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MINNESOTA ( MILONE )
KANSAS CITY ( GUTHRIE ) |
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| 925 | MINNESOTA | +145 | Ov 8.5,+100 | +135 | Ov 8,+110 | | 926 | KANSAS CITY | -155 | Un 8.5,-120 | -145 | Un 8,-130 |
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| All Games | 42-37 | +12.6 | 35-37 | 4.2 | 0.250 | 0.301 | 0.391 | 0.691 | 4.1 | 0.271 | 0.319 | 0.418 | 0.737 | | Road Games | 17-22 | +0.4 | 17-20 | 3.7 | 0.226 | 0.281 | 0.357 | 0.638 | 4.5 | 0.274 | 0.328 | 0.437 | 0.764 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 24-27 | +0.9 | 19-27 | 3.5 | 0.239 | 0.288 | 0.368 | 0.656 | 4.4 | 0.278 | 0.326 | 0.431 | 0.757 | | Past 7 Games | 3-4 | -0.2 | 3-3 | 4.3 | 0.254 | 0.311 | 0.422 | 0.733 | 5.0 | 0.271 | 0.336 | 0.407 | 0.743 | | Grass Games | 42-37 | +12.6 | 35-37 | 4.2 | 0.250 | 0.301 | 0.391 | 0.691 | 4.1 | 0.271 | 0.319 | 0.418 | 0.737 | | Night Games | 21-18 | +8.2 | 16-21 | 4.2 | 0.248 | 0.294 | 0.383 | 0.677 | 3.5 | 0.254 | 0.302 | 0.380 | 0.683 | | Division | 19-19 | +4.3 | 17-17 | 4.2 | 0.257 | 0.301 | 0.391 | 0.692 | 4.1 | 0.275 | 0.327 | 0.417 | 0.744 |
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| All Games | 4.2 | 0.250 | 0.301 | 79 | 2634 | 659 | 136 | 21 | 64 | 0.391 | 312 | 190 | 577 | 37 | 462 | 79 | 46 | 78 | 48 | | Road Games | 3.7 | 0.226 | 0.281 | 39 | 1324 | 299 | 67 | 13 | 27 | 0.357 | 136 | 102 | 313 | 21 | 231 | 31 | 22 | 33 | 34 | | Righty Starters | 3.5 | 0.239 | 0.288 | 51 | 1661 | 397 | 88 | 15 | 32 | 0.368 | 166 | 114 | 385 | 30 | 295 | 48 | 29 | 50 | 29 |
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| All Games | 3.79 | 1.322 | 235.3 | 115 | 99 | 237 | 26 | 74 | 157 | 11-11 | 28 | 4 | 87.5% | | Road Games | 3.87 | 1.351 | 114 | 55 | 49 | 114 | 13 | 40 | 68 | 5-6 | 13 | 3 | 81.3% |
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| All Games | 44-32 | +10.7 | 33-35 | 4.2 | 0.269 | 0.312 | 0.402 | 0.713 | 3.6 | 0.240 | 0.301 | 0.376 | 0.677 | | Home Games | 22-14 | +4.7 | 15-18 | 4.2 | 0.273 | 0.321 | 0.406 | 0.727 | 3.3 | 0.241 | 0.298 | 0.370 | 0.668 | | vs Left-handed Starters | 12-14 | -2.3 | 8-15 | 3.5 | 0.256 | 0.291 | 0.380 | 0.671 | 3.8 | 0.249 | 0.312 | 0.369 | 0.681 | | Past 7 Games | 3-4 | -0.8 | 2-3 | 2.7 | 0.218 | 0.271 | 0.333 | 0.604 | 3.6 | 0.235 | 0.293 | 0.394 | 0.687 | | Grass Games | 44-32 | +10.7 | 33-35 | 4.2 | 0.269 | 0.312 | 0.402 | 0.713 | 3.6 | 0.240 | 0.301 | 0.376 | 0.677 | | Night Games | 31-22 | +7.4 | 23-25 | 4.1 | 0.271 | 0.311 | 0.398 | 0.708 | 3.4 | 0.236 | 0.297 | 0.364 | 0.661 | | Division | 19-13 | +5.4 | 15-14 | 4.6 | 0.271 | 0.317 | 0.405 | 0.722 | 3.3 | 0.227 | 0.289 | 0.340 | 0.629 |
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| All Games | 4.2 | 0.269 | 0.312 | 76 | 2590 | 696 | 134 | 20 | 57 | 0.402 | 305 | 161 | 450 | 44 | 506 | 70 | 39 | 62 | 34 | | Home Games | 4.2 | 0.273 | 0.321 | 36 | 1161 | 317 | 64 | 12 | 22 | 0.406 | 146 | 82 | 184 | 30 | 235 | 28 | 12 | 34 | 18 | | Lefty Starters | 3.5 | 0.256 | 0.291 | 26 | 909 | 233 | 50 | 4 | 18 | 0.380 | 90 | 45 | 157 | 16 | 186 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 11 |
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| All Games | 2.07 | 1.038 | 252.3 | 61 | 58 | 175 | 16 | 87 | 227 | 12-5 | 25 | 6 | 80.6% | | Home Games | 1.77 | 1.014 | 122.3 | 24 | 24 | 93 | 4 | 31 | 103 | 6-1 | 13 | 2 | 86.7% |
