The KC Royals have one roster spot left to make a decision on, and that would be the backup catcher. That competition is between right-handed hitter Brett Hayes and left-handed hitter George Kottaras.

Manager Ned Yost has made all the other decisions.

Following last night’s game, the final bullpen spot was decided. JC Gutierrez, who is out of options, took the final spot. He hasn’t pitched that well this spring, though he looked good last night. Right-handers Dan Wheeler and incumbent Louis Coleman were sent to minor league camp. It will be interesting to see what happens with Wheeler because he had a great spring. He could end up with another team looking for a veteran.

The Royals did have a game today, which they won over Cincinnati, 8-3. They scored five runs in the third and two more in the fifth.

Alex Gordon led off the 3rd inning with a solo homerun (his seventh this spring). With one out, Billy Butler singled and Mike Moustakas walked. Salvador Perez followed with his second homerun this spring. After an Eric Hosmer single, Lorenzo Cain tripled him in.

With runners at second and third base and two outs in the 5th inning, Miguel Tejada drove in a run with an infield single. Pinch-hitter Max Ramirez drove in another with a single and fellow pinch-hitter Paulo Orlando singled in Tejada.

The Royals offense pounded out 16 hits, seven for extra bases. Gordon, Orlando, Butler, Perez, and Cain each collected two hits. Hosmer went 3-for-5.

Ervin Santana allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk over four innings. He struck out three. Bruce Chen followed with two scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, but struck out two. Then minor league relievers Malcolm Culver and Buddy Baumann each threw a scoreless inning before Wheeler allowed a solo homerun in the ninth.

The Royals finish up their Cactus League schedule on Friday, as they welcome AL Central rival Cleveland to Surprise. Jeremy Guthrie will get the start and Luke Hochevar and Tim Collins will try to finish up the spring strong in relief. They will fly to Chicago after the game. Ubaldo Jimenez is expected to pitch five innings for the Indians.

*Remember when I wrote last night that the Royals were winning their night game? Well, they ended up in a 9-9 tie. Luke Hochevar was lit up for five runs and Aaron Crow allowed two. Hochevar allowed five hits and walked one in just 2/3 of an inning. Crow allowed two hits over 1.1 innings. Minor league reliever Sam Runion pitched a perfect ninth.

That eliminated the great game from Chris Getz, who went 6-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

The KC Royals lost their day game on Wednesday in Maryvale, 9-1 to Milwaukee.

Luis Mendoza had his worst outing of the spring, allowing six runs (four earned) on ten hits and one walk over 5.2 innings. He did strike out three, but allowed a solo homerun to veteran Alex Gonzalez.

Atahualpa Severino also allowed a home run in his 2/3 of an inning (two runs on three hits). Francisley Bueno allowed a hit in his one inning of work and Dan Wheeler allowed his first run this spring.

On offense Xavier Nady, who was just re-signed, hit a home run off Brewers Opening Day starter Yovani Gallardo. Miguel Tejada played the whole game (between third and first) and picked up two hits. He also committed an error.

Paulo Orlando played most of the game in right field and had an outfield assist.

The Royals regulars stayed home to play the night game against the Chicago Cubs, which they are currently winning, 8-2. They scored two runs in each of the first three innings.

Lorenzo Cain hit a solo homerun in the second. Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit back-to-back home runs in the third. Alex Gordon hit a solo home run in the fourth.

Chris Getz is having a great game: he is 4-for-4. He drove in a run in the first with a triple and another in the second with a single. Perez and Eric Hosmer are 2-for-4. Gordon has three hits.

Opening Day starter James Shields pitched great, before giving up two runs in the fifth, his final inning. He allowed three hits and walked one, while striking out four. Lefty Tim Collins allowed one hit in 2/3 of an inning and Kelvin Herrera finished off the sixth. JC Gutierrez followed with a perfect inning (he struck out two). Luke Hochevar is in the game right now.

*Ervin Santana will start tomorrow in Goodyear against Cincinnati and Mat Latos.

**I mentioned how Nady was resigned, as was reliever George Sherrill. Meanwhile, Irving Falu was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. That means that Elliott Johnson and Miguel Tejada will be the backup infielders. Reliever Bueno was also sent to Omaha and reliever Severino was reassigned to minor league camp.

That leaves Louis Coleman, Gutierrez, and Wheeler for the final bullpen spot. The backup catcher’s job is still up for grabs between George Kottaras and Brett Hayes.

