Daily Clips
July 5, 2017
LOCAL
Moose homers to back Duffy's strong effort
July 5, 2017By Josh Horton and Doug Miller/MLB.com
Duffy dedicates win to teen who passed away
Royals lefty throws 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball in return from DL
July 5, 2017By Doug Miller/MLB.com
Almonte optioned to make room for Duffy
July 5, 2017By Doug Miller/MLB.com
Vargas will try to make case for ASG start
July 5, 2017By Doug Miller/MLB.com
Royals 'make a push' for Moose on Final Vote
Fans can show support for third baseman until 3 p.m. CT Thursday
July 5, 2017By Doug Miller/MLB.com
Danny Duffy returns, Mike Moustakas homers again in 7-3 win over Mariners
July 5, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals’ Danny Duffy dedicates start to teenager in his hometown who died of leukemia
July 5, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals’ Matt Strahm set to receive second opinion on his knee on Thursday
July 5, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Dear Mike Moustakas: Do not read this blog about the Home Run Derby
July 5, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star
MINORS
Junis Strong as Chasers Fall in New Orleans, 3-2
Omaha drop Independence Day tilt in Big Easy
July 5, 2017Omaha Storm Chasers
Ogando deals Naturals a win over the Missions
LHP Emilio Ogando twirls 5.2 innings of two-run baseball in the series finale victory
July 5, 2017Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Blue Crew Held in Check in Independence Day Loss
Rocks Drop Rain-Shortened Contest
July 5, 2017Wilmington Blue Rocks
Four-run, no-hit seventh sends Legends to 9-5 win
July 5, 2017Lexington Legends
Blue Jays Top Royals on Independence Day
Rivero homers in 9-6 loss for Burlington
July 5, 2017By Matt Krause/Burlington Royals
MLB TRANSACTIONS
July 5, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Moose homers to back Duffy's strong effort
July 5, 2017By Josh Horton and Doug Miller/MLB.com
Mike Moustakas homered for the second consecutive game, hitting a two-run, go-ahead shot in the fourth inning, and Danny Duffy allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings as the Royals won, 7-3, over the Mariners on Tuesday at Safeco Field for their fifth win in six games.
Leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield extended his hitting streak to eight games with a first-pitch home run off of Mariners starter Felix Hernandez. An error by Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano allowed a run to score in the fourth and a Salvador Perez double plated two runs in the fifth after two walks by Hernandez, widening the Royals lead to 6-2.
All-Star Nelson Cruz hammered a two-run single in the first inning to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead, but Seattle's offense went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position after that. Jean Segura, who went 4-for-5, hit an RBI single in the seventh.
"Offensively, we have not swung the bat well at home … for whatever reason," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "We get little rallies going, but just not getting the big hit. The big two-out double to kind of kick-started it, and everybody relaxing and going from there. I think guys are pressing a little bit, they want to get it back going at home. They know it's important to finish on a high note headed into the break, but it's just not happening right now. … Our guys are busting it, they're putting in the work in the cage and trying to get their swings right. But it's got to carry over onto the field, and right now it's not."
Hernandez (3-3, 5.04 ERA) struggled in six innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits while striking out five and walking four.
"Today, I thought his stuff was really good early on," Servais said. "I thought the fastball had good life to it. I thought the changeup had good bottom to it. … But he made a couple of mistakes. The hanging curveball to Moustakas -- one of the hottest hitters in the league right now, especially with the home run -- that one hurt. And after that it was the walks."
Meanwhile, Duffy (5-4, 3.51 ERA), the Royals' Opening Day starter who was making his first start since going on the disabled list on May 28 with a right oblique muscle strain, looked like a staff ace once again, giving up five hits, striking out four and walking two.
"I felt like we kind of fell right back into place," Duffy said. "[Catcher] Salvy [Perez] called a great game. The boys spotted me a ton of runs. So it was a good day overall."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Moose power: Esurance Final Vote candidate Moustakas showed yet again why he was a coveted participant of the T-Mobile 2017 Home Run Derby, as the left-handed slugger launched his 24th home run on a first-pitch hanging curveball to collect two RBIs and provide the Royals a 3-2 lead. The home run was Moustakas' 27th barrelled ball of the season, according to MLB's Statcast™, the 14th-most in the Major Leagues.
"He's been amazing to watch, to get on a hot streak like this and especially a homer streak like he has," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "From the side, to see him hit that curveball the way that he did … it was a pretty big breaking curveball and, I mean, just, boom. He's just on one of those streaks where you just ride it as long as you can. It's been really, really fun to watch."
