If the KC Royals keep playing like this, the fourth place Cleveland Indians will catch them in the American League Central standings before the season ends. The Indians beat the Royals 8-5 in the first game of the three game series.

The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning, but starter Will Smith quickly gave the lead back up. Before you knew it, the Indians led 8-1 heading into the 6th inning.

Smith lasted just three innings and allowed six of the eight runs on nine hits and two walks. Everett Teaford came on in relief and allowed one of Smith‘s runs before giving up two of his own in the next inning.

Meanwhile, Indians starter David Huff picked up his third win of the season. Two of those wins have come against the Royals. He allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out five. Billy Butler hit a two-run homerun in the 6th inning.

The Royals got back into the game in the top of the 8th inning against Indians reliever Scott Maine. Three straight hits to lead off the inning put two runs on the board and a runner on second base with nobody out. Unfortunately, Joe Smith came on and put away the Royals without allowing another run.

Indians closer Chris Perez put away the Royals in the 9th inning, 1-2-3.

The Royals collected 11 hits, but went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Jason Bourgeois was picked off first base after picking up a single to lead off the game. The majority of the Royals offense came from the middle of the order (or the 3-4-5 guys). Alex Gordon, Butler, and Salvador Perez combined to go 7-for-12 with five runs scored and four RBIs.

*Shortstop Alcides Escobar and first baseman Eric Hosmer both underwent MRIs on their injured shoulders and both were held out of Friday night’s game. Escobar‘s shoulder showed no damage, while Hosmer was still awaiting results.

**Jake Odorizzi will get his second crack at the Indians on Saturday in Cleveland. No word on who will catch him.

As good as the starting pitching for the KC Royals was on Friday night, it was just as bad on Saturday. The offense was also non-existent in both games.

In Game 1, the Royals lost to Minnesota, 7-2. Jonathan Sanchez was his usual ineffective self. His command was off and he lasted just 4.1 innings (he threw 101 pitches). Not a good performance considering it was the first game of a doubleheader. Oh and he also allowed five stolen bases. It was like he was asleep on the mound.

The offense was stymied by Twins starter Scott Diamond. He allowed two runs on six hits over eight innings. The Royals collected seven hits, two each from Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer. They went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

In Game 2, the Royals lost to the Twins 5-1. Their lone run came via a Billy Butler solo homerun in the 2nd inning off Cole De Vries. In four career starts, De Vries has two victories, both against the Royals.

The Twins hit three homeruns off Royals starter Luke Hochevar that accounted for four of their runs. Surprisingly, Hochevar was hit all over the ballpark instead of walking tons of batters (just one walk). He also did not record a strikeout.

So that’s a total of three runs in the two games on 13 hits.

The Royals and Twins finish up their series Sunday afternoon, as Bruce Chen goes up against the resurgent Francisco Liriano.

*The Royals wore ’51 Blues jerseys during Game 2, as the Twins also wore uniforms from 1951.

The KC Royals distanced themselves further from last place Minnesota, as they defeated the Twins in the first game of their three-game series, 4-3.

Luis Mendoza

Luis Mendoza was absolutely brilliant. He allowed five hits over eight innings of work. The lone run he allowed came in the 2nd inning on a Ryan Doumit RBI single (he just signed a two-year extension earlier in the day). Surprisingly, Mendoza did not walk a batter while striking out five.

Mendoza retired the final 13 batters he faced. He did throw 115 pitches.

Closer Jonathan Broxton almost blew the save, but somehow escaped. Leading 4-1 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning, he walked Denard Span on five pitches. Ben Revere followed with a single and Joe Mauer drove in a run with a double. Josh Willingham drove in a run with a ground out to cut the Twins deficit to 4-3. After a Justin Morneau fly out moved Mauer to third base, Broxton FINALLY got out of the inning by inducing a pop out from Trevor Plouffe on the first pitch.

The Royals collected 11 hits, but went just 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Alex Gordon, Yuniesky Betancourt, Salvador Perez, and Alcides Escobar each had two hits. Perez hit his second homerun of the season, a solo shot in the 2nd inning. Billy Butler went 1-for-2 with three walks.

*Earlier in the day, the Royals announced that legendary head groundskeeper George Toma will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. For more on the honor, click HERE.

**With the day/night doubleheader on Saturday, lefty reliever Tommy Hottovy will be called up as the 26th man.

The KC Royals have won two in a row, two series in a row, and have won four out of six. Not bad considering how the season began. The Royals took Wednesday’s afternoon finale in Cleveland, 6-3, to push the Indians further back of the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central (the White Sox beat Tampa Bay again today).

On Wednesday, the Royals were the comeback kids. After being down 3-0 after two innings, they stormed back with five unanswered over the next three innings to defeat the Indians.

