Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

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PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/27: LHP Cole Hamels (3-3, 6.85) vs RHP Jake Junis (9-7, 3.87)
07/28: RHP Peter Lambert (2-6, 5.28) vs RHP Brad Keller (5-6, 4.52)
07/29: LHP Brent Suter (8-7, 4.71) vs RHP Tanner Roark (5-7, 4.28)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, July 27th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Colorado (40-59) 2, Kansas City (49-49) 9
Winner: Jake Junis (10-7) Loser: Cole Hamels (3-4) Save: None
HR-COL: Ian Desmond (5), Nolan Arenado (21) HR-KC: Salvador Perez (18), Jorge Soler (27), Adalberto Mondesi (19), Hunter Dozier (13)

JUNIS, ROYALS DOMINANT

It was a tight contest in the early going, but the offensive firepower came fast and furious in the middle innings, as the Royals scored seven runs total in the fourth and fifth innings, including back-to-back-to-back solo homeruns in the fifth as the Royals blitzed the struggling Rockies 9-2 to get back to the .500 mark.

Jorge Soler took the AL lead in homeruns with one of the fifth inning homeruns, his 27th of the season. Adalberto Mondesi also inched closer to the 20-homerun mark with his 19th of the season, and Hunter Dozier followed Soler with his 13th.

Jake Junis became the first Royal to reach the 10-victory mark, working one hitter into the eighth before being pulled after a season-high 114 pitches. He struck out ten with just two walks and five hits scattered.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (37-64) 3, Detroit (50-49) 7
Colorado (40-59) 2, Kansas City (49-49) 9
Minnesota (49-50) 3, NY Yankees (55-47) 5
Toronto (41-61) 11, Boston (50-53) 4
Oakland (38-63) 0, LA Angels (61-42) 4
Houston (68-34) 9, Seattle (54-48) 8

[b]NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (66-34) 9, Chi. Cubs (63-38) 10
Washington (56-43) 5, Philadelphia (46-53) 4 (Final/16)
Miami (37-62) 1, NY Mets (54-48) 5
Atlanta (60-40) 1, St. Louis (35-66) 4
Cincinnati (38-63) 2, San Francisco (44-56) 0

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Mariners place RHP Garrett Richards (shoulder) on 15-day IL; could miss remainder of season
Nationals place LHP Patrick Corbin (elbow) on 60-day IL; could miss beginning of 2021 campaign
Rays place OF Austin Meadows (oblique) on 15-day IL; retro to 07/26/2020

Tuesday, July 28th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Colorado (40-60) 1, Kansas City (50-49) 9
Winner: Brad Keller (6-6) Loser: Peter Lambert (2-7) Save: None
HR-COL: None HR-KC: Jorge Soler (28)

KANSAS CITY WITH ANOTHER POUNDING

Just one day after his 25th birthday, Brad Keller tossed five innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts as the Royals put up another nine-spot in a 9-1 drubbing of the struggling Rox. The win pushed Keller's record to 6-6 after a string of disappointing outings, including a nine-earned run effort against the Indians last time out.

Jorge Soler hit his 28th homerun of the season, and has homered in his last three games. Brett Phillips went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, and a bases-clearing double in the first inning against Rox starter Peter Lambert, who hurt his own cause with a throwing error in the frame that led to five unearned runs (six total).

Former Royal Mike Montgomery faced his old squad for the first time since being traded less than a week ago, and performed admirably in relief of Lambert, going four and one-third innings while allowing just one run, the Soler bomb in the seventh. Kyle Zimmer and Robert Stephenson each tossed two scoreless stanzas in relief of Keller, striking out six total between them (Zimmer two, Stephenson four).

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Diego (55-47) 10, Chi. Sox (48-50) 3
Baltimore (37-65) 3, Detroit (51-49) 7
Colorado (40-60) 1, Kansas City (50-49) 9
Minnesota (49-51) 6, NY Yankees (56-47) 7 (Final/12)
Toronto (42-61) 18, Boston (50-54) 7
Oakland (39-63) 5, LA Angels (61-43) 4
Houston (69-34) 10, Seattle (54-49) 0

[b]NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (66-35) 3, Chi. Cubs (64-38) 4
Washington (56-44) 4, Philadelphia (47-53) 5 (Final/12)
Miami (38-62) 3, NY Mets (54-49) 2
Atlanta (61-40) 5, St. Louis (35-67) 1
Cincinnati (38-64) 7, San Francisco (45-56) 10
Texas (46-57) 3, Milwaukee (59-43) 4
Cleveland (53-49) 4, Arizona (51-52) 6
Pittsburgh (56-44) 4, LA Dodgers (53-48) 1

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
LHP Brent Suter traded from the Rockies to the Nationals for IF Drew Ward, RHP Reid Schaller
San Francisco trades RHP Aaron Sanchez to the Mariners for OF Ariel Sandoval
Baltimore, Toronto, Dodgers connect on three-team trade; RHP Cole Sulser, LHP Phil Coke head to LA
Marlins pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez to miss rest of season with hamstring injury
Diamondbacks RHP Matt Andriese (elbow) shut down; will have surgery
Rockies RHP Jeff Hoffman to return from rehab assignment

Wednesday, July 29th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Colorado (40-61) 6, Kansas City (51-49) 10
Winner: Jake Diekman (2-0) Loser: Cody Reed (3-8) Save: Bryan Brickhouse (2)
HR-COL: Charlie Blackmon (20), David Dahl (24) HR-KC: Maikel Franco (7), Breyvic Valera (2)

ROYALS CAP SERIES SWEEP WITH EMPHATIC VICTORY

Former Royal farmhand Cody Reed was met with six earned runs over two and one-third innings, chasing the young lefty from the game as the Royals would go on to win in dominating fashion by a 10-6 count. The win was their fourth straight, and have scored thirty-nine runs in the midst of this small win streak.

Already having traded Daniel Murphy to the Royals roughly a week earlier, the Rockies scratched scheduled starter Brent Suter from this one, as it was announced that he'd been traded to the Washington Nationals earlier in the morning for a couple of prospects in the wake of the news that Patrick Corbin would miss the remainder of 2020.

Maikel Franco reached base in all five plate appearances, walking twice, homering, and driving in three runs in a 3-for-3 day. Jorge Soler was 2-for-5 with an RBI double to his credit, and Breyvic Valera was 2-for-2 with his first career grand slam in the second inning. Every single Royal that appeared in the lineup reached base at least one time, and all but two of them scored at least once.

Bryan Brickhouse picked up the save after coming in for the eighth inning with the Royals up 7-5. Kansas City scored three more in the bottom of eighth, and Brickhouse worked around a one-out homerun from Charlie Blackmon to register his second save of the season.

They'll try to keep the winning ways alive as they host Detroit for a four-game series beginning tomorrow night that goes through the trading deadline. We don't expect the Royals to make any more moves, but keep it right here for the latest news.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Diego (56-47) 13, Chi. Sox (48-51) 2
Baltimore (37-66) 6, Detroit (52-49) 5 (Final/11)
Colorado (40-61) 6, Kansas City (51-49) 10
Minnesota (50-51) 6, NY Yankees (57-47) 1
Toronto (43-61) 9, Boston (50-55) 6
Oakland (39-64) 6, LA Angels (62-43) 11
Houston (70-34) 6, Seattle (54-50) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (67-35) 1, Chi. Cubs (64-39) 0
Washington (56-45) 3, Philadelphia (48-53) 4 (Final/11)
Miami (38-63) 1, NY Mets (55-49) 3
Atlanta (62-40) 11, St. Louis (35-68) 4
Cincinnati (38-65) 1, San Francisco (46-56) 5
Texas (46-58) 3, Milwaukee (60-43) 7
Cleveland (53-50) 2, Arizona (52-52) 3
Pittsburgh (57-44) 6, LA Dodgers (53-49) 5

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Yankees place OF Giancarlo Stanton (wrist) on 15-day IL; retro to 07/26/2020
Indians acquire C Alex Avila from the Rangers for IF Yordys Valdes and cash
Reds OF Jake Cave to return from rehab assignment to Triple-A

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

07/30: RHP Conner Greene (3-5, 3.54) vs RHP Jose De Leon (8-2, 3.54)
07/31: RHP Sandy Baez (3-12, 6.36) vs LHP Luiz Gohara (4-5, 5.43)
08/01: RHP Jake Thompson (3-5, 8.12) vs LHP Danny Duffy (3-6, 4.71)
08/02: LHP Matt Boyd (7-6, 2.89) vs RHP Jake Junis (10-7, 3.79)

GAME RECAPS

Thursday, July 30th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Detroit (52-50) 2, Kansas City (52-49) 13
Winner: Jose De Leon (9-2) Loser: Conner Greene (3-6) Save: None
HR-DET: Christin Stewart (23) HR-KC: Bubba Starling (5), Meibrys Viloria (2)

BATS STAY WHITE-HOT AS ROYALS ROLL

In a key divisional series, the Royals pushed their winning streak to five as they blitzed Detroit by a 13-2 score. All nine players who started collected at least one hit, with Meibrys Viloria, Bubba Starling, and Adalberto Mondesi leading the way. Mondesi tripled twice as part of his three-hit day, while Starling hit his fifth homerun of the season in the Royals' eight-run sixth.

Viloria was 3-for-5 with a homerun against Joe Jimenez in that big sixth inning, while Alex Gordon singled and tripled, driving in two and scoring twice himself. Jose De Leon got the start, and despite an early exit with neck stiffness, he managed to strike out six while allowing just two runs, which came courtesy of Christin Stewart's two-run bomb in the third. Jake Diekman and Taylor Cole each put up two scoreless innings apiece in relief of De Leon, who is now 9-2 on the season.

