Daily Clips



Daily ClipsJune 19, 2017LOCALFather's Day pop lifts Royals to series winJune 19, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan and Kaelen Jones/ Vargas earns MLB-best 10th victoryRoyals lefty allows three runs in six frames vs. AngelsJune 19, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/ Hammel aims to continue rebound vs. BostonJune 19, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/' offense shows off power again in 7-3 victory over the AngelsJune 19, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star The ‘secret weapon’ fueling the Royals’ surge: A clubhouse espresso machineJune 19, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star First-round pick Nick Pratto’s first homer came in Royals uniform ... when he was 7June 19, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star The Royals finish a 7-2 road trip and get back in the raceJune 19, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star MINORSChasers Drop 2nd Straight in Des Moines, 16-3Dean Anna and Frank Schwindel go deep in Omaha defeatJune 19, 2017Omaha Storm Chasers Blue Crew Delivers Salem Playoff BluesRocks End First Half on Six-Game Win StreakJune 19, 2017Wilmington Blue Rocks A tie on Father's Day -- for nowGame suspended with score even at 5-5June 19, 2017Lexington Legends NATIONALReal or not? Royals are contendersJune 19, 2017By David Schoenfield/ Morosi: Royals to be popular at DeadlineMoustakas, Hosmer, Cain among players likely to draw interest from contendersJune 19, 2017By Jon Paul Morosi/ MLB TRANSACTIONSJune 19, 2017 ?.'s Day pop lifts Royals to series winJune 19, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan and Kaelen Jones/ The Royals rode a three-run third inning and four-run fourth frame to defeat the Angels, 7-3, in Sunday's series finale at Angel Stadium. With the victory, Kansas City captured its third straight series win.Left-hander Jason Vargas (10-3, 2.27 ERA) picked up his Major League-leading 10th win of the season, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks over six innings.The Angels took a 2-0 lead in the opening frame on an RBI double by Kole Calhoun and a one-run single by Andrelton Simmons, however starter JC Ramirez (6-5, 4.59) was unable to hold the lead, relinquishing five runs on five hits and four walks across three-plus innings.Ramirez, who recorded six strikeouts on 89 pitches Sunday, was more concerned with his high pitch count than content with the number of batters he fanned."I want to go six and seven innings," he said. "I think it wasn't a bad start, I just threw a lot of pitches."Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas hit a three-RBI double in the top of the third to give Kansas City a 3-2 advantage. In the fourth, first baseman Eric Hosmer lifted a sacrifice fly and Salvador Perez launched a three-run homer the following at-bat, pushing the Royals ahead, 7-2."They got two big, two-out hits -- one by Moustakas and one by Perez," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "Really set the tone for the whole game."Hosmer's RBI marked the 500th of his career."To reach 500 is a tremendous honor, especially nowadays with the pitching as good as it is," Hosmer said. "Obviously, you can't do it without guys getting on in front of you."The win moves the Royals, who complete their West Coast road trip at 7-2, to 33-35. Meanwhile, the Angels drop to 36-37, and are 10-10 since Mike Trout hit the disabled list with a thumb injury May 29.Royals manager Ned Yost was asked if the recent surge might get attention from around the league."I don't really care if people look at us or not," Yost said. "We feel good about our team. In years when we [got to the World Series] we haven't had people look at us like we're very good. We've learned not to pay attention to it. We just go out and play as hard as we can and try to win ballgames."MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDPerez redeems himself: Perez gave Kansas City a commanding 7-2 lead when he drilled a three-run homer off Angels reliever Keynan Middleton in the top of the fourth. In a bases-loaded situation in the third inning, Perez flied out to right field leaving the runners stranded.Vargas survives: In the bottom of the sixth, Vargas allowed the first three batters of the inning to load the bases with none out. However, the left-hander buckled down, forcing a sac fly and two popouts to keep Kansas City in control, up 7-3."He started laboring and had the bases loaded and none out, but did what he does best -- limit the damage," Yost said.SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDSSimmons set a career high when he swiped his 11th stolen base of the season in the bottom of the first inning. Simmons only needed 72 appearances to pass the 10 stolen bases he recorded in 124 games last season.UPON FURTHER REVIEWWhen Calhoun laced his RBI double, it bounced off the top of the right-field wall to give the Angels a 1-0 lead in the first. The crew chief reviewed the play, but officials confirmed that the ball stayed in the park, and Calhoun remained at second base."It looked like it was worth reviewing, for sure," Scioscia said. "I couldn't tell exactly if it had scraped the wall coming back from out, scraped the side wall. ... I think that's about as close as you can come to a home run without getting one."WHAT'S NEXTRoyals: Right-hander Jason Hammel (3-6, 5.05 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals as they return home to face Boston at 7:15 p.m. CT on Monday. Hammel gave up one run over 6 2/3 innings in the Royals' 7-2 win over the Giants on Wednesday.Angels: Rookie right-hander Parker Bridwell (1-0, 2.19 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Angels on Tuesday, when they open a three-game series against New York at 4:05 p.m. PT. Bridwell is starting in place of right-hander Matt Shoemaker, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list on June 15 with a strained right forearm extensor.Vargas earns MLB-best 10th victoryRoyals lefty