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KANSAS CITY ( CUETO )
DETROIT ( BOYD ) |
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| 971 | KANSAS CITY | -155 | Ov 8,-115 | -155 | Ov 8,-115 | | 972 | DETROIT | +145 | Un 8,-105 | +145 | Un 8,-105 |
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| All Games | 63-42 | +20 | 44-50 | 4.3 | 0.269 | 0.311 | 0.406 | 0.717 | 3.7 | 0.246 | 0.308 | 0.388 | 0.696 | | Road Games | 29-24 | +7.8 | 23-24 | 4.2 | 0.261 | 0.300 | 0.396 | 0.696 | 4.0 | 0.246 | 0.314 | 0.398 | 0.712 | | vs Left-handed Starters | 19-17 | +2.5 | 12-20 | 3.9 | 0.266 | 0.302 | 0.391 | 0.693 | 4.0 | 0.250 | 0.309 | 0.380 | 0.689 | | Past 7 Games | 3-4 | -0.8 | 3-4 | 3.6 | 0.214 | 0.230 | 0.333 | 0.563 | 5.3 | 0.287 | 0.362 | 0.473 | 0.835 | | Grass Games | 62-39 | +21.9 | 42-48 | 4.3 | 0.272 | 0.314 | 0.409 | 0.724 | 3.6 | 0.245 | 0.305 | 0.385 | 0.690 | | Night Games | 41-29 | +9.9 | 28-35 | 4.1 | 0.269 | 0.308 | 0.395 | 0.703 | 3.4 | 0.242 | 0.303 | 0.371 | 0.674 | | Division | 27-16 | +10.6 | 18-21 | 4.3 | 0.267 | 0.316 | 0.403 | 0.718 | 3.3 | 0.237 | 0.298 | 0.362 | 0.660 |
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| All Games | 4.3 | 0.269 | 0.311 | 105 | 3581 | 965 | 182 | 27 | 84 | 0.406 | 433 | 216 | 607 | 62 | 679 | 105 | 59 | 91 | 54 | | Road Games | 4.2 | 0.261 | 0.300 | 53 | 1884 | 491 | 91 | 12 | 47 | 0.396 | 209 | 105 | 339 | 18 | 345 | 59 | 34 | 42 | 25 | | Lefty Starters | 3.9 | 0.266 | 0.302 | 36 | 1264 | 336 | 66 | 4 | 28 | 0.391 | 137 | 65 | 210 | 22 | 253 | 35 | 32 | 29 | 18 |
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| All Games | 2.27 | 1.088 | 349.3 | 96 | 88 | 264 | 23 | 116 | 314 | 21-6 | 35 | 10 | 77.8% | | Road Games | 2.62 | 1.134 | 172 | 53 | 50 | 122 | 16 | 73 | 157 | 8-5 | 18 | 6 | 75% |
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| All Games | 51-55 | -5.8 | 58-44 | 4.4 | 0.275 | 0.328 | 0.429 | 0.757 | 4.8 | 0.270 | 0.325 | 0.440 | 0.765 | | Home Games | 25-28 | -8.4 | 28-23 | 4.5 | 0.285 | 0.339 | 0.435 | 0.775 | 4.7 | 0.265 | 0.323 | 0.429 | 0.752 | | vs Right-handed Starters | 36-44 | -9.7 | 43-33 | 4.5 | 0.272 | 0.321 | 0.424 | 0.744 | 4.8 | 0.269 | 0.322 | 0.439 | 0.761 | | Past 7 Games | 3-4 | +0.5 | 3-3 | 4.1 | 0.267 | 0.299 | 0.432 | 0.731 | 5.6 | 0.266 | 0.308 | 0.468 | 0.776 | | Grass Games | 50-53 | -5.2 | 57-43 | 4.5 | 0.277 | 0.331 | 0.433 | 0.764 | 4.8 | 0.270 | 0.325 | 0.437 | 0.762 | | Night Games | 25-38 | -15.2 | 31-28 | 3.8 | 0.260 | 0.313 | 0.398 | 0.711 | 5.1 | 0.281 | 0.333 | 0.465 | 0.798 | | Division | 27-18 | +8.1 | 27-18 | 4.9 | 0.290 | 0.348 | 0.458 | 0.807 | 4.3 | 0.264 | 0.310 | 0.404 | 0.714 |
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| All Games | 4.4 | 0.275 | 0.328 | 106 | 3693 | 1014 | 185 | 33 | 106 | 0.429 | 447 | 295 | 818 | 63 | 715 | 133 | 52 | 102 | 44 | | Home Games | 4.5 | 0.285 | 0.339 | 53 | 1829 | 521 | 100 | 20 | 45 | 0.435 | 228 | 151 | 376 | 33 | 376 | 68 | 29 | 54 | 29 | | Righty Starters | 4.5 | 0.272 | 0.321 | 80 | 2804 | 763 | 139 | 23 | 80 | 0.424 | 340 | 201 | 614 | 46 | 525 | 98 | 42 | 76 | 25 |
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| All Games | 4.39 | 1.447 | 311.7 | 160 | 152 | 334 | 35 | 117 | 258 | 13-15 | 25 | 11 | 69.4% | | Home Games | 3.98 | 1.430 | 163 | 77 | 72 | 171 | 16 | 62 | 131 | 8-8 | 9 | 5 | 64.3% |
