June 17, 2017 Page 1 of 18

Clips

(June 17, 2017)

June 17, 2017 Page 2 of 18

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels can’t stop Royals from rolling to their sixth straight victory

Angels' Andrelton Simmons enjoys confidence at the plate

FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 5)

Angels go meekly in 3-1 loss to Ian Kennedy, Royals

Angels Notes: Cam Bedrosian to return to the late innings, not necessarily the 9th

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 9)

Meyer, Junis match up in battle of rookies

Angels kept in check by Royals' Kennedy

Pennington takes advantage of rare start

Angels sign second-round pick Canning

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (Page 14)

Cain hits 2 HRs in Royals' 6th straight win, 3-1 over Angels

FROM THE KANSAS CITY STAR (Page 15)

Lorenzo Cain blasts two more homers as Royals win their sixth straight game

June 17, 2017 Page 3 of 18

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Angels can’t stop Royals from rolling to their sixth straight victory

By Pedro Moura

The victims lingered, together trying to ascertain what went wrong and why. Twenty minutes after

the Angels fell 3-1 to Kansas City on Friday, most of their hitters lingered in Angel Stadium’s home

clubhouse, revisiting the night’s events until reporters walked inside.

They had succumbed, again, to the Royals’ Ian Kennedy, the veteran right-hander with a 0.64 ERA

against them this season and a 6.29 ERA against everyone else.

“We’ve all been talking about it,” said Cliff Pennington, who supplied the lone run. “We’ve gotta figure

out what the rest of the league has and we definitely don’t.”

That could apply to the rest of the Royals. In five games this season against sub-.500 Kansas City, the

Angels (35-36) have mustered 21 hits and six runs. They have lost all five. When the teams played in

April, Kennedy carried a no-hitter into the fifth and permitted two hits over eight shutout innings.

“Every time we’ve seen him, golly, everything’s on the corner, everything looks the same,” Pennington

said. “When he pitches to us, he’s making quality pitches.”

On Friday, Kennedy managed one better. He towed a perfect game into the sixth inning, facing few

three-ball counts and keeping his pitch count at a reasonable level. With two outs in that inning,

Pennington worked the count to 3-and-1, then pounced on a fastball. The utility infielder hammered a

homer to right field for his first extra-base hit since Sept. 3. No Angel had gone as long without one since

David Eckstein between 2002 and 2003.

Pennington understands that Kennedy is better than his non-Angels statistics imply. They spent a season

as teammates in Arizona.

“I know Cliff pretty well,” Kennedy said. “I told him he’s a terrible friend.”

At that point, the Angels nearly seized the game. Cameron Maybin slapped a double down the left-field

line and Kole Calhoun walked, but Albert Pujolspopped out to second. The Angels’ only rally was

squandered. For the seventh, Kennedy gave way to left-hander Mike Minor, who did not give up a hit.

The Angels’ last hit was Revere’s eighth-inning single against Joakim Soria.

Consistently, Angels starter Jesse Chavez has cruised through most innings and then unraveled suddenly,

after a single or a leadoff walk. Opponents have logged an on-base-plus-slugging percentage nearly 300

points better when runners are on base. He said he believes it to stem from a lack of rhythm, from

losing track of the timing within his quickened delivery out of the stretch.

That was not an issue Friday, as most of the Royals’ hits came without a man on base. Their first run was

a two-out solo shot to left field by Lorenzo Cain in the third inning.

June 17, 2017 Page 4 of 18

The lone blip that resembled this year’s array came in the fifth, when Alex Gordon led off with a single

into center field. Whit Merrifield soon singled through to right, and Jorge Bonifacio roped a line drive

bound for the right-center gap. But Pennington, playing second, speared it at the top of his leap and

threw to first to secure a fortunate double play. Cain followed with a clean, run-scoring single into right

field.

After a leadoff double in the sixth, Chavez retired six straight Royals to match his season high for innings

finished. This week, pitching coach Charles Nagy suggested he try to think of his mechanics as a song,

the same rhythm over and over. Chavez never lost track of the beat.

“The tempo was there,” he said. “The rhythm was there.”

Rookie right-hander Keynan Middleton took over for the eighth and immediately allowed another solo

shot to Cain, off a 98 mph fastball. He gave way to closer Bud Norris the next inning, and the two-run

margin remained as the top of the Angels’ order approached for their last hacks.

