Daily Clips
July 3, 2018
LOCAL
Junis labors after Royals start strong vs. Tribe
Righty yields pair of costly homers to Lindor, including slam
July 2, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals sign their 2nd overall Draft pick Kowar
July 2, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Salvy among top 5 AL catchers in ASG voting
July 2, 2018By Jordan Wolf/MLB.com
A career night from Francisco Lindor dooms Royals, Junis in loss to Indians
July 2, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
With a few days left to sign top draft picks, Royals ink pitcher Jackson Kowar
July 2, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
MINORS
Chasers Sweep Sounds 7-0, 6-3
Kalish tosses CG shutout, Nicky Lopez homers in game 1
July 2, 2018By Omaha Storm Chasers
Hooks Rally Late For Win Over Naturals
Corpus Christi scored six runs in the ninth to complete a 7-2 comeback victory over Northwest Arkansas
July 2, 2018By Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Dash Offense Overpowers Blue Rocks
Wilmington Outhits Winston-Salem in 5-2 Defeat
July 2, 2018By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Blue Jays Take Down Royals 6-2
Royals fall despite great start from Cox
July 2, 2018By Burlington Royals
NATIONAL
Pace of Manny trade talks accelerates; an unlikely All-Star; deadline market is flooded; more notes
July 3, 2018By Ken Rosenthal/The Athletic
The tragic death of the game’s ‘best prospect ever’ and the baseball lifer who still finds top talent
July 3, 2018By Peter Gammons/The Athletic
Salazar out for '18 following shoulder surgery
July 2, 2018By Jordan Wolf/MLB.com
Polanco returns; Buxton demoted to Triple-A
July 2, 2018By Stephen Cohn/MLB.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
July 3, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Junis labors after Royals start strong vs. Tribe
Righty yields pair of costly homers to Lindor, including slam
July 2, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The long-ball woes continue for Royals right-hander Jakob Junis.
Junis, who came into Monday night's game having given up a Major League-leading 22 home runs, surrendered two more, both to Francisco Lindor, and the Royals fell to the Indians, 9-3, at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals have lost 22 of 26 games.
Lindor belted a grand slam in the fourth inning, and followed that up with a three-run shot in the sixth, chasing Junis. Lindor had a career-high seven RBIs.
"Home runs are great," Lindor said. "They're great. I love home runs, don't get me wrong. When I see the ball go over the fence, it's great. But I'm not trying. My job is to move guys, to get on base, to score, drive the ball. If it goes out, it goes out. I'm not trying to hit home runs. [If I try], that's when I go on a 0-for-35 slump, so trying to stay away from that."
Lindor's slam, which came on a changeup, was preceded by a Yan Gomes single through the vacant spot in the shift, and two hit batters. Lindor's three-run jack came on a 2-2 slider.
"I threw some good [changeups] early and got a lot of ground balls with it," Junis said. "That pitch [to Lindor] wasn't really bad. It was out and a little elevated, and he caught it out front and put it out of the park.
"[The slider was] inconsistent. Threw some good ones. Threw some bad ones. I got myself in trouble with a couple of hit batters and good teams take advantage of that."
Royals manager Ned Yost said Junis' problems are mostly mechanical.
"It's really kind of an easy fix," Yost said. "The changeup he got under. For the most part of the night, his changeup was really good. When he stays on top of his changeup, he's got good life, good sink to it. When he gets on the side of the slider, he throws the spinner. When he stays behind it, it's the really, really good one."
Junis gave up eight hits and nine runs, eight earned, over 5 1/3 innings and his ERA ballooned to a season-high 5.13. He has given up 29 runs in his past five starts and has lost seven in a row.
"I'm just trying to go out there and grind it out, and do what I can right now," Junis said of his recent slump. "Just trying to give 100 percent for this team."
Added Yost, "I don't worry about his attitude. You worry about his confidence more than anything else. Again, it's an easy fix. When you're off to the side of the slider it's gonna be a cement mixer. That's what happens when he gets off to the side and that's what Lindor hit."
The Royals actually struck first. Whit Merrifield led off the bottom of the first with a home run, his fifth, to left field off right-hander Corey Kluber. Later, Mike Moustakas doubled and scored -- he barreled through third-base coach Mike Jirschele's stop sign -- on Salvador Perez's single to center.
"He never saw [the stop sign]," Yost said of Moustakas. "By the time he did it was too late."
SOUND SMART
Perez's RBI single in the first inning was his first RBI since June 10. He had gone a career-high 16 games without one.
