One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

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San Diego @ Kansas City (08/26 -- 08/28)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: San Diego Padres

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 29th, 2022

San Diego Padres at Kansas City Royals
Aug 26, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Diego Padres (71-56)	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	3	1	7	11	0
Kansas City Royals (56-71)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	8	0
W: Mike Clevinger (8-9) L: Brady Singer (9-8) S: None

Friday, August 26th, 2022
Kansas City remained in the contest into the late innings on Friday night, but the Padres put the hammer down in the final few at-bats, scoring four runs over the eighth and ninth innings to take a 7-2 victory to open the series.

The Royals bookended the game with single runs, as Vinnie Pasquantino's double to score Nicky Lopez was the first run, and Nick Pratto's solo homerun in the ninth against Brad Hand was the other tally.

Brady Singer struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings, but allowed three runs and was saddled with the loss, his eighth of the season. In that span, he scattered five hits and three walks. Taylor Clarke struggled against his former team, allowing three runs in his one inning of work.

Ernie Clement's on-base streak lived to see another day -- that streak now stands at an even twenty games after his third-inning double.

San Diego Padres at Kansas City Royals
Aug 27, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Diego Padres (71-57)	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	5	7	0
Kansas City Royals (57-71)	6	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	X	8	9	0
W: Jonathan Bowlan (2-0) L: Yu Darvish (9-9) S: Scott Barlow (20)

Saturday, August 27th, 2022
Thanks to a big first inning in which they put up a half-dozen runs against Yu Darvish, the Royals used that big cushion to eventually hang on late for an 8-5 victory on Saturday night. Darvish had his start moved up a day, as the Padres instead threw Joe Musgrove in the Sunday game (more on that later).

Royals starter Jonathan Bowlan was also scheduled to start Friday night's game, but a stomach ailment pushed his start back to Saturday. He threw fairly well that night, allowing three runs in five innings, walking three and striking out six to pick up his second victory.

Kansas City was paced offensively by Nicky Lopez and Kyle Isbel, who collected a pair of RBI each. Lopez led off the Royals' half of the first with his second triple of the season, and came around to score on Salvador Perez's single in that inning for the first of their six runs. Perez also had a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk, and an RBI.

Jake Cronenworth had a big day offensively for the Padres, as he homered twice and stole a base in the losing effort. Darvish allowed eight runs through four innings, throwing 106 pitches, and was saddled with his eighth defeat of the season.

San Diego Padres at Kansas City Royals
Aug 28, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
San Diego Padres (72-57)	1	0	2	0	0	0	8	0	1	12	19	1
Kansas City Royals (57-72)	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	8	0
W: Joe Musgrove (10-8) L: Josh Dye (0-1) S: None

Sunday, August 28th, 2022
An eight-run seventh inning turned what was a competitive rubber match between the Royals and Padres on Sunday into a laugher, as San Diego walked out of Kauffman Stadium a 12-3 winner yesterday afternoon. The Royals were down just 3-2 when Zack Greinke left the contest.

Wil Myers led the Padres' attack with two hits (including a homerun) and three RBI, while Jake Cronenworth and Luis Campusano rapped out three hits each. Fernando Tatis, Jr., also slugged a pair of solo homeruns, giving him eighteen in just 132 at-bats since coming off the injured list about a month ago.

Ben Gamel even got in on the act, scoring three times as part of a 2-for-4 day, hitting his fifth homerun of the season, but his first as a Padre since coming over from the Pirates via trade.

Greinke allowed just three runs over six innings, but the bullpen is where the game got out of control for the Royals. Josh Dye, who started the seventh inning, lasted just three hitters, getting only one out. Joel Payamps surrendered four earned runs in place of Dye, not including the runner already on base when he entered the game.

Taylor Clarke was no better, having allowed six hits and three runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Payamps lasted just one-third of an inning, allowing three hits and four runs.

On a positive note, Ernie Clement's on-base streak will continue into the next game, as his ninth-inning single kept that streak alive at twenty-two games. M.J. Melendez went 2-for-4 with a solo homerun, and both Bobby Witt, Jr., and Vinnie Pasquantino hit doubles.

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Royal Rumblings (08/29)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 29th, 2022

Roster Moves Made Ahead Of September 1st: Active rosters expand to twenty-eight on Thursday, but the Royals have made a handful of moves that will take effect prior to that. Righty Taylor Clarke was designated for assignment, and Jackson Kowar was re-called to take his place on the active roster.

