The KC Royals played two road games today, one against the LA Angels and one against the Chicago White Sox. Neither opponent was easy for the two Royals starting pitchers.

Doug Kerr/Flickr

Bruce Chen got the start against the White Sox and it started and ended UGLY. He walked the first batter, but an out and two stolen bases later, that batter scored on an Alex Rios single. Paul Konerko doubled him in and Adam Dunn cleared the bases with a homerun. From there, Chen settled down.

That is, until the 5th inning. He gave up a leadoff bunt single, but threw it away and the runner went all the way to third base. Alejandro De Aza drove him in with a single and Brent Lillibridge followed with a single. After getting Rios out, Chen gave up a single to Konerko to load the bases. Up came Dunn, who again cleared the bases, this time with a grand slam.

10 runs and 10 hits is not a good line for Chen. Good thing he has a spot locked up in the rotation.

The Royals lost to the White Sox, 16-4. Not a whole lot went well in the game. Billy Butler went 2-for-3 with a homerun. Jamie Romak came off the bench and collected a single off White Sox All-Star Matt Thornton.

Now onto the game against the Angels. Jered Weaver got the start for the Angels and wasn’t sharp.

» Continue reading “Bad Day to be a Royals Starting Pitcher”

Have you ever wanted to learn how to hit from a pro? Well, if you live near Arvest Park, the home of the NW Arkansas Naturals, you are in luck.

This fall and winter, former big leaguer Vance Wilson will be offering baseball clinics. Wilson retired in 2010 and spent this past season managing the Kane County Cougars, the KC Royals Low-A affiliate in the Midwest League. The Blaise-ing Baseball Academy is a five-week course in three age groups: 8-10 year olds, 11-13 year olds, and 14-18 year olds. To register or for more info, contact Vance at (479) 871-2215 or email blaiseingbaseballacademy@gmail.com.

The schedule is as follows:

5 week Session Times and Dates
8 – 10 yr olds, Every Monday from November 21-December 19 from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M.

14 – 18 yr olds Every Monday from November 21-December 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M.
11 – 13 yr olds Every Tuesday from November 22-December 20 from 4:15 to 6:15 P.M.

The January 2012 sessions will occur as follows:

8 – 10 yr olds, Every Monday from January 9-February 6 from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M.

14 – 18 yr olds Every Monday from January 9-February 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 P.M.
11 – 13 yr olds Every Tuesday from January 10-February 7 from 4:15 to 6:15 P.M.

Romak & Smith (via Tim Smith)

Wilson isn’t the only one offering instruction at Arvest Park this offseason. Tim Smith, who recently returned home with a Gold Medal from the Pan-Am Games in Mexico while playing for Canada, roamed the outfield at Arvest Park this past season. Between now and mid-February, Smith will be offering personal hitting clinics by appointment for up to four players at a time. These sessions will take place from 9am-4pm on Mondays and Tuesday, between 9am and 8pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and between 10am-5pm on Saturdays.

For more information, check out Tim’s website or contact him via email timsmithbaseball@hotmail.com.

» Continue reading “Royals News & Notes”

The Canadian baseball team won its first ever gold medal in a men’s senior international tournament on Tuesday night. It came about a week after sharing the bronze in the World Cup with the USA. The gold medal came after a 2-1 win over Team USA at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The US got on the board first against Canada starter Andrew Albers (Minnesota Twins). Brett Carroll (Boston Red Sox) drove in a run with an RBI double. However that was all Team USA could muster against Albers and then former big leaguer Scott Richmond (Toronto Blue Jays). Albers allowed just one run on six hits over 6.2 innings while striking out eight. Richmond did not allow a baserunner over 2.1 innings while striking out three.

It took a two-out rally in the 6th inning to lead the Canadians to victory. After back-to-back singles by Chris Robinson (Chicago Cubs) and Tim Smith, Jimmy Van Ostrand (Houston Astros) drove them both in with a double.

With the win, KC Royals minor leaguers Smith and Jamie Romak will be returning home with the coveted gold medal (along with the bronze from the World Cup). Smith went 1-for-4 in the game while scoring the game winning run. Romak played right field and went 0-for-4.

