Daily Clips
September 5, 2017
LOCAL
Royals jump out early, hang on late vs. Tigers
September 5, 2017By Jason Beck and Kyle Beery/MLB.com
Reliever Alexander proving clutch for KC
Lefty's power sinker helps him notch another one-out save to shut door vs. Tigers
September 5, 2017By Kyle Beery/MLB.com
Defense comes up big in Royals' narrow win
Gordon robs homer, Cain makes sliding grab as Kansas City holds off Detroit
September 5, 2017By Kyle Beery/MLB.com
Alex Gordon robbed Mikie Mahtook of a homer in the same spot Mahtook assisted one on Sunday
September 5, 2017By Adrian Garro/Cut 4
Vargas looks to get back on track vs. Tigers
September 5, 2017By Kyle Beery/MLB.com
Alex Gordon robs a homer. Then the Royals hang on against the Tigers
September 5, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Is Scott Alexander the Royals’ best option at closer if Herrera remains out?
September 5, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
This former Royal is working to fill the shoes of first-base coach Rusty Kuntz
September 5, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Want to know why umpires miss pitches? Here’s part of the answer
September 5, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star
MINORS
Chasers Top Iowa 7-3 In 2017 Finale
Schwindel caps season on strong note with 2 hits, 2 RBI
September 5, 2017Omaha Storm Chasers
Escalera's big day not enough in 4-2 loss at Arkansas
Naturals complete the 2017 regular season and gear up for postseason play
September 5, 2017Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Blue Rocks Rally Falls Short in Season Finale
Wilmington Strands Tying and Game-Winning Runs on Base
September 5, 2017Wilmington Blue Rocks
Rivera claims batting title; Suns win finale, 11-6
September 5, 2017Lexington Legends
MLB TRANSACTIONS
September 5, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals jump out early, hang on late vs. Tigers
September 5, 2017By Jason Beck and Kyle Beery/MLB.com
Eric Hosmer hit an RBI single and a two-run homer as the Royals built an early lead before holding on late for a 7-6 win over the Tigers in a battle of rookie starters on Monday at Comerica Park.
The Royals' third win in four games moved them within 2 1/2 games of Minnesota for the second American League Wild Card spot, as the Twins fell to the Rays on Monday night. Kansas City has won its last six meetings with the Tigers, who have dropped their last five games overall.
The Royals pounced early on Artie Lewicki (0-1) in his Major League debut, using a two-run double from Melky Cabrera and a two-run homer from Hosmer to build a 5-0 lead after three innings. But Lewicki held the damage there, finishing with five runs in as many innings on 11 hits before Detroit rallied with a three-run fifth off Royals rookie JakobJunis (7-2).
"I didn't feel like I was overwhelmed," Lewicki said. "I just felt like I was sometimes pressing, maybe trying to make a pitch too perfect, and ended up leaving it over the heart of the plate, and they made me pay for it."
Junis gave up seven hits over five innings. Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar added solo homers for insurance in the seventh and eighth innings, runs that loomed large once Nicholas Castellanos' three-run home run in the ninth off Brandon Maurer whittled the lead to a run. Back-to-back singles from James McCann and JeimerCandelario moved the potential tying run into scoring position, but Scott Alexander entered to retire Mikie Mahtook for his third save of the season.
Royals manager Ned Yost waited until the last possible moment to bring in Alexander because he had used him in four of the last six games, and the bullpen is a little thin. But Yost said he had to do what he had to do, and he had full confidence in turning to Alexander, who has three one-out saves this season.
"He's handled it in the most crucial situations his last three saves," Yost said. "You come in with the situations he's been in, and for him to have those situations, he can handle anything."
"We had a rough series against Cleveland," said Tigers right fielder Alex Presley, whose three-hit game followed a four-hit performance Saturday. "To finish strong today, even though we came up short, there's a little bit of spark going into tomorrow. I'm happy with how we battled."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
That's how you bring one back: One day after Mahtook tipped a ball over the left-field fence for a home run, Alex Gordon robbed him of a homer with a leaping catch at the same fence. Gordon reached up and over to corral Mahtook's two-out loft, stranding runners at the corners in the fourth inning.
Gordon said right off the bat he didn't think he was going to be able to catch the ball, considering the good swing Mahtook put on it.
"I just tried to get back to the fence right away and get in a good position, and luckily, it didn't get too far over," Gordon said. "I just timed my jump perfectly, and I was able to make a good catch."
Cain denies Iglesias: The Tigers had the potential tying run in scoring position after back-to-back sixth-inning walks off Peter Moylan and a Mahtook steal of second. Up came Jose Iglesias, whose RBI double fueled Detroit's fifth-inning rally, but Lorenzo Cain's charge in from center gave him the split-second he needed to slide in on Iglesias' sinking liner for a lead-preserving catch. Iglesias was two-thirds of the way down the line, and he flipped his helmet in frustration.
