Johnny Giavotella’s blast Powers Royals to Victory
By John Viril
Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Royals won a 9-7 slugfest Sunday afternoon in Seattle, playing completely against their character. Maybe it was the pink-tinged Mother’s Day bats.
Not only did they score a whole bunch of runs, they looked like Earl Weaver‘s 70’s era Baltimore Orioles while doing it. Seven of their 9 runs came from home runs by Alcides Escobar (grand slam) and Johnny Giavotella (3-run home run).
Check out that home run list again. The Royals got a grand slam from the shortstop and a 3-run job from their 2nd basemen. Middle-infielders of the world unite! You too can be heroes on Mother’s Day.
The game itself was a trial of ups and downs. The Royals went up 4-0 in the 2nd on Escobar’s slam. Jeremy Guthrie gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the 3rd cutting KC’s lead to 1 run. The Royals gave him a little breathing room with a single run in the top of the 4th, before Guthrie gave up another 3 runs on 2 gopher balls to fall behind 6-5.
The Royals fell behind 7-5 when Guthrie surrendered a single run in the 5th, which chased him from the game. Two innings later, the Royals mounted their game winning rally with 4 runs on Lorenzo Cain‘s sacrifice fly, followed by Giavotella’s 3-run home run.
Overall, it was bizarro-day in Seattle.
The Royals are now 18-19, and pulled withing 5 games of Detroit in the Central.
On the Mound
The Mariners beat starter Jeremy Guthrie like a piñata. Guthrie surrendered 7 earned runs in 4.2 IP. The Mariners slammed 3 home runs and 8 hits against him, while only striking out twice. He might as well have been tossing slow-pitch softballs.
The Royals pen, however, kept the team in the game to allow the late rally. Kelvin Herrera got the Royals out of Guthrie’s jam in the 5th, by getting the final out after giving up a walk.
Louis Coleman pitched the 6th, and enjoyed his second straight outing without giving up a run.
Aaron Crow entered in the 7th, and exited with his perfect 0.00 ERA still intact. Crow’s has now pitched 15.0 innings this season without giving up an earned run.
Davis and Holland closed out the 8th an 9th in almost routine fashion, with Holland notching his 9th save.
At the Plate
What a day at the plate. The Royals piled up 12 hits, 3 walks, 1 double, and two home runs. The majority of the damage came from the no.7 and no. 8 hitters in the persons of Giavotella and Escobar.
Gio went 1-3, with 1 walk, 2 runs scored, 1 home run and 3 RBI’s.
Alcides Escobar went 2-4, with 1 home run, 1 run scored and 4 RBI’s.
Eric Hosmer added 1 double and 1 single in 4 at bats, to push his average to .320.
This and That
Sunday was Mother’s Day, which meant players used pink-trimmed bats, batting gloves, wristbands, and shoes. If I were Royals hitters, I’d consider wearing the gear as long as they continue hitting.
Seattle outfielder James Jones helped a young boy carry second base off the field after it became to heavy for him to carry. See the video here.
KC Kingdom Player of the Game
There are multiple candidates for the nod, as opposed to yesterday when no one really deserved recognition. However, I have to give it up for Johnny Giavotella for his game winning 3-run shot in the top of the 7th.
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- Billy Butler — 2
- Johnny Giavotella
- Wade Davis
- Norichika Aoki
- Salvador Perez – 2
- Jeremy Guthrie
- Jason Vargas – 5
- Alex Gordon – 3
- Bruce Chen
- James Shields – 4
- Yordano Ventura – 3
- Mike Moustakas
- Danny Duffy — 2
- Omar Infante –
- Mike Moustakas – 3
- Alcides Escobar –3
- Eric Hosmer –4
- Michael Mariot
The Mariners
Every Seattle starter had at least 1 hit. Overall, the Mariners smacked 12 hits, drew 1 walk, and scored 7 runs with 3 dingers.
Dustin Ackley had the big day at the plate, going 3-4 with 2 home runs, 2 runs scored, and 2 RBI’s.
Up Next
The Royals enjoy an off-day on Monday before beginning their homestand in Kansas City by sending James Shields (4-3, 2.70 ERA) to the mound against Colorado’s Franklin Morales (3-2, 5.12 ERA). Gametime is 7:10 CST at Kauffman Stadium.
