Royals put Gobble on the DL because of back soreness
By DAVID BOYCE
The Kansas City Star
It wasn’t until Royals manager Trey Hillman arrived Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium that he found out left-handed reliever Jimmy Gobble has been suffering from lower back soreness.
The condition was bad enough that the Royals placed Gobble on the 15-day disabled list and called up Joel Peralta, who was sent to Omaha on Monday to make room for Leo Nuñez.
Gobble refused to use the back soreness as an excuse for the 10 runs he gave up in one inning of work Monday.
“I’m not going to blame any injury on that,” Gobble said. “I gave everything I had, and I walked off the mound with my head up. If I would have given in and given up on myself and my teammates, it would have been awful.”
But Gobble felt the pain he was feeling was hindering the way he wants to pitch.
“You feel like you can get through the pain and keep grinding,” Gobble said. “But it came to a point that it’s time to take some rest and get this problem resolved. My back and my hamstring have been bothering me for a while.”
Gobble said his back has been bothering him since a little bit before the All-Star break. He thought the rest during the break would help him, and he said he kept the back problems to himself.
“That’s part of being a baseball player,” Gobble said. “I take a lot of pride in being out there and being ready. That’s what bothers me the most. I’m not an excuse kind of guy. I am what I am.
“It was tough to go to the manager and tell him it was kind of bothering me.”
Hillman said the plan for Gobble is to rest him for a few days and then send him to Omaha to rehab.
“We don’t project it as anything that will require total rehab,” Hillman said. “Hopefully, he can get back to the point where he feels he can finish pitches and be more effectively.”
Above-average rating
Royals Hall of Fame scout Art Stewart took the time to grade the pitching performance of shortstop Tony Peña.
Peña retired all three batters he faced in his one inning of work Monday in a 19-4 loss to Detroit.
Stewart told Peña on Tuesday afternoon that he graded him and that his command was above average and his fastball was above average.
“Tony Peña provided a little bit of a bright spot because he provided a little comedy relief because he was so effective,” Hillman said. “Typically, position players want to pitch and pitchers want to hit.”
The lineup
It appears the experiment of batting David DeJesus in the third spot is over — or at least won’t be used when Mark Teahen is not playing.
DeJesus hit third Saturday and Sunday when Mark Teahen led off. Teahen didn’t start for a second straight game Tuesday night, and DeJesus was back in the leadoff spot for a second straight night.
Second baseman Mark Grudzielanek batted third Tuesday night after Billy Butler did it Monday night.
So the seasonlong search for a permanent No. 3 hitter continues.
Grudzielanek, though, came through with a RBI single in the bottom of the first Tuesday night and tied the game 1-1.
Progress?
The mantra coming out of Kauffman Stadium most of the season is the Royals are headed in the right direction. The team is improving. It’s getting better.
Well, after 101 games last season, the Royals were 44-57. Going into the 101st game this season, the Royals were 45-55. So all the people who are saying the Royals are better are right.
Greinke up next
It’s not the most important start of the season for Zack Greinke, but when he takes the mound this afternoon against the Tigers, he needs to prove his last start was an aberration.
Greinke started the first game after the All-Star break and allowed the first eight White Sox hitters to reach base. He gave up six runs in the first inning.
Greinke hasn’t won a game in his last four starts. His last win was 7-3 against the White Sox on June 24 at Kauffman Stadium.
TIGERS at ROYALS
The Royals trailed Detroit 5-1 through seven innings in a game that was delayed by rain. Go to
KansasCity.com for more on the game.
•TODAY: Detroit at KC, 1:10 p.m.
•TV/RADIO: FSNKC; KCSP (610 AM)
To reach David Boyce, sports reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4745 or send e-mail to dboyce@kcstar.com
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