Daily Clips
March 21, 2017
LOCAL
Prospect O'Hearn, Hammel stand out vs. Reds
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Karns named No. 5 starter; Young, Wood to bullpen
Offseason acquisition made 15 starts for Mariners in 2016
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Hammel sharp vs. Reds, ready for regular season
Righty starter fires 76 pitches (57 strikes) in effective outing
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
O'Hearn, Parnell among five reassigned by Royals
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Salvy to return to game action Wednesday
All-Star catcher has recovered from knee injury suffered in Classic
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Jason Hammel shines, Matt Strahm stumbles in Royals' 10-6 loss to the Reds
March 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals release Jonathan Sanchez, reassign five players to minor-league camp
March 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals’ Danny Duffy in line to start Opening Day as club remains mum on assignment
March 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals pick Nathan Karns to round out their starting rotation
March 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
How I got hit with a fungo in the frying pan
March 20, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star
If you want to know a team’s Opening Day pitcher is, count backward
March 21, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star
Mellinger Minutes: Royals
March 20, 2017By Sam Mellinger/KC Star
NATIONAL
Red, white and bros: World Baseball Classic creates lasting bonds for Team USA
March 20, 2017By Bob Nightengale/USA Today
MLB TRANSACTIONS
March21, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Prospect O'Hearn, Hammel stand out vs. Reds
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Right-hander Tim Adleman, in the battle for a Reds rotation spot, hit a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning as the Reds rallied for a 10-6 victory over the Royals on Monday.
The Reds sent 13 men to the plate in an eight-run eighth inning, highlighted by Adleman's double, which erased a 4-2 deficit.
"The Killer Bs strike again," Reds manager Bryan Price quipped, referring to his "B" unit.
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel, likely the team's No. 3 or 4 starter, tossed 5 1/3 strong innings, and prospect Ryan O'Hearn doubled and homered.
Hammel didn't give up a hit until there was one out in the fifth inning, when catcher Devin Mesoraco singled sharply to left-center. Hammel gave up one run, walked one and struck out five. He threw 76 pitches, 57 for strikes.
O'Hearn doubled in the Royals' first run in the fourth inning, a shot into the right-field corner that scored Paulo Orlando, who had singled.
O'Hearn, the Royals' No. 8 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, then belted a long two-run homer to right in the sixth, his second this spring. He was reassigned to Minor League camp after the game.
"We liked him the little bit that we saw him last year, too," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He's got a nice, short swing. He's going to be a good player."
Reds right-hander Rookie Davis, who is in competition for one of three open spots in the rotation, threw four strong innings. Davis gave up just four hits and one run, while walking one and striking out three.
"He pitched well, a nice ballgame," Price said. "They had some nice players in the lineup and some good prospects, and he attacked the zone, as he's done all spring. He's been good in the strike zone. He's managed his mix of pitches, controlled the running game well, and overall it was really a complete job."
Reds Up Next: Cody Reed starts for the Reds, who return home to Goodyear Ballpark to play the Angels. The left-hander is competing for a rotation job. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on on MLB.TV.
Royals Up Next: Left-hander Jason Vargas, likely the Royals' No. 3 or No. 4 starter this season, gets the start in a 3:10 p.m. CT game against Arizona on Tuesday at Salt River Fields. After Vargas, the Royals will use Joakim Soria and then four pitchers in competition for the final spot in the bullpen: Peter Moylan, Yender Caramo, Scott Alexander and Malcom Culver.
Karns named No. 5 starter; Young, Wood to bullpen
Offseason acquisition made 15 starts for Mariners in 2016
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The first major decision of this Royals camp came down Monday, as manager Ned Yost named right-hander Nathan Karns as his No. 5 starter.
Karns, acquired in the offseason from the Mariners for Jarrod Dyson, had been battling with right-hander Chris Young and left-hander Travis Wood for the No. 5 spot.
"[Yost] called me in this morning and said 'Congratulations, you're our No. 5 starter,'" Karns said, smiling. "It's something I have worked really hard for."
In four starts this spring, Karns has had mixed results; he has given up seven earned runs in his last two outings and has a 7.36 ERA overall.
"The [disk] injury last year was strong motivation for me to have a good camp," Karns said. "I feel I've overcome that completely. The results so far aren't exactly what I wanted, but I guess I showed them enough and I was healthy enough and I improved enough with my changeup that they gave me this honor.
"I'm very excited to get to work with the staff. I've already sat down with Sal [Perez] and Drew [Butera] and we talked about my likes and dislikes as a pitcher."
