David Berg on rehab assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket

Wednesday, August 12th, 2020 - First pitch, 6:10 CST
Kansas City (53-62) 14, Boston (64-52) 13 (Final/14)
Winner: Jorge Lopez (5-9) Loser: Brad Boxberger (2-3) Save: None
HR-KC: Nicky Lopez (4), Cheslor Cuthbert (23), Peter Alonso 2 (16), Blaine Bishop (2) HR-BOS: Robinson Chirinos 2 (13), Bryce Harper (39), Andrew Benintendi (22), Justin Bour (21)

ROYALS SEE LEAD SLIP AWAY LATE

The Royals twice failed to capitalize with the bases loaded and less than two outs, striking out in that situation in the sixth and eighth innings as they fell 5-2 to the Red Sox in the rubber match of their three-game series. Mitchell White sandwiched a poor fourth and fifth innings in between four shutout innings, striking out five with five earned runs and ten hits allowed over six. Peter Alonso has now collected multiple hits in four straight games, going 2-for-3 with a double and two walks. Khalil Lee walked in his first four plate appearances, but struck out against Carter Capps with two men on and two out in the ninth to end the contest. Cedric Mullins enjoyed a nice initial series with the Royals, collecting two more hits, including a double, in four at-bats. Salvador Perez also singled twice.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (61-53) 4, Houston (62-53) 1
Texas (54-61) 3, Cleveland (60-54) 2
NY Yankees (60-55) 1, Baltimore (47-68) 3
San Diego (40-73) 9, Seattle (52-64) 1
Kansas City (53-63) 2, Boston (65-52) 5
Chi. Sox (43-71) 5, Detroit (52-61) 3
Toronto (62-55) 6, Tampa Bay (57-59) 7
Atlanta (65-52) 4, Minnesota (60-54) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (50-64) 3, San Francisco (58-56) 2
Milwaukee (45-71) 2, Pittsburgh (51-63) 3
Miami (53-59) 5, NY Mets (71-44) 2
St. Louis (58-56) 5, LA Dodgers (67-50) 3
Philadelphia (58-57) 7, Arizona (60-55) 9
Oakland (57-59) 6, Chi. Cubs (70-44) 5

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Orioles activate RHP Dylan Bundy from disabled list; send on rehab assignment to Triple-A Norfolk
Rangers place RHP Felix Hernandez (shoulder) on 10-day disabled list, could miss four to six weeks

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Angels' Ohtani set to make 2020 debut
By MLB.com Staff
08/13/2020

PADRES' MARGOT HITS FOR CYCLE

In an otherwise bleak season for the Padres, Manny Margot has been a bright spot, hitting .262/.327/.382 with twenty-six stolen bases in 505 plate appearances so far in 2020, and has added his first career cycle to the mix after a 9-1 victory over Seattle.

He nearly pulled off the "natural cycle", meaning he hit for the cycle in order from single through homerun. He singled in the first, tripled in the third, hit an RBI double in the sixth, and capped it off with a two-run homerun against Nick Rumbelow in the 9th.

His third inning triple also drove in three runs, and collected a career-high six RBI in all in the victory.

OHTANI ACTIVATED FROM REHAB STINT

The Angels' Shohei Ohtani will make his 2020 debut tonight at Boston, nearly five months after suffering a torn meniscus in spring training during a practice session.

Ohtani made three starts for Triple-A Salt Lake, and his numbers were not promising -- posting a 6.48 ERA in 16 2/3 innings of work, fanning just eleven.

At the plate, however, he looked the most comfortable, hitting at a .320/.320/.500 clip with one double and one homerun amongst his eight hits.

He won't make his first start on the mound until Sunday afternoon, but is expected to be in the lineup for at least the first two games of the series in right field.

To make room for him on the 40-man and active rosters, the team designated Ervin Santana for assignment. Santana could be an underrated pickup for someone off the waiver wire, as he has sixty-three strikeouts in eighty innings of work, with a 4.03 ERA in twelve starts.

TORONTO LOSES LAW FOR REMAINDER OF 2020

Blue Jays right-hander Derek Law will miss the rest of the 2020 season with a torn triceps, according to the Toronto Sun. He has a 4.36 ERA in 43 1/3 innings of work since being claimed off waivers from the Giants in mid-May.

Since a breakout rookie season in 2016, where he went 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA in fifty-five innings of work, he hasn't quite managed to match that production. In 280 1/3 MLB innings, Law has a 17-8 record and 232 strikeouts with a 3.72 ERA.

PROFAR, DEETZ TO MISS TIME AFTER BENCH-CLEARING

Jurickson Profar wasted little time getting himself in hot water with his new team, as he was suspended by the league, along with Miami's Dean Deetz, for an altercation near the mound in last night's 5-2 loss to the Marlins.

After Quinn Brodey slammed a homerun to right field to lead off the sixth, he took his homerun trot a little too slowly for Deetz's liking, leading the Marlins righty to take umbrage.

Deetz's first pitch to Profar went behind him, prompting the newest Met to point his bat at Deetz before dropping it and confronting him halfway between the mound and home plate. Teammates restrained the two, but not before a few punches were thrown and the benches became involved.

Deetz will miss one start, while Profar will sit out the next four games. Neither one plans to appeal.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS PROSPECT KASSER TO MISS REST OF TRIPLE-A SEASON
2018 draft pick has forced way into team's plans
By artoodeetoo
08/13/2020

Despite being drafted in the 30th round out of the University of Oregon back in 2018, Kyle Kasser has risen quickly through the ranks. However, the Storm Chasers suffered a big blow as he'll miss the rest of the 2018 season with a hamstring strain.

The smooth-swinging lefty owns a .335 BA with the Storm Chasers, which is also his career average throughout the minors in 1,078 plate appearances. He tore up the Pioneer League in 2018, hitting .347/.431/.478 with twenty-one doubles, five homeruns, and fifty-one RBI.

In 2019, he was leading the South Atlantic League (Single-A) in hitting with a .370 average before getting the call to High-A Wilmington, where he was only slightly worse, but still posted a .320/.386/.413 line to get the call to Double-A to begin this season.

Injuries forced Kasser to Omaha barely six weeks into this season, but not before hitting .299/.333/.465 for the Naturals. In fact, his rise has even put him on the radar as a potential big-league contributor.

"He's been a tremendous asset to the upper-echelons of the minor league system for us," said team president Dayton Moore. "He's a guy that proves that you can put yourself in a position to reach the big leagues from anywhere in the draft, and become a player that could become a factor for you at the highest level."

He's being blocked by Adalberto Mondesi and Nicky Lopez at the big-league level, but could find a role as a utilityman, third baseman, or outfielder. He's never played either of the latter two, but his bat may be too good to keep in the minors for much longer.