Daily Clips
May 28, 2017
LOCAL
Esky's clutch double spells trouble for Indians
May 27, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan and William Kosileski/MLB.com
Hosmer, Yost ejected after check-swing call
May 27, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Vargas battles to keep Indians' bats in check
May 27, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Duffy aiming to deliver sweep against Indians
May 27, 2017By William Kosileski/MLB.com
Change of pace? Moss making pitchers pay
Royals DH's numbers are up against offspeed offering
May 27, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Short-handed by ejections, Royals still race past Indians 5-2
May 27, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
After falling through barn roof, Royals’ Brian Flynn ready to pitch
May 27, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
MINORS
Farrell's Gem, Chasers' Bats Halt Express 10-0
Farrell fires 7.0 shutout frames, Mondesi extends hit streak to 16
May 27, 2017By Omaha Storm Chasers
Arteaga, Ogando Lead Naturals to Win
Humberto Arteaga drives in two while LHP Emilio Ogando twirls 7.0 innings in the 3-2 victory over Midland
May 27, 2017By Naturals PR Department
Rocks Rally, Stun Nationals in Win
Rocks Score Three in Eighth to Earn Victory
May 27, 2017By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Legends rained out; doubleheader Sunday
May 27, 2017By Lexington Legends
NATIONAL
Grandson asks Royals' Ned Yost if ejection was same as 'timeout'
May 27, 2017By ESPN.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
May 28, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Esky's clutch double spells trouble for Indians
May 27, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan and William Kosileski/MLB.com
Alcides Escobar hit a two-run double off Indians reliever Nick Goody to key a three-run sixth inning as the Royals rallied for a 5-2 victory on Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field.
Mike Moustakas hit his team-leading 13th home run in the ninth off right-hander Shawn Armstrong.
Neither starter got through the sixth inning. Indians right-hander Danny Salazar went 5 1/3 innings and gave up six hits, four runs (three earned) while walking five and striking out four. Royals left-hander Jason Vargas logged 5 2/3 innings and gave up nine hits and two runs.
"[Vargas] had to grind through it," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He was up today a little bit. But the competitiveness, the competitive nature in him, he just had to grind through it.
"He would bend a little bit, but never break. He held the fort. He made pitches when he needed to. He did a great job maneuvering through the game without his best stuff."
"They're such an aggressive swinging team," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "[Salazar] had five walks. If you look at his strikes to balls, it looks pretty good. I still think he didn't command the ball where he wanted to and there's walks mixed in that really hurt, like the inning when he came out. We got out of innings, there was traffic the whole time."
Francisco Lindor homered in the first inning off Vargas, his 11th of the season. Jason Kipnis, who committed an error in the first inning that led to a run, singled in a run in the third inning.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Esky Magic: Escobar collected his first multi-RBI game of the season with his two-run double in the sixth inning. Alex Gordon, who had been 1-of-18 against Goody, tied the game at 2 with a bases-loaded single that scored Jorge Bonifacio, who doubled with one out. Escobar then lined a shot toward Lindor at shortstop. Lindor seemed in position to grab it, but the liner screamed past him into the alley and Brandon Moss and Whit Merrifield scored.
"In that situation, I was looking first-pitch [slider] 100 percent," Escobar said. "And it was a strike. I hit it really good and then I saw 'Oh, they might have it.' It feels really great to bring in two runs and take the lead."
Moylan ends Tribe threat:The Indians had a great opportunity in the seventh inning when Lindor and Carlos Santana walked against reliever Matt Strahm. With one out, right-hander Peter Moylan came on to face Edwin Encarnacion, who rolled into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
"I basically was trying to get him to chase something," Moylan said. "My whole focus was to get him to hit it on the ground to get a double play. I think he might have been looking slider and I jammed him a bit with a sinker."
QUOTABLE
"You can't go out and take batting practice and tell the guys there's two outs. We've got to get a line moving and keep it moving. It seems like at times, we get runners on with two outs. Then, you have to get a hit as opposed to giving yourself a lot of opportunities. When you don't cash in, it's not that big [of a] deal because you'll have the next inning, you'll have another opportunity. When you don't, it's really glaring." -- Francona, on the Indians' struggles with runners in scoring position
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
In the first inning, Lindor and Michael Brantley extended their hitting streaks. Lindor's improved to 12 games with a solo homer to left, and Brantley extended his to 11 games with a single to right.