Kowar has a 3.45 ERA in 57 1/3 innings with the Storm Chasers this season, striking out seventy-three while walking twenty-four. He also has seven starts (twenty-four appearances in total), in which he's been better as a starter than as a reliever.

Also, Zach Haake had his contract purchased by the Royals and was added to the 40-man roster. It's not a sure thing that he'll be the one pitcher promoted on September 1st, but it's a very good sign for him. Teams will be allowed to carry fourteen pitchers maximum from Thursday through the end of the season.

Kowar will work out of the bullpen the remainder of the season per manager Mike Matheny, noting that if injuries arise, those plans may change. Other starting depth still remains in Triple-A, such as Daniel Lynch, Carlos Hernandez, and Jon Heasley, who all have multiple starts with the Royals this season.

Josh Dye was also optioned to Omaha after just four days in the majors, making three appearances and allowing four earned runs over just 2 2/3 innings. Gabe Speier was re-called to take his place, as he was activated off his second rehab assignment this season.

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MLB News (08/30)

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Royals Mailbag (08/30)

Royals Mailbag

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | August 30th, 2022

Typically, we wait until the first of the month or a little later to bust out the next mailbag, but I've been flooded with questions since the Royals announced the scheduled resignation of Dayton Moore following this season, so I've decided to open up the mailbag a few days early with the team's off day yesterday.

Fair or not, it also opens up questions about the future of the remainder of the front office, which some of that is covered in this version. There are also concerns about where the Royals should concentrate their offseason roster improvement efforts. Also, can we take any positives from this season besides the young crop of hitters? Why is Nick Pratto scuffling so badly, and which of him or Pasquantino would you rather have if you could only choose one? As always, the questions and answers are lightly edited for length and clarity.

If the Royals do part ways with J.J. Picollo, where do you think they'll go?

(Disclaimer: In recent weeks, I've started putting together a 'short list' of sorts if this does happen to go down. I'd put the odds at better than 50/50 right now, but not strongly so. The following names are on it, but it's not an exhaustive list.)

John Sherman's first call is likely going to go to Larry Dolan and Chris Antonetti in Cleveland to ask permission to talk to their GM in Mike Chernoff; and then if he grants permission, his second call will be to Chernoff. Chernoff is young-ish (will be forty-two for the 2023 season), and already has a wealth of experience as an executive, and a pre-existing relationship with Sherman.

However, he just signed a contract through 2025, and he's Antonetti's second-in-command, so it would likely have to be a promotion of some sort to get him to jump. Perhaps assuming Dayton Moore's president of baseball ops role, while bringing along someone from the Guardians' organization to serve as the day-to-day GM?

After that, I'm not sure where he would turn to. Scott Harris in San Francisco would top many other lists, as well as possibly the Royals' list. Harris is another name that is a lieutenant to a bigger, more well-known name (Farhan Zaidi), much like Chernoff. Harris is also thirty-five and is very analytics-heavy, something that the Royals haven't fully embraced in this era of the sport.

If they want to shoot a little lower than a sitting executive, some other names worth checking out are also out on the West Coast -- the Giants' scouting director, Michael Holmes, is a name that's picked up steam in recent years. Another scouting director in Dan Kantrowicz of the Cubs has worked for successful franchises before landing with the Cubs, including the rival Cardinals. He also worked under Billy Beane in Oakland.

If you're looking for a little more experience, Eric Kubota (A's) and Damon Oppenheimer (Yankees) are good candidates from the scouting ranks, but are both older than Moore is, at fifty-eight and fifty-nine respectively. However, if you're going to raid the A's, the younger Billy Owens, who works under GM David Forst, is the more talked about name in future GM searches.

Lastly, the big, unrealistic names like Theo Epstein aren't going to happen. Sorry folks, he's not giving up a posh job with the MLB league office to go back into the meatgrinder. Also, I don't expect a name like Jeff Luhnow's to pop up in the Royals' search either.

What are the team's biggest need(s) in free agency this offseason?

This ties into the first question, because much of it will depend on the general manager hire (if it comes to that). The Royals have already started shifting somewhat in this direction with some of the mid-level staffing hires they've made in recent years, but I think the new executive hire would certainly have an analytics background -- it's why Harris is very appealing, along with someone else like Matt Arnold in Milwaukee, who was hired at the same time as David Stearns, who is the baseball ops president for the Brewers, right above Arnold. Pete Putila in Houston is another analytics-driven executive, currently serving as the right-hand man to James Click.