Kelvin Herrera entered, still smarting after surrendering seven runs in 21/3 innings to Houston, the

Angels’ American League West rivals. He induced a tapper from Calhoun, a popout from Pujols, and a

groundout from Yunel Escobar.

The game was over in two hours, 38 minutes, one of the shortest the Angels have played this season. In

Kansas City in April, the Angels and Royals twice played in two hours, 37 minutes. Games without runs

tend to run quickly.

Angels' Andrelton Simmons enjoys confidence at the plate

By Pedro Moura

A year ago this week, Andrelton Simmons returned after missing more than a month because of a torn

thumb ligament, the same injury to blame for center fielder Mike Trout’s continued absence.

Simmons returned with a batting average in the low-.200s and fragile confidence. Both only worsened in

his first week back. So, his feelings at this stage in this season mark a stark contrast in the 27-year-old

shortstop’s mind.

He entered Friday night hitting .277 with an above-average .748 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, and

everything feels new.

“It feels way better to walk up there with a different confidence,” Simmons said. “You walk up there and

you know that that guy, he might get me out, but he has to earn it, instead of, ‘I’ve gotta earn this hit,’

like, OK, let me battle.”

Simmons continued: “When you’re going good, that’s the feeling. When you’re not going good...”

“You want to kill yourself,” interjected struggling left fielder Ben Revere.

June 17, 2017 Page 5 of 18

Simmons laughed at his teammate, who was sitting nearby.

“Well, that’s another one,” he said. “But, you’re fighting yourself more when you’re not good. Instead of

thinking, ‘This guy’s in trouble, he better make good pitches right here,’ you’re thinking, ‘You better

make good pitches, or else I’m gonna hit the ball hard.’”

Canning signs, and he will rest

The Angels signed their second-round selection from this week’s amateur draft, UCLA right-

hander Griffin Canning, to a bonus near the $1,459,200 league-recommended figure.

General manager Billy Eppler said Canning will not pitch in any minor league games this season because

he already threw 119 innings for the Bruins. According to multiple recent reports, Canning’s draft stock

dropped because of concerns about his medical results, connected to his UCLA workload. Eppler said the

Angels were satisfied with his physical examination.

Canning will focus on strength work at the club’s spring training complex until December, when he’ll

commence his throwing program preparation for 2018.

The 21-year-old Orange County native grew up as an Angels fan and named former closer Francisco

Rodriguez as his favorite pitcher.

Short hops

Right-hander Matt Shoemaker is likely to miss his next start because of the forearm tightness that

forced him to exit his Wednesday outing. Manager Mike Scioscia said Shoemaker is a “longshot” to start

Tuesday in New York, when his rotation spot next arrives. …Right-handed reliever Cam Bedrosian said he

is ready to be activated from the disabled list, where he spent nearly two months because of a groin

strain. That’s likely to happen Saturday. …Veteran right-hander Doug Fister threw 88 pitches over five-

plus innings Friday for triple-A Salt Lake. He surrendered seven hits and five runs while walking two and

striking out two. ...In relief of Fister, right-hander Huston Street (triceps tightness) threw a perfect

inning. He’s due to make one more rehab appearance.

FROM ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Angels go meekly in 3-1 loss to Ian Kennedy, Royals

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — Today’s episode of Baseball Is A Funny Game centers around Ian Kennedy, who

demonstrated why statistics, even from a half-season worth of games, can be misleading.

After the Angels’ 3-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Friday night, in which Kennedy stymied the Angels

for the second time this season, the Angels could only shake their heads when looking at his statistics.

June 17, 2017 Page 6 of 18

“We’re trying to figure out what the rest of the league has on him that we definitely do not,” Cliff

Pennington said.

Kennedy has now held the Angels to four hits and one run in 14 innings this season, the only run being

Pennington’s sixth-inning homer that broke up his perfect game on Friday.

Against everyone else, Kennedy has a 6.29 ERA this season.

“Every time we see him, everything is on the corner and everything looks the same,” Pennington said.

“When he makes pitches to us, he’s making quality pitches.”

If you suspect that maybe Kennedy, an Orange County native, just gets extra amped faced his hometown

team, that doesn’t quite fit the story either. Before this season, he had a 6.55 ERA against the Angels.

The true explanation is that Kennedy is actually a good pitcher — for his career — and any small sample

sizes, like the first half of a season, aren’t truly indicative.