EJECTIONS
Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer and manager Ned Yost both were ejected in the top of the first inning. Hosmer, with the bases loaded and none out, was called out on a checked-swing attempt by third-base umpire David Rackley. Hosmer began barking at Rackley, and home-plate umpire Bill Welke tossed him. Yost came out to argue and Welke tossed him. It was Hosmer's second career ejection and Yost's 40th. More >
UPON REVIEW
With the bases loaded and two out in the fourth, Kipnis drove a 3-1 fastball from Vargas deep down the right-field line and into the seats. The ball landed in foul territory and was ruled a foul ball. After a 44-second crew chief review, the call was confirmed. Kipnis popped out to first to end the inning.
"I thought it was foul," Francona said. "I got maybe as good a view as anybody, but I saw [first-base coach Sandy Alomar] react and Kip kind of reacted, too. So there's no reason to -- I mean they're really good about those boundary calls because they want to get it right. I guess I was hoping maybe it nicked the pole. I think that's the best you could hope for because I never lost sight of the ball."
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: Left-hander Danny Duffy (4-3, 2.92 ERA) takes the mound for the series finale against the Indians on Sunday at 12:10 p.m. CT. Duffy gave up two runs and six hits over seven innings on Tuesday in a 6-2 win over the Yankees.
Indians: Right-hander Josh Tomlin (2-6, 6.70) will get the ball on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. ET for the finale at Progressive Field. Tomlin is coming off his sixth loss of the season, after he allowed four earned runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings against the Reds on Monday.
Hosmer, Yost ejected after check-swing call
May 27, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer and manager Ned Yost were ejected in the top of the first inning on Saturday by home-plate umpire Bill Welke during the Royals' 5-2 win over the Indians.
And Hosmer was still fuming afterward.
Hosmer was ejected after third-base umpire David Rackley ruled he went around on a check-swing attempt with the bases loaded and none out. Hosmer immediately began barking at Rackley. Welke quickly tossed him.
Moments later after Yost came out to argue with Welke, Yost was ejected.
"I had some things to say to him, obviously," Hosmer said. "Bill didn't agree with me. But the plain fact is [Rackley] was umpiring home plate [Friday night] and missed a bunch of calls on me then. And then, we turn around today and he misses the first call he has. To me that's unacceptable."
After the Hosmer strikeout, Indians starter Danny Salazar got out of the jam allowing just one run.
"I faced Salazar a number of times in my career," Hosmer said. "He threw me every pitch he had in that at-bat -- a fastball, a curveball, a splitter. I felt pretty good as a hitter there. And then the umpire takes the bat out of your hands. ... I was mad and I had every right to be."
It was the second career ejection for Hosmer, who was also tossed on May 4, 2016. It was the 40th career ejection for Yost. Bench coach Pedro Grifol took over the managerial duties.
"I've mellowed in my years," Yost said. "What was funny is, I was sitting up here [in the clubhouse] for 10 minutes, my phone rings, and it was my wife. But it wasn't my wife, it was my 3-year-old grandson Jordan."
Jordan: "Granddaddy, did you get thrown out of the game?"
Yost: "Yeah Jordan, yeah I got thrown out of the game."
Jordan: "Why?"
Yost: "Because I yelled at the umpire."
Jordan: "Do you have to go to timeout now?"
"Yes, granddaddy is in timeout."
Cheslor Cuthbert replaced Hosmer and contributed two hits while making two nice picks at first.
"I had complete confidence in Ches," Yost said.
Vargas battles to keep Indians' bats in check
May 27, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals left-hander Jason Vargas clearly didn't have his best stuff on Saturday. But he grinded anyway, and gave manager Ned Yost 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball in a 5-2 win over the Indians.
"That's the perfect word for it -- he had to grind through it," Yost said. "He was up today a little bit. The competitiveness, the competitive nature in him, he just had to grind through it.
"He would bend a little bit, but never break. He held the fort. He made pitches when he needed to. He did a great job maneuvering through the game without his best stuff."
Vargas gave up nine hits and was in trouble frequently.
"They did a pretty good job of getting back into some counts when I was ahead of them," Vargas said. "And that forced us to do some things we maybe wouldn't have done if they were more aggressive."
Vargas' biggest scare came in the fourth when Jason Kipnis ripped a shot toward the foul pole in right that came perilously close to being a grand slam that would have made the score 6-1 at the time.
But the ball hooked foul. And after a crew-chief review, the call was confirmed.
"I had a really good feeling it was foul," Vargas said. "When It was up in the air, I had a feeling it might stay fair, especially with the wind moving the way it was. As it kept moving, I saw it had a good chance to get foul. I had pretty good feeling when they went to review it that it wasn't going to be a fair ball, and we'd have another chance to get out of that inning."
Vargas then got Kipnis to pop out, ending the inning.
"We were able to throw him a breaking ball," Vargas said, "which he wasn't able to stay on as well."
Duffy aiming to deliver sweep against Indians
May 27, 2017By William Kosileski/MLB.com
Royals lefty Danny Duffy will look to continue his recent success when he opposes Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin in the series finale on Sunday at Progressive Field.