With the win, the Royals now actually have regained the divisional lead with Cleveland's loss to Minnesota last night. They hold the slimmest of margins over the Tigers and Indians, who both sit a half-game back with 52-50 and 53-51 records, respectively.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Detroit (52-50) 2, Kansas City (52-49) 13
Oakland (39-65) 10, Houston (71-34) 14
Baltimore (38-66) 2, Toronto (43-62) 0 (Final/10)
Minnesota (51-51) 5, Cleveland (53-51) 1
Tampa Bay (67-36) 1, Texas (47-58) 2
Chi. Sox (48-52) 3, LA Angels (63-43) 10

[b]NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (56-46) 1, Philadelphia (49-53) 4
Cincinnati (39-65) 2, San Francisco (46-57) 1
Pittsburgh (57-45) 0, LA Dodgers (54-49) 8

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Angels place RHP Lance Lynn (elbow) on 60-day IL
Dodgers activate RHP Anthony DeSclafani from 60-day IL; send to Triple-A for rehab work

Friday, July 31st, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Detroit (52-51) 7, Kansas City (53-49) 8 (Final/14)
Winner: Nicky Lopez (1-0) Loser: Matt Hall (4-4) Save: None
HR-DET: Grayson Greiner (3), Christin Stewart (24) HR-KC: Daniel Murphy (11)

ROYALS WIN IN WILD 14TH

Tied 5-5 after thirteen innings, the Tigers pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the 14th to take a 7-5 lead against Nicky Lopez, who had just entered the game as a pitcher due to the lack of rested relievers.

However, the Royals in true home fashion, scored three in the bottom of the ninth to give the Royals an 8-7 victory, rendering Lopez as the winning pitcher. Detroit didn't record an out until the final batter of the game, when Bubba Starling hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Brett Phillips, who scored on a two-run triple from Breyvic Valera, the batter prior.

Luiz Gohara allowed three earned over six innings, striking out six and scattering five hits and two walks. After that, the Royals had to use six relievers prior to Lopez's entrance. He's the second Royals position player to record a pitching victory this season, after Bubba Starling picked up a win back in April. It's the first time in team history two position players have recorded pitching wins in the same season.

Valera was 3-for-5 in the contest, driving in the two game-tying runs. Daniel Murphy also tied the game prior to extras, hitting a two-run homerun in the eighth to erase a 5-3 deficit. Adalberto Mondesi also drove in a pair, going 2-for-6.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Detroit (52-51) 7, Kansas City (53-49) 8 (Final/14)
Boston (51-55) 6, NY Yankees (56-49) 1
Oakland (39-66) 3, Houston (72-34) 15
Baltimore (39-66) 12, Toronto (43-63) 7 (Final/13)
Minnesota (51-52) 1, Cleveland (54-51) 7
Tampa Bay (68-36) 7, Texas (47-59) 4
Chi. Sox (48-53) 1, LA Angels (64-43) 13

[b]NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (35-69) 2, Pittsburgh (58-45) 3
Seattle (54-51) 4, Washington (57-46) 1
Atlanta (62-41) 3, NY Mets (56-49) 5
Chi. Cubs (65-39) 8, Colorado (40-62) 6 (Final/10)
Philadelphia (49-54) 0, LA Dodgers (55-49) 5
Arizona (52-53) 1, San Diego (57-47) 3
Milwaukee (61-43) 11, San Francisco (46-58) 1
Cincinnati (39-66) 2, Miami (39-63) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Justin Verlander (shoulder) placed on 60-day IL
Angels acquire RHP Sonny Gray from the Reds for OF Jo Adell, IF Matt Thaiss, OF David Popkins and PTBNL
Astros acquire LHP Daniel Norris from the Orioles for RHP Rogelio Armenteros

Saturday, August 1st, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Detroit (52-52) 1, Kansas City (54-49) 4
Winner: Jake Junis (11-7) Loser: Jake Thompson (3-6) Save: Richard Lovelady (19)
HR-DET: None HR-KC: Jorge Soler (29)

ROYALS CAP SERIES SWEEP WITH EMPHATIC VICTORY

Jake Junis carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning, surrendering a leadoff triple to Jesmuel Valentin, as the Royals won their seventh straight in a 4-1 victory over the visiting Tigers. Junis finished the eighth inning, allowing a run on a groundball out off the bat of Neil Walker.

Junis struck out six in the eight-inning effort, allowing just the one hit and one walk. Richard Lovelady inched closer to the 20-save mark, picking up #19 with a pair of strikeouts after giving up a leadoff single to Jake Robson.

Jorge Soler homered in the third, a longball of the three-run variety, to give the Royals a 3-0 advantage at the time. Whit Merrifield, Maikel Franco, and Nicky Lopez all had two hits in the winning cause.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Detroit (52-52) 1, Kansas City (54-49) 4
Boston (52-55) 12, NY Yankees (56-50) 8
Oakland (40-66) 7, Houston (72-35) 4 (Final/14)
Baltimore (40-66) 8, Toronto (43-64) 5
Minnesota (51-53) 3, Cleveland (55-51) 5
Tampa Bay (68-37) 1, Texas (48-59) 3
Chi. Sox (48-54) 2, LA Angels (65-43) 11

[b]NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (35-70) 0, Pittsburgh (59-45) 2
Seattle (54-52) 0, Washington (58-46) 1
Atlanta (63-41) 6, NY Mets (56-50) 0
Chi. Cubs (66-39) 15, Colorado (40-63) 0
Philadelphia (49-55) 10, LA Dodgers (56-49) 11 (Final/10)
Arizona (52-54) 3, San Diego (58-47) 4
Milwaukee (61-44) 4, San Francisco (47-58) 6
Cincinnati (39-67) 1, Miami (40-63) 8

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
White Sox claim LHP Jordan Mills off waivers from Toronto
Cardinals OF Dexter Fowler announces immediate retirement due to injuries

Sunday, August 2nd, 2020 - First pitch, 12:05 CST
Detroit (52-53) 4, Kansas City (55-49) 5
Winner: Bryan Brickhouse (2-1) Loser: James Pazos (1-3) Save: None
HR: None

THE GREAT EIGHT

Another game, another at-bat where Breyvic Valera played the hero. Valera twice put the Royals in front in this one, as he broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh with a hit, and drove in the winning run to walk the Tigers off in a 5-4 win, sweeping the Tigers out of Kansas City with four straight losses.

The win is the team's eighth in a row, setting a new season-high. They've completely erased the recent 2-8 road trip, and have catapulted into the top spot in the division. They sit a game-and-a-half ahead of the Indians, and three-and-a-half over the Tigers and Twins entering play tomorrow.

With eleven strikeouts in five innings, Brad Keller set a new career high in punchouts, but ended up not factoring in the decision as he left the game with the score tied at two. He wasn't completely sharp, allowing eight hits and two walks while running up an impressive 118 pitches in his short outing.

Bryan Brickhouse entered the game in the ninth for the save, as Richard Lovelady had pitched the last two nights. But he picked up the win after allowing the Tigers to tie the score in the ninth, his second win of the season. He allowed two runs and two baserunners in his one inning of work.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Detroit (52-52) 1, Kansas City (54-49) 4
Boston (52-55) 12, NY Yankees (56-50) 8
Oakland (40-66) 7, Houston (72-35) 4 (Final/14)
Baltimore (40-66) 8, Toronto (43-64) 5
Minnesota (51-53) 3, Cleveland (55-51) 5
Tampa Bay (68-37) 1, Texas (48-59) 3
Chi. Sox (48-54) 2, LA Angels (65-43) 11

[b]NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
St. Louis (35-70) 0, Pittsburgh (59-45) 2
Seattle (54-52) 0, Washington (58-46) 1
Atlanta (63-41) 6, NY Mets (56-50) 0
Chi. Cubs (66-39) 15, Colorado (40-63) 0
Philadelphia (49-55) 10, LA Dodgers (56-49) 11 (Final/10)
Arizona (52-54) 3, San Diego (58-47) 4
Milwaukee (61-44) 4, San Francisco (47-58) 6
Cincinnati (39-67) 1, Miami (40-63) 8

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Red Sox claim C Chris Iannetta off waivers from Oakland
D-Backs activate 3B Eduardo Escobar from the 60-day IL

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

ROYALS MAILBAG
International prospects, Bobby Witt amongst topics
08/03/2020
By artoodeetoo

How much of the credit for this season should Mike Matheny get?

I was critical of the Matheny hire from the beginning, but he's been much, much better than I expected to this point. Having Salvador Perez back and contributing is a big help, but the guys are all pretty loose, they look like they are having fun, and he's getting career seasons from the key guys that he needed to get them from. For some managers, a chance to step away from the game and look at it from a more macro view can re-calibrate their focus, and it appears that Matheny might be one of those skippers.

People thought Adalberto Mondesi would be better if he remained healthy throughout the season, but he's become one of the top handful of players in the game right now, and a legitimate MVP candidate. Jake Junis and Jose De Leon comprise one of the top one-two rotation combos in the American League, and both Brett Phillips and Bubba Starling look like legitimate MLB contributors, with Phillips especially a borderline elite player in terms of WAR. Jorge Soler is having a slightly worse over 2019, but still impressive year serving as the team's DH.

I'm still not convinced this is a great team, mainly because they're just a bad, bad road squad. Tampa, Houston, the Angels, and I would even put the Yankees and Mariners at least at their level or slightly ahead, but I don't think this Royals team is going to be one anyone wants to play at Kauffman, because they're deadly good at home. They're just a different team on the road for some odd reason that I can't put my finger on.

Did the Royals do enough at the deadline?

He's no Matt Olson or Dominic Smith, but Daniel Murphy is a worthy pickup. They got rid of Mike Montgomery's salary hit, and I'm not sure Scott Barlow is an MLB-caliber pitcher. He has a $12MM mutual option for next year that has 0% chance of the Royals executing, so he's basically a rental. I was secretly hoping that the Mets would fall off a cliff, making Smith more expendable, but it did not work out that way. He's way too talented to be sitting on the bench up there, and I'd hate to see a 1B-needy team like the Twins at some point make a bold move for him in front of the Royals, who are just as, if not more, 1B-needy.

