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

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Royals News (4/15)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Massey progressing well in the minors; Royals prospect out 'indefinitely' after being hit in the head with pitch

By artoodeetoo
04/15/2024

TOP STORIES
Massey close to returning: After exiting the spring session on the injured list with back tightness, infielder Michael Massey appears to be on the verge of returning to the Royals roughly two-and-a-half to three weeks into the season.

He's been on a rehab assignment since April 8th with the Double-A Naturals. He was solid for the Naturals, posting a .998 OPS in twenty-two plate appearances. He's expected to begin the next leg of his rehab today with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers.

He's expected to return in time for the Baltimore series that begins on Friday; and it could very well be a welcome addition as incumbent second baseman Adam Frazier is in the midst of a lengthy dry spell.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Royals' pitching staff earning high marks early on -- Passan, ESPN
Naturals IF Cayden Wallace out indefinitely with concussion after HBP

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MLB News (4/15)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Judge to miss seven-to-eight weeks; Dodgers' Miller out for season with shoulder injury

By MLB.com staff
04/15/2024

TOP STORIES
Struggling Yankees now down Judge: What was originally thought as a wrist strain is now a fracture, as Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge went from being out potentially just a week or two to up to two months, after a second MRI completed revealed a hairline fracture in his left wrist that he suffered diving for a line drive on Saturday night in Cleveland.

After a 3-1 start with a four-game road series win at Houston, the Bombers have lost ten of their last dozen games through yesterday, including a sweep at the hands of the Guardians in which former Yankee farmhand Estevan Florial went 6-for-12 with a couple of homeruns and six RBI. Florial is amongst the league leaders in average (.417), homeruns (six), and RBI (18).

OTHER HEADLINES
Dodgers to shut Miller down after shoulder surgery, will miss rest of 2024
Guardians, Braves, Jays top the latest MLB.com Power Rankings
Red Sox reliever Chase Anderson could miss rest of 2024 with elbow tendon tear

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Kansas City @ Chi. Sox (4/15 -- 4/17)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Chicago White Sox

By Conner Smith | Kansas City Star | April 18th, 2024

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Apr 15, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (9-8)	0	3	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	7	12	2
Chicago White Sox (5-12)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	0
W: Brady Singer (1-1) L: Michael Soroka (0-2) S: None

Monday, April 15th, 2024
It was a special day for rookie infielder Nick Loftin, going 3-for-4 with his first MLB homerun as the Royals opened a three-game series with Chicago on the South side. Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino also hit their first homeruns of the season, helping key a 7-1 victory.

It also helped that Brady Singer gave them a magnificent start, getting into the eighth inning for the first time this season. In fact, no other Royal starter had gone past the sixth inning to this point in the year.

In 7 1/3 innings, he scattered six hits and a walk, striking out six with just one run allowed which came on a sacrifice fly.

"The (Brady) Singer that chases strikeouts is the guy that ends up throwing a ton of pitches and getting knocked around," said manager Matt Quatraro. "The version we saw tonight is the one where he's attacking the zone and dictating the terms of the game...he was fantastic tonight and really gave us a lift."

Pasquantino finally getting on the board with his first homerun of the season was a positive development, as he was mired in a slump that's been going on since the beginning of the season. His last hit was on April 10th against the Astros, which was a single in the fifth inning.

"He's been squaring the ball up pretty well, and he's still getting on base like he normally does," Quatraro said. "The walks are still there, the barrel rates are still there, it's just good to see him finally find some grass, or seats, with the ball."

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Apr 16, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (10-8)	0	1	2	6	0	0	0	1	0	10	14	1
Chicago White Sox (5-13)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
W: Michael Wacha (2-1) L: Erick Fedde (1-3) S: None

Tuesday, April 16th, 2024
Seven shutout frames from Michael Wacha were backed up with a strong effort from the lineup, scoring ten runs, including a six-run outburst in the fourth inning as the Royals secured a series victory with a 10-0 victory over the White Sox on Tuesday night.

Wacha, now 1-1 on the season, scattered two hits and three walks, fanning six before giving way to Angel Zerpa, who pitched the final two innings and retired all six he faced.

The last time that Kansas City scored ten or more runs and shut out their opponent was an 11-0 win against Pittsburgh on September 13th, 2020, which was the last win of a six-game winning streak that stood as the team's longest until the Royals won seven straight last year from July 28th to August 4th.

"Just an all-around, outstanding effort by the guys today," Wacha said outside his locker after the game. "I felt pretty good throughout the entire game, and the offense gave us everything we needed to be aggressive on the mound, and we took advantage."

Eight of nine Royals starters collected hits, with Hunter Renfroe's three hits and three RBI leading the way. Just a day after hitting his first homerun of the season, Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run double as part of the Royals' six-run fourth inning, going 1-for-4 in the game.

Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr each reached base safely three times, but got there in different ways -- BWJ was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, while Garcia was 3-for-5.

Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox
Apr 17, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (11-8)	0	3	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	6	9	0
Chicago White Sox (5-14)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	6	1
W: Alec Marsh (3-0) L: Chris Flexen (1-2) S: None

Wednesday, April 17th, 2024
Three starts, three wins. That's the bottom line for Alec Marsh over his first three starts of the season, as he shut the White Sox out over seven strong innings as the Royals swept Chicago in Guaranteed Rate Field. Kansas City outscored Chicago by a whopping +21 run differential, scoring twenty-three runs to just two for the White Sox.

This also came with an hour-long rain delay in the eighth inning, but the game pressed on despite the score being 9-0 at the time.

In his three starts, Marsh has allowed just two earned runs over 17 1/3 innings, striking out eighteen with just seven walks. All three starters went at least seven innings in the series, which left the bullpen taking on a much less intensive role in the three games.

"We've had a few guys that really needed some rest that either didn't work in the series, or worked much less than they had to this point," said manager Matt Quatraro of the bullpen usage. "I mean, our back three guys didn't throw a single warmup pitch, let alone a pitch in an actual game."

After hitting his first MLB homerun on Monday, Nick Loftin earned the start at third base again in the series finale, and turned in a 3-for-4 day with two doubles, an RBI, and stolen base.

The win pushes the Royals into the top wildcard spot, a game ahead of four teams -- Boston, Tampa, Seattle, and the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers. Tomorrow night, they'll begin a seven-game homestand with two of the AL East's squads heading into the K, as Baltimore checks in for three over the weekend, and Toronto for four beginning on Monday night.

UP NEXT: vs. Baltimore (04/19 -- 04/21)

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Royals News (4/18)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Massey progressing well in the minors; Royals prospect out 'indefinitely' after being hit in the head with pitch

By artoodeetoo
04/18/2024

TOP STORIES
Massey set to return Monday: The Royals have confirmed that Michael Massey, barring an injury, will be re-joining the Royals in time for Monday's series with the Blue Jays. Omaha is off on Sunday, which is the day that he'll be traveling to meet the team in Kansas City.

Massey started with an 0-for-4 this past Monday, but has two hits in back-to-back games against the Nashville Sounds in Tennessee, including a triple and homerun in last night's 17-10 loss. Manager Matt Quatraro said that he was 'progressing well', but wanted to get him some more work in the field before declaring him ready to go.

With free-agent second base acquisition Adam Frazier struggling through the first handful of weeks (.200/.250/.222), Massey could give the Royals a shot in the arm offensively upon his return.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Royals' pitching staff earning high marks early on -- Passan, ESPN
Naturals IF Cayden Wallace out indefinitely with concussion after HBP

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MLB News (4/18)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
San Diego's injury woes continue; Twins' Kiriloff has a day

By MLB.com staff
04/18/2024

TOP STORIES
Padres' Machado to miss six to eight weeks: Manny Machado left yesterday's game against Milwaukee after feeling a 'pop' in his shoulder on a throw to first in the first inning of the Friars' 9-1 defeat at the hands of the Brewers. An MRI was performed on-site, and manager Mike Shildt was non-committal about the results of the MRI after the game, saying that 'he had not heard anything' regarding the results.

Well, those results came back this morning, and Machado is headed to the 10-day injured list with a shoulder strain, and could be out up to eight weeks as it is a Grade 2 sprain. This is tough news for San Diego, as they're already missing Fernando Tatis Jr (quad) for another couple of weeks at least; and infielder Tucupita Marcano tore the ACL in his other knee during a rehab workout, and is scheduled to have surgery to repair that ligament over the weekend. He's already on the 60-day IL for the original injury, and a mid-summer return for him is now pushed back to 2025.

Kiriloff goes off: Twins outfielder Alex Kiriloff tied the team's single-game RBI record on Tuesday, hitting three homeruns with eight RBI while going 4-for-4 in Minnesota's 11-5 win at Baltimore. Randy Bush was the last Twin to go for eight RBI, turning the trick on May 20, 1989 against the Rangers. Bush had just two RBI entering the eighth inning, but hit three-run homeruns in back-to-back innings to tie the mark originally set by Glenn Adams on June 26, 1977 against the White Sox.

OTHER HEADLINES
Yamamoto tosses first MLB shutout in 9-0 Dodger win over Washington
Braves' Max Fried tosses second straight nine-inning shutout on Monday night

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Baltimore at Kansas City (4/19 -- 4/21)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Baltimore Orioles

By Conner Smith | Kansas City Star | April 22nd, 2024

Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals
Apr 19, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Baltimore Orioles (9-10)	0	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	4	7	0
Kansas City Royals (12-8)	1	0	1	2	1	0	1	2	X	8	15	0
W: Cole Ragans (3-2) L: Dean Kremer (2-1) S: James McArthur (1)

Friday, April 19th, 2024
The Royals' win streak reached four on Friday night, dispatching the Orioles by an 8-4 score. They pulled away late with a handful of runs between the seventh and eighth innings, putting some space in between them and Baltimore.

