Daily Clips
June 20, 2017
LOCAL
Royals dive in, rally in 7th to edge Red Sox
June 20, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan and Ian Browne/MLB.com
Mechanical tweak paying off for Hammel
June 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals sign first-round pick Pratto
June 19, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals agree with 2nd-rounder Melendez
Left-handed-hitting catcher features power, athleticism
June 19, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Royals option Skoglund, call up McCarthy
June 19, 2017By Megan Zahneis/MLB.com
Strahm aiming for second straight victory
June 19, 2017By Ian Browne/MLB.com
Drew Butera’s triple — triple! — keys Royals’ victory over Red Sox
June 19, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
MINORS
Farrell Pitches Omaha to 5-1 Win
Chasers ride dominant pitching performance to victory
June 19, 2017By Omaha Storm Chasers
Naturals Sweep Doubleheader to Close First Half
Both game finish with 3-2 scores
June 19, 2017By Arkansas Travelers
Opening night comeback bid falls short
June 20, 2017By Grand Junction Rockies
NATIONAL
Real or not? Royals are contenders, Nolan Arenado helps MVP case
June 19, 2017By David Schoenfield/ESPN
MLB TRANSACTIONS
June 20, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals dive in, rally in 7th to edge Red Sox
June 20, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan and Ian Browne/MLB.com
Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning after Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.'s dive turned a single by Drew Butera into a triple, and the Royals held on for a 4-2 victory on Monday night at Kauffman Stadium.
With one out in the seventh in a 2-2 game, Butera sent a liner to left-center that Bradley dived for and missed, and Butera hustled to third as the ball rolled to the wall. The catch probability on the play was just four percent -- Bradley would have had to have traveled 59 feet in 3.5 seconds.
"I tried to take the most direct route I could to it," said Bradley. "I tried to make a play on it, and it was barely just out of my reach."
Merrifield battled Red Sox reliever Blaine Boyer through a seven-pitch at-bat before singling through a drawn-in infield. Two batters later, Lorenzo Cain singled in Merrifield, who had gone to second on a groundout.
Boyer started Merrifield off with primarily four-seam fastballs before trying to finish him off with two-seamers.
"Anytime I'm in a situation like that, I'm just trying to drive the ball to center to score the run," Merrifield said. "He gave me some pitches to hit early and I kept fouling them off. Then he came back with some two-seamers inside and I was able to find a hole."
Added Royals manager Ned Yost, "Whit had a phenomenal at-bat. He just grinded and was bound and determined to get that run home. My level of confidence was that he'd find a way to score the run, via sacrifice fly or whatever it took."
The Red Sox fell a half-game behind the idle Yankees atop the American League East. The Royals have won eight of nine and are 3 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central.
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel tossed his fourth straight quality start, going seven innings while giving up seven hits and two runs while walking none and striking out four.
Red Sox rookie right-hander Hector Velazquez made his second career start and held the Royals to two runs over 5 1/3 innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out three.
"He gave us everything we could have hoped for tonight," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "That was a very good job on his part."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Taking a dive: The Royals' rally in the seventh inning was launched when Butera sent a liner toward left-center field with one out. Bradley Jr. laid out with a full dive but missed the ball, which rolled to the wall as Butera took third with a triple. Merrifield then grounded a single to left past a drawn-in infield and the Royals led, 3-2.
"I've always said a few people have to fall down for me to get a triple, and they did," Butera said of his fifth career triple. "I got the good part of the bat on it. I was a little surprised he dived for it, but honestly, I thought he caught it. Then I heard [first-base coach] Rusty [Kuntz] yell, 'Three!'"
Rally thwarted: The Red Sox put a scare into Royals reliever Mike Minor in the eighth inning. With one out, Hanley Ramirez and Bradley, who also hit a two-run home run in the fourth, singled. With two out, pinch-hitter Chris Young walked. But Minor induced catcher Christian Vazquez into a slow roller to third where Cheslor Cuthbert made a strong throw to first to get him.
"We once again created a number of opportunities," said Farrell. "A big one in the eighth, a number of men left on base."
QUOTABLE
"That's my boy. We played together for quite some time in college. It's always pretty cool seeing guys up in the big league level and playing against each other, especially since we know each other's family. So it's very unique." -- Bradley, on playing his old college teammate Merrifield
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer put the Royals up, 2-0, in the third when he belted his eighth home run of the season on a 3-2 sinker from Velazquez. Statcast™ projected it would have traveled 446 feet to center. That tied for Hosmer's third longest home run since Statcast™ started in 2015.
"That was just a bomb that Hos hit," Yost said. "That's a long way to center field."
