2017 KANSAS CITY ROYALS Spring Training Game Notes Seattle Mariners (11-8) @ Kansas City Royals-ss (9-10) Thursday, March 16, 2017 ACE 30 LATE HOMERS SINK ROYALS--The ball was flying out of the park yesterday in Glendale, with the Royals and White Sox combining to hit six home runs with KC coming up on the short end of a 7-3 score...Raúl Mondesi got things started right away, connecting for Kansas City’s second leadoff homer of the spring, while Jorge Bonifacio added a solo shot in the eighth...however, it was not enough to offset four White Sox roundtrippers, including a pair by Yoan Moncada...Royals starting pitcher Jason Hammel worked three scoreless frames, before surrendering a walk and a game-tying homer to Moncada in the fourth...the two-run shot snapped a streak of 10.0 shutout innings by KC starting pitchers. VS. M’s--Kansas City takes on the Mariners for the second time this spring after scoring a 14-3 triumph on Feb. 27...the Royals will play Seattle seven times during the regular Upcoming Probables season, beginning with a three-game set at Safeco, July 3-5, while the M’s come to the Today (SS) vs. Seattle Mariners @ Surprise Stadium (1:05) Midwest for a four-game series, August 3-6. Chase De Jong, Cody Martin WBC UPDATE--Eric Hosmer’s two-run shot in the eighth inning broke a tie and lifted the vs. Jason Vargas (L), Matt Strahm (L), Peter Moylan, Yender Cáramo, United States to a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Venezuela last night at the World Joakim Soria, Chris Withrow Baseball Classic...Hosmer went 2-for-4 in the game, also singling and scoring a run in the seventh inning...in the same game, Alcides Escobar went 1-for-3 for Team Venezuela... Today (SS) at San Diego Padres @ Peoria Stadium (1:10) Esky’s team looks to stay alive in the second round of pool play this evening, taking on the Josh Staumont, Bobby Parnell, Jonathan Sanchez (L), Dominican Republic, which also has one loss coming in. Al Alburquerque, Brandon League PLAYING LONGBALL--Kansas City added a pair of solo shots to their spring total vs. yesterday at Camelback Ranch, which included the second leadoff home run by a Royals Trevor Cahill, Paul Clemens, Andre Reinzo, Tyrell Jenkins, Phil Maton player when Raúl Mondesi deposited the game’s fifth pitch into the right field bullpen... Alcides Escobar also led off KC’s second spring contest with a home run as Royals players Tomorrow at Milwaukee Brewers @ Maryvale Park (1:05) have hit 25 roundtrippers this year, tying the Cubs for second-most in the Cactus League... Nathan Karns, Scott Alexander (L), Mike Minor (L), Malcom Culver Milwaukee leads the Arizona-based group with 28 homers this spring...KC dingers have vs. come from 15 different players, including five from Peter O’Brien, who is tied for the Major Jimmy Nelson, Corey Knebel, Jhan Marinez, Michael Blazek, League lead. David Goforth, Andy Oliver (L) RAISED ON THE RADIO--The Royals have added Saturday’s game vs. the Cleveland Indians to their spring radio schedule on KCSP (610 Sports) and the Royals Radio Network... Saturday vs. Cleveland Indians @ Surprise Stadium (1:05) Shawn Morimando (L), Cody Allen, Carlos Frias, Bryan Shaw, first pitch is scheduled for 1:05...with the latest addition, 21 of KC’s 35 exhibition contests Steve Delbar, James Russell (L) will be broadcast by their flagship station and the Royals Radio Network. vs. ROSTER BREAKDOWN--Following the latest round of cuts, the Royals have 51 players Travis Wood (L), Chris Young in big league camp...the breakdown includes 24 pitchers (10 non-roster), 6 catchers (3 non-roster), 12 infielders (3 non-roster) and 10 outfielders...among the 24 pitchers in camp, seven are left-handed...southpaw Brian Flynn is not listed among the 51 players on the roster and will open the year on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from a low back injury incurred just prior to spring training...of the 16 non-roster players in camp with Kansas City, nine have previous Major League experience, including six who had time in “The Show” in 2016. EXTRA TROUPS--With today’s split-squad, the Royals have dipped into their minor league talent pool to add 10 players for today’s game. They include pitchers Onelki Garcia (#99), Tim Hill (#23) and Clayton Mortensen (#56); catcher Allan De San Miguel (#82); infielders Jack Lopez (#44), Mauricio Ramos (#83) and Corey Toups (#70) as well as outfielders Ruben Sosa (#21) and Amalani Fukofuka (#95). MORE TELEVISION TIME--The Royals are back on the air in this afternoon’s contest vs. San Diego in Peoria...the game will mark the fourth of 10 exhibition broadcasts on Fox Sports Kansas City...today’s broadcast will also be the first of two where FSKC shares production with the opponent, with