The 2013 MLB schedule was released on Wednesday and there are quite a few interesting changes. For one, there will be at least one Interleague series every series. The Houston Astros will now be playing in the American League West. There are also alot of two-game series.

The KC Royals will be a part of three home openers during the first week of the 2013 season. They open the season in Chicago on April 1st against the White Sox (hopefully it isn’t freezing cold and snowy). After an off day and two more games at US Cellular Field, the Royals head to Philadelphia to take part in the Phillies home opener. It is also the Royals first Interleague Series of the season. This series is a rematch of the 1980 World Series and the first time the two teams have met since 2007 (in KC).

Then the Royals open Kauffman Stadium on Monday, April 8th against the Minnesota Twins (for a three-game series).

April is the month of off days for the Royals, as they have five of them. They also play a two-game series in Atlanta April16-17.

» Continue reading “Take a Look at the 2013 Royals Schedule”

The KC Royals welcomed catcher Salvador Perez back to the lineup, but were thumped by the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, 11-4.

The Royals also welcomed back Carlos Beltran to Kauffman Stadium, his first time since 2004. He unfortunately hit like he had never left. With the bases loaded in the first inning, Beltran ripped the first pitch he saw from Vin Mazzaro off the left field wall for a two-run double. The Cardinals never looked back.

That wasn’t Beltran’s only hit. He went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs as the DH.

Mazzaro only recorded four outs, but allowed seven runs and six hits. After the second inning, the Cardinals scored just one run off the Royals bullpen.

The Royals collected 11 hits, as every starter had at least one hit except Jeff Francoeur. However, they went just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Perez returned to the lineup with a bang. He collected two hits in his 2012 debut, including a two-run homerun off Cardinals starter Joe Kelly in the 4th inning. He caught all nine innings, but the Cardinals did steal two bases off him.

Billy Butler and Alcides Escobar also had two hits in the loss.

The KC Royals finished up their road games of Interleague Play with a 2-1 win in Houston to win the series. Since getting swept by Pittsburgh June 8-10, the Royals have won seven of nine (which is three straight series).

Kelvin Herrera

After his disastrous start against the St. Louis Cardinals last Saturday, starter Bruce Chen came out with a good start against the Astros. I’m not saying he was dominant, as he only lasted 5.2 innings, but he got the job done. Chen allowed just one run on five hits and two walks while striking out six. He got into trouble in the 6th inning, but Kelvin Herrera came in and got out of the jam.

Boy did Herrera get out of the jam. He faced four batters over 1.1 innings and struck out ALL four on a total of 18 pitches.

The dominance in the Royals bullpen continued behind Herrera, as Jose Mijares, Greg Holland, and closer Jonathan Broxton closed the door on the Astros.

It got a little dicey for Broxton in the 9th inning (when aren’t his outings nerve-wracking?), but he pulled it out. The tying run stood on third base with just one out, but Broxton struck out Brian Bixler for the second out. He then got Jordan Schafer to fly out to end the game.

Is anyone else noticing that Broxton is throwing nothing more than his fastball lately (just three sliders today)?

Meanwhile, the Royals offense didn’t do a whole lot against Astros starter Jordan Lyles. They scored their first run in the 5th inning on a Brayan Pena ground out. In the 6th inning after an Alex Gordon one out triple, Yuniesky Betancourt reached on a Jed Lowrie error, which scored the eventual game winner. They had just four hits in the game, just three off Lyles over seven innings.

» Continue reading “Royals Win Another Series, This Time Over Astros”

For the first time this season, KC Royals starter Jonathan Sanchez reached the 6th inning. However, the Royals lost to Houston, 9-7.

It was actually a pitcher’s duel between Sanchez and the Astros JA Happ. Both teams got on the board in the first inning. The Royals scored a single run on a Jeff Francoeur two-out RBI single. The Astros scored two runs, one on a Brian Bixler solo homerun and the other on a failed pickoff attempt by Sanchez.

The Astros got to Sanchez again in the 4th inning on his wildness. He hit Chris Johnson and threw yet another pickoff throw away. With one out, Chris Snyder drove him in with a single. With two outs, Sanchez hit another batter and allowed a single to load the bases for Justin Maxwell. He walked him to force in the fourth run.

When the two starters left the game, the score was 4-2 Houston after six innings. Sanchez: 6IP, 6H, 4R, 3ER, 4BB, 3K, 2HBP. Happ: 6IP, 4H, 2R, BB, 3K.

The Astros scored a ton of insurance against Royals reliever Louis Coleman in the bottom of the 8th inning. Five runs to be exact (two homeruns). Every one of those runs was needed as the Royals came storming back in the top of the 9th inning against Astros closer Brett Myers.

With one out, the Royals strung together three straight singles to load the bases and Jarrod Dyson drove in one run with a single. Pinch-hitter Mitch Maier drove in a run with a sac fly. Alex Gordon loaded the bases again with a single. Yuniesky Betancourt followed with a two-run single and Billy Butler followed with an RBI single. After a Francoeur single loaded the bases yet again, Myers was finally taken out.