Starter Bruce Chen got into and out of trouble all afternoon. He could not escape the second inning. It started with two straight singles. After recording an out, Chen allowed an RBI single to Casey Kotchman (a left-handed hitter). Luke Carlin drove in a run with a force out. The big blow came next, as the slow-footed Carlin stole second base and scored on Shin-Soo Choo‘s RBI single (Choo is another left-handed hitter).

Johnny Giavotella

The Royals came back with two runs in the top of the 3rd inning against Indians starter Jeanmar Gomez. With one out, Johnny Giavotella doubled and Mike Moustakas doubled him in with two outs. Jeff Francoeur followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 3-2.

In the top of the 4th inning, Alcides Escobar singled with two outs. He then stole second base and scored on Alex Gordon‘s RBI double. Gio drove in Gordon with a single to give the Royals a 4-3 lead. Gio was then picked off first base by Gomez.

Chen picked up his fourth victory of the season, as he allowed three runs on seven hits (four to lefties) and two walks over five innings. The bullpen pitched four shutout innings, with Jonathan Broxton picking up his 11th save of the season.

The later innings weren’t without their problems. Tim Collins worked around a leadoff single in the 6th inning by Johnny Damon. Jose Mijares worked around a two out double by Damon in the 8th inning.

Somehow, Broxton worked out of a bases-loaded one out jam in the bottom of the 9th inning (via a single and two walks). He got Jose Lopez to ground into a game-ending double play on the very first pitch of the at-bat (after Broxton had walked Asdrubal Cabrera to load the bases).

Gordon, Gio, and Francoeur each had two hits. Brayan Pena went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Every starter had at least one hit except Billy Butler.

*Indians reliever Scott Barnes made his Major League debut in the 6th inning. It started out with a strikeout of Escobar. But then he hit Gordon and with two outs walked two straight. He did however escape with by getting Francoeur to pop out.

 @ 

The KC Royals are coming off a homestand where they went 4-3 against the NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Now they are back out on the road for divisional play against the Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox have had some good things happen so far in 2012. Philip Humber threw a perfect game. Adam Dunn is back to hitting homeruns (ten total: he only hit 11 total last season). Jake Peavy is pitching like in his San Diego Padres’ days. Chris Sale was great in the rotation, but arm problems have sent him to the closer’s role (or possibly the DL). However, all that good only has the White Sox in third place in the American League Central at 15-17.

Friday: Felipe Paulino (1-0, 0.00ERA) @ Gavin Floyd (2-3, 3.03 ERA)

Paulino returned to the Royals from the DL last Saturday and pitched well against the Yankees. He made two starts against the White Sox in 2011 and was solid, though he had alot of base runners (12IP, 16H, 6R, 5BB, 12K).

Floyd has pitched well of late, but isn’t receiving much run support. He made two starts against the Royals in 2011 (his first and last of the season). Floyd lost his final start, but pitched well (8IP, 3H, 2R, 2BB, 10K).

Saturday: Luke Hochevar (2-3, 9.00 ERA) @ Eric Stults (0-0, 3.00 ERA)

Hochevar has been getting worse instead of better. His last start was just 2.1 innings (and he allowed seven runs). It was the third time and second straight start that he allowed at least seven runs.

Stults made his first start of the 2012 season on May 7th in place of Sale. He made one relief appearance against the Royals last July.

Sunday: Danny Duffy (2-2, 4.00 ERA) @ Phil Humber (1-2, 6.83 ERA)

Duffy was roughed up in his last start against Boston. His lack of command has hurt him all season.

Humber has been awful since his perfect game. He made one start against the Royals in 2011 (6IP, 9H, 6R, 5ER, 2BB, 4K).

*For more on the White Sox and a series preview, check out South Side Hit Girl.

 vs. 

The KC Royals have lost four in a row after being swept at home by the Cleveland Indians. The Royals welcome the American League Central-leading Detroit Tigers (6-3) to town, who lost 2-of-3 to the Chicago White Sox in their first road series.

The Royals pitching (especially the starters) was battered over the weekend against the Indians. The Tigers offense is a whole lot better (the third best offense in baseball).

The Royals offense has been up-and-down and they have already been shut out three times over their first nine games. They have a tough test in Game 1 tonight, facing last year’s best pitcher.

Monday: Justin Verlander (RHP) vs. Danny Duffy (LHP)

Verlander is still looking for his first win of the season, despite dominating for all but one inning in his first two starts (0-1 with a 2.20 ERA). In three starts against the Royals in 2011, he allowed just four runs on 13 hits and five walks over 22.2 innings. He struck out 24.

Duffy struggled with his command a bit in his first start (four walks), but he kept Oakland off-balance enough to earn the victory (just one hit and eight strikeouts over six innings). He faced the Tigers three times in his rookie season and allowed ten runs on 15 hits and seven walks over 16 innings. He struck out 14.

