Kansas.com: Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals statistics

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:57 CDT

Through Wednesday

Hitting	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
Aviles	407	65	131	25	4	9	49	17	55	8	.322
Ka’aihue	19	4	6	0	0	1	1	2	1	0	.316
Callaspo	201	19	63	8	3	0	16	18	13	2	.313
DeJesus	518	70	159	25	7	12	73	46	71	11	.307
Shealy	62	11	19	1	0	7	16	5	15	0	.306
Maier	81	9	24	1	1	0	9	2	16	0	.296
Gload	388	46	106	18	1	3	37	23	39	3	.273
Butler	433	41	117	22	0	10	53	33	55	0	.270
Guillen	585	64	154	41	1	20	96	23	104	2	.263
Gordon	483	72	126	34	1	16	58	65	115	7	.261
Teahen	559	65	142	30	4	15	58	45	130	4	.254
Gathright	279	41	71	3	1	0	22	20	40	21	.254
Olivo	302	29	76	22	0	12	40	7	80	7	.252
German	215	30	53	14	3	0	22	18	41	7	.247
Buck	363	48	81	22	1	9	48	38	93	0	.223
Smith	26	6	5	2	0	0	1	0	11	0	.192
Pena	224	22	37	4	1	1	14	6	49	3	.165
Totals	5500	679	1474	297	28	118	638	387	977	77	.268

Pitching	W-L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Soria	2-3	41	1.63	66 1/3	39	13	12	5	17	66
Ramirez	3-2	1	2.67	70 2/3	56	23	21	2	30	70
Nunez	4-1	0	3.09	46 2/3	42	19	16	2	15	25
Mahay	5-0	0	3.22	64 1/3	59	25	23	6	28	48
Greinke	13-10	0	3.47	202 1/3	202	87	78	21	56	183
Tejeda	2-2	0	3.97	45 1/3	27	23	20	4	24	45
Meche	13-11	0	4.05	204 1/3	197	96	92	19	70	176
Davies	8-7	0	4.21	107	117	56	50	10	41	63
Bale	0-3	0	4.56	25 2/3	29	13	13	1	5	14
Yabuta	1-3	0	4.91	36 2/3	41	21	20	6	17	23
Duckworth	3-2	0	5.06	32	36	18	18	2	15	15
Bannister	9-16	0	5.76	182 2/3	215	127	117	29	58	113
Peralta	1-2	0	5.98	52 2/3	56	37	35	15	14	38
Lowery	0-0	0	7.36	3 2/3	5	3	3	2	1	6
Wells	0-1	0	8.71	10 1/3	10	10	10	1	11	9
Gobble	0-2	1	9.20	30 1/3	38	31	31	5	23	25
Totals	73-86	43	4.52	1419 2/3	1452	772	713	159	500	1059

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers box score

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:37 CDT

Royals 10, Tigers 4

Kansas City	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
DeJesus rf	1	0	0	0	0	1	.307
Gathright cf	4	0	2	1	0	0	.254
German lf	4	1	0	0	1	2	.247
Aviles 2b	5	0	2	0	0	0	.322
Guillen dh	5	1	0	1	0	2	.263
Shealy 1b	3	2	1	0	1	0	.306
a-Ka’aihue ph-1b	1	0	1	0	0	0	.316
Gordon 3b	4	2	2	1	0	0	.261
1-Smith pr-3b	1	1	0	0	0	1	.192
Buck c	3	1	2	2	2	0	.223
Peña Jr. ss	4	1	1	2	1	2	.165
Maier cf-rf	5	1	2	3	0	2	.296
Totals	40	10	13	10	5	10

Detroit	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Granderson cf	3	0	0	0	0	0	.285
Hessman 3b	2	1	1	1	0	1	.269
Polanco 2b	5	1	2	3	0	0	.307
Ordoñez rf	2	0	0	0	0	0	.318
Raburn rf	3	0	0	0	0	1	.231
Cabrera 1b	4	0	2	0	0	1	.295
Joyce lf	4	0	1	0	0	3	.260
Larish dh	4	0	3	0	0	1	.268
Renteria ss	2	0	0	0	0	0	.270
Santiago ss	2	1	1	0	0	0	.284
Inge 3b-cf	4	0	0	0	0	1	.207
Sardinha c	2	1	1	0	2	0	.146
Totals	37	4	11	4	2	8

Kansas City	010	170	100	—	10	13	0
Detroit	000	000	103	—	4	11	1

a-singled for Shealy in the 8th. 1-ran for Gordon in the 7th.

