Kansas City Royals News

The Kansas City Royals have signed outfielder Billy Hamilton to a one-year contract with a mutual option for the 2020 season, the team announced Tuesday.Details of the agreement were not disclosed.Hamilton, 28, has been with the Cincinnati organization since the Reds drafted him in the second round in 2009.He batted just .236 in 2018, but finished second in the National League in stolen bases (34) and tied for second in triples (nine). He played in a career-high 153 games and tied for the major league lead with 12 outfield assists.

The Kansas City Royals are finalizing a one-year, $5.25 million contract with former Cincinnati Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton, according to multiple reports Monday.The deal, which is pending a physical, reportedly includes $1 million in additional incentives.General manager Dayton Moore confirmed on MLB Network Radio that the team wanted to add Hamilton as it seeks a better defender in center field."He fits our ballpark," Moore said of Hamilton. "We covet that speed. You have to be able to cover Kauffman Stadium, and the truth of the matter is ever since Lorenzo Cain departed through free agency, we had a lot of trouble covering 'The K' last year. ... So we've got to get an impact center fielder. He can really go get the ball."

The Kansas City Royals have named former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny as a special advisor, the team announced Friday.Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Matheny will work in the scouting and player development areas."This is a great opportunity to have Mike become a member of our organization," Moore in a statement. "It's always been our policy to hire the best baseball people we can and this is a perfect example of that."A former catcher, Matheny spent 13 seasons in the major leagues, playing for Milwaukee, Toronto, San Francisco and St. Louis from 1994 to 2006. After retirement, he went to work in the Cardinals' front office and was named manager after the 2011 season, replacing Tony La Russa.Matheny led the Cardinals to the postseason in each of his first four seasons as manager and won the National League pennant in 2013, when Boston defeated St. Louis in the World Series in six games.The Cardinals fired Matheny is mid-July when St. Louis was 47-46 and 7 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

Former major league pitcher and pitching coach Bill Fischer died Tuesday night in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was 88.The Kansas Royals announced Fischer's death. Fischer spent the past eight years as senior pitching advisor for the team after serving as the team's pitching coordinator from 2007-10."His contributions were immense," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement. "He was as impactful as any staff member that we've ever had. His mind was so sharp. I was with him Monday, and he was still talking about the players and the team and how we're going to be good again in a couple of years. Everyone loved his input."Fischer, who was involved in baseball for 71 years, holds the major league record for most consecutive innings without a walk. He set the mark in 1962 when he went 84 1/3 innings without issuing a free pass while he was a member of the Kansas City Athletics.Overall, Fischer went 45-58 with a 4.34 ERA in 281 career appearances (78 starts) over nine seasons with the Chicago White Sox (1956-58), Detroit Tigers (1958, 1960-61), Washington Senators (1958-60), the Athletics (1961-63) and Minnesota Twins (1964).

Francisco Lindor hit a home run and Carlos Carrasco pitched five strong innings as the visiting Cleveland Indians ended the regular season with a 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.Trevor Bauer added four scoreless innings to earn the save in support of Carrasco in his final tune-up before the postseason. The Indians, who finished the season with a 91-71 record, next play Friday at Houston in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.Lindor hit his 38th home run of the season in the third inning. He also scored in the first inning after he stole third base and came home when Royals third baseman Alcides Escobar could not handle the throw.Carrasco (17-10) gave up just one run on three hits, with two walks and six strikeouts. The right-hander, who won for the first time since Aug. 28, is next expected to pitch in Game 2 of the ALDS.In just his third appearance since returning from the disabled list, Bauer retired 12 of the 14 batters he faced, while making his first relief appearance of the season. He earned his first career save.Rookie Meibrys Viloria had an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Royals' only run. IRoyals starter Eric Skoglund (1-6) gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits over five innings, with two walks and three strikeouts.