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| 6/19/2015 | HUGHES(R) | CHICAGO CUBS | HENDRICKS(R) | 7-2 | W | +100 | 8 ov | O | 12 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | | 6/20/2015 | MAY(R) | CHICAGO CUBS | LESTER(L) | 1-4 | L | -105 | 8 ov | U | 7 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 0 | | 6/21/2015 | GIBSON(R) | CHICAGO CUBS | ARRIETA(R) | 0-8 | L | +125 | 8 ov | P | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 9 | 2 | | 6/22/2015 | MILONE(L) | CHI WHITE SOX | DANKS(L) | 13-2 | W | -130 | 9 un | O | 15 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 3 | | 6/23/2015 | PELFREY(R) | CHI WHITE SOX | SAMARDZIJA(R) | 2-6 | L | +100 | 8 un | P | 9 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 11 | 0 | | 6/24/2015 | HUGHES(R) | CHI WHITE SOX | SALE(L) | 6-1 | W | +120 | 7 ev | P | 10 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 3 | | 6/26/2015 | MAY(R) | @ MILWAUKEE | LOHSE(R) | 4-10 | L | 125 | 7.5 un | O | 7 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 0 | | 6/27/2015 | GIBSON(R) | @ MILWAUKEE | GARZA(R) | 5-2 | W | 125 | 8 un | U | 7 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 0 | | 6/28/2015 | MILONE(L) | @ MILWAUKEE | FIERS(R) | 3-5 | L | 150 | 8 un | P | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | | 6/29/2015 | PELFREY(R) | @ CINCINNATI | LEAKE(R) | 7-11 | L | 150 | 7.5 ov | O | 9 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 11 | 0 | | 6/30/2015 | HUGHES(R) | @ CINCINNATI | DESCLAFANI(R) | 8-5 | W | 115 | 8 un | O | 15 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 1 | | 7/1/2015 | MAY(R) | @ CINCINNATI | CUETO(R) | 1-2 | L | 180 | 7 un | U | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1 | | 7/2/2015 | GIBSON(R) | @ KANSAS CITY | YOUNG(R) | 2-0 | W | 145 | 7.5 un | U | 10 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 | | 7/3/2015 | MILONE(L) | @ KANSAS CITY | GUTHRIE(R) | | | 7/4/2015 | PELFREY(R) | @ KANSAS CITY | BLANTON(R) | | | 7/5/2015 | SANTANA(R) | @ KANSAS CITY | DUFFY(L) | | | 7/6/2015 | HUGHES(R) | BALTIMORE | GONZALEZ(R) | | | 7/7/2015 | MAY(R) | BALTIMORE | CHEN(L) | | | 7/8/2015 | GIBSON(R) | BALTIMORE | JIMENEZ(R) | | | 7/9/2015 | PELFREY(R) | DETROIT | PRICE(L) | | | 7/10/2015 | | DETROIT | | |
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| 6/19/2015 | PINO(R) | BOSTON | RODRIGUEZ(L) | 3-7 | L | -105 | 8 un | O | 10 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 0 | | 6/20/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | BOSTON | PORCELLO(R) | 7-4 | W | -120 | 8 un | O | 11 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 1 | | 6/21/2015 | YOUNG(R) | BOSTON | MILEY(L) | 2-13 | L | -105 | 8.5 un | O | 9 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 0 | | 6/22/2015 | BLANTON(R) | @ SEATTLE | HERNANDEZ(R) | 4-1 | W | 140 | 6.5 un | U | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | | 6/23/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | @ SEATTLE | MONTGOMERY(L) | 0-7 | L | 105 | 7 ov | P | 4 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 2 | | 6/24/2015 | DUFFY(L) | @ SEATTLE | ELIAS(L) | 8-2 | W | -110 | 7 un | O | 13 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 0 | | 6/26/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | @ OAKLAND | HAHN(R) | 5-2 | W | 115 | 7 ev | P | 11 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | | 6/27/2015 | YOUNG(R) | @ OAKLAND | KAZMIR(L) | 3-2 | W | 135 | 7 un | U | 8 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | | 6/28/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | @ OAKLAND | CHAVEZ(R) | 5-3 | W | 130 | 7.5 un | O | 8 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 2 | | 