Kansas City Royals News

Martin Maldonado went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored and Jorge Bonifacio and Billy Hamilton each drove in two runs as the Kansas City Royals held on for an 8-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.Nicky Lopez and Cheslor Cuthbert each scored two runs for the Royals, who defeated Minnesota for the first time in five games this season while also improving to just 9-25 on the road.Jorge Lopez (1-6), in relief of Jakob Junis, allowed one run on four hits in 2 1/3 innings to pick up the win. Ian Kennedy picked up his seventh save.Nelson Cruz homered and doubled and drove in three runs and Miguel Sano also homered for Minnesota. Max Kepler went 4-for-6 with two doubles and two RBIs, Jonathan Schoop had three hits and Eddie Rosario, Cruz and Sano each had two hits for Minnesota, which left 15 batters on base and was 4-for-18 with runners in scoring position.Martin Perez (7-3) allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits, all singles, and a walk while striking out seven to pick up the loss.Perez retired the side in order in five of his first six innings, but the Royals parlayed four singles and a walk in the second into a 3-0 lead. Jorge Soler led off with a walk, went to second on a single by Cuthbert and scored on a single by Bonifacio. Maldonado and Whit Merrifield added RBI singles later in the inning.Sano cut it to 3-1 in the fourth with his seventh homer of the season, a 432-foot drive to center. It marked the 14th straight game the Twins had homered in and also the 20th in a row at Target Field, the longest home streak in the majors this season and also the longest in club history. Kepler added an RBI single later in the inning to make it 3-2.The Royals extended their lead to 5-2 in the seventh on a safety squeeze by Hamilton, driving in Lopez who had singled and advance to third on a line single by Maldonado. Maldonado later scored on a fielding error by Sano.

Marwin Gonzalez and Max Kepler both homered and Jake Odorizzi won his 10th straight decision as the Minnesota Twins rallied to defeat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Saturday night in Minneapolis.Odorizzi (10-2), who hasn't lost a game since April 10 at the New York Mets, gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings, tying his season high in earned runs allowed. He struck out seven and moved into a tie with Lucas Giolito of the White Sox for the major league lead in wins.Gonzalez finished 2-of-4 with two RBIs and a run scored and C. J. Cron drove in the winning run with a sixth-inning double off the bottom of the left field fence as the Twins improved 23-10 at home, including 11-3 against American League Central opponents. Taylor Rogers pitched a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.Whit Merrifield went 4-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored and Jorge Soler hit a two-run homer for Kansas City, which dropped to a major league worst 8-25 on road.Glenn Sparkman (1-3) suffered the loss allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out three.Kansas City took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Soler's 18th home run of the season, a 462-foot drive into the second deck in left, driving in Merrifield who opened the game with an infield single.

Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Kyle Gibson pitched eight shutout innings to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night in Minneapolis.Garver lined his 11th home run of the season 405 feet just over the center field fence off reliever Jake Diekman (0-4) with two outs in the eighth. The blast drove in Max Kepler, who had walked. It was the major-league-leading 133rd home run hit this season by the Twins.Ehire Adrianza had two of Minnesota's four hits, and Kepler amassed two walks and a single.Gibson (7-3) allowed just two hits and didn't walk a batter while striking out six. He threw 88 pitches, 55 of which were strikes, while improving to 4-0 at Target Field this season.Taylor Rogers pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to record his seventh save of the season.Kansas City's best scoring chance came in the sixth inning when Billy Hamilton singled with two outs and went to second on a wild pitch. However, Gibson got Whit Merrifield to fly out to center to end the threat.Royals starter Brad Keller, who had lost his previous three starts, matched Gibson for seven innings, allowing three hits and three walks while also hitting a batter. He struck out five.

