Kansas City Royals

Cliff Lee faced only two batters over the minimum while pitching a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over Kansas City last night that gave the Cleveland Indians a doubleheader sweep. Lee (4-0) struck out nine and did not issue a walk while shrinking his major league-best ERA to 0.28 as the Royals lost their seventh straight game. More »

Grady Sizemore had four hits and two RBIs and Fausto Carmona survived five shaky innings to lead Cleveland past Kansas City 9-6 in the first game of a doubleheader last night. The Royals have lost six straight. Sizemore was 4-for-5 with three singles and a solo home run, while Casey Blake and Jason Michaels both had two RBIs amid Cleveland's 15-hit attack. More »

Casey Blake had a grand slam and six RBIs and C.C. Sabathia struck out 11 in his first victory, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 15-1 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Blake, the No. 9 hitter, was 4-for-4 with a single and a grand slam and two RBI doubles in the Indians' 17-hit attack. More »

Oakland battered rookie phenom Luke Hochevar just as it did Kansas City's experienced starters the previous two days. Dana Eveland won for the first time in three starts as the Athletics completed a three-game sweep of the Royals with a 7-1 victory Sunday. Oakland improved to 12-8 for its best record through 20 games since starting 13-7 in 1992. More »

Kurt Suzuki singled home Chris Denorfia with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and the Oakland Athletics knocked around Kansas City's bullpen for a second straight day in a 6-5 win over the Royals yesterday. Daric Barton went 3-for-5 with a single, double and triple to make up for a critical fielding error in the second inning while five other players had two hits apiece for the A's. More »

Jose Lopez became the 12th player in major league history to hit three sacrifice flies in a game, Yuniesky Betancourt drove in three runs and the Seattle Mariners set a season high for runs with an 11-6 victory over the previously stingy Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Lopez added an RBI single. More »

Zack Greinke pitched a five-hitter for his third career complete game, and the Kansas City Royals opened a seven-game road trip with a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. It was the sixth complete game in the American League this year and second by a Kansas City pitcher. Billy Butler and Miguel Olivo each hit their first homer. More »

Brian Bannister threw his second career complete game and outpitched Francisco Liriano, who was making his first start since 2006, as the Kansas City Royals snapped a three-game skid with a 5-1 victory Sunday over the Minnesota Twins. Bannister gave up only three hits, walking one and striking out three. In three starts, he’s allowed only two earned runs for an ERA of 0.86. More »

Boof Bonser pitched six innings and Jason Kubel homered and scored twice, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 2-0 victory and a second straight shutout over the punchless Kansas City Royals last night. Bonser (1-2) did not give up a hit until Ross Gload singled with one out in the fifth. Constantly blowing into his hands as the wind chill registered in the mid-30s, the right-hander allowed three hits, two walks, and struck out four. More »

Livan Hernandez scattered seven hits over seven innings to win his third straight start, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 on Friday. He struck out three and walked one, lowered his earned run average to 2.57, and is 3-0 for the first time since 2002, when he won his first four starts for San Francisco. More »

Andy Pettitte picked up his first victory and Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera each homered and drove in two runs, helping the New York Yankees defeat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 Thursday night and avoid a series sweep. Jorge Posada also homered for the Yankees. Pettitte held the Royals to one run and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. More »

Brian Bannister and the Kansas City Royals got the best of Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod struck out four times in a game for only the fourth time in his major league career, and the Royals won their home opener 5-2 over the New York Yankees on Tuesday. In a matchup of top young pitchers, Bannister (2-0) bested Phil Hughes (0-1) as the Yankees opened a stretch that has them playing 18 of 20 games on the road. More »

Brett Tomko pitched five shutout innings, Alex Gordon hit a two-run single that put Kansas City ahead in the second inning, and the Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins 3-1. Kansas City finished its opening trip to Detroit and Minnesota 4-2, its best start since 2004. Making his first start this season, Tomko allowed six hits, struck out three and walked one. More »

Justin Morneau hit his first home run of the season and drove in four runs, and Livan Hernandez won his second straight start for the Minnesota Twins, a 6-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals today. Hernandez (2-0) pitched seven solid innings as the Twins won their second consecutive game against the Royals, who started the season 3-0. Joe Nathan picked up his third save. More »

Carlos Gomez went 3-for-4 with a double and two stolen bases and Scott Baker recovered from a sluggish first two innings in Minnesota's 4-3 victory over Kansas City on Friday night, the Royals' first loss of the season. Baker gave up three runs on seven hits in 6 2-3 innings and Joe Nathan picked up his second save, writes AP. More »

Zack Greinke allowed one run in seven innings, and Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen homered to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Detroit Tigers 4-1 Thursday for a season-opening three-game sweep. Kansas City is 3-0 for the first time since winning its first nine games in 2003. Last year, the Royals didn't win a series until their sixth try, when they took two of three against Minnesota from April 20-22. More »

Brian Bannister and the Kansas City Royals are off to a quick start. Bannister allowed two singles in seven innings, combining on a three-hitter Wednesday in a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Kansas City is 2-0 for only the second time in 28 years. The Royals won their first nine games in 2003 en route to their only winning season since 1993. More »

Before the Detroit Tigers can live up to their lofty preseason expectations, they will have to get by longtime AL Central cellar dweller Kansas City, as the Royals spoiled the home opener for a team that many consider a World Series contender with a 5-4 extra inning victory. Tony Pena’s single in the 11th inning scored John Buck, reports the Kansas City Star. More »

Want to get a literary start on the baseball season? Slate sports columnist Josh Levin highlights four great reads appropriate for opening day, including outspoken Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's blog 38 Pitches, where his output hasn't slowed despite the shoulder injury keeping him off the field. Other recommendations: More »

Now that the US Sentencing Commission has agreed to retroactively reduce prison terms for crack cocaine offenses, one of baseball's record-holders stands to benefit. Willie Mays Aikens, the only player to hit multiple homers in multiple games in the same World Series (playing for Kansas City in 1980), may have his 15-plus-year sentence commuted. More »