Kansas City Royals News

Kris Bubic reversed a season-long trend with an outstanding start as the Kansas City Royals earned a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night in the opening game of a three-game series.Bubic allowed one run on six hits in six innings, walking two and striking out four.Bubic (3-4) also induced three ground-ball double plays in his six innings.Greg Holland pitched a perfect ninth to earn his seventh save in 11 chances.The loss snapped Detroit's seven-game winning streak. The Tigers have the best record (18-10) in baseball since June 20.Bubic has struggled as a starter in 2021. He owns a 2.96 ERA in eight relief appearances this season, opposed to a 6.34 ERA in his eight starts prior to Friday's game.Wily Peralta (3-2) took the loss. He gave up five runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.Jonathan Schoop's sixth-inning single extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games.

Brad Keller pitched effectively into the seventh inning for his first victory since early June and the Kansas Royals capitalized on two Milwaukee errors en route to a 6-3 victory over the host Brewers on Wednesday afternoon.Keller (7-9) allowed three runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings for his first victory in eight starts since a 14-5 win over the Twins on June 4. He was 0-5 with a 6.64 ERA in his previous seven starts.Milwaukee's fielding miscues led to two unearned runs in the fourth and three more in the sixth.Kansas City erased a 3-2 deficit in the sixth against reliever Brent Suter (9-5). Carlos Santana singled and took second with one out when Andrew Benintendi reached on an error by first baseman Jace Peterson. Hunter Dozier tied it 3-3 with an RBI single to center. Ryan McBroom's pinch-hit infield single loaded the bases and Nicky Lopez followed with a two-run double into the right-field corner.Jorge Soler opened the eighth with a 438-foot solo homer, his ninth, to make it 6-3.Kansas City, which is 21 games under .500 against American League opponents, improved to 8-3 in interleague play, including 4-0 against National League Central-leading Milwaukee.Milwaukee scored three runs in the fifth to go up 3-2 with the aid of a fielding gaffe by third baseman Dozier.

Ryan O'Hearn ripped a two-run pinch homer in the seventh inning to propel the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 interleague victory over the host Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday afternoon.Michael A. Taylor reached on an infield single to open the seventh when his slow roller down the third-base line stayed fair. Taylor advanced on a groundout. O'Hearn then drove a 2-1 pitch from reliever Hunter Strickland (0-1) 431 feet to center for his seventh home run, putting the Royals up 4-2.Taylor extended the lead to 5-2 with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the eighth.The game was switched from a scheduled evening start to avoid a conflict with Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Milwaukee on Tuesday night, where the Bucks could clinch the title at home against the Phoenix Suns.Mike Minor (7-8), who had lost four consecutive starts with a 10.80 ERA over that span, allowed two runs -- one earned -- on five hits in six innings for the victory. He struck out five and walked one.Greg Holland pitched the ninth for his sixth save in 10 chances.The Brewers loaded the bases with one out in the seventh on three singles off Jake Brentz, but Kyle Zimmer relieved and enticed Willy Adames into an inning-ending double play.

The Kansas City Royals placed left-hander Danny Duffy and right-hander Brady Singer on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.Duffy has a left flexor strain and his designation is retroactive to Saturday. Singer has right shoulder fatigue and his status is retroactive to Sunday.In corresponding moves, the Royals recalled infielder Ryan McBroom and right-hander Tyler Zuber from Triple-A Omaha.Duffy, 32, left his start Friday against the Baltimore Orioles after being hit on the knee by a comebacker. This marks the second time he has been sidelined by a flexor strain this season.He is 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA in 13 games (12 starts) this season.Singer, 24, was rocked for seven runs in two-plus innings in his last start Saturday against the Orioles.

Matt Harvey produced his longest scoreless outing in almost three years Sunday afternoon, as the struggling right-hander blanked the Kansas City Royals over six innings to lead the visiting Baltimore Orioles to a 5-0 victory.Ramon Urias had two hits, including the two-run single in the third that produced the game's first runs for the Orioles, who won the final two games of the three-game set to record their first series win since a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros June 28-30. The Royals have lost eight of 10.Harvey (4-10), whose 7.70 ERA entering the game was the highest of any pitcher with at least 70 innings, allowed three hits and walked one while striking out two. It was the first time he'd gone at least six scoreless innings since Sept. 14, 2018, when he tossed six scoreless frames for the Cincinnati Reds against the Chicago Cubs.The Royals mounted their lone threat against Harvey in the fourth, when Harvey plunked Salvador Perez with one out, walked Carlos Santana and surrendered a two-out infield single to Hunter Dozier before he got Michael Taylor to hit into a force-out.Four pitchers combined to finish the six-hitter.Trey Mancini had an RBI single in the fifth, Austin Wynns added a run-scoring double in the sixth and Kelvin Gutierrez was credited with an RBI when Dozier couldn't corral his grounder as Domingo Leyba scored with none out in the eighth.

