2015 Spring Training Game Notes Kansas City Royals (19-10-1) @ (12-11-4) Saturday, April 4, 2015

PITCHING POWERS ROUT OF ASTROS--Kansas City fanned a combined 15 hitters, while the offense exploded for 9 runs in their final two turns at bat as the Royals won their penultimate exhibition clash, 11-1, here last night...Royals starter Edinson Volquez set the tone for the pitching staff, fanning 7 in 4.0 shutout innings, giving him 15 K’s and just one walk over his last 9.0 innings...Chris Young, Jason Frasor, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis followed with scoreless single-inning stints before Houston notched a run against Greg Holland in the ninth...however, KC scored 11 times before that, including a six-run top of the ninth as 12 Royals came to bat in the inning... one frame earlier, Eric Hosmer and Brett Eibner continued their derby, connecting on back-to-back jacks to stretch a two-run lead to 5-0...Eibner’s roundtripper marked his sixth of the Spring, which is tied for second-most in the A.L., behind only Seattle catcher Mike Zunino’s 7...other offensive stars included Mike Moustakas, who went 3-for-4 with two walks and three runs scored and Lorenzo Cain, who also collected three hits and a pair of RBI...the Royals earned their 19th victory of exhibition play, which is tied for second-most in the Major Leagues, behind Oakland’s 22 wins...a win today would give KC 20 exhibition wins for just the fourth time in franchise history, also doing so in 1999 (22), 2011 (20) and two seasons ago, in 2013 (25).

TODAY’S STARTER -- (LHP) JASON VARGAS--Jason looks to finish strong with his sixth and Upcoming Probables final exhibition start...he struggled in the thin Arizona air, posting a 1-2 record with a 9.68 ERA (19 Today vs. Houston Astros @ Minute Maid Park (3:05) ER in 17.2 IP) in his 5 Cactus League outings...the veteran lefty has been victimized by the longball Jason Vargas (L) this Spring, allowing 7 home runs in his 5 starts...signed a 4-year free-agent deal with the Royals on vs. November 22, 2013...enjoyed a successful first season in Kansas City, posting a career-best 3.71 ERA, Collin McHugh which was the lowest by a qualifying Royals lefty since Charlie Leibrandt (3.19) in 1988...recorded a 2.73 ERA (26 ER in 85.2 IP) on the road, compared to a 4.53 mark at home...missed nearly a Sunday - Workout at (3:00) month of action following an appendectomy in July...recorded his sixth career shutout, blanking Monday vs. @ Kauffman Stadium (3:10) the Oakland A’s (3-0) on three hits August 13 at Kauffman Stadium...made three postseason starts, Jeff Samardzija earning the series-clinching victory in Game 4 of the ALCS vs. the Orioles (2-1). vs. Yordano Ventura VS. HOUSTON--The Royals hit the finish line on exhibition play for the year this afternoon at Minute Maid Park...KC will return to Houston in the regular season for a three-game set June 29-July Tuesday -- Off Day at Home 1, while the Astros hit Kansas City, July 24-26...last season, the Royals swept the ‘Stros here in April, only to have Houston return the favor at Kauffman in May. Wednesday vs. Chicago White Sox @ Kauffman Stadium (7:10) Jose Quintana (L) KC BREAKS ATTENDANCE MARK--Kansas City drew a club record 105,271 fans to its 14 Cactus vs. League home games at Surprise Stadium this year, shattering the previous high of 96,798, set in 2009, Danny Duffy (L) also in Surrpise...the Royals per game average of 7,519 was also a record, besting the 2008 Spring Training average of 6,394 (13 home dates/83,118)...overall, 234,816 fans have witnessed KC’s 30 Thursday vs. Chicago White Sox @ Kauffman Stadium (1:10) exhibition games thus far. John Danks (L) A.L. ROYALTY RECEIVES BLING ON MONDAY--Kansas City’s home opener Monday at vs. Kauffman Stadium will have some added special significance as members of the 2014 American Edinson Volquez League Champion squad will receive their rings in an on-field presentation...the day will also feature a video celebration of last year’s run through the playoffs and the raising of the first American League title banner since Opening Day, 1986 when the World Championship banner was raised.

EXTRAS IN HOUSTON--The Royals will travel a half dozen players from the minor league side to help get through the pair exhibitions against the Astros...joining Kansas City on the trip will be pitchers Scott Alexander (L), Buddy Baumann (L), and Sam Selman (L), infielder Angel Franco and outfielder Brett Eibner.