Box
| Royals Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OPS | Pit | Str |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nori Aoki RF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .273 | .658 | 30 | 19 |
| Eric Hosmer 1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .320 | .800 | 25 | 16 |
| Billy Butler DH | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .242 | .605 | 13 | 12 |
| Danny Valencia 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .275 | .685 | 21 | 12 |
| Alex Gordon LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .266 | .694 | 21 | 15 |
| Lorenzo Cain CF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .313 | .707 | 13 | 8 |
| Johnny Giavotella 2B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .214 | .679 | 13 | 8 |
| Alcides Escobar SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .276 | .725 | 17 | 11 |
| Brett Hayes C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | 12 | 10 |
| Team Totals | 38 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 11 | .316 | .883 | 165 | 111 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/12/2014.
2B: E Hosmer 2 (15, 1 off R Elias, 1 off D Farquhar).
HR: A Escobar (2, off R Elias, 2nd inn, 3 on, 1 out to Deep LF); J Giavotella (1, off D Farquhar, 7th inn, 2 on, 2 outs to Deep LF).
SF: L Cain (1, off D Farquhar).
TB: A Escobar 5; E Hosmer 4; J Giavotella 4; A Gordon 3; D Valencia 2; B Butler; N Aoki.
GIDP: L Cain (2); E Hosmer (7).
RBI: A Escobar 4 (15); J Giavotella 3 (5); L Cain (7); N Aoki (8).
2-out RBI: J Giavotella 3.
Team LOB: 6.
With RISP: 4 for 15.
Fielding
DP: 2. L Coleman-J Giavotella-E Hosmer; E Hosmer-A Escobar.
E: J Giavotella (1).
Baserunning
Pickoffs: J Giavotella (2nd base by R Elias).
| Mariners Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OPS | Pit | Str |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Jones CF | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .389 | .976 | 17 | 11 |
| Brad Miller SS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .165 | .504 | 13 | 10 |
| Robinson Cano 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .295 | .720 | 8 | 4 |
| Corey Hart DH | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .218 | .684 | 15 | 9 |
| Justin Smoak 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .248 | .739 | 17 | 7 |
| Kyle Seager 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .240 | .801 | 19 | 12 |
| Dustin Ackley LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .264 | .764 | 16 | 11 |
| Stefen Romero RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .217 | .608 | 13 | 8 |
| Michael Saunders PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .220 | .603 | 6 | 3 |
| Cole Gillespie RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .472 | ||
| Mike Zunino C | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .741 | 19 | 12 |
| Team Totals | 36 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 6 | .306 | .953 | 143 | 87 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/12/2014.
2B: B Miller (5, off J Guthrie); J Jones (2, off J Guthrie).
HR: D Ackley 2 (4, 2 off J Guthrie, 3rd inn, 0 on, 0 outs to Deep CF; 4th inn, 0 on, 1 out to Deep CF-RF); K Seager (6, off J Guthrie, 4th inn, 1 on, 1 out to Deep RF Line).
HBP: S Romero (3, by J Guthrie).
TB: D Ackley 9; K Seager 4; J Jones 2; B Miller 2; J Smoak; C Hart; M Zunino; R Cano; S Romero.
GIDP: M Zunino (2).
RBI: D Ackley 2 (16); B Miller 2 (11); K Seager 2 (21); C Hart (15).
2-out RBI: C Hart.
Team LOB: 4.
With RISP: 2 for 7.
Fielding
DP: 2. K Seager-R Cano-J Smoak; B Miller-J Smoak.
E: J Smoak (2); K Seager (5); M Zunino (2); C Gillespie 2 (2).
Baserunning
Pickoffs: B Miller (1st base by J Guthrie).
| Royals Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | Pit | Str |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Guthrie | 4.2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4.80 | 80 | 48 |
| Kelvin Herrera | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.56 | 10 | 3 |
| Louis Coleman, W (1-0) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.73 | 16 | 12 |
| Aaron Crow, H (4) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 6 |
| Wade Davis, H (6) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.20 | 21 | 13 |
| Greg Holland, S (9) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.57 | 12 | 7 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 7.00 | 146 | 89 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/12/2014.
| Mariners Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | Pit | Str |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roenis Elias | 5 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3.50 | 87 | 61 |
| Dominic Leone, H (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.80 | 19 | 13 |
| Danny Farquhar, BS (1), L (1-1) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3.20 | 31 | 18 |
| Joe Beimel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.77 | 15 | 9 |
| Yoervis Medina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.94 | 13 | 10 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 7.00 | 165 | 111 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/12/2014.
Balks: None.
WP: None.
HBP: J Guthrie (4; S Romero).
IBB: None.
Pickoffs: R Elias (0; J Giavotella, 2nd base); J Guthrie (2; B Miller, 1st base).
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