Zacks feat puts him with Royals elite

Here’s a statistical nugget from the Elias Sports Bureau: Zack Greinke is the only pitcher in Royals history to pitch at least five scoreless innings in four consecutive starts. He shut out the Indians for five innings in Monday night’s 4-2 win and now has 25 straight scoreless innings. The record for a starter is 33 straight zeros by Kevin Appier in 1993.

The three Royals pitchers with three straight starts with at least five scoreless innings are Bret Saberhagen in 1989, Appier in that ’93 run and David Cone in 1994. That’s pretty elite company for the Zackmeister.

That old feeling: It’s good to see the Royals getting their alumni more involved in the last two or three years. For the last two springs, alums like Willie Wilson and Joe Randa have been brought into camp to help the Minor Leaguers. For the grand re-opening of Kauffman Stadium there were 27 alums on the field, from Marty Pattin to Bill Pecota, and a bunch of them were at the Welcome Home Luncheon on Monday. Appreciation for the past is all too rare among today’s ballplayers so some indoctrination about the Royals’ history is a great idea.

Second the motion: One of the club’s second base hopes for the future, Johnny Giavotella, had a big game for Single-A Wilmington on Monday – seven RBIs and two home runs including a grand slam. A second-round pick last year, he broke in with a .299 average for Single-A Burlington.

–Dick Kaegel

 

 

Leg injury puts Guillen on 15-day disabled list

Right fielder Jose Guillen was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Friday, Royals general manager Dayton Moore said prior to the home opener.

Moore disclosed that Guillen has a grade 2 tear of the right hip flexor and is expected to return after the 15 days.

“Jose wanted to play through it but this is the right thing to do for him and the team,” Moore said.

Guillen appeared to pull up while running out a ground ball in the ninth inning on Thursday at Chicago where he served as the designated hitter.
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The Royals had to make room on the roster for starting pitcher Sidney Ponson, who was pulled up from the Triple-A roster to start Friday’s home opener against the New York Yankees. Guillen’s move to the disabled list apparently kept third-string catcher Brayan Pena on the Royals’ roster.

Manager Trey Hillman had Guillen out of his lineup against the Yankees on Friday but said only that he had a sore right hip. Hillman replaced Guillen in right field and the cleanup spot with Mark Teahen, batted David DeJesus third in Teahen’s spot and put Alberto Callaspo at second base against left-hander Andy Pettitte.

— Dick Kaegel

Costa clears waivers, goes to Omaha

 

Outfielder Shane Costa is back with the Triple-A Omaha Royals. He cleared waivers on Thursday and was outrighted to Omaha where he’s spent most of the last four years.

Costa had a good Spring Training as he recovered from wrist surgery last summer.

In recent news regarding ex-Royals, pitcher Joel Peralta has signed with Colorado, pitcher Jimmy Gobble has signed with the Chicago White Sox and infielder Esteban German has signed with Texas. All are on Triple-A contracts.

Just so you know, German is the third baseman on the Oklahoma team with German Duran as the second baseman.

–Dick Kaegel

Zack attack and its Hello, Central

Hello, Central?

Zack Greinke finally answered the call at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday night by pitching six-plus shutout innings and ending his 0-6 career blight there. Royals 2, White Sox 0.

“My offspeed was working and I treated it like a playoff game almost,” Greinke said afterward.

Offspeed, full speed, it all worked for Greinke.

“This is just what me and Gil are supposed to do every time out, I think,” he said.

Gil Meche did all right in the opener with seven innings, leaving with a 2-1 lead that was lost. But, yeah, that’s what Gil and Zack are supposed to do.

And when Juan Cruz and Joakim Soria did what the bullpen is supposed to do, get nine straight outs, the Royals were 1-1 with only 160 games to go.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has trumpeted the Royals as a coming team for a couple of years now.

And here’s what he said after Wednesday night’s game: “They got stronger. I have said that for the last couple of years and this year I said that in Spring Training. This ballclub is going to compete and they are going to give a lot of people headaches. They have a good ballclub all around.”

That’s coming from the manager of the defending division champs.

So maybe it is time for the Royals to say, Hello Central, here we are.

–Dick Kaegel

Postponement of opener likely to move up Ramirez

One thing that’s almost certain about Monday’s postponement of Opening Day is that Royals left-hander Horacio Ramirez will get his first starting assignment one day earlier.

Gil Meche, by starting on Tuesday (assuming the game does indeed dodge through the Chicago weather), would be in line to start again on Sunday against the New York Yankees in Kansas City. Ramirez originally was slated for that day but now probably will start on Saturday night instead. That would have been Meche’s spot originally to keep him on a regular four days’ rest.

The effect of that is that Ramirez likely would be wiped out of any bullpen duty against the White Sox. He was to be available in the first two games of the series, just in case. Oh, he could be used for an inning on Tuesday and then start Saturday but that probably won’t happen with every reliever well-rested and primed for the opener.

Zack Greinke will start on Wednesday and Kyle Davies on Thursday as scheduled. And when Sidney Ponson is put on the roster for his start Friday, one player will have to be dropped.

With Monday becoming an open date, the Royals plan an optional workout at U.S. Cellular Field at 1 p.m. CT. It will go on, no doubt, primarily indoors in the batting cages just like Sunday’s workout.

By the way, anyone walking down Michigan Avenue on Sunday evening would not have questioned the White Sox’s decision to bang Monday afternoon’s game. The wind was howling and pedestrians were stung by snowflakes as well as raindrops. It was nasty indeed.

