Daily Clips
March 27, 2017
LOCAL
Franco lifts Royals in 9th; Moss, Orlando homer
March 26, 2017By Maria Guardado/MLB.com
Hammel displays new changeup
March 26, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
/royals-jason-hammel-now-using-a-changeup/
Amped-up Kennedy lights out this spring
March 26, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals’ Jason Hammel continues to work on change-up in 8-7 victory over Angels
March 26, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy has basically been perfect this spring
March 26, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Breaking down the Royals’ roster questions entering the last week of spring training
March 26, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
lb/kansas-city-royals/article140878043.html
Which outfield position is hardest to play and why is Jorge Soler playing it?
March 26, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star
MLB TRANSACTIONS
March 27, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Franco lifts Royals in 9th; Moss, Orlando homer
March 26, 2017By Maria Guardado/MLB.com
Wander Franco capped a two-run rally in the ninth to lift the Royals to an 8-7 victory over the Angels on Sunday at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Franco, in his first game with the big league club, hit a flare to left-center to score pinch-runner Logan Moon for the victory.
Terrance Gore started the rally when he singled on a ground ball to right, moved to third on Brayan Pena's hard hit single, and scored on Salvador Perez's ground out to short to tie the score at 7. Paulo Orlando and Brandon Moss slugged two-run home runs for the Royals in the fourth inning.
"Mossy was really seeing it today," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Three knocks. He made a little adjustment with his head in his stance, and it helped today."
The Angels opened the scoring on Albert Pujols' run-scoring groundout in the first, but the Royals seized a 4-1 lead when Orlando and Moss homered off right-hander JC Ramirez. Whit Merrifield's RBI double made it 5-1 in the fifth, but the Angels erased the deficit with a six-run outburst in the bottom half of the inning, capped by Jefry Marte's go-ahead, bases-clearing double. The Royals pulled within one on Pena's RBI single in the seventh, setting the table for Franco's ninth-inning heroics.
Royals second baseman Cheslor Cuthbert departed the game after being drilled in the lower back by a pitch from Ramirez in the fifth. The Royals indicated Cuthbert suffered a lower back contusion and is day to day.
Kansas City starter Jason Hammel allowed seven runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out three over six innings in his fifth start of the spring.
Ramirez tossed three scoreless innings before unraveling in the fourth and fifth. He surrendered five runs on eight hits, including two homers, with six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. The Angels had hoped Ramirez would be able to pitch into the sixth inning. Ramirez now appears likely to open the season in the bullpen, where the Angels could deploy him as a multi-inning reliever.
"He got to 90 pitches, the only thing is you want to see a starter's stamina," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He was still throwing the ball hard, but his two-seamer was a little flat today, and those were the ones some guys caught up with. But for the most part, he showed some great stuff the first three innings."
Royals Up Next: Left-hander Jason Vargas, the No. 4 starter, will get his last start of the Cactus League as the Royals travel to Mesa on Monday to take on the A's in a 3:05 p.m. CT game. Closer Kelvin Herrera and Chris Young will pitch behind Vargas.
Angels Up Next: Right-hander Jesse Chavez will return to Cactus League action Monday when the Angels head to Salt River Fields to face the D-backs at 1:10 p.m. PT live on MLB.TV. Chavez, projected to be the club's fifth starter, has made Minor League starts in his last two turns in the rotation.
Hammel displays new changeup
March 26, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
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The only result Royals right-hander Jason Hammel was worried about Sunday in an 8-7 victory over the Angels was how effective his changeup would be.
Hammel, the Royals' No. 3 starter, will be introducing that changeup to his arsenal this season, especially to left-handers.
"My whole goal this spring was to make the changeup an effective pitch, and I think I accomplished that," Hammel said. "I had a little trouble in that one inning, hit some barrels, but overall that went well."
That one inning was the fifth when Hammel was hit for six runs. Overall, he went six innings and gave up eight hits and seven runs in the victory.
Despite the line, Hammel said he is right where he needs to be after making his final Cactus League start.
"Honestly, I felt great about it except for the fifth inning," he said. "Honestly, I was pushing the changeup today. Just a bad inning, up in the zone. Lot of ground balls away from defenders.
"But I was happy to go out and get the sixth inning in after that, and I could have gone seven. I'm ready."
Amped-up Kennedy lights out this spring
March 26, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
You wouldn't blame Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy if he preferred to simply stay in Arizona while the rest of the team prepares to break camp this week.
Kennedy has been that good this spring. In 17 1/3 innings, Kennedy has not allowed a run and has 19 strikeouts.
