The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)

Collapse

Recommended Videos

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • artoodeetoo
    MVP
    • Dec 2015
    • 3696

    #76
    Royals News (6/21)



    ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
    K.C. gauges potential interest in former player; Hampson designated for assignment


    By artoodeetoo
    06/21/2024


    TOP STORIES
    Royals, Pirates have discussed Michael A. Taylor: Could a reunion with Michael A. Taylor be in the cards?

    A recent report from MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince suggests that the Royals are interested in potentially bringing back the 33-year-old outfielder via trade, but that any talks are preliminary in measure.

    Taylor still plays elite-level defense, and has hit left-handers very well so far this season in posting an .800 OPS in 107 plate appearances against them. He was the Royals' lone Gold Glove winner in 2021, winning the award in center field.

    Taylor was traded to Minnesota from Kansas City merely seventeen months ago, playing out the 2023 season with the Twins before signing a minor league contract with Pittsburgh prior to this season.

    Royals GM J.J. Picollo has made it clear that upgrading the offense is a priority, as they've also been linked to Angels utility man Brandon Drury and Giants infielder Wilmer Flores in recent days.

    Royals designate Hampson; re-call Austin Nola from Omaha: He's been a walk-off hero in several games this season, but the Royals have decided to part ways with utility man Garrett Hampson as the team designated him for assignment this morning.

    Signed for $2 million prior to the season, Hampson is the second veteran infield signee to be designated in as many months, with Adam Frazier being designated and subsequently released after refusing a minors assignment with the club. A corresponding 40-man move has not yet been announced, as Nola is already on the 40-man roster.

    Nola has largely shouldered the catching load with the Storm Chasers, but is expected to fill more of a utility role with the Royals as they have Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin already on the roster, including MJ Melendez who could fill in behind the plate in a pinch.

    Nola has had an outstanding season with Omaha so far, posting an .895 OPS, including a 1.011 OPS against lefties. He also has more walks (36) than strikeouts (31). Rodolfo Duran and Kale Emshoff, who was promoted to Triple-A to take Nola's spot, are expected to split the catching duties for the Storm Chasers' staff.

    OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
    RHP Alec Marsh (shoulder) expected to begin rehab assignment next week
    Top infield prospect Cayden Wallace back to injured list with fractured wrist
    Royals to promote C Omar Hernandez from High-A to Double-A, Omaha C Logan Porter released

    Comment

    • artoodeetoo
      MVP
      • Dec 2015
      • 3696

      #77
      Kansas City at Texas (6/21 -- 6/23)


      Series Recap: Texas Rangers

      By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | June 24th, 2024


      Kansas City Royals at Texas Rangers
      Jun 21, 2024123456789RHE
      Kansas City Royals (41-37)0000034007101
      Texas Rangers (41-34)21000026X11120
      W: Kirby Yates (1-0) L: Chris Stratton (4-3) S: None

      Friday, June 21st, 2024
      A bullpen implosion over the final two innings turned a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh into an 11-7 defeat for the Royals; as the Rangers stormed back with two runs in the seventh, and then a half-dozen in the eighth.

      Adolis Garcia capped off the six-run eighth with a grand slam, which was the second of his two homeruns on the day. Marcus Semien also smacked a pair of homeruns, and Josh Jung also got in on the homer act with one of his own.

      Although there was plenty of struggles to go around, the majority of damage was done against Chris Stratton, who managed to record just one out while allowing three hits and two walks to go with five earned runs. He was the pitcher who surrendered Garcia's slam.

      "Conditions were pretty ideal for this kind of game," said Royals manager Matt Quatraro. "They opened the roof here, and that center field wind really helped the ball to carry. We were the beneficiary of it at times, but it's a double-edged sword, especially with these guys who all can hit the ball out of the park in that other dugout."

      Kansas City hit three of their own, with two of them coming in the seventh. In a pinch-hit appearance for Kyle Isbel to lead off the inning, Nick Loftin pounded a 473-foot shot to center that cleared nearly everything. Later, Quatraro lifted Vinnie Pasquantino against Brock Burke, and pinch-hitter Hunter Renfroe curled a pitch just inside the left field foul pole for a two-run homerun.

      Bobby Witt Jr also added a homerun of his own in the sixth inning against Max Scherzer, and doubled twice as part of a three-hit day. Scherzer went 5 1/3 innings in his season debut with the Rangers, allowing three earned runs and striking out six on eighty-two pitches.

      Kansas City Royals at Texas Rangers
      Jun 22, 2024123456789RHE
      Kansas City Royals (41-38)001000000162
      Texas Rangers (42-34)10000002X350
      W: David Robertson (3-3) L: Chris Stratton (4-4) S: Jose Leclerc (14)

      Saturday, June 22nd, 2024
      The eighth inning of Saturday's game turned out to be a house of horrors again for the Royals' bullpen, as Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia hit back-to-back homeruns against Chris Stratton to break a 1-1 tie, handing the Royals a 3-1 defeat. The Royals earned their only run on a solo homerun from Kyle Isbel in the third inning against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi.

      Drew Waters was 3-for-3 with a double, and Nick Loftin was 2-for-3, but could not muster much else offensively to back up Edward Cabrera, who was fantastic yet again.

      He allowed just one unearned run (thanks to his own error), scattering just two hits and two walks with five strikeouts over five full innings. After Cabrera left, Josh Taylor put up one of baseball's rarest feats in the sixth inning, striking out all three hitters in that frame on three pitches, otherwise known as an immaculate inning. Taylor worked two innings in all, striking out five with just one walk.

      "The key for Eddie is locating the fastball early in the count when he throws it," said pitching coach Brian Sweeney, who was made available to the media on Zoom while skipper Matt Quatraro tended to a personal matter. "What's really been working for him is working the fastball up, and then coming back with offspeed stuff down in the zone that is really keeping hitters off-balance."

      The reed-thin righty has been one of the most underrated mid-season pickups of the 2024 season, as he's put up superb numbers despite posting an 0-4 record with the Royals in seven starts after being picked up by the Royals for cash considerations. Including a start very early in the season with Miami, Cabrera has posted 40 innings in eight starts this season, striking out forty-one, walking just thirteen, and has yet to allow a homerun.

      "We were in a tough spot with Alec (Marsh) going on the IL back in May, and Eddie's been a steadying force," Sweeney went on to say. "Now, with Alec, we can tell him to take it easy and not have to rush him back."

      Kansas City Royals at Texas Rangers
      Jun 23, 202412345678910RHE
      Kansas City Royals (41-39)041000202211190
      Texas Rangers (43-34)01502000131290
      W: Sean Newcomb (4-0) L: John Schreiber (2-1) S: None

      Sunday, June 23rd, 2024
      For the first time this season, rookie right-hander Matt Sauer drew the starting assignment, but it was in an 'opener' role. It didn't really go the way that anyone likely planned, allowing six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings before Kris Bubic entered the game. Sauer allowed four hits, three walks, and struck out four in his 52-pitch outing, the most he's had this season.

      That performance is likely the last in a Royals' uniform for Sauer, as he was designated for assignment by the club earlier this morning. Bubic was solid in relief, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing just two earned runs on two hits, walking three with five strikeouts as the 'follower'. He also did so in seventy-six pitches, just twenty-four more over three additional innings than Sauer.

      However, the AL's top offense in batting average, OPS, and runs scored proved again that even one of the better pitching staffs in the league couldn't hold them down, as they seemingly answered every Royals rally with one of their own, including the 10th inning when the Royals scored two in the top of the 10th, only to see them blaze through the bottom of the frame with three more without an out to post a 12-11 win over the Royals.

