One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

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Kansas City @ Chi. Sox (08/01 -- 08/03)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Chicago White Sox

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 4th, 2022

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Aug 1, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (45-58)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	0
Chicago White Sox (57-45)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
W: Michael Kopech (5-3) L: Brady Singer (7-6) S: Liam Hendriks (24)

Monday, August 1st, 2022
Leaving eleven Royals hitters in his wake, Michael Kopech scattered two hits and one run over seven innings in dispatching the Royals 4-1 to open a three-game set. After a five-game winning streak from the 24th through the 28th, they've now dropped four straight.

The eleven strikeouts by Kopech is the third time that the big righty has reached the double-digit mark this season, having last turned the feat on June 1st against Detroit.

One of the Royals' two hits was a seventh-inning homerun by Bobby Witt, Jr., his 14th homerun of the season. Kyle Isbel had the only other hit in the game, a fourth-inning single.

Brady Singer dropped to 7-6 on the season, allowing three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. He scattered seven hits and a walk, striking out three over that span. Dylan Coleman relieved him in the seventh, retiring all four hitters he faced to finish out the game.

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Aug 2, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (45-59)	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	5	0
Chicago White Sox (58-45)	0	0	3	0	2	1	0	0	0	6	11	0
W: Trey McGough (1-0) L: Zack Greinke (3-9) S: Andrew Perez (2)

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022
Despite two hits and one homerun each from Salvador Perez and Edward Olivares, the White Sox were more offensively balanced throughout as they took a decisive 6-2 victory.

Four different Chicago hitters drove in runs, with Eloy Jimenez leading the charge with three hits and two RBI. A.J. Pollock also collected a pair of hits and RBI each.

In less than five innings of work, Zack Greinke was tagged for five earned runs on eight hits, walking a pair and striking out three. Collin Snider and Jake Brentz combined for 3 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run with two strikeouts between them.

The only other Royal hitter to collect a hit was Bobby Witt, Jr., who extended his hitting streak to a modest six games with a third-inning single.

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Aug 3, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (45-60)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Chicago White Sox (59-45)	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	3	12	0
W: Lucas Giolito (9-0) L: Brad Keller (2-5) S: Liam Hendriks (25)

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022
Only a fourth-inning single kept the Royals from getting no-hit by Lucas Giolito, as he allowed just the one hit over eight innings in a 3-0 loss, their sixth straight. The defeat also dropped them to fifteen games below .500, a season-low.

Despite carrying a one-hit shutout into the ninth, Tony La Russa opted to take Giolito out of the game with 102 pitches, citing workload concerns for the big right-hander. Liam Hendriks picked up his 25th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.

Brad Keller took the loss to fall to 2-5, but still pitched okay -- he allowed ten hits in 5 2/3 innings, but just three runs and two walks, while fanning six. Joel Payamps and Josh Staumont kept Chicago off the board the rest of the game, combining for 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.

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MLB News (08/04)

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MLB News, cont'd (08/04)

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Royal Rumblings (08/04)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 4th, 2022

Parrish Moves Up To Triple-A: Headlining several pitchers making the move in the minors was left-hander Drew Parrish, coming off back-to-back Texas League Pitcher of the Month honors for June and July.

Right-hander Nathan Webb, who is on the 40-man, unlike Parrish, also made the move up to Triple-A, replacing Domingo Tapia, who will be out the rest of the season with a forearm problem. Another right-handed pitching prospect, righty Will Klein, jumped from High-A to Double-A where he'll likely slide into Webb's open closer role with the Naturals.

Klein might have the best pure power stuff in the Royals' minor league system, with a fastball that regularly touches 99-100 miles per hour, and a hammer curve that sits in the 83-85 range. His fastball has been recorded with nearly 2500 RPM, which is a pretty astonishing number.

The numbers through his time with the River Bandits this season have been remarkable -- 47% strikeout rate, a paltry 8.8% walk rate, and a .086 BAA (batting average against). Walks have been his kryptonite in the past, but a walk rate that low out of the pen will play quite nicely even if his strikeouts dip somewhat at the higher levels.

Clarke Activated; Lovelady Optioned: Out with back tightness since the beginning of June, right-hander Taylor Clarke is back with the Royals after completing a lengthy IL stint and subsequent rehab assignment. Southpaw Richard Lovelady was optioned back to Triple-A to make room on the active roster after just one appearance.

In eight minor league innings between Double and Triple-A over the past handful of weeks, Clarke pitched to a 4.50 ERA with eight strikeouts and five walks over that span. For the season with Kansas City, he was one of the more reliable arms they had, posting a 3.00 ERA in twenty-four innings, although his peripherals were a bit worse with a 4.48 FIP and 3.79 SIERA.

