Daily Clips
July 8, 2017
LOCAL
Royals can't back Hammel, fall to Dodgers
July 8, 2017By Ken Gurnick and Joshua Thornton/MLB.com
Strahm out for season; Karns' year in doubt
Lefty undergoes knee surgery; Righty showing symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome
July 8, 2017BY Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Hammel stays on solid run in 8th quality start
July 8, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Kennedy on a roll for matchup with McCarthy
July 8, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Cooled off in Los Angeles: Royals fall 4-1 to Dodgers in series opener
July 8, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals' pitcher Matt Strahm undergoes season-ending knee surgery
July 8, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals starting pitcher Nathan Karns could undergo thoracic outlet surgery, miss rest of season
July 8, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Could Sal Perez reach the Hall of Fame someday? George Brett thinks so
July 8, 2017By Sam Mellinger/MLB.com
Ashe Russell, Royals’ 2015 first-round pick, steps away from baseball
July 8, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
At one point, #VoteMoose was trending No. 4 in the world
July 8, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
MINORS
Mondesi Slams, but Chasers Fall 7-5 in Iowa
Chasers can't overcome early deficit
July 8, 2017Omaha Storm Chasers
Dykxhoorn Drops Naturals
Hooks, Travs in 1st of 3 Saturday at 7:05
July 8, 2017Corpus Christi Hooks
DeVito, Collins Lead Rocks Over P-Nats
Solid Relief Pitching Shutdown Potomac in Third Straight Win
July 8, 2017WIlmington Blue Rocks
Legends hold Drive to one hit in 5-2 win
July 8, 2017Lexington Legends
Royals Hold Off Braves For Road Win
Carrasco hits massive homer in 7-6 triumph in Danville
July 8, 2017By Matt Krause/Burlington Royals
MLB TRANSACTIONS
July 8, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals can't back Hammel, fall to Dodgers
July 8, 2017By Ken Gurnick and Joshua Thornton/MLB.com
In a clash of sizzling teams, the Dodgers won their Interleague series opener against the Royals Friday night at Dodger Stadium, 4-1, with winning starter Kenta Maeda scoring the go-ahead run and YasielPuig slugging a bat-flip homer for insurance.
The Dodgers now have a four-game win streak after snapping Kansas City's four-game win streak. The Dodgers are 24-4 since June 7, while the Royals have the next-best record in MLB in that span at 19-9. The Dodgers need to win one of the next two games to become the first MLB team with at least 60 wins at the All-Star break since the 2003 Braves (61-32).
The Dodgers also have won 16 of their last 17 at home, raising their league-leading home record to 37-11.
"We love playing at home," said manager Dave Roberts. "It's always nice to have your fans and strategy plays into it too."
Despite recent inconsistency, Maeda raised his record to 7-3 and Roberts said the right-hander will be in the rotation when play resumes after the All-Star break. He allowed one run on four hits over five innings, which was a vast improvement from his last start in San Diego, when he allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings. Kansas City's only run came in the fourth inning on a two-out double by Final Vote All-Star Mike Moustakas and an RBI single by Alcides Escobar.
"The last start, the stuff wasn't there, it wasn't as sharp or crisp," said Roberts. "Tonight, the fastball had life to it and he really pitched well."
"We didn't create too many run scoring opportunities," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We had one there in the fourth or the fifth and we didn't take advantage of it. But outside of that, we didn't do a good job."
The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning off Jason Hammel (4-8) after singles by Chase Utley and Maeda with two-out RBI singles by Logan Forsythe and Corey Seager. Puig's 16th home run in the sixth inning was projected by Statcast™ at 429 feet. Utley became the ninth active player with 1,000 RBIs when he doubled home Joc Pederson in the eighth inning.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
NL's best bullpen: Maeda was lifted after throwing 86 pitches in only five innings. But Dodgers relievers Josh Fields and Kenley Jansen sandwiched single scoreless innings around two from Brock Stewart to finish off the final four. It was All-Star Jansen's 21st save of the year. Stewart has allowed one hit in nine scoreless innings this year, but he probably will be optioned on Saturday when Brandon McCarthy is activated.
Two-way threat: Maeda was a key to the Dodgers' two-run fourth inning. His two-out single that bounced into left field extended the inning and he scored the go-ahead run from second on Seager's single with a slide into home ahead of right fielder Whit Merrifield's throw.
"He's a weapon up there, he doesn't give away at-bats," Roberts said of Maeda. "That was a big hit to keep the line moving."
QUOTABLE
"He commanded his pitches really well. He threw fastball, curveball in the zone and out of the zone when he needed to and he mixed it up. He threw the ball fantastic for them. Days like this, you've got to tip the hat to the pitcher." -- Moustakas, on Maeda
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: The Royals will give the ball to Ian Kennedy, who has won his last three starts after starting the season at 0-6. The righty has allowed six hits or fewer in his 15 starts and owns a 4.44 ERA. First pitch is slated for 6:15 p.m. CT.
