Kansas City Royals OFFICIAL GAME NOTES Kansas City Royals (0-2) @ Minnesota Twins (2-0) Target Field - Thursday, April 6, 2017 Game #3 - Road Game #3 FOX Sports Kansas City (HD) and KCSP Radio (610 Sports) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Friday, April 7 @ Houston Astros: LHP Jason Vargas vs. RHP Mike Fiers, 7:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Saturday, April 8 @ Houston Astros: LHP Danny Duffy (0-0, 1.50) vs. LHP Dallas Keuchel (1-0, 0.00), 6:10 p.m., FSKC (HD) & 610 Sports Sunday, April 9 @ Houston Astros: RHP Nathan Karns (0-0, 54.00) vs. RHP Lance McCullers, 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 Royals’ Hall of Famer Denny Matthews, Steve Physioc and Steve Stewart, while Don Free controls the dials as the producer/engineer...today is also being televised in High Definition on FOX Sports Kansas City with Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler at the mics...Joel Goldberg and Royals’ Hall of Famer Jeff Montgomery anchor the pre and post-game shows, Royals Live. Royals vs. Twins NO SEVENTH HEAVEN--For the second time in as many games to open 2017, the Royals were solved The Royals have dropped the first two games of this series, for a half-dozen seventh inning runs, as Minnesota blew open a 3-1 game and cruised to a 9-1 win...the something that hasn’t occurred in the same season to Minnesota loss marked the first time Kansas City has dropped its first two games of the year since 2014, which just since a visit here on April 15-16, 2015...dating back to last year, so happened to be an American League title season (just sayin’)...however, a defeat today would mark KC has now fallen in three straight to Minnesota...despite this mini-slide, Kansas City has gone 53-29 vs. the Twins since the the first three-game sweep by an opponent since the Yankees handed the Royals three losses in a row start of the ‘13 season, but still trails the all-time body of work by in the Bronx to open the 2001 campaign...as for yesterday, Ian Kennedy posted a 1-2-3 first inning, but a 368-386 count, including a 172-204 ledger in the Twin Cities, wasn’t as fortunate in the second when Minnesota plated three run on just two hits and a trio of walks... but a 35-32 edge since the move to Target Field. Date Site Score WP LP Att. the base on balls has been an issue in the first two games, as Royal hurlers have issued 16 free passes in 4/3 @ Min L, 1-7 Santana Strahm 39,615 just two games, with nine of those coming around to score...meanwhile, there has been little “o” in the 4/5 @ Min L, 1-9 Santiago Kennedy 15,171 offense as KC was held to just one run for the second straight game, an RBI single by Paulo Orlando in 4/6 @ Min 4/28 KC the fourth inning. 4/29 KC 4/30 KC NOT SUCH A SWEET SIXTEEN--About the only thing that has gone right in the first two games is that the defense has played errorless ball against the Twins...meanwhile on the hill, the #16 has been a common thread, with Royal hurlers allowing 16 runs on 16 hits with 16 walks in just two games...the offense is a collective 7-for-57 since opening the 2017 campaign for a .123 average, while going just 1-for-5 in RISP situations. NEXT STOP, HOUSTON--Today pulls the curtain on this season-opening visit to Minnesota and then the Royals will charter south for a weekend stay in Houston...the 3-game series will consist of a 7:10 start tomorrow, 6:10 on Saturday and then a 1:10 road trip finale Sunday...Kansas City will then head home where it opens the home slate on Monday at 3:15 in Kauffman Stadium when the Oakland A’s hit town. HOMESTAND STARTS MONDAY--The 2017 home schedule commences on Monday afternoon at 3:15 when Kansas City hosts the Oakland A’s in the first of a 3-game series...the series will get Tuesday off and then resume with 7:15 games next Wednesday and Thursday...work against the A.L. West will continue in the second series of the stay when the Los Angeles Angels hit town for a 3-game weekend set...following another day away on April 17, the homestand will conclude with the first Interleague test of the new year when San Francisco comes to “The K” for a pair in the Giants’ first visit to town since the 2014 World Series. NEW FACES IN 2017--Kansas City had 10 players on Monday’s Opening Day roster who were not aboard when the 2016 club opened the campaign...the list includes Cheslor Cuthbert, Jason Hammel, Mike Minor, Raul Mondesi, Brandon Moss, Peter Moylan, Matt Strahm, Jason Vargas and Travis Wood...Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar extended their Opening Day lineup streak to seven in a row while it was the 10th in the last 11 years for Gordon...Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain each started in their sixth straight opener, while Salvador Perez was in his fifth in a row. ACE 30 REMEMBERING YO--The morning of January 22, 2017 will always be remembered as one of the most tragic days in franchise history when word was received of that pitcher Yordano Ventura had his life cut short due to a car accident in his native Dominican Republic...signed as a 17-year old in 2008, the fireballing right- hander compiled a 38-31 during his abbreviated Major League career...“Ace” will be most remembered for blanking the San Francisco Giants over 7.0 innings in Game #6 of the 2014 World Series to force a seventh and deciding game, while pitching with a heavy heart himself due to the untimely passing of his friend Oscar Tavares...to honor the late Ventura, all uniforms in 2017 will be adorned with the ACE 30 patch. TODAY’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP Jason Hammel (15-10, 3.83 ERA in ‘16) vs. RHP Kyle Gibson (6-11, 5.07 ERA in ‘16) 2016 2015 Career 2016 2015 Career Jason Hammel vs. Twins - - 2-1 Major League Record 15-10 (3.83 ERA) 10-7 84-87 Kyle Gibson vs. Royals 0-1 2-3 5-4 Major League Record 6-11 (5.07 ERA) 11-11 32-38 JASON HAMMEL makes his Royals debut and 249th start of his career in today’s series finale vs. Minnesota…he signed a two-year deal with Kansas City on February 8…Jason is in his 12th Major League season with his sixth team, including: Tampa Bay (2006-08), Colorado (2009-11), Baltimore (2012-13), Oakland (2014) and the Chicago Cubs (2014, 2015-16)…he was originally signed with Tampa Bay as a 10th round pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. WINNER, WINNER--Jason earned a career-high 15 wins in 2016 with the Hammel’s 2017 Cactus League appearances Chicago Cubs, five more than his previous career high done four times (2009, ‘10, ‘14, DATE OPPONENT SCORE IP H R ER HR BB SO TP-K LEFT ‘15)…he had a 0.75 ERA (2 ER in 24.0 IP) through his first four starts, the second-best 3/4 San Francisco W, 2-0 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 - - 3/10 Oakland L, 7-11 2.2 3 2 2 1 2 3 - - mark by a Cubs’ starter through four starts since 1920, according to Elias, trailing only 3/15 Chicago-AL L, 3-7 4.1 5 2 2 1 0 5 - - 3/20 Cincinnati L, 6-10 5.1 3 1 1 0 1 5 - - Steve Stone (0.51 ERA in 1976)…won a career-high six straight starts following the 3/26 Los Angeles-AL W, 8-7 6.0 8 7 7 0 2 3 - - 2016 All-Star break, posting a 0.95 ERA (4 ER in 38.0 IP) during that stretch…the 4/1 Texas L, 3-5 2.0 4 5 4 0 1 0 - - Cubs went 17-13 (.567) in his 30 starts last season. 2017 Cactus League Totals 0-2, 6.45 ERA 22.1 25 17 16 2 6 16 - - SPRING WORK--Hammel went 0-2 with a 6.45 ERA (16 ER in 22.1 IP) in six spring starts…had a 3.14 ERA (5 ER in 14.1 IP) through his first four starts, before allowing 12 runs (11 earned) over his last two starts (8.0 innings). ZONE CONTROL--Jason issued two-or-fewer walks in 13 straight starts last season from May 30-August 10, the second-longest streak of his career (14 starts, April 22-July 4, 2014)…since 2014, his 2.40 walks-per-nine rate ranks 14th in the Majors (min. 90 starts). AFTERNOON DELIGHT--Jason went 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA (14 ER in 51.2 IP) and .189 opponents’ average through his first nine daytime starts in 2016, but lost his last three day starts, posting a 16.88 ERA (15 ER in 8.0 IP) and .457 opponents’ average during that stretch…in his career, Hammel’s daytime ERA (4.41) is nearly identical to his ERA at night (4.42).