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Series Preview: Boston (55-51) @ Kansas City (45-60)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
08/04: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (9-4, 3.42) vs LHP Angel Zerpa (0-4, 3.86)
08/05: LHP Jose Quintana (2-5, 6.57) vs LHP Kris Bubic (2-3, 4.82)
08/06: LHP Chris Sale (0-3, 6.63) vs RHP Brady Singer (7-6, 5.15)
08/07: RHP Tanner Houck (8-8, 4.44) vs RHP Zack Greinke (3-9, 4.01)

WHO'S HOT?
IF Triston Casas, Boston -- 9-for-25 (.360), 5 HR, 2 2B, 7 R, BB

WHO'S NOT?
RHP Nathan Eovaldi, Boston -- 12 IP, 10 K, 15 ER (3 starts)
IF Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 1-for-20 (.050), HR, BB, 5 K
SS Nicky Lopez, Kansas City -- 2-for-34 (.058),

BOSTON INJURED LIST
LHP James Paxton (elbow) -- 60-day IL
2B Trevor Story (knee) -- 60-day IL

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day IL

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Boston @ Kansas City (08/04 -- 08/07)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Boston Red Sox

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 8th, 2022

Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals
Aug 4, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston Red Sox (55-52)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	0
Kansas City Royals (46-60)	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	X	0	3	0
W: Angel Zerpa (1-4) L: Nathan Eovaldi (9-5) S: None

Thursday, August 4th, 2022
It was smiles all around in the Royals' locker room after their 4-1 win over the Red Sox, as it marked the first MLB win for starter Angel Zerpa. In 6 1/3 innings, he scattered three hits and two walks, striking out six Red Sox hitters.

"He's really pitched so well this year, and it's nice to finally see him get rewarded for it," said manager Mike Matheny.

The victory stopped a season-worst six-game losing streak, and gave the Royals their fifth straight home win, dating back to July 24th against the Rays. The Royals have been a much better home team as of late, winning seven of their last eleven at home. They've dropped nine of their last eleven on the road.

Kansas City did all of their damage in the sixth inning against Red Sox ace Nathan Eovaldi, tagging him for four runs in 6 1/3 innings. MJ Melendez hit the second of his two doubles to score one run before Kyle Isbel drove in both Melendez and Salvador Perez with his double two batters later.

Dairon Blanco singled Isbel home with two outs, increasing the lead to four. J.D. Martinez hit a solo homerun against Taylor Clarke in the ninth, but that's all the damage that Boston managed to inflict.

However, that homerun was a significant one for Martinez -- it was his 300th career homerun. He's the 153rd player in league history to reach that milestone.

Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals
Aug 5, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston Red Sox (56-52)	1	0	0	2	4	0	2	0	0	9	16	1
Kansas City Royals (46-61)	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	9	0
W: Michael Feliz (4-2) L: Kris Bubic (2-4) S: None

Friday, August 5th, 2022
A four-run third inning was all the Royals could manage in dropping a 9-4 decision to the Red Sox on Friday. Six straight Royals reached base to begin that inning, with four of them scoring. But a Red Sox error sandwiched in between a strikeout and a double play all but assured the inning would end with a whimper.

"That could have been a potentially huge inning for us," said manager Mike Matheny. "After Hunter (Dozier) struck out, we caught a break with the error, but the double play killed us there."

After a promising start to the game, Kris Bubic ended up getting hammered for seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in taking the loss. Two of the runs charged to Bubic were allowed to score by Taylor Clarke after he replaced him with two outs in the fifth.

Christian Arroyo's five-hit game was the catalyst for Boston's victory. He ended up a triple short of the cycle, hitting a double and a homerun in addition. Bobby Witt, Jr., led the Royals with a pair of hits, including a double and a stolen base. Nicky Lopez drove in two runs with his third inning double.

Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals
Aug 6, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston Red Sox (56-53)	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	1
Kansas City Royals (47-61)	0	0	1	5	0	0	0	2	X	8	11	0
W: Brady Singer (8-6) L: Chris Sale (0-4) S: None

Saturday, August 6th, 2022
It's been a rough go for Chris Sale since coming off the injured list in mid-July, and the Royals didn't make it any easier as they pounded him for six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings in an 8-2 win for Kansas City.

Brady Singer overcame a tough start, allowing eight baserunners through his first three innings. But he settled in and allowed just one baserunner over his next three, leaving with just two earned runs and three strikeouts through six innings. He got the win to move to 8-6.

The offensive catalyst was Nicky Lopez, who drilled a pair of doubles as part of a 3-for-5 day. His fourth-inning, bases-loaded two-bagger snapped a 2-2 tie to put the Royals in front for good. Vinnie Pasquantino and Ernie Clement collected two hits and two RBI apiece as part of the victory.

Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals
Aug 7, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Boston Red Sox (57-53)	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	9	14	0
Kansas City Royals (47-62)	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	10	0
W: Garrett Whitlock (5-6) L: Scott Barlow (4-2) S: None

Sunday, August 7th, 2022
Boston salvaged a split with the Royals, scoring one tally in the top of the 10th for the game-winner on Christian Arroyo's single in a 4-3 defeat. Kansas City forced extras with an eighth-inning RBI single by Nicky Lopez to score pinch-hitter Cam Gallagher.

