Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

04/20: RHP Cody Anderson (1-1, 4.22) vs RHP Brad Keller (1-1, 4.50)
04/21: RHP Corey Kluber (2-0, 2.57) vs RHP Jake Junis (1-1, 3.44)
04/22: RHP Mike Clevinger (2-1, 2.00) vs LHP Danny Duffy (0-2, 6.89)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, April 20th, 2020 - First pitch, 8:15 CST
Cleveland (7-9) 5, Kansas City (8-7) 9
Winner: Jose De Leon (1-0) Loser: Brandon Kintzler (0-1) Save: Richard Lovelady (2)
HR: None

FIVE-RUN SIXTH BOOSTS ROYALS TO VICTORY

Down 5-4 in the sixth, the Royals pushed across five runs with the help of a three-run homerun from Adalberto Mondesi as the Royals got back on the winning side with a 9-5 win over Cleveland. With the win, the Royals are a hearty 5-2 at home to begin the 2020 season.

Kansas City won despite a rough performance from Brad Keller, who couldn't escape the fifth inning. He went just four and one-third innings, throwing 103 pitches. He allowed five runs; although only two were earned, walking three and striking out two. Jose De Leon earned the win in relief, allowing just one hit over three and two-third innings, striking out five in a great effort out of the bullpen.

The top of the Royals' lineup did all the damage, with the team's 1-4 hitters supplying all nine RBI. Whit Merrifield was 3-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored, while Mondesi also doubled in addition to his three-run bomb, going 2-for-4. Jorge Soler homered in the first against Cody Anderson, and Alex Gordon also chipped in with an RBI double.

Tim Hill came on to pitch the ninth up 9-5, but loaded the bases with one out thanks to a trio of walks. Richard Lovelady came in to replace the fellow southpaw, and coaxed a double play out of Jordan Luplow to end the contest and pick up his second save of the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cleveland (7-9) 5, Kansas City (8-7) 9
Tampa Bay (11-6) 2, Toronto (3-14) 1
Minnesota (10-6) 8, LA Angels (12-6) 0
Texas (6-12) 3, Oakland (5-11) 2
NY Yankees (8-9) 3, Detroit (8-6) 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (5-13) 3, Pittsburgh (8-10) 9
Washington (9-6) 5, NY Mets (6-11) 2
Miami (7-9) 0, Milwaukee (14-3) 2
Atlanta (9-7) 7, Colorado (9-8) 8 (Final/10)
LA Dodgers (8-8) 4, San Diego (8-7) 6

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Mariners activate OF Wladimir Balentien from the injured list; sent to Triple-A for rehab assignment
Four Brewers combine to no-hit the Marlins

Monday, April 21st, 2020 - First pitch, 8:15 CST
Cleveland (8-9) 11, Kansas City (8-8) 7
Winner: A.J. Cole (1-0) Loser: Jake Junis (1-2) Save: Brad Hand (5)
HR: None

EIGHT IS NOT SO GREAT

An eight-run fourth inning against the Royals was a huge factor in the Royals' 11-7 defeat against Cleveland, snapping a three-game home win streak. Franmil Reyes continues to drop bombs on his opposition, hitting his sixth homerun while driving in four as part of a 3-for-3 day.

Jake Junis was tagged for eight earned runs over three and one-third innings; and the first batter that his replacement, Scott Barlow, faced was Reyes, who hit the long homerun to left to put the game largely out of reach. The Royals did hold a 6-2 lead prior to the fourth, but was quickly erased. Barlow was hit for three runs in one and two-third innings before Jake Diekman and Kyle Zimmer combined to throw four shutout innings.

The Royals did have some nice individual performances despite the loss, as Nicky Lopez went 3-for-3 with a walk and a pair of doubles. Whit Merrifield was 2-for-5, including a two-run homerun. Brett Phillips hit his team-best fourth homerun, while Salvador Perez was 1-for-4 with two RBI.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (3-15) 0, Baltimore (5-11) 3
Seattle (9-8) 3, Houston (16-3) 4
Philadelphia (10-6) 3, Chi. Sox (7-10)
Cleveland (8-9) 11, Kansas City (8-8) 7
Tampa Bay (12-6) 7, Boston (10-7) 4
Minnesota (11-6) 1, LA Angels (12-7) 0
Texas (7-12) 10, Oakland (5-12) 3
NY Yankees (9-9) 8, Detroit (8-7) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (5-14) 2, Pittsburgh (3-10) 3
Washington (10-6) 6, NY Mets (6-12) 3
Miami (7-10) 2, Milwaukee (15-3) 5
Atlanta (9-8) 9, Colorado (10-8) 10
Chi. Cubs (8-9) 8, Arizona (11-6) 6
St. Louis (6-12) 1, San Francisco (6-9) 6
LA Dodgers (8-9) 0, San Diego (9-7) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cardinals activate C Yadier Molina from the injured list

Monday, April 22nd, 2020 - First pitch, 8:15 CST
Cleveland (9-9) 5, Kansas City (8-9) 4 (Final/10)
Winner: Tyler Olson (1-0) Loser: Richard Lovelady (0-1) Save: Brad Hand (6)
HR-CLE: Tyler Naquin (1) HR-KC: Jorge Soler (3), Adalberto Mondesi (4)

ROYALS SUCCUMB TO LATE RALLY

Francisco Lindor scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Carlos Santana in the top of the 10th to break a 4-4 tie, and went on to win 5-4 as the Indians took two of three from the host Royals. The two teams traded blows in the fifth, sixth, and eighth innings before heading into extras.

Four different Royals drove in one run each, with Nicky Lopez continuing to swing a hot stick. He was 2-for-5 with an RBI, including the game-tying RBI single in the eighth. Jorge Soler also hit his third homerun of the season in the fifth inning, and Adalberto Mondesi chipped in with homerun number four in the preceding at-bat against Mike Clevinger.

Lindor was the star of the game, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored, including the game-winner in the 10th. He also stroked his 10th double and stole a base. Danny Duffy labored through five and two-third innings, fanning three with two walks. He surrendered three runs, throwing ninety-two pitches.

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

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (11-6) 8, NY Mets (6-13) 1
Miami (8-10) 1, Milwaukee (15-4) 0
Atlanta (10-8) 4, Colorado (10-9) 2
Chi. Cubs (9-9) 10, Arizona (11-7) 6
St. Louis (6-13) 3, San Francisco (7-9) 4
LA Dodgers (8-10) 1, San Diego (10-7) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Reds claim OF Jake Cave off waivers from Minnesota
Pittsburgh activates RHP Nick Burdi from 60-day IL; will rehab at Triple-A

***ROYALS NEWS***

MENDEZ TO LEXINGTON: The Royals have promoted their 11th-ranked prospect, outfielder Ricardo Mendez, to Class-A Lexington.

Acquired in the Ian Kennedy trade to Washington along with three other players, Mendez is a speed/defense first outfielder, but missed parts of last season with a quad strain.

UP NEXT: Kansas City (8-9) @ Chi. Sox (8-10) -- 7:15 CST, 04/23/2020

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

04/23: RHP Tanner Roark (2-0, 1.89) vs RHP A.J. Puckett (1-0, 2.70)
04/24: LHP Mike Montgomery (0-2, 5.56) vs RHP Reynaldo Lopez (1-1, 3.86)
04/25: RHP Brad Keller (1-1, 4.43) vs RHP Michael Kopech (1-1, 5.29)
04/26: RHP Jake Junis (1-2, 6.23) vs LHP Carlos Rodon (1-1, 3.48)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, April 23rd, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Kansas City (9-9) 4, Chi. Sox (8-11) 3
Winner: Tanner Roark (3-0) Loser: A.J. Puckett (1-1) Save: Josh Staumont (3)
HR: None

STAUMONT, ROYALS HOLD OFF FURIOUS RALLY

Two walks, a hit, a run, and an error in the ninth against Royals closer Josh Staumont wasn't enough, as the Royals hung on for a 4-3 victory over the White Sox to open a three-game road set on the South Side.

Down 4-2 with two out and the sacks full, Hunter Dozier spiked a throw in front of first baseman Ryan O'Hearn; who couldn't dig it out, as James McCann crossed the plate to cut the Royals' lead to just one. But pinch-hitter A.J. Reed couldn't score anyone else, as he grounded out to O'Hearn to end the contest.

Tanner Roark fanned just two, but scattered five hits, two runs, and three walks to pick up the victory, his third of the season. Whit Merrifield and Brett Phillips collected a pair of hits each, with each hitting a double. Merrifield also scored twice and drove in a run.

Mike Montgomery will go tomorrow for the Royals, hoping to atone for his last outing. He allowed nine hits and four runs in five innings, losing 4-1 at Baltimore.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (12-8) 0, Boston (12-7) 3
Kansas City (9-9) 4, Chi. Sox (8-11) 3
NY Yankees (10-10) 7, Detroit (9-8) 0
Cleveland (10-9) 7, Baltimore (5-13) 1
LA Angels (12-9) 3, Texas (8-13) 10

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (16-4) 5, NY Mets (6-14) 1
San Diego (11-7) 7, Cincinnati (5-15) 6
Miami (8-11) 3, Pittsburgh (10-10) 5
Chi. Cubs (10-9) 10, Arizona (11-8) 3
St. Louis (6-14) 3, San Francisco (8-9)

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cubs place LHP Martin Perez (back) on 15-day IL, retro to 04/22/2020

Tuesday, April 24th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Kansas City (9-9) 4, Chi. Sox (8-12) 3
Winner: Tanner Roark (3-0) Loser: A.J. Puckett (1-1) Save: Josh Staumont (3)
HR-KC: Cheslor Cuthbert (1), Adalberto Mondesi (5) HR-CHW: Travis Shaw (1)

ROYALS RALLY, HANG ON TO VICTORY

Cheslor Cuthbert's first homerun of the season came at a good time, as it broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh in the Royals' eventual 3-2 victory, ensuring at least a split of the four-game road set in Chicago.

The homerun spoiled an otherwise good performance by Reynaldo Lopez, who struck out six Royals in five innings for Chicago. Mike Montgomery went five innings as well, but allowed seven hits and two walks, striking out only two.

Salvador Perez singled home the Royals' first run in the fourth, while Adalberto Mondesi's fifth homerun of the season came in the fifth frame.

