Professional – Page 65 – St. Joseph Post Archive

St. Louis loses to deGrom, Mets 7-3

Posted on July 19, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) — Staked to an early lead, Jacob deGrom pitched into the seventh inning and won his career-best seventh straight start as the Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-3 on Wednesday.

New York jumped on Mike Leake (6-8) for seven runs in the first two innings and cruised from there behind deGrom to snap a three-game losing streak.

DeGrom (11-3) settled down after a 25-pitch first inning, allowing seven hits and striking out three. He was pulled with two outs in the seventh after Luke Voit’s double scored Greg Garcia for the Cardinals’ first run.

The Mets sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning and strung together three straight run-scoring hits with two outs, capped by Wilmer Flores’ RBI single.

New York added four more runs off Leake in the second, only one of them earned. Third baseman Jedd Gyorko’s throw sailed into right field on what could have been a double-play grounder by Asdrubal Cabrera. Jay Bruce followed with an RBI single and Yoenis Cespedes doubled to right to make it 5-0.

Jose Reyes drove in two more runs with a single to center, and Leake, who came in with the sixth-best ERA in the National League, was pulled after two innings.

In the eighth, St. Louis loaded the bases with two outs and Magneuris Sierra drove in two runs with a single off Jerry Blevins. Out of pinch hitters, Cardinals manager Mike Matheney sent pitcher Adam Wainwright to plate, and he drew a walk to chase Blevins.

Addison Reed struck out Voit to end the threat and retired the Cardinals in the ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances.

JUST BEING CAUTIOUS

Cespedes, who missed Sunday’s game with a sore hip, drew the attention of manager Terry Collins after doubling in the second inning. He was slow out of the batter’s box and gingerly went in standing at second base. After a brief timeout, he stayed in the game. In the third, Cespedes didn’t run at full speed on a fly ball to left that dropped in front of him for a hit.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mets 2B Neil Walker is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A Las Vegas. Walker, who has been on the disabled list since June 15 with a partial tear in his right hamstring, expects to join the Mets on Monday in San Diego. Veteran Astrubal Cabrera has been playing second base in Walker’s absence and said he’s been taking grounders at third and first in anticipation of his teammate’s return.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn (8-6, 3.40) starts Thursday afternoon in the season series finale against Mets RHP Seth Lugo (4-2, 4.50). Lynn, who has won his last two starts, is 3-3 with a 2.45 ERA in six career starts (eight appearances) against New York, but holds a 0-3 record with a 3.55 ERA in two starts (three appearances) at Citi Field.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City gets pounded by Detroit again

Posted on July 18, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Detroit Tigers got along just fine without J.D. Martinez in their lineup.

For one night, at least.

After trading their star outfielder to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Tigers pounded out 16 hits in a 9-3 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Nicholas Castellanos homered twice and drove in five, Victor Martinez had a pair of RBI and just about everyone else did something constructive.

“I don’t know that you can replace J.D.,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, whose club won its fourth straight. “We’ll do our best. Tonight was a good night for us.”

The Tigers were presumed to be in sell-mode after a rough first half, and that assumption became fact when general manager Al Avila traded Martinez for a trio of infield prospects. It took one of the Tigers’ most consistent bats out of the lineup and could signal more trades are in the works.

Nobody in the Detroit clubhouse is worried about the future, though.

“Everybody in here is a professional. You have to do what you have to do,” said Castellanos, who also tripled to finish a double shy of the cycle. “We’re playing with a chip on our shoulder now.”

The Tigers’ big offensive night gave fill-in starter Matt Boyd (3-5) plenty of support.

Boyd allowed three runs and seven hits over six innings, striking out three and walking one. It was his first big league win since April 16, a skid that included four losses and four no-decisions.

He outperformed Travis Wood (1-3), who allowed six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Most of the damage against Wood came in the second, when the Tigers strung together four straight hits to begin the inning. Victor Martinez’s two-run double started the scoring, and by the time Castellanos added a two-run triple, the Tigers had turned a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 advantage.

Castellanos added his 13th homer of the season with one out in the fifth inning.