Once again, Zack Greinke received little to no help from his offense, allowing three runs (two earned) in 7 1/3 innings, walking just one with four strikeouts.

With a two-run double in the second, Kyle Isbel gave the Royals a 2-0 lead, with M.J. Melendez and Ernie Clement scoring on the play. Boston tied it in the fifth with two of their own, and then took the lead in the sixth on Triston Casas' RBI single.

Kansas City didn't crack the scoreboard again until Lopez's RBI hit in the eighth to tie it back at three each.

They'll have a day off today before hosting the White Sox for four games over the next three days, as they'll play two on Wednesday in a day-night doubleheader.

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MLB News (08/08)

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Royal Rumblings (08/08)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 8th, 2022

Bowlan Re-called; Staumont Shut Down: One of the Royals' top draft picks in recent years is about to get an extended look out of the bullpen with the Royals going forward. Righty Jonathan Bowlan, who is on the mend from elbow surgery last year, was activated off his rehab assignment and will work out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season, per manager Mike Matheny.

A few roster moves had to be made to facilitate Bowlan's activation -- first, Matt Peacock was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man spot. To clear an active roster spot, fellow righty Josh Staumont was placed on the 10-day injured list with shoulder tightness, and Matheny also noted that he'd be out for the rest of the year as a precaution.

"The training staff told us that Josh could probably return later this year, but we don't want to rush him back at all," Matheny said. "We decided that it would be best to shut him down and get him ready for next season. It's a bummer for him, but we talked through it with him and he's on board."

Bowlan, the Royals' second-round selection in 2018, has been primarily a starter throughout his pro career, as forty-four of his forty-seven appearances have been starts. But with no rotation slots available, the Royals have a chance to ease him into MLB life in a less stressful role.

He's struggled in his rehab assignment, but the Royals seem unconcerned -- his velocity is in the mid 90's even post-surgery -- and aside from giving up a high amount of homeruns, has managed to walk just thirteen hitters with thirty-two punchouts in thirty-two innings between Double and Triple-A.

Royals Reportedly Reach Agreement With Cuban Outfielder: International players are ineligible to sign until January 15th, but the Royals have reached a verbal agreement on a $2.37 million contract with Cuban outfielder Edwin Rodriguez. The 20-year old defected from the country within the last year, and had been playing ball in south Florida for the past year, performing at various camps and showcases in Miami.

The 28th-ranked player in MLB.com's International database for the current 2022 class, the lefty-swinging Rodriguez projects out as at least an average defender in center field with solid range, hit and power tools, but a fringy arm will likely bump him to left field, or potentially first base/DH if the outfield doesn't work out.

Kansas City doesn't dip their toe into the Cuban prospect pool very often, having signed just two Cuban players in the international period since winning the World Series in 2015, with the last and only other one being outfielder Juan Carlos Negret back in 2017. They don't have a huge foothold in that particular market, which makes sense as to why they don't sign many. However, the Royals have recently assigned several new scouts to evaluate Cuban players, and Rodriguez appears to be some fruit from that effort.

"He's a guy that while not a finished product quite yet, he has a chance to make a pretty quick impact," said MLB.com International writer Jesse Sanchez. "I mean, what I get from guys who scout the international scene pretty heavily is this is a legit 60 hit and 55 power guy with a few years or less of minor league time. If the Royals manage to hang on to him until he signs, then it might be one of the biggest coups in this signing period, since he had pretty strong interest from other teams that spend a lot in this area, like the Dodgers, White Sox, Yankees, and Angels."

The club also announced a tentative deal with infielder Jerry Vela, who reached an agreement to sign later on for $400,000; and one with Dutch right-hander Jelle Florie, who agreed to a $1.5 million bonus, which would be the highest given to a Dutch-born international prospect in league history.

The Royals are one of the few teams that invest much of anything in Amsterdam, signing the Collins brothers (Darryl, Darnel) in the last two cycles, and now Florie.

Cuas To Be Called Up For Doubleheader: The Royals are planning to bring right-hander Jose Cuas up from Omaha to be the 27th man on the active roster for Wednesday's doubleheader, per manager Mike Matheny in his press conference earlier this morning. If he made an appearance in one of the two games, it would be his major league debut in his age-28 season.

He's missed some time this year due to knee and ankle issues, but when healthy, he's been very effective -- in 10 2/3 innings with Omaha (seven appearances), he's allowed just four walks and two earned runs while striking out fourteen. He's been especially tough on right-handed hitters, allowing just a .200 BA and .700 OPS against them this season.

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Royals Mailbag -- August 2022 (08/08)

Royals Mailbag

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 8th, 2022

In the August mailbag, we'll continue to discuss the draft class a bit more in-depth. Also, what will be the team's final record? How is the lineup for 2023 shaping up? Are the Royals making a mistake in doubling down on defense, instead of trying to work on the offense? There are just fifty-three games left on the schedule with virtually no hope at the postseason, so we're officially in season wind-down mode.