6/29/2015 | BLANTON(R) | @ HOUSTON | MCCULLERS(R) | 1-6 | L | 115 | 7 un | P | 5 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | | 6/30/2015 | DUFFY(L) | @ HOUSTON | KEUCHEL(L) | 0-4 | L | 140 | 6.5 un | U | 8 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | | 7/1/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | @ HOUSTON | VELASQUEZ(R) | 5-6 | L | 105 | 7.5 un | O | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 0 | | 7/2/2015 | YOUNG(R) | MINNESOTA | GIBSON(R) | 0-2 | L | -155 | 7.5 un | U | 4 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | | 7/3/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | MINNESOTA | MILONE(L) | | | 7/4/2015 | BLANTON(R) | MINNESOTA | PELFREY(R) | | | 7/5/2015 | DUFFY(L) | MINNESOTA | SANTANA(R) | | | 7/6/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | TAMPA BAY | ODORIZZI(R) | | | 7/7/2015 | YOUNG(R) | TAMPA BAY | MOORE(L) | | | 7/8/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | TAMPA BAY | ARCHER(R) | | | 7/9/2015 | BLANTON(R) | TAMPA BAY | KARNS(R) | | | 7/10/2015 | | TORONTO | | |
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| |  | MINNESOTA: MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Paul Molitor was hired as Minnesota's new manager, bringing Hall of Fame membership and renowned intelligence and intuition to a team seeking a fresh start.
The Twins brought back one of their most popular players ever, Torii Hunter, to help solidify an unsettled outfield, mentor a fledgling team and hit a few home runs. They have collected plenty of promising young hitters, either slated for the opening day lineup or waiting in the minor league wings.
None of that will matter much if the starting pitching continues to wobble the way it has the last four seasons.
Phil Hughes had by most measures a career year, his first away from the New York Yankees, but his ability to match that is low on the list of 2015 goals. Ricky Nolasco needs to rebound from a terrible first season with the Twins. Ervin Santana must show he's worth that $55 million, four-year contract. Kyle Gibson has to reduce the times (five of 31 starts in 2014) he goes three innings or less and gives up six runs or more. The fifth spot winner, Trevor May, Tommy Milone or Mike Pelfrey, needs to keep it.
''We'd put up a couple good starts and somebody would get hurt or we'd take a step backward,'' said Hughes, whose 2014 season has been one of the few true success stories of the rotation since it unraveled in 2011. ''Every good team I've been on, it seems like the rotation gets on a roll.''
New pitching coach Neil Allen will have more impact on the staff than Molitor, but after 13 years under manager Ron Gardenhire the clubhouse has been naturally buzzing with excitement about the new boss.
''He's one of the smartest baseball people I've ever been around,'' first baseman Joe Mauer said.
As for Hunter? His presence was desired for more energy and stronger camaraderie.
''If there's no tension between players and you're comfortable with everyone, you're going to play better,'' closer Glen Perkins said. ''So that's chemistry, I guess. I think we've held it together as much as we can, as much as we've struggled.''
Here are some key angles to know about the Twins in 2015:
MAUER IMPROVEMENT
Mauer, soon to turn 32, will make $23 million each of the next four years. Injuries have limited him to an average of 116 games from 2011-14. His batting average hit a career-low .277 last season, and he had a career-most 96 strikeouts despite time lost to an oblique muscle injury.
