Tyler Tolbert acknowledged his misplay on Sunday on a ball hit by Jake Rogers.
“He hit it pretty well,” Tolbert said of Rogers. “I should’ve known the wind was pushing a little bit more. And I did my normal read and the win pushed it. (Jake) Rogers hit it off the wall, and it was going to be a tough catch off the wall. But, at the same time, I got to make that play. Help (Michael) Wacha out because he is busting his tail out there.”
Bobby Witt Jr. had the big hit in Saturday’s win, a two-run blast
in the eighth.
“In those moments, you don’t really see it, it just happens,” Witt said of his Statcast-projected 427-foot big fly. “I was ready for a fastball, and you want to be in those moments. [They’re] the ones that you grew up always wanting to be in.
“It’s pretty special, just any time you do the first of something in this game since it’s been around for a while. Those are great numbers, but now we have a bigger goal in mind.”
Stephen Kolek also had a nice Royals debut.
Kolek called it “really big” to get a win Saturday and said he was “pumped to help the team out in any way I can.” He pitched with poise and showcased a variety of pitches throughout his start, dueling with Detroit standout Jack Flaherty. Kolek relied on his affinity for groundballs to stymie the Tigers’ offense.
“He threw a ton of strikes and got a bunch of groundballs,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Kolek. “Made some nice plays behind him, but he was unpredictable. He used everything: slider, changeup, sweeper, two- and four-seam. The cutter was good to lefties, too. You give him a lot of credit. It’s a good lineup and he was on the attack.”
Jonathan India was placed on the Injured List with a wrist injury, and the Royals brought up Jac Caglianone, Carter Jensen, and Luinder Avila.
Caglianone may not get regular playing time now that he’s back, writes Anne Rogers.
The Royals already have four left-handed-hitting bats that can play the outfield. With Perez now expected to get more time at DH, that could also limit the amount of time Caglianone is in the lineup. But his power potential is too great to stay away from.
”We talked about it then, the ideal situation is when the offense is going good, to slide [Caglianone] in,” Picollo said. “Well the offense is good now, but we have guys that play the positions that he plays. So it makes it a little more difficult to see him getting on the field every day, but that’s OK, too. If he can help us win, that’s what we want.”
Sam Dysktra at MLB.com writes about what to expect from Royals prospect Carter Jensen, who will make his MLB debut.
That said, Jensen’s underlying data proves that this Triple-A slugfest was no mere product of home cooking alone. His 59.4 percent hard-hit rate ranks second-best among 346 Triple-A batters who have seen at least 750 pitches at the level this season. That trails only No. 13 overall prospect Bryce Eldridge’s 61.2 percent mark. Jensen also ranks highly in average exit velocity (94.0, fourth), expected slugging percentage (.525, 10th) and xwOBA (.385, seventh).
The Royals’ deadline moves are looking like some of the best in baseball so far, according to R.J. Anderson at CBS Sports.
The Royals have set a new season high in runs scored in a month in August, and you can draw a straight line from that statistic to another: Yastrzemski and Frazier upping the number of Kansas City hitters with an OPS+ above 100 from four to six. Berget, by the way, has helped stabilize the Royals rotation that lost Kris Bubic and Cole Ragans to injury over the summer by surrendering two runs or fewer in each of his first four starts.
Admittedly, this wasn’t the most exciting deadline from a name-brand perspective. But it’s worked out well for the Royals, and it might result in another run in October if they finish strong.
David Schoenfield at ESPN ranks the playoff races over the final month of the season.
Juan Soto hits a grand slam and a triple in a win for the Mets.
The Phillies top the Brewers in a battle of top National League clubs.
Unless the Reds have a huge comeback, the NL playoff teams are pretty much set.
The Braves claim infielder Ha-Seong Kim off waivers from the Rays.
The Phillies sign pitcher Walker Buehler.
Veteran pitcher Andrew Heaney signs with the Dodgers.
Here’s how each team used their two additional September roster spots.
What it looks like when Giancarlo Stanton is locked in.
Will anyone get to 60 home runs this year?
Texas becomes the first #1 team since 1990 to lose their season opener.
Premier League clubs spent over $4 billion in the transfer window.
Is Dwayne Johnson going to be an Oscar contender for his latest role?
What really happens to your luggage at the airport after you check in?
Kansas City native Heidi Gardner is leaving Saturday Night Live after eight years.
Your song of the day is The Urge with Jump Right In.