      The Rangers handed the Royals only their second sweep this season; both have come on the road. From May 24th through the 26th, Tampa Bay handed the Royals three straight defeats at the Trop.

      "I think the league has likely seen something in film, as they seem to know what's coming when he's up there now," said manager Matt Quatraro in last night's press conference, before Sauer's designation this morning. "Pitching's about adjusting, and that's going to be next up for him."

      On the bright side, Bobby Witt Jr has found his stroke again with three more hits and a walk, while Drew Waters has absolutely raked since returning to the team prior to the Oakland series, going 5-for-5, including the go-ahead bases loaded double in the ninth to put the Royals up 9-8, only to see that lead evaporate the very next half-inning. Waters is 11-for-19 (.579) with two doubles, a triple, and a homerun in the last week.

      John Schreiber took the loss, falling to 2-1. He came in with a 9-8 lead in the ninth and allowed a first-pitch homerun to rookie Evan Carter before getting the final three outs, and remained in the game for the 10th, surrendering all three runs in that frame as well.

      UP NEXT: vs Miami (06/24 -- 06/26)

      Comment

      • artoodeetoo
        MVP
        • Dec 2015
        • 3696

        #78
        MLB News (6/24)



        MLB NEWS AND NOTES
        Acuna out for extended period; Mets in hunt for new closer?


        By MLB.com staff
        06/24/2024


        TOP STORIES
        Braves' outfield takes a hit: Atlanta will be without reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr as he will head to 10-day injured list with an oblique strain, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The injury is expected to set him back five to six weeks, minus a potential rehab assignment.

        With some combination of Adam Duvall, Jarred Kelenic, and Luke Williams, they'll try to fill the large void created by Acuna's absence, but replacing an MVP is no easy task.

        "What's the saying, move 'em up, move 'em over," said manager Brian Snitker. "That's just what we plan to do. We have the guys that can fill in, we feel good that they can get us through to when Ronald gets back in a handful of weeks."

        Mets' Diaz has torn labrum; will miss remainder of season after surgery: The Mets, who are 14.5 games out of the NL East, but hold one of the three wildcard spots as it presently stands, will be down closer Edwin Diaz for the rest of 2024 (and perhaps most of 2025) after an MRI revealed a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

        He left in the first inning of their 6-1 loss to Pittsburgh back on Monday, and after several MRI's, had surgery yesterday to correct a torn UCL and was placed on the 60-day injured list. It was not Tommy John surgery, but still invasive enough to have to shut him down at least through the rest of 2024 and perhaps a portion of 2025.

        The injury leaves the Mets in a tough spot, as they lose one of the best closers in the game as they come barreling towards the All-Star break in the thick of the playoff hunt. With the market still taking shape, they won't likely rush to make a move, but they'll certainly have the capital to do so once they're ready.

        OTHER HEADLINES
        Braves, Blue Jays swap top spot in new Power Rankings
        Guardians acquire RHP Carlos Estevez from the Angels for LHP Joey Cantillo
        Pirates designate C Yasmani Grandal for assignment

        Comment

        • artoodeetoo
          MVP
          • Dec 2015
          • 3696

          #79
          Royals News (6/24)



          ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
          Royals designate Rule 5 pick; MJ Melendez optioned


          By artoodeetoo
          06/24/2024


          TOP STORIES
          Royals sour on Sauer: After a pretty strong start to his rookie campaign with the Royals, Kansas City has designated Rule 5 pick Matt Sauer for assignment, likely all but assuring that he'll be headed back to the Yankees' farm system to resume his pro career.

          There's a possibility that he could be re-acquired by the team in a trade, but the drop-off in Sauer's performance has been so pronounced that the Royals likely won't see any value in keeping him in the system at the cost of cash or a prospect.

          To replace him on the roster, the Royals promoted right-hander John McMillon in his place. The fire-balling righty started out the 2024 season in Omaha to excellent results, but fell off a cliff just a few weeks in, leading to him being removed from the closer's role there. In June, however, he's been utterly dominant, striking out sixteen hitters in nine innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and two walks.

          McMillon also turned heads in a cup of coffee with the Royals last season; lighting up the radar gun by hitting triple digits with his fastball at least once or twice per outing. It was a very small sample (4 IP), but allowed just one hit (a homerun) with no walks and eight strikeouts. However, injuries forced him to the injured list, and he didn't see a live in-game mound the rest of the season.

          Melendez optioned; Zerpa re-called: In a surprise move, the Royals also optioned outfielder MJ Melendez to Omaha and re-called southpaw Angel Zerpa to the big-league roster. The move adds some additional depth to the bullpen with the Royals going with a six-man rotation for the time being. Kris Bubic has been solid in his two outings, and Matt Quatraro had previously mentioned that they wanted to get Bubic some work out of the bullpen and 'gear him up' to take a starting role.

          Right-hander Alec Marsh is also set to begin a rehab assignment this week, as was reported several days ago. With the emergence of Bubic and Edward Cabrera, Quatraro noted that the club will take their time with getting Marsh back up to speed.

          "You know, we have guys up now that are pretty versatile and can play a lot of different spots, so we can take on the extra bullpen arm and not lose much defensively," Quatraro mentioned of the Melendez move. "Nick (Loftin), Austin (Nola), those guys can play some in the outfield as well as on the infield, and Austin can give us some innings behind the plate in a tight spot. Hunter Renfroe has been solid for us this month, so we think the time is right to send MJ down and get his mind right. It wasn't an easy decision; and of course he's disappointed, but it's one that we think is the right thing to do for his career."

          OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
          Royals add catching prospect Carter Jensen to 40-man roster
          RHP Blake Wolters (Royals #14 prospect) to miss several weeks with elbow inflammation

          Comment

          • artoodeetoo
            MVP
            • Dec 2015
            • 3696

            #80
            Re: The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)


            Series Recap: Miami Marlins

            By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | June 27th, 2024


            Miami Marlins at Kansas City Royals
            Jun 24, 2024123456789RHE
            Miami Marlins (38-40)310001000591
            Kansas City Royals (42-39)00150230X11130
            W: Cole Ragans (8-4) L: Jesus Luzardo (4-7) S: None

            Monday, June 24th, 2024
            Miami jumped out to a 4-0 lead after just two innings on Kansas City ace Cole Ragans, but the home team battled back, outscoring the Marlins 11-1 the rest of the way to claim an 11-5 victory to open their series with the Fish. Ragans became the first Royals pitcher to reach eight wins despite five earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, although he allowed just one in his final 3 2/3.

            Dairon Blanco's triple to lead off the third accounted for the first run, as Maikel Garcia grounded him in two batters later. But the floodgates opened in the fourth, with the Royals scoring five in that frame to take the lead for good. The Royals appeared to have Jesus Luzardo's number at that point, as he had allowed just one hit through three innings.

            Salvador Perez and Hunter Renfroe doubled for the first run of the inning, then Freddy Fermin launched a two-run homerun to tie the game at four. He was able to get Nick Loftin and Austin Nola, but Blanco and Kyle Isbel singled, coming around to score on Garcia's double that followed.

            "It's really contagious when guys start getting good swings and barreling things up," said manager Matt Quatraro. "We were able to get (Jesus) Luzardo out, who is a heck of a pitcher, but we kept the good times going."

            Garcia drove in two more with a single in the sixth inning against Max Meyer, giving Garcia a career-high five RBI on the day. Vinnie Pasquantino and Michael Massey drove in three runs combined in the seventh, this time against JT Chargois.

            Monday's game also saw the 2024 debut of reliever John McMillon, who didn't disappoint in his first outing of the season with the Royals. He topped triple digits four times, including all three of his strikeouts on fastballs of 100+. In 2 1/3 innings, he struck out three, walked one, and allowed just one hit in twenty-eight pitches.

