Professional – Page 59 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Rookie Luke Weaver helps Cardinals beat Padres 6-2

Posted on August 24, 2017

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Luke Weaver gave the St. Louis Cardinals’ ravaged pitching staff a big boost.

Making his third start of the season, the rookie right-hander struck out 10 in seven scoreless innings to help the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 6-2 on Wednesday night.

“I felt great,” Weaver said. “I felt like everything was rolling really well. The command of the fastball was the biggest thing for me tonight.”

The Cardinals had lost three straight and six of eight following an eight-game winning streak, and had allowed at least five runs in each of the last 12 games.

“We needed that,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

Weaver (2-1), who turned 24 on Monday, allowed three hits in his longest career outing and matched his career best with 10 strikeouts.

“He had everything and then he was able to raise the eye level, he was able to make real nice fastball pitches late in the count,” Matheny said. “Just an impressive start.”

San Diego’s Jhoulys Chacin (11-9) allowed five runs — four earned — on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three, walked three and hit four batters.

“It just wasn’t a clean outing from him today,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “It was a fight from the beginning.”

The Cardinals’ leadoff hitters reached and scored in four of the first five innings. Three of those runs scored with two outs.

Second baseman Kolten Wong, batting in the leadoff spot with Matt Carpenter unavailable, sparked the St. Louis offense with three hits, three runs scored and two stolen bases.

The Cardinals opened the first inning with back-to-back doubles, with Tommy Pham driving in Wong, and Pham scoring on Dexter Fowler’s sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Wong led off the third with a single and scored on Jedd Gyorko’s two-out infield single. Greg Garcia scored on Chacin’s two-out throwing error on an errant pickoff in the fourth, making it 4-0. Fowler scored on Chacin’s bases-loaded wild pitch in the fifth.

Manuel Margot’s triple off reliever Seung Hwan Oh in the eighth plated the Padres’ first run, making it 5-1. Cory Spangenberg hit a solo home run, his 13th, off John Brebbia in the ninth.

ROSENTHAL TO HAVE TOMMY JOHN SURGERY

Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal will have Tommy John surgery. The team announced the decision Wednesday after moving the hard-throwing right-hander from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day DL.

“I think just the timing of it, being right in the middle of this race and the way my personal season had been taking shape and the way the team has been playing recently. Tough timing,” Rosenthal said. “It felt like we were getting in a groove, I was in a groove, and to kind of have this happen and take a piece away from a really good team is a little bit of a bummer.”

Rosenthal, who had 93 saves in 2014-15, lost the closer’s job a year ago to Oh, but reclaimed it this season after Oh struggled. Rosenthal recorded 11 saves this season, giving him 118 over the past four years.

“We hoped for better news,” Matheny said. “Somebody is going to have to step in. He was really throwing the ball well.”

HIT BY PITCHES

The Cardinals were hit by pitches five times, the most in team history since 1913.

“You never like it,” Matheny said. “A couple breaking balls, too, breaking down the back foot. Fortunately everybody came out relatively unscathed.”

Chacin’s four hit batsmen set a Padres record and tied the major league mark by John Lackey this season. No pitcher has hit more than four batters in a game since 1903.

“That’s really weird for me there, that many batters,” Chacin said. “Just my ball was moving crazy.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: RHP Miguel Diaz (strained right forearm) is expected to make one more rehab start in the minors before returning to the majors.

Cardinals: 1B Matt Carpenter missed the game because of illness. Gyorko, starting in place of Carpenter, made his 10th career start at first base.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Luis Perdormo (6-8, 4.93), a former Cardinals minor leaguer, will make his second career appearance against his former organization Thursday night.

Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (10-9, 3.57) is 1-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two career starts against the Padres at Busch Stadium.

— Associated Press —

Duffy, KC bullpen hold Rockies to 2 hits as Royals win 3-2

Posted on August 22, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Danny Duffy was not pleased with his bullpen warmup. Once the game started he had no-hit stuff.

Duffy and four relievers combined on a two-hitter, helping the Kansas City Royals hold off the Colorado Rockies 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Duffy took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and retired the first two batters before walking DJ LeMahieu and allowing a homer to Nolan Arenado. The Rockies star third baseman squared up a 1-1 pitch and hit it out for his 28th home run.

“Sometimes when the bullpen is bad, it translates into a really good game,” Duffy said. “I wasn’t really getting extension very well in the bullpen. I took it right out to the game and sure enough it was pretty solid.”

