Daily Clips
June 4, 2017
LOCAL
Cain, bats break out to back sharp Hammel
June 3, 2017 By Robert Falkoff and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Red-hot Merrifield keys Royals' outburst
Second baseman's MLB-best hit streak reaches 18 games with double
June 3, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Volquez honors Ventura's birthday before no-no
Marlins right-hander dedicates feat to fallen Royal, Fernandez
June 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Skoglund to follow sterling debut vs. Tribe
June 4, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
KC kids report on Royals as part of Play Ball
Youngsters-only news conference part of MLB-wide initiative celebrating youth baseball
June 3, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Royals lean on Lorenzo Cain as offense erupts in 12-5 victory
June 3, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals option Jorge Soler to Omaha, recall outfielder Billy Burns
June 3, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Just when you thought the Marlins were finished, a no-hitter and another win
June 3, 2017 By Ethan Bauer/Miami Herald (via KC Star)
On what would have been his 26th birthday, Royals remember Yordano Ventura
June 3, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
MINORS
Mayers Pitches Redbirds to 6-1 Win over Omaha
Sosa drives in first Triple-A run in defeat
June 3, 2017By Omaha Storm Chasers
Rocks Drop Pitching Duel in Series Finale
Dash Receive Clutch Hits to Pull Away from Blue Rocks
June 3, 2017By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Legends break tie in 7th, win 8-3
June 3, 2017By Lexington Legends
NATIONAL
Former and current teammates congratulate Edinson Volquez on no-hitter
June 3, 2017SN Staff/ESPN
Royals option OF Jorge Soler to minors
June 3, 2017By ESPN
Edinson Volquez's emotional no-hitter sends 'goosebumps' from Miami to Kansas City
June 3, 2017By Bob Nightengale/USA Today
Edinson Volquez pitches no-hitter, dedicates it to Yordano Ventura and Jose Fernandez
June 3, 2017By Allyssa Lee/Fox Sports
The touching motivation behind Edinson Volquez’s improbable no-hitter
June 3, 2017By Tim Brown/Yahoo Sports
MLB TRANSACTIONS
June 4, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Cain, bats break out to back sharp Hammel
June 3, 2017 By Robert Falkoff and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Right-hander Jason Hammel fired 6 2/3 strong innings and Lorenzo Cain capped a six-run fifth inning with a long home run as the Royals rallied for a 12-5 victory over the Indians on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
The 12 runs were a season high for the Royals, who batted around twice.
Hammel gave up three runs in the second inning when Carlos Santana belted his seventh home run and rookie Bradley Zimmer hit his third home run, a two-run shot. But Hammel shut down the Indians from there, retiring 15 of the final 17 batters he faced. He walked none and struck out seven.
"After the second inning he just kept getting better and better," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "His pitches just kept getting sharper and sharper."
Indians starter Carlos Carrasco was in complete control through four innings before the six-run fifth. He went 4 1/3 innings and gave up five hits and five runs. He walked two and struck out three.
"We have to get a little rest and come back and play a lot better because that wasn't close to good enough," Indians manager Terry Francona said.
Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield extended his career-high hitting streak to 18 games with a two-run double in the fifth. It's the longest active hitting streak in the Major Leagues and the longest by a Royal since Eric Hosmer's 18-game streak last season.
"That was a big moment in the game," Merrifield said. "It seemed once we got going, we were able to pour it on."
The Indians credited Hammel for his ability to regroup following the third-inning homers.
"It looked like maybe we had them on the ropes, but instead we let him settle in," Francona said. "You look up four innings later and he put up a bunch of zeros. He started using his breaking ball and elevated his fastball at times past our barrel. He got a lot of chase on the breaking ball."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Six-run outburst: Carrasco seemed poised to cruise to victory after four dominant innings, but the Royals jumped him in the fifth. Jorge Bonifacio and Brandon Moss opened with singles before Merrifield slashed his two-run double to right-center. Alex Gordon coaxed a walk, and one out later, Mike Moustakas reached out and pulled a two-run double into the right-field corner, ending Carrasco's day. Right-hander Nick Goody came in and served up a two-run home run to Cain, his third long ball. Statcast™ projected Cain's homer would have traveled 429 feet.
"I don't think [Carrasco] was much different," Merrifield said. "I think we just started having better approaches."
Staying Hot: Zimmer continues to impress since his Major League debut on May 16. The center fielder put the Indians in good position with a two-run homer in the second that gave Cleveland a 3-0 lead with the usually reliable Carrasco on the mound. Zimmer's blast carried an estimated 420 feet, per Statcast™, to right-center field, which marked his longest batted ball of the season.
"Zim put a really good swing on it," Francona said.