“They just put a rally together, some balls hit hard, some balls found holes and I wasn’t able to stop the bleeding,” Wood said. “That can’t happen especially after the team goes out and battles and put up three. We need a shutdown inning right there.”

Boyd had trouble of his own in the first, when he coughed up three runs on four singles and a hit batter. But the left-hander settled down to retire Kansas City in order in the second, then dodged what little trouble he faced before turning the game over to his bullpen.

It was the seventh loss in eight games for the Royals, going back to a three-game skid entering the All-Star break, and a particularly disheartening one given their three-run first inning.

“We’ve definitely got to get our pitching reeled back in here a little bit,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “A good start by our starting pitcher and some clutch hits will help you gain momentum and get your momentum going back in a positive fashion. That’s what we need to do.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Castellanos had his second career multihomer game. He has four homers in four days. … The Tigers improved to 6-2 against Kansas City this season. They were 7-12 against the Royals last season. … Wood is winless in his last seven starts, going 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA. … OF Whit Merrifield had a double in the ninth for his eighth straight home game with an extra-base hit, matching the Royals record held by Mike Macfarlane, Hal McRae and Amos Otis. … Royals 2B Ramon Torres singled to snap a 0-for-15 skid.

JMART SAYS FAREWELL

Martinez said he wasn’t surprised he was traded, considering he is due to hit free agency after the season. But that still made it difficult to leave a club that gave him a chance when things went downhill in Houston. “It doesn’t hit you until they tell you,” Martinez said. “It’s definitely tough. I love this organization. I love the fans. I love everything in Detroit. That’s home for me.”

TIGERS’ TRADE RETURN

INF Dawel Lugo was the top prospect in the Tigers’ trade, and GM Al Avila said he will likely begin next season at Triple-A. The Tigers also got INF Sergio Alcantara and INF Jose King as they restocked their farm system with position players. “What we got now, we’re very happy with,” Avila said.

ROSTER MOVES

The Tigers recalled OF Jim Adduci from Triple-A Toledo to take Martinez’s roster spot. They also optioned LHP Blaine Hardy to the Mud Hens to create room for Boyd on the roster.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (5-7, 4.66 ERA) tries to snap a three-game skid as the four-game series continues Wednesday night. The Royals will send RHP Jason Hammel (4-8, 5.02) to the mound.

— Associated Press —

Wacha tosses 3-hitter, Cardinals top Mets 5-0

Posted on July 18, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Wacha busted it out of the batter’s box on a hot night and was thinking about an RBI as he raced down toward first base trying to beat out a double play during a big second inning.

Not only did he do that, he also threw a three-hitter for his first career shutout, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 5-0 on Tuesday night.

“Yeah, I am not fast by any means, but I was just trying to get down there and beat it out,” said Wacha (7-3), who previously pitched 11 days ago.

Despite a slow start that has them one game under .500, the Cardinals were able to move within 3 1/2 games behind the National League Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers thanks to Wacha, who won his fourth consecutive start, and Matt Carpenter, who had four hits.

“Oh, it was awesome. He came out from the first pitch and you could tell he had good stuff,” said Carpenter, who picked up his 10th-career four-hit game and first since May 31, 2016, at Milwaukee.

Wacha struck out eight and walked one in his 99th start, allowing only three runners to reach second base.

The 26-year-old right-hander, who was ineffective last season, had not won four straight starts since the 2013 playoffs when he helped lead St. Louis to the World Series.

There were rumors off a possible move to the bullpen for Wacha prior to this season, but St. Louis manager Mike Matheny always thought otherwise.

“You can’t forget, it was ’13 and this kid came on the scene and then pitched on the big stage and threw some of the better games that we had seen,” Matheny said. “And that stuff, when he’s healthy, that stuff is right. You know days like this I know reaffirm for him the kind of pitcher that he should be. We see it. Just want to continue to watch it.”

Wacha and the Cardinals capitalized on a shoddy Mets defense that let down starter Rafael Montero (1-6) with three errors. Montero allowed four runs, two earned, in six innings. New York has lost three straight and eight of 11.

“We’ve talked about it. In this league you can’t give away outs,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “Big league teams, you can’t give them extra outs. They capitalized on them, and with Wacha pitching like he did tonight, a pretty dominant performance, you let him have some extra runs, they’re going to beat you.”

