KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
STAY SUMMARY: The Royals suffered a 6-4 loss on Wednesday to the White Sox, completing their homestand with a 3-6 record, despite outscoring opponents 48-46 (+2) over those 9 games…they were swept in 3 games by the Pirates to begin the homestand, a series in which they were held to 4 runs on 12 hits…they lost 2 of 3 to the Red Sox before winning the most recent series over the White Sox, which snapped their drought of nine winless sets, in which they lost eight and split one…the Royals scored a season high in runs in their 13-2 win over Boston a week ago tonight, and erupted for a 12-1 win over the White Sox on Monday, matching their season high in margin of victory twice in a 4-game span…they hit and allowed 14 home runs on the homestand.
ROSTER MOVE: The Royals announced yesterday that infielder Matt Beaty was optioned to Triple-A Omaha after Wednesday’s game…in a corresponding move, infielder Nick Pratto has been returned from his rehab assignment and reinstated from the 10-day Injured List…Pratto last played with the Royals on July 26, but has missed more than six weeks with a left groin strain…he had two rehab assignments, the first of which was interrupted by a setback…he was cleared and returned to Omaha a week later, and on his most recent assignment, Pratto went 6-for-27 with an .804 OPS, including 1 double, 2 HR, 8 RBI and 3 walks in 7 games.
BLOWN LEADS: The Royals blew a 2-1 lead in the 6th inning on Wednesday vs. the White Sox to mark their 44th blown lead loss of the season, which are the 3rd most in the Majors behind the White Sox (46) and Rockies (45)…of their 44 blown lead losses, 30 of them (68.2%) have been 1-run leads lost, many of which have come early in the game…despite the struggles of Kansas City’s bullpen—a group that ranks 28th in the Majors with a 5.25 ERA—the Royals have lost only once this season when leading through the 8th inning, which matches Cincinnati, Minnesota and San Francisco for the fewest such losses in the Majors.
STARTING SOMETHING: Tonight the Royals turn to opener Collin Snider for his 1st Major League start… Snider last started in the minors in 2019, but 174 of his 184 career appearances in the minors came in relief, and all 52 of his appearances in his big league career have come as a reliever, including all 10 this season…in 5 appearances since his most recent recall on Aug. 25, he has allowed 2 runs (1 ER) in 6.0 innings for a 1.50 ERA. Snider will be the 21st different pitcher to start a game for the Royals in 2023, matching this year’s Oakland Athletics and the 2019 Toronto Blue Jays for the 2nd-most unique starters in a season since 1900, trailing only Connie Mack’s 1915 Philadelphia Athletics, who had 24 different starting pitchers. The Royals are 4-10 when deploying an opener this year, something they’ve done in 7 of their last 26 games including tonight…they’ve lost their last 4 such games, a stretch in which the opener has allowed runs in 6.0 innings, a sharp turn from the first 10 openers, who combined for a 2.93 ERA (5 ER In 15.1 IP). OH, CANADA!: The Royals begin their penultimate road trip of the season tonight with the 1st of 3 games north of the border…the Royals lost 3 of 4 to the Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium during the first homestand of the season, which means they’ll have to sweep this weekend’s series in Toronto to win the season series for the first time since 2017 (4-2)…the Royals have lost each of the four completed season series since, and including this year, the Royals are 9-23 vs. the Blue Jays since 2018 and have been outscored 179-105 (-74). The Royals have not won a series in Toronto since 2017, and have lost four sets here since, a stretch in which they’re 2-12, although 5 of the 12 losses have been by 2 runs or fewer, including a pair of close games here during their last visit in July 2022…five different players made their Major League debut in that series here in Toronto, including four players who are currently on the active roster in Nick Pratto, Michael Massey, Maikel Garcia and Freddy Fermin…the exception, Nate Eaton, homered in his debut.
SEPTEMBER SLUGGERS: The Royals ended the month of August by getting swept in back-to-back series by Seattle and Pittsburgh, including a 3-game set vs. the Pirates in which they scored just 4 runs on 12 hits…but since the calendar flipped to September, the Royals offense has been among the best in the Majors, as they rank among the top 5 in the league in batting average (.306, 2nd), OPS (.934, 2nd), extra-base hits (28, tied for 2nd), runs per game (7.3, 3rd), total bases (121, 3rd), slugging percentage (.560, 4th) and HR (13, tied for 4th). The Royals have scored at least 1 run in 21 of their 52 innings on offense in 6 games this month (40.4%).
