Category: Dailies
Will Ankiel be ready when his DL time is up?
Will center fielder Rick Ankiel, on the disabled list with a right quad strain, be ready when he’s eligible for reinstatement on May 18?
“I’m not sure if he’s ready to come off at the appropriate date but we’ll see,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said on Monday.
The quad was thought to be a minor thing back when Ankiel came out of a game on April 24. He was used as a pinch-hitter twice during the Tampa Bay series, May 1-2.
“If we thought it was going to be longer, he wouldn’t have pinch-hit,” Moore said. “We expected him to play two of the four in Tampa Bay and Trey (Hillman) decided to wait and give him a couple days without playing so he could play all three games in Chicago. And that Sunday he realized that he couldn’t go and we had to make a move.”
That’s when Ankiel went on the DL and Kila Ka’aihue was called up. This is reminiscent of the ankle injury that Ankiel suffered in Spring Training. Initially he was going to be out just a day or two but it turned into an 18-day absence.
Luke Hochevar might have been throwing up in the bullpen during his warm-ups on Sunday at Texas but he still insisted on pitching. “I haven’t been feeling well for the past couple of days or so, but it wasn’t this bad. But I can still throw strikes. I don’t care how bad it is. Regardless, I’ve got to keep us in that ballgame better than I did,” he said. He was pulled in the third inning after giving up four runs on four walks and three hits. . . . Nobody was watching on Sunday when the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton didn’t come close to tagging up at first base after a catch. He advanced to second while a run scored on a sac fly and the Royals failed to appeal. “You would hope your first baseman would catch that . . . and a lot of times somebody picks it up in the dugout,” Hillman said. “We were pretty well-located to see that play. I didn’t see it at the time that it happened.” Turns out Billy Butler was watching the play at the plate along with everyone else. . . . Rule 5 pick Edgar Osuna pitched six innings in Northwest Arkansas’ 8-1 win over Tulsa on Sunday, boosting his record to 4-1 and lowering his ERA to 1.09.
–Dick Kaegel
Players to swing pink for Komen for the Cure
Watch for some of the Royals and the Rangers to swing pink bats in Sunday’s game at the Ballpark in Arlington. All of the players have available the pink Louisville Sluggers, used to help raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer, an annual Mother’s Day event. The bats are auctioned later by MLB.com to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest organization devoted to battling the disease. Fans can purchase their own personalized pink bats through MLB.com with $10 from each purchase going to the Komen foundation.
Nugget from the Rangers’ media notes for Saturday night’s game: Vladimir Guerrero has the highest average of any active player (minimum 100 at-bats) at a Major League park: .410 (102-for-249) at the Ballpark in Arlington which he now calls home. Second highest? It’s Albert Pujols’ .400 (44-for-110) at Kauffman Stadium. Well, he is a Kansas City guy so he feels right at home. . . . Double-A Northwest Arkansas’ 4-2 win over Springfield on Friday night was the Naturals’ seventh victory in eight games and gave them a 4½-game lead over the Redbirds. . . . First baseman Eric Hosmer was 3-for-4 in Single-A Wilmington’s 2-0 loss at Frederick, boosting his average to .404. . . . Catcher Juan Graterol’s 4-for-5 led Single-A Burlington over Beloit, 9-4. He was 3-for-17 previously.
–Dick Kaegel
Greinke could use some luck and some runs
Surely Zack Greinke is going to catch some luck and maybe even some run support on Friday night against the Rangers. He goes into his seventh start still looking for his first victory. A year ago he was 6-0 with a 0.40 ERA after six starts.
His ERA this year is just 2.27 but the problem is the Royals are averaging just 2.6 runs when he starts a game. By contrast, Luke Hochevar, 3-1, is getting a healthy 6.3 runs a game.
Greinke couldn’t have pitched any better than he did last Sunday at Tampa Bay where he held the Rays to one run in an eight-inning complete game. Ah, but the Royals scored nada and he lost because he centered a slider that Evan Longoria hit out. The Zackmeister threw just 87 pitches and 65 were for strikes. He never reached a 3-ball count.
Alex Gordon hit his second home run for Triple-A Omaha in a 9-2 loss to Oklahoma City. . . . Left-hander Mike Montgomery won his Double-A debut, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up two hits and one run in Northwest Arkansas’ 3-1 win over Springfield. He struck out eight and walked four. Third baseman Mike Moustakas hit in his eighth straight game (13-for-29, .448) with his sixth home run and is .420 overall. . . . Right fielder Jamar Walton eased his 1-for-26 start with a homer, double and two RBIs but Single-A Wilmington lost to Salem, 11-3. . . . Outfielder Rene Oriental is 10-for-25, .400, in a six-game hitting streak for Single-A Burlington.