allows three runs in six frames vs. AngelsJune 19, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/ Royals left-hander Jason Vargas maybe wasn't at the top of his game, but he was plenty good when it counted as he navigated through six innings and helped steer the Royals to a 7-3 win over the Angels on Sunday.Vargas gave up eight hits and three runs, and for his efforts he became Major League Baseball's first 10-game winner to go along with his sterling 2.27 ERA.Vargas, though, didn't seem overly impressed with his win total."I'll take it. That's for sure," Vargas said. "But I don't know if I'm going to look much into it beyond that. It's just nice to have more wins than losses."Vargas' day started with some concern. Cameron Maybin opened the Angels' first with a line-shot single to left. Kole Calhoun then roped a line drive that just missed being a home run, instead bouncing off the very top of the right-field wall and back into play for an RBI double.Later in the inning, Andrelton Simmons ripped an RBI single to left and Vargas and the Royals were in a 2-0 hole.Vargas said he didn't make any particular adjustments after the first inning."The ones that they hit were right over the middle," Vargas said. "The one to Calhoun, I was lucky it didn't leave the park. And the one to Simmons was right over the plate. Just didn't make any quality pitches at that point."From there, Vargas grinded through without any major trouble until the sixth inning when the Angels loaded the bases with none out with the Royals leading, 7-2.But Vargas got Danny Espinosa to pop out to short right. Ben Revere brought home one run with a sacrifice fly but after a long battle, Vargas got catcher Juan Graterol to pop out."I think that [Espinosa] was probably the most key out," Vargas said. "That got us into position to get a double play and not let any runs in. After that it was just kind of a grind."I put us in a situation where we could have let them back in the game. So it's nice to make a couple of big pitches and get a couple of big outs."Royals manager Ned Yost said he wasn't especially worried that inning."He did what he does best -- limit the damage," Yost said.And don't look now, but Vargas appears to be putting himself into position for an invite to the All-Star Game presented by MasterCard."I don't know about that," Vargas said. "I've never been invited to the [Midsummer] Classic. We'll just see how things shake out."Hammel aims to continue rebound vs. BostonJune 19, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/ Royals right-hander Jason Hammel will try to continue his dramatic turnaround when he takes on the Red Sox on Monday night at Kauffman Stadium. Rookie right-hander Hector Velazquez, who was recently added to the Red Sox's rotation, will start for Boston.Hammel struggled through his first eight starts this season, posting a 1-7 record with a 6.20 ERA as opponents hit .320 off him. But after a tweak to his setup -- he now squares his shoulders to the plate from the stretch -- Hammel has been solid.In his last three starts, Hammel is 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA while opponents are hitting .218 off him."He's really settled in," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He really looks good right now."Velazquez, 28, was signed this spring out of the Mexican League. He made one start on May 18 and gave up nine hits and six runs in an 8-3 loss to Oakland. Since then, he has made one relief appearance -- 3 1/3 shutout innings against the Phillies. Velazquez posted a 1.29 ERA in nine starts at Triple-A Pawtucket."We're going to be going up against a team that is playing extremely well and they're swinging a lot of hot bats," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "So location will always be the key, particularly against a team that's swinging the bat like they are."Things to know about this game? Hammel will have to be careful with Red Sox designated hitter Hanley Ramirez and second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Ramirez is hitting .462 against Hammel with a double and a home run, while Pedroia is hitting .364, also with a double and a home run.? The Red Sox haven't faced Hammel since 2013. He has a 4.61 career ERA against the Red Sox in 13 career outings.? Lorenzo Cain has gone from having one home run on the season on the morning of May 23 to having 10 midway through June, and one of the Majors' hottest hitters has turned around his contact metrics this month. Cain's rate of "productive" contact (or the three batted ball types -- barrels, flares/burners and other solid contact -- that Statcast deems most favorable to the hitter), barrel count (from three combined in April/May to seven this month) and average exit velocity (88.5 mph in April/May to 91.7 mph in June) have all jumped up as the weather has gotten warmer.Royals' offense shows off power again in 7-3 victory over the AngelsJune 19, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star For another day, the music played inside the visitors clubhouse. On the bottom floor of Angel Stadium, the boisterous celebration could be heard in a nearby foyer. The sound of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” booming through walls. A voice screaming above the cheers. A victorious ritual after a seventh victory in nine games.The Royals do this after every win, a tradition born across postseason runs and World Series appearances, a rollicking way to savor every good day like it might be their last. Yet for close to two months, the postgame scenes were becoming a rare sight, a casualty as an offense scuffled and a team began to buckle under the weight of expectations and uncertainty.On June 5, the Royals were 24-32, 6 1/2 games out of first place, and if the buzzards weren't quite circling, they were thinking about the proper time. On Sunday, the music was back after a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.Salvador Perez clubbed a three-run homer in a four-run fourth inning. Starter Jason Vargas allowed three runs across six innings while earning his major-league-leading 10th win. The Royals (33-35) closed out a nine-game California road trip with another promising performance, shaking off a shutout loss on Saturday that ended a six-game winning streak. In the process, they pulled to within two games of .500 and 3 1/2 games of the first-place Cleveland Indians in the American League Central.The Royals may have changed the arc of their season by beating up on two bad teams and one mediocre club during a 10-day span. They may have changed perceptions across baseball, too, a championship core regrouping for a June run under the threat of a painful trade deadline. Not that manager Ned Yost thought about the latter as he sat inside his office on late Sunday afternoon.