Daily Clips
August 1, 2017
LOCAL
Bats quieted in series opener against O's
August 1, 2017 By Brittany Ghiroli and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Duffy grinds, but laments tough luck in KC loss
August 1, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Guthrie hangs 'em up after 13 MLB seasons
Right-hander finishes with 92 career wins, one in World Series
July 31, 2017By Matt Kelly/MLB.com
Royals content with earlier moves, stand pat
August 1, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Kennedy gets the nod against Bundy, Orioles
August 1, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals’ offense goes dormant in 2-1 loss to the Orioles
July 31, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Former Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie announces retirement, reflects on time in Kansas City
July 31, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
MINORS
Schwindel Ups Streak to 17 In 6-4 Loss
Frank Schwindel extends hit streak to 17, Lenik tosses 3 perfect IP
August 1, 2017 By Andrew Green/Omaha Storm Chasers
Five Run Fourth Fuels Travs in Series Opening Win
Northwest Arkansas collected 14 hits in the 11-5 defeat to Arkansas on Monday night
August 1, 2017By Naturals PR Department
Late Rally Dooms Blue Rocks in Series Opener
Wilmington Drops Third Straight
July 31, 2017By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Legends sweep doubleheader
July 31, 2017By Lexington Legends
Astros Rally Past Royals To Even Series
Burlington held in check in 6-1 defeat
July 31, 2017By Matt Krause/Burlington Royals
MLB TRANSACTIONS
August 1, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Bats quieted in series opener against O's
August 1, 2017 By Brittany Ghiroli and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Craig Gentry served a soft, two-out, ninth-inning single to center off reliever Joakim Soria, scoring Caleb Joseph, as the Orioles walked off against the Royals, 2-1, Monday night at Camden Yards.
"It has been a battle, a big grind, not only this year but the last few years," Gentry said. "And to come out here, and something like this happens to me, it's pretty amazing."
The Royals remained two games behind the American League Central-leading Indians, while the O's moved to 4 1/2 games back of Kansas City for the second AL Wild Card.
The Royals, who came into the game having won 10 of 11, were quieted by Orioles right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, who turned in his second straight strong outing. Jimenez gave up two hits over six innings in his last start, and this time, he gave up one run and five hits over seven innings while striking out six.
"He was tough," Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain said. "His two-seamer is really good. He changed pitches really well. Slider, changeup, splitter -- he's got, like, eight pitches it seems."
Royals left-hander Danny Duffy also went seven innings, giving up seven hits and one run while striking out six.
"It was well-pitched by both sides," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "That's what it was. It wasn't that our offense was off. Give credit to their pitcher."
Orioles closer Zach Britton, the talk of many trade rumors on Monday, pitched for a third consecutive day and picked up the win.
"I think there was a period where I was like, 'OK, this is where I'm going to stay.' I can relax and just pitch well and help this team win and get to the postseason. The thought of going somewhere else was completely done," Britton said of the relief of watching the 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline come and go. "It just got rid of maybe some of the awkwardness that I felt like was in the clubhouse before it was over. Everyone just got back to normal."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Timely hit: The Orioles, trailing 1-0, tied the game with a two-out rally in the fifth. Third baseman Manny Machado got his second double of the night, drilling a pitch into the right-field corner. Duffy got ahead of Jonathan Schoop, 0-2, but Duffy then tried to bury a changeup. Schoop reached down and poked the ankle-high pitch to center and the soft single easily scored Machado.
Oppo knock: The Royals took a first-inning lead when Cain ripped a one-out double to center and then stole third. Eric Hosmer worked the count to 3-2 before driving a line-drive double down the left-field line, scoring Cain.
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
With Monday's victory, Orioles manager Buck Showalter earned his 1,480th career managerial win, tying Hall of Famer Earl Weaver for 24th all-time.
"I hadn't thought about it that much. My first reaction is that it's a little bittersweet because of the reverence that me, our city, our organization has for Earl," Showalter said. "He did it, I'm sure, I haven't looked at it, in less seasons, less whatever. I think we'd all love to have the things that he's accomplished. I actually find it a little bittersweet on the other side, I think because … I don't think anything is going to change how people revere him and what he accomplished here in Baltimore."
TO THE WALL
Cain made a superb catch on a deep drive by Chris Davis in the second inning in deep left-center, perhaps robbing Davis of a two-run home run. Cain got to the wall and with a leap, grabbed Davis' drive -- Statcast™ projected it had an 89 percent hit probability.
"It definitely would have been a homer," Cain said. "The walls aren't very high. I didn't have to jump much."
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: Right-hander Ian Kennedy (4-6, 4.43 ERA) takes the mound in the second game of the three-game series against the O's on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. CT. Kennedy went six innings and gave up three hits and one run to the Tigers in a 16-2 win last Wednesday.