Regardless, I think whomever the GM is should address the outfield first and foremost. The fanbase (including myself) had high hopes for Edward Olivares and Kyle Isbel, but they've on the whole been a below-average pairing, and they're not rangy enough to cover CF on a daily basis if you look at the metrics. What's interesting is that Isbel actually has a higher OPS+ this season against lefties, but in markedly fewer PA than against righties. Olivares, in a small sample of PA against RHP (51) this year, has a 143 OPS+. There's potential for a platoon in left or right field, but not enough for the Royals that they shouldn't pursue an upgrade.

One underrated name that comes to mind is Manny Margot, who currently plays in Tampa. No, he's never had a season with an OPS+ of 100 or better, but he'd immediately strengthen the Royals defensively in center, and probably at least be as good as Taylor was with Kansas City this season (90 OPS+). Would the Royals be willing to pony up multiple seasons for a player with a career OPS+ of 90, even if he was a borderline-elite CF?

A new GM could also put someone like Brad Keller in play as an offseason trade chip -- he's not going to front a rotation because he doesn't strike a ton of people out, which will drive down his value. But he could bring you back an average MLB position player somewhere, or a couple of nice prospects. He has just one season of control left after this one, and I doubt that the Royals will be very good in 2023. So, it would stand to reason that the organization could look to move him.

Most positive development this season?

Let's look past the young corps of position players, and let's instead talk about the crop of pitching that's in the upper minors. I know there are some in Triple-A, like former first-rounders Daniel Lynch and Jackson Kowar who are pitching well; and still others like Jon Heasley and Carlos Hernandez that are also getting turns in the rotation, but I'm talking about the less-heralded pitchers such as Zach Haake, Drew Parrish, Alec Marsh, and A.J. Block; guys who are B-level prospects that haven't yet seen a big-league mound. In fact, Alec Marsh just made his first start since returning from the IL in the last few days, and looked pretty solid in a limited number of pitches.

In addition, bullpen arms such as Nathan Webb, Josh Dye, and Will Klein are now knocking on the big leagues' door (or now in Dye's case, already there). I haven't even mentioned Angel Zerpa, who has a baker's dozen starts with the Royals under his belt this season, and might be the best young pitcher in the entire group just mentioned. And he has yet to turn twenty-three.

I don't know if I've ever been this bullish about the pitching -- Omaha pitching coach Dane Johnson and Double-A's pitching coach, Derrick Lewis, should get the lion's share of the credit for how they've worked with this group. Parrish and Webb have also spent most of this year with the Double-A squad, but have outstanding early returns from Triple-A. The only real sore spot in the top two levels has been 2020 first-rounder Asa Lacy, who has yet to figure out his control issues, and is already looking like a real bust in barely over two years of pro ball.

Johnson and Lewis were recommended by Paul Gibson, who is the Royals' director of pitching performance. Both are two potential internal candidates for the Royals' pitching coach role if the coaching staff is purged as part of a change in GM, but I would think an outside candidate would want to bring their own guys in to actually do the day-to-day teaching. Gibson and Alec Zumwalt are well-regarded around the league, so I would be surprised if a new regime would be so quick to replace them, unless they went elsewhere.

Is there anyone on the roster that's untouchable right now?

The list begins and ends with Bobby Witt, Jr. Nicky Lopez is really, really close to that, but the Royals should consider moving him if the right offer comes along. In the limited time that BWJ has filled in at shortstop while Lopez has been out, the metrics don't look good (-3.7 UZR), but it's a pretty small sample size, so it's not anything to worry about yet.

Notice how I did not mention Salvador Perez? Now, I don't think the Royals would consider trading him this year. I think it would take a pretty overwhelming offer of multiple MLB regulars to even get the Royals to think about it this offseason. If I had to rank them, it would be 1. BWJ, 2. Lopez, 3. Perez. Anyone after that I think should be fair game.

However, if he has another overall good year next season, and the Royals again are non-competitive, the likelihood goes up, especially if there is a new GM in that chair.

You can only choose one going forward -- Pratto or Pasquantino?

I still feel long-term, Pratto is the better option due to his exceptional defense, and I think is a much better athlete in general. The offense will eventually come around, methinks -- his issue right now is that he's trying to coax out from the pitcher the perfect pitch to hit every time he comes to the plate; and while that strategy might work in the upper minors, the guys at this level are rarely going to give you the 'perfect' pitch. Pasquantino seems to understand that right now, which is why he's faring much better at this point.

There's a lot of Billy Butler in Pasquantino's game and phyiscality in terms of body type. Butler was an incredibly gifted hitter, but there were the same issues early on about his defense, and where he'd fit on the roster. He'd go on to become one of the better right-handed hitters in the league through his age-26 season, but then the power just disappeared after that 29-homerun 2012 season. He hit just fifteen in 2013, and that fell to nine in 2014 before he left for Oakland following the first World Series appearance.

