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| 929 | KANSAS CITY | +115 | Ov 6.5,-110 | -110 | Ov 6,-115 | | 930 | CHICAGO CUBS | -125 | Un 6.5,-110 | +100 | Un 6,-105 |
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| All Games | 29-18 | +10.4 | 23-20 | 4.7 | 0.282 | 0.322 | 0.426 | 0.748 | 3.7 | 0.234 | 0.300 | 0.366 | 0.666 | | Road Games | 12-11 | +1.9 | 12-9 | 4.7 | 0.282 | 0.319 | 0.428 | 0.746 | 4.5 | 0.247 | 0.316 | 0.403 | 0.719 | | vs Left-handed Starters | 10-6 | +4.1 | 5-9 | 4.4 | 0.281 | 0.316 | 0.420 | 0.736 | 3.2 | 0.227 | 0.290 | 0.312 | 0.602 | | Past 7 Games | 3-4 | -1 | 2-4 | 3.0 | 0.241 | 0.283 | 0.379 | 0.662 | 5.0 | 0.264 | 0.340 | 0.463 | 0.802 | | Grass Games | 29-18 | +10.4 | 23-20 | 4.7 | 0.282 | 0.322 | 0.426 | 0.748 | 3.7 | 0.234 | 0.300 | 0.366 | 0.666 | | Night Games | 19-12 | +6.2 | 15-15 | 4.4 | 0.280 | 0.314 | 0.415 | 0.729 | 3.5 | 0.231 | 0.300 | 0.352 | 0.652 | | Interleague | 5-1 | +4.1 | 2-3 | 4.5 | 0.285 | 0.321 | 0.435 | 0.757 | 2.2 | 0.225 | 0.285 | 0.319 | 0.604 |
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| All Games | 4.7 | 0.282 | 0.322 | 47 | 1616 | 455 | 94 | 14 | 37 | 0.426 | 210 | 96 | 267 | 28 | 317 | 43 | 27 | 37 | 15 | | Road Games | 4.7 | 0.282 | 0.319 | 23 | 837 | 236 | 49 | 5 | 21 | 0.428 | 101 | 45 | 152 | 7 | 163 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 8 | | Lefty Starters | 4.4 | 0.281 | 0.316 | 16 | 562 | 158 | 33 | 3 | 13 | 0.420 | 69 | 29 | 85 | 11 | 115 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 5 |
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| All Games | 1.85 | 1.017 | 155.3 | 35 | 32 | 105 | 11 | 53 | 134 | 10-2 | 14 | 5 | 73.7% | | Road Games | 2.22 | 1.091 | 77 | 22 | 19 | 51 | 7 | 33 | 68 | 5-2 | 5 | 4 | 55.6% |
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| All Games | 25-22 | -0.2 | 21-22 | 4.1 | 0.241 | 0.311 | 0.389 | 0.700 | 4.2 | 0.244 | 0.296 | 0.395 | 0.690 | | Home Games | 14-11 | -0.1 | 8-15 | 3.4 | 0.242 | 0.319 | 0.368 | 0.687 | 3.5 | 0.235 | 0.284 | 0.376 | 0.661 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 21-19 | -1.4 | 16-21 | 3.8 | 0.235 | 0.303 | 0.389 | 0.692 | 3.8 | 0.236 | 0.288 | 0.377 | 0.666 | | Past 7 Games | 2-5 | -4.1 | 3-4 | 3.4 | 0.215 | 0.262 | 0.381 | 0.643 | 4.3 | 0.230 | 0.286 | 0.449 | 0.735 | | Grass Games | 25-22 | -0.2 | 21-22 | 4.1 | 0.241 | 0.311 | 0.389 | 0.700 | 4.2 | 0.244 | 0.296 | 0.395 | 0.690 | | Night Games | 17-10 | +7 | 13-11 | 4.6 | 0.261 | 0.330 | 0.434 | 0.764 | 4.1 | 0.238 | 0.292 | 0.373 | 0.665 | | Interleague | 0-1 | -1.4 | 1-0 | 4.0 | 0.229 | 0.270 | 0.457 | 0.727 | 8.0 | 0.297 | 0.350 | 0.595 | 0.945 |
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| All Games | 4.1 | 0.241 | 0.311 | 47 | 1606 | 387 | 78 | 8 | 48 | 0.389 | 185 | 163 | 466 | 43 | 345 | 33 | 42 | 40 | 36 | | Home Games | 3.4 | 0.242 | 0.319 | 25 | 821 | 199 | 34 | 3 | 21 | 0.368 | 81 | 92 | 239 | 24 | 199 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 21 | | Righty Starters | 3.8 | 0.235 | 0.303 | 40 | 1355 | 319 | 65 | 7 | 43 | 0.389 | 146 | 131 | 400 | 34 | 279 | 30 | 37 | 36 | 33 |
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| All Games | 4.08 | 1.338 | 139 | 69 | 63 | 129 | 14 | 57 | 132 | 11-10 | 11 | 8 | 57.9% | | Home Games | 3.37 | 1.208 | 72 | 31 | 27 | 61 | 7 | 26 | 71 | 6-4 | 5 | 3 | 62.5% |
