Daily Clips
March 19, 2017
LOCAL
O'Brien hits 6th HR as Royals tie up Tribe
March 18, 2017By Owen Perkins/MLB.com
Colon showing versatility in pursuit of 2B job
KC infielder starting at multiple positions as he battles Merrifield, Mondesi
March 18, 2017By Owen Perkins/MLB.com
Young, Wood continue tight battle for No. 5 spot
Yost says he sees no separation; Karns also in mix
March 18, 2017By Owen Perkins/MLB.com
Yost has rough sketch of Opening Day lineup
WBC '17, injuries keeping KC manager from using all his regulars
March 18, 2017By Owen Perkins/MLB.com
With opening day in sight, Royals still waiting for someone to emerge in battle for fifth starter
March 18, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
As spring hits pile up, Royals’ Alex Gordon emerges as option at leadoff
March 18, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
The secret to clutch performances is experience, not genes
March 18, 2017By Lee Judgde/KC Star
blogs/judging-the-royals/article139498043.html
Bubba Starling and top-five draft picks
March 18, 2017By Lee Judgde/KC Star
Will KC voters buy the pitch for a new animal shelter?
March 19, 2017By Lynn Horsley/KC Star
KC's Gore aims to prove he's not a one-trick pony
March 19, 2017By Mark Schremmer/Joplin Globe
NATIONAL
AL Central 2017 preview: Can the Royals make one last run with this core?
The Indians are the AL Central favorites, but can the Royals make it interesting?
March 18, 2017By Mike Axisa/CBSSports.com
Moylan pitches well again, bidding for KC bullpen job
March 18, 2017AP (via Washington Post)
MLB TRANSACTIONS
March 19, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
O'Brien hits 6th HR as Royals tie up Tribe
March 18, 2017By Owen Perkins/MLB.com
Royals pinch-hitter Peter O'Brien drove a ninth-inning solo home run -- his Cactus League-leading sixth -- into the right-field bullpen to force extras with the Indians in a 4-4 tie in 10 innings Saturday.
The Royals and Indians opened the game with six low-scoring innings. The Royals got a pair of runs with some small ball, while the Tribe went deep with a pair of solo shots from Richie Shaffer and Todd Hankins.
Travis Wood looked sharp through five innings for the Royals. He gave up five hits, including the two solo homers that had him leaving with the game tied.
"The changeup at first started off a little flat and short, and then we got the arm extended on that and threw some good ones toward the end," Wood said. "The other pitches I felt like were pretty crisp. I left a couple up and they did their job and hit it. They just happened to go out of the park."
Royals second-base candidate Whit Merrifield beat out a bunt single in the second, then stole second. Christian Colon, also competing for the starting job at second, laced a double down the left-field line to plate Merrifield and give Kansas City the early lead. Colon started a run-scoring rally in the fifth with a single to center and Alex Gordon capped it with an RBI double to right.
The Indians jumped back in the game in the fourth when Shaffer hit his fourth Cactus League homer, a drive to right-center. They took the lead briefly an inning later when Hankins drove his first spring round-tripper over the center-field fence.
"The adjustments he's been able to make at the plate have been very good," said Cleveland bench coach Brad Mills, who managed the split squad. "It's nice to see and hopefully he'll continue to show us something the rest of the spring."
Cleveland took the lead when Connor Marabell sparked a seventh-inning rally with a single to left and scored on an error by shortstop Humberto Arteaga. Yandy Diaz plated an insurance run in the seventh with a single to right.
Indians starter Shawn Morimando pitched three innings and gave up one run on three hits while striking out three and walking none. He was efficient on the mound, throwing 32 of his 44 pitches for strikes.
Chris Young, among those competing with Wood for the fifth-starter role with the Royals, pitched four innings and allowed two unearned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three. He threw 74 pitches, 44 for strikes, and ended the ninth by starting a 1-6-3 double play on a comebacker.
Indians Up Next: The Indians will return to Arizona in time to reconvene as a full squad and play host to the D-backs in Goodyear at 4:05 p.m. ET on Gameday Audio. Right-hander Josh Tomlin will take the mound to face Arizona, which will counter with lefty Patrick Corbin. Relievers Dan Otero and Boone Logan are also slated to pitch for Cleveland.
Royals Up Next: The Royals have a marquee matchup in Mesa against the Cubs in a battle of the past two World Series champions Sunday at 9:05 p.m. CT on MLB.TV and an exclusive audio webcast. Kansas City righty Ian Kennedy climbs the hill for his fourth spring start. He pitched 3 1/3 innings his last time out, blanking the Angels on three hits while striking out five and walking no one while lowering his Cactus League ERA to 1.23.
