One night after blowing out the TB Rays, the visiting KC Royals once again put up a big inning to win 7-2.

Down 2-1 heading into the top of the fifth, the Royals scored four runs to take the lead they would not relinquish. They also scored two more runs in the ninth against Rays closer Fernando Rodney.

Rays lefty Matt Moore started the season at 8-0, but has since fallen flat. Tonight was no different. He was cruising after allowing a single Royals run in the first on Billy Butler‘s RBI single. Then the 5th inning happened.

Jeff Francoeur singled to lead off the inning and scored on Elliot Johnson‘s triple. Johnson scored on Alcides Escobar‘s single. With one out, Eric Hosmer doubled before Salvador Perez singled home one run. Butler‘s sac fly ended the scoring.

The Royals chased Moore from the game with one out and two on in the sixth.

Meanwhile, Royals starter Luis Mendoza settled down after the first inning, when he allowed a leadoff homerun and an Evan Longoria RBI double. He allowed a one out double to Matt Joyce in the bottom of the fifth, but picked him off. Mendoza was chased from the game in the seventh after allowing a leadoff double and a fielding error by Escobar.

Aaron Crow struck out both batters he faced before lefty Tim Collins entered and got Joyce to fly out to end the inning. He then struck out two of the three batters he faced in the 8th inning. In the ninth, Kelvin Herrera worked around two walks with two strikeouts and a fly out.

The two teams continue their series on Saturday, as Jeremy Guthrie faces Alex Cobb.

*Every hitter, except the third baseman (Miguel Tejada and Mike Moustakas) picked up at least one hit. Perez and Butler (the new 3-4 hitters) went a combined 4-for-9 with five RBIs.

**In the month of June, the Royals have won 10 of their 13 games and have moved to just five games back in the American League Central.

The KC Royals started the week by winning two of three out in LA, but then were swept in Oakland over the weekend. So, they went 2-4 as they are in Houston for three games starting tonight. They are four games out of first place in the American League Central, behind the hot Cleveland Indians (and Detroit).

Omaha split their most recent series at home versus Las Vegas and went 2-4 over the week. The Storm Chasers are still in second place in the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division at 21-20. They begin a four-game home series tonight against Tuscon.

NW Arkansas won just one game last week (1-6), which dropped them further back in the Texas League’s North Division (ten games back). The Naturals are the worst team in the league and finished their home series with Tulsa this afternoon with a loss. With an off day tomorrow, they head to Corpus Christi and San Antonio for three games each.

Wilmington went 3-4 last week. The Blue Rocks are 20-23 overall, four games back in the Northern Division of the Carolina League. They have today off before welcoming first place Lynchburg to town for three games beginning on Tuesday night.

Lexington went 5-2, the only Royals affiliate to have a winning record last week. However, the Legends are still in sixth place in the Southern Division of the South Atlantic League (just 3.5 games back). They return home for three games beginning tonight against Asheville.

Now to the awards…

Hitter of the Week

Majors: It is a tie between Billy Butler and Alex Gordon. Both went exactly 12-for-25 (.480) in six games. They both also hit three doubles. Butler drove in ten runs. Gordon scored five runs.

Minors: Alex Hudak, Wilmington. He went 7-for-20 (.350) with three doubles, a homerun, and four RBIs. One of the newest Blue Rocks had his five-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday.

Honorable Mention: Irving Falu, Omaha. He went 7-for-21 (.333) with a double, two triples, and three runs scored.

» Continue reading “Royals Weekly Awards”

Getting away from Kauffman Stadium did the KC Royals some good, as they blew out the LA Angels on Monday night, 11-4. It was the first game of the series and they scored in every inning but three.

Billy Butler had one of his best offensive games in awhile, and got it all started in the first inning. He drove in Alex Gordon with a two out double. He drove in two more with a single with two outs in the third. In the 5th inning, Butler singled and scored on Lorenzo Cain‘s single (he also had a very good offensive night). Butler drove in two more with a double in the 6th inning and scored on a Cain two out single. He even singled in the 8th inning, the Royals only base runner over the final two inning (they struck out four times).