Tim Hill got the win with a scoreless sixth inning; and Richard Lovelady picked up the save, his third of the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Detroit (9-9) 1, Tampa Bay (13-8) 4
Toronto (4-16) 0, Boston (13-7) 7
Kansas City (10-9) 3, Chi. Sox (8-12) 2
NY Yankees (11-10) 7, Houston (17-4) 4
Cleveland (10-10) 0, Baltimore (6-13) 1
LA Angels (12-10) 3, Texas (9-13)
Arizona (12-8) 7, Minnesota (12-7) 4
Seattle (10-9) 2, Oakland (6-13) 1

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

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
White Sox RHP Dylan Cease (shoulder) placed on 15-day IL
Oakland places 3B Matt Chapman (broken wrist) on 15-day IL

Wednesday, April 25th, 2020 - First pitch, 2:10 CST
Kansas City (10-10) 4, Chi. Sox (9-12) 6
Winner: Michael Kopech (2-1) Loser: Brad Keller (1-2) Save: Aaron Bummer (3)
HR-KC: None HR-CHW: Dwight Smith Jr. (3)

SMITH, WHITE SOX PUSH ROYALS DOWN TO .500

The third inning was rough for Brad Keller and the Royals, as three walks and an error led to five runs (just three earned) as the Royals fell 6-3 to the White Sox. Keller took the loss, throwing seventy-eight pitches as he was unable to get out of the third inning. Scott Barlow relieved him, allowing one run over two-and-one-third innings of relief.

Two singles and a walk loaded the bases to begin the third before a throwing error from Adalberto Mondesi allowed Dwight Smith Jr. to score. Keller then walked in A.J. Reed for the second run. After a sac fly, Leonys Martin capped off the inning with a two-run single that finally chased Keller from the contest.

Kansas City chipped away at the lead, scoring single tallies in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings before Smith drilled a solo homerun off Barlow to extend the lead back to three. The Royals never really threatened after that, as they had just one baserunner over their last three at-bats.

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

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

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
San Diego claims RHP Jacob Faria off waivers from Milwaukee

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

MONTGOMERY DFA'ED, GOHARA CONTRACT PURCHASED: The Royals did not hang on to veteran southpaw Mike Montgomery long, as he was designated for assignment by the Royals the morning after his latest performance against the White Sox. In 16 1/3 innings, Montgomery sported a 4.96 ERA, striking out just six and walking eight in that timeframe. Complicating things was an FIP mark of 6.87, nearly two runs higher than his ERA. His $2.78MM contract is now in danger of having to be absorbed by the club, as he was signed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration this past offseason.

Taking his place on both the 40-man and active rosters is fellow lefty Luiz Gohara, a former top prospect in the Braves' system who was released by both the Braves and Angels in the past calendar year. Signed to a minor-league contract in late 2019, Gohara will now earn $800K over the rest of the season, which is a far cry from the nearly $3MM that Montgomery will be owed.

Just twenty-three until July 31st of this season, Gohara has a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings with Omaha so far this year, fanning twenty-one with nine walks and nineteen hits allowed. However, he's not scheduled to make his first start until May 1st at home against the White Sox.

SUNDAY'S CONTEST RAINED OUT: The Royals' final game in the series against the White Sox has been postponed until August 10th, which is the next time they'll be in the South Side. They'll head out on the road to finish out the month of April with a three-game series against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beginning tomorrow night at 6:05 CST. The Rays are 8-2 in their last ten games.

UP NEXT: Kansas City (10-9) @ Tampa Bay (15-8) -- April 27th, 2020 @ 6:05 CST

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

04/27: RHP Jake Junis (1-2) 6.23) vs LHP Colin Poche (0-1, 9.00)
04/28: LHP Danny Duffy (0-2, 6.33) vs LHP Brendan McKay (1-1, 1.61)
04/29: RHP Tanner Roark (3-0, 2.08) vs LHP Blake Snell (4-0, 2.01)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, April 27th, 2020 - First pitch, 6:05 CST
Kansas City (11-10) 4, Tampa Bay (15-9) 0
Winner: Jake Junis (2-2) Loser: Colin Poche (0-2) Save: None
HR-KC: Jorge Soler (4), Hunter Dozier 2 (3) HR-TB: None

JUNIS FANS TEN AS ROYALS BLANK RAYS

Right-hander Jake Junis posted his best effort of the season so far, holding the Rays to just four hits over seven innings as the Royals shut them out by a 4-0 count. Junis struck out ten, and had nine punchouts through five innings. He also held a no-hitter through four and one-third innings.

Hunter Dozier led the Royals offensively, smacking a pair of homeruns to drive in three of the team's four runs. Jorge Soler homered against Colin Poche in the first inning, his fourth of the season. Poche, who the Rays are trying to convert to a starter; went a season-high five innings, allowing two runs and fanning three with two walks.

Only Austin Meadows had more than one hit for the Rays, going 2-for-4. The Rays struck out against Royals' pitching thirteen times in all, and didn't draw a single free pass. Tim Hill relieved Junis after the seventh, and pitched two spotless innings with three strikeouts.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (11-10) 4, Tampa Bay (15-9) 0
Cleveland (12-11) 1, Boston (15-8) 6
Baltimore (6-16) 2, Texas (11-14) 5
Chi. Sox (9-13) 5, Toronto (6-17) 12
Oakland (7-15) 5, Houston (19-5) 12
Detroit (10-11) 13, Seattle (11-11) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Mets (8-16) 3, Washington (15-6) 7
San Francisco (10-11) 6, Cincinnati (5-19) 5
Chi. Cubs (12-11) 5, Philadelphia (12-9) 4
San Diego (15-7) 6, LA Dodgers (8-14) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Dodgers place RHP Dennis Santana (back) on 15-day IL, retro to 04/26/2020
Rangers place IF Ronald Guzman (hand) on 15-day IL, retro to 04/24/2020

Tuesday, April 28th, 2020 - First pitch, 6:05 CST
Kansas City (11-11) 0, Tampa Bay (16-9) 1
Winner: Hunter Wood (1-0) Loser: Danny Duffy (0-3) Save: Nick Anderson (8)
HR: None

BATS GO COLD IN ONE-RUN LOSS

Kansas City mustered just four hits, all of them singles, spoiling a great effort by Danny Duffy as they dropped a 1-0 decision to Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. Brendan McKay held the Royals scoreless in five innings, striking out six.

Duffy went seven and one-third innings, allowing only an RBI single to Kevin Kiermaier in the seventh inning for the game's only run. Duffy pitched to two batters in the eighth before giving way to righty Connor Sadzeck, who recorded the last two outs of that frame.

Kansas City had chances to score, getting a runner to second base with less than two outs in the first and fourth innings, but failed to capitalize. They'll go for the series victory to end the month of April tomorrow when Tanner Roark and Blake Snell meet in a battle of undefeateds.

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

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
NY Mets (9-16) 6, Washington (15-7) 1
LA Angels (14-11) 5, Pittsburgh (13-11) 4
Milwaukee (18-6) 6, Atlanta (12-10) 2
Arizona (14-9) 5, Miami (8-15) 1
San Francisco (11-11) 5, Cincinnati (5-20) 2
Chi. Cubs (12-12) 5, Philadelphia (13-9) 4
San Diego (16-7) 6, LA Dodgers (8-15) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Padres RHP Cal Quantrill (shoulder) placed on 15-day IL, could miss two to three weeks

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

MONTGOMERY ACCEPTS OUTRIGHT ASSIGNMENT: Left-hander Mike Montgomery has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. It was a bit of a surprise to the Royals, who can still look to trade him but there is less incentive to do so at this point, as he can now provide some quality depth if injuries arise.

The 30-year-old had some success after joining the Royals in 2019, spinning a 4.10 ERA in 68 innings after being acquired from the Cubs for catcher Martin Maldonado. But without any options and being on the wrong side of thirty, it's hard to imagine him catching on with another club unless he shows out in Triple-A the rest of the season, earning another free-agent shot.

Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - First pitch, 6:05 CST
Kansas City (11-12) 4, Tampa Bay (17-9) 6
Winner: Blake Snell (5-0) Loser: Tanner Roark (3-1) Save: Nick Anderson (9)
HR-KC: Brett Phillips (5) HR-TB: Willy Adames (2), Jesus Aguilar (1)

RAYS VICTORIOUS IN BATTLE OF UNBEATENS

Tanner Roark labored through just three and one-third innings, throwing ninety-five pitches before being pulled for Jose De Leon as the Royals dropped the rubber match to Tampa by a 6-4 count. Roark took the loss, his first of the season as he battled fellow unbeaten Blake Snell, who is MLB's first five-game winner.

The Royals actually led 3-0 against Rays ace Blake Snell after one-and-a-half frames, but the Rays reeled off five unanswered runs over their next five at-bats total to take a 5-3 lead after seven innings.

Whit Merrifield scored on an RBI double by Jorge Soler in the first, and Brett Phillips hit a two-run homerun in the second inning to get the Royals off to a fast start. Merrifield later drove in a run with a single in the seventh, but it was too little, too late as the Rays added an insurance run in the eighth before Nick Anderson closed things down in the ninth for the second straight night.

Salvador Perez was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, playing first base for the second time in three games. Merrifield was the only other Royal to reach base more than once, as he was 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, single, RBI, and stolen base.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (11-12) 4, Tampa Bay (17-9) 6
St. Louis (8-17) 15, NY Yankees (13-12) 1
Colorado (13-11) 4, Minnesota (13-9) 5 (Final/10)
Cleveland (13-12) 1, Boston (16-9) 0 (Final/10)
Baltimore (8-16) 7, Texas (11-16) 4
Chi. Sox (9-15) 4, Toronto (8-17) 5 (Final/10)
Oakland (7-17) 1, Houston (21-5) 4
Detroit (10-13) 0, Seattle (13-11) 7

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

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Dodgers activate 3B Justin Turner from the 15-day IL

UP NEXT: Chi. Sox (9-16) @ Kansas City (11-12) -- May 1st, 2020 @ 7:05 CST

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

2020 ROYALS MAILBAG: VOL. 1, ED. 1
Mondesi's struggles; top prospects
04/30/2020
By artoodeetoo

Overall thoughts so far?

Despite leaving their bats in Arizona, they've managed to get through the first month just a game below .500, so it could be a lot worse. Obviously, the bullpen has been the bright spot with a bonkers 1.94 ERA, which is the best mark in all of baseball, and the rotation has shown better after a rough start with the 8th-best starters' ERA at 4.44, but it is still a lower mid-tier unit to this point. As good as Josh Staumont has been as the closer, Richard Lovelady might be better -- in seven innings, he's allowed three hits and one run (no walks) with nine strikeouts and three saves. The knock on Lovelady has been that he's had trouble against right-handed hitters, but RHB are OPS'ing him to the tune of .590 over the past season and change. That's elite-level. And we haven't mentioned the contributions of Connor Sadzeck, Jake Diekman, Kyle Zimmer, and Jose De Leon as of yet.