Cuba won the bronze, as they defeated Mexico, 6-0. Team USA defeated Cuba on Monday nigh,t 12-10, to reach the gold medal game. Team USA scored their 12 runs from the 2nd thru the 4th and held on from there. Canada defeated Mexico in the semifinals, 5-3, after being down 3-0 after the first inning. In that game, Smith went 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Romak went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

In the other game on Tuesday, the Dominican Republic won the slugfest over Venezuela, 14-7. Former Royal Alexis Gomez went 3-for-6 with two runs scored as the DH. Another former Royal, Runelvys Hernandez, pitched one inning while allowing two hits.

Team USA had a chance at going 3-0 in the Pan American Games being held in Guadalajara, Mexico, but lost to the host Mexican team 3-2 on Saturday. That dropped the US to 2-1 and improved the Mexicans to 3-0.

Now, Team USA must face Cuba (who is 3-0) in the semifinals on Monday. Mexico will face Canada (who is 2-1) in their semifinal game on Monday.

The Canadians again have current KC Royals minor leaguers Tim Smith and Jamie Romak on their roster. In their 5-4 win over Puerto Rico in their first game, Smith went 1-for-3 with a homerun and two walks. In their 9-5 loss to Cuba, Smith went 1-for-4 with a run scored. In that same game, Romak went 0-for-3 with an RBI. On Saturday, Canada defeated Venezuela 4-1 to reach the semifinals. Smith went 1-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI, and a walk. Romak played right field and went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. This group of Canadians has a chance at bringing home their second medal in the last week of international play.

As do the Americans. Team USA and Canada shared the bronze medal at the World Cup last week. Now Team USA has reached the semifinals and will face the heavily favored Cubans. Maybe they can take a page out of the Netherlands book (the Netherlands defeated Cuba twice in the World Cup). Team USA beat the Dominican Republic in its first game of the Pan Am tournament 20-2. They scored ten runs in the 8th inning. They then defeated Panama 11-0 before falling to Mexico 3-2 on Saturday.

Former Royal Alexis Gomez is still playing for the DR. In their loss to the US, Gomez went 0-for-3 with a walk. In their 3-2 loss to Mexico, Gomez went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Former Royal Runelvys Hernandez got the start against Mexico but took the loss, as he allowed three runs on six hits and three walks over four innings while striking out three. In the DR’s lone win so far, Gomez went 3-for-5 with two RBIs while playing center field against Panama. The DR will play in the 5th place game on Tuesday against rival Venezuela.

The first game on Monday will be the 7th place game between the two 0-3 teams, Puerto Rico and Panama.

Okay, so there are no current or former KC Royals on the Netherlands World Cup roster, but I will delve into the now European powerhouse a bit. I became a fan back in 2006, watching the Netherlands in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. I had the opportunity to meet a few of their players in the minor leagues (like Leon Boyd, Sharlon Schoop, and Yurendell deCaster). Who can forget these upstart players beating the mighty Dominican Republic filled with Major League talent in 2009 in the WBC? Well Boyd and Schoop are key contributors to the Netherlands current World Cup team. Schoop’s little brother Jonathan (the Baltimore Orioles minor league player of the year) has now joined him in international competition.

So what happened on Thursday? They upset Cuba to advance to their first ever finals and it is the first time that a European team will reach in the World Cup Gold Medal game in 73 years. Boyd threw two scoreless innings of relief and the Netherlands hit two, 2-run homeruns to win 4-1. Prior to beating Cuba, the Netherlands beat Korea and Australia in the second round.

The Netherlands followed up Thursday with a 12-2 thumping of Venezuela on Friday to finish 6-1.

Who will the Dutch play in the World Cup Gold Medal Game? Cuba. The rematch begins at 5pm on Saturday at Rod Carew Stadium as Cuba defeated Canada (and then Panama) on Friday. Cuba finished 6-1.

A look back at the rest of the action…

Wednesday’s games were completely washed out by rain, so that meant doubleheaders on Thursday or Friday for all of the teams. The DH’s were of the seven inning variety (just like in the minors).

If you haven’t figured out already, I love baseball and not just one team. I love watching the game grow and that is why I find myself rooting for teams like the Netherlands and Australia. I met Aussie Luke Hughes (who spent a good chunk of this year in the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins) prior to the last World Cup and talked to him about playing for his country and having to leave his current team (the New Britain RockCats) before the season was over. He was so nice (plus listening to him talk with his lovely accent didn’t hurt).