Welcome back, Mr. Cruz: In his first game back in the starting lineup after missing the last few days with a sore right knee, Cruz made his presence known. After Segura and Danny Valencia singled to lead off the second, Cruz laced a single off the wall in right-center field with an exit velocity of 109 mph, providing the Mariners a 2-1 lead.
QUOTABLE
"Offensively it was good to have Cruz back in there today. I think everybody sees he's not 100 percent, but he's doing what he can in the batter's box. He swung the bat well." -- Servais
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: First-time All-Star Jason Vargas will make his final start of an exceptional first half when he takes the hill in the series finale. Vargas (12-2, 2.22 ERA) leads the American League in wins and ERA and could make a case to start the Midsummer Classic, set for July 11 at Marlins Park in Miami.
Mariners: Left-hander Ariel Miranda (7-4, 3.82 ERA) gets the ball for the Mariners in the third and final game of the series vs. the Royals. Miranda, who has never faced Kansas City, notched his seventh victory of the season in his last start after blanking the Angels on two hits through seven innings on June 30 in Anaheim.
Duffy dedicates win to teen who passed away
Royals lefty throws 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball in return from DL
July 5, 2017By Doug Miller/MLB.com
Danny Duffy didn't want to hear that he'd be out six weeks, and maybe eight. He was sure he'd return in a month, even though a right oblique muscle strain is a tricky injury and can often linger.
And even though it took him a little closer to five weeks than the four he'd plotted out, Duffy worked his way back to the mound in front of a sun-splashed July 4 crowd Tuesday, earning a hard-fought win over the Mariners at Safeco Field.
And he did it with more than a little inspiration.
Duffy had a lot on his mind and in his heart as he twirled 5 2/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball, striking out four in a 7-3 victory over the Mariners that ensured Kansas City a series win and gave the Royals a chance for a sweep on Wednesday with All-Star Jason Vargas taking the hill.
After the game, he revealed that he had dedicated Tuesday's performance to Noah Scott, a teenager from Duffy's hometown of Lompoc, Calif., who passed away last week after waging a courageous battle against leukemia.
"He fought his butt off, and that's all for his family right there," Duffy said. "He didn't lose the fight. He did it. He battled his butt off. He's a good kid. He was in his teens. He was out there, during the middle of his treatment, he was watching Cabrillo games, my high school. He just loved baseball. A very inspirational kid."
The somber memorial powered Duffy through, as did his own motivation to get back to being a force on the mound for the Royals. The May 28 game in Cleveland when he felt the initial twinge in his side? Long gone, as were his frustrations at not being able to help his team.
His final pitch Tuesday, with two out in the sixth inning, was his 86th, and 58 of those were strikes. He mixed in a fastball that reached 93 mph with his usual slider and changeup and kept Seattle off-balance all afternoon.
"Our goal was to try to get him to 85 pitches and we were just about right on the money with that into the sixth inning," Royals manager Ned Yost said.
"He looked great. He looked just like Danny."
When Duffy went down, the Royals lost that game to the Indians, 10-1, to fall to 21-28, 6 1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central. But the team started playing better, and after Tuesday's win Kansas City stands at 43-40 and only 1 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland.
"They did a great job of picking me up while I was gone," Duffy said. "This is obviously a team sport. I play only once every fifth day, if that. These boys did their thing. The rotation was phenomenal while I was out and I just want to fall in place wherever I can."
Almonte optioned to make room for Duffy
July 5, 2017By Doug Miller/MLB.com
The Royals reinstated Danny Duffy from the disabled list to make the start against the Mariners on Tuesday afternoon at Safeco Field.
The team cleared a spot on the active roster for Duffy's return by optioning reliever Miguel Almonte to Triple-A Tacoma.
Duffy twirled 5 2/3 innings of five-hit, two-run ball, striking out four in a 7-3 victory over the Mariners that ensured Kansas City a series win and gave the Royals a chance for a sweep on Wednesday with All-Star Jason Vargas taking the hill.
Duffy, who is coming back from a strained right oblique muscle sustained in a 10-1 loss on May 28 in Cleveland, made two rehab starts with Omaha. His last outing was a 4 2/3-inning tuneup Thursday at Colorado Springs, where he threw 66 pitches and struck out five.
Minor back from illness
Lefty reliever Mike Minor was ready to get back into games Tuesday after a bout with an intenstinal virus.
Royals manager Ned Yost said Minor, who last appeared in Kansas City's 11-6 win over the Twins on July 1, caught the bug from his daughter and wife and felt so ill that he did not fly with the team to Seattle on Sunday.
"He felt better yesterday," Yost said Tuesday. "We'll see how he feels today. I think he's going to be fine. He looks good."