Dodgers: Brandon McCarthy will return from the disabled list -- and his latest bout of the yips -- to start Saturday's 4:15 p.m. PT game against the Royals. McCarthy seemed to be over last year's control issues until his June 25 start against the Rockies, in which he had back-to-back walks and three wild pitches in three innings and was charged with five runs, four earned.
Strahm out for season; Karns' year in doubt
Lefty undergoes knee surgery; Righty showing symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome
July 8, 2017BY Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals have lost left-hander Matt Strahm for the season, and they may have lost right-hander Nate Karns as well, a Royals official confirmed Friday night.
Strahm, 25, underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee on Friday and will be out for the remainder of 2017, Royals vice president of communication Mike Swanson said. Strahm had been on the 60-day disabled list.
"Our mindset is, you just move on," manager Ned Yost said. "You can't dwell on it. He [Matt] was a pretty important piece in our bullpen and we've got two strong lefties down there with [Mike] Minor and [Scott] Alexander. [Neftali] Feliz has been throwing the ball well, he'll pick up the slack. So every team deals with injuries, you just got to deal with it and move on."
Strahm left last Saturday's game with knee soreness and was placed on the disabled list, then was shifted to the 60-day disabled list earlier this week.
Karns (2-2, 4.17 ERA) apparently has shown symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, the same ailment that afflicted former Royals Luke Hochevar, Dillon Gee and Chris Young, as well as Royals prospect Kyle Zimmer.
Karns will see TOS specialist Dr. Robert Thompson in St. Louis in the near future for further examination, Swanson said. Karns was put on the disabled list in mid-May with forearm soreness. His recovery was slow and the Royals eventually put him on the 60-day disabled list.
Hammel stays on solid run in 8th quality start
July 8, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel was likely one pitch away from turning a good outing into a very good one.
Hammel was cruising along with three scoreless innings when, with two outs and a runner on first in the fourth inning, Hammel tried to sneak a slider past Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda. But Maeda rolled a grounder between short and third for a single, extending the inning, and moments later, the Dodgers scored two runs to take the lead for good on their way to a 4-1 victory Friday night.
After Maeda's single, Logan Forsythe and Corey Seager delivered run-scoring singles and that's all the Dodgers needed.
"I was just trying to get ahead in the count," Hammel said, "and [Maeda] just slid one between Esky [Alcides Escobar] and Moose [Mike Moustakas]. And after that, they got some stuff through the four hole. But after that, it wasn't much."
Hammel walked three but he struck out seven through six innings, giving up eight hits and three runs. There were several pitches that Hammel thought were strikes at the letters that were called balls.
"There wasn't much of a high strike zone," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "…. [Hammel] did a good job of keeping us in the game."
Hammel's only other mistake came in the sixth after he got ahead of YasielPuig, 1-2. Hammel then delivered a 2-2 slider that was down and below Puig's knees. But Puig went down and got it, drilling it out to left field for his 16th home run.
Hammel had thrown a fastball at the letters on 1-2 but he didn't get the call.
"That's why I was pretty upset," Hammel said. "I thought the 1-2 heater was a strike. I went back to look at it and it was close."
Hammel was coming off a terrific June in which he posted a 2.51 ERA in five starts. Friday was his eighth quality start of the season.
Kennedy on a roll for matchup with McCarthy
July 8, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy came into the month of June without a victory since last September. Now he can't seem to lose.
Kennedy (3-6, 4.44 ERA) has won three straight decisions as he squares off against Dodgers right-hander Brandon McCarthy (6-3, 3.25 ERA) at Dodger Stadium in game two of the series on Saturday. Kennedy earned his third straight win with a 3-1 triumph over Seattle on Monday, holding the Mariners to one run over 6 2/3 innings. He's 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in his last four starts after going 0-6 with a 5.40 ERA in his first 11 starts.
Kennedy also has allowed six or fewer hits in each of his 15 starts this season, the longest streak in club history to start a season. But Kennedy is 5-9 against the Dodgers over his career, including 0-7 since his last win against them in 2012, when he was with Arizona.
McCarthy, who will come off the disabled list, had been 4-2 with a 1.57 ERA over six starts until he was roughed up by Colorado in his last start, giving up four hits and five runs over three innings. The Dodgers enter the matchup on a four-game winning streak.
Things you should know about this game
• Entering Friday's game, the Royals were 10-2 in the Pacific Time Zone this year.
• Alex Gordon is 6-for-14 (.429) in his career against McCarthy.
• Justin Turner is 8-for-16 (.500) career against Kennedy with four doubles and three RBIs.
