KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
TROUBLE AT THE TROP: The Royals suffered an 11-3 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field last night, in which they allowed a season-high-tying 17 hits, 7 of which came with a runner in scoring position…Salvador Perez hit a game-tying, 2-run homer off Zach Eflin in the 3rd inning to mark the 499th extra-base hit of his career, matching Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney for 6th in franchise history…but the Rays re-gained the lead in the 4th on an RBI single, at which point Jose Siri was responsible for all 4 of Tampa Bay’s runs…the game got out of hand in the 5th, when with one on and 2 outs, five straight Rays reached, including back-to-back singles off Zack Greinke, who left a pair of inherited runners to Jose Cuas, who allowed them both to score.
The Royals offense recorded 11 hits, but stranded nine and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
ROSTER MOVE: The Royals announced today that right hander Jackson Kowar was optioned to Triple-A Omaha after last night’s game, in which he allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in the 8th inning…in a corresponding move, the Royals recalled right hander James McArthur (No. 66), who they acquired from Philadelphia on May 8…in 12 appearances (1 start) with the Storm Chasers, McArthur recorded 31 strikeouts in 20.1 innings for a 13.7 K/9.
At 6-foot-7, McArthur would be the tallest pitcher to appear in a game with the Royals since the 6-foot-8 Brian Flynn made 96 appearances with the Royals from 2016-19…when he appears in a game, McArthur will become the third Royal to make his Major League debut this season, following Austin Cox on May 4 and Samad Taylor a week ago today…he’ll also be the 25th different pitcher to appear for the Royals this season, seven shy of the franchise record of 32 pitchers used, which was set last year.
LEADS LOST: The Royals held a 1-0 lead last night thanks to Nick Pratto’s leadoff home run, but that lead evaporated following Jose Siri’s 3-run homer in the 2nd inning…the 11-3 defeat marked Kansas City’s 28th blown lead loss of the season, which are the most in the Majors ahead of the Athletics (26), Cardinals (24) and White Sox (24)…this weekend’s opponent, the Rays, have suffered just 12 blown lead losses this season, 3rd fewest in the Majors behind the Red Sox (10) and Orioles (11)…the Royals have held a lead in 34 of their last 47 games (72.3%) since the start of May, but they’re 14-33 (.298) during that stretch with 20 blown lead losses, including 10 blown lead losses in 20 games this month, during which they’re a Major League-worst 4-16 (.200).
The Royals 28 blown lead losses are 8 shy of their total from all of last season, when they suffered 36 blown lead losses, and are 25 shy of the franchise record of 53, set during their 103-loss 2019 season.
Including last night’s defeat in which Pratto hit a leadoff HR, the Royals are 5-21 when scoring in the 1st inning with 11 straight losses, and have not won when scoring in the 1st since May 10 vs. the White Sox.
SALVY SPLASHES: Salvador Perez hit a 423-ft. game-tying home run off Zach Eflin last night to tie the game in the 3rd inning…it marked the 499th extra-base hit of his career, matching Royals Hall of Famer Mike Sweeney for 6th most in franchise history…with his next extra-base hit, Salvy will become one of six Royals to record 500, and will join Hall of Famer George Brett (1,119), Hal McRae (681), Frank White (625), Amos Otis (623) and Alex Gordon (573)…his 499 extra-base hits are tied with Xander Bogaerts for 26th among active players, a list that’s headed by Miguel Cabrera (1,141), who has 290 more than Nelson Cruz (851), the next closest player.
His 499 extra-base hits rank 21st all-time among primary catchers (min. 75% games played at the position), 5 shy of Jason Kendall (504) for 20th…that list is headed by Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez (934).
Salvy has recorded a hit in all 6 games on this road trip, during which he’s batting .300 (6-for-20).
RAY MATTER: The Royals are 9-20 vs. the Rays since 2018, a stretch in which they’re 1-6-1 in series play, with the only win coming last July, when they took 2 of 3 at Kauffman Stadium…the Royals are just 4-12 at Tropicana Field since 2018, during which they’ve lost four straight series since they won 3 of 4 here in 2017.
There are many connections between the Rays and Royals, starting with Kansas City’s first-year Manager Matt Quatraro, who was selected by the Rays in the 6th round in 1996, the franchise’s first ever Draft…Q played for seven seasons in the Rays organization from 1996-2002, then spent 10 seasons as a coach in the organization from 2004-13…after a four-season stint on Terry Francona’s staff in Cleveland from 2014-17, Quatraro returned to the Rays in 2018, beginning a five-year run on Kevin Cash’s big league staff.
