Daily Clips
June 16, 2017
LOCAL
Gordon's big night backs Strahm's gem
June 16, 2017ByKaelen Jones and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
For starters, Strahm is strong vs. Angels
Lefty steps into the starting rotation for the first time
June 16, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Hosmer gets Yost's backing for All-Star nod
Royals' manager urges fans to vote for first baseman
June 16, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Surging Royals turn to Kennedy vs. Halos
June 16, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Rangers, Royals mourn loss of Coronado
June 16, 2017By Chad Thornburg/MLB.com
From unrecruited to major-league starter, Matt Strahm helps Royals to fifth straight win
June 16, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
After April slump, Royals’ Eric Hosmer has found his stroke
June 16, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals’ Danny Duffy slightly ahead of schedule in rehab from oblique injury
June 16, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Is this the winning streak Royals fans have been waiting for?
June 16, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star
MINORS
Bats Carry Chasers to 15-11 Triumph
Omaha end Oklahoma City's 6-game winning streak with prolific attack
June 16, 2017Omaha Storm Chasers
Critical Game for Drillers Suspended by Rain
Game with Northwest Arkansas to resume Friday at 5:00pm
June 16, 2017Tulsa Drillers
Five Naturals selected to Texas League All-Star Game
Three position players and two pitchers were selected for the All-Star game in Frisco, Texas on June 27
June 16, 2017Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Castillo, Rocks Dominate the Sox
Castillo Spins Eight Scoreless Innings, Maezes Drives in Five in Rout
June 16, 2017Wilmington Blue Rocks
Legends hold on—again—for 7-6 win
June 16, 2017Lexington Legends
MLB TRANSACTIONS
June 16, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Gordon's big night backs Strahm's gem
June 16, 2017ByKaelen Jones and Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon each hit home runs to back left-hander Matt Strahm's impressive outing as the Royals topped the Angels, 7-2, in Thursday night's series opener at Angel Stadium.
Kansas City tallied 15 hits, and eight of its nine starting batters logged at least one hit. Whit Merrifield, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas each added run-scoring hits and Gordon finished a triple shy of the cycle. The Royals won their season-high fifth straight game.
"We feel like we're playing well right now," Gordon said. "I think before this road trip, I feel like the team hasn't really clicked all together, and it kind of feels like we're starting to do that. And the good thing is we never really got too far out of it. We're still in this race."
Angels starter Ricky Nolasco surrendered five runs on 10 hits and two walks across six innings. He gave up his 20th and 21st home runs of the season, the most allowed by an American League pitcher this season.
Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia attributed opponents tagging Nolasco for homers due to the right-hander missing spots.
"He battled to get through six, but he's not quite where we know he can be," Scioscia said. "When he's on, he's getting that good action and keeping the ball down, and making pitches."
"Just got to concentrate on making better pitches," Nolasco said. "Forget about this one tonight and go on to the next one, just like I do every five days."
Strahm, making his first big league start after pitching out of the bullpen, allowed one unearned run in five innings.
"A lot of good things happened tonight," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Very encouraging. Matt got us through five innings. And the offense is staying hot."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Not-so seventh heaven: Royals catcher Salvador Perez followed Hosmer's one-run double with a towering pop-up into shallow right field. Angels first baseman C.J. Cron, second baseman Danny Espinosa, and right fielder Kole Calhoun ranged over, but the ball managed to drop safely for a single. Upon fielding it, Cron fired home to prevent Hosmer from scoring, but allowed Perez to advance to second. Moustakas then grounded a two-run single on the ensuing at-bat, to give the Royals a 7-2 advantage in the bottom of the seventh.
"They went hard at it," Scioscia said of the play. "It's just one of those balls that's right in the tough spot."
Gordon's redemption: Gordon's error in left field in the first inning allowed Calhoun to advance to second base before scoring on Albert Pujols' single to give the Angels a 1-0 lead. Gordon redeemed himself when he roped a double into right field that Calhoun mishandled, allowing the tying run to score. Gordon, who was a triple shy of the cycle, scored on Merrifield's ground-book double on the next at-bat to give the Royals a 2-1 lead.
"I'm too old and too slow," Gordon said of trying to get a triple. "I just went for another homer."
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
For the first time since 1979, the Royals now have scored seven or more runs in five straight games.
THE HOME RUN THAT WASN'T
With two out in the bottom of the fifth, Espinosa hit a shot toward the left-field foul pole that first was ruled his seventh home run of the season. The umpires convened and then, after a 28-second replay review, the home run was overturned. Espinosa then struck out, ending the inning.
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: Right-hander Ian Kennedy (0-6, 5.40 ERA) takes the mound in game two of the series against the Angels on Friday at 9:07 p.m. CT. Kennedy gave up four runs in six innings and got no decision against the Padres last Saturday in a game the Royals rallied to win, 12-6.
