In a battle of two true aces, Chicago‘s Chris Sale out-dueled KC‘s James Shields and the White Sox won, 1-0.

With a scoreless game in the fifth, Tyler Flowers led off the bottom of the inning with a solo homerun. Sale and the White Sox bullpen made it stand up.

Not like the Royals didn’t have their chances.

They had the bases loaded and one out in the third, but Billy Butler struck out and Mike Moustakas popped up to end the inning. In the 8th inning with runners on the corners and two out, Moose struck out against lefty reliever Matt Thornton to end another inning.

Meanwhile, these were the games I was afraid Shields would lose this season. The close games where he pitched well, but his offense was stagnant. He allowed eight hits over six innings and struck out six. He threw 102 pitches, 66 for strikes with temperatures around 40 degrees. But his offense couldn’t come through in the clutch (just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position).

Alcides Escobar and Jeff Francoeur went 2-for-4 and Esky stole a base. However, Frenchy also hit into a double play.

The Royals will enjoy a chilly day off on Wednesday before taking on the White Sox on Wednesday afternoon. Ervin Santana will make his first start in a Royals uniform against the White Sox Jake Peavy.

Opening Day is finally here!

The KC Royals open up their 2013 season with a lot of excitement and a ton of expectations. They begin on the road in Chicago to face their American League Central rival, the White Sox. They will be sending lefty Chris Sale to the mound to face new Royals ace, James Shields. Both teams hope to challenge the reigning division champions, the Detroit Tigers, this season.

It will be quite chilly for the 3pm CT start time (high expected around 40 degrees), so the pitching could be the talk of the day.

The Royals had a potent offense this spring, but their pitching may have been the talk in Surprise. Shields looks to keep the positive talk going. He will be going up against a very inconsistent lineup from a year ago, though it does have a few changes. One of those is Jeff Keppinger, who was Shields‘ teammate in Tampa last year (and who rarely strikes out). Shields has a 4.76 ERA in 11 starts against the White Sox, his highest ERA against any AL team.

Here is what MLB.com projects the White Sox lineup to look like tomorrow:

1. CF: Alejandro De Aza
2. 3B: Jeff Keppinger
3. RF: Alex Rios
4. DH: Adam Dunn
5. 1B: Paul Konerko
6. LF: Dayan Viciedo
7. SS: Alexei Ramirez
8. C: Tyler Flowers
9. 2B: Gordon Beckham

The Royals are loaded with left-handed hitters, so it could be a challenge tomorrow against Sale. Here is what their lineup should look like:

1. LF: Alex Gordon
2. SS: Alcides Escobar (who has a .435 average against Sale)
3. DH: Billy Butler
4. 3B: Mike Moustakas
5. C: Salvador Perez
6. 1B: Eric Hosmer
7. CF: Lorenzo Cain
8. RF: Jeff Francoeur
9. 2B: Chris Getz

Meanwhile, the White Sox are glad to not see lefty Bruce Chen not start against them over the next three games. Chen won six games against them over the last two seasons (second most to Justin Verlander) and he carried a 3.13 ERA.

Last season, the Royals were the thorn in the White Sox side, helping the Tigers win the division crown. KC went 12-6 against Chicago.

The KC Royals have finalized their Opening Day roster, with George Kottaras being named the backup catcher. If Salvador Perez stays healthy, I’m not sure how much Kottaras is going to actually play anyway.

Brett Hayes lost the battle, but cleared waivers and took the assignment to Triple-A Omaha. The battle came down to which side of the plate they bat from and the Royals chose to go with the left-handed bat.

Now to today’s final Cactus League game…

In Surprise against Cleveland, the Royals won 5-1. They were out-hit, 11-6. The Royals scored two runs in both the fifth and eighth innings after the score was tied at 1-1.

