<table> </table> Injured closer Joakim Soria threw 25 pitches off the bullpen mound in a pregame workout that served as the latest test in his recovery from a strained right rotator cuff.“I threw all of my pitches,” he said, “and it felt good. I’m making progress. Right now, I feel I could throw a (full-scale workout in the) bullpen. We’ll see how I feel (today).”Plans call for Soria to limit his throwing today to playing catch before resuming mound workouts Monday when the club returns to Kauffman Stadium. The Royals still plan to send him out on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning him to active duty.That suggests Soria is unlikely to return before early June.“I want to get him back,” manager Trey Hillman said, “but I don’t want to be flipping a coin over whether we’re going to have him available for a couple of days in a row. We want to have him at full tilt.”Players gatherTen losses in 13 games entering Saturday prompted the Royals to close the clubhouse for a players-only meeting. Details were sketchy.“What we do or don’t do as players, as a coaching staff, has nothing to do with you guys,” center fielder Coco Crisp told reporters. “Now, stuff about the game, I have no problem talking about.”Hillman said he wasn’t bothered by the gathering.“There are a lot of important things that can be worked out among teammates,” he said. “No matter what they’re discussing, the bottom line, hopefully, is to come up with some solutions to get us to play better baseball.”Bullpen strugglesThe Royals aren’t just dealing with a flat-lining attack; the bullpen is also unraveling.Ron Mahay allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh inning before giving up a run on his own in the eighth when he walked two and hit a batter after yielding a leadoff double.The bullpen, combined, has allowed 14 runs in 10 innings over the last four games. The unit’s ERA has jumped from 2.85 to 3.66 in that span.Minor detailsSoft-throwing righty Chris “Disco” Hayes continues to dazzle at Class AA Northwest Arkansas. He picked up a save Friday night in a 4-3 victory at Arkansas and lowered his ERA to 0.46 through 14 appearances. He has allowed just two earned runs in 26 1/3 innings.Hayes, 26, spent a year in an independent league after four seasons at Northwestern before signing with the Royals as a free agent before the 2006 season. He now is a combined 15-12 with 32 saves and a 2.32 ERA in 141 minor-league games.•First baseman Eric Hosmer hit his second professional homer Friday in Class A Burlington’s 4-2 loss to South Bend. Hosmer, 19, was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft.Etc.•For those wondering, yes, the Royals have been shut out in a three-game series. It occurred July 5-7, 2004, at Minnesota when they lost 9-0, 4-0 and 12-0. The Twins’ pitchers: Brad Radke, Johan Santana and Kyle Lohse — yes, the same Kyle Lohse who pitched Saturday for the Cardinals.•The Royals’ 24 consecutive innings without scoring a run are eight shy of the franchise record of 32 in 2004. That included 27 by the Twins and five more by Baltimore on July 9 before the Royals rallied for a 7-0 victory.

Posted on Sat, May. 23, 2009 10:15 PM

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Royals notebook: Soria unlikely to return until early June

By BOB DUTTON

The Kansas City Star

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Injured closer Joakim Soria threw 25 pitches off the bullpen mound in a pregame workout that served as the latest test in his recovery from a strained right rotator cuff.

“I threw all of my pitches,” he said, “and it felt good. I’m making progress. Right now, I feel I could throw a (full-scale workout in the) bullpen. We’ll see how I feel (today).”

Plans call for Soria to limit his throwing today to playing catch before resuming mound workouts Monday when the club returns to Kauffman Stadium. The Royals still plan to send him out on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning him to active duty.

That suggests Soria is unlikely to return before early June.

“I want to get him back,” manager Trey Hillman said, “but I don’t want to be flipping a coin over whether we’re going to have him available for a couple of days in a row. We want to have him at full tilt.”

Players gather

Ten losses in 13 games entering Saturday prompted the Royals to close the clubhouse for a players-only meeting. Details were sketchy.

“What we do or don’t do as players, as a coaching staff, has nothing to do with you guys,” center fielder Coco Crisp told reporters. “Now, stuff about the game, I have no problem talking about.”

Hillman said he wasn’t bothered by the gathering.

“There are a lot of important things that can be worked out among teammates,” he said. “No matter what they’re discussing, the bottom line, hopefully, is to come up with some solutions to get us to play better baseball.”

Bullpen struggles

The Royals aren’t just dealing with a flat-lining attack; the bullpen is also unraveling.

Ron Mahay allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh inning before giving up a run on his own in the eighth when he walked two and hit a batter after yielding a leadoff double.

The bullpen, combined, has allowed 14 runs in 10 innings over the last four games. The unit’s ERA has jumped from 2.85 to 3.66 in that span.

Minor details

Soft-throwing righty Chris “Disco” Hayes continues to dazzle at Class AA Northwest Arkansas. He picked up a save Friday night in a 4-3 victory at Arkansas and lowered his ERA to 0.46 through 14 appearances. He has allowed just two earned runs in 26 1/3 innings.

Hayes, 26, spent a year in an independent league after four seasons at Northwestern before signing with the Royals as a free agent before the 2006 season. He now is a combined 15-12 with 32 saves and a 2.32 ERA in 141 minor-league games.

•First baseman Eric Hosmer hit his second professional homer Friday in Class A Burlington’s 4-2 loss to South Bend. Hosmer, 19, was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft.

Etc.

•For those wondering, yes, the Royals have been shut out in a three-game series. It occurred July 5-7, 2004, at Minnesota when they lost 9-0, 4-0 and 12-0. The Twins’ pitchers: Brad Radke, Johan Santana and Kyle Lohse — yes, the same Kyle Lohse who pitched Saturday for the Cardinals.

•The Royals’ 24 consecutive innings without scoring a run are eight shy of the franchise record of 32 in 2004. That included 27 by the Twins and five more by Baltimore on July 9 before the Royals rallied for a 7-0 victory.

Posted on Sat, May. 23, 2009 10:15 PM

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