Can the KC Royals carry the best record in the Cactus League into the 2013 season? Fans sure hope so.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Royals beat the Seattle Mariners, 11-6. They used a six run 5th inning to push them to victory.

M’s starter Jeremy Bonderman, who is attempting a comeback, was great through four innings before the fifth. Meanwhile, Sugar Ray Marimon allowed four runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings in his spot start.

Catcher Brett Hayes, who is battling George Kottaras for the backup job, went 4-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs. The RBI triple came in the fifth, as the Royals also picked up three doubles, one coming from Jeff Francoeur that drove in two.

Bruce Chen loaded the bases in the 6th inning, but escaped the jam without allowing a run.

Lefty reliever Tim Collins continues to struggle since his return from the World Baseball Classic. He allowed solo homeruns to Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Morse in the seventh. The Mariners have now hit homeruns in 29 of 30 games and lead all teams in longballs with 54.

The Royals will play a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday. Luis Mendoza will get the start in the day game in Maryvale against Milwaukee. Luke Hochevar, Dan Wheeler, JC Gutierrez, and Francisley Bueno are also scheduled to pitch. The last three are battling for the final bullpen spot. James Shields will start the night game against the Chicago Cubs in Surprise.

*You may not have heard of Dominican pitcher Carlos Fortuna, but check out this article on the Royals website about him and his unfortunate passing of cancer. It was hard to read without shedding a tear.

Being a Jersey girl, it’s not too often that I get to watch the KC Royals on TV. Last night, MLB Network picked up the live Royals broadcast of their game in Surprise against Zack Greinke and the LA Dodgers.

Both teams used their starting nine, so it was an interesting matchup.

Here is what I learned:

• Wade Davis out-pitched Greinke. He looked really good and could be the x-factor in their rotation.

• The Royals offense could be pretty special this season. They did rack up the strikeouts, especially against Dodgers lefty JP Howell (who struck out four in 1.2 innings). The one negative was that out of their 15 hits last night, only one was for extra bases (Salvador Perez‘ two-run double). They need to be more of a singles hitting team.

• 

  Via Luis Mendoza (Twitter)

  Speaking of Perez, he is one tough dude. He caught all nine innings and took a foul ball off his head in the ninth.

• Rex Hudler is really annoying, so I have some sympathy for the Royals fans who have to listen to him on a nightly basis. It was fun to listen to the players get on him throughout the broadcast.

• Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur have this weird bromance (which I didn’t see while I was down in Arizona), but look forward to seeing their special Opening Day handshake that they are working on. They wouldn’t give a sneak peak though.

• James Shields is a special guy and it will be interesting to see how Tampa Bay deals with his loss. Not just on the mound, but in the clubhouse.

• Miguel Tejada is really quiet when getting interviewed. I guess I figured he would be loud like Frenchy considering how boisterous he is while playing.

• Prospect Bubba Starling is hurt yet again. During the broadcast, they said that he has been dealing with some leg issues and hasn’t been playing in minor league games lately. Wonder if he’ll break camp with Lexington or stick around in Arizona?

*In other news, outfielder David Lough was optioned to Triple-A Omaha, despite being the Royals best hitter this spring, so he can play everyday. That means that Jarrod Dyson will be the Royals fourth outfielder. I had a chance to see Lough play alot while I was down in Arizona and he impressed me.

**They also released veteran outfielder Xavier Nady, who was hurt most of spring training, and reliever George Sherrill, who was still recovering from Tommy John surgery and did not pitch. I understood releasing Nady, but what was the point in signing Sherrill when you knew he probably wasn’t going to pitch during spring games?

That brought the Royals roster down to 33 (counting TJS pitchers Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino).

***Bruce Chen will make his final Cactus League start today in trying to win that fifth starter’s spot. He will face the Seattle Mariners and Jeremy Bonderman, who is making a comeback.

It’s not too often that the KC Royals are on TV, but they are currently live on MLB Network right now.

They are home in Surprise (where it doesn’t look too crowded) against the LA Dodgers (who brought their starting nine). Guess who is on the mound for the Dodgers?

Zack Greinke.

So far, the Royals offense is pressuring Greinke in the second inning. They scored two runs in the first on Salvador Perez’ double. They had runners on the corners with one out in the second, but Alex Gordon took strike three. Alcides Escobar then flied out to send the game to the third.

On the mound for the Royals is Wade Davis, who induced an inning-ending double play from Matt Kemp in the first. In the second, he worked around a two out single.

So if you are looking for something to watch, flip to MLB Network to check out the game. Be warned, it is the Royals broadcast so you will have to listen to Rex Hudler.