On the other hand -- I like the Stephenson and Cole acquisitions less, because they have young guys in the upper minors that they need to see if they have anything at the MLB level, but they're both controllable assets still. Stephenson is a recent example of the starter-turned-reliever trend, as his stuff just plays way better in a one or two-inning role.

Does Mondesi get an extension in the offseason? And what would it mean for Bobby Witt, Jr.?

I'd have to think getting Adalberto under lock-and-key for the next half-dozen years or so is priority number-one this offseason. He's on track for 200 hits, thirty doubles, fifteen triples, twenty-five homeruns, and eighty steals. No one in the history of the game has put up that kind of season, and he's at a point where he could do that most years if he stays healthy.

And no, I don't think that it would affect the younger Witt too much. There's some concern that the power tool has not been as hoped at this point in his development, but he's still put up a solid line of .285/.348/.411 with twenty-five doubles, twenty steals, and seven homeruns through roughly 475 PA with the Lexington Legends in Single-A ball.

Mondesi's offensive explosion has also re-ignited talk of him moving to the outfield, or even third base, to make room for Witt when the time comes. Witt has played about 40% of his innings at third base, so there's also some opportunity for him there at the MLB level. Witt could also play left or right field, as his arm strength would play well at either spot.

Have we seen the best of Whit Merrifield? Is this truly his last year with the Royals?

I think we need to see him back and healthy again before we make a determination on that. If he's healthy and still putting up the anemic numbers he has been, then there's cause for concern. With Nicky Lopez's emergence as a legitmate MLB hitter, and the young crop of outfielders that are on the cusp of making the big league roster in the next twelve months; he's going to become less valuable to the Royals, and teams are going to sense that, which will harm his value on the open market.

Out of anyone on this roster, he's in the most need of a BIG next couple of months. If he bounces back and puts up good numbers in Aug/Sept and leads the Royals to a division title, his value shoots back up, as he'll likely be the front-runner to take over in left field for Alex Gordon in 2021.

Sadly though, I think the Royals have missed their best chance to get the most value out of him. The best time would have been last year before the deadline, and then they had a shot this past offseason. At this point, unless he gets that bounce-back, I'm finding it hard to believe they'll get as much had they pulled the trigger on a deal already. At the time, Dayton Moore wanted the moon for him, and it appeared that San Diego was willing to give up quite a bit (e.g., Michel Baez and Adrian Morejon), but Moore pushed for a deal that included McKenzie Gore (reportedly), and talks fell apart from there.

His wildly team-friendly contract and still-considerable skills will still draw considerable interest this offseason, but Moore's not going to get the type of return he thought he could get this time last year.

Who are some of the international signees we should be watching out for?

As you may or may not know, the last day to sign international players is today, along with the 2020 draft picks. The minors/international guys aren't my area, but the one or two they're really high on are Cuban outfielder Roberto Campos, who has been compared to Jorge Soler; and pitcher Chris Cruz out of the Dominican, who is a long, lanky guy with an electric fastball and fall-off-the-table curve, but needs to develop a third pitch if he wants to be a starting pitcher.

Another pitcher they reportedly like, but doesn't have the fanfare of the previous two is Aussie right-hander Quinton Darke, a 16-year old who already throws five pitches and has the frame to front-line a rotation down the road (plus, he'll make the All-Name team every year).

The bigger news out of the international arena this week is that outfielder Erick Pena, last year's big international signee, is going to be set to begin his pro career later this week with the lower-level Royals' Dominican League team. They are 15-34 with a team BA of below .200, and have very little in the way of legitimate MLB prospects at this juncture.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/04: LHP David Price (7-6, 3.49) vs LHP Danny Duffy (3-6, 4.71)
08/05: RHP Dennis Santana (7-6, 5.03) vs RHP Jose De Leon (9-2, 3.54)
08/06: LHP Clayton Kershaw (0-0, 0.00) vs RHP Tanner Roark (5-7, 4.54)

GAME RECAPS

Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
LA Dodgers (56-51) 2, Kansas City (56-49) 4
Winner: Robert Stephenson (4-4) Loser: David Price (7-7) Save: Richard Lovelady (20)
HR-LAD: None HR-KC: Salvador Perez (19), Hunter Dozier (14)

PEREZ, ROYALS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS

Salvador Perez broke a 1-1 tie with a two-out three-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh, and the Royals eventually went on to win by a 4-2 score over the visiting Dodgers. A throwing error with two outs by third baseman Justin Turner led to Perez's plate appearance, and he tagged a 2-1 fastball from David Price just over the left field wall for the decisive blow.

Los Angeles managed to push a run across in the eighth, but Richard Lovelady worked around a leadoff double by Will Smith to pick up his 20th save of the season. In his first start since returning from the disabled list, Danny Duffy fanned eight in five innings, but allowed nine hits and two walks with his ninety-seven pitches.

"I wanted to take him out after four, but he was adamant that he felt good," said manager Mike Matheny. "A veteran guy like that, I'm going to trust him that he trusts his body, his arm."

It's the ninth straight win, the longest win streak for the Royals since they last won the World Series in 2015. They've also won 12 of their last 16 home games, dating back to July 3rd.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Cubs (67-41) 8, Baltimore (40-68) 3
LA Dodgers (56-51) 2, Kansas City (56-49) 4
Boston (53-56) 7, Toronto (45-64) 15
NY Yankees (57-52) 6, Cleveland (56-53) 4
Chi. Sox (48-57) 3, Texas (51-59) 4
Seattle (54-54) 5, Minnesota (53-53) 6 (Final/10)
NY Mets (57-51) 1, Houston (74-35) 11
LA Angels (66-44) 2, Oakland (41-67) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (69-39) 3, Pittsburgh (61-46) 10
Atlanta (64-42) 6, Washington (59-47) 4
Milwaukee (61-47) 1, Cincinnati (41-68) 8
Philadelphia (51-56) 2, Miami (42-64) 4
Detroit (52-54) 2, Colorado (43-63) 5
Arizona (52-57) 2, San Francisco (50-58) 10
St. Louis (36-71) 6, San Diego (59-48) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Blue Jays activate IF Bo Bichette; will send to Triple-A for rehab stint
Cardinals claim LHP Brian Moran off waivers from the Reds

Wednesday, August 5th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
LA Dodgers (56-52) 1, Kansas City (57-49) 4
Winner: Luiz Gohara (5-5) Loser: Dennis Santana (7-7) Save: Connor Sadzeck (2)
HR-LAD: None HR-KC: Jorge Soler (30)

WIN STREAK REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS!

Jose De Leon and Dennis Santana were locked in a fierce pitcher's duel, with the Dodgers claiming a 1-0 lead after five and one-half innings. But a two-run homerun off Santana in the sixth, and then a two-run double by Hunter Dozier in the seventh to push across two more runs proved to be too much for the visiting Dodgers in a 4-1 Royals' victory.

A tense moment for the Royals came in the fifth inning, with De Leon leaving after just four and two-third innings with what was termed a sore elbow. No one with the Royals expects him to be out for any serious length of time, and that includes manager Mike Matheny. De Leon had struck out six with just a pair of walks at the time. Luiz Gohara picked up the victory in relief, evening his record at 5-5.

Closer Richard Lovelady came on in the ninth for the save, as he had to leave early with a finger issue. He allowed one hit and walk apiece, with one strikeout, facing just three hitters. Connor Sadzeck picked up the slack, though, and earned the save. It was just his second save of the season.

The Royals will try to make it eleven in a row tomorrow with Tanner Roark on the bump, as Clayton Kershaw makes his second start of 2020 to oppose him. On August 1st against the Phillies, Kershaw allowed two unearned runs over two and two-third innings, allowing just one hit while striking out seven in a strong return to the mound. He left early with a finger blister issue; one that may keep him out of tomorrow's start.

Kershaw missed most of last season, and all of 2020 to this point after elbow ligament surgery (non-TJ) on his pitching elbow back in mid-September of 2019. He actually was not expected to pitch in 2020, but returned nearly a month ahead of schedule, rather.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Chi. Cubs (68-41) 2, Baltimore (40-69) 0
LA Dodgers (56-52) 1, Kansas City (57-49) 4
Boston (53-57) 2, Toronto (46-64) 5
NY Yankees (57-53) 4, Cleveland (57-53) 5
Chi. Sox (48-58) 3, Texas (52-59) 11
Seattle (54-55) 5, Minnesota (54-53) 6
NY Mets (57-52) 3, Houston (75-35) 5
LA Angels (67-44) 5, Oakland (41-68) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (65-42) 5, Washington (59-48) 4
Milwaukee (61-48) 2, Cincinnati (42-68) 3
Philadelphia (51-57) 2, Miami (43-64) 3
Detroit (53-54) 5, Colorado (43-64) 1
Arizona (52-58) 3, San Francisco (51-58) 8
St. Louis (37-71) 6, San Diego (59-49) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cubs activate LHP Jon Lester from the 60-day injured list; will rehab at Triple-A
White Sox activate RHP Lucas Giolito from the IL; will not rehab in minors

Thursday, August 6th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
LA Dodgers (56-53) 1, Kansas City (58-49) 5 (Final/12)
Winner: Taylor Cole (2-1) Loser: Brian Schlitter (0-6) Save: None
HR-LAD: Mookie Betts (21) HR-KC: None

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

With Clayton Kershaw's start pushed back a day, the Royals squared off against Joe Kelly, who served as the opener for the Dodgers. Kansas City tagged rookie Sean Wymer for three runs over six innings, but would eventually have to settle the contest in extra innings as the Royals won their 11th in a row, winning 5-4 in twelve frames.

Hunter Dozier's sacrifice fly with one out in the 12th brought home the game-winner, and the Royals have now opened up a 2.5 game lead over second-place Cleveland in the division, and Minnesota is only 3.5 down. The Tigers and White Sox appear to be fading, now 5.5 and 9.5 down, respectively.