Two Royals with Omaha connections helped a guy without one, as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Detroit Tigers 7-3 Thursday night in the first MLB game ever played in the state of Nebraska.The game was played in front of 25,454 fans at Omaha's TD Ameritrade Park, preluding the 2019 College World Series.Whit Merrifield, who had the CWS-winning hit in 2010 for South Carolina, had two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored for the Royals. Nicky Lopez, who played at TD Ameritrade with Creighton, hit his first career MLB home run.Homer Bailey (5-6), who never pitched in Omaha though he was a member of the Storm Chasers at the start of this season, earned the victory with six scoreless innings on two hits.The Royals won the three-game series, their first series win since a three-game sweep over the Cleveland Indians April 12-14. It was also their first win in a rubber game of a series since May 30, 2018, a span of 14 straight rubber-game losses.Matthew Boyd (5-5), who pitched in the College World Series in 2013 with Oregon State, took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) in four innings.JaCoby Jones, who played in the 2013 CWS with LSU, was hit by a pitch and removed from the game with a left elbow contusion.

Brandon Dixon's eighth-inning sacrifice fly scored the go-ahead run, and the Detroit Tigers emerged with a 3-2 victory over the host Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.Jorge Soler, who drove in both of the Royals' runs, flied out to center to end the game with the tying run on base.Kansas City reliever Jake Diekman (0-3) walked JaCoby Jones leading off the eighth. Christin Stewart doubled under the glove of first baseman Ryan O'Hearn, sending Jones to third.After walking Nicholas Castellanos, Diekman struck out Miguel Cabrera. But Dixon sent right fielder Terrance Gore to the fence for the go-ahead sac fly.Nick Ramirez (3-0) pitched two scoreless innings to pick up the victory. Shane Greene handled the ninth for his 20th save in 21 chances.The three-game series shifts to Omaha's TD Ameritrade Park for Thursday's finale as the prelude to the 2019 College World Series. The Royals, who won the series opener 3-2 on Tuesday, will try again for their first series win since April 12-14. They are 0-14-2 in their past 16 series.Wednesday's game was delayed at the start for 24 minutes, even though it never rained.Neither starter was involved in the decision. Danny Duffy was solid for the Royals. He walked the first two batters he faced, then buckled down to complete seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He only walked those two batters and struck out seven.

The Royals got three straight hits in the bottom of the eighth to score two runs and claim a 3-2 victory over the visiting Detroit Tigers in the first game of a three-game series.Back-to-back doubles by Adalberto Mondesi -- his third hit of the night -- and Jorge Soler tied the score. Terrance Gore pinch-ran for Soler, stole third and scored on a bloop by Cheslor Cuthbert that dropped between three fielders in right.Scott Barlow (2-2) picked up the win with a scoreless eighth inning. Ian Kennedy picked up his fifth save in seven chances.Victor Alcantara (2-1) took the loss for Detroit.The Tigers wasted a great effort from Spencer Turnbull, who scattered four hits over six scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out five. It was only the third start (out of 14) that Turnbull had not allowed a run.Jakob Junis also had a quality start for Kansas City. He allowed just two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in seven innings.Nicholas Castellanos hit his 100th career home run, a two-out shot in the first, to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. The shot was a no-doubter, traveling 427 feet to left center.

Reynaldo Lopez allowed one run on four hits over six innings to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 5-2 defeat of the Kansas City Royals on Sunday in Kansas City. Yoan Moncada had four hits and an RBI and Eloy Jimenez had the longest home run in Kauffman Stadium in nearly two years.The White Sox won the rubber game of the series, extending the Royals' woeful record in such games recently. The Royals are 0-6 in rubber games in 2019. They are 0-14 in rubber games dating back to May 30, 2018.The Royals are now 0-13-3 in their last 16 series. They struck out 11 times, the 11th time in the last 16 games they've reached double-figures in strikeouts.Lopez (4-6) walked one and struck out eight. He had been struggling, allowing 19 earned runs on 24 hits in 13 1/3 innings (12.83 ERA) over his last three starts.Glenn Sparkman (1-2) was the hard-luck loser for KC. He allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. Sparkman went just one inning in his previous match-up against the White Sox, when he was ejected for hitting Tim Anderson with a pitch.

