Friday, May 11: 441

Saturday, May 12: 443

Sunday, May 13: 441

Monday, May 14: 445

Tuesday, May 15: 441

Wednesday, May 16: 443

Thursday, May 17: 442

Friday, May 18: 443

Saturday, May 19: on FOX Saturday Baseball (WDAF)

Sunday, May 20: 443

The newest roster move placing left hander Jonathan Sanchez on the 15-day Disabled List due to biceps tendinitis and recalling Johnny Giavotella from Omaha was first up for discussion when Manager Ned Yost met with members of the media this afternoon.  Yost said Sanchez has been battling the biceps tendinitis and it has become progressively worse this season therefore they decided to just deal with it now and get it out of the way.  Biceps tendinitis affects your command and velocity on the fastball and Yost said the Royals need him to be the pitcher they know he is so they want to get it straightened out now.

With the roster move of bringing Giavotella up from Omaha, Yost said it was a good day to give Eric Hosmer a break where, with the off-day tomorrow, he can have two days and just miss one game.  Looking at the lineup yesterday Yost said they had to make a decision on whether to DH Chris Getz or Mitch Maier, but they decided Giavotella would be able to fill that role tonight.  He gives the Royals another right handed bat against a very tough lefty, Jon Lester.  Giavotella has been hitting the ball very well down at Triple-A (.483 in 8 games in May) so Yost said it helps give the Royals a better opportunity to win tonight. Yost also said there is a chance to see Giavotella play some second base with a few lefties coming up on the road trip, but that is also not for sure.

It is unknown to this point what will happen with Sanchez, but he will not be pitching in what would be his next scheduled start and Yost said the Royals will not need to worry about a pitcher until Tuesday at Texas because of tomorrow’s off day.  Danny Duffy will pitch Sunday in Chicago and Bruce Chen will go next Monday in Texas.  Yost said they are hoping to have Greg Holland back by then which will help, but they are taking everything one game at a time.  Holland threw 19 pitches and gave up one hit yesterday in his rehab outing with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.  He felt good after and feels good today as well and will make another appearance tomorrow then they will reevaluate him to see if he needs another one or is ready to be back with the Major League club.

Billy Butler delivered a no-doubter – a three-run home run in the eighth that lifted Kansas City to a 6-4 win over Boston on Tuesday night.  Jonathan Broxton worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.  Let’s take a look at the photos:

The roster move that optioned Tommy Hottovy back to Omaha and recalled Vin Mazzaro was the main topic of discussion this afternoon when manager Ned Yost met with the media. Yost said they need some extra length in the bullpen after the Royals have expended their two long guys over the past couple days. Yost said he has confidence that Danny Duffy will give them a strong start and throw a good game this evening against Boston. However, you never know if something unforeseen were to happen, like an injury, and they would have to turn to the bullpen early then they would have some protection with Mazzaro out there. He went on to say Hottovy did a very nice job when he was up here and having three lefties in the pen was a nice luxury, but a long guy for protection for the Royals is needed right now.

Yost said the Royals have no plan on using Mazzaro as a starter here, even though he was in the starting rotation with Omaha. He said he is taking it one day at a time and Mazzaro is here to be the Royals’ protection tonight. Yost also added having three long-relievers in the bullpen is not something you really want to have as a manager, but for now it is needed and they are working daily to get the starting kinks worked out.

Luke Hochevar was the first topic the media brought up today when meeting with Manager Ned Yost. He said, “There is no problem, we are just trying to get to the root of why big innings seem to be happening to him.” They discussed yesterday and it could be something as simple as Hoch is in a slump. Yost gave the example that there were times yesterday where he was not duplicating his mechanics on pitches which is very important and said pitchers have to have consistency when delivering your pitches. He then went on to say the ball Robinson Cano hit yesterday was a good pitch from Hoch, but you are going to have that with big league hitters. Yost said, “He does not think it is in his mind set and he thinks he is just in a rut and he will turn it around. He will continue to work and make sure his mechanics are where they need to be and he will get out of it.”

Yost said, “A pitcher’s slump is comparable to a hitter. When they are on they are locked in on every pitch and putting a good swing on balls.” It is all about consistency, Yost added. He said, “We know when Hoch is right and he is not right, right now but he will get there.” He also added they have not lost any faith in him and his role will be the same. Yost went on to say they will not be bailing on him after two bad starts, just like they would not bail on someone like Eric Hosmer, just because he is not hitting for a high average at the moment. The smart thing to do is to stick with them and keep the confidence in them because it is just a matter of time before they get out of that rut. Yost then added, “Hoch is a very important part of the pitching staff and they will not be changing anything with him and he will get back to where he has been.” He then expressed the confidence that he believes Hoch will come out in his next start and have a good one and be back on his stuff.

