Royals Report: 4 Things About Bashfest vs. Boston

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The Royals followed up their walkoff win Sunday against the Braves with an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium. The KC Royals notched back-to-back wins for the first time since April 22-24.

The Kansas City Royals climbed to .500 at 19-19, while the Boston Red Sox fell to 24-15. The Royals gained a game on the White Sox, and now trail the AL Central leaders by 4.5 games.

Whew. It’s about time.

Finally the KC Royals won two games in a row. Three weeks is a long time to wait.

For the first time in long time, the KC Royals are looking like themselves. They’ve won three out of their last four games and just might be finding their way out of the wilderness.

The much-maligned offense slammed five extra base hits, including home runs from Eric Hosmer (7) and Paulo Orlando (1). Hosmer’s blast tied him for the team lead with injured third-baseman Mike Moustakas.

The bullpen did it’s job with Luke Hochevar, Kelvin Herrera, and Joakim Soria holding the Red Sox scoreless over the last 3.1 innings, and the offense turned a precarious one-run lead into a comfortable 8-4 bulge with a three-run rally in the eighth.

Adding to the good news, Mike Moustakas is headed out for his rehab assignment at NW Arkansas tomorrow according to MLB.com reporter Jeffrey Flanagan:

Mike Moustakas apparently is heading for NWA tomorrow for rehab assignment. Should be back Saturday in Chicago. #Royals
— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) May 17, 2016

On to my four observations about Tuesday’s game:

Next: Yordano Ventura

May 17, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura (30) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

1) Ignore Ventura’s Line, It Was An Encouraging Outing

Yeah, the line wasn’t that impressive. Yordano Ventura went 5.2 IP, allowing seven hits, four runs, and struck out five. His ERA went up to 4.85.

But, the key thing was he was throwing much harder, locating the fastball up in the zone, and only allowed one walk. That walk came after he allowed a three-run bomb to Travis Shaw, and looked a bit discouraged on the mound.

Remember, the Red Sox came into the game hitting better than the ’27 New York Yankees (you know, the lineup that had The Murderer’s Row), according to Fangraphs.com. In that context, holding them to one run over 5.2 innings isn’t all that bad. Especially when you consider that Ventura came into the game with 13 walks in his last 13 innings.

I particularly liked seeing the return of Ventura’s 98 mph gas, which allays worries about his health. The stuff is there. Ventura also showed better command than he has in nearly three weeks. Results will follow if he keeps it up.

Tuesday night’s game was one where the old school stat of “Wins” told the tale better than the modern metrics. Ventura ran his record to 4-2 on the season with a solid performance that just might signal that he’s back on track.

Next: Paulo Orlando

May 17, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Paulo Orlando (16) connects for a two run home run in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 8-4. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

2) Paulo Orlando Is Earning Playing Time In RF

Orlando was inserted into the lineup May 9 against the Yankees, and has played every day since. In six games prior to Tuesday, Orlando had slashed a fabulous .385/.429/.538 and then added three hits Tuesday night with a triple and two-run home run in the mix. He tied his career high with four RBI’s on the night.

Yeah.

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Orlando is going to get playing time with that kind of production. Especially since Jarrod Dyson was showing that he’s more of a bench player than a guy that can hold down a full-time role. Yes, Orlando will cool off. But, if Paulo can keep it going long enough, he could win the RF job and keep prospects Brett Eibner and Jorge Bonifacio at AAA Omaha.

Given that Orlando is now 30 years old and only debuted in the major leagues last year, he’s not going to shed any tears about keeping prospects down on the farm.

Paulo Orlando brings speed, range, and much more pop than Jarrod Dyson. While he’s not the base-stealer that Dr. Zoom is, Orlando can make plays with both his glove and legs.

Orlando has given the KC Royals offense a much needed boost from the bench.

Can he keep it up? Stay tuned, Kansas City Royals fans. I’m sure not even he knows that answer.

Next: Cheslor Cuthbert

3) Cheslor Cuthbert Busts Out Of Mini-Slump

After notching hits in seven straight games while filling in for the injured Mike Moustakas (thumb), Cheslor Cuthbert came into Tuesday’s game 0-10 in his last ten at bats.

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Cuthbert turned that around with three straight hits, including one double before striking out in the eighth. The 3-4 night ran Cuthbert’s triple slash to a respectable .275/.293/.425.

The only thing that gave me a bit of a pause is that Cuthbert has yet to draw a walk since getting called up. However, upon reflection, that’s not so surprising. As a rookie, pitchers are going to make him prove he can hit the ball against him.

Until pitchers learn respect, Cuthbert isn’t going to get many opportunities for free passes. He has always shown decent patience as a minor-league player, including a 10.3% walk rate in Omaha this season. Until he gets some more at bats, I’m not going to worry about it.

The Kansas City Star reported that Cuthbert has been taking ground balls at second base, sparking rumors that he could move to the position when Mike Moustakas returns. Not to throw cold water on a pleasant theory, I doubt the Kansas City Royals front office would ask Cuthbert to learn the position at the major league level. I suspect before such a move could happen, Cuthbert would be sent down to AAA Omaha to play the position every day.

Next: Joakim Soria

Apr 20, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Joakim Soria (48) delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the eighth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Detroit won the game 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /

4) Is Joakim Soria Turning It Around?

As most KC Royals fans know, Joakim Soria signed a three-year, $27 million deal to take over as Wade Davis‘ setup man. After a number of rough outings, not only did Soria lose the eighth-inning job to Kelvin Herrera, he lost a place among KC’s “Three-Headed Monster” that manager Ned Yost deploys when he’s got a lead going into the seventh inning.

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With Danny Duffy moving to the rotation due to injuries to Chris Young and Kris Medlen, Yost is looking for a third reliable reliever.

On Tuesday, Soria entered the game in the ninth inning after Paulo Orlando’s two-run shot gave the Kansas City Royals a four run lead which killed the save situation.

Soria didn’t disappoint.

For the third straight game after blowing a save in New York, Joakim Soria did not give up a run. In fact, Soria notched a clean inning to finish off the game.

While he’s pitching in lower leverage situations, Soria could be getting in a groove—which would be good news for a KC Royals team that needs its shut-down bullpen.

Next: KC Royals: Have Hitters Adjusted To Yordano Ventura?

The Royals play a double-header on Wednesday against Boston due to Monday’s rainout.

Game 1: The KC Royals will send Ian Kennedy (4-3, 3.25 ERA) to the mound against Steven Wright (3-3, 2.36 ERA) for the Boston Red Sox 12:15 CST at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO Wednesday, May18.

Game 2: The KC Royals will send Edinson Volquez (3-2, 3.51 ERA) to the mound against David Price (5-1, 6.00 ERA) for the Boston Red Sox 7:15 CST at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO Wednesday, May16.

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The Royals followed up their walkoff win Sunday against the Braves with an 8-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium. The KC Royals notched back-to-back wins for the first time since April 22-24.

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