It's also the first clean sweep of an entire homestand of nine or more games in over two decades. The current eleven-game winning streak, in addition, is the longest since the strike-shortened 1994 season, where they won fourteen in a row to finish 64-51 that year.

"There's still so much baseball to be played, though," said manager Mike Matheny, who also brushed off any credit for the team's successes in recent weeks. "The divisional races in the way that the unbalanced schedules are set up should keep us on our toes."

Dozier was 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored, while Nicky Lopez, Brett Phillips, and Jorge Soler all had two hits. Mookie Betts hit his 21st homerun of the season for Los Angeles, and his second since coming over from the Red Sox back in early July.

Royals' injury woes also continued to pile up, as starter Tanner Roark left with a neck strain in the fourth inning. That said, Matheny noted that it would not likely keep him out for more than one start, if any at all.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (56-53) 4, Kansas City (58-49) 5 (Final/12)
Boston (53-58) 0, Toronto (47-64) 6
NY Yankees (58-53) 4, Tampa Bay (69-40) 1
Seattle (54-56) 8, Minnesota (55-53) 9 (Final/10)
NY Mets (57-53) 4, Houston (76-35) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (65-43) 1, Washington (60-48) 2
Miami (43-65) 2, Arizona (53-58) 8
Detroit (53-55) 8, Colorado (44-64) 9
St. Louis (37-72) 0, San Diego (60-49) 2
Pittsburgh (62-46) 7, Milwaukee (61-49) 6 (Final/11)

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cubs activate 3B Kris Bryant off the injured list
San Francisco places C Buster Posey (wrist) on 15-day IL, retro to 08/04/2020
Tigers activate C Francisco Cervelli off the injured list

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/07: RHP Jake Junis (11-7, 3.63) vs RHP Jacob Nix (9-3, 3.40)
08/08: RHP Brad Keller (6-6, 4.32) vs RHP Jacob Faria (6-5, 3.18)
08/09: LHP Danny Duffy (3-6, 4.52) vs RHP Chris Paddack (7-5, 3.14)

GAME RECAPS

Friday, August 7th, 2020 - First pitch, 9:05 CST
Kansas City (58-50) 1, San Diego (61-49) 2
Winner: Jacob Nix (10-3) Loser: Jake Junis (11-8) Save: Trey Wingenter (20)
HR-KC: None HR-SD: Hunter Renfroe (20), Franchy Cordero (12)

PADRES SNAP K.C.'S WIN STREAK AT ELEVEN

Behind seven shutout innings from right-hander Jacob Nix, the NL West-leading Padres held the resurgent Royals' offense in check, as they took a 2-1 victory over the Royals on Friday night. Nix scattered five hits and a walk over seven, as he fanned five in the process.

Jake Junis was valiant in the defeat, but gave up a couple of solo homeruns that doomed him -- one to Hunter Renfroe in the first, and another to Franchy Cordero in the fourth. Otherwise, he allowed just two runs on three hits over six innings, striking out five with a goose egg in the walks column.

Whit Merrifield, who is off to a flying start in August, was 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base, his 20th of the season. Daniel Murphy was 3-for-4 with his first triple as a Royal in the second inning, but failed to score from third with less than two outs.

Brad Keller, coming off a couple of strong outings, will look to make it a third strong start in a row as the Padres will counter with 2020 All-Star Jacob Faria.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Toronto (48-64) 10, Baltimore (40-70) 6
NY Yankees (59-53) 1, Tampa Bay (69-41) 0
Cleveland (58-53) 6, Detroit (53-56) 3
Texas (53-59) 7, Minnesota (55-54) 4 (Final/12)
Chi. Sox (49-58) 9, Oakland (41-69) 6
LA Angels (68-44) 6, Seattle (54-57) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
San Francisco (51-59) 1, Chi. Cubs (69-41) 2
Kansas City (58-50) 1, San Diego (61-49) 2
St. Louis (38-72) 2, Cincinnati (42-69) 0
LA Dodgers (57-53) 7, Philadelphia (51-58) 0
NY Mets (57-54) 1, Atlanta (66-43) 6
Pittsburgh (63-46) 8, Milwaukee (61-50) 5
Miami (43-66) 0, Arizona (54-58) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Dodgers activate RHP Anthony DeSclafani from rehab assignment; add RHP Marshall Kasowski (neck) to 15-day IL
Pirates place LHP Ian Krol (elbow) on 60-day IL; will have TJ surgery

Saturday, August 8th, 2020 - First pitch, 9:05 CST
Kansas City (58-51) 3, San Diego (62-49) 4
Winner: Jacob Faria (7-5) Loser: Brad Keller (6-7) Save: Luis Perdomo (6)
HR-KC: None HR-SD: Fernando Tatis Jr. (14)

FURIOUS NINTH-INNING RALLY FALLS JUST SHORT

Down 4-0 in the top of the ninth, the Padres seemingly had it on cruise control with newcomer Anthony Swarzak on the mound, making his first appearance with the Padres after being acquired just before the deadline, after having been out while battling an illness.

His first impression couldn't have gone worse. After recording outs against two of the first three hitters, a walk and three straight singles brought home two runs, while a wild pitch brought home a third to pull the Royals to within just one with the bases still loaded and two out. But Luis Perdomo got Adalberto Mondesi to ground out to third to end the rally and the contest, with the Royals falling 4-3.

Jacob Faria picked up the victory with eight shutout innings. He only struck out four, but picked up nine groundball outs, and didn't allow a single Kansas City baserunner past second base in his entire outing.

Brad Keller fell to 6-7, but pitched well in his five and one-third innings of work, striking out six with just one walk. He allowed three runs while scattering five hits.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (45-64) 6, Boston (53-59) 4
NY Yankees (60-53) 3, Tampa Bay (69-42) 0
Cleveland (59-53) 2, Detroit (53-57) 1
Toronto (48-65) 6, Baltimore (41-70) 10
Texas (53-60) 2, Minnesota (56-54) 6
Washington (61-48) 9, Houston (76-36) 0
Chi. Sox (49-59) 2, Oakland (42-69) 7
LA Angels (68-45) 0, Seattle (55-57) 2

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (57-53) @ Philadelphia (51-58) -- PPD
San Francisco (52-59) 14, Chi. Cubs (69-42) 4
Kansas City (58-51) 3, San Diego (62-49) 4
St. Louis (38-73) 5, Cincinnati (43-69) 6
NY Mets (58-54) 4, Atlanta (66-44) 1
Pittsburgh (64-46) 13, Milwaukee (61-51) 7
Miami (44-66) 11, Arizona (54-59) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
RHP Michael Wacha claimed off waivers by Oakland from Detroit
Tigers activate RHP Beau Burrows (shoulder) from 60-day IL

Thursday, August 6th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
LA Dodgers (56-53) 1, Kansas City (58-49) 5 (Final/12)
Winner: Taylor Cole (2-1) Loser: Brian Schlitter (0-6) Save: None
HR-LAD: Mookie Betts (21) HR-KC: None

ROAD WOES CONTINUE IN ONE-RUN DEFEAT

Brett Phillips hit a pair of homeruns, but his two blasts weren't enough to stave off the road sweep as the Royals dropped yet another one-run contest to the Padres, again by a 4-3 count. Danny Duffy surrendered a trio of homeruns himself, leaving after just five and two-third innings. He was tagged for four runs, striking out just one with eight hits and one strikeout.

Behind Chris Paddack's six innings, the Padres used four relievers to shut the door on the Royals as Liam Hendriks picked up his 16th save. Paddack struck out six over six innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits to pick up his eighth victory.

Kansas City continues to pull a Jekyll-and-Hyde act between home and road games, as they've lost eleven of their last thirteen road contests. This latest road sweep comes on the heels of a clean sweep of a ten-game homestand, sweeping the Rockies, Tigers, and Dodgers overlapping from late July through Thursday.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (45-65) 1, Boston (54-59) 4
NY Yankees (61-53) 7, Tampa Bay (69-43) 4
Cleveland (60-53) 8, Detroit (53-58) 2
Toronto (48-66) 5, Baltimore (42-70) 6 (Final/10)
Texas (53-61) 4, Minnesota (57-54) 9
Washington (61-49) 2, Houston (77-36) 3 (Final/13)
Chi. Sox (49-60) 3, Oakland (43-69) 4
LA Angels (68-46) 4, Seattle (56-57) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (57-54) 3, Philadelphia (52-58) 4 (G1)
LA Dodgers (58-54) 5, Philadelphia (52-59) 4 (G2, Final/10)
San Francisco (52-60) 1, Chi. Cubs (70-42) 9
Kansas City (58-52) 3, San Diego (63-49) 4
St. Louis (39-73) 6, Cincinnati (43-70) 3
NY Mets (59-54) 5, Atlanta (66-45) 3 (Final/10)
Pittsburgh (65-46) 6, Milwaukee (61-52) 4
Miami (45-66) 5, Arizona (54-60) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Toronto activates IF Bo Bichette, RHP T.J. Zeuch off rehab assignments

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/10: RHP Jose De Leon (9-2, 3.47) vs RHP Matt Foster (2-9, 4.30)
08/10: RHP Tanner Roark (5-7, 4.63) vs RHP Lucas Giolito (4-1, 2.78)
08/11: RHP Heath Fillmyer (1-1, 4.34) vs RHP Jake Arrieta (8-10, 5.70)
08/12: RHP Jake Junis (11-8, 3.60) vs RHP Michael Kopech (5-8, 5.06)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, August 10th, 2020 - First pitch, 1:05 CST
Kansas City (58-53) 0, Chicago (50-60) 2 (G1)
Winner: Matt Foster (3-9) Loser: Jose De Leon (9-3) Save: Aaron Bummer (21)
HR-KC: None HR-CHW: Nomar Mazara (27)

Monday, August 10th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (58-54) 2, Chicago (51-60) 12 (G2)
Winner: Lucas Giolito (5-1) Loser: Tanner Roark (5-8) Save: Evan Reed (1)
HR: None

WHITE SOX TAKE BOTH ENDS OF DAY-NIGHT TWINBILL

Behind a huge offensive spurt in the second game, the White Sox outscored the Royals 14-2 in the two-game doubleheader; winning 2-0 in the afternoon tilt, and 12-2 in the nightcap. The Royals have now lost five in a row, all on the road, on the heels of an eleven-game winning streak that began with a road win at Boston nearly two weeks ago. The Royals have now lost thirteen of their last fifteen road games, and have the worst road record in the American League (only St. Louis is worse).