Four of their six hits were long balls. Alex Gordon led off the first inning with a solo shot. In the 5th inning, both Jeff Francoeur and Elliott Johnson hit solo homeruns. All three of those shots came against starter Ubaldo Jimenez. Cuban minor league outfielder Roman Hernandez hit a solo homerun in the 8th inning off Nick Hagadone.

Lefty Tim Collins picked up the win, as he pitched one scoreless inning of relief. He followed up starter Jeremy Guthrie, who allowed one run on six hits over four innings. After Collins, five relievers pitched shutout baseball.

Next up for the Royals, OPENING DAY in Chicago!

The KC Royals are holding an online ticket opportunity so fans have a chance to secure tickets for the team’s home opener against the Minnesota Twins on Monday, April 8th. First pitch is 3:10pm CT.

Go to http://www.royals.com/openingday and register. Registration is NOW open and will close on Wednesday, February 6th at 5pm CT. A random drawing to purchase two Opening Day tickets will be held later in the week and winners will be notified by Monday, February 11th via the email submitted during registration. The email will dictate how long the winners have to purchase the tickets.

Another benefit of registering, all fans regardless if they are selected in the drawing, will have the opportunity to purchase any other 2013 Royals home game tickets prior to the public in a special presale on Thursday, February 14th on royals.com.

Or you could just purchase Royals season tickets, half-season plans, the 21-game plan, or the 15 Game Pick’em Pack.

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The KC Royals begin their quest for a winning season on Friday as they face the LA Angels. The Royals will try to claw back into contention by using homegrown players. They will try to live up to everyone’s expectations as a young team on the rise. The Angels made a huge splash in the free agent market this past offseason.

The Angels not only beefed up their already dominant rotation with the signing of left-hander CJ Wilson (who has pitched in two straight World Series), but they added slugging first baseman Albert Pujols to hopefully turn their struggling lineup around. The Royals will miss Wilson, as he is set to be the Angels’ fourth starter.

Against the Royals in six games in 2011, Pujols went 8-for-23 with four runs scored and two RBIs. He only struck out once as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Royals set their Opening weekend rotation forever ago. The Angels finally set theirs on Wednesday. The Royals and Angels open the season against each other for the second straight year, this time in Anaheim.

Friday: Bruce Chen (LHP) vs. Jered Weaver (RHP)

Chen started opening weekend against the Angels last season and was lit up (hopefully that won’t happen again this year). He allowed five runs on eight hits (three homeruns) and two walks over five innings.

This is the third straight Opening Day start for Weaver. Last season in Kansas City, Weaver picked up the victory over the Royals. He allowed two hits over 6.1 shutout innings.

» Continue reading “Royals @ Angels Opening Weekend Preview”

Three of the KC Royals minor league teams got underway on Thursday and two of them went home winners.

The defending Pacific Coast League champion Omaha Storm Chasers used a four-run 7th inning to overtake visiting Albuquerque, 8-4. They pounded out 13 hits, with every starter collecting at least one hit. Clint Robinson went 3-for-5 and Kevin Kouzmanoff went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Lefty Will Smith got the start, but struggled mightily with his command. He walked six in just three innings (70 pitches, 36 for strikes). However his offense, and for the most part his bullpen, picked him up.

NW Arkansas was not as lucky. The Naturals lost on the road at Corpus Christi, 9-0. It was actually a close game until the Hooks scored seven runs in the 6th inning. The Naturals struggled on defense, as they committed five errors which cost them four runs.

Lefty Chris Dwyer picked up the loss, as he allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits over 4.1 innings. He struck out five and only walked one. Offensively, they collected just five hits. Terry Evans hit a double, while Rey Navarro had a triple.

Kane County won a wild affair, 11-10 over Quad Cities. The second inning alone must have taken at least an hour to complete. The Cougars scored nine runs in the top of the 2nd with QC coming right back with six runs of their own.

It also was a sloppy game, as the two teams combined for nine errors. QC pitchers walked seven batters.

