Salvy’s slam lifts Kansas City Royals to another Cactus League victory
Kansas City Royals star catcher Salvador Perez smashed a two-run home run in the third inning which provided the margin of victory as his club grabbed its ninth Cactus League win in 12 games this spring training Thursday.
Perez’s third home run of the spring drove in his team’s third and fourth runs of the game as the Royals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 at American Family Fields of Phoenix. Perez went 1 for 3.
Ryan McBroom went 2 for 3 with an RBI triple and a run scored, while Erick Mejia went 1 for 2 with a sacrifice fly for the Royals (9-3).
Perez has been trying out a more patient approach this spring training, forcing himself to take pitches and work counts on the advice of special assignment hitting coach Mike Tosar and major-league hitting coach Terry Bradshaw.
“Just for now, I’m not trying to be too aggressive,” the notoriously free-swinging Perez said. “Everybody knows I don’t take a lot of walks, so maybe try to work on that, not swinging at bad pitches, see the pitches more, let the ball come to me a little bit. But when the season starts, I just need to see it and hit it.”
Perez’s walk rate during his MLB career has been 3.4%, while he has struck out at a 16.3% clip.
While going up to the plate intending to take pitching isn’t the most natural thing for Perez, the fact that it’s still spring training has made it an easier adjustment to make.
“For spring training, we’ve got to do it,” Perez said. “Try to get a routine, get used to that and see if this works good for you so I can take it into the season. I think if I can get on base a little more, not try to chase a lot of pitches and all that, we’re going to have more opportunities to score some runs.”
So far this spring, Perez has batted .389 and has 5 RBIs, 5 strikeouts and 2 walks in 18 at-bats.
Perez, who missed the 2019 season because of Tommy John surgery, won the AL Silver Slugger in last year’s pandemic-shortened season. He batted .333 with a .633 slugging percentage, 11 home runs, 32 RBIs and 23 extra-base hits in 37 games.
“He works hard, wants to compete,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of Perez. “You’re also looking at a player who over the last two years hasn’t played that many games. So you’re talking about a hunger. He wants to get in there and he wants to keep going. He wants to be a part of something special here.
“It’s a combination of the leadership. It’s a combination of wanting to go play. He felt like he got shorted last year probably more than anybody else. He was so ready for 162 after being shut down the year before.”
Minor progress
Left-hander Mike Minor, the team’s lone free-agent starting pitching acquisition this offseason, pitched three innings in his second Cactus League start of the spring. He allowed two runs (one earned), one hit and one walk. He struck out five.
“Last year, I felt like I was a little behind,” Minor said. “I felt OK in spring, then we had the shutdown and then we had the summer camp. After the summer camp, I really didn’t feel the same — like I normally would in spring training right now.
“As we’ve progressed into live BPs and the bullpens and now to games, I feel like I’m right on pace where I have been in the past.”
Minor didn’t give up a hit in his first outing, a two-inning scoreless stint against the San Francisco Giants on March 6.
On Thursday, the lone earned run he allowed came on a solo home run by former Royal Manny Piña in the second inning. Minor gave up a run in the third after an error by shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. allowed a batter to reach to start the inning.
“I threw a lot of breaking pitches today just to try to get the reps in, dial it in,” Minor said. “The home run, which I thought was an OK pitch, Manny put a good swing on it. Other than that, I threw some good pitches today, located the fastball pretty well. I’m still working on the curveball and slider.”
Left-hander Kris Bubic pitched two scoreless and allowed just one hit.
A day off
The Royals altered Thursday’s original starting lineup. The Royals removed center fielder Michael A. Taylor from the lineup and moved Kyle Isbel from left field to center, while Erick Mejia moved into the starting lineup as the left fielder.
Taylor came out of the lineup because of back tightness, according to Matheny. Taylor, a free-agent signing this offseason, has gotten off to a hot start at the plate in Cactus League games. A highly regarded defensive outfielder, Taylor has gone 6 for 14 (.429) with two doubles and two home runs.
“But he’s all good,” Matheny said. “It’s best to take advantage of a couple days.”
Friday, the Royals will have their first day off since the start of camp in Arizona. They won’t have another scheduled day off until March 23.
Experimental rules
MLB announced “experimental playing rules” to be tested in the minors this season.
The new rules include larger bases at Triple-A, limitations on defensive positioning at Double-A, a step off rule at High-A and pickoff limitations, pitch timer and automatic strike zone at Low-A.
“We are listening to our fans. This effort is an important step towards bringing to life rules changes aimed at creating more action and improving the pace of play,” MLB Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations Michael Hill said in a release. “These experimental playing rules have been approved by the Competition Committee and the Playing Rules Committee to be tested and analyzed in a highly competitive environment.”
The experimental playing rules, which have been approved by the Competition Committee and the Playing Rules Committee, will be closely monitored and their impact analyzed throughout the 2021 season, according to MLB.
This story was originally published March 11, 2021 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Salvy’s slam lifts Kansas City Royals to another Cactus League victory."