Orioles: The O's will send Dylan Bundy (9-8, 4.53 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. ET. The Orioles' ace all season, Bundy allowed seven earned runs against Houston in his last outing, and he posted an 8.41 ERA in four July starts. He'll look to get back on track against the Royals.
Duffy grinds, but laments tough luck in KC loss
August 1, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals left-hander Danny Duffy saw the irony right away. Early on, the Orioles were hitting him hard, but couldn't score Monday at Camden Yards.
Then, by the fourth inning, Duffy said he felt like he was locked in. But with two outs in the fifth, Duffy threw a changeup that tied up Manny Machado, who somehow muscled the ball down the right-field line for a double. Moments later, Jonathan Schoopblooped a changeup to center for a hit and the only run off Duffy.
The Royals eventually dropped the series opener to Baltimore, 2-1.
"He still went down and got it," Duffy said of the changeup to Schoop. "But it was meant to bounce. I wasn't super upset about the pitch.
"It's just ironic that was what scored the run. Because they scalded a couple baseballs that were caught early on."
Royals manager Ned Yost said Duffy had no reason to hang his head.
"The one run they got off Duffy were after two great pitches," Yost said. "I told Duff, 'You got to take your hat off to them.'"
Duffy worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, and was saved by a great catch at the wall by center fielder Lorenzo Cain.
The Orioles had runners in every inning through five.
"I just grinded through that outing," Duffy said. "I felt like I had really good stuff. But I didn't pitch very well. I was bailed out by my defense a few times, and I made some good pitches when I had to.
"But that was probably the least impressive seven-inning, one-run outing I've ever had."
Duffy left after seven innings, having walked one while striking out six. But he did retire the last seven hitters he faced.
"I locked it in after the fourth," Duffy said. "I started feeling my legs back under me."
Guthrie hangs 'em up after 13 MLB seasons
Right-hander finishes with 92 career wins, one in World Series
July 31, 2017By Matt Kelly/MLB.com
Jeremy Guthrie's Major League Baseball career came to a close Monday, as the right-hander announced his retirement on The Players' Tribune after 13 big league seasons.
Guthrie enjoyed his best season as a 34-year-old starter with the Royals in 2013, winning a career-high 15 games with a 4.04 ERA. He won another 21 games combined over the following two seasons while helping the Royals capture back-to-back American League pennants. After tossing five innings and allowing one run in his lone start of the 2014 AL Championship Series against the Orioles, Guthrie started two games in the 2014 World Series for K.C., earning the win while allowing two earned runs in five innings in Game 3, then taking the loss after three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings in Game 7.
Guthrie spent the entire 2016 season in the Minor Leagues, then got one more shot at a Major League comeback when he took the ball for the Nationals on April 8 of this year -- a day that happened to be his 38th birthday. The serendipity ended for Guthrie there, unfortunately, as he allowed 10 earned runs on six hits and four walks to the Phillies in just two-thirds of an inning.
"As I handed the ball to [manager] Dusty Baker, I knew my Major League career was over," Guthrie wrote for The Players' Tribune. The Nationals designated him for assignment to Triple-A Syracuse, but "I told my agent to inform the team that I would not be going to Syracuse," Guthrie continued. "I was going home, home with my family."
Guthrie can hold his head high knowing he finished with 92 career Major League victories (including one in the postseason), while also recording at least 30 starts in six different seasons. And, of course, he is the owner of a World Series ring as a contributor to the Royals' 2015 championship -- the franchise's first in 20 years.
"Celebrating a world championship with a million friends in 2015 was unforgettable," wrote Gurthrie. "I'm forever Royal."
Royals content with earlier moves, stand pat
August 1, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals, for the most part, stood pat as Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline passed.
There were reports that the Royals were in talks with Toronto regarding pitchers Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ. But a source close to the situation said the Royals never really got near a deal.
After all, the Royals and general manager Dayton Moore got their reinforcements prior to Monday.
Last week, Moore bolstered the pitching staff with the additions of right-handers Brandon Maurer and Trevor Cahill, and left-hander Ryan Buchter from San Diego. Maurer already has been a solid addition as a setup man, having tossed three scoreless outings.
Then on Sunday, Moore beefed up the offense with the addition of outfielder Melky Cabrera from the White Sox.
"It just lengthens our lineup," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Melky is having a great year and he is a switch-hitter who will really help."
Cabrera was in the lineup in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles, but went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
One reason the Royals were relatively quiet Monday was there isn't much versatility left with the 25-man roster construction. Only three players presently have options -- left-hander Scott Alexander, right fielder Jorge Bonifacio, and backup infielder Ramon Torres. All three are valuable to the 25-man roster now.