Australia’s Justin Huber (a former Royal) went 1-for-3 in the loss to the Netherlands. He also went 0-for-5 in the Aussie’s 5-4 win on Friday against host Panama. Tim Kennelly of Australia collected three hits, including a double and a homerun in their first win of the second round over Canada. I’ve had a chance to see Kennelly play the last two seasons with the Reading Phillies. He plays the outfield for the Aussies, though he mainly catches with the Phillies (his brother or Joel Naughton mainly catch for their home country). The Aussies will play Korea on Saturday afternoon in the 5th place game. Former Royal Paul Mildren will be getting the start for the Aussies.

Speaking of Canada, current Royals Tim Smith and Jamie Romak are a part of that team. Smith went 1-for-2 in their loss to Australia and Romak went 0-for-4. However in their two wins on Thursday, Smith went a combined 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Romak went 0-for-3 in Canada’s 4-0 win over Korea. Smith went 0-for-3 in Canada’s Friday loss to Cuba. The Canadians will battle the USA for the bronze medal Saturday afternoon.

After pummeling Venezuela in the opener of the second round, host Panama was shocked by Korea’s comeback, as they lost 5-4. In their first win, former Royal Damaso Espino went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. He caught his brother Paolo, who allowed two runs on three hits and three walks over six innings. He also struck out eight. In the loss to Korea, Damaso went 1-for-3. Panama was then shocked by both Australia and Cuba on Friday, as they were swept in their doubleheader. In the 5-4 loss to Australia, Damaso went 1-for-1 as a pinch-hitter. He then went 0-for-3 in their 7-2 loss to Cuba. Panama finished 2-5 and will play Venezuela on Saturday in the 7th place game.

In the bronze medal game on Saturday, Team USA will face off against Canada. Canada beat the USA in the first round of the World Cup.

It came down to Monday’s off-day, but Team USA advanced to the second round of baseball’s World Cup. It took a 5-0 win over Panama for the Americans to advance. Team USA had lost to Canada on Sunday for the first time since the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Former KC Royal minor leaguer Damaso Espino went 0-for-2 in Panama’s loss. Overall in the past week, Espino has gone 5-for-13 with three runs scored and an RBI.

The World Cup’s second round will again feature a round robin format with games beginning on Tuesday and continuing thru Friday.  The standings of the second round will be determined based on the results between all eight advancing teams, including the first round results.

An example: Canada will start the second round with a 2-1 record, having defeated the Netherlands and the USA (their loss came to Panama). Based on the seven results for each team, the classification games and the finals will be played on Saturday October 15th.

Team USA begins action on Tuesday against Cuba, while Canada will try to stop the suddenly hot Australians. The Netherlands will face Korea, while Panama faces Venezuela.

*Here are the current standings:

Cuba 3-0
Canada 2-1
Netherlands 2-1
Australia 1-2
Korea 1-2
Panama 1-2
Venezuela 1-2
USA 1-2

Current or former Royals that are still playing in the World Cup are: Justin Huber and Paul Mildren (Australia), Espino (Panama), and Tim Smith and Jamie Romak (Canada).

Despite being outsted from the international tournament, former Royals outfielder Alexis Gomez played well for his home country of the Dominican Republic this past week. Over the DR’s final four games, Gomez went 8-for-17 with four runs scored and two RBIs. His best game was a 4-for-4 performance against Nicaragua.

In Australia’s sudden burst of offense, former Royal Justin Huber also heated up. Over the Aussie’s final four games, he was 6-for-15 with eight RBIs and four runs scored.

Canada has advanced and Tim Smith and Jamie Romak have been a part of the offense. Smith has gone 3-for-16 with five RBIs and three runs scored. He hit a two-run homerun in Canada’s 4-0 win over Chinese Taipei. Smith scored the winning run against the Netherlands on Saturday in extra innings (it was the Netherlands only loss). Romak has gone 1-for-12 with a homerun.

Italy was eliminated on Sunday after losing to Venezuela in 10 innings. Current Royals minor leaguer Andrea Pizziconi pitched in their Friday loss to Cuba (1.2 IP, 1H, 2R, 2BB, 1K, 3WP, 2HBP).

**Bruce Chen threw out the first pitch prior to his home country Panama’s game versus the Netherlands on Sunday. Unfortunately he was a bit of bad luck, as Panama lost their first game of the tournament.

