Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Cleveland Indians (2-4) @ Kansas City Royals (3-4) Kauffman Stadium - Saturday, April 14, 2012 - 6:10 p.m. Game #8 - Home Game #2 Fox Sports Kansas City (HD) and KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Sunday, April 15 vs. Cleveland Indians: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (0-0, 2.86) vs. RHP Luis Mendoza (0-1, 1.59), 1:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Monday, April 16: RHP Justin Verlander (0-1, 2.20) vs. LHP Danny Duffy (1-0, 0.00), 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Tuesday, April 17: LHP Drew Smyly (0-0, 2.25) vs. LHP Bruce Chen (0-0, 1.54), 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Wednesday, April 18: RHP Max Scherzer (0-1, 10.38) vs. TBA, 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Thursday, April 19: Off day at home Tonight’s game is being broadcast in Kansas City on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) and on the Royals Radio Network with 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 on Fox Sports Kansas City with Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler...the pre and postgame show, Royals Live, hosted by Joel Goldberg, who is joined by Royals Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery Royals vs. Indians ROUGH FIRST LEADS TO HOME OPENER SETBACK--The Cleveland Indians spoiled an KC’s recent scuffles with the Tribe continued yesterday with otherwise glorious day at “The K” on Friday, scoring early and often with a 7-run first inning en route the 8-3 loss in the home opener...the Royals were just 3-6 here vs. to an 8-3 decision in KC’s home opener...a sellout crowd of 40,230 were barely seated before the Tribe Cleveland last year and 6-12 overall...the Royals trail the all-time roughed up starter Luke Hochevar for 7 runs on 8 hits, the big blow a wind blown triple to center by body of work by a 278-296 margin, though they hold a 148-137 Jason Kipnis that eluded Jarrod Dyson...things went from bad to worse for Hochevar, who suffered a advantage in Kansas City, 136-125 here in The K. severely bruised left ankle when Carlos Santana lined a ball off of Hoch that wound up one-hopping Date Site Score WP LP Att. 4/13 KC L, 3-8 Lowe Hochevar 40,230 over to Eric Hosmer who recorded the out to end the fourth inning...the upside was that the Kansas 4/14 KC City offense matched an early season high with 12 hits, led by Jeff Francoeur, Alex Gordon, Yuniesky 4/15 KC Betancourt and Alcides Escobar with 2 apiece...Everett Teaford was a big bright spot in the contest, 4/24 @ Cle 4/25 @ Cle holding the Indians at bay by contributing 4.0 scoreless innings allowing a hit. 4/26 @ Cle 5/28 @ Cle SLIDE HITS A PAIR--The loss yesterday marked back-to-back setbacks for the Royals for the first 5/29 @ Cle time this season, coming off of a rough 12th inning in Oakland on Wednesday in which the A’s plated 5/30 @ Cle the tying and winning runs without the benefit of a hit...prior to Wednesday, the Royals had won 3 of 7/31 KC 4 games, taking the final 2 contests of a season-opening weekend visit to Anaheim and the winning a 8/1 KC 8/2 KC rain-shortened contest on Tuesday after a 1-0 loss on Monday in Oakland. 9/21 KC 9/22 KC YOUNGEST SQUAD IN THE MAJORS--The 2012 Opening Day edition of the Kansas City Royals 9/23 KC was the youngest in Major League Baseball at 27 years, 187 days, which is actually up from 27 years 9/28 @ Cle and 6 days a season ago...next on the list are the Houston Astros at 27 years, 339 days, followed by 9/29 @ Cle 9/30 @ Cle Seattle at 28 years, 30 days, the Oakland A’s at 28 years, 148 days and the Washington Nationals at 28 years, 208 days...the average service time on this year’s Opening Day roster is 3.16 years...Bruce Chen entered this year as the longest tenured player with 8 years, 171 days, and the oldest player on the roster at 34 years, 292 days of age...reliever Kelvin Herrera had the least amount of experience at 8 days of service time and 22 years, 97 days of age. JACKIE’S DAY TOMORROW--Major League Baseball’s annual salute to Jackie Robinson will take place tomorrow when every player in the game will don the #42 to honor the individual who broke baseball’s color barrier 65 years