All four Division Series played win-or-go home Game 5’s, so every series was interesting and down to the wire.

The first team to punch their ticket to the Championship Series was the SF Giants. All four former KC Royals played integral parts to their advancement.

Lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt pitched in just about every game. In Game 1, he walked one in 2/3 of an inning (12 pitches, five for strikes). In Game 3, he allowed one hit over two scoreless innings of relief (22 pitches, 14 for strikes). In the Game 5 clincher, he pitched another scoreless inning (the seventh). He was pulled after that one inning after a scary incident in the dugout on a foul line drive (he should be okay for the National League Championship Series).

Left fielder Gregor Blanco started every game for the Giants. In Game 1, he went 2-for-3. In Game 2’s blowout loss, he went 0-for-2, but the Giants only collected two hits. He went 0-for-1 with a run scored in Game 3. He showed off his surprise power in Game 4 with a two-run homerun in the 2^nd inning that gave the Giants the lead they would not relinquish. In the Game 5 clincher, he went 1-for-4 with a run scored in their six-run 5^th inning.

Shortstop Joaquin Arias didn’t start, but made an impact off the bench. He pinch-hit in Game 1 and picked up a single and scored a run in the bottom of the 9^th inning of the Giants 5-2 loss. He hit the eventual game-winning ground ball in the 10^th inning of Game 3’s 2-1 victory. Arias went 2-for-3 off the bench in Game 4 with two doubles and two runs scored.

Lefty reliever Jose Mijares had the worst series. In Game 2, he allowed three runs on two hits and a walk, but did not record an out. He rebounded in Game 4 and struck out the only batter he faced (Joey Votto) on five pitches in the 4^th inning.

One former Royal saw his season come to an end with the Cincinnati Reds. That was former closer and Reds setup man Jonathan Broxton. Broxton took the loss in Game 3 when a Ryan Hanigan passed ball moved base runners up in the top of the 10^th inning and Scott Rolen’s error scored the winning run. He pitched in three of the five games and allowed that unearned run on four hits over three innings. Broxton walked one while striking out four.

» Continue reading “Former Royals Help New Teams to Championship Series”

The Major League Baseball Division Series begins tonight after an exciting Wild Card Friday. One former KC Royal, Endy Chavez, moved on to tomorrow’s American League Division Series with the Baltimore Orioles. He entered Friday night’s game as a defensive replacement in right field.

Another former Royal, outfielder Carlos Beltran, moved onto the National League Division Series, as the St. Louis Cardinals controversially defeated the Atlanta Braves on Wild Card Friday. He started in right field, batted second in the order, and went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the win. Beltran and the Cardinals moved on to face the NL East champion Washington Nationals on Sunday.

With the Division Series’ kicking off today, it’s a great time to take a look at the former Royals who will be participating.

The NL West champion SF Giants have quite a few representatives. They begin play tonight at 9:30pm ET on TBS.

» Continue reading “Division Series Begin with Royals Input”

For once, Jeremy Guthrie pitched well, but it still didn’t result in a KC Royals victory. They lost the first game of their three-game series against Texas, 5-3.

The Rangers scored single runs off Guthrie in the first and fourth innings before chasing him in the 7th inning. He ended up allowing three runs on six hits and two walks over six innings (plus one batter in the 7th).

The Rangers’ three-run 7th inning did in the Royals. Michael Young singled to chase Guthrie from the game. In came lefty Jose Mijares (remember when the Royals were trying to trade him?). With one out, Mijares walked Geovany Soto (a sub .200 hitter) before giving up a three-run homerun to Mitch Moreland that gave the Rangers a 5-1 lead.

The Royals offense collected more hits than the Rangers (10-7), but only went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They also hit into two double plays.

*Mike Moustakas tweaked his knee again while sliding n Thursday, but is expected back in the lineup on Saturday.

**Let’s check in on some of the traded Royals. Jonathan Sanchez started tonight for Colorado (he was swapped for Guthrie). Right now, the Rockies are losing to SF, 16-4. Sanchez lasted just three innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks. He threw 67 pitches, 33 for strikes, while also throwing two wild pitches.

Jonathan Broxton picked up a hold tonight for the Cincinnati Reds, as he entered with two men on base in the 8th inning but escaped unscathed. He threw five pitches, all for strikes (he induced an inning-ending double play). That was his second outing for the team with the best record in baseball.

There were a number of trades that went on Tuesday and a number of deals that never happened. The Ryan Dempster saga continued (until the last seconds). The Philadelphia Phillies began a small fire sale (though Joe Blanton is somehow still a Phillie).

With the KC Royals falling into last place and no real expectation of them digging their way out, many expected some Royals to be on the move.

There were rumors involving outfielders Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur. I heard about lefty reliever Jose Mijares and infielders Yuniesky Betancourt and even Chris Getz.