UP NEXT
Royals left-hander Danny Duffy (4-7, 4.94 ERA) takes the mound for the middle game of the series against the Indians at 7:15 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium. Right-hander Shane Bieber (3-0, 2.22 ERA) will pitch for the Tribe. Duffy is 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA over his past seven starts. He gave up one run over six innings on Wednesday in a win over the Brewers.
Royals sign their 2nd overall Draft pick Kowar
July 2, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals signed their second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, right-hander Jackson Kowar out of Florida, who was the club's first-round compensation selection and 33rd overall.
A source told MLB.com that Kowar signed for slightly over the slot value of $2,118,700, with a bonus of $2,147,500 and a $2,500 contingent bonus.
The Royals' top pick, right-hander Brady Singer, also out of Florida, remains unsigned. His slot value is $3,349,300. The club has until Friday to sign Singer.
Kowar, 21, posted a 10-5 record with a 3.04 ERA during his junior season with the Gators.
Kowar's final collegiate game was an elimination game in the College World Series -- the 6-foot-5 pitcher struck out a career-high 13 in a 6-1 win over Texas.
Salvy among top 5 AL catchers in ASG voting
July 2, 2018By Jordan Wolf/MLB.com
Catcher Salvador Perez is the lone Royal still in the running for a starting spot for the American League in the final 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot update released on Monday.
Perez is seeking his sixth consecutive All-Star appearance for this year's Midsummer Classic at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Just three days remain for fans to cast their ballots, as voting closes Thursday at 10:59 p.m. CT.
The Gold Glover currently sits in fourth place among AL backstops with 614,492 votes. Wilson Ramos of the Rays leads the position with 1,556,195 votes.
Perez is second among all Kansas City batters with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs. He is tied for third among American League catchers with 12 runners caught stealing.
Third baseman Mike Moustakas had been in the top five among his position for much of the season, but fell out of the rankings in this week's update.
Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot until Thursday at 10:59 p.m. CT. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps. Each fan can vote up to five times in any 24-hour period, for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.
Following the announcement of this year's All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Final Vote for the final player on each league's roster. Then on Tuesday, July 17, while watching the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2018 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.
The 89th Midsummer Classic, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.
A career night from Francisco Lindor dooms Royals, Junis in loss to Indians
July 2, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Among a number of problems that have wrought havoc on this Royals season, two were on display Monday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Starter Jakob Junis is prone to giving up home runs and Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor is a bonafide Royals killer who magnified the issue plaguing the Royals’ sophomore pitcher.
Lindor hit a grand slam in the fourth inning of the Royals’ 9-3 loss to the Indians. He added to the damage with a three-run homer in the sixth that chased Junis from the game after 5 1/3 innings.
Start after start, Junis has left pitches out over the plate that opponents have pulverized for a majors-leading 24 home runs.
And on Monday, he was once more victimized by the long ball, as Lindor drove in a career-high seven runs with a pair of swings that knocked back any progress the Royals’ lineup had begun to make.
Junis has battled location for the better part of a month. He's lost and re-found the feel for a slider that, when good, misses every bat. He's compiled such consistently poor results that the ledger on his misfortune totals out to six losses, 31 earned runs and 12 homers in six starts since June 3.
At times during this stretch, Junis has flirted with precision, striking out at least five batters in three of those outings. But Monday night offered no such silver lining. Junis threw 94 pitches and only got the Indians to swing and miss at five of them, according to MLB.com’s Statcast system. He struck out just two batters before departing the game in the sixth inning.
“Inconsistent (slider)," Junis said. "Threw some good ones. Threw some bad ones. I got myself in trouble with a couple of hit batters and good teams take advantage of that."
Manager Ned Yost said the fix should be easy, and Junis agreed. Stop spinning the slider and it'll fall to the bottom of the zone as intended.
"It’s consistent mechanics more than anything," Yost said.
The trouble began in the third, when Rajai Davis started a two-run rally with a double down the third-base line. It continued in the fourth, as Junis loaded the bases in front of Lindor on a single and consecutive hit-by-pitches. Lindor, who has batted .342 (71 for 207) with 54 RBIs against the Royals since 2015, hit the second grand slam of his career in the next at-bat, smashing a changeup left over the plate for 409 feet worth of damage.
The relief didn't come until later, when lefty Brian Flynn stepped onto the mound for 2 2/3 scoreless innings after Junis hung a belt-high slider for Lindor's three-run homer.
Yet it was too late for the Royals to get anything started against Indians starter Corey Kluber, who allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out five in six innings.