In the afternoon game, Jose De Leon and Matt Foster dueled until the sixth inning, when the White Sox pushed across a pair of runs to make the score 2-0, including a solo Nomar Mazara homerun. However, the Royals' bats never got going as three Chicago pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout. De Leon fanned six over six innings, but fell to 9-3 on the season thanks to an offense that has fallen on hard times so far on the road trip.

Whit Merrifield and Alex Gordon were the only Royals to collect hits in the first game, while Maikel Franco was 0-for-2 with a walk. Mazara had three hits for the White Sox. The win for Foster was just his third of the season against nine losses.

The nightcap went much, much worse for the Royals. Chicago scored in five of their eight half-innings on their way to a 12-2 drubbing of Kansas City. Lucas Giolito made his second start since coming off the injured list, and was strong with four strikeouts over six innings, allowing just a pair of runs.

The White Sox pounded out fifteen hits and walked nine times, with the latter a season-high. Hitting in the DH slot, Eloy Jimenez drove in three runs on a 3-for-5 night, scoring twice. Tim Anderson also had three hits with a pair of runs scored and a stolen base. Evan Reed relieved Giolito after his six innings, and allowed just one hit over three innings, striking out three.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Kansas City (58-53) 0, Chi. Sox (50-60) 2 (G1)
Kansas City (58-54) 2, Chi. Sox (51-60) 12 (G2)
NY Yankees (62-53) 5, Boston (54-60) 3
Arizona (55-60) 3, Detroit (53-59) 1
Cleveland (61-53) 6, Toronto (48-67) 1
Baltimore (42-71) 0, Tampa Bay (70-43) 4
Oakland (43-70) 7, Minnesota (58-54) 9

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (61-53) 4, Washington (62-49) 5 (G1, Final/10)
Washington (63-49) 14, Milwaukee (61-54) 7 (G2)
Houston (78-36) 5, Atlanta (66-46) 1
NY Mets (59-55) 2, Philadelphia (53-59) 3
Texas (53-62) 1, Miami (46-66) 3
San Francisco (52-61) 2, St. Louis (40-73) 3
San Diego (64-49) 7, Chi. Cubs (70-43) 6
Colorado (46-65) 5, LA Dodgers (58-55) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Boston RHP Stephen Strasburg (elbow) to have surgery; could miss first half of 2021
Angels send LHP Sean Doolittle on rehab assignment to Triple-A
Cubs place RHP Kyle Hendricks (forearm) on 15-day IL; retro to 08/09/2020

Tuesday, August 11th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (58-55) 1, Chicago (52-60) 2
Winner: Jordan Mills (2-3) Loser: Heath Fillmyer (1-2) Save: Jace Fry (4)
HR-KC: None HR-CHW: Tim Anderson (9)

FILLMYER FANTASTIC; OFFENSE CONTINUES TO SPUTTER IN LOSS

Called up to give Jake Junis a fifth day of rest, Heath Fillmyer gave the Royals seven strong innings, but the bats ultimately failed to support him as Kansas City dropped a 2-1 decision to the White Sox. It's the sixth straight defeat, and their 14th road loss in their last sixteen road contests.

Fillmyer, who was recalled in favor of the recently acquired Taylor Cole, allowed just two earned runs with four strikeouts over his seven brilliant innings of work. The currently offensively-challenged Royals didn't manage to push across any runs until the ninth, when they took advantage of not one, but two Tim Anderson errors to plate the lone run.

Pitching on four days' rest, Jake Arrieta held the Royals in check over four and two-third innings, fanning seven with just two hits scattered and a pair of walks (no runs allowed). Anderson did provide one of the White Sox' two runs, a solo bomb in the second inning. Yoan Moncada doubled home a run in the fifth for what turned out to be the game-clincher.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (55-60) @ Detroit (53-59) -- PPD
Kansas City (58-55) 1, Chi. Sox (52-60) 2
NY Yankees (63-53) 7, Boston (54-61) 5
Pittsburgh (65-47) 1, LA Angels (69-46) 9
Cincinnati (44-70) 9, Seattle (56-58) 2
Cleveland (62-53) 2, Toronto (48-68) 1
Baltimore (42-72) 0, Tampa Bay (71-43) 3
Oakland (43-71) 5, Minnesota (59-54) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (64-49) 12, Milwaukee (61-55) 4 (Final/11)
Houston (79-36) 9, Atlanta (66-47) 2
NY Mets (59-56) 0, Philadelphia (54-59) 2
Texas (53-63) 1, Miami (47-66) 9
San Francisco (52-62) 7, St. Louis (41-73) 8
San Diego (64-50) 3, Chi. Cubs (71-43) 4
Colorado (46-66) 2, LA Dodgers (59-55) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Rockies SS Trevor Story (ribs) placed on 15-day IL; retro to 08/10/2020
Brewers LHP Josh Hader (shoulder) placed on 60-day IL

Wednesday, August 12th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (58-56) 4, Chi. Sox (53-60) 6 (Final/11)
Winner: Kelvin Herrera (6-5) Loser: Luiz Gohara (5-6) Save: None
HR-KC: None HR-CHW: Brett Gardner (14), Brian Dozier (14), Jose Abreu (12)

ROAD WOES CONTINUE IN ONE-RUN DEFEAT

Whit Merrifield drove in Jorge Soler with an 11th inning RBI single to give the Royals a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the 11th, but Jose Abreu had other plans, dropping a three-run, pinch-hit, walk-off bomb to send the Royals to their seventh straight defeat by a 6-4 count. The last seven losses have all been on the road.

Merrifield led the Royals with three hits, including that go-ahead single in the 11th. Maikel Franco also had three hits, including an RBI hit. Jake Junis was solid over his seven innings, allowing just three runs; although he struck out only two hitters. It is the lowest total of the season in starts which he went at least five innings.

The slate doesn't get any easier, even with the shift to a homestand beginning on Friday night with the Houston Astros, who own baseball's best record. After the day off, Brad Keller will likely oppose Lance McCullers Jr., who is dealing with a minor finger issue. First pitch will take place at 7:05 CST.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (55-61) 0, Detroit (54-59) 1 (G1)
Arizona (55-62) 1, Detroit (55-59) 11 (G2)
Kansas City (58-56) 4, Chi. Sox (53-60) 6 (Final/11)
NY Yankees (63-54) 2, Boston (55-61) 6
Pittsburgh (65-48) 4, LA Angels (70-46) 5
Cincinnati (44-71) 9, Seattle (57-58) 2
Cleveland (63-53) 6, Toronto (48-69) 5 (Final/11)
Baltimore (43-72) 8, Tampa Bay (71-44) 7
Oakland (43-72) 3, Minnesota (60-54) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (64-50) 13, Milwaukee (62-55) 14
Houston (80-36) 5, Atlanta (66-48) 2
NY Mets (60-56) 15, Philadelphia (54-60) 4
San Francisco (53-62) 4, St. Louis (41-74) 2
San Diego (64-51) 0, Chi. Cubs (72-43) 3
Colorado (46-67) 2, LA Dodgers (60-55) 9

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
RHP Charlie Morton (oblique) placed on 15-day IL; retro to 08/11/2020
Twins release 1B C.J. Cron

[speels]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

It's been a rough go since the 11 game win streak. Hopefully it's just a lull and the winning starts again soon. I really enjoy this franchise and would love to see some updated standing to see what is possible for this team.

Keep up the great work!!

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

MLB STANDINGS/STATS UPDATE

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

It's been a rough go since the 11 game win streak. Hopefully it's just a lull and the winning starts again soon. I really enjoy this franchise and would love to see some updated standing to see what is possible for this team.

Keep up the great work!!

I'm going to write a short piece at some point on the home/road split this team has -- it's bizarre. thx for reading

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/14: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (10-6, 3.74) vs RHP Brad Keller (6-7, 4.36)
08/15: RHP Zack Greinke (9-6, 4.00) vs LHP Danny Duffy (3-7, 4.64)
08/16: LHP Framber Valdez (5-1, 2.06) vs RHP Jose De Leon (9-3, 3.44)

GAME RECAPS

Friday, August 14th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Houston (80-37) 2, Kansas City (59-56) 13
Winner: Brad Keller (7-7) Loser: Lance McCullers Jr. (10-7) Save: None
HR-HOU: None HR-KC: Whit Merrifield 2 (5), Adalberto Mondesi (20)

BATS COME ALIVE TO KICK OFF HOMESTAND

Playing under the lights of the 'K' appears to be the magic panacea for this particular Royals' squad, as they lit up the Astros for a baker's dozen runs in a 13-2 drubbing of the Astros to kick off a short six-game homestand. The Royals chased Lance McCullers, Jr., after just one and one-third innings, allowing six runs on seven hits. All of the Royals' runs that McCullers allowed came in the second inning, led by a two-run double from Nicky Lopez, and a solo homerun off the bat of Whit Merrifield.

Merrifield also homered in the third inning, and went 4-for-6 for the contest, driving in four runs and hitting two homeruns, both season-bests. Every Royal that played collected at least one hit, and all but one (Hunter Dozier) scored at least once. Adalberto Mondesi reached the 20-homerun plateau with a two-run bomb in the seventh. Meanwhile, the Astros managed just three hits for the entire contest, although they were helped out by some shoddy defense for one of their runs.

