Kansas City Royals
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Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Milwaukee Brewers (15-9) @ Kansas City Royals (5-16) Kauffman Stadium - Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Game #22 - Home Game #10 FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Go and KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Thursday, April 26 vs. Chicago White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito (0-3, 9.00) vs. RHP Jakob Junis (3-1, 2.03), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Friday, April 27 vs. Chicago White Sox: RHP Reynaldo Lopez (0-2, 1.50) vs. LHP Danny Duffy (0-3, 5.26), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Saturday, April 28 (1st game) vs. Chicago White Sox: TBA vs. LHP Eric Skoglund (0-2, 8.59) or TBA, 1:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Saturday, April 28 (2nd game) vs. Chicago White Sox: TBA vs. LHP Eric Skoglund (0-2, 8.59) or TBA, 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Sunday, April 29 vs. Chicago White Sox: TBA vs. TBA, 1:15 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 Royals’ Hall of Famer Denny Matthews, Steve Physioc and Steve Stewart...tonight’s game will be televised by FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Go with Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler calling the action... Joel Goldberg and Royals’ Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery anchor the pre and post-game shows, Royals Live. Brewers vs. Royals ONE STREAK SNAPPED, ONE EXTENDED--The Royals dropped the opener of this quick two- Last night’s 5-2 defeat was Kansas City’s first loss to the game set with a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Brewers last night...the loss halted KC’s eight-game Brewers since June 23, 2007 in Milwaukee thus snapping an winning streak over Milwaukee dating back to the 2007 season, while it extended the Royals’ home 8-game winning streak...KC still holds a 203-165 advantage against this franchise with the majority of play taking place while victory drought to six in a row...Ian Kennedy made the start, but a Ryan Braun line drive off his the Brewers were in the A.L. from 1970-97....the Royals have a right foot in the third inning put runners at first and third, then Travis Shaw followed immediately 112-77 edge in games contested in Kansas City, including a 98-67 with a three-run homer to give the Brewers a 4-0 advantage...Kennedy left the contest after the third mark in “The K”...KC will travel to Milwaukee for two in June with a contusion on his foot, though X-Rays were negative and he’s listed as day-to-day...the Royals Date Site Score WP LP Att. 4/24 KC L, 2-5 Davies Kennedy 16,555 welcomed back a pair of All-Stars with the return of both Sal Perez and Alex Gordon from stints on 4/25 KC the D.L., with Perez homering in his second at bat of the year, while Gordo contributed a pair of hits 6/26 @ Milw and scored a run...KC’s 5-16 start is the slowest beginning to a year since opening 2006 with the same 6/27 @ Milw mark after 21 games...meanwhile, the 1-8 home start is the first since the 1992 club started as such. A HITTING STREAK HALTING TUESDAY--The top two hitting streaks in the Majors came to a stop last night with Mike Moustakas going 0-for-3 with a walk to see his 14-gamer snapped, while Minnesota’s Brian Dozier was 0-for-4 in the Bronx to halt his 17-game skein...Moose fell one game shy of his career- best streak of 15 straight set in 2011...despite last night’s 0’fer, Moose has hit .354 (23-for-65) with four doubles, six homers and 15 RB in his last 15 games... he entered play on April 8 with a .174 season average, but enters tonight 133 points higher with a .307 mark. KENNEDY’S STREAK SNAPPED ALSO--The hitting streaks of Mike Moustakas and Brian Dozier weren’t the only extended streaks snapped last night as starting pitcher Ian Kennedy failed to fan a hitter for the first time in his 274 career big league appearances...he possessed the second longest active streak to start a career entering last night, but could not record a strikeout in his injury-shortened 3.0-inning stint...David Price has the longest active among hurlers with a strikeout in every career appearance, with 274...the only non-active pitchers with longer streaks to start their careers were Dwight Gooden (349) and Josh Beckett (335). FIRST LOOK AT N.L.