Daily Clips
June 24, 2018
LOCAL
Royals can't hang on late, fall in 12th inning
Maurer yields tying run in 9th as Astros rally to even series
June 23, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Dozier stays tough on McCullers with homer
June 23, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Duda singles in final at-bat in return from DL
Royals option Orlando to Triple-A prior to Saturday's loss
June 23, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
After Brandon Maurer blows ninth-inning lead, Royals lose to Astros in 12 innings
June 23, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
The Royals are considering trying to sign Luke Heimlich. Here's why they shouldn't
June 23, 2018By Vahe Gregorian/KC Star
Whit Merrifield and the rest of the Royals know Kauffman Stadium is a graveyard where homers go to die
June 24, 2018By Rustin Dodd/The Athletic
MINORS
Late Homer Dooms Naturals In Drillville
June 23, 2018By Northwest Arkansas Naturals
RiverDogs Take Bite Out of Legends in Series Finale Despite Second Grand Salami of Series
June 23, 2018By LEX18 Lexington KY News
Royals Fall in Tight Battle with Bluefield
Burlington drops to 0-5 on the season with 7-5 loss
June 23, 2018By Burlington Royals
NATIONAL
Twins preparing Polanco for return to action
June 23, 2018By Jarrid Denney/MLB.com
Brewers send Santana to Triple-A, recall Miller
June 23, 2018By Stephen Cohn/MLB.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
June 24, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals can't hang on late, fall in 12th inning
Maurer yields tying run in 9th as Astros rally to even series
June 23, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
It was all set up for an inspiring Royals series win over the reigning World Series champion Astros.
Royals starter Ian Kennedy was excellent, throwing seven innings of two-run ball. First baseman Hunter Dozier hit a big three-run homer and the Royals carried a one-run lead into the ninth on Saturday night at MInute Maid Park.
But the Astros pushed across a soft run in the ninth off right-hander Brandon Maurer, then won it in the 12th against right-hander Justin Grimm when Carlos Correa singled with the bases loaded and none out for a 4-3 walk-off win.
The Astros loaded the bases in the 12th on a walk, a bloop single by Alex Bregman that fell between Dozier, second baseman Ryan Goins and right fielder Rosell Herrera, and an intentional walk. Correa then lined a 1-1 pitch to right-center.
"Just a little inexperience I think at first base where Hunter was thinking that the second baseman was over, but he wasn't, he was up the middle," manager Ned Yost said, "and by the time he realized it nobody could make a play on the ball."
Maurer gave up a seeing-eye single to Yuli Gurriel, then a bloop single to center by Josh Reddick that sent pinch-runner Jake Marisnick to third. Marisnick then scored on a bloop sacrifice fly to left by Evan Gattis.
Maurer appeared to have Gurriel out on a 0-2 fastball that nicked the bottom of the strike zone.
"The heater ... it was close," Maurer said. "One of those that can go either way. Would have been a huge out. Would have got me to two outs with no one on."
Kennedy came into the game 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA in his career against Houston. And he was on point again this time, giving up four hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out five.
Kennedy said he can't explain his mastery of the Astros.
"Not really. Sometimes you pitch against teams that it doesn't matter who is in the lineup," Kennedy said "Maybe it's the stadium. I don't know -- teams are bound to get you once or twice. Not yet [with the Astros]."
Dozier, who hit a two-run shot off Lance McCullers Jr. on Sunday in Kansas City, drilled a three-run opposite-field homer in the fourth this time against McCullers.
Dozier hit a 2-1 two-seamer on a line over the right-field fence with Salvador Perez and Alex Gordon on board.
Kennedy gave two back in the bottom of the fourth, including one on a homer by Gurriel that just crawled into the left-field Crawford Boxes -- Statcast™ projected its distance at just 348 feet.
MOMENT THAT MATTERED
Kennedy, down to likely his last batter, made perhaps the best pitch of the night to Marwin Gonzalez with two out and one on in the seventh. With Reddick on first base, Kennedy ran the count full to Gonzalez while sitting at 103 pitches. Kennedy's next pitch was a slider that caught the outside corner at the knees, freezing Gonzalez.
"We hadn't shown him slider and Salvy made the call, and I agreed with it," Kennedy said. "I wasn't trying to make it that close to the zone, I was trying to go back-foot. But it worked out."
UP NEXT
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel (2-8, 4.98 ERA) takes the mound in the series finale against the Astros at 1:10 p.m. CT on Sunday at Minute Maid Park. Right-hander Gerrit Cole (8-1, 2.59) will start for Houston. Hammel permitted three earned runs and a season-high four walks in 5 2/3 innings on Tuesday in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers.
Dozier stays tough on McCullers with homer
June 23, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals first baseman Hunter Dozier certainly has Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr.'s number.