“I don’t really care if people look at us or not,” Yost said. “We know what we’re capable of doing. We feel good about our team. We haven’t, even in years when we’ve won world championships, got a lot of people looking at us and thinking we were very good — even back then.”The Royals, though, finally appear to be resembling the outfit that made consecutive postseason appearances in 2014 and 2015 and finished .500 last season while dealing with a rash of injuries. The roster is different now, a little more power, a little less speed, a bullpen not quite as dominant. But the spine of the 2015 team remains in catcher Salvador Perez, center fielder Lorenzo Cain, first baseman Eric Hosmer and third baseman Mike Moustakas. The core showed up during a nine-game road trip through San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles.Perez’s three-run shot off reliever Keynan Middleton in the fourth on Sunday gave the Royals’ 18 homers on the road trip, including six from Cain and 14 total from the aforementioned four players. The barrage left the Royals with 82 homers for the season, on pace for 195 in 162 games. The number would shatter the club’s franchise record of 168, set in 1987.“They’ve been some big homers, too,” said Hosmer, who notched his 500th career RBI on Sunday. “That’s kind of the way our team has molded into this year. We get some guys on, get some timely hitting.”The Royals were hitting homers in April and May, too. But with too many holes in the lineup, the blasts were often solo. That has changed in the last couple weeks. With the emergence of Jorge Bonifacio, the continued production of Whit Merrifield, who was off on Sunday, and torrid stretches from Hosmer and Cain, the offense has hit its stride. Even after getting shut out on Saturday, the Royals averaged 6.1 runs per game on the road trip. The staggering numbers will not continue, of course, but this is the unit the Royals expected coming out of spring training, Yost said. Now they must find a way to produce back at home at Kauffman Stadium as they open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.“You feel good in parks that are home run parks,” Yost said. “It’s a little bit different going home. But we’re swinging the bats well right now.”As the offense finished off the road trip in style, Vargas became the first pitcher in baseball to reach 10 wins. With his record at 10-3 and a 2.27 ERA, he did not appear particularly interested in his number of victories.“I mean, I’ll take it,” Vargas said. “I don’t know if I’m going to look much into it past that. It’s definitely nice to have more wins than losses.”On Sunday, he allowed two runs in the first inning, including an RBI double from Kole Calhoun that smacked off the top of the wall in right field. He then worked four straight scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth. With the lead at 7-2, Vargas loaded the bases by allowing a double to Yunel Escobar, a single to Andrelton Simmons and a walk to C.J. Cron. As the Royals’ bullpen readied, Yost stuck with Vargas.He limited the damage by coaxing Danny Espinosa into a shallow fly ball to right field before Ben Revere hit a sacrifice fly to center. The inning ended when Juan Graterol popped out to first base.“It was just kind of a grind, and I wasn’t making as many good pitches,” Vargas said. “So I was really just trying to miss — if I was going to miss — miss in the right spot.”Vargas could not offer dominance, his most common state in 2017. But the Royals’ offense picked him up. Mike Moustakas cleared the bases with a two-out double in the third off Angels starter JC Ramirez. Perez hammered a homer to center in the fourth. And the Royals could basked in a productive road trip and a flight back to Kansas City.On Monday, a three-game series with the Red Sox awaits. After that, the Toronto Blue Jays will come to town. As he pondered the schedule, Hosmer deemed it a good time to get back home.“We’re ready for it, and we’re playing good,” he said. “So if there’s any time to take on those guys, it’s right now.”The ‘secret weapon’ fueling the Royals’ surge: A clubhouse espresso machineJune 19, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star On most days at Kauffman Stadium, Peter Moylan leaves his locker in the home clubhouse in the late afternoon and escapes to an adjacent kitchen, where Royals players eat before games.A 38-year-old right-hander, Moylan spends his nights attacking opposing hitters as a side-arm reliever. In the moments before first pitch, he adopts a different role: Barista.Using a Brevill Express Espresso Machine, a slick metal contraption he purchased on Amazon for $599, and a bag of Lavazza Super Crema Whole Bean Espresso, Moylan doles out cups of his specialty: “The Sledge-iatto,” — fine, creamy espresso blended with chocolate milk and served on ice.A native of Australia with an affinity for premium coffee, Moylan ordered the machine back in April. In the weeks after it arrived, as the Royals climbed back into the race in the American League Central, the drink took the clubhouse by storm. On Sunday, the latest step forward came in the form of a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels here at Angel Stadium. Inside the visitors clubhouse was proof of the obsession: A baseball team was suddenly hooked on espresso.