2016 KANSAS CITY ROYALS Spring Training Game Notes Arizona Diamondbacks (6-3-1) @ Kansas City Royals (5-6) Friday, March 11, 2016
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2016 KANSAS CITY ROYALS Spring Training Game Notes Arizona Diamondbacks (6-3-1) @ Kansas City Royals (5-6) Friday, March 11, 2016 SEVEN IN THE SEVENTH--After a slow start to the spring, Kansas City’s bats caught fire in the seventh inning at Camelback Ranch yesterday as the Royals scored seven times to run away with a 9-2 triumph...three of KC’s five hits in the inning went for extra-bases, which included an unlikely inside-the-park home run from Drew Butera to plate the final runs of the frame...the non-traditional homer was KC’s second of the week as Bubba Starling also had a roundtripper that did not leave the park on Tuesday vs. Colorado...ten different Royals collected hits, including Alex Gordon, who went 2-for-3 after recording four hits on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee...Ian Kennedy and Danny Duffy each worked 3.0 innings on the hill and allowed solo home runs...Duffy picked up his first win of Cactus League play, while Luke Hochevar and Brian Duensing each worked 1-2-3 frames in relief. Upcoming Probables VS. D’BACKS--KC and Arizona will open a home-and-home series today at Surprise, with the clubs meeting again tomorrow at 1:10 in Talking Stick...the Royals will also wrap up their spring Today vs. Arizona Diamondbacks @ Surprise Stadium (1:05) schedule with a two-game exhibition series against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, April 1-2. Patrick Corbin (L), Matt Koch, Daniel Hudson, Tyler Clippard, Randall Delgado, Tim Stauffer, Kaleb Fleck, Jake Barrett MOOSE IS LOOSE--Mike Moustakas has been swinging a hot bat through the first week of vs. Cactus League games...Moose is 7-for-12 (.583) with four doubles, a homer and five RBI, Chris Young, Dillon Gee, Joakim Soria, Brian Flynn (L), giving him a 1.167 slugging percentage...in 51 spring contests since the start of 2014, the All- Chien-Ming Wang, Peter Moylan, Jonathan Dziedzic (L) Star third baseman is hitting .398 (51-for-128) with 16 doubles, seven homers, 34 RBI and a .688 slugging percentage. Tomorrow vs. Arizona Diamondbacks @ Salt River Fields (1:10) Kris Medlen, Kyle Zimmer, Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera, SNAPPING INTO ACTION--Today baseball fans will experience a first-of-its-kind event Scott Alexander (L), David Huff (L), Christian Binford, in professional sports – Snapchat Day across MLB Spring Training ballparks. Exclusively Brooks Pounders, John Lannan (L) today, the Royals will be giving Snapchatters an unprecedented look into baseball by showing vs. what life is like at Spring Training. To deliver this perspective content for fans, for the first Rubby De La Rosa, Brad Ziegler, Matt Reynolds (L), time ever, players will be permitted to utilize smartphones, including the official SnapBat, in Silvino Bracho, Josh Collmenter dugouts and bullpens during today’s games. SPRINGING TO WORK AS THE WORLD CHAMPS--The two-time American League Sunday vs. Cleveland Indians @ Surprise Stadium (1:05) champion and 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals have 24 games remaining Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Kyle Crockett (L), on their 2016 exhibition docket...KC’s A.L. crown last year gave the City of Surprise four of Ryan Merritt (L) the last six American League championships, with the Rangers taking the title in both 2010 vs. and 2011, the league’s last repeat winner...the Royals play 10 more “home” games in Surprise Edinson Volquez, Luke Hochevar, Ross Ohlendorf, Brian Flynn (L),Miguel Almonte, Brian Duensing (L), Stadium, while there are three split-squad dates (March 18, 19 and 28) remaining...the five Peter Moylan, Sam Selman (L) total split-squad days are four more than the 2015 spring slate possessed...this spring session will run through April 2, when Kansas City wraps up play with a pair in Chase Field against Monday vs. Chicago White Sox @ Surprise Stadium (1:05) these Diamondbacks on April 1 and 2...last year’s club finished the exhibition season with a TBA 20-10-1 mark before heading north to claim its first-ever A.L. Central crown, followed by a vs. run through the ALDS, ALCS and then the first World Series title since 1985. TBA QUICK TURNAROUND TO OPEN SEASON--For the first time in Major League history, the two World Series combatants from the previous season will meet to open the following year as the Royals will host the New York Mets for a segmented two-game series in “The K”...the season opener will take place on Sunday, April 3, when a national television audience will have the opportunity to watch via ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball at 7:37...the clubs will take Monday off before a “second” home