Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (33-65) @ CLEVELAND INDIANS (54-43)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/19: RHP Brad Keller (5-9, 4.76) vs RHP Trevor Bauer (8-6, 3.68)
07/20: RHP Jake Junis (5-9, 5.48) vs RHP A.J. Cole (2-2, 5.64)
07/21: RHP Jorge Lopez (1-8, 6.99) vs RHP Shane Bieber (8-4, 3.78)

GAME RECAPS

Friday, July 19th, 2019 - First pitch, 1:10 CST
Kansas City (34-65) 9, Cleveland (52-44) 6
Winner: Wily Peralta (3-4) Loser: Trevor Bauer (8-7) Save: Ian Kennedy (12)
HR-CLE: Corey Dickerson (5), Jason Kipnis (7) HR-KC: Lucas Duda (6), Hunter Dozier (18)

ROYALS WITHSTAND FURIOUS NINTH-INNING RALLY

Hunter Dozier fell a triple short of the cycle, driving in five runs as the Royals escaped last night's game with a 9-6 victory over Cleveland. Brad Keller faced just two hitters, allowing a hit and a groundball out before leaving with an elbow injury. Four different relievers combined to finish the game, with Wily Peralta picking up his third victory of the season with three and two-third innings of one-run ball. Ian Kennedy picked up his 12th save of the season, coming in relief of Jake Newberry with two on and two out in the ninth, but allowed both inherited runners to score, before finally coaxing a groundball out from Corey Dickerson to end the game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (52-46) 2, Baltimore (30-66) 3
Colorado (52-45) 2, NY Yankees (62-33) 7
Kansas City (34-65) 9, Cleveland (52-44) 6
Toronto (39-59) 10, Detroit (31-62) 2
Chi. Sox (47-47) 6, Tampa Bay (55-45) 5
Oakland (53-45) 11, Minnesota (60-36) 8
Texas (50-47) 0, Houston (61-38) 3
LA Angels (51-48) 3, Seattle (42-58) 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (49-45) @ Cincinnati (44-49) -- PPD (Rain)
San Diego (50-47) 4, Chi. Cubs (52-45) 3 (Final/11)
Washington (51-45) 6, Atlanta (57-42) 4
Philadelphia (51-47) 4, Pittsburgh (44-52) 2
Milwaukee (53-46) 14, Arizona (49-49) 0
Miami (35-60) 4, LA Dodgers (64-36) 16
NY Mets (44-53) 3, San Francisco (42-56) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Royals deal LHP Jake Diekman for RHP Alex Guillen, C Joel Diaz, and player to be named later
Brewers acquire OF/3B Derek Dietrich from the Reds for OF's Corey Ray, Leguim Castillo; RHP Franklin Hernandez
1B Justin Smoak dealt from Toronto to Tampa Bay for OF Juan Mata, RHP Drew Strotman

Saturday, July 20th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (34-66) 5, Cleveland (53-44) 5
Winner: James Hoyt (1-0) Loser: Tim Hill (1-1) Save: Brad Hand (26)
HR-CLE: Kevin Plawecki (3), Leonys Martin (11) HR-KC: Brett Phillips (1), Adalberto Mondesi (12), Lucas Duda (7)

ROYALS DROP ONE LATE

Kansas City held a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning, but Tim Hill surrendered a three-run homerun to Leonys Martin which put the Indians in the lead for good as the Royals dropped the second game of their three-game tilt with the Indians by a 7-5 count. Kevin Plawecki had a big game for the Tribe, going 3-for-3 with two RBI, and also reaching base on a free pass. Brett Phillips, Adalberto Mondesi, and Lucas Duda all hit homeruns for the Royals, now 34-66 on the season through their first one-hundred contests. Mondesi drove in three runs and also stole a base, his 34th of the season in thirty-eight tries. Jake Junis scattered six hits and two walks over six innings, but allowed four earned runs and struck out only two as he didn't factor into the decision.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (53-46) 8, Baltimore (30-67) 7 (Final/11)
Colorado (52-46) 3, NY Yankees (63-33) 9
Kansas City (34-66) 5, Cleveland (53-44) 5
Toronto (39-60) 1, Detroit (32-62) 11
Chi. Sox (47-48) 7, Tampa Bay (56-45) 8
Oakland (53-46) 2, Minnesota (61-36) 8
Texas (50-48) 5, Houston (62-38) 7
LA Angels (52-48) 8, Seattle (42-59) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (51-45) 6, Cincinnati (44-51) 2 (G1)
St. Louis (51-45) @ Cincinnati (44-51) -- (G2, PPD-Rain)
San Diego (51-47) 3, Chi. Cubs (52-46) 2
Washington (51-46) 2, Atlanta (58-42) 5
Philadelphia (51-48) 2, Pittsburgh (45-52) 7
Milwaukee (54-46) 8, Arizona (49-50) 4
Miami (35-61) 3, LA Dodgers (65-36) 8
NY Mets (44-54) 1, San Francisco (43-56) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cardinals acquire OF Lonnie Chisenhall from Pittsburgh in exchange for P's Mike Hauschild, Seth Elledge
Tigers swap RHP Shane Greene to Colorado for IF's Luis Castro, Isaac Collins
Indians nab RHP David Hernandez from Cincinnati for OF's Clark Scolamiero, Jorge Burgos; RHP Miguel Vinicio
Rangers acquire 1B/DH Lucas Duda and player to be named later from Kansas City for OF Carlos Tocci
Blue Jays ship IF Eric Sogard to Boston for RHP Travis Lakins

Saturday, July 21st, 2019 - First pitch, 1:10 CST
Kansas City (34-67) 0, Cleveland (54-44) 8
Winner: Shane Bieber (9-4) Loser: Jorge Lopez (1-9) Save: None
HR-CLE: Kevin Plawecki (3), Leonys Martin (11) HR-KC: Brett Phillips (1), Adalberto Mondesi (12), Lucas Duda (7)

BIEBER BEFUDDLES THE BOYS IN BLUE

Offensively, the Royals could only muster a quartet of hits off Indians All-Star Shane Bieber, as he blanked them in an 8-0 whitewashing. In 110 pitches, Bieber fanned nine with zero walks, including an emphatic ninth inning where he fanned Hunter Dozier, Brett Phillips, and Ryan O'Hearn to end the contest in a tidy thirteen pitches. On the other side of the ledger, Jorge Lopez allowed four earned runs in four innings, making his second start since being moved back over from the bullpen. Josh Staumont made his first real appearance, going two and two-third innings, allowing just one earned run (four total), thanks to some shoddy defensive work in the seventh. Despite getting three groundballs right at infielders in the inning, the Royals could not turn them into three outs thanks to some strategic sliding by the Indians. Adalberto Mondesi then flubbed a routine grounder with two outs, leading to Leonys Martin's second of two homeruns in the game. Martin homered off Staumont in the fifth, and also added a double in the third. Whit Merrifield was the only Royal with multiple hits, hitting a single and double as part of a 2-for-4 day.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (53-47) 6, Baltimore (31-67) 7
Colorado (52-47) 0, NY Yankees (64-33) 9
Kansas City (34-67) 0, Cleveland (54-44) 8
Toronto (40-60) 11, Detroit (32-63) 2
Chi. Sox (47-49) 0, Tampa Bay (57-45) 8
Oakland (54-46) 11, Minnesota (61-37) 4
Texas (50-49) 4, Houston (63-38) 7 (Final/12)
LA Angels (53-48) 6, Seattle (42-60) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (51-46) 1, Cincinnati (45-51) 5 (G1)
St. Louis (51-47) 11, Cincinnati (46-51) 13 (G2)
San Diego (51-48) 2, Chi. Cubs (53-46) 3
Washington (51-47) 3, Atlanta (59-42) 7
Philadelphia (52-48) 8, Pittsburgh (45-53) 7
Milwaukee (54-47) 5, Arizona (50-50) 14
Miami (36-61) 2, LA Dodgers (65-37) 1 (Final/10)
NY Mets (44-55) 0, San Francisco (44-56) 5

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
D-Backs acquire RHP Clay Buchholz from Toronto for P's Carlos de la Cruz, Junior Garcia; C Dominic Miroglio
Royals deal RHP Homer Bailey to Oakland for IF Kevin Merrell; also deal C Martin Maldonado to the Cubs for LHP Mike Montgomery

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS HEADLINES
Fire sale commences with three trades over the weekend
By artoodeetoo
07/22/2019

DUDA DEALT TO TEXAS FOR TOCCI

It's been a busy weekend for Dayton Moore.