Pasquantino's already going to be twenty-five going into 2023. Never known for staying in game-ready shape, Butler started declining pretty precipitously in his age-27 season, going from a 138 OPS+ in 2012, to 116 in 2013, and then posting 96 and 98 OPS+ figures in 2014 and 2015. By thirty, he was bouncing around the minors before finally calling it a career a handful of years ago.

This isn't to say that's what's going to happen with Pasquantino (he's actually a very svelte-looking 240), but non-athletic types don't particularly hold up well, no matter the sport.

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Series Preview: Kansas City (57-72) @ Chi. Sox (75-54)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
08/30: RHP Brad Keller (2-5, 2.54) vs RHP Jason Bilous (2-0, 2.59)
08/31: LHP Angel Zerpa (1-5, 3.33) vs LHP Danny Duffy (0-4, 7.22)
09/01: RHP Brady Singer (9-8, 5.13) vs RHP Lucas Giolito (11-1, 2.84)

WHO'S HOT?
IF Yoan Moncada, Chicago -- 9-for-20 (.450), 4 HR, 4 2B
RHP Brad Keller, Kansas City -- 23 2/3 IP, 13 K, 5 ER (4 starts)
LHP Angel Zerpa, Kansas City -- 14 IP, 12 K, 2 ER (2 starts)

WHO'S NOT?
LHP Danny Duffy, Chicago -- 14 1/3, 10 K, 18 ER (4 starts)
IF Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 3-for-21 (.142), 2B, 8 K

CHICAGO INJURED LIST
LHP Aaron Bummer (elbow) -- 60-day IL
RHP Joe Kelly (tricep) -- 60-day IL
RHP Michael Kopech (back) -- 10-day IL
C Reese McGuire (knee) -- 10-day IL
1B Andrew Vaughn (elbow) -- 60-day IL

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

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Kansas City @ Chi. Sox (08/30 -- 09/01)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Chicago White Sox

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | Septembe 2nd, 2022

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox (Game One)
Aug 31, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (57-73)	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	0	5	8	0
Chicago White Sox (76-54)	1	0	0	0	1	1	2	1	X	6	10	0
W: Andrew Perez (1-3) L: Zach Haake (0-1) S: Liam Hendriks (30)

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox (Game Two)
Aug 31, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (58-73)	1	0	5	0	0	0	0	1	0	7	8	1
Chicago White Sox (76-55)	0	0	2	0	3	1	0	0	0	6	14	1
W: Will Kincanon (2-2) L: Kyle Gibson (5-11) S: Scott Barlow (21)

Wednesday, August 31st, 2022
With the rainout on Tuesday, the Royals played a day-night doubleheader, with the first pitch at 1:05 for the first game. It was a back-and-forth contest; ending in a 6-5 defeat for the visiting Royals. It was a good pitching matchup in the afternoon tilt, as Brad Keller and Lucas Giolito battled to a 3-2 game after six innings.

In his six innings, Keller allowed three runs, striking out six with a pair of walks, but due to an elevated pitch count was lifted at the beginning of the seventh for rookie Zach Haake, making his MLB debut. Haake admitted after the game that he had 'too much' adrenaline at the outset of his appearance, and it showed -- he allowed three runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings, but didn't walk a batter and struck out two, touching triple digits on his fastball twice.

Chicago took a 5-2 lead after seven, only to see the Royals battle back with three in the eighth, spearheaded by Ernie Clement's two-run single, and then another RBI single from Edward Olivares to tie the game up. Haake stayed on for the eighth, and after getting an out to begin the frame, Yasmani Grandal as the next hitter put the White Sox back up 6-5 with a solo shot. Liam Hendriks worked around a hit in the ninth to pick up the save.

In the nightcap, the Royals fared much better. Edward Olivares' eighth-inning RBI single was the go-ahead, and eventual, game-winning hit as the Royals claimed the second game by a 7-6 score. Angel Zerpa got the start, and was roughed up a bit, allowing five earned runs in five innings, but left with a 6-5 lead.

That was largely thanks to M.J. Melendez, who hit a grand slam in the third inning against rookie Jason Bilous, making his second start against the Royals this month. He went just three innings, allowing six earned runs. Veterans Johnny Cueto, Kyle Gibson, and Dallas Keuchel finished out the game in relief.

Bobby Witt, Jr., and Nicky Lopez each had a pair of hits to lead the Royals' offense, and one of Witt's hits was a homerun in the first inning. Melendez's slam was his only hit, but also walked in the contest.

