KC Royals - An OOTP 25 Narrated Playthrough - Day 1

[Biggp07]

We got a solid pitching performance from Brady Singer, throwing for 90 pitches across 7.0 innings. The bullpen came out strong as well, with J. Lyles mopping up and Brennan Bernardino closing, each tossing for an inning. It was a satisfying win to say the least, and nice to get a second night in a row in front of the home crowd.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Singer W  (3-5) 7.0 5 3 3  0  3 0  90 4.68   
J. Lyles  H   (2)  1.0 2 0 0  0  0 0  13 3.58    
B. Bernardino SV(1)1.0 2 0 0  0  1 0  12 2.70

Batters Faced: B. Singer 27, J. Lyles 4, B. Bernardino 5
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Singer 6-10, J. Lyles 1-1, B. Bernardino 1-1
Pitches - Strikes: B. Singer 90-60, J. Lyles 13-11, B. Bernardino 12-9
WP: B. Singer
Hit Batsmen: B. Singer 2

Game Summary – June 8th – Seattle Funk Reaches 6 Games



Brady Singer had a strong outing for the Kansas City Royals against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. The right-hander was a big part of his team's 6-3 win. Seattle has now lost 6 in a row. An inflection point occurred with one out in the bottom of the fourth. That's when Royals’ second baseman Adam Frazier hit a fastball from Bryan Woo for a 2-run single. Just like that, Kansas City was up, 4-3. Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard commended his team for exhibiting "no shortage of effort."

We got a strong debut outing from LF Javier Vaz, grabbing 2 hits, 2 runs, and 1 stolen base in 4 ABs.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Brady Singer
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Partly Cloudy (74 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 12 mph
Start Time: 3:10 PM CT
Time: 2:57
Attendance: 26410

[Biggp07]

Unfortunately, SS Bobby Witt Jr. lost his third place in the voting to SS Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles. However, SP Cole Ragans continues to receive third-place votes, currently standing at 624,201, and our recent trade acquisition RP Brennan Bernadino has received 527,490 votes to put him in 5th place as a reliever.

RF Juan Soto remains the top vote getter with 1,586,961 votes.
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We finally got our first series sweep! Feels nice to be in a winning streak for once. Unfortunately, Cole Ragans was taken out of the game early pending a diagnosis of his shoulder. I had a funny feeling that I might be pushing him a bit too hard over the 90-pitch limit, but he always insisted he was feeling fine. His fragility has always bothered me; now it’s staring us in the face right before our home series with the Yankees. Damnit! Bullpen came through for us, though keeping Seattle to only 3 runs on 3 hits, most of which came on Schieber’s closing. He’s testing me as a closer.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
C. Ragans          1.1 2 1 1  0  3 1  21 2.79    
J. Lyles           3.0 1 0 0  0  1 0  39 3.32    
J. Taylor W  (1-0) 1.2 0 0 0  0  1 0  17 4.05    
C. Stratton H (3)  2.0 0 0 0  0  2 0  19 3.25    
J. Schreiber       1.0 3 3 3  1  1 2  25 3.75

Batters Faced: C. Ragans 6, J. Lyles 10, J. Taylor 4, C. Stratton 6, J. Schreiber 7
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: C. Ragans 1-0, J. Lyles 1-7, J. Taylor 3-0, C. Stratton 1-3, J. Schreiber 2-0
Pitches - Strikes: C. Ragans 21-15, J. Lyles 39-22, J. Taylor 17-10, C. Stratton 19 12, J. Schreiber 25-13
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Taylor 1-0

Game Summary – June 9th – Mariners Lose Again, 7-4, to Royals



Sam Haggerty had a hand in Kansas City defeating Seattle by the score of 7-4. Haggerty went 2 for 4 at the plate, scoring 1 time and driving in 2 runs. Josh Taylor picked up the win in relief, improving his record to 1-0. Luis Castillo, who is tied for 4th in the AL in innings pitched with 97.0, was tagged with the loss. The losses continue to mount for Seattle, which has now dropped 7 in a row. Kansas City grabbed the momentum in the bottom of the fifth, when Haggerty hit a 2-run double off Luis Castillo. His 5th double of the season put the Royals out in front, 3-1.

"Nice to tuck this win away," said Haggerty.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Sam Haggerty
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (83 degrees), wind blowing in from the left at 11 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:04
Attendance: 31910
Special Notes: SP Cole Ragans was injured while pitching. CF Julio Rodriguez was injured while running the bases.

[Biggp07]

Today, we begin a 4-game series with the New York Yankees at home. With a record of 43 wins and 24 losses, the Yankees have a winning percentage of .642. They are in 2nd place in the East Division, 0.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 370 ranks 1st in the American League, and their .252 batting average ranks 5th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 272 runs (tied for 2nd) with their starters compiling an ERA of 3.51, which ranks 1st. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.16, ranking 12th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP S. Lugo (2-5, 4.79 ERA) vs RHP M. Stroman (7-2, 2.78 ERA)
RHP C. Hernandez (2-3, 5.54 ERA) vs RHP L. Gil (4-2, 4.28 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (2-6, 4.45 ERA) vs LHP C. Rodón (3-3, 4.76 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (3-5, 4.68 ERA) vs LHP N. Cortes (8-3, 2.99 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. RF Aaron Judge (Age: 32, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. RF Juan Soto (25, 80, 80)
3. CL Clay Holmes (31, 60, 60)
4. SP Marcus Stroman (33, 60, 60)
5. 2B Gleyber Torres (27, 55, 55)

Game Summary – June 10th – Royals Yankees First Game Rainout

Rescheduled for June 11th

June 11th
We received the diagnosis on Cole Ragans this morning. He will be out for approximately three months due to shoulder inflammation. I hope Kyle Turner can get him healthy sooner, but I won’t hold my breath. So, he goes on the 60-day IL, and I’ll bring up Kris Bubic from Omaha to take his place. It’s certainly not ideal, but Bubic is a lefty, and I want to have at least one in the rotation. Lugo gets the first start tonight, then Bubic will follow as the second starter. This might be a good time to think about an opener-follower setup using Bernadino and Hernandez for the third game. It’s been a while since I’ve run a rotation like that, but I think I could make it work.