Left-handed pitcher Frank Mozzicato, the No. 7 overall draft pick in the 2021 draft, reached a deal with the Kansas City Royals, the team announced Saturday.Per multiple reports, Mozzicato nabbed a signing bonus of $3.55 million, a smaller sum than the $5.432 million value attached to that draft slot ... fueling speculation his selection was tied to his salary requirements."[We felt] that it may be really beneficial for us, and with the fact that it's only 20 rounds now, and with the value a lot of players put on themselves economically, that it may be a wise strategy to not only to look at taking the best upside player, pitcher available, but also be able to maximize what we can do later on with the other 19 selections," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "That's a part of what we have to consider going forward."The signing bonus is still the largest bonus given to a player drafted out of the state of Connecticut, per the Hartford Courant.

The Milwaukee Brewers moved up the start time for Tuesday's game against the visiting Kansas City Royals to avoid a conflict with Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the host Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns."Yes, we want to watch the Bucks game, too," the team posted Sunday on Twitter.First pitch at American Family Field was moved from 8:10 p.m. ET to 4:10 p.m. ET.

Ramon Urias was one of four Orioles with two hits, including an RBI single in a five-run third, as Baltimore defeated the host Kansas City Royals 8-4 Saturday night in the middle game of a three-game series. Urias also drove in two runs.The Orioles lost 9-2 in the series opener Friday night.Paul Fry (3-3) pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief to pick up the win. Four pitches out of the Orioles' bullpen combined for 4 1/3 innings and allowed no runs on just two hits and a walk.Baltimore starter Jorge Lopez had a chance to take advantage of the offensive outburst. But the major league leader in losses (12) lasted just 4 2/3 innings, one-third of an inning shy of qualifying.Royals starter Brady Singer (3-7) took the loss, allowing a career-high seven earned runs. He gave up eight hits and a walk in two-plus innings and struck out one.The Orioles got two runs off Singer in the second. DJ Stewart led off with a single and Anthony Santander walked. Urias' single drove in Stewart and sent Santander to third. Santander then scored on a groundout by Domingo Leyba.The Orioles chased Singer before he was able to record an out in the third. Cedric Mullins led off with a double, followed by five straight singles by Trey Mancini, Ryan Mountcastle, Stewart, Santander and Urias. The last four hits drove in runs, and Urias' knock sent Singer to the showers.Richard Lovelady relieved Singer and allowed an RBI single to Pedro Severino, closing the book on Singer.

Whit Merrifield went 4-for-4 with three RBIs as the visiting Kansas City Royals opened the second half of the season with a 9-2 defeat of the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night in the first game of a three-game series.The Royals tied their season high with 15 hits.Nicky Lopez added two hits and a career-high four RBIs.Josh Staumont (1-2) earned the win as one of five one-inning relievers for the Royals. He struck out two batters.Keegan Akin (0-5) took the loss. The Orioles had the highest ERA and the fewest innings pitched and quality starts in the American League prior to the All-Star Break. Akin didn't help with just three innings. He gave up six runs on eight hits.Royals starter Danny Duffy pitched well but had to come out after four innings after being hit by a line drive in the first inning. He stayed in the game but appeared to aggravate it covering first on a groundball in the fourth. He allowed one run on two hits in four innings.The Royals' two All Stars helped them get to Akin in the first. Merrifield led off with a single up the middle. He went to second on a groundout and scored on a single by Salvador Perez.The Royals added four more in the second. Jorge Soler walked leading off. Former Oriole Hanser Alberto doubled him to third. With one out, Lopez pulled a single through the drawn-in infield, driving in both runs. Merrifield then doubled in Lopez, and Perez drove in Merrifield again to give the Royals a 5-0 lead.

The Cleveland Indians postponed Sunday's series finale against the visiting Kansas City Royals due to inclement weather.The game will be made up as part of a traditional doubleheader on Sept. 20 with two seven-inning games starting at 5:10 p.m. ET.The Royals (36-53) lost the first three games of the series by a combined score of 23-11 and have lost four straight overall.