On a season-high 105 pitches through 6 1/3 innings, Cole Ragans struck out ten Orioles hitters, walking just one, and scattering four hits and three earned runs. Will Smith and John Schreiber got through the remainder of the seventh inning after Ragans exited, and James McArthur picked up his first save with two scoreless frames.

Ragans also leads the league in strikeouts through Friday, as he's the first pitcher league-wide to hit the 40-punchout mark. He's also one of just four pitchers (B. Snell, H. Greene, S. Imanaga) to have multiple 10-strikeout games.

Bobby Witt Jr is putting together an early case for AL MVP, posting another multi-hit game with three runs scored, a stolen base, and his third homerun of the season in the victory. He also leads all AL shortstops in DRS, which is considered the best measure of defensive efficiency. His 3 DRS is the best amongst shortstops with at least 50 innings at the position to date.

Maikel Garcia also went yard for the first time this season, as he's been on a bit of a hot streak lately -- through Friday's game, he was 7-for-18 with a double, homerun, and three RBI to go along with a couple of walks.

Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals
Apr 20, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Baltimore Orioles (9-11)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Kansas City Royals (13-8)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	X	1	8	0
W: Seth Lugo (1-2) L: Cole Irvin (0-2) S: Will Smith (3)

Saturday, April 20th, 2024
Seth Lugo carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning, and Maikel Garcia went deep for the second time in as many games as Kansas City pushed their win streak to five with a 1-0 victory.

"He's worked really hard on trying to generate some more lift with his swing," manager Matt Quatraro said of his young third baseman. "He's also added some extra muscle over the last year, and I think he's really coming into his own as a complete hitter. I don't think he'll be a 20-plus homerun guy, but someone that can pound the gaps and put the ball over the fence a double-digit number of times. He really reminds me of (Rays infielder Yandy) Diaz, a guy I had down in Tampa."

Garcia's homerun came in the eighth inning against Orioles starter Cole Irvin, who pitched the best game of his career in terms of game score; but ran into the buzzsaw that was Seth Lugo, who also pitched the best game of his career. In taking the complete-game loss, Irvin went eight innings, scattering eight hits and one run, striking out nine with no walks.

Manager Matt Quatraro faced a decision as the bottom of the eighth inning commenced in a 0-0 tie -- do you leave Lugo in to try and get the no-hitter, or do you take him out for Will Smith, who had favorable matchups in the ninth?

"It was actually an easy call for me up until the homerun," he said. "Will (Smith) was up and ready in the bullpen with a couple of lefties coming up, but Maikel's homerun caused Brian (pitching coach Sweeney) and I to approach Seth with a choice -- you can go for it if you still feel good, or we'll bring Will in for the save. Being the competitor he is, he wanted to go for it, but we were ready in case it was broken up."

Unfortunately, the no-hitter was lost in the first at-bat, as Tony Kemp rifled a single through the box to break it up, bringing Quatraro out of the dugout to replace him. Lugo walked off the field to a standing ovation; and also again for a curtain call while Smith warmed up.

"I don't know how many more opportunities like that I would get, so I wanted to go for it regardless," he said after the game. "But Maikel made the decision for me a heck of a lot easier."

Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals
Apr 21, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Baltimore Orioles (10-11)	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	5	8	0
Kansas City Royals (13-9)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
W: Corbin Burnes (4-1) L: Brady Singer (1-2) S: None

Sunday, April 21st, 2024
Brady Singer held the Orioles to just three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings, but Corbin Burnes continued his strong start to the season, tossing a complete-game shutout of the Royals in defeating Kansas City 5-0 to salvage the final game of the series.

Burnes has tossed fifteen straight scoreless innings against the Royals this season, including his start back on April 3rd in which he held them scoreless over six innings, striking out six with no walks and just two hits allowed.

"We kind of got a taste of how the Orioles felt yesterday to an extent," manager Matt Quatraro said of Burnes' performance. "He's one of the few true aces out there, and he had everything working against us."

Salvador Perez was 3-for-5 with three singles, and Nick Loftin collected a pair of hits. But little else was out there, with the Royals getting only seven hits total. Burnes again didn't walk anyone like his previous start against the Royals back in Baltimore, and all seven hits he allowed were singles.

In fact, only one time did the Royals reach third base safely -- that was in the fifth inning when Nick Loftin singled, stole a base, and then advanced on a single by Adam Frazier before a strikeout to end the inning. Later on, Salvador Perez was cut down trying to advance to third in the seventh on a Loftin single to right.

Beginning tonight, the Blue Jays check in for a four-game series in what will be the toughest test yet for the Royals, as they have the best record in the AL at 17-5, and the second-best record in the entire league (Atlanta, 18-4). Yusei Kikuchi and Michael Wacha is the pitching matchup tonight that will commence with the first pitch at 6:40.