Brad Keller picked up the victory, although it wasn't an easy one. In six and two-third innings, he allowed just three hits, but walked a season-high seven, striking out five in the process. Tim Hill pitched to one hitter to end the seventh, while Bryan Brickhouse retired five of the last six Astro hitters by way of the strikeout to finish the contest.

Zack Greinke will take the mound tomorrow against Danny Duffy, as the Royals look to extend their home winning streak to twelve games. First pitch is at 7:05.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Baltimore (44-73) 3, NY Yankees (64-55) 6
Houston (80-37) 2, Kansas City (59-56) 13
Texas (53-65) 5, Toronto (50-69) 7
Minnesota (62-54) 12, Detroit (55-61) 1
Seattle (57-59) 2, Tampa Bay (72-44) 3
Cleveland (63-55) 1, Chi. Sox (55-60) 3
Boston (55-62) 0, LA Angels (71-46) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (44-73) 2, Pittsburgh (67-48) 8
Philadelphia (54-61) 1, Washington (65-50) 2
Atlanta (67-49) 4, Miami (48-67) 1 (Final/13)
Oakland (44-72) 4, NY Mets (60-57) 0
Chi. Cubs (73-43) 16, Milwaukee (62-56) 6
San Diego (65-52) 7, St. Louis (42-75) 2
Arizona (57-62) 8, Colorado (46-69) 7 (Final/10)
San Francisco (53-63) 2, LA Dodgers (61-55) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Texas activates LHP Mike Minor; sends RHP Ariel Jurado to Triple-A for rehab
Reds release IF Taylor Motter; returned to Oakland per Rule 5

Saturday, August 15th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Houston (81-37) 8, Kansas City (59-57) 0
Winner: Jose Urquidy (6-0) Loser: Danny Duffy (3-8) Save: Daniel Norris (1)
HR-HOU: Kyle Tucker (16), George Springer (30) HR-KC: None

FILLMYER FANTASTIC; OFFENSE CONTINUES TO SPUTTER IN LOSS

A walk and a pair of singles to lead off the top of the first for Houston led to a grand slam from George Springer against Danny Duffy, and the Royals never really recovered as they dropped their first home contest in over two weeks in shutout fashion, 8-0. uffy allowed just one run after that, but only managed to get through five innings before being pulled. Zack Greinke lasted just four pitches before leaving with wrist discomfort, according to manager A.J. Hinch.

Rookie Jose Urquidy picked up the win in relief, staying perfect on the season with his sixth win of the year. Duffy fell to 3-8 on the season, his ERA ballooning to 4.89. Four Royals' relievers combined for four innings, allowing three runs. Righties Robert Stephenson and Connor Sadzeck both pitched scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth innings.

Salvador Perez and Hunter Dozier each had a pair of hits for the Royals, with one of Perez's hits a two-bagger. Whit Merrifield went 1-for-4 with a double, extending his short hitting streak to four games, and added to an impressive month of August so far that has seen him put up a .323/.354/.468 line in sixty-five plate appearances this month.

The loss snaps the Royals' home win streak at eleven games, and drops the Royals to three back of the Indians for first place in the division. Winners of five of their last six home series, they'll look to make it six in seven tomorrow with Jose De Leon searching for his 10th victory of the season against lefty Framber Valdez, who is 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA so far.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (62-54) @ Detroit (55-61) -- PPD
Baltimore (44-74) 3, NY Yankees (65-55) 7
Houston (81-37) 8, Kansas City (59-57) 0
Texas (53-66) 2, Toronto (51-69) 4
Seattle (57-60) 0, Tampa Bay (73-44) 1 (Final/14)
Cleveland (64-55) 4, Chi. Sox (55-61) 0
Boston (55-63) 4, LA Angels (72-46) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (45-73) 8, Pittsburgh (67-49) 0
Philadelphia (54-62) 1, Washington (66-50) 7
Atlanta (67-50) 1, Miami (49-67) 6
Oakland (45-72) 4, NY Mets (60-58) 3
Chi. Cubs (74-43) 4, Milwaukee (62-57) 1
San Diego (65-53) 5, St. Louis (43-75) 6
Arizona (58-62) 5, Colorado (46-70) 2
San Francisco (53-64) 0, LA Dodgers (62-55) 6

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Rockies RHP Jeff Hoffman (elbow) to miss five to six months with bone chips
Royals place OF Bubba Starling (shoulder) on 15-day IL; retro to 08/14/2020
Astros place RHP Roberto Osuna (shoulder) on 15-day IL; retro to 08/11/2020

Sunday, August 16th, 2020 - First pitch, 1:05 CST
Houston (81-38) 2, Kansas City (60-57) 4
Winner: Bryan Brickhouse (3-1) Loser: Will Smith (3-2) Save: Richard Lovelady (21)
HR-HOU: None HR-KC: Adalberto Mondesi (21)

ROYALS VICTORIOUS BEHIND MONDESI'S HEROICS

Adalberto Mondesi continues to cement his place amongst the game's brightest young stars, going 2-for-4 with the game-winning homerun in the eighth inning against Will Smith as the Royals pushed just past the Astros for a 4-2 victory. Mondesi also doubled in the second inning, giving him twenty-five doubles for the year. Whit Merrifield was 1-for-4 with a stolen base, extending his hit streak to a modest five games.

Jose De Leon didn't factor into the decision, having left the contest in a 2-2 tie. He pitched well, however, striking out five with just one walk, and scattering four hits. He was relieved by Robert Stephenson after Yordan Alvarez tied the game with a two-run double. Bryan Brickhouse got the win in relief after facing two batters in the eighth.

Kansas City continues their run through the AL West with a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners beginning tomorrow night. Right-hander Tanner Roark will put his 5-8 record on the line and face off against 2020 All-Star Marco Gonzales with a 7:05 first pitch from Kauffman Stadium.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (63-54) 5, Detroit (55-62) 3 (G1)
Minnesota (64-54) 9, Detroit (55-63) 2 (G2)
Baltimore (44-75) 2, NY Yankees (66-55) 8
Houston (81-38) 2, Kansas City (60-57) 4
Texas (53-67) 6, Toronto (52-69) 9
Seattle (57-61) 4, Tampa Bay (74-44) 6
Cleveland (65-55) 6, Chi. Sox (55-62) 3
Boston (55-64) 0, LA Angels (73-46) 7

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (45-74) 6, Pittsburgh (68-49) 11
Philadelphia (54-63) 4, Washington (67-50) 7
Atlanta (68-50) 7, Miami (49-68) 4
Oakland (45-73) 2, NY Mets (61-58) 6
Chi. Cubs (75-43) 8, Milwaukee (62-58) 1
San Diego (65-54) 1, St. Louis (44-75) 2 (Final/12)
Arizona (58-63) 1, Colorado (47-70) 10
San Francisco (54-64) 5, LA Dodgers (62-56) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Rockies RHP Kyle Freeland activated from 60-day IL; will begin rehab
Cardinals place IF Yairo Munoz (knee) on 15-day IL; retro to 08/13/2020

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

THREE FOR 2021
Unheralded players that could impact 2021 squad
08/17/2020
By artoodeetoo

We're still in the thick of the 2020 season, but it's not too early to identify some players who could make an impact on the Royals as early as next season. The three players below are not heralded players (or ranked), but have shown that they could have what it takes to supplement the talent already in the system (or be one of those guys themselves!).

DAVID OPPENHEIM, LF/DH, OMAHA

The return for Ian Kennedy from the Washington Nationals netted four players, but the least-heralded of the quartet may end up making the most immediate impact -- outfielder/DH David Oppenheim, who is crushing the field in the PCL batting race (.385) as the calendar reads mid-August.

He has a fairly weak ISO number (.164), especially considering the offense-happy PCL is where he plays; and there are questions about his defense as he has played just thirteen total innings in the field so far this season. But, it's really, really hard to ignore a line of .385/.467/.551, and it's not a small sample size (317 PA). He has one of the best EV rates in all of the minors, has more walks (44) than strikeouts (41), and is walloping RHP with a .408 BA.

"He rarely gets cheated in his plate appearances," said manager Brian Poldberg. "I've seen a lot of great hitters go through here, and while there are certainly valid concerns about what he could do at the next level, he's not going to get out-worked. He's here, every day, putting in the time. I hope it pays off for him, and soon."

He certainly has the attention of GM Dayton Moore, who spoke at length about him, and said he was much more than a throw-in. "I bristle at that kind of talk," he said when asked about Oppenheim at the time of the trade. "I don't think we thought he would have this much success, but we certainly thought he had a chance to contribute for us in some capacity."

With no extension in sight for Jorge Soler, the Royals could be in the market for a new DH-type that could double as a fourth or fifth outfielder. Despite not having overwhelming power, Oppenheim could be a less-expensive alternative, that when paired with a LHP-crushing teammate (Salvador Perez, anyone?), could make for a solid DH platoon.

JACKSON KOWAR, RHP, OMAHA

I know, I know, we started out saying no rated prospects. Kowar is the Royals' #12 prospect at this point, but he's been virtually forgotten after undergoing elbow surgery last year, and has largely still flown under the radar as he's made his comeback with little coverage. In eight games with the Storm Chasers (all starts), Kowar has been very, very good (3.58 ERA, 10 BB in 32 1/3 IP); but a lack of strikeouts (18) has been an issue, and his FIP of 5.73 seems high.

Still, he's back with his heavy fastball in the mid-90's, and is getting grounders at a 55% clip. That'll work just fine even with a lack of missed bats.

With Tanner Roark's 2021 option unlikely to be exercised, there's an opening in the rotation for 2021 that will likely go to a young guy instead of a veteran, especially if the Royals continue to fade down the stretch. It's been a mild surprise that Brady Singer has not even been added to the 40-man, let alone to the active roster, but Kowar's post-surgery rehab performance has been worth noting. He's throwing no more than seventy-five pitches at this point, and it will be interesting to see if they try to stretch him out anymore.

