Daily Clips
April 23, 2018
LOCAL
Moose hits go-ahead HR in win; hit streak at 14
Flynn tosses 2 scoreless innings out of 'pen
April 22, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Almonte's slam caps Royals' 5-run 6th inning
Claimed off waivers, center fielder has club's 2 longest homers
April 22, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Buchholz gets win in debut for Triple-A Omaha
April 22, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
'Keep getting on and we'll get guys in': How the Royals beat the Tigers 8-5
April 22, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
The Royals' offense has sorely missed Salvador Perez. His return is finally near
April 22, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Billy Butler writes congratulatory note to A's pitcher who no-hit the Red Sox
April 22, 2018By Pete Grathoff & Maria Torres/KC Star
Former Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie finds rare post-career gig: president of a Mormon mission
April 22, 2018By Rustin Dodd/The Athletic
MINORS
Buchholz Quiets Sounds In 4-1 Win
Perez & Gordon combine to drive in 3 runs
April 22, 2018By Omaha Storm Chasers
Late Rally Halted In Naturals 8-6 Loss At Tulsa
April 22, 2018By Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Rocks Fall in Series Finale
Wilmington Takes Three of Four Against the Keys
April 22, 2018By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Home Runs Carry Lexington Over Hagerstown in 9-2 Victory
April 22, 2018By Lexington Legends
NATIONAL
Company that offers minor leaguers up-front payments drawing scrutiny within baseball
April 20, 2018By Ken Rosenthal/The Athletic
Baseball is in the Strikeout Era, for better or worse
April 22, 2018By Jeff Passan/Yahoo
MLB TRANSACTIONS
April23, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Moose hits go-ahead HR in win; hit streak at 14
Flynn tosses 2 scoreless innings out of 'pen
April 22, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Mike Moustakas, needing a hit to extend his hitting streak to 14 games, did so dramatically, blasting a go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh inning to propel the Royals to an 8-5 win over the Tigers on Sunday at Comerica Park.
Moustakas hit a 2-2 changeup from right-hander Buck Farmer into the right-field seats, his sixth home run this season.
"After the first three or four [changeups], I was sitting on it and trying to get one up, and finally he ended up leaving one up, and I was able to get a good swing on it," Moustakas said. "I hit it pretty good. I didn't know if it was gonna hook. The other night I hit one, and it kind of took a little right turn, and I was trying to see if it was gonna stay fair. Once it got out there I knew it was gonna stay."
The Royals' struggling bullpen held the fort after Moustakas' home run, thanks to two scoreless innings from lefty Brian Flynn, and closer Kelvin Herrera, who got his fourth save.
"Really good job by Flynn," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We needed two scoreless innings to get to Kelvin and that's exactly what he did, with very little fanfare. I was hoping to get a second inning out of him. He was the most rested."
The Royals did not have a hit until Whit Merrifield homered to lead off the sixth inning. Moments later, center fielder Abraham Almonte hit a grand slam, his second home run this season and second career grand slam -- his other came with the Indians on Aug. 30, 2015.
Almonte's grand slam was the Royals' first hit this season with the bases loaded. They had been 0-for-15.
"I was looking for something up in the zone, kind of elevated and see if I could get a sac fly," Almonte said. "It felt good."
Left-hander Eric Skoglund started for the Royals and after a rough first inning -- a hit batter, two hits and two runs -- he settled down and blanked the Tigers through the fifth. But Skoglund, given a 5-2 lead, walked the first two hitters he faced in the sixth and was removed.
Skoglund wound up going five-plus innings and giving up four hits and four runs. Yost said he had a chat with Skoglund after the first inning.
"I thought he was OK," Yost said. "I thought the first inning he was a little tentative. He got on the attack in the second and was great from two through five, and then in the sixth, got a little fine again, two walks and he was done. But like I told him, these are all learning experiences. You got to trust your stuff and attack.
"I told him, 'One day you're going to figure out you're a pretty good pitcher. You need to get after them. You're tippy-toeing out there. Get on the attack and be aggressive.'"
MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Big double play: With all the issues the Royals have had this season in the bullpen, there had to be thoughts of "Here we go again" when Nicholas Castellanos led off the eighth inning with a single off Flynn. But Flynn got Victor Martinez to chop into a 5-4-3 double play, ending the threat essentially. The Tigers didn't get another baserunner.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Almonte, who was claimed off waivers earlier this month, has the Royals' two longest home runs this season -- 426 feet and the projected 425-foot grand slam, per Statcast™.
HE SAID IT
"I heard about that. I hope she enjoys it." -- a smiling Almonte, on his grand slam netting a fan $25,000
UP NEXT
After an off-day on Monday, the Royals will return to action at Kauffman Stadium against the Brewers at 7:15 p.m. CT on Tuesday. Right-hander Ian Kennedy (1-2, 2.35 ERA) will take the mound. Kennedy gave up four earned runs and eight hits over five innings in his last start Wednesday in Toronto. Zach Davies (1-2, 4.84 ERA) starts for the Brewers.