Adalberto Mondesi smacked a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning and the Kansas City Royals went on to a 9-4 victory over the visiting Cleveland Indians on Saturday night.Whit Merrifield went 2-for-4 with a two-run double to match his career-best hitting streak of 19 games. Merrifield also stole two bases to take over the major league-lead with 44 as the Royals won for the fifth time in six games.Alcides Escobar and Meibrys Viloria each had three hits as Kansas City racked up 16 overall.Jose Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a homer and Melky Cabrera had two hits for the American League Central champion Indians. Cleveland has dropped two of the first three games of the four-game set.Royals right-hander Jakob Junis (9-12) gave up three runs and eight hits over six innings while winning his third straight decision. He struck out six and walked one.Indians ace right-hander Corey Kluber gave up three runs and seven hits over five innings in his final tune-up prior to the postseason. Kluber struck out six and walked two.Kansas City continued battering Miller with three consecutive singles, the last by Ryan O'Hearn to increase the lead to four.The Royals added two more runs in the seventh. Brian Goodwin led off with a double and scored on Escobar's single to right, and Alex Gordon added a run-scoring single later in the inning to make it 9-3.

The Kansas City Royals announced before Sunday's season finale that manager Ned Yost will return to the team in 2019 on a one-year contract extension.The contract of Yost, 64, was set to expire, but he instead will return for a 10th season with the Royals.After disassembling much of its previous core entering the year, Kansas City began Sunday at 58-103, easily the team's worst record since Yost took over early in the 2010 season.But Yost said earlier this week that he has plenty of optimism for the Royals' future, despite the poor record.

Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam during a 10-run seventh inning as the Cleveland Indians broke open a tight game to post a 14-6 victory over the host Kansas City Royals on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.Donaldson also doubled during the big inning in which Cleveland sent 14 batters to the plate. Jason Kipnis homered earlier in the contest and Roberto Perez had three RBIs as the American League Central-champion Indians (90-70) won for the fifth time in the past seven games.Right-hander Mike Clevinger (13-8) was charged with one run and three hits over 6 2/3 innings to win for the sixth time in his last seven decisions. Clevinger struck out five and walked none.Kansas City (57-103) had a four-game winning streak halted. The loss was just the Royals' fourth in their past 18 home games.The bases were loaded when Roberto Perez bounced a run-scoring single through the left side. Francisco Lindor followed with a grounder to first but Ryan O'Hearn's throw home was wild and two runs scored as the Indians took a 5-0 lead.Edwin Encarnacion singled in a run to make it 6-0, before Donaldson followed by belting a 1-0 slider from right-hander Jake Newberry well over the fence in left for his fifth career grand slam to make it a 10-run margin.Greg Allen added a run-scoring double later in the inning to make it 11-0.Roberto Perez delivered a two-run double in the ninth to make it 13-1. Lindor followed with an infield single that plated a run and capped the 16-hit attack.

Perez's hit drove in Adalberto Mondesi from third base and gave Kansas City its fourth consecutive win. The Royals (57-102) have prevailed in 14 of their past 17 home games.Mondesi homered in the third inning for Kansas City's first run.Josh Donaldson went 3-for-4 for Cleveland while Melky Cabrera and Yandy Diaz each recorded two hits. The loss was just second in the past six games for the American League Central champion Indians (89-70).Kansas City's Whit Merrifield had two hits to extend his season-best hitting streak to 17 games. He also stole his AL-leading 42nd base of the season, one behind major league leader Shea Turner of the Washington Nationals.Mondesi drew a two-out walk in the 10th off Indians right-hander Neil Ramirez (0-3). Mondesi stole second and later stole third when a full-count pitch to Alex Gordon missed the plate for a walk.Perez came up and delivered the decisive single on the first pitch from Ramirez.Cleveland had a scoring opportunity in the top of the 10th when Greg Allen singled to left with one out and stole second. Jose Ramirez walked and one out later, Allen and Ramirez pulled off a double steal.Right-hander Jason Hammel (4-14) got out of the jam by striking out Brandon Barnes.Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin allowed one run and four hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and walked none.

