Stephen Kolek tossed a gem to salvage the series.
“Salvy and I had a little bit of experience together last year, but it was pretty brief,” Kolek said. “I think when we had that outing in Chicago, it was still kind of like, you know, let’s learn each other a little bit. Going into today, it was just a great step forward.”
“Steve does a great job every time he pitches,” said second baseman Michael Massey, who was involved in six of those 13 ground ball outs. “He keeps the ball on the ground a lot, so
you know you’re going to be busy as an infielder.”
Salvador Perez finally got going, writes Jaylon Thompson.
“I think winning every day is good,” Perez said. “It’s not about today. Just try to do our best every day and we got the W. Especially in situations like that, you know, lose the last five games (on the road trip) and win today was very important.”
He also writes that Salvy has thrived using the ABS challenge system.
“Kolek was saying, ‘No (it’s a) ball,’” Perez said, before adding with a chuckle: “Pitchers should not be challenging because I know where the ball is going.” Perez said it jokingly, but Kolek agreed.
“I kind of had the notion that I thought it was maybe like a half-inch off the plate,” Kolek said. “And he was like, ‘Oh, why didn’t you tell me?’ And sure enough, he was right. I’m like, ‘That’s why you got the reins on that for sure. So, I’m going to keep trusting you.’”
Jeff Jones at MLB.com writes that the Royals are still searching for answers after their loss on Saturday.
“Need some balls to fall. Need to get some balls over the fence,” assessed first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, whose RBI single in the fifth inning scored the first Royals run and drew the game into a temporary tie. “Not getting the results we want right now, but we’ve just got to keep working. Get back up, get ready to go tomorrow, and just be ready to go.”
He also writes about Matt Strahm’s trip to the Injured List.
“His knee’s been bothering him. He’s been pitching through it all year,” Quatraro said of Strahm, who declined to answer questions on Saturday morning. “Last night, it kind of flared up on him. The inflammation is in there, and it’s gotten worse. We thought [the injured list] was the best course to get him back feeling healthy and feeling good.”
Jaylon writes about Bailey Falter’s return to action.
“I was honestly ready to come back after probably the first week, week and a half,” Falter said, “but I understand why I was down there for the whole 30 days. (I’m j)ust coming back here and … just being ready to toe the rubber, one (relief appearance) every day or one every two days.”
Falter developed a new routine while rehabbing with Triple-A Omaha. He shifted his pitching mentality to better serve him as a reliever. It required a new training regimen to get his body accustomed to pitching in short order.
“It was a big change for me,” Falter said. “But I figured something out. Got in touch with some people back home and had the agent reach out to some people off the field for me to kind of just run some stuff by me. Kind of develop a routine.”
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell will have surgery, but hopes to return this year.
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story lands on the Injured List with a groin injury.
Pirates outfielder Ryan O’Hearn is out with a quad strain.
Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez extends his scoreless streak to 29.2 innings.
Shohei Ohtani hits a “Little League home run.”
Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson makes his MLB debut.
The Phillies are winning after a managerial change.
The Cardinals embraced their shirtless fans this weekend.
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers is breaking out.
Why is Kyle Schwarber such a popular dude?
Can these rebounding players keep it up?
What to know about MLB’s looming labor battle as negotiations begin.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins his second consecutive NBA MVP.
Small-town club Elversberg clinches promotion to the Bundesliga.
Bulgaria wins Eurovision for the first time with the song Bangaranga.
Some people are allergic to water.
Was Saturday Lorne Michaels’ last episode of Saturday Night Live?
Your song of the day is Kid Cudi with Day ‘N’ Nite.
