Game Seven vs. St. Louis

What a change this was from past Cardinals games! St. Louis has always had one of the better teams in the National League, so of course when the Royals didn’t stand much of a chance against them, it was small wonder that the K became Busch West, a vast sea of red cheering uniformly for the visiting team.

Not tonight. This was to be no push-over ballgame for either team. Indeed, the victor would walk away in sole possession of the best win-loss record in the majors. How sweet it was to see so much blue in the stands and to know that our team actually stood a chance of winning.

As it turned out, we stood more than a chance. The Royals took a three-run lead in the bottom of the first thanks to a monster blast over the left field wall launched by Kendrys Morales. Who then hit another one during his next at-bat in the third.

The five runs we scored via his homers were the only scoring done by either team. The Cardinals threatened several times, especially in the late innings. But how sweet it was to be on the edge of our seats hoping for a shut out rather than a simple win or merely avoidance of total humiliation. And sweeter still to actually get a scoreless game, the second one we saw this week.

Morales was obviously the player of the game. Play of the game went to Alcides Escobar. In the top of the eighth he made an impossible behind-the-back flip to Omar Infante to nail Matt Holliday on a fielder’s choice. The out most likely prevented the Cardinals from scoring later in the inning.

After all those years of actively avoiding our games against St. Louis, it was a definite season highlight to finally get to see a solid victory in the company of fellow Kansas City fans.

CARDINALS (0) AT ROYALS (5)

CARDINALS            AB  R  H BI  ROYALS               AB  R  H BI
Kolten Wong           3  0  1  0  Alcides Escobar       3  1  0  0  
Matt Carpenter        4  0  3  0  Mike Moustakas        4  0  0  0  
Matt Holliday         4  0  0  0  Lorenzo Cain          4  2  2  0  
Matt Adams            5  0  0  0  Eric Hosmer           4  0  0  0  
Jhonny Peralta        4  0  1  0  Kendrys Morales       4  2  3  5  
Randal Grichuk        4  0  1  0  Alex Gordon           4  0  1  0  
Yadier Molina         3  0  2  0  Salvador Perez        4  0  3  0  
Jason Heyward         4  0  0  0  Omar Infante          4  0  0  0  
Peter Bourjos         3  0  0  0  Paulo Orlando         3  0  2  0  
TOTALS               34  0  8  0  TOTALS               34  5 11  5

CARDINALS                     000 000 000 -- 0  
ROYALS                        302 000 00x -- 5  

LOB--CARDINALS 13, ROYALS 6. 2B--Matt Carpenter, Salvador
Perez. HR--Kendrys Morales (2). HBP--Matt Holliday.

 CARDINALS                       IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Lance Lynn                     6.33   10    5    5    1    4    2
Carlos Villanueva              1.67    1    0    0    0    2    0
 ROYALS                     
Chris Young                    6.00    6    0    0    2    2    0
Franklin Morales               1.00    0    0    0    1    0    0
Ryan Madson                    1.00    1    0    0    1    1    0
Jason Frasor                   1.00    1    0    0    1    1    0

WP--Lance Lynn. SO--Matt Holliday, Jhonny Peralta, Matt
Adams, Randal Grichuk, Alex Gordon (2), Lorenzo Cain, Eric
Hosmer (2), Salvador Perez. BB--Yadier Molina, Peter
Bourjos, Matt Carpenter, Kolten Wong (2), Alcides Escobar.

Game Six vs. Cincinnati

Amy lucked into some tickets (alas, only two), so back out to the chilly ballpark we went. I can’t remember the last time we went to two games in a row. And because the Royals have the day off tomorrow, Friday will make three in a row. I couldn’t do this on a regular basis, but for a rare treat it’s been fun.

This game was also a strong reminder of how wise it was to move upstairs. Our seats weren’t far from where we used to sit before the move, and the “fans” down there haven’t changed at all. Further, it got more than a little chilly by the end of the game as the temperature dropped and the crowd dwindled.

The game, on the other hand, was outstanding. We took an early one-run lead in the second, padded with a strong fourth and added some insurance in the eighth, playing great station-to-station small ball the whole time.

Play of the game went to Alex Gordon for a spectacular catch at the wall to end the fifth inning. At the time we had a shutout going, so the play was as important as it was impressive. Too bad Ryan Madson stumbled a bit and gave up a run in the seventh. That would have been three in a row!

