Royals Report: 5 Things About Rebound Victory Over White Sox

The Royals responded to Thursday’s devastating news that Mike Moustakas will miss the rest of the 2016 season with a stirring 7-5 comeback victory over the White Sox Friday night.

That’s what World Champions are made of, Chicago. Take note.

The White Sox seized a 5-1 lead after a sixth inning disaster than included a Melky Cabrera grand slam and a Todd Frazier solo home run. The KC Royals responded with a five-run seventh inning of their own that put the game away.

If the 2016 season were fiction, then losing two All-Stars to injury from a collision would have been the proverbial darkest moment. Say what you will about the season being a grind, and that no one regular season game is more important than any other. The fact remains that Friday night’s game showed all of baseball that they are still a force to be reckoned with despite recent set backs.

The reason why a single game like Friday night matters, is that it helps the players quench their own doubts. Hey, they’re human. An atmosphere of rational belief helps everyone.

Next: Danny Duffy

4) Danny Duffy Appeared To Run Out Of Gas

The White Sox failed to put a man on base or get a hit off Danny Duffy for 5 1/3 innings on Friday night, then the floodgates opened.

Duffy gave up consecutive rather soft singles to Avasail Garcia, Dionarr Navarro, and Austin Jackson to load the bases before Melky Cabrera launched a bomb over the left field wall to give Chicago a 4-1 lead.

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Really, Duffy couldn’t have suffered through a worse sequence. After Cabrera’s grand slam, Todd Frazier launched a solo shot to put the White Sox up 5-1. The Kauffman Stadium crowd, and KC Royals fans watching pretty much everywhere, were stunned.

Duffy has been gradually stretching out his arm to adjust to a starting role and came into the game with an 80 pitch limit. He seemed to run out of gas after 60.

Of course, that’s what KC Royals fans hope.

The alternative possibility is that White Sox hitters figured out his pitch pattern and gained enough familiarity with his stuff that the third time through the order penalty bit Duffy. Notice that the first two hits came against players in their second at bats against Duffy, but the bombs came from players facing Duffy for the third time.

I suppose we’ll find out which one it was as Duffy makes more starts. He’s been so effective throwing the hard stuff and attacking hitters since his stint in the pen that it’s hard to give up the idea of him pitching that way as a starter.

Next: Eric Hosmer

3) Eric Hosmer‘s Mini Slump Is Over

Lost in the rebirth of the Kansas Cit Royals offense has been first baseman Eric Hosmer’s 2-25 slide since the second game of the double-header against Boston on May 18. Hoz put an end to that cold string Friday night.

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Hosmer slapped an RBI single ground out in the first inning, a leadoff single in the fourth, a solo home run in the sixth, and topped off his night with a clutch two-out single in the seventh inning that plated two runs. That last hit capped the KC Royals comeback which turned a 5-1 deficit into a 6-5 lead.

Overall, Hosmer finished Friday 3-4, 1 run scored, 1 HR (9), and 4 RBI’s.

Yeah. That’ll play.

When the Kansas City Royals scored 22 runs in three games against Minnesota, Hosmer went 1 for 14. The team has shown they can score without Hosmer. However, with Mike Moustakas lost for the season, the KC Royals will need a strong season from their first baseman to succeed over the long haul.

It was good to see Hosmer get back in the groove Friday night.

Next: The Prospect Pipeline

2) The Pipeline Is Alive And Well

Before the season began, most minor-league analysts considered the Kansas City Royals organization among the bottom third in major league baseball after trading off five lefty pitching prospects for Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist at the 2015 trade deadline. However, the 2016 Royals have enjoyed ample help from the farm so far this season.

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Third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert has taken over at the hot corner for Mike Moustakas, Whit Merrifield has displaced Christian Colon as the team’s primary utility man, and outfielder Brett Eibner made his major-league debut Friday.

All three players started, and all three made big contributions to the Royals 7-5 comeback victory. Eibner went 1-3 and his leadoff double got the Royals five-run rally started in the seventh. Merrifield went 2-4 and his two-RBI single in the seventh pulled Kansas City within one run at 5-4. Cuthbert chipped in with two hits and more nice defense at third.

These guys can play.

Eibner’s debut was particularly fun. The 27-year-old prospect had his friends and family in the stands for not only his first major-league game, but also his first extra base hit and his first run scored.

General manager Dayton Moore might decide to bring in outside help, or he could let the team ride for awhile to see how the young guys can fill in for the injured Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas. As long as the KC Royals remain in contention, he can afford to remain patient.

Right now, we’re seeing the benefit’s of the Kansas City Royals home grown approach to building a team. Guys like Eibner, Cuthbert, and Merrifield have played in the minor leagues with many of the players on  the big club and now find themselves surrounded by familiar faces in the KC Royals clubhouse.

Next: Royals Offense