The last two pitchers for the Cougars pitched shutout ball. Matt Ridings allowed one hit over 2.1 innings while striking out two. Nick Graffeo struck out two over one inning to pick up the save.

Offensively for the Cougars, Daniel Mateo and Lane Adams collected two hits each. Adams hit his first homerun of the season (a grand slam) and also hit a triple.

It doesn’t happen very often, but the minor league season gets underway before many of the Major League teams play their first games in 2012. Three of the four KC Royals full season affiliates open the season on Thursday, while the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks open on Friday night (just like the Royals but earlier).

Triple-A Omaha, the 2011 Pacific Coast League Champions, open their season at home against Albuquerque. The rotation will be anchored by lefty Mike Montgomery. The outfield will include the speedy trio of David Lough, Jarrod Dyson, and Derrick Robinson. Second baseman Johnny Giavotella will be looking to make it a short stay in Omaha.

Double-A NW Arkansas beings their 5th season on the road against Corpus Christi. Their rotation will most likely be led by lefty Chris Dwyer and right-hander Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi will be joined by Blue Rocks mates Noel Arguelles, Justin Marks, and Tim Melville. Bryan Paukovits did a nice job closing games in Wilmington in 2011 and should be used late in games for the Naturals. Offensively, the lineup will be anchored by outfielder Wil Myers, who returns to the Naturals to prove that 2011 was a fluke. He’ll be joined in the outfield by minor league veteran Terry Evans, Carlo Testa, and Yem Prades. Watch out for Prades because he is just tapping into his potential. John Whittleman will be looked to for power, as hit 20 homeruns in Wilmington (where power hitters go to die).

The Blue Rocks open their 20th season in Myrtle Beach, like they do just about every season. There aren’t many returning faces: just four who played the entire 2011 season there (though shortstop Alex McClure was hurt for most of the second half). Tyler Sample, the only starting returnee, gets the nod to start tomorrow night’s opener. However there are alot of prospects heading to Wilmington who played under manager Vance Wilson in 2011 (like Cheslor Cuthbert, Jason Adam, Brian Fletcher, and Yordano Ventura).

Low-A Kane County opens their season at Quad Cities. The Cougars do not return a lot of players either and will be playing under first year manager Brian Buchanan. Two pitchers on the Cougars staff were drafted in 2011: Aaron Brooks and Kellen Moen. Brooks Pounders, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason, will be making his Royals debut with the Cougars.

With the KC Royals enjoying a rare  day off between spring training games and exhibition games (they play the San Diego Padres tomorrow at Petco Park), today is a great day to look at the roster manager Ned Yost will be bringing to play the LA Angels for Friday’s Opening Day (well, night).

ROTATION: Yost set the rotation about a week ago (while some teams still have yet to name their Opening Day starters *cough* Angels *cough*). Left-hander Bruce Chen will start Opening Night against the Angels, followed by right-hander Luke Hochevar and lefty Jonathan Sanchez. Hochevar is then in line to start the Royals home opener against the Cleveland Indians on Friday, April 13th.

Right-hander Luis Mendoza will slot in behind Sanchez and will start the first game in Oakland. Lefty Danny Duffy rounds out the rotation. So that’s L-R-L-R-L.

BULLPEN: The bullpen took a major hit when Joakim Soria hurt his elbow (and will succumb to Tommy John surgery tomorrow). That makes the signing of Jonathan Broxton that much more meaningful. Yost right now will go with a closing three-headed monster of Broxton, Greg Holland, and Aaron Crow. Don’t be surprised if rookie Kelvin Herrera takes over that job by the end of the season.

Even with all the lefties in the rotation, Yost decided to carry three left-handers in the bullpen. Jose Mijares is the veteran, as he signed this offseason after spending his entire career with American League Central foe Minnesota. Everett Teaford and Tim Collins are in the bullpen for their sophomore seasons. Teaford most likely will fill long-man duties.