After a homer binge over the last four days, the Royals have traded the on-again, off-again Lucas Duda for the second time in as many years, but this time they picked up their possible center fielder of the future in Carlos Tocci from the Rangers in a Saturday deal. Kansas City is also going to buy out the remainder of Duda's one-year contract, which is about $600K, plus sending a PTBNL.

It seems like a steep price to pay, but Tocci would most certainly be amongst the league's top one-hundred or so prospects if he hadn't been picked in the Rule 5 Draft prior to last season, spending the entirety of the 2018 season in the majors. He's not projected to hit for a ton of power, but runs reasonably well and his defensive instincts are amongst the best in the minor leagues.

Tocci, 23, was not impressive in his one year with the Rangers, hitting just .225 with an OPS of .555 in 128 plate appearances. That .555 OPS would have ranked him dead last in baseball had he qualified with enough plate appearances.

To replace Duda on the roster, Ryan O'Hearn was re-called from Omaha; where he seems to have regained some of the power stroke that made him a great story last year. It's a small sample, but in 102 plate appearances since being sent down, he's slashing .270/.365/.512 with five homeruns and six doubles.

ROYALS DEAL MALDONADO, BAILEY ON SAME DAY

Kansas City appears to be in full fire-sale mode, as they made two separate swaps in dealing away right-hander Homer Bailey to the A's, and catcher Martin Maldonado to the Cubs late on Sunday night. In return for Bailey, the Royals nabbed Double-A infielder Kevin Merrell, who was a first-round pick just two years ago in 2017 out of the University of South Florida.

Overall, Merrell has struggled in his first year at that level, slashing a mediocre .246/.292/.339 in 307 plate appearances. However, in his last fourteen games, he's turned it up with a .327/.386/.346 slash in fifty-eight appearances at the dish, with seven runs scored and four steals. He won't hit for a ton of power, but his value lies in his speed and versatility.

It's a classic Billy Beane move -- grab a bargain-bin contributor for a low price, and somehow turn those decent peripherals into something solid. The A's staff has struggled this season, and while the A's defense isn't great either, it's a spacious home park with lots of real estate.

The Royals also nabbed former 2008 first-round pick Mike Montgomery away from the Cubs in exchange for Maldonado, who will immediately play a role as Willson Contreras goes on the disabled list with a foot issue. Montgomery might be most well-known for getting the final out in the Cubs' 2016 World Series victory, breaking a 108-year title drought; but before then, was a first-round pick of the Royals, and was part of the trade that brought James Shields and (more notably) All-Star closer Wade Davis to the Royals prior to the 2013 season.

Despite a 5.67 ERA in 27 innings of work this season for the Cubs, eventually leading to a demotion to the minor leagues, Montgomery owns a solid 3.72 ERA in his career serving as a part-time starter for the Mariners and Cubs in his career. In fact, he's earned a solid 7.2 rWAR (Fangraphs) in his MLB career, and has posted better than a 4.00 ERA in all but one season prior to this one, his rookie year.

Montgomery, 30, is controlled through 2021. He's projected to earn $2.8M in arbitration this upcoming season via Fangraphs.

KELLER HEADED TO THE IL WITH ELBOW STRAIN

Right-hander Brad Keller was diagnosed with a low-grade strain in his pitching elbow on Sunday morning, and was placed on the injured list earlier today. Left-handers Eric Skoglund, who was re-called in the wake of Keller's injury, and the aforementioned Montgomery are expected to take on roles in the rotation with Keller now on the injured list, and Homer Bailey off to Oakland.

Optimistically, Keller might miss just two starts, but is expected to be out for as long as three weeks, according to manager Ned Yost. The Royals' skipper also mentioned it will give them an opportunity to see Skoglund up close in the rotation, and to get a good look at the newest Royal in Montgomery.

"Mike has a ton of experience around a winning clubhouse," Yost said of the former Royals top pick. "Playing for the Cubs the last handful of years, he'll bring some experience back that we've lost in recent years. He's also real versatile, being able to fill a number of roles in our staff. We're excited to have him."

PIMENTEL COMES OVER TO COMPLETE ROCKIES DEAL

The player to be named later in the Jake Diekman trade was finalized on Sunday, as the Rockies' 27th-round pick this past June out of the University of Tampa, right-hander Keven Pimentel, has come over from the Rockies.

The side-arming Pimentel, 23, appeared in six outings with the Boise Hawks, spinning a 3.12 ERA in eight and one-third innings of work, doing most of his good work against RHB (4-of-24, .167 BAA). Featuring three pitches (two-seamer, slider, changeup) that are all projected as MLB-average or slightly-worse, he's struggled with location, as he's been hit hard with thirteen hits and five walks, resulting in a pretty ghastly 2.08 WHIP.

He was demoted to Grand Junction, the Rox' Pioneer League affiliate on July 5th, where he lasted just one batter in his first outing before leaving with a strained right elbow. He's still out for the next month at least, so it's hard to imagine we'll see him pitch as a Royals-affiliated player this season.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (34-67) @ ATLANTA BRAVES (59-42)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/23: LHP Mike Montgomery (1-2, 5.67) vs LHP Sean Newcomb (3-1, 2.65)
07/24: LHP Danny Duffy (4-6, 4.40) vs LHP Max Fried (11-4, 3.61)

GAME RECAPS

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 - First pitch, 7:20 CST
Kansas City (34-68) 2, Atlanta (60-42) 3
Winner: Darren O'Day (1-2) Loser: Scott Barlow (2-4) Save: Thomas Burrows (1)
HR-KC: Meibrys Viloria (1) HR-ATL: Josh Donaldson (20)

NINTH-INNING RALLY FALLS SHORT

Josh Donaldson's solo homerun in the eighth off Scott Barlow was the difference in the Braves' 3-2 victory. Cheslor Cuthbert walked, and Bubba Starling singled to lead off the the top of ninth against closer Luke Jackson; but rookie southpaw Thomas Burrows came in and cleaned up with one out, striking out pinch-hitter Ryan O'Hearn and catcher Meibrys Viloria, who tied the game with his first MLB homerun in the seventh, to end the contest. Mike Montgomery made his first career appearance with the Royals since being acquired from the Cubs, and was solid in his six innings of work. He fanned just three, but scattered four hits, two earned runs, and three walks in eighty-one pitches as he didn't factor into the decision. Adalberto Mondesi doubled as part of a 2-for-4 day, stealing a pair of bases in the process to raise his league-leading total to thirty-six.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cleveland (54-46) 7, Toronto (42-60) 9
Philadelphia (52-49) 3, Detroit (33-63) 4
Boston (54-48) 5, Tampa Bay (58-46) 0
Oakland (55-47) 4, Houston (64-39) 6
NY Yankees (64-35) 2, Minnesota (63-37) 5
Texas (51-50) 1, Seattle (43-61) 4
Miami (36-63) 2, Chi. Sox (49-49) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (34-68) 2, Atlanta (60-42) 3
Colorado (53-48) 1, Washington (52-48) 5
St. Louis (53-47) 7, Pittsburgh (45-55) 2 (Final/12)
San Diego (51-49) 4, NY Mets (45-55) 7
Cincinnati (46-53) 9, Milwaukee (56-47) 10 (Final/11)
Chi. Cubs (55-46) 6, San Francisco (44-58) 4
Baltimore (31-69) 5, Arizona (52-50) 8
LA Angels (54-48) 6, LA Dodgers (65-38) 5