Jackson Kowar made his first appearance with the Royals since late April, allowing three hits in 1 1/3 innings, but was also victim to a fielding error that led to an unearned run. He didn't walk anyone, none of his hits allowed were especially hard-hit, and fanned a pair. Scott Barlow picked up his 21st save of the season, working around a leadoff single and a hit batsman.

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Sep 1, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (59-73)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	4	9	0
Chicago White Sox (76-56)	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	0
W: Brady Singer (10-8) L: Kendall Graveman (4-1) S: Scott Barlow (22)

Thursday, September 1st, 2022
Despite getting struck out a baker's dozen times by Dylan Cease, the Royals received some clutch hitting in the late going as the Royals took the rubber match of the series by a 4-2 score. Down 2-1 in the eighth, Salvador Perez hit a two-out, two run homerun to put the Royals up 3-2.

Bobby Witt, Jr., singled home an insurance run in the ninth, giving him a 2-for-4 day as the Royals got the last month-plus of the season started off on the right foot.

With seven solid innings, Brady Singer became the first Royals pitcher to hit the ten-win mark. He's the first Royals pitcher since 2017 to reach double digits in wins, as Jason Vargas led the AL with eighteen that year.

Singer fanned five and walked just one over that span, scattering four hits and two earned runs.

BWJ and Nick Pratto each collected a pair of hits, and one of Pratto's was a solo homerun from the second inning. Ernie Clement kept his on-base streak going with a single in the seventh inning, extending it to twenty-five games.

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MLB News (09/02)

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Royal Rumblings (09/02)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 2nd, 2022

Haake, Hicklen Added To Active Roster: Rosters expanded to twenty-eight beginning yesterday, and the Royals added one pitcher and hitter each to the fold -- right-hander Zach Haake, who was just added to the 40-man roster a few days ago, and outfielder Brewer Hicklen was also called up.

With the rain-out and subsequent doubleheader on Wednesday, the Royals telegraphed what one of those moves would be when they added Haake as the 27th man to the active roster for the twinbill, and kept him on as the 14th pitcher, with Hicklen being added the next day. Both played in the previous series, with Hicklen getting into the game last night as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning for left fielder MJ Melendez.

Haake made an appearance out of the bullpen in the early game of Wednesday's twinbill, allowing three earned runs on four hits during 1 1/3 frames in a forgettable MLB debut for him, although he didn't walk a batter and struck out two.

The Royals had few other options to re-call for the 14th position player, unless they wanted to clear 40-man space with a DFA move. Only JaCoby Jones, Maikel Garcia, and Ryan O'Hearn were available off the 40-man to be called up at the time that Hicklen got the call. Not a big-time contact hitter; he at least can run well, plays solid defense, and has good power with fifteen homeruns in just 274 plate appearances with the Storm Chasers.

Pasquantino Named AL Rookie of the Month: After a slow start to his career, Vinnie Pasquantino had a big month of August, earning himself AL Rookie of the Month honors for the first time.

Most notable was his six-homerun binge from August 10th-12th, going 7-for-12 with a half-dozen homeruns and thirteen RBI in two games against the White Sox and one against the Dodgers at home.

Despite a .255 average, he still managed to strike out only eighteen times in 116 plate appearances last month, and walked eleven times. He also hit seven doubles and drove in twenty-eight runs, coming out to a .933 OPS, 154 OPS+, .393 wOBA, and 154 wRC+, which led all rookies.

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Series Preview: Kansas City (59-73) @ Detroit (52-79)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
09/02: RHP Jonathan Bowlan (2-0, 3.86) vs LHP Tarik Skubal (6-11, 5.11)
09/03: RHP Zack Greinke (5-9, 3.97) vs RHP Matt Manning (3-3, 3.42)
09/04: RHP Jackson Kowar (0-0, 13.50) vs RHP Spencer Turnbull (4-7, 5.51)

WHO'S HOT?
SS Javier Baez, Detroit -- 11-for-22 (.500), 3 HR, 2B, 3 BB

WHO'S NOT?
OF Akil Baddoo, Detroit -- 3-for-21 (.142), BB
IF Harold Castro, Detroit -- 5-for-41 (.121), 2B, 2 BB
IF Hunter Dozier, Kansas City -- 3-for-21 (.142), 2B, 8 K

DETROIT INJURED LIST
RHP Angel De Jesus (elbow) -- 60-day IL
OF Derek Hill (elbow) -- 60-day IL
LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (clavicle) -- 10-day IL
IF Zack Short (ankle) -- 60-day IL
RHP Will Vest (elbow) -- 60-day IL
LHP Joey Wentz (elbow) -- 60-day IL

