KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
DESERT DUB: One night after suffering a 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks, the Royals returned the favor last night at Chase Field with a 5-4 win to mark their 3rd consecutive game decided by 1 run…the Royals pounded out a season-high-tying 14 hits, including 11 in 5.0 innings off D-backs starter Ryne Nelson, who the Royals built a 4-1 lead against, including a 2-run 5th in which they strung together 3 consecutive hits…that was more than enough offense for Brady Singer, who allowed just 1 run on 5 hits in 6.0 innings…but the Diamondbacks got 1 run in the 7th off Taylor Clarke and scored twice in the 8th vs. Aroldis Chapman, who exited with 1 out and the tying run at second base in favor of Scott Barlow, who struck out a pair to end the frame…Barlow came back out for the 9th but yielded a double to begin the inning by Geraldo Perdomo, who advanced to third on a groundout…with the tying run at third and 1 out, Barlow induced a popout and walked Corbin Carroll, before coaxing a game-clinching groundout to secure his 2nd save on this trip and his 13th career save of more than 3 outs, which are the most in the Majors since 2021, 3 more than the next closest pitcher.
WHERE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD: After splitting the 1st 2 games of this series in the desert, the Royals will play for the series win today vs. the Diamondbacks…it’s their 2nd straight series-deciding game, after each of their first six series of the season were already decided going into the final game…the Royals and D-backs have played nine 3-game series prior to this one, and six of those nine sets were decided in the final game, in which the Royals are 2-4…the Royals are seeking their 1st series-deciding win vs. the Diamondbacks since June 15, 2008 here in Arizona, an 8-3 victory in which Royals starter Gil Meche recorded 10 strikeouts…the Royals are seeking their 1st rubber game win vs. a National League team since last May 15 at Coors Field, an 8-7 comeback victory.
GETTING OFFENSIVE: The Royals had six different players record a multi-hit effort in last night’s win, their most since the 2022 home finale, in which they matched a franchise record by overcoming a 9-run deficit to beat the Mariners 13-12…the offense is showing some signs of improvement, producing at least 10 hits in 3 of the last 4 games, a stretch in which the Royals are batting .306 (44-for-144) with 16 extra-base hits…they’re 13-for35 (.371) with runners in scoring position over the last 4 games after going 5-for-45 in their previous 7 games.
Salvador Perez has recorded 5 doubles in his last 10 games, a stretch in which he’s batting .282 (11-for-39).
After starting the year 6-for-52 (.115), Michael Massey has 3 straight multi-hit games in which he’s 6-for-12.
Bobby Witt Jr. is batting .317 (19-for-60) with 7 extra-base hits in his last 14 games after starting 5-for-35.
Edward Olivares has hit safely in all 5 games on this trip and has recorded an RBI in 3 of the last 4 games.
Kyle Isbel had 2 extra-base hits last night, including a 2-out triple in the 8th, after which he scored what proved to be the game-winning run on a wild pitch…half of his 14 hits this year have gone for extra bases.
FEWER FREEBIES: Brady Singer last night recorded his 3rd start this season in which he completed at least 5.0 innings and did not issue a single walk, tied with three others for most in the Majors…it was his 12th such start since the beginning of last season, matching Jameson Taillon and Max Fried for the 2nd most in the Majors during that time, tailing only Corey Kluber (14)…through 24 games this season, Royals starters have pitched 5.0 innings and allowed 1 walk or fewer 14 times (58.3%), matching the Twins for the most such starts in the Majors.
PASQUATCH SIGHTING: Vinnie Pasquantino singled in the 3rd inning last night to extend his on-base streak to 19 games, which is tied for the 3rd-longest active streak in the American League, trailing only Yordan Alvarez(24) and Eugenio Suárez (20)…this marks the 2nd-longest on-base streak of his young career, trailing a 21-game run from Sept. 15, 2022-April 1, 2023…including that streak, Vinnie has reached safely in 41 of his last 43 games dating back to last Sept. 15…during that stretch, he leads the American League (min. 150 PA) in both batting average (.342) and on-base percentage (.433), which rank 3rd and 2nd, respectively, in the Majors.
Vinnie hit just .219 (23-for-105) through his first 29 career games following his late-June debut last season…but in 67 games since the start of last August, he’s been one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball, ranking 4th (min. 250 PA) in batting average (.325), 5th in on-base percentage (.409) and 3rd in OPS (.936), trailing only reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge (1.097) and Mike Trout (1.048).
Pasquantino has been on base 151 times in his young career, which is tied for the 3rd-highest total by a Royals player through 96 career games, trailing only Kevin Seitzer (168) and Carlos Beltrán (154).
SNAKE STORIES: The Royals are visiting Chase Field this week for the second time in as many seasons, after they had only three visits prior to 2022 and none since 2014…the Royals are 15-18 all-time vs. the Diamondbacks but are 8-5 (.615) at Chase Field, which is one of six active National League ballparks in which the Royals have a winning record, along with Truist Park (2-0), Great American Ballpark (8-4), loanDepot Park (4-2), Oracle Park (7-4) and American Family Field (8-7)…last night’s win was the Royals 1st at Chase Field since Aug. 7, 2014.
