Kansas City Royals Baseball Blog » Brian Bannister http://www.royalshomeplate.com A blog about Kansas City Royals Baseball Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:46:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Royals Sign Starter Ponson to Minor League Deal. http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-sign-starter-ponson-to-minor-league-deal/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-sign-starter-ponson-to-minor-league-deal/#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:10:52 +0000 Landon http://www.royalshomeplate.com/?p=94 Not long after the Cinderella Dutch team was eliminated from the World Bseball Classic, the Royals signed team catalyst and leader Sidney Ponson to a minor league deal. Ponson pitched fantastically during the WBC and earned strong recommendations from several Royals’ scouts.

Against Venezuela Ponson pitched in 5 innings and gave up 2 runs in the 3-1 loss. Ponson also beat the Dominican Republic by going 4 innings and giving up only 2 runs. Last season Ponson had a 4-1 record with a 3.88 ERA in 9 starts with the Texas Rangers, and with the New York Yankees pitched in 16 games with a 4-4 record and a 5.85 ERA.

I expect Ponson to report to camp as soon as possible and compete with Bannister, Hochevar, and Horacio Ramirez for the final two rotation spots behind Meche, Greinke, and Davies.

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-sign-starter-ponson-to-minor-league-deal/feed/ 0 Royals sweep the Tigers with blowout victory http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-sweep-the-tigers-with-blowout-victory/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-sweep-the-tigers-with-blowout-victory/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:05:44 +0000 Royals04 http://www.royalshomeplate.com/?p=80 The Kansas City Royals finished up a three game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 10-4 blowout on Wednesday night. Hell of a series for the Royals as they wind down the season.

The bottom of the order provided a lot of offense for the Royals as Mitch Maier had three rbi and he was followed by John Buck and Tony Pena Jr. who both had two rbi. Jose Guillen, Alex Gordon, and Joey Gathright provided the other three rbi for the Royals as they had a great game at the plate.

On the mound it was Brian Bannister who picked up the win after throwing six innings. Bannister gave up seven hits but did not allow a run. The only run that the Tigers scored was charged to Kip Wells. Jimmy Gobble and Ron Mahay tossed an inning of relief each as well. Mahay did have problems as he gave up a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Good thing the offense scored so many runs!

The Royals will now be off on Thursday and then take on the Minnesota Twins for the final series of the weekend.

Royals Blog

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-sweep-the-tigers-with-blowout-victory/feed/ 0 Royals lose once again to the Rangers http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-lose-once-again-to-the-rangers/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-lose-once-again-to-the-rangers/#comments Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:55:43 +0000 Royals04 http://www.royalshomeplate.com/?p=75 For the third straight night, the Kansas City Royals were beaten by the Texas Rangers. The Royals lost all three game of the three game series and dropped to 56-77 on the season. Two of the three games were by one run, and Wedneday night was one of them as the Royals lost 3-2.

Brian Bannister took the loss and is now 7-14. Bannister gave up six hits and three runs in 6 2/3 innings. Bannister struckout eight Rangers but also gave up one big two run home run in the fourth inning. Bannister had a costly mistake in the seventh inning on a throw to the first base that allowed the game winning run to score as well.

Esteban German finished the game 2-4 with one rbi. German’s rbi came in the third inning when he doubled and Mark Teahen. German scored the Royals second and final run in the fifth inning when David DeJesus singled. That was all the offense for the Royals as they continue to struggle at the plate.

Royals Baseball

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-lose-once-again-to-the-rangers/feed/ 0 Royals complete three game sweep of the Athletics http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-complete-three-game-sweep-of-the-athletics/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-complete-three-game-sweep-of-the-athletics/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:04:04 +0000 Royals04 http://www.royalshomeplate.com/?p=69 The Kansas City Royals completed a three game sweep of the Oakland Athletics with a 4-3 victory in 11 innings on Wednesday afternoon.  The Royals have now won four straight games!  Most Royals fans have to be sky high right now with the four wins in a row lol!

Jose Guillen hit a rbi sac fly to score Esteban German for the winning run in the eleventh inning.  I wonder if Guillen even said a word afterwards with the way he has been demanding a trade.  Guillen also had a rbi single the sixth inning as he finished the game with two rbi.  Mike Aviles and Mitch Maier both contributed with an rbi each as well.

Brian Bannister gave up eight hits and two runs over five innings to get the no decision on the mound.  Horacio Ramirez was charged with one run as he pitched when Bannister was taken out of the game.  Ramon Ramirez ended up getting the win while Joakim Soria nothced his 30th save of the season.

