Royals Rumblings - News for April 9, 2015

Royals Rumblings - News for April 9, 2015

Lorenzo Cain went yard yesterday to win the game, and Andy McCullough waxes poetic.

A No. 3 hitter plays a prominent role in a lineup. The man must absorb another team’s petulance. He must also power his teammates homeward. Cain was never before a target because he never before loomed as a major offensive threat. Here in 2015, he and the rest of his Royals teammates appear determined to rewrite the storylines established in years past. The first pitch Cain saw from White Sox reliever Zach Putnam was a hanging splitter. Cain vaporized a two-run home run, No. 1 on the season, No. 18 in his career and No. 2 on the day for Kansas City in a 7-5 victory.

Ned plans to give Alex Gordon a lot of rest early on, including probably this afternoon.

"He looks fine," Yost said. "He’s just got to get his timing and everything down. He’s getting better and better with it all the time. My only focus is the strength of that wrist, and not getting in too big a hole where he’s got to sit two or three days."

The Royals want Yordano Ventura to hydrate better before his next start to avoid cramping.

Yost also wondered if the unconventional schedule of the season opener, which featured a series of ceremonies and commemoration of the American League pennant, affected Ventura. "You’re focused and you forget to hydrate," Yost said. "And, again, part of opening day, it just takes you out of your routine. And once your routine gets going, you’re hydrating, you’re doing all your stuff that you normally do. But there’s so much stuff that goes into it, there’s so much excitement. He probably just didn’t hydrate enough."

It has been a long road for Christian Binford, going from chubby Tommy John surgery survivor to Royals Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

"Before, I had terrible mechanics and I was just somewhat of a big kid who threw hard in high school," Binford said. "After that, I realized there was a reason I had surgery. I overhauled my mechanics and started working out a little bit. It turned out to what it is now."

Stay classy, Bruce Chen.

I will always have a special place for Kansas City in my heart. Love all the fans. Great town #kc #kansascity #Royals @Royals

— Bruce Chen (@ChenMusic) April 7, 2015

Matt Eddy looks at some of the biggest surprises to make opening day rosters including Paulo Orlando, and an old friend.

Clint Robinson, 1b, Nationals ...

Spring injuries to core lineup fixtures Anthony Rendon, Denard Span and Jayson Werth—plus reserve Nate McLouth—forced the Nationals to open the season with Yunel Escobar at third base, top prospect Michael Taylor in center field, Tyler Moore in left and trade pickup Matt den Dekker on the bench. Added to the 40-man roster to cover for the lost at-bats, Robinson will see time in the outfield, take pinch-hit at-bats and share time with Ryan Zimmerman at first base. Signed as more of a depth option, he does have a track record for hitting. Robinson won the Double-A Texas League triple crown in 2010 and has hit Triple-A righthanders with authority, batting .321 with a .215 isolated slugging percentage and just 14 percent strikeouts in 1,211 plate appearances against them spread over four seasons.

The Royals want you to vote for the "Franchise Four" the most impactful players in franchise history. Why isn't Mitch Maier an option?

Eater.com looks at the best things to eat at Kauffman Stadium.

Royals fans are supporting General Manager Dayton Moore's "C You in the Major Leagues" Foundation.

A new Royals-themed wine is available in case we need to drown our sorrows away later this year.

Tigers closer Joe Nathan joins teammate Justin Verlander on the disabled list. Old friend Joakim Soria will close for Detroit.

The Padres aren't done dealing, as they are reportedly looking to acquire a shortstop.

Lindsey Berra of "Sports on Earth" writes about the value of rest in baseball, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR CATCHER, NED YOST.

Joe Posnanski with a nice piece about the wild career of Steve Dalkowski (h/t Brennen)

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is rapping about credit cards in his amazing Korean commercial.

Adrian Gonzalez was pretty unstoppable last night.

Picks and predictions for the Masters, which starts today.

Boulevard Brewery is named one of the top ten brewery tours.

Would you be willing to pay a premium for internet privacy?

This Kickstarter idea might be genius for those with streaming devices.

The Verge has the "definitive" review of the Apple Watch.

Your song of the day is The Vines with "Outtathaway."