Royals’ futility in New York continues with 7-1 loss to Yankees

[BronxBomberz]

Nothing burning in the Bronx. Not for the Royals. Not Friday, anyway, when a brief but heavy thunderstorm shortened their batting practice before their series opener against the New York Yankees.The rain soon cleared out except for the cloud that relentlessly tracks the Royals whenever they venture into Yankee Stadium. This 7-1 loss was just more of the same. Another set of ditto marks. Another kick in the pants. The Royals are 3-25 here since the millennium changed. “Really?” manager Buddy Bell asked wryly when informed. “Thanks …” The Royals can point to all sorts of encouraging successes this summer. A sweep in late June at AL West-leading Los Angeles. Recent series wins on the road against two other division leaders, Boston and Detroit. Here, it’s still Groundhog Day. Also familiar: This start by Odalis Perez, who yielded three runs through five innings before departing after a leadoff walk in the sixth. Too many pitches. Too early an exit. “I don’t think it was a bad outing,” he said. “It was a good battle. They only had three runs when I came out in the sixth. We were in the game.” Not for long, once Ryan Braun replaced Perez. The game soon got out of hand as the Yankees extended their lead to 6-1 before the inning ended. Braun’s stuff has regularly overwhelmed minor-league hitters — he has a 1.09 ERA this season in 23 games at Class AAA Omaha. But that success has yet to translate to the big leagues. Let alone to Broadway. “I don’t know … I feel good,” Braun puzzled. “I walked two guys (in the sixth). Obviously, that’s not good. But I feel the same (as in the minors). I feel like it’s going to come.” Braun has now allowed 16 earned runs in 19 innings this season in 13 appearances for the Royals. That doesn’t include another five inherited runners who have scored. “He’s got great stuff,” Bell said, “but I think he’s just like anybody else. You get up to the big leagues and things are going a little too fast. “We’re going to try to give him a little more work to see if he can settle in. Because his stuff is good enough.” The key blow in New York’s three-run sixth added injury to insult: Melky Cabrera drove a liner back up the middle with the bases loaded. The ball ricocheted off Braun and into the first-base stands for a ground-rule double. “I saw it in front of me,” Braun said, “so I put my glove down. I was expecting it to be in my glove, and when I felt it off my foot, I knew it wasn’t in my glove.” The two runs stung more than pain in his foot. Braun completed the inning and worked the seventh and eighth. New York starter Chien-Ming Wang, 13-5, limited the Royals to one run on seven hits in seven-plus innings before handing a five-run lead to the bullpen after Mark Grudzielanek’s leadoff double in the eighth. “Wang was hitting his spots,” DH Billy Butler said. “That sinker, when you throw it that hard, it has good sink on it. It’s tough to hit as it is, and they made some good plays behind him. “But it usually works out when you have that kind of stuff on the mound.” Mike Myers, Luis Vizcaino and Mariano Rivera closed out the victory. Perez, 6-10, and Braun did manage one thing: They kept Alex Rodriguez in the park. A-Rod remained stuck on 499 homers for an eighth straight game. He went one for three with a walk and a sacrifice fly. “Personally, I don’t want to be history on anybody,” Perez said. “As a pitcher, you understand if you leave something over the plate, he’s going to hit it. I know he’s going to hit that home run, but I don’t want that home run to be against me.” Cabrera led New York’s 12-hit attack with two doubles and a single. Johnny Damon, Shelley Duncan, Robinson Cano and Andy Phillips each had two hits. Cano’s 11th homer opened the scoring with two outs in the second. Grudzielanek had two of the Royals’ seven hits. Their only run came in the third when David DeJesus, Grudzielanek and Ross Gload bunched three straight two-out singles. The Yankees regained the lead with two runs in the fourth before playing whack-a-mole with Braun in the sixth. The rains returned as the Royals batted in the ninth. Why not?

www.kansascity.com | 08/03/2007 | Royals’ futility in New York continues with 7-1 loss to Yankees