Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Kansas City Royals (14-32) @ St. Louis Cardinals (25-19) Busch Stadium - Monday, May 21, 2018 Game #47 - Road Game #22 FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Go and KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Tuesday, May 22 @ St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Luke Weaver (3-3, 4.37 ERA) vs. RHP Jason Hammel (0-5, 6.28), 7:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Wednesday, May 23 @ St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (5-1, 3.08 ERA) vs. RHP Jakob Junis (5-3, 3.51), 12:15 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Thursday, May 24 @ Texas Rangers: LHP Danny Duffy (1-6, 6.88) vs. TBA, 7:05 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Friday, May 25 @ Texas Rangers: LHP Eric Skoglund (1-4, 6.15) vs. TBA, 7:05 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Saturday, May 26 @ Texas Rangers: RHP Ian Kennedy (1-4+ tonight) vs. TBA, 3:05 p.m., FS 1 (HD) & 610 Sports Sunday, May 27 @ Texas Rangers: RHP Jason Hammel (0-5+ tomorrow) vs. TBA, 2:05 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Tonight’s game is being broadcast in Kansas City on KCSP Radio (610 Sports) and the Royals Radio Network with Royals’ Hall of Famer Denny Matthews, Ryan Lefebvre and Steve Stewart calling the action...tonight’s game is being televised on FSKC with Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler...the pre and post-game shows, Royals Live, are hosted by Joel Goldberg and Royals’ Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery. Royals vs. Redbirds RUBBER GAME GONE AWRY--The Royals were seeking their first rubber game victory of 2018 Tonight is the first of six this year between these cross-state on Sunday, but the Bronx Bombers had other ideas and took a 10-1 decision to close out the weekend rivals, with Kansas City looking to rebound from an 0-4 match- series...Kansas City is now 0-for-6 in series deciding games this season...starter Eric Skoglund up last year...the Royals trail the all-time regular season work by a 39-55 margin, including a slim 20-21 deficit in St. Louis, but provided three solid innings before running into trouble in the fourth with a leadoff walk followed KC possesses a 15-14 advantage here in the new Busch Stadium. by three straight first-pitch hits that resulted in three New York runs...he was solved for three more Date Site Score WP LP Att. runs in the fifth, thus ending his day with six allowed on eight hits and falling to 1-4 on the year... 5/21 @ StL 5/22 @ StL meanwhile, Sonny Gray was perfect through the first 14 hitters until Hunter Dozier singled with two 5/23 @ StL out in the fifth for KC’s first hit...to prove it wasn’t a fluke, Dozier singled again off Gray to open the 8/10 KC 8/11 KC eighth inning and came around to score the Royals’ lone run...the extra-base hit was the main culprit 8/12 KC on Sunday, as the Yankees had two doubles, two triples and four home runs on the afternoon. A WEEK ON THE ROAD--This cross-state journey opens a seven-game tour of the Central time zone, as the Royals will head south to Arlington and open a four-game series against their spring training housemates starting Thursday night...the Rangers have dominated play of late between these clubs, as KC snapped a 12-game losing streak to Texas with a 4-3 win last July 16 in Kauffman Stadium...the Royals are 0-for-their-last-8 in Globe Life Park dating back to the last win there on May 14, 2015...all told, KC still holds a 278-273 advantage with a tie in the all-time work, but trails by a 125-147 margin in Arlington, 38-65 since the move to Globe Life. A RETURN TO INTERLEAGUE PLAY--Tonight starts the second series of the year for Kansas City against National League competition, dropping both games of a set with Milwaukee in Kauffman Stadium in April...the Royals and Redbirds will play three here beginning tonight and then St. Louis will make the trek to “The K” on August 10-12...also on the Interleague docket this year will be a two-game stop at Miller Park vs. the Brewers, a two-game home & home with