Kansas City Royals
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Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Texas Rangers (45-45) @ Kansas City Royals (44-45) Kauffman Stadium - Sunday, July 16, 2017 Game #90 - Home Game #46 FOX Sports Kansas City (HD) & KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Monday, July 17 vs. Detroit Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (5-7, 5.87) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (12-3, 2.62), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Tuesday, July 18 vs. Detroit Tigers: TBA vs. LHP Travis Wood (1-2, 6.06), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Wednesday, July 19 vs. Detroit Tigers: RHP Justin Verlander (5-7, 4.66) vs. RHP Jason Hammel (4-8, 5.02), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Thursday, July 20 vs. Detroit Tigers: RHP Michael Fulmer (10-6, 3.06) vs. LHP Danny Duffy (5-6, 3.51), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Today’s game can be heard back home on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) and the Royals Radio Network with Royals Hall of Famer Denny Matthews, Ryan Lefebvre and Steve Stewart on the call, while Don Free controls the dials as the producer/engineer…today is being televised in HD on FSKC with Steve Physioc and and Rex Hudler mikeside, while Joel Goldberg and Royals Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery anchor Royals Live. Royals vs. Rangers PITCHERS DUEL GOES RANGERS WAY--In what was supposed to be a nationally televised affair The Royals look to salvage the season finale with the Rang- Danny Duffy and Cole Hamels exchanged zeroes for eight innings last night, before a pair of ninth inning ers today, now 0-6 this year and riding a 12-game losing streak opposite field hits sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt plated the game’s only run in a 1-0 Texas decision...the to Texas...KC’s last win was here on July 22 of last year against contest was slated to air on FS 1, but the first game of the day, New York at Boston, took 16 innings and the today’s starter Yu Darvish...KC still leads the all-time series by a 277-273-1 count, including a 152-126-1 mark in Kansas City, 138- Royals/Rangers never saw the light of day nationally...it was Kansas City’s fifth consecutive loss, flipping 113-1 in Kauffman Stadium. the club’s record from 44-40 entering L.A. last weekend to its present 44-45 mark...last night was also the Date Site Score WP LP Att. 12th consecutive loss to the Rangers dating back to July, 2016...after allowing two hits through 8.0 innings, 4/20 @ Tex L, 0-1 (13) Alvarez Wood 26,898 Duffy surrendered a single to Jonathan Lucroy, sac bunt by Delino DeShields and a blooper to left by Shin- 4/21 @ Tex L, 2-6 Hamels Karns 31,320 Soo Choo to break the deadlock...it was the second time that Duff had blanked the Rangers into the eighth 4/22 @ Tex L, 1-2 Bush Wood 41,446 4/23 @ Tex L, 2-5 Darvish Hammel 37,177 this year, shutting them out for 7.1 frames on April 20, a game the Royals dropped, 1-0 in 13 innings...the 7/14 KC L, 3-5 Perez Minor 35,591 KC offense was stymied by Hamels all evening, going 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position with the lone 7/15 KC L, 0-1 Leclerc Duffy 32,907 knock an infield hit...Eric Hosmer had his 16-game hitting streak halted with an 0-for-4. TROUBLE WITH TEXAS--Last night marked Kansas City’s 12th consecutive loss to the Rangers dating back to July 22 of last year when the Royals were 3-1 winners here over today’s mound opponent Yu Darvish...since that triumph, KC has scored just 22 runs in the 12 setbacks (1.8 per game), while hitting .183 as a team (71-for- 388)...the 12 straight defeats to one club matches the second longest dry spell in franchise history, as Kansas City lost 12 in a row to the Yankees from August 13, 1997 - August 18, 1998...the club record for losses against one club is 23 vs. Baltimore way back in 1969-70...the Royals avenged that dry spell by winning 15 straight over the O’s during the 