RHP Edinson Volquez pitched six scoreless innings while earning an Opening Day win over the Mets.Volquez, who was the starter for the decisive Game 5 of the World Series against the Mets, allowed two hits, walked three and struck out five Sunday. Volquez (1-0) threw 62 strikes in 106 pitches."I was a little bit inconsistent in my delivery to the plate," he said. "After that, I was able to put the ball where I wanted. I'm really glad we won the first game against the Mets. Everybody was talking about the Mets and Kansas City. We faced one of the tough pitchers in baseball tonight, and we won."

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Take a spin around the Cactus League with "Three Up, Three Down," an inside look at what is coming up and what went down on Monday.THREE UP1. The Seattle Mariners' Robinson Cano drove in seven runs with three home runs Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, then hit another blast Monday against a Kansas City Royals split squad as he perfects his swing for next Monday's opener at Texas.Cano leads the Cactus League with seven home runs."Wow, that was a bomb," Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Cano's fifth-inning shot off Royals right-hander Kris Medlen. "He's feeling really good right now. Seeing the ball great. His swing's on time, and we just need to keep him right there for when we get to Arlington."Cano put up modest numbers last year: .287, 21 home runs and 79 RBIs, but the Mariners are expecting much more in 2016."You get in a little bit of a jam and have to challenge Robbie Cano, 2-2, 3-2," Medlen said. "You're not going to win a lot of those battles, really."2. Royals... [More]

RHP Edinson Volquez's next start will be Sunday night against the Mets in the season opener and a rematch of the World Series. In Volquez's final spring start, he allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four in five innings. He threw 58 strikes in 90 pitches.Volquez is not a fan of preseason baseball. "I haven't pitched good in spring training for a long time," he said. "I doesn't matter what happens here in spring training. I just try to move forward for that first game."He said a March goal was to lower his ERA. He leaves Arizona with a 3.95 ERA after posting a 6.33 ERA last spring and a 9.64 ERA in 2014 spring training.

RHP Edinson Volquez was named the Royals' Opening Day starter against the Mets on April 3.Volquez will face Mets right-hander Matt Harvey at Kauffman Stadium in a rematch of Game 5 in the World Series."It was an easy decision," Royals manager Ned Yost said Saturday. "We weighted the year he had last year. And we thought it would be cool: When was the last time two starting pitchers pitched consecutive games? Game 5 starters are matching up again."Volquez went 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA in 34 games last season.

RHP Edinson Volquez will look to help the Royals clinch the franchise's first championship in 30 years on Sunday night, when he takes the mound against the Mets in Game 5 of the World Series at Citi Field. The Royals lead the series three games to one. Volquez will pitch about 24 hours after he returned from the Dominican Republic, where he attended the funeral of his father. Daniel Volquez died Tuesday, just hours before Edinson allowed three runs, six hits and one walk while striking out three in six innings in the Royals' 5-4, 14-inning win in Game 1. Volquez was not made aware of his father's death until after he left the game. This will be the fifth start this postseason for Volquez, who is 1-2 with a 4.37 ERA thus far.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez is scheduled to rejoin the Royals on Saturday for Game 4 of the World Series, and he is in line to pitch the next day, Royals manager Ned Yost said Friday."He's still slated to pitch Game 5," Yost said. "We should see Eddie tomorrow (Saturday). He'll be ready to go."Volquez returned home to the Dominican Republic following the death of his father, Daniel, who passed away at the age of 63 on Tuesday.Volquez was the starting pitcher for the Royals in Game 1 that day, and there were conflicting reports about whether Volquez was aware of his father's death when he took the mound on Tuesday. Volquez gave up three runs in six innings against the New York Mets.Volquez has stayed in contact with Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland while he was in the Dominican Republic.Chris Young will start Game 4 for the Royals Saturday, and Volquez would start Sunday's game if Game 5 is needed.Rookie Steven Matz will start Game 4 for the Mets.

Kansas Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez, who threw six innings in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night, learned of his father's death after his start.Volquez's father, Daniel, died of heart failure in the Dominican Republic before the game, and the Royals kept the news a secret until later to honor the family's wishes.When Volquez walked into the Royals' clubhouse in the seventh inning, general manager Dayton Moore was waiting for him, according to USA Today. Moore ushered Volquez into manager Ned Yost's office, where Volquez's wife, Roandry, and 2-year-old twin daughters were awaiting to break the news to him.Volquez's father died earlier in the day after battling a heart disease for several years. He was 63.Before the game, Yost conferred with bench coach Don Wakamatsu and catching coach Pedro Grifol about how to handle the situation. They all agreed to honor the family's wishes."The whole time I kept thinking, Eddie was out there pitching his tail off,'' Yost said after the... [More]