The Twins haven't lost faith in their franchise player, the homegrown guy who was the first overall draft pick in 2001. Playing for Molitor, whom he grew up admiring as an alumnus of the same St. Paul high school, ought to help.
''He's healthy. I think he's anxious to prove that last year was just an aberration,'' general manager Terry Ryan said.
LINEUP FLEXIBILITY
Molitor has been touting his options at the top and in the middle of the order, with a team that quietly scored the third-most runs in the majors after the All-Star break last year and added an accomplished hitter in Hunter.
One decision is whether to bat Mauer third, where he was most of his career until Gardenhire began to bat him second often over the last two seasons.
With Hunter, Kennys Vargas, Trevor Plouffe and Oswaldo Arcia, Molitor has power to play with in the heart of the order. The downsides are Arcia's inconsistency, leadoff man Danny Santana being the only player with a 2014 average above .290 and an unsettled situation in center field.
''It's a small sample, our track record from last year, but it's something you can use as a foundation to see potentially how your offense can work. We're going to have depth, I think, all the way down to the bottom,'' Molitor said.
BULLPEN SHUFFLE
The Twins could return as few as three relievers to their roles from last season: Perkins, Casey Fien and Brian Duensing. Blaine Boyer and Tim Stauffer, from San Diego, were signed. At least one of the losers in the fifth starter competition was headed for the seven-man bullpen. Rule 5 draft pick J.R. Graham, who must be returned to Atlanta if he's not on the 25-man roster, has been pushing for a spot, too.
Reliever use will be one area in which Molitor's strategy could differ from that of Gardenhire.
''I want to get them out of a one-inning mentality. Not that they all have it, or don't want to pitch more. But we've talked a lot about some of those guys, trying to get two innings out of them here, if we can,'' Molitor said. | | KANSAS CITY: KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Every once in a while, Ned Yost will spin a story about his days on Bobby Cox's bench with the Atlanta Braves, back when the organization was winning NL pennants by the fistful.
Inevitably, Yost would start drawing comparisons to his Kansas City Royals - that they were building through the farm system in the same manner as the Braves, and Kansas City would embrace the franchise in the same way Atlanta did if it ever became a winner.
Last year, that narrative finally made sense.
After squeaking into the playoffs as a wild card, the Royals swept all the way to the World Series. If not for a virtuoso performance by Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants, the Royals might very well have been celebrating their second championship.
The postseason run led Yost to draw one more comparison when he arrived in Arizona for the start of a new season, and his players filed into the clubhouse for the first time.
''It definitely reminded me of that feeling in Atlanta,'' he said, ''when you came to spring training every year with the feeling that you have an opportunity to go to the World Series - instead of hoping, you know? And it's a different feeling.''
There is good reason for that feeling, too.
The Royals return most of the pieces from the club that ended a 29-year playoff drought, including one of the best bullpens in baseball history. And the pieces they did lose to free agency have been replaced with what could turn out to be upgrades.
Designated hitter Billy Butler is gone, Kendrys Morales signed in his place. Alex Rios is taking over for Nori Aoki in right field. Edinson Volquez was signed to fill the rotation spot of staff ace James Shields, who chased bigger money all the way to San Diego.
Even though a few faces have changed, the tenants that the Royals believe in have not: They will continue to rely on speed, defense and pitching to chase another playoff berth.
''Any time you're fortunate enough to keep those key pieces, you feel good,'' said Greg Holland, the Royals' All-Star closer. ''Yeah, we lost Billy and Shields and Nori, but for the most part, we're right where we need to be.''
Besides, the back end of the bullpen is still intact.
Kelvin Herrera harnessed his electrifying fastball to become a shutdown seventh-inning reliever last season. Former starter Wade Davis had a historically dominant year as the setup man. Holland further cemented his status as the AL's best closer.
''The way you tilt the field in your favor, in my opinion, is having quality pitching and really good defense,'' Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. ''Those are things that hopefully can show up every single day and perform for you.''
As the Royals approach opening day against the Chicago White Sox on April 6 at Kauffman Stadium, here are a few other story lines to watch this season:
THE ROTATION: Shields was the anchor in 2014, but he struggled mightily in the playoffs. So when the Royals signed Volquez to replace him, it was mostly met with a collective shrug.