The first of Carpenter’s four hits was a first-inning double into the right field corner. He advanced to third on third baseman T.J. Rivera’s throwing error and scored on Jedd Gyorko’s sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals took advantage of two more miscues during a three-run second inning. Wacha grounded into what could have been a double play, but shortstop Jose Reyes had trouble getting the ball to first. Carpenter doubled over left fielder Yoenis Cespedes’ head to make it 2-0. St. Louis added another run when Rivera couldn’t field Tommy Pham’s grounder, allowing Wacha to score

“He was locating the fastball well, throwing 93 to 97, 98 and his breaking ball was good,” said Mets catcher Rene Rivera. “He got one of the best catchers in baseball behind the plate with Yadi (Molina) mixing up pitches.”

COMEDY OF ERRORS

The Mets’ three errors tied a season high. Rivera’s first of two errors came in the first inning when his throw pulled Lucas Duda off the bag at first, allowing Carpenter to advance to third and later score on a sacrifice fly. With runners on the corners and one out in the seventh, Duda was charged with an error after he failed to catch Molina’s pop up in foul territory. Molina then singled to center to drive in a run.

POLITICALLY CORRECT

Sitting in the third row near the Mets dugout, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie caught a foul ball in the top of the third inning. The embattled politician, who posed for pictures with fans throughout the game, was booed after fans realized he was the one who’d snared the ball with his bare left hand. He gave the souvenir to a kid seated a few rows behind him.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Each of Carpenter’s first three hits came on the first pitch. He didn’t have too much luck when he singled to right field on the second pitch in his fifth and final at-bat in the eighth inning. “The third at-bat it was mainly the guys in the dugout (saying), `You won’t do that again’,” Carpenter recalled. “So I did it and then had to go back to being myself after that. Had to wait. Out of my comfort zone.”

UP NEXT

Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom (10-3, 3.48) starts Wednesday night against Cardinals RHP Mike Leake (7-6, 3.14 ERA). DeGrom has won a career-best six straight starts with a 1.53 ERA dating to June 12. He’s struck out 47 and walked nine during that stretch.

— Associated Press —

Royals get routed by Tigers 10-2 in series opener

Posted on July 17, 2017July 17, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nicholas Castellanos and Mikie Mahtook went deep, Jordan Zimmermann smothered the Royals with strikes and the Detroit Tigers proceeded to trounce Kansas City 10-2 to open a four-game series Monday night.

Ian Kinsler added three extra-base hits for the Tigers, who knocked American League wins leader Jason Vargas (12-4) from the game after 2 2/3 innings in his first start since the All-Star break.

Zimmermann (6-7) allowed one run and seven hits without a walk in 6 2/3 innings, throwing 79 of 97 pitches for strikes. His dominance was partly a result of first-pitch strikes to 24 of the 28 batters he faced, which helped the right-hander win for the first time since June 3.

Seemingly the only pitch Zimmermann threw that wasn’t a strike hit Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar on the left wrist in the seventh inning. Escobar was forced to leave the game.

Eric Hosmer homered in the eighth for Kansas City. Whit Merrifield also drove in a run.

Things went awry for Vargas from the first pitch, which Kinsler swatted to the fence for a double. Vargas proceeded to match a season high with four walks, Kinsler added a pair of triples off him, and the homers by Castellanos and Mahtook combined to go nearly 900 feet.

The dismal performance came after Vargas was battered for six runs — including three homers — on eight hits and a walk in five innings at Seattle in his final start before the All-Star break.

Vargas did toss a shutout inning during last week’s Midsummer Classic.

It was Zimmermann who looked like an All-Star on Monday night, though — not someone who had allowed at least four runs each of his last three starts, and was 0-4 with a 6.99 ERA on the road.

Zimmermann breezed through a perfect first, bounced back from back-to-back singles to escape trouble in the second, then began pounding the strike zone. By the time he hit the 50-pitch mark, Zimmermann threw 44 of them for strikes, and he wound up with only four two-ball counts in the game.