Duffy (8-8), who was 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA in his first three starts in August, was removed after six innings and 88 pitches. He walked three and struck out seven. Duffy walked Arenado in the first and Trevor Story in the fifth for the only other baserunners he permitted.

“His changeup was actually really good,” Arenado said of Duffy. “He got ahead with his off-speed and threw that fastball in once in a while. He just threw everything for a strike and it looked like he bounced it when he wanted to. He was really good today.”

Duffy knew he had a no-hitter in place after five innings.

“I knew there was a zero on the board, but I’m not worried about that,” Duffy said of throwing a no-hitter. “As long as we come out with a win, I’m good. I think my pitch count might have been too high to keep that thing carrying on, but you never know what could have happened.”

Mike Minor replaced Duffy and retired all five batters he faced, striking out three. Peter Moylan got LeMahieu on a grounder to Whit Merrifield to end the eighth.

Kelvin Herrera gave up a triple to Jonathan Lucroy with two outs and walked Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra. Herrera left with right forearm tightness and a 2-0 count on Pat Valaika. Left-hander Scott Alexander replaced Herrera and retired Valaika on a grounder to shortstop Alcides Escobar. Alexander picked up his first career save on two pitches.

“I didn’t want to shy away from the opportunity of the situation,” Alexander said. “I just wanted to be aggressive and attack the zone.”

Royals manager Ned Yost said they don’t know the extent of Herrera’s injury until he is checked out further.

“We had a chance at the end, even though we didn’t get a lot going on all night, obviously with only a couple of hits and a few walks,” Rockies manager Buddy Black said. “But, we had the go-ahead run at second base there in the ninth. Our guys fought back hard to get in it against a great closer. We just didn’t get the knock at the end.”

Salvador Perez, who had not played since Aug. 4 because of a strain on the right side of his chest, had two hits, including an RBI double in the Royals’ two-run fourth inning.

Jon Gray (5-3) gave up three runs, two earned, and six hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking one. He dropped to 4-12 in 27 career road starts.

WATCHING THE ECLIPSE

Yost was among the millions watching the eclipse on the Royals’ day off. “I’m sure I was a sight to see,” Yost said. “I was in my parking lot with my tailgate down just laying in the back of my truck watching it. It was pretty cool. I enjoyed it.”

ROCKIES RECALL TWO

The Rockies recalled OF Raimel Tapia and C Tony Wolters from Triple-A Albuquerque. Tapia hit .287 in 48 games in four previous stints with Colorado. Wolters had a .248 batting average in 67 games with the Rockies before being optioned on Aug. 1 to the Isotopes. OF Mike Tauchman, who hit .182 in 10 games, was optioned to Albuquerque.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: Parra was a late scratch with a contusion of his right thigh after being hit by a pitch Sunday, but walked as a pinch hitter in the ninth. Tapia replaced him. … C Ryan Hanigan went on the disabled list with a left groin strain. He hit .250 in 29 starts as catcher.

Royals: The Royals went 6-9 while Perez was out. C Cam Gallagher was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. … The Royals transferred RHP Miguel Almonte (rotator cuff strain) to the 60-day disabled list.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Antonio Senzatela will make his first start since Aug. 9. His 10 wins are tied for second among big league rookies.

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy will try to break a franchise-record 15-game home winless drought. He has not won at Kauffman Stadium since Aug. 20, 2016.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis gives up eight unanswered runs in loss to San Diego

Posted on August 22, 2017

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Yangervis Solarte homered and drove in a career-high six runs, Austin Hedges also went deep and the San Diego Padres beat the St. Louis Cardinals 12-4 on Tuesday night.

Solarte hit his homer a projected 455 feet over the right-field bullpen in the eighth inning to cap his career night. The Padres had scored six runs over their previous four games combined.

Solarte capitalized on starter Lance Lynn’s lack of control with a three-run double in the second. Lynn needed 64 pitches to get through the first three innings. He hit two batters, including opposing starter Clayton Richard, ahead of Solarte.

Hedges’ three-run homer off Zach Duke capped a six-run seventh inning that also included three runs off Matt Bowman (3-5). It was Hedges’ first homer since Aug. 8.

Richard allowed three homers and four runs in 5 2/3 innings despite entering the game with the NL’s best groundball percentage at 59.5 percent. Craig Stammen (1-2) got one out in the sixth for the victory.