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

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Kansas City @ Detroit (09/02 -- 09/04)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Detroit Tigers

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 5th, 2022

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Sep 2, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (59-74)	0	1	1	1	1	0	2	0	0	6	10	0
Detroit Tigers (53-79)	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	11	0
W: Kyle Funkhouser (1-3) L: Will Kincanon (2-3) S: None

Friday, September 2nd, 2022
With one swing, the Royals were walked off by Akil Baddoo's two-run homerun in the ninth inning as they dropped Friday night's series opener with the Tigers by a 7-6 score. With Scott Barlow warming up in the bullpen, Mike Matheny opted to keep Will Kincanon in the game to face Baddoo, and the Tiger outfielder took the first pitch he saw from Kincanon deep over the right field wall.

"I mean, it's better than a 50/50 shot that Will is going to get a groundball out of you," said manager Mike Matheny. "He does so well at keeping the ball down, but just got one a bit too elevated, and Baddoo just crushed it. It happens."

Detroit jumped out to a 5-2 lead after three innings against Jonathan Bowlan, who surrendered back-to-back homeruns in the first inning from Austin Meadows and Spencer Torkelson after striking out the first two hitters he faced in dominating fashion. In all, he allowed eight hits and a walk in four innings, but struck out five.

The top of the Royals' lineup led the way, with Bobby Witt, Jr., going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, a walk, and a homerun. Nicky Lopez and Vinnie Pasquantino also collected a pair of hits each, and Ernie Clement hit his fifth homerun of the season in the fourth inning to extend his on-base streak to twenty-six games. He also now has a modest eight-game hitting streak, as well.

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Sep 3, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (59-75)	0	0	0	3	0	3	0	0	0	6	9	0
Detroit Tigers (54-79)	0	2	1	0	0	3	0	0	1	7	13	0
W: Tyler Alexander (1-1) L: Scott Barlow (4-5) S: None

Saturday, September 3rd, 2022
Scott Barlow got the first two outs of the ninth in a 6-6 game, but a walk and subsequent steal of second by Javier Baez put him in scoring position, and Riley Greene lined a double over Brewer Hicklen's outstretched glove to plate the game-winner in a 7-6 walkoff defeat on Saturday night.

Detroit scored the first three runs of the game, as Victor Reyes hit a two-run double in the second, and Baez homered in the third, both against Zack Greinke. Salvador Perez singled home a run in the fourth, followed by a two-run double from Ernie Clement to tie the game. Kansas City would go on to take the lead with a three-run blast from M.J. Melendez.

Greinke was pulled after 5 2/3 and 107 pitches for fellow righty Dylan Coleman, who promptly allowed both runners on base at the time to score with back-to-back-to-back singles. Jonathan Schoop, who singled against Coleman to start his outing, scored the game-tying run on Akil Baddoo's single, the third and final base hit in the sequence.

Perez, Bobby Witt Jr., and Vinnie Pasquantino all collected two hits, with Clement going 1-for-2, including a walk to go with his two-run double.

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Sep 4, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (59-76)	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	4	6	1
Detroit Tigers (55-79)	0	2	0	0	4	2	0	2	X	7	13	0
W: Spencer Turnbull (5-7) L: Jackson Kowar (0-1) S: None

Sunday, September 4th, 2022
The middle innings were once again a nightmare for the Royals' bullpen, as the Tigers exploded for six runs in the fifth and sixth innings combined to sweep the Royals out of Detroit by a 10-4 score yesterday afternoon. Things got off to a great start for the boys in blue in the first inning, as Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 14th homerun of the season, a two-run shot, to put the Royals up 2-0 early on.

Bobby Witt Jr., who scored on Pasquantino's homerun, collected his fourth straight two-hit game to begin the month of September, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

Detroit counted with two of their own in the second against Jackson Kowar, but then picked up four more in the fifth and two in the sixth. Kowar was taken out of the game after just four-plus innings, but was on a pitch limit regardless, having not started since August 16th when he was still in the minors.

With the unexpected twinbill last week, the Royals gave Kowar the spot start today to give Brad Keller an extra day to rest. However, Kowar allowed five earned runs while walking a pair and scattering five hits. Joel Payamps, who replaced him, was tagged for three earned runs, and has been hit for nine earned runs over his last three outings, covering just two innings pitched.