TRADE TALK

Rumors have suggested that Detroit could trade slugger J.D. Martinez and closer Justin Wilson before the July 31 deadline, though both said they weren’t focused on where they might end up. “Once you’re traded once, it’s not a big deal,” said Wilson, who has been traded from the Pirates and Yankees during his six-year career. “Like I’ve said from the get-go, this is a business, and if I get traded, I get traded.”

ROSTER MOVES

The Royals reinstated RHP Neftali Feliz from the paternity list and recalled OF Billy Burns from Triple-A Omaha. OF Jorge Soler and RHP Miguel Almonte were optioned to the Storm Chasers.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) is making a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday night. … Martinez was removed in the seventh as a precautionary measure with lower back tightness.

Royals INF Cheslor Cuthbert (left wrist sprain) went to Omaha to begin a rehab assignment. Cuthbert was hitting .196 in 33 games when he went on the DL retroactive to June 26.

UP NEXT

The Tigers are recalling LHP Matt Boyd from Toledo to start Tuesday night, while the Royals will send LHP Travis Wood for his second start of the season. Boyd’s last start with Detroit came May 31 in Kansas City, when he allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings.

— Associated Press —-

Cardinals use six-run sixth to win at New York

Posted on July 17, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul DeJong homered against the New York Mets for the fourth straight game and Adam Wainwright hit an RBI double while winning his fourth consecutive start, sending the St. Louis Cardinals to a 6-3 victory Monday night.

With runners at the corners in the bottom of the ninth inning, slugger Yoenis Cespedes grounded into a game-ending double play on a 3-0 pitch from Brett Cecil.

Tommy Pham capped a six-run sixth with a three-run homer on Hansel Robles’ second pitch since returning from the minors. Four relievers combined on 3 1/3 spotless innings for St. Louis, which took the opener of a four-game series between losing teams that expected much better this season.

Michael Conforto and Lucas Duda homered off Wainwright (11-5), who beat scuffling starter Zack Wheeler (3-7) for the second time in 10 days.

Wainwright allowed two earned runs and was removed in the sixth. Moments earlier, Jose Reyes dashed all the way around to score on his own double when rookie right fielder Magneuris Sierra made two errors on the play — booting the ball in the alley before overthrowing third base.

Reyes slid headfirst across the plate and remained on his belly for a few seconds, catching his breath. But the Mets managed only two more hits, and Cecil got three outs for his first save since June 19, 2015, with Toronto.

The left-hander had just squandered a one-run lead in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 4-3 loss at Pittsburgh.

Conforto snapped a scoreless tie with a leadoff homer in the fifth, but Wheeler quickly ran out of gas in losing his fifth straight decision. The right-hander escaped the fifth unscathed after issuing three two-out walks in a row, but couldn’t do the same in the sixth.

Slow-footed Yadier Molina reached on a rare infield single with a slow roller toward shortstop. DeJong then connected on a full-count fastball from Wheeler to put the Cardinals ahead.

The rookie shortstop was 9 for 12 with seven extra-base hits and a homer in each game as the Cardinals took two of three from the Mets in St. Louis from July 7-9. He went 2 for 2 with a homer and a double off Wheeler in the middle game of the series.

Kolten Wong singled and, one out later, Wainwright doubled to right-center to make it 3-1, giving him 10 RBI for the second straight season. Matt Carpenter walked against Josh Edgin before Pham homered into the second deck in left-center off Robles, demoted to Triple-A on May 23 after serving up a string of home runs.

New York (41-49) has dropped seven of 10.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: OF Randal Grichuk (lower back strain) could return Thursday, the first day he’s eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list. … LHP Zach Duke is making a speedy recovery from Tommy John surgery last October and could be ready to rejoin the Cardinals’ bullpen fairly soon, manager Mike Matheny indicated. Duke is rehabbing at Triple-A Memphis.

Mets: Cespedes returned to the lineup after sitting out Sunday with a sore left hip. … 2B Neil Walker (left hamstring) did some running and was set to take grounders on the field. Mets manager Terry Collins said he hopes Walker can begin playing rehab games by this weekend. The switch-hitter has been on the DL since June 15. … LHP Josh Smoker (strained shoulder) was scheduled to make another rehab appearance for Double-A Binghamton. … RHP Noah Syndergaard (torn lat muscle) and RHP Matt Harvey (shoulder) began their throwing programs by playing catch together at Citi Field, their first steps toward returning to the mound.

