Daily Clips
June 21, 2017
LOCAL
Strahm struggles, offense stymied by Sale
June 21, 2017 By Ian Browne and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Hosmer takes over All-Star lead at 1B in AL
June 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Moustakas milestone: Slugger hits 100th HR
June 20, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Duffy getting closer to rehab assignment
June 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Kennedy gets call in series finale vs. Red Sox
June 21, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Royals can't solve Chris Sale, fall 8-3 to the Red Sox
June 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals’ Danny Duffy on rehab: ‘It’s just about building up now’
June 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals, baseball’s streakiest team, best served to pick a streak and stick with it
June 20, 2017By Sam Mellinger/KC Star
Royals’ Mike Moustakas mashes milestone home run
June 20, 2017By Maria Torres/KC Star
Boston’s Jackie Bradley Jr.: ‘Whit Merrifield could do it all’
June 20, 2017By Alec McChesney/KC Star
MINORS
Schwindel's 4 Hits Not Enough in 6-4 Defeat
Chasers drop 3 of 4 in Iowa, return to Werner Park on Thursday
June 20, 2017By Omaha Storm Chasers
Naturals Win Eighth Straight In 3-1 Triumph Over Travelers
Eight straight road wins notches a new franchise best.
June 20, 2017By Naturals PR Department
North Prevails In Pitching Duel 2-0
Lopez, Miller Record Hits as All Four Blue Rocks Pitchers Hurl Scoreless Frames
June 20, 2017By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Rox Break Franchise Record In 17-11 Win
June 21, 2017 By Adam Spolane/Grand Junction Rockies
MLB TRANSACTIONS
June 21, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Strahm struggles, offense stymied by Sale
June 21, 2017 By Ian Browne and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Chris Sale's latest gem, which fell two outs shy of a second consecutive complete game, put the Red Sox in sole possession of first place in the American League East for the first time this season.
Behind Sale, the Sox thumped the Royals, 8-3, on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium. The lanky lefty (9-3, 2.85 ERA) allowed four hits and three runs while walking one and striking out 10.
For Sale, the only sour part of the evening was when he allowed three straight batters to reach with one out in the ninth, which forced manager John Farrell to come get him. Sale flinched his head in anger because he wasn't able to finish the game for his team.
"I don't want to tell John I can do something that I can't get done," said Sale. "I'll never settle. When you start settling, you get complacent. When you get complacent, you [stink]. That's not my style. You get over it, obviously, because we're still winning the game. Once that last out's recorded, we're all smiles."
After weathering their share of injuries early in the season, the Red Sox feel a measure of satisfaction from the way they've played, going 19-10 since May 21.
"I don't think you can say anything negative about us right now," said Sale. "We're scoring runs, our [starting] pitching is good, our bullpen's been lights-out, so I don't know where we are right now, but I think we're in a pretty good spot."
Sale, who has won five of his past six starts, retired 19 straight at one point before tiring in the ninth. It was Sale's 10th game of 10 strikeouts or more this season, putting him one behind Pedro Martinez for most in Red Sox history before the All-Star break.
"He's invaluable," said Farrell. "The way he's pitched, the number of innings he's pitched and the quality of the innings that he has contributed."
Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon had two hits and two RBIs, while left fielder Chris Young had three hits.
Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas gave the Royals a 1-0 lead off Sale in the second inning with his 19th home run this season, and the 100th of his career. Statcast™ projected it went 440 feet, making it Moustakas' longest this season, and the longest off Sale this season.
"I wish it would have come in a win, but it's definitely cool to hit 100 homers in the Majors.," said Moustakas said. "That's pretty special. That's a great pitcher on the mound. Once he settled in, he was really tough. We've seen him enough to know how good he is."
Rookie Jorge Bonifacio hit a two-run home run, his 10th, off Sale in the ninth.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Game, set, match: The Red Sox were leading, 2-1, in the fourth against Royals starter Matt Strahm when Leon came up with two on and none out. Leon drove a double to right-center, scoring Sam Travis and Josh Rutledge, giving the Red Sox a commanding 4-1 lead and ending Strahm's night. Strahm, making his second career start, went three-plus innings, giving up seven hits and five runs.
"They were hitting mistakes," Strahm said. "I have to be better with quality pitches. I kind of crapped out there in the fourth. Making good two-strike pitches was my nemesis tonight."
Moustakas added, "It was just his second start. It was a learning experience for him. Next time out, we have confidence he'll pitch a great game."