Game#1 Summary – June 11th – Royals Lose at Home, 4-3, to New York



The New York Yankees took Kansas City pitcher Seth Lugo's best shot and still were able to claim a win at Kauffman Stadium. The final score had New York getting past the Royals, 4-3. Lugo went 6 innings and allowed 1 run, striking out 4. Marcus Stroman got the win, improving to 8-2. He worked 7.2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits, while striking out 6 and walking 3. Clay Holmes notched his 25th save in 29 chances. New York used the timely hitting of Trent Grisham to seize the win. The center fielder stroked a 2-run single in the top of the seventh inning to put the Yankees on top, 3-1. It was his only hit in 5 at-bats, but it was a game-changer.

"I'm just trying to make good contact," said Grisham, "one at-bat at a time." The win elevated the Yankees to 44-24.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
S. Lugo           6.0  4 1 1  2  4 1  93 4.37    
C. Stratton L(4-5)1.0  2 2 0  0  1 0  22 3.16    
S. Long           1.2  2 1 1  0  0 0  29 0.67    
A. Claudio        0.1  0 0 0  0  0 0  5  3.38

Batters Faced: S. Lugo 24, C. Stratton 6, S. Long 7, A. Claudio 1
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Lugo 3-10, C. Stratton 0-2, S. Long 1-4, A. Claudio 1 0
Pitches - Strikes: S. Lugo 93-63, C. Stratton 22-16, S. Long 29-18, A. Claudio 5-2
WP: C. Stratton
Hit Batsmen: S. Lugo
Balk: C. Stratton



We nearly notched a win towards the end of this one, but it was a good battle with a good team. Looking forward to this next one.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Seth Lugo
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (76 degrees), wind blowing in from the center at 10 mph
Start Time: 3:05 PM CT
Time: 3:12
Attendance: 23296

Game#2 Summary – June 11th – Yankees Edge Royals, 7-6



New York second baseman Gleyber Torres contributed significantly to his team's 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. Torres, who is tied for 6th in the AL in runs scored with 45, went 3 for 3 with 1 run scored to lead the offensive attack for the Yankees. New York pitcher Victor Gonzalez got the win. He's now 7-1. Will Smith was tagged with the loss. New York raised its record to 45- 24 with the win. Who knows how it might've ended, had it not been for J.T. Realmuto? The New York catcher had a run-scoring single in the top of the eighth inning to put the Yankees on top, 6-5. For the game, Realmuto had 1 double and 2 singles in 4 at-bats.

"We got the victory," said Realmuto. "That's all that matters at the end of the day."

Another close game with this team. That tells me something; I just wish I knew exactly what it is. We led a couple of times but couldn’t hang on to it, and we ran through our bullpen too deep for a 4-game series. We might have to call up a couple of fresh relievers just to get through the series at least slightly rested. Doesn’t help that I wanted to keep Bernadino well rested for his opener tomorrow night. We’ll see how the guys are tomorrow.



GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Gleyber Torres
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (71 degrees), wind blowing out to left at 12 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:41
Attendance: 24016

[Biggp07]

Game Summary – June 12th – Yankees Deal Royals 9-7 Loss



The New York Yankees topped the Kansas City Royals by a score of 9-7. Leading the way was third baseman DJ LeMahieu. LeMahieu was 2 for 4 with 2 singles and a walk, while adding 2 RBI and scoring once for the Yankees. The Yankees bumped their record to 46-24 with this latest triumph. The game was at a stalemate until second baseman Gleyber Torres came to bat in the top of the tenth. Facing Kansas City pitcher Jordan Lyles, he hit a first-pitch knuckle curve for a run-scoring single. It was a game-changer, putting New York on top, 6-5.

"We'll take some time to unwind," said Torres, "and then get after it again."

My opener/follower strategy worked only ok and kept us in the game long enough to go into extra innings. New York just has some hitters that are hard to get out of the box on strikes.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Bernardino     1.2  2 1 1  1  4 0  35 3.60    
C. Hernandez      5.0  6 4 4  3  1 0  92 5.73    
A. Claudio        0.1  1 0 0  0  0 0  4  3.00    
J. Lyles L   (3-3)3.0  3 4 1  0  2 0  38 3.30

Batters Faced: B. Bernardino 8, C. Hernandez 24, A. Claudio 1, J. Lyles 13
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Bernardino 0-1, C. Hernandez 8-6, A. Claudio 0-0, J. Lyles 2-5
Pitches - Strikes: B. Bernardino 35-19, C. Hernandez 92-49, A. Claudio 4-3, J. Lyles 38-28
Inherited Runners - Scored: C. Hernandez 2-0, A. Claudio 1-0

We have had some close and good games with NY this series, but have yet to come out a winner. I’m hoping we get at least this last game.
Nick Loftin got hurt early with a leg injury while running the basepaths, so he’ll get a 10-day IL stint, and we’ll look to bring up David Schnieder, whom we picked up in a trade with Toronto during pre-season. He’s crushing right now in Triple-A, so he gets the call for now.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: DJ LeMahieu
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (72 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 10 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:44
Attendance: 23880
Special Notes: 3B Nick Loftin was injured while running the bases.

[Biggp07]

I’m tired of losing to the Yankees!

Game Summary – June 13th – New York Beats Kansas City, 7-4



New York Yankees starter Nestor Cortes found his groove in his team's 7-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. The Royals, now 30-41, have lost 4 in a row. The result might have been different, had it not been for three-time All-Star DJ LeMahieu. LeMahieu had a 2-run double in the top of the eighth inning to put the Yankees ahead, 5-1. For the game, LeMahieu had 1 double and 1 single in 3 at-bats.

"Nestor went out and did what we needed," said New York manager Aaron Boone.

Have I mentioned yet that I hate the Yankees?

