Toronto blasts Aaron Brooks for Seven 1st-Inning Runs

The powerful Blue Jays awoke from hibernation to smash Kansas City rookie Aaron Brooks for 7 runs in the first inning on their way to a 12-2 win in Toronto Saturday afternoon.

The game marked the first MLB start for both Kansas City’s Brooks and Toronto’s Marcus Stroman. Stroman was terrific, holding the Royals to 1 run in 6 inning of work, while Brooks was beyond awful. He didn’t even last through the first inning.

The loss drops the Royals to 26-29 overall, and they remain 6.5 games behind Detroit in the American League Central.

On the Mound

Aaron Brooks didn’t belong in the major leagues on Saturday. There’s really nothing else to say. In 0.2 innings of work, Brooks allowed 5 hits, 3 walks, and allowed 7 runs. The only outs he recorded came on a double play when no. 9 hitter Anthony Gose hit a ball back to the mound. Brooks not only recorded his first major-league loss, he also now sports a 43.88 ERA.

How’s that for the record books?

Mike Mariot mopped up for 3.1 innings, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs while striking out 2. It wasn’t the sort of performance that will earn him higher leverage opportunities.

Tim Collins is the only Royal who showed any mound competence on the day with an impressive 3 inning stint of scoreless relief. Collins struck out 3 while allowing only 1 hit and no walks.

Louis Coleman pitched the 8th, allowing 2 hits, 1 walk, and 1 run in yet another rough outing.

At the Plate

The Royals hitters returned to their summer hibernation after rousing themselves to score 14 runs in the prior two games. Welcome to reality Dave Sveum! You have your work cut out for you.

Alex Gordon smacked Kansas City’s only extra-base hit of the day with a double to deep right in the 2nd. Gordon finished 1-3, with a double, 1 run scored, and 1 walk.

Billy Butler, Jarrod Dyson, and Pedro Ciriaco all went 2-4 with 2 singles. Dyson and Ciriaco participated in scoring the team’s second run in the 7th by stroking singles after Danny Valencia reached first on an error. Nori Aoki drove in Valencia from third by getting hit by a pitch.

Overall, the Royals had a typical Royals day with 9 hits, 1 walk, and two runs scored.

This and That

The Royals close out the month of May with a 12-17 record. While bad, it’s nothing like the 8-20 implosion from 2013.

Saturday’s game was the 1st of Dale Sveum‘s batting coach tenure where the team failed to hit a home run. Get used to it Dale. This is pretty much what you’ll have to work with from now on. That’s why they pay you the big bucks.

What’s scary is that internal scouts identified Brooks as the minor-leaguer most ready to make a big league start. I guess that means getting late season help for the starting rotation from the minors is something of a pipe dream.

KC Kingdom Player of the Game

Yeah. This is something of a booby prize. It’s kind of like trying to give out a “manager of the year” award for Countrywide Financial in 2008. Yet, my nod goes to Tim Collins for his 3 scoreless innings of relief with 3 strikeouts. Getting Collins back on track would be a big boost for the bullpen.

[Note: in the interests of full disclosure, I must confess a personal admiration for Tiny Tim Collins for personal reasons: him and I are the same exact size and we both throw left-handed. Collins is living my dream.] 

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• Billy Butler – 2
• Lorenzo Cain – 2
• Johnny Giavotella
• Wade Davis
• Norichika Aoki
• Salvador Perez – 2
• Jeremy Guthrie  – 3
• Jason Vargas – 5
• Alex Gordon – 5
• Bruce Chen
• James Shields – 5
• Yordano Ventura – 3
• Mike Moustakas
• Danny Duffy – 3
• Omar Infante – 2
• Mike Moustakas – 3
• Alcidese Escobar – 3
• Eric Hosmer – 6
• Michael Mariot
• Casey Coleman
• Danny Valencia
• Tim Collins

The Blue Jays

Juan Francisco had the big day for Toronto, going 3-4, with 2 double, 1 runs scored, and 4 RBI’s.

Adam Lind also wore out Kansas City pitching on his 3-5 day, with 2 double, 4 runs scored, and 2 RBI’s.

Up Next

The Royals and Jays finish out the long, 4-game series in Toronto. The Royals will send Jeremy Guthrie (2-4, 4.14 ERA) to the mound against the red-hot Mark Buehrle (9-1, 2.33 ERA) for the Blue Jays, Game time is 12:07 CST at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Box

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table.

2B: A Gordon (15, off M Stroman).
HBP: N Aoki (3, by T Redmond).
TB: A Gordon 2; B Butler 2; P Ciriaco 2; J Dyson 2; E Hosmer; B Hayes.
GIDP: B Hayes (1); A Gordon (4).
RBI: B Hayes (2); N Aoki (11).
2-out RBI: B Hayes.
Team LOB: 9.
With RISP: 2 for 8.
Fielding
DP: 1. A Brooks-B Hayes-E Hosmer.

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table.

2B: J Bautista (9, off A Brooks); J Francisco 2 (6, 1 off L Coleman, 1 off A Brooks); A Lind 2 (10, 2 off M Mariot).
SF: B Lawrie (2, off M Mariot).
HBP: M Cabrera (2, by A Brooks); B Lawrie (2, by A Brooks); J Francisco (2, by T Collins).
TB: A Lind 5; J Francisco 5; J Bautista 3; B Lawrie 2; E Encarnacion; M Cabrera; J Reyes; D Navarro.
GIDP: A Gose (2).
RBI: J Francisco 4 (24); B Lawrie 3 (31); A Lind 2 (15); J Bautista (40); M Cabrera (30); J Reyes (16).
2-out RBI: J Francisco; M Cabrera; J Reyes.
Team LOB: 8.
With RISP: 9 for 15.
Fielding
DP: 2. B Lawrie-J Reyes-A Lind; J Francisco-B Lawrie-A Lind.
E: J Francisco (5); A Lind (2).

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table.

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table.

Balks: None.
WP: None.
HBP: T Redmond (2; N Aoki); T Collins (1; J Francisco); A Brooks 2 (2; M Cabrera, B Lawrie).
IBB: None.
Pickoffs: None.