REDS (1) AT ROYALS (7)

REDS                 AB  R  H BI  ROYALS               AB  R  H BI
Zack Cozart           5  1  1  0  Alcides Escobar       4  0  1  0  
Brandon Phillips      5  0  3  1  Mike Moustakas        4  1  3  0  
Joey Votto            3  0  1  0  Lorenzo Cain          4  2  1  0  
Todd Frazier          3  0  1  0  Eric Hosmer           4  2  1  1  
Marlon Byrd           4  0  0  0  Kendrys Morales       3  1  1  2  
Jay Bruce             4  0  1  0  Alex Gordon           3  0  1  2  
Devin Mesoraco        4  0  0  0  Salvador Perez        3  0  1  1  
Billy Hamilton        3  0  1  0  Omar Infante          4  0  1  0  
 Skip Schumaker       1  0  1  0  Paulo Orlando         2  1  0  0  
Tucker Barnhart       3  0  0  0                                    
 Brennan Boesch       1  0  0  0                                    
TOTALS               36  1  9  1  TOTALS               31  7 10  6

REDS                          000 000 100 -- 1  
ROYALS                        010 310 02x -- 7  

LOB--REDS 10, ROYALS 4. 2B--Skip Schumaker, Brandon
Phillips, Kendrys Morales, Eric Hosmer. HBP--Paulo Orlando.
SACF--Kendrys Morales, Alex Gordon. SB--Eric Hosmer.

 REDS                            IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Jason Marquis                  3.67    4    4    4    0    1    0
Ryan Mattheus                  1.33    2    1    1    0    0    0
Burke Badenhop                 1.00    0    0    0    0    1    0
Michael Lorenzen               1.00    1    0    0    0    0    0
Raisel Iglesias                1.00    3    2    2    1    0    0
 ROYALS                     
Jeremy Guthrie                 6.00    5    0    0    2    3    0
Ryan Madson                    1.00    2    1    1    0    1    0
Wade Davis                     1.00    1    0    0    0    1    0
Luke Hochevar                  1.00    1    0    0    0    2    0

WP--Jason Marquis, Raisel Iglesias, Wade Davis. SO--Marlon
Byrd, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Brennan Boesch, Tucker
Barnhart (3), Kendrys Morales, Alex Gordon. BB--Joey Votto,
Todd Frazier, Salvador Perez.

Game Five vs. Cincinnati

Interleague play returns to the K. The closest we ever came to seeing the Reds before today was a game many years ago that was postponed due to some kind of bizarre mishap with the stadium’s electrical wiring. That was the first time an interleague game wasn’t played on schedule.

And this outing was somewhat historical as well. This was the first time since 1992 that the Royals recorded back-to-back shut-outs. We’d gone more than 3000 games since the last time we pulled it off, more than double the Brewers’ second place streak.

Needless to say, it was a genuine pleasure (despite the unseasonal cold) to watch such a well-played game. Lorenzo Cain stood out in particular, making two spectacular plays in center that kept the Reds off the board.

REDS (0) AT ROYALS (3)

REDS                 AB  R  H BI  ROYALS               AB  R  H BI
Zack Cozart           4  0  0  0  Alcides Escobar       3  0  0  0  
Brayan Pena           4  0  0  0  Mike Moustakas        4  0  3  2  
Joey Votto            4  0  0  0  Lorenzo Cain          4  0  0  0  
Todd Frazier          4  0  1  0  Eric Hosmer           4  1  1  0  
Marlon Byrd           3  0  0  0  Kendrys Morales       3  0  0  0  
Brandon Phillips      3  0  0  0  Alex Gordon           4  0  0  0  
Jay Bruce             3  0  1  0  Salvador Perez        3  0  1  0  
Devin Mesoraco        2  0  2  0  Omar Infante          3  1  2  1  
Billy Hamilton        2  0  0  0  Paulo Orlando         3  1  2  0  
TOTALS               29  0  4  0  TOTALS               31  3  9  3

REDS                          000 000 000 -- 0  
ROYALS                        010 010 10x -- 3  

LOB--REDS 4, ROYALS 6. 2B--Mike Moustakas (2), Salvador
Perez. SACB--Billy Hamilton, Alcides Escobar.

 REDS                            IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Johnny Cueto                   8.00    9    3    3    1    4    0
 ROYALS                     
Yordano Ventura                7.00    4    0    0    0    6    0
Kelvin Herrera                 1.00    0    0    0    1    1    0
Wade Davis                     1.00    0    0    0    0    2    0

WP--Yordano Ventura. SO--Marlon Byrd (2), Joey Votto, Jay
Bruce, Brayan Pena (2), Todd Frazier, Billy Hamilton (2),
Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez.
BB--Devin Mesoraco, Kendrys Morales.

Game Four vs. Cleveland

Comparing the last game to this one, I have to say that I prefer pitching duels to slugfests. Especially when we’re on the receiving end of the slugging.

We didn’t exactly bring our A-game to the mound this evening. Danny Duffy suffered some kind of second inning collapse and had to leave the game early. Nor did the bullpen do a spectacular job of keeping us in the game.

The only noteworthy moments were the unusually large number of foul balls that came close to our seats.