UP NEXT: vs. Toronto (04/22 -- 04/25)

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MLB News (4/22)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Atlanta's starting rotation takes a hit

By MLB.com staff
04/22/2024

TOP STORY
Braves' Strider out for season: Atlanta suffered a huge blow to their rotation, as it was determined that ace Spencer Strider will need Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

He worked 7 1/3 innings in last night's game, but after expressing that he had pain in his right arm after the outing, team officials performed a cautionary MRI and found that the UCL had been torn.

He's expected to miss the remainder of the season, and the team re-called Darius Vines to take his place on the roster immediately.

OTHER HEADLINES
MLB Power Rankings: Guardians fall out of top three as Royals, Rays make big moves
Royals RHP Seth Lugo has no-hit bid fall short in 1-0 win over Baltimore
Blue Jays OF George Springer to begin rehab assignment; return unclear
Pirates claim C Joey Bart off waivers from San Francisco, optioned to Triple-A

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Royals News (4/22)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Opinion: It's time to believe

By artoodeetoo
04/22/2024

TOP STORIES
This team is legit, folks: Notwithstanding last night's loss to arguably the best current pitcher in the AL, it's time to start buying in, Royals fans -- it's still remains to be seen that they can compete with the best teams in the league, but this is absolutely a team that can not only compete in the division, but win it.

Minnesota and Chicago are arguably two of the three worst teams in the AL. Detroit is better than last year, but top-to-bottom, the Royals have a better roster, and Cleveland's pitching depth is being put to the test early.

Yes, there's still things the Royals don't do very well. They're still not a great plate-discipline squad, and after a hot start, have slowed down in the extra-base hits department. Their pitching depth is also limited, and are only an injury or two away from turning a big strength into a big question mark.

About that pitching, though. Brian Sweeney has been as close to a miracle worker as can be. Last year was a bit of a struggle; and sure, the additions of Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha help, but Brady Singer has been very solid so far. Alec Marsh looks like a mainstay in the rotation, and I've run out of superlatives to describe Cole Ragans' ascent into a front-line starter.

They've also managed to do much of their offensive work without Vinnie Pasquantino doing much of anything, as he goes into tonight's game with Toronto sporting a .571 OPS. Also, both MJ Melendez and Nelson Velazquez have cooled off after hot starts, combining to go 3-for-30 (.100) in each of their last four games. Despite that, the Royals have won five of their last six.

If they can manage to avoid injuries, not just in the pitching staff, but around the diamond, they should be in the hunt all season long. Getting Michael Massey back in the lineup should help, and Pasquantino has shown signs of coming around as he had a brief five-game hitting streak before an 0-for-4 in last night's loss to the Orioles.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Renfroe placed on 10-day IL; Massey re-called from rehab assignment in Omaha
Storm Chasers' Nick Pratto bides time as Omaha offense continues to roll
Royals number-three prospect Kudrna shines again in High-A start

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Toronto at Kansas City (4/22 -- 4/25)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Toronto Blue Jays

By Conner Smith | Kansas City Star | April 26th, 2024

Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals
Apr 22, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Toronto Blue Jays (17-6)	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	0	0	5	9	0
Kansas City Royals (14-9)	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	2	X	6	8	0
W: Angel Zerpa (1-0) L: Trevor Richards (0-2) S: Will Smith (4)

Monday, April 22nd, 2024
Thanks to a questionable decision from Toronto manager John Schneider, the Royals used that and some timely hitting to rally for a 6-5 win against the Blue Jays to open a four-game series with the AL-best squad.

In the eighth with a run already in to tie the score at five, Schneider elected to intentionally walk Bobby Witt Jr with a man on third and two outs. It sounds like an okay strategy, but when the next hitter is Salvador Perez, it makes much less sense.

"I liked the matchup against Perez we had with Jordan (Romano), and with Bobby's speed, any batted ball on the ground is going to likely favor him," Schneider said. "If we could get Sal to put the ball in the air on a pop-up or on the ground, or even a strikeout, we'd be out of the inning. As you saw, it didn't work. And to add, I'd do it again in the same situation."

Interesting explanation aside, the Jays were actually down 4-1 heading into the seventh. Royals skipper Matt Quatraro elected to put Michael Wacha back out for that frame, already at the 90-pitch mark. Singles from Daniel Vogelbach and Alejandro Kirk were sandwiched around a groundball out from Nathan Lukes. Wacha was able to strike Kevin Kiermaier out, but a walk to Daulton Varsho loaded the bases.

Bo Bichette was the next hitter, and after getting down 1-2, launched a grand slam the opposite way to give the Jays the lead, and sent the near-sellout crowd into a frenzy.

"It was going to be his last hitter regardless," Quatraro mused, "And through the first four pitches, I felt vindicated, but he hung one a little bit too much, and Bichette tagged it pretty good. I'm just glad we didn't stop fighting after that, and still came out with the win."

Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals
Apr 23, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Toronto Blue Jays (18-6)	0	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	5	9	1
Kansas City Royals (14-10)	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	8	1
W: Jordan Romano (2-0) L: Will Smith (0-2) S: Erik Swanson (8)

Tuesday, April 23th, 2024
After scoring a comeback victory in Monday night's game, the Blue Jays turned the tables on the good guys, turning an early 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 extra-inning win for the visitors.

Vinnie Pasquantino's triple scored Maikel Garcia for their first run in the first inning, followed by a sac fly from Freddy Fermin for the second run. They tallied one each in the following two innings, thanks to an RBI double from Kyle Isbel in the second, and then an RBI single from Michael Massey in the third.

That's where the Royals' scoring would end, however. Already with two runs in their pocket after three innings, Toronto notched a run in the fifth on a solo shot from Bo Bichette, and then Bichette tied it with a triple in the seventh.

On in the 10th to try and give the Royals a shot to win it in the bottom of the inning, Will Smith surrendered an RBI single to Daulton Varsho delivered a one-out RBI single to score Kevin Kiermaier with the go-ahead run. Erik Swanson set the Royals down in order to get the save, his eighth, in the bottom of the inning.

Kansas City was forced to go to the bullpen early, as Alec Marsh left with two outs in the second inning after experiencing pain in his side earlier in the inning. Rookie Matt Sauer came in and gave them a nice lift, going three full innings with five strikeouts and just one run allowed before leaving with two outs in the fifth.

Jordan Lyles, Angel Zerpa, John Schreiber, Chris Stratton, and Will Smith all pitched in relief, with all but Zerpa going at least one full inning.

Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals
Apr 24, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Toronto Blue Jays (18-7)	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	0
Kansas City Royals (15-10)	0	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	X	4	9	0
W: Cole Ragans (4-2) L: Bowden Francis (3-1) S: Chris Stratton (4)

Wednesday, April 24th, 2024
Aside from a two-run homerun in the third inning from Vlad Guerrero Jr., Cole Ragans and the Royals put the clamps down on the Toronto offense, going eight strong innings in a 4-2 win over the AL East-leading Blue Jays.

In picking up his fourth win of the season, Ragans fanned five while scattering five hits and three walks; and among those five hits was the Guerrero homerun, his first homerun given up this season in nearly thirty-one innings at the time.

James McArthur came on in the ninth to get the save, but left after just three hitters due to back tightness. Chris Stratton got the final out via strikeout for the save, his fourth.

Kansas City jumped in front with a three-run second inning, keyed by an RBI hit from Michael Massey and a two-run single from Maikel Garcia. The Royals would later add an insurance run in the seventh inning on a Kyle Isbel solo homerun, his second homer of the season.

"It was a mix of everything good," said manager Matt Quatraro. "Cole really drove the train with his performance, but we strung some good AB's throughout, and Kyle gave us a bit of breathing room late that we ended up not needing. Just hope James is alright, but talking to him after the game, he seems to be in good spirits."

Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals
Apr 25, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Toronto Blue Jays (18-8)	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	3	6	2
Kansas City Royals (16-10)	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	1	4	8	1
W: Chris Stratton (2-0) L: Tim Mayza (0-1) S: None

Thursday, April 25th, 2024
"People have to get out and start seeing this team play," said manager Matt Quatraro with a chuckle when he opened his post-game press conference after the Royals walked off the Blue Jays 4-3 to win the competitive four-game series three games to one. "This group of guys, they have this swagger and confidence that's infectious right now. The times aren't always going to be good, but I feel good that we'll get through rough patches just fine with the group of veterans on the roster."

With a one-out single in the ninth, Garrett Hampson sent the nearly 23,000 fans in attendance home happy as Dairon Blanco crossed the plate with the winning tally. Blanco reached with a one-out triple, his AL-best fourth three-bagger so far.

Seth Lugo gave Kansas City another huge start, going seven innings with just two runs (one earned) allowed, striking out four with one walk and four hits scattered. He wasn't involved in the decision, but his performance allowed the Royals to stay within striking distance in the end.

Down 2-1 in the seventh, the Royals took advantage of some Toronto miscues to turn that deficit into a lead. While Bobby Witt Jr was at the plate, Freddy Fermin scored on a wild pitch from third base. Later in the at-bat, Witt would hit a tapper to the left side of the plate, but his speed caused the normally sure-handed Jose Berrios to rush and spike the ball short of first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr., who couldn't dig it out of the dirt. That brought another run home to push the Royals in front.

Will Smith came in for the eighth with three of the next four hitters lefties, but after striking out pinch-hitter Bo Bichette, he allowed a single to Cavan Biggio before issuing back-to-back walks, which also included a balk with Payton Henry, another pinch-hitter, at the plate. John Schreiber couldn't keep the lead after entering the game, giving up a sac fly; but managed to get out of the inning with no further damage.

"John really picked us up when Will struggled a bit with his command," Quatraro said. "He was in a tough spot, but was able to keep the game to where we had a chance to win it late."