On the other hand, the offense has been...well, down right offensive. They're getting zero, zilch, nada out of first base. They, being Ryan O'Hearn and Cheslor Cuthbert, are just 19-of-90 (.212) between them, with just one homerun, three RBI, and three XBH total. Two other regulars, Salvador Perez and Jorge Soler, are below the .200 mark right now (although they have seven homeruns between them, so it's not all that bad). Adalberto Mondesi is still striking out at an alarming rate, and hasn't really improved in strike zone recognition, with just four walks in 100 PA. Alex Gordon has cooled off after a nice start, and then has been in and out of the lineup with a bruised shin after getting hit by a pitch several games ago.

It sounds weird to say, but the most consistent offensive performers have been Whit Merrifield, Hunter Dozier, (gasp!) Nicky Lopez, and (gasp!) Brett Phillips. Phillips leads the team in homeruns with five so far while sporting a .264/.316/.604 line in fifty-seven plate appearances, and Lopez has been instrumental in a couple of victories this season at the plate. Merrifield also looks like he's rediscovered his stolen base prowess, as he has nine steals to date without being caught.

There's not a lot of help in the minors at this point if they need a shot in the arm offensively. Breyvic Valera is tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A, but what position is he going to play? Ryan McBroom just got off the disabled list, and is 2-for-18 (.111) in limited action. The bullpen has racked up a lot of innings already, especially in the last week. They might be able to hold on like this for another month, but absent an offensive turnaround in May, I think this could get ugly post-Memorial Day.

Is it time to get concerned about Mondesi?

He's such a gifted player, which is why his start offensively is so maddening. I sometimes wonder if his defensive yips are bleeding over into his at-bats. He has shown some nice power, with five homeruns, five doubles, and a triple, but there hasn't been any improvement in his plate discipline and awareness if you go by the numbers. I've long thought that while he has great range, glovework, and arm strength for the infield, he might be a better fit in the outfield where they can "hide" his throwing accuracy issues. While he hasn't directly caused a defeat with his defense, he's making too much of a negative impact on the game with his defense (-1.9 DRS), and it's to the point where I'd consider moving him off short in the late innings, or even outright take him out of the game.

It's easy to forget the guy is just twenty-four, but this is his fourth season in the majors already. I think it might be close to the time to call a spade a spade and declare this might be what he is at this point -- an incredibly gifted athlete, but an average baseball player. I'm willing to give him the rest of this season though; as the power seems to be coming up, which can cover up a few ills.

Any remarks on Mike Matheny's management style?

The feedback has been mostly positive from what we can tell on the outside. If there is a gripe, he's been a little quick to the bullpen (and this was a hallmark of his in St. Louis) in the early going, so it just seems to be his M.O. when it comes to starting pitching, and whether or not to let them work through jams in the middle innings. Managing an AL team has to be a bit easier, so the strategy of deciding when to double switch has largely been taken out of the equation.

When do we see some of the top prospects hit the majors?

It's almost a given that Brady Singer is going to be in a Royals uniform come June. Southpaw Kris Bubic is a likely September guy, and I suspect fellow lefty Daniel Lynch may be as well. Outfielder Khalil Lee is tearing the cover off the ball between Double-A and Triple-A so far, with a .290 BA in eighty-six at-bats between the two levels with twelve XBH, so he might force his way into the team's plans sooner rather than later.

Fellow outfielder Seuly Matias, who battled injuries and inconsistency after a bonkers 2018 where he hit thirty-one homeruns, appears to be back on the right track with a .288/.361/.493 slash line in eighty-three plate appearances with High-A Wilmington. It's early, but the signs are encouraging with him. There was talk of some teams possibly taking him in the Rule 5 Draft, but even though that never materialized, it shows that there is some positive buzz about him as a potential standout at the big-league level if he can produce better contact.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS MONTH IN REVIEW -- APRIL

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS MAKE SERIES OF ROSTER MOVES
Franco, Valera expected to boost a slagging offense
05/02/2020
By artoodeetoo

GM Dayton Moore and the Royals made a flurry of moves to try and turn around a moribund offense on Friday, as the heavy rains made conditions treacherous for baseball. Early yesterday morning, Jose Peraza was shipped to the Cubs for infielder Maikel Franco, who hit twenty or more homeruns in four straight seasons with the Phillies, dating back to 2016.

However, the third base market this offseason was rather plentiful, as Franco ended up signing a minor-league deal with the Cubs late in the process. He didn't make the Opening Day roster, but has been dangled as a potential bat for teams in the early going. Needing a shot in the arm at the plate, Kansas City traded Peraza away to bring in the Puerto Rican slugger, and brought up Breyvic Valera to fill the Peraza utility role after Jeison Guzman was designated for assignment.

Hunter Dozier will move to first base in the meantime, which is where most figured him to end up at some point in 2020.

Valera, who had an activation clause in his minor-league deal that will pay out $1.2M if added to the active roster prior to May 2nd; has been hitting nearly .400 in Omaha through the first several weeks of the season, so the move makes sense from that angle. They also added former Top 100 prospect Chance Adams, a right-handed pitcher in the Yankees' organization, for minor league infielder Cristian Perez. Adams is not likely to be a contributor as a starter -- at least this season. He could be in line for starts at the MLB level if the Royals aren't in the playoff hunt come July, and veteran assets like Danny Duffy and/or Tanner Roark get dealt to contending clubs.

To make room for Adams, the Royals had to part ways with long-time Royal Cheslor Cuthbert as they designated him as well. In recent games, his bat has picked up, but has still struggled to a line of .222/.250/.296 line with just one homerun in fifty-six plate appearances so far. There is a chance he clears waivers; but with his late-season surge last year, Kansas City may find themselves being able to get something of value in return should they choose to trade him.

Franco and Valera are expected to be in uniform later today as the Royals play the first of two in the afternoon and into the evening. Adams has reported to Triple-A Omaha, and will reportedly work in the rotation as top prospect Brady Singer was sent down to Double-A after a 4.66 ERA through 20 innings with Omaha.

Moore said the Singer demotion was 'temporary', and expects the highly-touted hurler to be back with Omaha in the near future.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/02 (G1): RHP Michael Kopech (2-1, 5.24) vs LHP Luiz Gohara (0-0, 0.00)
05/02 (G2): LHP Carlos Rodon (1-2, 5.64) vs RHP Brad Keller (1-2, 5.09)
05/03: RHP Lucas Giolito (2-1, 3.60) vs RHP Jake Junis (2-2, 4.71)

GAME RECAPS

Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 - First pitch, 1:05 CST
Chi. Sox (10-16) 5, Kansas City (11-13) 0
Winner: Michael Kopech (3-1) Loser: Luiz Gohara (0-1) Save: None
HR-CHW: Travis Shaw (3), Eloy Jimenez (5) HR-KC: None

Saturday, May 2nd, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Chi. Sox (10-17) 3, Kansas City (12-13) 8
Winner: Brad Keller (2-2) Loser: Carlos Rodon (1-3) Save: None
HR-CHW: None HR-KC: Brett Phillips (6), Hunter Dozier (4), Meibrys Viloria (1)

ROYALS SPLIT DAY-NIGHT TWINBILL

Kansas City split a day-night doubleheader with the White Sox on Saturday, dropping the first game 5-0 before taking the nightcap by an 8-3 count. Heavy rains wasned out last night's game, but the field was in great shape as the Royals took the field for the afternoon contest.

"They do a magnificent job here," said manager Mike Matheny of the field conditions following the victory in the second game. "It really was almost as if it didn't do anything yesterday."

Michael Kopech earned his second victory in as many starts against the Royals, racking up six strikeouts over six and two-third innings in the 5-0 Royals' loss. With the win, Kopech moves to 3-1 on the year with wins in back-to-back starts against Kansas City. On the other side of the ledger, Luiz Gohara's much-anticipated debut was spoiled, allowing five runs in four and two-third innings, although he did strike out eight in the losing effort.

In the nightcap, the Royals exacted their revenge with an 8-3 triumph, as Brad Keller picked up the victory with a five-inning performance. He allowed three runs in the third inning, but none of them were earned thanks to an Adalberto Mondesi error, his seventh defensive miscue of the season. However, Mondesi was 2-for-5 at the dish, including a triple and two steals.

The two newest Royals, Maikel Franco and Breyvic Valera, played with mixed results. Valera was 3-for-5 in the Royals' night-time victory, while Franco struggled with an 0-for-5 performance between the two games. Franco was acquired from the Cubs in a trade that sent Jose Peraza in return, and Valera was re-called by the Royals to take Peraza's spot on the 40-man and active rosters after minor-league infielder Jeison Guzman was designated for assignment by the organization.

Brett Phillips, Hunter Dozier, and Meibrys Viloria all homered for the Royals in the nightcap, who are now 12-13 on the season as they head into the rubber match tomorrow against the White Sox. No rain is expected in the forecast.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Sox (10-16) 5, Kansas City (11-13) 0 (G1)
Chi. Sox (10-17) 3, Kansas City (12-13) 8 (G2)
Houston (21-6) 3, NY Yankees (14-12) 4 (G1)
Houston (21-7) 7, NY Yankees (15-12) 8 (G2)
Tampa Bay (18-10) 4, Detroit (11-14) 2
Boston (17-10) 8, Toronto (10-18) 4
Texas (12-18) 5, Cleveland (14-13) 4
Oakland (8-19) 5, LA Angels (17-12) 3
Minnesota (14-12) 2, Seattle (16-11) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (12-14) 0, Chi. Cubs (16-12) 1 (Final/10)
Miami (9-18) 6, Washington (18-7) 9
Baltimore (11-16) 10, St. Louis (8-19) 8 (Final/14)
Philadelphia (13-13) 0, Milwaukee (22-6) 4
Cincinnati (7-21) 9, Arizona (16-11) 7 (Final/11)
NY Mets (10-18) 4, LA Dodgers (10-16) 1
Pittsburgh (14-13) 5, San Francisco (12-13) 4
Colorado (14-13) 3, San Diego (18-9) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Twins place SS Jorge Polanco (back) on 15-day IL, retro to 05/01/2020
Rox claim OF Carlos Gomez off waivers from Minnesota
Nationals claim OF/1B DJ Stewart off waivers from Baltimore

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

CUTHBERT DEALT TO MILWAUKEE: Infielder Cheslor Cuthbert, who was designated for assignment on May 1st, was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in the wee hours of this morning in exchange for minor-league outfielder Troy Stokes. The Royals released veteran outfielders Gregor Blanco and Carlos Quentin to make room for Stokes in Triple-A.