Butler went 5-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBIs. Maybe he has FINALLY found his stroke?

Cain was also good, as he went 3-for-5 with the two RBIs. Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez also picked up three hits each. Gordon and Jarrod Dyson chipped in two hits each.

Luis Mendoza had one of his best starts as a Royal and picked up his first win of the season. He allowed three runs on six hits over six innings. He struck out six and induced ten ground outs. Luke Hochevar picked up the save, as he gave up one run over three innings.

On the negative side, the Royals hitters struck out 13 times.

The two teams continue the series on Tuesday night, as Jeremy Guthrie matches up against Jason Vargas.

In another well pitched game, the KC Royals lost to the NY Yankees, 3-2.

James Shields took the loss, as he allowed a two-run home run to Vernon Wells in the 5th inning to give the Yankees the lead for good.

The Royals had just given Shields the lead when Billy Butler homered off Yankees starter Andy Pettitte in the bottom of the fourth. He only allowed one base runner after that and it was erased on a double play ground out.

Shields threw a lot of pitches (116), but not a ton of strikes (68). He walked two and struck out five.

In the third, Mike Moustakas’ sixth error of the season allowed the Yankees first run of the game to score.

Meanwhile, the Royals offense was shut down by the Yankee veteran, and then the bullpen duo of David Robertson and Mariano Rivera (who recorded his 14th save). The Royals only collected six hits, two coming from Salvador Perez. Their first run of the game scored on Lorenzo Cain’s ground out in the third (the same inning the Yankees scored).

The two teams finish the series on Sunday, with Ervin Santana getting the start for the Royals against Hiroki Kuroda.

With the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the tenth, Alex Gordon took the first pitch from Chicago White Sox reliever Brian Omogrosso into right field for the KC Royals 6-5 walk off victory.

With two outs and a runner on base, Omogrosso intentionally walked Chris Getz, but then walked George Kottaras on five pitches. That brought up Gordon, who sent the home fans home happy. That was his only hit in the game.

It didn’t look so good for the Royals late.

They were leading 3-1 after starter Wade Davis left after six innings. Lefty Tim Collins allowed three straight hits, including a two-run double to Alejandro De Aza to tie the game. That brought in Aaron Crow who wild pitched home the go ahead run and allowed a solo home run to Alex Rios.

The Royals had their chance in the bottom of the seventh, but Billy Butler grounded into an inning ending double play. Butler would redeem himself in the bottom of the ninth.

Salvador Perez and George Kottaras walked to lead off the ninth against White Sox closer Addison Reed. Both saw five pitches. Reed rebounded to get the next two out. That brought up Butler, who doubled to right field to tie the score at 5-5 (that was his only hit).

Davis had a solid start, as he allowed one run on five hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out five. After Collins and Crow, Luke Hochevar pitched two perfect innings to get the ball to closer Greg Holland (who picked up his first win of the season). Hochevar only threw 15 pitches, 12 for strikes.

Cain went 3-for-5 with a stolen base. Mike Moustakas and Miguel Tejada each had two hits in the win.

The two teams complete their series on Monday, as James Shields matches up against White Sox ace Chris Sale. It is a rematch of Opening Day, when Sale won 1-0.

The KC Royals swept the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night, 3-0 and played through some crazy fog and cold weather. It also happened to be the official 40th anniversary of Kauffman Stadium.

Billy Butler quickly got the fans that were actually in attendance into the game (just over 10,000 though I doubt that many showed up) with a solo homerun in the bottom of the first. The pitching made that lone run hold up.

Somehow, starter Wade Davis escaped jam after jam. After striking out the first two batters he faced, he then loaded the bases. But Davis got out of the inning with a pop up. In the second, he again loaded the bases before striking out two (one of which was Joe Mauer, who struck out last night to end the game with the bases loaded) and getting out of the inning.

Davis lasted five innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out six. Lefty Bruce Chen followed with three scoreless innings of relief.

With a save situation, manager Ned Yost went with Kelvin Herrera instead of Greg Holland (and you wonder why people talk about a closer controversy). Herrera struck out the side around a double to pick up his second save of the season.