UP NEXT

Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (6-3, 4.10 ERA) starts the second game of the series Tuesday night against RHP Rafael Montero (1-5, 5.77). Wacha is 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA in his last three outings and hasn’t lost since May 30 against the Dodgers. It will be his first start since July 6.

— Associated Press —-

Royals snap skid with walk-off win against Rangers

Posted on July 16, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texas right fielder Shin-Soo Choo lost Lorenzo Cain’s routine fly in the sun, and the ball glanced off his glove for an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning that lifted the Kansas City Royals over the Texas Rangers 4-3 Sunday.

Choo tried to shield his eyes, but even sunglasses didn’t help on Cain’s sliced flyball. The Royals snapped a five-game losing streak, and also ended a 12-game skid against the Rangers.

Kelvin Herrera (2-2) pitched a spotless ninth. Jason Grilli (2-5), acquired by Rangers from Toronto on July 2, took the loss.

Alcides Escobar led off the ninth with a single and Alex Gordon walked on four pitches. With one out, Grilli hit Whit Merrifield with a pitch to load the bases. After Jorge Bonifacio struck out, Cain delivered the game-winning hit, with some luck.

Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish, who is 0-4 in his past six starts, allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out one.

Darvish’s wild pitch in the first allowed Merrifield to score. Mike Moustakas’ two-out double in the third scored Eric Hosmer, who had walked.

Royals starter Ian Kennedy yielded solo home runs to Drew Robinson in the third and Mike Napoli in the seventh.

Kennedy left after 6 2/3 innings and the score tied at 2.

Kennedy, who is winless in his past 12 home starts, gave up two runs on five hits. After throwing 25 pitches in the first inning, he navigated his way into the seventh on 74 more pitches.

The Royals took a 3-2 lead in the seventh when Drew Butera, who had singled, scored an unearned run. Merrifield doubled and Butera came home when left fielder Nomar Mazara misplayed the ball.

Joakim Soria could not hold the lead in the eighth. Mazara’s two-out single scored Elvis Andrus, who had doubled.

DARVISH PASSES RYAN

Yu Darvish moved past Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and into fourth place on the Rangers’ career strikeout list. When Darvish fanned out Brandon Moss in the fourth inning it was his 940th strikeout in his 120th start. Ryan, baseball’s all-time strikeout king, fanned 939 in 129 starts with Texas.

NO GALLO

Rangers slugger Joey Gallo, who has seven strikeouts in seven at-bats against Kennedy, was not in the lineup.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Keone Kela (shoulder soreness) threw a bullpen Saturday with no problems. The Rangers are unsure whether Kela needs another mound session or activate him Monday in Baltimore.

UP NEXT

Rangers: RHP Andrew Cashner will start Monday at Baltimore in the opener of a four-game series. RHP Chris Tillman will be the Orioles starter.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas, who worked a scoreless inning in the All-Star game, will start against the Tigers. Vargas leads the AL with 12 victories and a 1.84 ERA at home.

— Associated Press —

St. Louis blows ninth inning lead at Pittsburgh

Posted on July 16, 2017

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates closed their series against the St. Louis Cardinals the same way they began it: with a walkoff win.

Adam Frazier’s game-ending single capped a two-run rally in the ninth inning that lifted Pittsburgh to a 4-3 victory Sunday.

Francisco Cervelli reached on an infield single leading off the ninth against Brett Cecil (1-3), and Jordy Mercer’s one-out double scored pinch-runner Josh Harrison with the tying run. Jose Osuna grounded out, David Freese was intentionally walked and Frazier lined a single to center.

Frazier’s hit was the first walkoff hit of his career and it came just two days after Josh Bell got his first with a three-run homer in the ninth off Seung Hwan Oh.

“We hung around,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We gave up two leads, battled back and had a nice, strong ninth inning with some good at-bats. I’m proud of the men and I’m proud of the fight.”

