Royals Ride 10-Run 1St to Blowout Win Over O's
Daily Clips
May 9, 2018
LOCAL
Royals ride 10-run 1st to blowout win over O's
KC hits 4 homers in opening frame; Moustakas adds 2nd blast in 5th
May 8, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Despite good numbers, Yost is skeptical of shift
May 8, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon and the Royals clobber Orioles after record-tying first
May 8, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Royals' 10-run first inning leaves Orioles fans fuming and sad
May 8, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
ESPN writer surprised his simulation shows Royals have chance to win World Series
May 8, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Mellinger Minutes: Vermes' future, Royals' good stretch, whiny QBs, DJ as a Raider & more
May 8, 2018By Sam Mellinger/KC Star
Since returning from injury, Alex Gordon is one of the Royals' best hitters. Here's why
May 9, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
Watch the Royals' 10-run first inning outburst in Baltimore
May 9, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Royals pummel Orioles starter Dylan Bundy into the history books, clubbing four HRs before making an out
May 9, 2018By Rustin Dodd/The Athletic
MINORS
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May 8, 2018By Omaha Storm Chasers
Sparkman, Brontsema lead Naturals to series win
May 9, 2018By NW Arkansas Naturals
Rocks Drop Low Scoring Affair
Blue Crew and Red Sox Set for Rubber Match Wednesday
May 8, 2018By Wilmington Blue Rocks
NATIONAL
Canada native Paxton no-hits Jays in Toronto
Lefty's 99-pitch gem is second no-hitter by a Canadian-born player
May 8, 2018By Greg Johns/MLB.com
Reds acquire Harvey from Mets for Mesoraco
GM envisions righty in starting role soon after he joins club in LA this week
May 8, 2018By Ben Weinrib/MLB.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
May 9, 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals ride 10-run 1st to blowout win over O's
KC hits 4 homers in opening frame; Moustakas adds 2nd blast in 5th
May 8, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
It got awfully loud very quickly at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Tuesday, as the Royals bashed four home runs and scored 10 runs in the first inning on their way to a 15-7 blowout win over the Orioles.
Jorge Soler, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez went back-to-back-to-back in the inning, the first time the Royals have done that since July 23. Two batters later, Alex Gordon belted a three-run home run to make it 7-0, chasing Orioles starter Dylan Bundy before he recorded an out.
Moustakas had another hit in the inning, a two-run single, and in the fifth inning, he ripped his second home run of the game, a two-run shot to deep center field. That gave Moustakas five RBIs, the most he's had in a game since he had nine against the Orioles here on Sept. 12, 2015.
The four first-inning home runs tied a Major League mark last reached by these same Orioles, on Aug. 19, 2016, against the Astros. In all, the Royals sent 15 hitters to the plate in the inning.
"It was awesome, a lot of fun," Moustakas said. "Once we got back around the order to the top of the order … I don't think I've ever been around something like that before."
The last time the Royals scored 10 runs in the first inning was in 2006, against Cleveland. Amazingly, KC lost that game, 15-13, in 10 innings.
The Royals had no such concerns this time as they continued to pour it on, collecting season highs in hits (20) and runs.
Gordon had his first four-hit game since 2015 and raised his average to .321, its highest point since June 2, 2013. Gordon said that some subtle mechanical adjustments have helped him get back on track.
"I'm trying to keep my bat in the zone longer," Gordon said. "I feel like my swing was kind of in and up, so I was trying to work on my hand path, just keeping my bat in the zone longer … if you have bad mechanics, your approach is not going to work. It's a combination of things."
Left-hander Danny Duffy was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst. He went 5 1/3 innings and gave up six hits and one run, striking out five, to earn his first win of the season.
Asked what he thought about getting staked to a 10-0 lead, Duffy said, "Don't screw it up. That's it. Just wanted to make to stay in the same mindset, stay in attack mode."
SOUND SMART
The four first-inning Royals home runs went a combined projected distance of 1,625 feet, per Statcast™. Soler's was the longest, at 420 feet.
HE SAID IT
"It has been a lot of fun to watch. He scalded a lot of balls last year right at people. I think he's got a lot of good karma built up. He's been raking the ball, seeing the ball really well. He's somebody I would never doubt and no one on this team would. He's our leader." -- Duffy, on the amazing offensive turnaround by Gordon
UP NEXT
Left-hander Eric Skoglund (1-2, 6.84 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals in Game 2 of the series in Baltimore at 6:05 p.m. CT. Right-hander Andrew Cashner (1-4, 4.89 ERA) will pitch for the Orioles. Skoglund gave up five runs and eight hits over 4 2/3 innings in his last start Thursday against the Tigers.
Despite good numbers, Yost is skeptical of shift
May 8, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals fans may have noticed that the team is over-shifting less than it did during the first few weeks of the season, preferring to keep players closer to their original positions rather than arranging them based on individual hitters.