ALL-TIME HIGH 161 GAMES SCHEDULED FOR TV--With the addition of 11 national TV appearances to FOX Sports Kansas City’s 150 regional telecasts, an all-time high 161 Kansas City Royals games are scheduled for television in 2015...FOX Sports announced in March that it will carry 10 games as part of Major League ’s national television package – six on FS1 and four on FOX...the FS1 slate includes the Royals’ first Saturday game, on April 11, an ALDS rematch with the Angels in Anaheim...FS1 also selected the June 18 game vs. Milwaukee, which was previously scheduled for FSKC...in its place, FSKC has added the July 29 game at Cleveland...ESPN will televise the Mother’s Day, May 10 game at Detroit as part of its Sunday Night Baseball package...last season, 156 Royals games were televised – 148 on FSKC, four on FS1, three on FOX and one on ESPN...viewership for Royals telecasts on FOX Sports Kansas City reached an all-time high in 2014, according to Nielsen Media Research.

ON THE RADIO--Both games in Houston this weekend can be heard on 610 Sports and the Royals Radio Network, as will all 162 regular season games...Denny Matthews is back for his 47th year in the booth, with Steve Physioc and Steve Stewart, while Ryan Lefebvre will also work periodically on the radio side...Don Free is the producer/engineer.

ROTATION SET--Kansas City skipper Ned Yost has announced his season-opening starting rotation for 2015, beginning with Yordano Ventura slated to take the ball next Monday when the Chicago White Sox visit in Kauffman Stadium for a 3:10 contest...the last time Ventura worked in “The K” was Game #6 of the vs. the Giants, blanking San Francisco in the must-win game by a 10-0 count...Yordano will be followed in the rotation by another “home grown” hurler with Danny Duffy slated to pitch in the #2 slot with his first start taking place on Wednesday, April 8 vs. the ChiSox...newcomer Edinson Volquez will get the nod to finish up the Chicago series and then Jason Vargas will work the first road game of the year in Anaheim on May 10, where he opened the 2014 ALDS vs. the Halos with 6.0 strong innings of a contest the Royals won, 3-2 in 11 innings...lastly, Jeremy Guthrie will wrap-up the first lap through the rotation in the second game of the visit to Anaheim.

REMAINING ROSTER--The Royals have 35 active players in camp, including nine non-roster invitees...the current roster breakdown includes 17 pitchers (4 non-roster), 3 catchers (1 non-roster), 9 infielders (2 non-roster) and 6 outfielders (1 non-roster)...among the 17 pitchers remaining in camp, 5 are left-handed...included are Kris Medlen, who is on the 60-day disabled list as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery last spring and Tim Collins, who underwent TJ surgery on March 11.

SPRING WORK--Kansas City plays its final exhibition game of the year, entering today at 19-10-1 this spring, which is seven more wins than all of last spring when the club went 12-16-2...Kansas City is 218-166 (.568) with 38 ties since moving to the Valley of the Sun in 2003...the Royals have an all-time exhibition record of 650-589 with 38 ties for a .525 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).

LEAD THE WAY--Kansas City’s 19 wins this spring are tied with the for second most in the Majors behind Oakland’s 22...after last night’s 14-hit attack, the Royals returned to the top of the A.L. with a .292 team batting average during exhibition play...several Royals rank among the league leaders in offensive categories, with Eric Hosmer tied for eighth in RBI (14) and slugging (.623) and tied for sixth in runs scored, while Brett Eibner is tied for second in homers (6) and tied for sixth in total bases (40).

