Kansas City Royals
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Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Kansas City Royals (11-12) @ Baltimore Orioles (12-11) Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Sunday, April 27, 2014 Game #24 - Road Game #15 Fox Sports Kansas City (HD) & KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Monday, April 28: Off day at home Tuesday, April 29 vs. Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Dustin McGowan (1-1, 6.88) vs. LHP Jason Vargas (2-0, 1.54), 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Wednesday, April 30 vs. Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Drew Hutchison (1-1, 3.46) vs. LHP Bruce Chen (1-2, 7.45), 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Thursday, May 1 vs. Toronto Blue Jays: LHP Mark Buehrle (4-1, 2.16) vs. RHP Yordano Ventura (2-1, 1.80), 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Friday, May 2 vs. Detroit Tigers: TBA vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (2-1, 4.22), 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Saturday, May 3 vs. Detroit Tigers: TBA vs. RHP James Shields (2-1+today), 6:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Sunday, May 4 vs. Detroit Tigers: TBA vs. LHP Jason Vargas (2-0+Tuesday), 1:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Today’s game is being broadcast in Kansas City on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) and the Royals Radio Network with Ryan Lefebvre 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 Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler...the pre and postgame show on FSKC, Royals Live, is hosted by Joel Goldberg. Royals vs. Orioles ERRORS, WALK-OFF HIT DOOM ROYALS IN EXTRAS--The Orioles got even in this three-game The O’s got even in this three-game series at Camden series here last night, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning on Nick Markakis’ RBI Yards with a 10-inning win, setting up the rubber game today... single down the left field line...the deciding tally was set up by a hit batsman and two throwing errors, the Royals won the season series, 4-3, last year, but dropped 2 of 3 games here at Oriole Park...KC trails 199-258 in the all- which loaded the bases for the O’s with nobody out...relief pitcher Louis Coleman came on and fanned time series, including 89-139 in the Old Line State and 35-59 at Nelson Cruz, before Markakis dropped his game-winning hit down the line...starter Jeremy Guthrie Camden Yards. needed 26 pitches to get through the first inning, however he was effecient after that...the veteran Date Site Score WP LP Att. righty recorded his second quality start, giving up 2 first-inning runs on 6 hits over 7.0 innings... 4/25 @ Balt W, 5-0 Ventura Jimenez 22,478 4/26 @ Balt L, 2-3 (10) Britton Duffy 34,941 down 2-0 early, KC rallied to tie the game in the sixth on Justin Maxwell’s two-out RBI single to 4/27 @ Balt center, which plated Alex Gordon...Salvador Perez broke out of a week-long skid, going 3-for-5 with a 5/15 KC double, while Nori Aoki recorded his second-straight two-hit game...KC threatened in virtually every 5/16 KC 5/17 KC inning, but could never grab the lead, leaving 11 men on base, including runners in scoring position in 5/18 KC the seventh, eighth and 10th innings. RUBBER GAME TAKE 2 --Last night’s extra-inning defeat sets up today’s rubber matchup with the O’s, the Royals’ second of the young season...KC earned a series-deciding 7-2 win over Tampa Bay on April 9 at “The K” in their first such contest this year...last season, Kansas City played in 19 rubber games, going 11-8 overall, but was just 4-6 in series-deciding road contests. STAFF CONTINUES STRONG START--Jeremy Guthrie tossed 7.0 quality innings last night, slightly improving KC’s team ERA to 3.10, which is second- best in the American League, behind the A’s (2.86)...Jeremy’s 7.0-inning start marked the 10th time in 23 games that a Royals hurler has completed seven frames...it was also the club’s 15th quality start of the year – third-most in the A.L...the Royals’ starting staff has posted the second-best