Cuthbert was originally designated to make room on the 40-man for Chance Adams, who the Royals received in return from the Yankees for infielder Cristian Perez.

Sunday, May 3rd, 2020 - First pitch, 1:05 CST
Chi. Sox (10-18) 3, Kansas City (13-13) 2 (Final/12)
Winner: Bubba Starling (1-0) Loser: Aaron Bummer (0-2) Save: None
HR: None

ROYALS TAKE RUBBER MATCH IN EXTRAS

Although the Royals pulled off a 2-1 victory in twelve innings, Jake Junis' 11-strikeout effort was wasted in the victory. Junis went six innings, striking out eleven with just one walk and three hits allowed in 102 pitches. Bubba Starling became the first Royals position player in team history to earn a victory on the mound, pitching a scoreless inning in the 12th.

Junis, who had just three 10+ strikeout games in all of 2019, already has three in his first six starts of 2020. His forty-five strikeouts on the season rank in a tie for fourth in all of baseball, and would set a new team single-season record on his current pace.

The Royals won thanks to an error by shortstop Tim Anderson in the 12th, as a ground ball up the middle squirted through his legs, allowing Adalberto Mondesi to score all the way from second as the ball languished in short center field.

Tampa Bay is up next, as the Royals get them at home for three games beginning tomorrow night. Danny Duffy is expected to go for the Royals against fellow southpaw Brendan McKay, who leads the AL in ERA with a 1.30 mark.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Sox (10-18) 1, Kansas City (13-13) 2 (Final/12)
Houston (22-7) 4, NY Yankees (15-13) 0
Tampa Bay (19-10) 24, Detroit (11-15) 2
Boston (17-11) 3, Toronto (11-18) 4
Texas (13-18) 7, Cleveland (14-14) 3
Oakland (8-20) 2, LA Angels (18-12) 6
Minnesota (14-13) 1, Seattle (17-11) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (13-14) 3, Chi. Cubs (16-13) 2
Miami (9-19) 3, Washington (19-7) 5
Baltimore (11-17) 9, St. Louis (9-19) 10 (Final/14)
Philadelphia (13-14) 4, Milwaukee (23-6) 6
Cincinnati (8-21) 6, Arizona (16-12) 3
NY Mets (10-19) 3, LA Dodgers (11-16) 5
Pittsburgh (14-14) 3, San Francisco (13-13) 8
Colorado (15-13) 4, San Diego (18-10) 1 (Final/10)

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Royals trade IF Cheslor Cuthbert to Milwaukee for minor-league OF Troy Stokes
Rox ink SS Trevor Story to five-year, $52.1MM extension
Yankees place IF DJ LeMahieu on 15-day IL (shoulder) after hit-by-pitch

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

STAUMONT EXITS EARLY: Right-hander Josh Staumont was pulled after his one inning of work in the Royals' 2-1 victory on Sunday, complaining of shoulder tightness. Results of the MRI were not available as of the end of the contest.

UP NEXT: Tampa Bay (19-10) @ Kansas City (13-13) -- May 4th, 2020 @ 7:15 CST

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/04: LHP Brendan McKay (1-1, 1.30) vs LHP Danny Duffy (0-3, 5.02)
05/05: LHP Blake Snell (5-0, 2.37) vs RHP Tanner Roark (3-1, 2.45)
05/06: RHP Charlie Morton (3-0, 1.72) vs RHP Brad Keller (2-2, 4.18)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, May 4th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Tampa Bay (19-11) 6, Kansas City (14-13) 7 (Final/10)
Winner: Jose De Leon (2-0) Loser: Nick Anderson (1-2) Save: None
HR-TB: Brandon Lowe (4), Yasiel Puig (4) HR-KC: None

KANSAS CITY WINS SEE-SAW AFFAIR

With six lead changes in the final five innings; including the 10th, the Royals came out on top in a back-and-forth contest by a 7-6 count. Nicky Lopez went 3-for-5, including the game-winning RBI single that scored Adalberto Mondesi from second base.

The two teams battled to a stalemate through five innings, with Tampa Bay finally breaking through against the Royals in the sixth. Duffy left after just two and two-third innings with forearm pain, and was eventually confirmed by manager Mike Matheny to have a forearm strain that will likely keep him out for several weeks. He did some real damage in his short start, though, fanning six with just two walks and no hits allowed.

Short on available relievers, Jose De Leon came on for the save in the ninth, but surrendered the game-tying homerun to Brandon Lowe to send it to extras. He eventually picked up the victory after holding serve in the 10th.

Bryan Brickhouse, who was called up from Omaha to take Josh Staumont's place on the roster after he was placed on the disabled list with a shoulder impingement, left his MLB debut early with elbow discomfort after just one inning of work. That led to Bubba Starling getting the call for the second straight game, throwing fifty-eight pitches over two and one-third innings.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (22-8) 3, Toronto (12-18) 4
Boston (17-12) 5, Cleveland (15-14) 8
Tampa Bay (19-11) 6, Kansas City (14-13) 7 (Final/10)
Seattle (17-12) 1, Detroit (12-15) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (24-6) 5, St. Louis (9-20) 3
Pittsburgh (14-15) 0, Arizona (17-12) 7
Washington (20-7) 7, San Francisco (13-14) 0
Cincinnati (8-22) 2, NY Mets (11-19) 3
Miami (10-19) 5, LA Dodgers (11-17) 1

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Royals RHP Josh Staumont (shoulder) placed on 15-day IL; could miss up to four months
White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (elbow) placed on 15-day IL; retro to 05/03/2020
Indians activate RHP James Hoyt; designate RHP Ryan Webb for assignment

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

BULLPEN, LINEUP SUFFER BIG BLOWS: The Royals received some discouraging news on closer Josh Staumont, who could miss anywhere from three to four months with a shoulder impingement. Richard Lovelady is expected to assume the closer's role in his absence, and Bryan Brickhouse was re-called from Triple-A to take Staumont's spot on the active roster.

First baseman Hunter Dozier also left the contest early, landing awkwardly on his knee on a sliding attempt in the sixth inning. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow morning in Kansas City.

Tuesday, May 5th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Tampa Bay (20-11) 4, Kansas City (14-14) 2
Winner: Blake Snell (6-0) Loser: Tanner Roark (3-2) Save: Nick Anderson (11)
HR-TB: Nate Lowe (4), Tommy Pham (3) HR-KC: Salvador Perez (4)

SNELL BESTS K.C. AGAIN

Blake Snell moved to 6-0 on the season, allowing just one earned run over six and one-third innings as the Royals were doubled up 4-2 by the Rays. Snell is the first six-game winner in baseball, as he was also the first to hit five victories after his win over the Royals last week.

Nate Lowe and Tommy Pham did most of the damage against Tanner Roark, each hitting a homerun and driving in three of their four runs. Roark allowed four runs in seven innings, as the bullpen got a much-needed night off with Heath Fillmyer, who was recently re-called, pitched the final two innings.

Playing center field for the first time this season, Alex Gordon went 2-for-4 as well as Ryan McBroom, who was re-called after Hunter Dozier went on the injured list with a knee contusion. Salvador Perez added a late homerun, but it was too little, too late for the Royals, who fell to 14-14.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (22-9) 6, Toronto (13-18) 7
Boston (18-12) 2, Cleveland (15-15) 1
Tampa Bay (20-11) 4, Kansas City (14-14) 2
Seattle (17-13) 6, Detroit (13-15) 7 (Final/12)
NY Yankees (15-14) 1, Texas (14-18) 5
Atlanta (13-15) 3, LA Angels (19-12) 6
Philadelphia (14-14) 8, Oakland (8-21) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (14-14) 0, Colorado (16-13) 8
Baltimore (11-18) 2, Chi. Cubs (17-13) 3
Milwaukee (24-7) 3, St. Louis (10-20) 4
Pittsburgh (14-16) 4, Arizona (18-12) 6
Washington (21-7) 7, San Francisco (13-15) 5
Cincinnati (8-23) 1, NY Mets (12-19) 3
Miami (11-19) 5, LA Dodgers (11-18) 2
Chi. Sox (11-18) 2, San Diego (18-11) 0

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Royals IF Hunter Dozier (knee) and LHP Danny Duffy (forearm) placed on 15-day IL; retro to 05/04/2020
Twins activate RHP Jose Berrios (knee) from 15-day IL

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

ROYALS PLACE THREE ON IL: Kansas City had to make another bevy of roster moves on Tuesday; as pitchers Danny Duffy and Bryan Brickhouse, along with infielder Hunter Dozier, were all placed on the 15-day injured list. Brickhouse had just made his MLB debut on Monday night, pitching just one inning. Dozier is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a knee issue, while Duffy has a forearm strain and could miss two or three starts, according to manager Mike Matheny.

Heath Fillmyer was re-called to take over Brickhouse's spot on the roster. First baseman Ryan McBroom and right-hander Chance Adams were re-called as well, with Adams making his first start as a Royal since being acquired from the Yankees a little less than a week ago. He fanned six in seven innings in his first start with Omaha on Friday night.

Wednesday, May 6th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Tampa Bay (21-11) 5, Kansas City (14-15) 3
Winner: Ryan Yarbrough (2-1) Loser: Richard Lovelady (0-2) Save: Jose Alvarado (1)
HR-KC: Bubba Starling (1) HR-TB: None

INJURY WOES CONTINUE IN DEFEAT

Richard Lovelady had his first bad outing of the season, and both Connor Sadzeck and Whit Merrifield left the game early with injuries as the Royals dropped the rubber match to Tampa by a 5-3 count.

Lovelady came on for the save up 3-1 after Sadzeck left with what was diagnosed as a sore elbow, and promptly loaded the bases. Four runs came across to score before he recorded the final out, and the Royals couldn't fight back in the ninth, going down in order.

On the positive side, Chance Adams looked solid in his Royals debut -- he went seven innings, allowing just one run on four hits, walking two with four strikeouts. Bubba Starling went 2-for-4, hitting his first homerun of the season in the eighth inning. He also doubled in the sixth against Charlie Morton, who also left the contest early for the Rays.