Kansas City’s first-year Bench Coach, Paul Hoover, was selected by the Rays in the 23rd round of the 1997 Draft, and played for former Rays Bench Coach Charlie Montoyo in rookie ball…Hoover was later teammates at Triple-A Durham with Quatraro in 2002 and Cash in 2005, and appeared in 8 games with the Rays from 2001-02…he spent seven seasons as a coach in the Rays organization from 2012-18, before joining Cash’s staff as the Major League Field Coordinator from 2019-22, including a World Series appearance in 2000.
Several notable players have played for both the Rays and Royals, including Johnny Damon, David DeJesus, Jake Odorizzi, James Shields, Wade Davis, Ben Zobrist and Doug Waechter, who was drafted by the Rays in 1999, debuted with them in 2003 and made 5 appearances with the Royals in 2009…Waechter, a St. Petersburg native, is in his ninth season as an analyst on Bally Sports Sun’s pre and postgame shows.
AFTERNOON DELIGHT: Today’s 4:10 p.m. ET start marks the 1st of back-to-back day games in St. Petersburg this weekend, including tomorrow’s road trip finale that will begin at 1:40 p.m. ET…today marks Kansas City’s 33rd day game of the season and they’re scheduled for 64, which would match 2021 for their 2nd most in a single season, trailing only last year (69).
The Royals are 10-22 in day games and have been outscored 167-113 (-54), but are 7-9 in their last 16 matinees after starting the season 3-13.
ROYALS ON THE MEND: The Royals have a season-high 13 players on the Injured List—including seven players who were on the Opening Day roster—which are the 2nd most in the Majors as of this morning, according to Spotrac, trailing only the Dodgers (14)…Kansas City’s 13 current injuries include eight pitchers—five of which have made at least 1 start this season—and three position players who were in the starting lineup on Opening Day.
Ryan Yarbrough will have his rehab transferred to Triple-A Omaha to start the Storm Chasers game tonight in Rochester…Yarbs made his 1st rehab start on Monday with the Arizona Complex League, which was his first action since being hit in the head by a comebacker on May 7.
Left hander Angel Zerpa continued his rehab assignment last night at Double-A, and allowed 1 run on 4 hits and no walks over 4.0 innings, with 5 strikeouts…Zerpa, who was placed on the 60-day IL on March 15 with left shoulder tendinopathy, has a 1.13 ERA (1 ER in 8.0 IP) in 3 rehab starts.
Kyle Isbel went 2-for-3 with a HR and 2 RBI last night while playing all 9.0 innings in center field, and is batting .348 (8-for-23) with 5 walks and 3 strikeouts in 7 rehab games with Triple-A Omaha…Kansas City’s Opening Day center fielder suffered a strained left hamstring seven weeks ago.
Left hander Amir Garrett made his 1st rehab appearance Thursday night with Triple-A Omaha, and issued 3 walks to the five batters he faced, but recorded 2 outs and was not charged with a run…Garrett has been on the Injured List since June 2 with left elbow valgus extension overload.
Outfielder Diego Hernandez went 3-for-4 with a 3-run HR while playing 7.0 innings in center field in his 2nd rehab game Thursday night in the Arizona Complex League…he has been on the 60-day Injured List since March 30 after he suffered a dislocated right shoulder in Spring Training.
Vinnie Pasquantino had successful surgery Wednesday to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and is expected to miss the rest of the year.
TODAY’S STARTERS: RHP JORDAN LYLES (0-11, 6.72 ERA)
JORDAN LYLES is making his 16th start of the season and 337th appearance (230th start) of his career today vs. the Rays…he was originally selected by Houston in the
1st round (38th overall) of the 2008 Draft out of Hartsville High School (S.C.), and signed a two-year contract with the Royals on Dec. 28, 2022.