INDIANS (10) AT ROYALS (3)

INDIANS              AB  R  H BI  ROYALS               AB  R  H BI
Jason Kipnis          4  0  2  1  Alex Gordon           4  0  0  0  
Carlos Santana        3  2  1  1  Mike Moustakas        3  0  1  0  
Michael Brantley      4  1  1  0  Lorenzo Cain          4  2  1  0  
Ryan Raburn           3  0  1  1  Eric Hosmer           4  0  1  1  
 Michael Bourn        1  1  0  0  Kendrys Morales       3  1  1  2  
Brandon Moss          5  2  2  3  Salvador Perez        3  0  0  0  
Nick Swisher          5  1  1  0   Francisco Pena       1  0  0  0  
Mike Aviles           4  2  3  1  Omar Infante          3  0  0  0  
Lonnie Chisenhall     4  1  1  1   Orlando Calixte      1  0  0  0  
Brett Hayes           3  0  1  1  Jarrod Dyson          3  0  0  0  
                                  Christian Colon       3  0  1  0  
TOTALS               36 10 13  9  TOTALS               32  3  5  3

INDIANS                       130 100 401 -- 10 
ROYALS                        000 201 000 -- 3  

LOB--INDIANS 7, ROYALS 4. ERR--Lonnie Chisenhall.
2B--Brandon Moss, Ryan Raburn, Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason
Kipnis, Eric Hosmer, Christian Colon. 3B--Lorenzo Cain.
HR--Brandon Moss, Kendrys Morales. HBP--Mike Aviles, Ryan
Raburn. SACF--Carlos Santana. SACB--Brett Hayes. SB--Jarrod
Dyson.

 INDIANS                         IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Carlos Carrasco                8.00    5    3    3    2    7    1
Zach McAllister                1.00    0    0    0    0    2    0
 ROYALS                     
Danny Duffy                    1.00    6    4    4    0    0    0
Brandon Finnegan               2.67    1    1    1    3    2    0
Chris Young                    2.33    0    0    0    0    2    0
Franklin Morales               1.00    4    4    4    1    0    0
Kelvin Herrera                 1.00    0    0    0    0    1    0
Jason Frasor                   1.00    2    1    1    0    0    1

WP--Franklin Morales, Danny Duffy. SO--Brandon Moss, Mike
Aviles, Ryan Raburn, Carlos Santana (2), Kendrys Morales
(2), Alex Gordon (4), Omar Infante, Lorenzo Cain, Francisco
Pena. BB--Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana, Lonnie
Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, Kendrys Morales, Mike Moustakas.

Game Three vs. Detroit

This contest was a case of outstanding pitching by both teams. The starters and relievers threw a combined 15 innings worth of shut-out ball. Edinson Volquez walked the lead-off batter in the third (bottom-of-the-order Rajai Davis), and of course the runner came around to score on an error by replacement shortstop Christian Colon. Despite a solo shot in the ninth, our guys came up a little short.

But it was still hard not to love the game. Mike Moustakas once again made the opponents pay for their shift nonsense, this time with a clean single down the left field line. This is getting to be kinda like having some road-raging moron speed past you in a no-passing zone and then get to see him pulled over by a cop just a few miles later. Treasure these moments.

It’s also nice to see the batter-hitting, trash-talking, bench-clearing nonsense from the start of the season calming down a bit. The only drama in this game was a disputed call over Anthony Gose getting called out at second for failing to retag the bag on his way back to first after a fly out.

TIGERS (2) AT ROYALS (1)

TIGERS               AB  R  H BI  ROYALS               AB  R  H BI
Anthony Gose          4  1  3  0  Alex Gordon           4  0  1  0  
Ian Kinsler           4  0  2  1  Mike Moustakas        4  0  1  0  
Miguel Cabrera        3  0  0  0  Lorenzo Cain          4  1  1  1  
Victor Martinez       4  0  0  0  Eric Hosmer           4  0  0  0  
Yoenis Cespedes       4  0  2  0  Kendrys Morales       3  0  0  0  
Alex Avila            4  0  0  0  Salvador Perez        3  0  2  0  
Nick Castellanos      3  0  0  0  Omar Infante          3  0  0  0  
Jose Iglesias         4  0  0  0  Paulo Orlando         3  0  0  0  
Rajai Davis           3  1  0  0  Christian Colon       3  0  1  0  
TOTALS               33  2  7  1  TOTALS               31  1  6  1

TIGERS                        001 010 000 -- 2  
ROYALS                        000 000 001 -- 1  

LOB--TIGERS 7, ROYALS 3. ERR--Christian Colon. 2B--Anthony
Gose. HR--Lorenzo Cain.

 TIGERS                          IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
David Price                    9.00    6    1    1    0    3    1
 ROYALS                     
Edinson Volquez                6.00    5    2    1    3    4    0
Franklin Morales               1.00    1    0    0    0    0    0
Yohan Pino                     2.00    1    0    0    0    0    0

WP--Edinson Volquez. SO--Alex Avila (2), Yoenis Cespedes,
Anthony Gose, Kendrys Morales, Omar Infante, Eric Hosmer.
BB--Rajai Davis, Miguel Cabrera, Nick Castellanos.