Irving Falu had his contract selected from Omaha last Thursday after 949 minor league games.  He made his debut yesterday and tripled in his first at-bat, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored.  KC’s 21st round pick in 2003, Falu is tied with Mitch Maier for the longest tenure of a player in the organization (Maier was selected in the first round that year). 

The mark of 949 games make Falu the answer to an interesting trivia question:  “Which player originally signed by the Royals played the most minor league games before making his debut as a Royal?”  Second on the list is outfielder Mike Brewer, who was KC’s first round pick in the January phase in 1979.  Brewer debuted on June 11, 1986.  (For the record, Brewer was traded to Cleveland early in the 1985 season.  He played in the minors for the Tribe that season and was traded back to KC in September.  He began 1986 with Omaha before debuting with KC).   Special thanks to Royals Hall of Fame director Curt Nelson for his research on this subject!

Aside from the rainy conditions in Kansas City, Irving Falu was the first subject brought up when Ned Yost met with the media inside his office this morning.  Falu will be making his first Major debut today for the Royals.  He was selected in the 21st round by the Royals in 2003 and has spent the past three years in Omaha.  Yost said he is excited to see what Falu can do up here and he is excited to see him in his first Major League game.  He went on to compliment Falu on his hard work and dedication in the minors for the past nine to ten years to get here.  Falu will replace Alcides Escobar in the lineup today.  Jeff Francoeur and Escobar have not had a game off yet this season and Yost feels today is a good day to give them that rest.

Base running was the next biggest item of discussion.  The Royals have had quite a few stolen bases to this point in the season including Escobar’s American League leading (3-way tie) seven.  Yost said the key to this is giving players the green light, not just telling them when to go and making sure players are running in the right spots, when the conditions are favorable for a stolen base.  He said the success rate is getting back to where the Royals want it.  There are base running sessions when they have the chances on occasional off-days or before opening home stands to get even better.  Yost encourages players to be aggressive, but he wants them to be smart and, if they do make a mistake, he asks they learn something from it and apply it to their game.  He said these guys can play and they know when to go and when not to go and with a green light he feels they have a higher success rate because it is on them and more comfortable for them.  He also noted the green light is not available for all players, but can be given pitch-by-pitch and a steal sign is still implemented when he sees the opportunity.

Today, Ned Yost had a short media session, but he did discuss why Louis Coleman had to go to Omaha. The reason simply was because Felipe Paulino was activated from the disabled list.  Paulino is full strength for tonight.  Yost says, “There will be no restrictions on him tonight and he is available to go 105 or 110 (pitches).”

Greg Holland looked really good today in a batting practice throwing session and he had no after effects.  Holland should be heading out to Northwest Arkansas for his rehab assignment on Tuesday.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Royals catcher Salvador Perez met fans and signed autographs at the Guadalupe Center’s Cinco de Mayo Community Fiesta today.

Manager Ned Yost met with the media this afternoon and injured pitcher Greg Holland was the first topic of discussion.  Yost said he will throw a light batting practice session consisting of about 25 pitches tomorrow and then play catch Sunday and Monday.  He also said Tuesday he will probably go out on a rehab assignment on his way to coming back to the bullpen.

Mike Moustakas has been playing some great defense thus far in the season and Yost said his defense has definitely improved since last season.  Yost went on to say it has improved because Moose has worked extremely hard at it and spent the whole winter getting into great shape, then got after it in day one at Spring Training.  He continues to work every day here and get better and better. Yost added he has great work ethic, great focus and a great winning attitude.  Speaking of the game-ending play from last night Moose made on the slow roller, Yost said he could see in his eye as soon as the ball was hit that he was going to make that play.

The bullpen was the next topic of discussion for Ned’s media session.  The end of the game will be decision time because Aaron Crow and Jonathan Broxton are questionable to make appearances tonight since they have thrown a decent amount recently.  Yost said he probably would not go to them, but had not completely ruled it out yet.  The Royals are hoping to get a solid start out of Bruce Chen tonight, but Yost is confident if they get at least five they will be fine.  He has several available arms in the bullpen, he just does not want to have to overuse them or abuse them.  He said they have been doing great and working hard, but he cannot kill his bullpen in the beginning of May.