E: Robertson (1). LOB: Kansas City 8, Detroit 8. 3B: Maier (1). HR: Polanco (8), off Mahay; Hessman (4), off Wells. RBIs: Gathright (22), Guillen (96), Gordon (58), Buck 2 (48), Peña Jr. 2 (14), Maier 3 (9), Hessman (6), Polanco 3 (58). GIDP: Renteria.

Runners left in scoring position: Kansas City 3 (Gathright, German, Aviles); Detroit 2 (Ordoñez, Santiago). Runners moved up: German, Gordon, Peña Jr. DP: Kansas City 1 (Peña Jr. and Shealy).

Kansas City	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Bannister W, 9-16	6	7	0	0	1	4	102	5.76
Wells	1	1	1	1	0	0	19	8.71
Gobble	1	1	0	0	0	2	19	9.20
Mahay	1	2	3	3	1	2	26	3.22

Detroit	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Robertson L, 7-11	4 2/3	7	8	7	4	3	88	6.35
Lambert	2 1/3	5	2	2	1	3	50	5.79
Dolsi	2	1	0	0	0	4	27	3.83

Inherited runners-scored: Lambert 3-3.

How the Royals and Tigers scored

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:57 CDT

HOW THEY SCORED
•ROYALS SECOND: With two outs, Gordon safe on Robertson’s error. Buck walked, Gordon to second. Peña singled, Gordon scored. Royals 1, Tigers 0.

•ROYALS FOURTH: With one out, Shealy singled. Gordon out bunting, Shealy to second. With two outs, Buck singled to left, Shealy scored. Royals 2, Tigers 0.

•ROYALS FIFTH: Maier singled to right leading off. With one out, German walked, Maier to second. Aviles singled to right, Maier to third, German to second. Guillen grounded into fielder’s choice, Maier scored, German to third, Aviles out. With two outs, Shealy walked, Guillen to second. Gordon singled to left, German scored, Guillen to third, Shealy to second. Buck walked, Guillen scored, Shealy to third, Gordon to second. Peña walked, Shealy scored, Gordon to third, Buck to second. Maier tripled to right, Gordon, Buck and Peña scored. Royals 9, Tigers 0.

•ROYALS SEVENTH: Gordon singled to right leading off. Smith pinch-running for Gordon. Buck singled to center, Smith to second. Peña grounded out, Smith to third, Buck to second. With two outs, Gathright infield single to first, Smith scored. Royals 10, Tigers 0.

•TIGERS SEVENTH: With two outs, Hessman homered. Royals 10, Tigers 1.

How the Royals and White Sox scored

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:38 CDT

HOW THEY SCORED
•ROYALS SECOND: Teahen led off and singled to right. With one out, Gordon homered to center, Teahen scored. Royals 2, White Sox 0.

•ROYALS THIRD: DeJesus led off and homered to right. Royals 3, White Sox 0.

•ROYALS SEVENTH: With one out, Ka’aihue homered to right. Callaspo doubled to center. Smith pinch-ran for Callaspo. DeJesus got infield single to first, Smith to third. Aviles doubled to right, Smith scored, DeJesus to third. Royals 5, White Sox 0.

•WHITE SOX EIGHTH: Thome led off and walked. Ramirez homered to left, Thome scored. Royals 5, White Sox 2.

Former Royal Aikens trying to make up for lost time after time in prison

SAM MELLINGER — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:48 CDT

T he recovering cocaine addict sits by himself, anonymous among a crowd of thousands in the same place he once became famous. His hair is gone now, along with a couple of teeth and about 80 pounds since his last arrest.

A boy in the row in front plays a portable Nintendo game, while his older brother takes lessons on playing the infield from his father. Just a couple of feet behind them, Willie Mays Aikens stares out at the field where he had his greatest moments.

“Right over there, in the fountains,” he points, remembering where a World Series homer landed. “The second one went in the bullpen.”

