Daily Clips
May 29, 2017
LOCAL
Royals roughed up in finale by Indians
May 28, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan and William Kosileski/MLB.com
Somber Duffy reflects on rare tough outing
May 28, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals pitchers discuss their arsenals
May 28, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Hammel tries to tame Tigers in holiday opener
May 28, 2017By Fabian Ardaya/MLB.com
Cleveland rocks Royals 10-1 in series finale
May 28, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
In a pinch, the Royals’ Cheslor Cuthbert makes first base work
May 28, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
MINORS
Omaha Wins 7-5, Mondesi's Streak Up to 17
Chasers earn 4th straight, Mondesi stays hot with 2 knocks
May 29, 2017 By Andrew Green/Omaha Storm Chasers
Northwest Arkansas Completes Sweep of Midland
The Naturals pull even with the Springfield Cardinals in the North Division with a 10-6 win over the RockHounds
May 28, 2017By Naturals PR Department
Rocks Rally Again to Shock P-Nats
Blue Crew Score Four in Seventh for Thrilling Win
May 28, 2017By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Legends gain split with walk-off win
May 28, 2017By Lexington Legends
NATIONAL
It's not easy being big, unless you're Salvador Perez
May 29, 2017By Tim Kurkjian/ESPN
MLB TRANSACTIONS
May 29, 2017 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Royals roughed up in finale by Indians
May 28, 2017 By Jeffrey Flanagan and William Kosileski/MLB.com
Right-hander Josh Tomlin bounced back from two shaky starts by tossing a complete game, while Jason Kipnis had four hits, including a home run, as the Indians thumped the Royals, 10-1, on Sunday at Progressive Field to grab the final game of the three-game series.
"[Tomlin has] always been that stopper for us," said Kipnis. "Anytime we've needed a win, you look at him and it doesn't matter who he's going against. He was locked in. Before the game, you could see him walking around. He was keeping to himself. You could tell, let him go do what he does. He had a lot of conviction with his pitches today."
Tomlin gave up six hits, walked none and struck out three, throwing a season-high 111 pitches -- one away from his career high. The complete game was the fifth of Tomlin's career, with his last also coming against the Royals in 2015.
"He pounds the zone," said Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games. "We're an aggressive team -- so he's either going to throw a complete game or he's going to be out after two innings. Today, it was a complete game."
Austin Jackson had two hits and three RBIs for the Indians, while Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana each had three hits, as the Tribe pounded out 18 hits.
"He's been doing this for a long time," said Indians manager Terry Francona about Jackson, who was activated from the disabled list on Friday. "But he did swing the bat very well. I think, just as important, he looks healthy, which is good."
Royals left-hander Danny Duffy lasted only four-plus innings, giving up nine hits and six runs.
Rookie Jorge Bonifacio belted his seventh home run to account for the Royals' lone tally.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Turning point: The Royals had crept within 3-1 when Brantley led off the Indians' fifth with a harmless looking ground ball toward first baseman Eric Hosmer. But Duffy was late covering the bag and then missed the bag with his foot on Hosmer's toss. Brantley was awarded an infield single that started a three-run outburst that chased Duffy and essentially put the game out of reach. Santana, Jackson and Roberto Perez picked up the RBIs.
Stop right there: Tomlin, who'd given up 11 runs and 16 hits in his last two starts over 8 2/3 innings, might have been concerned after Hosmer led off the Royals' second with a double in a scoreless game. But Tomlin proceeded to get Salvador Perez, who came into the game hitting .531 (17-for-32) against Tomlin, to line out softly to third. Bonifacio grounded out and Brandon Moss flied out, ending the threat.
"[Tomlin] is always good against us," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He seldom makes mistakes against us. He's got a good breaking ball. He works the corners. We're an aggressive team. ... He just pitches really [well] against us."
QUOTABLE
"My changeup was a little hard early on in the game, so the curveball was key for me to kind of keep hitters off balance. It has that change of speed enough where it can get them out in front and then just makes the fastball play a little bit better." -- Tomlin, on his outing
"We know we can be playing better. Games like this only reassure us that this is the type of product we can roll out there when everything is going well. This is the type of team we can be. So it's frustrating when it doesn't show up every day." -- Kipnis, on how Sunday's game shows the team's ability
BRANTLEY MAKES FOUR-STAR CATCH
With one out in sixth inning, Brantley robbed Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas of a bloop hit with a diving catch near the left-field line. Brantley's catch had a 46 percent catch probability, per Statcast™, as he covered 80 feet in 4.6 seconds to make the four-star catch. Brantley is now 3-for-6 on four-star catches this season.
