Daily Clips
June 9, 2017
LOCAL
Royals rocked in 9th after late rally vs. 'Stros
June 9, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan and Brian McTaggart/MLB.com
Herrera's homer problems continue to surface
Royals closer gives up go-ahead jack in Astros' 5-run rally
June 9, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Skoglund to start off Royals' trip to San Diego
June 8, 2017By AJ Cassavell/MLB.com
Bonifacio making strides to improve defense
June 8, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Astros tag Royals closer Kelvin Herrera for four runs in 6-1 victory
June 8, 2017By Sam McDowell/KC Star
Royals’ Salvador Perez rests sprained thumb, expects to return on Friday
June 8, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
With rotation ailing, Royals will give Jake Junis another start
June 8, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star
Royals pitchers hope to ‘go yard’ against San Diego Padres
June 8, 2017By Josh Tolentino/KC Star
MINORS
Farrell Fans 10, Chasers Hold Off Sounds 4-2
Luke Farrell matches career-high with 10 punchouts in victory
June 9, 2017 By Andrew Green/Omaha Storm Chasers
Ray Fires Complete-Game Shutout
RHP Corey Ray was dominant with a complete-game shutout in the 5-0 victory over Springfield
June 8, 2017By Naturals PR Department
Rocks Cross Home Plate Victorious in Marathon Win
Roman Collins Delivers Game-Winning Hit in 15th Inning
June 9, 2017By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Columbia blanks Legends, 8-0
June 8, 2017By Lexington Legends
MLB TRANSACTIONS
June 9, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals rocked in 9th after late rally vs. 'Stros
June 9, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan and Brian McTaggart/MLB.com
Jose Altuve belted a two-run home run off Royals closer Kelvin Herrera, part of a five-run ninth inning, as the Astros rolled to a 6-1 win on Thursday night to split the four-game series.
Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. was dominant, throwing a no-hitter for 6 1/3 innings until Lorenzo Cain tripled to deep left-center field. McCullers, who allowed only four balls hit past the infield, left after seven innings having given up two hits and one run while walking two and striking out eight.
"Credit to both pitchers and an explosive ninth inning for us," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "We've seen that out of our group. It starts with a leadoff walk, which probably won't get talked about a ton. … Jose hunted a heater after a lot of balls from Herrera. Once that sort of broke the ice, it looked like our offense put together some tremendous at-bats."
Josh Reddick led off the ninth inning with a walk before Altuve broke a 1-1 tie with his ninth home run, which traveled a projected 430 feet, per Statcast™, his longest of the season. Jake Marisnick added a two-run single.
"Kel was just flat today," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Struggled with his command early. But just flat for him."
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel nearly matched McCullers. Hammel threw seven innings and gave up just four hits and one run -- that run scoring on a balk. He had no walks and four strikeouts.
"Hammel was fantastic, seven strong innings," Yost said. "Really commanded his fastball, had great action on it."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
No more no-no: Cain, who grounded into a double play to end the first, took three straight balls from McCullers with one out in the seventh. McCullers then threw a fastball, and Cain jumped on it, sending a drive to left-center that got beyond George Springer for a triple. McCullers struck out Eric Hosmer with the infield in, but Mike Moustakas followed with a sharp single to right and the score was 1-1.
"He was locked in tonight," Cain said of McCullers. "His stuff was pretty nasty. Nice two-seamer that started off the plate and backdoored it, or started on the plate and ran in on the hands. Filthy stuff tonight.
"I got the signal it was OK to swing 3-0. I normally don't like to swing 3-0. I'm not a 3-0 guy. I've maybe swung two or three times at 3-0 in my career. Once I hit it, I just hoped it would get down."
Unusual way to score: Hammel was shutting out the Astros until, with runners on first and third and one out in the sixth, he balked in a run. Hammel attempted a quick step throw to first, but appeared to get his feet tangled as he couldn't get the ball out of his glove. He never got the throw off. Norichika Aoki, who had singled leading off the inning, scored and the Astros had a 1-0 lead.
"I've done that pick 1,000 times and never done that," Hammel said. "I kind of sausage-fingered it and it stuck in the glove. Sure enough, that was the run.
"Everything was there except the ball. I wasn't about to fire it in the stands. I just decided to eat it."
QUOTABLE
"I feel like he's got no-hit stuff every time he takes the mound. He's that kind of pitcher. He's a dominant pitcher, and he's got dominant stuff. You feel like that every time he takes the ball." -- Astros catcher Brian McCann, on McCullers
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
The Astros, who have won 14 of their last 17, have homered in 16 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in club history, and they have scored at least five runs in 12 consecutive games, matching a club record and the longest streak in the Majors since the Mets in 2007.
AOKI NEARS CAREER MARK
Aoki's sixth-inning single was the 1,998th of his career combined between his time in Japan (1,284) and the Major Leagues (714). He's two hits shy of 2,000, which garners automatic entrance into the Meikyu-Kai, or The Golden Players Club.
