Dinged-up Royals hope to back Greinke
Dinged-up Royals hope to back Greinke With starters Mike Aviles, John Buck, Coco Crisp and Alex Gordon all on the shelf, the Royals hope to still find a way to score runs for Zack Greinke.

Meche’s status for next start in question
Meche’s status for next start uncertain Addressing his right shoulder issue, Gil Meche laid it down pretty simply regarding his availability for his next start on Wednesday.

Bucs’ homer puts damper on Chen’s return
Bucs’ homer puts damper on Chen’s return A three-run Pirates homer in the fourth cost Bruce Chen a shot at a win in his first start since 2006 on Saturday.

Royals Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)

Bruce Chen, who has not pitched in the majors since 2007, will make his Royals debut Saturday with a start at Pittsburgh.

Chen missed last season after undergoing elbow surgery. The Royals will be the 10th team for Chen, who has also pitched for the Braves, Phillies, Mets, Expos, Reds, Astros, Red Sox, Orioles and Rangers. Chen has a 35-37 record with a 4.63 ERA in 242 appearances, including 112 starts.

Chen’s last appearance in the majors was April 20, 2007, with Texas against Oakland in relief. His previous start in the majors was for the Orioles on Aug. 4, 2006, against the Yankees, giving up three earned runs on nine hits in five innings, while walking two and striking out four.

Chen signed a minor league contract with the Royals on March 11 after pitching for…

Slam is a KO in KC as Pujols calls shot Cards 12, Royals 5 Hitting…

Maps show Kauffman Stadium sits at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff.

Ponson tested positive during ‘09 Classic
Ponson tested positive during ‘09 Classic Royals right-hander Sidney Ponson has drawn a two-year suspension from international competition by the International Baseball Federation as a result of having tested positive for a stimulant at this spring’s World Baseball Classic.

Royals place Farnsworth on DL, recall Chen (AP)
The Kansas City Royals placed right-handed reliever Kyle Farnsworth on the 15-day disabled list with a right groin strain Friday and recalled lefty starter Bruce Chen to take his place. The 32-year-old Chen is scheduled to start Saturday and will pitch in the majors for the first time since April 20, 2007, with Texas.

Baseball Today (AP)

Bucs’ homer puts damper on Chen’s return
Bucs’ homer puts damper on Chen’s return A three-run Pirates homer in the fourth cost Bruce Chen a shot at a win in his first start since 2006 on Saturday.

Young, Maholm pace Pirates in victory over Royals

It’s becoming more difficult to keep Delwyn Young out of the Pirates‘ lineup. Young delivered a career-high four RBI, including a three-run home run, to power the Pirates past the Kansas City Royals, 6-2, on Saturday night at PNC Park.

Royals place Farnsworth on DL, recall Chen (AP)
The Kansas City Royals placed right-handed reliever Kyle Farnsworth on the 15-day disabled list with a right groin strain Friday and recalled lefty starter Bruce Chen to take his place. The 32-year-old Chen is scheduled to start Saturday and will pitch in the majors for the first time since April 20, 2007, with Texas.

Fan falls from Busch Stadium upper deck prior to Cards-Twins game
A 34-year-old man fell headfirst from the upper deck at Busch Stadium on to the concourse below before the St. Louis Cardinals …

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Span’s big day leads Twins over Brewers
The Minnesota Twins probably wouldn’t mind hanging around Milwaukee for a few more games. As interleague rivalries go, this one was pretty one-sided.

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Greinke ready if Royals are in a pinch
Greinke ready if Royals are in a pinch Think Zack Greinke isn’t paying attention with all the substituting that tends to go on in National League-style games?

Meche set to move on from off night
Meche set to move on from off night There’s one thing that Gil Meche wants to remember about his last start: Nothing. Five days after a four-hit shutout, Meche was routed in 3 1/3 innings with a nine-hit, nine-run barrage.

Guerrero homers in Angels‘ rout of Rockies
Vladimir Guerrero ended a 28-game home run drought and had three RBI and Bobby Abreu drove in three runs with a homer and a double as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Colorado Rockies 11-3 on Wednesday night.

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Baseball Today (AP)

Detroit legend Trammell makes last visit to Tiger Stadium
Alan Trammell planned to visit Tiger Stadium this week. The Chicago Cubs bench coach and Tigers legend visited the corner of Michigan and Trumbull before Tuesday night’s game, getting one last look at the only major-league home field he ever knew.

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Howard could return to Phillies‘ lineup Tuesday
Phillies slugger Ryan Howard could return to the lineup Tuesday at Tampa Bay after being hospitalized over the weekend with flu symptoms.

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Chicago baseball writers to discuss steroids, Hall of Fame
The Chicago chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America is taking up the thorny question of what to do with “Steroid Era” players and the Hall of Fame. The writers plan to meet Friday to discuss whether there should be any guidelines for voting in light of the drug scandal that has tainted baseball over the last dozen years.

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Kansas City Royals (29-39) At Houston Astros (32-35),

Right-hander Zack Greinke tries again to recapture early- season magic tonight, when the Kansas City Royals visit Minute Maid Park for the opening test of a three-game interleague series with the Houston Astros.

Reds‘ Votto finds strength to battle mental health stigma in locker room
Joey Votto said Tuesday he thought he was going to die, following the death of his father last August. It took guts for the Cincinnati Reds first baseman to say that.

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Redbirds Beat Royals

The Redbirds finally broke out of their offensive slump Tuesday night with a 6-3 win over the Omaha Royals after being shut out in their two most recent outings against Iowa.

Daily Pitch: Sinkerballer Aaron Cook helps Rockies win again
Monday night was good for two sinkerball pitchers. Aaron Cook’s sinker stymied the hot-hitting Los Angeles Angels 11-1 in Anaheim, while up the road in Oakland, rookie Trevor Cahill pitched a strong seven innings in the Athletics‘ 5-1 win against the San Francisco Giants.

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Angels rally in the eighth to cool off red-hot Rockies
Bobby Abreu drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning after Colorado third baseman Ian Stewart messed up two bunt plays, and the Los Angeles Angels won 4-3 Tuesday night to hand the Rockies their second loss in 19 games.

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Voters step to ballot box, make smart All-Star choices
With just more than a week remaining in All-Star balloting, are the fans getting it right? USA TODAY’s Paul White takes a look at the leaders and the deserving choices:

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Tschepikow, Lyons ready for pro careers

ANDY SHUPE Northwest Arkansas Times Eric Edelstein, Naturals general manager, center, hands Kansas City Royals hats to former Fayetteville High and Arkansas infielder Ben Tschepikow, right, and former Arkansas infielder Scott Lyons as Lloyd Simmons, a scout for the Royals, right, smiles during a ceremony Monday at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.

Angels set up team award in Nick Adenhart’s name
Named the Nick Adenhart “Pitcher of the Year” award, the accolade will be given to the Los Angeles Angels pitcher whose performance is selected by his teammates as the most outstanding through the season.

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MLB union head Donald Fehr quits; successor lined up
Donald Fehr, director of the Major League Players Association since 1983, announced his resignation Monday and will be replaced by general counsel Michael Weiner.

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