Of course, the Royals still are shifting far more than they have in recent years under manager Ned Yost, who argued earlier this season that in previous years, the club's superior athleticism defensively didn't require over-shifting.
With different personnel this season, Yost came around to the idea of over-shifting more. But he has eased off the tactic lately, after watching several weak grounders and jam shots find open holes in his rearranged defense. One website, though, recently suggested that the Royals were among the league leaders in defensive runs saved when employing the over-shift.
Yost, however, was skeptical.
"It's hard to tell," Yost said. "The numbers are there. But the numbers can be deceiving, too.
"If you shift and a guy hits a ground ball right to third -- where you had the guy anyway -- they consider that successful. It's a little skewed in their favor.
"We're looking at it ... but for the guys that can fist it the other way, we're coming back around on it [and not shifting]. It's not a hard-and-fast [rule] for us now. We're constantly looking at it."
In the recent Tigers series at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals backed away from over-shifting against Leonys Martin and Dixon Machado.
"They kept pounding the ball the other way," Yost said. " ... Does it keep someone from hitting homers? Maybe. I'm just not sold on it yet."
Royals starting pitchers have been lukewarm to the over-shifts, as well.
"I try not to really notice," right-hander Jason Hammel said, shrugging his shoulders. "I just follow [the catcher's] fingers."
Yost knows his pitching staff is not all-in on the matter.
"We warn them, though," Yost said. "If a pitcher is deadly adamant against it, we won't do it. We have our meetings beforehand and if someone has an issue with it, we won't do it. But [they better not] say anything during the game -- you had your opportunity."
Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon and the Royals clobber Orioles after record-tying first
May 8, 2018By Maria Torres/KC Star
In the middle of a powerful first inning in the Royals’ 15-7 win at Camden Yards on Tuesday, Royals outfielder Alex Gordon was still rounding the bases after a three-run homer as Orioles manager Buck Showalter emerged from the home dugout.
Baltimore starting pitcher Dylan Bundy, who’d posted a 1.42 ERA in his first five starts of the year, had just become the first pitcher in baseball's modern era to allow four home runs without recording an out.
Showalter had seen enough.
So had the Royals, who scored seven times before Bundy exited. Mike Moustakas hit his first of two home runs on the night, Gordon hit his third homer of the season and the Royals drew two walks on their way to a 10-run inning that matched a franchise record — all in just 20 minutes.
“It was awesome. A lot of fun," said Moustakas, who drove in five runs. "Once we got back around the order in the first … I don’t think I’ve ever been around something like that before.”
The Royals hit back-to-back-to-back home runs for the first time since Whit Merrifield, Jorge Bonifacio and Eric Hosmer combined to do it against the White Sox on July 23, 2017.
Jorge Soler cranked the first one. He dumped a two-run shot into the Orioles’ center-field bullpen 420 feet from home plate. Nearly 10 years after Gordon drilled his own home run beyond Camden Yards’ right-field wall on July 1, 2008, Moustakas hit a homer on Tuesday that became the 99th in the ballpark's history to hit Eutaw Street on the fly.
Salvador Perez, the fourth batter of the game, followed with his own solo blast to center field.
Gordon turned Bundy's 28th and final pitch of the frame into a three-run homer, the first of his four hits Tuesday.
“I was leaving pitches right down the middle and they were hitting them over the fence," Bundy told reporters in the Orioles clubhouse. "Got us in a 7-0 early hole that we couldn’t climb out of."
The last time the Royals scored 10 runs in an inning was on Aug. 23, 2006, against the Indians. The Royals lost that game 15-13.
The Royals (12-23) scored 10 or more runs for the sixth time at Camden Yards — and the second time this decade. The last time they accomplished a similar feat, Moustakas hit a grand slam and three-run homer in a nine-RBI game the thick of the 2015 pennant race.
Opening day starter Danny Duffy (1-4) broke into the win column for the first time since late September and the Royals won a game for the first time in his eight starts this season. The only hit to mar Duffy’s night was Chris Davis’ second-inning leadoff homer.
"In that type of game, you have to take the ball and run with it," said Duffy, who scattered six hits and struck out five batters in 5 1/3 innings. "When they get you that many runs, you want to get deep into the game. I didn’t accomplish that but we got the win and I’ll keep working."
Reliever Burch Smith gave up two runs in the eighth and Blaine Boyer allowed four runs in the ninth.
Royals' 10-run first inning leaves Orioles fans fuming and sad
May 8, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Tuesday night's Royals-Orioles game started at 6:05 p.m., which is 10 minutes earlier than first pitch for contests at Kauffman Stadium.
This is important to note because Royals fans who tuned in at 6:15 p.m. missed three home runs. Yep, the Royals opened their game at Camden Yards with an infield single and then three straight homers.