opener will occur on Tuesday, April 5, at 3:15...the Royals will raise the World Series championship banner prior to the Sunday night affair, as well as present players with individual awards that were won in 2015 and then on Tuesday, each player and field staff member will receive their World Series rings. REINFORCEMENTS--The Royals will add a pair of pitchers from minor league camp to assist with depth today, bringing over left-handed pitcher Estarlin Cordero (#95) and righty Matt Alvarez (#97). THE COMEBACK KIDS--In winning 11 games during the 2015 postseason, the Royals had to come from behind in eight of those victories, including an unprecedented seven comebacks from a multiple-run deficit...KC rallied from a one-run deficit in Game #2 of the World Series against the Mets, while coming back from two runs behind on three other occasions during the Fall Classic, capped by the two-run rally in the top of the ninth inning of the deciding Game #5, sending the game to extra innings with the Royals plating five runs in the 12th to seal the title...Kansas City also rallied from a two-run deficit in the deciding game of the ALDS vs. the Astros to advance to the League Championship Series vs. Toronto...the Royals came from 3 runs back in Game #2 of both the ALDS vs. Houston and the ALCS vs. the Blue Jays. DYSON DOWN--The Royals lost outfielder Jarrod Dyson March 2 to a grade two right oblique strain...the speedster could be sidelined for up to six weeks, which at this point would include the opening of the regular season. WINNING WAYS--The Royals are coming off a 95-67 regular season and their first American League Central crown...the last division title won by Kansas City was the 1985 A.L. West, when the club parlayed that triumph into its first World Series crown...the 95 wins in ‘15 were the most by a KC squad since the 1980 Royals went 97-65...dating back to the start of the 2013 season, Kansas City has a 270-216 record for a .556 winning pct., the best mark in the American League and fourth most wins in the Majors behind only St. Louis (287), Pittsburgh (280) and the Dodgers (278). ROSTER BREAKDOWN--The Royals open the 2016 spring season with 64 players in camp...the breakdown includes 31 pitchers (10 non-roster), 6 catchers (3 non-roster), 15 infielders (7 non-roster) and 11 outfielders (1 non-roster)...among the 31 pitchers in camp, 11 are left-handed...southpaw Jason Vargas is listed among the 64 players on the roster, but will open the year on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery performed last August. SPRING WORK--Kansas City is coming off a 20-10-1 exhibition ledger in 2015...the Royals have an all-time exhibition record of 656-595 with 38 ties for a .524 winning pct...the club has posted a 224-172 mark with 18 ties for a .563 mark in the Valley of the Sun...the Royals spent their first 34 seasons training in Florida, beginning with Fort Myers (1969-87), followed by a 15-year stint in Baseball City (1988-2002). A LOOK AHEAD IN 2016--KC will open its 2016 regular season at home for the second consecutive year, though the first homestand will be segmented to say the least...the Royals will battle the New York Mets on Sunday, April 3 and then again on Tuesday afternoon, April 5, in a rematch of the 2015 Fall Classic...Kansas City will then take two consecutive days off on April 6-7, before welcoming the Minnesota Twins in for a three-game weekend series...the first road trip of the ‘16 campaign will feature a stop in Minute Maid Park and a 4-game series against KC’s ALDS foe from 2015, then wrap-up with a three-game visit to Oakland... Kansas City’s Interleague work this year will be vs. the National League East, with the Mets (2), Nationals (3) and Atlanta (3) visiting “The K” while the Royals will travel to play the Mets (2), Marlins (3) and Phillies (3)...KC will also play their cross-state rivals from St. Louis in a 4-game home & home series that starts in Kauffman Stadium on June 27-28 and ends in Busch Stadium on June 29-30...Kansas City will be well represented in San Diego for the All-Star Game as manager Ned Yost and his staff will be operating for the American League squad for a second straight year. AT THE HELM--The winningest manager in franchise history, Ned Yost begins his sixth full season with the club, after taking the reins on May 13, 2010...he has a 468-469 regular season record at the helm for the Royals, surpassing Whitey Herzog’s previous team mark of 410 wins (1975-79)...Yost is the 16th full-time manager in franchise history and enters this year sixth among active managers is games (1,896) and wins (925)...this is his second stint as a big league manager after nearly six full campaigns at the helm for the Milwaukee Brewers (2003-2008)...he compiled a 457-502 record with the Brew Crew including a 166-146 mark in his last two seasons.