Angels: Right-hander Jesse Chavez (5-6, 5.06 ERA) will make his 14th start of the season during Friday's matchup against Kansas City at 7:07 p.m. PT. In six career appearances against Kansas City, Chavez is 0-1 with a 1.65 ERA (three runs allowed over 16 1/3 innings).
For starters, Strahm is strong vs. Angels
Lefty steps into the starting rotation for the first time
June 16, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals left-hander Matt Strahm made his first Major League start, knowing there probably wasn't a great chance he'd make it through five innings, given his 65-70 pitch limit.
But Strahm did just that, giving the Royals five strong innings, allowing just one unearned run and three hits in the Royals' 7-2 win over the Angels on Thursday night.
Strahm had made 41 relief appearances the last two seasons before being asked to start as the Royals continue to search for help for a rotation missing injured starters Danny Duffy and Nathan Karns.
"I just wanted to go out there and throw strikes," Strahm said. "Obviously, I knew I had a pitch limit. I just wanted to be as effective as a I could in those pitches.
"A 'W' is the goal. We got that. Now next time work toward 80 pitches."
Strahm threw 68 pitches while walking one and striking out three.
"It was the first time we'd seen him work out of the windup all year," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "I thought he did a great job."
Strahm wasn't even sure he'd use the windup, something he hadn't done since July of 2016 when he was in Double-A.
"The first sider I threw two days ago it felt a little weird," Strahm said. "But [pitching coach Dave Eiland] and I said we'd make the decision right before the game on whether to use it. I used it in the bullpen, it felt good, [so] we used it."
Strahm's last batter was Danny Espinosa, who drilled what first was rule a home run down the left-field line. But an umpire review overturned it and ruled it foul.
"I had a pretty good look at it," Strahm said. "I knew it was foul."
Strahm then struck out Espinosa.
One of the keys, Strahm said, was not holding back all night.
"I don't feel like I ever conserve anything," he said. "I don't think I saved anything for the fifth inning."
Strahm may pay for it Friday.
"I feel good now," he said. "But I'm sure I'll be a little sore tomorrow."
Hosmer gets Yost's backing for All-Star nod
Royals' manager urges fans to vote for first baseman
June 16, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals manager Ned Yost made an unprompted plea on his pregame show Wednesday, urging Royals fans to vote for first baseman Eric Hosmer for the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.
Hosmer, the reigning Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game, has been gaining ground in voting, having cut the margin between he and the leader, Oakland's Yonder Alonso, to less than 25,000 votes.
Royals catcher Salvador Perez leads all American League catchers in voting, while Mike Moustakas, who has 18 home runs, is not among the top five third baseman.
"Hoz is close," Yost said. "I'm looking at the numbers and he's close. I think Salvy, Hoz, Moose and [Jason] Vargas are all legitimate [candidates] for the All-Star Game.
"Moose is [unlisted]. But Hoz is close. He's more than deserving. So is Moose."
Hosmer, who is hitting .315 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs, is one of the hottest hitters in baseball. Since April 26, Hosmer is hitting .368 with a .981 OPS.
Hosmer was flattered that he has Yost hitting the campaign trial for him, especially since the game is in Miami, close to Hosmer's home near South Miami.
"That would mean a lot this year," Hosmer said. "It would be great going back home.
"And it would be great, especially because of how my season started. But there are a lot of good first basemen out there who are deserving. At the end of the day, if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But it would be really cool."
Surging Royals turn to Kennedy vs. Halos
June 16, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy (0-6, 5.40 ERA) keeps inching closer to the pitcher he was before going on the disabled list early last month. In his last outing, Kennedy went six innings, his most since April 22 when he recorded seven innings of one-run ball against Texas.
Kennedy will be opposed by Angels right-hander Jesse Chavez (5-6, 5.06 ERA) on Friday night. Kennedy gave up four runs in his last outing, a 12-6 Royals comeback win over San Diego.
"I just think his command is getting better," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "I don't think his stuff was any worse than before the injury. But when he's pitching well he commands that fastball. And you're seeing more and more of that each time out from him."
Chavez has made only one career start against the Royals and that came with Oakland in 2015. He gave up three runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings in a loss.
Things to know about this game
• Over his first three starts of 2017, Kennedy posted a swinging-strike rate of 13.8 percent. That dropped to 8.5 percent over his next seven outings before he notched a season-high 15-percent rate last Saturday at San Diego.
• Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer is 3-for-7 in his career against Chavez.
Rangers, Royals mourn loss of Coronado
June 16, 2017By Chad Thornburg/MLB.com
The Royals and Rangers organizations on Thursday mourned the passing of City of Surprise director of community and recreation services Mark Coronado, the man instrumental in the planning and construction of the Spring Training facility both clubs have shared in Surprise, Ariz., since 2003. Coronado died on Thursday at age 59 after a long illness.