QUALITY START FALLS SHORT: Lyles didn’t factor into the decision of Kansas City’s 6-4 loss to begin this trip in Detroit on Monday, in which he was charged with 3 runs on 6 hits and 1 walk in 6.0 innings plus two batters, with 3 strikeouts…he held the Tigers scoreless through the first 3.0 innings, and then was staked to a 3-0 lead after Bobby Witt Jr. (solo) and Maikel Garcia (2-run) each cracked home runs in the top of the 4th…the lead held through the 5th, during which Lyles allowed 1 run on a 2-out double by Zach McKinstry, but he bounced back with a 1-2-3 6th to secure his 2nd quality start of the season…Lyles came back out for the 7th and allowed back-to-back hits to Miguel Cabrera and Jonathan Schoop and exited leading 4-1 with runners at second and third with no outs in favor of Taylor Clarke, who allowed both inherited runners to score, cutting the lead to 4-3…later in the inning, Clarke yielded a 3-run HR to Kerry Carpenter to give Detroit a 6-4 lead, robbing Lyles of his 1st win as a Royal.
The Royals are 0-15 in games started by Lyles, and he’s seeking his 1st win since his final start of 2022, last Sept. 30 at Yankee Stadium with Baltimore.
Jordan has a Majors-most 11 losses, and his 15 winless starts mark the longest such streak to begin a season in AL/NL history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
TROUBLE WITH THE LONG BALL: Lyles has allowed at least 1 home run in 10 of his 15 starts this season for a total of 18 HR in 85.2 innings, which are tied for the 2nd most in the Majors, 1 behind Toronto’s Yusei Kikuchi and Colorado’s Austin Gomber (19 each)…he has allowed multiple home runs in 7 of his 15 starts, but he’s kept opponents in the yard in each of his last 2 starts, and enters today with a season-long 16.0-inning homerless streak since Miami’s Jesús Sánchez went yard in the 3rd inning on June 7.
THE ONE BAD INNING: Lyles allowed 5 runs in the 2nd inning 2 starts ago vs. the Reds, which continued the “One Bad Inning” trend that has arisen in his 1st 15 starts… he’s allowed at least 3 runs in a single frame in 9 of his 15 starts (10 instances)… he’s been charged with 37 runs (35 ER) in those 10 frames for a 31.50 ERA, which accounts for more than half of the 64 earned runs he’s allowed this season…if you set aside those 10 frames, he owns a 3.45 ERA in his remaining 75.2 innings.
PLEADING THE 5TH: Lyles has pitched at least 5.0 innings in 13 of his 15 starts, and in those 13 starts, he’s allowed 33 earned runs through the 5th for a 4.57 ERA (65.0 IP)…but from the 6th on, he’s allowed 17 earned runs in 14.1 innings (10.67 ERA).
THE ROLLER COASTER: Lyles has begun his Royals career with an 0-11 record through 15 starts, setting a career-worst losing streak…in his starts, a troubling trend has emerged, as his struggles have come in the beginning and end of his outings, while he’s been largely dominant in the middle innings…through his first 15 pitches, he has allowed opponents to hit .353 (18-for-51) with 6 home runs, and from pitches 61 and up, opponents are batting .267 (31-for-116) with 11 doubles, 9 home runs and a triple…the good has come between pitches 16-60, when he has held opponents to a .193 average (32-for-166) with only 11 extra-base hits (3 HR) and 30 strikeouts.
His opponents’ OPS of 1.218 from pitches 1-15 is the 2nd highest in the Majors (min. 15 starts) behind Chicago’s Lucas Giolito (1.221) and his 11 extra-base hits allowed are tied for the Majors lead, with Colorado’s Austin Gomber (10)
TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
ROYAL FLUSH — Tampa Bay’s offense came to life in last night’s 11-3 win vs. Kansas City, producing a season-high-tying 17 hits (also 4/18 at CIN)…RHP Zach Eflin improved to 9-3 after tossing 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts…CF Jose Siri (3-for-4, HR, 4RBI, 2R) produced a season-high 4 RBI while DH Josh Lowe (3-for-5, R) matched a season high with three hits (3x, last 5/21 vs. MIL)…3B Isaac Paredes (1-for-4, 2R, BB) has now reached base safely in a team-best 10 straight games dating back to 6/13, slashing .300/.500/.533 (9-for-30) with one double, 2 HR, 5 RBI and 10 walks against just nine strikeouts during the run.
A Tampa Bay batter has driven in 4+ runs in a game 17 times this year, including performances from Randy Arozarena (5x), Isaac Paredes (5x), Josh Lowe (2x), Taylor Walls (2x) Yandy Díaz (1x), Brandon Lowe (1x) and Jose Siri (1x)…the 17 games are the most in the majors, ahead of Texas and Los Angeles-NL (14 each).