On Saturday, the KC Royals named Chris Getz the starting second baseman for Opening Day. Many feel that he was manager Ned Yost’s pick before spring training even started, so it really was not a competition.

Johnny Giavotella will head to Triple-A Omaha to start the season with a very crowded infield.

When I saw the Royals three times while in Arizona, Getz was the better of the two. Over the camp as a whole, Getz led in most categories. He hit .372 (16-for-43) with 12 runs scored and three stolen bases. He also had a .426 on-base percentage. Meanwhile, Gio hit .267 (12-for-45) with six runs scored and just a .283 on-base percentage. Both had three doubles and a homerun, but Gio had more RBIs (11 compared to six).

The biggest issue with Gio is that he can hit minor league pitching, but has not been able to put it together at the big league level. For Getz, it is a matter of staying healthy. Getz has always been the better defender, though Gio has improved. But Getz does all the little things (steals bases and bunts), which Yost loves.

Getz is hoping to end the longest homer-less streak in the big leagues early this season. His last homerun came back on July 19, 2009 when he was with the Chicago White Sox (918 at-bats ago). Which means, he has yet to hit a homerun in 793 at-bats with the Royals. His last homerun came against current teammate Jeremy Guthrie.

Now to the crowded Omaha infield. Prospect Christian Colon will be there, though I guess now he will be the starting shortstop. There is a chance that both Irving Falu and Miguel Tejada end up starting in Omaha, though I bet Tejada makes the big league roster. Then you add in Brandon Wood and Anthony Seratelli, who were also in big league camp. And that doesn’t count players from Double-A who could move up from last season. Gio‘s time to blossom as a big league hitter is getting shorter, as the Royals prospects keep climbing the ranks.

Maybe a trade is in store for him?

The KC Royals used the long ball on Wednesday, along with some help from their opponent, the LA Dodgers. The Royals won, 7-2. Their three run first inning came without a home run.

Their first run scored when Nick Punto dropped a pickoff attempt. Then Mike Moustakas drove in a run with a single before a wild pitch by Dodgers starter Aaron Harang brought in the third run.

The Royals got three solo home runs in the game. Lorenzo Cain hit a home run in the fourth (he went 2-for-2). Moose hit a home run in the fifth (he went 3-for-3 and fell a triple short of a cycle). Johnny Giavotella hit a solo shot in the sixth.

Jeff Francoeur went 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

Wade Davis was a bit erratic over his four plus inning start. He left in the fifth with the bases loaded. Louis Coleman allowed one of those runs to score. Overall, Davis allowed that one run on two hits and four walks. Coleman pitched that one inning and Juan Gutierrez allowed another run in the sixth. Donnie Joseph, Tim Collins, and Dan Wheeler each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

They have an off day on Thursday, but not for Bruce Chen, who will pitch in a minor league game. On Friday, the Royals will travel to Tempe to face the LA Angels with James Shields getting the start. Greg Holland, Aaron Crow, Luke Hochevar, Francisley Bueno, and Kelvin Herrera are also expected to pitch.

Manager Ned Yost is expected to name his five-man rotation on Friday and he is leaning toward a seven-man bullpen.

Okay, the KC Royals were already losing when closer Greg Holland took the mound in the 9th inning against the visiting Colorado Rockies. But the way the offense has been hitting, they could have come back. Instead, the Royals lost, 7-2.

It has been a rough spring so far for Holland, who the team will be counting on once the regular season begins. On Tuesday, he allowed a leadoff single to Rockies prospect Nolan Arenado and a wild pitch moved him to second base. After another single, DJ LeMahieu drove in a run with a single. After an error loaded the bases, Corey Dickerson doubled in two more runs and chased Holland from the game. Francisley Bueno retired the next two batters in order to escape the inning.

Holland threw 30 pitches, 18 for strikes. His spring ERA ballooned to 5.40. Is this something we should be concerned about?

The Royals offense picked up eight hits, but scored just two runs (one each in the second and eighth). The third baseman drove in both runs: Mike Moustakas‘ homerun in the second and Rey Navarro‘s RBI single in the eighth. Moose collected two hits.

Jeremy Guthrie took the loss, as he allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits over six innings. He walked one while striking out two. He actually had a no-hitter into the fourth and then was lit up for three runs in the fifth.

The Royals will play the LA Dodgers on Wednesday in Surprise with Wade Davis set to make the start. Tim Collins, Juan Gutierrez, Donnie Joseph, and Louis Coleman are also expected to pitch.