Rookie Health Fillmyer pitched into the eighth inning and recorded his first major league hit and RBI as the Kansas City Royals defeated the host Cincinnati Reds 6-1 Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.Fillmyer (4-2) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine over 7 1/3 innings as the Royals (56-102) completed a two-game sweep of the Reds (66-93). The 24-year-old right-hander also added an RBI double, his first career hit, in just his fourth career at-bat.Fillmyer retired 11 Reds in a row between the second and fifth innings.The Royals' legs helped them score their first two runs. Adalberto Mondesi and American League stolen base leader Whit Merrifield swiped two bags apiece as Kansas City built a 2-1 early lead.Mondesi hit a one-out single in the top of the first, stole second and third and scored on a Salvador Perez double for a 1-0 lead. In the third, Merrifield led off with a single and stole his 40th and 41st bases before scoring on an Alex Gordon single to center.Hunter Dozier walked, Jorge Bonifacio doubled and Alcides Escobar had an RBI infield single in the top of the fourth for a 3-1 Royals advantage.Mondesi tripled to lead off the fifth and astutely scored on Gordon's infield groundout to Reds reliever Sal Romano. As soon as Romano threw to first, Mondesi broke for home and slid well ahead of the attempted tag for a 4-1 score.Kansas City made it 5-1 when Fillmyer, who entered 0-for-2 in his career, drove a two-out double over a leaping Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett to score Escobar, who reached on an error by Reds shortstop Jose Peraza.

Rookie third baseman Hunter Dozier hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth inning to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 win over the host Cincinnati Reds on a rainy Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park.Dozier hit the second pitch from Reds closer Raisel Iglesias (2-5) for his 11th of the season, and it came after the Reds loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth and failed to score.The Royals (55-102) won for just the fifth time in 19 interleague games. The Reds (66-92) have lost five of six and are 10-9 against the American League.Kevin McCarthy (5-4), the fifth Royals pitcher thanks in part to a 51-minute rain delay in the third inning, picked up the win after escaping the eighth-inning jam by getting two ground balls and a strikeout.Right-hander Wily Peralta allowed the Reds to again load the bases in the ninth, but got Joey Votto to ground out for his 14th save.The Reds had tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh when Scooter Gennett lined a triple into the right-field corner, and rookie Phillip Ervin singled to left.The Reds trailed 3-0 until Dilson Herrera, pinch hitting for starter Matt Harvey, blasted a two-run homer to right field in the bottom of the fifth.

Cam Gallagher had a go-ahead, two-run single, Adalberto Mondesi homered and Kansas City edged Detroit 3-2 in the Tigers' home finale on Sunday afternoon.Alcides Escobar and Rosell Herrera each had two hits and scored a run for the Royals (54-102). Mondesi also had two hits.Brad Keller (9-6) limited the Tigers to one run and three hits in seven innings. Kevin McCarthy pitched a scoreless inning prior to Wily Peralta notching his 13th save, despite giving up a ninth-inning run.Nicholas Castellanos and Victor Reyes drove in the runs for Detroit (63-93). Jeimer Candelario and Niko Goodrum scored the runs.The Royals outhit the Tigers 10-6. The two teams split the four-game series at Comerica Park.Daniel Norris started for the Tigers and tossed five innings, giving up one run on six hits. Drew VerHagen (3-3) gave up two runs on three hits in an inning to take the loss.Kansas City grabbed a quick lead when Mondesi, the second batter of the game, hit his 12th homer of the season to left.The Royals loaded the bases in the third but came up empty when Hunter Dozier grounded into a double play.

Mikie Mahtook blasted a go-ahead, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, lifting the host Detroit Tigers to a 5-4 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Saturday at Comerica Park.Mahtook followed Niko Goodrum's leadoff single with his ninth long ball of the season to left off Jason Hammel (3-14).Detroit designated hitter Victor Martinez, who announced a day earlier that Saturday's game would be the last of his career, was removed after an infield single in the first.Goodrum, who hadn't played since Sept. 12 due to a right quad contusion, had three hits, scored a run and knocked in two more. Nicholas Castellanos recorded his 19th three-hit game this season and scored a run.Joe Jiminez (5-4) wound up with the victory after giving up an eighth-inning run.Shane Greene collected his 31st save for the Tigers (63-92) despite allowing Salvador Perez's solo homer in the ninth.Detroit starter Jordan Zimmermann gave up two runs on three hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking two. Kansas City starter Jakob Junis, who won his previous four starts against the Tigers this season, allowed three runs on eight hits in six innings with five strikeouts and one walk.Whit Merrifield reached base four times on two hits and two walks, scored a run and knocked in another for Kansas City (53-102). Alex Gordon added a solo shot.Detroit has won two of the first three games of the four-game series.

