Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Baltimore Orioles (22-12) @ Kansas City Royals (14-21) Kauffman Stadium - Saturday, May 13, 2017 Game #36 - Home Game #19 FOX Sports Kansas City (HD) and KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Sunday, May 14 vs. Baltimore Orioles: RHP Kevin Gausman (2-3, 6.63) vs. RHP Chris Young (0-0, 5.93), 1:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Monday, May 15: Off day at home Tuesday, May 16 vs. New York Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia (2-2, 5.77) vs. RHP Jason Hammel (1-4, 5.97), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Wednesday, May 17 vs. New York Yankees: RHP Michael Pineda (3-2, 3.27) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (5-1, 1.01), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Thursday, May 18 vs. New York Yankees: LHP Jordan Montgomery (2-2, 4.19) vs. LHP Danny Duffy (2-3, 3.38), 7:15 p.m., FS 1 (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, 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 post-game shows are hosted by Joel Goldberg and Royals’ Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery. Royals vs. O’s HOZ BREAKS DEADLOCK--Eric Hosmer snapped a 2-2 tie in the eighth with an RBI double to right- The Royals got the jump on the season series with last night’s center to stake the Royals to a 3-2 win in the series opener with Baltimore...the win was Kansas City’s one-run win...Kansas City trails the all-time series by a 209-267 margin...the Royals have a 118-123 deficit all-time in Kansas City, fourth in the last five games and fifth in the last seven, pulling the club to seven games below .500 after but a 111-106 advantage in Kauffman Stadium...after tomorrow, maxing out at 10-under...Hosmer’s game-winner came off of southpaw Vidal Nuno, who had allowed one- these clubs will next meet in Camden Yards on July 31-August 2. out single to Lorenzo Cain to start the threat...it marked the third and final one-run lead for the Royals, who Date Site Score WP LP Att. jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the first when Cain doubled home Mike Moustakas...after the O’s tied 5/12 KC W, 3-2 Soria Nuno 25,467 5/13 KC the score in the second, Brandon Moss delivered a 456-blast into the second tier of the water spectacular 5/14 KC to open the fifth, but Baltimore knotted the game again when Caleb Joseph scored on a wild pitch...Danny 7/31 @ Balt 8/1 @ Balt Duffy allowed two runs on eight hits over 7.0 innings while fanning six in a no decision...Joakim Soria 8/2 @ Balt earned the win with a perfect eighth and Kelvin Herrera secured his sixth save. THINK PINK--For the first time all uniforms for both the Saturday and Sunday games on Mother’s Day weekend will feature the color pink to bring attention to Breast Cancer Awareness while Mother’s Day is celebrated...all uniforms will have pink features, including shoes, wristbands, caps and uniform numbers...the bases will be adorned with the Breast Cancer Awareness logo and players will be allowed to use pink bats for both the Saturday and Sunday games this weekend. STARTERS AT IT AGAIN--Danny Duffy’s performance of 7.0 innings and two runs allowed last night was the sixth time in the last eight games that a member of the starting rotation held the opposition to two earned runs or fewer...his effort came on the heels of Jason Vargas dispatching the Rays on Thursday in St. Pete with 7.0 shutout innings allowing only three hits...in the last eight games, KC starters have allowed 16.0 earned runs in 49.0 innings for a 2.95 ERA. THE OLD JACK IS BACK--Joakim Soria continued his 2017 resurgence with a 1-2-3 eighth inning last night, recording three ground balls, to earn his second victory of the year...Soria, who re-signed with the Royals prior to last season the possessor 161 saves in a Kansas City uniform, has been scored upon in just two of the 16 games he’s performed in this year, posting a 2.16 ERA, while fanning 24 in 16.2 innings. ANOTHER ASSIST FOR GORDON--Four-time Rawlings Gold Glove leftfielder Alex Gordon returned to leftfield last night, just a day after making his first career regular season start in centerfield in the win over the Rays at Tropicana Field...he immediately made an impact in last night’s affair by throwing out Mark Trumbo with a perfect strike to Sal Perez to end the top of the third inning and keep the score tied at 1-1...it was Alex’s third assist this year and the 77th since converting to the outfield at the midway point of ‘10, three more than any other outfielder in the Majors (Gerardo Parra-74). 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. TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Chris Tillman (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Nate Karns (2-2, 4.58) 2016 2015 Career 2017 2016 Career Chris Tillman vs. Royals 1-0 0-1 3-3 Major League Record 1-0 (0.00 ERA) 16-6 73-48 Nate Karns vs. Orioles 1-0 0-1 1-1 Major League Record 2-2 (4.58 ERA) 6-2 16-11 NATE KARNS makes his seventh start (eighth appearance), the 53rd start of his career and 62nd appearance...he faces the Orioles for the seventh time overall, sixth as a starter...the 29-year-old right-hander was acquired by the Royals from Seattle on January 6 in exchange for Jarrod Dyson. TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO TROP--Nate matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts Nate’s 2017 Starts and earned a 7-3 victory last Monday at Tropicana Field, the park he called home during the DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT 2014-15 seasons...he was charged with two runs on six hits over 6.1 innings, firing exactly 4/9 at Houston ND, 4-5 (12) 5.2 6 1 1 1 2 3 86-50 3-1 4/15 LA Angels ND, 3-2 6.0 4 1 1 0 2 3 85-50 2-1 100 pitches...his 10 strikeouts matched his total from July 4, 2015 at Yankee Stadium – with 4/21 at Texas L, 2-6 4.2 5 6 6 4 3 6 100-59 1-6 Tampa Bay – a 3-2 Rays loss...on Monday, Karns did his best escape act, getting out of a 4/26 at Chicago-AL L, 2-5 6.0 7 4 4 1 0 5 93-68 2-4 5/3 Chicago-AL W, 6-1 6.0 1 0 0 0 1 7 95-62 3-0 bases loaded, nobody out jam in the third, just an inning after striking out the side to strand 5/8 at Tampa Bay W, 7-3 6.1 6 2 2 0 2 10 100-62 7-1 Colby Rasmus following a leadoff triple...Nate set down 12 of the final 15 hitters he faced 2017 Totals 2-2 4.58 35.1 31 18 18 6 12 36 586-364 62.1% 2017 As a Starter 2-2 3.63 34.2 29 14 14 6 10 34 559-351 62.8% after allowing six baserunners in the first three frames...he became the second Royals hurler Career Totals 16-11 4.43 300.2 282 152 148 44 123 306 - - to fan 10 in a game this year, joining Ian Kennedy (April 16 vs. the Angels)...his 6.1 innings also established a season high, his longest outing since last May 30 when he went 6.2 frames in a 9-3 win vs. San Diego (with Seattle). MAY DAYS--True to his previous career splits, Karns has earned victories in both of his May starts...he’s 7-1 with a 2.68 ERA (24 ER in 80.2 IP) in 14 career starts during the second full month of the season, compared to a 5.07 ERA (124 ER in 220.0 IP) in all other months combined...he’s won each of his last five May decisions, going back to last year, when he was 3-0 with a 3.31 ERA in six outings as a Mariner.