Daily Clips
April 30, 2018
LOCAL
Yost not upset with events leading to dustup
Royals skipper also understands Salvy's response after Anderson's HR
April 29, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Cuthbert belts first 2 HRs against White Sox
Royals first baseman matches his career high with 4 RBIs
April 29, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Clutch W-hit: Merrifield delivers in Royals' win
Escobar scores go-ahead run, exits in 9th after being hit by pitch
April 29, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
How the Royals overcame their biggest offensive struggle in a win over the White Sox
April 29, 2018By Jesse Newell/KC Star
Chicago Tribune writer blasts Salvador Perez after Royals-White Sox dust-up
April 29, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
During the benches-clearing ruckus, Royals' Ian Kennedy got a hug from an old friend
April 29, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
‘It tends to give you the *ss’: Will Salvador Pérez’s ‘Fun Police’ routine spark the Royals?
April 29, 2018By Rustin Dodd/The Athletic
MINORS
Sky Sox Take Series with 7-3 Win
Chasers drop 3 of 5 in Colorado Springs; road trip continues in Des Moines tomorrow
April 29, 2018By Omaha Storm Chasers
Naturals Score Early But Drillers Prevail, 3-2
Northwest Arkansas scored two runs in the first inning but Tulsa rallied for the win at Arvest Ballpark
April 29, 2018By Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Gomez, Bender and Downes Lead Rocks to Shutout Win
April 29, 2018By Wilmington Blue Rocks
Legends Avoid Sweep with 9-4 Victory over Power
April 29, 2018By Lex18 Lexington KY News
NATIONAL
Puig placed on DL with hip pointer, bruised foot
Hill's return pushed back due to new finger infection
April 29, 2018By Ken Gurnick/MLB.com
MLB TRANSACTIONS
April30 2018 •.CBSSports.com
LOCAL
Yost not upset with events leading to dustup
Royals skipper also understands Salvy's response after Anderson's HR
April 29, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The morning after Royals catcher Salvador Perez and White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson exchanged heated words on the field and later through the media, Royals manager Ned Yost sat in his office and said he really had no issue with Anderson's celebratory antics.
Anderson led off Game 2 of the doubleheader on Saturday night with a home run and immediately began chirping as he headed slowly toward first base. Royals players said on Sunday that Anderson continued to chirp as he circled the bases.
When Anderson reached home plate, Perez told him essentially to cut it out.
After the game, Perez suggested that Anderson was being disrespectful. Anderson disagreed and said he simply was displaying energy and enthusiasm, and that he had no intention of changing.
Yost, though, sees both sides.
"Of course, the way things are going [with the Royals], you're not in the most jovial mood to begin with," Yost said. "So when he's screaming, it tends to [make you peeved]."
But Yost said he has come to understand that today's ballplayers express themselves differently from those during his playing days.
"This is totally different," Yost said. "It's a different generation. It's a different group. Back in my day, we had fun. But the fun we had was after the game in the bar. These guys have fun on the field. It's just a different generation.
"I'm all for it. I like having fun. Just do it right."
Of course, Yost's Royals teams over the years have been somewhat legendary for celebrations, from Jarrod Dyson's varoom-varoom hand gestures to Perez's own "Salvy Splash" after every home victory.
"No doubt," Yost said. "There were times I was wondering if we were over the top. That's why [Anderson] didn't bother me as much as Salvy. But Salvy is out there fighting, trying to get it turned down."
Cuthbert belts first 2 HRs against White Sox
Royals first baseman matches his career high with 4 RBIs
April 29, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
Royals infielder Cheslor Cuthbert had been stuck in neutral for most of 2018.
Cuthbert hadn't recorded an RBI since March 31. He hadn't homered since Aug. 20, 2017.
But Cuthbert broke out of his funk in a big way on Sunday, belting two home runs and driving in four runs in a 5-4 win over the White Sox.
"He needed it," manager Ned Yost said. "He's been struggling."
Cuthbert got the Royals on the board with his first home run in the fourth inning off left-hander Hector Santiago. With two out in the fifth, he then hit a three-run homer to left-center off right-hander Chris Volstad, giving Kansas City a 4-2 lead.
The four RBIs tied a career high for Cuthbert, having done it previously on June 11, 2016, also against the White Sox.
"The first one, I didn't know was out," Cuthbert said. "The second one, I knew. I saw some video and knew [Volstad] threw some sinkers. I was ready for it.
"It was really, really fun to have a game like that and to get a win ... I think we can turn everything around and start over."
Clutch W-hit: Merrifield delivers in Royals' win
Escobar scores go-ahead run, exits in 9th after being hit by pitch
April 29, 2018By Jeffrey Flanagan/MLB.com
The Royals have been searching for a clutch hit with runners in scoring position and Whit Merrifield came through.
