Royals notebook: Olivo’s pinch homer in Monday’s game came on maple bat
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
BALTIMORE | Miguel Olivo switched briefly to an ash bat last week after the jagged edge of his shattered maple bat gouged a hole in the forehead of umpire Brian O’Nora in a game against Colorado.
But Olivo soon switched back to maple bats — and it was a maple bat that produced Monday’s dramatic pinch homer in the ninth inning. The Royals went on to win 6-5 in 11 innings.
“I feel more comfortable with the maple bat,” Olivo said. “There’s more balance, and when you hit the ball, you don’t have to take a hard swing. But they break easily. The last two weeks, I’ve broken 15 or 16 bats.”
Major League Baseball and the players’ union are engaged in a joint study regarding the safety of maple bats, which tend to shatter and splinter. Ash bats, in contrast, typically just crack.
“Everybody prefers maple bats,” Olivo said. “I’m just scared that somebody is going to get really hurt one day.”
DeJesus recovering
Outfielder David DeJesus wasn’t in the starting lineup, but he showed sufficient progress in his recovery from a bruised rib cage that he should return tonight to the lineup.
“He took about 30 tee swings and about 20 soft-toss swings (before the game),” manager Trey Hillman said. “He’s better. We just felt it was better to keep him out (of the starting lineup) one more day.”
DeJesus suffered the injury Sunday when he fell on the mask of Cardinals catcher Jason LaRue after a play at the plate.
On the mend
Set-up reliever Leo Nuñez, if all goes well, could rejoin the active roster before the All-Star break.
Nuñez is scheduled to throw a few sessions of live batting practice over the next week in Surprise, Ariz., and could begin a formal rehab assignment next week at Class AAA Omaha.
Hillman indicated Nuñez is more likely to rejoin the club after the break “because we won’t rush (him).” Nuñez is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 21 games but hasn’t pitched since May 27 because of a strained back muscle.
Bronx cheer
The Yankees are asking Hall of Famers to reminisce about Yankee Stadium, which is marking its 86th and final year by hosting the All-Star Game. The club moves next season across the street to a new $1.3 billion facility.
Significantly, perhaps, the Yankees started with George Brett:
“It’s fantastic that the All-Star Game is going to be at Yankee Stadium. A lot of us have great memories of playing in Yankee Stadium, some good and some not so good. It’s especially meaningful to me, as I have so many memories — some bad, like losing three playoff series, and some good, winning one.”
Minor details
Struggling reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta gave up three runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings Monday night in Class AAA Omaha’s 6-3 loss at Iowa.
Yabuta had pitched two scoreless innings in his first outing for the O-Royals following his June 25 demotion to the minors.
Etc.
•The Royals had lost 101 straight games when trailing after eight innings before Monday’s 6-5 victory in 11 innings. The streak dates to a 4-3 victory on May 17, 2007, at Oakland when they trailed 3-2 after eight innings.
•José Guillen’s game-winning RBI single Monday marked the third straight time he drove in the winning run when the Royals achieved a last at-bat victory. Guillen also had last at-bat winners June 9 at New York and June 12 vs. Texas.
•The Royals have signed T-Bones outfielder Brad Correll and will send him to Class A Wilmington, Del. Correll hit .341 through 41 games with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs.
•An alert for DirecTV subscribers: Starting today, FSN Kansas City will switch from Channel 648 to Channel 672.
Join the discussion
Share your observations and experiences about news. Lively, open debate is the goal, but please refrain from personal attacks or comments that are racist, vulgar or otherwise inappropriate. If you see an inappropriate comment, please click the "Report as violation" link to notify a KansasCity.com editor. Thanks for your feedback.