Talking a Blue Streak: Royals' Run Reaches 8
Daily Clips
July 27, 2017
LOCAL
Talking a blue streak: Royals' run reaches 8
July 27, 2017By Jason Beck and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Rondon's HBP of Moose raises eyebrows, ire
Benches clear during ninth inning of KC's 16-2 win over Tigers
July 27, 2017By Jason Beck/MLB.com
Yost: Salvy 'much better,' but still gets rest
July 27, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals roll into Boston seeking 9th straight win
July 27, 2017By Ian Browne/MLB.com
Eric Hosmer erupts for five hits, grand slam in Royals’ 16-2 win over Tigers
July 27, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
‘Send his (butt) home’: Royals angered, confused by Tigers reliever Bruce Rondon
July 27, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
View from Detroit: Blame for tumultuous ninth inning falls on Bruce Rondon
July 27, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Royals’ Salvador Perez feels ‘much better,’ receives day off to rest right side
July 27, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Are you feeling it again? Royals’ surge in standings has rekindled fans’ interest
July 27, 2017By Maria Torres/MLB.com
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MLB TRANSACTIONS
July 27, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Talking a blue streak: Royals' run reaches 8
July 27, 2017By Jason Beck and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Eric Hosmer ripped five hits, including his first career grand slam, and the Royals pounded out a season-high 22 hits en route to a 16-2 blowout of the Tigers on Wednesday night at Comerica Park, thus sweeping the three-game series.
The Royals won their season-high eighth straight game and remained 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Indians in the American League Central.
"We got the off-day tomorrow, and we need it," Royals manager Ned Yost said, "but you almost wish we could keep playing and take it another time."
The benches and bullpens emptied in the ninth when Tigers reliever Bruce Rondon plunked Mike Moustakas in the hip -- Moustakas then walked with a purpose toward the mound. No punches were thrown but Rondon was ejected, and utility man Andrew Romine then came on to pitch.
The Royals were still upset in the clubhouse afterward.
"That was interesting, man," said Royals left-hander Danny Duffy, who came out of the dugout and had to be restrained. "That's the second time [Rondon's] done that. If he doesn't want to compete in a situation that's not sexy, they should just send his [rear] home."
Added Hosmer: "First of all, you're talking about a guy who has 29 home runs and we're in a pennant race. If he hits [Moustakas] in the wrist, it can really jeopardize our season."
Right-hander Ian Kennedy worked six innings, giving up three hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out four.
"I wasn't too good to start with -- four-pitch walk to start the game," Kennedy said. "But I stayed with it. And it's kind of nice to be taken out and have your guys have a nine-run inning."
Whit Merrifield, Lorenzo Cain and Moustakas each had three hits for the Royals.
Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez lasted 3 2/3 innings, giving up nine hits and four runs.
"We got our [butts] kicked. That's basically what it was," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Grand inning: Hosmer's grand slam capped the scoring in a nine-run seventh inning that put the game out of reach. Hosmer, who had six RBIs on the night, jumped on a 1-0 changeup from reliever Warwick Saupold and drilled it into the right-field seats for his 16th home run this season -- Statcast™ projected it would have traveled 408 feet. Hosmer had his second career five-hit game with an RBI single an inning later.
"I think my last grand slam was in high school or the Minors," Hosmer said. "But that's baseball -- my first three hits I didn't exactly square up. Then I did."
Inning-ender: Believe it or not, it was a fairly close game in the fifth when Jose Iglesias ripped a two-out double into the left-field corner, scoring Mikie Mahtook, and bringing the Tigers to within 4-1 with the top of the order coming up. But Iglesias kept running past second and Hosmer cut the relay throw home, then flipped the ball to third, where Moustakas tagged out Iglesias standing up.
"Mental mistakes are part of the game," Ausmus said, "and the last couple days, we've had too many of them."
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Romine moved over from first base to pitch in the top of the ninth, then batted in the bottom of the ninth. He became the first Tiger to get an at-bat as a pitcher at Comerica Park since Shane Halter played all nine positions on Oct. 1, 2000.
QUOTABLE
"You are going to have some games like that. There's just some things that happened today that aren't good. We don't want to see those happen. That's not how we play. That's not how we go about things." -- Mahtook
REPLAY REVIEW
A challenge from Ausmus gained a first-inning out for Sanchez after replay showed Miguel Cabrera tagged Merrifield before Merrifield could reach the bag. First-base umpire Sam Holbrook initially ruled that Merrifield beat James McCann's pickoff throw, but a 1-minute review reversed the call.
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: After an off-day Thursday, the Royals open a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday at 6:10 p.m CT. Left-hander Jason Vargas (12-4, 3.08 ERA) will take the mound for the Royals. Vargas went five-plus innings Saturday against the White Sox and gave up two runs and seven hits.
