Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Kansas City Royals (11-4) @ Chicago White Sox (6-8) U.S
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Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Kansas City Royals (11-4) @ Chicago White Sox (6-8) U.S. Cellular Field - Thursday, April 23, 2015 Game #16 - Road Game #7 Fox Sports Kansas City (HD), KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Friday, April 24 @ Chicago White Sox: LHP Danny Duffy (1-0, 5.51) vs. LHP Jose Quintana (1-1, 8.40), 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Saturday, April 25 @ Chicago White Sox: RHP Edinson Volquez (2-1, 1.99) vs. LHP John Danks (0-2, 6.06), 1:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Sunday, April 26 @ Chicago White Sox: LHP Jason Vargas (1-1, 6.75) vs. RHP Hector Noesi (0-2, 5.23) , 1:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Tonight’s game is being broadcast in Kansas City on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) and the Royals Radio Network with Denny Matthews, Steve Physioc and Steve Stewart, while Don Free controls the dials as the producer/engineer...tonight’s game is being televised in High Definition by Fox Sports Kansas City with Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler...the pre and postgame shows on FSKC, Royals Live, are hosted by Joel Goldberg, who is joined by Jeff Montgomery. Royals vs. White Sox HOMESTAND ENDS ON SOUR NOTE--There were no late inning heroics for the Royals last night The Royals hit the Windy City to meet their Central Divison as Kansas City dropped its final game of the homestand, 3-0, to Minnesota...the Royals still finished rivals for a four-game set beginning tonight. KC swept a three- the stand 4-2, however both losses followed a similar pattern as KC was also blanked by the A’s, 5-0, game series at Kauffman already this year and looks to continue its Saturday...in both losses, the visitors scored all of their runs in one inning, with the Twins plating all winning ways at ‘The Cell’, where the club is 26-12 since the start of 2011. The Royals are 155-201 in Chicago all-time, including three of their runs last night in the top of the first...Brian Dozier and Kennys Vargas collected back-to- 85-109 at the current address. back RBI hits, before KC starter Jeremy Guthrie plunked Oswaldo Arcia with the bases loaded to cap Date Site Score WP LP Att. the scoring...the Royals threatened to tie with two outs in the fifth when Lorenzo Cain was hit by a pitch 4/6 KC W, 10-1 Ventura Samardzija 40,085 to load the bases, but Twins starter Mike Pelfrey got Eric Hosmer to ground out to first to extinguish 4/8 KC W, 7-5 Davis Putnam 23,385 4/9 KC W, 4-1 Volquez Danks 20,236 the Royals’ best scoring opportunity...despite the loss, the Royals retained the best home record in the 4/23 @ Chi American League, at 7-2, and tied with Detroit atop the A.L. Central. 4/24 @ Chi 4/25 @ Chi BACK ON THE ROAD--Kansas City opens a 7-game journey through Chicago (4) and Cleveland (3) 4/26 @ Chi tonight...after the trip, the Royals will have played 13 of their last 19 games away from Kauffman Stadium 7/17 @ Chi 7/18 @ Chi and 13 of 22 overall...the last time KC played here was last September, when they clinched a postseason 7/19 @ Chi berth on the final weekend of 2014...the Royals swept a 3-game season-opening series at ‘The K’ a couple 8/7 KC of weeks ago, but still trail the all-time series by a 340-363 margin...KC is 85-109 at “The Cell.” 8/8 KC 8/9 KC PEN CONTINUES DOMINATION--The Kansas City bullpen tossed 4.0 more scoreless innings last 9/4 KC night, running its current streak to 22.0 consecutive shutout frames, which started when the Royals 9/5 KC 9/6 KC began the last homestand...KC’s pen has been scored upon in only one of the 46.1 innings it has 9/29 @ Chi worked in 2015, with Minnesota plating three runs in the eighth April 15 at Target Field to snap a 9/30 @ Chi streak of 23.1 consecutive scoreless that opened the year...overall, Kansas City relievers have allowed 10/1 @ Chi three earned runs in the 46.1 innings for a Major League best 0.58 ERA, while holding opposing hitters to a big league low .160 batting average...by comparison, St. Louis has the second-best bullpen ERA in the Majors (1.78), giving up seven runs in their 35.1 innings of work...KC’s relief corps has allowed