"That was a huge play, too. We made some great defensive plays today," Yost said. "[He was] closing ground extremely fast and made the play, because that would have tied the ballgame at that point."
QUOTABLE
"Save runs. That's what we try to do as defenders. It's pretty frustrating for an offense when you go out there and make plays like that. Give them credit. They fought back pretty hard, but luckily Scotty came in and saved the game again." -- Gordon, on his home run robbery and Cain's sliding play
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Hosmer has more home runs against the Tigers (20) than any other opponent, 11 of them at Comerica Park.
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: Jason Vargas (14-9, 3.87 ERA) looks to right the ship amid a rough second half of the season when he takes the mound Tuesday in Detroit. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. CT. Vargas started the season 12-3 with a 2.62 ERA, earning himself a trip to the All-Star Game, but he has struggled since the break, going 2-6 with a 6.80 ERA.
Tigers: Anibal Sanchez (3-3, 6.95 ERA) returns from the disabled list to rejoin the injury-depleted Detroit rotation, making his first start since Aug. 16 for the second game of this series. First pitch at Comerica Park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.Reliever Alexander proving clutch for KC
Lefty's power sinker helps him notch another one-out save to shut door vs. Tigers
September 5, 2017By Kyle Beery/MLB.com
Scott Alexander came up huge in a clutch situation once again for the Royals in Monday's 7-6 win vs. the Tigers at Comerica Park. The left-handed reliever entered a one-run ballgame with runners on base and got Mikie Mahtook to ground into a forceout for a one-out save, his second in Kansas City's past four games.
Even after having a heavy workload recently, Alexander bailed the Royals out of a bases-loaded jam in a 7-6 win at Minnesota on Friday, thanks to his power sinker.
"For me, he's got that heavy sinker, and he throws strikes," manager Ned Yost said. "He had been in four out of six [games]. I was doing everything I could to stay away from him today. Bullpen's a little thin right now. We had to bring in our next guy, which was Scotty."
Yost praised Alexander for his ability to get both left- and right-handed hitters out with his 93-mph sinker at the bottom of the zone, which often gets hitters to keep the ball on the ground, as was the case Monday.
Alexander also had a one-out save back on Aug. 22, and he has been key for the Royals, who are missing the backend of their bullpen with Kelvin Herrera (day to day with a forearm strain) and Joakim Soria (10-day disabled list with a left oblique strain) battling injuries.
"He's handled it in the most crucial of situations his last three saves," Yost said. "You come in with the situations he's been in, and for him to have those situations, he can handle anything."
Alexander, who has not allowed a run in 13 appearances dating back to Aug. 15, said the heavy workload hasn't bothered him and he felt fine ahead of Monday's game, despite Yost being hesitant to use him.
Alexander said he took a similar approach with his sinker Monday as he did against the Twins over the weekend in trying to wiggle out of the jam.
"I'm just trying to attack the bottom part of the zone, make them hit it at the ground and hopefully hit it at somebody," Alexander said. "You just try to stick to your strengths in that situation."
Defense comes up big in Royals' narrow win
Gordon robs homer, Cain makes sliding grab as Kansas City holds off Detroit
September 5, 2017By Kyle Beery/MLB.com
Alex Gordon often practices robbing home runs during batting practice when the Royals' heavy hitters, such as Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, are going deep. It paid off in a big way in Monday's 7-6 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Gordon took back what would have been a two-out, three-run homer from Detroit's Mikie Mahtook in the fourth inning of a 5-0 game. It turned out to be a huge defensive save as a Tigers' ninth-inning rally fell just short in Kansas City's win.
"Trust me, when I take BP, I actually practice that a little bit when Sally, Hos and Moose are hitting," Gordon said. "I go back to the fence and just play with it a little bit. It's a short fence, and you can grab it and get over it a little bit, so just something I do during BP."
While Gordon's robbery saved the Royals three runs, center fielder Lorenzo Cain came up with a big play of his own. Cain's sliding play saved two more runs in the sixth inning. With runners at second and third with two outs, Cain came charging in on a Jose Iglesias line drive.
"Save runs. That's what we try to do as defenders," Gordon said. "It's pretty frustrating for an offense when you go out there and make plays like that. Give them credit. They fought back pretty hard."
"That was a huge play, too," manager Ned Yost said. "We made some great defensive plays today. Cain's play, closing ground extremely fast and making the play, because that would have tied the ballgame at that point."
It's safe to say the Royals' outfielders played a big role in getting a win that pulled the club back to .500 as it continues its American League Wild Card chase. The Royals have a four-game set at home vs. the Twins, who hold the second AL Wild Card spot, looming this weekend.
