The KC Royals were thumped out of first place in the American League Central by the last place Cleveland Indians on Monday night. They lost 9-0.

Who would have thought that Ubaldo Jimenez would decide to pitch like the pitcher the Indians thought they were acquiring? Well, he did tonight. He held the Royals to just one hit over seven innings. That hit was an infield single by Billy Butler. Yup, the slowest guy on the team. It came in the 4th inning.

Ubaldo allowed two hits to lead off the 8th inning, which chased him from the game. Still, the Royals could not score. Ned Yost pinch-hit George Kottaras for Salvador Perez (really?) and Terry Francona countered with lefty Nick Hagadone, who struck him out. Hagadone then got a weak ground out by Elliot Johnson (who pinch-hit for Chris Getz) before striking out Alex Gordon to end the threat.

The Royals went down without a fight in the 9th inning against Cody Allen, as he struck out pinch-hitter Miguel Tejada for the second out.

Jason Kipnis during spring training. I had to post an Indians pic because there were not Royals highlights.

What compounded the Royals offense being completely shut down was the poor pitching by starter Wade Davis. He allowed a solo homerun to Jason Kipnis in the first inning, the first of the season for him and his .185 batting average.

It all completely unraveled for Davis in the 5th inning, when the Indians scored six runs. He allowed a one out double to Michael Brantley (who had three hits) and then walked Kipnis (?). Asdrubal Cabrera (he of the .225 average) doubled in the first run of the inning. Then after recording an out, Nick Swisher singled in a run and Carlos Santana doubled in another. After a coaching visit, the seldom-used Ryan Raburn hit a three-run homerun. Out was Davis and in was Luke Hochevar who got out of the inning with a strikeout.

Raburn added another homerun in the 8th inning off Kelvin Herrera (can he stop giving up homers already?). He went 4-for-4 on the night to raise his average to a whopping .208.

The night could have been a whole lot worse for Davis if not for the two double plays turned and Lorenzo Cain throwing a runner out at the plate.

What was lost in the blowout was the solid pitching from three of the Royals four relievers. Hochevar, Aaron Crow, and Tim Collins combined to throw 3.1 scoreless innings of relief. Only Hochevar allowed a baserunner (a one out single in the sixth).

The Royals now welcome Tampa Bay to town, who have been in town since Sunday night. Former Ray James Shields will start the opening game versus Alex Cobb (who has a 1.82 ERA).

The KC Royals and Cleveland Indians played two on Sunday, one in the afternoon and the other at night. The night game was the makeup of Friday night’s rainout, which made many in Kansas City unhappy (with the time because it cannot be televised due to ESPN and the ticket exchange policy).

The Royals took Game 1 of the doubleheader by a 9-0 score. They then lost the night game, 10-3.

Jeremy Guthrie during 2013 ST against Cleveland.

Jeremy Guthrie outdueled Indians ace Justin Masterson (who had been masterful so far this season). Guthrie pitched 6.2 shutout innings. He allowed six hits and three walks while striking out five. He left the game with two men on base in the seventh and lefty Tim Collins entered to face Michael Brantley. He flied out on the second pitch to end the inning.

Luke Hochevar followed with two scoreless innings of relief. He struck out the side in the 8th inning around an Asdrubal Cabrera double. In the ninth, he struck out two more.

The offense went to work in the second after a two out walk to Mike Moustakas. Back-to-back doubles by Jeff Francoeur and Jarrod Dyson gave the Royals the 2-0 lead. After Masterson struck out the side in the third, Dyson drove in another run (after another Moose walk). Alcides Escobar hit a solo homerun in the 5th inning to give the Royals a 4-0 lead.

They chased Masterson from the game in the seventh. Escobar drove in the first inning on a ground out. After a wild pitch and a walk to Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer singled to drive in a run. That brought in right-hander Matt Albers, who hit the first batter he faced before walking in a run. That was the second time in two games that an Indians reliever has walked in a run. And guess who worked that walk? MOOSE!

Alex Gordon hit a two-run homerun off lefty Scott Barnes in the 8th inning. Barnes was the Indians 26th man for the doubleheader.

In Game 1, Gordon, Francoeur, and Dyson each collected two hits in the win.