GRANT GAVIN, RHP, NW ARKANSAS/OMAHA

There probably won't be a ton of turnover in the bullpen next year, but you can go ahead and pencil in right-hander Grant Gavin as a likely contender for a role in the 2021 bullpen. He's not on the 40-man roster, but expect that to change as he'll be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this upcoming offseason.

He's struggled a bit in Omaha (7.00 ERA, 9 IP), but still managed to strike out twelve over that time frame, and has improved his numbers against LHB -- long an issue for him, even in his best seasons. He's been a beast at the Double-A level, posting a career 2.07 ERA and ninety-two strikeouts in 82 2/3 career innings at that level, but there's little left for him to prove there. If he can improve on an admittedly small sample of Triple-A innings, he moves closer to the front of the line for 2021 bullpen candidates.

[FlackoMars]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

I think Kowar is a really interesting prospect. Mid-90’s fastball with a good ground ball percentage is something that I think can bring him some success.

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/17: LHP Marco Gonzales (8-8, 3.27) vs RHP Tanner Roark (5-8, 4.92)
08/18: RHP Justin Dunn (1-3, 3.40) vs RHP Jake Junis (11-8, 3.62)
08/19: LHP Justus Sheffield (3-5, 2.83) vs RHP Brad Keller (7-7, 4.17)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, August 17th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Seattle (57-62) 3, Kansas City (61-57) 9
Winner: Tanner Roark (6-8) Loser: Marco Gonzales (8-9) Save: Luiz Gohara (1)
HR-SEA: Kyle Seager (11) HR-KC: Salvador Perez (20), Brett Phillips (20)

PHILLIPS, PEREZ POWER ROYALS VICTORY

Just a few days after Adalberto Mondesi reached the 20-homerun mark, both Brett Phillips and Salvador Perez hit their 20th homeruns in a 9-3 victory over the Mariners to kick off a key three-game series between the two wildcard contenders. Tanner Roark picked up the victory, going five and one-third innings with six strikeouts to move to 6-8 on the year.

Kansas City held a shutout up until very late in the contest when Kyle Seager drilled a three-run homerun off Luiz Gohara with one out, but the big southpaw managed to finish out the game to get his first save of the season after going three and two-third innings.

Mondesi led the Royals with three hits and two steals to move his MLB-best steals mark to fifty-nine. Jorge Soler, Breyvic Valera, and Phillips all collected a pair of hits for the Royals, who moved to 3.5 games over the Mariners in the wildcard race with the victory.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (57-62) 3, Kansas City (61-57) 9
Oakland (45-74) 2, NY Yankees (67-55) 5
Tampa Bay (75-44) 5, Baltimore (44-76) 4
Toronto (52-70) 3, Minnesota (65-54) 7
Philadelphia (54-64) 5, Texas (54-67) 10

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (55-65) 4, Pittsburgh (69-49) 6
Chi. Cubs (76-43) 12, Cincinnati (45-75) 4
Miami (49-69) 3, San Francisco (55-64) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Reds place C Tucker Barnhart (hamstring) on 15-day IL; retro to 08/16/2020
Detroit activates OF Denard Span from the 15-day IL; designate Tzu-Wei Lin for assignment

Tuesday, August 18th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Seattle (57-63) 6, Kansas City (62-57) 7 (Final/10)
Winner: Heath Fillmyer (2-2) Loser: Austin Adams (0-7) Save: None
HR-SEA: Omar Narvaez (5) HR-KC: Daniel Murphy (12)

LOPEZ WALKS OFF THE MARINERS

Nicky Lopez's single with two outs to score Alex Gordon brought down the near full-house in attendance at the K, as the Royals walked off with a 7-6 victory over the Mariners for their third straight win. It was Lopez's only hit of the game, but couldn't have come at a better time for the team; or even him, as he was just one for his last ten at the dish.

"Jorge (Soler) was coming up right behind me; and I had a full count, so I knew I was likely going to get something good to hit," he said after the game. "He (Austin Adams) threw me a fastball on 3-2, it was up, and I put good wood on it."

Despite the victory, a good performance from Jake Junis went in the no-decision column, as he fanned six over six and two-thirds. Heath Fillmyer picked up the win in relief, pitching a spotless tenth inning. The Royals were able to chase heralded rookie Justin Dunn from the game after just two innings, allowing six runs (five earned), with four walks and a pair of punchouts.

Kyle Seager followed up his 2-for-4 performance last night with a 3-for-5 game in this one, tying a season best with four RBI, including a bases loaded double in the eighth to tie the game at six after the Royals had held a 6-3 lead going into that inning.

Kansas City hopes to continue their good fortunes at home with a series sweep tomorrow. Brad Keller will look to build on his recent solid outings, facing off against hard-throwing rookie southpaw Justus Sheffield.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (57-63) 6, Kansas City (62-57) 7 (Final/10)
Oakland (46-74) 7, NY Yankees (67-56) 3
Tampa Bay (76-44) 10, Baltimore (44-77) 3
Washington (67-51) 2, Cleveland (66-55) 8
Toronto (52-71) 0, Minnesota (66-54) 2
Philadelphia (54-65) 7, Texas (55-67) 8
LA Angels (74-46) 2, Chi. Sox (55-63) 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Boston (55-66) 1, Pittsburgh (70-49) 4
Chi. Cubs (77-43) 4, Cincinnati (45-76) 3
Detroit (55-64) 0, NY Mets (62-58) 3
Houston (81-39) 4, St. Louis (45-75) 18
Miami (49-70) 1, San Francisco (56-64) 3
Atlanta (69-50) 13, San Diego (65-55) 2

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Pirates send 1B Josh Bell on rehab assignment to Triple-A
Brewers activate OF Ryan Braun from 15-day IL

Wednesday, August 19th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Seattle (58-63) 4, Kansas City (62-58) 2
Winner: Justus Sheffield (4-5) Loser: Brad Keller (7-8) Save: Wyatt Mills (5)
HR-SEA: Domingo Santana (16) HR-KC: Salvador Perez (21)

ROYALS DROP SERIES FINALE

A late Salvador Perez homerun proved to not be enough, as the Mariners walked out of Kauffman Stadium with a 4-2 win over the host Royals on Wednesday night. Justus Sheffield held the Royals to no runs over six and one-third innings, scattering seven hits and three walks while striking out four to pick up the victory.

It's not as if the Royals didn't have opportunities; they put runners on base in every inning but two. But a pair of double plays wiped out prime scoring opportunities in the fourth and seventh.

Brad Keller allowed four earned runs in five innings, scattering six hits. However, his swing-and-miss stuff has seemed to improve as the season has gone along with six strikeouts and no walks to speak of. He surrendered a homerun to Domingo Santana in the third for the M's big blow of the game.

A scary moment happened in the eighth inning as Seattle's Mallex Smith tried to stretch a single into a double. The throw from Jorge Soler missed the glove of shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, and glanced off Smith's chin as he slid into second base. Mariners skipper Scott Servais said he was "lucky", and that he'll likely miss only a game or two with a lacerated chin.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Seattle (58-63) 4, Kansas City (62-58)
Oakland (47-74) 8, NY Yankees (67-57) 3
Tampa Bay (76-45) 4, Baltimore (45-77) 6 (Final/11)
Washington (68-51) 8, Cleveland (66-56) 5
Toronto (53-71) 11, Minnesota (66-55) 7
Philadelphia (55-65) 3, Texas (55-68) 0
LA Angels (75-46) 14, Chi. Sox (55-64) 0

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Dodgers (63-57) 6, Arizona (59-64) 8
Atlanta (70-50) 14, San Diego (65-56) 6
Boston (55-67) 3, Pittsburgh (71-49) 4
Chi. Cubs (78-43) 9, Cincinnati (45-77) 2
Detroit (56-64) 4, NY Mets (62-59) 2
Houston (82-39) 3, St. Louis (45-76) 0
Milwaukee (63-59) 6, Colorado (48-71) 5
Miami (49-71) 1, San Francisco (57-64) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Boston RHP Josh Smith placed on 15-day IL; retro to 08/17/2020
Indians activate 1B Carlos Santana and sent to Triple-A for rehab assignment

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

@@@

PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/20: LHP Danny Duffy (3-8, 4.89) vs RHP Rick Porcello (7-13, 5.26)
08/21: RHP Jose De Leon (9-3, 3.44) vs RHP Tyler Phillips (0-2, 9.28)
08/22: RHP Tanner Roark (6-8, 4.71) vs RHP Jhoulys Chacin (5-10, 6.77)
08/23: RHP Jake Junis (11-8, 3.64) vs LHP Brock Burke (0-1, 4.13)

GAME RECAPS

Thursday, August 20th, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (63-58) 7, Texas (55-69) 0
Winner: Danny Duffy (4-8) Loser: Rick Porcello (7-14) Save: Heath Fillmyer (1)
HR-TEX: None HR-KC: Whit Merrifield (6), Meibrys Viloria (3)

ROYALS BLANK RANGERS TO STOP ROAD SKID

Kansas City's bats got to Rick Porcello early, tagging him for five earned runs in three and one-third innings as the Royals whitewashed the Rangers by a 7-0 score.

Danny Duffy picked up his first win since June 18th, going six strong shutout innings while scattering just two hits and two walks apiece. Heath Fillmyer got the save, going three innings while scattering three hits and a walk with three punchouts.

Whit Merrifield continued his hot August, extending his hit streak to nine games with a solo homerun in the fourth. That was immediately after Meibrys Viloria hit a solo homerun of his own, his third of the season. Viloria has been getting more innings behind the plate in recent weeks as the Royals prepare to rest Salvador Perez for the stretch run of the season.

