The questions to Royals manager Ned Yost Saturday afternoon concerned third baseman Mike Moustakas, his ongoing struggles and how patient the Royals were willing to remain and for how long.
A seven-run third inning and an eight-run lead and, still, it seemed like the Royals had to hang on all night Wednesday before securing a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Outfielder Bubba Starling left his Low-A team in Lexington on Wednesday and traveled to Kansas City, where he may have Lasik surgery. Starling said he has had trouble seeing the ball at night.
Everybody loves the big pitching matchups — your ace faces their ace — but those games are toss-ups, and either team could win. Then there are the games you should win and can’t afford to lose; not if you’re going to put together a winning record. This was a game the Royals should have won and did. Beating up on bad teams is what good teams do.
Fred White, who teamed with Denny Matthews as the Royals’ primary broadcast team from 1973 to 1998, died Wednesday of complications from melanoma. His death came one day after he officially retired from the Royals following a 40-year association with the club. He was 76.
Hall of Famer George Brett, who turned 60 on Wednesday, played his entire 21-year baseball career with the Royals, and he's still very much involved with the team. The Royals drafted him in 1971, he hit .390 in 1980, had a little trouble with pine tar in 1983, won the World Series in 1985 and was inducted into the Hall in 1999.
Albert Pujols, Howie Kendrick, Josh Hamilton and Mike Trout each homered as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Royals 6-2 on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif., ending Kansas City starter Jeremy Guthrie’s club-record streak of non-losing starts at 18.
Going into the Angels game, Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie had a string of 18 starts without a loss — but that was snapped Tuesday night as the Royals fell 6-2. But he did throw seven innings. When a starting pitcher does not have his best stuff but hangs in there and finds a way to give his team innings, he may not help his team win that night, but he gives them a better shot at winning the next night.
The latest lineup tweak Tuesday by Royals manager Ned Yost positioned Lorenzo Cain at the top of the order for the first time this season. “On days when (Jarrod) Dyson doesn’t play, I’ve got to have a No. 1 hitter,” Yost said. “For me right now, Cain is as good as anybody to give a look at.”
Broadcaster Fred White, who became an icon with the Royals over the last 40 years, announced his retirement Tuesday from the organization because of what the club characterized in a news release as “recent health issues.”
On Monday night, the Royals slapped around a team that is currently 14-24 with a .368 winning percentage. The pitcher they beat, Joe Blanton, woke up this morning with an 0-7 record and a 6.46 ERA. I’m not writing this to belittle Monday's win — far from it. That was just the kind of game the Royals need to win to get where they want to go. But the Royals may not have done anything more to improve their performance than playing a worse team.
Two ninth-inning losses in two days have left the Seattle Mariners reeling and frustrated.
Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said too many walks and too many errors gave the Atlanta Braves far too much help.
The only saving grace for C.J. Wilson after another quiet night by the Los Angeles' bats was that he won't have to match up against Chris Sale in his next start.
Madison Bumgarner, the steadiest pitcher in the San Francisco Giants' rotation so far this season, finally had an off night and it was a doozy.
Adam LaRoche hit two towering home runs and Chad Tracy's solo shot in the 10th inning lifted the Washington Nationals to a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
The first inning had been the Milwaukee Brewers' strongest suit all season. This time, the St. Louis Cardinals turned the tables and put them in a hole just large enough that six RBIs from Aramis Ramirez left them short.
Still no wins for Jeremy Hefner. Another rough day for Ike Davis, too.
Things are going so well for the Pittsburgh Pirates these days that opposing teams can't even make routine catches.
James Shields pitched great against the Oakland Athletics again. This time, he had nothing to show for it with his new team.
Miguel Cabrera went 3 for 4 with a go-ahead double in the sixth inning to back Rick Porcello and lift the Detroit Tigers over the Texas Rangers 2-1 Friday night in a matchup of division leaders.