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 eighth 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 next Monday afternoon...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. ROYALS NOTES (Page 2) LAST TIME OUT THIS WEEKEND’S RELIEVERS: Player Date IP H R ER BB SO HR W/L/S Joe Blanton 3/26 5.0 7 3 3 1 4 0 - SCOTT ALEXANDER (L) – 25, a minor leaguer who has been brought to Houston to assist the bullpen...split last season Tim Collins 3/4 0.2 1 0 0 1 0 0 - between Northwest Arkansas (AA) and Omaha (AAA)...posted a 1.99 ERA (5 ER in 22.2 IP) over his final 15 appearances...a Wade Davis 4/3 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 0 - non-roster invite to Royals Spring Training, he appeared in four Cactus League games, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits in 3.1 innings. Danny Duffy 3/28 5.0 7 4 4 2 7 2 - BUDDY BAUMANN (L) – 27, a minor leaguer who was a non-roster invite to Royals camp...made 4 scoreless appearances in Brian Flynn 4/1 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 - Jason Frasor 4/3 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - Cactus League play, allowing 4 hits with a walk and 2 ...recorded a career-best 40 appearances for Omaha (AAA) last year, Jeremy Guthrie 3/31 6.0 6 1 1 1 6 0 W holding left-handed hitters to a .226 batting average...posted a 1.62 ERA (8 ER in 44.1 IP) as a reliever and a 4.70 ERA (24 ER in Kelvin Herrera 4/3 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 46.0 IP) as a starter. Luke Hochevar 4/1 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - CASEY COLEMAN – 27, minor league who was a non-roster invite to Royals Spring Training...made 4 Cactus League Greg Holland 4/3 1.0 2 1 1 2 2 1 - Ryan Madson 3/31 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 S appearances, earning a save March 6 vs. Cleveland...allowed 3 earned runs in his 4.0 innings this spring...signed by KC as a minor Franklin Morales 4/1 1.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 - league free agent on April 15, 2014, making 10 appearances over 3 stints in the Majors...earned his first Royals victory in the Jason Vargas 3/30 5.0 7 5 5 1 5 4 W regular season finale at U.S. Cellular Field last year, in a 6-4 triumph over the White Sox. Yordano Ventura 4/1 4.0 4 2 1 1 3 0 - WADE DAVIS – 29, made his 10th relief appearance of the Spring last night, notching his 12th ...tabbed 2014 Royals Edinson Volquez 4/3 4.0 5 0 0 0 7 0 W Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year, going 9-2 with a 1.00 ERA (8 ER in 72.0 IP)...his ERA was the eighth-lowest all-time by an A.L. Chris Young 4/3 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - reliever (minimum 50.0 innings) and the lowest by a Royals reliever...recorded a 31.2-inning scoreless streak, the longest in the italics = in Minor League game A.L. in 2014 and longest all-time by a KC relief pitcher...also went 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA (1 ER in 14.2 IP) during the postseason. BRIAN FLYNN (L) – 24, led the club with 11 appearances during Spring Training this year...posted a 2.57 ERA (4 ER in SPRING TRANSACTIONS 14.0 IP), recording 13 strikeouts and just 1 walk...acquired by the Royals on November 28 from Miami along with RHP Reid Redman for RHP Aaron Crow...pitched a majority of 2014 for the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate, New Orleans...ranked 10th in the Date Player Transaction Pacific Coast League in ERA (4.08), tied for 11th in starts (25) and 13th in innings (139.2). 3/7 RHP-Chris Young Signed a one-year free agent contract 3/7 RHP-Kris Medlen Placed on 60-day D.L. JASON FRASOR – 37, tied for club lead with his 11th appearance last night...he’s allowed just one run in exhibition play... 3/13 LHP-John Lamb Optioned to Triple-A Omaha acquired by the Royals on July 16 from Texas, in exchange for minor league pitcher Spencer Patton...signed a one-year deal to 3/13 LHP-Scott Alexander Reassigned to minor league camp stay in KC on November 28...made 23 appearances after the trade last season, posting a 3-0 mark, a 1.53 ERA (3 ER in 17.2 IP) 3/13 RHP-Miguel Almonte Reassigned to minor league camp and an 0.96 WHIP...since the start of 2004, Jason has made 647 relief appearances, which are fifth-most in MLB in that span. 3/13 RHP-Christian Binford Reassigned to minor league camp KELVIN HERRERA – 25, tossed a scoreless seventh last night, recording his eighth strikeout...coming