"That was a really good catch," Tomlin said. "I'm probably pretty certain he was playing the lefty to [the] pull side a little bit, so he had to run a long way to get that ball. I hate seeing him dive like that, especially close to that wall for one, and then the [warning-track turf] on third base, left-field line, all the way around. That hard stuff. I don't like seeing our outfielders dive on that sort of stuff. But it was a great play, no doubt about it."
WHAT'S NEXT
Royals: Right-hander Jason Hammel (1-6, 5.98 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals as they open a three-game set against the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium on Monday at 6:15 p.m. CT. After several rough outings, Hammel bounced back against the Yankees last Wednesday, throwing six innings and giving up three runs while striking out a season-high seven.
Indians: The Tribe will open a four-game series against the Athletics at Progressive Field on Monday at 4:10 p.m. ET. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (4-2, 2.93 ERA) will make his 10th start of the season after he allowed four runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings against the Reds on Tuesday.
Somber Duffy reflects on rare tough outing
May 28, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
A very solemn Royals left-hander Danny Duffy stood at his locker after Sunday's game and summed up his day after the Royals absorbed a 10-1 loss to the Indians at Progressive Field.
"I pitched like [garbage] today," said Duffy. "I didn't execute anything. I was flying open. I just wasn't very good. I didn't give my team a chance to win the game at any point."
Duffy came into the game with a 2.92 ERA and had pitched eight games this season in which he gave up two runs or fewer. But the Indians peppered him for nine hits and six runs through four-plus innings in the series finale.
"First two innings went by, [and all was well]," Duffy said. "But they started jumping on my fastball. Then, you have to make an adjustment, and I wasn't executing with my offspeed [pitches]. It wasn't a fun day at the park today."
The Indians nicked Duffy for two runs in the third inning on soft RBI singles by Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley.
Then, they put Duffy in a 3-0 hole in the fourth on an RBI double by Austin Jackson.
The end of Duffy's day came quickly in the fifth. He was late covering first base on a routine grounder by Brantley, then missed the bag completely with his foot. Two singles later, manager Ned Yost came to get Duffy.
"It was lack of execution in that situation [on Brantley's grounder]," Duffy said. "Any ground ball to the right side we're taught to get over. I was a tick late, tried to over-correct and I ate it.
"You kind of try to make up for the time you lost when you're late. I beelined straight to the bag when [I] normally would take a turn. I went past the bag, over-corrected and tripped over my own feet."
All three of Duffy's runners that inning scored, and suddenly it was 6-1 -- a hole that proved too much for the Royals.
"[Duffy] just wasn't sharp," Yost said. "He was grinding through it. First two runs came on some soft hits. ... But, [it was] just one of those days."
Royals pitchers discuss their arsenals
May 28, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Ever wonder what type of pitches that the Royals' starters throw?
Well, wonder no more. We did a quick survey of the starters and closer Kelvin Herrera on their repertoires.
Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy throws a curve, slider and changeup to go with his fastball. And he is one of the few pitchers on the team who throws only one kind of fastball -- a four-seam fastball. And there's a reason for that.
"I had a catcher with Arizona back [in 2011] who hated when I threw [a two-seamer]," Kennedy said, smiling. "He finally said, 'You need to junk that. It's terrible.' So I did. Since then I've thrown only four-seamers. Sometimes it might look like a two-seamer because it didn't come out right, but it's not."
Royals right-hander Nathan Karns throws a regular curve, a two-seam fastball, a four-seam fastball and a changeup.
Left-hander Jason Vargas has the same repertoire.
Sometimes, though, it may appear that both Karns and Vargas throw knuckle-curves -- because they lift their index finger off the ball as they grip it.
"I leave my index finger off the ball because I treat that [index] finger sort of as if it's a training wheel," Karns said. "If I'm throwing a curve, sometimes the ball will catch the finger, but only if I need it to, as I throw it. I think the confusion comes from that sometimes pitchers, myself included, will put the tip of their index finger on the ball for a little different spin. But that's a spike curve. It's not a knuckle-curve."
Here's what other Royals pitchers said they have in their repertoires:
• Left-hander Danny Duffy: Two-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, slider, changeup. Duffy junked his curveball two years ago because he liked the velocity he could get on his slider.
• Right-hander Jason Hammel: Two-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, curve, slider, changeup.
• Herrera: Two-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, slider, changeup. Herrera, like Duffy, said he stopped throwing his curve two years ago for basically the same reason.
Hammel tries to tame Tigers in holiday opener
May 28, 2017By Fabian Ardaya/MLB.com
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel hopes his realigned delivery will continue his turnaround as he takes the mound Monday to open a three-game set against left-hander Daniel Norris and the Tigers at Kauffman Stadium.
Hammel (1-6, 5.98 ERA), who went 0-3 with a 6.65 ERA in five April starts, tinkered with his delivery before his last start at Yankee Stadium by adjusting his shoulders during his setup. The results were positive, as he held New York to three runs over six innings in one of his best outings of the year.