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Nestor Cortes
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (78 degrees), wind blowing in from center at 12 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:21
Attendance: 22785

[Biggp07]

Today, we begin a 3-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road. They play in Dodger Stadium, a good ballpark for hitters, and it has room for 55000 fans. The Dodgers are playing .586 ball this season, compiling a record of 41 wins and 29 losses. They are in 2nd place in the West Division, 1.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 335 ranks 4th in the National League, and their .245 batting average ranks 7th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 317 runs (9th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 3.76, which ranks 3rd. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.93, ranking 13th.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP B. Singer (3-5, 4.68 ERA) vs RHP Y. Yamamoto (6-5, 3.28 ERA)
RHP S. Lugo (2-5, 4.37 ERA) vs RHP W. Buehler (7-0, 2.84 ERA)
LHP K. Bubic (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs LHP J. Paxton (5-3, 4.39 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Age: 25, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. DH Shohei Ohtani (29, 75, 75)
3. C Will Smith (29, 70, 70)
4. SP Tyler Glasnow (30, 70, 70)
5. 1B Freddie Freeman (34, 70, 70)

Game Summary – June 14th – Dodgers Absorb 5-4 Home Loss



The Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals provided some drama for the home crowd. Brady Singer propelled his team to victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The final score was 5-4, Kansas City. Kansas City is last in the American League Central Division with a record of 31-41. Kansas City right fielder Drew Waters contributed a timely at-bat in the top of the sixth. With two down, he hit a cutter to left-center field for a run-scoring single. It was his 41st hit of the season and put the Royals ahead, 5-1. Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard called it "a good, solid win."

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Singer W  (4-5) 5.0 3 1 1  3  5 1  92 4.50    
A. Claudio         1.0 0 0 0  0  0 0  12 2.25    
A. Zerpa           1.1 2 2 2  2  2 0  32 4.89    
J. Lyles H   (3)   0.2 2 1 1  2  0 0  28 3.45    
J. Schreiber SV(5) 1.0 1 0 0  0  1 0  19 3.46

Batters Faced: B. Singer 20, A. Claudio 3, A. Zerpa 8, J. Lyles 6, J. Schreiber 4
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Singer 2-7, A. Claudio 0-3, A. Zerpa 0-2, J. Lyles 2-0, J. Schreiber 0-2
Pitches - Strikes: B. Singer 92-55, A. Claudio 12-8, A. Zerpa 32-18, J. Lyles 28-15, J. Schreiber 19-12
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Lyles 1-1

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Brady Singer
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (66 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 8 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM PT
Time: 3:42
Attendance: 48690

[Biggp07]

Well, our pitching staff all seem to be less than rested enough for any starts, so I called down to Omaha and requested a fresh starter to come up and fill in the rotation tonight until Seth and the others can get rested up. We optioned Bubic and called up David Lynch IV for the start tonight.

Game Summary – June 15th – Dodgers Lose at Home, 8-4



Behind the hitting of Javier Vaz, the Kansas City Royals stopped the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-4. Vaz was 3-5 with a double and 2 singles, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once for the Royals. Daniel Lynch IV earned the win to go to 1 0. He allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. The 4th-place Royals improved to 32-41. With Kansas City leading 4-2 in the top of the seventh, Vaz hit a fastball from Walker Buehler for a 2-run double. It was his 3rd double of the season, and he put the Royals ahead, 6-2.

"Nice win for us," said Vaz. "Now we'll go after the next one."

Our call-up of David Lynch IV was a good decision for us tonight. I will keep him in the rotation for now since his first start was better than Bubic’s first. Our bullpen is pretty tired, though, so tomorrow night will be a delicate pitching cycle.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
D. LynchIV W (1-0) 6.1 7 2 2  1  3 1 101 2.84   
J. Taylor          1.0 0 2 2  3  2 0  32 5.19   
J. Schreiber       1.0 2 0 0  2  1 0  31 3.33    
A. Claudio SV (1)  0.2 0 0 0  0  0 0   2 1.93

Batters Faced: D. Lynch IV 27, J. Taylor 6, J. Schreiber 6, A. Claudio 1
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: D. Lynch IV 11-5, J. Taylor 0-1, J. Schreiber 0-1, A. Claudio 1-0
Pitches - Strikes: D. Lynch IV 101-58, J. Taylor 32-14, J. Schreiber 31-15, A. Claudio 2-2
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Taylor 1-0, J. Schreiber 2-2, A. Claudio 2-0



GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Javier Vaz
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (69 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 7 mph
Start Time: 6:10 PM PT
Time: 3:37
Attendance: 52432

[Biggp07]

Below are the current standings for the American League All-Star Fan voting (as of Sun., Jun. 16th, 2024) for the All-Star Game, which will be played on Tue. Jul. 16th, 2024. The top vote getter at this point is Juan Soto with 2,185,482 votes.

The Royals have 2 players still in the running for the All-Star game, SP Cole Ragans and RP Brennan Bernardino.

CATCHER
1. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles: 1,556,273
2. René Pinto, Tampa Bay Rays: 1,098,315
3. Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners: 1,053,948

FIRST BASE
1. Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles: 1,154,020
2. Nathaniel Lowe, Texas Rangers: 1,150,175
3. Nolan Schanuel, Los Angeles Angels: 1,145,415

SECOND BASE
1. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros: 1,231,887
2. Andres Gimenez, Cleveland Guardians: 1,172,131
3. Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers: 1,168,967

THIRD BASE
1. Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians: 1,350,697
2. Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox: 1,303,991
3. Isaac Paredes, Tampa Bay Rays: 1,132,073

SHORTSTOP
1. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers: 1,594,777
2. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays: 1,454,778
3. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles: 1,415,363

LEFT FIELD
1. Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians: 980,356
2. Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox: 976,941
3. Alex Verdugo, New York Yankees: 917,160

CENTER FIELD
1. Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins: 1,625,687
2. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners: 1,133,519
3. Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox: 1,098,723

RIGHT FIELD
1. Juan Soto, New York Yankees: 2,185,482
2. Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros: 1,398,875
3. Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins: 1,180,625

DESIGNATED HITTER
1. Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays: 1,437,331
2. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros: 1,284,576
3. Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels: 1,091,050

STARTING PITCHER
1. George Kirby, Seattle Mariners: 865,152
2. Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals: 852,439
3. Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins: 839,291
4. Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers: 833,064
5. Framber Valdez, Houston Astros: 828,006

RELIEVER
1. David Robertson, Texas Rangers: 808,998
2. Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners: 803,023
3. Clay Holmes, New York Yankees: 771,742
4. Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay Rays: 732,860
5. Brennan Bernardino, Kansas City Royals: 728,458

Soto has registered a career batting average of .293 with 866 hits, 188 homers, and 554 RBIs.