Tuesday: Drew Smyly (LHP) vs. Bruce Chen (LHP)

This is a classic matchup between the kid and the veteran. Smyly will be making his second big league start (0-0 with a 2.25 ERA), most likely with tons of family and friends in attendance (he is from Arkansas).

Chen is making his third start and has pitched well so far. He’s been the best Royals starter, though he hasn’t picked up a win. The crafty lefty faced the Tigers twice in 2011, as he allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk over 11 innings. He struck out 12.

Wednesday: Max Scherzer vs. TBA

Scherzer has always been Jekyll and Hyde throughout his career, either being dominant or wild. He has been that way so far this season in two starts (0-1 with a 10.38 ERA). Last season, Scherzer faced the Royals five times. In his first two starts, he allowed just two runs and two walks combined. Over his final three starts, he allowed 13 runs on 21 hits and two walks in 13 innings.

After getting lit up by the Indians and taking a line drive off his ankle on Friday, Luke Hochevar is questionable for his start. If he is unable to go, lefty Everett Teaford will get the ball. Teaford pitched four shutout innings behind Hochevar on Friday in his season debut (he allowed just one hit).

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

 vs. 

The KC Royals finally get to play at Kauffman Stadium on Friday afternoon. They finished up a six-game West Coast trip on Wednesday and are 3-3. The Royals will open their home slate (and begin American League Central play) with the Cleveland Indians. The Indians are embarking on their first road trip. They are 1-4 and lost their first two games in extra innings.

The talk right now surrounding the Indians is their potential signing of veteran Johnny Damon. That will give them yet another left-handed hitter (they currently have six regulars and two switch-hitters). I don’t expect to see Damon in an Indians uniform this weekend, but expect to see lefties Jose Mijares and Tim Collins (and maybe even Everett Teaford) work alot this weekend.

What to expect this weekend: 

• Hopefully big crowds and not just for the home opener. This young team needs fan support everyday, not a huge dropoff on Saturday.

• Pitchers’ duels. Neither team has showed a consistent offense, so pitching could be key this weekend. The only hitter for the Indians hitting over .300 is third baseman Jack Hannahan (.313). The Royals have three players hitting over .300, but just one plays everyday (Humberto Quintero=.500, Jeff Francoeur=.333, and Yuniesky Betancourt=.300).

-OR-

• A slugfest. Maybe both teams’ offenses snap out of their funks.

Friday afternoon: Derek Lowe (RHP) vs. Luke Hochevar (RHP)

D-Lowe was sharp in his first game as an Indian, as he induced 15 ground outs with his sinker (1-0 with a 0.00 ERA).

Hochevar was also sharp in his first game, which resulted in a win (1-0 with a 2.84 ERA).

Saturday: Jeanmar Gomez (RHP) vs. Jonathan Sanchez (LHP)

Gomez will be making his first start of the 2012 season, as his first start on Tuesday was rained out. He did throw two perfect innings of relief on Wednesday (0-0, 0.00ERA).

Sanchez earned his first victory as a Royal on Sunday when his offense picked him up. He threw 99 pitches over just five innings (1-0 with a 3.60 ERA).

Sunday afternoon: Ubaldo Jimenez (RHP) vs. Luis Mendoza (RHP)

Jimenez was unhittable over the first six innings in his first start before allowing two runs in the 7th inning (0-0 with a 2.57 ERA). He will have finished his five-game suspension to start.

Mendoza lost his first game, though his offense was nowhere to be found on Monday night (they lost 1-0). The walks were an issue though (four walks over 5.2 innings). The best pitcher during spring training will be looking to show the home crowd that he is for real (0-1 with a 1.59 ERA).

2012 is truly the Kansas City Royals’ time. Sure the Detroit Tigers are the reigning American League Central champs and they have signed Prince Fielder, but now there is that extra wild card spot.

Plus the city of Kansas City will be welcoming people from all over the world in July as the Royals host the MLB All-Star Game.

It’s not just about the All-Star Game. The Royals can truly make their mark on the baseball world starting April 6th when they open the season at Angels Stadium against the LA Angels.

There are high expectations for this young team and the Royals are trying hard to draw fans in with an exciting promotional schedule. Good young talent won’t fill Kauffman Stadium alone.

Since today is my birthday, I decided today would be a great day to look at the Royals promotional schedule to pick out games I wish I could attend to receive the giveaway items. Like which one’s would make great birthday gifts.

First on my list is Jackie Robinson Day. There are two players I wish I could have seen play: Roberto Clemente and Robinson. I had a chance to attend Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium back in 2006, which was as close to Robinson as I will get. Anyway, the Royals are celebrating Jackie Robinson Day on April 15th like every other MLB team (hopefully the players will still be wearing the retired “42″). However, the Royals are also giving out Robinson jersey t-shirts to the first 10,000 fans.

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