Solarte’s double in the fifth, to nearly the identical spot in right-center field, regained the lead for the Padres. He has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games.

Lynn struck out four through six innings. All three batters Bowman faced scored as St. Louis pitchers gave up at least five runs for the 12th straight game.

Jedd Gyorko and Stephen Piscotty hit back-to-back homers to tie it in the fourth. Gyorko’s two-run blast was his seventh in seven career games against his former club, and it was Piscotty’s first homer since June 18. It was the sixth time this season the Cardinals hit back-to-back home runs.

Yadier Molina’s solo homer in the sixth drove Richard out of the game and tied it 4-4. He passed Ted Simmons for 12th on the Cardinals’ career hit list (1705) and tied George Hendrick at 17th for homers (123).

BIG MAC RETURNS

San Diego bench coach Mark McGwire will be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame on Saturday. McGwire played for the Cardinals from 1997-2001, hitting .270 with 220 home runs and 473 RBI, including 70 homers in 1998.

TRAINING ROOM

Padres: Reinstated OF Matt Szczur (family leave) and optioned LHP Kyle McGrath to Triple-A El Paso.

Cardinals: LHP Kevin Siegrist (left forearm) threw his fourth bullpen and will go on a rehab assignment to the team’s spring training complex in Jupiter, Florida, on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Jhoulys Chachin (11-8, 3.98 ERA) has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his last 13 starts. His 2.63 ERA during that span is the third-lowest in the NL and fifth-lowest in the majors (min. 13 starts).

Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (1-1, 3.31 ERA) will be making his first career start against San Diego. He has allowed three runs or less in eight of his last 10 major league starts.

— Associated Press —

Cuthbert, Escobar helps Royals salvage series finale against Cleveland

Posted on August 20, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It took the bottom of a makeshift lineup filled with mostly with backups for the Kansas City Royals to finally put some runs on the board against the Cleveland Indians.

Jorge Bonifacio had three hits to start rallies, fill-in third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert homered and drove in three runs, and Alcides Escobar also had three RBI to help the Royals to a 7-4 victory Sunday and avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the AL Central leaders.

“We knew we had to get this one,” said Bonifacio, who started for Alex Gordon in left field.

Backup catcher Cam Gallagher also drove in a run for the Royals, who finally got their bats going after scoring just once in the first two games of the series. Kansas City piled up 12 hits and six runs off Cleveland starter Danny Salazar (5-6), and finished with 15 hits for the day.

“The bottom of the lineup was tremendous,” said Royals manager Ned Yost, whose club now trails the Indians by 6 1/2 games in the division. “Some good at-bats down there.”

Jason Hammel (6-9) allowed three runs on five hits and a walk in six innings to win for only the second time since June 19. The Royals right-hander had been 1/3 with six no-decisions during that span.

Kelvin Herrera gave up a run against the bottom of the Indians’ order before finishing the game.

“It’s one of those days when you get down and you spend so much time on defense, it kind of takes some of your energy away,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “That’s a tough game to play.”

Escobar and Gallagher gave Kansas City the lead with run-scoring singles in the second, but Cleveland pushed ahead on Francisco Lindor’s third-inning homer and Austin Jackson’s sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Cuthbert, giving All-Star third baseman Mike Moustakas a day off from the field, knotted the game again when he sent a pitch from Salazar screaming over the bullpen in left.

Then, everything came unraveled for the Indians’ starter in the fifth. Salazar gave up a trio of singles, the last two with two outs, before Cuthbert’s two-run single off Zach McAllister made it 6-3.

“You hoped he could kind of dodge a few bullets,” Francona said, “but at some point there is so much traffic that you knew they were going to score.”

It was the shortest start for Salazar since May, and his first loss since facing Kansas City on May 27. It also ended a five-game tear since returning from the disabled list for shoulder soreness, a stretch in which Salazar had allowed only five total runs.

The Indians still finished 8-3 on their four-city road trip.

“I was joking with my wife if we go 8-and-3 on this road trip, we’re going to be in a good spot,” Indians catcher Yan Gomes said. “It’s like, four cities in 10, 11 days. We toughed it out and won every series on the road against good ballclubs, so that should give us a lot of confidence.”