ERA in the Junior Circuit (3.06), while the bullpen’s 3.20 mark ranks fourth. HOMEWARD BOUND--The Royals wrap up this seven-game roadie today, heading back to “The K” for a six-game homestand...after an off-day tomorrow, KC plays host to Toronto in a three-game set, beginning Tuesday evening, before welcoming in division rival Detroit for a three-game weekend series...the Royals were 2-4 against the Jays last season, including 1-2 at Kauffman Stadium. HERE COMES THE SUN--Kansas City will look to take this 3-game series under the Baltimore sun...it’s the team’s 12th afternoon contest of the young season with the Royals going 4-7 in their first 11 day games...last year, KC was 34-21 during the day, tied for the second-most wins in the Majors. TODAY’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP James Shields (2-1, 1.91) vs. RHP Miguel Gonzalez (1-1, 5.40) 2013 2012 Career 2014 2013 Career James Shields vs. Orioles - 1-2 9-7 Major League Record 2-1 (1.91 ERA) 13-9 102-84 Miguel Gonzalez vs. Royals 0-1 1-0 1-1 Major League Record 1-1 (5.40 ERA) 11-8 21-13 JAMES SHIELDS takes the hill for his sixth start of 2014, the 257th start of his career and 258th overall outing...this is his 25th start against Baltimore and first since being acquired in a 7-player deal with the Tampa Bay Rays on December 9, 2012. ROAD SUCCESS ROLLS ON--James won a second-straight road start and 11th James’ 2014 Starts DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT in 12 decisions on Tuesday in Cleveland, fanning 9 while allowing two runs (one 3/31 at Detroit ND, 3-4 6.1 5 3 3 1 1 3 105-71 3-1 earned), 6 hits and a walk over 6.0 innings...KC’s bats backed him with 6 runs during 4/6 Chicago L, 1-5 7.0 5 1 1 0 0 6 102-65 0-1 4/12 at Minnesota L, 1-7 5.2 6 7 1 2 3 5 115-69 1-7 his start en route to an 8-2 win...it marked his fourth-straight outing with exactly one 4/17 at Houston W, 5-1 8.0 4 1 1 0 2 12 107-64 5-1 earned run, though opponents have totaled 7 unearned tallies in the span...he’s among 4/22 at Cleveland W, 8-2 6.0 6 2 1 0 1 9 106-65 6-2 2014 Totals 2-2, 1.91 33.0 26 14 7 3 7 35 535-334 62% the A.L.’s best in strikeouts (35, T-5th), innings (33.0, T-8th) and ERA (1.91, 7th). Career Totals 102-84 3.75 1716.1 1680 784 716 207 415 1481 - - PILING UP THE K’S--James’ 9 strikeouts on Tuesday came on the heels of 12 on April 17 at Houston, a new high for him as a Royal and most by a KC hurler since Zack Greinke’s 12 on June 13, 2010 at Cincinnati...Shields fanned 7 Astros in a row at one point, just shy of KC’s franchise record of 8, set by Blake Stein in 2001...James is approaching another strikeout mark, entering today 19 away from 1,500 for his career. QUALITY IN QUANTITY--James has four quality starts through 5 tries and 31 in his first 39 outings as a Royal...the total leads all Major League hurlers, with Adam Wainwright (30), Max Scherzer (29), Cliff Lee (29), Clayton Kershaw (28) and Felix Hernandez (28) close behind since the start of 2013. AMAZING IN APRIL--Shields looks to close out April with a third-straight win ...he’s now 19-8 in the fourth month, recording a 2.92 ERA (92 ER in 284.0 IP)...from 2011-12, he made 11-straight April starts without a loss, before dropping a 1-0 decision in Chicago in the 2013 season opener (April 1)...his .704 winning percentage since April, 2007 is second among A.L. pitchers with at least 30 April starts, trailing only Jered Weaver (.708). VS. ORIOLES--Shields renews an old A.L. East rivalry today, having last faced the O’s in his final start as a Ray on October 2, 2012 at “The Trop”...he posted a career high 15 strikeouts in that game, tossing a complete game in defeat as Chris Davis homered in the fourth for the game’s lone run...he’s 9-7 over 24 career starts, compiling a 3.55 ERA, and 6-2 here at Camden Yards, recording a 3.92 ERA. EXCELLENT VS. EAST IN 2013--Shields faces an A.L. East foe for the first time in 2014, and he’s looking to build on a successful 2013 in which he was 4-2 vs. his former division, holding batters to a .183 average (32-for-175) and recording a 1.94 ERA over 7 outings, all quality starts (11 ER in 51.0 IP)..