RANDY LAND — Randy Arozarena has a 32-game on-base streak at Tropicana Field dating back to 4/12, the longest active home on-base streak in the majors ahead of COL Jurickson Profar (31G)…during the streak, he is slashing .314/.459/.578 (32-for-102) with four doubles, one triple, seven homers, 26 RBI, eight hit-by-pitches and 21 walks.
It is the third-longest home on-base streak in Rays history behind Ben Zobrist (37G, 5/2-7/28, 2009) and Evan Longoria (34G, 4/6-6/22, 2010).
WALK IT OUT — Isaac Paredes has drawn at least one walk in a career-best seven straight games, the longest such streak by a Rays batter since Yandy Díaz (7G) from 7/24-31, 2020… Paredes’ current streak is tied for the longest active run in the majors with CIN Will Benson.
Paredes has drawn 16 walks in 19 games this month, tied for the second-most free passes by an AL batter in June behind LAA Mike Trout (17BB).
WHEN IT MATTERS MOST — Jose Siri is batting .417 (15-for-36) with 5 HR and 25 RBI with runners in scoring position this year, the fourth-highest AVG in the AL (min. 40PA)…this includes 7-for-16 (.438) with 12 RBI with RISP/2 outs…Harold Ramírez is batting .500 (8- for-16) with 10 RBI with RISP since 6/3, while Randy Arozarena is batting .471 (8-for-17) with 10 RBI with RISP since 6/11.
As a team, Tampa Bay is batting .294 with RISP, the second-high mark in MLB behind Texas (.315), while its .293 AVG with RISP/2 outs also ranks second behind the Rangers (.294).
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE — Tampa Bay is 13-2 (.867) against the AL Central, recording a +56 (104-48) run differential…it marks the best winning pct. against the division by any team in the majors, ahead of Atlanta and Philadelphia (both 5-1, .833)…the Rays opened the year with a nine-game winning streak against the division, tying their longest streak against the AL Central in club history (also: 6/29-7/11, 2013)…prior to Thursday’s defeat, Tampa Bay had won 11 straight home games over AL Central foes dating back to 8/20/22, the longest such streak in Rays history.
The Rays lead the AL in homers (30), slugging pct. (.526), OPS (.874) and run differential (+56) against the AL Central.
Yandy Díaz is slashing .447/.523/.684 (17-for-38) with three doubles, two homers, 6 RBI and six walks in 11 games vs. AL Central opponents this year…min. 35 PA, he ranks among all MLB hitters against the AL Central in AVG (1st) and OBP (2nd).
Luke Raley is 11-for-36 (.306) with one double, two triples, 5 HR and 12 RBI in 12 games against the AL Central this season.
JOYS OF JUNE — Rays pitching ranks among league leaders in several categories during the month of June, including opp. average (1st, .207), opp. SLG (1st, .343), hits per 9.0 IP (1st, 6.75), pct. of inherited runners scored (1st, 10.7%), fewest total bases against (2nd, 229), ERA (3rd, 3.18) and opp. OPS (3rd, .637).
Luke Raley is batting .362 (17-for-47) with five doubles, two triples, two homers and 6 RBI in 13 June games…he ranks among AL leaders (min. 40PA) in OPS (4th, 1.069), SLG (4th, .681), AVG (6th) and extra-base hits (T9th, 9) during June.
Harold Ramírez is slashing .333/.364/.471 (17-for-51) with four doubles, one homer and 10 RBI in 15 games this month.
Francisco Mejía has turned in a .355/.375/.677 (11-for-31) line with four doubles, two homers and 6 RBI in nine June games.
Isaac Paredes ranks third in the AL with a .436 OBP during June, trailing LAA Shohei Ohtani (.473) and TEX Corey Seager (.462), while his .980 OPS is fifth.
COUNT ON KEVIN — RHP Kevin Kelly has strung together a 13.1 scoreless inning streak over his last 16 appearances dating back to 5/14…it is the fourth-longest active streak among AL relievers — TEX Josh Sborz (14.0) has the longest streak…Kelly has held opponents to a .136 AVG (6-for-44) during the run.
CROWNS CAPSULE—The Rays and Royals continue their seven-game season series today at Tropicana Field…since a 10-game winning streak from 8/30/17 – 4/23/19, Tampa Bay is 11-9 over its last 20 meetings with Kansas City…the Rays have won each of the last four season series since 2018 (did not meet in 2020), the longest streak in club history.