So the Royals had the bases loaded, two outs, trailing by two runs with Mike Moustakas coming to the plate against Xavier Cedeno. Moose popped out in foul territory on the fourth curveball of the at-bat to end the game.

It was another night that the Royals offense out-hit their opponent (13-11), but still lost the ballgame. Yuni continued his hot-hitting with a 2-for-5 night. Francoeur and Alcides Escobar also collected two hits. Gordon went 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot to get his average up to a respectable .262.

*Coleman returned to the Royals as Chris Getz was placed on the DL and Nate Adcock was again sent back to Triple-A. Lefty reliever Tommy Hottovy joined Coleman with a promotion.

**For more on the Astros, check out Tales from the Juicebox.

The KC Royals won a five hour, 15 inning marathon over the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-3. The win gave the Royals their second straight series victory.

Yuni via Keith Allison/Flickr

It could have been over after 14 innings if Royals closer Jonathan Broxton could close out a game. Yuniesky Betancourt, who came on for the injured Chris Getz back in the first inning, doubled in Alex Gordon (who walked to lead off the inning) with nobody out. But in the bottom of the inning, Broxton walked the leadoff man (Allen Craig), who came around to score on Yadier Molina‘s pinch-hit RBI single.

Eduardo Sanchez went back out for the 15th inning for the Cardinals and got right back into trouble. Jarrod Dyson singled to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second base. After Sanchez got Gordon to fly out, Betancourt struck again. This time he gave the Royals a two run lead with a two-run homerun.

Apparently, something clicked with Broxton when he went back out for the bottom of the 15th inning. He struck out two (including Carlos Beltran) before getting Rafael Furcal to ground out to end the game. He threw just ten pitches.

The reason the game went into extra innings was because Billy Butler came off the bench and hit a homerun with two outs off Cardinals closer Jaosn Motte in the 9th inning. That tied the game at 2-2.

The marathon makes you forget how well the two teams’ starters pitched. Luis Mendoza made two mistakes over six innings, as he allowed back-to-back solo homeruns to Matt Holliday and Craig in the 6th inning. For the Cardinals, Adam Wainwright allowed one run on five hits over seven innings. He struck out eight.

The Royals bullpen was OUTSTANDING. Until Broxton gave up the 14th inning run, six pitchers combined to allow just three hits and two walks over seven shutout innings. Tim Collins pitched three scoreless innings while striking out three.

The Royals had 13 hits. Mike Moustakas had three of them, while Yuni and Dyson had two each. They had plenty of chances to score in extra innings, but overall went just 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Bruce Chen pinch-hit in the 13th inning and picked up a single.

For more on the Cardinals, check out Aaron Miles’ Fastball. 

*The Royals now travel to Houston to continue Interleague Play for three games. Maybe there will be a roster move for a fresh arm? They used their entire bullpen.

**With the Getz injury, Johnny Giavotella was pulled from his game with Omaha.

It was another crazy day in St. Louis, but the KC Royals couldn’t hold off the Cardinals offense, as they lost 10-7.

Starter Bruce Chen was LIT UP. He registered just five outs and allowed six runs on seven hits over just 1.2 innings. With one out, former Royal Carlos Beltran singled and Matt Holliday followed with a two-run homerun. After an out and a David Freese double, Yadier Molina followed with another two-run homerun.

In the second inning, Beltran and Holliday got to Chen again, with Beltran driving in a run with a single and Holliday following with an RBI double. That end Chen‘s afternoon.

That came after the Royals took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Cardinals rookie starter Joe Kelly on a Mike Moustakas RBI single. That all came after Cardinals manager Mike Matheny was ejected after a controversial call. Kelly turned a triple-play, but after Royals manager Ned Yost came out to argue, the umpires overturned the call, giving the Royals just one out.

The Royals offense kept chipping away, so much so that they took the lead in the top of the 7th inning. In that 7th inning, the Royals scored three runs. Mike Moustakas delivered an RBI single and Alcides Escobar drove in two runs with a single.

» Continue reading “Wild Game Goes to Cardinals”

There was a crazy ending, but the KC Royals held on for the 3-2 win over St. Louis.

With pinch-hitter Rafel Furcal at the plate and two outs, Tyler Greene (who had singled) stole second base. The throw from catcher Humberto Quintero hit Greene as he was sliding and kicked into the outfield. Greene jumped up and took off for third base. Chris Getz picked up the ball and threw wide of third base. Greene then headed for home. Mike Moustakas hustled after the ball and made a perfect throw home to get Greene to end the game.

That crazy ending gave Jonathan Broxton his 16th save of the season. It also made a winner of Vin Mazzaro, who was spotless over six innings. He allowed just five hits and a walk while striking out four.

The Royals bullpen got smacked around a bit in the bottom of the 7th inning. Newly added to the roster Roman Colon (he’s baaack) allowed a leadoff single to David Freese and a one out RBI double to Matt Adams. After striking out Greene, Colon allowed a pinch-hit RBI single to Shane Robinson to cut the Royals lead to 3-2.

Aaron Crow got into trouble in the 8th inning, as he allowed two hits, but induced a double play ground out from Freese to end the threat.