Game Summary – June 16th – Royals Stun Dodgers, 7-3



Los Angeles got a big-time effort from pitcher James Paxton, but it wasn't enough to keep the Kansas City Royals from winning the game, 7-3. Paxton threw 7.1 innings of 3-hit ball for the losing team. The Kansas City win streak is now 3 games. Kansas City took a 7-3 lead on Javier Vaz's 5th double of the season. The bases-clearing double, which Vaz hit at the top of the ninth, left Los Angeles pitcher Alex Vesia visibly frustrated.

"It never gets old," said Vaz. "Winning, that is."

Yep, and it’s nice to get a sweep on the road. Tomorrow, we get to rest and prepare for a 13-game series set, first six with Oakland and Texas on the road still and then we’re back home for seven games against Miami and Cleveland. This will be a tough month for us to come out above .500, but that’s what we’re hitting for.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	 Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
S. Lugo             6.0 4 2 2  4  3 0 103 4.22   
W. Smith            0.2 2 1 1  1  1 0  33 3.91    
B. Bernardino W(1-0)1.1 0 0 0  0  0 0  12 2.84    
C. Stratton         1.0 0 0 0  0  0 0  17 3.86

Batters Faced: S. Lugo 25, W. Smith 5, B. Bernardino 4, C. Stratton 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Lugo 5-8, W. Smith 0-1, B. Bernardino 4-0, C. Stratton 2-1
Pitches - Strikes: S. Lugo 103-62, W. Smith 33-18, B. Bernardino 12-8, C. Stratton 17-9
Inherited Runners - Scored: B. Bernardino 2-0 WP: S. Lugo Hit Batsmen: S. Lugo

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: James Paxton
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (73 degrees), wind blowing out to right at 9 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM PT
Time: 3:31
Attendance: 51043

[Biggp07]

We have a 3-game series on the road against the Oakland Athletics kicking off today. We will meet at the Oakland Coliseum, which seats 35,067 and plays like a ballpark that favors pitchers. With a record of 29 wins and 45 losses, the Athletics have a winning percentage of 0.392. They are in 5th place in the West Division, 12.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 290 ranks 14th in the American League, and their .228 batting average ranks 15th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 324 runs (6th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.38, which ranks 9th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.45, ranking 2nd. When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 1 win and 2 losses.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP C. Hernandez (2-3, 5.73 ERA) vs RHP F. Tarnok (3-2, 3.66 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (2-7, 4.47 ERA) vs RHP M. Spence (5-5, 4.27 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (4-5, 4.50 ERA) vs LHP J. Sears (4-5, 5.17 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. CL Mason Miller (Age: 25, Overall: 60, Potential: 60)
2. CF Esteury Ruiz (25, 60, 60)
3. RP Lucas Erceg (29, 50, 50)
4. SS Adeiny Hechavarría (35, 50, 50)
5. 1B Brent Rooker (29, 50, 50)

Game Summary – June 18th – Tarnok in Cruise Control in 12-2 Win



Oakland starter Freddy Tarnok kept the Kansas City offense under wraps, while his team rolled to victory, 12-2. The Athletics sport a record of 30-45. Tarnok allowed 1 run on 1 hit over 8 innings for the Athletics. With the win, he is 4-2 with an ERA of 3.29.

"I know we have our doubters," said Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard. "But I still have high hopes for this team."

Yes, I still have high hopes, of course, but how do we come out here to the west coast and sweep the LA Dodgers just 2 days ago, then come back out here and lose this badly? I’m stumped for an answer to that, but it just feels like we take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back every week with these series. I mean, this is Oakland for Christ’s sake! And we had a day off! WTF? And look at the miserable attendance. What a joke.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Freddy Tarnok
Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum
Weather: Partly Cloudy (63 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 11 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM PT
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 8238

[Biggp07]

Nothing like a little humility, I guess. Oakland takes the series with one game left.

Game Summary – June 19th – Athletics Earn 6-3 Home Win



Mitch Spence, who is tied for 9th in the AL in wins with 6, propelled his team to victory over the Kansas City Royals. The final score was 6-3, Oakland. The winning pitcher was Spence, now 6-5. He tossed 6.1 innings of 3-hit ball, while walking 2 and fanning 4. The win puts Oakland at 31-45. In the bottom of the fourth, Oakland left fielder Seth Brown had a productive at-bat. With the bases loaded and one out, Brown stroked a 2-run single to right-center. It made the score 5-1, Oakland. For the game, he was 3-5 with a double and 2 singles, while adding 3 RBI and scoring once.
Spence told the media after that game that the mood in the clubhouse is "extremely positive" after a win like that
.
Well, I’m glad Oakland could get some good attendance, if less than last night is good. Doesn’t say much for how much we draw in, though.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Mitch Spence
Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum
Weather: Partly Cloudy (61 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 5 mph
Start Time: 6:40 PM PT
Time: 3:17
Attendance: 7188

[Biggp07]

Damn, this game is ruthless and annoying sometimes—three steps forward and now three steps back.

On another note, Jason McLeod discovered a prospect in third baseman David Dempster, whom McLeod believes has the potential to make our club. The jury might still be out on that subject, though Dempster is worth watching. Australian third baseman David Dempster was born in Melbourne. Dempster has limited potential due to his below-average hitting ability and fielding miscues. David Dempster has been assigned to the international complex.



Game Summary – June 20th – Athletics Take Tight Tangle



Oakland Athletics starter JP Sears pitched his team past the Kansas City Royals, 2-1, in 10 innings. The Oakland winning streak has reached 3 games. The clutch at-bat came in the bottom of the tenth inning, when Oakland third baseman Zack Gelof, facing Jordan Lyles, had a run-scoring sacrifice fly. It gave the Athletics a 2-1 win.