In a rare night game during spring training, the KC Royals were shut down by the Texas Rangers, 8-2. Their scoring came late on Monday night (via Brandon Wood‘s double), while Texas’ came early and often against Ervin Santana.

Santana allowed six runs on ten hits over just four innings. He had pitched well so far this spring (just two runs allowed over nine innings in his first four starts). Was last night’s start a sign of things to come or just a blip on the radar?

The Royals offense was shut down by Derek Lowe to start, then a rookie (Joe Ortiz), and then a guy who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues in a few years (Nate Robertson).

In good news, shortstop Alcides Escobar returned to the lineup after missing six games (I didn’t get a chance to see him play while I was out in Arizona). He went 0-for-3 in the game. Centerfielder Lorenzo Cain continues to hit, as he went 2-for-2.

Next up for the Royals, they welcome the Colorado Rockies to Surprise. Jeremy Guthrie is scheduled to start on Tuesday, while Greg Holland is also scheduled to pitch.

*The Royals made massive cuts on Monday, as they trimmed their spring roster down to 40. First, they cut the fifth rotation spot down to just two pitchers, Bruce Chen and Luis Mendoza. Will Smith and Yordano Ventura were both sent to minor league camp. Other pitchers who were sent to minor league camp include Nate Adcock, Everett Teaford, Blaine Boyer, Michael Mariot, and Brian Sanches. Mariot has put himself on the team’s radar after a successful 2012 season and a very good spring, where opponents hit just .120 against him.

Then the Royals cut some position players. Christian Colon, Adam Moore, Anthony Seratelli, Brandon Wood, and Willy Taveras were all cut following Monday night’s game. Moore lost out to Brett Hayes and George Kottaras for the backup catcher’s role. Neither of those two impressed me while I was in Arizona, while Moore hit (.320 with two homeruns). But Moore did not catch much. Taveras also hit (.406), but did not play at all last season.

The KC Royals played American League Central foe Chicago for the first time this spring and pounded them, 10-0. The offense collected 18 hits, but just two for extra bases (both doubles).

The Royals jumped on White Sox starter Zach Stewart in the very first inning for four runs. In that inning, they picked up five hits and a walk, as they welcomed back first baseman Eric Hosmer to the lineup. He drove in a run with a single (and went 2-for-4 in the game).

It was all about the Royals starters on Sunday afternoon. Alex Gordon went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Billy Butler went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. I guess he’s fine after going face first into the dugout on Friday for a foul ball. Lorenzo Cain continues to hit, as he went 2-for-4. However, the bench also did well, as Johnny Giavotella drove in a run with a double. Max Ramirez went 1-for-1 with an RBI and Brett Hayes went 1-for-1 with a run scored.

The Royals scored their final two runs off White Sox reliever Jeff Gray in the 7th inning (on four hits). That came after he struck out all three batters he faced in the sixth.

The Royals pitching on Sunday was just as good as its offense (if only they could put it altogether during the regular season). Luis Mendoza may have given himself a bigger edge to the fifth starter’s spot. He allowed four hits and a walk over five shutout innings. Mendoza retired the final nine batters he faced, as he threw 42 of his 63 pitches for strikes.

Nate Adcock, Juan Gutierrez, Dan Wheeler, and Greg Holland each threw a scoreless inning of relief. Holland rebounded from a shaky outing on Friday with two strikeouts on Sunday.

Tim Collins and Eric Hosmer returned to Surprise on Sunday from their stint with Team USA, who was upset by Puerto Rico in the second round of the World Baseball Classic. From reading Collins’ comments, it didn’t seem like he was too happy about sitting in the bullpen instead of pitching.

*On Saturday, the Royals made this big point to mention that Bruce Chen was going to be the first starter to step to the plate this spring. Well, he went 0-for-1 but his pitching was awful. He allowed five homeruns, three of which came in the very first inning (I’m glad I had already left Arizona). Somehow, Chen lasted five innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk.

The Royals offense pounded out 11 hits, but only scored three runs. It looks like the offense hasn’t changed too much from last year. David Lough and Christian Colon both collected two hits in the 9-3 loss.

**For those who were wondering, I made it safely home to New Jersey. The flight was smooth and sunny, until we arrived in Philly, where it was cold and rainy. I think it is going to take awhile for me to get used to the cold again. I’m also having some trouble re-adjusting to the timezone difference (that and I didn’t really sleep Friday night with the early Saturday morning flight).