Royals Recap: Guthrie, Hosmer, Moustakas Shine In 13-0 Rout

Wow! Baseball is a beautiful thing when the everything falls into place perfectly for the home team. That is exactly what happened when the Kansas City Royals (57-52) blew away the Minnesota Twins (48-61) by a count of 13-0 Monday night in front of 21,000 happy fans.

Aug 5, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (11) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

On the Mound

What a game by Jeremy Guthrie. The dude was on! He need just 106 pitches, 71 of which were strikes, to throw the second complete game shutout of his career. He allowed just 4 hits and a walk while striking out seven during his incredible pitching gem. Well done, Mr Guthrie.

At the Plate

There were number of hitting heroes, as you would expect in a game in which the Royals score 13 runs. Lorenzo Cain went 2-3 with 2 runs and a RBI. More importantly, he set the tone by hitting a rope up the middle to lead off the game. Billy Butler had 2 hits and drove in two. Alcides Escobar showed some life with the stick by going 2-4 with a pair of runs and RBI.

The two biggest wreaking balls were Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. Moose went 4-5 with a run and 2 batted in. Hosmer went 3-5 with the team’s sole long ball, 2 runs scored and 5 RBI.

The sole negative note is Alex Gordon‘s continue struggles at the plate. He was 0-5 with 2 strikeouts and 6 left on base. In his last 23 games, Gordon is batting only .168 with an OBP of .250. He only has 1 home run and 8 RBI in that time period.

This and That

It was the 4th time in franchise history the Royals scored 13 or more runs in a shutout.

Jeremy Guthrie has won four straight starts and set a career high with 12 wins.

The Royals have won 3 in a row, 12 out of their 13, and are 14-3 since the All-Star break.

KC Kingdom Player of the Game

There were so many choices, we couldn’t just name one. Honorable mention to Cain, Escobar, and Butler. Co-POG to Guthrie (complete game shutout) , Hosmer (HR, 5 RBI) , and Moustakas (4 hits).

Aug 5, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals base runner Billy Butler (16) celebrates with teammate Eric Hosmer (35) after scoring during the second inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

• James Shields – 9
• Alex Gordon – 12
  
• Wade Davis – 5
• Lorenzo Cain – 8
• Luis Mendoza – 3
• Billy Butler – 8
• Ervin Santana – 8
• Miguel Tejada – 5
  
• Jeremy Guthrie -5
• Eric Hosmer – 11
  
• Chris Getz
• Mike Moustakas – 6
  
• Aaron Crow
• Jarrod Dyson – 3
  
• David Lough – 8
• Alcides Escobar – 5
• J.C. Gutierrez
• Jeff Francoeur
• Bruce Chen – 2
• Salvador Perez – 4
• Will Smith
• George Kottaras
• Louis Coleman – 2
  
• Bruce Chen
• Justin Maxwell

The Twins

The Twins put up very little resistance at the plate and on the mound. Kevin Correia gave up 6 runs in the second inning and Ryan Pressly got touched up for 7 runs in 1.1 innings.

Only four players produced hits on Monday, none with more than 1.

The loss ended a 3-game winning streak for the Twins.

Up Next

James Shields (6-7, 3.08 ERA) takes his turn today against Andrew Alberts, a 27-year old making his major league debut.

AL Central Notes

Detroit Tigers (69-45): The Tigers scored 4 in the top of the ninth to steal a 4-2 victory from the Cleveland Indians. Detroit got their first 5 hitters on base in the 9th, with the first 4 scoring. Anibal Sanchez struck out 11 in 7.2 innings while giving up 2 runs. The Tigers have now won 9 straight.

Cleveland Indians (62-50): This one hurt. Chris Perez allowed 3 hits and a walk without recording on out in taking the loss against the Tigers. He was handed a 2-0 lead when he entered the game. Michael Brantley 2-4 and scored both runs.

Chicago White Sox (41-69): The Sox ended a 10-game losing skid in a big way. They took out the Yankees 8-1. Alex Rios knocked in 4 and Alex Ramirez drove in 2 more. Jose Quintana pitched 6.2 innings , giving up the only Yankee run. The Sox fans hardheartedly booed Alex Rodriguez in the season debut.