"We took home the win," said Sears. "What's not to like?"

Unfortunately, we must wait for a diagnosis of Javier Vaz’s injury to his hand he suffered late in the game. This is not ideal, especially on the road, and I’m not happy, but it’s part of the game.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: JP Sears
Ballpark: Oakland Coliseum
Weather: Partly Cloudy (61 degrees), wind blowing left to right at 11 mph
Start Time: 12:37 PM PT
Time: 3:00
Attendance: 8266
Special Notes: LF Javier Vaz was injured on a defensive play.

[Biggp07]

The Texas Rangers, our next opponent in an upcoming 3-game series, play in a ballpark slightly favoring hitters, Globe Life Field, and have room for 40300 fans. With their record standing at 41 wins and 33 losses, the Rangers have a winning percentage of .554. They are leading the West Division. Their number of runs scored of 362 ranks 4th in the American League, and their .260 batting average ranks 2nd. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 376 runs (14th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.84, which ranks 13th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 4.56, ranking 14th. When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 2 wins and 1 loss.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
LHP D. Lynch IV (1-0, 2.84 ERA) vs RHP N. Eovaldi (3-6, 4.98 ERA)
RHP S. Lugo (2-5, 4.22 ERA) vs RHP M. Scherzer (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (2-8, 4.95 ERA) vs RHP T. Mahle (0-1, 10.80 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SS Corey Seager (Age: 30, Overall: 80, Potential: 80)
2. LF Wyatt Langford (22, 65, 80)
3. 2B Marcus Semien (33, 65, 65)
4. LF Evan Carter (21, 65, 80)
5. SP Nathan Eovaldi (34, 60, 60)

So, we arrived at Globe Life Field today, and Angel Zerpa seemed to have come down with some flu bug or something, experiencing dizziness and nausea. He’ll be DTD for about a week, but with minimal symptoms, we need to keep him ready for relief in low-leverage situations, if we get any.

The more significant move we made is putting Javier Vaz on the 10 IL while he gets the severity of his hand injury, which allows us to bring up Kyle Isbel from his recovery stint in Omaha. He is a real solid defensive outfielder and provides us with greater versatility across the outfield and infield, and has been a consistent hitter for us.

Game Summary – June 21st – Royals Suffer 4-3 Road Loss



The Texas Rangers knocked off the Kansas City Royals, 4-3, in American League action at Globe Life Field. Texas pitcher and Alvin, Texas, native Nathan Eovaldi had an outstanding performance. Brock Burke notched his 3rd save in 4 chances. The 4th-place Royals have dropped 4 straight games. Josh Jung chipped in a 3-run home run for Texas in the bottom of the fifth. For the game, the third baseman had 2 hits in 4 at-bats with 1 home run, 1 single, 1 run scored, and 3 runs batted in. Texas manager Bruce Bochy said his team played a "no-nonsense" game.

Well, we start our road losing skid again, now streaking at 4 games. The emotional ups and downs of this game are real and frustrating. You think you’ve made some good decisions to put you in a better place than before, but it just ends up slapping you in the face.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Nathan Eovaldi
Ballpark: Globe Life Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy (81 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 11 mph
Start Time: 7:05 PM CT
Time: 3:08
Attendance: 39958

[Biggp07]

I have been informed by our team trainer, Kyle Turner, that Javier Vaz has been diagnosed with a sprained thumb. He is day-to-day for about 1-2 weeks. So, he will remain on the IL for the next 9 days, and then we’ll re-evaluate what his status is at the end of the month. I also decided to send down Angel Zerpa to recover from whatever he is suffering from and called up RP John McMillon to be an RHB specialist with his elite stuff on that side of the plate. He’s also decent on the opposite side so I’ll play a little strategy for opposite side hitters through this series. Plus, this is a long run of series with 9 games ahead of us before we get a break. So, I’m sure I’ll be taxiing some players between Omaha and here often.

We received a trade proposal as well this morning from the Houston Astros GM, Dana Brown. He proposes the following trade:

The Houston Astros would send 22-year-old minor league RHP Jose Fleury to the Kansas City Royals, getting 31-year-old LHP Josh Taylor and 23-year-old minor league RHP Steven Zobac in return.
We receive:



We trade:





J.J. Picollo seems indifferent about the whole thing, so I’m going to give it some thought, and maybe we will make a deal. It would improve our payroll budget by a little over half a million dollars, so that’s a plus at this stage in the season. And what we’re giving up versus what we’re gaining is not too bad a deal with Josh Taylor having one option year left. I’ll negotiate a bit just to see how willing Dana is to trade, but I’m ready to pull the trigger now, I think.

Game Summary – June 22nd – Royals Get Past Texas, 5-4



The Kansas City Royals faced a tough opponent in Texas pitcher Max Scherzer, but did just enough to pull out the victory at Globe Life Field by a final score of 5-4. Scherzer went 8 innings and allowed 2 runs. John Schreiber was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 6 of 7 save opportunities. Kansas City now has a record of 34-45. Kansas City used the timely hitting of Adam Frazier to seize the win. The second baseman stroked a run-scoring single in the top of the ninth inning to put the Royals on top, 5-4. It was his only hit in 3 at-bats, but it was a game-changer.

"We cashed in when we had the chance," said Kansas City manager Todd "BigP" Pollard.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
S. Lugo            7.0 5 2 2  3  4 1 102 4.03    
W. Smith W   (2-3) 1.0 3 2 2  1  1 0  22 4.50    
J. Schreiber SV(6) 1.0 0 0 0  1  0 0  10 3.21

Batters Faced: S. Lugo 27, W. Smith 7, J. Schreiber 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: S. Lugo 7-8, W. Smith 0-2, J. Schreiber 1-1
Pitches - Strikes: S. Lugo 102-63, W. Smith 22-15, J. Schreiber 10-4
At least it’s nice to break the losing streak before too many games go by.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Max Scherzer
Ballpark: Globe Life Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy (83 degrees), wind blowing right to left at 10 mph
Start Time: 3:05 PM CT
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 40275

[Biggp07]

The current standings for the American League All-Star Fan voting have Cole Ragans dropping to 4th place and Brennan Bernadino jumping a spot to 4th place. The top vote getter is still Juan Soto with 2,820,343 votes.