Wade LeBlanc (4-2) pitched a hitless ninth. Pirates starter Trevor Williams gave up two runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Yadier Molina had put St. Louis ahead 3-2 with an eighth inning home run, the first allowed by Juan Nicasio this year.

“I think it’s been like that all year,” Frazier said. “We went through some adversity. It’s just fighting until the last out.”

Pirates starter Trevor Williams gave up two runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. He singled in the third for his first major league hit after an 0-for-21 start at the plate.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez (7-8) allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings, and had an RBI single in the sixth.

Andrew McCutchen’s run-scoring single put Pittsburgh ahead in the fifth, and Matt Carpenter’s RBI double tied the score in the fifth.

Max Moroff hit his first big league home run for the Pirates, a line drive off the right-field foul pole in the fifth. Moroff had 18 homer runs this season with Triple-A Indianapolis but was 4 for 48 in the majors.

“I hit the ball on the barrel for the first time in a while,” he said.

Williams had started his MLB career 0 for 21 before his single to right in the third.

HOT START

Cardinals rookie Magneuris Sierra, brought back from Triple-A on Saturday, had four hits, stole a base and scored a run. Cardinals rookie Magneuris Sierra, brought back from Triple-A on Saturday, had four hits and scored a run. He has reached safely in nine straight games to start his big league career, the first Cardinals player to accomplish the feat.

Three of the hits never left the infield.

“I’m definitely aware that my speed can cause the other team some damage and help my team,” he said through a translator. “As soon as I make contact, I really take advantage of the opportunity to get on base.”

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright (10-5, 5.20 ERA) is to start Monday at the New York Mets. He is 8-2 in his last 11 starts, winning his last three.

Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (3-6, 4.96 ERA) is slated to open at series at home against Milwaukee. He is 2-0 in five starts since a June 14 loss to Colorado.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City loses 12th straight game against Texas

Posted on July 15, 2017July 15, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cole Hamels could have been frustrated or intimidated or annoyed by the effortless way Kansas City counterpart Danny Duffy was slicing up the Rangers lineup Saturday night.

Instead, he rather enjoyed it.

The quick innings allowed Hamels to get into a rhythm of his own, and the left-hander kept matching Duffy’s scoreless innings. It wasn’t long after Hamels departed that Texas finally broke through, with Shin-Soo Choo flaring a lazy fly ball down the left-field line with one out in the ninth for a 1-0 victory — the Rangers’ 12th straight over the Royals.

“Duffy is a tremendous pitcher,” said Hamels, who scattered four hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. “He was making good pitches, getting good outs, and it was up to me to go out and match him. … It was kind of nice to be able to do that.”

Duffy (5-6) began the ninth by giving up a weak single to Jonathan Lucroy. After pinch-runner Joey Gallo took second on a sacrifice bunt by Delino DeShields, Choo got just enough wood on Duffy’s 91st pitch to drop a fly ball in front of left fielder Alex Gordon.

“We needed to find a way to get a hit and we just didn’t. They did,” Royals manager Ned Yost said, “even though it was a jam-shot that won the game for them.”

It wasn’t quite over, though.

After Jose Leclerc (2-2) got the final out in the eighth for Texas, he walked the leadoff man in the ninth. But Alex Claudio worked his way back from a 3-0 count to strike out Eric Hosmer, then got Salvador Perez to ground into a double play to earn his third save and second in as many nights.

“Great slow heartbeat by Claudio right there,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.

Most of the game shook out just as expected: an entertaining duel between talented left-handers.

Hamels rolled in on a 13 1/3-inning scoreless streak and was 3-0 in three starts against the Royals since arriving in Texas. Duffy carried a shutout into the eighth when the teams met in April in Arlington, and he was amped up making his first home start since mid-May.

Texas was first to threaten when Mike Napoli led off the second with a triple, but Duffy set down the next three batters. The only other hit he allowed until the eighth was a one-out single by Carlos Gomez in the fifth, and Duffy picked him off first base.

“Everything was working,” he said.

Hamels waded through far more trouble in the third inning.

He started by walking Alcides Escobar, who hadn’t earned a free pass in 115 plate appearances. Hamels then gave up a single to Brandon Moss and a two-out single to Jorge Bonifacio, who was robbed of driving in the game’s first run when shortstop Elvis Andrus leaped up to knock down the ball.