Tigers: Following Thursday's off-day, the Astros come to Detroit for a three-game series beginning with a 7:10 p.m. ET matchup Friday. Jordan Zimmermann (6-8, 5.81) will take the mound opposite Dallas Keuchel, who returns from the disabled list for Houston.
Rondon's HBP of Moose raises eyebrows, ire
Benches clear during ninth inning of KC's 16-2 win over Tigers
July 27, 2017By Jason Beck/MLB.com
The Royals completed a three-game series sweep of the Tigers with a 16-2 win Wednesday that did not leave much suspense. It did not lack for drama, however, once a Bruce Rondon fastball hit Mike Moustakas and cleared the benches in the ninth.
By the time the game resumed at Comerica Park, Rondon had been ejected. Danny Duffy, the winning pitcher a night earlier, had to be held back from Rondon. Andrew Romine, the Tigers' super-utility player who had entered the game earlier at first base, moved over to the mound to finish the game.
"Game like that, getting out of hand, I don't really know," Moustakas said when asked what Rondon was thinking. "I knew after the first pitch he threw, it was inside, that I was going to get another one."
Asked whether he felt Rondon's pitch was intentional, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said, "I don't know what it was, I'll be honest with you. That's probably a better question for him."
Rondon declined, through a team spokesperson, to speak with reporters after the game.
The incident followed Eric Hosmer's RBI single, his fifth hit of the night. Lorenzo Cain scored from second base without a throw, extending Kansas City's lead to 14-2.
Rondon, already upset about a balk call that moved Cain to second base earlier in the at-bat, threw two hard fastballs inside on Moustakas. The first missed Moustakas at 98 mph, but the second -- at 99 mph -- struck him squarely on his right hip.
He was the second Royal hit by a pitch Wednesday. Five Royals were hit during their four-game series against the Tigers last week in Kansas City, including two in a 16-4 Royals win in the series finale.
"First of all, you're talking about a guy who has 29 home runs and we're in a pennant race," Hosmer said. "If he hits [Moustakas] in the wrist, it can really jeopardize our season."
Home-plate umpire D.J. Reyburn immediately ejected Rondon. Moustakas took issue, walking toward the mound as Rondon threw up his arms.
"Obviously I was a little upset," Moustakas said. "I didn't feel like I deserved to be hit."
Duffy was the first off the Royals' bench, yelling at Rondon as Tigers second baseman Dixon Machado held him back.
"That was interesting, man. That's the second time he's done that," Duffy said of Rondon. "If he doesn't want to compete in a situation that's not sexy, they should just send his [butt] home."
Crew chief Greg Gibson came in to hold back the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Rondon before Ausmus, Alex Wilson and Michael Fulmer joined in.
Rondon has had issues before when pitching in lopsided situations. The Tigers sent him home in late September two years ago for what was characterized as effort level. He returned the following spring with a fresh start and had an encouraging stretch run last season, but was optioned to Triple-A Toledo in April of this year following back-to-back three-run outings. He returned in late June.
Asked Wednesday if he was concerned about Rondon's maturity, Ausmus said, "No more than I was yesterday."
Rondon began the inning Wednesday throwing 93-94 mph fastballs on his way to striking out Jorge Bonifacio. His velocity picked up following Cain's first-pitch single and the balk call.
If the issue was Cain scoring from second in a lopsided game, there wasn't much defense from the rest of the Tigers. Left fielder Justin Upton said there's no unwritten rule about scoring on a play like that; if he can score easily, he should.
"It was clearly a situation where he could score," Upton said, "and I thought he could score pretty easily."
Neither Moustakas nor his teammates felt any differently.
"We're going to keep playing baseball," Moustakas said. "LoCain scored from second base, and that's what you do. We're not going to quit or give up."
Said Hosmer: "We didn't show anyone up. We got hits, we scored runs. Apparently, that's frowned upon around here."
Yost: Salvy 'much better,' but still gets rest
July 27, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who left Tuesday's game in the fifth inning because of right rib-cage tightness, was not in the starting lineup on Wednesday.
Royals manager Ned Yost said it made sense to rest Perez's injury, given that the Royals also have an off-day Thursday.
"This will give him two days off," Yost said. "Could he have started tonight? Yeah. In fact, he fought me about it. But it's better to take the two days off and be ready for Boston on Friday. He'll be back then."
Perez has been dealing with a strain on his left side for several weeks, but this injury is on the other side. Both injuries occurred while swinging the bat.
"It's nothing major at all," Yost said.
The Royals did bring in Triple-A Omaha catcher Cam Gallagher early Wednesday morning to be on the taxi squad just in case Perez's injury didn't improve.
"But Sal is feeling much, much better," Yost said.