In 33 games vs. Arizona, they have hit .291, their 2nd-best mark vs. any opponent, behind Colorado (.298).
This series marks the Royals return to the Valley, where they went 20-11-1 this spring, including an exhibition game vs. Great Britain…their 19-13-1 record (.594) in Cactus League play finished 2nd to the 18-11-2 Angels (.621), and their 20 wins in the state of Arizona this year trail only the hometown Diamondbacks, who have won 23 games, including 16 wins in Spring Training and 7 in the regular season.
Royals pitchers Brad Keller and Taylor Clarke were both drafted by the D-backs…Keller was selected in the 8th round of the 2013 Draft and Clarke was selected in the 3rd round in 2015…Keller was acquired by the Royals from the Reds, who selected him from the D-backs in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft…Clarke spent his first three seasons in the Majors with Arizona, but was non-tendered following 2021 and signed with the Royals.
Zack Greinke spent four seasons with the Diamondbacks from 2016-19, a stretch in which he won four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, was a three-time NL All-Star and went 55-29 with a 3.40 ERA in 114 starts.
The Royals are 3-5 in Interleague play this season and last night’s win snapped a 5-game losing streak to National League teams…thanks to the new balanced scheduled, the Royals are scheduled for a franchise-record 46 Interleague games this season, after playing no more than 20 in any season prior.
TRIP TRACKER: The Royals are 5-6 on the road this season, including a 2-3 record at the halfway point of this 10-game trip, which began with 2 losses in 3 games in Anaheim last weekend…following today’s series-deciding game in Phoenix, the Royals will fly to Minneapolis tonight and will play out the month with a 4-game series at Target Field vs. the Twins starting tomorrow night…this trip began a stretch in which the Royals will play 26 games in 27 days through May 17…the only off day during this run will come on May 1, which sits between the end of this season-long three-city, 10-game trip and a season-long 10-game homestand.
TODAY’S STARTERS: LHP RYAN YARBROUGH (0-2, 7.62 ERA)
RYAN YARBROUGH (YAHR-bro) is making his 8th appearance (1st start) of the season and 135th appearance (60th start) of his career today at Chase Field vs. the D-backs…he was originally selected by Seattle in the 4th round of the 2014 Draft out of Old Dominion University (Va.)—the same alma mater as Matt Quatraro and Vinnie Pasquantino—and he signed a one-year contract with the Royals on Dec. 13, 2022.
LAST TIME OUT: Yarbrough took his 2nd loss of the season last Friday in Anaheim, pitching as the Bulk Pitcher for the first time this season after Taylor Clarke went 6-up, 6-down to begin the game…in his 1st inning of work, he made one mistake to Chad Wallach who promptly deposited a 2-run home run over the left field wall, and those runs held up as the lone scoring of the game from either team as the Royals mustered just 3 total hits on offense and Yarbrough, Amir Garrett and Josh Staumont finished the game with 5.0 shutout innings of relief.2023, SO FAR: Ryan has appeared in 7 games for the Royals after signing as a free agent this past offseason, and has allowed 11 runs across 13.0 innings on 15 hits (2 home runs) and 3 walks with 5 strikeouts…he alternated 3 strong relief outings (4.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 SO) and 3 poor outings (5.0 IP, 9 R, 11 H, 3 SO), to begin his Royals career, starting with 1.2 hitless frames on April 1 vs. the Twins, but following that with 2 runs on 5 hits allowed just 2 days later vs. the Blue Jays…surrendered a lead-changing 2-run home run in the bottom of the 8th on April 9 in San Francisco to Michael Conforto, squandering a 1-0 Royals lead, but bounced back on April 12 at Texas with a scoreless 9th, sealing a 10-1 victory.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS NOTES:
HERE’S THE STORY
♦ The D-backs are 2-4 in their 7-game homestand vs. Padres (1-3) and Royals (1-1).
♦ Arizona is 4-2 vs. Royals in its last 6 meetings.
♦ The D-backs are in second place in the NL West, 0.5 game behind the Dodgers…were in or tied for first place everyday between April 8-25.
♦ Zac Gallen has a 21.2 scoreless-inning streak (April 4 [final inning] – April 21), the longest active scoreless streak in the Majors, ahead of Gerrit Cole/NYY (20.2 IP).
♦ Nick Ahmed has hit safely in 9 of his last 11 starts (.325; 13-for-40), with 2 doubles, 1 homer and 7 RBI.
♦ Corbin Carroll has reached base safely in 11 of his last 13 games (.370; 17-for-46) with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 4 RBI, 6 walks and 5 stolen bases.
♦ Ketel Marte is hitting .342 (13-for-38) with 1 double, 2 triples, 1 homer, 4 RBI and 1 walk in his last 9 games.