STATS AND STREAKS

The Royals have won 11 of 14 against division rivals. … Escobar and Moustakas each extended hitting streaks to 11 games. … Cuthbert’s home run was his first since April 8 in Houston. … Lindor finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3 for 5 with a stolen base.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (right intercostal strain) continued with fielding drills and batting practice as he targets a return Tuesday or Wednesday. “He’s making progress and we’ll just see,” Yost said. “He’s had no setbacks, which is good. We’ll just keep ramping it up.”

Indians: RHP Corey Kluber, who sprained his right ankle covering first base Friday night, threw a short bullpen session and plans to start Wednesday against Boston. “No restrictions,” Francona said.

UP NEXT

The Indians head home for four games against Boston starting Monday night, then welcome the Royals to town for three games. Kansas City has a day off before a series against the Rockies, and several players said they hope the weather cooperates for them Monday to see the eclipse.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis falls to Pittsburgh in Little League Classic

Posted on August 20, 2017

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Josh Bell homered and drove in four runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 in the Little League Classic on Sunday night.

The teams played at renovated Bowman Field, a minor league ballpark located 5 miles from where the Little League World Series is taking place. Sitting in the front rows were admiring Little Leaguers who got to mingle with the big league stars earlier in the day, part of a Major League Baseball initiative to celebrate youth baseball.

After the final out of MLB’s first regular-season game in Williamsport, the Pirates shook hands on the field as usual following a victory. And then — in a nod to Little League baseball — both teams lined up at home plate and shook hands with each other, throwing in some hugs and high-fives to finish off a feel-good day.

Bell sent a pitch from Mike Leake (7-12) over the right-field wall for a two-run shot in the first inning. The slugger added a two-run single in the third to give Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Adam Frazier homered for the second straight game and Andrew McCutchen added an RBI grounder for the Pirates, who were the “home” team and won their second in a row to split the four-game series. They snapped a six-game skid with a rain-delayed victory Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Pirates starter Ivan Nova (11-10) wasn’t affected by Saturday’s late finish. The team sent him to Williamsport early that day so he’d be rested and ready. And he was. Nova gave up three runs on eight hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings.

Felipe Rivero got three outs for his 14th save in 15 chances. With runners on first and second, Paul DeJong hit a long fly to center field for the final out.

Jedd Gyorko cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 3-2 with a two-run homer in the second, his 17th of the season. Kolten Wong had an RBI single for St. Louis in the sixth.

The Pirates’ bullpen held the Cardinals to two hits after Nova’s exit.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

St. Louis players Lance Lynn and Randal Grichuk both starred for their respective Little League teams. Grichuk made back-to-back appearances in the Little League World Series for Richmond, Texas, in 2003 and 2004. Lynn’s team from Brownsburg, Indiana, went 0-3 in 1999.

A couple of Pirates also had memories of Williamsport.

Max Moroff was on the Maitland, Florida, team that advanced to the semifinals of the 2005 Little League World Series, and Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle spent a year managing the now-defunct Williamsport Bills, then a New York Mets affiliate. He was asked if any of the gear or keepsakes he signed Sunday had a Bills logo on it.

“Not one Williamsport Bills item has popped up,” Hurdle said. “It was a very forgettable year.”

The Bills went 60-79 in Hurdle’s lone season.

LITTLE LEAGUERS TAKE PART

Little League players took part all night, beginning with the opening pitch.

A player from each team lined up from center field and around the bases to relay the first pitch to Pirates catcher Chris Stewart. Players also relayed lineup cards to officials, answered trivia questions on the field for Xboxes and signed memorabilia, and got the best seats in the house — in the front rows and winding around both dugouts.

They also got a chance to take over the stadium address system, announcing players as they walked to the plate, and were treated to nearly 200 snow cones bought by Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis is off Monday before Lynn (10-6) opens a six-game homestand against San Diego on Tuesday. Lynn, who struggled with a 5.68 ERA in June, has lowered that to 2.00 in three August starts.

Pirates: Gerrit Cole (10-8) faces the major league-leading Dodgers on Monday. Cole is 4-1 in his last eight starts.

— Associated Press —

Chiefs’ QBs throw four TDs in preseason win at Cincinnati

Posted on August 19, 2017

CINCINNATI (AP) — Rookie Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of touchdown passes, solidifying his spot as the Chiefs’ primary backup, and three Kansas City quarterbacks threw for a score on Saturday night during a 30-12 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Kansas City (1-1) got a lot to like out of its offense overall and its top pick in particular.