The Royals host Toronto for four games before striking back out on the road. Anthony Kay will make his MLB debut for the Jays against Brad Keller tomorrow night at 7:05.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Houston (23-9) 6, Toronto (13-19) 3
Boston (18-13) 2, Cleveland (16-15) 12
Tampa Bay (21-11) 5, Kansas City (14-15) 3
Seattle (17-14) 1, Detroit (14-15) 10
NY Yankees (15-15) 2, Texas (15-18) 12
Atlanta (13-16) 2, LA Angels (20-12) 6
Philadelphia (15-14) 9, Oakland (8-22) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (14-15) 4, Colorado (17-13) 6
Baltimore (11-19) 1, Chi. Cubs (18-13) 2
Milwaukee (25-7) 3, St. Louis (10-21) 0
Pittsburgh (15-16) 8, Arizona (18-13) 3
Washington (21-8) 1, San Francisco (14-15) 2
Cincinnati (8-24) 1, NY Mets (13-19) 4
Miami (11-20) 1, LA Dodgers (12-18) 4
Chi. Sox (12-18) 5, San Diego (18-12) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Blue Jays IF Lourdes Gurriel (finger) placed on 15-day IL, could miss up to a month
Tigers place C Francisco Cervelli (quadriceps) on 15-day IL, retro to 05/04/2020

UP NEXT: Toronto (13-19) @ Kansas City (14-15) -- May 7th, 2020 @ 7:15 CST

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/07: LHP Anthony Kay (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Brad Keller (2-2, 4.18)
05/08: RHP Phil Klein (0-3, 10.19) vs LHP Luiz Gohara (0-1, 9.64)
05/09: LHP Ryan Borucki (0-3, 7.80) vs RHP Jake Junis (2-2, 3.89)
05/10: RHP Drew Rucinski (1-2, 3.26) vs RHP Tanner Roark (3-2, 2.97)

GAME RECAPS

Thursday, May 7th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Toronto (13-20) 8, Kansas City (15-15) 9
Winner: Jose De Leon (3-0) Loser: Travis Bergen (1-2) Save: Jake Diekman (1)
HR-TOR: None HR-KC: Maikel Franco 2 (2)

FRANCO FOR THE WIN

As Kansas City embarked for the next handful of games without team leader Whit Merrifield; who was placed on the 15-day injured list prior to the game, a new hero stepped up for the Royals in their opening game with Toronto. Maikel Franco pounded a couple of homeruns, including a first-inning grand slam as the Royals ended up winning 9-8 in a contest with several late lead changes.

Franco also had the game-winning homerun for the Royals in the eighth, a two-run shot against Travis Bergen that put them up for good. Jorge Soler went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles to break an 0-for-16 slump.

The Royals got to rookie Anthony Kay early and often, pounding him for five runs on just two hits in the first. He walked four in that inning, and ended up being chased from the contest without even escaping the second inning in his MLB debut. Brad Keller did not factor into the decision, but labored through five and one-third innings, allowing three hits and four walks while fanning five.

Franco, Breyvic Valera, Jorge Soler, and Mondesi all had two hits in the Royals' offensive explosion. The latter two also each stole a base, with Mondesi adding to his league-leading total (twelve). Jake Diekman picked up the save for the Royals, his first of the season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (13-20) 8, Kansas City (15-15) 9
NY Yankees (16-15) 16, Texas (15-19) 3
Boston (18-14) 2, Cleveland (17-15) 11
Seattle (18-14) 8, Detroit (14-16) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Pittsburgh (16-16) 19, Arizona (18-14) 2
Washington (22-8) 6, San Francisco (14-16) 1
Cincinnati (8-25) 1, NY Mets (14-19) 6
Miami (11-21) 2, LA Dodgers (13-18) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Angels P/OF Shohei Ohtani (shoulder) placed on 15-day IL; retro to 05/05/2020
Royals place 2B/OF Whit Merrifield (knee) on 15-day IL; retro to 05/06/2020

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

MERRIFIELD TO THE INJURED LIST: Kansas City will have to forge forward for the next few weeks without their best player, as Whit Merrifield has landed on the IL with a knee injury. He's not expected to miss more than a couple of weeks, but it's just the latest injury in a string of upcoming IL stints for a few standouts. He joins fellow teammates Hunter Dozier, Josh Staumont, and also right-handed reliever Connor Sadzeck, who was added to the 15-day IL retroactive to yesterday.

Manager Mike Matheny noted that Jorge Soler would likely see more time in right field; and that Nick Heath, who was just re-called from Triple-A, would be likely to get some at-bats as well.

Friday, May 8th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Toronto (13-21) 4, Kansas City (16-15) 18
Winner: Luiz Gohara (1-1) Loser: Phil Klein (0-4) Save: None
HR-TOR: Ryon Healy (2) HR-KC: Jorge Soler (5), Salvador Perez (5), Ryan O'Hearn (1), Nicky Lopez (1), Alex Gordon (1)

HEY, SAVE SOME FOR LATER!

Every single Royal that played collected at least one hit and scored at least once as the Royals rolled up on the Blue Jays by an 18-4 count. Sporting one of the worst six offenses in baseball through the first five weeks of the season, Kansas City has scored twenty-seven runs, with seven homeruns from six different players in their last two games.

Not known for his power, Nicky Lopez scored four times, walked twice, and hit only his third career homerun in the seventh inning; a two-run blast against Ryan Tepera. Bubba Starling stroked a trio of doubles and drove in four runs, both career-highs.

Jorge Soler also appears to be snapping out of his early-season slumber; going 3-for-6 with his first homerun in over a week, a two-run job against Travis Bergen in the sixth. Soler, Salvador Perez, and Starling all led the Royals with three hits apiece.

Luiz Gohara's second start with the Royals went much better than his first, allowing three runs over six and two-third innings. He fanned eight, walked two, and allowed eight hits in the contest. Scott Blewett made his MLB debut in relief of Gohara in the seventh, and retired seven straight (four strikeouts) after allowing a homerun to his first MLB hitter in Ryon Healy.

Toronto was forced to insert first baseman Matt Skole into the game as the pitcher for the final one-plus innings, and ended up being the only Blue Jay to not be charged with an earned run. He walked two and allowed one hit, while fanning one.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (18-15) 5, Tampa Bay (22-11) 6
Detroit (15-16) 4, Baltimore (11-20) 0
Toronto (13-21) 4, Kansas City (16-15) 18
Cleveland (18-15) 10, Chi. Sox (12-19) 4
NY Yankees (17-15) 3, Oakland (8-23) 2
LA Angels (20-13) 1, Minnesota (15-15) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (25-8) 0, Pittsburgh (17-16) 1 (Final/10)
LA Dodgers (13-19) 3, NY Mets (15-19) 11
Chi. Cubs (19-13) 13, Cincinnati (8-26) 10
Houston (24-9) 5, Philadelphia (15-15) 3
St. Louis (11-21) 6, Miami (11-22) 2
Arizona (19-14) 11, Colorado (17-14) 4
Washington (22-9) 0, Atlanta (14-16) 1
San Francisco (15-16) 3, San Diego (18-13) 1

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Milwaukee activates IF Luis Urias from 60-day IL; sends to Triple-A for rehab stint
Marlins place RHP Pablo Lopez (elbow) on 15-day IL; retro to 05/07/2020

Saturday, May 9th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:15 CST
Toronto (14-21) 5, Kansas City (16-16) 2
Winner: Tim Mayza (1-1) Loser: Tim Hill (1-1) Save: Ricardo Rodriguez (6)
HR-TOR: Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. 2 (10) HR-KC: None

BULLPEN COLLAPSES LATE

Kansas City led for the majority of the game, as they led 2-1 heading into the top half of the eighth. But two runs from the Blue Jays in each of their final two at-bats spelled doom for the Royals as they fell 5-2. They spoiled another fine effort from Jake Junis, who surrendered five hits and three walks over seven innings, striking out five.

Adalberto Mondesi went 3-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases, and Nicky Lopez was 2-for-4 to spearhead the Royals' attack. Maikel Franco drove in the only two runs of the game for the Royals, one on a sac fly in the second, and another with a double in the fourth.

The middle of the Jays' order did most of the damage, going 6-for-12 with three RBI and two homeruns, both off the bat of Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., who now leads the AL with ten. Rowdy Tellez went 3-for-4 with an RBI double.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (18-16) 0, Tampa Bay (23-11) 6
Detroit (16-16) 3, Baltimore (11-21) 2
Toronto (14-21) 5, Kansas City (16-16) 2
Cleveland (18-16) 5, Chi. Sox (13-19) 11
NY Yankees (18-15) 3, Oakland (8-24) 1
LA Angels (20-14) 3, Minnesota (16-15) 5
Seattle (19-14) 2, Texas (15-20) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (26-8) 7, Pittsburgh (17-17) 2
LA Dodgers (13-20) 0, NY Mets (16-19) 8
Chi. Cubs (20-13) 3, Cincinnati (8-27) 1
Houston (24-10) 1, Philadelphia (16-15) 6
St. Louis (11-22) 4, Miami (12-22) 7 (Final/10)
Arizona (19-15) 1, Colorado (18-14) 4
Washington (22-10) 2, Atlanta (15-16) 4
San Francisco (15-17) 1, San Diego (19-13) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Braves place RHP Mike Soroka (back surgery) on 60-day IL; RHP Touki Toussaint re-called
Reds activate RHP Sonny Gray; sent on rehab assignment

Sunday, May 10th, 2020 - First pitch, 2:15 CST
Toronto (14-22) 2, Kansas City (17-16) 9
Winner: Jose De Leon (4-0) Loser: Ryan Borucki (0-4) Save: None
HR-TOR: None HR-KC: Breyvic Valera (1), Jorge Soler (6), Salvador Perez (6)

ROYALS PREVAIL BEHIND SALVY SURGE

Serving as the DH for the first time this season, Salvador Perez went 3-for-5 with three RBI; falling just a triple short of the cycle as the Royals took a 9-2 victory, while also claiming the series victory three games to one. Jose De Leon moved to 4-0 on the season out of the bullpen, coming on in relief of Tanner Roark in the fifth inning. Roark made it through just four-plus innings, as he was lifted for De Leon with 98 pitches already in the bank.

The right-hander was still solid, allowing four hits and fanning eight. But he walked four in the contest, which drove up his pitch count. De Leon went three innings before giving way to Scott Blewett, who has now retired thirteen in a row after allowing a homerun to Ryon Healy to kick off his MLB debut two nights ago.

