KANSAS CITY -- Royals manager Ned Yost said he isn’t necessarily superstitious and that he doesn’t believe in jinxes. But he was brought up with the traditional old-school way of thinking that you don't talk about hitting streaks or no-hitters when they are happening, and he has always gone along with that.

But Whit Merrifield, whose 31-game hitting streak ended with Thursday's 7-6 loss, has had no issue meeting with the media twice per day and discussing the streak.

“I really admire the way he is able to embrace this,” Yost said. “It’s so foreign to me, because I’ve always been a guy who tries to stay away from talking about [streaks]. If Whit was a pitcher and he had a no-hitter after eight innings, he’d run into the dugout and yell, ‘Hey, guys, I got a no-hitter! Come on, I need three more outs!’

“I admire that he can look at it straight in the eye and not blink. The more I looked at it, I love it. But it’s a whole change of thought for me. But why not? He thrives on it. I’m really impressed. He’s changed my thinking on that.”

For Yost, talking about streaks has always been “taboo,” but he's ready to embrace it now.

“Really, I don’t know if it’s a jinx to talk about it, but we were brought up that way,” Yost said. “Dale Earnhardt came to two Braves games in the ‘90s and we lost both. And he told me, ‘I’m never coming to another game.’ I asked him why and he said, ‘Because you lost both. I jinxed them.’ And I said, ‘Let me tell you pal, if I come to a race and you finish 31st, it ain’t my damn fault.’”

Newberry recalled, Scwhindel optioned
The Royals, in need of another arm after two straight short outings by their starters, recalled right-hander Jake Newberry from Triple-A Omaha and optioned first baseman Frank Schwindel.

“I didn’t want to send Frank down,” Yost said. “But we had to have another pitcher up here.”