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Reds LHP Alex Wood (back) to miss additional start

Wednesday, July 24th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:20 CST
Kansas City (34-69) 1, Atlanta (61-42) 4
Winner: Max Fried (12-4) Loser: Danny Duffy (4-7) Save: Corbin Clouse (1)
HR-KC: None HR-ATL: Brian McCann (9)

BRAVES, FRIED SWEEP ROYALS OUT OF HOT-LANTA

Max Fried turned in a top-notch performance against Kansas City, fanning ten hitters over six and one-third innings as the Royals fell by a 4-1 score, dropping both ends of the short two-game set in Georgia. In all, the Royals struck out fourteen times with no walks against Fried and three Atlanta relievers. Whit Merrifield and Bubba Starling each collected a pair of hits, and Merrifield also stole his 13th base of the season. It was an up-and-down performance from Danny Duffy, who surrendered seven hits and four walks in five and two-third innings, fanning four and allowing just two earned runs. Newcomer Tyler Olson got the final out of the sixth before being pinch-hit for by Nicky Lopez, who flew out to right.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Philadelphia (52-49) @ Detroit (33-63) -- PPD (Rain)
Cleveland (55-46) 3, Toronto (42-61) 0
Boston (54-49) 0, Tampa Bay (59-46) 5
Oakland (56-47) 3, Houston (64-40) 2
NY Yankees (65-35) 4, Minnesota (63-38) 3 (Final/11)
Texas (51-51) 1, Seattle (44-61) 2
Miami (36-64) 4, Chi. Sox (50-49) 10

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (34-69) 1, Atlanta (61-42) 4
Colorado (54-48) 7, Washington (52-49) 5
St. Louis (54-47) 8, Pittsburgh (45-56) 6
San Diego (52-49) 3, NY Mets (45-56) 0
Cincinnati (47-53) 12, Milwaukee (56-48) 1
Chi. Cubs (55-47) 2, San Francisco (45-58) 3
Baltimore (31-70) 1, Arizona (53-50) 7
LA Angels (54-49) 2, LA Dodgers (66-38) 7

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
"The Grandy Man" Curtis Granderson to retire at season's end
Mets deal Adeiny Hechavarria and PTBNL for RHP Chase Anderson

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS HEADLINES
Speedster Gore headed to the Big Apple
By artoodeetoo
07/25/2019

GORE ON THE MOVE -- AGAIN

Terrance Gore is on his way to a contender for the second time in two seasons. This time, he's going to the Yankees for cash considerations. Gore was placed on the Yanks' 40-man roster, almost assuring him of being playoff-eligible as they make their march towards the postseason.

Reports are the cash considerations will buy out the rest of Gore's one-year, $660K deal that he signed prior to this season, which is roughly $240,000. Gore slashed .248/.336/.312 in his fifty-seven plate appearances with the Royals, including twelve steals in seventeen attempts.

OLSON CLAIMED OFF WAIVERS FROM CLEVELAND

Kansas City claimed southpaw Tyler Olson off waivers from the Indians on Tuesday, optioning Tim Hill to Omaha to make room for him on the active roster. Olson made his first appearance with the Royals last night, pitching one-third of an inning in the Royals' 4-1 loss to the Braves.

In 2017, Olson recorded a perfect 0.00 ERA in twenty innings of work with the Indians, covering thirty appearances. He made seventy-seven appearances with the Indians since the beginning of 2018, covering 56 1/3 innings of work. He fanned seventy in that time frame while walking twenty-seven.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

CLEVELAND INDIANS (55-46) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (34-69)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/25: RHP A.J. Cole (2-2, 5.90) vs LHP Eric Skoglund (0-0, 0.00)
07/26: RHP Cody Anderson (0-1, 9.35) vs RHP Jake Junis (5-9, 5.51)
07/27: RHP Shane Bieber (9-4, 3.50) vs RHP Jorge Lopez (1-9, 7.09)
07/28: RHP Danny Salazar (0-1, 9.72) vs LHP Mike Montgomery (1-2, 5.18)

GAME RECAPS

Thursday, July 25th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Cleveland (56-46) 5, Kansas City (34-70) 1
Winner: A.J. Cole (3-2) Loser: Eric Skoglund (0-1) Save: None
HR-CLE: None HR-KC: Jorge Soler (25)

BATS STAY COLD IN SERIES LID-LIFTER

Eric Skoglund made his first MLB appearance since returning from an 80-game suspension, and looked quite rusty as he allowed six hits with an uncharacteristic five walks as the Royals fell 5-1 to drop their fifth in a row. Meanwhile, Indians starter A.J. Cole ended up one out short of a complete game, giving way to newcomer David Hernandez to get the final out after 113 pitches. All the Royals could muster offensively was a solo homerun from Jorge Soler in the sixth inning, hitting a towering shot off Cole over the left field wall. Nicky Lopez collected a pair of hits, including his 10th double of the season in the ninth, but it was far too little, too late. Leonys Martin continued to batter Royals' pitching, going 3-for-4 with three base hits. For the season, he has a 14-to-26 BA (.538) against Kansas City with four homeruns and ten RBI.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (64-38) 3, Chi. Sox (50-50) 1
Cleveland (56-46) 5, Kansas City (34-70) 1
NY Yankees (66-35) 12, Boston (54-50) 11
Baltimore (31-71) 2, LA Angels (55-49) 7
Texas (52-51) 5, Oakland (56-48) 1
Detroit (34-63) 6, Seattle (44-62) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Diego (53-49) 11, NY Mets (45-57) 0
St. Louis (54-48) 4, Pittsburgh (46-56) 7
Colorado (55-48) 11, Washington (52-50) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Colorado SS Trevor Story (back) out three to four weeks

Friday, July 26th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Cleveland (56-47) 4, Kansas City (35-70) 7
Winner: Brian Flynn (2-0) Loser: Cody Anderson (0-2) Save: Ian Kennedy (13)
HR-CLE: Francisco Lindor (15) HR-KC: Ryan O'Hearn (7), Jorge Soler (26)

DOZIER DOUBLE THE DIFFERENCE

Thanks to some timely hitting, the Royals snapped a five-game skid with a 7-4 victory over the Indians. Their last win came against Cleveland six days ago, as they opened up a three-game series at Progressive Field with a 9-6 victory that day. Leading just 1-0 in the third, Jorge Soler hit a two-out, three-run bomb against Cody Anderson, landing some 430 feet from home plate as the Royals extended their lead to 4-0 at that point. With Jake Junis cruising along; Kansas City led 4-1 in the seventh with runners on first and third, until Junis uncorked a pitch in the dirt, leading to an ill-advised throwing error by rookie catcher Meibrys Viloria that allowed Neil Walker to score. Junis then left after surrendering an RBI single to Leonys Martin; but reliever Brian Flynn allowed Martin to come around and score after stealing second, and then Jose Ramirez bringing him home to score on a single to tie the game. However, the following half-inning saw the Royals mount a dramatic rally, with Hunter Dozier clearing the bases with a two-out double against Oliver Perez to push the Royals back in front. Ian Kennedy pitched a spotless ninth to pick up his 13th save in fifteen tries. Dozier was 2-for-4 with three RBI, bringing his season total to sixty-three, while Ryan O'Hearn hit his seventh homerun of the season on his 26th birthday. Junis was eventually tagged with all four Indians' runs, but fanned seven with just two walks in his six-and-one-third innings of work.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (60-46) 3, Toronto (42-62) 1
Minnesota (65-38) 7, Chi. Sox (50-51) 4
Cleveland (56-47) 4, Kansas City (35-70) 7
NY Yankees (66-36) 5, Boston (55-50) 6
Baltimore (31-72) 4, LA Angels (56-49) 9
Texas (52-52) 7, Oakland (57-48) 11
Detroit (34-64) 6, Seattle (45-62) 7 (Final/11)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (67-38) 2, Washington (52-51) 1
Arizona (54-50) 4, Miami (36-65) 0
Houston (64-41) 5, St. Louis (55-48) 11
Chi. Cubs (56-47) 6, Milwaukee (56-49) 5
San Francisco (45-59) 2, San Diego (54-49) 7
Pittsburgh (47-56) 6, NY Mets (45-58) 0
Colorado (55-49) 4, Cincinnati (48-53) 5
Atlanta (61-43) 3, Philadelphia (53-49) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Reds deal SS Jose Iglesias to Tampa Bay for OF Garrett Whitley; 3B Jim Haley