Lucas Giolito outdueled Brad Keller as the Chicago White Sox defeated the host Kansas City Royals 2-0 on Saturday. Giolito had a career high 11 strikeouts.The victory for Chicago set up a rubber game for the series on Sunday, a contest that hasn't gone well for the Royals. They are 0-5 in rubber games in 2019. They are 0-13 in rubber games dating back to May 30, 2018, when they lost the first game to the Twins and then won the next two.The White Sox are 4-3 in rubber games in 2019.Giolito was almost unhittable. He didn't give up his first hit until a lead-off single in the fourth by Alex Gordon. At one stretch, he got eight straight outs via the strikeout. He matched his career high of 10 strikeouts with two outs in the fifth inning. He broke it with his third strikeout of that inning.The reigning AL Player of the Month, Giolito (9-1) allowed just three hits and two walks to go with his 11 strikeouts. Alex Colome pitched the ninth for his 13th save in as many chances.It was the 10th time in the past 15 games that Kansas City batters struck out at least 10 times. They now have 149 in 15 games.Giolito may have been helped by a large strike zone from umpire Bruce Dreckman, which led to the ejection of Royals manager Ned Yost for arguing a strike call to Gordon in the sixth inning.

The Kansas City Royals snapped a six-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the visiting Chicago White Sox on Friday behind Adalberto Mondesi's third straight hit.Mondesi's RBI single with two outs in the seventh drove in Whit Merrifield for the go-ahead run. The three straight hits followed an 0-for-11 stretch. Mondesi then scored on Jorge Soler's RBI double.The White Sox grabbed the lead in the top of the third inning. James McCann hit a two-out, two-run double to left center, scoring Leury Garcia and Jose Abreu.The Royals got one back in the bottom of the third as Merrifield singled home Nicky Lopez. Lopez, who snapped an 0-for-11 skid on Thursday with a 2-for-4 day, led off with a double.Kansas City took the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Merrifield led off with an infield single, followed by Alex Gordon beating the shift through the hole at short. Mondesi then doubled to right, scoring Merrifield and sending Gordon to third.After he walked Ryan O'Hearn to load the bases, White Sox starter Ivan Nova was removed from the game. Cheslor Cuthbert then delivered a two-run single to right, scoring Gordon and Mondesi. Cuthbert has hit safely in all seven games since his recall on May 31.

The visiting Boston Red Sox completed a three-game sweep over the Kansas City Royals with a 7-5 victory Thursday afternoon, capping a series in which they outscored the Royals 23-8.Colten Brewer (1-2) was the winning pitcher on a bullpen-heavy day for Boston, which won its fourth straight, after he allowed two hits in two scoreless innings of relief. Matt Barnes pitched the ninth for his fourth save in seven chances.Danny Duffy (3-3) took the loss for Kansas City. He pitched just 2 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on four hits, all in the third inning. Duffy took a hard line drive off his shin on his plant leg to end the top of the second. The ball ricocheted hard enough that first baseman Ryan O'Hearn picked it up at the bag.Cheslor Cuthbert got the Royals on the board with his third home run of the season in the second inning. To that point, Cuthbert had all four of the Royals' RBIs in the series.Nicky Lopez followed Cuthbert with a single to right, and Cam Gallagher followed that with a textbook hit-and-run single to right. Billy Hamilton then ripped a double down the left field line to score Lopez for a 2-0 lead.Boston came right back. Duffy beaned Jackie Bradley Jr in the head with a pitch, and then served up a home run to Mookie Betts. Betts is now 7-of-11 with five home runs in his career against Duffy, including 6-for-6 with a walk (and all five home runs) in his last seven plate appearances.Following the home run, Andrew Benintendi stroked a single to right, and J.D. Martinez hit a double. After Duffy allowed a two-run single by Rafael Devers, his day was done.

Chris Sale shut down Kansas City's offense, and the visiting Red Sox took advantage of a shoddy Royals' defense in Boston's 8-0 victory Wednesday night.Rafael Devers hit a home run, scored three runs and drove in three. Brock Holt and Andrew Benintendi each had three hits.Sale (2-7), making his 220th start, and the 300th appearance of his 10-year major league career, scattered three singles in a complete game shutout, with 12 strikeouts and no walks. It was the seventh time in his last nine starts that Sale has struck out at least 10. It was his first complete game since a 1-0 loss (eight innings) against the Phillies at Philadelphia on June 15, 2017, and his first shutout since April 15, 2016, against the Rays at Tampa Bay while with the Chicago White Sox.Jakob Junis (4-6) gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss. He struck out five and walked three. The first inning has been a problem for Junis this season. He has allowed 13 runs (12 earned) in the first inning this season. He's allowed runs in the first inning of eight of his 13 starts.The Red Sox took advantage of a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts in the first. Betts scored on a fielder's choice by Devers. Following an error on first baseman Cheslor Cuthbert, the Red Sox got another run on a two-out single by Holt.