1987-89 seasons. BACK BELOW BREAK-EVEN--The rollercoaster ride better known as the 2017 season sees the Royals in the midst of a 5-game losing streak, the longest victory drought the club has experienced since a 9-gamer that closed April...Kansas City remains in third place, three games out in the cramped A.L. Central...this was the fourth straight year the Royals resumed post-break play with a winning record (44-43)...the 2014 club was 48-46 when the All-Star Game came around, then lost the first four games out of the break to fall to 48-50, before a 24-6 stretch put the Royals in the Wild Card hunt and eventually landed in the World Series. DAYDREAM BELIEVERS--The Royals look to snap this 5-game losing streak and when better than in the afternoon, as Kansas City has gone 14-7 in its last 21 games under the sun...KC started the year just 1-11 in matinees, but enters today 15-18 on the year thanks to the change in fortune. ACE 30 REMEMBERING YO--The morning of January 22, 2017 will always be remembered as one of the most tragic days in franchise history when word was received that pitcher Yordano Ventura had his life cut short due to a car accident in his native Dominican Republic...signed as a 17-year old in 2008, the fireballing right-hander compiled a 38-31 during his abbreviated Major League career...among many highlights, “Ace” will be most remembered for blanking the San Francisco Giants over 7.0 innings in Game #6 of the 2014 World Series to force a seventh and deciding game, while pitching with a heavy heart himself due to the untimely passing of his friend Oscar Tavares...to honor the late Ventura, all uniforms in 2017 will be adorned with the ACE 30 patch. TODAY’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Yu Darvish (6-8, 3.49) vs. RHP Ian Kennedy (3-6, 4.45) 2017 2016 Career 2017 2016 Career Yu Darvish vs. Royals 1-0 0-1 2-1 Major League Record 6-8 (3.49 ERA) 7-5 52-38 Ian Kennedy vs. Rangers 0-0 0-0 0-2 Major League Record 3-6 (4.45 ERA) 11-11 89-85 IAN KENNEDY is making his 17th start of the year and the 254th of his career, his 256th overall appearance…he takes on Texas for the sixth time, his second start of 2017…the 32-year-old right-hander is in the second year of a five-year deal he signed with the Royals on January 29, 2016. DECISION-LESS VS. DODGERS--Ian recorded a his third-straight quality start Ian’s 2017 Starts DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT last time out, taking a no-decision in a 5-4 KC loss in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium a 4/5 at Minnesota L, 1-9 5.0 3 3 3 0 5 5 95-55 1-3 week ago yesterday...he was charged with three runs on seven hits with a walk and seven 4/9 Oakland L, 0-2 6.0 6 2 2 1 2 4 99-61 0-2 4/16 LA Angels ND, 1-0 8.0 2 0 0 0 2 10 111-67 0-0 strikeouts over 6.0 innings...he gave up a two-run homer to Joc Pederson in the second 4/22 at Texas ND, 1-2 7.0 4 1 1 1 3 3 95-60 1-1 4/28 Minnesota ND, 4-6 5.1 2 2 2 1 2 6 100-61 3-2 and a Justin Turner sac fly in the third, then retired 11 of the final 13 hitters he faced as 5/4 White Sox L, 3-8 4.1 6 5 4 2 1 3 84-52 0-5 a the Royals rallied to tie the score at 3-3...after Salvador Perez’s go-ahead solo shot 5/21 at Minnesota (2) L, 4-8 2.0 3 5 5 2 3 1 54-28 2-5 5/26 at Cleveland ND, 6-4 5.0 3 4 4 1 2 4 88-50 4-4 in the eighth, the Dodgers tied the score on Cody Bellinger’s home run then won the 5/31 Detroit L, 5-6 3.0 4 5 5 1 3 4 74-43 3-5 6/5 Houston L, 3-7 5.0 6 4 4 1 3 4 96-53 2-4 game with four consecutive walks to open the 10th...Ian allowed a season-high seven hits, 6/10 at San Diego ND, 12-6 6.0 6 4 4 1 2 5 100-67 3-4 6/16 at LA Angels W, 3-1 6.0 2 1 1 1 1 4 97-57 2-1 snapping his franchise-best streak of 15 consecutive starts allowing six hits or less to begin 6/21 Boston ND, 6-4 4.2 3 4 2 2 3 4 89-54 2-3 a season...he extended his unbeaten streak to six, however, it marked the first time since 6/28 at Detroit W, 8-2 7.0 5 2 2 2 1 5 94-63 5-2 7/3 at Seattle W, 3-1 6.2 4 1 1 0 2 7 105-67 3-1 June 5 that KC lost a game he started.