Duffy has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last four starts. He is coming off his fourth win of the season, where he went seven strong innings against the Yankees and allowed two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. Duffy is 2-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 51 1/3 career innings against the Indians.
One pitch that Duffy has thrown well early this season has been his changeup. Per Statcast, the batting average against Duffy's changeup ranks among the top pitches in baseball, as hitters are 9-for-61 (.148) off his change this season. Duffy's changeup has a usage rate of 22.7 percent, which is his highest percentage in the Statcast Era.
Tomlin will make his ninth start of the season. In his last outing, Tomlin pitched well through six innings against the Reds before making a costly throwing error in the seventh. After the smoke cleared, Tomlin was charged with four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings and took the loss. He will look to continue his career success vs. the Royals, against whom he is 9-4 with a 4.15 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 121 1/3 innings.
Things to know about this game
• With a lefty on the mound, Indians manager Terry Francona said to expect outfielder Austin Jackson in the lineup for a second day in a row. Jackson was activated from the disabled list before Friday's series opener after missing most of the month with a toe injury. In his career against Duffy, Jackson is 9-for-28 (.321) with two doubles and a solo homer.
• Although six current Royals have hit at least one home run off Tomlin in their careers, catcher Salvador Perez has had the most all-around success against him -- 17-for-32 (.531) with eight doubles, one homer, six RBIs and a 1.406 OPS.
• Among pitchers who have had at least 50 batted balls off their sinker, Tomlin's has the fourth-highest average exit velocity against it. Per Statcast, the average exit velocity off Tomlin's sinker is 91.2 mph.
Change of pace? Moss making pitchers pay
Royals DH's numbers are up against offspeed offering
May 27, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals outfielder/designated hitter Brandon Moss always has had a love/hate relationship with the changeup.
"It's one of those pitches," Moss explained, "that if a pitcher keeps it down or executes their location with it, it's the pitch I can't handle.
"But when they miss up or over the plate, it's a pitch I've always driven. It's always been that way. Last year was a little different. I would pull them foul, be out in front of it a little bit."
The numbers bear that out. Moss hit .131 on the changeup last year with a paltry .311 slugging percentage.
But Moss is doing damage to the changeup this season. Moss got the Royals back in Friday's 6-4 win over the Indians with a three-run homer off a changeup from Mike Clevinger.
It's the third time that Moss has taken a changeup deep this season. Entering Saturday's game, he is hitting .273 against the pitch this season with a .545 slugging percentage.
Moss doesn't really have any explanation for why he's crushing the changeup this season.
"For some reason, it's been one of those pitches you're going to strike me out with or you're going to give up probably a home run," he said. "It's just because if you fool me enough, I'm going to swing and miss it. If you don't fool me, it just gives me more time to get my barrel to it."
Statcast™ numbers suggest Moss has been chasing the changeup out of the zone fewer times this season -- 38 percent, down from 45 percent last season.
Moss disputes that.
"I'm chasing it a ton," he said. "It's a great pitch. It's the best pitch in baseball. All the best pitchers have a plus changeup. It looks like a fastball, it's down like a fastball, you're looking for something straight, and it's straight, but it dives out of the zone."
Short-handed by ejections, Royals still race past Indians 5-2
May 27, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
Some 10 minutes after he was ejected from Saturday’s game, Royals manager Ned Yost took a telephone call in his office. His wife had put their 3-year-old grandson, Jordan, on the phone, and Jordan got straight to the point as Yost told it.
“Granddaddy, did you get thrown out of the game?”
“Yes, Jordan, I did.”
“Why.”
“Because I yelled at the umpire.”
“Do you have to go to timeout now?”
Yes, granddaddy was in timeout for supporting first baseman Eric Hosmer, who had argued a checked-swing third strike in the first inning.
But for the Royals, it was all good. They beat the Indians 5-2, overcoming a deficit for the second straight day.
The Royals will go for the series sweep on Sunday, but Saturday’s victory means they’ll win a series against a Central Division opponent for the first time this season, while improving to 4-4 on the road trip.
Hosmer was thrilled his teammates had his back, especially Cheslor Cuthbert, who played first base in a regular-season game for the second time in his career and was up to the task with some nice defensive plays.
But after the game, Hosmer remained agitated — not at home-plate umpire Bill Welke who did the ejecting, but third-base umpire David Rackley, who rang up Hosmer on the checked swing.
The bitterness originated in Friday’s victory over the Indians.
“I had some things to say to him obviously,” Hosmer said. “Bill didn’t agree with me. But the plain fact is (Rackley) was umpiring home plate (Friday) night and missed a bunch of calls on me then.