Jeff Francoeur added a solo homerun in the 7th inning and Alcides Escobar drove in another run later that inning. After struggling on the road to start the season, Salvador Perez has really heated up at home. He went 3-for-4 tonight to improve his average to .263.

*The Royals will enjoy the chilly off day on Thursday before welcoming the Toronto Blue Jays to town over the weekend.

**After not committing an error this season until last night, the Royals committed two tonight (one each by Escobar and Lorenzo Cain).

With the way the game started for the second time in three days, you would be surprised by the headline. But the KC Royals fought back and beat the host Philadelphia Phillies, 9-8.

It was not easy.

Holding on to a 9-4 lead in the bottom of the 9th inning, manager Ned Yost went with JC Gutierrez out of the bullpen. He allowed a three-run homerun to Jimmy Rollins while recording just one out. That quickly ended Gutierrez‘ day, as the Phillies cut the deficit to 9-7. Yost went to closer Greg Holland, one day after his implosion. But you have to get right back on the horse right?

Yeah, it didn’t go so well. When he fell behind the first batter he faced, Chase Utley, Dave Eiland immediately went to the phone to get Kelvin Herrera up in the ‘pen. Holland got Utley to fly out for the second out. However, he then gave up back-to-back singles, which prompted Yost to pull Holland (I’m sure fans in KC were cheering loudly).

In came Herrera, who struck out pinch-hitter Laynce Nix on Saturday night, but who is also a dead-fastball hitter. Herrera got ahead with changeups, but the one fastball he threw was ripped up the middle for an RBI single to cut the lead to 9-8. A wild pitch put the winning run on second base with two outs and Erik Kratz at the plate. After fouling off a ton of pitches, Herrera dropped in a nasty changeup for strike three to thankfully end the game.

As the players headed out onto the field to shake hands, Billy Butler kept shaking his head like, “I can’t believe we almost blew that”. He single-handedly gave the Royals the lead.

In the third, Butler drove in their second run with a ground out that cut their deficit to 4-2. In the fifth, after Phils starter Cole Hamels walked Alcides Escobar to load the bases. Butler promptly took the second pitch (a hanging fastball) into the flower beds at Citizen Bank Park (though the flowers are not out yet). Three runs scored and Butler stopped at second base. After the umpires reviewed the play, Butler was rewarded with his first career grand slam.

With the bases loaded yet again in the 6th inning after another Escobar walk, Butler singled back up the middle on the second pitch of the at-bat thrown by reliever Chad Durbin. That drove in two more runs, giving him seven RBIs on the day (which is a franchise high).

It was the second time in three days that the Phillies took a 4-0 lead early against the Royals and blew it (it happened on Friday afternoon). James Shields started and struggled throughout, though he escaped damage except for the first. He allowed three straight singles to start the game before getting an out (a strikeout of Ryan Howard). After two more singles to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead, the Royals made a coaching visit. Shields allowed a sac fly to Kratz to finish the Phils first inning scoring.

Now to the home opener on Monday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins. Ervin Santana will get the start.

*The Royals got another great two inning relief effort from lefty Tim Collins. He struck out the side in relief of Shields in the 7th inning. He struck out another in his perfect 8th inning.

**The Phillies announcers seem to think that the Royals will change closers, much like the Chicago Cubs already have. Will we see Herrera anointed as the new closer?

As I mentioned in last week’s KC Royals Winter League Update, no Royals are playing in the postseason in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, or Mexico.

However, three Royals were named award winners for some of the league’s regular season.

Salvador Perez

Starting catcher Salavdor Perez was named as Venezuelan’s Rookie of the Year (though he DHed 21 times). He hit .371 with eight homeruns and 39 RBIs in 32 games for La Guaira. He also had a slugging percentage of .412 and an OPS of .629, which would have led the VWL if he had enough at-bats.

Juan Gutierrez took home Reliever of the Year honors. He had a league-best 14 saves and a 0.81 ERA in 24 relief appearances. He also held opponents to a .158 batting average.

Two players from Zulia earned big honors in the VWL. Ernesto Mejia was named the MVP after hitting 16 homeruns and drove in 48 in 61 games. Dwayne Pollok was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year with a 7-2 record and a 2.36 ERA in a league-high 72.1 innings.