“He’s been a good pitcher for a long time,” said Pennington, Kennedy’s teammate with the Arizona

Diamondbacks “He’s been a No. 1 on multiple other teams before. He’s going to get his wins. He’ll be

alright. He’s got good stuff. He’s got a lot of starts left. I bet he’ll be alright at the end.”

While Kennedy (La Quinta High, USC) was regressing to the mean against the Angels, Jesse Chavez was also

smoothing out some of the rough spots in his season.

Chavez had been inconsistent throughout his first season in the Angels rotation, sometimes very good and

sometimes very bad. He explained after his last outing, one of the bad ones, that his problems were when

he was pitching out of the stretch. From the windup, when he’s not worried about holding any runners

close, he was much more effective.

This time, Chavez pitched most of the game with runners on, and still gave up just two runs in seven

innings. He was actually better out of the stretch than the windup.

Both of the runs scored when he was out of the windup, including the first of Lorenzo Cain’s two solo

homers. Cain’s other homer was against Keynan Middleton in the eighth.

The Royals were 2 for 12 when Chavez was pitching out of the stretch.

“The tempo, the rhythm were there,” Chavez said. “Me and (pitching coach Charlie Nagy) talk about

finding a song that works. Being in synch with your whole body, being in tune. Kind of like a song.”

Chavez was in a particularly tough spot in the fifth, but he got out with Pennington’s help. Pennington

made a leaping grab of a line drive and then a quick throw to turn it into a double play.

After that, with only a runner at third — so, back out of the windup — Chavez gave up an RBI single to

Cain.

Chavez responded by pitching a scoreless sixth and seventh, retiring the last seven in a row.

June 17, 2017 Page 7 of 18

“It’s just something we’ve been hammering out this whole time,” Chavez said. “Baby steps. Today was a

good step in the right direction.”

Angels Notes: Cam Bedrosian to return to the late innings, not necessarily the 9th

By Jeff Fletcher

ANAHEIM — Cam Bedrosian is finally ready to return to the Angels bullpen. The question now is how he’ll

be used.

Bedrosian, who said he’s expecting to be activated on Saturday, had been the closer when he went on the

disabled list two months ago with a groin injury.

Since then, Bud Norris took over the job and has performed well.

Manager Mike Scioscia would only go so far as to say that Bedrosian will “pitch in the back end of our

bullpen.” He said initially he will “try to get his feet settled and get him an inning or two to get back into

the major league flow,” implying that his first outing might be in a lower leverage spot.

Bedrosian said he has no expectations for being used in a certain role, particularly not as the closer.

“The plan is to go whenever they tell me,” he said. “Just come in and help the team. That’s it.”

Bedrosian joins the segment of the team that has been the most succesful. Norris, Blake Parker and

Keynan Middleton are all pitching well right now, and Yusmeiro Petit has been good for most of the

season.

“A lot of guys in our ’pen are pitching to their capabilities, which is one of the reasons we’re hovering

around .500,” Scioscia said. “Adding one more player with his upside is going to be a huge boost for us.”

ROTATION UPDATE

Scioscia said Matt Shoemaker is a “longshot” to be able to take his next turn in the rotation, on Tuesday in

New York. Shoemaker, who came out of Wednesday’s game because of tightness in his forearm, was not

expected to throw on Friday, a second straight day without throwing.

The Angels have a variety of options to replace Shoemaker, if he can’t take his next turn. Because of

Monday’s off day, they could just keep the other starters on four days’ rest and push Shoemaker’s spot all

the way back to next Saturday.

They could also drop another starter in at any point next week. Daniel Wright, who is currently in the

bullpen, could start. Doug Fister also could start any time after Wednesday. Fister gave up five runs in five-

plus innings on Friday night at Triple-A. He has allowed seven runs in 15-2/3 innings in three starts. He has

an opt-out in his deal for next Wednesday.

June 17, 2017 Page 8 of 18

TIME TO GET STARTED … ALMOST

Griffin Canning, the UCLA right-hander the Angels took with their second-round pick, is going to have to

wait a while to throw his first pitch with his new organization.

After the Angels announced their deal with Canning on Friday, General Manager Billy Eppler said that

Canning would not pitch in the minors this summer because of the 119 innings he pitched this season at

UCLA. Instead, he will work on “conditioning and total body strengthening,” Eppler said, over the next six

months.

“He hit his quota,” Eppler said. “He did exactly what he was supposed to do. He just did it in another

uniform.”