Cooled off in Los Angeles: Royals fall 4-1 to Dodgers in series opener
July 8, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
In the moments after the Royals’ first loss in six days, Jason Hammel was frustrated. He had yielded three runs in six innings against the hottest team in baseball, a quality start against the dynamic Los Angeles Dodgers. Yet after a 4-1 loss on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, he believed he was capable of more.
“When I get a run, sometimes I got to make it stand up,” Hammel said. “That’s the disappointing part.”
On the fifth night of a road trip, in the afterglow of a three-game sweep over the Seattle Mariners, the Royals had struck first, scoring once in the top of the fourth. But then the offense was handcuffed, and the Dodgers kept attacking, and Hammel was left to lament a series of small moments.
In the fourth, he threw a two-out slider to Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda, who grounded the pitch into left field. The hit extended the inning. Moments later, the Dodgers had manufactured two runs with two sharp singles.
“I was just trying to get ahead with a slider and he hit it into the ground,” Hammel said. “The surface here is pretty fast, so anything on the ground has a chance to get through.”
The other irritating moment came in the sixth against the Dodgers’ YasielPuig. The Royals trailed just 2-1. Hammel had labored and maneuvered through a difficult lineup. He threw a two-strike fastball that he thought clipped the zone.
Todd Tichenor, the home-plate umpire, called a ball. On the next pitch, Hammel tried to come back with a slider in the dirt. Puig was sitting on breaking ball. Hammel left the pitch up. The baseball ended up a souvenir in the left-field bleacher seats.
“I was pretty upset,” Hammel said. “Because I thought it was a strike. I went back and looked at it. It was close.
“The one thing I’ll say: It’s tough to get big-league hitters out when you give them four strikes.”
That was the micro story on Friday night, little moments that took on bigger meaning. For the Royals, the macro view was slightly less painful. They had entered the weekend on a blistering pace, the owners of 18 victories in 24 games. On Friday, they were cooled by baseball’s other ridiculously hot team.
The Dodgers are now 24-4 in their last 28 games, like a runaway train in the night. The torrid stretch veers toward the incredible. Yet the Dodgers possess an embarrassment of riches; a wildly talented young core, a payroll that surpasses $240 million, the best pitcher in the world in Clayton Kershaw. For one night, the formula — sans Kershaw, who will pitch Sunday — was enough to end the Royals’ four-game winning streak.
Kansas City managed just one run in five innings against Maeda. They came up empty against the Los Angeles bullpen. Hammel absorbed the loss, yet it was the offense that could not break through. The Royals had never seen Maeda. The results appeared to support that fact.
“He commanded his pitches really well,” said third baseman Mike Moustakas, who enjoyed a homecoming in Los Angeles. “He threw his fastball and curveball in the zone and out of the zone when he needed to. He threw the ball fantastic for them. Days like this, you got to tip your hat.”
The Royals (44-41) lost ground on Cleveland and Minnesota in the American League Central, falling two games behind the first-place Indians and a half-game behind the Twins. They will close out the first half of the season with games here in Chavez Ravine. With Kershaw on the mound on Sunday, Saturday looms as a pivotal matchup.
On Friday, for the first time in 14 years, the Royals arrived at Dodger Stadium for a baseball game. As the temperatures rose above 90 degrees, Moustakas ventured out into the outfield grass just before 3 p.m., exploring the surroundings. As a native of Southern California, he had grown up coming to games here. As a high school star at Chatsworth High, he had played games on this grass.
“I’m pretty happy to be back, for sure,” Moustakas said.
Moustakas had other reasons to be enthused. One day earlier, he had spent the morning with his wife and young daughter, Mila, relishing an off day before learning he had made the All-Star Game for the second time in three seasons. Royals fan sent Moustakas to Miami behind a maniacal zeal for online voting. Moustakas has earned the honor with a career-high 25 homers in the first half.
The production has propelled the Royals to 18 victories in 24 games, back into playoff contention in the American. On Friday, they met the only major-league team with more momentum. The Dodgers entered the day with 23 wins in 27 games. At 58-29, they possessed the best record in the National League.
Their lineup is fearsome, their organizational depth nearly unmatched. They are young and talented and fabulously wealthy. In the series opener, the challenge fell to Hammel.
Hammel evaded heavy traffic on the base paths in the early innings. At times, the task appeared laborious. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain made a leaping grab at the wall in the bottom of the first, snuffing out a run and robbing extra bases from Los Angeles’ Chris Taylor. Hammel worked around a walk and a single in the third, striking out Dodgers wunderkind Cody Bellinger and inducing a fly ball from Joc Pederson. In all, Hammel allowed six base runners in the opening three innings. He kept the scoreboard clean.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a double from Moustakas and an RBI single from shortstop Alcides Escobar. The Dodgers finally broke through for two runs in the bottom of the fourth. They tacked on another run in the sixth on the Puig homer. The hottest team in the American League did not have an answer.