WHAT'S NEXT
Astros: Right-hander Brad Peacock (3-0, 2.30 ERA) will make his fourth start when the Astros open a nine-game homestand on Friday against the Angels at 7:15 p.m. CT. Peacock has made three straight starts, going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA, after opening the season in the bullpen.
Royals: Rookie left-hander Eric Skoglund (1-1, 4.32) will make his third Major League start when the Royals take on the Padres to open a nine-game road trip on Friday at 9:10 p.m. CT. Skoglund gave up four runs in two innings during an abbreviated start because of rain his last time out on Sunday.
Herrera's homer problems continue to surface
Royals closer gives up go-ahead jack in Astros' 5-run rally
June 9, 2017By Wilson Alexander/MLB.com
Royals closer Kelvin Herrera gave up three home runs against the Braves in 2013, something he said he'd never done before. But that experience taught Herrera a valuable lesson: Forget quickly.
After allowing four runs in a 6-1 loss to the Astros on Thursday night, Herrera will have to have a short memory once again.
In a 1-1 game, Herrera walked Josh Reddick on four pitches to open the ninth. Then, after falling behind 1-0 to Jose Altuve, Herrera served up a 95-mph two-seam fastball that caught too much of the plate. Altuve didn't miss, driving it a projected 430 feet, according to Statcast™, over the wall in left-center and sparking a five-run rally. It was the seventh home run that Herrera has given up this season. Last year, he yielded six total.
"He got a pitch up today and Altuve didn't miss it," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He's given up a lot of home runs this year, but it goes in cycles. It's like a hitter's slump. Pitchers get in slumps, too."
After the home run to Altuve, Herrera gave up a triple to Carlos Correa, a sacrifice fly to Brian McCann and a single to Evan Gattis before being lifted, having retired one of the five batters he faced. His ERA ballooned to 5.55.
In 24 1/3 innings, Herrera, who also has 13 saves, has allowed the most home runs in a season since 2013, when he gave up nine. He's also given up 15 earned runs -- more than his entire '14 season.
"Location's the problem," Herrera said.
Herrera's problems have come on offspeed pitches. According to Statcast™, five of the home runs Herrera has given up this season came on secondary pitches. Last season, two of the six came off those pitches.
Though he has struggled, Herrera said he will be able move on.
"That is the beauty of this game," Herrera said. "I cannot do anything about what happened tonight. I just have to move forward and look to do my job tomorrow."
Skoglund to start off Royals' trip to San Diego
June 8, 2017By AJ Cassavell/MLB.com
Jhoulys Chacin's struggles away from Petco Park have been well documented. Fortunately for the veteran right-hander, he gets the ball when the Padres return home Friday night to open a three-game set against the Royals.
Chacin owns a 1.36 ERA in five starts at Petco Park this season, compared with a 10.27 mark on the road. At this point, the Padres view his splits as something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. So long as he's pitching at home, they're not going to ask him to adjust.
Opposite Chacin will be Royals lefty Eric Skoglund, who will be making his third career start. Skoglund surrendered four runs in just two innings on Sunday, a bit of a letdown after 6 1/3 scoreless frames in his debut.
"I didn't have my stuff last outing," Skoglund said. "I was up in the zone and getting behind in the count. I'm going to emphasize staying down, getting ahead and staying ahead."
Things to know about this game
• The Padres and Royals have met in four three-game series since Interleague Play began 20 years ago. Oddly enough, the last three series have come at Petco Park. San Diego holds an 8-4 edge in the all-time series, but lost two of three in 2014, the last time the two clubs met. In the finale, James Shields, then a Royal, pitched seven shutout frames.
• Since May 1, Hunter Renfroe leads the Majors with a .911 weighted on-base average (wOBA, a similar statistic to on-base percentage that places added value on extra-base hits) when he's ahead in the count. He also leads in estimated wOBA while ahead in the count -- a Statcast metric based on the quality of his contact. That's proven important for Renfroe, who doesn't draw many walks, as he has improved his OPS by over 100 points since the end of April.
• No Padres hitter has faced the rookie Skoglund. Chacin, a veteran, doesn't have much experience facing Royals hitters, either. None have more than three plate appearances against him. Mike Moustakas is 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles.
Bonifacio making strides to improve defense
June 8, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals fans have seen the obvious impact rookie right fielder Jorge Bonifacio has had offensively.
Bonifacio, 24, entered Thursday's series finale against the Astros with a .333 on-base percentage, eight home runs and 17 RBIs. His steely approach at the plate earned him a recent promotion to the No. 2 spot in the order.
But what really has caught the eyes of Royals coaches is Bonifacio's improvement defensively. He has taken better routes to balls, and notched his third assist after throwing out Astros outfielder Norichika Aoki at second base on Monday.
Bonifacio works daily with coach and outfield guru Rusty Kuntz, as well as studying the movements of four-time Gold Glove Award winner Alex Gordon.
"He mimics Gordo all the time," manager Ned Yost noted.