TODAY’S STARTER: RHP YONNY CHIRINOS (3-2, 2.72)
TODAY’S START — RHP Yonny Chirinos makes his fourth start and 11th appearance this afternoon at Tropicana Field, including his third start/ fourth appearance at home…has pitched to a 3.72 ERA (29.0IP/12ER) over his last six outings (3GS) since the beginning of May after posting a 0.64 ERA (14.0IP, 1ER) over four games during April, all in relief…began his second major league stint of the season on 6/8 (also: 4/14-5/17).
LAST TIME OUT — Making his first road start since 9/13/22 at Toronto, Chirinos worked into the fifth inning and took the loss in Tampa Bay’s 5-4 defeat at San Diego on 6/18 (4.2IP, 6H, 5R, 3ER, 2BB, 3SO)…did not allow a hit until Trent Grisham’s one-out double in the third frame, which preceded a trio of Padres runs in the inning…was tagged for back-to-back doubles to open the fourth, giving San Diego a 4-2 lead…departed after allowing consecutive two-out singles in the fifth frame.
WE”LL NEVER BE ROYALS — Chirinos has recorded a 2-0 mark to go with a 4.32 ERA (16.2IP, 8ER) in three career games (1GS) against Kansas City…in his lone start opposite the Royals on 4/22/19, he turned in his fifth career quality start but did not factor into the decision of a 6-3 Rays win (6.0IP, 6H, 3ER, BB, 3SO, 3HR)…has allowed six homers to Kansas City hitters, tied with New York-AL for his most long balls permitted against any opponent.
In three appearances (1GS) vs. AL Central clubs this season, Chirinos is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA (13.1IP, 2ER) and a 0.60 WHIP…owns a career 2.86 ERA (50.1IP, 16) against the AL Central.
AMONG THE BEST — Among AL pitchers with at least 40.0 IP, Chirinos’ .196 opponent average (30-for-153) is third in the league behind LAA Shohei Ohtani (.179) and BAL Tyler Wells (.185)…he also ranks highly in hits per 9.0 IP (3rd, 6.28), HR per 9.0 IP (6th, 0.63), opp. SLG (6th, .320), opp. OPS (7th, .595), ERA (9th, 2.72) and WHIP (9th, 1.02).
A TALE OF TWO ROLES — Today’s outing marks Chirinos’ third start in his last four games after making six of his first seven appearances out of the bullpen…he has gone 1-1 with a 4.02 ERA (15.2IP, 7ER), 1.28 WHIP and .241/.318/.379 (14-for-58) opponent slash line in his three starts… this, compared to his 2-1 record, 1.98 ERA (27.1IP, 6ER), 0.88 WHIP and .168/.241/.268 (16-for-95) opponent line in seven relief outings.
For his career, Chirinos is 7-9 with a 3.65 ERA (167.2IP, 68ER) in 32 starts compared to 11-3 with a 3.09 ERA (116.2IP, 40ER) in 27 relief appearances.
THE ARSENAL — Chirinos throws his sinker 47.4 pct. of the time, registering a .175 opp. average (14-for-80) on the offering…min. 50 PA ending with the pitch, it marks the third-lowest opp. average on any pitcher’s sinker in the majors, trailing SD Josh Hader (.145) and LAD Dustin May (.161).
He has allowed just two hits on his split-finger, both singles…has held opponents to an .083 average (.083) on the offering while producing a 31.6 pct. whiff rate, his highest mark on any pitch.
Chirinos has had the least success with his slider, as opposing hitters are batting .277 (13-for-47) while slugging .577 in plate appearances that end with the pitch…two of his three homers allowed and only three of his 19 strikeouts have come on his slider.
THIS AND THAT — He has held opponents to a .139 AVG (5-for-36) with runners in scoring position, including 1-for-14 (.071) with RISP and two outs…opposing hitters are 8-for-67 (.119) following a first-pitch strike and 15-for-55 (.231) following a first-pitch ball…opponents are 0-for-12 against him in full counts.
Chirinos, whose 46.3 pct. ground ball rate is the highest rate of any season in his career (excluding 2G in 2022), has benefitted from Tampa Bay’s defense, as opponents have registered a .206 batting average on balls in play, the second-lowest mark in the AL (min. 40.0IP) behind BAL Tyler Wells (.191).
His 11.63 pct. strikeout rate is the lowest mark of his career, below his 2020 campaign (19.23%), and is the second-lowest mark in the majors (min. 40.0IP) behind teammate Josh Fleming (11.59%).