After three games in Panama, there are four teams in the World Cup that are undefeated: Cuba, the Netherlands, Canada, and host Panama. To stay undefeated, the Netherlands beat Japan for the first time in World Cup history. Team USA lost an extra-inning affair to Puerto Pico on a grand slam. Australia has yet to score a run in the tournament.

In Pool 1, Canada, the Netherlands, and Panama sit at the top. USA is 2-1. In Pool 2, Cuba is on top followed by four 2-1 teams: Venezuela, South Korea, Italy, and the Dominican Republic.

Since there are current and former KC Royals players speckled throughout the World Cup, the following are some stats of those players from their team’s first three games.

In Italy’s first game, Andrea Pizzioni allowed one hit over 1/3 of an inning.

In the DR’s first game, former Royals pitcher Runelvys Hernandez allowed just one hit over 1.2 innings. Former outfielder Alexis Gomez went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Since the first game, Gomez is 2-for-8 with two RBIs. Willy Lebron pitched Game 2 for the DR and allowed four hits and three unearned runs over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

Paul Mildren of Australia pitched in their first game and allowed two hits and a walk over two innings while striking out one. Justin Huber went 0-for-3 in the loss (Huber has yet to collect a hit).

Canada is undefeated and two current Royals minor leaguers are a reason why. Jamie Romak (who is playing some left field) and fellow outfielder Tim Smith (who is also DHing) have been an offensive force. Smith had a two-run first inning single in Canada’s first game (he went 2-for-3). In the second game, Smith went 2-for-4 while Romak went 0-for4. In Game 3, Smith went 3-for-4 with a homerun and two RBIs. Romak went 1-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Panama is also undefeated and catcher Damaso Espino is a reason why. In the team’s second and third game, he went a combined 2-for-8.

Former Royal catcher Mike Tonis is playing third base for Greece. He has yet to pick up a hit.

*Games continue through Sunday before teams are eliminated.

No I am not talking about soccer. This is baseball’s version of the World Cup and it began on Saturday night in Panama with Opening Ceremonies. The host team Panama came back to defeat the European Underdog Greece in the opening game.

Team USA does not have a member of the KC Royals minor leagues on its roster (like last year), but it does have a mix of younger prospects and veterans. The big name is catcher/DH Travis D’Arnaud of the Toronto Blue Jays (who was the Eastern League’s MVP). Tuffy Gosewich of the Philadelphia Phillies will platoon with D’Arnaud. John Danks’ brother Jordan will patrol the outfield. Veterans Randy Williams, Royce Ring, Scott Patterson, and Joe Thurston will be counted on. The USA begin their World Cup play tonight at 8:30pm against Japan. You can catch all the action live HERE.

Don’t fret. There are a few Royals minor leaguers speckled throughout the international tournament and a few former players. Let’s start with the host team Panama. Former minor league catcher Damaso Espino (and his pitcher brother Paulo) were big parts of Panama’s opening win. Paulo picked up the win, as he allowed three runs on five hits over six innings while striking out eight. Damaso tied the game up with a double and produced a two-run single in the 6th inning as Panama defeated Greece 8-3.

On the Greek roster (but didn’t play in the first game) is former Royals minor league catcher Mike Tonis. Remember him? He was supposed to be that elite catcher coming up through the system (well at least on defense). You can check out a 2009 article on him from Will McDonald HERE.

» Continue reading “World Cup Begins”

The Omaha Storm Chasers jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings over the OKC RedHawks. Lorenzo Cain hit a two-run homerun in the first inning. David Lough tripled in two runs n the 2nd inning. Johnny Giavotella doubled in two runs in the 3rd inning (one of his five hits in the game to go with four RBIs). Every starter had at least one hit as Omaha pounded out 18 hits in the 12-3 win. Lance Zawadzki, Kila Ka’aihue, and Cody Clark also homered in the win. Mike Montgomery was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion, as he allowed three runs on eight hits over seven innings to earn the win. Brandon Sisk continues to dominate in Triple-A, as he pitched two hitless innings of relief (lowering his ERA to 1.47).

*I forgot to mention that infielder Kurt Mertins was promoted from Wilmington to Omaha.