The Boston Red Sox rocked the Kansas City bullpen in an 8-3 defeat of the host Royals on Tuesday night, scoring seven of their eight runs off the Royals' relief corps. J.D. Martinez had three hits for Boston.Eduardo Rodriguez (6-3) picked up the win for Boston. He allowed two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He didn't walk anyone and struck out seven.Kansas City starter Glenn Sparkman pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on three hits. He left with a 2-0 lead and a runner on second, after throwing 80 pitches, 59 for strikes. But the Royals' bullpen allowed seven runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.Sparkman was charged with his run when Martinez sent reliever Scott Barlow's second pitch to the top of the wall in right for a triple, scoring Mookie Betts. Martinez's drive hit the top of the wall, bounced straight up and bounced again, before falling back onto the field.Barlow (1-2) then allowed a sacrifice fly to Xander Bogaerts and an RBI double to Brock Holt that gave Boston the 3-2 lead.Rodriguez was nearly as good as Sparkman, and he got rewarded for his effort. Other than the second inning, he did not allow a runner past second base.

Third baseman Hunter Dozier, who is leading the Kansas City Royals with a .314 batting average, went on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a chest injury.The move was retroactive to Friday. Dozier hasn't played since leaving Thursday's game with what was described by the team as "right-sided thorax tightness."The 27-year-old Dozier is having a breakout season after hitting .229 with 11 home runs in 101 games last season.

Adrian Sampson posted career-highs of seven innings pitched and 11 strikeouts as the Texas Rangers defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Sunday at Arlington, Texas. The Rangers took three out of four in the series, and the Royals finished their road trip with a 1-6 record.Sampson (4-3) scattered eight hits and did not walk a batter. He lost his first three decisions this season but has won his last four.Brad Keller (3-7) took the loss for Kansas City. He allowed just three runs on nine hits in seven innings. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. He came into the game with just a 58 percent strike rate, lowest in the major leagues. But 75 of his 100 pitches were strikes on Sunday.Ronald Guzman drove in Hunter Pence with a single for the Rangers' first run in the second inning. Guzman, who came into the game hitting just .196 finished 2-for-3 with a walk.The Royals threatened in the fifth inning. They got three straight singles to start the inning, including bunt singles by Terrance Gore and Billy Hamilton. But Sampson got Whit Merrifield to line out to third and Adalberto Mondesi to strike out swinging before Alex Gordon took at a called third strike.

Texas outfielder Joey Gallo hit a two-run home run but came out of the game in the fifth inning with tightness in his left oblique as the Rangers beat the visiting Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.The Rangers have won 21 of the past 26 games against the Royals, dating to July 2016.Gallo left during the middle of an at-bat, with a 3-2 count, after reaching for his side after checking his swing. He has 17 home runs this season.Lance Lynn (7-4) gave up two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings to beat the Royals for the second time in as many chances this season. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter.Homer Bailey (4-6) lasted just 3 2/3 innings for Kansas City, running into trouble in the fourth, when the Rangers broke a scoreless tie with four runs.Gallo launched a Bailey offering 431 feet into the seats in right center, driving in Hunter Pence. After allowing a single to Asdrubal Cabrera and a double to Ronald Guzman, Bailey gave up a sacrifice fly to Jeff Mathis and a double to Shin-Soo Choo to end his day.

Joey Gallo's first career grand slam highlighted a six-run sixth inning and helped the Texas Rangers even their scheduled four-game set against the visiting Kansas City Royals with a 6-2 victory on Friday night at Arlington, Texas.Ariel Jurado (2-2, 2.43 ERA) delivered a second straight strong start, giving up two runs and striking out six in six innings for the Rangers, who bounced back from Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Royals. However, it was Gallo's 16th homer of the season and first in seven games that was the difference.Texas was stymied for five innings by Kansas City's Danny Duffy (3-2, 4.05 ERA) until the home side broke through in a major way while batting around in the sixth. With Texas trailing 2-0, Elvis Andrus delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit in half, and the Rangers tied the score when Nomar Mazara drew a bases-loaded walk. Gallo, the next batter, crushed a 1-1 pitch just to the right of straightaway center field to break the tie and chase Duffy with one out in the inning.The home run by Gallo is just the third hit in 22 at-bats over his last seven games. However, it proved to be more than enough to send the Rangers to their third victory in four games after losing three in a row.Jesse Chavez, Chris Martin and Shawn Kelley each pitched a scoreless inning of relief for Texas, which has won 20 of the last 25 meetings against Kansas City.