Besides, the success of the rotation will more likely be determined by the success of young flamethrowers Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura, both of whom have ace ability.
INJURY BUGS: The Royals stayed remarkably healthy last season. Will karma even out?
Second baseman Omar Infante already missed long stretches of spring training with a bone spur in his elbow that could require surgery next offseason. Left fielder Alex Gordon also got a slow start to the spring after undergoing wrist surgery this past offseason.
SLOW STARTS: The last couple of seasons, the Royals have gotten off to slow starts. They unsuccessfully dug out of a big hole two years ago, but pulled it off last season.
Considering every other team in the AL Central appeared to get better over the winter, the Royals can ill afford to let Detroit, Cleveland and Minnesota and the White Sox bury them.
RESTING SALVY: All-Star catcher Salvador Perez faded in the playoffs in part due to his heavy work load in the regular season, where he appeared in 150 games. Yost intends to give him more days off this year, though it's hard to take his bat out of the lineup.
BASEBALL TOWN: Did the World Series run turn Kansas City into a baseball town again? The club has been overshadowed for decades by the Chiefs, who play just across the parking lot in Arrowhead stadium. How will fans respond to having the reigning AL champions? |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER AL PREVIEW (MINNESOTA-KANSAS CITY) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Twins-Royals Preview* ======================
By TAYLOR BECHTOLD STATS Writer
Minnesota (41-37) at Kansas City (44-31), 8:10 p.m. EDT
With 22-year-old Miguel Sano chipping in late, the Minnesota Twins managed to creep closer to the AL Central-leading Kansas City Royals in the series opener.
Now Tommy Milone will have some extra motivation to keep closing the gap at Kauffman Stadium.
The left-hander looks to state his case to remain in the rotation Friday night when the Twins try to move within 2 1/2 games of the division lead by handing the Royals their worst skid in 14 months.
Much like Byron Buxton last month, all eyes were on Sano in his much-anticipated debut Thursday.
The big Dominican slugger, one of the baseball's elite prospects, struck out in the fourth and sixth innings with a runner on third base before hitting an infield single in the ninth.
Danny Santana and Eduardo Escobar had RBI triples and Kyle Gibson fired eight shutout innings as the second-place Twins (42-37) improved to 3-4 on a 10-game trip with a 2-0 victory.
Minnesota will try to win two straight for the first time since a three-game run from June 17-19 by giving the ball to Milone (4-1, 3.19 ERA) in the second of this four-game series.
Milone has limited opponents to two earned runs or less in five starts since being recalled from Triple-A, going 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA over that span. He pitched two-hit ball over six scoreless innings before leaving without a decision in a 5-3 loss at Milwaukee on Sunday.
Milone is hoping to make things difficult on manager Paul Molitor, who will have to decide who stays in the rotation when Ervin Santana returns Sunday from an 80-game suspension.
"I'm not going to make (the decision) before I have to," Molitor told MLB's official website.
Milone will face the Royals for the third time this season after going 1-0 with a 5.73 ERA in the first two starts.
Lorenzo Cain went 2 for 4 with a home run off him, while Mike Moustakas was 3 for 6 with a homer.
Eric Hosmer, however, is 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in the matchup this year. He walked and had one of Kansas City's four singles Thursday after missing three games with a sprained right ring finger.
The Royals (44-32) have batted .188 while totaling six runs during their four-game skid. The defending AL champions haven't dropped five in a row since May 1-5, 2014.
"My thoughts are more on the way Gibson threw the ball than our offensive output," manager Ned Yost said.
Jeremy Guthrie (6-5, 5.68) has held opponents to three runs or less in five of his last six starts, but only has two victories over that span while receiving 12 runs of support.
The right-hander yielded two runs while fanning a season-high seven over six innings in Sunday's 5-3 win at Oakland. He's pitched particularly well at home, going 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in his last four starts.
Guthrie, 9-4 with a 3.48 ERA in 15 starts versus Minnesota, will try to avoid his second loss in the season series after giving up three runs and walking six over five innings in a 3-0 home defeat April 22.
Torii Hunter has gone 18 for 52 (.346) off him, while Joe Mauer is 9 for 26 (.346) with three home runs.
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| | Last Updated: 4/19/2024 6:23:15 AM EST. |
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