Strahm to see specialist
Left-hander Matt Strahm, who was moved to the 60-day disabled list on Monday as a result of a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, will seek a second opinion to determine whether he should opt for surgery, the Royals announced Tuesday.
Strahm, who had a 4.30 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 23 innings with the Royals this season, will visit Dr. Timothy Kremchek of Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Cincinnati on Thursday.
Vargas will try to make case for ASG start
July 5, 2017By Doug Miller/MLB.com
All-Star Jason Vargas will take the ball for the Royals against one of his former teams, the Seattle Mariners, in Wednesday night's series finale at Safeco Field. There will be a couple of questions to answer in the matchup of two intriguing teams currently jockeying for contention in the American League.
Will Vargas, who is 12-3 with a 2.22 ERA, pitch well enough to make even more of a case that he should start for the American League in the 88th All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Marlins Park in Miami on Tuesday? Or will Seattle's own emerging left-hander, Ariel Miranda, steal his thunder for a night?
Vargas is 3-2 with a 1.70 ERA in five career starts vs. Seattle. He was 36-42 in 110 starts for the Mariners from 2009-12.
While the accomplishments of Vargas have understandably garnered national attention, given that he has won seven consecutive starts and leads the AL in wins and ERA, Miranda has been a quieter revelation in the Pacific Northwest. The southpaw is slated to make his team-high 18th start of the season and had a five-game winning streak earlier in the season, during which he compiled a 3.40 ERA.
Things to know about this game
• Vargas is a first-time All-Star and became the first Royals starting pitcher to be named to the All-Star team since Zack Greinke in 2009.
• Miranda will be making his first career start vs. Kansas City.
• You wouldn't expect a starter with an 86 mph combined average velocity on his fastballs to be able to consistently sneak his heater past big league hitters. But thanks to the terrific quality of his curveball and changeup, along with precise fastball command, Vargas actually ranks fourth among starters with a 25.2 percent called strike rate on his fastest offerings. Opposing batters are hitting .325 against Vargas' four-seamers and two-seamers, but they haven't swung against them consistently.
Royals 'make a push' for Moose on Final Vote
Fans can show support for third baseman until 3 p.m. CT Thursday
July 5, 2017By Doug Miller/MLB.com
Mike Moustakas, a candidate for the theEsurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote, is going to get plenty of help in his bid to make the American League All-Star team.
In fact, he already has. Before Monday night's Royals game against the Seattle Mariners in Safeco Field, Kansas City pitcher Danny Duffy dutifully filmed a video urging fans to punch in Moustakas' name.
He even wore "Moose" antlers while doing so.
"I think this whole team's been blowing it up," Duffy said of the voting. "Moose is up for grabs right now and we need to definitely make a push to get him there. I mean, he's hit 22 bombs in a park that's probably the hardest place to hit bombs at, you know?
"That's pretty impressive, to do what he's done before the All-Star break, which isn't even here yet. He's got some time left to hit a couple more."
Moustakas, who made the All-Star team in 2015 after winning the Final Vote, this time is up against Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus, Boston shortstop XanderBogaerts, Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius and Rays first baseman Logan Morrison.
Voting this year ends at 3 p.m. CT on Thursday. Fans can show their support for Moustakas by tweeting with #VoteMoose, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, any tweet that inThe Royals are planning to host contests to incentivize voting on social platforms all week and have also reached out to community partners, sponsors and local media to garner support.
The Royals are planning to host contests to incentivize voting on social platforms all week and have also reached out to community partners, sponsors and local media to garner support. Part of that included Duffy in his antlers delivering the message to #VoteMoose on Monday.
Also, Moustakas has been paired up with National League Final Five candidate Justin Turner of the Dodgers, also a third baseman and playing in Los Angeles, where Moustakas grew up.
"It's definitely cool," said Moustakas, who entered Monday with a .270 batting average and 49 RBIs to go along with the 22 home runs, which already tied his career-high single-season total.
"Everybody that's in this Final Vote is more than deserving of being an All-Star. It's one of those things where whoever wins definitely deserves it. So it'll be pretty cool to see how it all shakes out."
Fans can cast ballots for the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote on MLB.com, club sites and their mobile devices until 3 p.m. CT on Thursday. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, will then be announced during "MLB Tonight" live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 5 p.m. Extensive coverage throughout the Final Vote will be provided by MLB Network and MLB.com, including interviews with the candidates, frequent updates, heat maps indicating where votes are being cast for each candidate, news on player and club campaigns, and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement.
Now in its 16th season, with more than 680 million votes cast, the Final Vote again will include social votes on the last day of balloting, as Twitter support for the 10 candidates over the final six hours of balloting will count toward their vote totals. From 9 a.m.-3 p.m. CT on Thursday, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the winners.