Young has transitioned between the bullpen and a starting role in his previous two seasons with the Royals. Wood has worked primarily out of the bullpen the past two seasons -- he had a 2.95 ERA in 77 appearances (no starts) for the Cubs last season -- but signed with the Royals as a free agent in hopes of landing a starting job.
"We like the versatility of CY and Travis Wood in the bullpen," Yost said. "We won a world championship with CY in that role. We like the mental toughness of them being able to adjust to starting and making it a smooth transition.
"It was a tough decision. But we just had to make a decision at this part of camp. We could have pulled a name out of a hat and all three would have been good decisions. But we had to make a decision because we don't have the innings left in Spring Training to have seven starters."
Young and Wood will immediately begin to work back into one- and two-inning spurts here in the final days of camp.
Wood will give the Royals three left-handers in the bullpen now, joining Matt Strahm and Mike Minor. The final spot could come down to another left-hander in Scott Alexander.
Yost hinted Monday that he's concerned, however, about having a bullpen with too many left-handers.
"We have a ways to go before we have to make that decision," Yost said.
Hammel sharp vs. Reds, ready for regular season
Righty starter fires 76 pitches (57 strikes) in effective outing
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel will have at least one more start in the Cactus League before camp breaks.
But he declared himself ready for the regular season now after a strong outing Monday against the Reds. Hammel had a no-hitter for 4 1/3 innings and left after 5 1/3 innings; he gave up three hits and one run while striking out five in a 10-6 loss, throwing 76 pitches.
"I'm ready to go now," Hammel said. "I was at about 80 [pitches] now, and next time I'll get to about 100, which is right about the line you're supposed to get to when you get tired. But I don't really believe that line."
Hammel retired 12 of the first 14 hitters he faced.
"Good mix today," he said. "The game plan was to go out there like it was the regular season and use all my pitches. Good slider, good changeup. Had them off-balance."
From here on, Hammel will work on getting his pitch count up and fine-tuning his breaking stuff.
"Maybe next time out, throw a few more curveballs, but definitely keep using the changeup," he said. "I think the changeup is going to be a good play for me this year, especially in the American League with all the lefties.
"I just want to add one more weapon and hopefully [the changeup] is it."
O'Hearn, Parnell among five reassigned by Royals
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals cleared some space in their camp following Monday's game, reassigning right-hander Bobby Parnell, catcher Parker Morin, first baseman Ryan O'Hearn, infielder Garin Cecchini and right-hander Chris Withrow to their Minor League camp.
The Royals also released left-hander Jonathan Sanchez, who was trying to make a comeback after not having played in the Major Leagues since 2013.
Sanchez, 34, pitched in 12 games for the Royals in 2012 but was traded to Colorado for Jeremy Guthrie after posting a 7.76 ERA. He last played for Pittsburgh in 2013.
Sanchez had an 18.69 ERA in five Spring Training games.
O'Hearn, who homered and doubled in the Royals' 10-6 loss to the Reds on Monday, is a rising prospect, the organization's No. 8 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
The Royals now have 38 players remaining in camp.
Salvy to return to game action Wednesday
All-Star catcher has recovered from knee injury suffered in Classic
March 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, recovering from inflammation in his left knee, is expected to return to game action Wednesday as the DH.
The Royals have an off-day on Thursday and manager Ned Yost said Perez then will catch Friday and play about six innings.
"He's ready," Yost said. "It's not like he hasn't been catching. He's full go. He could catch all nine if he needed to."
Perez suffered the knee injury in a collision at home plate with Drew Butera on March 11 while playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Butera was playing for Team Italy.
Yost also said shortstop Alcides Escobar, who played for Venezuela in the Classic, was expected back in Royals camp late Monday or Tuesday.
"I don't plan on playing him until after the off-day Thursday," Yost said. "He'll play Friday. Just wanted to give him a little bit of a break."
Whit's team
Royals super-utility infielder Whit Merrifield, an alum of South Carolina, was understandably pumped about South Carolina advancing to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
Merrifield has South Carolina advancing to the Final Four in a few of his brackets.
"If they can just score a little, they're dangerous because of how well they play defense," he said. "I looked it up, and they were averaging about 61 points a game during the season. In two games they're averaging 90 points a game in the tourney."
Jason Hammel shines, Matt Strahm stumbles in Royals' 10-6 loss to the Reds
March 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
On a day manager Ned Yost solidified the Royals’ starting rotation, Jason Hammel offered the latest evidence that the unit could be vastly improved in 2017.
The day began with Yost announcing right-hander Nathan Karns as the club’s No. 5 starter. It continued at Surprise Stadium in the afternoon, where Hammel yielded just one run in 5 1/3 innings in a 10-6 loss the Cincinnati Reds.