STARTING PITCHER
1. George Kirby, Seattle Mariners: 1,096,241
2. Framber Valdez, Houston Astros: 1,074,024
3. Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers: 1,072,060
4. Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals: 1,068,997
5. Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins: 1,049,825

RELIEVER
1. David Robertson, Texas Rangers: 1,028,409
2. Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners: 992,852
3. Clay Holmes, New York Yankees: 977,415
4. Brennan Bernardino, Kansas City Royals: 930,172
5. Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay Rays: 919,184

I pulled the trigger on the trade as proposed by Houston Astros GM Dana Brown. The Royals announced today the acquisition of 22-year-old minor league RHP Jose Fleury from the Houston Astros in exchange for 31-year-old LHP Josh Taylor and 23-year-old minor league RHP Steven Zobac.



"This isn't the deal of the century," acknowledged the Royals, "but we think it will improve the direction of both teams."

I think it’s a good move at this point in the season. So, we get RHP Jose Fleury starting in our High A minor league club.

Game Summary – June 23rd – Rangers Get Thrilling 6-5 Win



The fans at Globe Life Field witnessed quite a game. Rangers third baseman Josh Jung left his mark on his team's 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals. Jung was 3-4 with a home run and a double, while scoring 2 times and driving in 2 for Texas in the contest. Texas reliever Andrew Heaney was the winner. His record is now 4-7. The losing pitcher was Alex Claudio. Texas got a knockout punch from Wyatt Langford. The designated hitter hammered a 2-run home run in the bottom of the tenth inning to win the game. It might've been his only hit, but it decided the outcome.

"It's the best feeling when you come through for your teammates," said Langford. The win for the Rangers lifted their record to 43-34.

We came close with this one. That’s been the standard for most of the season so far; we just can’t put the win over the threshold. Austin Nola ended up with a bruised hip from the hit by pitch he suffered in the game. He'll be DTD for about 3 days, so it's minor, thank goodness.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Josh Jung
Ballpark: Globe Life Field
Weather: Partly Cloudy (77 degrees), wind blowing out to center at 11 mph
Start Time: 1:35 PM CT
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 40051
Special Notes: C Austin Nola was injured being hit by a pitch.

[Biggp07]

I got my mid-season review from John Sherman today as we start our home series against Miami, then a 4-game series against Cleveland to end the month. It would be great to get retribution against Cleveland here at home to end our June on a good note, but that's YTBD. In the meantime, my reaction to John’s performance of my review so far.



Todd "BigP",
I have reviewed the goals I have set for you. My comments are below.

Team Record:
I'm disappointed in the team's performance this year. Worse, our fans are as well. Let's work on getting the team motivated to go out and win.

We have lacked offensive production pretty much all season. What I’ve done with the team this year has been my best effort as manager. I can think of a couple of games where I will take responsibility for our loss, but otherwise, I’m disappointed in the effort I’m getting from a few of the players. They will need to turn things around here soon with the trade deadline coming up, and after that, I’ll be ready to purge a few roster spots. Our Pythagorean says we’re right where we should be with games, but it’s the RDiff that’s killing us at -53. We’re currently 10 ½ games back from the division leader, the Minnesota Twins, with a 4-game series coming later this week against our divisional rivals Cleveland where we can gain some ground with solid offensive production. I hope we can do that.

Upgrade a position:
I don't see any improvement from where we were last year at Left Field. Please be on the lookout for an upgrade if you want to keep me happy.

Javier Vaz’s offensive production was damn fine up til he got injured, and we’ve had to treat him with TLC for the next few days, but I think he can be the LF improvement John’s looking for. We also have MJ Melendez, who has played the position well. He happens to be in a bit of a slump, though. So, I’m not too worried about this one right now since it’s not a high priority for John, but I’ll continue to give players an opportunity there and see who wants it.

Find a top prospect:
I'm not convinced Javier Vaz has a future with our club. He's certainly not a bad prospect, but I think you can do a better job at finding a top prospect.

As I said for the previous goal, Vaz is the best we've got right now, and I think he’s developing into a fine utility player with great lead-off potential. I’m not going to move off of him just yet.

Build your farm:
I have to say, I'm not too thrilled about our current prospect pool. I know I have given you some time to complete this task, but it looks like you need to put in a little bit more effort to improve our pool.



The personnel I replaced and hired in the preseason were my initial effort towards this, but I’m not done with that yet. My biggest concern this off-season will be the 2025/26 expiring contracts of our Double and Triple A club’s aging managers and coaches. I’ll have 5 coaches reaching 60+ years old, with Omaha's Mike Jirschele very near retirement at 65 now. I may want to offer him an early retirement, along with a couple of other guys, and look on the personnel wire for some younger coaching staff in our full-season minor league clubs.



Our Rookie ball clubs seem to be doing well now, so I don’t think I have much to worry about there. There could be a couple of coaches who get promoted to the higher minor clubs, too. That will be for consideration come this off-season.

Improve your fan interest:
Plan A to increase fan interest has had minimal impact. I hope you have a Plan B.

I wish I had a Plan B, John. At least I haven’t gotten rid of Salvy or Vinnie, which would have put us in the dumpster fire even deeper. These KC fans are fickle.

During our time working together, I have been ecstatic with your progress towards the goals I have set for you. That being said, when I look at the team's history on and off the field, my overall impression doesn't rank quite as high.

The final evaluation towards these goals will come at the end of the season. Good luck in the second half!

John Sherman

Ok John, message received. I’ll try to do better.



There are A LOT of areas we need to improve to meet a close to .500 season goal. How we get there is still TBD, but the bottom line is our offensive production needs to drastically improve our OBP and slugging percentage and turn some of those hits into runs. I think that improves with another power hitter in our lineup and getting Salvy out of his slump. Let's see where we are as we go into July and the All-Star break. That's my near-term target for more major decisions as needed.