Those home runs, along with his booming voice and contagious laughter, made Aikens a beloved member of the 1980s Royals. His drug addiction and two arrests made him infamous, and those 14 years in prison made him forgotten by many.

Aikens was released from a Kansas City halfway house 12 days ago. He is repairing manhole covers now, the job something of a favor from the friend of a former teammate who owns a local construction company. The hours are long, even with the breaks and cool weather.

Kansas City Royals statistics

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:38 CDT

Through Saturday

Hitting	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
Ka’aihue	15	4	5	0	0	1	1	2	1	0	.333
Aviles	389	64	125	25	4	8	46	17	52	7	.321
Callaspo	197	17	61	8	3	0	16	17	13	2	.310
Shealy	49	8	15	0	0	6	13	1	13	0	.306
DeJesus	507	67	153	24	6	12	72	43	69	11	.302
Maier	74	8	22	1	0	0	6	2	14	0	.297
Gload	388	46	106	18	1	3	37	23	39	3	.273
Guillen	570	63	153	41	1	20	95	21	100	2	.268
Butler	429	40	114	22	0	10	53	32	55	0	.266
Gordon	466	68	120	32	1	15	55	65	112	7	.258
Teahen	546	65	141	29	4	15	58	45	125	4	.258
German	208	29	53	14	3	0	22	17	39	7	.255
Olivo	298	29	75	21	0	12	40	7	79	7	.252
Gathright	275	41	69	3	1	0	21	20	40	21	.251
Buck	354	47	79	22	1	9	46	36	92	0	.223
Smith	25	4	5	2	0	0	1	0	10	0	.200
Pena	216	21	35	4	1	1	12	5	47	3	.162
Totals	5361	658	1435	291	26	115	619	372	949	76	.268

Pitching	W-L	SV	ERA	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
Soria	2-3	41	1.63	66 1/3	39	13	12	5	17	66
Ramirez	3-2	1	2.75	68 2/3	56	23	21	2	30	68
Mahay	5-0	0	2.84	63 1/3	57	22	20	5	27	46
Nunez	4-1	0	3.38	42 2/3	42	19	16	2	15	23
Greinke	12-10	0	3.59	195 1/3	198	87	78	21	54	179
Tejeda	2-2	0	3.97	45 1/3	27	23	20	4	24	45
Meche	12-11	0	4.08	198 1/3	193	94	90	19	68	172
Davies	8-7	0	4.21	107	117	56	50	10	41	63
Bale	0-3	0	4.74	24 2/3	29	13	13	1	5	14
Yabuta	1-3	0	4.91	36 2/3	41	21	20	6	17	23
Duckworth	3-1	0	5.19	26	31	15	15	1	14	12
Bannister	8-16	0	5.96	176 2/3	208	127	117	29	57	109
Peralta	1-2	0	6.10	51 2/3	55	37	35	15	14	38
Lowery	0-0	0	7.36	3 2/3	5	3	3	2	1	6
Wells	0-1	0	8.68	9 1/3	9	9	9	0	11	9
Gobble	0-2	1	9.51	29 1/3	37	31	31	5	23	23
Totals	70-85	43	4.58	1383 2/3	1427	763	704	156	493	1036

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals box

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:38 CDT

Royals 5, White Sox 2

Chicago	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Cabrera ss	4	0	1	0	0	2	.283
Pierzynski c	4	0	1	0	0	0	.282
Dye rf	4	0	0	0	0	0	.288
Thome dh	3	1	1	0	1	1	.246
Ramirez 2b	3	1	1	2	0	0	.297
Griffey Jr. cf	3	0	0	0	0	0	.248
Swisher 1b	3	0	0	0	0	0	.220
Uribe 3b	3	0	0	0	0	1	.250
Wise lf	2	0	0	0	1	1	.290
Totals	29	2	4	2	2	5

Kansas City	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
Dejesus cf-rf	4	1	2	1	0	1	.302
Aviles ss	4	0	1	1	0	0	.321
Guillen rf	4	0	3	0	0	0	.268
2-Maier pr-cf	0	0	0	0	0	0	.297
Shealy 1b	4	0	0	0	0	1	.306
Teahen lf	4	1	1	0	0	0	.258
Olivo c	4	0	1	0	0	2	.252
Gordon 3b	4	1	1	2	0	1	.258
Ka’aihue dh	3	1	1	1	0	0	.333
Callaspo 2b	3	0	1	0	0	0	.310
1-Smith pr-2b	0	1	0	0	0	0	.200
Totals	34	5	11	5	0	5

Chicago	000	000	020	—	2	4	0
Kansas City	021	000	20x	—	5	11	0

1-ran for Callaspo in the 7th. 2-ran for Guillen in the 7th.