As the cherry on top of the non-tasty sundae that was the weekend series sweep at the hands of the last-place Tigers, Ernie Clement's on-base streak was snapped at twenty-seven games, along with his eight-game hitting streak with an 0-for-4 on Sunday.

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MLB News (09/05)

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Royal Rumblings (09/05)

Royal Rumblings

By Brian Douglas | Kansas City Star | September 5th, 2022

Royals Designate Payamps For Assignment; Promote Lynch: Daniel Lynch is back with the Royals following a very strong trip back to the minors for the big lefty, as he was re-called by the Royals to take Joel Payamps' spot on the active roster after he was designated for assignment by the club earlier this morning.

Matheny noted that Angel Zerpa would likely only make one or two more starts before getting shut down for the season, as he's thrown a career-high 132 innings this season, blowing past his 93 innings from a year ago. In recent seasons, Brad Keller has been put on an innings limit, as he threw 165 1/3 innings in 2019 before getting shut down in early September of that year.

"Dan's going to give us a little depth," he said. "Based on what we've heard from the guys in Omaha, he's popping the mitt at 95, 96, even later in games. He has seven or eight starts since going down, all quality starts, so he's doing some good things down there. I think in Angel's case, it's saving him from some issues down the road. He's only twenty-two, and this is a pretty big innings jump for him. There's some concern among the training staff, so that's something we're watching for, especially since he's been pitching so well for us."

Omaha righty Nathan Webb was placed on the 60-day IL with a torn bicep, one that will require season-ending surgery to correct. Lefty Jake Brentz will go on a rehab assignment with the Storm Chasers beginning today. In addition, the Royals also added outfielder Nate Eaton and right-hander Zach Willeman to the 40-man roster to replace both Payamps and Webb. Webb figures to return to the 40-man later in the year once he's recovered, as he's been one of the better pitchers in the upper minors for the organization.

Willeman, if you recall, was the player-to-be-named-later from last year's Danny Duffy trade with the Dodgers. After a bit of a rough start with Double-A early in the season, he's posted outstanding numbers since, even making a handful of spot starts along the way. In sixty innings between Double and Triple-A, he's amassed a 2.55 ERA with eighty-two strikeouts to just twenty-five walks. Most of that work was done in Double-A, but in eight Triple-A innings, has fifteen strikeouts to just two free passes so far.

Loftin Tears Labrum: Omaha outfielder Nick Loftin will miss the next three to four months after suffering a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder making a diving play in the eighth inning on Thursday night against St. Paul. The news came after several opinions were sought by the team, and it was decided by all parties that surgery would be the best option.

Fortunately, he's not expected to miss any game time for next season, as he should be ready for spring training next March. The 2020 Competitive Balance Round A selection also been talked about as someone who could contend for an Opening Day roster spot with a big spring.

Splitting time in left and center field since joining Omaha, Loftin was having a solid season, slashing .273/.319/.449 with eight doubles, a triple, and seven homeruns in just 189 plate appearances. Eaton, who was recently called up to Omaha, should see time at all three outfield spots along with Tyler Gentry and JaCoby Jones.

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Series Preview: Cleveland (70-63) @ Kansas City (59-76)

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PITCHING MATCHUPS
09/05: RHP Brad Keller (2-5, 2.65) vs RHP Triston McKenzie (5-8, 3.87)
09/06: LHP Daniel Lynch (5-7, 5.46) vs RHP Shane Bieber (11-4, 3.32)
09/07: LHP Angel Zerpa (1-5, 3.69) vs RHP Zach Plesac (4-9, 5.54)

WHO'S HOT?
RHP Cody Morris, Cleveland -- 25 IP, 25 K, 0 ER (5 starts)
3B Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City -- 10-for-21 (.476), 2 HR, 2B, 7 R

WHO'S NOT?
RHP Zach Plesac, Cleveland -- 12 1/3 IP, 6 K, 16 ER (3 starts)
OF Edward Olivares, Kansas City -- 3-for-27 (.111), 11 K

CLEVELAND INJURED LIST
LHP Sam Hentges (shoulder) -- 60-day IL
C Manny Pina (hamstring) -- 10-day IL
IF Donovan Solano (wrist) -- 10-day IL
OF Myles Straw (back) -- 10-day IL
RHP Carlos Vargas (shoulder) -- 60-day IL

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

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Re: One Royal Way (OOTP 23)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Cleveland Guardians

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

Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
Sep 5, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cleveland Guardians (70-64)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	11	0
Kansas City Royals (60-76)	1	0	0	1	1	0	5	0	X	8	11	0
W: Brad Keller (3-5) L: Trevor Stephan (7-6) S: None

Monday, September 5th, 2022
Now with ten hits in his last twenty at-bats, Vinnie Pasquantino continues to swing a red-hot bat, adding three more hits in an 8-2 victory on Monday night over the Guardians. Interestingly enough, he fell a single short of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, including a homerun. His seventh-inning triple was his first career three-bagger, and it only happened thanks to a fortuitous bounce over the head of right fielder Daniel Johnson, who misplayed the hard-hit ball off the wall.

