SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) – Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain homered and Everett Teaford pitched three scoreless innings as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-5 on Tuesday.

Gordon’s home run to lead off the fourth snapped a 4-4 tie. Cain homered to open the fifth. Teaford struck out four in three innings to pick up the victory in relief.

Jay Bruce homered in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to six games, the longest by the Reds this spring.

Neither starting pitcher was sharp. Reds right-hander Mike Leake allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks in three innings. Royals left-hander Jonathan Sanchez left after 51 pitches in two-plus innings, charged with four runs on three hits and two walks.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez left after one inning with a knee injury and was taken for an MRI.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

When the Kansas City Royals arrived in Arizona this spring, there were many question marks around the team’s pitching, or lack thereof. Lucky for Royals’ fans, many of those pitching questions are being answered with pleasant answers in the first 8 games of spring training.

While it is difficult to get an accurate read of a team through only the first 8 games; it is fair to say that the staff as a whole is pitching well. 29 different pitchers have recorded at least 1 inning pitched, giving up a very low 25 earned runs as the Royals have jumped out to a 5 – 3 spring training records.

One of the biggest questions of the year is which two players will round out the starting rotation. Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen are locks, and Jonathan Sanchez looks to have a firm grip on a starting job as well. Hochevar looked great in his first outing while Chen and Sanchez both looked shaky giving up a combined 11 hits and 7 earned runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

In my mind, Aaron Crow and left-hander Danny Duffy look to be the clear favorites for the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation. Both young pitchers have been pitching well out of the gate and are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.

Through the first 8 games of spring training, here is a list of who is looking sharp and who is starting out slow for the Royals:

Looking Sharp

Aaron Crow: 1 game, 2 IP, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 2 SO, 1 BB

Luke Hockevar: 1 game, 2 IP, 1 hit, 1 earned run, 1 SO, 1 BB

Luis Mendoza: 2 games, 6 IP, 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 4 SO, 1 BB

Danny Duffy: 1 game, 2 IP, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 5 SO, 1 BB

Slow Out of the Gates

Bruce Chen: 1 game, 1 2/3 IP, 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 0 SO, 0 BB

Jonathan Sanchez: 1 game, 1 IP, 4 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 SO, 0 BB

Vin Mazzaro: 2 games, 4 IP, 6 hits, 4 earned runs, 1 SO, 0 BB

Zach Miner: 1 game, 1 2/3 IP, 3 hits, 3 earned runs, 2 SO, 1 BB

Alex Wibholm is an Iowa native and fan of the Kansas City Royals and AL Central Division. Alex attends several KC games every year.

Sources:

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/

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GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen fouled off some tough pitches from Vin Mazzaro before hitting an RBI single on Friday.

“I will take at-bats like that all year long,” Rolen said.

All year long? The Reds would like that very much, too.

Rolen’s health is a big key for Cincinnati, which beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Friday. He played in only 65 games last season and had surgery on his left shoulder in July.

Rolen has five hits in nine at-bats this spring and appears to be mobile in the field.

“I’m not worried about my health or seeing the ball,” he said. “I didn’t go home tired last season. I felt like I didn’t contribute last season.”

Reds manager Dusty Baker is thrilled to have Rolen back. Cincinnati sorely missed his presence in the middle of the lineup last season, when it slipped from NL Central champions to 79-83.

“Scotty is getting ready,” Baker said. “He’s not there yet but almost.”

Royals left-hander Danny Duffy struck out five in two hitless innings in his first spring start. Duffy, who was selected by Kansas City in the third round of the 2007 draft, started 20 games last season after he was recalled May 18.

He had problems with the strike zone last year but made adjustments to his delivery.

“I dropped my glove a little so my motion is less violent,” Duffy said. “It was a good outing. There is a long way to go but so far the adjustments have worked.”

Reds right-hander Homer Bailey, who is competing with Aroldis Chapman for the fifth spot in the rotation, allowed a hit and a walk in three scoreless innings.

“Homer threw the ball well,” Baker said. “His velocity and location, everything was good today.”

Minor league outfielder Donald Lutz hit his second home run of the spring for Cincinnati.

NOTES: David Lough had two hits for Kansas City. … Lorenzo Cain, who came to the Royals in the Zack Greinke trade, was on base twice with a hit and a walk. … Reds RF Jay Bruce, who lost 16 pounds over the winter, has no home runs but is hitting .625. … Reds 1B Joey Votto is hitting .333 this spring.

Cabrillo High graduate Danny Duffy made a successful spring debut Friday for the Kansas City Royals. The 23 year old started for the Royals in their Spring Training game against the Cincinnati Reds.

The left-hander struck out five of the six batters he faced, including Scott Rolen. He retired the Reds in order in the first two innings, before calling it a day.

The Royals’ third-round pick in 2007 started 20 games last season after being recalled May 18. He is expected to compete for one of the spots in the Royals’ starting rotation this season.

The Reds went on to beat Kansas city 5-1.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP)—Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen fouled off
some tough pitches from Vin Mazzaro before hitting an RBI single on Friday.