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| 7/22/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | PITTSBURGH | MORTON(R) | 5-1 | W | -125 | 7.5 ev | U | 9 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | | 7/23/2015 | YOUNG(R) | @ ST LOUIS | LACKEY(R) | 3-4 | L | 130 | 7 un | P | 10 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | | 7/24/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | HOUSTON | KAZMIR(L) | 0-4 | L | +100 | 8 un | U | 4 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 0 | | 7/25/2015 | DUFFY(L) | HOUSTON | FELDMAN(R) | 2-1 | W | -140 | 8 un | U | 7 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | | 7/26/2015 | VENTURA(R) | HOUSTON | KEUCHEL(L) | 5-1 | W | +105 | 7 un | U | 11 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | | 7/27/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | @ CLEVELAND | ANDERSON(R) | 9-4 | W | -110 | 7.5 ov | O | 11 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 1 | | 7/28/2015 | YOUNG(R) | @ CLEVELAND | BAUER(R) | 2-1 | W | 105 | 7.5 ov | U | 5 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 1 | | 7/29/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | @ CLEVELAND | KLUBER(R) | 1-12 | L | 160 | 7.5 un | O | 5 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 0 | | 7/30/2015 | DUFFY(L) | @ TORONTO | ESTRADA(R) | 2-5 | L | 115 | 9 ev | U | 5 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | | 7/31/2015 | CUETO(R) | @ TORONTO | HUTCHISON(R) | 6-7 | L | 100 | 7.5 ov | O | 10 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 9 | 1 | | 8/1/2015 | VENTURA(R) | @ TORONTO | BUEHRLE(L) | 7-6 | W | 115 | 8 un | O | 9 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 1 | | 8/2/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | @ TORONTO | DICKEY(R) | 2-5 | L | 135 | 8.5 ov | U | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 0 | | 8/4/2015 | DUFFY(L) | @ DETROIT | VERLANDER(R) | 5-1 | W | -115 | 8.5 ev | U | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | | 8/5/2015 | CUETO(R) | @ DETROIT | BOYD(L) | | | 8/6/2015 | VENTURA(R) | @ DETROIT | SANCHEZ(R) | | | 8/7/2015 | VOLQUEZ(R) | CHI WHITE SOX | DANKS(L) | | | 8/8/2015 | GUTHRIE(R) | CHI WHITE SOX | SAMARDZIJA(R) | | | 8/9/2015 | DUFFY(L) | CHI WHITE SOX | QUINTANA(L) | | | 8/10/2015 | CUETO(R) | DETROIT | BOYD(L) | | | 8/11/2015 | VENTURA(R) | DETROIT | SANCHEZ(R) | | | 8/12/2015 | | DETROIT | | |
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| 7/22/2015 | SANCHEZ(R) | SEATTLE | MONTGOMERY(L) | 9-4 | W | -135 | 8.5 un | O | 13 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 2 | | 7/23/2015 | PRICE(L) | SEATTLE | IWAKUMA(R) | 2-3 | L | -160 | 7.5 un | U | 10 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | | 7/24/2015 | VERLANDER(R) | @ BOSTON | PORCELLO(R) | 1-2 | L | 135 | 9 un | U | 7 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | | 7/25/2015 | SIMON(R) | @ BOSTON | WRIGHT(R) | 5-1 | W | 115 | 9.5 un | U | 9 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | | 7/26/2015 | GREENE(R) | @ BOSTON | RODRIGUEZ(L) | 1-11 | L | 140 | 9.5 un | O | 3 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 11 | 1 | | 7/27/2015 | SANCHEZ(R) | @ TAMPA BAY | KARNS(R) | 2-5 | L | 105 | 7 un | P | 5 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 0 | | 7/28/2015 | PRICE(L) | @ TAMPA BAY | ODORIZZI(R) | 2-10 | L | -115 | 6.5 un | O | 9 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | | 7/29/2015 | VERLANDER(R) | @ TAMPA BAY | ARCHER(R) | 2-1 | W | 160 | 6.5 un | U | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | | 7/30/2015 | SIMON(R) | @ BALTIMORE | GONZALEZ(R) | 9-8 | W | 130 | 8.5 un | O | 16 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | | 7/31/2015 | FARMER(R) | @ BALTIMORE | CHEN(L) | 7-8 | L | 160 | 8.5 ov | O | 16 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 0 | | 8/1/2015 | SANCHEZ(R) | @ BALTIMORE | GAUSMAN(R) | 2-6 | L | 140 | 8 un | P | 6 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 0 | | 8/2/2015 | NORRIS(L) | @ BALTIMORE | JIMENEZ(R) | 6-1 | W | 170 | 9 un | U | 9 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | | 8/4/2015 | VERLANDER(R) | KANSAS CITY | DUFFY(L) | 1-5 | L | +105 | 8.5 ev | U | 5 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 0 | | 8/5/2015 | BOYD(L) | KANSAS CITY | CUETO(R) | | | 8/6/2015 | SANCHEZ(R) | KANSAS CITY | VENTURA(R) | | | 8/7/2015 | NORRIS(L) | BOSTON | KELLY(R) | | | 8/8/2015 | SIMON(R) | BOSTON | MILEY(L) | | | 8/9/2015 | VERLANDER(R) | BOSTON | OWENS(L) | | | 8/10/2015 | BOYD(L) | @ KANSAS CITY | CUETO(R) | | | 8/11/2015 | SANCHEZ(R) | @ KANSAS CITY | VENTURA(R) | | | 8/12/2015 | | @ KANSAS CITY | | |
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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? | | DETROIT: DETROIT (AP) - The Detroit Tigers had barely finished celebrating a fourth straight division title last year when they were dispatched from the playoffs by Baltimore in a Division Series sweep. Then Kansas City - the team the Tigers fought so hard to hold off in the AL Central - rolled to the AL pennant and came within a game of winning the World Series.
It was enough to turn the Tigers into October afterthoughts for the first time in a while, and now it's fair to wonder whether Detroit's best chance to claim baseball's ultimate prize with its current core of stars has already come and gone.
''I'm not worried about what people are saying about us. I'm more worried about how we perform,'' manager Brad Ausmus said. ''I feel like this team is a winning team. This is a team that has an opportunity to win a World Series.''
The Tigers edged Kansas City by one game in the division last year in Ausmus' first season as manager, and their 90-72 record was similar enough to their previous work during this run of postseason appearances, but a three-game sweep at the hands of the Orioles snapped Detroit's streak of three straight trips to the AL Championship Series.
Then the Tigers lost Max Scherzer in the offseason, and it remains to be seen how much longer Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and Victor Martinez can keep this team's run of success going.
Cabrera and Martinez each missed a chunk of the exhibition schedule after offseason surgery. Verlander is coming off a down year and has been displaced as Detroit's opening-day starter by left-hander David Price.
Over the past three seasons, the Tigers have fought off challenges in the division from the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland and Kansas City - but those teams essentially made their bids for first place one at a time. Now all three appear poised to threaten Detroit's reign.
''I think quietly, I've said for the last two or three years, I've said we have the best division in baseball. Nobody really talked about it because there weren't sexy names besides the Tigers, who had won however many straight and been to a couple World Series and had a lot of star power,'' Verlander said. ''The Royals won the pennant last year so, obviously, what I was saying wasn't just hogwash. We see all the teams in the AL quite enough, and I know that these teams are good enough to make our division one of the best in baseball.''