Dozier ripped a three-run home run to right field off McCullers in the fourth inning in a 4-3 walk-off loss in 12 innings on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park.
Dozier also took McCullers deep on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium, a two-run shot to left-center.
Anything Dozier sees from McCullers that his teammates don't?
"I don't think so," Dozier said. "He just threw me a fastball and I was able to make good contact."
This time, Dozier jumped on a 95-mph two-seamer from McCullers on a 2-1 count and drilled a line drive into the seats in right for his fourth home run this season.
Dozier said he expects to see more opposite-field home runs in the future.
"My last full year in the Minors in 2016, I hit quite a few the opposite way," Dozier said. "That's kind of my approach, hitting it to right-center."
Duda singles in final at-bat in return from DL
Royals option Orlando to Triple-A prior to Saturday's loss
June 23, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals reinstated first baseman Lucas Duda from the disabled list on Saturday and optioned struggling outfielder Paulo Orlando to Triple-A Omaha.
Duda went 1-for-4 with a single before leaving for a pinch-runner in the ninth in the Royals' 4-3 loss in 12 innings to the Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Duda, recovering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot, played in four games during a rehab assignment with Omaha and he hit .313 with two home runs. He was the DH for all four games.
Orlando hit just .177 in 22 games with the Royals.
What Duda's return means for Hunter Dozier's playing time and position has yet to be determined, manager Ned Yost said before Saturday's game. Dozier, presumably part of the team's future, has played in 29 games at first base, where he is being converted to and where he may play in the future. He hit a three-run homer off Lance McCullers Jr. in the fourth inning.
"How am I going to know how I'll play [Duda]?" Yost said. "I haven't seen him move around yet. ... I have to know can he go first to third? Can he leg out a double? Does he go base to base? Do I need to pinch-run for him? ... He will DH right now.
"I'm going to play Dozier. If Duda is playing first, Dozier is probably going to play some right field and DH. ... [A plan] hasn't been devised yet."
Yost did allow that he has liked what he has seen defensively from Dozier at first base.
"He's gotten better," Yost said. "It's becoming more natural to him. Our infielders have done a good job -- [former first baseman Eric Hosmer] used to have to pick like two [throws] a game. But I don't think Dozier has had to pick three or so balls altogether."
Duda said he should be full-go in terms of health.
"I'm here and I should be healthy and productive," Duda said.
After Brandon Maurer blows ninth-inning lead, Royals lose to Astros in 12 innings
June 23, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
For almost two hours on Saturday evening, the Royals held onto a one-run lead over the reigning-world-champion Astros.
The Royals' prospects for a victory seemed high. Royals starting pitcher Ian Kennedy had thrown seven innings of two-run baseball and was in line to win for the first time since April 7. Reliever Wily Peralta had allowed a walk in the eighth but flashed a high-90s fastball that helped him throw a scoreless frame.
But when the doors to the visiting bullpen opened to allow Royals reliever Brandon Maurer, the very same who posted a 12.46 ERA in five early-season outings before being designated for assignment in April, to enter the Minute Maid Park field in the ninth inning, the Royals’ chances for a victory wavered.
The Royals lost to the Astros 4-3 on Carlos Correa's walkoff single in the 12th inning when a series of misplays. After Justin Grimm issued a leadoff walk to George Springer, the defense shifted and Alex Bregman hit a pop-up to short right-field, just left of the foul line. Royals first baseman Hunter Dozier struggled to get to it as second baseman Ryan Goins and right fielder Rosell Herrera converged for backup. The ball dropped, Dozier sprawled on the ground, and Goins wound up making a throw to third base that scuttled past Mike Moustakas.
Springer scored easily three pitches later on a ball hit to right-center field.
The Royals arrived at that juncture because Maurer had allowed back-to-back singles to place runners on the corners with one out in the ninth inning and bring up Evan Gattis, whose 24 RBIs in June lead baseball. Gattis lined a ball into shallow left field that Alex Gordon had to dive to catch — and as a result, Yuli Gurriel was able to scurry home and tie the game 3-3.
"He made some good pitches," manager Ned Yost said. "It was off the end of the bat."
Without the ability to get on base against an Astros bullpen that threw six scoreless innings, Maurer's misfortune sealed the Royals’ fate.
In search of a spark on offense, the Royals activated Lucas Duda before the game. Duda had been on the disabled list since May 14 because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
But on an evening where the Royals tallied five hits, it was the strength of rookie Dozier, the Royals’ 2013 first-round draft pick who hass filled in for Duda at first base for more than a month, that almost brought a victory.
Dozier launched his fourth home run of the season in the fourth inning against Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. Dozier clobbered a 95 mph pitch that was left in the middle of the zone, a mistake that left McCullers shaking his head, a hit that scored all three runs for the Royals.