"You’re hoping, OK, you’re getting on the board early," Yost said. "Kluber had a rough start last time, you’re thinking maybe the same thing. But he came out the second inning and really settled down."
A night that began with Whit Merrifield launching his first leadoff homer of the season and Mike Moustakas heedlessly barreling through third base coach Mike Jirschele’s stop sign on Salvador Perez’s RBI single up the middle in the first inning ended with the Royals’ 59th loss of the season.
They’ll try again Tuesday, with Danny Duffy taking the mound opposite rookie Shane Bieber at 7:15 P.M.
With a few days left to sign top draft picks, Royals ink pitcher Jackson Kowar
July 2, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
The Royals on Monday agreed to terms with pitcher Jackson Kowar, their second pick and the 33rd overall selection from the 2018 draft held last month.
Kowar received a $2,147,500 signing bonus, about $28,000 above the slot value of $2,118,700 assigned to the 33rd pick. He was also awarded a $2,500 contingency bonus that will not count against the Royals' MLB-best spending pool of $12,781,900 million.
Kowar, a 6-foot-5 right-hander who was Baseball America's 15th-ranked prospect ahead of the draft, posted a 10-5 record and 3.04 ERA while striking out 115 during his junior season at Florida.
With a few days remaining to sign their 2018 draft selections, the Royals have yet to ink their first overall pick Brady Singer, Kowar's right-handed rotation-mate from Florida, or Eric Cole, their fourth-round pick from the University of Arkansas who last week lost the College World Series to Oregon State.
But in recent weeks, the Royals nailed down deals to ink the other three pitchers they selected on the opening night of the draft, spending about $3.92 million to convince lefties Kris Bubic and Daniel Lynch and right-hander Jonathan Bowlan to forgo their final college seasons.
With Kowar signing and 12th-rounder Rylan Kaufman signing for a $722,500 bonus, the Royals have about $4.39 million at their disposal to sign Singer and Cole. Singer's slot is valued at $3,349,300, while Cole's is $451,200.
The deadline for teams to sign players, other than those who were college seniors, is Friday.
MINORS
Chasers Sweep Sounds 7-0, 6-3
Kalish tosses CG shutout, Nicky Lopez homers in game 1
July 2, 2018By Omaha Storm Chasers
Omaha starting pitcher Jake Kalish fired a seven-inning complete game shutout in a 7-0 game one victory highlighted offensively by longballs from third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert and second baseman Nicky Lopez , while the Storm Chasers blasted two big flies in the nightcap of a 6-3 triumph in a twinbill sweep of the Nashville Sounds on Monday evening at Werner Park.
Kalish (7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K) tossed the first seven-inning complete game shutout by a Storm Chasers pitcher since Bruce Chen in the second game of a doubleheader on June 13, 2009 at Iowa. The southpaw scattered seven hits and received plenty of run support, starting with a four-run third frame featuring the exclamation point that was Cuthbert's towering blast to left. Lopez went deep as part of a two-run fifth, his second big fly in three Triple-A contests with the Storm Chasers, prior to C Parker Morin capping the scoring with an RBI double to right in the sixth.
Nashville righty Norge Ruiz (4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K) suffered the defeat. Cuthbert, meanwhile, was the only Omaha batter to record a multi-hit effort in the first game of the twinbill, while Sounds LF Anthony Garcia (2-3, 2B) posted two knocks as well. Cuthbert through his first three games with Omaha as part of his Major League Rehab Assignment has recorded hits in three of his eight at-bats.
The Storm Chasers went right back to work in the nightcap with a three-run opening frame. DH Ryan O'Hearn and RF Paulo Orlando both drove in runs with singles, following by a bases-loaded free pass by 3B Ramon Torres . Omaha's advantage remained at 3-0 until another trio of tallies in the fifth via O'Hearn's solo shot and a two-run blast from SS Humberto Arteaga . The Sounds would total three runs between the sixth and seventh innings, yet were unable to overcome the deficit.
O'Hearn (2-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI), Arteaga (2-3, R, HR, 2 RBI), Lopez (2-4) and 1B Frank Schwindel (2-4, R) all posted two hits in the night's second matchup, while Nashville C Bruce Maxwell recorded a game-high three knocks (3-3, RBI). Omaha reliever Michael Mariot (2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 K) earned the victory in support of lefty Eric Stout (3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). Nashville starter Ben Bracewell (5.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K) suffered the defeat.
The two teams are set to complete their five-game homestand on Tuesday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT. RHP Glenn Sparkman (4-0, 3.78) is anticipated to toe the rubber for the Storm Chasers, with the Sounds' starter to be determined.