–Dick Kaegel
Ankiel might return to starting lineup in Chicago
Rick Ankiel might get back into center field when the Royals open a three-game series at Chicago on Monday night. He hasn’t been in the starting lineup for eight straight games because of what’s termed a mild right quad strain.
It’s the first quad problem that Ankiel has had as a pro and manager Trey Hillman didn’t want to risk further injury on the artificial turf of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. But if it’s suitably warm in Chicago, he might turn Ankiel loose on the natural grass of U.S. Cellular Field.
Hillman used Alex Gordon at first base for the last three innings of Saturday night’s game and says he might see more duty there as needed. For the time being, Gordon is sitting the bench as Alberto Callaspo takes over third base now that Chris Getz is back at second base. . . . Blake Wood seems to be getting on track as Triple-A Omaha’s closer. He picked up back-to-back saves against Iowa to reach five for the season. Kila Ka’aihue hit his seventh homer in a 2-1 win over Iowa. . . . Right-hander Tim Melville, a fourth-round draft pick in 2008, was banged for nine runs in four innings as Single-A Wilmington lost to Winston-Salem, 10-5. Melville is 1-3 with an 11.88 ERA. . . . There were 20 walks, including 13 by Single-A Burlington pitchers, in the Bees’ 9-6 win over Quad Cities. Right-hander Tyler Sample, KC’s third-round draft pick in 2008, got his first win despite issuing six walks in five innings. He gave up just two runs.
–Dick Kaegel
Whos toughest Rays batter for Greinke?
Who does Zack Greinke have to fear most on the Rays when he starts on Sunday? No, not Evan Longoria, who is 0-for-10 against Zack. Not Carlos Pena, 3-for-21 (.143) or Carl Crawford, 4-for-19 (.211). It’s that pesky Jason Barlett, the Rays’ leadoff batter who is 5-for-10 with three walks against the Royals’ ace.
Lefty prospect Mike Montgomery made his first start since being promoted to Double-A Northwest Arkansas and it lasted only 1 2/3 innings. No, he didn’t get knocked out, he got rained out. Before the rain, he gave up one hit, a walk and no runs with two strikeouts against Arkansas at Little Rock. He was 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA in four starts for Single-A Wilmington with 33 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. . . . Jordan Parraz’s two-run homer lifted Triple-A Omaha over Iowa, 3-1, and Blake Wood recorded his fourth save. . . . Jairo Cuevas pitched eight strong innings for his second win as Wilmington beat Winston-Salem, 3-1. First baseman Eric Hosmer’s two hits raised his average to .421. . . . Billy Butler marked his three-year anniversary of his first Major League game on Saturday night. It was May 1, 2007, when Billy debuted against the Angels and went 2-for-4. He singled in his first at-bat against Bartolo Colon. Manager Buddy Bell had him batting seventh and playing left field.
–Dick Kaegel
DeJesus turn at DH only the second of his career
David DeJesus was out of right field on Thursday night at Tampa Bay but he stayed at the top of batting order. He was the designated hitter as Jose Guillen played right for a change. This was just the second time that DeJesus had been the Royals’ DH; the first time came on July 23, 2008, against Detroit at Kauffman Stadium. On that occasion, he was 2-for-4 with a double. This time he was 1-for-3 with a walk.
Aaron Crow got his first pro victory, pitching eight innings on Thursday night as Double-A Northwest Arkansas knocked off Springfield, a Cardinals’ farm club, 9-2. The ex-Mizzou star gave up two runs on six hits and a walk in eight innings. He struck six and threw just 79 pitches – 55 for strikes. Crow was the Royals’ top draft pick last year and their fifth-round choice, Louis Coleman from LSU, pitched a perfect ninth to finish up. Ernesto Mejia belted two home runs for the Naturals. . . . First baseman Kila Ka’aihue hit his sixth homer, doubled and knocked in four runs as Triple-A Omaha beat Iowa, 11-7, in a game stopped by rain after 5½ innings. . . . Royals catcher Jason Kendall appeared in his 1,929th game behind the dish on Friday night at Tampa Bay. He’s in sixth place all-time for games caught; next in his path, ex-Royals manager Tony Pena with 1,950.
–Dick Kaegel
Royals, Parrish hoping hell be back soon
Left-hander John Parrish hopes he’ll be out for only the minimum 15 days on the disabled list with his rotator cuff problem. He was one of the Royals’ most dependable relievers early this season so manager Trey Hillman hopes that’s the case.
“I’m thankful that it’s only inflammation and we are sure that it’s only inflammation so that’s a big plus,” Hillman said. “Because whether you think you’ve overused a guy or not overused a guy, you still feel responsible and it costs him opportunities to go out there and do what he needs to do.”