So how did the Royals score their runs you ask?

Jarrod Dyson delivered a two out RBI single in the 2nd inning against Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse. Jeff Francoeur drove in a run with a single in the 3rd inning. Frenchy drove in another with a sac fly in the 7th inning.

Alex Gordon, Getz, and Dyson each had two hits.

*For more on the Cardinals, check out Aaron Miles’ Fastball.

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The I-70 series begins on Friday night, as the KC Royals travel to Busch Stadium to face the reigning World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Interleague matchup is just one 3-game series this season (instead of a home-and-home matchup like last year).

The Royals are coming off a series sweep at home versus Milwaukee, while the Cardinals won their series against the Chicago White Sox. The Cardinals moved into a tie for second place in the National League Central with Pittsburgh (three games back of Cincinnati).

Friday: Vin Mazzaro (2-1, 3.60 ERA) @ Kyle Lohse (6-1, 2.90 ERA)

Mazzaro is coming off a bad start against the Pirates (just three innings). How long he stays in the rotation will depend on how he continues to pitch.

Lohse has been dominant so far in June (0.66 ERA and a .106 opponent’s abtting average). He has allowed more than three earned runs in just two starts in 2012.

Saturday: Bruce Chen (5-6, 4.44 ERA) @ Joe Kelly (0-0, 1.80 ERA)

I feel like I write this every fifth day, but Chen has been the Royals most consistent starter.

Kelly made his Major League debut last Sunday and did not disappoint (one run on seven hits over five innings).

Sunday: Luis Mendoza (2-3, 4.89 ERA) @ Adam Wainwright (4-7, 4.75 ERA)

Mendoza hasn’t won a game since May 13th, but carried a no-hitter against the Brewers into the 7th inning in his last start.

Wainwright has gotten better and better with each start as the season has progressed. It is his first year back after Tommy John surgery.

Let the battle for Missouri begin!

*For more on the Cardinals, check out Aaron Miles’ Fastball.

For the second straight night, the KC Royals walked off against the Milwaukee Brewers. On Thursday night, pinch-hitter Brayan Pena delivered the two-run walk-off single against Brewers closer John Axford (well the winning run scored on the throw). It is Axford’s second straight blown save. The Royals completed the three-game home sweep.

It was a bit of a strange bottom of the 9th inning. Mitch Maier, who took the place of the ejected Jeff Francoeur, reached base via a wild pitch after a strikeout. Mike Moustakas grounded out, moving Maier to second base. After Axford struck out Alcides Escobar, he walked Jarrod Dyson. Pena took the third pitch (a 97mph fastball) into left field for the game winner. If Axford doesn’t throw the wild pitch on the Maier strikeout, the Brewers would have won. So the Royals had some luck on their side tonight.

The Royals two other runs came via Eric Hosmer‘s 8th homerun of the season in the 6th inning.

Luke Hochevar looked good pitching for the first time in a long time. He allowed three single runs (though one scored after he exited) on six hits and a walk over 7.1 innings. He struck out five. Two of the runs came via solo homeruns. He threw 87 pitches, 62 for strikes.

Lefty Tim Collins picked up his second victory in two days.

Next up for the Royals, another road trip. They head to St. Louis to play the reigning World Series champions for three games this weekend.

*After Francoeur was ejected in the 2nd inning, many joked that he should join the crowd in the right field seats for Frenchy Quarter Night.

**Manager Ned Yost was ejected later in the game (the fourth inning).

It was a night of comebacks for the KC Royals, as they defeated the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the 11th inning, the Brewers made a pitching change and brought in Jose Veras with Mike Moustakas strolling to the plate. Veras needed just five pitches to walk Moose and force in the winning run. Unfortunately, less than 20,000 fans were in attendance for the thrilling finish.

After watching the Brewers score a run in the top of the 9th inning to take a 3-1 lead (with the run scoring on a throwing error), the Royals came back to tie the game at 3-3 against Brewers closer John Axford. With one out, Eric Hosmer walked. With two outs, Moose walked. Alcides Escobar followed with a two-run triple to tie the game. Clint Robinson pinch-hit with the chance to win the game and pick up his first big league hit and RBI, but struck out to send the game into extra innings.

The Royals had another 1-0 lead after the first inning thanks to a Billy Butler RBI ground out (Alex Gordon led off the inning with a double).

Jonathan Sanchez returned from the DL and still hasn’t pitched six innings this season, but at least he pitched well. He allowed one run on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four. Meanwhile, Brewers starter Randy Wolf was also solid. He only allowed that first inning run over seven innings. Wolf allowed six hits and two walks.

The Royals and Brewers finish up the series on Thursday, with Luke Hochevar taking the hill against the Brewers’ Shaun Marcum.

*With Sanchez coming off the DL, reliever Louis Coleman was sent back to Triple-A.

**Manager Ned Yost was named to Ron Washington’s American League coaching staff for the All-Star Game that the Royals are hosting this July. I’m sure that’s the only reason that Yost is on the coaching staff because the team’s record (25-34) has him undeserving.