WOAH, NELLY!: Nelson Velázquez has homered in each of the last 3 games, including a 419-ft. shot to left field on Monday, a 392-ft. blast to right field on Tuesday night and a 439-ft. moon shot to center on Wednesday night…he’s the first Royal to homer in 3 straight games since Salvador Perez did it two years ago from Sept. 4-16, 2021…with a HR tonight, he would become the 12th different Royal to homer in 4 straight games, most recently done by Salvy, who homered in a club-record-tying 5 straight games from Aug. 25-29, 2021. Ê Velázquez has hit 12 home runs in 36 games this season, a pace of 54 homers over 162 games…he’s hit 9 HR with a .953 OPS in 23 games with the Royals, and has homered in 4 of 6 games since the calendar flipped to September, 1 shy of Jose Altuve for the Major League lead this month…his 6 extra-base hits this month lead the American League, and his 9 RBI rank 3rd behind José Abreu (12) and Royce Lewis (10). Home runs have accounted for 12 of Velázquez’s 26 hits in the Majors this season (46.2%), and 17 of his 26 hits (65.4%) have gone for extra bases, which is the highest rate in the Majors (min. 25 hits)…among the 437 players with at least 100 plate appearances this season, Velázquez’s .948 OPS ranks 11th in MLB.
30/30 VISION: Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 28th homer of the season a week ago tonight, which ranks tied for 6th in the American League behind Shohei Ohtani (44), Luis Robert Jr. (35), Adolis García (34), Aaron Judge (31) and Rafael Devers (29)…he also ranks 5th in the Majors with 39 stolen bases, behind Ronald Acuña Jr. (63), Esteury Ruiz (58), Corbin Carroll (42) and CJ Abrams (40)…Witt Jr. is 2 HR shy of becoming the first player in Royals history to record 30 homers and 30 steals in a season, and he would be only the sixth player in Major League history with a 30/30 campaign in his age-23 season (or younger)…the five that have done this include Bobby Bonds in 1969, José Canseco in 1988, Álex Rodríguez in 1998, Mike Trout in 2012 and Acuña Jr. in 2019.
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHERS: RHP COLLIN SNIDER (0-0, 4.22)
Is making his 1st Major League start tonight as the opener for Alec Marsh, who is expected to be the Bulk Pitcher…has made 10 starts in the minors, but zero since 2019. Snider worked 2.0 innings on Monday vs. the White Sox, allowing just an unearned run without a walk. Collin was recalled from Triple-A Omaha Aug. 25, marking his second stint with the Royals this season, following July 1-16, a stretch in which he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in 5 appearances (4.2 IP). After being optioned to Triple-A Omaha on July 16, he went 1-0 with 1 save and a 5.02 ERA (8 ER in 14.1 IP) with 13 strikeouts, but issued 12 walks. Snider made his first Opening Day roster in 2022 and earned the win in his Major League debut on April 8 vs. Cleveland with a scoreless 10th inning.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays were unable to complete the sweep as they took a 5-2 loss from the Athletics Wednesday afternoon in Oakland…Dropped to 25-20 in series finales…Went 4-2 on the road trip and now hold a 42-33 record while away this season…The .560 road win% is 3rd best in the AL (4th in MLB). Toronto has won five of its last seven games, 10 of its last 17, and is 23-18 across its last 41…Enters today a half-game up on Texas (76-63) for the 3rd AL Wild Card spot, and trails Seattle (79-61) by 2.0 games for the 2nd AL Wild Card position.
BABE, WAIT: Davis Schneider hit a solo homer to left in the 7th inning on Wednesday…Was his 7th home run, joining Carlos Delgado (8 in 1993-1994) as the only players in team history to go deep 7+ times in their first 20 MLB games. The 24-year-old also walked twice to finish with a 1-for-2 afternoon…Among Blue Jays through their first 20 career games, ranks 1st in times on base (42), 1st in walks (15), 2nd in homers (7), 2nd in extra-base hits (15), T-2nd in RBI (19), and T-4th in hits (25)…Is now batting .385 (25-for-65) with 15 XBH and 15 walks for a .512 OBP…His 1.358 OPS through 20 games is the highest by any player in MLB history.