ago...for the first time the Royals will be wearing the #42 on their Powder Blue uniforms... the first 10,000 fans who enter Kauffman Stadium will receive a Jackie Robinson T-Shirt courtesy of Hollywood Casino...the 1:10 first pitch will be preceded by an on-field ceremony honoring the anniversary of Jackie’s feat. HOME FOR TEN--Yesterday kicked off a 10-game stay at “The K” that will also feature visits from division rival Detroit (3) and the Toronto Blue Jays (4)...it’s the first of three 10-game stays for the Royals this year who will also be home for 10 immediately following the All-Star festivities from July 13-22 as KC will host the White Sox (3), Mariners (4) and Twins (3)...Kansas City will also host a 10-gamer from August 28-September 6 with visits from Detroit (3), Minnesota (3) and Texas (4)...the Royals were 7-11 vs. the Tigers last year, but just 3-6 here in Kauffman Stadium, while going 4-5 in Comerica Park. TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: Jeanmar Gomez (0-0, 0.00) vs. Jonathan Sanchez (1-0, 3.60) 2011 2010 Career 2012 2011 Career Jeanmar Gomez vs. Royals 1-1 1-1 2-2 Major League Record 1st appearance 5-3 9-8 Jonathan Sanchez vs. Indians 0-0 - 1-0 Major League Record 1-0 (3.60 ERA) 4-7 39-46 JONATHAN SANCHEZ makes his second start of the season and the first of his career at Kauffman Stadium tonight...tonight is his 176th career appearance, 120th start and his third career start against the Indians...Sanchez was acquired with minor league left-hander Ryan Verdugo from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for outfielder Melky Cabrera on November 7, 2011. Jonathan’s 2012 starts WHEN A WINNER IN A ROYAL DEBUT--Jonathan became the 195th different DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT hurler to start and 263rd different pitcher to win in franchise history by defeated the 4/8 at LAA W, 7-3 5.0 4 2 2 0 3 4 99-59 5-2 2012 Totals 1-0, 3.60 5.0 4 2 2 0 3 4 99-59 60% Angels in Anaheim, 7-3 last Sunday...Sanchez, who clinched KC’s first series win of Career Totals 39-46, 4.25 713.0 611 362 337 73 376 736 - - 2012, worked 5.0 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts... the win was his first since June 2, 2011 at St. Louis. Jonathan’s 2012 spring starts WHEN INJURIES SPOIL 2011--Coming off a sensational 2010 campaign that saw DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT him record 13 wins and help lead the Giants to a World Series title, Sanchez had 3/7 Chicago-NL L, 4-6 1.0 4 4 3 0 0 1 - - 3/13 Cincinnati ND, 7-5 2.0 3 4 4 1 2 1 - - a tough 2011 going 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA in 19 starts...he missed a majority of the 3/24 at Arizona ND, 6-5 5.1 6 3 2 0 3 6 - - second half with left biceps tendinitis (June 25-August 1) and then a severe left ankle 4/3 at San Diego L, 1-2 3.0 4 2 2 2 1 5 59-39 0-2 2011 Spring Totals 0-2, 8.74 11.1 17 13 11 3 6 13 - - sprain which occurred on August 16 and ended his season...despite the struggles, he limited opponents to 3 earned runs or less in 15 of his 19 starts and held hitters to a .190 average (19-for-100) with runners in scoring position...control was an issue as he averaged 5.86 walks per nine innings, the highest mark in the Majors. CAREER NOTES--Sanchez tossed a no-hitter on July 10, 2009 vs. San Diego, striking out 11 and falling just an eighth-inning Juan Uribe error shy of a perfect game...between 2008 and 2011, his 9.37 strikeouts per nine innings ranks third-best in the Majors to the Giants’ Tim Lincecum (9.97) and the Brewers’ Yovani Gallardo (9.43)...also since the beginning of 2008, his .225 average against is the third-best in baseball to 2011 N.L. Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw (.216) of the Dodgers and Lincecum (.223). TWICE VS. TRIBE--Jonathan has made a pair of starts against the Indians in his career, winning a 3-2 contest for the Giants on June 24, 2008 at Progressive Field and then taking a no decision exactly 3 years later on June 24, 2011 in San Francisco in a game the Giants would win, 4-3...he has compiled a 2.92 ERA (12.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER) in his brief time against the Tribe, including allowing 3 runs on 2 hits and 6 walks with 6 K’s in 4.2 innings last June.