Saturday, July 27th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Cleveland (57-47) 11, Kansas City (35-71) 6
Winner: A.J. Ramos (1-0) Loser: Tyler Olson (1-1) Save: David Hernandez (5)
HR-CLE: Carlos Santana (25), Jose Ramirez (10), Kevin Plawecki (4) HR-KC: None

ROYALS NEARLY DOUBLED UP

Six different Royals collected two hits apiece, but the Indians got after the Royals' bullpen, tagging them for seven runs in the final four innings to take an 11-6 victory. Newcomer and former Indian hurler Tyler Olson allowed three earned runs, while Jake Newberry was whacked around for four runs. Jorge Lopez got the start, and ended up not being a factor in the decision after leaving with a 6-4 lead following the fifth inning. Whit Merrifield and Brett Phillips each had two RBI, while Hunter Dozier and Ryan O'Hearn each collected two hits and one RBI apiece. Not a week after holding the Royals to a four-hit shutout, Shane Bieber was knocked around by the Royals, allowing ten hits in four innings before being pulled in favor of James Hoyt, who went just one inning. A.J. Ramos and David Hernandez each pitched two shutout innings for the Tribe out of the bullpen.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (60-47) 3, Toronto (43-62) 5
Minnesota (66-38) 11, Chi. Sox (50-52) 0
Cleveland (57-47) 11, Kansas City (35-71) 6
NY Yankees (66-37) 2, Boston (56-50) 6
Baltimore (31-73) 4, LA Angels (57-49) 6
Texas (52-53) 2, Oakland (58-48) 4
Detroit (34-65) 1, Seattle (46-62) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (68-38) 10, Washington (52-52) 5
Arizona (54-51) 4, Miami (37-65) 5 (Final/10)
Houston (64-42) 5, St. Louis (56-48) 7
Chi. Cubs (57-47) 6, Milwaukee (56-50) 3
San Francisco (45-60) 5, San Diego (55-49) 8
Pittsburgh (47-57) 3, NY Mets (46-58) 20
Colorado (56-49) 5, Cincinnati (48-54) 1
Atlanta (62-43) 6, Philadelphia (53-50) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Mets' Jurickson Profar hits for first career cycle in 20-3 drubbing of Pittsburgh

Sunday, July 28th, 2019 - First pitch, 1:15 CST
Cleveland (58-47) 10, Kansas City (35-72) 5
Winner: David Hernandez (3-5) Loser: Deolis Guerra (0-1) Save: None
HR-CLE: Jordan Luplow (12), Neil Walker (7) HR-KC: Adalberto Mondesi (13), Jorge Soler (27)

BULLPEN FALTERS AGAIN AS SLIDE CONTINUES

Kansas City held a 5-3 lead going into the eighth inning, but a walk and a homerun to lead off the inning tied the score at five, and a five-run 10th by the Indians led to a decisive 10-5 victory for the visitors as they took three of four from the host Royals. After a sparkling two-inning outing three games ago, Deolis Guerra was tagged for five earned runs in the 10th, including three walks. The Royals jumped in front in the sixth, helped by RBI hits from Jorge Soler and Brett Phillips, sandwiched around a steal of home by Adalberto Mondesi. Mike Montgomery made his second start since coming over from the Cubs, and walked four and fanned four in five and two-third innings of work.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (60-48) 1, Toronto (44-62) 7
Minnesota (67-38) 7, Chi. Sox (50-53) 0
Cleveland (58-47) 10, Kansas City (35-72) 5
NY Yankees (67-37) 9, Boston (56-51) 3
Baltimore (31-74) 2, LA Angels (58-49) 3 (Final/10)
Texas (53-53) 5, Oakland (58-49) 2
Detroit (34-66) 3, Seattle (47-62) 9

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (69-38) 3, Washington (52-53) 2
Arizona (54-52) 6, Miami (38-65) 7 (Final/13)
Houston (65-42) 8, St. Louis (56-49) 2
Chi. Cubs (57-48) 4, Milwaukee (57-50) 6
San Francisco (45-61) 3, San Diego (56-49) 4
Pittsburgh (47-58) 2, NY Mets (47-58) 7
Colorado (57-49) 4, Cincinnati (48-55) 1
Atlanta (63-43) 5, Philadelphia (53-51) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Giants send LHP Madison Bumgarner to the Yankees for pitchers Jonathan Loaisiga, Nick Nelson
Toronto trades RHP Marcus Stroman to the Astros for pitcher Corbin Martin; OF's Yordan Alvarez, Colin Barber
Pittsburgh deals veteran OF Melky Cabrera to the White Sox for IF Trey Michalczewski, RHP Spencer Adams
Seattle trades LHP Tommy Milone, C Tom Murphy to the Angels and Rays, respectively, for two pitchers and one infielder

[speels]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

I really enjoy this dynasty. Keep up the great work!!

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (44-62) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (35-72)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/29: RHP Michael Wacha (6-4, 5.24) vs LHP Danny Duffy (4-7, 4.32)
07/30: RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-11, 5.92) vs LHP Eric Skoglund (0-1, 9.00)
07/31: RHP Travis Lakins (0-1, 5.79) vs RHP Jake Junis (5-9, 5.51)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, July 29th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Toronto (45-62) 6, Kansas City (35-73) 5
Winner: Michael Wacha (7-4) Loser: Danny Duffy (4-8) Save: Tim Mayza (2)
HR-TOR: Randal Grichuk (21), Teoscar Hernandez (14) HR-KC: Ryan O'Hearn (8)

DRAMATIC COMEBACK FALLS SHORT

Down 6-4 in the ninth, Kansas City got two men on with one out, but were only able to come up with one run as the Royals' rally fell short, 6-5. Billy Hamilton was 1-for-4 with a two-run triple in the second, and then scored on Nicky Lopez's sacrifice fly to make the score 3-2 at the time. Toronto followed up with two more runs in the third to take a 4-3 lead against Danny Duffy and the Royals, and then they kept chasing Toronto run-for-run the rest of the contest. A Teoscar Hernandez homerun in the seventh extended Toronto's lead to 5-3, before Ryan O'Hearn struck back with a solo shot of his own to cut the deficit back to one. A passed ball led to a run in the eighth for Toronto, which ended up being the difference in the defeat. Duffy took the loss after a slow start, finishing with seven strikeouts in six innings, allowing four earned runs with five hits scattered, and three walks. In his first start for the Blue Jays since being acquired from St. Louis in the Ken Giles deal, Michael Wacha went eight innings for the Jays, allowing four earned runs. Tim Mayza picked up the save, his second overall, and the first since Giles departed.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (45-62) 6, Kansas City (35-73) 5
Detroit (35-66) 4, LA Angels (58-50) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (69-38) @ Colorado (57-49) -- PPD (Rain)
Atlanta (64-43) 4, Washington (52-54) 1
Arizona (55-52) 5, Miami (38-66) 2
Pittsburgh (47-59) 2, Cincinnati (49-55) 3
Baltimore (32-74) 7, San Diego (56-50) 5 (Final/15)

