The KC Royals salvaged the final game of their three-game home series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon with a 3-2 walk-off win.

Alex Gordon was the hero, though Chris Getz also had a hand in the victory.

With the game tied at 2-2, the Blue Jays went to veteran lefty reliever Darren Oliver for the bottom of the ninth. The first three hitters were left-handed, as Oliver got Jarrod Dyson to fly out the center. But then Getz doubled, putting the winning run in scoring position. That brought up Gordon, who singled to right field on the very first pitch he saw from Oliver. Getz raced home for the game winner.

It was another pitcher’s duel between Ervin Santana and Brandon Morrow. Santana allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and three walks over eight innings. Morrow allowed two runs on six hits and one walk over six innings. He only struck out three.

Edwin Encarnacion did all the damage for the Blue Jays against Santana. He drove in a run in the first on a ground out and hit a solo home run in the sixth to give Toronto the lead. However, that lead was short-lived.

The Royals originally tied the game at 1-1 in the third on Alcides Escobar’s sac fly. In the bottom of the sixth, Billy Butler singled with one out and went to second base on Eric Hosmer’s two out single. Butler rumbled home to tie the game at 2-2 on Lorenzo Cain’s single to center. The game stayed tied until Gordon’s heroics in the ninth.

Kelvin Herrera pitched a perfect ninth to pick up the win.

The Royals will now enjoy an off day in Atlanta before playing two games against the Braves on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon. The Braves have won nine in a row and will be throwing Kris Medlen and Mike Minor. The Royals will counter with Jeremy Guthrie and Wade Davis. The Wednesday game will be televised on MLB Network beginning at noon ET.

In a matchup of a CY Young winner and a CY Young hopeful, the former winner got the better of the hopeful. RA Dickey, last season’s National League winner and new ace for the Toronto Blue Jays, beat KC Royals ace James Shields, 3-2. It was Dickey‘s first win as a Blue Jay.

Shields took the loss in a complete game effort. He allowed just two hits and walked three while striking out six. The big hit came with two outs and one on base in the 6th inning. It was a two-run blast from the slumping (.194 average) but powerful Jose Bautista. That gave the Blue Jays a 3-0 lead. Shields had six innings where he retired the side in order.

If only he could get some run support.

To say the Royals had their chances was an understatement. They collected eight hits, three of which were doubles. Billy Butler walked three times. They had runners on base in every inning but the fourth, but could not come up with a big hit.

In the very first inning with Butler on first base and two outs, Salvador Perez doubled. But Butler could not score from first base. Chris Getz doubled with one out in the fifth and did not advance. In the 6th inning, Perez singled and moved to second base on a passed ball and did not move off the base.

Alex Gordon and Perez each picked up two hits, while Getz went 3-for-4.

These were the games that haunted the Royals over the last two seasons (at least). They need to figure out how to make all of those hits amount to some runs. Or Shields will end up with a ton of losses this season. He’s already lost two of his three starts.

Ervin Santana will pitch the finale on Sunday against Brandon Morrow of the Blue Jays.

*Eric Hosmer has a tight quad and missed his second straight game. It is the same issue he had in spring training, but he is expected to play on Sunday.

The KC Royals welcomed the new look Toronto Blue Jays to town Friday night and lost, 8-3. The Royals led 3-2 after the first inning.

Luis Mendoza

However, the Blue Jays offense did not slow down after the first. They scored two more runs in the second and one more in the third, before pulling away with a three-run sixth. All of the runs were charged to starter Luis Mendoza. His line looks like this: 5.2IP, 7H, 8R (7ER), 3BB, 2K. Five of the seven hits he allowed were doubles and five of the hits he allowed came in the first two innings.

Lorenzo Cain‘s two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the first inning gave the Royals a short-lived lead. After his shaky first inning, Blue Jays starter JA Happ settled down. He retired ten in a row before the Royals got another run in the fifth.

After that, Blue Jays pitching (Happ, Sergio Santos, and Aaron Loup) retired the final 14 in a row. The lefty (Loup) threw three perfect innings of relief.

The Royals defense was a little shaky, as catcher Salvador Perez committed two throwing errors and third baseman Mike Moustakas also committed a throwing error.

On offense, the Royals collected just five hits, four of which were singles. Billy Butler went 0-for-2, but walked twice and scored a run.

The Royals and Blue Jays continue their series on Saturday as the two aces face off: James Shields versus RA Dickey.

*It was Mendoza‘s last start for awhile, as the Royals will go with a four-man rotation with all of the off days coming. That means they now have three long men in the bullpen.

**On a negative note, the Blue Jays lost shortstop Jose Reyes to a sprained ankle in the 6th inning on a slide at second base. He had to be carted off the field. It could be worse, as he went to the hospital for an MRI.

The KC Royals traded right-hander Jeremy Jeffress to the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations. He was placed on waivers last week.

Jeffress came to the Royals from the Milwaukee Brewers via the Zack Greinke deal. He has struggled throughout his career with his command.

He admitted that he made progress this season with the help of minor league pitching coaches Doug Henry and Larry (LC) Carter:

 ”In the last year, I felt like I made progress,” Jeffress said. “The first time I came up in April at the beginning of the year, it really opened my eyes. I felt like I had to learn a lot more stuff off the field and to be able to stay focused on my task at hand. The year before, 2011, I just felt like I was all off. It was my first year breaking camp with the big team and when I got sent down, my concentration was just all lost.”

He is expected to head to play winter ball for Bravos de Margarita in Venezuela. The Blue Jays need bullpen help and Jeffress could be a key cog if he can figure it all out.