            Miami Marlins at Kansas City Royals
            Jun 25, 2024123456789RHE
            Miami Marlins (38-41)011001001480
            Kansas City Royals (43-39)10020020X590
            W: Will Smith (4-4) L: Trevor Rogers (6-6) S: John Schreiber (2)

            Tuesday, June 25th, 2024
            The Marlins made things interesting in the ninth, but new closer John Schreiber was able to shut the door on Miami with a pair of strikeouts to preserve a 5-4 victory, clinching a series victory and helping to keep pace in the AL Wildcard standings.

            Seth Lugo allowed a couple of solo homeruns, but managed to largely keep the Miami offense in check with three earned runs over six innings, scattering six hits with eight strikeouts. He didn't walk a batter, throwing nearly two-thirds of his pitches for strikes.

            "I thought he was great tonight, really executed what he wanted to do with his stuff," said manager Matt Quatraro. "When you're around the plate as much as he was, you're bound to give up a homerun or two, but the hope is you've done well enough to keep guys off base when it does happen. That was the case today."

            Back-to-back doubles from Bobby Witt Jr and Vinnie Pasquantino drove in the Royals' first run, and they wouldn't strike again until the fourth with a two-run single from Kyle Isbel. That hit gave them a 3-2 lead heading into the fifth.

            A Josh Bell solo homerun in the sixth tied the game yet again, but the Royals answered the bell (ba-dum-tsss) with two tallies in the seventh inning, giving them the lead back. In the ninth, Schreiber surrendered two hits and a wild pitch in the first three hitters to plate a run, but punched out Nick Gordon and Christian Bethancourt to end the contest.

            Miami Marlins at Kansas City Royals
            Jun 26, 2024123456789RHE
            Miami Marlins (38-42)004004000492
            Kansas City Royals (44-39)10120232X11162
            W: Brady Singer (4-6) L: Braxton Garrett (2-6) S: None

            Wednesday, June 26th, 2024
            Bryan De La Cruz's two-out grand slam in the third inning was the only blemish on Brady Singer's statline, but none of the runs were charged to Singer as a Nick Loftin error preceded it as he had a ground ball kick off his glove and end up in short right field.

            That slam ended up being all the offense that Singer would let through, as the Royals, much like Monday night, pulled away in the late innings to claim an 11-4 win, sweeping the Marlins and completely erasing the sweep at the hands of the Rangers in Arlington.

            In six innings of work, Singer scattered seven hits while not issuing a walk with three strikeouts. He picked up his fourth win of the season, thanks to the Royals breaking a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning.

            Indeed, the offense backed him up quite nicely, scoring in six of their eight half-innings, including seven runs over their final three at-bats. All nine starters came away with hits in the game, the first such occurrence this season, and they collected sixteen hits in all.

            Salvador Perez and Drew Waters led the way with three and two hits apiece, with both of them collecting doubles along the way. Maikel Garcia drove in three more runs after driving in a career-high five in Monday night's game, and Kyle Isbel extended his hitting streak to a modest five games with an RBI single in the eighth.

            A Hunter Renfroe single also kept a short hit streak alive, now sitting at a half-dozen games for him. He's reached base in a dozen of his last thirteen games, with his only blemish an 0-for-1 in a pinch-hit appearance.

            UP NEXT: vs Cleveland Guardians (6/27 -- 6/30)

            Comment

            • artoodeetoo
              MVP
              • Dec 2015
              • 3696

              #81
              MLB News (6/27)



              MLB NEWS AND NOTES
              First phase of All-Star voting completed


              By MLB.com staff
              06/27/2024


              TOP STORIES
              All-Star Voting Phase 1 has ended: Atlanta's Matt Olson and the Yankees' Juan Soto have ended the first phase of MLB All-Star voting as the top vote-earners in each league, cementing their status as guaranteed starters for their respective leagues.

              Olson, who is threatening the all-time single-season RBI record at his current pace, received over 2.7 million votes in the last three weeks, with Soto coming in with the third-most votes overall at around 2.25 million votes. Mookie Betts of the Dodgers came in with around 2.65 million votes, but couldn't overtake Olson in the end.

              The top two at each position will move on to Phase 2 of the voting process, which begins on Sunday, June 30th, and runs through Wednesday, July 3rd. On the 3rd, the results of the second phase will be revealed, along with pitchers and reserves that are selected by player vote and from the commissioner's office two days later. Five starters and three relievers will be selected by the player vote, along with eight reserves. The remainder of the selections will be commissioner's picks.

              Here are the top two vote-earners at each position:

              AL C: Salvador Perez, Kansas City; Adley Rutschman, Baltimore
              AL 1B: Triston Casas, Boston; Vlad Guerrero Jr., Toronto
              AL 2B: Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay; Andres Gimenez, Cleveland+
              AL 3B: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland; Rafael Devers, Boston
              AL SS: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore; Bo Bichette, Toronto
              AL LF: Yordan Alvarez, Houston; Steven Kwan; Cleveland
              AL CF: Luis Robert, Jr., Chicago; Chas McCormick, Houston
              AL RF: Juan Soto, New York; Riley Greene, Detroit
              AL DH: Justin Turner, Toronto; Brandon Drury, Los Angeles

              NL C: Sean Murphy, Atlanta; Will Smith, Los Angeles
              NL 1B: Matt Olson, Atlanta; Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles
              NL 2B: Ketel Marte, Arizona; Ozzie Albies, Atlanta
              NL 3B: Nolan Jones, Colorado; Austin Riley, Atlanta
              NL SS: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles; Trea Turner, Philadelphia
              NL LF: Christian Yelich, Milwaukee; Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh
              NL CF: Michael Harris II, Atlanta; James Outman, Los Angeles
              NL RF: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta; Corbin Carroll, Arizona
              NL DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles; Luis Arraez, San Diego

              Former top pick traded to the Angels: Jack Leiter's disappointing tenure in the Rangers' system has come to an end, as the second overall pick in the 2021 draft was traded to the Angels, along with Keyber Rodriguez and fellow right-handed pitcher Izack Tiger, to acquire reliever Jose Cisnero.

              The trade raised some eyebrows due to the Leiter pedigree, but after posting a 6.00 ERA with the Frisco Rough Riders in Double-A, he was demoted to High-A and flourished with a 3-2 record and a 2.15 ERA, making the Midwest League All-Star Game.

              Cisnero has struggled a bit in the past two seasons, but carries a career 4.07 ERA with stints in Houston, Detroit, and the Angels. He's walked just 4.7% of his hitters faced this season, as recent acquisitions Jordan Weems and Sean Newcomb have struggled with free passes this season.

              OTHER HEADLINES
              Cubs infielder Garrett Cooper out five to six weeks with high ankle sprain
              Phillies designate OF Cristian Pache for assignment
              Giants outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr day-to-day (back)
              Last edited by artoodeetoo; 06-12-2024, 02:49 PM.

              Comment

              • artoodeetoo
                MVP
                • Dec 2015
                • 3696

                #82
                Royals News (6/27)



                ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
                Perez tops AL catchers in initial votes; Royals begin crucial four-game set with Cleveland


                By artoodeetoo
                06/27/2024


                TOP STORIES
                All-Star voting update: Catcher Salvador Perez was the lone Royal in the top two in All-Star voting at his position, as he edged out Baltimore's Adley Rutschman by a little under 40,000 votes in the first phase of online fan voting to place first in the first phase of online fan voting.