Want to take a shot at the final record?

They should avoid a hundred losses for sure, but I'm thinking somewhere between 65-68 wins. The August schedule is brutal with all games against teams, with the exception of two at home against the Diamondbacks, that would currently be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Chicago and Minnesota are tied atop the division, while the Dodgers and Padres are leading their division and wildcard races, respectively. Tampa Bay is atop the AL East, and even Arizona is just a handful of games out of a wildcard spot in the NL.

September and October's schedule has fewer good teams (10 vs. Detroit, 3 vs. Seattle), but 19 of their 31 games over that month-plus are on the road, including a six-game series at middling-but-playoff-contending Cleveland, with the final three being made up from the early portion of the season due to the lockout. Kansas City has the third-worst road record in the AL currently (20-33), with only Seattle and Baltimore faring worse away from home. They also get Minnesota for six (three at home, three on the road), and Boston for three in Fenway. It's actually a much tougher schedule than I thought, now that I've laid it out in print.

With the draft now in the rearview, what are your topline thoughts?

I'll have a piece out later in the week (I promise, it's coming!) covering the draft in depth; but first, kudos to the front office for swinging big with some of these high school players and getting some of them to sign for under slot. It wasn't Frank Mozzicato levels of underslot, but between Dylan Lesko, Dallas Macias, and Sterlin Thompson, the Royals used the savings to bring home a small handful of prep starting pitchers in the middle to lower-middle rounds that fell due to various reasons.

Again, I don't know if it's a shift in philosophy, or that J.J. Picollo and Lonnie Goldberg are the main masterminds behind the draft, and not Dayton Moore. But they seem to finally understand that you have to throw numbers behind pitching; the last few drafts bear that out. Ben Kudrna's topline numbers don't look great, but his peripherals are outstanding. After a rough start, Mozzicato has turned things around. Shane Panzini might be the one that's furthest along in his development, mainly due to the fact that he's already 20. And that's just out of last year's draft haul.

Then guys that were drafted/signed in 2020, like Will Klein, are in Double-A and on the cusp of the big leagues in the next twelve months. Jonathan Bowlan, kind of the forgotten man in the 2018 draft class, is likely going to be pitching in the majors soon. Jon Heasley has already pitched for the Royals in parts of the last two seasons; he's also from the 2018 class from the 13th round.

They also grabbed some solid developmental bats, with Jace LaViolette (6th), Nicolas Perez (14th), and Ashtin Webb (15th), with the latter signing out of junior college. Fourth-rounder Reggie Crawford (UConn) is a two-way player, although his future is likely on the mound as a fourth or fifth starter. He could also end up as a solid eighth or ninth-inning arm with his velocity, but a lot of that depends on how he recovers from TJ surgery over the next handful of months.

Chances that Greinke returns next season?

Before the deadline, I thought that it was 0%. I thought his last two starts would convince one team to jump on board and strike a deal, but the consensus around baseball is that no matter where he ended up, he'd be going into a worse situation for him even if he would be on a better overall team. And that risk wasn't worth whatever the Royals were asking, which likely wasn't much to begin with given what he's still owed.

Now, I think it's 50/50. I don't expect anything to get done during the season, but my guess is that Zack will test the market again this offseason and gauge his interest from other clubs. In the interest of the Royals, I hope he goes elsewhere because I think it's time to start evaluating some of the guys that are in Double and Triple-A (Drew Parrish, anyone?). But if he would take $4-5 million in 2023 (or a two-year, $9 million deal with incentives), that's something I could get on board with.

There's also the chance that he just decides he's done enough, and goes off to live in Florida or California and surf all day long. He's certainly earned that.

With Whit gone, what's a realistic-looking lineup for next season?

It's hard to completely put that together without knowing what they'll do in the offseason, but I suspect it will look something like this:

SS Lopez
3B Witt Jr.
1B Pratto
C Perez
DH Pasquantino
RF Melendez
CF FA/Trade Acq.
LF Isbel/Olivares
2B Clement

I'm pretty confident about one through five, although there's a role for Hunter Dozier as a bat that has hit lefties well over his career, despite a down year this year. Clement should get tons of looks down the stretch to see if he can hold on to the second base job, or at least act as a placeholder until Michael Massey is ready, likely at some point early in 2023. Melendez in RF is not ideal at all, but until Perez's defense craters behind the plate, it's hard to envision him getting a ton of at-bats as a catcher, so right field it is.

Dozier and Adalberto Mondesi should be the first guys that come off the bench and play a handful of games per week at different positions. Melendez and Cam Gallagher, should the Royals choose to carry three catchers like they have most of the season, will handle the bulk of the backup duties behind the plate. Perhaps Mondesi comes back and makes a run at the second base job if Clement can't hack it over the remainder of the season. There's also the fading, but still slight chance that he could shift to the outfield, perhaps in center.