"Yeah, but I'm ready to go," Kennedy said, smiling. "I'm ready for the regular season. Besides, I did give up one run, in my eyes, to Venezuela, even though I guess that game doesn't count in the stats.
"But I'm feeling good. My curveball came quicker than normal. Slider is good. Fastball command is there. Everything came quicker."
One reason for that, Kennedy said, is he got amped up a little more this spring than in the past.
"I think I got a little more adrenaline this year with the Venezuela-WBC game," he said. "And then the night game against the Cubs got my adrenaline up.
"Usually I'm not very good in Spring Training. I feel like, normally in the beginning I would give up some runs, and then get better as your command gets better throughout the spring. But this year was different. I think it was because of that adrenaline."
Kennedy threw his final Cactus League game Saturday, tossing six shutout innings in a 1-0 victory over the Brewers. He'll have one more tuneup outing Friday when the Royals travel to Texas for two exhibition games prior to Opening Day in Minnesota on April 3.
Kennedy is slated to start the second game in Minnesota, then the home opener against the A's on April 10.
"It's really cool, an honor," Kennedy said of starting the home opener. "Starting after [Danny] Duffy in Minnesota, then starting your first home game is always cool. You have all the festivities going on.
"Some guys don't like starting home openers because your routine is different. You have to time it differently. There are distractions. But I like it because of the added adrenaline."
The Royals' home opener will have the added emotion of pregame ceremonies honoring Yordano Ventura, who died in a car accident in January.
"I've thought about that," Kennedy said. "We'll be honoring Ace. It will be emotional, that's for sure."
Royals’ Jason Hammel continues to work on change-up in 8-7 victory over Angels
March 26, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
When Royals starter Jason Hammel began his spring, he set a simple goal: He sought to transform his change-up from an average offering to a weapon. In his penultimate outing before the regular season, he remained committed to the task, even as the added emphasis caused his start to unravel.
In an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe-Diablo Stadium, Hammel yielded seven runs and eight hits in six innings, including six runs during a treacherous fifth. Yet the line required closer inspection. He allowed a run in the first inning before putting up three scoreless frames.
His day imploded, Hammel said, as he lost the feel for his change-up during the fifth.
By the end, he still felt positive about the afternoon of work — well, mostly.
“Honestly, I felt great about it, save for the fifth inning,” Hammel said. “That inning, it was just change-up. I was pushing it a little bit. I did a lot of good things today with the change-up, so that makes me feel really good about it.”
After opening the fifth inning with a strikeout of Angels second baseman Danny Espinosa, Hammel surrendered five hits, issued one walk and hit a batter. The rally included singles by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols and a three-run double by Jefry Marte that gave the Angels a 7-5 lead.
In the regular season, perhaps manager Ned Yost would have emerged from the dugout and signaled to the bullpen. Yet Hammel needed to increase his pitch count to close to 100 pitches before tapering off in his last appearance. So he was left out on the mound to solve the issue.
On most days, Hammel subsists with an above-average slider, a four-seam fastball, a sinker and a curveball. In 2017, he would like to incorporate the change-up as a viable part of his arsenal. On Sunday, the results were somewhat mixed. But they were promising enough to satisfy Hammel.
He will pitch differently during the regular season. But this was still important work.
“My whole goal this spring training was to make change-up an effective pitch for me,” Hammel said. “And I think I accomplished that goal.”
Hammel is set to make one final tune-up appearance Saturday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. He will make his regular-season debut a week from Thursday in Minnesota.
The focus on the progress of Hammel obscured one thing: The Royals crafted a spirited comeback in the top of the ninth inning, erasing a one-run deficit with a pair of runs against the Angels’ bullpen.
Outfielder Terrance Gore opened the rally with a one-out single to right field. Brayan Peña followed with a single to right-center. Salvador Perez tied the game with an RBI ground-out to shortstop. And minor-leaguer Wander Franco finished the outburst with an RBI single to center field.
Second baseman Raul Mondesi helped close out the victory with a shimmering defensive play in the bottom of the ninth. He also added three stolen bases.
“He’s got the ability to impact a game in a number of different ways,” Yost said. “And he just finds ways to show us how many different ways every day. Today it was with his legs and defense.”
The arms
Left-handed reliever Mike Minor passed another benchmark in his transition to the bullpen, working a scoreless inning while pitching on back-to-back days for the first time this spring. Minor, who is set to open the season in the bullpen, has posted a 0.75 ERA in Cactus League play.
“He passed a big test today — back to back — which was something we were interested to see,” Yost said. “His stuff was really good.”
The regular guys
Paulo Orlando crushed his third homer of the spring, a mammoth blast to center field.