» Continue reading “Royals Win One, Lose One to Indians”

The KC Royals fended off a Cleveland Indians rally to win 3-2 on Saturday night. They won despite being out-hit 9-6.

Salvador Perez at the plate on April 6, 2013 in Philadelphia.

The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning on Salvador Perez‘ first homerun of the season. They tacked on an insurance run in the seventh on an Eric Hosmer bases loaded walk with two outs. The Indians used five relievers two record the three outs and walked three in a row.

Kelvin Herrera survived a leadoff double in the 8th inning and handed the ball over to closer Greg Holland in the ninth. With one out, Mark Reynolds singled before Hosmer committed a fielding error. After striking out Drew Stubbs (but then who doesn’t strike him out?), Michael Brantley tripled in two runs. Holland bounced back to strike out Jason Kipnis to end the game.

If you thought Ervin Santana was going to be this good, raise your hand. I’m sure they are not many of you out there. But he has pitched well so far for the Royals. Tonight, he pitched seven shutout innings. Santana allowed six hits while striking out five (he did not walk a batter). Tonight’s performance lowered his ERA to 2.00.

On offense, Alex Gordon collected two hits and stole his first base of the season.

The two teams will play a day-night doubleheader on Sunday, with Jeremy Guthrie and Justin Masterson matching up in the day game. Lefty Will Smith will be called up as the 26th man and start the night game. Corey Kluber will start for the Indians.

Alex Gordon‘s first career grand slam to dead center field in the rain gave the KC Royals the 8-3 win over Detroit in ten innings. The Royals scored five runs in the 10th inning after only scoring three single runs to that point.

It was a battle of the two team’s aces, with James Shields matching up against Justin Verlander. Neither was on top of their game. Verlander left after seven innings due to cracked skin on his thumb (that got alot of talk going on Twitter). Prior to exiting, he scattered eight hits while allowing two runs (one earned). Shields was wild, as he walked three and threw three wild pitches.

In the 4th inning after the Royals had taken a 2-1 lead (on a Salvador Perez sac fly), Shields walked Prince Fielder to lead off the inning and then threw two wild pitches to put him on third base. With one out, Jhonny Peralta tied the game with a sac fly.

In the fifth, Omar Infante singled with one out and was wild pitched to second base. After a walk to Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter singled to give the Tigers the 3-2 lead. Shields was helped out by two double plays.

But what the game really came down to was the bullpens and the Royals shined on Thursday afternoon.

Bruce Rondon, who was supposed to start the season as the Tigers closer but did not, made his Major League debut in the 8th inning. Billy Butler singled to lead off the inning (he went 3-for-3), but was pinch-run for by Jarrod Dyson. He stole second base and moved to third base on Eric Hosmer‘s ground out. Lorenzo Cain delivered the tying run with a sac fly.

Rondon went back out to start the ninth and allowed a lead off single to Perez. He was replaced by Phil Coke and Perez was replaced by Elliot Johnson. After a Chris Getz sac bunt, Coke worked out of trouble.

Lefty Tim Collins replaced Shields, who had settled down late in the game (he retired the Tigers in order over his final three innings). Collins had every count go full, but had a 1-2-3 inning. That sent the game into extra innings.

» Continue reading “Gordon’s First Slam Gives Royals the Win”

Despite not the best playing conditions, the KC Royals and Detroit Tigers played on Wednesday night at Comerica Park. The Royals lost 7-5.

The Royals jumped out to a 4-1 lead after putting up a four-spot in the top of the third. Five straight hits (four singles and a double) and a sac fly gave them their runs. However, Lorenzo Cain grounded into an inning ending double play to end the inning.

The Tigers came right back with two runs in the bottom of the inning on a Victor Martinez RBI double and a Jhonny Peralta RBI single. It could have been worse if not for Jeff Francoeur‘s arm. He threw VMart out at the plate to end the inning.

Then the flood gates opened in the fourth.

With one out and runners at first and second base, Mike Moustakas committed a fielding error that allowed the tying run to score. A Torii Hunter sac fly gave the Tigers the lead. After a walk, VMart singled in another run to end Wade Davis‘ night.

That brought in Luis Mendoza, who had not pitched since two Friday’s ago. After a wild pitch and a walk, he walked in another run.