LOB: Chicago 2, Kansas City 5. 2B: Aviles (25), Guillen (41), Olivo (21), Callaspo (8). HR: Ramirez (20), off Davies; Ka’aihue (1), off Floyd; Dejesus (12), off Floyd; Gordon (15), off Floyd. RBIs: Ramirez 2 (72), Dejesus (72), Aviles (46), Gordon 2 (55), Ka’aihue (1). GIDP: Pierzynski, Ramirez, Shealy.

Runners left in scoring position: Chicago 1 (Thome); Kansas City 2 (Shealy, Callaspo). Runners moved up: Ka’aihue.

DP: Chicago 1 (Cabrera, Ramirez and Swisher); Kansas City 2 (Callaspo, Aviles and Shealy), (Callaspo, Aviles and Shealy).

Royals notebook: Teahen started getting hot after return to third base

BOB DUTTON — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:48 CDT

It might be no coincidence that Mark Teahen’s season-ending surge roughly corresponds to his return to third base after spending most of the last two seasons in the outfield.

“I think I keep my legs more when I’m mixing in the infield a little bit,” he said. “I think my body is more used to that grind rather than the grind of running all over the outfield.

“I don’t know. It might be mental, but that’s how I feel.”

The numbers bear it out and present the Royals with a conundrum: Should they look to keep Teahen in the infield? And if so, what happens with Alex Gordon, the third baseman whose arrival last year pushed Teahen to the outfield?

“I think it’s something that definitely has to be discussed,” manager Trey Hillman admitted. “I think (Teahen) does have a comfort level with his feet on that infield dirt.”

Royals – Mariners box score

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:55 CDT

Royals 5, Mariners 2

Seattle	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
ISuzuki rf	3	1	3	0	1	0	.313
YBetancourt ss	3	1	1	0	0	0	.272
Ibanez dh	4	0	1	0	0	2	.307
JoLopez 1b	4	0	2	2	0	0	.300
Reed cf	4	0	1	0	0	2	.270
Balentien lf	3	0	0	0	0	1	.196
b-Cairo ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Tuiasosopo 3b	3	0	0	0	0	1	.125
c-Hulett ph	1	0	0	0	0	0	.216
Johjima c	1	0	0	0	2	0	.211
Valbuena 2b	3	0	0	0	0	1	.091
Totals	30	2	8	2	3	7

Kansas City	AB	R	H	BI	BB	SO	Avg.
DeJesus cf-rf	4	1	1	0	1	0	.300
Aviles ss	4	0	0	1	0	0	.320
Guillen rf	3	0	1	2	1	1	.265
Maier cf	0	0	0	0	0	0	.294
Shealy 1b	4	1	1	1	0	0	.359
Butler dh	3	0	0	0	1	0	.268
Teahen 3b	4	0	0	0	0	1	.252
Buck c	3	2	2	0	1	0	.225
Callaspo 2b	4	1	1	1	0	0	.307
German lf	1	0	1	0	1	0	.256
a-Gathright ph-lf	0	0	0	0	1	0	.248
Totals	30	5	7	5	6	2

Seattle	200	000	000	—	2	8	1
Kansas City	000	100	31x	—	5	7	0

a-walked for German in the 8th. b-popped out for Balentien in the 9th. c-grounded out for Tuiasosopo in the 9th.

E: YBetancourt (19). LOB: Seattle 5, Kansas City 8. 2B: ISuzuki (17), DeJesus (24), Buck (22). HR: Shealy (6), off Rowlnd-Smith. RBIs: JoLopez 2 (84), Aviles (42), Guillen 2 (95), Shealy (12), Callaspo (16). SB: ISuzuki (43), YBetancourt (3). CS: JoLopez (2). S: YBetancourt, German. GIDP: JoLopez, Balentien, DeJesus.