UP NEXT: @ Detroit (04/26 -- 04/28)

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Royals News (4/26)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Top overall prospect reaches the majors

By MLB.com staff
04/26/2024

TOP STORY
Top prospect Holliday called up, will be in lineup Friday: The consensus number-one prospect was called up by the Orioles on Thursday, and will be in the lineup for Baltimore as they begin a six-game homestand with three against the Oakland A's on Friday night.

In twenty-four games (all but one of them starts) with Triple-A Norfolk, he slashed .277/.404/.457 in 114 plate appearances, hitting six doubles, a triple, and three homeruns; and going 4-for-6 on steals.

OTHER HEADLINES
Guardians RHPs McKenzie, Beede out 6-to-8 weeks each with elbow, bicep injuries
D-Backs LHP Jordan Montgomery out 5-to-6 weeks with forearm inflammation
Marlins IF Nick Gordon has suspension reduced from three games to two
Mets reliever Raley has setback, could be out an additional week
Pirates LHP Gonzalez could miss up to four months with shoulder ailment

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MLB News (4/26)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Royals dodge injury bullet

By artoodeetoo
04/26/2024

TOP STORIES
Marsh, McArthur listed day-to-day: While other teams in the division weren't so lucky with pitching injuries, the Royals received good news on righties Alec Marsh and James McArthur -- they're both listed day-to-day with oblique and wrist strains, but neither one is expected to shelve them for any significant period of time.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Royals putting themselves in the upper echelon of teams in 2024 -- Olney
Bobby Witt, Jr., walks machine? -- The Athletic
Why Brian Bridges might be the key to restoring the farm system -- FanSided

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Kansas City at Detroit (4/26 -- 4/28)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Detroit Tigers

By Conner Smith | Kansas City Star | April 29th, 2024

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Apr 26, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (16-11)	0	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	8	0
Detroit Tigers (12-14)	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	5	12	0
W: Andrew Chafin (1-0) L: Will Smith (0-3) S: None

Friday, April 26th, 2024
Brady Singer went eight innings while allowing just two earned runs; leaving with a 4-2 lead. However, the bullpen faltered late, allowing Detroit to sneak back in and eventually take the walk-off victory in the ninth 5-4.

Will Smith came on for the save, and promptly surrendered a pinch-hit solo homerun to Keston Hiura, who was just added to the active roster prior to the game. Javier Baez then singled against Smith, and eventually came around to score the winning run on a single from Riley Greene.

Salvador Perez and Nelson Velazquez each hit solo homeruns against Tigers starter Tarik Skubal, who also went eight innings while tossing a season-high 115 pitches. Playing first base with Vinnie Pasquantino given the day off against the lefty, Nick Loftin was the other big Kansas City bat, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.

Smith is tied for the team lead in saves, as right-hander Chris Stratton also has four. But Quatraro, who has promoted a 'closer-by-committee' approach this season, opened up the possibility of narrowing down who should close games for the first time in 2024.

In his last three appearances which includes this one, he's allowed four runs (three earned), four hits, a homerun, three walks, and just one strikeout.

"It's something that we'll look into, sit down with Brian (pitching coach Sweeney) and Paul (bench coach Hoover), and then see if that's something we can do. We've noticed the last few times out, Will's velocity has been down, so that's also something to monitor."

Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals
Apr 27, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (17-11)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	6	1
Detroit Tigers (12-15)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	1
W: James McArthur (1-0) L: Alex Lange (2-3) S: Nick Anderson (1)

Saturday, April 27th, 2024
Bolstered by 7 2/3 scoreless innings from Michael Wacha, and three hits from Vinnie Pasquantino, the Royals managed to overcome losing a 1-0 lead in the ninth to post a 3-1 extra-innings victory. With James McArthur on for the save, he surrendered a one-out solo homerun to Spencer Torkelson, but notched the final two outs of the inning to send it to extras.

With ghost runner Nick Loftin on second, Dairon Blanco laced a double to the right-center gap to lead off the 10th, pushing the Royals in front. They would add an insurance tally with a sac fly off the bat of Bobby Witt Jr, but Nick Anderson was able to work around a one-out walk in the bottom of the frame to pick up his first save of the season.

Detroit righty and Kansas City native Alex Lange, who had twenty-six saves for the Tigers a year ago, was charged with the loss, allowing two runs in the ninth (one earned).

"I was impressed with how James came back after the homerun and continued to attack the zone," manager Matt Quatraro said when asked about McArthur's blown save in the ninth. "He threw seven pitches, all but one for strikes, and struck out a pretty tough lefty hitter in (Kerry) Carpenter to end the inning."

Kansas City's bats have fell a bit silent after a hot streak prior to the most recent homestand. Pasquantino's three hits, including a double, comprised nearly all of the offensive output in the game. MJ Melendez was 1-for-3 with a couple of walks, a run scored, and a stolen base; but until Blanco's double, the offense was nearly non-existent facing veteran starter and familiar foe Kenta Maeda.