There’s still work to be done, so that’s enough moping on my sub-par performance. I’m looking forward to the next review I have with John, come October. That should be fun.

[Biggp07]

We have a 3-game series at home against the Miami Marlins kicking off today. The Marlins are playing .468 ball this season, compiling a record of 36 wins and 41 losses. They are in 4th place in the East Division, 17.0 games behind the leader. Their number of runs scored of 316 ranks tied for 13th in the National League, and their .247 batting average ranks 7th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 336 runs (5th) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.66, which ranks 11th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.11, ranking 3rd.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP C. Hernandez (2-3, 5.81 ERA) vs LHP T. Rogers (6-5, 5.60 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (4-5, 4.26 ERA) vs RHP E. Perez (5-2, 3.46 ERA)
LHP D. Lynch IV (1-1, 4.15 ERA) vs RHP B. Hoeing (5-5, 3.81 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Eury Perez (Age: 21, Overall: 60, Potential: 75)
2. SP Jesus Luzardo (26, 60, 65)
3. CL Tanner Scott (29, 60, 60)
4. 2B Luis Arraez (27, 55, 55)
5. 1B Josh Bell (31, 55, 55)

Game Summary – June 24th – Marlins Rally to Win, 6-5



The Kansas City Royals could not turn a fine performance from pitcher Carlos Hernandez into a win. Instead, the Miami Marlins prevailed, 6-5, in 11 innings. Hernandez came in in relief and pitched to 24 batters. Tanner Scott, 4-1, earned the win in relief. He allowed 3 runs on 3 hits in 2 innings. Andrew Nardi, credited with the save, is now 3 for 3 in save opportunities. Who knows how it would've ended, had it not been for Jazz Chisholm Jr.? The 26-year-old center fielder Chisholm Jr. stroked a run-scoring double in the top of the 11th inning to put Miami up, 5-4. For the game, he was 2 for 5, including 1 double and 1 single.
"I'm a bit of a clubhouse prankster," said Chisholm Jr. "But it's all business when we're on the field." The 4th-place Marlins now have a win-loss record of 37-41.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Bernardino      2.1 1 0 0  0  3 0  34 3.38    
C. Hernandez       6.2 5 1 1  0  3 0  84 5.27    
J. Schreiber L(0-2)1.1 4 5 3  0  1 1  38 3.99    
J. Lyles           0.2 0 0 0  0  1 0   9 3.23

Batters Faced: B. Bernardino 8, C. Hernandez 24, J. Schreiber 8, J. Lyles 2
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Bernardino 1-3, C. Hernandez 8-8, J. Schreiber 2-1, J. Lyles 1-0
Pitches - Strikes: B. Bernardino 34-21, C. Hernandez 84-59, J. Schreiber 38-23, J. Lyles 9-6
Inherited Runners - Scored: J. Lyles 2-1



Another one we let slip out of our hands. It was a roller coaster of a game, but the home crowd got their money’s worth, although it would have been much better with a win. What can I do to put these games in the win column? I do not know. But I need to figure it out.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Carlos Hernandez
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (69 degrees), wind blowing in from left at 12 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:50
Attendance: 17490

[Biggp07]

Brady Singer has been HOT these last few starts. He’s now under 4.00 ERA at 3.98 with 5 wins and 2 no-decisions in his last 7 games. I’ll take that as positive for this month.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
B. Singer W  (5-5) 6.1 5 3 0  1  2 0  83 3.98    
W. Klein           0.2 1 0 0  0  1 0   9 6.75    
W. Smith           1.0 0 0 0  1  2 0  15 4.32    
C. Stratton        1.0 0 0 0  0  1 0  14 4.00

Batters Faced: B. Singer 25, W. Klein 3, W. Smith 4, C. Stratton 3
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: B. Singer 8-7, W. Klein 0-1, W. Smith 0-1, C. Stratton 2 0
Pitches - Strikes: B. Singer 83-59, W. Klein 9-7, W. Smith 15-8, C. Stratton 14-11
Hit Batsmen: B. Singer

Game Summary – June 25th – Royals Earn 7-3 Home Win



The Kansas City Royals knocked off the Miami Marlins, 7-3, in American League action at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City pitcher and Leesburg, Florida, native Brady Singer had an outstanding performance. The winner was Singer. He threw 6.1 innings of 5-hit ball. The loser was Eury Perez. Kansas City is 35-47, and Miami, with the loss, is 37-42. Nick Gordon tried to get his team back in the game. With Miami trailing 7-0 in the top of the 6th, Gordon hit a bases-clearing double. But the Royals held on to get the win.

"Gordon had a good at-bat," said manager Skip Schumaker. "We could have used a few more like it."

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Brady Singer
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Cloudy (71 degrees), wind blowing in from the center at 10 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:01
Attendance: 18234

[Biggp07]

Game Summary – June 26th – Royals Beaten by Marlins, 9-7



The 9-7 Miami win over Kansas City was due in large part to Christian Bethancourt. The Marlins catcher was 3-5 with 3 singles. He scored 2 times. Edward Cabrera, now 1-1, was credited with the win in 2.1 innings of relief. He allowed no runs on 3 hits, while striking out 1 and walking 1. Tanner Scott was credited with the save. He has now successfully converted 20 of 21 save opportunities. Avisail Garcia drew 1 walk in 5 trips to the plate. He scored 2 runs for Miami. The 33-year-old right fielder had a key at-bat in the top of the fifth. With one out and runners on 1st and 3rd, he broke a 5-5 tie with a run-scoring groundout off Jordan Lyles. It was his 12th RBI of the season.

"We swung the bats good throughout the lineup," said Miami skipper Skip Schumaker. The Marlins raised their record to 38-42.