Ian Kennedy recorded his second straight victory after going winless in 17 consecutive appearances and Alex Gordon supplied three hits and drove in a run, leading the Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 win over the sloppy Detroit Tigers on Friday night.Kennedy (3-8) lasted seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out six. Wily Peralta escaped a ninth-inning jam for his 12th save.Rosell Herrera doubled, tripled, scored a run and added an RBI for Kansas City (53-101).Francisco Liriano (5-11) gave up all four runs but only one was earned as the Tigers (62-92) made three errors. Ronny Rodriguez hit a solo homer and Nicholas Castellanos contributed a pair of run-scoring doubles.Detroit's fielding issues started with the second batter of the game. Adalberto Mondesi reached on an error by second baseman Dawel Lugo. With Mondesi running, Gordon followed with a single to left. Christin Stewart hesitated to throw the ball back in and Mondesi kept running all the way to home plate.Aggressive baserunning also helped the Royals score a run in the third. Whit Merrifield reached on a bunt single, stole second and scored one out later on Gordon's single to left.Kansas City scored two more unearned runs in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. Jorge Bonifacio drew a leadoff walk. Alcides Escobar followed with a dribbler near the mound. Liriano fired an accurate throw to first baseman Jarrod Saltalamacchia but the ball whistled past his glove, allowing Bonifacio to reach third.

Christin Stewart hit the first two homers of his career during the first two innings and drove in six runs, powering the host Detroit Tigers to an 11-8 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.Stewart hit a two-run shot and a three-run blast and added a bases-loaded walk for Detroit (62-91). Nicholas Castellanos homered and scored twice, while JaCoby Jones had two hits and also scored two runs. Ronny Rodriguez finished 3-for-5.Zac Reininger (1-0) collected his first major league win while giving up two runs in 2 1/3 innings of relief.Jorge Bonifacio, Brian Goodwin, Hunter Dozier and Adalberto Mondesi homered for the Royals (52-101). Whit Merrifield supplied three hits and two runs.The Royals' Jorge Lopez (2-5), who was questionable to start due to a rib contusion, only lasted one-plus inning. He was tagged for seven runs on eight hits, including both of Stewart's homers.Detroit's Matthew Boyd only stuck around for 1 1/3 innings, as he surrendered five runs (two earned) on six hits.Kansas City took a 3-0 lead in the first on Bonifacio's homer. Boyd would have gotten out of the inning if not for a one-out error by third baseman Rodriguez.Detroit responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning. After Jones' leadoff single, Stewart drilled his first career homer over the right field wall. Castellanos followed with a long ball of his own. Grayson Greiner's two-out sacrifice fly knocked in the final run of the frame.

Adam Frazier hit a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth inning Wednesday to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 2-1 win and a three-game series sweep of the visiting Kansas City Royals.The Pirates (77-74) won each game in the series by one run. They have won five straight games and six of seven in their quest to finish above .500. They also have an eight-game home winning streak.Adalberto Mondesi hit a solo homer for Kansas City (52-100), which reached 100 losses for the fifth time this century. The Royals have lost four straight.Both starters had strong outings, each going seven innings.Pirates right-hander Chris Archer (5-8), in his longest outing since coming over in a trade in late July, gave up one run and six hits, with eight strikeouts and one walk. It was his first win since Aug. 8, going 0-3 in six starts in the interim.Felipe Vazquez pitched a scoreless ninth, giving up a two-out walk, for his 35th save.Royals right-hander Heath Fillmyer (3-2) allowed two runs and eight hits, with five strikeouts and two walks. That came on the heels of pitching a career-high 7 1/3 innings.