Merrifield delivered an RBI single, scoring Alcides Escobar from second, with one out in the eighth inning off White Sox reliever Bruce Rondon for a 5-4 win on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals now have back-to-back wins for the first time in 2018. Escobar left the game in the ninth with a left-hand contusion after being hit by a pitch by Rondon in the eighth. X-rays were negative and he is listed as day to day.
"Yeah, it was a big one," Merrifield said. "We've gone a lot of games without a hit like that. It's been a struggle, myself included. Not been a good start for me for whatever reason.
"I think I just kind of said, '[Heck with] the results, just put the barrel on it.' It was big."
Blaine Boyer worked a scoreless ninth and got the save, his first since May of 2016 when he was with the Brewers. Closer Kelvin Herrera had worked three straight days. Boyer came into the game with a 16.88 ERA, but he now has back-to-back scoreless outings.
"There's been a lot of mechanical adjustments," Boyer said. "Somehow between Spring Training and Opening Day, I got all out of whack. Thankful for the patience of [pitching coach] Cal [Eldred] and [manager] Ned [Yost]. They had faith I would iron it out. I've been working on a lot of things.
"Frustrating that after 19 years in baseball … it's like you fell off a bicycle and don't know how to ride it again. But it's good. I feel great to be back to myself."
Royals first baseman Cheslor Cuthbert, who had not homered since Aug. 20 and had not recorded an RBI since March 31, hit two home runs, including a three-run shot that gave the Royals a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning.
Right-hander Ian Kennedy started for the Royals, his first outing since taking a line drive off his right foot on Tuesday against the Brewers. Kennedy was sharp for the most part, striking out the side in the first and ending up with six strikeouts over five innings.
Kennedy gave up two soft runs in the fourth, on a walk, a bloop double to left and a two-run double by Daniel Palka on a ball that right fielder Jorge Soler misjudged at the wall in right.
MOMENT THAT MATTERED
The Royals missed a huge chance to take control of the game in the seventh when they loaded the bases on singles by Mike Moustakas, Salvador Perez and Soler. Remarkably, they didn't come close to scoring. Cuthbert hit a weak grounder to third, creating a force at home. Jon Jay, who came into the game hitting .158 with runners in scoring position, tapped a ball in front of the plate, creating another force at home. Alex Gordon then struck out on a 3-2 changeup from Luis Avilan.
Yost called it "deflating."
Added Merrifield, "That's how it's been going for us. It couldn't have gotten much worse. We've struggled with runners in scoring position, runners on third and less than two out and all that stuff."
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Soler had his ups and downs defensively on Sunday. But he made a great play in the seventh, racing to his right to make a diving catch of Yoan Moncada's liner -- Soler motored 65 feet in four seconds and the catch was deemed a four-star play, according to Statcast™. It had just a 42 percent catch probability.
"I thought it was fantastic," Yost said. "You know, he's a work in progress. But he's so much better than he was last year at this time. He works his tail off."
UP NEXT
Royals right-hander Jason Hammel (0-2, 3.38 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series on Monday at 6:10 p.m. CT at Fenway Park. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0, 3.63) will take the mound for the Red Sox. Hammel gave up five hits and three earned runs over 6 2/3 innings on Wednesday against the Brewers. In two road starts this season, Hammel has posted a 3.15 ERA.
How the Royals overcame their biggest offensive struggle in a win over the White Sox
April 29, 2018By Jesse Newell/KC Star
History says this can’t last.
Search Baseball Reference for the lowest batting average with runners in scoring position — since the start of the database in 1908 — and the worst full-season mark is .201 by the 1942 Philadelphia Phillies and 1969 San Diego Padres.
The Royals, going into Sunday’s game, were at .178 — a number that wasn’t difficult to believe if one watched the first seven innings of their 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
The most glaring example of the early-season struggles came in the seventh inning. With the score tied 4-4, the Royals put together three consecutive singles with no outs before their Kryptonite made an appearance.
Cheslor Cuthbert and Jon Jay grounded into force-outs at home. Alex Gordon struck out. And the Royals went to the eighth with the game still tied.
“That’s kind of how it’s been going for us,” Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield said. “It really couldn’t have got much worse for us as runners on, runners at third less than two outs, all that kind of stuff.”
It’s why the next inning proved important — both Sunday and perhaps into the future.
After Alcides Escobar was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a passed ball, Merrifield shot a single up the middle and Escobar was waved home. Before then, Merrifield was 1-for-19 this season with runners in scoring position, which included a double-play ground-out with runners on the corners in the sixth.
“It’s not been a good start for me in that aspect. I really don’t know what was going on,” Merrifield said. “But that at-bat, I was just trying, ‘Screw the results. Just put the barrel on the ball and see what happens.’ ”
Merrifield, who shook his head in frustration after swinging through a 1-0 Bruce Rondon fastball, turned around a 97 mph heater on the next pitch for his run-scoring hit.