» Continue reading “Take a Look at the Royals Opening Day Roster”

With the big league Royals off today, it gives me a little bit of a chance to rant. Why is it that so many people want (or need) to attend a team’s home opener to celebrate Opening Day? I get it if your team won the World Series and they are raising the flag and receiving their rings (like the Giants). Sure there is a little more festivities planned than a “normal” game, but the game is still the game.

Where are all the fans the next game or the rest of the games in the week following Opening Day? It’s great to see the ballparks packed for Opening Day (or Opening Weekend), but it’s so disheartening to see all the empty seats after that. Watching the games on TV show ALL the empty seats.

The Cincinnati Reds drew well for Opening Weekend, but come the following week, the team had an attendance of 11,821 for a game. The Cleveland Indians drew 41,721 on Opening Day, but just 9,853 the very next day. The same can be said for the Royals. They drew just over 40,000 for Opening Day, but just 13,302 the next day. The Baltimore Orioles started out the season with higher expectations and have played pretty well. They drew 46,593 on Opening Day, but just 12,451 the next day. These aren’t the only teams that took attendance hits after Opening Day or Opening Weekend. Most of the teams took at least a 10,000 fan decline from Opening Day to the next game. Check out my spreadsheet at the bottom of all the teams’ attendances.

Commissioner Bud Selig is expecting an increase of 3-7% in attendance after a 0.4% decline in 2010. With Selig expecting (and wanting) this attendance increase after three years of small declines, he decided to begin Opening Day on March 31^st or April 1^st, the Thursday or Friday before the normal Sunday night and Monday start. He said this change was to eliminate World Series games in November (which it does), but really he wants a boost in attendance (and to make more money). Starting Opening Day heading into a weekend prevents the normal HUGE drop-off that occurs in the games immediately following Opening Day. Monday-Thursday games notoriously have weaker attendance, especially while school is still in session. Over the last three years, attendance has dropped 36.7% on Day 2 for teams. This season, the drop has only been 28%.

People make excuses for not attending games after Opening Day, like it’s too cold, it’s raining, it’s snowing, the kids have homework, and I have to work. However, attending Opening Day requires kids to play hooky and adults to take off from work. Opening Day can also have bad weather. How come teams like the Phillies, Red Sox, Twins, Angels, and Yankees continue to keep the attendance close to the Opening Day totals in the following days (though Yankees Stadium looked half empty for an ESPN televised game but paid attendance was still high)? Sure, LA gets pretty decent weather this time of year, but Boston, Philly, NY, and Minnesota have cold and damp early season weather.

So really, I can’t figure out why the high attendances for Opening Day, but the low attendance for the rest of the games.

Opening Day for the Royals and their  fans did not turn out the way they had hoped in a 4-2 loss to the visiting LA Angels (the Angels have won 27 of 34 at Kauffman Stadium), but there is plenty to get excited about.

Three Royals relievers made their Major League debuts on Opening Day, all sporting their new mohawks (courtesy of veteran relievers Joakim Soria and Robinson Tejeda). First onto the mound was 2009 first round pick Aaron Crow, who relieved starter Luke Hochevar in the ^6th inning with a man on base. In his 1.1 inning of work (and facing the Angels heart of the order), Crow struck out three of the four hitters he faced.

Next was Nate Adcock, the Rule V pick from the Pittsburgh Pirates who had not pitched above Single-A. Adcock pitched a scoreless inning (though the first pitch he threw went to the backstop). He received some help from excellent defense behind him. On a base hit to right field, Angels catcher Jeff Mathis tried to score from second base. Jeff Francoeur made a perfect one-hop throw to the plate and catcher Matt Treanor held onto the throw as Mathis plowed into him. Inning over.

The final Royal to debut was lefty Tim Collins, who was acquired via a trade with the Atlanta Braves last July (by way of the Toronto Blue Jays about two weeks prior). In his scoreless inning, he struck out Torii Hunter.

The Royals may not have won the game, but they showcased some really good relievers (and closer Soria didn’t even get in the game).