QUOTABLE
"We're still in this thing. Everybody knows that. Everybody in our locker room feels like we're in this." -- Yost, on his 24-30 Royals
ROYALS GET TO GOODY
When Cain capped a six-run rally with his two-run homer off Goody in the fifth, it snapped a season-opening string of 17 outings in which Goody hadn't allowed an earned run. Goody entered the game having allowed only one unearned run in 20 1/3 innings.
"He hung a breaking ball," Francona said. "I don't know that anybody can go through the year without giving up runs. He has been so good. He just left a breaking ball up."
WHAT'S NEXT
Indians: Right-hander Trevor Bauer (5-4, 6.00 ERA) gets the start for the Tribe in the series finale at 2:15 p.m. ET at Kauffman Stadium. Bauer struck out a career-high 14 batters in his last start, working seven innings and allowing three runs in a 9-4 victory over Oakland.
Royals: Left-hander Eric Skoglund (1-0, 0.00 ERA) gets the start for the Royals in the series finale Sunday at 1:15 p.m CT against the Tribe. In his Major League debut on Tuesday, he gave up three hits and no runs while striking out five over 6 1/3 innings in a 1-0 win over Detroit.
Red-hot Merrifield keys Royals' outburst
Second baseman's MLB-best hit streak reaches 18 games with double
June 3, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield simultaneously set the longest hitting streak in the Major Leagues this season and sparked a six-run outburst with one swing of the bat in the fifth inning of a 12-5 victory over the Indians on Saturday.
With runners on first and second and none out, Merrifield smacked a line drive to right-center field. The hit, which Statcast™ measured at 103.1 mph, scored both runners and extended Merrifield's career-high hitting streak to 18 games.
"That was a big moment for us," Merrifield said. "It felt good to put a barrel on it and watch it go in the gap."
Prior to Merrifield's hit, the Royals hadn't had much success against Indians starter Carlos Carrasco, who had mostly stifled Kansas City's bats over four scoreless innings. After it, three of four batters reached base. After Mike Moustakas plated two more on a double three batters later, the Royals had taken a lead it would not surrender and Carrasco was lifted from the game.
"[Moustakas'] double [and] Whit's double, I think those cracked the game open for us," Royals manager Ned Yost said.
Lorenzo Cain plated two runs (one charged to Carrasco) on a home run to cap the frame. The six runs in the inning is tied for the most by the Royals in an inning this season. The 12 runs marked a season high for Kansas City.
Merrifield finished the game 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Over his 18-game hitting streak, which began on May 13, the second-year player has hit .387 (24-for-62), raising his season average from .211 to .293.
After the Royals' six-run fifth inning, they scored five runs -- four unearned -- in the seventh and another in the bottom of the eighth. Though the final score showed a blowout and might have happened without Merrifield's hit, his streak-continuing double began the scoring onslaught. As usual though, Merrifield said his focus isn't on what is now the longest hitting streak in the Major Leagues this season. (Mike Trout and Jean Segura both logged 17-game streaks).
"It's cool, but to me, my consistency has been good," Merrifield said. "Every at-bat I go up and try to have the best at-bat I can. Whatever happens, happens."
Volquez honors Ventura's birthday before no-no
Marlins right-hander dedicates feat to fallen Royal, Fernandez
June 3, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Right-hander Edinson Volquez threw his first career no-hitter on Saturday in a 3-0 Marlins' victory over Arizona.
Quite possibly, Volquez got a little help from up above.
Volquez performed the feat on what would have been the 26th birthday of the late Yordano Ventura, who was Volquez's former teammate with the Royals and a close friend. Ventura died in a car accident in January in the Dominican Republic.
Volquez acknowledged Ventura's birthday before the first pitch Saturday by posting a picture of the two of them on Instagram.
Edinson Volquez honored Yordano Ventura's birthday before his no-hitter on Saturday.
Volquez, who signed as a free agent with the Marlins this offseason, lockered next to Ventura during Volquez's two seasons with the Royals in 2015-16. Royals management organized that arrangement purposely, hoping Volquez would serve as a mentor. It was a role Volquez embraced.
"He's my little bro," Volquez said last season.
After Saturday's no-hitter, Volquez paid tribute to Ventura.
"It's a great feeling," Volquez told reporters. "I dedicated this game to Jose Fernandez and Yordano Ventura. And I just do it for them … they're watching right now. And they might feel really happy right now.
"[Ventura] was one of my best friends. … I'm pretty sure he's in the right place right now, enjoying this moment."
Upon news of Volquez's no-hitter, his former Royals family reacted jubilantly.
Rene Francisco, the Royals' assistant general manager of international operations, helped sign Ventura and is close to Volquez as well.
"Very special for Eddie, especially on Yordano's birthday!" Francisco told MLB.com. "I'm sure that Eddie had Yordano on his mind once he was tasting the no-hitter. What a day for the Royals family."