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
The Royals challenged a safe call at first base in the third inning on an attempted pickoff by Hammel of XanderBogaerts. After a long look -- three minutes, three seconds -- the call on the field stood.
WHAT'S NEXT
Red Sox: Lefty ace Chris Sale takes the mound for the Red Sox on Wednesday night after suffering a tough-luck 1-0 loss at Philadelphia last time out. Having spent his entire career in the American League Central before this season, Sale is more than familiar with Kauffman Stadium, going 3-3 with a 2.92 ERA at the Royals' home park. First pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.
Royals: Left-hander Matt Strahm (2-3, 3.67 ERA) will make his second career start in Game 2 of the series Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. CT. Strahm went five innings in his first start last Thursday against the Angels and gave up three hits and one unearned run.
Mechanical tweak paying off for Hammel
June 20, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Make that four straight quality starts for Royals right-hander Jason Hammel, whose season suddenly has been reborn.
Hammel (4-6) held the Red Sox to seven hits and two runs through seven innings, and the Royals rallied late to seal a 4-2 victory on Monday. Once again, Hammel's command was exceptional. He walked none and now has walked just one hitter in his past four starts, covering 27 1/3 innings.
"He gave us seven strong innings," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Ever since [pitching coach] Dave [Eiland] and Jason made a mechanical adjustment, he's been lights-out."
Since Eiland got Hammel to square his shoulders up more during a bullpen session in late May, Hammel has delivered five out of six quality starts and lowered his once-bulging ERA to 4.83.
"I have felt pretty good with my command," said Hammel, who tossed 91 pitches. "That's about as good a lineup as you'll find tonight, and they put up a good fight. They were more aggressive than I thought they would be. I think that helped out with the pitch count.
"To hold them to six singles and a homer, I feel good about that."
The Royals had a 2-0 lead on Eric Hosmer's two-run homer entering the fourth when Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. took Hammel deep to right for a two-run home run that traveled a projected 423 feet per Statcast™.
"It was a slider that Bradley got a hold of," Hammel said. "Hos gives us a two-run homer and naturally I give it right back. My slider was more of a cutter until the seventh inning, when it finally showed up. But to hold them to two and not feel great, that's pretty good."
Hammel had one more scare in the sixth when he hit Hanley Ramirez with a pitch and then with one out, Bradley singled.
But Hammel got Josh Rutledge to strike out on a breaking ball, and then got Pablo Sandoval to ground into a forceout to escape any damage and keep game tied at 2.
"You have to continue to trust your stuff and use your fielders behind you," Hammel said. "You have to make sure your misses are down when you pitch to them. I was able to do that right there."
Royals sign first-round pick Pratto
June 19, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
This wasn't the first time first-round Draft pick Nick Pratto donned a Royals cap at a significant moment.
As it turns out, Pratto was wearing a Royals cap and shirt when, at the age of seven, he hit his first home run while in a Little League game near Huntington Beach, Calif.
Pratto put on a Royals cap 11 years later at Kauffman Stadium on Monday as the team announced Pratto, the 14th overall pick, had signed. MLB.com reported Saturday that, according to a source, Pratto's deal is worth $3.45 million, slightly below the $3,727,600 slot value for the pick.
As happy as Pratto was Sunday when he flew to Kansas City to sign the deal, he also could recall that first time he put on a Royals uniform as his parents, Jeff and Laura, proudly looked on at Monday's news conference.
"The funny thing is it was a pitch above my eyes and I just waved at it," Pratto said of his first home run.
It was Pratto's father, Jeff, who coached Nick at the time and was also behind selecting the uniforms for that season.
"I just thought it would be different to go with Royals uniforms that year," Jeff said.
And now Nick Pratto will wear the Major League version. Pratto, the No. 13 prospect on MLB Pipeline's top 200 Draft prospects, will report to the Arizona Rookie League on Tuesday.
"We're bringing in an incredible talent," said Royals scouting director Lonnie Goldberg.
Royals scout Rich Amaral has known Pratto and his family for more than 10 years, as Amaral's sons played in Little League with Pratto.
"He reminds me of a lot of J.T. Snow," Amaral said of Pratto's skill set. "He's a great defender, sort of like a shortstop at first base. He can also play the corner outfields if you need him to. You think about Wally Joyner. Maybe [Joey] Votto. I have thought about a lot of different guys for him."
Pratto, who received a congratulatory call from George Brett last week, said he was fine with the Snow comparisons.
"I know J.T. Snow just from watching him when I was really young," Pratto said. "I never really tried to emulate one person. People will compare me to players. It's not my job to do that."
Royals general manager Dayton Moore was pleased to get the deal done quickly.
"There was a natural trust between the people involved and [Pratto]," Moore said.