Mahomes moved into the role of Alex Smith’s backup a week ago and was smooth against the Bengals (1-1), who chased him from the pocket but couldn’t stop his accurate on-the-move throws. Mahomes, the 10th overall pick from Texas Tech, was 10 of 14 for 88 yards with touchdowns of 1 and 7 yards .

“Of course I always love a touchdown throw,” Mahomes said. “That’s the big thing, getting the ball in the end zone. I just tried to go in there and do what Alex was doing.”

The Chiefs scored on each of their first five possessions for a 30-9 lead. Smith was 8 of 9 for 83 yards with a TD , and Tyler Bray threw an 18-yard touchdown on his first play.

“Patrick had some nice plays, and Tyler had a nice shot right at the beginning,” coach Andy Reid said.

Kansas City piled up 410 yards, including 228 rushing. Charcandrick West ran for 113 yards on only seven carries.

The Bengals had to settle for a pair of field goals during Andy Dalton’s three possessions. He was 7 of 13 for 98 yards with one sack.

“We moved the ball really well,” Dalton said. “We have to make a play when we’re down there.”

Cincinnati’s kicking competition remained all even. Randy Bullock and Jake Elliott have made all of their attempts in two games. Bullock connected from 47 and 26 yards on Saturday, while Elliott was good from 32 and 39 yards.

ROOKIE WATCH

Chiefs: Third-round pick Kareem Hunt got a chance to show his versatility in his home state. He was limited to one carry and one catch in the preseason opener. On Saturday, he was the featured running back on the first two drives. Hunt had 8 carries for 40 yards and 3 catches for 23 yards.

Hunt is Toledo’s all-time leading rusher and had a lot of family and friends at Paul Brown Stadium.

“Honestly it kind of felt like a homecoming for me,” he said. “It meant a great deal to come here and play the way I did.”

Bengals: Top draft pick John Ross was held out of a second straight preseason game as he recovers from shoulder surgery. He was cleared to fully practice on Monday. … Second-round pick Joe Mixon carried five times for 13 yards.

ONE WAY TO LOOK AT IT

The Chiefs had scoring drives of 80, 46, 75, 80 and 18 yards on their first five drives, but Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said it wasn’t necessarily all bad for the defense.

“That’s good for those guys to have to play that way,” Lewis said. “If we go in there and stop them too early and they think they should come out, and they don’t have their wind and aren’t ready for the regular season.”

INJURIES

Chiefs: TE Travis Kelce missed the preseason opener with a sore knee but practiced during the week and had one catch for 26 yards. S Eric Berry was sidelined again with a heel injury.

Bengals: S Shawn Williams hurt his right elbow in the second quarter and was taken off the field on a cart. … RB Giovani Bernard sat out a second straight preseason game as he recovers from a torn ACL.

TAKE THAT

Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict leveled RB Anthony Sherman with a high hit to the chest on a passing play in the first quarter.

NOTHING BUT NET

Chiefs TE Demetrius Harris had a pair of touchdown catches. After the second one, he celebrated by stopping as if he were at the free-throw line and shooting the ball toward the sideline.

STILL KICKING

Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos was out again with a groin injury. Sam Ficken, signed to fill in while he heals, made a 23-yard field goal, but was wide right on one of his extra-point attempts.

UP NEXT

The Chiefs play at Seattle on Friday. The Bengals play at Washington next Sunday.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City gets blanked by Cleveland

Posted on August 19, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Trevor Bauer pitched well, but he credits his defense for this victory.

Bauer threw 6 1/3 innings as the Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 on Saturday night.

Bauer (12-8) won his fifth straight decision — the longest winning streak of his career that started after a July 17 loss. He gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out four.

“Defense, for sure,” Bauer said. “I wasn’t sharp tonight. I got a lot of balls barreled right at me. I was able to make a couple pitches here and there when I needed to, but mostly Carlos (Santana) made two outstanding plays at first, and made a couple other good ones. (Jason) Kipnis made a really nice play. (Giovanny) Urshela made a really great play at third. It was just the defense playing really well.”

Relievers Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen did not allow a hit over the final 2 2/3 innings to complete the shutout.

Bauer joins teammates Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco as 12-game winners. The Indians are the only team in the majors with three 12-game winners.

“Trevor made some pitches, he got some good defense behind him because he was working quick and throwing strikes,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “And he doesn’t back down. I think in big situations, he’s kind of coming through like more often than not.”