Earlier in the day, Royals manager Ned Yost reflected on what would have been Ventura's 26th birthday.
"This is probably stupid," Yost said, "but every day when I get here, I'm generally the first one here, and the clubhouse is totally pitch black. I'll go and turn on all the lights, and I'll walk around the clubhouse.
"I always kind of stop at his locker and look at his pictures. We're all consciously or subconsciously reminded of him every single day. We try to push out the memories of the cemetery where he is buried and where he's at now compared to where he was -- that's what I try to do."
Skoglund to follow sterling debut vs. Tribe
June 4, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Royals left-hander Eric Skoglund had a Major League debut Kansas City manager Ned Yost said could have been the best he's ever seen. Now, the rookie has to follow up his performance.
Skoglund (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the chance to do so when the Royals face the Indians on Sunday in the series finale at Kauffman Stadium. Opposite Skoglund, the Indians will send right-hander Trevor Bauer (5-4, 6.00 ERA) to the mound.
Despite pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings and defeating Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander in his first start, Skoglund dismissed the notion that he feels pressure to repeat his opening performance. Skoglund allowed two hits and struck out five, becoming the first Royal to win his debut since J.P. Howell in 2005.
In his last start, Bauer struck out a career-high 14 batters over seven innings against Oakland.
Skoglund will face an Indians team that played its 54th game on Saturday, arriving at the one-third mark of the season. Thus far, the defending American League champions are 28-26. Last season, the Indians were not much better through 54 games, going 30-24 before heating up for a 22-6 run in June.
"You get into the grind of the season, and that's where you find out how good you can be," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Some of the abnormalities are gone because it's not the first two weeks of the season."
Things to know about this game
• The Indians' 2.17 bullpen ERA was the the lowest in the Major Leagues entering Saturday, while the Dodgers are second at 2.54.
• Bauer owns a 1-2 record with a 3.56 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals. In each of his last four outings against Kansas City, he has recorded a quality start.
• Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield hit an RBI double on Saturday to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, which is the longest in the Majors this season.
KC kids report on Royals as part of Play Ball
Youngsters-only news conference part of MLB-wide initiative celebrating youth baseball
June 3, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
When a young catcher participating in a kids-only news conference on Saturday morning asked Royals manager Ned Yost what his favorite position is, Yost, a former catcher himself, said catcher. As Yost responded, the young player's face brightened.
This catcher was one of 23 ballplayers from Raytown Baseball Association and Blue Springs Softball Association participating in the special event as part of Major League Baseball's Play Ball Weekend.
The second annual Play Ball Weekend features a variety of youth engagement activities by nearly 200 Major League and Minor League clubs to highlight the fun of youth baseball and softball. It is a complementary program of the Play Ball initiative, designed by MLB to celebrate youth baseball and softball participation. MLB has provided clubs with more than 300,000 youth plastic bat and ball sets to distribute in both ballparks and at community events.
Many MLB clubs are hosting skills and physical fitness clinics as well as surprise "takeovers" of youth baseball and softball games or practices featuring appearances by Major League players, alumni, mascots, public address announcers and more. Activities will include kids participating in special news conferences, pregame meet-and-greets and catches with players, ceremonial first pitches, public address duties, lineup card exchanges, taking the field with players, postgame running the bases and more. Major League players, coaches and managers will wear Play Ball Weekend patches during the weekend's games, and players on home clubs will wear custom T-shirts during batting practice on the date of their club's activations.
Teams that are on the road Saturday and Sunday will host their Play Ball Weekend activities during another homestand.
"I was so happy that the Royals reached out to us and asked us if we wanted to be a participant in it," said John Thompson, the president of Raytown Baseball Association. "[The kids'] eyes lit up when we told them."
The news conference closely resembled a regular news conference, except when the children asked questions, they sat next to Yost for a more personal experience.
Yost preached the value of hard work, said he gained strength by scrubbing pots and pans at Kentucky Fried Chicken and explained he wears the No. 3 because of the close friendship he had with NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. After Yost, second baseman Whit Merrifield answered questions about his career.
These kids, along with the winners of the Scotts Pitch, Hit & Run event, were honored on the field prior to Saturday's game against the Indians. The Royals Fan Express also surprised a youth pickup game at the Police Athletic League on Thursday, and the Royals will distribute ball and bat sets to children who participate in Sunday's Fun Run as they exit the stadium.
"I'm sure it's going to be one of those things that they're going to be telling their friends," Thompson said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them."
Royals lean on Lorenzo Cain as offense erupts in 12-5 victory
June 3, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
The pose came in the bottom of the fifth on Saturday afternoon, as the Royals delivered the fatal blows in a 12-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians, as a crowd of 26,497 watched the home side secure a series victory on a sun-lit afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.