Journeyman Ryan Lavarnway, in his second major league at-bat this year, hit an RBI single in the 11th inning Tuesday, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 2-1 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals.It was the second night in a row the Pirates won in their final at-bat.Kansas City tied it 1-1 in the top of the ninth on Hunter Dozier's RBI double.In the bottom of the 11th, Starling Marte led off with an infield single off the glove of reliever Burch Smith (1-6). Josh Bell walked, and both runners advanced on a passed ball before Francisco Cervelli struck out.Adam Frazier was intentionally walked to load the bases for Lavarnway, and the pinch hitter smacked the ball into center for his first career walk-off hit.Kyle Crick (3-2) pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 11th.Colin Moran had a pinch-hit homer and right-hander Jameson Taillon struck out a career-high 11 for Pittsburgh (76-74), which won its fourth straight.Kansas City (52-99) has lost three straight and could reach 100 losses in the series finale Wednesday.Neither starter gave up a run. Neither got a decision, either.

Jacob Stallings hit a two-out, walk-off RBI single Monday night to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 7-6 win over the visiting Kansas City Royals.After the Pirates tied it with two runs in the eighth, Kevin Kramer walked with two outs in the ninth and Kevin Newman singled to left against right-hander Ben Lively (0-3). Stallings flared a single to left, his third hit, to drive in Kramer.Stallings was playing because No. 1 catcher Francisco Cervelli was a late scratch because of illness.Adam Frazier drove in two with a double for Pittsburgh (75-74).Ryan O'Hearn hit a homer and an RBI double, and Alex Gordon added an RBI double and an RBI single for the Royals (52-98).Pirates starter Joe Musgrove gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings, with four strikeouts and no walks.Edgar Santana (3-3) pitched a scoreless ninth.Kansas City rookie Brad Keller allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings, with seven strikeouts and one walk.The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the third on Gordon's RBI double to right.

Jorge Polanco and Johnny Field each had four hits -- including solo home runs -- and two RBIs, to help the visiting Minnesota Twins defeat the Kansas City Royals 9-6 Sunday afternoon to salvage one win in the four-game series.Max Kepler and Tyler Austin also hit solo shots for the Twins (68-81), who had 18 hits in ending an eight-game Kauffman Stadium losing streak after winning their first game of the season there May 28. They also ended an eight-game losing streak on the road.Kyle Gibson (8-13) allowed five runs and 11 hits while striking out six in 6 2/3 innings for his first win since Aug. 17, ending a four-start losing streak.Adalberto Mondesi was 3-for-5 with a two-run homer for the Royals (52-97), who won the season series 10-9.Kansas City's Jakob Junis allowed four runs, eight hits and one walk while striking out three in three-plus innings.The Royals scored twice in the first inning. Mondesi and Alex Gordon singled. Mondesi was caught stealing at third and Gordon went to second. Ryan O'Hearn and Rosell Herrera hit RBI doubles.The Twins scored once in the second on consecutive two-out singles by Field, Chris Gimenez and Polanco.Kepler tied the game on his 19th homer of the season in the third.Austin led off Minnesota's three-run fourth with his 16th home run of the season and Field followed with his seventh. Brian Flynn replaced Junis, allowing a run on singles by Gimenez, Eddie Rosario and Robbie Grossman.

Alex Gordon had three hits and five RBIs to help the Kansas City Royals to a 10-3 win over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.Cam Gallagher was 4-for-4 with one RBI and Alcides Escobar added three hits and three RBIs for the Royals, who have won the first three games of the four-game series.Royals starter Ian Kennedy (2-8) allowed two runs (one earned), six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in six innings for his first win since April 7, a span of 17 winless outings that included a stint on the disabled list.Twins starter Chase De Jong (0-1) allowed five runs (three earned) and eight hits with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.The Royals (52-96) scored once in the first after Whit Merrifield led off with a double and eventually scored on Gordon's groundout.The Twins (67-81) tied it in the second when Max Kepler walked, took second on Kennedy's errant pickoff attempt, and scored on Ehire Adrianza's single.The Royals regained the lead in the bottom of the second. Jorge Bonifacio singled, moved to second on Rosell Herrera's groundout and scored on Escobar's single.Kansas City scored four runs in the fourth. Herrera singled and Escobar tripled. Escobar scored on a throwing error by third baseman Gregorio Petit on an aborted squeeze attempt.Cam Gallagher did not attempt to bunt a low pitch and catcher Willians Astudillo threw to third and Escobar ran home. Twins manager Paul Molitor, claiming obstruction, and third base coach Gene Glynn were ejected.