Mendoza escaped another jam in the fifth, when Omar Infante tripled to lead off the inning. Somehow, Mendoza skated through the heart of the Tigers order. From then on, the Royals bullpen pitched well (4.1 scoreless innings of relief).

But the Royals offense only collected one hit off the Tigers bullpen trio of Al Aburquerque, Joaquin Benoit, and their returning closer Jose Valverde. Valverde threw 18 pitches in his first game of the season, but did not have a base runner.

On offense for the Royals, Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez each collected two hits. Eric Hosmer went 1-for-1 with two walks and his second double of the season (which drove in a run).

The two teams finish the series on Thursday afternoon as aces James Shields and Justin Verlander match up.

*Walks came back to bite the Royals all night long. Two them came around to score, as Royals pitchers issued eight of them. Four were issued by Davis, whose line looked like this: 3.2IP, 8H, 7R, 3ER, 4BB, 2K. That Moose error proved large.

The KC Royals opener in Detroit was rained out on Tuesday night. A makeup date has not been announced. Wade Davis will slide back a day to start on Wednesday against Max Scherzer (tonight’s original matchup).

Luis Mendoza, who was supposed to start on Wednesday, is now available once again out of the bullpen. He has not pitched since two Friday’s ago. James Shields will start Thursday’s finale, an afternoon game against Justin Verlander.

With yesterday’s off day and today’s rain out, to go along with last week’s two off days and the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bomber on Friday, the Royals have played just six games over the last 13 days. That makes it hard for the hitters to get into any kind of a groove (maybe that’s what is wrong with guys like Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, and Salvador Perez).

That also means some pitchers are not getting enough work, like the now three long men in the bullpen.

Hopefully the Royals can get into some kind of groove in Detroit, though it will not be easy against Scherzer and Verlander. Plus the weather forecast for tomorrow night isn’t too good.

The KC Royals scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning and held on for the 7-4 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins.

The Royals collected five straight hits against Twins starter Mike Pelfrey before he recorded an out (which was an RBI ground out from Eric Hosmer). Lorenzo Cain finished the scoring in the first with an RBI single.

Jeremy Guthrie during 2013 ST against Cleveland.

The Royals then scored single runs in the second and third, but could not put any more runs on the board. After the 3rd inning, the Royals only had two base runners that were not erased on double play ground outs.

Jeremy Guthrie was not great, but he was solid enough. He allowed four runs on six hits and one walk over 6.2 innings. Three of the hits he allowed were solo homeruns. He is the first Royals pitcher to make 13 straight starts without a loss since Kevin Appier (1994-1995).

It got a little hairy in the 9th inning as Ned Yost went back to Greg Holland to close out the game. He loaded the bases with a hit and two walks with two outs. However, Joe Mauer stepped to the plate (and he had already homered). Somehow, Holland threw enough sliders to strike Mauer out.

It was a rough offensive game for Chris Getz. He was the only Royal without a hit and only he and Alex Gordon did not drive in a run (though Gordon went 2-for-4 with two runs scored). Billy Butler and Cain each collected two hits, while Alcides Escobar went 3-for-4.

The Royals and Twins finish their series on Wednesday night, as Wade Davis matches up with Liam Hendriks.

*Unfortunately, after having a huge crowd for Opening Day, the Royals could not get close to filling Kauffman Stadium tonight (just 11,697).

**The Royals also committed their first error of the season, a boot at third base by Mike Moustakas.

The KC Royals couldn’t end their season with a win, as they lost to the visiting Detroit Tigers, 1-0. The Tigers continue their season on Saturday in Detroit against the American League West winning Oakland A’s.

I know this is a Royals site, but it was all about Miguel Cabrera tonight.

They did get to watch a little history though. Third baseman Miguel Cabrera was officially crowned the Triple Crown winner in the AL. He finished first in batting average (.330), homeruns (44), and RBIs (139). He didn’t need to play on Wednesday night, as he already held a sizable lead in all three categories but homeruns (and Josh Hamilton did not hit a homer in his day game). However it was nice for the over 30,000 fans in attendance to get to see him play. Cabrera picked up two at-bats and was replaced in the field in the bottom of the 4th inning.

Now onto the game.

The game’s lone run was scored with one out in the 5th inning on Austin Jackson‘s RBI double.