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
Apr 28, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (17-12)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	11	0
Detroit Tigers (13-15)	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	X	3	8	1
W: Jack Flaherty (3-3) L: Alec Marsh (3-1) S: Alex Lange (6)

Sunday, April 28th, 2024
Kansas City squandered a golden opportunity in the ninth inning, getting men on second and third with nobody out against Tigers closer Alex Lange, but the K.C. area native shut the door after that, sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around a pop-up as the Royals fell 3-2 to drop the rubber match of their first trip to Detroit this season.

Dairon Blanco led off the inning with a sharp single to right, and Maikel Garcia then doubled in the next at-bat. However, Blanco had to pause to make sure that Garcia's line drive cleared the second baseman's glove, and then Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows did an excellent job at getting the ball back to the infield to prevent Blanco from going first-to-home on the Garcia double.

"I think we send Dairon home if he doesn't have to stop and wait," manager Matt Quatraro mused after the game. "Unfortunately, that hesitation might have cost us the game, but it wasn't really his fault. It was also an excellent job of situational awareness by (Parker) Meadows there, too."

Lange struck Bobby Witt Jr out before coaxing a pop-fly out from Vinnie Pasquantino. Still, Freddy Fermin and his .330 average came to the plate with a chance to put the Royals in front with a single, but Lange struck him out on a superb slider that had him reaching.

"Don't know you can get a much better situation than that," Quatraro went on to say. "Chances are, one of those guys would come through, and it's disappointing that we couldn't even get the ball out of the infield."

Kansas City begins a three-game series tonight at Toronto, who checks in at an AL-best 20-9. The Royals, however, own the season series to date, winning three-of-four in Kansas City just last Monday-Thursday.

UP NEXT: @ Toronto (04/29 -- 05/01)

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MLB News (4/29)

MLB NEWS AND NOTES
Rizzo hits 300th round-tripper

By MLB.com staff
04/29/2024

TOP STORY
Yankees' Rizzo socks 300th career homerun: Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo passed a major milestone in last night's 4-1 win over Milwaukee, pounding a solo homerun in the fourth inning for his 300th career homerun.

He would later add another in the top of the 10th, a two-run homerun as part of a three-run inning to secure the victory.

"300 is a big number, and I am thankful for the ability to get to this milestone. But it's all about the team today, my accomplishments are just one piece to the Yankees puzzle," he said after the game. "We're still not where we'd like to be record-wise, so there's still a lot of work to do."

OTHER HEADLINES
Reds RHP Hunter Greene to have MRI on elbow today
Padres, White Sox strike deal to send C Carlos Perez to San Diego for two prospects
MLB.com Power Rankings hold steady; Guardians, Red Sox flip spots
Mets OF Tyrone Taylor out 3-to-4 weeks with knee strain suffered on morning run
Nationals promote top prospect James Wood

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Royals News (4/29)

ROYALS NEWS AND NOTES
Massey back to the injured list

By artoodeetoo
04/29/2024

TOP STORIES
Massey headed back to the IL: After just five games with the Royals, Michael Massey is headed back to the injured list -- this time for an intercostal strain on his left side, which are the little muscles in between the rib bones.

He reportedly suffered the injury while diving head-first into home plate in the second inning of the Royals' series-opening loss against Detroit, and was removed from the game as a precaution.

He was originally listed as day-to-day by team officials after Friday night's game, but was limited in workouts on Saturday and Sunday; and after an MRI revealed a low-grade strain, he was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactively to Friday night.

A corresponding move hasn't been announced yet -- many that report on the organization believe that it will be Hunter Renfroe (back), who is slated to come off the 10-day injured list later today.

"Absolutely, it's a shame as he was striking the ball really well on his rehab assignment and then back up here with us," manager Matt Quatraro addressed the situation following the Royals' 3-2 defeat on Sunday. "We're hoping it's not too lengthy of an IL stay, but we'll see where he's at on Monday and go from there."

Quatraro estimated that the injury could keep him out anywhere for two to four weeks, and would likely require another rehab stint afterwards.

Lyles to take leave of absence: Right-hander Jordan Lyles is out indefinitely to attend to a personal matter, per a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Lyles has appeared in nine games so far this season, pitching to a solid 3.46 ERA in 13 innings of work.

Rosenthal's report also noted that the Royals "aren't hopeful" he'll be back anytime soon, and that the nature of the personal matter was not disclosed.

With Lyles moving to the inactive list, the Royals added veteran right-hander Tyler Duffey to the 40-man roster and re-called him from Triple-A Omaha. With a career 4.57 ERA in 477 MLB innings in stints with Minnesota and the Cubs, Duffey should provide a bit more of a steadying veteran presence in the bullpen.