While the Royals had fallen pretty far back in the Wild Card standings about a week ago, Gordon said the thoughts around the clubhouse are that they've been right in the thick of it all along.
"We haven't lost hope or anything like that," Gordon said. "There's a lot of teams kind of bunched in the middle of the Wild Card, so we've just got to keep plugging and not worry about what other teams are doing."
Alex Gordon robbed Mikie Mahtook of a homer in the same spot Mahtook assisted one on Sunday
September 5, 2017By Adrian Garro/Cut 4
On Sunday, Tigers outfielder Mikie Mahtook attempted to catch a fly ball off the bat of Jose Ramirez -- but didn't, and actually wound up assisting it over the left-field fence for a home run. It was quite an image.
A day later, Detroit was hosting the Royals for a Labor Day matinee. Mahtook hit a deep drive toward the left-field wall in a bid for a home run, but there was Alex Gordon, who timed a leap and pulled down the baseball before it cleared the fence ... and without assisting it on its way.
It's worth pointing out that Gordon's robbery occurred in just about the same area as Mahtook's "assist." That's baseball for you. This would prove to be an important moment, considering the Royals held on in the ninth to win, 7-6.
For Gordon, who ended a game with a homer-stealing catch just a month ago, this is no big deal. He does this sort of thing all the time.
So did Gordon think he had a chance to make the play right off the bat?
"Not really because when he hit it, it came off the bat pretty well," he told MLB.com's Kyle Beery after the game. "I just tried to get back to the fence right away and get in a good position and luckily, it didn't get too far over. I just timed my jump perfectly and I was able to make a good catch."
Gordon does have some experience with this particular wall in left field, though.
"Trust me, when I take BP, I actually practice that a little bit when (heavy hitters) are hitting. It's a short fence and you can grab it and get over it a little bit, so just something I do during BP."
As for Mahtook, well ... the past two games are a reminder of the ability of baseball to be a humbling thing.
Vargas looks to get back on track vs. Tigers
September 5, 2017By Kyle Beery/MLB.com
Jason Vargas was on a roll to start the season, posting a 12-3 record and a 2.62 ERA, culminating in his first All-Star appearance. Things were looking bright after he missed most of last season following Tommy John surgery in 2015.
But Vargas takes the mound in Detroit on Tuesday looking to right the ship after what has been a tough second half. The Royals' left-hander has gone 2-6 with a 6.80 ERA since the break, and he is still looking to get back on track.
Kansas City manager Ned Yost said he has tried to keep an eye on Vargas' inning count with his recovery from Tommy John in mind. The lefty has not gone deeper than the sixth inning in the second half.
"There were probably 10 or 12 games where he'd be in the sixth inning at 90 pitches and could easily go out for the seventh, but we've said, 'That's enough for today,' to try and limit those innings," Yost said. "We've probably saved 15, maybe 20 innings all year in that fashion for him, which is probably two starts, maybe two and a half starts."
Anibal Sanchez returns from the disabled list to start for a depleted Tigers rotation following trades and injuries. Sanchez, who has been out since Aug. 16, had a rough month, allowing 19 runs -- including 10 homers -- in 18 innings.
Sanchez made a rehab start at Class A West Michigan on Thursday before the Tigers activated him the next day. He went four innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks.
Things to know about this game
• The last time Vargas faced Detroit was the first outing of his rough second half. He allowed six runs on seven hits and four walks, lasting just 2 2/3 innings on July 17.
• Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas is tied for the fourth most home runs in the Major Leagues this season with 36. That is also tied for the club's single-season franchise record, set by Steve Balboni in 1985.
• Tigers catcher James McCann has a .333 batting average since the All-Star break, ranking second among all regular starting catchers in the American League. His average had dipped below .200 just before the break.
Alex Gordon robs a homer. Then the Royals hang on against the Tigers
September 5, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
The act of baseball thievery can be executed in under six seconds. And when the components of the job come together like this, the planning, the timing, the attention to details, the result is close to perfection.
Take Monday afternoon at Comerica Park, the perfect crime occurring in broad daylight in downtown Detroit. The outfielder sprinting back to the wall. The baseball hanging in the air, aided by a sharp breeze. The final jump perfectly timed, down to the millisecond.
“Off the bat,” Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain said, “I thought it was a homer.”
Alex Gordon thought so, too. He had robbed homers before, of course, scaling an outfield wall and bringing a baseball back to the playing field. But never before had it seemed so effortless.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, in what would turn into a 7-6 Royals victory over the Tigers, Detroit’s Mikie Mahtook had clubbed a high drive to left with two men on base against Royals starter JakobJunis.