News item: Luke Hughes, an Australian, is the first Twins player to whack a home run in his first at-bat since 1984. Question: Who was the last previous guy to do it? Answer: Andre David, former Royals hitting coach who is now the hitting coach for their Surprise Rookie team. David also hit his at Detroit – in old Tiger Stadium, of course – and it was the only homer in Andre’s two-year Major League career. . . . Outfielder Buck Coats is leading the Omaha Royals with a .314 average. . . . Derrick Robinson, with a stolen base on Wednesday night, made it steals in six straight games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He had 10 bags in that span and was leading the Texas League with 15. The center fielder also had a .329 average. . . . First baseman Eric Hosmer’s streak of reaching base for Single-A Wilmington was snapped at 19 games. But his sac fly drove in the only run of a 2-1 loss at Salem. . . . Single-A Burlington catcher Wil Myers has hit .314 (11-for-35) with three homers and 10 RBIs in his last nine games after starting the season 8-for-43, .186.
–Dick Kaegel
Kendall catches Sundberg in games caught
Jason Kendall matched Jim Sundberg for number of games caught, 1,927, in Wednesday’s game against the Mariners. That’s sixth on the all-time list. Kendall has sat out just one game this season. What’s the secret to his iron-man approach?
“Right after we signed him, we actually asked him that question and it’s a very simple answer, he said it’s a mindset,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “Obviously there’s a lot of physical that goes with that but he expects to play every day.”
The physical maintenance comes with experience. “We’re seeing him throw a lot better now than he did in Spring Training. That’s a process with him. He does a real good job of listening to his body,” Hillman said. Kendall is the only catcher in the Majors to make at least 130 starts in each of the last eight seasons. This should make it nine.
“Just to be brutally honest, if our record was 12-8 instead of 8-12, it’d be easy to give him a day off,” Hillman said.
Second baseman Chris Getz came out of his first rehab game with Triple-A Omaha in good shape. He played nine innings of a 10-inning, 3-2 loss to Albuquerque and had two hits. . . . Left-hander Edgar Osuna finally gave up a couple runs, both on solo homers, but pitched Double-A Northwest Arkansas to a 6-2 win at Springfield. His ERA is 0.78 through 23 innings. Reliever Blaine Hardy worked three hitless innings for the save and has yet to allow a run in 15 innings. . . . First baseman Eric Hosmer doubled and walked in Single-A Wilmington’s 15-5 loss at Salem and has reached base in all of the Blue Rocks’ 19 games. . . . Catcher Wil Myers hit his second three-run homer in two days as Single-A Burlington beat Beloit, 13-3. . . . JoAnne Fluke of Ottawa, Kan., who provides the art of dance to individuals with physical disabilities, was in the Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat on Wednesday.
–Dick Kaegel
Its wet but Zacks bobblehead night is on
Manager Trey Hillman likes stability in his lineup so he trotted out a familiar one for Saturday night’s game against the Twins:
David DeJesus, rf
Scott Podsednik, lf
Billy Butler, 1b\
Jose Guillen, dh
Alberto Callaspo, 2b
Rick Ankiel, cf
Jason Kendall, c
Alex Gordon, 3b
Yuni Betancourt, ss
Luke Hochevar was the pitcher. Although a light rain was falling, the Royals were hoping for the 6:10 p.m. CT start or close to it so the prospects were looking good for Zack Greinke Bobblehead Night.
— Dick Kaegel
Gordon comes off disabled list; Getz goes on it
Third baseman Alex Gordon is back.
The Royals announced early Saturday morning that Gordon is re-joining the club, coming off the disabled list while second baseman Chris Getz goes on it.
Getz went on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Thursday, with a strained right oblique. This was a sharp turnaround from manager Trey Hillman’s hope expressed on Friday night that Getz would be back in a day or two.
Getz was scratched from the Royals’ lineup just prior to the Royals’ 10-3 loss to the Twins on Friday night. He was batting just .209 in the Royals’ first nine games.
Gordon suffered a broken right thumb while sliding headfirst into second base on March 6 against the Texas Rangers at Surprise, Ariz. He spent seven games in injury rehabilitation with Single-A Wilmington, then was dispatched to Triple-A Omaha just on Thursday.
He joined the Omaha club at Albuquerque, played one game, and was flying to Minneapolis, scheduled to arrive at Target Field around game time (12:10 p.m. CT).
The Spring Training injury was a big setback for Gordon, who had struggled last season. He underwent major hip surgery in April and had some difficultly when he returned. But in training camp, he appeared to be in excellent shape when the injury occurred.
Gordon was Omaha’s designated hitter in Friday night’s 8-1 win at Albuquerque and went 3-for-4 with a home run. For Wilmington, he batted .235 (4-for-17) with three doubles.
–Dick Kaegel
Royals Beat 