Before the game, Yost didn’t know how to provide a clear answer about Dozier’s future. It was too early, he said, to judge when he hadn’t seen if Duda could play the field without discomfort yet. (Duda, by the way, was a designated hitter in four rehab games with Class AAA Omaha.)
Needled, Yost admitted, yes, Dozier would be “mixed in” more. Starts in right field loom in his future; he’ll get a chance to man third base, where he played before the Royals encouraged him to become more versatile.
No matter how fluid Yost said the plans might be, one thing appears certain: The Royals don’t intend to return Dozier to the minor leagues for the time being.
And Saturday’s homer — his first career opposite-field shot, one muscled into the right-field seats and thrown back into the field by spurned Astros fans — only strengthened Dozier’s case.
"He just threw me a fastball and I was able to make good contact," Dozier said. "My last full year in the minors in 2016 I hit quite a few the opposite way. That’s kind of my approach, hitting it to right-center."
But it wasn’t enough.
One night after the Royals had Herrera in ice water, and not even 24 hours after Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” and Usher’s “Yeah” had been pumped into the visiting clubhouse speakers, the Royals were silenced again.
The Royals’ offensive woes — which weren’t solved Friday night, when they hit 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position and stranded a small army on base — rolled right into Saturday.
"Hunter gave us a big lift with a three-run jack, but we couldn’t really muster anything outside of that," Yost said. "If we can just find a way to tack on a run here or there it would be beneficial for us."
The Royals are now hitting .187 for the month of June, the only MLB team hitting below .200 this month. They are last in the majors in runs scored (271) this season. They entered Saturday with a paltry .370 slugging percentage that ranked 29th.
Not even Duda’s return to the lineup could spark a reversal.
Outside of a two-run frame in which Jose Altuve doubled and scored and Gurriel smashed a solo homer, the Astros barely touched Royals starter Kennedy. The Royals starting pitcher out-dueled McCullers, who was charged three runs on four hits and struck out nine, by wielding an arsenal of four-seam fastballs, knuckle curves and sliders that kept the Astros off balance. Of the 20 balls put in play by the Astros, barely any hard contact was made: The exit velocity on Houston’s batted balls averaged 87.6 mph.
For months, Kennedy has hung onto a winless streak. On Saturday, it extended to 14 as the Royals dropped to 23-53.
"I don’t know — teams are bound to get you once or twice," said Kennedy, who entered with a 1.99 ERA in five career starts against Houston. "Not yet (with the Astros)."
The Royals are considering trying to sign Luke Heimlich. Here's why they shouldn't
June 23, 2018By Vahe Gregorian/KC Star
Amid a distressing makeover by the Royals, the franchise faces numerous complicated decisions. But one looming consideration has more perilous and broad implications than about any other.
The Royals are exploring the possibility of trying to sign Luke Heimlich, the Oregon State pitcher who as a 15-year-old in 2012 pleaded guilty to a felony charge of molesting his 6-year-old niece.
“We continue to seek information that allows us to be comfortable in pursuing Luke,” general manager Dayton Moore said earlier this week.
This is a probe into a hornet’s nest plopped on a third-rail shrouded in a haze — bearing who-knows-what-substantial-upside and/or unanticipated consequences in the bigger picture.
Never mind that Moore is a man of impeccable integrity and sincerity and has a staff that reflects his values.
Even as he cautioned that it’s a tentative exploration, the very notion is laden with hazards.
Cue the alarm and skepticism, particularly when it comes to what Heimlich’s place in the public spotlight would forever stand for to survivors of abuse and their families.
Bring on the irrefutably valid counter-points to contemplating this, especially in the era of monsters Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nassar, including the most basic question:
Even if Heimlich, who is pitching in the College World Series, never is accused of hurting anyone again, why should he have this chance?
“I’m sorry, but Luke does not deserve to be on that platform and pedestal, (potentially) looked up to and adored by millions of people, including young kids,” Brenda Tracy, a nationally recognized activist and survivor of a gang rape in Corvallis, Ore., said by telephone Saturday.
She later added, “We should never normalize, we should never minimize (what Heimlich pleaded guilty to). If the Royals bring him on their team, they are complicit in normalizing and minimizing.”
Nothing resonates more widely and deeply than those points do, and ultimately they should guide where this all goes.
Moore talks often about how every decision he makes has to be in the best interests of the organization, and, thus, for what the franchise stands.
No matter how honorably intended, this idea irreconcilably clashes with the senses of innocence and family Moore seeks to cultivate in the region, the stands and the clubhouse.
Still, it’s important to understand why Moore is exploring it.
Are we about rehabilitation or merely punishment, wrath or mercy?
Do we take away the apparent best chance for a future for someone whose heinous crime was committed in his early teens and has paid his legal debt to society?