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Dodgers overtake the Twins for top Power Rankings spot
Toronto deals closer Ken Giles to St. Louis for pitchers Michael Wacha, Ryan Helsley; IF Jhon Torres
Giants closer Will Smith goes to Houston for pitcher Cionel Perez, IF Trey Dawson
RHP Andrew Cashner to the Red Sox for youngsters Prado, Romero
Nationals trade closer Sean Doolittle to the Dodgers for pitcher Mitchell White
Giants trade Pablo Sandoval to the Angels for OF's Hermosillo, Lund
Blue Jays deal SS Freddy Galvis to the White Sox for OF Luis Basabe
The Mets swap RHP Zack Wheeler to the Padres for pitcher Trey Supak, OF Agustin Ruiz

Tuesday, July 30th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Toronto (45-63) 1, Kansas City (36-73) 3
Winner: Eric Skoglund (1-1) Loser: Aaron Sanchez (3-12) Save: Ian Kennedy (14)
HR: None

SKOGLUND STYMIES TORONTO

Making his second start of the season, southpaw Eric Skoglund hoped to put his last start behind him, and did he ever. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth, where catcher Reese McGuire finally broke it up with a seeing-eye single to lead off the inning, and ended up leaving after eight-and-one-third shutout innings before being charged with a late earned run in a 3-1 victory. Skoglund fanned a career-high ten, walking just two with three hits scattered. Ian Kennedy came on in the ninth after Vladimir Guerrero singled to left against Skoglund with one out, and eventually came around to score on a Rowdy Tellez pinch-hit single with two outs. Kennedy ended the rally by getting Cavan Biggio to fly to center, picking up his 14th save of the season. Aaron Sanchez matched Skoglund pitch-for-pitch until the sixth, when he surrendered a leadoff double to Nicky Lopez prior to walking four straight hitters. Lefty Travis Bergen came on, and finished the game for Toronto, fanning five over three innings of work, while allowing just one hit.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (47-62) @ Texas (53-53) -- PPD (Rain)
Milwaukee (58-50) 10, Oakland (58-50) 0
NY Mets (48-58) 3, Chi. Sox (50-54) 2
Tampa Bay (61-48) 7, Boston (56-52) 1
Toronto (45-63) 1, Kansas City (36-73) 3
Detroit (35-67) 5, LA Angels (59-50) 6
Arizona (56-52) 9, NY Yankees (67-38) 5
Houston (66-42) 7, Cleveland (58-48) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (70-38) 11, Colorado (57-50) 4 (G1)
LA Dodgers (71-38) 2, Colorado (57-51) 1 (G2)
Minnesota (67-39) 1, Miami (39-66) 6
Chi. Cubs (58-48) 4, St. Louis (56-50) 1
San Francisco (45-62) 1, Philadelphia (54-51) 12
Atlanta (64-44) 3, Washington (53-54) 7
Pittsburgh (48-59) 5, Cincinnati (49-56) 4 (Final/10)
Baltimore (32-75) 3, San Diego (57-50) 10

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cleveland acquires IF Jonathan Villar from the Orioles for IF Max Moroff, 1B Michael Cooper
Boston trades 3B Nick Northcut, OF Gabriel Perez to San Francisco for Sam Dyson; also acquires RHP Bud Norris from Toronto
Angels acquire southpaw Alex Wood from the Reds for OF Jahmai Jones
RHP Mychal Givens on the move to Atlanta for IF Charlie Culberson, RHP Patrick Weigel
Reds deal SS Jose Iglesias to Tampa Bay for OF Garrett Whitley; 3B Jim Haley

Wednesday, July 31st, 2019 - First pitch, 12:15 CST
CToronto (45-64) 2, Kansas City (37-73) 5
Winner: Jake Junis (6-9) Loser: Travis Lakins (0-2) Save: Josh Staumont (1)
HR-TOR: None HR-KC: Adalberto Mondesi (14)

RUBBER MATCH GOES TO KANSAS CITY

Jake Junis carried a no-hitter into the sixth, as Rowdy Tellez broke the no-no with a double to right; but he fanned eleven over six-and-two-third innings of work in a 5-2 Royals victory. Tyler Olson recorded the final out of the seventh, and Josh Staumont pitched two innings to pick up his first career save. For the first time in his career, Nicky Lopez reached base all four times he came to the plate, recording two hits, including a triple; and stealing two bases to go with a pair of free passes. Billy Hamilton also had two hits, including a triple. Adalberto Mondesi was 2-for-4 with a double and a solo homerun, his 14th homerun of the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (47-63) 5, Texas (54-53) 6 (G1)
Seattle (48-63) 6, Texas (54-54) 3 (G2)
Milwaukee (59-50) 8, Oakland (58-51) 6
NY Mets (49-58) 7, Chi. Sox (50-55) 4
Tampa Bay (61-49) 1, Boston (57-52) 15
Toronto (45-64) 2, Kansas City (37-73) 5
Detroit (36-67) 8, LA Angels (59-51) 7
Arizona (56-53) 1, NY Yankees (68-38) 9
Houston (66-43) 4, Cleveland (59-48) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (72-38) 7, Colorado (57-52) 6
Minnesota (67-40) 1, Miami (40-66) 3
Chi. Cubs (58-48) 4, St. Louis (56-50) 1
San Francisco (46-62) 6, Philadelphia (54-52) 2
Atlanta (65-44) 4, Washington (53-55) 0
Pittsburgh (49-59) 4, Cincinnati (49-57) 3 (Final/10)

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Baltimore deals RHP Gregory Infante to the Diamondbacks for pitcher Bryan Valdez, 1B David Garza
Tigers deal OF/3B Nick Castellanos to the Rockies for OF Wes Rogers; Detroit also acquires IF Miguel Rojas from the Marlins

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

I really enjoy this dynasty. Keep up the great work!!

Thank you!

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS HEADLINES
Trade deadline ends with whimper, not bang, for Royals
By artoodeetoo
08/05/2019

TRADE DEADLINE WRAPS WITH NO FURTHER MOVEMENT

Another year, and another trade deadline has passed with Whit Merrifield still on the squad. General Manager Dayton Moore was still fielding interest for Merrifield up until the 30th, but could not swing a deal "in all good conscience", eventually making him unavailable after Saturday.

"We never really entered into any serious negotiations with any club," he said. "We have a pretty clear set of requirements for us to deal him, and none of those situations materialized, so in all good conscience, we couldn't trade him."

Moore also received interest in pitchers Ian Kennedy and Danny Duffy, but the prevailing thought is that one or both could be moved in the offseason, provided they keep or improve the level of production they're giving now. There's simply too much salary to be absorbed.

The Royals were one of the busier teams in the month of July, making six trades in all. Surprisingly (or maybe not), the Royals were unable to deal outfielder Billy Hamilton to a contender, leaving him as a potential DFA candidate in the coming days.

MONDESI TO COME OFF IL IN MERE DAYS

Shortstop Adalberto Mondesi is due to come off the disabled list later this week; but is not expected to take a detour to Omaha for a rehab stint, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. He's been out the last several weeks with a shoulder impingement, and his recovery from that injury has been better than expected.

Despite all the time missed this season, he still leads the AL in triples with nine, and sports a .266/.294/.433 slash. Manager Ned Yost and GM Dayton Moore both agreed that it would be better to get him back into the lineup as soon as possible.

"He's still growing, developing as a player," said Yost. "There's really no reason to send him down, when he could be getting back up to speed at the highest level. If he had been out a month or so, then I could see that, but it's been a few weeks only."