Former big league infielder Jose Castillo was named the Comeback Player of the Year. He hit .335 with 45 RBIs in 59 games for Caribes.

In the Puerto Rican League, infielder Christian Colon was named the Rookie of the Year. He hit .301 in 39 games for Ponce (his first time in winter ball). He also stole a league-best 13 bases.

His teammate with Ponce, Nick Ortiz, was named the PRL’s Comeback Player of the Year. He hit.278 with two homeruns and ten RBIs in 30 games. Andy Gonzalez was named the MVP. With Caguas, he hit .311 with a league-best 27 RBIs. Ricardo Gomez was named the Pitcher of the Year with a 1.02 ERA in 16 appearances. He converted all 14 save opportunities and struck out 22 in 7.2 innings.

In the Dominican Winter League, St. Louis Cardinals prospect Oscar Taveras earned the ROY after hitting .316 with five homeruns and 17 RBIs in 39 games for Aguilas. Hector Luna was named the DWL’s MVP after hitting .307 for Aguilas with a .408 on-base percentage and .514 slugging percentage. Former big leaguer Daniel Cabrera was named the Pitcher of the Year, as he went 5-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 11 starts for Leones. He struck out 32 and walked 16 over 58.1 innings.

I did not receive a weekly update from the Royals media department this week and their stats section does not cover Panama or Columbia, which is where there are a few players still playing. Plus, a Google search found me nothing on either league.

It was a lot easier to find out information on outfielder Carlo Testa in the Australian Baseball League. The Melbourne Aces lost all four of their games last week and Testa played in all four. He went 4-for-14 (.286) with five RBIs. He walked twice and struck out three times.

*The answer to Tuesday’s trivia question is: Billy Butler hit 21 homeruns in 2009 and had 95 RBIs in 2011.

The offseason is a great time to test your knowledge on the KC Royals past and present. Give me your answer in the comments section and the first one with the correct answer gets a virtual pat on the back and a “Good Job!”. I’ll post the answer in Wednesday’s Winter League Update.

Billy Butler set career highs in both homeruns and RBIs.

What were his previous career highs in homers and RBIs and in what season did they come?

With the BBWAA (Baseball Writers Association of America) not electing anyone into the Hall of Fame this year, I though it would be a good time to look at some possible former and current KC Royals players who could get enshrined in Cooperstown in the future. It is probably wishful thinking because it is highly doubtful I will see a Royals player inducted into the HOF in my lifetime.

Johnny Damon in 2007 with the Yankees (Keith Allison/Flickr)

Outfielder Johnny Damon. If and when he actually retires, the five year clock will start. That means that Damon could be on the 2018 ballot (at the earliest). There was a bit of a debate last year, but he still has not reached the “magical” 3,000 hit plateau (currently at 2,769 hits).

Damon has the playoff pedigree, as he won World Series titles with both Boston (2004) and the NY Yankees (2009).

If Damon were to not play again, he would be a career .284 hitter with 1,668 runs scored and 408 stolen bases. He has also hit 235 homeruns and driven in 1,139.

In his final season with the Royals (2000), he led the American League in runs scored (136) and stolen bases (46), and was second in the league in hits with 214. He was a two-time All-Star with the Red Sox (2002 and 2005). In 2002, Damon was the first player selected by fans in the inaugural All-Star Final Vote.

His best year was in 2004 when he hit .304 with 20 homeruns and 94 RBIs. He was also key to the Red Sox first World Series championship in 86 years.

Damon hit the DL for the first time in his career in July 2008 and at the time was one of only three active players to play at least ten years without heading to the DL.

Since his playing career with the Yankees came to an end following another championship in 2009, Damon has bounced around. He played with Detroit in 2010 and reached a few milestones: his 1,000th career RBI (fittingly against the Royals) and his 2,500th career hit against Baltimore. He moved on to Tampa Bay in 2011 and then Cleveland in 2012, where he was released in August and has not played since (besides for Thailand in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier).

» Continue reading “Will I See Another Royals HOFer?”