2015 KANSAS CITY ROYALS Spring Training Game Notes Chicago White Sox (2-3-1) at Kansas City Royals (6-0) Tuesday, March 10, 2015
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2015 KANSAS CITY ROYALS Spring Training Game Notes Chicago White Sox (2-3-1) at Kansas City Royals (6-0) Tuesday, March 10, 2015 KC PUTS ANOTHER IN “W” COLUMN--The Royals remained the lone unbeaten team in exhibition play with a 5-4 win over the Brewers yesterday in Maryvale... Mike Moustakas delivered a pair of hits, including a 2-run double in the third inning and Raul Mondesi added a 2-hit effort to lead KC’s 10-hit attack...with the contest tied a 2-2 entering the sixth, Brett Eibner doubled home a run, followed by an RBI single from Whit Merrifield and then a Mondesi RBI knock provided what was eventually the margin of victory...Jason Vargas made his first start of the spring, allowing a run on two hits with three strikeouts over 2.0 innings...Franklin Morales fired 2.0 scoreless innings, with three K’s, to record the victory and Brian Flynn finished up the afternoon to earn his first save of the spring...Ryan Madson also made his spring debut as a Royal, allowing a run in an inning of action. VS. CHISOX--Today is the first of three exhibition meetings with the White Sox, the others Upcoming Probables occurring on March 21 in Glendale and then back here on March 25 in a 6:05 affair that will Today vs. Chicago White Sox @ Surprise Stadium (1:05) be televised on FSKC...these A.L. Central rivals will get after it quickly when the regular season Tyler Danish, Eric Surkamp, Scott Carroll, Joe Savery (L), Arcenio commences, as Chicago is the first visitor of the year to Kauffman Stadium with the Royals Leon, Raul Fernandez, Zach Phillips (L) opening the campaign with a 3-game set against the ChiSox starting on Monday, April 6 at vs. 3:10 p.m. Jeremy Guthrie, Brandon Finnegan (L), Greg Holland, Jason Frasor, RIOS & MORALES AMONG A.L. LEADERS--The two newest members of Kansas City’s Casey Coleman, Louis Coleman, Scott Alexander (L) offense, Alex Rios and Kendrys Morales, have had a solid first week in Royal blue...Rios is Wednesday SS vs. San Diego Padres @ Surprise Stadium (1:10) leading all A.L. players on both sides of the continent in home runs (3), slugging pct. (1.417), Brandon Morrow, Odrisamer Despaigne total bases (17) and is tied for the top spot in RBI (7) and ranks tied for third in hitting (.500)... vs. Morales is tied for second in hits (7), ranks third in total bases (12) and 10th in slugging pct. Yordano Ventura, Wade Davis, Brian Broderick, Miguel Almonte, (.600). Jandel Gustave, Buddy Baumann (L), Joe Paterson (L) C.Y. ON THE SIDE--Newly acquired Chris Young made his first throwing appearance Wednesday SS vs. Cincinnati Reds @ Goodyear Stadium (1:10) today, tossing live batting practice on the George Brett Field earlier this morning...the 6-10 Joe Blanton, John Lamb (L), Brian Flynn (L), Yohan Pino, hurler recorded a 12-9 ledger and 3.65 ERA for Seattle last year, his first year back in action Michael Mariot, Chris Dwyer (L) vs. after missing the entire 2013 campaign due to injury...he has a 65-52 career record over 189 Paul Maholm (L), Tony Cingrani (L), Kevin Gregg, Sam LeCure, appearances (188 starts). Nate Adcock ROSTER BREAKDOWN--The Royals have 67 players in camp with the addition of Chris Thursday vs. Cleveland Indians @ Goodyear Stadium (1:10) Young on Saturday...the breakdown includes 33 pitchers (12 non-roster), 7 catchers (4 non- Danny Duffy (L), Franklin Morales (L), Luke Hochevar, roster), 15 infielders (6 non-roster) and 12 outfielders (3 non-roster)...among the 33 pitchers in Christian Binford, Ryan Madson camp, 12 are left-handed. vs. Nick Maronde (L), Bryan Shaw, Scott Downs (L), Anthony Swarzak ADDS FOR TODAY--The Royals have brought a pair of pitchers from minor league camp Charles Brewer, CC Lee, Jeff Manship to possibly assist in today’s tilt...right-handed pitcher #78 Reid Redman and lefty #80 Sam Selman. SPRING WORK--The Royals are off to a 6-0 this year and are 205-156 (.568) with 37 ties since moving to the Valley of the Sun in 2003...Kansas City is coming off of a 12-16-2 exhibition ledger in 2014, but more than made up for that by claiming the A.L. title last October...the Royals have an all-time exhibition record of 637-579 with 37 ties for a .523 winning pct...