From The Fountains: Weekly Royals News Roundup

Jared Perkins April 29, 2024 in News Tagged Alec Marsh, Blake Mitchell, Carlos Hernandez, Cole Ragans, Jonathan Bowlan, Kansas City Royals, Salvador Perez, Will Klein, Will Smith - 7 Minutes

Photo Credit: Charlie Riedel | AP

Here are the latest news happenings for the Royals from last week!

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Overall Team Record: 17-12 (2nd, 2.5 GB)

Upcoming Series (3 Games): Kansas City Royals (17-12) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (14-15)

Monday: RHP Jonathan Bowlan (0-0, —) vs. RHP Yariel Rodriguez (0-1, 3.86 ERA)
Tuesday: LHP Cole Ragans (1-2, 3.90 ERA) vs. RHP Jose Berrios (4-1, 1.23 ERA)
Wednesday: RHP Seth Lugo (4-1, 1.66 ERA) vs. Chris Bassitt (2-4, 5.64 ERA)

WEEKLY SERIES RECAP

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Kansas City Royals (4/22 – 4/25): The Royals came away with a series win against the Blue Jays early last week, taking three out of four games. They lost the first one in part thanks to an incredible start by Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. On Tuesday and Wednesday, they won two close games, both on a score of 3-2. James McArthur was lights out in both, earning his fifth and sixth save. The bullpen overall was outstanding as they picked up a stagnant Royals offense by shutting down the Blue Jays. While most of the offense struggled, Maikel Garcia remained white hot, collecting two hits in both games. The Royals won the final game after it was finally called in the fifth inning with a 2-1 score as rain refused to let up. Ragans pitched well and Salvador Perez’s two-run home run put the Royals on top.

Kansas City Royals vs. Detroit Tigers (4/26 – 4/28): The Royals were less successful as they took a trip to Detroit for a three-game series. They continued their winning streak from the Blue Jays series, though, massively taking the first game, winning 8-0. Seth Lugo was masterful again, throwing up seven scoreless and striking out nine. Reese Olson was just as good for the Tigers, as he only gave up one run over seven innings. The Royals took advantage of beating up on the Tigers’ bullpen in game one. Game two was a brutal blow. Taking a 3-1 lead into the 7th, Chris Stratton came on and gave up five earned runs, including a three-run home run to Matt Vierling to cap it off. In game three, the Royals got Tarik Skubal’d. The Tigers lefty has been nothing short of amazing this year and continued his streak against the Royals going seven innings while giving up just one run and striking out six. Michael Wacha unfortunately couldn’t match him, and the Royals ended up losing 4-1. Tough series to lose.

ROYALS NEWS

The Royals promote pitching prospect Will Klein as Alec Marsh heads to the IR: “The Kansas City Royals announced two roster moves on Thursday. Following Wednesday’s victory that saw starter Alec Marsh leave the game, he’s been placed on the 15-day IL. Marsh took a comebacker to the mound that hit him on the forearm. Luckily, per reports, x-rays were negative and he should hopefully return in short order once his time on the injured list is up. It made sense for the Royals to ensure Marsh was fully healthy before returning to the mound.”

Jonathan Bowlan set to make his major league debut: “The Royals will promote pitcher Jonathan Bowlan to the big leagues to make his MLB debut in Toronto on Monday, according to several reports. No corresponding roster move has yet to be announced. In the rotation, he replaces Alec Marsh, who was placed on the Injured List last week.”

Reliever Carlos Hernandez has started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha: “Hernández, who has been sidelined since early Spring Training, was scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Omaha on Friday night and then again on Saturday, but both games were postponed due to weather. He is now slated to pitch during Sunday’s doubleheader.”

ROYALS ANALYSIS

Kevin O’Brien dives into Salvador Perez’s improved defense behind the plate: “That said, I think Salvy has put in a lot of work over the past two years to become a better framer, which is a big reason why he’s not just a better defensive catcher but also why the starting pitching staff has succeeded this year (i.e., generating more strikes and fewer walks)…Salvy’s improvement as a framer, even just a little bit, will be a massive boost to this pitching staff and Royals team this year, especially given how strong he is with his bat and other defensive skills.”

Kevin O’Brien covers the slow start by Royals reliever Will Smith: “Even though he’s been frustrating, the Royals shouldn’t be throwing the towel in on Smith just yet. A modification in his slider could have a significant impact, and Smith could return to being a quality reliever sooner than Royals fans think. Of course, that slider will be the key… Because if Smith still struggles with his primary breaking offering, then it isn’t out of the question to think that Smith could be gone shortly after the All-Star Break”

Royals Weekly dives into potential options to replace Alec Marsh in the rotation: “Royals fans got the bittersweet news that Alec Marsh would be placed on the 15-day IL today. Bitter because he’s pitched very well as the fifth starter in their rotation, and injury sucks for him and the team. Sweet because it could have been much worse after Marsh took a 94-MPH line drive off his forearm in the fourth inning Wednesday night. Still, the Royals will have to fill those innings. So, what are their options?”

Jacob Milham takes some early predictions on possible Royals all-stars: “While Cole Ragans hasn’t been perfect through five starts, he remains one of the AL’s very best at what he does. The lefty continues cementing himself as an AL Cy Young contender, thanks to his league-leading 2.02 FIP. His 4.32 ERA looks ugly, but he continues suffering from terrible luck on balls in play. The scary thing is, his four-seam fastball is even better than it was last year. It is his workhorse pitch and should help bring his changeup along as the season progresses.”

Kevin O’Brien looks at three things to look forward to in Jonathan Bowlan’s debut: “The Royals need Bowlan to make a spot start now due to their lack of options. That said, it is unclear whether this will be a one-time thing or if Bowlan will continue getting starts as long as Marsh is out. Monday will be a good measuring stick for Bowlan and the Royals, who will continue to determine who will be part of the Royals rotation for the remainder of this season but also in 2025 and beyond.”

FARM SYSTEM

Zac Miller profiles Royals top prospect Blake Mitchell: “Ontiveros may have been onto something. Although many of us may have been frustrated with the Royals’ process in choosing Mitchell in the 2023 draft, we cannot deny that he is making us eat our words a bit so far. I am happy to admit it and hope that one year, two years, or five years from now we can all join with Ontiveros in saying, “I feel really good about that pick.”