With the bases loaded, Hamels calmly got Lorenzo Cain to ground out and end the inning.

“The guy has been doing it for a long time. It’s always fun to have matchups like that,” said Duffy, who allowed five hits and four strikeouts without a walk in 8 1/3 innings. “He did a heck of a job. They just came out on top. Somebody had to lose this game. It is what it is.”

RIB ROAST

Royals RHP Nate Karns will have one of his ribs removed Wednesday in a procedure designed to help nerve irritation in his pitching arm. The condition, called thoracic outlet syndrome, occurs when there is pressure on the nerve. Karns hopes to be ready for spring training. “It’s a relief to know what the problem is,” he said. “We’ll have the surgery and go from there.”

MINOR MOVES

Texas traded SS Yeyson Yrizzari to the White Sox for international bonus pool allotment. The 20-year-old Yrizzari signed in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic and was hitting .258 in Class A.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals INF Cheslor Cuthbert (left wrist sprain) will head to Triple-A Omaha on a rehab assignment in the next day or two, manager Ned Yost said. Cuthbert has been out since June 28.

UP NEXT

Rangers RHP Yu Darvish tries to stop a three-game losing streak when he takes the mound Sunday for the series finale. He’ll go against Royals RHP Ian Kennedy, who is 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA over his last five starts after going winless in his first 11 outings this season.

— Associated Press —

Lynn shuts down Pirates as Cardinals cruise 4-0

Posted on July 15, 2017

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Lance Lynn grew up hitting from both sides of the plate, a notion the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher abandoned when he reached college at Ole Miss. Better to just hit right-handed and protect his right (throwing) elbow than expose it by trying to step in as a lefty.

Until now anyway.

Frustrated by a swing by his own admission he called “awful,” Lynn flipped to the left side in secret a few weeks ago, hiding his progress from manager Mike Matheny until he felt comfortable enough to broach the subject earlier this month. Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the fruits of his work were on full display. Lynn raked a run-scoring double to spark a two-out rally in the fifth as the Cardinals pulled away for a 4-0 victory.

Sure, Lynn (8-6) kept the Pirates off balance for 6 1/3 innings to win his second straight start. What he’ll remember is his first extra-base hit as a left-handed batter since high school. He stepped into the box in the fifth against Jameson Taillon with Luke Voit on first and two outs in a one-run game before sending a ball to the gap in left-center, with Voit coming around to score when Pittsburgh centerfielder Andrew McCutchen overran the ball.

“My best swing yet,” Lynn said with more than hint of a smile after boosting his batting average to .091.

Matt Carpenter sent Lynn chugging home with an RBI single and Tommy Pham drove in Carpenter with a double to left field as St. Louis ended Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak.

“I know when pitchers get hits off me, it (ticks) me off,” Lynn said. “Today it kind of worked in our favor.”

Pham finished with three hits for his third straight multi-hit game. Carpenter went 2 for 4 with an RBI and Lynn did the rest. While he allowed eight hits, only one went for extra bases and he used his sinker to get the Pirates to hit into double plays in both the second and the fourth.

“He’s in a good place, he’s throwing the ball well,” Matheny said. “He’s got the movement he’s looking for.”

Taillon (5-3) lost for the first time in nearly a month. The Cardinals pecked away at Taillon for four runs in five innings. Taillon struck out five but tied a season high by allowing eight hits.

“The pitcher, if he just pops that one up or I make a better pitch . I’m moving on and I might go seven, give up one run and it might be a completely different game,” Taillon said.

Francisco Cervelli went 2 for 4 with a double for Pirates. Pittsburgh left nine runners on base and went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

“We’ve seen (Lynn), he’s seen us,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said “There’s no secrets. He got us tonight. We got him the last time. We’ll see what happens the next time.”

The Cardinals and Pirates are both trying to find something resembling traction in hopes of remaining within striking distance of Milwaukee in the middling NL Central. Pittsburgh began the second-half with a boost when rookie Josh Bell hit a walkoff three-run homer on Friday night.