Brandon Moss added his second on an opposite-field shot to left-center. Moss finished 3 for 3 on the day.
The young guys
Cheslor Cuthbert started at second base and was removed from the game after being hit by a pitch in the lower back. He was listed as day to day with a lower-back contusion, according to a Royals official.
Logan Moon, a Blue Springs native, scored the game-winning run in the ninth inning after pinch-running for Peña.
Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy has basically been perfect this spring
March 26, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
They do not hand out a Cy Young Award for performance in the Cactus League, and let’s face it, it would be kind of weird if they did. The games are glorified scrimmages, the rosters a mix of regulars and minor-leaguers. On most days, the best players pack their bags and leave in the middle of the game.
But if they did offer an award for pitching excellence here in Arizona, Royals starter Ian Kennedy would likely be clearing space on his mantle.
After throwing six scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, Kennedy kept his Cactus League ERA at an even 0.00 in 17 1/3 innings across four starts. He’s also struck out 19 while issuing just three walks, though he did allow one earned run in an exhibition contest against the Venezuelan World Baseball Classic team. So Kennedy is not ready to claim perfection.
“In my eyes,” Kennedy said. “I still gave up one to the Venezuela team.”
For the Royals, the good news is that Kennedy looks poised to have a solid 2017 after posting a 3.68 ERA in 33 starts last season. The bad news? This spring performance doesn’t count.
Standing at his locker on Sunday, Kennedy credited a curveball that has reached midseason form quicker than usual. He also said that the start against Venezuela and a prime-time matchup against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa helped increase his adrenaline during the monotony of camp.
“I’ve been feeling good,” Kennedy said. “My curveball came a little quicker this year. Sometimes it takes a couple more starts.”
Kennedy will make one final tune-up start Friday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. He is slated to start the second game of the season in Minnesota, slotting in behind opening day starter Danny Duffy.
“He leads it off,” Kennedy said. “I get to follow it up and keep it up. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Breaking down the Royals’ roster questions entering the last week of spring training
March 26, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
lb/kansas-city-royals/article140878043.html
Forty-six days after pitchers and catchers reported here to spring training, the Royals are set to break camp on Thursday. They will board a charter jet and fly to Texas, where they’ll face the Rangers in two exhibition games at Globe Life Park. One more off day on Sunday, and the 2017 Royals season will open against the Minnesota Twins on a Monday afternoon at Target Field.
The travel schedule has been in place for months. The team the Royals take to Minnesota remains in flux. As the end of camp looms, the club must select a starting second baseman, fill out its bench and settle on a final reliever for its seven-man bullpen.
The final roster pieces are not as important as Alex Gordon bouncing back or Lorenzo Cain’s health or Eric Hosmer putting up an MVP-caliber season. But decisions on the periphery can still be compelling — as well as offer a window into the challenges of roster construction. Barring injury, the current 25-man roster projection features 21 locks — 10 position players and 11 pitchers — and four open slots. The roster math mostly hinges on a four-man competition at second base.
The battle has raged all camp, featuring Whit Merrifield, Cheslor Cuthbert, Christian Colon and Raul Mondesi. The final decision will be performance-based, though that will be far from the only consideration. (More on that in a moment.)
In some ways, the roster framework has been set since the winter. In the infield, first baseman Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and shortstop Alcides Escobar surround the vacant spot at second. In the outfield, newcomer Jorge Soler will join Cain and Gordon. Drew Butera will back up Salvador Perez behind the plate.
Offseason acquisition Brandon Moss will see plenty of time at designated hitter, while Paulo Orlando will make starts in the outfield and fill in as a late-game defensive replacement on a regular basis. That leaves three openings: second base and two open bench spots.
The pitching staff is slightly more settled. Danny Duffy will start on opening day, with Ian Kennedy, Jason Hammel, Jason Vargas and Nathan Karns following. The bullpen features closer Kelvin Herrera, Matt Strahm and Joakim Soria at the back end and Chris Young in a long relief role. Left-handers Travis Wood and Mike Minor could be multi-inning weapons or settle into back-end roles if needed. We don’t know for sure, yet, but we know they’re on the team. That leaves one opening.
The Royals are expected to set their 25-man roster before departing for Texas on Thursday. But as camp winds down, here’s a look at the final openings and last-minute decisions.
Who starts at second base?
Mondesi, a five-tool prospect who debuted last season, has been a breakout performer, entering Sunday batting .372 (16 for 43) with three homers and five runs scored this spring. The 21-year-old infielder has also struck out 12 times. But after looking overmatched at the major-league level last year, and beginning spring on the fringes of the competition, Mondesi played himself into the conversation for every-day duty at second base.