the other being April 1 against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park...the Royals’ regular announcing crew of Ryan Lefebvre, Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler will return for Saturday’s home contest vs. Cleveland at 1:05. WEB CAST--Today’s game in Surprise can be heard via audio web cast on Royals.com as well as the MLB At-Bat App, with Steve Stewart describing the action... tomorrow’s contest vs. Milwaukee will also be a web cast with commitments to the University of Kansas’ men’s basketball game in the NCAA Tournament. SPRING WORK--Kansas City dipped below the .500 mark in spring action, entering today at 9-10 overall and 9-9 in Cactus League play...the Royals went 14-21 in 2016, but 10-5 in Surprise, closing with eight consecutive home wins...the club drew a Surprise home record 126,108 last year for a per game average of 8,407....KC has an all-time exhibition record of 674-620 with 38 ties for a .520 winning pct...the club has posted a 242-197 mark with 18 ties for a .549 mark in the Valley of the Sun...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). .500 IN ‘16 FOR THE DEFENDING CHAMPS--After consecutive American League crowns, capped by a World Series title in 2015, the Royals recorded an 81-81 ledger last season, finishing third in the American League Central...Kansas City has gone 351-297 in its last four seasons, tying the Baltimore Orioles for the second best record in the American League in that span, just one-half game behind Cleveland (351-297)...this four-year stretch marks the first time the Royals have finished at .500 or better in four consecutive campaigns since going six straight from 1975-80...last year’s club navigated through the first three months with a 42-36 ledger, but scuffled to a 7-19 month of July...the Royals recovered with a 20-9 August, but then slipped and finished the campaign with a 12-17 record over September and October. THE SEASON AHEAD--The 2017 campaign will begin on Monday, April 3 in Target Field, as the Royals and Twins face-off in the first of a three-game series...all three games in Minneapolis will be day affairs, with an off day on Tuesday, April 4, sandwiched between games one and two...Kansas City will then head to Houston for a three-game weekend set before the home half of the schedule opens on Monday, April 10 against the Oakland A’s...KC will host the Athletics for a three-game set, also separated by an off day on April 11, then visits from the Los Angeles Angels (3) and San Francisco Giants (2) will wrap-up the initial stay of the Starts by Position season...Kansas City will have a stretch from April 28-May 18 when it will play 16 of 20 games in Kauffman Stadium, separated only by a four-game journey to Tampa Bay on May 1B -- Hosmer (6), O’Hearn (5), Cuthbert (2), Dozier (2), Dueñez (2), 8-11...as evidenced by the two-game visit from the Giants during the opening homestand, Merrifield (1), Moss (1) the Royals will battle the N.L. West in Interleague play in 2017, also making trips to San 2B -- Mondesi (7), Merrifield (5), Cuthbert (4), Colón (3) Francisco (2), Dodger Stadium (3) and San Diego (3), while the Giants, Rockies (3) and 3B -- Cuthbert (7), Moustakas (5), Colón (3), Cecchini (2), Dozier (1), Diamondbacks (3) pay a visit to “The K”, with the D’Backs series wrapping up the regular Merrifield (1) season on Sept.29-Oct. 1. SS -- Escobar (6), Torres (5), Colón (4), Mondesi (3), Arteaga (1) AT THE HELM--The winningest manager in franchise history, Ned Yost begins his LF -- Soler (5), Gordon (3), Moss (3), O’Brien (3), Bonifacio (2), seventh full season with the club, taking the reins on May 13, 2010...he has a 549-550 Orlando (2), Burns (1) regular season record at the helm for the Royals, surpassing Whitey Herzog’s previous CF -- Cain (10), Orlando (3), Starling (3), Burns (2), Gordon (1) team mark of 410 wins (1975-79)...Yost is the 16th full-time manager in franchise history RF -- Soler (7), Gordon (6), Bonifacio (3), Orlando (2), Starling (1) and enters this year seventh among active managers is games (2,058) and wins (1,006)... C -- Peña (6), Gallagher (5), Perez (5), Butera (3) this is his second stint as a big league manager after nearly six full campaigns at the helm P -- Hammel (3), Karns (3), Kennedy (3), Vargas (3), Duffy (2), for the Milwaukee Brewers (2003-2008)...he compiled a 457-502 record with the Brew Young (2), Staumont (1), Wood (1), Zimmer (1) Crew including a 166-146 mark in his last two seasons...Yost, a catcher during his playing DH -- Moustakas (6), Moss (6), Soler (3), O’Brien (2), Gordon (1), days, began his coaching career in the Atlanta organization, including 12 straight seasons Vallot (1) on Bobby Cox’s big league staff (1991-2002).