off his best professional 3/13 LHP-Chris Dwyer Reassigned to minor league camp season in 2014, ranking fifth among MLB relievers with a 1.41 ERA...recorded a 31.0-inning scoreless streak from June 27 to 3/13 C-Zane Evans Reassigned to minor league camp September 16 last season, which is the second-longest in club history behind Wade Davis (31.2 IP)...has an active streak of 95.0 3/13 C-Cameron Gallagher Reassigned to minor league camp innings without allowing a home run, dating back to July 26, 2013, when he allowed a two-run shot to White Sox infielder Conor 3/13 RHP-Sean Manaea Reassigned to minor league camp Gillaspie...since July 1, 2013, his 1.79 ERA (20 ER in 100.2 IP) is second-lowest in the A.L., behind only Koji Uehara (1.63). 3/18 OF-Lane Adams Optioned to Triple-A Omaha 3/18 OF-Jorge Bonifacio Optioned to Triple-A Omaha LUKE HOCHEVAR – 31, recorded 5 Cactus League appearances, allowing just 1 run (March 23 vs. the Giants)...missed the 3/18 RHP-Aaron Brooks Optioned to Triple-A Omaha entire 2014 season following “Tommy John” surgery last March...signed a two-year deal to remain with the Royals on December 3/18 INF-Orlando Calixte Optioned to Triple-A Omaha 4, which included a mutual option for the 2017 season...in 2013, ranked third among A.L. relievers in opponents’ average (.169) 3/18 LHP-Buddy Baumann Reassigned to minor league camp and sixth in ERA (1.92)...selected No. 1 overall by the Royals in the 2006 June Free Agent Draft. 3/18 RHP-Brian Broderick Reassigned to minor league camp 3/18 RHP-Casey Coleman Reassigned to minor league camp GREG HOLLAND – 29, made his 10th appearance of the Spring last night, fanning two in an inning of work...struck out 13 in 3/18 INF-Hunter Dozier Reassigned to minor league camp 9.0 innings of work this Spring...coming off his second-consecutive All-Star campaign in 2014...ranked third in the Majors with 3/18 INF-Matt Fields Reassigned to minor league camp 46 saves last season, while his 93 rescues over the past two years are second in the big leagues to only Atlanta’s Craig Kimbrel (97)... 3/18 INF-Raul Mondesi Reassigned to minor league camp received the first Mariano Rivera Award, which will be presented annually to the top reliever in the American League...left the 3/18 LHP-Joe Paterson Reassigned to minor league camp club after the Wild Card win over Oakland on September 30 to witness the birth of his first son, Nash Gregory, in Asheville, N.C. 3/18 OF-Bubba Starling Reassigned to minor league camp 3/22 INF-Cheslor Cuthbert Optioned to Triple-A Omaha FRANKLIN MORALES (L) – 29, made 9 appearances this Spring, collecting a pair of wins...signed a minor league contract 3/22 OF-Reymond Fuentes Optioned to Triple-A Omaha with the Royals on February 19...pitched for the last season, setting career highs in wins (6) and games started 3/22 RHP-Michael Mariot Optioned to Triple-A Omaha (22), innings (142.1) and strikeouts (100)...has held left-handed hitters to a .213 batting average (106-for-497) in his career. 3/22 C-Francisco Pena Optioned to Triple-A Omaha SAM SELMAN (L) – 24, minor league pitcher who is along on the trip to assist the bullpen...a native Texan, who was born in 3/22 RHP-Yohan Pino Optioned to Triple-A Omaha Austin and graduated from St. Andrews High School (Austin) in 2009...did not pitch for the Royals during Spring Training... 3/22 LHP-Brandon Finnegan Optioned to Double-A NW Arkansas split 2014 between Northwest Arkansas (AA) and Omaha (AAA)...named Wilmington (A) Pitcher of the Year in 2013. 3/22 OF-Terrance Gore Optioned to Single-A Wilmington 3/22 C- Reassigned to minor league camp CHRIS YOUNG – 35, made his sixth appearance last night, collecting a pair of strikeouts in a flawless fifth...allowed one walk 3/22 OF-Brett Eibner Reassigned to minor league camp with nine strikeouts in exhibition play...pitched last season with the Seattle Mariners, going 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA to earn A.L. 3/26 RHP-Jandel Gustave Claimed off waivers by San Diego Comeback Player of the Year...his 12 wins matched a career-high, tying his total from his rookie season (2005)...among active 3/28 INF-Ryan Roberts Granted unconditional release hurlers with at least 1,000 big league innings, his 888 hits allowed are the fewest, while his career .226 opponents average is second- 4/3 RHP-Louis Coleman Sent outright to Triple-A Omaha lowest in the Majors, trailing only Clayton Kershaw (.209).