Eppler also said the physical Canning underwent prior to his signing further convinced the team that there

were no serious arm issues. Canning was projected to be taken in the middle of the first round, but he

slipped until the second round, likely because of medical questions.

Canning said he feels fine, and he’s OK with whatever the organization feels is the best way to get him to

the majors.

A product of Santa Margarita High, Canning said it was his dream to play for the Angels when he was

coming to Angel Stadium as a kid. His family had season tickets when the Angels won the World Series in

2002.

The Angels signed Canning for a bonus of about $1.5 million, which is close to what the slot value is for the

No. 47 pick. The deal comes a day after the Angels signed their first-round pick, high school outfielder Jo

Adell.

ALSO

Eric Young Jr. was not in the lineup on Friday, despite his .316 average since coming up to take Mike

Trout’s roster spot. Scioscia said he wanted to give Young “a little breather” and also get some at-bats for

Ben Revere. Revere was 3 for 10 in his career against Royals starter Ian Kennedy. …

Huston Street pitched a perfect inning on 12 pitches for Triple-A Salt Lake City on Friday night. Street said

he’s expecting to throw again on Monday, getting four outs. He said he will be ready to be activated after

that.

June 17, 2017 Page 9 of 18

FROM ANGELS.COM

Meyer, Junis match up in battle of rookies

By Kaelen Jones / MLB.com

The Angels hand the ball to right-hander Alex Meyer (2-3, 4.05 ERA) on Saturday, looking to snap the

Royals' six-game winning streak. Kansas City will counter with fellow rookie right-hander Jake Junis (2-0,

4.67).

Meyer, winless in his last four starts, is seeking his first win since May 14 against Detroit. The 6-foot-9

flamethrower allowed two runs on five hits and five walks, while striking out five Twins over 4 2/3

innings in his most recent start.

Full Game Coverage

Meanwhile, Junis recorded a career-high six strikeouts over seven innings -- the lengthiest outing of his

career -- in his latest start, a win against San Diego. He is making his fourth career start and sixth

appearance of the season in what will be his first game against the Angels.

Three things to know

• Left-handed batters are slashing .265/.359/.618 and have hit three home runs off Junis this season.

He'll need to be careful of Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun (batting .373 with five home runs in June),

who is one of two American League players hitting at least .365 with five home runs this month.

• Both starting pitchers will be opposed by a fellow rookie for the third time this season. Meyer, is 1-0

such meetings, has been previously countered by Minnesota's Adalberto Mejía and Oakland's Jharel

Cotton.

For Junis, also 1-0 in such matchups, Saturday marks the third straight start he's opposed a rookie

pitcher after facing Houston's David Paulino and San Diego's Dinelson Lamet.

• Angels right-handed reliever Cam Bedrosian -- who's been on the disabled list since April 22 with a

right groin strain -- is expected to be activated ahead of Saturday's contest. Los Angeles' bullpen has

performed well in his absence, allowing only 19.8 percent of inherited runners to score (89 of 111

runners stranded), the lowest mark in the league.

Angels kept in check by Royals' Kennedy

By Jeffrey Flanagan and Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Lorenzo Cain continued to swing a hot bat for the Royals, homering twice and driving in

three runs to extend Kansas City's winning streak to a season-high six games with a 3-1 victory over the

Angels on Friday night at Angel Stadium.

June 17, 2017 Page 10 of 18

Cain opened the scoring with a solo shot in the third, added an RBI single in the fifth and capped his big

night at the plate with another home run in the eighth. Cain, who is 13-for-30 (.433) with 11 RBIs over

his last seven games, now has six home runs on the road trip and nine of his home runs have come since

May 23.

Full Game Coverage

"I'm just swinging at better pitches," Cain said. "That's always the key to this game. Swing at good

pitches. When I've gotten good pitches to hit, I've been able to do damage. So that's the biggest

difference."

Cain's production helped back a dominant outing from right-hander Ian Kennedy, who flirted with a

perfect game en route to tossing six innings of one-run ball and earning his first victory since Sept.11,

2016. Kennedy retired the first 17 batters he faced before surrendering a home run to Cliff

Pennington with two outs in the sixth inning, which cut the Royals' lead to 2-1.

"It feels really good," Kennedy said of getting a win. "My last start, I got a hit and a walk and everyone

was saying 'Good job.' But I said, 'I'll trade a hit, a walk, anything to get a win.' Some people didn't know

I didn't have a win [for a while]. But I'm glad to just get one. Maybe more to come."