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| 5/16/2015 | DUFFY(L) | NY YANKEES | SABATHIA(L) | 1-5 | L | -125 | 8 un | U | 6 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 1 | | 5/17/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | NY YANKEES | CAPUANO(L) | 6-0 | W | -115 | 8 un | U | 7 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 2 | | 5/19/2015 | VENTURA(R) | CINCINNATI | CUETO(R) | 3-0 | W | -120 | 6.5 un | U | 9 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | | 5/20/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | CINCINNATI | MARQUIS(R) | 7-1 | W | -150 | 7.5 un | O | 10 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 0 | | 5/22/2015 | YOUNG(R) | ST LOUIS | LYNN(R) | 5-0 | W | -110 | 7 un | U | 11 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 0 | | 5/23/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | ST LOUIS | LACKEY(R) | 3-2 | W | -130 | 7 ev | U | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | | 5/24/2015 | VENTURA(R) | ST LOUIS | WACHA(R) | 1-6 | L | -130 | 7 ev | P | 6 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 1 | | 5/25/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | @ NY YANKEES | EOVALDI(R) | 1-14 | L | 105 | 8.5 ev | O | 8 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 0 | | 5/26/2015 | VARGAS(L) | @ NY YANKEES | WARREN(R) | 1-5 | L | -105 | 8.5 un | U | 4 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | | 5/27/2015 | YOUNG(R) | @ NY YANKEES | PINEDA(R) | 2-4 | L | 125 | 7.5 un | U | 8 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 1 | | 5/29/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | ARRIETA(R) | 8-4 | W | 135 | 8.5 un | O | 11 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 2 | | 5/30/2015 | VENTURA(R) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | WADA(L) | | | 5/31/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | @ CHICAGO CUBS | WADA(L) | | | 6/2/2015 | DUFFY(L) | CLEVELAND | CARRASCO(R) | | | 6/3/2015 | YOUNG(R) | CLEVELAND | KLUBER(R) | | | 6/4/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | CLEVELAND | BAUER(R) | | | 6/5/2015 | | TEXAS | | | | 6/6/2015 | | TEXAS | | |
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| 5/16/2015 | LESTER(L) | PITTSBURGH | COLE(R) | 4-1 | W | +100 | 8 ov | U | 8 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 3 | | 5/17/2015 | ARRIETA(R) | PITTSBURGH | BURNETT(R) | 0-3 | L | -140 | 10 un | U | 5 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 1 | | 5/19/2015 | HAMMEL(R) | @ SAN DIEGO | SHIELDS(R) | 3-4 | L | 110 | 6.5 ov | O | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | | 5/20/2015 | WADA(L) | @ SAN DIEGO | ROSS(R) | 3-2 | W | 125 | 7 un | U | 5 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | | 5/21/2015 | HENDRICKS(R) | @ SAN DIEGO | DESPAIGNE(R) | 3-0 | W | -115 | 7 un | U | 7 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | | 5/22/2015 | LESTER(L) | @ ARIZONA | COLLMENTER(R) | 4-5 | L | -120 | 8.5 un | O | 11 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 1 | | 5/23/2015 | ARRIETA(R) | @ ARIZONA | DE LA ROSA(R) | 9-6 | W | -125 | 8 un | O | 8 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 1 | | 5/24/2015 | HAMMEL(R) | @ ARIZONA | HELLICKSON(R) | 3-4 | L | -130 | 8.5 ov | U | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | | 5/25/2015 | WADA(L) | WASHINGTON | ROARK(R) | 1-2 | L | -115 | 11 un | U | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | | 5/26/2015 | HENDRICKS(R) | WASHINGTON | ZIMMERMANN(R) | 3-2 | W | -110 | 10 ev | U | 9 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | | 5/27/2015 | LESTER(L) | WASHINGTON | SCHERZER(R) | 0-3 | L | +115 | 6.5 ov | U | 7 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 0 | | 5/29/2015 | ARRIETA(R) | KANSAS CITY | VOLQUEZ(R) | 4-8 | L | -145 | 8.5 un | O | 8 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 0 | | 5/30/2015 | WADA(L) | KANSAS CITY | VENTURA(R) | | | 5/31/2015 | WADA(L) | KANSAS CITY | GUTHRIE(R) | | | 6/1/2015 | HENDRICKS(R) | @ MIAMI | URENA(R) | | | 6/2/2015 | LESTER(L) | @ MIAMI | HAND(L) | | | 6/3/2015 | ARRIETA(R) | @ MIAMI | HAREN(R) | | | 6/4/2015 | HAMMEL(R) | @ WASHINGTON | GONZALEZ(L) | | | 6/5/2015 | | @ WASHINGTON | | | | 6/6/2015 | | @ WASHINGTON | | |