Since Surprise Stadium opened in 2002, Coronado has overseen the day-to-day operations of the 10,500-seat Cactus League ballpark and its accompanying practice fields and office spaces. He was also involved in facility's renovations for both teams in 2016.
"He was the driving force in convincing both the Royals and Rangers to make the move from Florida to Arizona for Spring Training," Royals senior VP of business operations Kevin Uhlich said in a statement. "His efforts and dedication to the project have allowed both of our franchises to flourish in our year-round training programs in Surprise. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark, his family and the staff that assists us so ably in Surprise."
"It was his vision, determination, and years of effort that resulted in Major League Baseball coming to Surprise," Rangers executive vice president of business operations Rob Matwick said in a statement. "The Rangers and Royals have a strong and successful relationship with the City of Surprise because of Mark. He will be greatly missed, and we express our deepest sympathies to his family, colleagues and friends at this difficult time."
From unrecruited to major-league starter, Matt Strahm helps Royals to fifth straight win
June 16, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Seven years ago Matt Strahm drove from his home in West Fargo, N.D., to a baseball showcase event at the University of Kansas. He was a skinny high school senior then, 6 foot 1 and 153 pounds, equipped with a fastball that topped out in the high 70s. His only scholarship offers came from NAIA schools and junior colleges. The trip took 10 hours.
On Thursday here in Southern California, Strahm boarded a charter bus in the afternoon and rode from the Royals’ team hotel to Angel Stadium. He is 6 foot 3 and 185 pounds now, his fastball exploding from his left hand at 95 mph, his slider coaxing uncomfortable swings from the best hitters in the world. The trip was measured in minutes, yet it represented something more meaningful.
In his 42nd career appearance, on a warm evening in Orange County, Strahm made his first major-league start, allowing one unearned run across five innings in a 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. The performance propelled the Royals to a fifth straight win on this West Coast road trip, pushing them to 31-34 overall, three games within .500 for the first time since April 22. The five-inning outing offered the latest chapter in the remarkable journey of Strahm.
“I feel good,” said Strahm, whose previous longest outing was 2 2/3 innings. “I’m sure I’ll be a little sore tomorrow.”
Working from the windup for the first time all season, making his first start since last July at Class AA Northwest Arkansas, Strahm took the ball and delivered a lift for an ailing rotation. As Danny Duffy and Nathan Karns remained on the disabled list, the Royals continued their surge. From back in Kansas City, where he continued his rehab from an oblique strain, Duffy weighed in on the performance.
The state of North Dakota, by virtue of population and climate, is not supposed to produce major-league starting pitchers. The talent pool is too thin. The winters are too harsh. But Strahm is the southpaw that defies convention. On that day seven years ago, he caught the eye of a local junior college coach. He landed at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kan. His body would mature and his stuff would improve, and two years later, the Royals would spend a 21st-round pick on him. Then came Tommy John surgery, a quick rise through the minor leagues, an electric debut out of the bullpen in 2016. Then came Thursday night.
Strahm always believed he possessed the ability to start, even as he began his season back in the Royals’ bullpen, where a greater need existed. So did the Royals, of course, but the opportunity would not come until injuries to Duffy and Karns sent the club searching for options in the early weeks of June. On Thursday, Strahm took the place of rookie Eric Skoglund, who had struggled in his previous two starts. He would finish with three strikeouts while allowing just three hits and walking one, offering five innings despite a pitch count of close to 70 pitches.
“I just wanted to go out there and throw strikes,” Strahm said. “Obviously I knew I had a pitch limit. I just wanted to be as effective as a I could in those pitches.
He added: “A ‘W’ is the goal. We got that. Now next time work toward 80 pitches.”
The only run would come in the bottom of the first, when left fielder Alex Gordon misplayed a single to left field and Albert Pujols delivered an RBI single to right, scoring Kole Calhoun from second base. The next threat came with two outs in the fifth, when Los Angeles’ Danny Espinosa hooked a ball to left that landed foul but was ruled a home run. The call would be reversed. Strahm struck out Espinosa swinging. Royals manager Ned Yost said Strahm would have been given one more hitter, despite his pitch count sitting at 68.
“He commanded his pitches well,” Yost said. “He commanded his pitch count well.”
He also had luxury of a suddenly powerful offense. the Lorenzo Cain homered for the sixth time in 12 games, bashing a solo shot to center off Angels starter Ricky Nolasco in the third. Gordon added his third homer in eight games after an interminable drought, crushing a 411-foot shot to dead center field. He finished with three hits, raising his average to .195 and coming a triple short of the cycle.