                Bobby Witt Jr finished fourth in the voting at shortstop, coming in at a little under 1.4 million votes, placing behind Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore), Bo Bichette (Toronto), and Corey Seager (Texas); so he'll have to hope that the player vote or commissioner's office comes through to place him on the roster. Seager is currently rehabbing an injury in the minors, and may not even return in time to represent the AL regardless.

                Perez could also end up needing the player vote or a commissioner's selection, but it's hard to imagine one of the league's most respected and popular players slipping past the player's vote, provided Rutschman prevails in the second phase of the fan vote. Votes from the first phase of voting are not combined with the second, so it's a 'blank slate' of sorts.

                No other Royal finished in the top five at their respective position, with Maikel Garcia placing sixth at third base with just over 750,000 votes as the next-best vote-earner for the Royals. Vinnie Pasquantino finished seventh at first base with approximately 670,000 votes.

                The second phase of online fan voting begins Sunday, June 30th, and ends on July 3rd at midnight EST. Later that day, the full rosters will be revealed by MLB Network at 6 PM Eastern.

                Royals, Guardians meet in critical series: Beginning tonight, the Royals and Guardians will play four at Kauffman Stadium in a series that is quite critical for both teams, as the Guardians come in losers of six of their last ten, and three straight overall.

                The Royals are only 5-5 in their last ten, but are riding a three-game win streak, and the rest of the contenders in the AL Central have closed the gap considerably on Cleveland in the last week.

                Minnesota was left for dead as of the first week of June, but they've won fifteen of their last eighteen games to pull to within 1.5 games of the division lead after starting June with a 2-3 mark that left them three games below .500 for the season.

                Meanwhile, Detroit has been streaky -- they're currently on a four-game winning streak; but had lost eight of nine before that, and had won four consecutive even prior to that skid. Despite that, they're still a half-game up on the Royals, and 1.5 games behind Minnesota.

                "It's the most competitive division in baseball, bar none," MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds earlier in the week. "Cleveland, Minnesota, Kansas City, Detroit, all teams that could end up in the postseason, yes, even in the same postseason. I'm fascinated to see what these teams do at the deadline, because they're likely going to try and counter trades with trades of their own."

                While Cleveland has been a big mover-and-shaker in the trade market, the Royals, Tigers, and Twins have been much less active. Kansas City acquired reliever Austin Adams a few weeks ago, and Detroit traded for infielder Jon Berti around the same time. Minnesota hasn't made any serious acquisitions yet, only trading for minor league infielder Jeter Downs back in May.

                OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
                Matt Sauer clears waivers; released back to the Yankees for $25,000
                Royals add C.J. Alexander to 40-man roster
                Royals promote catcher Blake Mitchell back to Single-A after two-week tear with Arizona squad

                Comment

                • artoodeetoo
                  MVP
                  • Dec 2015
                  • 3696

                  #83
                  Re: The Hunt For Blue October: Kansas City Royals (OOTP 25)


                  Series Recap: Cleveland Guardians

                  By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | July 1st, 2024


                  Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
                  Jun 27, 2024123456789RHE
                  Cleveland Guardians (46-35)000010000160
                  Kansas City Royals (45-39)01010000X280
                  W: Michael Wacha (8-3) L: Eli Morgan (0-2) S: Will Smith (11)

                  Thursday, June 27th, 2024
                  If pitching and defense are your thing and you went to Thursday night's game, you were in for a treat as the Royals won a close, hotly-contested pitcher's duel by a 2-1 score. Michael Wacha threw 7 1/3 solid innings, allowing just one earned runs on five hits, striking out four with no walks. Will Smith picked up the save, his 11th, facing a cadre of switch and left-handed hitters at the top of the Guardians' lineup.

                  Wacha came out for the eighth, and was able to get Oscar Mercado on a fly out to left. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt then countered with pinch-hitter George Valera, but Matt Quatraro already had Will Smith and John Schreiber warmed up, so Smith entered and struck out both Valera and another pinch-hitter, Victor Robles. Smith stayed on for the ninth, but had to work around a hit and a walk to earn the five-out save.

                  Down to their last out, Cleveland's Brayan Rocchio lined a single to right-center, and Kyle Isbel made a fantastic play to throw Kyle Manzardo out at third, gathering himself and making a strong, accurate throw to peg him at third base to end the game.

                  "That was a tough, grind-it-out kind of victory, reminiscent of some of our earlier wins where we had to hang on with our pitching and defense to win," manager Matt Quatraro noted. "But Wacha did a heck of a job, and we also had some fantastic defense that kept them off the board."

                  Drew Waters was the offensive star for the Royals, going 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored, and was also hit by a pitch. Waters also got into the act defensively, erasing a runner at home plate on a sac fly attempt, throwing Tyler Freeman out at home during the fifth inning in which he had already plated a run with a double.

                  "That was huge," Quatraro went on to say of Waters' play. "They looked like they might have something going in that inning, and Drew stopped it cold in its tracks."

                  Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
                  Jun 28, 2024123456789RHE
                  Cleveland Guardians (47-35)100000003470
                  Kansas City Royals (45-40)000000000082
                  W: Nick Sandlin (3-0) L: Edward Cabrera (1-5) S: None

                  Friday, June 28th, 2024
                  Offense was again optional in Friday night's contest, wasting yet another outstanding start by Edward Cabrera as the bullpen melted down in the ninth as Cleveland came away with the win, 3-0.

                  In seven innings, Cabrera only struck out one hitter, but walked only one and scattered six hits. Angel Zerpa pitched a scoreless inning in relief, but that's when the proverbial you-know-what hit the fan.

                  Instead of sending John Schreiber out to protect a one-run deficit, Matt Quatraro went with John McMillon, who was set back by an error from Nick Loftin at third base to lead off the inning before uncorking a wild pitch that moved the runner, Gabriel Arias, to second. After intentionally walking Oscar Mercado, he struck Austin Hedges out, but Quatraro went with southpaw Josh Taylor.

                  Taylor has been solid this season since coming off the injured list, but sandwiched two walks around a hit batter to force two runs in before being replaced by James McArthur, who walked Josh Naylor to force in another run before finally getting the last two outs of the inning, with the Royals now down 4-0 after starting in just a one-run hole.

                  "They barely had to lift the bats off their shoulders in that ninth inning to score three times," said Quatraro, a bit despondent. "Especially considering we had an opportunity to try and get back in the game in the following inning against one of the best closers in the game. Just couldn't execute."

                  Indeed, the Royals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but Kyle Isbel bounced into one of the toughest double plays to turn, a 3-2-3 double play to end the game. Isbel was originally called safe, but the Guardians elected to use their replay and the call was overturned, ending the game.

                  "Just the way we started out in the inning, and to see it end in such a tough way is disappointing," he went on to say. "But we'll have two more beginning tomorrow."

                  Cleveland's Tanner Bibee left after just three innings favoring his right hand, and was taken out as a precaution. Nick Sandlin pitched the next three innings, all shutout frames. Carlos Estevez, who was just acquired from the Angels, and Sam Hentges teamed with Emmanuel Clase to hold the Royals off the board for the entire contest.

                  Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
                  Jun 29, 2024123456789RHE
                  Cleveland Guardians (47-36)0215000019100
                  Kansas City Royals (46-40)03002122X10162
                  W: Will Smith (5-4) L: Scott Barlow (0-1) S: John Schreiber (3)

                  Saturday, June 29th, 2024
                  Thanks to a combination of shoddy defense, terrible command, and poor situational hitting, the Royals found themselves staring at an 8-3 deficit after just four innings. However, Angel Zerpa put the pitching staff on his back, tossing 4 1/3 perfect frames of relief while the offense got its act together, completing a comeback 10-9 victory which saw the Royals score in their last four half-innings against one of the best bullpens in baseball.