The momentum came to a halt against Lynn. Though he retired the Pirates in order just once he kept Pittsburgh in check until the seventh, when he was pulled with one out after giving up consecutive hits to Cervelli and Jordy Mercer.

Reliever Matt Bowman walked Adam Frazier with two outs to load the bases but Pirates All-Star second baseman Josh Harrison — mired in a slump — flied out to left to end the threat. Harrison is hitting just .119 this month after going 0 for 4.

MONITORING MARTE

The Pirates plan to throw OF Starling Marte right back into the fire when he returns from his 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Marte is eligible to return on Tuesday against Milwaukee. He is currently in Triple-A Indianapolis and entered Saturday hitting .270 with one home run and three RBI in 10 starts for Indianapolis and Class-A Bradenton.

“If he has a spark right away, maybe we can ride it,” Hurdle said. “If he’s challenged for a few games, we might need to back away. We’re going to assess as we go, day by day.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: Placed OF Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day DL with a strained right groin and called up OF Magneuris Sierra from Double-A Springfield. The 21-year-old Sierra hit .375 in eight games with the Cardinals earlier this season.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: Carlos Martinez (6-8, 3.40 ERA), coming off two scoreless innings for the National League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, makes his 19th start of the season in the series finale on Sunday.

Pirates: Trevor Williams (3-4, 4.80 ERA) will make his first career start against the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —

Royals blow 3-0 lead and lose series opener to Texas

Posted on July 14, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer, pinch-hitter Mike Napoli had a go-ahead two-run shot and the Texas Rangers rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 on Friday night.

Martin Perez (5-6) allowed eight hits and a walk over seven innings, but kept all that traffic to just three runs. Two of those came in the second, when Alcides Escobar homered to left.

Beltre connected in the sixth off Royals starter Jason Hammel, who had just surrendered back-to-back singles — the first hits off him all night. Napoli followed with nobody out in the seventh, sending a poor pitch from reliever Mike Minor (5-2) soaring over the left-field wall.

Matt Bush breezed through a perfect eighth and Alex Claudio handled the ninth for his second save, giving the Rangers their 10th straight win over Kansas City dating to last July.

The Royals jumped ahead 2-0 in the second, when the light-hitting Escobar ripped a 2-0 pitch from Rangers starter Perez off the foul post in left field. The ball caromed into the Royals bullpen as Escobar trotted around the bases for a two-run homer.

Jorge Bonifacio made it 3-0 when he drove in Whit Merrifield with a single in the fifth.

The Rangers, crossed up all night by Hammel, finally managed their first hit with one out in the sixth when Elvis Andrus beat out an infield single. Nomar Mazara made it consecutive hits before Beltre cracked the 453rd homer of his career, passing Carl Yastrzemski for 38th on the career list.

The three-run shot also gave Beltre 1,601 RBI in 20 big league seasons.

Minor entered a couple batters later and finished the sixth, but he surrendered a single to Carlos Gomez in the seventh before Napoli’s homer gave the Rangers their first lead.

STATS AND STREAKS

The Royals’ Eric Hosmer singled in the sixth, extending his hit streak to 16 games. … Beltre went 2 for 3, pushing his average to .347 against Kansas City. That trails only Ichiro Suzuki (.355) for career best against the Royals. … Hammel hasn’t won since June 19 at Boston.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers RHP Keone Kela (right shoulder soreness) was “all smiles” after throwing Thursday, manager Jeff Banister said. The next step is to throw off a mound. … Banister said the All-Star break probably helped 1B Joey Gallo, who has been dealing with a sore left knee tendon all season. But Banister said, “I don’t think four days gets rid of (the injury) completely.”

ROSTER MOVES

The Royals put RHP Neftali Feliz on the paternity list and recalled RHP Miguel Almonte from Triple-A Omaha. Almonte has appeared in two games for the Royals this season.

UP NEXT

Rangers LHP Cole Hamels and Royals LHP Danny Duffy square off Saturday night. Hamels has tossed 13 1/3 scoreless innings over his last two starts, the third-longest streak in the majors, while Duffy will be trying to bounce back from a poor outing against the Dodgers before the break.

— Associated Press —