Instead, the only piece they could move was closer Jonathan Broxton. The Cincinnati Reds were looking for some extra excitement late in games to join fire baller Aroldis Chapman and picked up Broxton.

The Reds are one of the hottest teams in baseball (they are 9-1 in their last ten games) and have a three game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Central.

At least Broxton gets a shot at the postseason, which he would not have gotten if he stuck around in Kansas City.

So what do the Royals get from the Reds?

Pitchers JC Sulbaran and Donnie Joseph.

Sulbaran had been pitching for Double-A Pensacola. In 19 starts, he is 7-7 with a 4.04 ERA. He is a strikeout pitcher: 111 in 104.2 innings this season. He has walked 54 while allowing 17 homeruns. Keep in mind that whether he reports to NW Arkansas or Triple-A Omaha, he will be pitching in a hitter’s league.

Sulbaran last pitched on July 27th which would mean he is set to start again on August 1st.

Joseph has been pitching for Triple-A Lousiville (well he started the season in Double-A and was promoted after posting a 0.89 ERA). In Louisville, he was 4-1 with a 2.86 ERA in 18 games out of the bullpen. He had five saves and 22 strikeouts in 22 innings. Walks have not been a problem for Joseph: just 17 this season in 52.1 innings. He’s also only allowed one homerun. Joseph was named to the Southern League All-Star team this season.

Join me in welcoming them to the Royals organization! Hopefully they can help the team in the future.

Will Smith

KC Royals starter Will Smith was traded from the LA Angels to the Royals back in 2010. On Tuesday night, Smith got the chance to face his former team. The Royals won 4-1.

Smith allowed two hits and a run in the first inning. He did not allow a hit after that. He did walk four, but retired 11 in a row before allowing a leadoff walk in the 7th inning.

Smith lasted seven innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen.

Of course, the 9th inning was interesting with closer Jonathan Broxton on the mound. After inducing a ground out from Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo singled. With two outs, Kendrys Morales singled. However, it took Broxton just two more pitches to end the game and get Alberto Callaspo (who was part of the Smith trade) to ground out to end the game.

The Royals scored all their runs in the first two innings (two in each inning). Alex Gordon led off the game with a double and scored on Lorenzo Cain‘s one out homerun. In the 2nd inning, Gordon singled in a run and Alcides Escobar drove in the final run with a ground out.

From there, it was all about the pitching for both teams.

*Earlier in the day, catcher Jason Kendall, who had signed a minor league contract last week and began play with Double-A NW Arkansas, decided it was time to call it a career.

The KC Royals welcomed the Minnesota Twins to town and both teams pitched well, but the Royals lost 2-1 in 11 innings.

Jonathan Broxton entered in the 11th inning and allowed a leadoff double to Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham followed with an RBI single to give the Twins the lead.

Luke Hochevar started for the Royals and allowed a solo homerun to Darin Mastroianni in the 2nd inning with two outs. Hochevar only allowed five hits over seven innings while striking out six (with no walks).

Nick Blackburn for the Twins was just as solid. He allowed one run on seven hits over 6.2 innings. That one run came via Yuniesky Betancourt’s RBI double with two outs in the 7th inning.

The Royals only collected two hits after Blackburn left.

That one hit came in the 11th inning when Alcides Escobar doubled to lead off the inning. However the Royals could not score him. They were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

For the Twins, Mauer, Willingham, and Mastroianni collected seven of the team’s nine hits. For the Royals, Escobar had three hits.

*With the trade for Jeremy Guthrie, lefty Everett Teaford moves back to the Royals bullpen. He will serve as the long man (he doesn’t care, he just wants to pitch). Guthrie will take Teaford’s spot in the rotation (Sunday) and lefty Will Smith will get another start.

Alcides Escobar’s two out solo homerun in the 7th inning broke the tie, as the KC Royals went on to beat the visiting Chicago White Sox, 6-3.

It was the second homerun of the game for Escobar off White Sox starter Jake Peavy, giving him his first career multi homer game (he has just four on the season).

The Royals tacked on two runs of insurance so as not to have another 9th inning like Friday night.

Royals closer Jonathan Broxton had a clean 9th inning, just ten pitches to induce three ground outs.

Five Royals collected two hits (as a team they had 12).

*Chris Getz and Lorenzo Cain were reinstated from the DL over the All-Star break, with Getz being tabbed the emergency catcher. He’s the new Mitch Maier (who accepted his assignment to Triple-A).

After another poor start from Bruce Chen, the KC Royals battled back at home to take a late lead over the visiting Chicago White Sox. That meant that closer Jonathan Broxton entered in the 9th inning.