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). THE WEEK AHEAD--The Royals will have their lone split-squad action of 2015 tomorrow with KC hosting the Padres while also sending a club south on the 303 to face the Reds in Goodyear...Kansas City will again return to Goodyear on Thursday, to battle the Indians, before hosting Billy Butler and the A’s a on Friday here in Surprise...the Halos will hit Surprise this Saturday and then the Royals will travel to Scottsdale for a matchup with the Rockies on Sunday at Salt River Fields...next week will begin with a 1:05 game here against the Indians on Monday and then a 1:05 tilt vs. these White Sox on Tuesday in Glendale. POSTSEASON DROUGHT IS OVER--Though the sting of dropping Game Seven of the World Series lingered throughout the offseason, the participation in the Fall Classic represented Kansas City’s first appearance in the postseason since 1985...the Royals did it in dramatic fashion, clinching the playoff berth in Chicago on the final weekend of the regular season and then winning the still talked about Wild Card game over Oakland, rallying from a 7-3 deficit to Jon Lester in the eight inning to take a 9-8 decision in 12 innings...that triumph would be the first of a Major League record eight consecutive wins to open the postseason, with KC’s first loss coming in Game One of the World Series vs. the Giants...in the interim, the Royals rolled through the Angels in three straight in the ALDS and then swept all four games from Baltimore in the ALCS, with Lorenzo Cain taking MVP honors. A LOOK AHEAD IN 2015--KC will open its 2015 regular season at home for the first time since 2011, as the Chicago White Sox will invade Kauffman Stadium for a 3:10 start on Monday, April 6...following a day off Tuesday, the Royals and ChiSox will play two more games before Kansas City embarks on its first road trip, a week long journey to Anaheim (3) and Minnesota (3)...Billy Butler and the Oakland A’s will open KC’s second stay at “The K” on April 17, with last year’s Wild Card opponent in town for three, followed by Minnesota for three...Kansas City’s Interleague work this year this year will be vs. the National League Central, with the Reds, Cardinals, Brewers and Pirates visiting Kauffman Stadium this summer, while the Royals travel to Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago, facing the Cubs in Wrigley Field for the first time since 2001...Kansas City will be well represented in Cincinnati earlier than its scheduled visit in mid-August, as the Reds are hosting the 2015 All-Star Game of which manager Ned Yost and his staff will be operating for the American League by virtue of last year’s title. BACK-TO-BACK WINNING SEASONS--The Royals are coming off an 89-73 campaign, locking up the Wild Card on the final weekend, the second consecutive winning campaign for the club...it marked the first time the club had consecutive winnings seasons since the 1993-94 Royals, though the ‘94 season was cut short due to a work stoppage...last year’s club posted the franchise’s most wins (89) and best winning percentage (.549) since recording a 92-70 mark during the 1989 season...the 2014 Royals had the most regular season road wins in the American League with 47, only two behind the big league leading Dodgers...the 47 road triumphs were the most for the franchise since winning a club record 48 in 1980...KC then went 5-2 on the road in the postseason, including 2-0 sweeps in both Anaheim and Baltimore. AT THE HELM--The 16th full-time manager in franchise history, Ned Yost, was named to his post on May 13, 2010 and has recorded a 373-402 ledger since taking the reins...already the manager of the most games in franchise history with 775, he will enter the 2015 campaign just 37 wins shy of tying Whitey Herzog as the winningest manager in team history...Yost is currently third on that list behind only Herzog (410) and Dick Howser (404)...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...Yost, a catcher during his playing days, began his coaching career in the Atlanta organization, including 12 straight seasons on Bobby Cox’s big league staff (1991-2002). ON THE AIRWAVES--Today is the sixth of at least 20 spring radio broadcasts on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) and the Royals Radio Network...Denny Matthews, Ryan Lefebvre, Steve Physioc and Steve Stewart will be mikeside all spring...the Royals will also be on radio tomorrow from here vs.