Royals roll into Boston seeking 9th straight win
July 27, 2017By Ian Browne/MLB.com
The first-place Boston Red Sox will host the red-hot Kansas City Royals for the start of what should be an entertaining three-game series on Friday night at Fenway Park.
Both teams have a day off on Thursday, giving them a chance to gear up for a showdown that will be important in the American League East, AL Central and AL Wild Card standings. The Royals are entering
Infielder Eduardo Nunez will likely make his debut for the Red Sox after being acquired in a trade with the Giants on Tuesday.
The series opens with a strong pitching matchup of lefties. Boston's David Price (5-3, 3.82 ERA) will be opposed by Kansas City's Jason Vargas (12-4, 3.08).
Three things to watch for
• Vargas has made just two starts at Fenway Park in his career, and he didn't look comfortable either time, going 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA. This will be his first time pitching at Fenway since 2012, when he was with the Mariners.
• Nunez became plenty familiar with Fenway during his time with the Yankees, hitting .284 with four doubles, a homer and six RBIs in 82 plate appearances.
• Red Sox star right fielder Mookie Betts should be fresher after his streak of starting 98 straight games came to an end on Wednesday. Coupled with the team's off-day on Thursday, Betts will have been off his feet for two days when he gets back in the lineup.
Eric Hosmer erupts for five hits, grand slam in Royals’ 16-2 win over Tigers
July 27, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
As the baseball soared through the night, Eric Hosmer took a moment to admire his work. He clutched his bat in his hands and held a follow-through pose for a split second. He shifted his eyes toward the night sky, tracking the orbit of his blast. Moments later, he broke into a trot, peering at his teammates in the first-base dugout.
All Wednesday night at Comerica Park, the Royals had subsisted on a diet of singles, peppering the Detroit pitching staff with hits and runs and contact. In a 16-2 victory over the Tigers — a blowout that featured a bench-clearing skirmish in the ninth inning — Hosmer offered a moment of thunder, delivering the finishing combination in the top of the seventh.
In a nine-run inning, Hosmer clubbed his first career grand slam, roping a 408-foot shot off Tigers reliever Warwick Saupold. The moment put a punctuation mark on a three-game sweep in Motown and a season-long winning streak. By the end, Hosmer had finished 5 for 6, matching his career high in hits. He added six RBIs and five runs scored.
“As a team,” Hosmer said, “we’re in a good spot right now.”
The blast electrified the Royals dugout — catcher Salvador Perez offered a rapturous scream upon contact — and guaranteed the winning streak would stretch to eight games. The decimation manifested into frustration for the Tigers when reliever Bruce Rondon plunked Mike Moustakas in the top of the ninth.
In seconds, Moustakas spiked his bat in anger and shouted toward the mound, stepping toward Rondon. Tigers catcher James McCann jumped in front and attempted to calm the situation. In moments, the benches and bullpens had cleared. The situation did not escalate — the anger was confined to words and glares. Yet, in the middle of the action, Royals starter Danny Duffy was incensed at the pitch.
“If he doesn’t want to compete in a situation that’s not sexy,” Duffy said, “they should just send his (butt) home.”
As the dust-up began, Duffy entered the fray and screamed at Rondon. He was cut off by Detroit starter Justin Verlander. Moments later, Duffy had to be restrained by a member of the coaching staff near the first-base line.
“That’s the second time he’s done that,” he said.
In the moments after the victory, the Royals appeared perplexed by what had transpired. They had scored 16 runs and piled up a season-high 22 hits. They did not feel the performance deserved retribution.
“Who knows?” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s not very smart.”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Hosmer said.
“I think he was trying to hit me,” Moustakas said. “I don’t really know.”
In the Tigers’ clubhouse, Rondon did not speak to reporters. Yet it appeared possible that he took some level of offense to Lorenzo Cain scoring on a single from second base in the top of the ninth. Moments later, Moustakas came to the plate. Rondon came inside with the first pitch before drilling him with the second. He was ejected after the brawl.
“We were going to keep playing baseball the way the game was supposed to be played,” Moustakas said. “And I don’t think we did anything out of control. Lo-Cain scored from second base. And that’s what you do. And we’re not going to quit.”
Let’s reset. Because before the late drama, before the winning streak reached eight games and the offense scored 16 runs for the second time in seven days, the Royals’ nine-run seventh inning had offered a snapshot at two different sides of a surging offense.
As the inning began, the offense pieced together a rally with two doubles, five singles and a hit by pitch. The attack appeared relentless, hit after hit after hit. And then Hosmer stepped to the plate. With one swing, he cranked the first homer of the night and the Royals’ 14th in their last five games. In the end, 12 men would come to the plate, the outburst equaling the team’s most productive inning of the season.