It was merely the start.
All told, the Royals hit four home runs* and put a 10-spot up in the top of the first, and that left Orioles fans feeling all sorts of emotions ... none of them good.
*Jorge Soler, Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez went back-to-back-to-back, and Alex Gordon hit a three-run shot
Here is a sample of what Baltimore fans were saying on Twitter, and please note that the first comment is from someone whose handle is Positive Orioles Guy:
Click the link to view the tweets.
ESPN writer surprised his simulation shows Royals have chance to win World Series
May 8, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
Everyone get that "Dumb and Dumber" clip ready.
ESPN's Bradford Doolittle updated his MLB stock watch simulations for the rest of the Major League Baseball season, and six teams have zero chance of winning the World Series.
You may be surprised to learn the Royals, fresh off their first series win of the season, are not one of those six teams.
That's right, the Orioles, Padres, Rangers, White Sox, Reds and Marlins all have a 0 percent championship probability, according to Doolittle, a former Kansas City Star writer.
Unfortunately, the Royals' chance of winning the World Series is about as good as Lloyd Christmas getting a date with Mary Swanson (there's your "Dumb and Dumber" reference).
The Royals' probability of winning the World Series is 0.1 percent.
"That the Royals currently have a nonzero chance at a title is one of the more surprising results of my most recent run of simulations," Doolittle wrote. "We can't get carried away; it's a 0.1 percent chance, but nonzero is nonzero. It means there is a parallel universe out there somewhere where it will happen.
"Hopefully, the Kansas City of that realm is not as humid as the one in our world."
Doolittle's forecast show the Royals winning 65 games, which is down from 68.8 on opening day.
But the Royals' playoff probability is 3 percent.
It's worth noting that the AL Central as a whole has been dreadful this season. At 11-23, the Royals are just 6 games behind the division-leading Cleveland Indians. The combined record of the Central teams is 65-100. Central teams have a 31-66 (.320 winning percentage) against nondivision foes.
Perhaps that's propped up Doolittle's outlook for the Royals.
If you are interested, Baseball Prospectus gives the Royals a 0.2 percent chance of making the playoffs and 0 percent of winning the World Series. FanGraphs has those numbers at 0.1 percent and 0 percent.
You can read more of what Doolittle wrote about the Royals' offense and who they should trade here.
Here's a bit more from Doolittle on his stock watch: "With today's stock watch, for the first time this season we're using early results in conjunction with preseason expectations to group teams into those familiar buy, sell or hold buckets. Each team's current playoff odds from MLBPET — my projection and tracking system — are used to make these determinations."
Oh, and here is your obligatory "So you're telling me there's a chance" clip:
Mellinger Minutes: Vermes' future, Royals' good stretch, whiny QBs, DJ as a Raider & more
May 8, 2018By Sam Mellinger/KC Star
@maxrieper
Replying to @mellinger
Royals are only 6 games back. At what point would you start to allow hope to creep back in?
Max got jokes, you guys.
The Royals were never as bad as that 5-20 start, and not just because no major-league baseball team is as bad as 5-20, not even the 2004 Royals, and the 2004 Royals once rolled out Ruben Mateo as their cleanup hitter.
This team has some pieces. Jakob Junis and Jorge Soler are perhaps the most important in terms of the future, at least until Jorge Bonifacio and Raul Mondesi and Josh Staumont and others join the club.
Junis has a knockout slider and a sort of supernatural confidence that should make him a productive starter for years, and those are agonizingly difficult to find. Jorge Soler will hit as long as his plate discipline holds up. Kelvin Herrera is as sharp as ever, Mike Moustakas is as productive as ever, and would-you-look-at-that Alex Gordon is hitting again.
So, this team has some pieces, and it's even probably true that worse teams have made the playoffs. But I would challenge you to find a worse team that's made the playoffs after a 5-20 start.
That's a real thing. Even if this was the 2015 Royals — and this is decidedly NOT the 2015 Royals — a 5-20 start would be awfully hard to erase.
If we're talking about the front office believing in contention, this group always had a higher bar to clear than any Royals team since at least 2011. Dayton Moore was always going to be biased to support a team with Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain, particularly when they were surrounded by a youngish core with long-term club control.
The calculus changes when it's a group with more one-year mercenaries, and the farm system is such that in needs an influx of talent, and can't afford to chance an unlikely playoff spot by dealing the few assets they have.
The 2017 Twins are often used as the example of a team sneaking in, but that team had Byron Buxton, Ervin Santana, Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer, Miguel Sano, Jose Berrios, on and on. That is, objectively, a better collection of talent than the Royals have right now.
Look, crazier things have happened. But at the moment I'm struggling to come up with an example.
@RoyalBlu73
Replying to @mellinger