"That's a long way for me to run," he said with a chuckle in the post-game interviews afterward. "Thankfully, there's a lot of outfield to cover here, so that gave me the extra split-second I needed to get there. I wanted to get there, I could hear the crowd cheer me on, I couldn't let them down."

It was actually a very competitve game before that five-run seventh inning, as the Royals held just a 3-2 lead going into that frame. Dairon Blanco led off the inning with a double poked down the right field line, which chased reliever Trevor Stephan from the game. Outfielder-turned-pitcher Anthony Gose came in, and allowed seven of the eight hitters he faced to reach, including three triples.

The last time one team hit three triples in the same inning was June 14th, 2015, as the Twins beat the Rangers 4-3 that day. It's also the first time in Royals history that they hit three triples in one inning; but unlike the Twins who scored just one run in that inning, the Royals tallied five runs.

In Brad Keller's six innings of work, he had a lot of traffic on the bases (seven hits, four walks), but managed to allow just two earned runs with one strikeout. Gabe Speier and Will Kincanon combined to throw three scoreless innings to finish out the contest.

Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
Sep 6, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cleveland Guardians (70-65)	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	7	2
Kansas City Royals (61-76)	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	2	X	6	13	0
W: Daniel Lynch (6-7) L: Shane Bieber (11-5) S: Dylan Coleman (1)

Tuesday, September 6th, 2022
Every single Royal starter got in on the hit parade in Tuesday's game, as the Royals rolled up thirteen hits on their way to a 6-2 victory over the Guardians, somewhat erasing a disappointing series sweep at the hands of the Tigers over the weekend. After an 0-fer in yesterday's game, Bobby Witt Jr. scored twice, stole a base, and went 2-for-5, including his third triple of the season.

Nicky Lopez, Salvador Perez, and Ernie Clement each collected a pair of hits as well, including Perez's thirty-third homerun of the season in the seventh inning. Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino also each drove in a pair of runs, with Hunter Dozier also chipping in with an RBI.

However, the story of the game from the Royals' side was Daniel Lynch. Making his first start since getting re-called from the minors, he was brilliant through 7 2/3 innings, allowing just six hits and one walk while fanning seven. His only blemish was a two-run homerun in the sixth inning from Jose Ramirez, but that was the only time Cleveland lit up the board. Dylan Coleman pitched the final 1 1/3 innings in shutout fashion.

"No shame in giving up a bomb to (Jose) Ramirez," said manager Mike Matheny. "That guy is a machine. Dan really gave us a lift with his stuff tonight...he was especially tough on left-handed guys. It's hard to make (Steven) Kwan look bad, and he threw a couple of pitches where his swing just looked awkward."

Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
Sep 7, 2022	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cleveland Guardians (71-65)	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	4	1	9	14	2
Kansas City Royals (61-77)	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	2	5	11	0
W: Zach Plesac (5-9) L: Angel Zerpa (1-6) S: None

Wednesday, September 7th, 2022
In spite of four hits from Nicky Lopez; and three hits from Nick Pratto, including a pair of solo homeruns, the Royals couldn't overcome a barrage of late runs from the Guardians as they fell 9-5 to close out the three-game series last night.

Pratto also added a two-run double against Emmanuel Clase in the ninth, giving him four RBI on the night. After a stretch of going just 5-for-24 since the beginning of the San Diego series on August 26th, Pratto went 6-for-12 in the Guardians' series, hitting three homeruns and two doubles.

The rookie first baseman's night aside, compounding the Royals' earlier offensive issues were four double plays grounded into, as Bobby Witt Jr. himself grounded into two of them. Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez each had one, as well.

"Not saying we'd have won the game, but I think we're in a much better position to had we taken better advantage of some of those earlier opportunities," said manager Mike Matheny.

Angel Zerpa allowed four earned runs over six innings of work, throwing just eighty-two pitches. It was reported earlier in the week that he only has "one or two more" starts this season before being shut down, per Matheny.

Will Kincanon and Gabe Speier combined to surrender five earned runs over the final three innings; with the big blow coming against Speier a three-run homerun from Daniel Johnson, who was the first hitter that he faced.

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MLB News (09/08)

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