Roberto Perez delivered the clutch blow, a two-out, two-strike, two-run single in the fourth inning that scored Jay Bruce and Santana.

“It’s frustrating,” losing pitcher Jason Vargas said. “When you do things to get yourself in a position to get out of it and put the team in a position to stay in the ball game and then you just make a mistake. I just feel like it’s been happening too often.”

Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis hit consecutive doubles in the first inning for the first Cleveland run.

Bruce’s RBI-double in the fifth scored Ramirez, who had walked, and finished Vargas’ evening.

Vargas (14-7), who had 12 victories at the end of June, gave up four runs, six hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings. The Royals dropped to 6-12 in August, while the rotation has a 5.99 ERA for the month.

“We’re talking out of 96 pitches, four pitches that hurt him,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Santana doubled and scored on Jackson’s single in the eighth for the final Indians run.

The Indians are an American League-best 20-8 since July 21 and are 8-2 on their four-city 11-game trip that concludes Sunday.

YOST TURNS 63

Yost turned 63, but the loss dropped his overall Royals’ record to 610-611.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: It is uncertain whether Kluber, who left in the sixth inning Friday with a right ankle sprain, will make his Wednesday start against Boston. “He’s a little stiff, which I think is normal, but not more than that,” Francona said. He said it is “probably 50-50 Kluber would start against the Red Sox, but could be pushed back a day or two. “I think that’s probably the worst-case scenario,” Francona said. “I think sometimes if you can’t prepare for it (a start), it probably behooves us to move him back a little bit.”

Royals: RHP Neftali Feliz was placed on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Monday with right ulnar nerve palsy. “It’s not bad,” Yost said. “It’s probably going to be a four, five-day thing, but right now we can’t afford to go short. We just can’t, the way things have played out here in the last couple of weeks with the pitching. We’re thin down there, and we just can’t go short.” … LHP Eric Skoglund was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. He is 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA in three Kansas City starts this season, but will be used out of the bullpen.

UP NEXT:

Indians: RHP Danny Salazar is 0-2 with 4.63 ERA in four appearances this season against the Royals.

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts this year against Cleveland.

— Associated Press —

Cardinals fall at Pittsburgh Saturday 6-4

Posted on August 19, 2017

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Frazier and the Pittsburgh Pirates finished off a win at PNC Park, then packed their bags for a trip — to another home game about 200 miles away.

Frazier homered, doubled and singled to help the Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Saturday, ending a six-game losing streak in a matchup delayed nearly two hours by rain.

On Sunday morning, both teams will fly to central Pennsylvania to play in the Little League Classic later that night in Williamsport.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said they sent Sunday starter Ivan Nova ahead earlier Saturday. With him already in place, the rain didn’t disrupt the Pirates much, but it could have if the game went on any longer.

“(Nova is) already there,” Hurdle said. “Probably just finishing up dinner. The key is to keep the guys fresh. I didn’t think there were any challenges. If we played longer tonight, there could’ve been some different challenges.”

The game will be held at the home of the Williamsport Crosscutters, the Pirates’ affiliate in the Class A New York-Penn League.

Following the rain delay in the second, Frazier and Starling Marte hit two-run homers in a five-run inning. Pinch-hitter Jose Osuna homered in the sixth.

The Cardinals scored 11 runs in each of their two wins to start this series. Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer in the eighth and Jose Martinez homered in the ninth.

“I put us within striking distance, and Jose puts us a little closer,” DeJong said. “You can’t give away at-bats, late in a game, down by five runs, rain delay all those factors. You’ve just got to try to help the team win every time.”

Chad Kuhl (6-8) responded well following the rain delay, giving up one run and three hits in five innings. Felipe Rivero got his 13th save.

Hurdle said Kuhl “was willing to pitch if he had to wait until tomorrow” for the rain to stop.

Kuhl said he felt sharper once he returned to the mound.

“I had all the confidence in the world that I was going to be back out there,” he said. “(It was) never really was a question in my mind with the state of our bullpen not being so rested. I was 100 percent. No matter how long it took, I was ready.”

Michael Wacha (9-6) was tagged for five runs and seven hits in four innings.

Wacha retired the side in order in the first, but the Pirates scored five times in the second. A leadoff walk set up Frazier’s home run, and Kuhl later doubled before Marte connected.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny couldn’t say if the delay impacted Wacha.