Runners left in scoring position: Seattle 2 (JoLopez, Balentien); Kansas City 4 (DeJesus 2, Shealy, Teahen). Runners moved up: Aviles 2, Shealy. DP: Seattle 1 (Valbuena, YBetancourt and JoLopez); Kansas City 3 (Aviles, Callaspo and Shealy), (Teahen and Callaspo), (Aviles, Callaspo and Shealy).

Seattle	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Rowlnd-Smith	6	3	1	1	4	1	96	3.53
Corcoran L, 5-2	2/3	1	3	0	1	0	21	3.29
Batista	1	3	1	1	0	1	20	6.21
Thomas	1/3	0	0	0	1	0	10	7.71

Kansas City	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	NP	ERA
Meche W, 12-11	7	6	2	2	3	7	103	4.08
Mahay	1/3	2	0	0	0	0	7	2.84
RRamirez	2/3	0	0	0	0	0	4	2.75
Soria S, 40	1	0	0	0	0	0	9	1.65

Blown save: Corcoran (2). Inherited runners-scored: Batista 2-2, Thomas 1-0, RRamirez 2-0. IBB: off Corcoran (Dejesus) 1. Holds: Mahay (21), Ramirez (19). WP: Meche. Umpires: Home, Jerry Layne; First, Brian Knight; Second, Phil Cuzzi; Third, Jim Wolf. Time: 2:39. Announced attendance: 13,382.

Royals notebook: No word on why Guillen missed Tuesday’s game

DAVID BOYCE — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:55 CDT

Was José Guillen really sick Tuesday night? Still, no one knows.

Manager Trey Hillman said it was his decision to keep Guillen out of the lineup Tuesday. But Hillman gave no reason for the late scratch.

That made Guillen the center of attention Wednesday afternoon when inquiring minds wanted to know the real reason. So when reporters surrounded Guillen, he leaned back in his chair, smiled and gave his reason.

“I wasn’t feeling good yesterday,” Guillen said.

Guillen was then asked how he felt now.

Royals see hope in future

BOB DUTTON — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:40 CDT

A strong September fueled by superb starting pitching, manager Trey Hillman believes, provides the Royals with a valid reason to enter the offseason with an optimistic outlook for 2009.

"For me and hopefully for all of us," he said, "it was a positive ending and provides more hope for going into next year. With six more wins than we had last year and finishing in a different place, that's a big deal for me and for our organization."

Hillman held a wrap-up news conference Tuesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium before leaving for Surprise, Ariz., where the club's baseball operations staff is conducting its annual postseason meetings.

The Royals concluded their season Sunday at 75-87 by finishing off an 18-8 run through September. It marked their most victories in a month since going 18-10 in July 1994. The club also avoided a fifth straight last-place finish in the American League Central Division, clinching fourth place after Detroit lost to the White Sox on Monday.

Hillman points to the rotation's performance -- 13 "quality starts" in the last 14 games -- as the primary reason for the club's season-ending surge.

Streaking Royals clog Central race

DAVE CAMPBELL — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:38 CDT

The Minnesota Twins fell flat again, forcing themselves into another white-knuckle night of keeping tabs on the Chicago White Sox as the AL Central race that nobody has taken charge of crawls to a finish.

Ryan Shealy blooped a two-run single over a drawn-in infield for the lead in the seventh inning, and the surging Royals handed the suddenly sputtering Twins a second straight defeat, 4-2 on Saturday.

"All the things that go for us went against us, the bloops and the choppers and the off-the-gloves," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "They did to us what we do to a lot of other people."

The Twins led the White Sox by a half-game when play began, but thanks to a bunch of missed chances by the batters and a letdown by the bullpen, they failed to follow through on another opportunity to control their fate. Instead, they became big Indians fans again while Chicago hosted Cleveland later Saturday.

The possibility of a one-game tiebreaker to determine the division champion increased.

Royals derail Twins

JON KRAWCZYNSKI — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:38 CDT

If the Minnesota Twins are going to capture their fifth division title in seven seasons, the Kansas City Royals are going to make them earn it.