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| |  | 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? | | CHICAGO CUBS: CHICAGO (AP) - Standing in the shade on a beautiful afternoon in Arizona, Jon Lester embraced the question that hovers over the Chicago Cubs these days.
When it comes to all those highly touted prospects, Lester said the time is now.
''When I played in Boston, we didn't have time to grow up,'' the left-hander explained. ''You just had to show up and play, and each year you're expected to win, so that's how I feel. Every year they should come in and expect to be not only division winners, but World Series champions. If you don't have that mindset, then I think you're playing for the wrong reasons.''
Heady stuff for a franchise known mostly for futility, but the Cubs think it's a new era after five consecutive losing seasons.
The shift in thinking for president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and the rest of the front office was evident during an aggressive offseason that included the addition of Joe Maddon after the veteran manager opted out of his contract with Tampa Bay, and a $155 million, six-year contract to add Lester.
The hiring of Maddon meant dumping Rick Renteria after just one year, and Lester's deal is a significant investment for a pitcher who turned 31 in January. But looking at their good young core and rich minor league system, the Cubs felt it was time to act.
''There's a lot of talent here. Now it's about executing,'' Lester said. ''It's going out and playing good baseball for six months. It's hard to do. But that's why we're here. We're going to figure it out as we go.''
The Cubs, who also acquired center fielder Dexter Fowler and catcher Miguel Montero in trades, should be much improved after their 73-89 finish in 2014. But going from last place to the playoffs could depend more on the development of Chicago's top prospects than its newest players.
Jorge Soler takes over in right field after making his major league debut in August and drawing raves for his approach at the plate in the season's final month. Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara and Kris Bryant - all 20-something position players with considerable potential - also are key to the Cubs' chance for a breakthrough.
''You don't really read enough about their personalities and their makeup. That to me makes them real prospects,'' Maddon said. ''There's a lot of guys who throw 95 mph and hit balls out of sight. But with the makeup, personality and character ... that's what really turns me on to this group.''
Here are a few more things to watch with the Cubs:
UNDER THE RADAR: Jake Arrieta was a pleasant surprise, finishing with a 10-5 record and a sparkling 2.53 ERA in 25 starts last year. He struck out 167 in 156 2-3 innings and allowed just five homers.
Arrieta, 29, began last season on the disabled list with right shoulder tightness but looked healthy this spring and could team with Lester to give Chicago a potent top of the rotation.