The Royals’ relief corps would crumble in the eighth inning, when left-hander Matt Strahm was tagged for five runs while recording just one out. For Strahm, who will work out of the back end of the bullpen, it was the ugliest performance of his spring. Before Monday, he had not allowed a run.
“Just one of those days,” manager Ned Yost said.
If that is the case, there was perhaps just as much good as bad on Monday. Hammel struck out five and walked one while throwing 76 pitches. The performance came just 13 hours after starter Ian Kennedy twirled six scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs. It came two days after left-hander Danny Duffy helped the United States defeat the Dominican Republic at the World Baseball Classic.
Spring success does not always correlate to the regular season. But after winning the World Series with the Cubs last year, Hammel stood near his locker Monday and offered his endorsement for the Royals’ five-man rotation.
“Honestly, I really believe if we come out and throw strikes and use our fielders and the defense we have behind us, we should be a really good rotation,” Hammel said.
In 2016, the Royals starting unit finished 12th in the American League in earned run average, posting a combined 4.67 ERA. The offseason saw the departure of right-hander Edinson Volquez and the tragic death of starter Yordano Ventura.
On the field, the Royals searched for a way to move forward. They targeted experience and consistency in signing Hammel to a two-year, $12 million contract in early February.
On Monday, he crafted his most dynamic outing of the spring. He used his slider and fastball to keep the Reds off balance. He emphasized using his changeup, a spring focus. In his next start, he said, he will add his curveball to his bag of weapons.
“Good mix today,” he said.
Hammel will make one more Cactus League start Sunday, and he could use two exhibition games against the Rangers in Texas as one final tune-up before the regular season. The Royals have not set the rotation schedule for the first week of the season. But based on the order this week, it appears that Hammel could start the third game of the season-opening series at Minnesota on April 6.
“Overall, I feel great,” Hammel said. “The curveball is the last thing I need to add, but I feel good with that right now, too. I’m ready to go.”
The arms
Before Monday, Strahm had thrown 8 1/3 scoreless innings at spring training, resembling the pitcher who fortified the Royals’ bullpen during the second half of 2016.
On Monday, he was knocked around for five runs while recording one out against the Cincinnati Reds.
“Strahm was just flat and off today,” Yost said.
Strahm was hounded by a collection of singles before allowing a double down the right-field line to Reds pitcher Tim Adleman. It was the hardest hit ball of the inning.
“First time I’ve really seen him like that,” Yost said. “But it happens.”
The regular guys
Yost said that catcher Salvador Perez will return to the lineup at designated hitter on Wednesday after missing 10 days following a collision at the World Baseball Classic. On a hot afternoon on Monday, a collection of regulars, including Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain, took the day off.
Alex Gordon took a rotation at DH and finished 1 for 3, his spring average falling to .400. Brandon Moss, who is batting .222 this spring, was 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout.
The young guys
With a patchwork lineup in place, the offense was led by the bat of first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who finished with an RBI double and a two-run blast off Adleman in the bottom of the sixth.
The homer — O’Hearn’s second of the spring — was a majestic shot, clearing the grass berm in right-center field. As he trotted around third base, Gordon watched where the ball landed, then looked over at third-base coach Mike Jirschele.
O’Hearn’s days in big-league camp are limited. When first baseman Eric Hosmer returns from the World Baseball Classic later this week, O’Hearn will be relegated to the minor-league side. But for another day, he made the most of his opportunity.
“We liked O’Hearn last year when we saw him at times up here,” Yost said. “… He’s going to be a good player.”
Royals release Jonathan Sanchez, reassign five players to minor-league camp
March 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
The Royals made another round of roster cuts Monday evening, reassigning five players to minor-league camp and releasing left-handed pitcher Jonathan Sanchez.
Among the players sent to minor-league camp: first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who homered in the club’s 10-6 loss to the Reds on Monday at Surprise Stadium.
The club also reassigned infielder Garin Cecchini, catcher Parker Morin and right-handed pitchers Chris Withrow and Bobby Parnell.
The moves came one day after the club released right-handed pitcher Brandon League.
The Royals now have 38 players in camp and one player, left-hander Brian Flynn, on the 60-day disabled list. Nine players remaining in camp are nonroster invitees.
Sanchez was back with the Royals after a disastrous stint with the club in 2012. He hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2013, years after he appeared in the World Series and threw a no-hitter for the San Francisco Giants. He displayed increased velocity in winter ball, and the Royals opted to give him an opportunity on a low-risk, minor-league deal.