Sam Mellinger says that there is no great and obvious fix for the Royals' recent bullpen issues. They have the right guys in the pen -- it’s just a matter of those guys performing as well as they’re capable.
Jeremy Guthrie provided the Royals, after two days of rainouts, with a game worth waiting for Saturday night by pitching the first shutout of his career in a 2-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals’ best player and example of what they’re trying to do was once their worst player and example of why they never won. This is easy to forget sometimes, now that Alex Gordon is a star. The story of where the Royals have been and where they might go is also Gordon’s story.
Trevor Vance is not a meteorologist, but he suggests that when planning a future outing, it’s best to see if the Royals are playing at Kauffman Stadium.
There is a breeze going through the majors this season. It’s not the cold winds that hit Kauffman Stadium this week. It’s batters around baseball swinging and missing at a prodigious rate.
Billy Butler is a designated hitter in the truest sense of the word. That’s his role and what he does. That’s what makes this season, to this point, so difficult. Too often, Butler isn’t getting the chance to perform his designated role -- even on those days when the elements permit the Royals to play.
Royals ace James Shields (pictured) and closer Greg Holland have been a big part of the team's early success. They answered fans' questions during a web chat earlier today.
There was no attempt Friday to play through the rain at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals announced a postponement at 3 p.m. The game against the Chicago White Sox, originally scheduled at 7:10 p.m., will now be played at 1:10 p.m. Monday at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals’ longest losing streak this season is two measly games. Two. That’s not a streak as much as it’s a coincidence. By this time last year, they’d already buried the season under a 12-game losing streak. The April before that, they lost six in a row. This is the effect of a new pitching staff for the Royals. “That’s why,” manager Ned Yost says.
The Royals and Rays tried to play through an icy rain on a miserable Thursday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium but, in the end, Mother Nature wheeled out bigger weapons — sleet and snow — and wouldn’t be denied. The Royals held a 1-0 lead over the Tampa Bay when the game was postponed, wiping out all the stats. The game will be replayed from the start at a later date.
A look at the threatening forecast Thursday told Royals manager Ned Yost to be cautious. More specifically, he saw it as a warning to provide center fielder Lorenzo Cain with a day off.
The Royals fell into a five-run hole Wednesday night on two occasions before rallying and then holding on for a 9-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium. The victory boosted the Royals to 15-10 and back into first place in the American League Central Division.
Royals manager Ned Yost never wavered in his support of Mike Moustakas, even after the third baseman’s batting average sank to .130. That faith has been rewarded since Moustakas’ final two at-bats — a double and a walk — in that 8-3 win against the Tigers.
The Royals opened their three-game series against Tampa Bay with an 8-2 win Tuesday night behind starter James Shields (pictured). How does the rest of their homestand look? The Star's Bob Dutton answered questions during a web chat earlier today.
James Shields recovered from a shaky start Tuesday night and beat his former club when the Royals finally found some offensive punch in the late innings for an 8-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium.
After Wednesday's 8-2 win over Tampa Bay, Jeff Francoeur said that Rays starter Alex Cobb started to get the ball up late in the game. Francoeur added that the Royals' hitters started to look off-speed, and it paid off.
Luis Mendoza will take the mound Wednesday for his first start since April 12 and only his third start of the season. James Shields, by comparison, started his sixth game Tuesday night.
This makes two clunkers in a row for the Royals as the schedule is about to get a lot tougher. Monday night’s 9-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians was a lot like Sunday night’s 10-3 loss. It started with a thud and never got much better.
Royals pitcher James Shields will take the mound tonight against his former team, the Rays, and at least one Tampa Bay player is hoping for good things for Shields.
There is no shortage of Royals still searching to find an offensive rhythm amid the cool April temperatures and postponement-plagued schedule, but few draw the same scrutiny as right fielder Jeff Francoeur.