Hammel, in his first season with Kansas City after signing as a free agent, is looking to try to mimic some of the early-season success of his counterparts. Royals starters posted a 3.90 ERA entering Sunday, a mark that was the eighth-best in baseball.
Norris (2-3, 4.38 ERA) took a no-decision his last time out, but pitched well to hold Houston to two runs (one earned) over 6 1/3 innings. He's been better away from Comerica Park, albeit within a small sample size. He's worked a 3.62 ERA in five road starts, as opposed to a 5.32 mark in four outings at home.
Hammel has struggled when facing Detroit, going 2-2 but allowing a 7.98 ERA in nine appearances (six starts). Norris has been decent against Kansas City, going 0-1 with a 3.47 ERA.
Three things to know about the game
• Despite his team's recent struggles and a 2-6 start to a three-city road trip through Sunday, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus isn't concerned that his team won't turn it around. With the fourth-biggest Opening Day payroll, the Tigers -- who still find themselves below .500 -- could be sellers if things don't improve.
"I don't really worry about that at all, to be honest with you," Ausmus said. "I try to win every day. You come to the ballpark every single day, and your urgency is to win that day. I'm not really concerned about the trade deadline or anything like that unless someone asks me about it."
• Hammel is going to need to start getting some more run support. Through Hammel's first nine starts, he has received an average of 2.12 runs in support -- the lowest figure in the Majors.
• While the rotation has been strong, the Royals' bullpen -- its calling card during its recent postseason runs -- has struggled. The group has posted a 4.56 ERA through 160 innings, though they entered Sunday with a stretch of 12 1/3 scoreless innings.
Cleveland rocks Royals 10-1 in series finale
May 28, 2017By Blair Kerkhoff/KC Star
The trends appeared to favor the Royals on Sunday.
Top starter Danny Duffy was on the mound looking to punctuate the Royals’ long road trip with a series sweep, which hasn’t happened at Progressive Field since 2003.
The Indians entered the game with the worst home record in the American League and as losers of five straight on their home field.
So much for trends.
The Indians made it look easy in a 10-1 victory. They collected 18 hits against four Royals pitchers, the most allowed by the club this season, while starter Josh Tomlin pitched the fifth complete game of his eight-year career.
The Royals dropped to 21-28 overall and 4-5 on the road trip.
If one play summarized Duffy’s frustrating day, it came in the fifth when Michael Brantley opened the inning by hitting a sharp grounder to first baseman Eric Hosmer.
Duffy got a late break from the mound. He would have won the race anyway, but he didn’t get his foot down on the bag after taking Hosmer’s toss and took a tumble.
“It was a lack of execution in that situation,” Duffy said. “Any ground ball to the right side we’re taught to get over. I was a tick late, tried to overcorrect and I ate it.”
Duffy didn’t record another out. He surrendered six runs in four innings in his shortest outing of the season, marking only the third time in 11 starts that he yielded more than two runs in a game. Duffy, who gave up nine hits and walked three, entered the game with 2.92 ERA and left at 3.54 while falling to 4-4.
“I didn’t execute anything,” Duffy said. “I was flying open. I just wasn’t very good. I didn’t give my team a chance to win the game at any point.”
Duffy’s inability to maneuver through the bottom of the Indians order got him in the hole in the third inning.
After Austin Jackson led off with a single and on a full count, eighth-place hitter Roberto Perez walked. Both runners scored after Erik Gonzalez’s sacrifice bunt and singles by Jason Kipnis and Brantley.
“The first two innings went by good,” Duffy said. “But they started jumping on my fastball. Then you have to make an adjustment, and I wasn’t executing with my off-speed. It wasn’t a fun day at the park today.”
The Royals bullpen parade Sunday included Miguel Almonte, who was making his first major league appearance since Sept. 28, 2015. He also had a rough go, surrendering three runs on four hits in the sixth.
The Royals offense was contained to one big swing. Jorge Bonifacio walloped Josh Tomlin’s hanging curve ball 437 feet into the left field seats in the fifth inning.
Bonifacio’s seventh home run came in the rookie’s 31st major league game. He homered in five of the nine games on the road trip.
One out later, Whit Merrifield singled to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest by a Royals player this season.
But aside from those and Hosmer’s two doubles, the day included few highlights for the Royals against Tomlin, who has surrendered two runs in 16 innings against the Royals this season.
“He’s always good against us,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He seldom makes mistakes against us.”
Sunday, Tomlin twirled the second complete game by an Indians pitcher this season. He gave up six hits, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.
“He pounds the zone,” Merrifield said. “And we’re an aggressive team. When you get a guy like that you’re going to get a complete game or he’ll be out in two innings. Today he just happened to throw a complete game.”