                  After a couple of solid relief outings as a 'follower', Bubic earned the starting nod, but didn't respond very well with a half-dozen free passes and just two strikeouts over 3 1/3. Austin Adams was worse, as he didn't record an out, walking one and allowing three hits and three earned runs each. Enter Zerpa, who had thrown a dozen pitches the night before, but got through his outing on a tidy thirty-eight pitches.

                  "It was the most efficient command-wise I've seen him in a long time," said manager Matt Quatraro. "The game plan for him was to go attack the zone, and let the defense make plays behind him, and that they did. He really was the catalyst for the win, although the offense is going to get a lot of the kudos."

                  With two in the fifth, one in the sixth, and two each in the seventh and eighth, the Royals eventually took a 10-8 lead, with the go-ahead hit a two-run double from Salvador Perez, his second double of the game. Kyle Isbel also put up a four-hit game, scoring three times and stealing a base.

                  Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals
                  Jun 30, 2024123456789RHE
                  Cleveland Guardians (47-37)100021200690
                  Kansas City Royals (47-40)2003000027120
                  W: Will Smith (6-4) L: Emmanuel Clase (5-3) S: None

                  Sunday, June 30th, 2024
                  The Royals' series with the Guardians lived up to the billing, as the Royals won the final game of the four-game set in walk-off fashion, as Kyle Isbel roped a single through the hole between third and short to score two runs as the Royals took a 7-6 victory, winning the series three games to one, and pushing the Royals' record on this homestand to 6-1, clinching a winning homestand no matter what happens against Tampa Bay beginning tomorrow night.

                  In fact, all three of the Royals' wins in this series were of the one-run variety, as well as four of the six wins on the homestand in total. The last one-run loss was on May 23rd at Texas, 12-11 in ten innings.

                  He wasn't his sharpest, but Cole Ragans still managed to hold Cleveland to three earned runs in five full innings, striking out eight. He scattered five hits and three walks, giving way to the bullpen after 101 pitches.

                  John McMillon and Josh Taylor combined for the next two innings, although Taylor was on the mound when Cleveland took a 6-5 lead, thanks to a double by Kyle Manzardo and a single from Brayan Rocchio.

                  Bobby Witt Jr., who already had three RBI and a double on his stat sheet for the day, walked to lead off the ninth against Emmanuel Clase. Clase, who also struggled against the Royals two nights ago before eventually getting out of the jam with a double play to end the game, then retired both pinch-hitter Drew Waters and Vinnie Pasquantino before giving up a single to Michael Massey, which moved Bobby Witt to third.

                  Hunter Renfroe then walked to extend his on-base streak to nine games before Isbel lined a wayward cutter into left field, and Oscar Mercado's throw to try and get Massey at the plate was well off-line.

                  UP NEXT: vs Tampa Bay Rays (7/2 -- 7/4)

                  Comment

                  • artoodeetoo
                    MVP
                    • Dec 2015
                    • 3696

                    #84
                    Royals Mailbag (07/01)



                    ROYALS MAILBAG VOL. 1, ED. 3
                    Matt Quatraro best AL skipper? Also, Salvy's chances at the Hall


                    By artoodeetoo
                    07/01/2024


                    We're just over the halfway point of the season, at least if you go by number of games. The All-Star break is just around the corner, and the Royals are off today. The third edition of the mailbag has some mid-season flair to it, with trade topics always at the front of mind of the fanbase. We'll also cover Matt Quatraro's AL Manager of the Year resume, Salvador Perez's chances at Cooperstown; and perhaps, should we accept that Vinnie Pasquantino is what the back of his baseball card says he is?

                    Why is JJ Picollo dragging his feet on trades, especially for a bat? Texas, Cleveland, and Toronto have been much more aggressive to this point.

                    To me, the recent surge in production from some key position players has caused the front office to maybe hit the pause button -- for now. I don't have any keen, insider insight on that, but the talk about getting a bat seemed to die down when Hunter Renfroe began just eating opposing pitching alive, especially southpaws to the tune of a .550 average the last handful of weeks. I can't imagine that Drew Waters looking like Joe DiMaggio reincarnate in recent weeks has changed any minds on that.

                    In fact, I went from writing about bats they could inquire about to bullpen arms, although I'm keeping the bats article on the backburner in case injuries come up, which are always a consideration.

                    The pen is where the attention should be paid; and I do think a move will be made, perhaps prior to the break. On the strength of guys like Chris Stratton and John Schreiber, the Royals had a top-six bullpen in terms of ERA for weeks on end, but the last few weeks have been tough to watch.

                    Matt Sauer and Stratton almost single-handedly dropped the Royals from the top six back into a middle-of-the-pack unit league-wide, which is likely what they were the whole time, but were getting an over-their-skis performance from them. Sauer, the team's Rule 5 pick, is now gone having been sold back to the Yankees' system. He had a 13.03 ERA in June, Stratton's was worse at 14.73.

                    James McArthur's been good, not great. Homeruns are his bane right now. Schreiber is still having a great overall season, but is not a long-term solution as a closer. Will Smith has been solid the last two or three weeks, which is good to see. His best days are behind him, though. The rest of the southpaw unit after Smith is merely...meh.

                    Additionally, Austin Adams has reverted back into his Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn act, with lots of walks and still not enough strikeouts to offset them, which is disappointing since they traded prospect assets to get him. And where the heck is Colin Selby?

                    How did the Marlins let Edward Cabrera get away for virtually nothing?

                    Cabrera has legitimately been one of, if not the best, stories in baseball this year. He made an early season start in which he pitched very well, then ended up on the injured list a few days after that. He gets off the injured list, and then precedes to completely get lit up in Double and Triple-A, and it was apparently bad enough that new Marlins POBO Peter Bendix decided to designate him off the 40-man.

                    The Royals have been interested in Marlins' pitching for the last few years now, but apparently former GM Kim Ng was pretty stingy with what she wanted in return for guys like Cabrera, Jesus Luzardo, or Braxton Garrett (for Vinnie Pasquantino AND prospects, are you serious?). Bendix basically gave him away for free, just some cash considerations.

                    All he's done is basically be the team's second-best starter behind Cole Ragans, mainly due to the improved command he's displayed without giving up homeruns (still zero as of this writing). I could make an argument that he's been the most effective starter they've had, but Ragans has better swing-and-miss stuff, so I'd still take Ragans. But it's close right now.

                    Is Vinnie "is what he is" at this point?

                    The lack of homerun power from such a big, strong dude is concerning. That said, he's been amongst the league leaders in doubles nearly all season, and still has well-above average strikeout and walk rates. That's something, though I feel we're well beyond the point of 'well, he's still recovering from his injury last season'. The homeruns just haven't been there for one reason or another.

                    If there is a cause for concern, it's that his exit velo has dropped a few ticks from last season, and he's hitting the ball into the ground at a little bit higher rate than in the past few years. It's reflected in his BABIP, wRC+, and wOBA marks, which are all below-average.

                    What does Salvy have yet to do, if anything, to cement his place in Cooperstown?

                    I think two, perhaps three things need to happen. One, get to 300 homeruns. A very, very select few catchers are over 300 homeruns in their careers, and all but one are in the HOF (Lance Parrish is not). As of this mailbag, he's at 262 for his career. I don't know if he can catch #5 and his 317 career homers, but 300 is well-within reach with a solid second half of 2024 and full 2025.

                    Secondly, getting back to a World Series sometime in the near future, not necessarily having to win it. I'd also like to see him get to the 2,000-hit mark and/or win another Gold Glove or two, but those I don't think are necessary and/or attainable at this point. The first two I believe are.