» Continue reading “Bye, Bye Jeffress, Hottovy”

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.

The Toronto Blue Jays scored six runs in the bottom of the 6th inning, as they beat the visiting KC Royals, 6-3. This was after the Royals led 3-0.

Outside of two innings, the game in Toronto was scoreless.

The Royals scored three runs off Blue Jays starter Brett Cecil in the top of the 3rd inning. Jeff Francoeur and Salvador Perez led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Jason Bourgeois tripled both of them in. Alex Gordon followed with a sac fly and that was all the scoring for the Royals.

Cecil retired nine in a row before Mike Moustakas doubled to lead off the 7th inning to chase him from the game. The Royals could do nothing against the Blue Jays bullpen.

The top four in the Royals order went 0-for-4. The bottom half went 6-for-17.

Now let’s talk about that six-run 4th inning for the Blue Jays. With one out and runners at the corners, Edwin Encarnacion singled in a run. After Royals starter Vin Mazzaro struck out Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar singled to load the bases for Rajai Davis, who singled in two runs.

That brought a coaching visit, that did not help, as Adam Lind homered to cap the scoring.

Yet, Mazzaro kept on pitching. He was eventually removed in the bottom of the 6th inning with one on and one out. Here’s his final line: 5.1IP, 13H, 6R, 0BB, 3K.

After giving up all those hits, I guess we can be thankful Mazzaro didn’t give up more runs.

The Royals and Blue Jays continue their series up in Toronto, with Luis Mendoza facing Carlos Villanueva on Wednesday.

*Don’t forget that closer Jonathan Broxton needs your vote. Click HERE to help send him to the All-Star Game.

The KC Royals offense came to life tonight in Toronto, as they pounded the Blue Jays, 11-3.

The score was just 6-3 heading into the top of the 7th inning when the Royals exploded for five runs. That inning was capped by Mike Moustakas‘ grand slam.

Six Royals starters had multi-hit games. Jason Bourgeois went 3-for-3. Eric Hosmer moved into the three-spot and went 2-for-4. Moose drove in five runs. Salvador Perez went 2-for-4 with his third homerun of the season.

The woes continued for Blue Jays starter Ricky Romero, as he allowed eight runs on 11 hits over just six innings of work (plus two batters into the 7th inning). His ERA has ballooned over 5.00.

All of that offense made a winner of Everett Teaford, who allowed two homeruns (to American League leader Jose Bautista and Colby Rasmus). However, he allowed just three runs on five hits over seven innings to pick up his first win of the season.

Kelvin Herrera followed Teaford with a scoreless inning of relief. Lefty Tim Collins threw just nine pitches (seven strikes) to finish the game. He even struck out Adam Lind to end the game (on five pitches).

Hopefully the rest of the Royals starters can follow suit. Vin Mazzaro moves back from the bullpen to the rotation to start on Tuesday against the Blue Jays’ Brett Cecil.

The Toronto Blue Jays completed their first four-game series sweep since 2003, as they beat the KC Royals again on Monday night. The Royals have now lost 11 straight games and have lost all ten of their home games (which is a franchise record). Thank goodness they are heading out on the road to play tomorrow night (where they are 3-3 so far this season).

I thought tonight was the best chance for the Royals to end their skid, with veteran Bruce Chen on the mound. He has pitched the best for the Royals and he was solid yet again tonight.

Chen allowed a one-out solo homerun to Kelly Johnson in the top of the first inning. Eric Hosmer tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the 2nd inning with a solo homerun of his own. The game stayed tied until the top of the 6th inning.

Johnson led off the inning with a walk and Jose Bautista followed with a two-run homerun on the first pitch of the at-bat. Chen allowed those three runs on six hits and two walks over seven innings. He pitched well enough to earn a victory, but got just one run of support.

Meanwhile, Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow kept his wildness at bay, as he allowed that one run on seven hits and just one walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out three.

The Blue Jays tacked on an insurance run in the 9th inning against Jonathan Broxton.

The Royals had five extra-base hits, but went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. They also hit into two double plays.

Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Alcides Escobar each had two hits (six of the team’s nine hits).

The losing streak has reached ten games, as the KC Royals lost yet another home game, this time 5-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays.

You knew starter Danny Duffy wasn’t going to last long, as his pitch count climbed quickly. He lasted just 4.2 innings while allowing four runs on five hits and five walks. He threw 113 pitches, 66 for strikes. Duffy limited the damage throughout before the Blue Jay’s four-run 5th inning (which chased him from the game).

In contrast, Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero threw 104 pitches (65 for strikes) over eight innings. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Ricky-Ro allowed two runs in the bottom of the 5th inning (both scored on an Alcides Escobar force out).

The Blue Jays tacked on an insurance run in the 8th inning when Brett Lawrie (who went 1-for-4 with two RBIs) stole home as part of a double steal with two outs (JP Arencibia also stole second base on the play). That was two of the Blue Jays four stolen bases in the game.

The Royals had their chance in the 9th inning against new closer Francisco Cordero. Mike Moustakas (3-for-4) drove in the Royals first run with RISP (they were 1-for-10) to cut the deficit to 5-3. With runners at the corners and one out, manager Ned Yost decided to pinch-hit for Humberto Quintero with Brayan Pena. Pena hit into a game-ending double play.

The four-game series concludes Monday night as Bruce Chen will face Brandon Morrow. It will be interesting to see which Morrow shows up for the Blue Jays: the wild one or the dominant one. It would be nice for the Royals to FINALLY win a home game.

*The Blue Jays went just 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position.