Colon showing versatility in pursuit of 2B job
KC infielder starting at multiple positions as he battles Merrifield, Mondesi
March 18, 2017By Owen Perkins/MLB.com
Christian Colon has been to a handful of training camps with the Royals, and he has parts of three seasons in the Majors under his belt. But as he tries to win a spot on his third straight Opening Day roster, it's been a uniquely competitive spring for the infielder.
"Every spring I try to do the best I can and help the team win," Colon said before Saturday's game with the Indians. "But this one's a little different just because of the no options and you've got to make the team. I just want to be part of this group, part of the 25, and help the Kansas City Royals get back to the postseason."
Colon, 27, is in a heated competition for the starting second-base job with Whit Merrifield -- who led all Royals with 55 starts at second in '16 -- and Raul Mondesi, who made 40 starts from his July 26 callup through the end of the season. Colon made 29 starts at second and another 10 at short while playing 54 games over three stints last season.
"This group is very talented," Colon said. "We've got a lot of young, talented infielders. You've got to just keep up with them. At the same time, we've created a culture here where it's about winning first and foremost over anything. So that helps a lot -- just to go out there and concentrate on winning."
Colon is hitting his stride at the right time, going 5-for-11 over the past week, including a 3-for-4 spree with his first spring homer over his past two games entering Saturday.
"The timing is finally coming," Colon said. "Some guys, it takes 10 at-bats, some other guys it takes 30 or 40 at-bats. Just timing and knowing what you can do and the type of hitter you are."
Colon was hitting .300 (9-for-30) with two doubles and a homer in the Cactus League entering Saturday. Merrifield was hitting .278 (10-for-36) with a double and two triples, and Mondesi was lighting up the league at .433 (13-for-30) with two doubles and two homers.
On Saturday, Colon made his fifth start at shortstop, getting a chance to show his versatility, while Merrifield started at second and Mondesi rested a tight back. Colon has also had four starts at second and three at third.
"Both [Colon and Merrifield], we're trying to move around a lot, but they can play anywhere in the infield," manager Ned Yost said. "Second is probably where Colon's most comfortable and his best position. He was signed as a shortstop."
With Merrifield having started at five positions last season -- second (55 starts), left (11), right (three), third (three) and first (one) -- Colon is working to feel at home in more spots on the diamond.
Ultimately, Colon is working to give the Royals the best shot at getting back to October -- and making Yost's final roster decisions as tough as possible.
"Any time you get in the lineup is a good time," Colon said.
Young, Wood continue tight battle for No. 5 spot
Yost says he sees no separation; Karns also in mix
March 18, 2017By Owen Perkins/MLB.com
The Royals got nine innings from their starting pitching Saturday -- with two of the three prime contenders for the fifth-starter spot throwing in tandem in a 10-inning, 4-4 tie with the Indians. Left-hander Travis Wood got the start and went five innings, with righty Chris Young following for four.
Wood was efficient throughout, his stuff sharp as he spread five hits and a walk over his five frames while striking out four and throwing just 67 pitches (40 for strikes).
"I got some quick outs attacking the zone and making them swing the bat," Wood said. "If I can take that mindset and game plan into the season, I'll be happy with it."
Wood was effective with all his pitches, changing speeds and working both sides of the plate to keep the Indians off balance. His only miscues came with the bases empty and resulted in a pair of solo homers.
"The changeup at first started off a little flat and short, and then we got the arm extended on that and threw some good ones toward the end," Wood said. "Other than that, the other pitches I felt like were pretty crisp. I left a couple up and they did their job and hit it. They just happened to go out of the park."
Young was just as sharp in his four innings, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out three. He threw 74 pitches (44 for strikes) and might have been available for the 10th inning if the seventh hadn't been extended by an error resulting in two unearned runs.
"They didn't center him up all day," manager Ned Yost said of Young. "All four hits were off the end of the bat or jam shots. They didn't hit a ball hard off of him all day. Gave up the two unearned runs, but should have been out of the inning with nothing. He pitched very well, too."
Yost said he isn't seeing much separation in what is thought to be a three-way race to be the No. 5 starter among Wood, Young and Nathan Karns, who pitched four innings of three-run ball Friday.
"I'm looking at what's best for our team," Yost said of his approach to the competition, noting that if he did see separation, he wouldn't share it.
The fifth starter would join a rotation expected to include Ian Kennedy, Jason Hammel, Jason Vargas, and ace Danny Duffy, who was to start an elimination game for Team USA against the Dominican Republic in Saturday's World Baseball Classic second-round finale.
