Bullpen is solid as Royals win 5-4 in exhibition game at Milwaukee

The Royals utilized an early-evening flurry Friday to knock off the Brewers, 5-4, in the first of two exhibition games here at Miller Park.

And after a shaky spring, the team’s bullpen roared back to life: Kelvin Herrera, Aaron Crow, Tim Collins, Wade Davis and Greg Holland combined to strike out seven.

“I thought the bullpen was fantastic,” manager Ned Yost said.

In the fourth, the Royals strung together three runs on three hits and a walk, plus a collection of productive outs. Mike Moustakas hit an RBI single, Nori Aoki plated a run with a groundout and Alcides Escobar put the team ahead with an infield single. In the fifth, Billy Butler cracked his first home run of the spring, a solo shot to left.

The crowd was sparse at Miller Park, but Yost still appreciated the opportunity to play in a big-league ballpark under standard conditions. The team opens its season Monday afternoon in Detroit.

Save for Omar Infante, who is nursing a sore right elbow, the Royals put forth their regulars. The lineup pieced together a second-inning run. Salvador Perez banged a double off Brewers starter Matt Garza. He moved the next two bases thanks to deep flyballs to center field. Lorenzo Cain received credit for the RBI.

In his final outing of the spring, Jason Vargas lasted three innings. He only gave up two hits, but one of them was crushing.

Vargas waded into uncertain territory in the third. With two outs, outfielder Carlos Gomez coaxed a walk after eight pitches. The next batter, Rickie Weeks, won a seven-pitch battle. The subsequent at-bat did not last nearly as long.

Ryan Braun saw two pitches from Vargas. The second was an 82-mph change-up that drifted over outer half of the plate. Braun powered it over the center-field fence for a three-run homer.

“Besides that, I was pleased with his effort, too,” Yost said of Vargas.

Bruce Chen will throw four innings, with a 60-pitch cap, in a minor-league game back at the team’s complex in Surprise, Ariz., on Sunday.

Reliever Bruce Coleman (bruised right middle finger) threw a “light” bullpen session on Friday, Yost said. Coleman is expected to begin the season on the disabled list.

Royals prospect Kyle Zimmer will throw his first bullpen session of the year next week, assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said. Zimmer’s throwing program was delayed due to a case of biceps tendinitis in the winter.

The team intends for him to break from extended spring training in the third week of May, and pitch for Class AA Northwest Arkansas. Zimmer, the No. 5 pick in 2012 draft, could receive a call-up in September. The Royals project Zimmer to throw between 130 to 150 innings this season.

“Truthfully, it is the cautious way to go,” Picollo said. “But this guy is a long-term guy for us.”

The Royals released reliever Jon Rauch. Two other relievers who saw extended stays at big-league camp, Cory Wade and P.J. Walters, received assignments at Class AAA Omaha.

This story was originally published March 28, 2014 at 11:04 PM with the headline "Bullpen is solid as Royals win 5-4 in exhibition game at Milwaukee."