Oscar Mercado and Cesar Hernandez each belted a three-run homer, and Roberto Perez and Jose Ramirez also went deep to fuel the host Cleveland Indians to a 14-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.Mercado added an RBI single, joining Harold Ramirez with three hits apiece for the Indians, who finished with 17.Cleveland, which erupted for a season high in runs, has won eight straight against Kansas City for the first time since the 2016 season.Cal Quantrill (1-2) picked up his first win since Aug. 10, 2020, after allowing three runs on five hits in six innings.Salvador Perez launched a two-run homer and Andrew Benintendi also went deep among his three hits for the Royals, who have lost 15 of their last 18 games overall and 12 in a row on the road.Perez's team-leading 21st homer staked Kansas City to 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth before Cleveland answered with six runs in its half of the inning.Bobby Bradley halved the deficit with an RBI double before coming home three batters later following a fielding error by Royals center fielder Michael A. Taylor. Bradley Zimmer's infield single gave the Indians a 3-2 lead before Hernandez deposited a first-pitch slider from Mike Minor (6-8) over the wall in left-center field for his 15th homer of the season.Jose Ramirez scored his second of three runs following a double play in the fifth inning.

Bobby Bradley hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals 2-1 Friday night.It was the second straight walk-off win for Cleveland.James Karinchak (6-2) earned the victory. Jake Brentz (2-2) took the loss.The Indians blew a big chance in the eighth. They had Cesar Hernandez on first and Daniel Johnson on third with no outs. Amed Rosario hit a ball to shortstop Nicky Lopez, who threw home. Catcher Salvador Perez chased Johnson back to third where Hernandez was waiting. Perez tagged Hernandez and Johnson with both on the bag, leading to Hernandez being called out. But Johnson strayed off the bag and was tagged out.Both starters were stellar. Cleveland's Triston McKenzie, who came into the game with a 6.38 ERA, had not pitched in the majors since June 12. Walks had been an issue, as he had issued 39 in 42 1/3 innings. On Friday, he allowed just one hit in seven innings, his longest career outing. More importantly for the Indians, he walked just one and struck out nine.Brad Keller came in with a 6.39 ERA. But the Royals opening day starter looked the part, retiring 13 Indians batters in a row at one point. He finished with one run allowed on four hits in 7 2/3 innings, the longest outing by a Royals starter this season. He had a season-high nine strikeouts, one shy of his career best, which also happened against the Indians.

Franmil Reyes belted a three-run homer in the ninth inning as the host Cleveland Indians snapped a nine-game losing skid with a 7-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.Cesar Hernandez had a one-out double in the ninth inning off Greg Holland (2-4), who then issued a two-out intentional walk to Jose Ramirez before Reyes deposited a 1-0 fastball over the wall in center field. Reyes' homer was his 14th of the season and third in as many games.Roberto Perez launched a three-run homer in the eighth inning and Bobby Bradley had a fourth-inning solo shot for the Indians, who posted their first win since June 28. Cleveland has won six of the seven encounters against the Royals this season.The late uprising made a winner of James Karinchak (5-2), who allowed Carlos Santana to cap a two-homer performance with a shot to lead off the ninth inning. Santana spent 10 seasons with the Indians before signing a two-year deal with Kansas City in December.Hunter Dozier also had a solo homer for the Royals, who have lost 13 of their last 16 games overall and 10 in a row on the road.Kansas City was nursing a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning before Scott Barlow issued a pair of walks. Perez deposited a 2-1 slider over the wall in center field for his fourth homer of the season.

Jonathan India's two-run double capped a three-run seventh as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Wednesday afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game series in Kansas City.The Reds trailed 2-0 entering the seventh.Sonny Gray (2-4) allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked just two. Heath Hembree earned his fourth save.Scott Barlow (2-3) took the loss for Kansas City. He relieved Brady Singer in the top of the seventh after Singer allowed a lead-off single to Tucker Barnhart. Barlow allowed hits to the next three batters, giving the Reds the lead.The Royals wasted scoring opportunities in the first three innings. They had hits in each, including the first two batters in the third. Michael A. Taylor led off with a bloop single and Nicky Lopez singled him over to third. But Whit Merrifield fouled out to first and Taylor was picked off third by catcher Barnhart.The Royals got their first run in an unusual manner in the fourth. Carlos Santana singled with one out and moved to second on a walk to Ryan O'Hearn. Jorge Soler hit a slow roller to third. Eugenio Suarez retired O'Hearn at second, but India's hand hit O'Hearn's helmet on the throw to first. India was charged with an error as Santana scored.Taylor then redeemed himself with an RBI single, scoring Soler, to give the Royals a 2-0 lead.

