• 35-22-3 1st Place
    • Swipes base as pinch runner
      Ruiz entered Tuesday's win over the Rockies in the eighth inning as a pinch runner and remained in the game in left field. He did not log a plate appearance but recorded a stolen base.

      Advice: Abraham Toro opened the eighth inning with a go-ahead solo home run for Oakland and Brent Rooker got aboard with a single two batters later, setting up Ruiz's entry into the game in a pinch-running capacity. The fleet-footed outfielder advanced to second on a Shea Langeliers walk before swiping third, but he was stranded at the hot corner after Tyler Soderstrom and Zack Gelof each struck out to end the inning. Ruiz has seen only sporadic playing time after drawing starts in four of the first seven games in May, with JJ Bleday earning the bulk of playing time in center field thanks to a productive stretch at the plate over his last 10 contests. Rotowire.com 13 minutes ago
       
    • Provides two-run blast
      Brown went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Rockies.

      Advice: Brown took Justin Lawrence deep in the seventh to knot the game up at four. He's now homered in two of his last three games and has a hit in three straight but is still struggling to get going overall at the plate. He's slashing just .185/.236/.336 with five homers, 13 RBI, seven runs and an 8:42 BB:K in 127 plate appearances. Strikeouts have become a noticeable issue for the 31-year-old, as he's currently striking out at a 33.1 percent clip. Rotowire.com 15 minutes ago
      Seth BrownOAK - 1B,OF
      6:40 pm vs COL
       
    • Gets second win Tuesday
      Erceg (2-2) got the win against the Rockies on Tuesday, firing a perfect eighth inning.

      Advice: Erceg's blink-and-you-missed-it frame was done in a tidy 11 pitches, seven which he located for strikes. The 29-year-old right-hander has had a couple of hiccups along the way, but he sports a pair of saves and seven holds alongside his two wins. Erceg, who's now averaging 98.6 mph on his fastball this season, has the stuff to form a gnarly 1-2 punch with dominant closer Mason Miller in the late innings, and he lowered his ERA and WHIP back to 3.32 and 1.05, respectively, with what was his third scoreless effort in the last four appearances. Rotowire.com 20 minutes ago
       
    • Supplies game-winning home run
      Toro went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Rockies.

      Advice: Toro's bat was silent until the eighth inning when he sent out a home run to right field to give the A's their first lead of the night. He's racked up seven hits over his last five games and leads the majors with 28 hits in the month of May. Since April 26, Toro is slashing .362/.406/.553 with three homers, 10 RBI, 17 runs and a 4:16 BB:K in 101 plate appearances. Rotowire.com 23 minutes ago
       
    • Hitting bench Wednesday
      Renfroe is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

      Advice: The veteran outfielder will get a breather for the day game after he had started in right field in each of the Royals' last three contests. Renfroe has mustered a lowly .518 OPS over 144 plate appearances on the season, but he's shown some signs of life of late by going 6-for-24 with a home run and 3:3 BB:K over his last seven games. Rotowire.com 24 minutes ago
       
    • Sitting against southpaw
      Melendez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

      Advice: The lefty-hitting Melendez will head to the bench for the series finale while the Tigers bring ace southpaw Tarik Skubal to the bump. Nelson Velazquez will spell Melendez in left field. Rotowire.com 26 minutes ago
      MJ MelendezKC - C,OF
      11:10 am vs DET
       
    • Idle against lefty
      Massey is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

      Advice: With ace southpaw Tarik Skubal on the hill for the Tigers, the Royals will stock up on extra right-handed bats in the series finale. The lefty-hitting Massey will thus cede his spot at the keystone to the right-handed-hitting Garrett Hampson. Rotowire.com 28 minutes ago
       
    • Quality start Tuesday
      Brooks did not factor into the decision in the Athletics' win over the Rockies on Tuesday, allowing three earned runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. He also hit a batter and struck out three.

      Advice: The three runs off the journeyman right-hander came from home runs, as Ryan McMahon tagged him for a two-run shot in the first before Ezequiel Tovar slugged one of his two round-trippers on the night in the fifth. Otherwise, Brooks turned in a smooth, efficient outing, one that saw him get through his six frames on just 85 pitches. The 34-year-old has been a pleasant surprise with consecutive quality starts since being called up from Triple-A Las Vegas on May 15, and with Paul Blackburn (foot), Alex Wood (shoulder) and Joe Boyle (back) all on the injured list, Brooks lines up for another turn Sunday at home against the Astros, a team he held to three runs over seven frames in his season debut last Wednesday. Rotowire.com 28 minutes ago
       
    • Playing time on downswing
      Frazier is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.

      Advice: Frazier has now started just twice in the Royals' last six games and seems to have transitioned into a full-time utility role. The 32-year-old has produced a career-worst .547 OPS over 109 plate appearances on the season. Rotowire.com 29 minutes ago
      Adam FrazierKC - 2B,OF
      11:10 am vs DET