“It’s a little bit of a secret weapon,” said Whit Merrifield, the Royals’ starting second baseman.Merrifield had his first cup of Moylan’s espresso on May 13, the first day of a 19-game hitting streak. Left fielder Alex Gordon finally gave into Moylan’s prodding in early June, sampling his first taste. A few days later, he hit his first home run in a victory over the Astros. Not satisfied by simply having the drink at home games, Gordon went out and bought another espresso machine to take on road trips.“Gordo looks like he’s never had caffeine before,” starting pitcher Ian Kennedy said. “He’s like: ‘We need to buy one for road!”Gordon, a health nut who obeys a rigid diet, has never been much of a coffee guy, he says. He counts every calorie that enters his body. He studies foods and drinks for their nutritional value. For years, he eschewed sugary sodas for protein shakes. But there was something about the way Moylan crafted his drink, he said, the combination of espresso and chocolate milk. The perfect afternoon pick-me-up.“I was never really a coffee drinker, ever,” Gordon says. “It’s kind of an iced coffee espresso and chocolate milk. You’ll have to ask Peter. He’s the master. He kind of got me hooked on it. So coffee it is.”Inside major-league clubhouses, fresh coffee is hardly a unique item. The season is long and grueling. The road trips weigh on the body and mind. Years after amphetamines were officially banned by Major League Baseball, players still subsist on coffee, Red Bull and other energy drinks. Whatever provides the biggest jolt.It is not uncommon to see starting pitchers drop by Starbucks on the way to the ballpark or position players sipping on a cup of Joe before batting practice. But for Moylan, an offseason resident of Melbourne, Australia, a port city and one of the coffee capitals of the world, the old coffee in the clubhouse was not up to standard.“We need to have good coffee here,” Moylan said, before later adding: “We don’t have instant coffee in Australia.”Back in Melbourne, Moylan says, there exists a “cafe culture.” Relationships are built around conversations over coffee. The espresso culture dates back a half-century or so. In May, Moylan and an old friend named Russell Spear opened up a coffee place called the Apollo Cafe in West Melbourne, a neighborhood near his home. Moylan said he had thought about opening a cafe for years.“There’s a culture,” Moylan said. “It’s insane. You go 200 feet and there’s a cafe, a cafe, a cafe. It’s all really good coffee.”Business is good so far, and he will return home to check on the progress of the place in the offseason. But for now, as the season rolls on, he’s instituting the cafe culture in the Royals’ clubhouse. He sought to start with espresso, a drink made with boiling water, pressure and finely ground coffee beans.“You’ll never see this at Starbucks,” Moylan said, scrolling through photos of specialty drinks on his phone. “Because they don’t do it right. They don’t froth the milk properly.”Moments later, Merrifield offered another review: “It’s not just the espresso,” he said. “It’s the special type of concoction.”For now, Moylan has few holdouts inside the clubhouse. Kennedy, a veteran starter, considers himself a coffee connoisseur of sorts, but he prefers Pour Over coffee or French presses. He doesn’t do espresso. He’s found good coffee beans at The Roasterie in Kansas City, he says. He’ll spend time reading reviews of coffee machines online. He recently became intrigued by The Clover, a relatively new method for making coffee.“If I find a Starbucks with a Clover machine, I’ll walk to it,” Kennedy said. “I do like coffee a lot. I don’t own a cafe. I haven’t gone that far.”Another reluctant espresso drinker is Royals manager Ned Yost, who said he likes to limit his caffeine intake to a few cups of coffee in the morning or a quick run through Starbucks. Yost once famously gave his name as “Frank” at a local Plaza Starbucks to avoid fans during his difficult early years at the helm. Now, he avoids coffee before games for a practical reason.“I stay away from the coffee,” Yost said. “It gets me thrown out of games.”Moylan, though, may have won over another convert in recent days: Center fielder Lorenzo Cain. On most afternoons, Cain limits his pregame routine to water and Red Bull. If he’s really dragging, he’ll drink a Red Bull and a cup coffee. But not until recently did he try one of Moylan’s signature espresso drinks. It was Wednesday morning at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The Royals were in the midst of what would be a six-game winning streak. Cain loathes day games. So Moylan approached with a Sledge-iatto.“He was like: ‘Hey, this espresso has got two hits in it,’ “ Cain said. “I ended up getting three knocks that day. I went for three for four with a home run. So maybe there’s something to it.”First-round pick Nick Pratto’s first homer came in Royals uniform ... when he was 7June 19, 2017By Pete Grathoff/KC Star On Monday afternoon, Nick Pratto likely will slip on a Royals jersey and answer questions at a news conference at Kauffman Stadium.But it won’t be the first time Pratto, who was selected by Kansas City with the 14th overall pick in last Monday’s draft, has worn a Royals uniform. Eleven years earlier, he played for the Royals in his little league in Huntington Beach, Calif.Obviously, the uniform wasn’t an exact match, but his dad, Jeff, chuckled at the memory in a phone interview on Sunday.As the manager of his son’s little league baseball team, Jeff Pratto each season had the opportunity to choose the team’s uniforms from a list of Major League Baseball teams provided by the league.When his son was 7 years old, Pratto took notice of a new team on the list — the Royals.“I said, ‘That’s pretty cool. They’ve never had a Royals team. I’m going to take the Royals.’ They let you pick the uniforms as the manager,” Pratto said in a phone interview Sunday. “I liked it, so I picked it. I don’t think they’ve ever had a Royals team since. I think they will now though.”Yeah, that’s likely going to happen.Jeff Pratto said his wife Laura and Nick are flying into Kansas City on Sunday and Nick will have a physical on Monday. After that, Nick’s contract is expected to be signed and the family will be at Kauffman Stadium for Monday’s Royals-Red Sox game.Although nothing has been announced, it’s customary for the Royals’ first-round draft pick to meet the media when the signing is official, so that probably will happen Monday.Jeff Pratto has always coached his son’s teams, but that will end when Nick heads to Surprise, Ariz., and Jeff goes back to California. But Jeff believes Nick’s work ethic will suit him well in the minor leagues.“He’s always been a really hard worker,” Jeff Pratto said. “I’ve told a lot of people this: when I say not once, I mean not once have I ever had to ask him to get his shoes on, get ready for practice, let’s go hit. I can count many a time I’ve been home sleeping and going to bed and he’ll say let’s go hit. So we go down to our cage, we have a dear friend who runs Total Baseball in Huntington Beach, he lets us use his cage anytime, and we’ll go in there and hit.“He’s just a hard worker. He loves to hit. That’s what he loves to do. And he likes to work at things. And his fielding as well.”Jeff Pratto has fond memories of the Royals, even though they were the bullies of the American League West back in the 1970s.“I’m 52, almost 53, so I go back to, needless to say, George Brett, but back to Frank White, Amos Otis, Cookie Rojas, Paul Splittorff, all those guys,” Jeff Pratto said. “I’ve got all their cards. I used to watch them beat up on the Angels all the time.”Jeff Pratto also happily recalls Nick in a Royals uniform, including one moment that came before his well-publicized hit that won the Little League World Series.“He hit his first-ever over-the-fence homer in a Royals uni,” Jeff Pratto said. “There’s more coming.”The Royals and their fans are counting on it.The Royals finish a 7-2 road trip and get back in the raceJune 19, 2017By Lee Judge/KC Star On Thursday, June 8, the Kansas City Royals started a nine-game road trip. Their record was 26-33 and they were 5 1/2 out of first place.On Sunday, June 18, the Kansas City Royals finished that road trip 7-2. Their record is now 33-35 and they’re 3 1/2 out of first place.The Royals now have a shot at first place and anyone who jumped off their bandwagon might consider crawling back on.Jason Vargas forces the Angels to swing the batWhen facing a nervous rookie, hitters might be passive and allow the rookie to pitch his way into trouble; maybe the rookie will walk some batters or at least fall behind in the count.When facing a veteran pitcher who does not appear to have a pulse, hitters might be more aggressive; the veteran is going to throw strikes and, if they take pitches, the hitters will fall behind in the count.On Sunday, against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Greater Orange County, Jason Vargas faced 27 batters and threw a first-pitch strike to 17 of them; 13 of the Angels batters swung at the first strike they saw.Vargas being aggressive about throwing strikes forced the Angels to be aggressive about swinging the bat. That kept Vargas’ pitch count low, so entering the sixth inning Vargas had only thrown 66 pitches.That was crucial.When the Angels loaded the bases with nobody out, Vargas still had something left in the tank: he got the next three batters out and only allowed one run while doing so. Vargas wasn’t as sharp as he’s been in the past, but he was good enough to win his 10th game.The Royals beat the Angels 7-3.3-0 green lightsDuring the Angels series, Albert Pujols got a 3-0 green light and that’s worth writing about.Managers sometimes give 3-0 green lights to hitters with pop; hitters that can do extra-base damage. Albert Pujols fits that description, so it’s easy to see why Mike Scioscia let the future Hall of Famer swing away.But if there are important runs in scoring position, a singles hitter might get the 3-0 green light; after all, a single with a runner on second base might do as much damage as a solo home run.And, with some pitchers, a 3-0 count is no guarantee of a walk.Some guys have enough control to throw three borderline pitches off the plate; then throw strikes when they have to. So if a pitcher can hit the mitt when he has to, a 3-0 green light might make sense.Why you might see a 3-0 stealChris Getz — who was a very smart ballplayer — once stole second base in a 3-0 count and I asked why. Why steal second base when the pitcher was one bad pitch away from walking the batter and moving Getz into scoring position with no risk of being thrown out?Getz explained:The pitcher on the mound that day was one of those guys with good control; even though he was in a 3-0 count, he was still unlikely to walk the batter.But one pitch away from issuing a walk, some pitchers slow down their delivery to make sure they throw a strike. A pitcher who normally takes 1.3 seconds to deliver a pitch, might take 1.5 seconds to deliver a 3-0 pitch.The base was there for the taking; Getz took it and the batter — who was not walked — drove him in.Smart players might have better retirement options than more talented players who aren’t quite as smart.After Getz quit playing, the Royals hired him as baseball operations assistant. Then the Chicago White Sox offered Getz a job and he’s currently their director of player development.On Tuesday, dine with Drew ButeraOn Tuesday, the Star will post the first of three videos called “Dining with Drew” and it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like.Royals catcher Drew Butera and I went to lunch at Garozzo’s Italian Ristorante and talked food, family and baseball while recording the experience. We couldn’t invite every Royals fan in Kansas City to come along (Garozzo’s dining room isn’t that big), but if you ever wanted to hang out with a big league ballplayer, this is the next-best