That brings me to my next point -- do you take a look at bringing back Lorenzo Cain as a one-year flier in center for next season? He'll be thirty-seven next year. I don't think he can hit much anymore, but he's still a marginally decent CF defender -- better than anyone else the Royals have on the roster right now. There are also younger, better players that will be available in free agency, such as Manuel Margot, Enrique Hernandez, and Jackie Bradley, Jr., if his team option isn't accepted by the Red Sox. However, they'll probably be more expensive and will want more of a long-term commitment. There are also minor league options waiting, like Nick Loftin in Omaha. Dairon Blanco has looked solid, if not unspectacular, in limited time with the club so far.

Time to worry about the job Alec Zumwalt is doing?

I don't think so. It takes a bit of time to change the culture. First and foremost, they just need their better players to start hitting, even if it's at a slightly below-league-average level. They're all slumping at the same time. Since the All-Star break, the Royals are averaging just three runs per game, only scoring more than five runs twice (both wins). After going 14-for-33 (.424) with five homeruns in nine games with the Royals in June, Nick Pratto has completely cratered, going 16-for-126 (.127) since while striking out forty-eight times. Vinnie Pasquantino has just three multi-hit games since coming up, although he's only striking out about 22% of the time, which is pretty solid for a rookie.

Bobby Witt, Jr., and M.J. Melendez have been up-and-down all year, but they've shown some real flashes. BWJ in particular is way up-and-down, as he had a poor April, then a great May, then a terrible June before rebounding last month. So far in August? Awful. Melendez is hitting .256 (20-for-78) since returning to the Royals, and has looked like a much smoother defender behind the plate since his demotion to Triple-A.

Oh yeah, and that Salvador Perez guy should probably start hitting, as well. Remember in April when he clubbed eleven homeruns and looked like he was on his way to an even better year than last year? Well, that hasn't gone quite as planned. Since that eleven-homer month in April, he's hit sixteen since May 1st, more than three months later. He's still OPS'ing .803, which is well above-average, but a far cry from last year's .859.

Do you think it's time to sacrifice defense for additional offense?

As long as the Royals play in Kauffman Stadium, I think defense will be a serious priority for this front office. Their infield defense is amongst the most athletic in baseball, and spearheaded by one of the top handful of defensive players in the league with Nicky Lopez at shortstop. Obviously, the Royals shouldn't ignore trying to upgrade their offense this offseason, but the roster is currently set up to focus more on run prevention than simply out-homering other teams.

It's why in hindsight that ditching Michael A. Taylor might not have been the best move. Maybe Yhoangel Aponte turns out to be a good player down the road, but absent a major investment in bringing in proven bats (yes, batS), they should ensure that their pitching staff is playing with the most complete deck of cards they can get behind them.

What could change things are 1) a new downtown stadium with smaller dimensions, and/or 2) a new front office. One is not terribly likely, but a likelihood nonetheless. Two is much more likely, but I would put it at 25%. John Sherman has noted in recent weeks that the play on the field this season has been "concerning", and there continue to be questions about Mike Matheny's job security. One publication even had Matheny as having the hottest managerial seat going into 2023, if he even manages to last that long.

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Series Preview: Chi. Sox (62-46) @ Kansas City (47-62)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
08/08: RHP Lucas Giolito (9-0, 2.85) vs RHP Brad Keller (2-5, 2.73)
08/09: LHP Danny Duffy (0-1, 4.81) vs LHP Kris Bubic (2-4, 5.61)
08/09: RHP Jason Bilous (3-8, 5.42*) vs LHP Angel Zerpa (1-4, 3.43)
08/10: RHP Lance Lynn (7-5, 4.18) vs RHP Brady Singer (8-6, 5.02)

WHO'S HOT?
RHP Lucas Giolito, Chicago -- 16 IP, 21 K, 2 ER (2 starts)

WHO'S NOT?
IF Leury Garcia, Chicago -- 2-for-20 (.100), 4 K, BB

CHICAGO INJURED LIST
RHP Dylan Cease (oblique) -- 10-day IL
RHP Joe Kelly (tricep) -- 60-day IL
OF Luis Robert (hip) -- 10-day IL
1B/OF Andrew Vaughn (elbow) -- 60-day IL

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day IL
RHP Josh Staumont (shoulder) -- 10-day IL

* denotes Triple-A stats

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Chi. Sox @ Kansas City (08/09 -- 08/11)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Chicago White Sox

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 12th, 2022

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals
Aug 9, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox (63-46)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	4	8	10	1
Kansas City Royals (47-63)	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	4	9	1
W: Liam Hendriks (6-1) L: Scott Barlow (4-3) S: None

Tuesday, August 9th, 2022
Kansas City had Liam Hendriks and the White Sox on the ropes in a 4-4 tie in the ninth. Nicky Lopez had just scored on a wild pitch that was immediately preceded by a throwing error by Yasmani Grandal.