Maikel Franco, who has also had a good August; and Hunter Dozier each had two hits, with Franco driving in two. Dozier also drove in a run, while Daniel Murphy was 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, and two runs scored.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (67-55) 7, Baltimore (45-78) 1
Kansas City (63-58) 7, Texas (55-69) 0
Detroit (57-64) 4, Oakland (47-75) 3
LA Angels (76-46) 4, Chi. Sox (55-65) 3
Seattle (59-63) 4, Houston (82-40) 1

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Washington (69-51) 10, Miami (49-72) 2
St. Louis (46-76) 4, Chi. Cubs (78-44) 0
Atlanta (71-50) 5, San Diego (65-57) 4
Milwaukee (64-59) 8, Colorado (48-72) 4
LA Dodgers (63-58) 3, Arizona (60-64) 7

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
White Sox place OF Brett Gardner (forearm) on 15-day IL; retro to 08/19/2020
Seattle places RHP Chaz Roe (oblique) on 15-day IL; retro to 08/19/2020
Giants activate C Buster Posey from the 15-day IL
Orioles place C Chance Sisco (oblique) on 15-day IL; retro to 08/18/2020

Friday, August 21st, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (63-59) 1, Texas (56-69) 2
Winner: Wei-Chieh Huang (7-2) Loser: Jose De Leon (9-4) Save: Jose LeClerc (21)
HR-TEX: Joey Gallo (26) HR-KC: None

K.C. DROPS CLOSE ONE

Texas' Joey Gallo almost single-handedly beat the Royals, as he was involved in both Ranger runs in a 2-1 defeat for the Royals. Gallo hit a 436-foot bomb against starter Jose De Leon in the fourth; and then doubled and scored in the seventh, again against De Leon, who took the loss despite a strong performance.

De Leon struck out six over seven innings, allowing just the two runs while scattering six hits and no walks. Rangers reliever Wei-Chieh Huang picked up the victory, moving to 7-2 in two and one-third innings of work against the Royals.

Daniel Murphy and Salvador Perez each had two hits for the Royals, with Perez's seventh inning RBI single accounting for the only run for the Royals in the entire game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (68-55) 9, Baltimore (45-79) 3
Kansas City (63-59) 1, Texas (56-69) 2
Detroit (58-64) 4, Oakland (47-76) 2
LA Angels (77-46) 8, NY Yankees (67-58) 0
Seattle (59-64) 6, Houston (83-40) 9
Tampa Bay (77-45) 7, Toronto (53-72) 0
LA Dodgers (64-58) 7, Cleveland (66-57) 5
Chi. Sox (55-66) 2, Boston (56-67) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (49-72) 5, Cincinnati (45-78) 1
Washington (70-51) 4, Miami (49-73) 3 (Final/10)
St. Louis (47-76) 3, Chi. Cubs (78-45) 2 (Final/14)
Atlanta (71-51) 2, Philadelphia (56-65) 5
Milwaukee (65-59) 13, Arizona (60-65) 1
Pittsburgh (72-49) 4, San Diego (65-58) 1
NY Mets (63-59) 8, San Francisco (57-65) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Tigers prospect Beau Burrows activated; will rehab in Double-A
Detroit places RHP Conner Greene (shoulder) on 15-day IL
Astros OF George Springer (neck) to miss up to two weeks with herniated disc

Saturday, August 22nd, 2020 - First pitch, 7:05 CST
Kansas City (64-59) 2, Texas (56-70) 0
Winner: Wei-Chieh Huang (7-2) Loser: Jose De Leon (9-4) Save: Jose LeClerc (21)
HR-TEX: Joey Gallo (26) HR-KC: None

RANGERS BLANKED; ROYALS LOOK FOR ROAD SERIES WIN

Single tallies in the sixth and seventh proved to be all the Royals would need, shutting out the Rangers 2-0 behind five pitchers. Tanner Roark left in the fourth inning, later being diagnosed with elbow stiffness. He'll be re-evaluated tomorrow, according to manager Mike Matheny.

Luiz Gohara picked up the win in relief of Roark; striking out one while not allowing a hit or walk, only a hit batsman (Joey Gallo). The trio of Connor Sadzeck, Jake Diekman, and Richard Lovelady combined to completely blank Texas the rest of the way, allowing zero baserunners over the final three innings with five strikeouts.

Despite the loss, the Rangers' Jhoulys Chacin turned in a solid performance. In seven innings, he surrendered only the two earned runs, while scattering six hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Joshua Torres allowed just one hit in two innings of relief for the Rangers.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (69-55) 3, Baltimore (45-80) 0
Kansas City (64-59) 2, Texas (56-70) 0
Detroit (58-65) 3, Oakland (48-76) 4
LA Angels (77-47) 6, NY Yankees (68-58) 7
Seattle (60-64) 7, Houston (83-41) 6
Tampa Bay (78-45) 6, Toronto (53-73) 3
LA Dodgers (64-59) 3, Cleveland (67-57) 6
Chi. Sox (55-67) 0, Boston (57-67) 6

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (50-72) 7, Cincinnati (45-79) 2
Washington (71-51) 7, Miami (49-74) 3
St. Louis (47-77) 4, Chi. Cubs (79-45) 5
Atlanta (72-51) 4, Philadelphia (56-66) 1
Milwaukee (65-60) 4, Arizona (61-65) 7
Pittsburgh (73-49) 4, San Diego (65-59) 3
NY Mets (63-60) 1, San Francisco (58-65) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Giants send RHP Jandel Gustave on rehab assignment after activation from the IL
Royals RHP Tanner Roark (elbow) placed on 15-day IL; top prospect Brady Singer's contract purchased

Sunday, August 23rd, 2020 - First pitch, 1:05 CST
Kansas City (65-59) 14, Texas (56-71) 6
Winner: Jake Junis (12-8) Loser: Brock Burke (0-2) Save: None
HR-TEX: None HR-KC: Jorge Soler (31)

K.C. CLAIMS FIRST ROAD SERIES WIN SINCE JUNE

Maikel Franco helped his team muscle past the Texas Rangers by a 14-6 count. In the game, the Kansas City third baseman went 3-for-5 with a double, two singles, and a walk. He scored twice and drove in three. Jake Junis earned the win to go to 12-8. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits, with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts. The Royals' win now puts them at 65-59, and they've won three of their last four road games, winning their first road series since the calendar read June.

Franco came through with some timely hitting for Kansas City. With the score 3-3 in the top of the third and two down, Franco hit a 2-2 slider for a run-scoring single. His 68th hit of the season made it 4-3, Kansas City. It was a lead they would never give up, as they went on to score single tallies in the fifth and sixth, two in the seventh, and then a six-spot in the eighth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Minnesota (69-56) 1, Baltimore (46-80) 4
Kansas City (65-59) 14, Texas (56-71) 6
Detroit (58-66) 6, Oakland (49-76) 7 (Final/10)
LA Angels (78-47) 3, NY Yankees (68-59) 1
Seattle (60-65) 2, Houston (84-41) 3
Tampa Bay (79-45) 7, Toronto (53-74) 4
LA Dodgers (65-59) 4, Cleveland (67-58) 3
Chi. Sox (56-67) 2, Boston (57-68) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Colorado (51-72) 4, Cincinnati (45-80) 3
Washington (72-51) 2, Miami (49-75) 1
St. Louis (48-77) 6, Chi. Cubs (79-46) 3
Atlanta (73-51) 5, Philadelphia (56-67) 1
Milwaukee (66-60) 4, Arizona (61-66) 0
Pittsburgh (73-50) 2, San Diego (66-59) 9
NY Mets (63-61) 2, San Francisco (59-65) 7

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Yankees activate OF Giancarlo Stanton; designate OF Matt Szczur for assignment
Orioles activate RHP Ryne Harper; send to Triple-A for rehab
Braves RHP Kyle Wright (elbow) out 7-8 months with elbow tendon issue

[artoodeetoo]

Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

SINGER ARRIVES WITH TEAM
Will make MLB debut at home on Thursday
08/24/2020
By artoodeetoo

Kansas City's number-two overall prospect, right-handed pitcher Brady Singer, arrived in Detroit to join the team after being added to the 40-man roster following the move to put veteran right-hander Tanner Roark on the 15-day injured list. It all but cements that Singer will be the extra pitcher carried by the squad when the rosters expand to twenty-eight September 1st, as Roark is expected to be out only two weeks.

"He's going to get every shot to see what he can do in the rotation," said manager Mike Matheny. "Yeah, we're in the middle of a playoff race, but from all that I've seen, he's a pretty tough kid that doesn't let a lot get to him. I think he'll do pretty well."

In sixteen starts this season between Double and Triple-A, he put together a 3.60 ERA with seventy-seven strikeouts and thirty-seven walks over eighty innings of work. He had a 3.79 ERA with the NW Arkansas Double-A squad; and had even better results for Omaha, posting a 3.43 ERA in forty-two innings of work, fanning thirty-nine.

There has been some minor injury issues with Singer this year, but nothing more than some minor foot pain that put him on the shelf for a couple of weeks earlier in the year. He's stepping into a fairly veteran rotation, led by long-time Royals Danny Duffy and Jake Junis.

"I've had conversations with Danny and Jake, and they've been great so far," said Singer when talking to the media earlier this morning. "Aside from the normal rookie stuff, they've really taken me under their wing."

He's tentatively scheduled to make his first start on Thursday at home against Oakland, but the organization wanted to get him on the roster so he could see first-hand how teams prepare for each and every game.

"It's been incredibly beneficial for young guys to really see the game up close, and prepare for it, without having to go out immediately and begin playing," said GM Dayton Moore. "Brady's going to get a couple of days to see how guys do it, that have been doing it for years. I can't overstate how important that is, and I know Brady understands that."

Moore also went on to say that even if Singer has immediate success with the squad as a starter, that he'll likely shift to the bullpen once Roark returns, and work in long relief situations. He would also serve as an 'emergency' starter, should another pitcher need to spend time on the injured list throughout September.