It marked Kennedy's second gem of the season against the Angels. On April 16 vs. the Halos at Kauffman

Stadium, Kennedy struck out 10 and fired eight shutout innings.

Right-hander Jesse Chavez pitched seven strong innings for the Angels, yielding two runs on nine hits

while walking none and striking out four, though he was charged with the tough-luck loss.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Pennington break up the perfect game: Kennedy stymied the Angels for five innings before Pennington

finally got them on the board with two outs in the sixth with his first home run of the season.

Pennington, who started at second base in place of Danny Espinosa, launched a 3-1 fastball to right-

center field, bringing the Angels within one. With the blast, Pennington snapped an 0-for-10 funk and

collected his first extra-base hit of the year.

"We all knew that it was going on, but just trying to go up there and get a good pitch to hit, just like

every at-bat," Pennington said of Kennedy's bid for a no-hitter. "He came right at me with a fastball, and

I got it pretty good."

Kennedy navigates trouble: The Angels continued to threaten after Pennington's homer, as Cameron

Maybin lined a double down the left-field line, and Kole Calhoundrew a walk to put the potential tying

run on second and go-ahead run on first with two outs in the sixth. Kennedy worked out of the jam by

inducing a popup from Albert Pujols, keeping the Royals' 2-1 lead intact. Kennedy departed the game

after allowing one run on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

June 17, 2017 Page 11 of 18

"He's one of the best hitters there is," Kennedy said of Pujols. "There's a reason he has 600 homers. I

wasn't really going to give in, but I had to grind it out. I knew Escobar was no slouch. He swung 3-0, it

was probably a ball. Then I executed a pitch away, enough where I got an out."

QUOTABLE

"I know Cliff pretty well. I mean, he's a terrible friend. I told him he's a terrible friend and I was deleting

his phone number." -- Kennedy, on former D-backs teammate Pennington breaking up his perfect game

"We're trying to figure out what the rest of the league has that we definitely don't. Every time we see

him it's like, 'Golly, everything is on the corner, everything is the same.' When he's making pitches to us,

he's making quality pitches." -- Pennington, on Kennedy's dominance against the Angels

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Cain's first blast of the game was his hardest-hit and farthest homer of the season, with an exit velocity

of 107 mph and an estimated distance of 436 feet, according to Statcast™.

WHAT'S NEXT

Royals: Rookie right-hander Jake Junis (2-0, 4.67 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals at 7:15 p.m. CT on

Saturday. Junis held the Padres to three runs -- on three solo home runs -- in the Royals' 8-3 win over

the Padres on Sunday.

Angels: Right-hander Alex Meyer (2-3, 4.05 ERA) will start for the Angels on Saturday in the third game

of this four-game series at 5:15 p.m. PT. It will be Meyer's first career appearance against Kansas City.

Pennington takes advantage of rare start

By Kaelen Jones / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- Cliff Pennington demonstrated his importance both in the field and at the dish

during Angels' 3-1 loss to the Royals on Friday night at Angel Stadium. The veteran infielder produced

the Halos' lone run when he broke up Ian Kennedy's perfect-game bid with a two-out home run in the

sixth inning, drawing Los Angeles within a run.

Pennington said he was approaching the at-bat just like any other before going deep against Kennedy,

his former D-backs teammate, when the right-hander served him a 3-1 four-seam fastball.

Full Game Coverage

"That's probably one of the few times he had fallen behind," said Pennington, who got a rare start to

give Danny Espinosa a breather. "He came right at me with a fastball, and I got it pretty good."

The connection marked Pennington's first hit since June 3. The 33-year-old's third-inning strikeout was

his 10th straight at-bat (12 plate appearances) without a hit, a span of five games spread out across the

past two weeks.

June 17, 2017 Page 12 of 18

Pennington, who grinned at the mention of the hit being his first extra-base knock of the season, said he

wasn't aware of the hitless stretch.

"I just get in the box, and try and get a good pitch every time," he said. "If you're playing five games in a

row, and you go 0-for over five games in a row, you probably might have an idea. But the at-bats have

been pretty decent lately, I just haven't finished them the way that I want."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he valued Pennington, adding that Friday's performance "got us back

in the game."

In fact, Pennington's defensive efforts were just as crucial to keeping Los Angeles in the contest Friday.