But with Bobby Witt Jr., at third base and no outs, a strikeout by M.J. Melendez, fielder's choice at the plate by Salvador Perez, and another strikeout from Vinnie Pasquantino stranded Perez at first as Chicago went on to plate four runs in the 10th to take an 8-4 victory.

BWJ was thrown out at the plate by shortstop Tim Anderson, who was playing in and couldn't field the chopping grounder from Perez cleanly. To his credit, Witt read the play very well and got a nice jump, but Anderson made a nice recovery to throw him out by a slim margin.

Nick Pratto broke out of a long slump with three hits, including a homerun. Melendez and Kyle Isbel also each collected a pair of hits, including one double apiece.

Rubbing his face in anguish multiple times throughout his post-game press conference, manager Mike Matheny lamented the scoring opportunities, especially in the ninth when they had the White Sox on their heels.

"Gotta have that," he said. "Bobby was ninety feet away from winning the game, and it wouldn't have even took a hit. A deep fly ball would have done the trick, and we had a few guys come up that could do that. Just didn't execute."

Despite just one strikeout in seven innings, Brad Keller pitched well. He scattered five hits and three walks, allowing just two earned runs. Gabe Speier replaced him in the eighth, but lasted just two-thirds of an inning before leaving with what appeared to be an elbow issue.

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals (Game One)
Aug 10, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox (63-47)	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	9	2
Kansas City Royals (48-63)	5	0	2	0	1	3	2	0	X	4	9	0
W: Kris Bubic (3-4) L: Danny Duffy (0-2) S: None

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals (Game Two)
Aug 10, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox (64-47)	1	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	5	11	0
Kansas City Royals (48-64)	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	4	8	3
W: Jason Bilous (1-0) L: Angel Zerpa (1-5) S: Kendall Graveman (1)

Wednesday, August 10th, 2022
Making up a game from back in April, the Royals played two on Wednesday night, with the Royals and White Sox splitting a day-night twinbill. The Royals put up some crooked numbers with a 13-3 football-like score in the first game, while Chicago held on to take the Royals down (literally and figuratively) in the nightcap by a 5-4 count.

A familiar face was on the opposing mound for the first game, as the recently-signed Danny Duffy made his first start since being released by the Dodgers late last month. Injuries and inconsistency have hit the White Sox hard, as Dylan Cease went to the injured list a few weeks ago, and others such as Johnny Cueto and Dallas Keuchel, have been ineffective.

The Royals' lineup tagged Duffy for five earned runs (seven total) in four innings, giving way to Cueto, who was moved to the bullpen in the wake of acquiring Duffy and Kyle Gibson in an earlier trade. He didn't fare very well either, allowing six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings as Tony LaRussa looked to try and keep the rest of his bullpen fresh in a game that the Royals looked to have the upper hand pretty early.

Hunter Dozier and Ernie Clement each drove in five runs in the second game, with Clement ending up a triple short of the cycle. The latter actually had six hits over the two games, going 6-for-9 with a double, homerun, and stolen base. Dozier hit a grand slam in the first inning against his old friend Duffy, as the two were teammates from 2017 through midway 2021.

Kansas City pounded out seventeen hits, with each player in the lineup reaching base safely and scoring at least once. Clement led the way with four hits, while Edward Olivares and M.J. Melendez each getting three.

The real fireworks, however, were in the nightcap as the benches cleared in the second inning thanks to a hit-by-pitch after a homerun by Adam Engel. Multiple players were ejected, including Royals starter Angel Zerpa and the man he hit, Kyle Farmer. Kansas City ended up losing 5-4, but the benches clearing stole the show (as they usually do in these games).

Gavin Sheets, who scored on Engel's homerun, was also ejected as he could be seen throwing a punch at someone in the melee. The tension seemed to start when Zerpa brushed back leadoff hitter A.J. Pollock not once, but twice to begin the second inning. Two batters later, the normally-reserved Engel flipped his bat towards the mound after his homerun, which seemed to get the attention of the Royals, as camera shots at some players' faces showed it all.

"I don't know if they were just looking to manufacture some sort of edge here, or if they were really that triggered by it, but that kind of stuff happens all the time," said Zack Greinke, who is by far the oldest player on the active roster at thirty-eight. "I didn't see anything wrong with what Angel did. Don't crowd the plate, and that won't happen."

Down 4-0 in the fourth, the Royals battled back to halve the lead on Vinnie Pasquantino's two-run homerun off rookie Jason Bilous, making his first MLB start after two appearances out of the bullpen earlier in the season. Pasquantino would later add a two-out solo homerun in the ninth against Kendall Graveman, but the rally fell short when Ernie Clement grounded out.