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (43-70) @ BOSTON RED SOX (62-52)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/05: RHP Jake Junis (7-9, 4.87) vs RHP Nathan Eovaldi (0-1, 6.68)
08/06: RHP Jorge Lopez (1-7, 6.13) vs LHP Chris Sale (5-10, 4.16)
08/07: LHP Danny Duffy (5-6, 4.34) vs LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (14-4, 3.95)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, August 5th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (44-70) 9, Boston (62-53) 3
Winner: Jake Junis (8-9) Loser: Josh Taylor (0-1) Save: None
HR-KC: Hunter Dozier (18) HR-BOS: J.D. Martinez (23)

DOZIER SLAM PROPELS ROYALS OVER THE SOX

Up 5-3 following an RBI single with two outs in the eighth from Alex Gordon, Hunter Dozier stepped in with the bases full; and put a fastball from Carson Smith over the Green Monster to put the exclamation point on a 9-3 victory at Boston. Jake Junis picked up the victory, although he wasn't as dominant as his last time out, where he fanned thirteen with no walks in six innings. Dozier and three other Royals all collected a pair of hits, while Cheslor Cuthbert was 3-for-4 with an RBI.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (55-56) @ Cleveland (65-46) -- PPD (Rain)
Atlanta (65-48) 6, Minnesota (68-44) 2
Toronto (43-72) 3, Tampa Bay (65-49) 4
Kansas City (44-70) 9, Boston (62-53) 3
Chi. Sox (48-62) 4, Detroit (34-74) 0
NY Yankees (68-44) 2, Baltimore (38-74) 10

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Miami (42-68) 4, NY Mets (55-57) 5 (G1, Final/11)
Miami (42-69) 1, NY Mets (56-57) 17 (G2)
Milwaukee (61-53) 16, Pittsburgh (48-64) 4
Oakland (63-50) 9, Chi. Cubs (59-53) 4
LA Angels (59-55) 7, Cincinnati (52-59) 5
Philadelphia (61-51) 8, Arizona (58-55) 7 (Final/10)
Washington (60-51) 3, San Francisco (56-57) 2 (Final/10)
St. Louis (58-53) 0, LA Dodgers (76-39) 6

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Dodgers LHP Julio Urias has torn flexor tendon (elbow); will miss rest of season and placed on 60-day IL
Moncada, Rendon earn weekly honors

Tuesday, August 6th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (45-70) 3, Boston (62-54) 2
Winner: Jorge Lopez (2-7) Loser: Marcus Walden (7-2) Save: Ian Kennedy (22)
HR-KC: Jorge Soler (30) HR-BOS: Xander Bogaerts (24)

ROYALS WIN IN SOLER-POWERED VICTORY

With a 2-for-4 performance, Jorge Soler single-handedly won the game for the Royals, hitting a sixth-inning three-run homerun to propel Kansas City to a 3-2 victory; his career-high 30th of the season. Whit Merrifield collected four hits, including a double. Bubba Starling and Cam Gallagher collected two and one hit, respectively, with both players hitting one double. Jorge Lopez made one of his best starts in recent memory, striking out six and allowing just two earned runs over six innings. Four relievers combined to close out the contest, with Ian Kennedy picking up his 22nd save in twenty-five tries. Chris Sale left after just five innings and sixty-eight pitches, complaining of back tightness. He fanned six while scattering just three hits, and didn't figure into the decision as Marcus Walden was charged with the go-ahead run after giving up the Soler homerun in the sixth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (56-56) 13, Cleveland (65-47) 2 (G1)
Texas (56-57) 5, Cleveland 11 (66-47) 11 (G2)
Atlanta (66-48) 12, Minnesota (68-45) 3
Toronto (43-73) 1, Tampa Bay (66-49) 2
Kansas City (45-70) 3, Boston (62-54) 2
Chi. Sox (49-62) 10, Detroit (34-75) 3
NY Yankees (69-44) 4, Baltimore (38-75) 3
Colorado (52-61) 5, Houston (73-41) 6
San Diego (52-60) 7, Seattle (47-68) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Miami (42-70) 3, NY Mets (57-57) 6
Milwaukee (62-53) 9, Pittsburgh (48-65) 3
Oakland (64-50) 13, Chi. Cubs (59-54) 3
LA Angels (59-56) 3, Cincinnati (53-59) 4
Philadelphia (61-52) 5, Arizona (59-55) 12
Washington (61-51) 10, San Francisco (56-58) 3
St. Louis (58-54) 2, LA Dodgers (77-39) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cardinals sign RHP Simon Castro to one-year MLB contract
RHP Zack Godley designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks

Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (45-70) 3, Boston (62-54) 2
Winner: Eduardo Rodriguez (15-4) Loser: Kevin McCarthy (2-2) Save: Matt Barnes (6)
HR-KC: None HR-BOS: Rafael Devers (22)

SOX SALVAGE FINAL GAME

Danny Duffy left the contest early, pitching just one-plus innings as the Royals fell 5-2 in the third and final game of their road tilt with Boston. Kansas City led 1-0 after two innings thanks to a Nicky Lopez RBI single, but Boston bounced back with one in the fourth, and four in the fifth. Eduardo Rodriguez fanned eight in seven innings, scattering four hits and four walks. Only Whit Merrifield collected more than one hit, going 2-for-5 with a pair of singles.

[b]AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD[/b
Texas (56-58) 4, Cleveland (67-47) 5
Atlanta (67-48) 4, Minnesota (68-45) 3
Toronto (44-73) 4, Tampa Bay (66-50) 3
Kansas City (45-71) 2, Boston (63-54) 5
Chi. Sox (49-63) 2, Detroit (35-75) 3
NY Yankees (70-44) 5, Baltimore (38-76) 1
Colorado (53-61) 7, Houston (73-42) 5
San Diego (52-61) 3, Seattle (48-68) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (62-53) @ Pittsburgh (48-65) -- PPD (Rain)
Oakland (64-51) 3, Chi. Cubs (60-54) 4
Philadelphia (61-53) 5, Arizona (60-55) 7
Washington (61-52) 3, San Francisco (57-58) 5
St. Louis (58-55) 3, LA Dodgers (78-39) 5
Miami (42-71) 0, NY Mets (58-57) 7

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Rangers RHP Ariel Jurado (shoulder) out for season; placed on 60-day injured list

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS HEADLINES
Arteaga to miss rest of the season
By artoodeetoo
08/08/2019

ARTEAGA TO MISS REMAINDER OF SEASON

Reserve shortstop Humberto Arteaga will miss the rest of the season with an ankle fracture, suffered in a base collision during the first game of the most recent series with the Red Sox. The 25-year-old has struggled in his first taste of the big leagues, slashing .203/.250/.215 with just one extra-base hit in eighty-six plate appearances.

With Adalberto Mondesi coming off the disabled list today, it was a fortuitous injury, as it allows the Royals to not have to bring up Kelvin Gutierrez or add someone to the 40-man roster for depth.

HAHN MAKES IMPRESSIVE REHAB APPEARANCE

Despite being acquired before last season, Jesse Hahn has yet to make an appearance in a Royals uniform due to shoulder issues suffered during the 2017 season with the Athletics.