What is there to say right now? We’re struggling offensively and need to figure it out for our series with Cleveland starting tomorrow.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Christian Bethancourt
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Rain (78 degrees), wind blowing out to the center at 10 mph
Start Time: 1:10 PM CT
Time: 3:39
Attendance: 16359

[Biggp07]

We have a 4-game series at home against the Cleveland Guardians kicking off today. Going 39-41 so far this year, the Guardians have compiled a .488 winning percentage. They are in 2nd place in the Central Division, 5.5 games behind the leader. The Guardians are on a cold streak, losing their last 4 games. Their number of runs scored of 343 ranks 10th in the American League, and their .257 batting average ranks 5th. On the other side of the diamond, they have given up 322 runs (1st) with their starters compiling an ERA of 4.1,1, which ranks 5th. Their bullpen sports an ERA of 3.57, ranking 6th. When playing against our Royals this season, they have a record of 3 wins and 0 losses.

Here are the projected pitching matchups:
RHP S. Lugo (2-5, 4.03 ERA) vs RHP T. McKenzie (6-6, 5.18 ERA)
RHP M. Wacha (2-8, 4.97 ERA) vs RHP G. Williams (5-5, 3.08 ERA)
RHP C. Hernandez (2-3, 5.27 ERA) vs RHP T. Bibee (6-6, 4.14 ERA)
RHP B. Singer (5-5, 3.98 ERA) vs LHP L. Allen (7-6, 4.48 ERA)

The top 5 players on their team are:
1. SP Shane Bieber (Age: 29, Overall: 70, Potential: 70)
2. CL Emmanuel Clase (26, 70, 70)
3. C Bo Naylor (24, 65, 65)
4. SP Gavin Williams (24, 60, 65)
5. SP Logan Allen (25, 60, 60)

Game Summary – June 27th – Royals Sunk by Guardians



Cleveland shortstop Tyler Freeman contributed significantly to his team's 10-9 win over the Kansas City Royals. Freeman went 4 for 5 with 1 run scored to lead the offensive attack for the Guardians. Triston McKenzie, who is tied for 6th in the AL in wins with 7, was the winner. He's now 7-6. The loser was Seth Lugo. After today's action, Cleveland sits at 40-41, while Kansas City falls to 35-49. Daniel Schneemann helped out the Cleveland cause in the top of the second inning with a run-scoring walk. For the game, the third baseman was 1 for 4 with a walk.

"We'll put this win in our pocket and go after the next one," said Schneemann.

Few fans turned out for a rainy night in Kauffman Stadium just to witness another close loss by us. We rallied in the 9th, but it was not enough to get us over the hump and grab the win. Our offense seems to come in brief spurts, but still fails to grab anything for the effort. I’m struggling with myself, wondering what I need to do. The moment I think I’ve found a key element to the lineup, the pitching begins to falter and vice versa. I don’t know if it’s the order of the lineup, or the game strategy, or just plain bad luck. Hell, maybe it’s all three due to me. I don’t know. I’m going to keep trying, though. TBH, I do have a bit of imposter syndrome trying to perform both GM and manager, but I’m still having fun, so I’ll fake it till I make it.

Unfortunately, Junior suffered an injury to his leg late in the game, driving hard on a running play, showing his grit to get us a win. I’m afraid we may have to put him on the IL until he gets fully diagnosed as to his injury status. That diagnosis sets the tone for our July, and honestly, our season and chances of getting to .500 become even slimmer without him in the lineup. This could be another 2021/22 season, and we don’t even meet our pre-season prediction of a 78-84 fourth-place finish. We are -2 games and -53 RDiff in our Pythagorean right now, and potentially ending up in last place of our division at this pace.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: Tyler Freeman
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Cloudy (76 degrees), wind blowing out to the left at 14 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 4:12
Attendance: 15288
Special Notes: Rain delay of 29 minutes in the 4th inning. SS Bobby Witt Jr. was injured while running the bases

[Biggp07]

This was a good win, but that’s all. I might even say it was a lucky win since Wacha struggled through 5.0 IPs, and I had to run through the bullpen again. However, I think it’s been a good decision to move Schrieber to middle relief and make Bernardino the closer.

KANSAS CITY PITCHING LINESCORE

Player 	Rslt (W-L) IP  H R ER BB K HR PI ERA    
M. Wacha W   (3-8) 5.0 4 4 4  4  6 2  97 5.07    
J. Schreiber H (4) 2.0 0 0 0  0  3 0  28 3.73    
A. Claudio         1.0 1 0 0  0  0 0  12 2.70    
W. Klein           0.1 0 0 0  2  0 0  17 3.60    
B. Bernardino SV(2)0.2 0 0 0  0  2 0   8 2.92

Batters Faced: M. Wacha 23, J. Schreiber 6, A. Claudio 4, W. Klein 4, B. Bernardino 2
Ground Outs - Fly Outs: M. Wacha 5-4, J. Schreiber 2-1, A. Claudio 2-1, W. Klein 0-1, B. Bernardino 0-0
Pitches - Strikes: M. Wacha 97-58, J. Schreiber 28-19, A. Claudio 12-9, W. Klein 17-9, B. Bernardino 8-6
Inherited Runners - Scored: B. Bernardino 3-0
WP: M. Wacha, W. Klein

Game Summary – June 28th – Fry Excels, But Royals Win



The Cleveland Guardians got a superb performance from designated hitter David Fry, but the Kansas City Royals still won the game, 8-4. Fry went 2-3 with 2 home runs and a walk. He drove in 4 runs and scored twice. Michael Wacha, who went 5 innings, was the winning pitcher. He was charged with 4 runs on 4 hits, while walking 4 and striking out 6. His record now stands at 3-8. Kansas City is now 36-49, while Cleveland is 40-42. First Baseman Vinnie Pasquantino made an impact for Kansas City when he swatted a run-scoring double off Gavin Williams in the bottom of the fifth. For the contest, Pasquantino went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk.

"Getting a lot of baserunners and getting some timely hits, it's a good combination," said Pasquantino.



We got a great mid-inning rally from Pasquatch and MJ to give us some insurance runs for the win. I'm just happy we won tonight.

GAME NOTES
Player of the Game: David Fry
Ballpark: Kauffman Stadium
Weather: Clear skies (80 degrees), wind blowing out to the right at 12 mph
Start Time: 7:10 PM CT
Time: 3:44
Attendance: 24588