Here are a few things to watch as the Tigers try to make it five division championships in a row:
ON THE MEND: Cabrera had offseason surgery on his right foot and Martinez had an operation to repair his left knee. Their health is crucial, but the Tigers also are hoping for big contributions from shortstop Jose Iglesias and reliever Bruce Rondon, both of whom missed all of 2014 with injuries.
NEW-LOOK ROTATION: Scherzer isn't the only player gone from last year's starting staff. Rick Porcello was traded in a deal that brought Yoenis Cespedes to Detroit, so the Tigers had two openings in their rotation. They filled them by acquiring Shane Greene from the New York Yankees and Alfredo Simon from Cincinnati.
BULLPEN BLUES: Closer Joe Nathan is back after a rocky first season in Detroit. If the Tigers run out of patience with Nathan, Joakim Soria also returns. He was acquired shortly before the trade deadline last year, but his impact was limited, in part because of injury.
EXTRA POWER: J.D. Martinez provided a surprisingly productive bat last year after joining the Tigers, and the trade for Cespedes also gave Detroit some additional pop to supplement Cabrera and Victor Martinez.
NEW ACE?: Price is slated to start on opening day, a sign of just how much the Tigers are leaning on him after Scherzer's departure. He was acquired at the trade deadline last year, and Detroit is hoping the trio of Price, Verlander and Anibal Sanchez will make for a pretty impressive anchor to the pitching staff. |
| | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER AL PREVIEW (KANSAS CITY-DETROIT) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Royals-Tigers Preview* =======================
By JORDAN GARRETSON STATS Writer
Kansas City (62-42) at Detroit (51-54), 7:08 p.m. EDT
Johnny Cueto was solid and workmanlike in his Royals debut against baseball's best offense.
He could be in line for a more dominant outing Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers, who have been bottled up in recent meetings with Kansas City.
Cueto, one of the most highly sought-after players at last week's trade deadline, faced a tough assignment in his first start for his new club. He gave up three runs over six innings of Kansas City's 7-6 loss Friday at Toronto, which averages a major league-best 5.3 runs. He exited with a 5-3 lead.
"He pitched really well," manager Ned Yost told MLB's official website.
The six runs of support were more than he received in 18 of his 19 outings for Cincinnati.
He matched up with Detroit for the first time in his career June 17, allowing three runs - all on a Miguel Cabrera homer - over 5 1-3 innings. Cabrera remains sidelined with a strained calf, and Cueto has given up one home run over 46 innings since that outing.
The Tigers (51-55) were limited to five hits in Tuesday's 5-1 loss, a tenuous start to a new era of sorts for the franchise. It was the first game since announcing Dave Dombrowski's exit as president and general manager earlier in the day, a move that surprised many. He was replaced by Al Avila, who had served as Dombrowski's assistant since 2002.
Detroit has won a franchise-record four consecutive division titles under Dombrowski's watch, a streak nearly certain to end this year with the Tigers 12 1/2 games behind the first-place Royals (63-42).
"This does not mean we have given up on this season," said Avila, father of catcher Alex Avila. "We were sellers at the deadline, but we still have a good enough nucleus to win this season. The pedal is still to the metal."
Avila's words ring somewhat hollow given the reality of the Tigers' situation, though. They're in danger of falling five games below .500 for the first time since they were 28-33 through June 12, 2012.
Detroit has been run-deprived lately in the series, scoring two runs or fewer in seven of the last nine meetings with only two homers. The Tigers have also tallied two or fewer in eight of 12 overall, and dropped eight of 13 at home.
The Royals had lost four of five before Salvador Perez went 3 for 4 with his 16th home run and three RBIs on Tuesday. He's one homer away from tying last year's career high and is batting .359 in his last eight matchups.
Perez and company will face rookie left-hander Matt Boyd (0-2, 14.85), who was acquired from Toronto in last week's David Price deal.
He hasn't pitched in the majors since a horrendous second career start July 2 when he failed to record an out in a 12-6 loss to Boston, giving up seven runs and six hits, including back-to-back homers.
"Count on me learning from this and being better from this," he said. "It won't happen again."
Boyd will be looking to draw on the minor league success he's had this year, going 9-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 19 starts spanning three clubs.
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| | Last Updated: 4/19/2024 1:36:13 AM EST. |
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