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals
Aug 11, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chicago White Sox (64-47)	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	4	10	0
Kansas City Royals (49-64)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	X	5	10	0
W: Jake Brentz (3-5) L: Lance Lynn (7-6) S: Scott Barlow (18)

Thursday, August 11th, 2022
After a three-run seventh to increase their lead from one to four, the White Sox were poised to take the final game of the series and leave Kansas City having won three of four.

Following an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, Vinnie Pasquantino had other plans, lining a 2-1 fastball from Lance Lynn the other way for a three-run homerun, turning a 4-1 deficit into a tie game. After a walk and a single following the homerun, Kyle Isbel singled home the go-ahead run as they went on to take a 5-4 victory and the series split.

Minus the seventh inning, Brady Singer was in control, allowing just one earned run through six innings before getting chased with two outs in the seventh, having allowed three hits, three runs, a walk, and a hit batter. Jake Brentz loaded the bases in that frame after replacing Singer by walking Tim Anderson and allowing an infield single to Eloy Jimenez, but got out of it with a strikeout.

Four different Royals led the way with a pair of hits each, with Isbel's two hits and game-winning RBI leading the pack. Pasquantino's only hit was the homerun, but it was a critical hit at a critical time. Ernie Clement and Emmanuel Rivera also collected a pair of singles each, with Clement scoring once.

Playing under appeal for his suspension handed down by the league office, Gavin Sheets went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored to lead the White Sox. Zach McKinstry was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI.

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MLB News (08/12)

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Re: One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 12th, 2022

Zerpa Suspended For Role In Melee: Royals left-hander Angel Zerpa was originally suspended for eleven games yesterday by the league, but upon appeal to the league office has had that suspension reduced to six games (or essentially, one start instead of two). Kyle Farmer, one of the two other players involved in the fight from the White Sox, had his suspension dropped from five games to four. Gavin Sheets was suspended as well and also appealed, but will serve out his originally-mandated two-game suspension.

After a 13-3 drubbing from the Royals in the first game of the doubleheader, the White Sox appeared to come out looking for an edge in the second game. They may have found it when Angel Zerpa nearly hit outfielder A.J. Pollock in the head with the first pitch of the second inning. When Zerpa's next pitch nearly clipped him in the left leg, Pollock gestured to the mound. He would eventually strike out, but that seemed to be the nexus for the angst between the two teams in the second game.

Adam Engel's two-run homerun later seemed to light the fuse, as he flipped his bat towards the mound as the ball sailed over the fence. The home plate umpire's warning wasn't heeded, as Zerpa went inside and clipped the next batter, Kyle Farmer. He immediately dropped the bat and headed to the mound, followed by both benches clearing. Farmer tackled Zerpa and pinned him to the ground, but teammates were able to pull him off the pitcher. Sheets punched Royals backup catcher Cam Gallagher, who was one of the ones attempting to pull Farmer off him while other teammates tried to extract Zerpa away from the fracas.

"You never want to see things get to that point," said manager Mike Matheny. "I don't think the two pitches were intentional to begin that inning; we certainly didn't call it that way. There was just no reason to."

The Royals placed Zerpa on the restricted list, calling up right-hander Will Kincanon to take his spot on the staff. It is expected that Jonathan Bowlan, who appeared in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader and threw two pitches to get the final out, will get the start when Zerpa's turn in the rotation comes.

Speier, Lopez Placed On IL: Left-handed pitcher Gabe Speier and shortstop Nicky Lopez were placed on the 10-day injured list with elbow and back issues, respectively. Speier is expected to miss three to four weeks, while Lopez might be out up to two weeks per team officials.

Speier's injury happened during Tuesday night's game, and Lopez's injury happened in the nightcap of Wednesday's twinbill. Richard Lovelady was re-called to take his place on the roster, while Emmanuel Rivera was called up to replace Lopez. Bobby Witt, Jr., started at shortstop in yesterday's game, while Rivera manned third base.

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Royals Draft Recap (08/12)

2022 Draft Recap

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 12th, 2022

Even though the draft concluded a little over three weeks ago, the Royals only finalized their class a little over two weeks later, as there was a condensed timeline that the league was rolling out this year to speed along the signing process for draft picks. Keep in mind, these are not official -- they are what's been reported by other outlets.

The Royals signed all twenty-one of their picks, one of just twelve teams to do so. Six teams failed to sign selections with the first three rounds, with Boston not signing their second and third-round selections (all the other teams in this group had just one).

As they typically do every year, the Royals spent all of their bonus pool, and not a penny more. Ninth-overall pick Dylan Lesko signed for $5.1 million, which was a bit of a surprise given that he was ranked as the top high school pitcher going into the draft, and his slot was just a hair over $5.2 million. High school infielder Dallas Macias, the 35th-overall pick in the Competitive Balance A Round, signed for $1.726 million approximately, which was well under his $2.2 million slot value.

The biggest savings, however, was second-rounder Sterlin Thompson, a second-year draft-eligible sophomore outfielder from the Florida Gators' program. The slot value for his pick (49th overall, $1.584 million), but he signed for just shy of $1 million at $999,500.