Breyvic Valera and Jorge Soler also hit homeruns, with Valera's his first of the season, a three-run shot in the second against Ryan Borucki. Soler went yard in the fourth inning against southpaw Jordan Mills. Perez would later add a homerun in the inning against David Paulino. Nicky Lopez also had another solid game, going 2-for-2 with a double and a pair of free passes. He's now hitting at a remarkable .326/.402/.432 clip through roughly 110 plate appearances, a huge jump from 2019.

The Royals will travel to Minnesota for four games beginning tomorrow night, as they'll try to halt the Twins' three-game win streak. Chance Adams will make his second start with the Royals, opposed by Jose Berrios. Berrios has overall done well, but is coming off a start where he allowed five runs (four earned), including a pair of homeruns in an 8-0 loss at Colorado. He beat the Royals earlier in the year at the K, pitching five scoreless with six strikeouts.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (18-17) 1, Tampa Bay (24-11) 2
Detroit (17-16) 1, Baltimore (11-22) 0
Toronto (14-22) 2, Kansas City (17-16) 9
Cleveland (18-17) 2, Chi. Sox (14-19) 3
NY Yankees (18-16) 1, Oakland (9-24) 7
LA Angels (20-15) 1, Minnesota (17-15) 4
Seattle (19-14) 2, Texas (15-20) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (27-8) 7, Pittsburgh (17-18) 6
LA Dodgers (13-21) 5, NY Mets (17-19) 6
Chi. Cubs (21-13) 6, Cincinnati (8-28) 3
Houston (25-10) 8, Philadelphia (16-16) 0
St. Louis (11-23) 1, Miami (13-22) 2
Arizona (19-16) 10, Colorado (19-14) 14
Washington (22-11) 1, Atlanta (16-16) 10
San Francisco (16-17) 2, San Diego (19-14) 1

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Dodgers activate OF Joc Pederson from the 15-day IL; sent on rehab stint

UP NEXT: Kansas City (17-16) @ Minnesota (17-15) -- May 11th, 2020 @ 7:05 CST

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/11: RHP Chance Adams (0-0, 1.29) vs RHP Jose Berrios (1-3, 5.28)
05/12: RHP Brad Keller (2-2, 4.05) vs RHP Kyle Gibson (1-2, 4.34)
05/13: LHP Luiz Gohara (1-1, 6.35) vs LHP Wade Miley (1-2, 3.98)
05/14: RHP Jake Junis (2-2, 3.46) vs RHP Jake Odorizzi (4-1, 3.98)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, May 11th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (18-16) 6, Minnesota (17-16) 5
Winner: Heath Fillmyer (1-0) Loser: Jose Berrios (1-4) Save: Richard Lovelady (4)
HR-KC: Jorge Soler (7), Brett Phillips (7) HR-MIN: Ehire Adrianza (1), Miguel Sano (5)

LOVELADY, ROYALS EKE OUT VICTORY

Kansas City staved off a furious Twins rally over the final two innings, as they surrendered a pair of runs in the eighth, and then Byron Buxton led off the ninth with a double. However, closer Richard Lovelady stranded him at second, retiring the next three hitters to save the Royals' 6-5 victory to open a four-game set at Minnesota.

Maikel Franco and Jorge Soler each drove in a pair of runs, with Soler hitting a two-run homerun in the fifth inning. Franco went 3-for-5, with Soler, Brett Phillips, and Adalberto Mondesi all chipping in with two hits apiece.

There was a scare on the mound, as Chance Adams was forced to leave the contest early with a finger blister. Heath Fillmyer replaced him, and tossed a solid two and two-third innings, striking out four with just one hit allowed to pick up his first win of the season. Jake Diekman surrendered a two-run homerun to Miguel Sano in the eighth, but with a three-run lead, were able to withstand the rally.

Adams is not expected to miss any time, and is listed day-to-day with the finger issue.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (21-15) 13, Baltimore (11-23) 2
Kansas City (18-16) 6, Minnesota (17-16) 5
Detroit (18-16) 2, NY Yankees (18-17) 1
Chi. Cubs (22-13) 15, Boston (18-18) 2
Toronto (14-23) 0, Tampa Bay (25-11) 5
Cleveland (19-17) 11, Seattle (19-16) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (19-15) 1, Atlanta (17-16) 6
San Diego (19-15) 3, Washington (23-11) 5
LA Dodgers (14-21) 8, Pittsburgh (17-19) 5
St. Louis (12-23) 6, Miami (13-23) 5
San Francisco (16-18) 1, NY Mets (18-19) 6
Arizona (19-17) 3, Milwaukee (28-8) 12

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Seattle activates OF Wladimir Balentien from rehab assignment; place RHP Randy Messenger on 15-day IL (shoulder)
Dodgers activate RHP Dennis Santana from 15-day IL
Padres activate RHP Cal Quantrill from the 15-day IL

Tuesday, May 12th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (19-16) 2, Minnesota (17-17) 1
Winner: Scott Blewett (1-0) Loser: Sam Dyson (1-2) Save: Richard Lovelady (5)
HR-KC: None HR-MIN: Byron Buxton (3)

ROYALS EDGE OUT THE TWINS

Nicky Lopez's seventh-inning RBI single proved to be the difference, as the Royals secured at least a split of the four-game road set with the Twins with a 2-1 victory. Adalberto Mondesi stroked a one-out single, and made his way over to third via a pair of steals before Lopez's hit.

Mondesi went 2-for-3 with a walk and three stolen bases in all. Alex Gordon was 3-for-4 with a double, and scored the other Royal run back in the third on a Jorge Soler double.

Brad Keller was forced out of the game early with what appeared to be a lower back injury, and is listed as day-to-day, according to manager Mike Matheny. Keller had allowed just one hit and one run in his short stint, a homerun to Byron Buxton in the third inning. He left immediately after Buxton's game-tying blast.

"He tried to pitch through it over the last few batters," said Matheny. "He said he felt it twinge in warmups between the top and bottom of the third inning. We'll take it slow from here, see what happens."

Keller is the sixth Royals pitcher to leave an outing early in the last week, and that's not counting positional players such as Whit Merrifield and Hunter Dozier.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (22-15) 2, Baltimore (11-24) 1
Kansas City (19-16) 2, Minnesota (17-17) 1
Detroit (18-17) 0, NY Yankees (19-17) 3
Chi. Cubs (23-13) 7, Boston (18-19) 3
Toronto (14-24) 1, Tampa Bay (26-11) 4
Texas (16-21) 3, Chi. Sox (15-19) 7
Miami (13-24) 3, Houston (26-10) 5
Cleveland (20-17) 17, Seattle (19-17) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Oakland (9-25) 1, Philadelphia (17-16) 9
Colorado (19-16) 1, Atlanta (18-16) 2
San Diego (20-15) 4, Washington (23-12) 1
LA Dodgers (14-22) 1, Pittsburgh (18-19) 5
St. Louis (12-24) 1, Cincinnati (9-28) 6
San Francisco (17-18) 6, NY Mets (18-20) 2
Arizona (20-17) 7, Milwaukee (28-9) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Phils OF Bryce Harper hits for cycle in 9-1 win over Oakland
Dodgers activate RHP Dennis Santana from the 15-day IL
San Diego RHP Cal Quantrill activated from the 15-day IL

Wednesday, May 13th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (19-17) 6, Minnesota (18-17) 3
Winner: Wade Miley (2-2) Loser: Kyle Zimmer (2-1) Save: Andrew Vasquez (7)
HR-KC: None HR-MIN: Nelson Cruz (14), Marwin Gonzalez (1), Jonathan Schoop (2)

TWINS ON CRUZ CONTROL

Nelson Cruz almost single-handedly beat the Royals on Wednesday night, as he went 4-for-4, including the game-clinching homerun in the seventh inning in the Royals' 3-2 defeat at Minnesota. Despite the loss, the Royals are still 7-2 in their last nine games at Target Field, dating back to last season's September road sweep that essentially knocked the Twins out of playoff contention.

Marwin Gonzalez and Jonathan Schoop also had solo homeruns, with Schoop's in the second, and Gonzalez's in the fourth. The Royals tied the score in the sixth with a Brett Phillips triple, just one inning after Meibrys Viloria drove in the Royals' first run with a single in the fifth.

Luiz Gohara pitched well in his third start with the Royals, allowing two earned runs over six innings in a season-high 102 pitches. Kyle Zimmer surrendered the homerun to Cruz in the seventh, and took the loss despite pitching well overall in his two innings of work.

Phillips collected three hits, with Viloria's two leading the way.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (23-15) 5, Baltimore (11-25) 3
Kansas City (19-17) 2, Minnesota (18-17) 3
Detroit (19-17) 5, NY Yankees (19-18) 1
Chi. Cubs (23-14) 0, Boston (19-19) 3
Toronto (14-25) 3, Tampa Bay (27-11) 8
Texas (16-22) 4, Chi. Sox (16-19) 10
Miami (13-25) 0, Houston (27-10) 8
Cleveland (20-18) 4, Seattle (20-17) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Oakland (9-26) 4, Philadelphia (18-16) 5 (Final/10)
Colorado (19-17) 6, Atlanta (19-16) 11
San Diego (21-15) 2, Washington (23-13) 1
LA Dodgers (14-23) 4, Pittsburgh (19-19) 5
St. Louis (13-24) 4, Cincinnati (9-29) 0
San Francisco (17-19) 5, NY Mets (19-20) 7
Arizona (21-17) 7, Milwaukee (28-10) 0

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Braves activate LHP Sean Newcomb from 15-day IL
Orioles RHP Ryne Harper (torn labrum) placed on 60-day IL; could miss remainder of season
Kansas City RHP Brad Keller (back) placed on 15-day IL; retro to 05/12/2020
Toronto places RHP Ryan Tepera (shoulder) placed on 15-day IL; retro to 05/12/2020

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

KELLER TO THE INJURED LIST: Kansas City's pitching staff continues to get hit with injuries, as Brad Keller is now on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. Keller left in the third inning of the Royals' 2-1 victory last night, allowing just one hit and one run.

Jose De Leon is expected to fill Keller's spot in the rotation, while Gabe Speier has been re-called from Triple-A to take Keller's spot on the active roster.

Thursday, May 14th, 2020 - First pitch, 6:40 CST
Kansas City (19-18) 5, Minnesota (19-17) 6
Winner: Jake Odorizzi (5-1) Loser: Jake Junis (2-3) Save: Andrew Vasquez (8)
HR-KC: Ryan O'Hearn (2), Maikel Franco (3), Bubba Starling (2) HR-MIN: Byron Buxton (4)

BUXTON SLAM THE DIFFERENCE IN DEFEAT

With a fourth-inning grand slam, Byron Buxton provided the juice that the Twins needed to stave off a series defeat as the Royals eventually fell 6-5 to the host Twins, splitting the four-game road series with their division rivals. The slam was hit off Jake Junis, who had allowed just one earned run over his last three starts (20 IP).