CAVAN A GOOD TIME: Cavan Biggio singled, doubled, and scored a run as he finished 2-for-4 on Wednesday…Was his 13th multi-hit effort of the season, four of which have come in his last 12 starts…Over his last 63 games, has gone 41- for-157 (.261) with 32 runs scored, seven doubles, six home runs, 25 RBI, and 23 walks (.791 OPS).
ERN-ING IT: Ernie Clement gave Toronto a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the 2nd inning on Wednesday…Has played 22 games in a Blue Jay uniform, going 16-for-39 (.410) with seven runs scored, three extra-base hits, and eight RBI (.979 OPS)…His .410 AVG is the highest in a player’s first 22 games with Toronto in team history (2nd: Dave Martinez – .400 in 2000).
THE D-JAYS: According to Sports Info Solutions, Toronto fielders have recorded a total of 72 Defensive Runs Saved, the most in the Majors (2nd: MIL – 51)…The group is led by an MLB-high 30 runs saved in center field, 13 more than any other team (PHI – 17)…Among all MLB fielders, Daulton Varsho ranks 1st with 25 runs
saved (2nd: Fernando Tatis – 24)…Varsho leads all center fielders with 17 DRS while his eight DRS in left are 2nd most (Steven Kwan – 18)…Alejandro Kirk ranks 2nd for the most runs saved by catchers (14).
GOOD GUY GUERRERO: Today MLB announced the Humanitarian Nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award…Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has made his 1st career bid…The Award is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and, positive contributions, both on and off the field. The nominees will be recognized in ballparks beginning on Roberto Clemente Day (Friday, Sept. 15).
TEN DAYS AT THE DOME: The Blue Jays kicking off a 10-day, 10-game homestand tonight…Have gone 35-30 this season at Rogers Centre…The .538 win% at home ranks 6th
in the AL..After this weekend set with the Royals, will take on the Rangers (76-63) for four dates during the week before welcoming in the Red Sox (72-68) next weekend. Toronto batters rank 4th in the AL in home OBP (.330), 5th in home AVG (.254), 8th in home OPS (.735), and 11th in home SLG (.406)…The pitching staff ranks 2nd among AL teams with 3.46 home ERA while sitting 3rd with a .226 home opponents’ average and 3rd with a 1.18 home WHIP.
PITCHING IN: Toronto pitchers have combined for a 3.72 ERA this season, 2nd best in the Majors (SEA – 3.69)…The 3.72 ERA is currently 5th best in team history and the club’s best since 2008 (3.49)…Have recorded an MLB-high 1,310 strikeouts…Rank 5th in the AL in opponents’ batting average (.240) and 5th in WHIP (1.24)…The rotation has recorded 61 quality starts, 4th most in the AL (T-7th in MLB).
RISP-Y BUSINESS: The Blue Jays went 27-for-66 (.409) with runners in scoring position across their six-game road trip, including nine extra-base hits and 30 RBI…Since the calendar flipped to August, the Blue Jays sport an MLB-best .327 batting average (91-for-278) with RISP…Have raised their season RISP average to .259, 6th best among AL clubs, and one point higher than last season’s mark (.258 in 2022).
HITTING IT: Toronto batters have notched 1,253 hits this season, 4th most in the AL (5th in MLB)…Are 2nd in the junior circuit in OBP (.333), 4rd in team AVG (.260), 6th in OPS (.753), and 8th in SLG (.420).
VS. THE ROYALS: All-Time: 223-200
2023: 3-1 Home: 121-90
Home: 0-0 Rogers Centre: 84-55
The Blue Jays met the Royals in April, taking three of the four contests at Kauffman Stadium…Also won three of four the last time the clubs met here at Rogers Centre, last season in July…Have won each season series vs. Kansas City since 2018, going 23-9 over that span.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 8-for-17 (.471) with two home runs and three RBI in KC during that April series…Is a career .329 (28-for-85) batter with three doubles, seven homers, and 14 RBI across 23 meetings (1.030 OPS).
Kevin Kiermaier is 4-for-12 (.333) with a double vs. KC this season…Has gone 43-for-141 (.305) with seven doubles, a triple, four home runs, and 15 RBI over 41 career games vs. KC (.830 OPS).