During the top of the fifth inning, Angels starter Jesse Chavezfaced Royals right fielder Jorge

Bonifacio with runners on the corners and no outs, trailing 1-0. The slugger scorched line drive through

the right side of the infield, but Pennington gloved it for the out then fired over to first for a double play.

"It was unbelievable," Chavez said. "He did a great job and that kind of lit a fire up under me."

"I actually took a peak at third first, because that was more in my line of sight," Pennington said. "I saw

the runner at first and threw it over there."

Scioscia made it known he's thankful of Pennington's contributions, lauding his effort despite his usage

being inconsistent.

"He knows he's not going to play every day, but he comes here, works hard, and keeps himself ready,

and got a big hit for us in the game," Scioscia said. "He works hard at it."

Angels sign second-round pick Canning

By Maria Guardado / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- One day after signing first-round Draft pick Jo Adell, the Angels agreed to terms with

second-round selection Griffin Canning, a right-hander from UCLA. The Angels did not release the terms

of the deal, though the recommended bonus slot for the 47th overall pick is $1,459,200.

Canning, 21, went 7-4 with a 2.34 ERA in 17 starts during his junior season for UCLA, leading the Pac-12

in innings (119) and strikeouts (140). A native of Coto de Caza, Calif., and a product of Santa Margarita

Catholic High School, Canning grew up an Angels fan and said his favorite pitcher was former Halos

closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Full Game Coverage

Draft Tracker: Every Angels pick

"I'm obviously pretty excited," Canning said. "I grew up coming to Angels games. My family had season

tickets in 2002 when they won the World Series. I couldn't really ask for anything better."

June 17, 2017 Page 13 of 18

Canning had been projected to be taken in the middle of the first round, but his Draft stock fell after

teams became aware of a potential issue with an MRI exam, according to MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis

and Jonathan Mayo.

Still, Canning passed his physical on Thursday, and general manager Billy Eppler said the Angels were

comfortable making the selection.

"We know that he's a very advanced college pitcher that has the opportunity to move pretty fast

through our system," Eppler said.

With the exception of two games that were postponed due to rain, Canning averaged 116 pitches per

start this year, according to Baseball America. Given his heavy workload at UCLA, the Angels do not feel

that Canning needs to throw any more innings this year, so the plan is to send him to Arizona to work on

conditioning for the next six months.

"He hit his quota," Eppler said. "He did exactly what he was supposed to do, but in a different uniform."

Canning will begin a throwing program in December and will likely open the 2018 season in Class A

Burlington or Class A Advanced Inland Empire, Eppler said.

Shoemaker a 'long shot' to start Tuesday

Manager Mike Scioscia said Matt Shoemaker's ailing forearm is improving, though he acknowledged that

it's a "long shot" that the 30-year-old right-hander will make his next scheduled start on Tuesday.

Shoemaker departed his outing against the Yankees on Wednesday with tightness in the extensor

muscle of his right forearm and has not picked up a baseball since.

The Angels won't have to immediately fill the void in their rotation, as they have an off-day on Monday

and could have the rest of their starters go on normal rest until Saturday. If Shoemaker lands on the

disabled list, veteran right-hander Doug Fisterwould likely be in the mix to take his spot in the rotation.

Fister, who was scheduled to start for Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday, has a clause in his contract that

allows him to be released if he's not on the Major League roster by June 21.

Worth noting

• Right-hander Cam Bedrosian (right groin strain) said he expects to be activated off the disabled list on

Saturday.

• Eric Young Jr. and Danny Espinosa received a day off Friday against the Royals. Ben Revere and Cliff

Pennington started in left field and at second base, respectively, in their places.

June 17, 2017 Page 14 of 18

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cain hits 2 HRs in Royals' 6th straight win, 3-1 over Angels

Associated Press

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ian Kennedy and Cliff Pennington are former teammates and good buddies, although

that second relationship could be up for review after Pennington's homer broke up Kennedy's bid for a

perfect game.

"He's a terrible friend of mine," Kennedy said with a laugh. "I'm probably deleting him from my phone."

Kennedy probably won't have to do anything that drastic, thanks to Lorenzo Cain's latest feats of

prowess for the streaking Kansas City Royals.

Cain hit two homers and drove in three runs, and Kennedy retired the first 17 Angels to end his 16-start

winless skid in the Royals' sixth consecutive victory, 3-1 over Los Angeles on Friday night.

