Royals Rumblings - News for May 26, 2015

Royals Rumblings - News for May 26, 2015

So, Jeremy Guthrie happened, huh?

"Just didn’t have it," manager Ned Yost said. "One of those days."

The Royals entered the game with the best record in baseball, but the performance of Guthrie recalled darker times. He gave up 11 runs, the most allowed by a Royals pitcher since Vin Mazzaro’s 14-run relief outing on May 16, 2011. He served up three home runs in one inning, the first Royal to do that since Kelvin Herrera allowed three against the Braves on April 6, 2013. He yielded eight runs in the first inning, the first time a Royal did that since Mark Redman on Sept. 23, 2006.

VIN-sanity!

Andy McCullough has more on Danny Duffy landing on the disabled list.

Duffy received a cortisone shot for his stiff left shoulder on Friday, but his arm did not respond in time to be ready for a start on Tuesday. In his place, the team will insert Jason Vargas, who is returning from a strained flexor muscle that placed him on the shelf for all of May. Vargas will have a 75-pitch limit, manager Ned Yost said....

The team backdated Duffy’s stint to May 17. He is eligible to return on June 1. Duffy planned to throw a light bullpen session on Tuesday. Yost indicated Duffy would likely require a rehabilitation outing before he would be reactivated.

"I’m not panicking or anything," Duffy said. "I know exactly what it is. It’s mild. I know how to get it back. The cortisone is going to help. It helped last year. This isn’t my first time dealing with something. So I’ll be all right."

Vahe Gregorian writes about how Mike Moustakas has dramatically changed his approach, one year after he was demoted to the minors.

Exactly a year ago Friday, Mike Moustakas was lost in transition, gridlocked at a crossroads of his career and relegated to a remedial assignment in Class AAA Omaha. What the Royals’ third baseman wasn’t, though, was fragile or petulant about the demotion necessitated by his .152 average to start a season in which his arrival was not only anticipated but crucial.

Instead, general manager Dayton Moore recalled Friday, Moustakas absorbed the news almost appreciatively, with "incredible" professionalism and good body language. As distasteful as the moment may have felt to Moustakas, who was saddened to be letting people down, he seemed to understand that something drastic had to be done to reset himself.

"I remember after the meeting was over thinking that there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to respond well with his attitude," Moore said. "And that’s the battle in this game."

Alex Rios began his rehab assignment in Omaha, going 0-5 in his debut.

Rios, who still wore a slight bruise on his hand below his pinky finger, said pain still existed mostly on contact but the discomfort was "manageable." He did not set an expected timetable for his return, instead saying he would take things day by day.

Matt DeFranks looks at Alcides Escobar's impressive defensive instincts.

Escobar is also second among AL shortstops in revised zone rating (RZR), which determines the proportion of balls in a fielder's zone converted into outs. His .831 RZR is a touch above Detroit's Jose Iglesias's .823.

"You can't teach was Esky does," Yost said. "You can't teach what Lorenzo Cain does. That's all natural, God-given ability. You can refine it a little bit, but you can't teach it."

Clint Scoles at Pine Tar Press thinks that AA Northwest Arkansas may soon face a roster crunch in the pitching staff.

Royals pitching prospect Erik Skoglund had an impressive outing Saturday night for Wilmington, tossing seven shutout innings.

Alec Tilson at KC Kingdom wonders if Wade Davis is the best reliever in baseball.

The 2011 Royals were one of the cheapest teams of the last decade, according to Hardball Times.

Jeff Sullivan looks at what the Reds could get for pitchers Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman.

Mets third baseman David Wright has been diagnosed with spinal stenosis.

College seniors still have little leverage in draft negotiations.

Is switch-hitting becoming a lost art?

Your NCAA Division I baseball tournament field.

The hidden ball trick sends a high school team to the championship game.

Ouch, Steph Curry.

The Bears release lineman Ray McDonald just a few months after signing him due to his second domestic abuse incident.

Real Madrid sacks coach Carlos Ancelotti a year after winning the Champions League.

The full story behind the iconic photograph of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston.

We live in the future that AT&T envisioned in a 1994 ad campaign.

B.B. King's daughters think he may have been poisoned to death.

Charter is closing in on purchasing Time Warner Cable.

Nintendo's new VP of sales is Doug BOWSER.

Your song of the day is Anna Berghendahl with "I Hate New York."