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Shortstop Alcides Escobar's third-inning single marked his 1,000th hit with the Royals. He had 159 with Milwaukee previously.
When reliever Travis Wood hit in the ninth, he became the first Royals pitcher to bat in a game at Kauffman Stadium since HipolitoPichardo in 1995.
Sale now has 45 career double-digit strikeout games, third-most among active pitchers. Only Max Scherzer (57) and Clayton Kershaw (55) have more.
WHAT'S NEXT
Red Sox: Left-hander Drew Pomeranz will take the ball in Wednesday afternoon's 2:15 p.m. ET finale of this three-game series. Pomeranz pitched well in a no-decision his last time out, holding the Astros to four hits and a run over 6 1/3 innings.
Royals: Right-hander Ian Kennedy (1-6, 5.03 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in the series finale with the Red Sox on Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. CT. Kennedy retired the first 17 batters he faced Friday against the Angels and earned his first win since last September while working six innings on one-run ball.
Hosmer takes over All-Star lead at 1B in AL
June 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals manager Ned Yost's plea last week to Royals fans to start voting for first baseman Eric Hosmer appears to be paying off.
Hosmer, a Miami native, has pulled in front at first base in the latest American League update on Tuesday for the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot. Also, Royals catcher Salvador Perez continues to lead in voting at catcher with 1,453,088 votes -- more than 400,000 votes ahead of Houston's Brian McCann.
"I'm really excited," Hosmer said. "It means a lot. The fans here in Kansas City are rallying behind me to try and get me to go."
Hosmer, who ranked third among first basemen last week, has received 936,734 votes to jump ahead of Oakland's Yonder Alonso (887,645) and Detroit's Miguel Cabrera (831,289). With a fan-elected start, Hosmer, the reigning All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award winner, would become the third Royals player to earn consecutive fan elections, joining Hall of Famer George Brett (11 straight at third base from 1976-86) and Perez, who is seeking his third straight fan election.
"[Hosmer] had a big jump, but we still want Lorenzo Cain, [Moustakas] and [Jason] Vargas, OK?" Perez said. "Thank you [Royals fans] for doing a tremendous job for Hosmer. Now it's time to put Moose and Cain -- and don't forget about me, too."
Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 29, at 10:59 p.m. CT. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB.com At Bat and MLB.com Ballpark mobile apps. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.
Following the announcement of the 2017 All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. Then on Tuesday, July 11, while watching the 2017 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
The 88th Midsummer Classic, at Marlins Park in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM will have comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @AllStarGame on social media.
Moustakas milestone: Slugger hits 100th HR
June 20, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
In the second inning of the Royals' 8-3 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday night, Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas launched the 100th home run of his career.
The hit traveled an estimated 440 feet, his longest of the season, and tied for his second longest home run since Statcast™ began recording home run distance in 2015. The solo shot came off Red Sox starter Chris Sale. It was the longest home run Sale has given up this season and the second-longest tracked by Statcast™ off Boston's ace.
"I wish it would have come in a win, but it's definitely cool to hit 100 homers in the Majors," said Moustakas, who finished 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. "That's pretty special. That's a great pitcher on the mound. Once he settled in, he was really tough. We've seen him enough to know how good he is."
Moustakas has now hit 19 home runs this season, putting him above the pace to break the Royals' single-season home run record of 36, set by Steve Balboni in 1985.
With the home run, Moustakas became the 16th Royal to hit 100 home runs with the team. Teammates Alex Gordon (154), Eric Hosmer (110) and Salvador Perez (101) have also hit 100 home runs in their careers.
Duffy getting closer to rehab assignment
June 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals left-hander Danny Duffy, on the disabled list with a strained right oblique, threw off the mound against hitters before Tuesday's game against the Red Sox.
Duffy, who went on the disabled list on May 30, threw about 40 pitches in an up-and-down session and reported no discomfort.
Duffy believes he is ahead of schedule in his recovery.
"We're flying right now," Duffy said. "I definitely feel like I could get going quicker on this. I don't want to put the carriage before the horse, but I feel like I'm ready to get going. I don't feel any pain. "If they asked me to go today, I'd go on a rehab assignment."
Duffy will throw another side session on Friday. After that, manager Ned Yost said it is possible that Duffy could go out on a rehab assignment.
"We'll just see how he feels next time out," Yost said.
Duffy said he was very pleased with his session Tuesday.
"I probably mixed in seven or eight outs with the hitters," Duffy said. "I threw everything, did my slide-step and everything. I would like to think that [a rehab assignment] would be the next course of action. If I had to put a finger on it, I'd say I'm ready to go."