Jorge Soler belted a three-run homer and Adalberto Mondesi also went deep to highlight his three-hit performance as the visiting Kansas City Royals posted a 4-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday in Arlington, Texas.Texas native Ryan O'Hearn had two hits for the Royals, who overcame 16 strikeouts to record their second win in eight games overall and sixth in the last 25 against the Rangers.Jakob Junis (4-5) worked around a pair of solo homers to allow just those two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts to pick up his first win since May 1 against Tampa Bay.Shin-Soo Choo belted a solo homer in the third inning and Nomar Mazara did the same in the sixth for the Rangers, who have lost four of their last six games.Kansas City ignited its offense in the sixth inning as Mondesi and Alex Gordon each singled to set the stage for Soler, who deposited a first-pitch fastball from former Royals pitcher Mike Minor (5-4) off the left-field foul pole. Soler's homer was his second in as many games and extended his career-high total this season to 14.Mazara trimmed Kansas City's lead to 3-2 in the sixth after jumping on a 2-1 curveball from Junis and sending it over the wall in left field. Mazara's homer was his eighth of the season and second in three games.

Tim Anderson hit a go-ahead, eighth-inning double in his return to the lineup and Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu homered as the host Chicago White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-7 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game series sweep.Moncada smacked a solo home run in the first inning, setting the stage for an early flurry of action that included the second-inning ejection of Royals starter Glenn Sparkman, who was removed from the game after hitting Anderson on the bill of his batting helmet with a pitch.Chicago led 7-1 after two innings. As it turned out, White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez and the bullpen needed every bit of the outburst after the Royals rallied for four sixth-inning runs, including a two-run home run from designated hitter Jorge Soler.Kansas City tied the game at 7-all in the eighth on a two-run single by Nicky Lopez before Anderson answered in the bottom half. Anderson was making his first start since suffering an injury to his right wrist during Friday's loss to Minnesota.Alex Colome worked around a one-out single in the ninth to earn his 11th save in as many opportunities.Leury Garcia added three hits and a highlight reel catch for the White Sox. Garcia dazzled the crowd with defensive heroics in the fifth, ascending above the center field wall to take a would-be solo home run away from Soler.Sparkman fared much less favorably in his second spot start of the season than he did his first, when he defeated the Tampa Bay Rays behind seven shutout innings on May 1.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito pitched eight strong innings, and Charlie Tilson drove in the go-ahead run with a fourth-inning single to boost the host Chicago White Sox to a 4-3 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.Chicago completed a sweep of the de facto doubleheader after winning the completion of Monday's suspended game 2-1 earlier Tuesday.Bidding for his third successive complete game, Giolito came within one inning of that feat while allowing three runs on three hits and one walk with 10 strikeouts. Alex Colome, who earned the win in the first game Tuesday, struck out two in a perfect ninth in the nightcap to earn his 10th save in as many opportunities.The White Sox had 12 hits, all singles. Leury Garcia went 3-for-4 with an RBI while James McCann also had three hits. Tilson and Jose Rondon both added two hits for Chicago, which has won five of eight meetings against the Royals this season.Kansas City raced to a 3-0 lead just four batters into the game, as left fielder Alex Gordon smacked a three-run home run to center field with one out. The success against Giolito (7-1) may have come as a shock given the right-hander's recent success, but he recovered in style.

The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals endured a rain delay of nearly three hours Monday before the game resumed in the bottom of the fifth inning in Chicago -- only to have play stopped again within minutes.It was long enough, however, for the White Sox to tie the score. When play was halted the first time with the Royals leading 1-0, the White Sox had two runners on and one out.