Good job by the Royals!  I need to let all the readers know that I will be out of town until August 12th as I will be at a conference out of town for the next couple of weeks.  If there is a Royals fan out there that would like to do some blogging and game recaps, please email me by clicking the contact us link at the top of the blog and I will send you some details.

Thanks – Cliff

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-complete-three-game-sweep-of-the-athletics/feed/ 0 Royals blow lead and lose to the White Sox 7-6 http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-blow-lead-and-lose-to-the-white-sox-7-6/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-blow-lead-and-lose-to-the-white-sox-7-6/#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:17:17 +0000 Royals04 http://www.royalshomeplate.com/?p=62 The Kansas City Royals were up 5-0 to the Chicago White but then the White Sox came back to beat the Royals by the score of 7-6 on Wednesday evening.  These are the type of games that the Royals need to win if they want to ever be competitive.  Good teams find a way to win, not a way to lose…

Brian Bannister tossed 6 2/3 innings while giving up four hits and five runs to get a no decision in the game.  Bannister was hurt by the home run ball as he served up two of them in the game.  Robinson Tejeda gave up two runs while only recording two outs to take the loss in the game.  Tejeda is now 0-2 on the season.

John Buck had a rbi sac fly and a solo home run in the game to have two rbi.  Ross Gload also had a two run single to finish with two rbi in the game.  Alex Gordon had the other rbi which game in the first inning on a rbi single.  The Royals also scored one run in a Jose Guillen double play in the first inning.

The Royals will now have to win on Thursay to avoid the sweep by the White Sox.   I don’t think they will get the job done however.  Royals Blog

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-blow-lead-and-lose-to-the-white-sox-7-6/feed/ 0 KC Defeats Texas In a Close Game. http://www.royalshomeplate.com/kc-defeats-texas-in-a-close-game/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/kc-defeats-texas-in-a-close-game/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:04:21 +0000 KCroyals http://www.royalshomeplate.com/kc-defeats-texas-in-a-close-game/ The Royals pulled off a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers in the eighth inning. Going into the bottom of the eighth the Royals were down 5-4. Alberto Callaspo reached on a single and that brought Alex Gordon up to bat. Alex hit a double that landed right on the right field foul line. Frank Fransisco pitching for the Rangers threw a wild pitch over Jose Guillen’s head in the next at-bat that pinch runner Tony Pena Jr. scored on. Pena went right away and looked like he would be out after the ball bounced strait off the backstop to Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, luckily for the Royals, Saltalamacchia slipped and was not able to make a throw home. Gordon also made it to third on the play. Jose Guillen hit a fly ballto right center field that Gordon tagged up on. The throw home looked like it would be in time but Gordon dove just out of the way of the tag.

Brian Bannister pitched for the Royals against Eric Hurley. Bannister did not have a great game but did well enough to keep the Royals in the game. The first home run for the Rangers was a three run homer by Duran, the next batter was Ian Kinsler who went back-to-back on a solo home run. He went 7 innings and gave up 4 earned runs on 2 home runs. Hurley also gave up 4 earned runs in 6 innings and 2 home runs. Joakim Soria came in for the 9th inning and got 1 strikeout and the save for the Royals.

Other than the runs in the 8th the Royals scored 4 runs off of home runs. Alex Gordon had a two run shot in the 1st that landed in the fountains in  right field. Mike Aviles went deep for his first career home run, it was also a two run home run.

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/kc-defeats-texas-in-a-close-game/feed/ 0 6/7 Royals at Yankees http://www.royalshomeplate.com/67-royals-at-yankees/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/67-royals-at-yankees/#comments Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:53:52 +0000 KCroyals http://www.royalshomeplate.com/67-royals-at-yankees/ Well, I’m not really sure what to think of this game. The Royals lose 11-12 to the Yankees, and showed great offense. Unfortunatly as you can see by the score it wasn’t a great pitching day for KC though. Brian Bannister pitched today going against Andy Pettitte of the Yankees.