“You can’t take anything out of the equation,” Matheny said. “He was good in the first. It’s a long wait, but it’s a long wait for their guy, too, and he got out there and he looked better when he got back out.”

MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT

Cardinals: RHP Josh Lucas, 26, came in to start the fifth inning in relief of Wacha. He worked around a pair of singles in his first inning and gave up Osuna’s homer the next inning. St. Louis recalled Lucas, who allowed one run on four hits with two strikeouts in two innings, from Triple-A Memphis and optioned RHP Mike Mayers on Friday.

ROSTER MOVE

Pirates: RHP Dovydas Neverauskas was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis while LHP Steven Brault was optioned to Indianapolis. He pitched a perfect fifth inning with one strikeout Saturday. Brault was recalled on Friday, after LHP Wade LeBlanc was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left quad strain.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake (7-11, 3.88) will try to bounce back from a poor start when he takes the mound against the Pirates in Williamsport. He surrendered eight runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Boston Red Sox last time out.

Pirates: Nova (10-10, 3.77) will look to build off his last start when he faces the Cardinals. He took the loss his last time out, but allowed just one earned run in six innings against Milwaukee.

— Associated Press —

Royals get clobbered by Cleveland in series opener 10-1

Posted on August 19, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The party that started when the Indians arrived at Kauffman Stadium ground to a halt when Corey Kluber winced while covering first base in the sixth inning against Kansas City on Friday night.

It turned out to be merely a blip in the soundtrack.

Kluber escaped with a minor sprain of his right ankle, an injury that manager Terry Francona hoped will not cause him to miss a start. And considering the offense that the Indians piled up in a 10-1 rout of the Royals, just about anybody could have been on the mound and been successful.

Jay Bruce hit a pair of homers and had five RBIs, while Jason Kipnis and Edwin Encarnacion also went deep, as the Indians piled up 13 hits in pushing their AL Central lead to 6 1/2 games.

“I just feel like I added to an already good lineup,” said Bruce, who has gone deep three times since his trade from the Mets. “But these guys were already good before I got here.”

Especially the guy on the hill Friday night.

“I’ve been on the other side of that too many times. He anchors this thing for us,” Bruce said of Kluber. “We feel pretty damn good when he’s on the mound.”

Kluber (12-3) was cruising along until there was one out in the sixth inning and Eric Hosmer sent a grounder to the right side of the infield. Kluber winced coming off the mound to cover the bag, and manager Terry Francona and the team’s training staff quickly jogged out to the mound.

The two-time All-Star faced one more batter before Andrew Miller relieved him. Kluber allowed a homer to Brandon Moss along with five more hits, striking out four and walking one.

“It’s a low ankle sprain and on the mild side. It’s not the dreaded high ankle sprain that you hear with NFL guys,” said Indians manager Terry Francona, who had a DJ and arcade game waiting for his team in a festive visiting clubhouse to boost their morale during a long road trip.

Kipnis and Bruce homered in the first inning off Ian Kennedy (4-9), and Bruce added a three-run shot in the seventh. Encarnacion added his homer leading off the ninth.

“They were better than us tonight. You can live with that,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We’ll come back tomorrow and play again. This game wasn’t a good one for us. It just happens.”

Kennedy was pounded for five runs on six hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings in another forgettable night at Kauffman Stadium. It was his 15th straight winless home start dating to August 2016, breaking the Royals’ franchise record held by Mac Suzuki and Glendon Rusch.

The AL Central-leading Indians were coming off a doubleheader in Minnesota on Thursday night, while the chasing Royals had the day off. But it was Cleveland that looked energized in the first of 10 remaining matchups between teams that have dominated the division.

The Indians scored three times in the first inning, gave back a run on Moss’s deep shot to center in the second, then scratched out two more runs in the third to chase Kennedy.

It was Kennedy’s shortest start since going two innings at Minnesota in May.

“It was like one of those games where you’re warming up and hopefully you can get the adrenaline going and body going a little quicker when the game starts, but it didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t have the fastball. I didn’t have the bite on my breaking balls. It was just a bad game.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Kluber’s streak of 14 straight starts with at least eight strikeouts ended one shy of Randy Johnson’s big-league record. … Kluber is 5-0 with a 2.38 ERA in his last eight starts. … Kipnis has homered three times in his past four games. … Bruce has 32 homers, two shy of his career high. … The Royals have lost 13 of 20 since a nine-game winning streak. … Moss’s homer snapped a skid of 0-for-14.