In his first rehab assignment start with Wilmington on Saturday, Hahn struck out six over five-and-two-third innings of work, scattering just four hits in a 5-2 victory for the Blue Rocks. Hahn is scheduled to make his next appearance with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals later this week out of the bullpen.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (45-71) @ DETROIT TIGERS (35-75)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/08: RHP Brad Keller (9-9, 3.84) vs RHP Jordan Zimmermann (1-9, 7.30)
08/09: LHP Mike Montgomery (1-5, 8.05) vs RHP Spencer Turnbull (3-9, 3.65)
08/10: RHP Jake Junis (8-9, 4.86) vs LHP Matt Hall (0-0, 9.00)
08/11: RHP Jorge Lopez (2-7, 5.92) vs LHP Daniel Norris (3-9, 4.50)

GAME RECAPS

Thursday, August 8th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (46-71) 9, Detroit (35-76) 1
Winner: Brad Keller (10-9) Loser: Jordan Zimmermann (1-10) Save: None
HR-KC: Hunter Dozier (19), Jorge Soler (31) HR-DET: None

KELLER K.O.'S DETROIT

Behind a complete-game effort from Brad Keller; who fanned five and didn't walk a batter while scattering six hits, the Royals took the first game of their four-game set with the Tigers by a 9-1 count. Keller became the first Royals' hurler to reach the ten-win mark in 2019, eclipsing his nine wins from his rookie campaign of a season ago. Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler each hit homeruns, while Alex Gordon and Meibrys Viloria each collected a trio of hits. Nicky Lopez also had two hits, including an RBI single and a double, with two runs scored.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (59-57) 2, Boston (64-54) 7
Kansas City (46-71) 9, Detroit (35-76) 1
NY Yankees (70-45) 7, Toronto (45-73) 8
Cleveland (67-48) 1, Minnesota (69-46) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (68-48) 6, Miami (42-72) 2
Philadelphia (61-54) 2, San Francisco (58-58) 3 (Final/10)
Chi. Cubs (61-54) 3, Cincinnati (53-60) 2
Colorado (53-62) 2, San Diego (53-61) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cubs sign RHP Ryan Madson to one-year MLB contract
Padres designate RHP Kazuhisa Mahita for assignment

Friday, August 9th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (47-71) 9, Detroit (35-77) 1
Winner: Mike Montgomery (2-5) Loser: Spencer Turnbull (3-10) Save: Ian Kennedy (23)
HR-KC: Adalberto Mondesi (8) HR-DET: Brandon Dixon (14)

ROYALS SURVIVE FURIOUS COMEBACK ATTEMPT

The Royals withstood a furious ninth-inning comeback, capped off by a one-out Ian Kennedy save, in a 5-4 victory at Detroit to claim at least a split of the four-game set. In his first start back from the disabled list, Adalberto Mondesi homered in the second inning, and drove in a run in the Royals' three-run eighth inning. Whit Merrifield and Meibrys Viloria each collected a pair of hits in the contest. In easily his best start since being acquired from the Cubs, Mike Montgomery allowed just one run over seven innings, fanning six with two walks and just four hits allowed.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (67-50) 11, Seattle (48-69) 2
Houston (74-42) 7, Baltimore (38-77) 6
Oakland (64-52) 4, Chi. Sox (50-63) 5
LA Angels (60-57) 12, Boston (64-55) 5
Kansas City (47-71) 9, Detroit (35-77) 1
NY Yankees (71-45) 10, Toronto (45-74) 1
Cleveland (67-49) 0, Minnesota (70-46) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (60-56) 0, LA Dodgers (79-39) 5
Washington (61-53) 0, NY Mets (59-57) 2
Texas (57-58) 8, Milwaukee (62-54) 2
Pittsburgh (48-66) 3, St. Louis (59-55) 4 (Final/13)
Atlanta (69-48) 14, Miami (42-73) 2
Philadelphia (62-54) 9, San Francisco (58-59) 4
Chi. Cubs (62-54) 7, Cincinnati (53-61) 1
Colorado (53-63) 4, San Diego (54-61) 9

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Diamondbacks RHP Luke Weaver activated from 60-day injured list
Angels designate C Max Stassi for assignment

Saturday, August 10th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (48-71) 11, Detroit (35-78) 2
Winner: Jake Junis (9-9) Loser: Matt Hall (0-1) Save: None
HR-KC: Whit Merrifield (15), Bubba Starling (5), Jorge Soler (32) HR-DET: Denard Span (1), John Hicks (8)

KANSAS CITY CLINCHES SERIES VICTORY

A six-run second inning against Detroit southpaw Matt Hall eventually led to an 11-2 victory for the Royals to clinch a series victory in the four-game set. Whit Merrifield and Jorge Soler each hit a two-run homerun in that frame, and Cam Gallagher added a two-run single in that inning, as well. Jake Junis continued riding a wave of strong performances since the All-Star Break, going six innings while scattering six hits, while fanning six with four walks. Bubba Starling also added a homerun, his fifth of the season, while going 2-for-5 with three RBI. He stroked a two-run single in the sixth inning to add to his solo homerun.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (67-51) 1, Seattle (49-69) 5
Houston (75-42) 6, Baltimore (38-78) 1
Oakland (65-52) 6, Chi. Sox (50-64) 5
LA Angels (60-58) 4, Boston (65-55) 11
Kansas City (48-71) 11, Detroit (35-78) 2
NY Yankees (71-46) 1, Toronto (46-74) 2
Cleveland (68-49) 4, Minnesota (70-47) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (61-56) 3, LA Dodgers (79-40) 5
Washington (62-53) 5, NY Mets (59-58) 1 (Final/10)
Texas (57-59) 5, Milwaukee (63-54) 10
Pittsburgh (48-67) 4, St. Louis (60-55) 6
Atlanta (70-48) 4, Miami (42-74) 1
Philadelphia (62-55) 3, San Francisco (59-59) 4
Chi. Cubs (62-55) 2, Cincinnati (54-61) 8
Colorado (53-64) 1, San Diego (55-61) 6

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
A's lefty Sean Manaea (shoulder) suffers setback in recovery; could miss additional start

Sunday, August 11th, 2019 - First pitch, 12:10 CST
Kansas City (49-71) 5, Detroit (35-79) 2 (Final/13)
Winner: Jake Junis (9-9) Loser: Matt Hall (0-1) Save: None
HR: None

GET OUT THE BROOMS!

In spite of blowing one-run leads in the ninth and eleventh innings, the Royals put up a 3-spot in the top of the 13th to post a 5-2 victory over the Tigers, completing the four-game road sweep. Jorge Lopez turned in his best effort of the season, tossing seven shutout innings, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out six. Whit Merrifield was 2-for-6 with a pair of doubles and two RBI, driving in both runs as part of the three-run 13th. Scott Barlow picked up the win in relief, striking out four with just two hits scattered and one run.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (68-51) 6, Seattle (49-70) 3
Houston (76-42) 7, Baltimore (38-79) 3
Oakland (66-52) 13, Chi. Sox (50-65) 2
LA Angels (61-58) 8, Boston (65-56) 3
Kansas City (49-71) 5, Detroit (35-79) 2 (Final/13)
NY Yankees (72-46) 6, Toronto (46-75) 2
Cleveland (69-49) 9, Minnesota (70-48) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (61-57) 2, LA Dodgers (80-40) 3 (Final/10)
Washington (63-53) 4, NY Mets (59-59) 3
Texas (58-59) 10, Milwaukee (63-55) 4
Pittsburgh (49-67) 5, St. Louis (60-56) 2
Atlanta (71-48) 8, Miami (42-75) 6
Philadelphia (62-56) 2, San Francisco (60-59) 7
Chi. Cubs (63-55) 3, Cincinnati (54-62) 2
Colorado (53-65) 3, San Diego (56-61) 7

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Mariners IF Tim Beckham suspended 80 games for PED use

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROSTER, STANDINGS, STATS UPDATE (08/12/2019)

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (60-56) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (49-71)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/13: RHP Jack Flaherty (4-7, 4.28) vs LHP Danny Duffy (5-6, 4.30)
08/14: RHP Miles Mikolas (7-12, 4.20) vs RHP Brad Keller (10-9, 3.67)

GAME RECAPS

Tuesday, August 13th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
St. Louis (60-57) 5, Kansas City (50-71) 6
Winner: Kyle Zimmer (1-1) Loser: Brad Boxberger (1-4) Save: Ian Kennedy (24)
HR-STL: Paul DeJong (19) HR-KC: Jorge Soler (33), Whit Merrifield (16), Alex Gordon (14)