Almonte's slam caps Royals' 5-run 6th inning
Claimed off waivers, center fielder has club's 2 longest homers
April 22, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals went into the sixth inning on Sunday against Tigers starter Francisco Liriano looking for their first hit.
They emerged with two home runs and a three-run lead on their way to an 8-5 victory.
The big blow was newcomer Abraham Almonte's second career grand slam, a shot into the right-field seats. It was Almonte's second home run this season and first grand slam since Aug. 30, 2015, when he was with the Indians.
Almonte, who was claimed off waivers earlier this month, jumped on a 1-0 two-seamer from Liriano and belted it a projected 425 feet, per Statcast™.
"I was looking for something up in the zone, kind of elevated and see if I could get a sac fly," Almonte said. "That was a good feeling. Every time that I do something to help my team to perform on the field and win, it's a great feeling."
Earlier on this road trip in Toronto, Almonte socked a 426-foot home run. He now has the Royals' two longest home runs this season.
"Been feeling better every game, every at-bat," Almonte said. "I'm getting more confident, seeing the ball better, feel like I stay more focused in the approach that I take to the plate every at-bat."
Whit Merrifield had homered earlier in the inning.
Almonte's homer came during the Royals' promotional Sonic Slam inning, and contestant Jadah Bradley of Eugene, Mo., won $25,000 for the grand slam.
"I hope she enjoys it," Almonte said, smiling.
Buchholz gets win in debut for Triple-A Omaha
April 22, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Veteran right-hander Clay Buchholz was promoted from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, and then went out and threw 6 1/3 strong innings in his debut with Omaha against Nashville on Sunday.
Buchholz earned the win, giving up five hit and one run while walking one and striking out three. He threw 84 pitches, 54 for strikes.
Buchholz, 33, signed as a non-roster free agent in March, threw 4 2/3 shutout innings in his only start for Northwest Arkansas earlier in the week.
Buchholz could be an option for the Royals to start one of the games of a doubleheader Saturday against the White Sox. He has a May 1 opt-out date.
The Royals would have to clear space on the 40-man roster to make room for Buchholz, who has impressed Royals officials after missing almost all of 2017 because of forearm surgery.
Gallagher remembers Manaea
Royals catcher Cam Gallagher was watching television in his hotel room Saturday night when he began getting alerts on his cell phone that his former batterymate, former Royals farmhand Sean Manaea, was pitching a no-hitter for Oakland.
Gallagher, who caught Manaea at Class A Advanced Wilmington in 2014-15, immediately switched channels to watch Manaea finish the no-hitter against Boston.
"I was watching and I was like, 'No way,'" Gallagher said. "I could feel his nerves going through him right there, definitely something I've never experienced, but I was feeling for him. I was glad that he ended up getting it done.
"I was nervous just watching for him, so I don't imagine what he was feeling. But really happy for him. It was awesome.
"Back in A-ball, he would throw fastballs up in the zone right by guys, and they would swing underneath it. He's one of those guys you talk about. His delivery is so slow, but once it comes out of his hand it's on you right there. It gets on you quick. It was definitely overpowering in A-ball. It was really good."
Royals celebrate Earth Day
As the country celebrated Earth Day on Sunday, the Royals, too, have become very environmentally conscious.
The Royals just installed LED Field Lighting at Kauffman Stadium -- LED lighting is energy efficient and will have a life span of 30 years.
The Royals also recycled 15.49 tons of glass last season, almost doubling their 2016 total. And they are one of nine teams that utilize solar power at Kauffman Stadium.
'Keep getting on and we'll get guys in': How the Royals beat the Tigers 8-5
April 22, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
A mantra bearing an acute resemblance to the Royals’ 2015 postseason slogan has recently taken over the the Royals dugout.
“Keep getting on until we get guys in.”
The words originated from hitting coach Terry Bradshaw. He sought to put a positive spin on the Royals’ early offensive woes: Through 19 games the Royals had stranded 139 men on base.
The number itself wasn’t earth-shattering. It ranked 17th in baseball.
But for a team such as the Royals, which entered Sunday’s series finale with the Tigers at Comerica Park batting .219 with runners on base, the number loomed over a 4-15 start. It was the key component in their being outscored 107-60.
Coupled with a flailing bullpen that owned baseball’s worst ERA, the Royals’ offense bore a hefty chunk of the blame.
Royals hitters figured Bradshaw’s words would take hold eventually. They just needed to internalize them long enough. Even starting pitcher Danny Duffy believed it was a matter of time before the phrase begot reality.
“All of us are so frustrated,” Duffy said Saturday, after the Royals lost for the 10th time in 11 games. “Whole lot of talent in this clubhouse. Whole lot of talent, whole lot of heart. Just not going our way right now. We’ll have to figure it out.”