“I will take at-bats like that all year long,” Rolen said.

All year long? The Reds would like that very much, too.

Rolen’s health is a big key for Cincinnati, which beat the Kansas City
Royals 5-1 on Friday. He played in only 65 games last season and had surgery on
his left shoulder in July.

Rolen has five hits in nine at-bats this spring and appears to be mobile in
the field.

“I’m not worried about my health or seeing the ball,” he said. “I didn’t
go home tired last season. I felt like I didn’t contribute last season.”

Reds manager Dusty Baker is thrilled to have Rolen back. Cincinnati sorely
missed his presence in the middle of the lineup last season, when it slipped
from NL Central champions to 79-83.

“Scotty is getting ready,” Baker said. “He’s not there yet but almost.”

Royals left-hander Danny Duffy struck out five in two hitless innings in his
first spring start. Duffy, who was selected by Kansas City in the third round of
the 2007 draft, started 20 games last season after he was recalled May 18.

He had problems with the strike zone last year but made adjustments to his
delivery.

“I dropped my glove a little so my motion is less violent,” Duffy said.
“It was a good outing. There is a long way to go but so far the adjustments
have worked.”

Reds right-hander Homer Bailey, who is competing with Aroldis Chapman for
the fifth spot in the rotation, allowed a hit and a walk in three scoreless
innings.

“Homer threw the ball well,” Baker said. “His velocity and location,
everything was good today.”

Minor league outfielder Donald Lutz hit his second home run of the spring
for Cincinnati.

NOTES: David Lough had two hits for Kansas City. … Lorenzo Cain, who came
to the Royals in the Zack Greinke trade, was on base twice with a hit and a
walk. … Reds RF Jay Bruce, who lost 16 pounds over the winter, has no home
runs but is hitting .625. … Reds 1B Joey Votto is hitting .333 this spring.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Scott Rolen singled in a run to help a Cincinnati Reds split squad beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Friday.Rolen’s health is a key for Cincinnati after the veteran third baseman played in only 65 games for the Reds last season. He had surgery on his left shoulder in July.Rolen has five hits in nine at-bats this spring and appears to be mobile in the field.Royals left-hander Danny Duffy, in his first spring start, struck out five of the six batters he faced, including Rolen. The Royals’ third-round pick in 2007 started 20 games last season after being recalled May 18.Reds starter Homer Bailey, the leading candidate to be the fifth starter, allowed a hit and a walk in three scoreless innings.Minor league outfielder Donald Lutz hit his second home run of the spring off Vin Mazzaro, who came to Kansas City in exchange for David DeJesus.

In the upcoming 2012 season, the Kansas City Royals will need to rely heavily on offensive production to make a run at the post season. With a mediocre starting rotation, putting a lot runs on the board will be key for the Royals to produce wins.

If any of the young studs on the current roster can have seasons like those listed below, it should be an exciting year to be a Royals fan.

And now, my list of the 5 greatest offensive seasons in Kansas City Royals’ history:

5. Johnny Damon (2000); .327 AVG, .382 OBP, 214 hits, 42 2B, 10 3B, 136 runs

Before Johnny Damon became a household name with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, he started his All-Star career with the Royals. His 214 hits and 136 runs in the 2000 season still rank in the top 3 for single season efforts of any Royals player.

4. Willie Wilson (1980); .326 AVG, .357 OBP, 230 hits, 133 runs, 79 SB

While his 1980 numbers lacked power (3 HR) and walks (28 BB), Willie Wilson’s season that year was phenomenal. His 230 hit total is still a team record for a single season, while his 133 runs and 79 stolen bases continue to hold second place marks.

3. Mike Sweeney (2000); .333 AVG, .407 OBP, 206 hits, 29 HR, 144 RBIs

Perhaps the greatest offensive player in Royals’ history not named George Brett, Mike Sweeney’s 2000 season was one for the record books. Few Royals have been able to have a season with a combination of huge power numbers and the ability to simply put the ball in play and get on base.

2. George Brett (1985); .335 AVG, .436 OBP, 184 hits, 5 3B, 30 HR, 112 RBIs

In the second best season of his Hall of Fame career, Brett carried the Royals to the 1985 World Series title. His numbers that year of .335 AVG, .417 OBP, 103 BB and 30 HR all still crack the organization’s top 10 in their respective single season statistical records.

1. George Brett (1980); .390 AVG, .454 OBP, 175 hits, 9 3B, 24 HR, 118 RBIs

George Brett’s 1980 season is the gold standard to which all Royals players have to shoot for. The numbers speak for themselves. Brett’s .390 AVG is a full 50 points higher than the second best batting average of any other Royals player in franchise history. On top of that, he only had 22 strikeouts in 449 AB. With numbers like that, it is no wonder he is, and will always be, the face of the franchise.

Alex Wibholm is an Iowa native and fan of the Kansas City Royals and AL Central Division. Alex attends several KC games every year.

Sources:

http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

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