That also meant, immediate trouble. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Broxton got Alex Rios to fly out for the first out. AJ Pierzynski then ripped a ball to right field, which scored the tying run. Pinch-runner Orlando Hudson tested the arm of Jeff Francoeur, but was called out at the plate (replays looked as though Hudson‘s hand slid over the corner of the plate before he was tagged out). Broxton then escaped the loss by getting Dayan Viciedo to ground out to end the inning and send it to extra innings.

This is how I felt as the game continued (I’m an East Coast girl so it was around 1:30am when the game ended).

With lefty Tim Collins on the mound, Chicago took an 8-7 lead. With two outs and a man on first base, Gordon Beckham blooped a double down the right field line to give the White Sox the lead.

The Royals tied the game up to send it to the 13th inning. Francoeur doubled to lead off the inning. With one out, Jarrod Dyson singled up the middle, but Frenchy was held at third base. Alex Gordon weakly grounded out to score the tying run. With the winning run on second base, Alcides Escobar grounded out.

To the 14th they would go…

With runners on the corners in the top of the 14th inning against Everett Teaford, Kevin Youkilis worked a fourteen pitch at-bat to drive in the go ahead run with a sac fly.

The game FINALLY ended in the 14th inning when Dylan Axelrod retired the Royals in order. The White Sox won 9-8.

*I’m sure the Royals will make at least one roster move for tomorrow night’s game to bring up a fresh arm.

KC Royals closer Jonathan Broxton, who did not receive enough votes to make the American League All-Star team via the Final Vote today, made it interesting yet again in the bottom of the 9th inning. However with a man on first base and one out, Broxton got Jose Bautista to line out to third base. Colby Rasmus, the man on first base, was too far off on the shot and was thrown out to end the game.

The Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-6.

Luke Hochevar started for the Royals and was solid, but left the game with an ankle sprain. He allowed two runs on four hits over five innings. His final out was a Bautista strikeout.

The bullpen was definitely shaky. Lefty Tim Collins allowed a two out walk in the 6th inning, but struck out two. In the 7th inning, he allowed a one out solo homerun to JP Arencibia that chased him from the game.

Greg Holland collected the final two outs in the 7th inning. Next was Aaron Crow, who walked Edwin Encarnacion with one out, before giving up back-to-back singles to score one run. Crow recorded the second out before lefty Jose Mijares entered to face Kelly Johnson. Johnson was then pinch-hit for by Ben Francisco, who drove in two runs with a triple to cut the Royals lead to 8-6.

The Royals offense jumped all over Blue Jays starter Henderson Alvarez in the 3rd inning. The five-run inning all started with one out. Salvador Perez got it going with a single. Jarrod Dyson followed with a double and Alex Gordon walked to load the bases. Alcides Escobar singled in the game’s first run. Eric Hosmer followed with an RBI single and Billy Butler drove in two runs with an infield single (which was aided by a Brett Lawrie throwing error). Yuniesky Betancourt walked to load the bases again. Mike Moustakas capped the scoring with a sac fly.

Five singles in the top of the 8th inning produced three more runs for the Royals (capped by a Hosmer two-run infield single). Yuni would add a solo homerun in the top of the 9th inning.

Every Royals hitter collected at least one hit. Perez went 4-for-5.

» Continue reading “Royals Split With Blue Jays”

The KC Royals offense was shut down by the Toronto Blue Jays on July 4th up in Canada, as they lost 4-1.

What is it about Carlos Villanueva? I have seen him lit up many times in the past, but just four hits off a guy filling into the rotation? That is all the Royals could muster against Blue Jays starter Villanueva, who has moved from the bullpen to the rotation with all the starter injuries. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.

The Royals lone run came via a two out RBI triple by Jeff Francoeur in the 7th inning against Jason Frasor.

Meanwhile, Luis Mendoza was solid, but took the loss. He allowed three runs on nine hits over six innings. He walked one while striking out nine. All three runs came via sac flies.

Mendoza only allowed two hits after the 3rd inning while striking out six.

Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas, and Francoeur each had two hits in the loss. Eric Hosmer saw his average drop to .230 with three strikeouts.

The Royals and Blue Jays finish their series on Thursday as Luke Hochevar takes the mound against Henderson Alvarez, who has been the Blue Jays best starter.

*Vin Mazzaro was sent back to the minors following yesterday’s miserable start and reliever Louis Coleman was recalled to take his place. Outfielder Mitch Maier was designated to make room for Nate Adcock, who frequently makes the drive back and forth from Omaha to Kansas City. Maier played in just 32 games this season for the Royals, including pitching a scoreless inning of relief.

Check out the article on royals.com to hear all the good things manager Ned Yost and his teammates had to say about him. Maier spent 10 years in the system/big leagues.

**Don’t forget you have until tomorrow to vote for closer Jonathan Broxton for the final spot on the American League’s All-Star roster.