SOLER POWERS ROYALS WIN

Utilizing a timely three-run homerun from Jorge Soler against former Royal Brad Boxberger in the sixth inning; the Royals turned a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead, eventually hanging on for a 6-5 victory. Ian Kennedy atoned for a blown save a few nights before, working around a one-out hit to pick up save number twenty-four. In addition to Soler's 3-for-5 performance, Whit Merrifield fell just a double short of the cycle in going 3-for-4, including a leadoff homerun in the bottom of the first. Alex Gordon also added a solo homerun as part of a two-hit game. Danny Duffy struck out six in five innings, but allowed four earned runs with six hits as he didn't factor into the decision. With the victory, the Royals are now 8-3 in the month of August.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (59-60) 3, Toronto (47-76) 2
St. Louis (60-57) 5, Kansas City (50-71) 6
Baltimore (39-81) 6, NY Yankees (74-47) 5
Boston (66-57) 4, Cleveland (70-50) 5 (Final/11)
Seattle (49-71) 4, Detroit (36-79) 11
Pittsburgh (51-67) 10, LA Angels (61-60) 7 (Final/10)
Houston (78-42) 8, Chi. Sox (50-67) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (55-63) 4, Washington (64-54) 6 (Final/11)
LA Dodgers (80-41) 0, Miami (43-75) 2
Chi. Cubs (63-56) 2, Philadelphia (63-56) 4
NY Mets (59-60) 1, Atlanta (72-48) 6
Minnesota (71-48) 7, Milwaukee (63-56) 5
Oakland (66-53) 4, San Francisco (61-59) 5 (Final/12)
Arizona (62-58) 6, Colorado (54-66) 5
Tampa Bay (69-52) 2, San Diego (57-62) 0

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Three Marlins combine to throw no-hitter in 2-0 victory over the Dodgers
Cubs sign RHP Ryan Madson to one-year MLB contract
Padres designate RHP Kazuhisa Mahita for assignment

Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
St. Louis (60-58) 1, Kansas City (51-71) 13
Winner: Brad Keller (11-9) Loser: Miles Mikolas (7-13) Save: None
HR-STL: None HR-KC: Hunter Dozier (20), Whit Merrifield (17), Bubba Starling (6)

KELLER IN KOMMAND AT KAUFFMAN

With nine strikeouts over eight innings to pick up his 11th victory of the season, Brad Keller continued to show why he's one of the best young right-handers in baseball in a dominating 13-1 triumph over the Cardinals to sweep the two-game home series with their cross-state rival. Keller allowed just the one run, a fourth-inning sacrifice fly from Paul DeJong that cut the Royals' lead to just two, 3-1, at the time. But a nine-run fourth inning erased any hopes of a Cardinals' comeback, as Whit Merrifield and Bubba Starling bookended the frame with three-run homeruns, while Adalberto Mondesi, Jorge Soler, and Ryan O'Hearn all collected RBI hits in the inning. Whit Merrifield recorded his second career five-hit game, going 5-for-5 with four base hits, three RBI, three runs scored, a stolen base, and his fourth-inning homerun.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (59-61) 3, Toronto (48-76) 4
St. Louis (60-58) 1, Kansas City (51-71) 13
Baltimore (39-82) 2, NY Yankees (75-47) 12
Boston (66-58) 0, Cleveland (71-50) 4
Seattle (50-71) 4, Detroit (36-80) 3 (Final/10)
Pittsburgh (52-67) 6, LA Angels (61-61) 3
Houston (79-42) 11, Chi. Sox (50-68) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (56-63) 10, Washington (64-55) 6
LA Dodgers (81-41) 6, Miami (43-76) 1
Chi. Cubs (64-56) 13, Philadelphia (63-57) 3
NY Mets (59-61) 5, Atlanta (73-48) 6 (Final/14)
Minnesota (71-49) 6, Milwaukee (64-56) 7 (Final/11)
Oakland (66-54) 9, San Francisco (62-59) 10
Arizona (63-58) 9, Colorado (54-67) 4
Tampa Bay (70-52) 7, San Diego (57-63) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Diamondbacks RHP Luke Weaver activated from 60-day injured list
Angels designate C Max Stassi for assignment

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS MAILBAG
Royals' hot streak, Duffy's issues
By artoodeetoo
08/15/2019

Upset that the Royals are playing themselves out of a top-5 pick in 2020?

I'm not so much as miffed about that, as I am that they weren't this good earlier in the season. The offense had always had the capability to be good-to-great like it is now, but the pitching is finally coming around, especially the starters. Brad Keller and Jake Junis have looked like front-of-the-rotation guys in recent weeks. Mike Montgomery had a great outing his last time out. Even Jorge Lopez has looked solid in his last few starts. Danny Duffy has been his usual, steady self (more on him later).

The bullpen, while still not great, has some exciting young arms in front of Ian Kennedy -- Josh Staumont and Kyle Zimmer have flashed plus-plus stuff, but have struggled to command their arsenal so far. Jacob Barnes, a waiver acquisition, has been decent. Richard Lovelady has had some flashy moments, and looks like a solid seventh or eighth-inning arm.

With nine wins in their last twelve games in the month of August; including six straight, the Royals are now 50-71, just a half-game out of third place in the division behind the reeling White Sox. It's not unfathomable now that the Royals finish with 70+ wins, which seemed like a pipe dream at the All-Star break. It's still unlikely that they will, but it's now in the realm of possibility as they need to go just 20-21 the rest of the way out.

After the horrid first half, reaching the 70-win plateau would be a heck of a job by Ned Yost, and I think might signal that the team could compete in 2020 (and an extension for Ned), given the right additions. It also won't hurt that Salvador Perez will be back next year, and on fresh legs after not having to catch 120+ games. In fact, I think missing this season might extend his career by another year or two, at least behind the plate.

Will the real Jorge Soler please stand up?

I know it seems as if he's a bit of a one-year wonder right now; but take into account last year's numbers, which were pretty good even in an injury-shortened 2018. He put up a very respectable .265/.354/.466 line over 257 PA, which comes out to a 121 OPS+ and a wRC+ of 123. This season, he's right along those lines with OPS+ and wRC+ figures at 120 and 122 (through August 14th). Meanwhile, Wader hasn't been fully healthy since he left Kansas City, and has lost the closer's role in Colorado after his ERA has ballooned to over 6.00 in recent weeks.

The trade seemed dumb at the time since the Royals still had a cheap-ish year of control on Davis for 2017 (and fleeting playoff aspirations); but the postseason was pretty much a pipe dream by this point. Soler was just twenty-four at the time of the deal, so it seemed to be a buy-low acquisition that now appears to be paying off in a pretty big way a few years later.

He's the first legitimate slugger the Royals have had in a very long time, possibly ever, at just twenty-seven. He'll only be twenty-eight on Opening Day next year. Maybe Mike Moustakas, but he was a more complete hitter later in his Royals tenure even though he was racking up solid homerun numbers. Sure, he strikes out a lot. But as long as you don't have a lineup full of strikeout artists, it stands to reason that as a team, you should put more runs on the board.

Lastly, he's controlled at least monetarily through the end of this season before he hits arbitration. I don't think the Royals will seek to sign him long-term because he's a defensive liability, but he's going to get a pretty big payday one way or another.

How do the Royals fix Danny Duffy?

I think he is what he is at this point -- a guy that's going to give you five to six innings with three or four runs on average. I'm not sure that Cal Eldred can do anything differently with him, unless they want to move him to the pen a la Ian Kennedy. He's having to rely on secondary pitches and location, rather than playing his other stuff off his fastball that was amongst the best in the league a handful of years ago.

While his ERA is decent (4.30), and he's averaging about 8 K/9, his peripheral numbers aren't great either, with a 4.72 FIP and right-handed batters mashing him to the tune of a .353/.405/.500 slash.

The Royals should be able to move him in the offseason if they want, but ownership has already blunted any notion of eating additional salary; so the Royals are likely stuck with Duffy, who is now a back-end starter making $31M over the next two seasons.