OTHER ROYALS HEADLINES
Right-hander Hernandez to begin rehab stint; will build up as starter
Royals' farmhand A.J. Block's long road back to the mound

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Kansas City at Toronto (4/29 -- 5/1)

Team Roster/Records | MLB Standings | Statistics

Series Recap: Toronto Blue Jays

By artoodeetoo | Kansas City Star | May 2nd, 2024

Kansas City Royals at Toronto Blue Jays
Apr 29, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (18-12)	0	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	4	7	0
Toronto Blue Jays (20-10)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
W: Cole Ragans (5-2) L: Bowden Francis (3-2) S: None

Monday, April 29th, 2024
A two-run homerun from Bobby Witt Jr, and RBI hits from Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia helped key a 4-0 victory over the Blue Jays to open a three-game road series with the AL's top team. The win also clinched the season series with Toronto with two games remaining.

I say "helped", because Cole Ragans was fantastic against the Blue Jays' lineup, confounding them for 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. He allowed just two hits and three walks, striking out seven.

Angel Zerpa and Chris Stratton combined to keep Toronto off the scoreboard over the final 1 1/3 innings to finish out the game.

"That's a bad, bad man right now," manager Matt Quatraro said of his top pitcher. "He's pitching with a ton of determination and fire right now; it's setting the tone."

With the win, Ragans became the first pitcher in the AL to reach the five-win mark. The first pitcher overall to do it was DL Hall of the Brewers on Saturday in a 4-3 win over the Yankees.

Both Blue Jay hits came off the bat of Bo Bichette, both singles. The rest of the Toronto lineup was 0-for-25, walking three times with seven strikeouts.

Kansas City Royals at Toronto Blue Jays
Apr 30, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (18-13)	2	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	9	1
Toronto Blue Jays (21-10)	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	2	1	6	6	0
W: Tim Mayza (1-1) L: James McArthur (1-1) S: None

Tuesday, April 30th, 2024
For the second time in the last five days, the Royals held a lead in the eighth inning, only to see it evaporate as the Blue Jays scored twice in the eighth, and then walked the Royals off in the ninth with an Alejandro Kirk single in a 6-5 defeat.

Amazingly, Toronto never led throughout the game, only taking the lead on the final play of the game with Kirk's walk-off hit. The Royals scored two in the first and three in the third, taking a 5-2 lead after three frames.

Seth Lugo wasn't his sharpest self, scattering three hits and four walks over five innings, allowing three earned runs with four strikeouts to his credit. The Royals' bullpen troubles began in the seventh with the normally-reliable John Schreiber needing three hitters to get the final out of that inning, before Nick Anderson allowed the first three hitters to reach against him as he started the eighth, surrendering the game-tying hit on a double by Bo Bichette before getting pulled after a strikeout of Isiah Kiner-Falefa for the first out.

Will Smith recorded the final two outs of the eighth, but James McArthur came on to preserve the 5-5 tie to send it to extras, but was on the bad end of Kirk's hit with two outs.

"Let this one slip away a bit," said McArthur after the game, a bit despondent. "I just left the fastball out over the plate a bit much, and he did to it what most good hitters do and hit it pretty square."

Aside from the top four hitters in the order that combined for eight hits, only Hunter Renfroe and Nick Loftin did anything noteworthy, with Loftin's two-run double to go 1-for-4, and Renfroe's two walks in his return to the lineup.

Kansas City Royals at Toronto Blue Jays
May 1, 2024	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals (18-14)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	8	3
Toronto Blue Jays (22-10)	0	0	3	0	2	1	0	0	X	6	7	0
W: Chris Bassitt (4-3) L: Brady Singer (1-3) S: None

Wednesday, May 1st, 2024
With the calendar turning over to May, Toronto took advantage of several Royals miscues, and some erratic-ness from Brady Singer to post a 6-1 victory over the Royals, taking the series two games to one. It ended a streak of the last four losses being by one run, as the last time the Royals lost by more than one run was a 5-0 loss at Baltimore back on April 21st. It's only the fourth loss by five or more runs this season.

In 4 2/3 innings, Singer was tagged for seven hits and five runs, although only three of them were earned as the Royals played arguably their worst defensive game of the season with three errors. Rookie Rule 5 pick Matt Sauer gave the Royals 3 1/3 innings of great relief, only surrendering a walk and an unearned run with one strikeout.

"After using six pitchers last night, Matt being able to finish out the game for Brady was a nice lift for us as we head into the off-day tomorrow," manager Matt Quatraro stated in the post-game press gaggle outside of the visitors' locker room. "

Offensively, there was little to write home about other than, yet again, the top four hitters in the order combining to go 6-for-16 with a couple of doubles and the lone RBI. MJ Melendez, who was dropped to seventh in the order for this game, went 2-for-4 with a double, but no other hitter reached base safely aside from a free pass drawn by Kyle Isbel.

After an off-day today, the Royals will begin a six-game homestand with the defending champion Rangers for three, and then Milwaukee for three after that beginning next Monday.

UP NEXT: vs Texas (05/03 -- 05/05)