But both Yost and Bonifacio acknowledge that the improvement comes mainly from gaining experience.
"It's not so much working with Rusty, it's just getting acclimated to big league parks," Yost said. "There are more decks, more lights. But he is reading the ball better."
Earlier this season, Bonifacio struggled to pick up the ball out of stadium lights, losing at least two catchable balls.
"Yeah, I feel more comfortable," Bonifacio said. "It's a big park here. Sometimes the light in front of me is tough. Rusty has helped me with little things about that. [Center fielder Lorenzo Cain] helps me, too, by moving me to the right spot.
"I'm just trying to do the best I can."
Part of Bonifacio's education, as mentioned, is simply studying Gordon.
"When he's jogging after balls in practice, I watch him," Bonifacio said. "He's probably the best [outfielder] there is."
So far, most of the tutelage from Gordon has been unspoken.
"He doesn't like to talk a lot," Bonifacio said, smiling. "That's him. Some people don't like to talk a lot. That's OK."
Bonifacio also has learned how much greater the stakes are at this level.
"There's more focus up here [than in the Minors]," Bonifacio said. "It's more mental. Players here know more of what they have to do. They miss things, but it's less of a miss up here."
For now, Bonifacio continues to soak in as much knowledge as he can, from anyone who'll offer it. He hasn't made any four-star or five-star catches, per Statcast™, yet. But Yost believes they'll come.
"He's 24 years old," Yost said. "He will continue to get better and grow out there."
Astros tag Royals closer Kelvin Herrera for four runs in 6-1 victory
June 8, 2017By Sam McDowell/KC Star
The secondary pitches in Kelvin Herrera’s repertoire have prompted an uneven first year as the Royals’ closer. So on Thursday, as the reigning American League batting champion stood in the right-handed box, Herrera returned to the top weapon in his arsenal.
A 95-mile-per-hour fastball.
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was ready.
Altuve re-directed the pitch into the centerfield seats, a ninth-inning blast to spark Houston’s 6-1 victory in the series finale in front of 32,747 fans at Kauffman Stadium.
“Poor execution in the pitch,” Herrera said. “Got a lot of problems when I miss location there.”
After entering in a tie game, Herrera was credited with his second loss. He gave up four runs, including his seventh homer allowed this season. His earned run average ballooned to 5.55.
The ninth-inning blowout — which materialized only two innings after the Royals drew even — overshadowed the pair of dazzling outings that preceded it.
Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr. did not allow a hit until Lorenzo Cain tripled in the seventh inning, and right-hander Jason Hammel turned in unquestionably his top outing in a Royals uniform. Each starter lasted seven innings, allowing just one run.
“Everything kind of melds together, but that’s as good of a game as we’ve been a part of in awhile,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Both teams were pitching superbly. Defense was good. It was just a great game until the ninth inning kind of caved in on us.”
Here’s how it unraveled: Herrera opened the ninth by walking outfielder Josh Reddick on just four pitches. That provided Altuve some company on his trot around the bases in the next at-bat. Cleanup hitter Carlos Correra tripled as the next hitter, and after a sacrifice fly and a single, Herrera’s evening was done.
The pitching was really good beforehand.
The starters traded five zeroes before a balk blemished the scoreboard. Hammel attempted to fire a pickoff move to first base but fumbled the ball in his glove on the exchange. The balk was called immediately, and former Royal Nori Aoki trotted home for the first run.
“I’ve done that pick a thousand times, and I’ve never done that,” Hammel said. “Kinda sausage-fingered it and didn’t get the hand all the way into the glove.
“Sure enough, that was the run.”
It lingered as the only mishap in Hammel’s evening. He lasted seven innings and allowed only four baserunners. It matched his longest outing in his first season with the Royals. He pleaded to extend it another inning but was overruled by the coaching staff. It turned instead to right-hander Joakim Soria, who struck out all three batters his faced in the eighth.
But McCullers was even better. A day after Houston ace Dallas Keuchel was scratched from his start, the Royals couldn’t escape McCullers on Thursday.
He took a no-hitter into the seventh before Cain sent a 3-0 pitch into the left centerfield gap that he turned a one-out triple in the seventh. After McCullers used his curveball to entice a third-strike swing from Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas ripped a two-out single through the right side of the infield to tie the game.
“Once I got to second, I just turned it on and said, ‘Why not?’ ” Cain said. “(McCullers) was very nasty tonight, so why not take a chance?”
Even after laboring through that seventh inning, McCullers finished with just 91 pitches. He allowed only two hits and two walks. He struck out eight, most of them with his defining quickly-dropping curveball, a pitch in his repertoire he throws nearly half of the time, and an improving change-up.
“From the fifth inning on, (with) McCullers’ breaking ball and change-up, you start thinking, man, this is going to be a tough one here,” Yost said. “We gotta at least try to find a way to get a hit.”
That was enough to prompt Cain to swing away on the 3-0 pitch, something he estimated he has only done a couple of times in his career.