“We had to have that,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “After the seventh inning, we really needed to score. Bases loaded, nobody out. It was a little deflating there.”
With Kelvin Herrera unavailable, Blaine Boyer held off the White Sox in the ninth with only his third scoreless outing in nine appearances. Boyer, who entered with a 16.88 earned-run average, coaxed two ground-outs and a soft liner for his first save, saying his better results were helped by some recent mechanical work with Royals pitching coach Cal Eldred.
“It’s frustrating after 19 years in the game. You feel like you fall off a bicycle then you can’t get back on, and you don’t know how to ride it again,” Boyer said of his early struggles. “But it’s good. I feel great. I’m glad to be back to my normal self, that’s for sure.”
Cuthbert set up Merrifield’s late heroics.
Entering his fourth-inning at-bat on an 0-for-14 skid, Cuthbert powered a Hector Santiago sinker over the wall in left, contributing his first home run since Aug. 20 of last season.
He came through again in the fifth. With two on, Cuthbert muscled a low pitch into the first row of the Sonic Slam seats in left center, giving the Royals their first lead at 4-2.
Cuthbert said he was expecting a first-pitch sinker from reliever Chris Volstad, based on video study he’d done before the game.
“I had a plan for it,” Cuthbert said. “I was ready for the pitch, and he threw it, so I took advantage.”
Royals starter Ian Kennedy was strong early, showing no ill effects after being removed prematurely in his previous start Tuesday after he took a line drive to the right foot. Kennedy struck out the side in the first inning Sunday, which included Jose Abreu swinging through a 90 mph slider before he chucked his bat and helmet toward his team’s dugout in frustration.
Kennedy’s final line: five innings, five hits and two earned runs to go with six strikeouts and two walks. He was encouraged by a running session Saturday when he did sprints without favoring his right foot.
“That’s how you want it to be. You want to get all the treatment in so you don’t have to worry about it,” Kennedy said. “Today I felt really good.”
Escobar left Sunday’s game in the top of the ninth because of a bruised left hand after he was hit by a pitch the previous inning. X-rays showed no fractures, with Yost saying he expects Escobar to be available for the Royals’ game at Boston on Monday.
“He’s going to be fine. Jason Vargas called him, ‘The Shark.’ He’s got no bones, just cartilage,” Yost said of Escobar. “He heals really, really quick.”
The Royals, who improved to 7-20, actually improved their numbers with runners in scoring position — though not by much.
KC, which left 10 runners on base, was 3-for-13 (.231 average) with runners in scoring position Sunday.
“Moving forward, I’ve got to get better. We’ve all got to get better at hitting in situations,” Merrifield said. “That’s how we’re going to start winning some more games.”
For Sunday, though, it was enough for the Royals to celebrate a second straight win.
History is on their side. This current clutch-hitting slump isn’t likely to last an entire season.
“It’s not even May yet. We’ve got a lot of at-bats, a lot of baseball left and a lot of good players on this team,” Merrifield said. “I look forward to seeing some guys turn it around.”
Chicago Tribune writer blasts Salvador Perez after Royals-White Sox dust-up
April 29, 2018By Pete Grathoff/KC Star
The debate about the unwritten rules of baseball continued Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium. Specifically how much a player should savor hitting a home run.
After White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson opened the second game of a doubleheader with a home run, he celebrated while rounding the bases. When Anderson reached home, Royals catcher Salvador Perez had a few choice words.
In the bottom of the first inning, Perez reached second base, and a conversation with Anderson turned contentious. Both dugouts emptied, but no punches were thrown (although there were some hugs).
Perez thought Anderson was disrespecting the Royals and said after the game, "As soon as he scored, I was like, hey, bro, that was the second time. He did that in opening day. He did the same thing, said a bad word. He don’t even play a ... playoff game. He don’t know about getting excited or not. He gotta be in playoffs to be excited, like us. We got a World Series. To get excited like that. That’s a game. That’s a simple game. That’s the second time, so I said something to him."
That quote didn't sit well with Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune, who asked "who made Royals catcher Salvador Perez the new chief of the Fun Police?"
Rosenbloom wrote:
There’s a lot of stupid to unpack there. When Perez says it’s the second time, does that mean the Fun Police let players off with a warning before unmasking their silly selves?
When Perez mentions that Anderson said “a bad word’’ – seriously, dude?
When Perez mentions that Anderson hasn’t even “played a playoff game’’ and thus doesn’t “know about getting excited or not,’’ does that mean there’s an unwritten rule about when you can have fun, and if it’s only allowed in the playoffs, then why did the Rangers fire on Jose Bautista for his epic bat flip?
I have respect for the way Perez plays the game and what he has meant to a World Series winner, but with the Royals’ holding the worst record in the American League, I would think Perez has enough issues without adding to the stupidity. Maybe yell at some of your teammates, pal.