In the first inning Jose Guillen hit a two run home run to left field, where the wind was blowing out. The Yankees got a run back as a ball hit by Jason Giambi to second baseman Alberto Callaspo, who was playing in shallow right field had the ball bounce off of the grass and over his head. The Royals came back and put up three more runs to give them a 5-1 lead. Brian Bannister had appeared to look pretty good up until this point in the fourth inning when the Royals gave up 5 runs. After the game had been tied up at six Jose Guillen steped up to the plate with 3 RBI’s already on the day and the bases loaded. Guillen then hit his second home run of the game, a grand slam, giving him 7 RBI’s for the game. The Royals then blew the lead they had and gave up the winning hit to former Royal Johnny Damon in the ninth that got a run home.

It’s really tough to watch the Royals have the best offensive game of the season and still lose. The Royals have shown what makes them a losing team in this series. Yesterday when the pitching only gave up 1 run, the hitting was only able to produce 2 runs. Even though they got the win yesterday they missed some chances to score. And today when we are able to actually produce a lot of runs (which almost never happens) the pitching gives up 12 runs. Imagine how Jose Guillen would feel now. He has a career game with a grand slam and still loses. It is embarassing to lose a game that a player has 7 RBI’s in.

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/67-royals-at-yankees/feed/ 0 Bannister Wins 6-1 For Royals http://www.royalshomeplate.com/bannister-wins-6-1-for-royals/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/bannister-wins-6-1-for-royals/#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:42:21 +0000 KCroyals http://www.royalshomeplate.com/bannister-wins-6-1-for-royals/ The Royals were able to put together a good pitching performance and good run output into the same game for the first time in a while, easily defeating the Clevland Indians 6-1.

Former Royal Paul Byrd was hit pretty hard today, giving up two home runs. Jose Guillen hit his 7th of the season while Mark Grudzielanek hit his 1st of the season. Scott Elarton (who is also a former Royal) pitched in today’s game in relief for the Indians. Brian Bannister pitched a great game going into the 8th inning before giving up his first and only run of the game on a solo home run. Since I wrote about Tony Pena Jr. needing to have less of a role on the team he has not started the last two games (coming in late in eacgh game).

The Royals have won two strait going into tommorrow’s off day and played really well today. The team played a great game in all facets and won easily, they will hope to continue this play as they go on a road trip. Despite being in last place with a 23-34 record the Royals have played well against division opponents so far this season.

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/bannister-wins-6-1-for-royals/feed/ 0 Royals swept by the Red Sox after 11-8 loss http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-swept-by-the-red-sox-after-11-8-loss/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-swept-by-the-red-sox-after-11-8-loss/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 20:57:36 +0000 Royals04 http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-swept-by-the-red-sox-after-11-8-loss/ The Kansas City Royals lost to the Boston Red Sox by the score of 11-8 Thursday afternoon as they dropped all three games of their three game series.  The Royals have now lost four games in a row as they head into a weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Royals pitching staff gave up two grand slams in the game as they were rocked for eleven runs.  Starting pitcher Brian Bannister pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up 12 hits and seven runs including a grand slam to J.D. Drew.  Jimmy Gobble was called into relieve Bannister and quickly gave up two hits including a grand slam to Mike Lowell.  Yasuhiko Yabuta and Leo Nunez were finally able to slow the Red Sox down as they pitched the seventh and eighth innings without allowing a run.

The Royals did pretty good at the plate a they scored eight runs.  Miguel Olivo hit a three run home run in the eighth inning and Jose Guillen also added a solo home run in the seventh inning.  Olivo finished the game with five rbi while Guillen had three rbi.

The Royals now have to go face The Toronto Blue Jays in a weekend series where they will try to break their four game losing streak on Friday night.  Royals Blog

]]> http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-swept-by-the-red-sox-after-11-8-loss/feed/ 0 Royals lose to the Angels 5-3 http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-lose-to-the-angels-5-3/ http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-lose-to-the-angels-5-3/#comments Wed, 07 May 2008 14:00:00 +0000 Royals04 http://www.royalshomeplate.com/royals-lose-to-the-angels-5-3/ The Kansas City Royals jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings but then went onto lose to the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 on Tuesday night.  Another up and down game for the Royals, just like there entire season as been.

Brian Bannister took the loss for the Royals and feel to 3-4 on the season.  Bannister gave up thirteen hits and five runs in 6 2/3 innings of action.  Bannister got it often, and got hit hard all game long.  Ron Mahay and Jimmy Gobble finished the game out giving up one hit each.

Alex Gordon led the Royals at the plate as he went 2-3 with a RBI and a walk.  Miguel Olivo and Ross Gload also had one RBI in the game.

The Royals will try to avoid the sweep on Wednesday as they face the Angels once again.

Royals Blog

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