--Last night was the first of the obligatory 20 against National League competition, with all of KC’s work this year coming against N.L. Central counterparts...these two clubs will meet again in Miller Park in late-June...also on the docket will be a two-game home & home with the Reds, three-game home & home sets with the Cardinals, while the Cubs visit KC for three in August and the Royals travel to Pittsburgh for three in PNC Park in September ...the Royals were just 9-11 last year against the N.L., playing mainly vs. the West...dating back to 2014, KC is 47-34 vs. the National League, the sixth best Interleague mark in baseball in that span. A WEEK’S WORTH OF SOX AHEAD--This homestand will continue tomorrow with the first of five straight against the Chicago White Sox, featuring a day/night twinbill on Saturday to make up the Easter Sunday snowout here...Kansas City will then head to Boston to face the Red Sox in a three-game set in Fenway Park, the only stop on the upcoming trip. RISPY BUSINESS--Kansas City only had one shot with runners in scoring position last night and was 0’fer...the Royals enter tonight 27th in the Majors in RISP situations, batting .197 (31-for-155), though the club is hitting .244 (20-for-82) in Kauffman Stadium. TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (1-1, 4.18) vs. RHP Jason Hammel (0-1, 3.20) 2017 2016 Career 2018 2017 Career Jhoulys Chacin vs. Royals 1-0 - 1-1 Major League Record 1-1 (4.18 ERA) 13-10 60-68 Jason Hammel vs. Brewers 0-1 1-0 3-3 Major League Record 0-1 (3.20 ERA) 8-13 92-101 JASON HAMMEL takes the hill for his fifth start of the year, the 285th of his career, 343rd overall appearance...a long-time National Leaguer, he makes his 16th career start Milwaukee...the 35-year-old right-hander is in the second season of a two-year deal he signed on February 8, 2017, which includes a mutual option for 2019. STRONG START WITHOUT A DECISION--Jason matched a career-high, Jason’s 2018 Starts tossing 9.0 innings last Friday afternoon in the first game of a split doubleheader at DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT 4/2 at Detroit L, 1-6 5.0 7 5 5 0 3 3 88-61 1-5 Detroit, but did not factor into the decision as the Tigers won 3-2 in 10...he allowed 4/8 at Cleveland ND, 1-3 6.0 3 0 0 0 2 5 88-53 1-0 two runs on five hits with two walks and four K’s, becoming the first Royals hurler to 4/13 vs. LA Angels ND, 4-5 5.1 8 2 2 1 0 4 95-66 4-2 4/20 at Detroit-1 ND, 2-3 (10) 9.0 5 2 2 0 2 4 101-62 2-2 work 9.0 innings and not receive a decision since Darrell May in a 10-inning loss (4- 2018 Totals 0-1 3.20 25.1 23 9 9 1 7 16 372-242 65.1% 3) to Oakland on May 25, 2003...it was the first time Hammel had pitched 9.0 innings 2017 Totals 8-13 5.29 180.1 209 109 106 26 48 145 3029-1961 66.8% since tossing a one-hit shutout at Atlanta on June 16, 2012, winning 5-0 while with Career Totals 92-101 4.49 1708.2 1774 905 853 215 535 1352 - - Baltimore...as for Friday, he retired nine of the first 11 Tigers he faced, before back-to-back doubles to start the fifth, plating one run, followed by a sac fly to plate the other...Jason finished much like he began, setting down nine of the last 10 he faced and did not allow a hit after the sixth inning. GETTING PICKY--It took a video replay, but Jason recorded his first pick-off in nearly two years in Detroit, catching Jeimer Candelario at first base following a leadoff single in the sixth...it was his 14th career pick and first since nabbing Jonathan Villar at first on July 22, 2016 at Miller Park. NEEDING SUPPORT--Kansas City has scored just eight runs in Hammel’s 25.1 innings this season, for a 2.84 run support average…since the start of last season, Hammel’s 4.11 run support average is second lowest in the American League (minimum 35 starts) to teammate Ian Kennedy (3.85). EXCELLENT EARLY--Jason has a 2.25 ERA (9 ER in 36.0 IP) in the first inning of his starts since 2017, sixth-best in the Majors (min.