The Royals finally did Sunday, beating the Tigers 8-5 and stomping out their offensive futility.
Mike Moustakas’ three-run homer in the seventh provided the final score, but outfielder Abraham Almonte’s two-out grand slam in the sixth inning gave the Royals a 5-2 lead.
“(General manager) Dayton (Moore) looks for those under-the-radar guys and he’s been a great addition,” manager Ned Yost said.
The Tigers tied the contest with three runs in the bottom of sixth — two off Royals starter Eric Skoglund, who pitched five-plus innings and allowed four runs in a no-decision, and one unearned run off reliever Kevin McCarthy — but the Royals battled back in the seventh inning.
Before that, Whit Merrifield led off the fifth with a homer that ended Tigers starter Francisco Liriano’s bid for a no-hitter. Cheslor Cuthbert followed him with a double down the third-base line; eventually Jorge Soler and Paulo Orlando drew back-to-back walks with two outs.
Then Almonte strode to the plate, seeking an elevated fastball. He launched the second pitch he saw, a 92 mph heater from Tigers reliever Alex Wilson, 425 feet to right field. As he cut a path around the infield, the Royals could count their first bases-loaded hit in 16 such at-bats this season.
The home run absolved Skoglund's early mistakes.
And it made Almonte, who went 6 for 13 in four games against the Tigers, a hero for the second time this series. He also knocked in the tying run for the Royals in Friday’s win, which snapped a nine-game losing streak.
“I’m getting more confident, seeing the ball better,” said Almonte, whom the Royals claimed off waivers from the Indians at the beginning of April and brought into the fold when Alex Gordon was placed on the disabled list a week on April 10. “I feel like I stay more focused in the approach that I take to the plate every at-bat.”
The Royals (5-15) return to Kansas City for a six-game homestand that begins Tuesday against Lorenzo Cain and the Milwaukee Brewers.
As they await the return of catcher Salvador Perez to their lineup, which could come as soon as Tuesday, they will try to retain this Bradshaw-motivated momentum.
“A ball falls here and there for us a couple games ago, this thing wouldn’t have been as bad as it was,” said Moustakas, who extended his hitting streak to 14 games. “That’s just how it is.
“The thing about this team, though, is we kept coming to work everyday, kept grinding, kept fighting. Able to get a big win the other day and then keep going into this.”
The Royals' offense has sorely missed Salvador Perez. His return is finally near
April 22, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
The Royals’ scuffling offense should receive a jolt soon.
Catcher Salvador Perez, who started a minor-league rehab assignment on April 15, is nearing his return to the Royals lineup. He could make his season debut at Kauffman Stadium this week when the Royals return for a six-game homestand that begins against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
“It could be any day, and it could very well be the next series,” manager Ned Yost said. “But we just gotta wait and see how things go.”
Perez hasn’t seemed to miss a beat recovering from a Grade 2 tear of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, an injury he sustained while carrying luggage into his home two nights before the start of the season. In six games spanning stints with Class AA Northwest and Class AAA Omaha, Perez has hit 8 for 21 with four RBIs. He’s clubbed two homers and knocked a double, including one of each on Saturday for the Omaha Storm Chasers. He was scheduled to play again Sunday in Omaha.
The sooner Perez returns to the Royals, the better.
The absence of his right-handed bat has sucked power out of the middle of the Royals lineup. Although left-handed hitters Mike Moustakas and Lucas Duda had combined to drive in 24 of the Royals’ 54 runs entering Sunday, the remainder of the order provided little fuel. Both Jorge Soler and Cheslor Cuthbert had driven in two runs apiece before Sunday’s series finale with the Tigers at Comerica Park.
And catchers Drew Butera and Cam Gallagher, hitting from the ninth spot, averaged only .181 (12 for 66) with seven RBIs and three runs scored.
“I don’t think (the offense is) anywhere close to what it’s capable of being,” Yost said. “That was a big blow losing Salvy the day before opening day. That’s your number four hitter there that kind of balances everything out.”
Yost has also received positive reports on outfielder Alex Gordon, who began his rehab assignment in Omaha on Friday. He has hit 1 for 6 with two walks and an RBI. Gordon was placed on the disabled list on April 10 because of a labral tear in his left hip.
“Getting Salvy and Gordy back will help our offense,” Yost said.
Billy Butler writes congratulatory note to A's pitcher who no-hit the Red Sox
April 22, 2018By Pete Grathoff & Maria Torres/KC Star
Sean Manaea, the Oakland A's pitcher who threw a no-hitter Saturday night against the red-hot Boston Red Sox, got his start with the Royals.
In the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, the Royals used the 34th overall pick to select Manaea. Two years later, Manaea was the key part of a trade with the A's that sent infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist to the Royals just ahead of the trade deadline (right-hander Aaron Brooks was the other player that went to Oakland).