''There's always room to improve. There's always things to get better at,'' Arrieta said. ''There's a right way to go about doing that, and I think that there's some things that I can clean up and kind of use in regard to what I did last season to make it even better.''
AT THE PLATE: The Cubs struck out a major league-high 1,477 times last season, and their .300 on-base percentage was 28th among 30 teams. They had six players with at least 100 strikeouts.
The addition of Fowler, who had a .375 on-base percentage last season with Houston, should help the top of the order, and the pressure is on new hitting coach John Mallee to help Baez and the other young hitters make more consistent contact.
IN THE DUGOUT: Maddon is one of the game's most creative managers, and the move to the NL and one of the game's most quirky ballparks in Wrigley Field could lead to all sorts of different lineups. He could put the pitcher in the eighth slot in the lineup in some situations. Pretty much everything is on the table when it comes to Maddon.
IN THE FIELD: The majors' second-oldest ballpark is undergoing a major renovation that could affect its notoriously fickle wind, which can turn innocent fly balls into homers and long drives into outs. A massive new videoboard is expected to be in place by opening day, but the bleachers will be under construction for the first part of the season. How the work on the ballpark affects the  the field remains to be seen. |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (KANSAS CITY-CHICAGO CUBS) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Royals-Cubs Preview* =====================
By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer
Kansas City (28-18) at Chicago (25-21), 7:15 p.m. EDT
The Kansas City Royals' lineup hasn't been performing consistently lately but had one of its better efforts in the series opener against the Chicago Cubs.
They might have an opportunity to build on their showing with Alex Rios expected to return from injury Saturday night at Wrigley Field.
Kansas City (29-18) is batting .246 and averaging 3.5 runs in its last 11 games, a significant decrease from its .291 average and 5.1 runs per contest in its first 36. The Royals have scored three runs or fewer seven times in the last 11, including each of their season-high four consecutive losses.
They ended that skid with an 8-4 victory over the Cubs on Friday and totaled 11 hits with a trio of solo homers. Kansas City also benefited from a pair of Chicago errors in their highest-scoring performance since a 12-1 win over the New York Yankees on May 15.
The Royals look to improve to 6-1 against the NL in Rios' scheduled return from a fractured left hand. The outfielder hasn't played since getting hit by a pitch in Minnesota on April 13 and the career .279 hitter was batting .321 with eight RBIs in his first seven games with the team.
"He was really swinging the bat good when he left," manager Ned Yost said. "But it may take him some time."
Yost gives the ball to Yordano Ventura, who is seeking a second win in eight starts. The right-hander threw seven innings in a 3-0 victory against Cincinnati on May 19 but took a 6-1 loss to St. Louis on Sunday, allowing four runs in seven innings.
Ventura (3-4, 4.64 ERA) is pitching his first game in Chicago since the Royals' bench-clearing brawl with the White Sox on April 23, which led to a seven-game suspension. He's appeared to calm down following three confrontations in his first four games.
Ventura will make his first start against the Cubs (25-22), who are batting .206 while averaging 3.0 runs during a 4-7 stretch. Chicago, the majors' leader with 466 strikeouts, has fanned 29 times in the past two games with 15 Friday.
"They showed why they went to the World Series last year. We showed why we're not ready yet," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
Tsuyoshi Wada (0-0, 2.70) will make his first start versus the Royals after Jason Hammel was pushed back to Sunday.
The left-hander has pitched in two games since returning from a strained groin and yielded one run in 5 1-3 innings in Monday's 2-1 loss to Washington. He has struck out 15 over 10 innings and while right-handed hitters are batting .194 (6 for 31) with a home run and double against him, lefties are 2 for 5 with a homer and double.
The Royals rank second in the majors with a .293 average against southpaws.
The only Cubs to face Ventura - Dexter Fowler, Miguel Montero and David Ross - are a combined 5 for 10 with one home run and two doubles.
Montero is batting .370 with a home run and five doubles while hitting safely in 11 of his last 12 games against the Royals.
Kansas City's Omar Infante is hitting .371 in his past 18 versus the Cubs.
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| | Last Updated: 4/19/2024 9:55:07 PM EST. |
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