Other than that inning, Royals starter Luis Mendoza pitched very well. He escaped a few jams by inducing double play ground outs. He allowed six hits and three walks over seven innings. He struck out six.

On the Tigers side, it was back-and-forth of who was going to make the start. It ended up being Max Scherzer in his final tuneup before the playoffs. He had turned his ankle during Monday night’s celebration and was dealing with some arm issues. Scherzer was solid, as he allowed just three hits and two walks over four shutout innings. He only struck out three, but threw 53 of his 75 pitches for strikes.

On offense for the Royals, it was their double play combination that picked up the hits. Shortstop Alcides Escobar went 2-for-5 and second baseman Johnny Giavotella went 2-for-4.

For the Tigers, AJax and Omar Infante each collected two hits in the win.

*For more on the Tigers, check out Motown Lowdown.

One day after the Detroit Tigers clinched the American League Central, the KC Royals ruined their hangover with a 4-2 win on Tuesday night. The Royals have now won one more game than last season (72 and counting?).

Alcides Escobar

It was all about Alcides Escobar in this win.

He hit a homerun (his fifth of the season) in the first inning that gave the Royals a 1-0 lead. In the Royals’ two-run 5th inning, he singled to tie the game at 2-2.

Escobar also made some great plays at shortstop (as usual).

That made a winner of Jeremy Guthrie, who only had REAL trouble with one Tigers player: Triple Crown leader Miguel Cabrera. He went 2-for-3 (two of the Tigers’ six hits) and drove in the Tigers’ lone runs in the 3rd inning with the bases loaded.

The back end of the Royals bullpen, Kelvin Herrera and Greg Holland, didn’t have trouble tonight with the Tigers. Herrera struck out two in the 8th inning (all ten of his pitches were strikes) and Holland pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

*In injury news, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer will sit out tomorrow’s game with their injuries. Moose re-aggravated his groin on Monday night.

Joakim Soria threw for the first time since having Tommy John surgery this spring. He threw a baseball 25 times at 45 feet at the Royals spring training complex in Surprise.

**For more on the Tigers, check out Motown Lowdown.

The KC Royals had the chance to keep the Detroit Tigers from clinching the American League Central. Instead, Triple Crown leader Miguel Cabrera made sure that the Tigers were victorious. The Tigers won 6-3 and clinched the AL Central.

The Royals received a typical pitching performance by their crafty lefty Bruce Chen. However he was hurt by a David Lough fielding error in the top of the 6th inning which cost him four runs.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the 5th inning on a Jhonny Peralta solo homerun. The Tigers blew the game open in the sixth when they scored five runs off Chen.

After getting a strikeout to start the inning, Chen allowed a solo homerun to Cabrera and then a double to Prince Fielder (who went 4-for-5). After getting Delmon Young to fly out, he got Peralta to hit a fly ball to centerfielder David Lough. Instead, Lough couldn’t haul it in and a run scored.

Two batters later with the bases loaded, Gerald Laird cleared the bases with a double. That ended Chen‘s evening.

After cutting the deficit to 6-2, the Royals had their chance to really get back into the game. With runners on the corners and one out, Mike Moustakas struck out. Then, Jeff Francoeur singled to drive in a run. As Salvador Perez hustled to third base, Frenchy tried to take second base. Instead, he was thrown out to end the inning.

After getting Cabrera out in his first at-bat (a ground out on four pitches), the Royals could not shut him down. He singled in the fourth, homered in the sixth (to take over the AL lead), singled in the seventh, and singled in the ninth. That upped his AL-leading batting average to .329 and picked up his 200th hit of the season.

*Lefty reliever Tim Collins has earned the Ben Mondor Award, given to the New England Player of the Year. He will be presented with the award in January of 2013. Collins has set the Royals‘ franchise record for strikeouts with 93.

**First baseman Eric Hosmer remained out of the lineup with a partial tear of his rotator cuff. He was expected to take some swings on Monday and see how he felt. It’s uncertain if he will play in the final two games of the season. I say sit him. He’s more important to the team in the long haul than for these unimportant games.

***Strikeouts keep climbing: the Royals single season record for strikeouts by pitchers keeps growing and with two more games to be played, it will only grow larger. Their strikeout total sits at 1,163.

****For more on the Tigers, check out Motown Lowdown.