                    Another thing that could impact his candidacy is the fact that he's played in one uniform (so far). I think if he ever leaves Kansas City, his appeal goes down a bit. Now, he could hit 300-plus homeruns and bring another title back to Kansas City in the next few seasons, and then I don't think it would matter. All that said, he's well on his way, but staying healthy is also going to be a huge key for him. He's had a hard time doing that in recent seasons, but aside from last year, has managed to produce despite that.

                    Matt Quatraro -- AL Manager of the Year?

                    He definitely should get some consideration for it. The job that John Schneider has done in Toronto has been pretty remarkable, although he's working with a little bit more offensively than the Royals have. The two pitching staffs are comparable, although Toronto's bullpen is a rung higher on the ladder and recently added veteran Daniel Bard via trade.

                    To put what Quatraro and crew have done so far -- the Royals have won forty-seven games as of July 1st. The Royals on July 1st of last season? 23-59. They've doubled their win total at this point from exactly a year ago. At their current pace, they'll beat last year's win total of 56 on July 24th.

                    Overall, they're currently on pace for an 88-74 mark, which would be +32 from last season, and could possibly break the record in 2025 for the best two-year turnaround of +42 recently set by the Orioles. The best one-year turnaround still belongs to the Diamondbacks, who went +35 from 1998 to 1999 (65 to 100).

                    Oh, and they've had little to no breaks from the schedule makers -- they've played the second-most games of any team in the league (87), with San Diego's 88 the only team with more played to date. No other team has more than 86. For the next three months, they'll have four days off in each of those months, plus the four days for the All-Star break later this month.

                    Comment

                    • artoodeetoo
                      MVP
                      • Dec 2015
                      • 3696

                      #85
                      MLB News (07/01)



                      MLB NEWS AND NOTES
                      Astros legacy heading to L.A.


                      By MLB.com staff
                      07/01/2024


                      TOP STORIES
                      Dodgers acquire Biggio from Toronto: Having been designated for assignment yesterday, Cavan Biggio is already on the move from north of the border, as the Dodgers have swung a deal to bring the left-handed hitting utility infielder to L.A. for pitching prospect Braydon Fisher.

                      It's an odd move for the division-leading Blue Jays, as the left-handed hitting Biggio sports a 109 OPS+ and the ability to play multiple spots on the dirt. That said, they have prospects such as Rafael Lantigua, Damiano Palmegiani, and Addison Barger who have the same versatility, seem to be MLB-ready, and will come much cheaper than Biggio, who will go through arbitration for the final time this offseason.

                      In Fisher, the Jays are getting back a hard-throwing prospect who has bouts of wildness, but can miss bats at an above-average rate (28.6% career MiLB strikeout rate). The former fourth-rounder in 2018 is still just twenty-three, and has a chance to be a back-end option if he can rein in the command fits that have hampered his development to this point.

                      Angels acquire pitching prospect in deal with Yankees: The Yankees traded struggling right-handed pitcher Tommy Kahnle and southpaw pitching prospect Brock Selvidge to the Angels for rookie league prospects Walbert Urena, a pitcher; and outfielder Eduardo Espinal.

                      New York re-called Ian Hamilton from the minors, where he was wrapping up a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. They also added veteran RHP Lou Trivino to the 40-man roster, also coming off a rehab stint in Triple-A.

                      The move seemed to be a salary dump for the Yankees, as the Angels immediately granted Kahnle his release hours after the trade was announced. As a reward for taking on the remainder of Kahnle's salary (roughly $2.3 million), they received Selvidge, a 21-year-old lefty who had a 2.31 ERA in 23 1/3 innings with Double-A Somerset at the time of the trade.

                      OTHER HEADLINES
                      Orioles acquire RHP Keynan Middleton from the Cardinals
                      Blue Jays, Rockies agree on deal to send veteran RHP Daniel Bard to Toronto
                      Detroit's Hiura, Angels' Wantz to serve suspensions after bench-clearing brawl

                      Comment

                      • artoodeetoo
                        MVP
                        • Dec 2015
                        • 3696

                        #86
                        Royals News (07/01)



                        ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
                        Quatraro, Picollo on Media Monday


                        By artoodeetoo
                        07/01/2024


                        TOP STORY
                        Picollo addresses trade market: In the Royals' weekly press conference with skipper Matt Quatraro, general manager JJ Picollo joined in on the call to take questions regarding the trade deadline, upcoming draft, and the All-Star Game.

                        Most of the questions were regarding the first three topics, but was also asked about the new stadium saga and the fact that neighboring Kansas is now becoming a real possibility for the franchise.

                        "That's something that John (Royals owner Sherman) and his team are heading up, but I can tell you that the state of Kansas has approached us about using 'star' bonds to help finance a new stadium project in that state," he said. "That's really all I know at this time, and it's now been in the news."

                        Picollo was also asked about a timeline on when to expect a trade, given that most of the contenders around the league have begun to make their moves, especially in the reliever market.

                        "The market is constantly moving and changing, and there may be some teams that are looking to buy right now that end up as sellers," he said. "We do acknowledge there are some trades that have been made, but we can't rush into a deal that's not right for us just because others have decided to act."

                        Picollo addressed the draft towards the end of the presser, saying they've 'narrowed things down' to where they have a group of four or five players that they'd be ecstatic to come away with their first pick, but (not) shockingly declined to share names.

                        "I'll let you all speculate on that," he said with a grin. "We have our guys that we really like, and I'll leave it at that."

                        OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
                        Royals prospect, OF Gavin Cross (shoulder), placed on Texas League 7-day injured list
                        Royals prospects Kudrna, Garabitos, Roccaforte all shine in Midwest League (High-A) All-Star Game

                        Comment

                        • artoodeetoo
                          MVP
                          • Dec 2015
                          • 3696

                          #87
                          Tampa Bay at Kansas City (7/2 -- 7/4)


                          Series Recap: Tampa Bay Rays

                          By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | July 5th, 2024


                          Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals
                          Jul 2, 2024123456789RHE
                          Tampa Bay Rays (45-40)000000000060
                          Kansas City Royals (48-40)01010011X470
                          W: Seth Lugo (6-4) L: Drew Rasmussen (1-2) S: None

                          Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024
                          Seth Lugo dominated over 8 1/3 innings, and Drew Waters hit a pair of solo homeruns in the Royals' 4-0 shutout victory over Tampa Bay to open a three-game series with the Rays on Tuesday night. Lugo scattered six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in a tidy ninety-seven pitches before Chris Stratton finished the game, getting the final two outs in quick succession.

                          The win snapped a four-game losing streak against Tampa Bay going back to last season. They lost the final game of a three-game series at the Trop by a 3-1 score on June 25th, and then were swept earlier this season in Tampa before Tuesday's win.

                          "He's been doing that all year," manager Matt Quatraro noted of Lugo. "These are the kinds of performances we envisioned when we made the decision to go after him in free agency, and it's paid off."

                          With two solo homeruns sandwiched around an RBI single in the fourth, Drew Waters has suddenly come into his own as an offensive force, going 3-for-4 to raise his average to .400 on the season. It's a small sample size this season, but Quatraro noted that it's been a welcome addition to the club.

                          "We've been looking for any kind of production from the outfield, and we're starting to see a turnaround in that and Drew is a big reason why," he went on to say.

                          Salvador Perez was the only other Royals hitter with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with an eighth-inning double against Drew Rasmussen, who went the distance in an eight-inning complete game defeat.