2015 SPRING SCHEDULE (all times local) Date Day Opponent Site Time/Result Record WP LP Save ATT March 4#* Wednesday at Texas Surprise W, 13-2 1-0 Brooks (1-0) Lewis - 7,195 March 5* Thursday TEXAS SURPRISE W, 5-4 2-0 Mariot (1-0) Asher - 5,147 March 6* Friday at Cleveland Goodyear W, 11-9 3-0 Blanton (1-0) Shaw C. Coleman (1) 3,796 March 7 Saturday CINCINNATI SURPRISE W, 3-2 4-0 L. Coleman (1-0) Hoover Gustave (1) 6,526 March 8MLB* Sunday at Tempe W, 6-4 5-0 Mariot (2-0) McBryde Pino (1) 7,434 March 9* Monday at Milwaukee Maryvale W, 5-4 6-0 F. Morales (1-0) Strong Flynn (1) 4,615 March 10* Tuesday CHICAGO WHITE SOX SURPRISE L, 2-6 6-1 Danish Guthrie (0-1) - 6,462 March 11* Wednesday SAN DIEGO SURPRISE W, 4-3 7-1 Gustave (1-0) Despaigne Almonte (1) 5,591 at Cincinnati Goodyear W, 5-2 8-1 Pino (1-0) LeCure - 3,047 March 12MLB Thursday at Cleveland Goodyear W, 10-5 9-1 F. Morales (2-0) Shaw Binford (1) 4,803 March 13 Friday OAKLAND SURPRISE W, 8-4 10-1 Volquez (1-0) Bassitt - 7,954 March 14 Saturday LOS ANGELES ANGELS SURPRISE L, 6-7 (10) 10-2 Stewart Broderick (0-1) Spomer 8,437 March 15 Sunday at Colorado Scottsdale L, 2-6 10-3 Kendrick Brooks (1-1) - 12,243 March 16* Monday CLEVELAND SURPRISE W, 6-5 11-3 Holland (1-0) Brewer Young (1) 8,137 March 17* Tuesday at Chicago Cubs Mesa L, 3-4 11-4 Hammel Duffy (0-1) Perakslis 15,181 March 18* Wednesday MILWAUKEE SURPRISE L, 4-8 11-5 Peralta Volquez (1-1) Goforth 7,562 March 19 Thursday COLORADO SURPRISE L, 2-13 11-6 Lyles Vargas (0-1) - 7,752 March 20*MLB Friday at San Diego Peoria W, 6-1 12-6 Frasor (1-0) Quackenbush - 10,625 March 21*MLB Saturday at Chicago White Sox Glendale L, 4-6 12-7 Webb Finnegan (0-1) - 7,734 March 22 Sunday SAN FRANCISCO SURPRISE W, 4-2 13-7 Herrera (1-0) Stratton Pino (2) 9,184 March 23* Monday at San Francisco Scottsdale L, 3-8 13-8 Peavy Volquez (1-2) - 10,915 March 24 Tuesday OFF DAY March 25TV*MLB Wednesday CHICAGO WHITE SOX SURPRISE L, 0-6 13-9 Rodon Vargas (0-2) - 7,288 March 26MLB Thursday at Seattle Peoria W, 3-0 14-9 Guthrie (1-1) Hernandez Madson (1) 6,523 March 27TV*MLB Friday SEATTLE SURPRISE W, 5-1 15-9 Ventura (1-0) Paxton - 9,329 March 28TV*MLB Saturday at Arizona Scottsdale W, 10-5 16-9 Coleman (2-0) Ray - 13,258 March 29* Sunday CHICAGO CUBS SURPRISE L, 0-7 16-10 Jackson Volquez (1-3) - 8,697 March 30 Monday at Texas Surprise W, 11-7 17-10 Vargas (1-2) Bonilla L. Coleman (1) 4,489 March 31*TV MLB Tuesday at San Diego Peoria W, 4-1 18-10 Guthrie (2-1) Morrow Madson (2) 5,929 April 1*MLB Wednesday SURPRISE T, 4-4 18-10-1 - - - 7,205 April 2 Thursday OFF DAY April 3* Friday at Houston Houston W, 11-1 19-10-1 Volquez (2-3) Feldman - 11,758 April 4* Saturday at Houston Houston 3:05 p.m. Record Attendance # Denotes Charity Game (game and stats will count in Cactus League) Home: 7-6-1 Home: 105,271 * Game broadcast on KCSP-610 AM in Kansas City (4 more radio broadcasts will be added in mid-March) Road: 12-4 Home avg.: 7,519 TV Broadcast on FOX Sports Kansas City MLB Broadcast on MLB Network (Live broadcasts: 3/21, 3/25, 3/27 and 3/31; Delayed 3/8, 3/12, 3/20, 3/26, 3/28, 4/1 ) vs. A.L.: 11-4 Road: 129,545 NOTE: All games webcast on royals.com vs. N.L.: 8-6-1 Road avg.: 8,097