Whit Merrifield picked up a hit in each of the three games he played in his return to Kauffman in April (3- for-11)…The 9th-round pick of the 2010 draft debuted with the Royals in 2016 and played in 863 games across seven seasons…Batted .286, was named to two All-Star teams, and led the AL in hits in both 2018 (192) and 2019 (206).
STARTING PITCHER – Yusei Kikuchi, LHP #16
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 28th start of the season and his 13th at Rogers Centre…Took the loss his last time out, on 9/2 at COL, giving up 6R/2ER over 4.2 innings (6H, 4BB, 6K)…Has pitched into the 5th inning in all 27 starts this year, the only Blue Jay starter to do so. Since the All-Star break, his 2.50 ERA trails only Cole Ragans (1.51) and Tyler Glasnow (2.33) for the best mark among AL hurlers (min. 40IP).
2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Took a no-decision on 8/27 vs. CLE, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks over 6.0 innings with 8 strikeouts. Did not allow a home run in a career-high 7 consecutive starts from 7/16- 8/22, the longest stretch by a Blue Jay since Kevin Gausman from 4/9- 5/13/22. Took a no-decision on 8/15 vs. PHI, tossing 6.0 frames of one-run ball (4H, 0BB, 7K)…Allowed one earned run or fewer in 6 straight starts, tied for the longest streak in team history (Dave Stieb: 6G from 9/13/88- 4/10/89; Hyun Jin Ryu: 6G from 8/5-9/2/20). Took the hard-luck loss on 8/8 at CLE, matching a season best with 7.0 innings of one-run ball (3H, BB, 6K). Improved to 9-3 on 8/2 vs. BAL, twirling 6.0 innings of one-run ball (6H, BB, 3K)…Marked his 7th quality start of the season. Picked up his career-best 8th win of the year on 7/26 at LAD, tossing 6.0 frames of one-run ball with 7 hits, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. Faced one batter over the minimum on 6/20 at MIA, tossing 6.0 shutout innings with 2 hits, no walks, and 6 strikeouts on 87 pitches (57 strikes)… Marked his 3rd scoreless start of the season. Took a no-decision on 6/4 at NYM, giving up 2 runs over 5.0 innings with 4 hits, a walk, and 8 strikeouts…Induced a season-high 19 swing-and-misses. Improved to 6-2 on 5/30 vs. MIL, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and a season-high 5 walks over 5.0 frames with 4 strikeouts…Punched out Joey Wiemer in the 4th inning for the 500th strikeout of his career…Became the 9th Japanese-born player to record 500 strikeouts and 500.0 innings pitched in the Majors. Shouldered the loss on 5/24 at TB, giving up 5 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks over 5.0 frames with 5 strikeouts…The outing was his 100th career start, becoming the 11th Japanese-born player to reach the century mark.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
Made his MLB debut on 3/21/19 for Seattle against Oakland at the Tokyo Dome in Japan…Became the 1st Japanese-born player to make his Major League debut in Japan, picking up a no-decision (4.2 IP, 4H, ER, BB, 3K). Recorded his 1st career complete game shutout on 8/18/19 at TOR, pitching 9.0 scoreless innings and allowing only two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts…Became just the 13th pitcher (17th time) in club history to throw a complete game shutout within his first 30 career appearances (previous: Mike Montgomery on 6/30/15 at SD). Named to the American League All-Star Team for the 1st time on 7/4/21…Was on the AL club but did not pitch…Became the 14th Japanese-born player to be selected to participate in the Midsummer Classic. Had a career-high 12 strikeouts in 6.0 IP on 7/23/21 vs. OAK…Was his 3rd double-digit strikeout game of the year and the 4th of his career. Spent 8 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league with the Saitama Seibu Lions, earning himself three NPB All-Star nods while fashioning a 73-46 record and a 2.77 ERA.
VS. THE ROYALS:
Facing the Royals for the 2nd time this season and the 7th time in his career…Met KC earlier this year on 4/4 at Kauffman Stadium, tossing 5.0 frames of one-run ball (3H, BB, 2K)…Has allowed 3 runs or fewer in 4 of his 6 career meetings with the Royals.