Moore, though, may not be entirely through dealing. It's possible he could add a veteran backup infielder in an August deal (players can be dealt if they have secured waivers).
Torres, a rookie, has struggled lately in the role of a backup infielder, which can call for long stretches of inactivity.
Moore seemed content Sunday that the Royals now, at minimum, have the pieces to make the postseason.
"Do I believe this team is capable of competing for the division and getting back to the World Series? Yes, I do," Moore said. "I believe in this roster. And no roster is perfect. The team that will win the World Series will have weaknesses on their roster. That's just true."
Moore's two deals also, for the most part, spared the team's top prospects. The Royals did give up a Top 30 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com prospect in right-hander A.J. Puckett to get Cabrera, but they made their deals while retaining some of their most coveted prospects, such as Foster Griffin (No. 6) Khalil Lee (No. 2), Nicky Lopez (No. 12) and Scott Blewett (No. 7).
Kennedy gets the nod against Bundy, Orioles
August 1, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Orioles and Royals, two teams fighting for a postseason berth, didn't factor into any major moves on Monday. In fact, Tuesday's Royals starter Ian Kennedy, in the second year of a potential five-year deal, was relieved that this was the first Trade Deadline in years in which he never heard his name come up.
"In 2013 I got traded. Then in 2014 and 2015 my name came up a lot. Then even last year, right at the last minute, I heard my name come up in some package with Wade Davis," said Kennedy. "But I was telling my wife, this is pretty nice to make it through this whole time without a rumor."
Kennedy will face another guy who didn't factor into any rumors, young Orioles starter Dylan Bundy. In his first full Major League season in the rotation, Bundy has been the O's ace. But he's also coming off his worst month of the season, pitching to an 8.41 ERA in four July starts.
The pair will square off as the Royals, who have won 10 of 12, try to stay hot and better their American League playoff position.
Things to know about this game
• Outfielder Melky Cabrera made his Kansas City debut on Monday, going 0-for-4. A switch-hitter, Cabrera is expected to get regular playing time.
• Six of Kennedy's last eight starts have been quality starts, and he has a 3.88 ERA since the calendar flipped to June. In his last outing, a win over the Tigers, Kennedy gave up one run on three hits over six innings.
• This season, 31.8 percent of batted balls against Bundy have been put on the ground. That's the lowest rate among more than 130 pitchers who have produced at least 200 total balls in play. Unfortunately for Bundy, opponents are batting .345 and slugging .723 against him when they put the ball in the air.
Royals’ offense goes dormant in 2-1 loss to the Orioles
July 31, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
In the hours before the trade deadline passed on Monday afternoon, Royals manager Ned Yost convened inside an office with members of his coaching staff. Among the topics: What to do with a new offensive piece.
One day earlier, the club acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera from the Chicago White Sox, and Yost envisioned sliding the veteran switch-hitter into the second spot in the batting order. But as Yost pondered the decision on Monday, a consensus formed among members of the staff.
Cabrera was well suited to bat third, which would allow Yost to move center fielder Lorenzo Cain into the two-hole, maximizing the speed at the top of the lineup. The new-look Royals batting order would make its debut on Monday evening in the first game against the Baltimore Orioles.
That, at least, was the plan. In a 2-1 loss, a surging offensive unit would be silenced, the plan would go awry (for a night), and a familiar scapegoat surfaced in the final moments.
On a Monday night at Camden Yards, the Royals transformed Baltimore starter Ubaldo Jimenez, a sagging veteran, into a frontline starter. They lost when reliever Joakim Soria threw a 1-2 change-up to Orioles left fielder Craig Gentry in the bottom of the ninth and watched the pitch get whacked up the middle for a walk-off single.
Taking over in a tie game, Soria surrendered three singles in the inning, including two with two outs. The performance resulted in his third loss of the season as his ERA jumped to 3.35 in 48 appearances.
“They found holes,” Royals manager Ned Yost.
The Royals (55-49) remained two games behind first-place Cleveland, which dropped a game in Boston. They finished July with a 16-10 mark. In the moments after the loss, Soria continued his season-long practice of not talking to reporters.
He adopted the policy in April coming off a frustrating season in 2016. He has maintained it during a 2017 season that is hard to pin down. For 45 2/3 innings, he has been a solid reliever pitching in a crucial eight-inning role. He has struck out 55 hitters, issued just 14 walks and allowed just one home run. Before Monday night, he had been nearly perfect pitching in tie games, holding opponents to a .119 batting average in 46 plate appearances.
Yet, he has also been tagged with seven blown saves and allowed more than 70 percent of his runs in high-leverage situations. After the addition of reliever Brandon Maurer, Soria’s spot in the eighth inning could be in jeopardy with a run of bad outings. That decision will come later.