thing.You’ll get to hear some pretty funny stories from Drew and see how much Italian food two guys can eat without exploding.But be careful:After viewing the first segment — “Appetizers” — several of my coworkers got so hungry they immediately left work to eat lunch at Garozzo’s and try the dishes they saw in the video. (I can highly recommend the Sicilian Artichoke.)Check back in Tuesday and you’ll be “Dining with Drew.”MINORSChasers Drop 2nd Straight in Des Moines, 16-3Dean Anna and Frank Schwindel go deep in Omaha defeatJune 19, 2017Omaha Storm Chasers The Storm Chasers found themselves swamped early for a 2nd consecutive game, as Iowa struck for multiple big innings and cruised to a 14-3 win over Omaha on Sunday afternoon at Principal Park.Iowa again scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st. Just as he did the night before, Jacob Hannemann began the rally by dropping down a bunt single. Jeimer Candelario followed with a walk, and Bijan Rademacher doubled home both runners. After a walk to Victor Caratini, Stephen Bruno singled to score Rademacher, and Elliot Soto singled in Caratini for a 4-0 Cubs lead.Dean Anna cut into the deficit with a solo homer in the top of the 2nd for his 3rd longball of the season.But Iowa pulled away in the bottom of the 4th, scoring 5 times. Mark Zagunis walked, went to 3rd on an errant pickoff throw, and scored on a double by Jacob Hannemann. Jeimer Candelario walked, Bijan Rademacher singled, and Victor Caratini hit a sacrifice fly, making it 6-1. With 2 out, Taylor Davis singled in Candelario, marking the end of the day for Chasers starter Christian Binford .Mark Peterson entered the game, and was greeted by RBI singles from Elliot Soto and John Andreoli, pushing Iowa's lead to 9-1.Binford (L, 3-5) was charged with 9 runs, 8 hits, and 5 walks in 3.2 innings. He struck out 4.Casey Kelly (W, 4-1) tossed 6 innings for Iowa. He scattered 8 hits, allowed 1 run, and walked just 1 batter, while striking out 6.Mark Peterson tossed scoreless innings in the 5th and 6th, before being touched for a run in the 7th. Elliot Soto doubled, John Andreoli was hit by a pitch, and Mark Zagunis walked. Jacob Hanneman grounded out to produce a run, running the score to 10-1 Iowa.Frank Schwindel led off the top of the 8th with his 2nd home run. Dean Anna followed with a walk, went to 3rd on an error, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Garin Cecchini , cutting the deficit to 10-3.Iowa piled on 6 more in the bottom of the 8th, however, against Brian Flynn . Stephen Bruno doubled, Taylor Davis singled, and Elliot Soto singled to drive in a run. John Andreolio followed with a 3-run homer, giving Iowa a 14-3 lead. Then, after a Mark Zagunis walk, Jeimer Candelario blasted a 2-run round-tripper, making it 16-3.The defeat dropped Omaha's record to 34-33.The Chasers will continue the series in Des Moines tomorrow night. RHP Luke Farrell (5-3, 4.35) will throw for Omaha, while RHP Casey Kelly (3-1, 5.10) will throw for Iowa. First pitch will be at 1:08.Blue Crew Delivers Salem Playoff BluesRocks End First Half on Six-Game Win StreakJune 19, 2017Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks (39-31) swept the doubleheader against the Salem Red Sox (40-29) taking the first game 3-1 before blanking the Red Sox 5-0 in the second game on Sunday afternoon. The two wins for Wilmington knocked Salem out of the First Half Northern Division Title race. Starting pitching continued to be the theme as RHP Andres Machado tossed five innings of one-run ball in the opening victory while spot-starter RHP Jared Ruxer dazzled in the backend of the twin bill with five scoreless innings of one-hit ball, setting a season-high with six strikeouts. With the pair of wins, the Rocks have extended their season-best winning streak to six games and are a season-high eight games above .500 entering the All-Star Break.Game 1Salem struck first in the second inning on a Jeremy Rivera RBI single to centerfield to score one run, but Cody Jones threw out Austin Rye at the plate to keep it just a single tally lead for Salem. In the fourth inning, the rolling offense of the Rocks got to work. Chris DeVito tied the game with an opposite-field RBI single before Wander Franco laced a two-run double down the left field line to make it a 3-1 ballgame. The combination of Machado and All-Star Richard Lovelady held the Salem offense in check after the second inning. Machado notched his third win of the year and allowed just one run on four hits in five innings of work and set a season-high with seven strike outs. Lovelady entered in the sixth inning and tossed two scoreless innings to earn his team-leading sixth save of the year. Game 2In the second game of the double dip, it was all Blue Rocks as they spoiled Salem's chance to clinch the First Half Northern Division title. Wilmington cracked the scoreboard in the second inning. After three straight one-out singles, Jecksson Flores blooped a two-run single to right field to score Franco and Kort Peterson to give the local nine offense an early 2-0 advantage. The Rocks were at it again in the fourth inning when Flores executed a safety squeeze bunt to drive Peterson in from third to take a 3-0 lead. In the fifth inning, Wilmington broke the game open with two more runs. DeVito drove in his second RBI of the afternoon with a single to right field while Burt scored on an infield single off the bat of Anderson Miller and an error on a dropped catch from Salem's starter Matthew Kent to pad the Rocks lead 5-0.Ruxer put together an excellent outing on the hill and silenced the Red Sox offense in five innings of work, allowed just one hit and struck out a season-high six batters to earn the win.PEBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE:The Northern Division added the seventh Blue Rock to their All-Star Game roster as A.J. Puckett recently was selected to the midsummer classic. Puckett joins Yunior Marte, Richard Lovelady, Cristian Castillo, Foster Griffin Nicky Lopez, and Anderson