Pratto has watched the Royals from afar and said he is anxious to get started in his professional career.
"I like to bring my style of play -- play hard and play to win," Pratto said. "I like to call myself a leader. The Royals' organization has won a World Series, and that atmosphere is awesome to watch from the outside. Now I'll be on the inside."
Royals agree with 2nd-rounder Melendez
Left-handed-hitting catcher features power, athleticism
June 19, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
The Royals and second-round Draft pick (No. 52 overall) M.J. Melendez have agreed to terms.
Melendez, a catcher whom the Royals believed to be the best at the position in this year's Draft, signed for $2.1 million, MLB.com's Jim Callis reports, a deal well above slot value for the pick ($1,295,700). Baseball America first reported the signing.
The club has not confirmed the agreement with Melendez.
Melendez's father, Mervyl Melendez, said his son signed on Saturday and is now participating in minicamp in Surprise, Ariz. The Royals have also signed their first-round pick, first baseman Nick Pratto, according to MLB.com's William Boor.
With his father being a head college baseball coach his whole life, Melendez grew up around the sport. He displayed signs of wanting to be a catcher when he was 2 years old, his father said, by crouching down, putting a hat over his face like a catcher's mask and smacking a glove against the tile in their home to simulate the popping sound a mitt makes when a baseball is caught in just the right spot.
"He was fascinated with being a catcher," Melendez's father said.
Melendez began playing organized baseball when he was 4 and became a 6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect MLB Pipeline rated No. 72 overall in the Draft.
Though Melendez was committed to play for his father at Florida International University, Mervyl said the moment his son was drafted they knew he wouldn't be attending school.
"You have that feeling that that's the organization you really wanted," Melendez's father said. "Once that happened, we knew that's what he needed to do."
Royals option Skoglund, call up McCarthy
June 19, 2017By Megan Zahneis/MLB.com
Before Monday night's game against the Red Sox, the Royals optioned pitcher Eric Skoglund to Triple-A Omaha, calling up Kevin McCarthy to assume Skoglund's place.
Skoglund, who is ranked the club's No. 3 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, struggled in the rotation, as he was twice unable to make it past the second inning after an impressive big league debut May 30, in which he pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings. The Royals recently shifted Skoglund to the bullpen, but he never saw action there.
"We just need him to get back pitching," Royals manager Ned Yost said of Skoglund. "[Skoglund] wasn't going to get that opportunity here. We've got long relief covered."
McCarthy has pitched 6 1/3 innings over four games in the Royals' bullpen and has yet to allow a run. For Omaha, he was 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA through 20 appearances and 27 innings.
Strahm aiming for second straight victory
June 19, 2017By Ian Browne/MLB.com
In a battle of talented left-handers, the Red Sox send veteran ace Chris Sale to the mound while the Royals counter with emerging 25-year-old Matt Strahm on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
This will be Strahm's second Major League start. After making 41 career relief appearances, Strahm got the opportunity to start for the first time last Thursday on the road against the Angels and picked up the win, allowing one unearned run over five innings.
Meanwhile, Sale has completely lived up to expectations in his first season with the Red Sox. Last time out, Sale struck out 10 and allowed one run over eight innings, but took a complete-game, 1-0 loss to the Phillies on Thursday.
Sale entered Monday tied with teammate Rick Porcello for the second-highest rate of pitches thrown while ahead in the count of any full-time starter (34.8 percent). Sale's not only getting ahead; he's capitalized by recording 135 outs while being ahead, too -- second only to Max Scherzer in the Major Leagues. When Sale gets rolling with early strikes, it's a treacherous uphill climb for hitters.
Three things to know about this game
• Sandy Leon, who always starts behind the plate when Sale pitches, has struggled offensively in June, posting a .214/.303/.250 slash line with just one extra-base hit.
• Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer have both had their share of success against Sale, who they are familiar with from his years in the American League Central. Cain is a .346 hitter lifetime against him with three homers and eight RBIs, while Hosmer is at .376 with three homers and seven RBIs.
• Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia isn't expected to play Tuesday, as he recovers from getting plunked in the left lat/rib cage area in Sunday night's game against the Astros.
Drew Butera’s triple — triple! — keys Royals’ victory over Red Sox
June 19, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
Whit Merrifield fist-pumped the Royals’ dugout in delight. Red Sox reliever Blaine Boyer clenched his fist in anger.
The key battle in the Royals-Red Sox series opener went to Merrifield, who bounced a single through a drawn-in left side of the infield and paved the way to a 4-2 Royals’ triumph Monday at Kauffman Stadium.
The game stood 2-2 when the bottom and top of the Royals’ order served up the go-ahead drama.