In the meantime, Duffy is enjoying watching his teammates help the Royals climb the standings. Kansas City entered Tuesday's game 3 1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central.
"They're doing it, man," Duffy said. "I just want to get back and continue that and help out however I can."
Worth noting
• Right-hander Nate Karns, on the disabled list with forearm soreness, had been shut down for about 10 days but will resume throwing on Wednesday.
Karns was re-examined by physicians last week after experiencing lingering soreness, but Karns said his exam checked out OK.
"They just said it was taking a little longer to move out of [the forearm]," Karns said. "So we have rested and now I should be back on track."
Kennedy gets call in series finale vs. Red Sox
June 21, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
The Royals and Red Sox will play the final game in a three game series on Wednesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium with both teams in the thick of their respective divisional races.
With their 8-3 win on Tuesday, the Red Sox hold a half-game lead over the Yankees in the American League East. Despite dropping the middle game of the set, the Royals are just 3 1/2 games back of the AL Central-leading Indians.
Kansas City right-hander Ian Kennedy (1-6, 5.03 ERA) heads to the mound looking to earn his second win of the season. Kennedy flirted with a perfect game against the Angels in his last start before giving up a home run in the sixth inning to end the chance of making history. That was the only run scored off him, making it the first time he's surrendered less than four runs since April 28.
On the mound for the Red Sox will be Drew Pomeranz. The left-hander neutralized a potent Houston batting order in his last start, limiting the Astros to four hits and one run, a home run, over 6 1/3 innings. Pomeranz (6-4, 4.19 ERA) has allowed one home run in each of his past three starts.
Kennedy earned his first win of the season in that start over the Angels, which was his sixth start since returning from the disabled list. Since then, he has yet to pitch more than six innings. Similarly, Pomeranz has pitched seven or more innings only once this season.
Three things to know about this game
• Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon and Brandon Moss are the only Royals to face Pomeranz. The only one to get a hit was Cain, who doubled.
• Red Sox designated hitter and first baseman Hanley Ramirez has struggled against Kennedy in his career, batting .154 (4-for-26), with one RBI, no extra-base hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
• Each of Kennedy's three lowest single-game averages in exit velocity allowed have come this month. His 86.5-mph average in June is far better than his mark in either April (89.7 mph) or May (92.3 mph).
Royals can't solve Chris Sale, fall 8-3 to the Red Sox
June 20, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
On a Tuesday last December, inside a posh hotel in National Harbor, Md., the Royals and Boston Red Sox engineered a pair of trades that would shape their 2017 seasons.
In a suite on an upper floor, the Royals brain trust hammered out the details on a deal that would send closer Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs for Jorge Soler, a decision that would trim salary and flip a short-term asset for a long-term piece. A few hours earlier, tucked in his own corner of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski planned something even more audacious: a blockbuster deal to acquire White Sox ace Chris Sale.
As news of the Sale trade shook up baseball’s Winter Meetings, spreading across the property, Royals manager Ned Yost caught wind of the deal. The development delighted him, he said. After years of battling Sale in the American League Central, Yost let out a brief sigh of relief.
“I was glad we didn’t have to see him four or five times a year,” he said.
Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium put that feeling on full display. In an 8-3 loss to the Red Sox, the Royals managed just one run and two hits in eight innings before a late strike in the ninth. Rookie Jorge Bonifacio roped a two-run blast to deep left-center, ruining Sale’s quest for a complete game. The rest of the night was a reminder of how nasty Sale can be.
“We’ve seen him enough to realize how good he is,” said third baseman Mike Moustakas, who clubbed his 100th career homer in the second inning.
For 8 1/3 innings, Sale, the cantilevered left-hander, showed why he is a five-time All-Star and a Cy Young front-runner. He yielded just four hits. He struck out 10 for the 10th time this season. His ERA sat at 2.85 after he picked up his ninth victory, handing the Royals their second loss in 10 games.
“A guy like that, when he’s commanding all of his pitches, it’s a tough at-bat,” Moustakas said. “You just want to get early contact. Put the ball in play — or at least try to.
“He was on tonight.”
At one point, Sale retired 19 straight batters before stumbling in the ninth. Before that, the lone piece of damage came courtesy of Moustakas, who drilled his milestone homer to right field in the bottom of the second. After that, the Royals (34-36) were rendered powerless until Whit Merrifield drew a walk and Bonifacio clubbed his 10th homer in the ninth.