Kennedy (1-6) pitched six innings of two-hit ball and stayed perfect until Pennington hit his first homer

since last August. Kennedy was winless in his first 11 starts this season, but he escaped a subsequent

sixth-inning jam and hung on for his first victory since Sept. 11, 2016.

"It feels really good," Kennedy said of ending his skid. "I knew (about the streak). Some guys in (the

clubhouse) didn't know. It's nice to get one, and hopefully more will come from there. I was ahead and

attacking. Since I've been here, that's the best I've pitched for sure."

The USC product and native of nearby Huntington Beach also beat the Angels for the first time in six

career starts.

Kennedy's winless streak was the third-longest in Royals history. Philadelphia's Jerad Eickhoff is the only

remaining winless pitcher in the majors with at least 10 starts.

Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his 14th save in 16 chances for Kansas City, which improved to 5-0

against the Angels this season.

SUGAR CAIN

Cain posted the fifth multi-homer game of his career and his second in a week, connecting for solo shots

in the third and eighth innings. He also drove in Alex Gordon with a two-out single in the fifth.

The Royals' longest winning streak of the season has coincided with Cain's tear through California. The

slugger has eight hits and six RBI in three games starting Wednesday in San Francisco, and he has six

homers in his last six games since June 10 in San Diego.

"I'm just swinging at better pitches," Cain said. "We're all playing better now. We definitely got off to a

rough start, as we all know, but we've been saying it's going to be a long season. We're going to

continue to battle."

June 17, 2017 Page 15 of 18

CHAVEZ GETS HIT

Jesse Chavez (5-7) yielded nine hits over seven innings, but he has allowed at least one homer in 12

straight appearances dating to April 21, extending the longest active streak in the majors.

CLIFF'S HIT

After the Angels didn't really come close to a hit in their first 17 at-bats, Pennington smashed a belt-

high, 3-1 fastball into the elevated right field stands.

"We all knew that it was going on," Pennington said of his friend's perfect game bid. "That's one of the

few times he fell behind (in the count), and he came at me with a good pitch to hit."

The utilityman got his first extra-base hit of the season and his first homer in 78 games since Aug. 11,

2016.

"It's just a fluky thing," Pennington said. "Maybe I'll rattle off 10 in a row here real quick."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy continued his recovery from a strained oblique muscle by throwing a side

session back in Kansas City. He'll throw again next week.

Angels: Reliever Cam Bedrosianexpects to be activated from the disabled list Saturday. He has missed 53

games since April 22 with a strained groin. ... Reliever Huston Street pitched one perfect inning for

Triple-A Salt Lake. He hasn't played for the Angels this season due to a strained lateral muscle. ... Matt

Shoemaker is improving after exiting his last start early with tightness in his forearm, but manager Mike

Scioscia feels it's unlikely that the right-hander will make his next start as scheduled.

UP NEXT

Royals: Jakob Junis (2-0, 4.67 ERA) makes his fourth start and sixth appearance of the season. He has

also made seven Triple-A starts between his four stints with the big-league club.

Angels: Alex Meyer (2-3, 4.05 ERA) continues to establish himself as a rotation regular, although he

couldn't get out of the fifth inning against the Yankees in his last start.

FROM THE KANSAS CITY STAR

Lorenzo Cain blasts two more homers as Royals win their sixth straight game

BY RUSTIN DODD

ANAHEIM, CALIF.

June 17, 2017 Page 16 of 18

Lorenzo Cain clutched his cell phone in his right hand and leaned back in a leather chair here on Friday,

relaxing inside the visitors clubhouse at just past 4 p.m.

“It’s one of those days,” he said. “I need a Red Bull.”

On the other side of the room, Royals teammate Salvador Perez watched video on a computer monitor.

A few feet away, a collection of Royals relievers lounged in recliners and watched the second round of

golf’s U.S. Open. In the hours before a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, a performance that

stretched a winning streak to six games and pushed the Royals back into contention in the American

League Central, Cain let out a sigh.

He was tired. His muscles were sore. He had shown up early to work out inside the weight room at Angel

Stadium, and now he needed to rest.

Cain, of course, is a classic sandbagger. He struts around the outfield with a noticeable limp. He grimaces

after sensational catches. To watch him react after gracefully chasing down a ball in the outfield gap is

to see a man in need of a day off or perhaps another Red Bull. So here was Cain again on late Friday

night.

