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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015
PAGE 9A
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CHARLIE RIEDEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kansas City Royals' Eric Hosmer (left) celebrates with Kendrys Morales and Lorenzo Cain after hitting a three-run home run during a spring training game.
Moustakas hits grand slam in Royals' victory against Rangers
LENNY IGNELZI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENNY TIAZZI/GETTY IMAGES
Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas stretches to snatch a hard grounder hit from Los Angeles Angels'
Daniel Robertson in the second inning of a spring training baseball game Saturday, March 14 in Surprise, Ariz.
ALAN ESKEW Associated Press
SURPRISE, Ariz.— Mike Moustakas hit a grand slam in a seven-run first inning as the Kansas City Royals outslugged the Texas Rangers 11-7 on Monday.
Alex Gordon, who also homered, and Eric Hosmer each had three of the Royals' 15 hits.
Rangers starter Lisalverto Bonilla retired only one of eight batters he faced before being pulled after 37 pitches. He allowed five hits, walked one, hit a batter and balked home a run.
"The inning kind of got away from Bonilla," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "He fell behind and his pitch count got up. It was inconsistency. The home run looked like it might have been middle-middle. It's not an outing you'd want to see."
Moustakas hit a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall after Hosmer singled, Alex Rios walked and Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch.
Gordon, who was held out of early games while rehabbing from December right wrist surgery, had only three singles in 24 at-bats, entering the game.
"Obviously, I got a late start," Gordon said. "The numbers aren't great, but you turn the page every day and realize this is spring training. I want to go out there and produce and perform and when that's not happening, you've just got to come here the next day and try to figure it out.
I'm trying to do as much as I can right now with the time I have to get ready for the season," he added. "The whole point was to make the wrist feel normal again and that's what it's feeling like right now.
I think our main focus was just to come back healthy."
Adam Rosales, Leony Martin, Jake Smolinski and Ryan Rua each hit solo home runs off Royals left-hander Jason Vargas.
Rua extended his hitting streak to 10 games, while Martin went 3 for 3 and has reached base safely in 11 straight games.
"Another outing to get ready for the season," Vargas said. "Obviously, you don't want to give up four home runs. It happened."
The Rangers optioned RHP Nick Tepesch to Triple-A Round Rock a day after yielding seven runs in 3 2-3 innings to the Dodgers. Tepesch, who made 22 starts last year, had a 10.38 ERA in five outings. RHP Nick Martinez earned the final rotation slot with a 0.84 ERA in 10 2-3 innings.
STARTING TIME
TEPESCH OPTIONED
Rangers: RHP Jamey Wright is pitching his way back into bullpen consideration after throwing 2 2-3 scoreless innings. Wright, who failed to retire any of the seven Brewers he faced on March 21, has allowed three hits and no runs over 4 2-3 innings in his past two appearances. "Jamey is a known guy." Banister said. "He's probably had more multiple innings in the last few years than quite possibly any other reliever."
Royals: Vargas, who allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings, has one more exhibition start left, in Houston. Is he ready for the season? "Yeah, I ain't got no choice, right?" Vargas said. "I don't think if I wasn't ready, there would be no excuse. They give you all the time to prepare."
TRAINER'S ROOM
was scratched with lower back stiffness. RHP Tanner Scheppers had a MRI Monday on his bothersome right ankle.
Royals: OF Terrance Gore, who was a pinch runner on the postseason roster, broke his jaw when he was hit by a pitch in a minor league game.
DETWILER WORKS
Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie starts Tuesday against the Padres.
Rangers: SS Elvis Andrus
Left-hander Ross Detwiler, who will be in the Rangers rotation, threw 97 pitches in 61-3 innings in a minor league intrasquid game, allowing two earned runs on eight hits and a walk.
Rangers: LHP Derek Holland will face the Cubs at Surprise. In a split squad, Martinez will start against the Diamond-backs in Scottsdale.
UP NEXT
Bauer strikes out 7, Indians rout White Sox 4-1
ASSOCIATED PRESS
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Trevor Bauer struck out seven, working solidly into the seventh inning, and the Cleveland Indians connected for three home runs Monday in a 4-1 victory against the Chicago White Sox.
Bauer gave up four hits, including a home run to Tyler Flowers, in 6 1-3 innings. He fanned Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche three times apiece but walked his first batter of the spring, Adam Eaton.
This outing, he said, was about "trying to get into a season mindset, get guys out more so than working on stuff.
"The things that I worked on early in spring, I was able to execute today and put into use," he added.
Bauer, the Arizona Diamondbacks' first-round pick in 2011 out of UCLA, is coming off a 5-8 season with a 4.18 ERA in 26 starts for the Indians.
Noesi went 5 1-3 innings and gave up five hits, walking two and striking out five.
One area he wants to improve in was his effectiveness in the first inning. Last year he had a 5.54 ERA in the opening inning, often putting himself in an early hole.
"It's been a point of emphasis this offseason, doing some research on what was going on in the first inning," Bauer said. "It's spring training, you never know until you get into the season. So far, I'm encouraged by it. We'll see how it carries over."
Bradley Zimmer hit a two-run homer to the right field bullpen off Hector Noesi in the fourth. The homer was the first of the spring for Zimmer, an outfielder who was Cleveland's first-round pick —21st overall — in last June's draft.
veteran catcher Brett Hayes followed Zimmer's long ball with his third of the spring, a long drive over the bullpen in left.
Jerry Sands also homered for the Indians, off Zach Duke.
STARTING TIME
Indians: Bauer lowered his spring ERA to 3.90 in 22 2-3 innings. He has one start remaining before the Indians open the season in Houston.
"I thought he was really good," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "He's starting to get deep into the game and he's starting to mix all his pitches in now. The timing is about right."
The improved control also got Francona's attention.
"That's been great. Love that. Love when guys work quick and throw strikes," Francona said.
White Sox: Noesi, likely to be Chicago's No. 5 starter, went 5 1-3 innings and gave up five hits, walking two and striking out five.
CUTTING DOWN
The White Sox sent RHP Chris Beck to minor league camp and released pitchers J.D. Martin and Joe Savery.
The Indians sent outfielder Tyler Holt to Triple-A Columbus.
White Sox: GM Rick Hahn said before Monday's game that reliever Jake Petricka will "in all probability" begin the season on the disabled list. The White Sox think the right-hander, who has had soreness in the forearm/elbow area, could be ready as soon as he is eligible to come off the DL, which would be April 11.
"We don't foresee this being a long-term problem," Hahn said.
White Sox: Carlos Rodon makes his final start of the spring Tuesday against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. Last year's third overall pick is coming off a nine-strikeout, four-inning outing against Kansas City.
UP NEXT
Indians: Veteran lefty Bruce Chen faces Felix Hernandez and the Mariners on Tuesday in Goodyear.
ROSS D. FRANKLIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chicago White Sox's George Kottara connects on a two-run double against the Cleveland Indians as Indians' Roberto Perez (left) looks on during a spring training game Sunday. The defeated the White Sox 4-1.
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