                          Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals
                          Jul 3, 2024123456789RHE
                          Tampa Bay Rays (45-41)200000100480
                          Kansas City Royals (49-40)03200100X6130
                          W: Brady Singer (5-6) L: Aaron Civale (7-5) S: John Schreiber (4)

                          Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024
                          There really is no place like home for the Royals, as they improved to 8-1 on their homestand with a 6-4 win on Tuesday night over the Rays, with Brady Singer picking up his fifth victory of the season. He struck out six over 6 2/3 innings, walking three and scattering six hits and allowing three earned runs. John Schreiber earned his fourth save, but had to work around a single and a triple in the ninth to record it.

                          The win gave the Royals their 31st win at home, needing only three more home wins to best last season's 33-48 mark at home for the entire season. They won't have a chance to do that before the All-Star break, but a nine-game, ten-day homestand right after the break will give them an opportunity to do so.

                          They were paced offensively by Freddy Fermin, who fell a triple short of the cycle in driving in four runs, going 3-for-4 on the day. Salvador Perez also continued his climb up the all-time homeruns list in team history, hitting his 17th of the season, and 263rd of his career in the third inning against Aaron Civale.

                          "There's a lot of optimism, enthusiasm in the locker room right now; they come to the park every day and they're just having a blast playing," said manager Matt Quatraro. "I understand it can't all be sunshine and rainbows all the time, but the camaraderie is just off-the-charts right now. They're a blast to manage."

                          Singer allowed two of his three earned runs in the first inning, both coming on a two-run homerun from Isaac Paredes. He settled in over the final 5 2/3 innings of his outing, only giving up a run after Jose Siri's double to score Curtis Mead in the seventh inning. Siri would later triple in the ninth to score Tampa's fourth run, but it wouldn't be enough as Schreiber struck out the final two hitters for the save.

                          "I felt like I could throw any pitch in any count," Singer said after the game. "As a pitcher, that's where you want to be."

                          Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals
                          Jul 4, 2024123456789RHE
                          Tampa Bay Rays (45-42)100000000142
                          Kansas City Royals (50-40)14010020X8110
                          W: Michael Wacha (9-3) L: Shane Baz (5-5) S: None

                          Thursday, July 4th
                          Kansas City capped off an utterly dominating homestand with an utterly dominating 8-1 victory over the Rays, completing the home sweep and ending the homestand with a 9-1 record, their best ten-game mark on a homestand in over two decades.

                          They've also become just the fifth team in the league so far to hit the 50-win mark, joining Toronto, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and the L.A. Dodgers, who also won their 50th game yesterday.

                          Both teams ended the first inning tied 1-1, but the Royals scored four runs in the second inning, helped along by a very costly error from third baseman Isaac Paredes, who tried to backhand a hot grounder from Kyle Isbel, but kicked off his glove to load the bases with no one out.

                          Rays starter Shane Baz did his best Houdini act to try and get out of the inning unscathed by striking out both Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr, but Salvador Perez continues to crush, as he smoked a three-run homerun against Baz to put the Royals up 5-1. In the same at bat, a wild pitch brought Michael Massey home before Perez uncorked his homerun, the 18th of the season for the Royals' backstop.

                          Not only did that homerun set off some fireworks in the stadium, fans were able to stay after the game for a Fourth of July fireworks celebration after the game.

                          "I told Michael, he robbed me," Perez joked after the game. "You robbed me of a slam! But I'm just happy we came away with the win."

                          Michael Wacha went the distance in 106 pitches, allowing just one earned run with two walks, three strikeouts, and just four hits scattered for his ninth win of the season to lead all Royals pitchers.

                          UP NEXT: at Colorado Rockies (7/5 -- 7/7)

                          Comment

                          • artoodeetoo
                            MVP
                            • Dec 2015
                            • 3696

                            #88
                            MLB News (7/5)



                            MLB NEWS AND NOTES
                            Round 2 of voting wraps up; on to the player ballot


                            By MLB.com staff
                            07/05/2024


                            TOP STORIES
                            Phase 2 of voting ends: No huge surprises in the second phase of voting, as it was largely chalk from Phase 1 as sixteen of the eighteen first-place finishers ended up winning the second phase as well. The only exceptions were for American League third base and National League catcher, where the results were flipped.

                            The Braves and Dodgers won the night with three starters voted in each, while Boston had two selected with Triston Casas going for the first time.

                            The Dodgers' Will Smith won out over Atlanta's Sean Murphy for the NL catcher starting spot by about 26,000 votes, after losing the initial phase to Murphy by roughly 35,000 votes. Another mild surprise was at third base in the American League, where Jose Ramirez had the closest fan vote of any position up for grabs in the first phase, beating out Rafael Devers of Boston by less than 10,000 votes -- Devers won out in the second phase, winning by about 14,000 votes.

                            In addition, two players currently on the injured were voted in as starters -- Ronald Acuna Jr of Atlanta won the voting for right field in the National League, and Yordan Alvarez was voted in for left field in the AL from Houston.

                            Cleveland's Andres Gimenez, despite being out since May 18th, was second to Tampa's Brandon Lowe in the first round of voting; and now Lowe has landed on the injured list, putting his All-Star status in doubt. It's been a pretty weak season for second basemen in the AL, with perennial All-Stars such as Marcus Semien and Jose Altuve having down years relative to their usual seasons, but perhaps they'll get placed on the roster with the third phase of voting.

                            The second-place finishers move on to the final phase, where they'll have to rely on their fellow players or the commissioner's office to vote them in. Those results will be revealed on ESPN on July 7th at 5:30 Eastern time, along with the full rosters for each side. The Home Run Derby participants will also be revealed that night, as well.

                            Here are your 2024 All-Star starters at Globe Life Field in Arlington as voted in by the fans:

                            AL C: Salvador Perez, Kansas City
                            AL 1B: Triston Casas, Boston
                            AL 2B: Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay
                            AL 3B: Rafael Devers, Boston
                            AL SS: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore
                            AL LF: Yordan Alvarez, Houston
                            AL CF: Luis Robert, Jr., Chicago
                            AL RF: Juan Soto, New York
                            AL DH: Justin Turner, Toronto

                            NL C: Will Smith, Los Angeles
                            NL 1B: Matt Olson, Atlanta
                            NL 2B: Ketel Marte, Arizona
                            NL 3B: Nolan Jones, Colorado
                            NL SS: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles
                            NL LF: Christian Yelich, Milwaukee
                            NL CF: Michael Harris II, Atlanta
                            NL RF: Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta
                            NL DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles

                            Monthly awards announced: Outfielder Byron Buxton of Minnesota and left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez of the Astros won the AL Hitter and Pitcher of the Month awards, respectively; while Atlanta's Michael Harris II and San Francisco lefty Blake Snell won the NL Hitter and Pitcher of the Month awards.

                            On the rookie side of things, shortstop Jordan Lawlar of Arizona and outfielder Abimelec Ortiz of the Rangers won the NL and AL Rookie of the Month awards. Ortiz, a stout six-foot, 230-pound slugger, especially came out of nowhere after not being on anyone's radar coming into the season; but thirty-three Double-A homeruns in 2023, and twenty-five homeruns in a mere 207 at-bats between Double and Triple-A this year prompted the Rangers to give him a longer look early last month, and he's delivered in a big way.

                            He's slashing .275/.362/.735 with six homeruns in forty-seven plate appearances, mainly DH'ing and playing left field, with a spot start at first base.

                            "We've had some guys out of the lineup, and he's been a huge boon to our offense while they've been out," said manager Bruce Bochy. "Wyatt (Langford) and Corey (Seager) either have or are coming back, so I don't know what his role will be going forward, but he's absolutely earned his way up here for sure."