just three of their 10 inherited runners to score this season. REACHING BASE THE HARD WAY--Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon were both plunked last night, upping the Royals’ season total to 16, which is second in the Majors to Texas (17)...Gordon is tied for the A.L. lead, having been hit five times in 48 plate appearances this year...KC didn’t get their 16th bruise last season until June 3, their 58th game of the season. SWEET SERIES OPENERS--KC will look to continue its winning ways in series openers tonight, as the Royals have won all five of their previous set starters, outscoring their opposition by a 39-11 count in those games...true to the old adage of winning the first game of a series, the Royals have won four of their first five series, with the only exception, April 13-16 at Target Field, when the Twins rallied to win the final two of the set. TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Yordano Ventura (2-1, 4.80) vs. LHP Chris Sale (2-0, 2.25) 2015 2014 Career 2015 2014 Career Yordano Ventura vs. White Sox 1-0 1-1 2-2 Major League Record 2-1 (4.80 ERA) 14-10 16-12 Chris Sale vs. Royals - 2-1 7-8 Major League Record 2-0 (2.25 ERA) 12-4 46-29 YORDANO VENTURA is making his fourth start of 2015, his 37th regular season start and 38th outing...it’s his sixth career start vs. Chicago...the 23-year old signed a five-year contract with two club options on April 4...he originally signed on October 8, 2008 as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic. FATEFUL FOURTH AS TEMPERS FLARE--Yordano faced the minimum Yordano’s 2015 Starts through three frames on Saturday vs. Oakland, but was touched up for five runs in the DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT 4/6 vs. Chicago W, 10-1 6.0 4 1 1 1 1 2 81-56 4-1 fourth in a 5-0 loss to the A’s...the second-year righty allowed five runs on four hits with 4/12 @ L.A. Angels W, 9-2 5.2 4 2 2 1 2 7 87-49 7-2 two walks and two strikeouts in his 3.1 frames...Stephen Vogt doubled home Oakland’s 4/18 vs. Oakland L, 0-5 3.1 4 5 5 1 2 2 63-32 0-5 2015 Totals 2-1, 4.80 15.0 12 8 8 3 5 11 231-137 59% first run, then scored on a Billy Butler single...Josh Reddick capped the rally with a Career Totals 16-12, 3.33 213.1 193 84 79 20 80 181 - - three-run homer to right...following the home run, Ventura hit Brett Lawrie, resulting in the pitcher’s first career ejection and a subsequent fine from Major League Baseball...it was Yordano’s third-straight early exit as he left due to a thumb cramp on Opening Day vs. the White Sox and then due to a right calf cramp on April 12 in Anaheim. OUTSTANDING FIRST SEASON--Yordano produced one of the best rookie seasons by a pitcher in club history, becoming just the fourth KC freshman hurler to start 30 games or more...his 14 victories tied Rich Gale (1978) for fourth by a Royals rookie and were tops since Tom Gordon’s team-record 17 during his first season (1988)...he led MLB first-year pitchers in innings (183.0) and opponents’ average (.240), while setting a club rookie record with 22 quality starts, which were also tops among A.L. rookies in 2014. POSTSEASON SUCCESS--Not only did ‘Ace’ enjoy a brilliant regular season, he continued his fine work into the postseason, going 1-0 with a 3.20 ERA (9 ER in 25.1 IP) in five appearances (four starts)...he capped his year with 7.0 shutout innings in a do-or-die Game #6 of the World Series as KC forced a deciding game with a 10-0 triumph...in his two World Series starts, Ventura allowed just two runs in 12.1 frames (1.64 ERA). THOU SHALT NOT STEAL--Yordano has allowed just one stolen base in 210.0 career innings, while just three baserunners have attempted to steal on him... in his April 12 start, Angels’ first baseman Albert Pujols tried to swipe third, but was thrown out...since 1963, only former Cardinals’ hurler Jason Simontacchi (2002-07) has thrown more innings (355.2) and allowed one steal...Yoenis Cespedes is the only successful base stealer with Ventura on the hill, swiping second while with Boston last September 12 at Kauffman Stadium. SUCCESS IN THE CENTRAL-- ‘Ace’ is on a roll in the division, winning eight of his last nine decisions while posting a 2.38 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) since June 11 of last season...in his career, he’s 8-4 with a 3.18 ERA overall vs.