Starting Royals lineup on FSKC tonight will look a lot like the real thing
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The first Royals spring training game on FOX Sports Kansas City will feature a lineup that should resemble the Opening Day starting nine in two weeks, minus one position player:
Norichika Aoki RF
Omar Infante 2B
Eric Hosmer 1B
Billy Butler DH
Alex Gordon LF
Sal Perez C
Mike Moustakas 3B
Lorenzo Cain CF
Pedro Ciriaco SS
-- Shortstop Alcides Escobar is progressing after getting a cortisone shot in his shoulder. He threw from 105 feet today, and manager Ned Yost says Escobar felt good. The team hopes he can continue performing drills and then play in minor-league games Thursday and Friday and a big-league game Saturday.
-- The Royals have five games this spring in which they can experiment with the new instant replay setup, and tonight's game is the fourth. Yost says the spring training replay is not set up the same as it will be in the regular season due to fewer camera angles and the absence of the replay center in New York. But he says he is excited about the new rules.
FOX Sports Kansas City will televise 150 Royals games this season. CLICK HERE for the full telecast schedule.
-- Pitcher Bruce Chen walked into the clubhouse sporting an appropriate green T-shirt on St. Patrick's Day and said, "Big day today!" Not because of the holiday, but because he has been lobbying (in jest, I think) for a pay raise as fireballer Yordano Ventura's interpreter.
Ventura starts tonight, and you can expect to hear from Chen during the game on our broadcast -- the man who pitches in the low to mid-80s helping out the kid who reaches triple digits on the radar gun. Perfect.
-- Yost praised Ventura's ability to slow the game down in difficult situations, a rare trait for a young player.
-- Good to see FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal in the house. He will be a guest in the booth during the game with Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler tonight (8 p.m. start). Rex will also join me on the pregame show at 7:30 p.m., along with GM Dayton Moore.
-- James Shields versus Justin Verlander from Detroit is two weeks away, but I'm excited to have baseball back on the air tonight from Surprise.
Joel Goldberg is an in-game reporter and host of the "Royals Live" pregame and postgame shows on FOX Sports Kansas City.