THE SCORELESS STREAK
♦ Zac Gallen extended his scoreless streak to 21.2 innings following his last start vs. Padres (0 ER in 7.0 IP).
♦ Since 2019, Gallen’s 11 starts of 7.0+ innings and 2 or fewer hits allowed leads the Majors… his 14 scoreless starts of 7.0 + innings are tied for most in the Majors (also: Sandy Alcantara/MIA).
• In 2022, Gallen established the D-backs’ record for consecutive scoreless innings (44.1) from Aug. 8-Sept. 11, 2022, surpassing Brandon Webb’s 42.0-inning stretch (July 20-Aug. 17, 2007) and was the longest in the Majors since Zack Greinke’s/LAD 45.2-scoreless frames in 2015.
NEARING ANOTHER FRANCHISE FEAT
♦ Zac Gallen’s 7 starts with Arizona with 7.0+ innings and 3 or fewer baserunners are tied for second most in club history with Curt Schillilng and Brian Anderson behind 9 for Randy Johnson.
• His 5 total starts of 7.0+ innings and 3 or fewer baserunners in 2022 tied the Major League regular-season record with 5 others (Jack Flaherty/STL in 2019; Clayton Kershaw/LAD in 2015; Pedro Martínez/BOS in 2000; Dave Davenport/STL in 1915; Addie Joss/CLE in 1908).
WALK IT OUT
♦ Arizona has 28 walks in its last 9 games compared to 28 walks in their first 16 games.
♦ The D-backs drew a season-high 8 walks on Monday vs. Royals…the last time Arizona drew 8+ walks in a game was on Sept. 11, 2022 @ Rockies (9 walks).
SNAKES AMONG THE REST
♦ The D-backs rank in the Majors in doubles (1st, 55), triples (1st, 7), hits (4th, 220), stolen bases (4th, 24) strikeouts (5th fewest, 188), average (6th, .261) and runs (9th, 115).
FOR THE TAKING
♦ The D-backs’ 57 pct. extra bases taken percentage leads the Majors, ahead of the Braves (49%), Orioles (49%) and Red Sox (45%).
Percentage runner advanced more than 1 base on single or 2+ bases on a double.
TOP OF THE ORDER
♦ Since April 3, the D-backs’ .306 (26-for-85, 9 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI, 6 BB) leadoff average ranks fourth in the Majors, behind the Braves (.379), Cubs (.365) and Mets (.359).
DEFENSE RULES
♦ The D-backs’ 11 Outs Above Average (OAA) lead the Majors, ahead of the Mariners (8), Mets (7) and Padres (6).
♦ The D-backs’ 8 runs prevented (RP) lead the Majors, ahead of the Mariners (7), Mets (6) and Brewers (5).
ON DECK: ROCKIES
♦ The D-backs have an off -day tomorrow before a 3-game set @ Rockies over the weekend…their next trip to Denver will be August 14-16.
♦ The D-backs went 4-5 @ Rockies last year.
RHP ZAC GALLEN ♦ #23
AT A GLANCE: Is in his fourth full season with the D-backs.
• 2022 D-backs Most Valuable Pitcher by the Arizona Chapter of the BBWAA after going 12-4 with a 2.54 ERA.
• Finished fi fth in the NL Cy Young Award voting, behind Sandy Alcantara (MIA), Max Fried (ATL), Julio Urías (LAD) and Aaron Nola (PHI).
• Acquired on July 31, 2019 from the Marlins.
• Was the Cardinals’ third-round pick in the 2016 draft out of the University of North Carolina.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Has a 21.2 scoreless-inning streak (April 4 [final inning] – April 21)…it is the longest active scoreless streak in the Majors, ahead of Gerrit Cole/NYY (20.2 IP).
• Selected as the NL Player of the Week for April 10-16 after going 2-0 in 13.2 scoreless innings with 5 hits allowed, 1 walk and 18 strikeouts.
• Made first career Opening Day start on March 30…became the 12th different D-backs pitcher in franchise history to start the season opener.
LAST START: Earned the win on April 21 vs. Padres after tossing 7.0 scoreless innings with 2 hits allowed.
VS. ROYALS: Made his first 2 career starts vs. Royals in 2022…went 0-0 with a 4.76 ERA (6 ER in 11.1 IP).
• Went decision-less in his only start @ Chase Field on May 24, 2022 (ND; 6 ER in 5.1 IP).
10+ K COLUMN: His 7 total 10+-strikeout performances are tied for sixth most in franchise history (also: Zack Greinke from 2016-19 and Dan Haren from 2008-10) and still trails Randy Johnson (106), Curt Schilling (38), Robby Ray (23), Brandon Webb (12) and Patrick Corbin (10).
THE SCORELESS STREAK: Established the D-backs’ all-time record for consecutive scoreless innings (44.1) from Aug. 8-Sept. 11, 2022, surpassing Brandon Webb’s 42.0-inning stretch (July 20-Aug. 17, 2007) and was the longest in the Majors since Zack Greinke’s/LAD 45.2-scoreless frames in 2015.