Salvador Perez hit a walk-off single to the wall in the ninth inning, capping a four-run rally as the Kansas City Royals defeated the visiting Cincinnati Reds 7-6 on Tuesday.The Royals scored six runs off the Reds' bullpen in the final two innings. Kansas City earned just its third victory in 14 games. Cincinnati saw its five-game winning streak end.Down 6-3, Kansas City got the tying run on second with no outs in the ninth, without the benefit of a hit. Ryan O'Hearn walked and Hunter Dozier was hit by a pitch. Michael A. Taylor hit a ground ball that rolled through third baseman Eugenio Suarez's legs, scoring O'Hearn and leaving runners at second and third.Heath Hembree (2-4) took over on the mound for Brad Brach and struck out pinch hitter Jorge Soler. Nicky Lopez then flared a ball into short left field, scoring both runners. Lopez went to second on the throw, then advanced to third on a throwing error by left fielder Aristides Aquino.Whit Merrifield walked, and Cincinnati's Amir Garrett entered to strike out Andrew Benintendi, bringing Perez to the plate.Richard Lovelady (2-0) picked up the win after retiring the only batter he faced.Kyle Farmer and Tyler Stephenson each had three hits for the Reds.Cincinnati's Luis Castillo turned in his fifth straight quality start but had nothing to show for it. He allowed one run on three hits over seven innings. Castillo walked one and struck out four.

Eugenio Suarez's three-run home run keyed a four-run seventh inning as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the host Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Monday night for their fifth straight win.Suarez was hitting just .176 prior to hitting his 17th home run of the season.Vladimir Gutierrez (4-3) earned the win. He allowed two runs on five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.The Royals, who snapped a 12-game streak of not having a starting pitcher last more than four innings Sunday, saw Mike Minor allow one run on two hits in his first six innings.But Minor allowed Nick Castellanos' game-tying home run leading off the seventh and walked the next two batters, bringing his total to three and ending his night. Minor (6-7) gave up four runs on three hits with six strikeouts. Reliever Kyle Zimmer gave up Suarez's homer on the first batter he faced.The Reds grabbed the lead in the second inning after getting the first two runners on base. Tyler Stephenson led off with a double to left and he moved to third on a single by Joey Votto. But Suarez grounded into a double play, scoring Stephenson.

Kenta Maeda struck out a season-high 10 batters and allowed just a pair of singles over six shutout innings as the visiting Minnesota Twins snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon.Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff each homered and Luis Arraez went 3-for-4 with a walk and scored three times to lead the Twins offensively. Polanco and Trevor Larnach each had two hits and two RBIs.It marked the seventh time in his career that Maeda (4-3) struck out double-digit batters in a game but was the first time this season. Nine of the 10 strikeouts were by swinging. Maeda, who gave up back-to-back two out singles to Jarrod Dyson and Sebastian Rivero in the second before getting Nicky Lopez to ground out to end the inning, retired the final 13 batters he faced.Brad Keller (6-9) suffered his fifth loss in his past six starts, allowing two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out seven. Dyson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the third when Arraez singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on Larnach's single to center.Kepler made it 2-0 in the sixth when he lined his seventh home run of the season to right. The homer came on the first pitch after Kepler had to duck out of the way of an up-and-in fastball.

Edward Olivares' first home run of the season capped a four-run fourth inning as the Kansas City Royals earned a 6-3 victory Saturday while sending the visiting Minnesota Twins to their fifth-consecutive defeat.The Royals, who snapped a nine-game losing streak Friday night, clinched the three-game series.Kyle Zimmer (4-0), the first of five Royals relievers, picked up the win with a scoreless fifth inning. Scott Barlow picked up his second save of the series and fourth in five chances overall.Griffin Jax, the first graduate of the Air Force Academy to play in the major leagues, made his first career start for the Twins, doing it on Independence Day weekend. He fell to 1-1 after allowing six runs on eight hits over five innings, following three scoreless innings at the outset.Royals starter Danny Duffy lasted four innings as he continues to recover from a left forearm flexor strain. He allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.The Twins' two runs off Duffy came in the fourth inning. Duffy walked Ryan Jeffers leading off before Miguel Sano singled up the middle. Gilberto Celestino hit a sharp ground ball for a force out, but Hanser Alberto's throw to first was wide, allowing Jeffers to score.With two outs, Andrelton Simmons singled, sending Celestino to third. Celestino scored on an RBI single by Jorge Polanco.

The Kansas City Royals activated outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the 10-day injured list on Sunday.Benintendi, who turns 27 Tuesday, had been sidelined since June 14 with a fractured right rib. He is batting second and playing left field in Sunday's series finale against the visiting Minnesota Twins.In a corresponding move, the Royals optioned outfielder Edward Olivares to Triple-A Omaha. Olivares, 25, hit .242 with a home run and two RBIs in 11 games for Kansas City this season.

Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby has grown its roster fairly slowly this year, but fans can add a new name to the list for the July 12 event in Denver: Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez.Perez, 31, has a history of dingers and has knocked out 19 home runs in 2021, to go along with 171 over his 10-year career. Additionally, the seven-time all-star and three-time silver slugger has batted .278 this year with 48 RBIs in advance of his participation in the All-Star Game itself.This is Perez's first selection to the Derby."Super excited," Perez said. "It's my first time and something I have wanted to do before my career is over. I got an opportunity, and I'm so excited. So happy, and I thank God for everything that's happened to me."