Thompson was quoted as saying he was 'ecstatic' about ending up with the Royals, as his program is really familiar with the organization, having taken Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar from there four drafts ago. He also mentioned the team's track record with developing hitters, as he's no doubt seen the young players up with the team and contributing.

"We're obviously really thrilled about how things turned out for us," said scouting director Lonnie Goldberg, who oversees the draft and amateur scouting apparatus. "We knew going in that we were going to try and save a little bit of money up front, because we thought this was a pretty deep class. Not a ton of stars, but just really, really solid players."

They went high school heavy early on, taking outfielder Henry Bolte out of a northern California high school in Round 3. After UConn pitcher Reggie Crawford in Round 4, they went high school for Rounds 5 through 9, taking three pitchers and two outfielders. That string was broken up by college southpaw C.J. Mayhue in Round 10.

After Mayhue, the team took two more college pitchers in Rounds 11 and 12, before drafting right-handed pitcher Logan Lunceford out of an Oklahoma high school in Round 13. The Missouri commitment signed for $235,000, and the 14th rounder, infielder Nicolas Perez, signed for $209,500.

And the spending didn't stop there. For $182,000, they signed catcher Ashtin Webb, the team's 15th-round selection. Drafted in the 18th round, USC infielder D'Andre Smith signed for $205,000, while 20th rounder Zane Denton from Alabama took $175,500.

The odds are obviously stacked against each and every one of these players on reaching the big leagues, even the first-round picks. But the fact that they were willing to spend money into the final round shows a confidence that some of these guys have a real shot at contributing down the road.

Royals 2022 Draft Class
Pick	Player	Reported Bonus (Slot)	Pos	Ht	Wt
1-9	Dylan Lesko (HS)	$5,100,000 ($5,200,200)	RHP	6'3"	200
1-35	Dallas Macias (HS)	$1,725,725 ($2,202,100)	INF	6'	180
2-49	Sterlin Thompson (CO-SO)	$999,500 ($1,584,100)	OF	6'3"	190
3-87	Henry Bolte (HS)	$725,000 ($724,300)	OF	6'3"	190
4-115	Reggie Crawford (CO-JR*)	$450,000 ($527,800)	LHP	6'3"	200
5-145	Evan Siary (HS)	$475,000 ($394,200)	RHP	6'1"	170
6-175	Jace LaViolette (HS)	$315,250 ($298,600)	OF	6'5"	210
7-205	Ryan Fry (HS)	$260,000 ($233,400)	RHP	6'3"	185
8-235	Zach Crotchfelt (HS)	$205,000 ($186,400)	LHP	6'3"	215
9-265	Alex Wade (HS)	$220, 825 ($163,700)	OF	6'3"	190
10-295	C.J. Mayhue (CO-SO*)	$185,000 ($153,500)	LHP	5'11"	195
11-325	Stone Churby (CO-SR*)	$125,000	RHP	6'2"	180
12-355	William Kempner (CO-SO*)	$150,000	RHP	6'	220
13-385	Logan Lunceford (HS)	$235,000	RHP	6'	170
14-415	Nicolas Perez (HS)	$209,500	SS	5'10"	155
15-445	Ashtin Webb (JUCO-FR)	$182,000	C/OF	6'	185
16-475	Orlando Adams, Jr. (CO-JR*)	$150,000	C	6'1"	215
17-505	Mason Hazelwood (CO-SR*)	$150,000	LHP	6'5"	200
18-535	D'Andre Smith (CO-SO)	$205,000	INF	5'9"	180
19-565	J.T. Mounce (CO-JR*)	$125,000	OF	5'11"	160
20-595	Zane Denton (CO-SO*)	$175,500	3B	6'	200

Asterisk denotes redshirt/COVID year used
Maximum bonus allowed without counting against cap is $150,000

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Series Preview: Los Angeles (68-42) @ Kansas City (49-64)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
08/12: LHP Julio Urias (5-6, 3.51) vs RHP Zack Greinke (3-9, 3.92)
08/13: LHP Andrew Heaney (6-5, 5.32) vs RHP Brad Keller (2-5, 2.72)
08/14: LHP Tyler Anderson (8-1, 4.14) vs RHP Jonathan Bowlan (1-4, 6.46*)

WHO'S HOT?
None.

WHO'S NOT?
C Austin Barnes, Los Angeles -- 4-for-33 (.121), 12 K, 2 BB
OF Mookie Betts, Los Angeles -- 2-for-25 (.080), 3B, 4 K, BB

LOS ANGELES INJURED LIST
LHP Caleb Ferguson (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Blake Treinen (tricep) -- 60-day IL

KANSAS CITY INJURED LIST
SS Nicky Lopez (back) -- 10-day IL
SS Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- 60-day IL
LHP Gabe Speier (elbow) -- 10-day IL
RHP Josh Staumont (shoulder) -- 10-day IL

* denotes combined Double and Triple-A stats