The NW Arkansas Naturals ended their three-game losing streak by beating the Springfield Cardinals 9-1 behind the arm of Chris Dwyer. In his second straight dominant outing, Dwyer allowed just one run on six hits over seven innings. The lone run came on Jose Garcia’s homerun. Kevin Chapman pitched two perfect innings of relief for the Naturals while striking out three. Jamie Romak hit his 19th homerun of the season (his third in two games), a grand slam, as he went 2-for-5 with five RBIs. Paulo Orlando went 4-for-5 in the leadoff spot for the Naturals.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning, the Quad Cities RiverBandits walked off against the Kane County Cougars 3-1. Chris Edmondson hit a two-run homerun off Nick Rogers to set off the celebration. The homerun came with two outs and a man on base via the walk. All of the runs scored in the game came via the longball. 2010 Cardinals first pick in the MLB draft, Kolten Wong, hit a solo homerun in the 1st inning. The Cougars lone run came on Brett Eibner’s ninth homerun of the season. Greg Billo started for the Cougars and allowed just the one run on four hits over six innings.

So if you actually read the stuff I write (or follow me), you know I was at the Wilmington Blue Rocks game on Sunday afternoon. It was a hot one and the small crowd of fans moved frequently to stay in the shade. It started out slow, as both pitchers, Noel Arguelles for the Blue Rocks and Brett Brach for the Kinston Indians, struggled to get into a groove. Once they did, the game moved quickly. With the Blue Rocks leading 3-2 in the 8th inning, they scored two insurance runs off Indians ace reliever Preston Guilmet to take the 5-2 lead. Kinston put runners on base in both the 8th and 9th innings, but Ryan Dennick and Jon Keck escaped without giving up runs.

After the game, we had a chance to talk to Arguelles, with infielder Deivy Batista kind enough to translate, and Blue Rocks manager Brian Rupp.

» Continue reading “Royals Sunday Minors Recap with Blue Rocks Coverage”

In KC Royals minor league roster news, starter Zach Miner was promoted to Triple-A Omaha and reliever Jeremy Jeffress was sent to Double-A NW Arkansas to fill Miner’s rotation spot. Jeffress has struggled mightily since being demoted from the Royals earlier in the season.

On to the games, which were pressure-packed (two 14-inning losses and another no-hitter):

The Omaha Storm Chasers led 5-4 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning before the host Memphis Redbirds tied the game at 5-5. Jesse Chavez entered after Brandon Sisk allowed a leadoff double. Chavez would allow a Mark Hamilton sac fly to tie the game. It would stay tied until the bottom of the 14th inning when Pete Kozma singled in the winning run to set off the Redbirds celebration. Mario Santiago took the loss for Omaha, as he allowed one run on two hits and five walks over 3.1 innings. Manny Pina and Johnny Giavotella each had three hits in the loss, though the Storm Chasers went just 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position (they had 12 hits).

For the second straight night, a Royals minor league affiliate recorded a no-hitter. This time it happened for the NW Arkansas Naturals and it didn’t come down to an official scorer’s decision. Will Smith started and threw seven no-hit innings. He walked two while striking out five. Kelvin Herrera followed with two perfect innings, while striking out two. The game became more interesting in the bottom of the 6th inning. Smith walked back-to-back Arkansas Travelers hitters to start the inning (the first batters to reach base against Smith). Alberto Rosario then hit a ground ball to third base and Mario Lisson turned the around-the-horn triple play to end the inning. Yes, a no-hitter and a triple play in the same game.

The Naturals won 1-0 over the host Travelers as they scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning off Travelers starter Matt Shoemaker. Jamie Romak collected two of the five Naturals hits and drove in the game’s lone run. So three of the four Royals full-season affiliates have no-hitters under their belts, so the pressure is on for the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Kane County had a combined no-hitter on May 18th).

The Wilmington Blue Rocks led 4-3 heading into the bottom of the 7th, but the host Myrtle Beach Pelicans tied the game at 4-4. The game would stay tied until the bottom of the 14th when Ryan Strausborger collected his first hit of the game, a two-run walk-off homerun. Tim Melville and Bryan Paukovits threw five shutout innings of relief of starter Elisaul Pimentel, before giving way to Dusty Odenbach (who was in his second inning of relief). Both teams collected 14 hits, but the Blue Rocks were just 4-of-14 with runners in scoring position.