A night after erasing a five-run deficit against the White Sox to reclaim first place in the AL Central, the Twins fell flat in an 8-1 loss to the surging Royals on Friday night. The Twins maintained a half-game lead -- the White Sox lost to Cleveland 11-8 on Friday night.

Kansas City hammered Francisco Liriano for six runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Kyle Davies (9-7) allowed one run and four hits in six innings and tied a career high with eight strikeouts, helping the Royals win for the 12th time in 14 games. They've won seven straight on the road.

Billy Butler had three hits including a homer and Mike Aviles added a double and a homer for the Royals, who are looking to crash another party in the final series of a season.

Royals complete sweep with 10-4 win over Tigers

BOB DUTTON — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:12 CDT

DETROIT | Brian Bannister authored the latest chapter for the Royals in this increasingly encouraging September by pitching six shutout innings Wednesday night in a 10-4 mauling of the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

The victory completed a three-game sweep and, for Bannister, can be likened to chipping in for an eagle on 18 to conclude an otherwise miserable round of golf.

“It was nice to go out there and finish on a positive note,” he admitted. “And just to watch those guys hit. I wanted to finish with a quality start and a good outing.

“I’ll probably be a dad here in a couple of weeks. This is just a good way to end.”

Bannister, 9-16, scattered seven hits and now has a pleasant memory to carry into the offseason — thanks in part to a mountain of offensive support.

Royals notes: Greinke done for season

BOB DUTTON — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:12 CDT

DETROIT | Zack Greinke won’t pitch the season’s final game Sunday in Minnesota after all. Not because of injury but due to mounting concerns regarding his career-high workload.

“We’ve readjusted,” manager Trey Hillman confirmed. “We’re going to go with (Brandon) Duckworth on Sunday.”

Greinke improved to 13-10 by pitching seven scoreless innings Tuesday in a 5-0 victory over Detroit. It was his 23rd “quality start” in 32 outings and pushed his innings total to 202 1/3 .

“He’s already at 80-plus innings over what he had last year,” Hillman said. “That’s a lot. A good measuring tool for a young pitcher is (an increase of) 25 to 50.”

Greinke said he is healthy and could pitch Sunday but didn’t argue the decision.

Royals give fans something to appreciate with 5-2 win

BOB DUTTON — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:38 CDT

Credit the Royals with an “A” in marketing for Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Fan Appreciation Night at Kauffman Stadium.

There was lots to appreciate.

Kyle Davies followed up the best start of his career with an even better performance through seven shutout innings before weakening in the eighth. He yielded just three hits and retired 17 in a row at one point.

The Royals hit three homers against Chicago ace Gavin Floyd:

•A two-run shot by Alex Gordon that opened the scoring in the second inning. It was his 15th homer of the season, which matched his total last season as a rookie, and his first since returning Sept. 12 from the disabled list

Royals defeat Mariners 5-2

BOB DUTTON — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:55 CDT

Well, friends, this is what you get with José Guillen. Someone who stirs the pot. And someone who drives in runs. So you decide.

Guillen marked his return to the lineup Wednesday with a two-run single that lifted the Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium.

“Very good hit,” Guillen said simply. “Right man in the right time. I’m happy to get a win. It was a great game. We’ve been playing great, and I’m happy with the way things are going.”

Overall, who isn’t? The Royals have won six in a row. But Guillen personally? He remains a paradox.

Guillen missed Tuesday’s game because of an unspecified illness and/or a minor infraction of club rules. Messages on that were mixed earlier Wednesday from the Royals.

Royals’ 2009 schedule

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:55 CDT

Royals’ 2009 schedule

APRIL

6, 8-9: at Chicago; 10-12: vs. New York; 13-15: vs. Cleveland; 17-19: at Texas; 21-23: at Cleveland; 24-26: vs. Detroit; 27-30: vs. Toronto

MAY

1-3: at Minnesota; 4-5: vs. Chicago; 6-7: vs. Seattle; 8-10: at Los Angeles; 12-13: at Oakland; 14-17: vs. Baltimore; 19-21: vs. Cleveland; 22-24: at St. Louis (NL); 25-27: vs. Detroit; 29-31: vs. Chicago