RHP Edinson Volquez's father died of a heart attack Tuesday in the Dominican Republic, but there were conflicting reports of when he learned of the death. "We found out about it before the game and the wishes of the family was let Eddie pitch," manager Ned Yost said. "He didn't know. I guess after the game is when he found out." Volquez went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out three and walking one. "I found out in I think it was in the 14th inning," Royals LF Alex Gordon said. "I was standing next to Ned, and he told me, 'Let's win this game for Volquez,' and explained what happened. I don't think he knew. I don't think most guys knew. That's tough."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Curtis Granderson's fifth-inning home run broke a tie, and the New York Mets led the Kansas City Royals 2-1 after five innings in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.The father of Royals starting pitcher Edinson Volquez died of heart failure in the Dominican Republic before the game, multiple media outlets reported. There were conflicting reports on whether Volquez was told the news before he took the mound.Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, the MVP of the American League Championship Series after hitting .478 against Toronto, swung at the first pitch, as his custom, but this swing produced World Series history. Escobar drove a Matt Harvey 95 mph four-seam fastball to left center.Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes attempted to make a backhand grab, but the ball ricocheted off his leg and into left field. By the time left fielder Michael Conforto reversed his field and chased it down, Escobar circled the bases standing up.It was the 10th inside-the-park home run in... [More]

RHP Edinson Volquez will get the start for the Royals against the Mets on Tuesday in Game 1 of the World Series.The 32-year-old veteran will be matched up against Mets RHP Matt Harvey. Volquez is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in three starts this postseason. Volquez was 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA in the regular season. "It's another game, I don't have to do anything different than what I've been doing," Volquez said. "I've got to stay focused in what you're doing, especially this game, because this is a World Series game."

Kansas City Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez will start Game 1 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

Kansas City Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez will start Game 1 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Volquez gave up three runs on five hits and four walks in 5.2 innings in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Houston Astros.

Volquez scattered nine hits while allowing one run across six innings in a no-decision against the White Sox on Wednesday. He struck out five and walked one.

It was a strange game for Volquez, as he allowed nine singles in the game. It's indicative of his season though, as he finished his 2015 just three hits shy of his career-high. Even with all the hits allowed, Volquez had one of the best seasons of his career, as his 3.65 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 152 strikeouts all rank third best across his 10-year career.

Volquez (13-9) gave up three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings in Friday's loss to Cleveland.

Friday was one of Volquez's better outings in recent weeks, but he ran into a very hot counterpart in Carlos Carrasco and gave up two homers for just the third time all season. Though solid for much of the season, Volquez now has a 5.36 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over his last seven starts, both well above his season average. Owners who keep him in the rotation down the stretch do so at their own risk.

Volquez took a no-decision Saturday, surrendering seven hits, three earned runs and four walks over six innings in a 6-5 loss to the Tigers. He struck out six.

There were some positives for Volquez, who has been somewhat inconsistent of late. The 32-year-old put together his second-best start of September and tallied his highest strikeout total since an Aug. 18 outing against the Reds. After uncharacteristically surrendering two gopher balls in his most recent start against the Indians, the normally homer-stingy Volquez also managed to stay away from the long ball. However, the veteran did issue the most free passes in an appearance since yielding five on July 27 against that same Cleveland squad. Volquez figures to have two more opportunities to right the ship before the Royals head into the postseason.

Volquez (13-8) wasn't sharp Monday night, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four in an 8-3 loss to the Indians.

Volquez couldn't get into a rhythm against the Indians, giving up runs in every frame except the second. The 32-year-old has seen his ERA steadily climb from 3.27 to 3.59 over his last four starts, a span in which Volquez has given up 15 earned runs. Having only given up two home runs in an outing twice all year, Volquez will look to get back on track Saturday against the Tigers.

Volquez won his 13th game as he allowed two runs on six hits through seven innings. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter.

Volquez had the Twins off balance, as he induced 12 ground balls against just six fly balls. The only extra-base hit the Twins managed was a Joe Mauer double in the third inning. Volquez hasn't only been effective, he's been consistently munching up innings for the Royals, as he has now gone at least six innings in 10 of his last 11 starts. His ERA sits at 3.49.

Volquez was bombed for six runs on eight hits and a walk in just three innings against Detroit on Thursday.

Both he and opposing starter Matt Boyd departed early with six runs on their lines, but it's much more disappointing for Volquez, who's generally been a credible fantasy starter, but has now allowed six in three of his last five outings. He'll try to right the ship against the Twins on Tuesday.

Volquez allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits, walking two and striking out five over 6.2 innings of a 3-2 win against the Rays on Friday night.

Volquez (12-7, 3.27 ERA) twirled a solid game and was rewarded with his first win since early in the month. He has struggled a bit in August, but typically eats some valuable innings, and keeps the Royals in games. He isn't a huge strikeout pitcher, and his WHIP and ERA are just average, but he is a valuable back-of-the-rotation arm in most fantasy formats.

Volquez wasn't his sharpest Sunday, but ate up 6.2 innings, allowing six earned runs on nine hits, walking zero and striking out five in the no-decision.

Volquez was on the hook for defeat No. 8, but was bailed out by a ninth-inning Kansas City rally. Despite the rough outing, he has three quality starts in the month of August, but has just a 1-2 record to show for it. He'll look to rebound in his next start Friday in Tampa Bay.

Volquez gave up one run on four hits and three walks while striking out seven over six innings Tuesday against the Reds.

He needed 112 pitches to get through six innings, but he did his job and was handed a no-decision as the Royals' offense couldn't do anything until the ninth inning. Volquez will take the hill next on Sunday in Boston.