Junis went six innings and allowed six runs (five earned). He didn't walk a batter, but struck out only three while allowing six hits. Buxton also hit his fourth triple of the season in the win, and took away a hit from Brett Phillips in the sixth with a diving catch.

The Royals lost despite three homeruns in the contest, with Ryan O'Hearn, Bubba Starling, and Maikel Franco all going deep for Kansas City. Franco also collected three hits and drove in two of the Royals' five runs. Starling also had two RBI in the loss.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Oakland (9-27) 1, Seattle (21-17) 2
LA Angels (24-15) 5, Baltimore (11-26) 0
Kansas City (19-18) 5, Minnesota (19-17) 6
Texas (16-23) 1, Chi. Sox (17-19) 10
Miami (13-26) 3, Houston (28-10) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Philadelphia (19-16) 7, Washington (23-14) 1
Colorado (19-18) 2, Atlanta (20-16) 6 (Final/11)
St. Louis (13-25) 2, Cincinnati (10-29) 4
San Francisco (18-19) 9, Milwaukee (28-11) 8
Arizona (21-18) 2, Chi. Cubs (24-14) 5

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Detroit OF Melky Cabrera passes 2,000 hits, placed on 15-day IL (foot)
Padres place SS Fernando Tatis (ankle) on 15-day IL, retro to 05/12/2020
Nationals sign RHP Matt Shoemaker to a two-year extension worth $7.2MM
White Sox activate IF Yoan Moncada from the 15-day IL

UP NEXT: Kansas City (19-18) @ NY Yankees (19-18) -- May 15th, 2020 @ 7:05 CST

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/15: RHP Tanner Roark (3-2, 2.90) vs RHP Luis Severino (2-5, 5.17)
05/16: RHP Jose De Leon (4-0, 2.55) vs LHP Jordan Montgomery (2-3, 3.46)
05/17: RHP Chance Adams (0-0, 3.18) vs RHP Masahiro Tanaka (3-1, 5.04)

GAME RECAPS

Friday, May 15th, 2020 - First pitch, 6:05 CST
Kansas City (19-19) 3, NY Yankees (20-18) 9
Winner: Luis Severino (3-5) Loser: Tanner Roark (3-3) Save: Tommy Hunter (1)
HR-KC: Bubba Starling (3) HR-NYY: Aaron Judge (10), Luke Voit (4)

YANKEES PULL AWAY LATE

Kansas City was tied with the Yankees heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but a five-run sixth from New York put the game out of reach in the Royals' 9-3 loss to begin a three-game series in the Bronx.

The Yankees touched Tanner Roark for seven earned runs (eight total) in five and two-third innings, including a couple of multi-run homeruns. He fanned six and walked two while allowing ten total hits. On the other side of the field, Luis Severino allowed three earned in six innings, striking out seven with just one walk to pick up his third win in eight decisions.

With only four hits in the contest, no Royal reached base more than once. Bubba Starling hit his third homerun of the season in the second inning, and Alex Gordon went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the fourth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (19-19) 3, NY Yankees (20-18) 9
LA Angels (24-16) 3, Toronto (15-25) 4
Texas (16-24) 1, Tampa Bay (28-11) 4
Chi. Sox (17-20) 1, Detroit (20-17) 2
San Diego (21-16) 1, Cleveland (21-18) 2 (Final/17)
Baltimore (11-27) 2, Boston (20-19) 7
Minnesota (19-18) 6, Houston (29-10) 7 (Final/10)
Oakland (10-27) 7, Seattle (21-18) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (21-19) 4, Chi. Cubs (25-14) 5
Pittsburgh (19-20) 0, Cincinnati (11-29) 1
NY Mets (20-20) 3, Atlanta (20-17) 0
Philadelphia (19-17) 4, Washington (24-14) 6
San Francisco (18-20) 2, Milwaukee (29-11) 9
Miami (13-27) 0, St. Louis (14-25) 3
Colorado (19-19) 4, LA Dodgers (15-23) 6

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Twins place LHP Taylor Rogers (forearm) on 15-day IL
Dodgers activate OF Joc Pederson from 15-day IL

Saturday, May 16th, 2020 - First pitch, 6:05 CST
Kansas City (20-19) 10, NY Yankees (20-19) 6 (Final/12)
Winner: Scott Barlow (1-0) Loser: Craig Kimbrel (1-3) Save: None
HR-KC: Salvador Perez (7) HR-NYY: Clint Frazier (2), Aaron Judge (11), Miguel Andujar (4)

EXTRA INNINGS, DOUBLE THE FUN

The Royals looked sure to drop their fourth game in a row, when Aroldis Chapman uncorked a wild pitch with two outs and two strikes on Alex Gordon, allowing Adalberto Mondesi to tie the game at six in the ninth. Richard Lovelady, Scott Barlow, and Heath Fillmyer would combine to throw four scoreless innings from the bottom of the ninth on as the Royals took a 10-6 victory in the Bronx on Saturday night.

Breyvic Valera, who briefly played for the Yankees in 2019, doubled against Craig Kimbrel to lead off the inning. Arodys Vizcaino replaced him, and promptly allowed the go-ahead double to Jorge Soler. Two batters later, Maikel Franco doubled home Soler for one of his three two-baggers on the night. Adalberto Mondesi provided the proverbial kill-shot, doubling home both Franco and Brett Phillips to push the lead to four.

Those four doubles were part of the team's seven on the game, a team high for this season. The Royals had sixteen hits in all, with Valera's four leading the way. Franco collected three hits in all, while Soler, Mondesi, and Ryan McBroom all had two.

Jose De Leon made his first start of 2020 for Kansas City as he fills in for Brad Keller while he sits on the injured list, and it was an abbreviated one as he was on a 75-pitch limit. In five innings and exactly seventy-five pitches, De Leon allowed three earned runs, fanning four and allowing just three hits (two homeruns).

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (20-19) 10, NY Yankees (20-19) 6 (Final/12)
LA Angels (25-16) 12, Toronto (15-26) 4
Texas (16-25) 2, Tampa Bay (29-11) 6
Chi. Sox (17-21) 3, Detroit (20-18) 8
San Diego (21-17) 2, Cleveland (22-18) 3
Baltimore (12-27) 4, Boston (20-20) 3
Minnesota (20-18) 9, Houston (29-11) 1
Oakland (10-28) 2, Seattle (22-18) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (21-20) 3, Chi. Cubs (26-14) 4
Pittsburgh (20-20) 7, Cincinnati (11-30) 4
NY Mets (20-21) 1, Atlanta (21-17) 4
Philadelphia (20-17) 3, Washington (24-15) 1 (Final/10)
San Francisco (18-21) 6, Milwaukee (30-11) 7
Miami (14-27) 4, St. Louis (14-26) 3
Colorado (19-20) 2, LA Dodgers (16-23) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Arizona LHP Robbie Ray sent to Triple-A for rehab assignment after activation from the injured list

Sunday, May 17th, 2020 - First pitch, 12:05 CST
Kansas City (20-20) 2, NY Yankees (21-19) 11
Winner: Masahiro Tanaka (4-1) Loser: Chance Adams (0-1) Save: None
HR-KC: Salvador Perez (8) HR-NYY: Aaron Hicks (8), Miguel Andujar 2 (6)

NO ANSWER FOR ANDUJAR

Miguel Andujar went 5-for-5 with a pair of homeruns and a career-best eight RBI as the Yankees pounded the Royals 11-2 to cap off a three-game road set in the Bronx. Andujar punished the Royals for seven hits in the series, going 7-for-10 with two doubles, three homeruns, and a walk.

Making his first appearance in New York since being traded from the Yankees roughly three weeks ago, Chance Adams was rolled from the game pretty early. He allowed five earned runs in just two and one-third innings, with the bullpen not faring much better the rest of the way out, allowing six earned runs in relief (four to Gabe Speier).

Nicky Lopez was 2-for-3 with a double, but otherwise the offensive output against Masahiro Tanaka was close to nil. Salvador Perez hit his eighth homerun against the Japanese-born star, and Alex Gordon had an RBI groundball out, but that was the extent of the offense the Royals were able to come up with.

THe Royals begin a two-game stretch at home with the Twins tomorrow night before their first day off on Wednesday since May 1st. Help is on the way, though, for the Royals as pitchers Bryan Brickhouse and Danny Duffy, along with Hunter Dozier, are expected to come off the disabled list in time to begin their four-game series at home with these same Yankees on Thursday.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (20-20) 2, NY Yankees (21-19) 11
LA Angels (26-16) 6, Toronto (15-27) 3
Texas (16-26) 0, Tampa Bay (30-11) 11
Chi. Sox (18-21) 5, Detroit (21-18) 0
San Diego (22-17) 9, Cleveland (22-19) 5
Baltimore (13-27) 4, Boston (20-21) 3
Minnesota (20-19) 7, Houston (30-11) 10
Oakland (10-29) 4, Seattle (23-18) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (21-21) 3, Chi. Cubs (27-14) 6
Pittsburgh (21-20) 6, Cincinnati (11-31) 2
NY Mets (20-21) 1, Atlanta (21-17) 4
Philadelphia (21-17) 3, Washington (24-16) 2 (Final/12)
San Francisco (19-21) 5, Milwaukee (30-12) 3
Miami (14-28) 1, St. Louis (15-26) 7
Colorado (20-20) 9, LA Dodgers (16-24) 0

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
RHP Garrett Richards (rotator cuff) placed on 15-day IL; retro to 05/13/2020

UP NEXT: Minnesota (20-19) @ Kansas City (20-20) -- 7:15 CST, May 18th, 2020

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

05/18: LHP Wade Miley (2-2, 3.66) vs LHP Luiz Gohara (1-1, 5.19)
05/19: RHP Jake Odorizzi (5-1, 4.34) vs RHP Jake Junis (2-3, 3.97)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, May 18th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Minnesota (20-20) 3, Kansas City (21-20) 10
Winner: Luiz Gohara (2-1) Loser: Wade Miley (2-3) Save: None
HR-MIN: Jonathan Schoop (3) HR-KC: Nicky Lopez (2), Bubba Starling (4)