He had finished 3 for 4 with two solo homers and three RBIs in the 3-1 win. He had recorded his sixth

homer in seven games on this California road trip. And he had piled up his eighth blast in his last 13

games. And when it was over, Cain was concerned about his body again.

“Time for the cold tub,” he said.

The Royals (32-34) are white hot once again, owners of the longest winning streak in baseball, winners

of eight of 10, and back to within three games of first-place Minnesota, which lost to Cleveland on Friday

night. Starter Ian Kennedy took a perfect game into the sixth and earned his first victory since Sept. 11,

2016. Cain resembles the dynamic center fielder who finished third in the American League MVP voting

in 2015.

In his last 13 games, Cain has clubbed eight homers, including a pair of multi-homer games on this road

trip. In seven games in California, he is hitting .433 with a 1.033 slugging percentage. Since June 3, he

has raised his slugging percentage from .361 to .467.

“He’s hot,” Royals manager Ned Yost. “He’s feeling good. The ball looks big to him. He’s on everything.”

For Cain, a former All-Star and ALCS MVP, the power-laden stretch has rounded out a somewhat odd

offensive season. For two months, he existed as an on-base machine while exhibiting little power. He

was on pace to shatter his career high in walks. Yet on June 2, he had just two home runs.

On most days, Cain said his swing felt off. There were good days, he said. And he was still grinding out

at-bats. But he did not feel like himself. That has changed across two weeks in June.

“I’m just swinging at better pitchers,” Cain said. “Laying off the sliders in the dirt. Laying off bad pitches.”

June 17, 2017 Page 17 of 18

How staggering has the power production been? In his career, he has hit more than 10 home runs in a

season just twice, his career high of 16 coming in 2015. In the span of these last 13 games, he has

matched his home run total from an injury-plagued 2016. For 13 games, he has barreled baseballs at a

dizzying rate. Entering Friday, Cain had registered “hard or medium contact” in 90 percent of balls in

play during the run. And then, of course, he hit homers off Angels starter Jesse Chavez and reliever

Keynan Middleton.

“I’ve been hitting a lot of line drives out,” Cain said. “I’ve been squaring the ball up well.”

If Cain was the offensive star, Kennedy was his equal on the mound. Kennedy allowed just one run in six

innings, offering his best performance since April 22. As he started just miles from his childhood home in

Huntington Beach, Calif., he retired the first 17 hitters of the game, moving on from a lull that had taken

hold after a hamstring injury in early May.

“He was absolutely building to this,” Yost said.

For Kennedy, it has been a season of streaks. He was dazzling in early April. He crashed into a wall after

the hamstring issue in May.

On April 16, for instance, he tossed eight scoreless innings against the Angels in a 1-0 victory at

Kauffman Stadium. He opened the performance by retiring the first nine batters of the game and taking

a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He would allow just two hits while striking out 10. On Friday, the

suspense lasted even longer.

Kennedy retired the first 15 batters of the game in 60 pitches. As the sixth inning began inside Angel

Stadium, the crowd began to sense the moment. Every ball and strike was accompanied with a murmur

or cheer. Kennedy retired the first two hitters of the inning, striking out Martin Maldonado on a 3-2

fastball, before Cliff Pennington stepped to the plate.

Kennedy fell behind 3-1, missing on consecutive fastballs before laying a 91 mph heater across the

middle of the plate. He did not wish to walk Pennington.

“I didn’t expect to give up a home run there,” Kennedy said.

Pennington barreled the pitch and drove it out to right field for his first homer of the season, ending the

perfect game and shutout with one swing. Kennedy resorted to humor to feel better about the

execution.

“I know Cliff pretty well,” he said, referencing their time together as teammates in Arizona. “I told him

he’s a terrible friend.”

Kennedy would allow another double to Cameron Maybin and issue a walk to Kole Calhoun before

coaxing a fly-out from Albert Pujols.

Moments later, he headed back to the dugout after a long inning, his night over. As he crossed the first-

base line he turned back toward home-plate umpire C.B. Bucknor and screamed in his direction.

June 17, 2017 Page 18 of 18

“I thought I struck out Cam and wound up giving up a double,” Kennedy said. “I thought I threw an 0-0

strike to (Pennington). I mean, he was missing pitches for them, too. He does that.”

By the end, it did not matter. For another night, music played inside the Royals clubhouse. Cain finished

a postgame interview and stood up, heading for the cold tub.

“The confidence is through the roof,” Cain said. “We’re playing great baseball right now.”