Miller as Wilmington All-Stars. Griffin will be the only Blue Rocks not participating because of his promotion to Double-A earlier this season. Puckett has been a staple point in a talent starting pitching rotation for the Blue Rocks, starting 13 games and accruing a 6-4 record with a 3.86 ERA whil striking out 67 batters in 70 innings of work. The honor marks the first All-Star selection for Puckett, who is ranked the fifth best prospect in the Royals organization per Baseball America. The Blue Rocks concluded their first half in dominant fashion. During their six-game winning streak, the Blue Crew have outscored their opponents 34-2 and have allowed just two runs in their last 48 inning of play. Wilmington is also a season-best eight-games over .500 and finished just 2.5 games out of first place.With the doubleheader sweep, it marks the first time this season the Rocks swept and opponent in a four-game series. The Blue Rocks have posted four consecutive wins on three different occasions, but never stringing the victories together in the same series. Wilmington have now won two of their four doubleheaders played this year while splitting the other two. The shutout victory in the second game of the doubleheader marked the fourth time in the last five games the Blue Rocks have shutout out their opponent. On the year, the Blue Crew have now blanked opponents for the tenth time this season. In the previous two season, the Blue Rocks had shutout the opposition a total of 14 times. In 2016, Wilmington tossed just five shutouts.A tie on Father's Day -- for nowGame suspended with score even at 5-5June 19, 2017Lexington Legends The game between the Hagerstown Suns and the Lexington Legends at Whitaker Bank Ballpark Sunday was suspended due to rain in the ninth inning with the score tied at 5-5.No date for resumption of the game was announced. A decision will be made later by the South Atlantic League. The Suns opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning. Jake Noll and Jakson Reetz started the inning with singles, and after Telmito Agustin struck out, Anderson Franco singled, scoring Noll. The Legends answered with four runs in the bottom of the second. Emmanuel Rivera led off with a single, and Gabriel Cancel reached first on an error by shortstop Paul Panaccione. John Brontsema's single scored Rivera. Manny Olloque singled, and Cancel, who had stopped at third, scored when second baseman Angelo La Bruna was unable to handle the throw from the outfield. Brontsema scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Marten Gasparini. Olloque then stole third base and scored on a single to right field by Mark Sanchez, giving the Legends a 4-2 lead.The Legends added a run in the bottom of the fourth and Hagerstown responded with one in the fifth, leaving the score at 5-3.The Suns tied the game with two runs in the top of the seventh. With one out, Blake Perkins walked, and with two outs, Daniel Johnson was hit by a pitch. After Jose Veras relieved starter Travis Eckert for Lexington, Noll singled, scoring Perkins and sending Johnson to third, from where he scored the tying run on a wild pitch.The South Atlantic League will take its All-Star break Monday through Wednesday, with the All-Star game scheduled for Tuesday night in Columbia, South Carolina.The Legends will begin second-half play Thursday night with the opener of a four-game series against the West Virginia Power in Charleston. Game time is 7:05 p.m.NATIONALReal or not? Royals are contendersJune 19, 2017By David Schoenfield/ Everyone wants to trade all the Kansas City Royals: Mike Moustakas to the Boston Red Sox, Kelvin Herrera to the Washington Nationals, Eric Hosmer to the New York Yankees, Lorenzo Cain maybe to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jason Vargas to anywhere.Those guys are all free agents at season's end, so when the Royals stumbled to a 10-20 start and were still sitting at 22-30 at the end of May, it made sense to view them as an obvious seller, a chance for general manager Dayton Moore to wheel and deal and replenish a farm system that ranks near the bottom of the league. After two months, the Royals simply looked like a bad team. They had the AL's worst record, its worst offense and Danny Duffy had just been placed on the DL with an oblique strain.Well, welcome to the American League, circa 2017, where one nice little stretch of baseball makes you an instant contender. After beating the Angels 7-3 on Sunday, as Vargas became the first pitcher in the majors to reach 10 wins, the Royals have won seven of eight and they're only two games out of the second wild card, only 3.5 behind the division-leading Cleveland Indians.Of course, everybody in the AL is in the playoff race; the Oakland Athletics, last in the American League at 31-38, are just 4.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, the second wild card right now with a 37-35 record. There's time for all this to sort itself out by the end of July, but it also seems likely that none of these second-tier AL teams are good enough to pull away in the wild-card race, so we'll probably still have a mass of teams hanging around .500. I would also suggest that the Indians are much better than the Royals and more likely to pull away to a significant lead than for the Royals to catch them.This all means Moore will face some tough choices at the deadline. Do you trade all those guys or keep them and make a run at the wild-card game, where you have a 50 percent chance of being out of the playoffs in three hours? And even if the Royals do somehow make that game, are they really good enough to beat the Astros, Yankees, Indians or Red Sox?Further complicating matters is the new free-agent compensation system, which is tied to the contract the player signs with a new team and a tiered system that splits teams into three groups (those over the luxury tax, the 15 teams that receive the most revenue sharing and everybody else). For the Royals, presumably one of those 15 small-market teams, they would