OFFENSE COMES ALIVE WIN OVER TWINS

The lower-third of the Royals' order did most of the damage in the Royals' 10-3 victory over the Twins to begin a small two-game series with their division rivals. Adalberto Mondesi and Bubba Starling drove in three runs apiece, while Ryan McBroom went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Nicky Lopez also went 2-for-5 with a homerun; and in a pinch-hit appearance, Nick Heath doubled home a run in his first MLB at-bat against Daniel Mengden. Luiz Gohara notched his third straight quality start, going seven-plus innings while striking out six with just two hits and four walks allowed. He had not allowed a run up until that point, but left with two men on base and no outs in the eighth. They both came around to score on Jonathan Schoop's three-run homerun, which came against Scott Blewett.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (20-20) 3, Kansas City (21-20) 10
Tampa Bay (31-11) 6, Baltimore (13-28) 2
Texas (17-26) 12, Detroit (21-19) 7
Seattle (23-19) 3, Chi. Sox (19-21) 10
Houston (30-12) 1, LA Angels (27-16) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Philadelphia (21-18) 1, Chi. Cubs (28-14) 7
NY Mets (20-23) 0, San Diego (23-17) 5

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Mike Trout hits homerun #300 in 6-3 victory last night over Toronto

***ROYALS HEADLINES***

DOZIER TO REHAB INSTEAD OF RETURN? Infielder Hunter Dozier, who has been out the last two weeks on the injured list with a quad strain, will instead head to Omaha for a rehab assignment next week after a setback in his recovery, noted manager Mike Matheny. Matheny also stated that the organization wanted to use the opportunity get "a more detailed look" at first baseman Ryan McBroom, who has done nothing but hit when he's been on the active roster.

McBroom was acquired for international pool bonus money after the trade deadline from the Yankees last season, and despite a small sample size has been very good in his limited at-bats, hitting .359/.414/.578 with five doubles and three homeruns in seventy plate appearances.

Tuesday, May 19th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Minnesota (21-20) 3, Kansas City (21-21) 1
Winner: Jake Odorizzi (6-1) Loser: Jake Junis (2-4) Save: Andrew Vasquez (9)
HR-MIN: None HR-KC: Adalberto Mondesi (6)

ODORIZZI, TWINS STIFLE KANSAS CITY

Over seven-and-two-third innings, Jake Odorizzi dazzled the crowd at Kauffman Stadium with a two-hit performance as they dropped the Royals 3-1 in an offensive stinker for the home squad. Only Adalberto Mondesi's ninth-inning dinger against closer Andrew Vasquez kept the Royals from getting shut out of the scoring column.

His homerun was just one of three hits, and Mondesi had two of those three hits. He also singled in the first inning to lead off the Royals' half of the first. Kansas City didn't collect another hit until the eighth on a Ryan McBroom single, and Jorge Soler's fourth-inning walk was the team's only other baserunner the entire contest.

Jake Junis was dominant for five innings before being touched for three earned runs in the sixth. He was finally chased in the seventh after 101 pitches and one out, giving way to Scott Barlow, who allowed two hits in one inning with one strikeout. Jake Diekman pitched the final one and two-third scoreless innings.

The Royals have the day off tomorrow as they look to begin a four-game home series with the Yankees, who nearly pulled off the sweep against them last week had it not been for a wild pitch by Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning of Saturday night's game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (17-26) @ Detroit (21-19) -- PPD
Minnesota (21-20) 3, Kansas City (21-21) 1
Tampa Bay (32-11) 11, Baltimore (13-29) 6
Cincinnati (11-32) 1, Toronto (16-27) 6
Oakland (10-30) 5, Cleveland (23-19) 7
Seattle (23-20) 3, Chi. Sox (20-21) 7 (Final/15)
Houston (31-12) 3, LA Angels (27-17) 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (22-18) 5, Miami (15-28) 6 (Final/15)
Philadelphia (21-19) 1, Chi. Cubs (29-14) 5
Pittsburgh (22-20) 2, Milwaukee (30-13) 1
NY Yankees (21-20) 5, St. Louis (16-26) 6 (Final/12)
Boston (21-21) 7, Colorado (20-21) 3
Washington (24-17) 2, Arizona (22-21) 4
LA Dodgers (17-24) 6, San Francisco (19-22) 1
NY Mets (20-24) 1, San Diego (24-17) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Dodgers place RHP Anthony DeSclafani (shoulder) on 15-day IL, retro to 05/17/2020
Toronto transfers C Reese McGuire (ankle) to 60-day IL

UP NEXT: NY Yankees (21-20) @ Kansas City (21-21) -- 7:05 CST, May 21st, 2020

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

DUFFY, BRICKHOUSE ACTIVATED FROM IL
Dozier, Whit also scheduled to make returns in coming days/weeks
05/20/2020
By artoodeetoo

The Royals made a series of roster moves on Wednesday with the off-day, optioning right-handed pitchers Scott Barlow and Chance Adams to Triple-A Omaha to activate Danny Duffy and Bryan Brickhouse from the 15-day injured list. Both were dealing with lower throwing arm issues, with Duffy's being a forearm strain, while Brickhouse was on the shelf with a sore elbow.

Barlow's 4.29 ERA in roughly twenty-one innings with the Royals doesn't seem bad on the surface, but has a whopping 2.00 WHIP and a horrendous FIP of 6.52. He has more walks (20) than strikeouts (19), and his GB% slipped from a solid 52% in 2019 to just over 38% so far this season.

"Scott's just got to get some things right," manager Mike Matheny said about the right-hander a few days ago after his four-walk relief stint in the Royals' 10-6 win at New York on Saturday night. "He's just trying to throw the ball through the wall right now."

Acquired on May 1st from the Yankees, Adams had a great first start against Tampa Bay, allowing just one run over seven innings in a 5-3 Royals defeat. However, he was plagued with eight earned runs over his next two starts, with twelve hits and five walks to just six strikeouts over six and two-third innings.

Infielder Hunter Dozier was also scheduled to come off the IL today, but it appears he'll begin a rehab stint in the minors in the coming days, as he's still dealing with some residual pain from a right quad strain, according to manager Mike Matheny, who said that Dozier is about "70-75" percent at this point. Whit Merrifield is also scheduled to come off the injured list in a matter of days.

"We're getting back to full strength, or close to," said Matheny. "We've managed pretty well while they've been out, but we're obviously a better team with them on the field and producing."

Dayton Moore also agreed, along with Matheny, that they want to see Ryan McBroom with some extended playing time. Ryan O'Hearn has not progressed back into his 2018 form as hoped, and McBroom has a remarkable .358/.411/.567 line since he was acquired last August, albeit in seventy-three MLB plate appearances through yesterday's game.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

FIVE OBSERVATIONS
Musings from the first quarter of baseball in 2020
05/20/2020
By artoodeetoo

1. This might be the best defensive outfield the Royals have ever fielded.

And that's really saying something considering they had Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, and Jarrod Dyson roaming the K's outfield in the mid 2010's. But Gordon is still around and playing defensively at a high level, and Brett Phillips might be the best defensive CF in baseball when all is said and done after the season is over. The dude is just a highlight reel on wheels in center.

Bubba Starling has one of the strongest throwing arms in the league, and has the range of a CF playing in RF. I know the Royals want to get Jorge Soler playing time at both corners, but he is just too many orders of magnitude worse than the other three that I would be very hesitant to let Soler even bring a glove to the park going forward.

2. Adalberto Mondesi is going to smash the Royals' single-season stolen base record.

Mike Matheny even said it during spring training -- he was going to unleash him on the basepaths, and he has followed up in a big way. He's on pace to steal eighty-seven bases, which would best the Royals' single-season mark of eighty-two set by Willie Wilson back in 1982. Wilson actually has four of the five best single-season steal totals in team history, but Mondesi should threaten that as long as he 1) stays healthy, and 2) stays a Royal.

3. Maikel Franco as a potential long-term solution at third base.

Earlier this month, the Royals traded Jose Peraza to the Cubs to get Maikel Franco, and it's worked out pretty well for both sides. Franco has a couple of game-winning hits under his belt with the Royals, and hasn't been a butcher defensively at third base, which has always been a knock on him. The Cubs were interested in Peraza during the offseason, before the Royals tacked on an option year to get him to sign. The emergence of Breyvic Valera made Peraza expendable, so the move was made.

The bigger question is, though, do the Royals possibly make Franco a longer-term solution? He got off to a really slow start (although he was very good at drawing walks), heated up, and is now cooling back down; which tracks with how his career has gone. He's making less than $1MM this season, which at his current pace of production will be quite a bargain. Plus, Bobby Witt Jr., isn't walking through the door until 2022 at the earliest.

He'll be a free agent after this season, but aside from Kelvin Gutierrez, there really isn't anyone that's remotely ready to step in and man third base after this season. Gutierrez is a fine hitter, but there are questions about his bat, and whether or not it'll be enough for him to stick at third. He's really athletic with good range defensively, so there are some thoughts that he could shift to second or play the outfield.

4. Nicky Lopez has built on the late-season success from last year.

There was a time where I wasn't sure that Lopez was a big-league regular, but here we are in mid-May, and Lopez has a .328/.387/.448 line through 138 plate appearances. That's just outstanding. He's always been a great contact guy, but he's managed to drop his strikeout rate while simultaneously doubling his walk rate, which is rare in a young player.

The key for him has been adding some good weight, and he's added about ten pounds in the last season. It shows in his exit velo numbers, as it's jumped by about 6 MPH on average; and he has two homeruns already, as opposed to two all of last season. That jump in exit velo might not sound like a lot, but it's helping some balls find the outfield, whereas last year they might have found a glove -- or go over the fence, or into the gap.

5. Ryan O'Hearn's days are numbered -- at least in Kansas City.

With the news in the last few days that the Royals are looking for more at-bats for Ryan McBroom, it might spell the beginning of the end for Ryan O'Hearn, at least as a big-league regular with Kansas City. With almost 600 plate appearances at the MLB level, O'Hearn has progressively gotten worse since his 2018 debut, where he looked like a potential future standout at first base, at least someone that could keep the seat warm until Nick Pratto matures enough to take over.

Fast-forward to now, where he has a career OPS+ of 93; and just looks lost at the plate, even against right-handers, whom he has routinely smacked around no matter the level he played at. He has two options left, so he's likely to remain in the organization through this year, but he's running out of chances to figure things out. If McBroom can continue the success he's been on over an extended period of time, it's difficult to see a situation where O'Hearn plays regularly in a Royals uni again.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

STATS AND STANDINGS UPDATE