the Reds, while the Cubs visit KC for three in August and the Royals travel to Pittsburgh for three at PNC Park in September....the Royals were just 9-11 last year against the N.L., playing mainly vs. the West...dating back to last year, KC is looking to snap a three-game losing streak vs. the Senior Circuit, with the last win coming last September 30 vs. Arizona. ERRORLESS WORK CONTINUES--Though it’s not showing up in the win column, Kansas City’s defensive work has been solid with the club playing its seventh straight errorless game yesterday and 22nd in the last 24...KC’s last error was a wayward pickoff attempt on May 12 in Cleveland which snapped a 10-game errorless streak...KC is tied for second in the American League in fewest errors with 18 and tied for second with a .989 fielding percentage. DIVISIONAL WORK--The Royals fell to 3-12 vs. the East with yesterday’s loss to the Yankees that pulled the curtain on a 12-game stretch in which nine were played against the East, with KC going 1-2 in Baltimore, 0-3 at home against Tampa Bay and 1-2 against the Yankees...KC is 10-13 within its own Central Division, rebounding from a rugged 4-10 intradivision start to post wins in six of the last nine...the Royals are 1-5 against the A.L. West to this point, winning the first game of a series vs. Seattle before losing two in a row to the M’s and all three meetings with the Angels...as for Interleague work, Kansas City has dropped its first two games vs. N.L. Central opponents, losing to Milwaukee in late-April...following this three-game stop in St. Louis, KC will play 14 of its next 17 against A.L. West opponents. TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Miles Mikolas (5-0, 2.63 ERA) vs. RHP Ian Kennedy (1-4, 4.98) 2017 2016 Career 2018 2017 Career Ian Kennedy vs. Cardinals 0-1 - 3-6 Major League Record 1-4 (4.98 ERA) 5-13 92-96 Miles Mikolas vs. Royals - - 0-0 Major League Record 5-0 (2.63 ERA) - 9-6 IAN KENNEDY makes his 10th start of the season, the 277th of his career and 279th overall appearance…he’s facing the Cardinals for 10th time in his career, while it’s his first start in St. Louis since 2015...the 33-year-old righty is in the third season of a five-year contract that runs through 2020. DECISION-LESS VS. RAYS--Ian’s winless streak hit seven last Tuesday night Ian’s 2018 Starts DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT when he took a no-decision in Kansas City’s 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay at Kauffman 3/31 vs. White Sox ND, 3-4 6.0 4 1 1 0 2 5 105-73 3-1 Stadium...he was charged with five runs on seven hits with three walks and six 4/7 at Cleveland W, 1-0 6.0 4 0 0 0 0 8 101-75 1-0 4/12 vs. Angels L, 1-7 6.0 7 1 1 1 2 3 100-63 0-1 strikeouts over 6.0 innings...the Rays sent nine to the plate in a three-run first, but then 4/18 at Toronto L, 5-15 5.0 8 6 4 2 3 6 106-62 4-6 4/24 vs. Milwaukee L, 2-5 3.0 6 4 4 1 1 0 58-35 0-4 he held them to two runs over the next five frames on a sac fly and a squeeze bunt, 4/29 vs. White Sox ND, 5-4 5.0 5 2 2 0 2 6 97-66 4-2 departing with a 5-3 deficit...the Royals scored twice in the seventh to tie the game and 5/4 vs. Detroit ND, 4-2 6.0 6 0 0 0 1 7 103-69 0-0 5/10 at Baltimore L, 6-11 4.0 8 9 9 3 2 4 78-52 6-9 take Kennedy off the hook, but KC lost in the ninth...it marked his fifth time finishing 5/15 vs. Tampa Bay ND, 5-6 6.0 7 5 5 1 3 6 101-66 3-5 6.0 innings this season, just the second in his last six outings...he ended his night by 2018 Totals 1-4 4.98 47.0 55 28 26 8 16 45 849-561 66.1% Career Totals 92-96 4.10 1631.1 1534 800 744 228 555 1500 - - fanning Denard Span for career strikeout #1,500, joining 14 other active hurlers. RISPY BUSINESS--Kennedy held the Rays to 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position in his last start, though they scored twice on sacrifices...this season, he’s held opponents’ to .200 average (10-for-50) in scoring situations, which is tied for 11th in the American League...since joining the club in 2016, the righty has posted a .226 average (62-for-274) with RISP, good for 10th-best among qualifying AL hurlers.