receive a pick at the end of the first round if they give the player a qualifying offer and he signs a contract worth $50 million or more; they would receive a pick at the end of the second round if the player signs for less than $50 million.Last year's qualifying offer was $17.2 million. The Royals can't afford to pay all five of those guys $17.2 million, even on one-year contracts, so then you have to play the game of who would reject and who would accept. If you don't give them a qualifying offer, you receive nothing in compensation if they sign elsewhere.Hosmer and Moustakas are young enough and good enough that they should get $50 million deals. Vargas and Herrera, probably not, given Vargas' age and Herrera's position and mediocre performance (seven home runs allowed already). Cain will be 32 next year but is having a good year and still plays a plus center field. So I'd guess they extend offers to Hosmer, Moustakas and Cain (and maybe hope to even re-sign one or two of them).Even with this hot streak, I don't see the Royals as one of the five best teams in the league. Vargas has been crazy-good and likely will regress, and the rest of the rotation minus Duffy isn't good. They've scored the third-most runs in the AL in June, but they're still last in the AL in OBP for the season. I don't see that recipe holding up, so I think Moore trades Vargas and Herrera and at least one of the other three. Did we mention the Red Sox have the worst third-base production in the majors?Morosi: Royals to be popular at DeadlineMoustakas, Hosmer, Cain among players likely to draw interest from contendersJune 19, 2017By Jon Paul Morosi/ For weeks, fans of contenders have watched the Royals from afar and eyeballed the World Series-tested veterans their favorite team might acquire.Eric Hosmer. Mike Moustakas. Lorenzo Cain. Alcides Escobar. Jason Vargas. Kelvin Herrera.But a funny thing has happened on the way to the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline: The Royals have started winning.They'd reeled off six consecutive victories prior to Saturday's loss in Anaheim. The streak validated an approach Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore has professed since his team posted the Majors' worst record in April: Why rush to break up a team that has won so much together?Even after that, the Royals have only a 6.7 percent chance of reaching the playoffs entering play Sunday, according to the simulator. A roster reboot is inevitable between now and Opening Day 2018, and many rival executives believe the Royals would be wise to leverage the next six weeks to restock the farm system. Among the players listed above, only Herrera won't be a free agent this winter -- and he's due to hit the open market after 2018.Moustakas, enjoying a career-best offensive year, is the most intriguing Royal to monitor over the coming days. He could become the subject of a bidding war between the Yankees and Red Sox as the rivals chase the American League East title.The Yankees are considering upgrades at third base, where Chase Headley is having one of the worst offensive seasons of his career. (He's also committed the second-most errors of any Major League third baseman this year.) Many in the industry have expected the Yankees' improvement to come from within, thanks to top prospect Gleyber Torres. But Torres injured his left elbow in a Triple-A game Saturday, halting (at least temporarily) his rapid progress through the Minors.Boston's need at third base is even more glaring, with the worst OPS at the position (.565) of any team in the Majors. Pablo Sandoval has fallen out of the everyday job, despite having two years and $37.2 million left on his contract after the current season ends. Headley, for the record, is under contract for 2018 at $13 million.If the Royals have even the faintest hope of acquiring top prospect Rafael Devers from the Red Sox in a Moustakas trade, their best chance of doing so is if the Yankees are involved and increase the price.MLB TRANSACTIONSJune 19, 2017 ?. TigersAnibal SanchezCalled Up from MinorsChicago White SoxMiguel GonzálezPlaced on 10-Day DL, (Right shoulder inflammation)Chicago White SoxJames ShieldsRecalled From Minors, Rehab AssignmentChicago White SoxJames ShieldsRemoved From 10-Day DL, (Strained right lat)Cincinnati RedsJake BuchananSent to MinorsCincinnati RedsLisalverto BonillaCalled Up from MinorsCincinnati RedsStuart TurnerRemoved From 10-Day DL, (Strained right hamstring)Cincinnati RedsAsher WojciechowskiDesignated for AssignmentCincinnati RedsStuart TurnerRecalled From Minors, Rehab AssignmentCleveland IndiansJarrett GrubeTraded From from Blue Jays, Toronto (for cash considerations)Cleveland IndiansShawn ArmstrongCalled Up from MinorsCleveland IndiansGiovanny UrshelaSent to MinorsColorado RockiesTyler AndersonSent to Minors, For RehabilitationColorado RockiesCarlos EstévezCalled Up from MinorsColorado RockiesChad QuallsPlaced on 10-Day DL, (Lower back spasms)Detroit TigersBuck FarmerSent to MinorsLos Angeles DodgersPeter O'BrienAcquired Off Waivers From from Rangers, TexasLos Angeles DodgersPeter O'BrienSent to MinorsLos Angeles DodgersJason WheelerDesignated for AssignmentLos Angeles DodgersBrock StewartCalled Up from MinorsLos Angeles DodgersJosh RavinSent to MinorsNew York YankeesKyle HigashiokaSent to MinorsNew York YankeesAroldis ChapmanRemoved From 10-Day DL, (Left shoulder/rotator cuff inflammation)New York YankeesAroldis ChapmanRecalled From Minors, Rehab AssignmentPittsburgh PiratesJacob StallingsSent to MinorsPittsburgh PiratesChris StewartRemoved From 10-Day DL, (Strained left hamstring)Seattle MarinersDillon OvertonDesignated for AssignmentSeattle MarinersMax PovsePurchased From MinorsSeattle MarinersRob WhalenSent to MinorsTexas RangersDillon GeeRefused Minor League Assignment - Free AgentWashington NationalsShawn KelleyPlaced on 10-Day DL, (Strained right trapezius muscle)Washington NationalsA.J. ColeCalled Up from Minors ................
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