                            OTHER HEADLINES
                            Yankees, Orioles agree on trade for LHP Caleb Ferguson

                            Comment

                            • artoodeetoo
                              MVP
                              • Dec 2015
                              • 3696

                              #89
                              Royals News (7/5)



                              ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
                              Perez voted in as AL catcher; Marsh suffers small setback in rehab stint


                              By artoodeetoo
                              07/05/2024


                              TOP STORIES
                              Perez named American League starting catcher: Despite a strong fan campaign by the Orioles' organization to get Adley Rutschman the All-Star nod behind the plate, he was beaten out by Salvador Perez by about 20,000 votes to get his seventh All-Star starting nod, and his ninth All-Star bid overall.

                              The campaign aimed not only to get Rutschman into the game as a starter, but others such as Gunnar Henderson, who did win the shortstop vote over Bo Bichette of Toronto by about 75,000 votes.

                              "I'm just in awe of what the guy does every day and how he prepares for each game that he's playing in," said manager Matt Quatraro when interviewed about Perez getting the nod once again. "I know there's a guy that plays in the stadium just across the street from us here that's pretty well-known, but Perez means as much to this organization as (Chiefs QB Patrick) Mahomes does to them."

                              It's another feather in the cap of what could turn out to be a Hall-of-Fame career. His nine All-Star bids are tied for fourth all-time for catchers with Gary Carter, and his seven starts rank fifth all-time for catchers. He hasn't won a Gold Glove since 2018, but has been a finalist every year since.

                              With Salvy's spot cemented, Bobby Witt Jr and other Royals will now turn to the player ballot and commissioner's office for their shot to earn a spot on the roster.

                              Marsh exits second rehab appearance with sore right thumb: Right-handed pitcher Alec Marsh's rehab assignment suffered a minor setback, as he continues to ramp up from a shoulder ailment suffered back in May.

                              He was pulled early from a rehab start in Omaha after right thumb discomfort, but it's not expected that he'll miss any additional time. Rather, his return to the Royals may be delayed by four or five days.

                              "From what I understand, it was purely a precaution to pull him from the game," manager Matt Quatraro said. "It wasn't related to his shoulder, which I've been told is doing well and there are no issues on that front."

                              After allowing five earned runs 1 1/3 innings for Double-A last week, Marsh had walked two in 1 2/3 innings for Omaha, also striking out two with no hits or runs allowed.

                              His next appearance is slated to be on Monday, July 8th, where all indications are that he'll go at least fifty pitches as he works his way back to Kansas City.

                              OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
                              Double-A infielder Javier Vaz (back) could miss rest of season after disc surgery

                              Comment

                              • artoodeetoo
                                MVP
                                • Dec 2015
                                • 3696

                                #90
                                Kansas City at Colorado (7/5 -- 7/7)


                                Series Recap: Colorado Rockies

                                By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | July 8th, 2024


                                Kansas City Royals at Colorado Rockies
                                Jul 5, 2024123456789RHE
                                Kansas City Royals (50-41)2000300016100
                                Colorado Rockies (45-43)00220330X10140
                                W: Dylan Spain (2-0) L: John McMillon (0-1) S: None

                                Friday, July 5th, 2024
                                Kansas City's five-game winning streak was snapped in Denver as the Rockies fell behind early, 2-0 after one inning. But they outscored the Royals 10-4 the rest of the way to claim a 10-6 victory to open a three-game series.

                                Vinnie Pasquantino was 2-for-5 with a homerun, his second homerun in the last week. But it wasn't nearly enough to overcome an onslaught of Rockies baserunners, as Royals pitching issued five walks and hit two batters in addition to surrendering fourteen hits.

                                For the first time all season, Edward Cabrera really fought his command, issuing four walks and hitting a batter. He threw a season-high 101 pitches, but only got him through five innings. As a contrast, he threw ninety-four last week in 7 1/3 innings against Cleveland.

                                Newly-minted All-Star Nolan Jones was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, while Ezequiel Tovar was an absolute pest with two hits, two walks, three runs scored, and four RBI. Brendan Rodgers pinch-hit for Ryan McMahon in the sixth inning, and went 2-for-2 with three RBI to contribute heavily to the Royals' troubles.

                                "Just a tough day all around," said manager Matt Quatraro. "This has always been a tough place to play; and when the balls get squared up pretty well, they're going to fly and fly pretty far, even if they stay in the park."

                                Kansas City Royals at Colorado Rockies
                                Jul 6, 2024123456789RHE
                                Kansas City Royals (50-42)000001000150
                                Colorado Rockies (46-43)03030000X680
                                W: Ryan Feltner (9-3) L: Kris Bubic (0-1) S: None

                                Saturday, July 6th, 2024
                                Making his second start since returning to the club, Kris Bubic was tagged for six earned runs over three-plus innings, eventually getting bailed out by excellent bullpen performances from Austin Adams and Angel Zerpa. However, the offense couldn't overcome that poor start, dropping a 6-1 decision to Colorado.

                                In an economical thirty-two pitches, Adams cruised through three innings, allowing just one hit and walk each with five strikeouts. Angel Zerpa logged two scoreless frames, but struggled a bit in his second inning with a pair of walks before striking out a pair to end the eighth.

                                "They came up absolutely massive for us," manager Matt Quatraro said of his bullpen duo. "They really saved us from having to dig too deep into the bullpen with a game to go tomorrow."

                                Bobby Witt Jr was 2-for-4 with a double, and Michael Massey and Drew Waters each tripled once. However, those were just three of the team's five hits on the day. Massey's triple in the sixth to score Freddy Fermin accounted for the Royals' only run of the day.

                                Hunter Goodman and Ezequiel Tovar each drove in a pair of runs for the Rockies, while Elias Diaz and Brendan Rodgers collected one each. Ryan Feltner moved to 9-3 on the season for Colorado, allowing four hits, four walks, and just one run over 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts.

                                Kansas City Royals at Colorado Rockies
                                Jul 7, 2024123456789RHE
                                Kansas City Royals (50-43)51010031112171
                                Colorado Rockies (47-43)00020443X13131
                                W: Jalen Beeks (3-5) L: Will Smith (6-5) S: Jake Bird (13)

                                Sunday, July 7th, 2024
                                The Royals mashed four homeruns; including two from Bobby Witt Jr, but fell short in a 13-12 slugfest to drop all three games of their series with the Rockies. The Royals actually led 7-0 after three-and-a-half innings behind starter Cole Ragans, but the southpaw struggled with keeping the ball in the park, eventually letting in six earned runs over 5 1/3 innings with all six runs coming via three homeruns.

                                Colorado didn't take the lead for good until the eighth, when Kris Bryant's two-run double put the Rockies up 12-11 before Nolan Jones added another insurance run on an RBI single. They would need that insurance run, as Dairon Blanco hit a one-out solo homerun against closer Jake Bird in the ninth, but Bird managed to get Maikel Garcia and Witt to ground out to end the game.

                                Bryant also homered, scored four times, and walked twice. He was only retired once, on a groundball out in the first inning.

                                "There's no excuse for being up 7-0 and losing a game like that," said shortstop Bobby Witt, who was 4-for-6 for the game, but flew out with two men on in the seventh; and was the last out of the game. "We had our chances late, but couldn't come through."

                                With the loss, their road woes continued as they have dropped their last six road games, and are just 5-10 on the road since the beginning of June. They're fifteen games above .500 at home, but sank to eight games below .500 for the year on the road. They've been swept on the road three times this year -- May 26th-28th in Tampa, June 21st-23rd in Arlington, and this past weekend in Denver.

                                "That has to get better, because you're going to have to win road playoff games to win playoff series," said manager Matt Quatraro. "And the pressure is only going to ramp up as the season goes along."

                                Comment

                                Working...