Yost has rough sketch of Opening Day lineup
WBC '17, injuries keeping KC manager from using all his regulars
March 18, 2017By Owen Perkins/MLB.com
Among the challenges of this Spring Training for Ned Yost has been pulling his team together with several key players still playing in the World Baseball Classic. First baseman Eric Hosmer and staff ace Danny Duffy are fighting for advancement with Team USA, while shortstop Alcides Escobar's Team Venezuela is hoping for an improbable series alignment of outcomes that could see them advance through a tiebreaker.
Couple that with starting catcher Salvador Perez being down for about a week with inflammation in his left knee, and Yost has yet to see anything like an Opening Day lineup on the field. But with just over two weeks before the regular season, he's barely started thinking about it.
"We haven't sat down and discussed it like we do, generally as a group, decide what the best lineup is for us," Yost said before Saturday's game with the Indians. "We get input from our analytical people. We get input from our eyes. We get input from the coaches, before we sit down and decide as a group what we think our best lineup is going to be."
Escobar held down the leadoff spot for the last couple of seasons, making 82 starts atop the lineup in '16. He's hitting .250 in 16 Cactus League at-bats with a triple and a homer, but he was at .429 (9-for-21) in the Classic heading into play Saturday.
"Esky's a primetime player, always," Yost said. "You look at what he does in the playoffs, the World Series. You look at what he does in these big types of games, he's always been extremely productive."
Alex Gordon hit leadoff Saturday. He was hitting .400 (12-for-30) with a homer, but Yost said the leadoff hitters this spring have mostly been there "so they get more at-bats without having to play as many innings," and cautioned against making more of spring lineups than the coaching staff has.
"Alex has been traditionally an on-base guy -- that's why we like him at the top," Yost said. "After the year that he had last year, and he feels good, I just want to get him going.
"He looks like old Gordy. He's getting to inside pitches. He's driving the pitch away. He's staying on his feet against offspeed stuff. He's not swinging and missing at a bunch of it. He looks good."
Yost isn't in a rush, but he'd like to get the lineup clicking together for at least four days to a week before the season opens.
"The three and four spots are locked up with [center fielder Lorenzo] Cain and Hos," Yost said. "For one, two, five, six, still debating on those spots. At least we got two of them locked down."
Yost said he expects to see Perez back by the middle of next week.
"That gives him plenty of time," Yost said. "Sal will be ready to go once he heals up."
With opening day in sight, Royals still waiting for someone to emerge in battle for fifth starter
March 18, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Just more than two weeks before opening day, Royals manager Ned Yost leaned back in his office chair Saturday morning with a stoic expression on his face.
A reporter had lobbed a question concerning the state of the competition for the Royals’ fifth starter role — a battle that, publicly at least, involves Nathan Karns, Travis Wood and Chris Young. Yost digested the question for a moment and sought to bat it away.
No, he said, there was no separation between the three pitchers.
It is easy, of course, to question the sincerity of this posture. Before spring training even begins, teams will meticulously map out roster plans and contingencies. When a competition is deemed open, there is often an internal favorite. But as the Royals prepare for the stretch run of camp, no pitcher has emerged as a clear-cut favorite to found out the rotation, at least based on spring performance.
And that’s fine with Yost.
“Even if I did (see separation),” Yost said. “I wouldn’t tell you two weeks out.”
So with one rotation spot still seemingly up for grabs, Wood and Young took another turn on the mound Saturday afternoon in what turned into a 4-4, 10-inning tie against a split-squad Cleveland Indians side at Surprise Stadium.
Wood drew the start and allowed two earned runs in five innings, striking out four. Young surrendered two unearned runs in four innings, lowering his spring ERA to 2.13.
As the temperature soared into the mid 90s, Wood needed just 67 pitches to navigate five innings. The Indians’ first two runs came via two mistakes that turned into solo homers — one of which was a fly ball to deep left-center that cut through the thin Arizona air.
“I got the pitch count up, which is the main thing,” Wood said. “The pitches were pretty crisp today. I was pretty happy with it.”
Both pitchers were taking on an Indians split-squad lineup that was stocked with minor leaguers. Young built on a solid performance his last time out, when he threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Colorado Rockies. The Indians scored their only runs off Young after a two-out fielding error by shortstop Humberto Arteaga in the seventh. The veteran right-hander Young threw 74 pitches in four innings.
“They didn’t center him up all day,” Yost said. “Four innings, four hits, and all four hits were off the end of the bat or jam shots. They didn’t hit a ball hard off him all day.”
In the confines of spring, results only tell half the story. Karns, who was acquired in the offseason for outfielder Jarrod Dyson, has appeared to be a slight favorite. For one, he’s been given starts to himself, while Wood and Young have flip-flopped. Karns also has limited experience in the bullpen, though club officials are confident his power stuff could translate to relief.