–Dick Kaegel

 

Rotation set with Ponson, Ramirez added

Sidney Ponson will pitch the first game at renovated Kauffman Stadium, manager Trey Hillman said on Wednesday in completing the Royals’ starting rotation.

Ponson and left-hander Horacio Ramirez will join Gil Meche, Zack Greinke and Kyle Davies in the rotation.

Ponson will start on April 10 against the New York Yankees in the Grand Re-Opening of the stadium. Ramirez will make his first start on April 12 against the Yankees.

The Royals also optioned pitcher Brian Bannister to Triple-A Omaha, asked unconditional release waivers on pitcher Joel Peralta and placed left-hander John Bale on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27.

Earlier on Wednesday, they traded first baseman Ross Gload to the Florida Marlins for a player to be named.

–Dick Kaegel

Gload traded to Marlins for player to be named

The Royals traded first baseman Ross Gload to the Florida Marlins on Wednesday for a player to be named.

The Royals also sent cash to the Marlins, apparently to help pay for his $1.9 million salary for this year.

Gload, who will be 33 on Sunday, batted .280 (14-for-50) in 22 Cactus League games this spring.

He became expendable as the Royals settled on Mike Jacobs and Billy Butler as their primary first basemen and designated hitters. Gload also was a capable outfielder but the Royals were buttressed there with second-base candidates Mark Teahen, Willie Bloomquist and Alberto Callaspo all able to play the outfield. Outfielder Mitch Maier also is still in camp.

Gload spent two seasons as a utility player for the Royals, batting .288 in 2007 and .273 last year. He had little home-run power, combining for just 10 in two years.

He came to the Royals on Dec. 16, 2006, from the Chicago White Sox in a trade for pitcher Andrew Sisco.

— Dick Kaegel

Hochevar is optioned to Triple-A Omaha

Right-hander Luke Hochevar, one of the prime candidates for the last two spots in the Royals’ rotation, was optioned on Tuesday to Triple-A Omaha.

Hochevar’s departure cuts the list of starting aspirants to three, right-handers Sidney Ponson and Brian Bannister and left-hander Horacio Ramirez.

In five Cactus League games, Hochevar had a 3.86 ERA and a 1-0 record. In 16 1/3 innings, he gave up 17 hits and seven runs with four walks and seven strikeouts. Opponents hit .279 against him.

The first overall pick in the 2006 First-Year Free Agent Draft, Hochevar was brought into the rotation last April 20 after opening the season with Omaha. He made 22 starts for the Royals, going 6-12 with a 5.51 ERA before his season ended on Aug. 20 because of a rib-cage injury.

In this camp, he was not bothered by the injury. In his last Cactus League start, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he gave up three runs in the first inning but then worked three scoreless innings.

His candidacy for the rotation might have taken a hit when the Royals signed veteran Sidney Ponson who was immediately put into the mix. Ponson was scheduled to pitch on Tuesday against the Oakland A’s.

Hochevar’s departure still leaves 36 players in camp including 18 pitchers, three catchers, 10 infielders and five outfielders. The Royals break camp on Thursday.

–Dick Kaegel

Official Assumption: Davies is No. 3 starter

Manager Trey Hillman didn’t come out and exactly say it on Sunday but he came close to anointing Kyle Davies as the Royals’ No. 3 starter.

“I think that you can assume that,” he said, knowing full well that we’ve been assuming that for two or three weeks now.

Davies will pitch on Monday, right after No. 1 and 2 Gil Meche and Zack Greinke, so he’s right on target to start the third game at Chicago.

Just who will start the April 10 opener remains in question, of course, because the fourth and fifth spots are still undecided. So it’ll be either Horacio Ramirez, Luke Hochevar, Brian Bannister or Sidney Ponson. It can’t be Meche because he’d have only three days of rest, not four, before the first home game against the Yankees.

–Dick Kaegel

 

Teahen, Aviles stay sharp in Triple-A game

Mike Aviles and Mark Teahen weren’t in Sunday’s high-scoring rout at the Mariners’ ballpark but they weren’t idle.

They were left behind in Surprise to play in a Triple-A game, giving shortstop Aviles and would-be second baseman Mark Teahen another chance to work together. Another of manager Trey Hillman’s motives was to give Aviles some swings in a relaxed atmosphere after he’d had a rough 0-for-3 game against the Rangers.

No report on how the fielding went but the hitting went well. Aviles went 3-for-5 with a triple and Teahen was 2-for-5.

Against the Mariners, Alberto Callaspo played the whole game at second and he had a real blast at the plate with four hits including three doubles in the 17-12 win.

Hillman, by the way, gave a hint that there’s a chance the Royals might not open with 12 pitchers and 13 position players after all. Because of three open dates in April, there have been discussions about keeping just 11 pitchers for a while.

“I don’t think it’s going to go there but it has come up – what about the possibility of going 14 and 11?” Hillman said.

As far as the rotation goes, he’s taken the three off days into consideration and concluded the Royals will need a fifth starter at least twice during April.

One more thing. Aviles and Teahen both took batting practice on Sunday morning against left-hander John Bale, the first live BP that he’s thrown since returning to camp after thyroid surgery.

“He threw 25, 26 pitches and the ball got out of his hand better than I anticipated,” Hillman said. “He looked pretty good.”

The Royals will try to get Bale into a game before camp breaks. After undergoing surgery, Bale is regaining strength and weight – he’s up to about 212 after getting down to about 200. But he’s not likely to be ready for the start of the season, at least on the Major League level.

— Dick Kaegel