1 goal for each AL Central team down stretch
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, teams can be broken up into three categories: those headed to October, those with a really good chance to play in October, and those that are already thinking about next year.
In need of rebound? How about a 1st shutout
KANSAS CITY -- Royals right-hander Brad Keller couldn’t wait to flush the memory of his last start in Cleveland on Monday, when he gave up a season-high eight hits and five runs (four earned) over 6 2/3 innings in a loss. Keller thought he pitched better than that. Many of
Hernández effective as KC's W streak hits 5
KANSAS CITY -- The one thing you can say about Royals rookie right-hander Carlos Hernández, who made his first Major League start Saturday night, is that he didn’t back down to anyone. Hernández pitched three innings and gave up three hits -- all solo home runs -- in the Royals’
30 emerging players primed for big futures
For all the talk about how short this season has been, there has been plenty that every team has learned about itself. And one of the key things any team can learn: Who is in this for the long haul? So, today at the Thirty, we take a look at
Analyzing Royals' flurry of roster moves
KANSAS CITY -- The Royals made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday, optioning first baseman Ryan McBroom to their alternate training site, designating for assignment infielder Matt Reynolds, reinstating third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez from the injured list and recalling outfielder Nick Heath. Here’s the meaning behind each move: Optioning
Bubic's 1st MLB win ups Royals' streak to 4
KANSAS CITY -- Royals rookie left-hander Kris Bubic had an interesting outing on Friday filled with plenty of traffic on the bases but also plenty of quality pitches when he needed them. Bubic went five innings and gave up six hits and one run while walking two and striking out
Perez activated by Royals; Viloria optioned
KANSAS CITY-- One could hardly blame Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez if he were a bit frustrated. Perez missed all of 2019 because of Tommy John surgery, but he bounced back with a solid Spring Training. Perez then missed the first portion of Summer Camp after contracting COVID-19. Then, just
Armed standoff near Kauffman delays PIT-KC
The start of the 6:05 p.m. CT game between the Pirates and Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday night was delayed 30 minutes due to a standoff between police and an armed man in the Truman Sports Complex parking lot. According to the Kansas City Star, a man arrived at
Singer hits high notes in stellar no-hit bid
One of the reasons the Royals were ecstatic when University of Florida right-hander Brady Singer fell to them at No. 18 in the 2018 MLB Draft was obviously his talent. Kansas City also saw an inner fire in Singer it simply had to have. In fact, Royals area scout Jim
KC tabs rookie Hernández for 1st MLB start
Royals rookie right-hander Carlos Hernández, the club’s No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will make his first Major League start on Saturday against the Pirates. Veteran right-hander Matt Harvey will move to the bullpen, manager Mike Matheny said. Hernández, 23, has been effective in two relief outings since being called
Top prospect performers at alternate sites
With no Minor League season, the only time we really get to see prospects is when they get called up to the big leagues. Occasionally, we get a report about a guy performing well at an alternate site, but news coming out of those camps has been sparse, at best.
Dominant Duffy, confident KC shut out Tribe
Royals left-hander Danny Duffy wasn’t satisfied with his four-seam fastball in his previous start. That pitch came back with a vengeance against the Indians on Wednesday. Duffy tossed 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball, mostly geared by a dominating four-seam fastball. The Royals won, 3-0. Duffy threw 46 four-seam fastballs,
Kennedy: Clemente nomination 'huge honor'
Regardless of what the future holds in baseball after this season for Ian Kennedy, as he enters a free-agent year, the right-hander has made Kansas City his home and could very well keep it that way. Kennedy, 35, signed a five-year, $70 million deal prior to 2016 and he and
Royals come back twice to defeat Tribe
Whit Merrifield hit a three-run home run, and the Royals came back from two deficits to beat the Indians, 8-6, at Progressive field on Tuesday night, snapping a seven-game losing streak. Maikel Franco delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and an insurance RBI single in the ninth,
Mondesi 'more comfortable'; Soler goes on IL
Finally, after a weeks-long slump -- the worst of his career -- Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi is looking like himself again, looking like the hitter that manager Mike Matheny envisioned would be a threat near the top of the order. And after going 6-for-16 with a double and a home
Mondesi hits 458-footer, swipes 100th base
A long wait deserves a long home run. And even in defeat, Adalberto Mondesi’s seventh-inning solo shot Monday night at Progressive Field was worthy of a longer look. While the projected distance of the 458-foot blast didn’t enhance its worth in the runs column -- where Kansas City was outpaced,
Matheny: Brock 'was always a bright light'
From his time in the St. Louis Cardinals organization as a player and manager, Mike Matheny felt blessed to know Lou Brock not just as an iconic ballplayer but as a person. “I consider Lou Brock a friend,” the Royals’ manager said Monday, a day after Brock passed away at
Harvey, Hernández impress in finale outings
KANSAS CITY -- There were at least two things the Royals wanted to see on Sunday against the White Sox. First, Kansas City wanted to see if right-hander Matt Harvey would adapt to a role as essentially an opener. That mission appeared to be accomplished as Harvey gave up one
Bubic's 7 IP 'as good as we can expect'
KANSAS CITY -- Royals rookie left-hander Kris Bubic’s final line will read five runs allowed, including two home runs, and therefore might not look that impressive. Actually, it was very impressive. • Box score Bubic threw a career-high seven innings and gave up just four hits against the White Sox