ROSTER MOVES

Indians OF Abraham Almonte went on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, creating room for Miller to return from the DL. He had been out with right knee tendinitis.

Royals RHP Joakim Soria was placed on the DL with a left oblique strain and RHP Kevin McCarthy was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his place. Soria has a 3.96 ERA in 53 appearances.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians 3B Jose Ramirez got the night off after getting hit on the forearm Thursday in Minnesota. X-rays were negative and Francona expects him to play Saturday night.

Royals C Salvador Perez (right intercostal strain) took batting practice and did fielding drills before the game, and Yost said he could return next week. He has been on the DL since Aug. 5.

UP NEXT

LHP Jason Vargas (14-6) goes for his career-best 15th win as the Royals continue their series with the Indians. Cleveland counters with RHP Trevor Bauer, who pitched in relief Thursday night.

— Associated Press —

Carpenter homers, Cardinals outlast Pirates 11-10

Posted on August 19, 2017

PITTSBURGH — Matt Carpenter seemed to send the St. Louis Cardinals on their way to an easy win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. His three-run homer gave St. Louis a 5-1 lead in the second inning.

When Luke Voit replaced Carpenter at first base in the seventh inning, the Cardinals led 10-3. It reached 11-3 in the eighth before they nearly let it slip away.

St. Louis eventually won 11-10 but despite the near collapse, Carpenter said he was never nervous in the dugout.

“Never a doubt. Never a doubt,” said Carpenter, who hit the second of three St. Louis home runs in the first three innings. “It was interesting, for sure, but I knew we’d find a way to finish it off.”

The Cardinals have taken the first two games of a four-game series against the Pirates to remain 1 1/2 games behind the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs.

St. Louis has won 10 of their past 13 games despite losing three straight from Aug. 13-16. It has scored at least eight runs in eight of those 10 wins.

“We needed all of them, 11 (runs),” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “I just can’t say enough when an offense puts days like that together.”

Right-hander Carlos Martinez (10-9) allowed three runs and six hits with four strikeouts for the win. Right-hander Seung Hwan Oh picked up his 19th save.

The Cardinals survived a late Pirates push.

Max Moroff hit a two-run home run, Pittsburgh’s third of the game, 420 feet into the Allegheny River on a bounce beyond the right field wall to make it 11-5 in the eighth. Josh Bell hit an RBI double and Elias Diaz drove in two runs with a double to cut the deficit to 11-8 later in the inning.

Pittsburgh scored two more in the ninth, but left the bases loaded.

“They played. They continued to play,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “They continued to fight. They worked well in the dugout together. They continued to talk baseball.”

The Pirates’ losing streak reached six games. They are 6 1/2 games behind the Cubs.

Tommy Pham homered in the first inning to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead and Paul DeJong made it 6-2 with a solo shot in the third. St. Louis scored two runs in the fourth inning to take an 8-2 lead and chase Pirates starter Trevor Williams.

Williams (5-6) lasted three innings while allowing eight runs, three home runs and seven hits with three strikeouts.

“I thought the command was there,” Williams said. “I had all four pitches working in the zone. It’s just unfortunate the low ball was taken away from me early. But then again, I still have to make pitches.”

Starling Marte hit an RBI triple to cut the Cardinals’ lead to 8-3 in the fifth inning.

DeJong, who was 3 for 5 with two RBI, drove in Martinez with a single and Dexter Fowler followed with an RBI double to push the lead out to 10-3 in the top of the sixth and Jose Martinez extended it to 11-3 with a single in the eighth.

Josh Harrison tied it 1-1 in the first inning with his second home run in the past two days. His 14 home runs are a career high, topping his 13 from 2014. David Freese led off the bottom of the second with a home run to cut Pittsburgh’s deficit to 5-2.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Friday with right elbow impingement. He went just three innings while allowing five runs and seven hits in his start against the Pirates on Thursday night. RHP Mike Mayers was recalled from Triple-A Memphis to fill the roster spot.

Pirates: LHP Wade LeBlanc went on the 10-day disabled list with a left quad strain. He allowed four runs in the ninth inning to the Cardinals on Thursday. LHP Steven Brault, who allowed two runs and four hits in four innings in relief of Williams, was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.

UP NEXT

Neither team announced a starting pitcher for Saturday.

— Associated Press —