Royals | Soria strikes out the side

The Associated Press reports Kansas City Royals CL Joakim Soria struck out the side Monday, June 29, as he recorded his 10th save.

Soria struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning on Monday

Soria struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning on Monday to get his 10th save of the year. [...]

Soria struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning on Monday

Soria struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning on Monday to get his tenth save of the year. [...]

Royals closer Joakim Soria struck out the side in the ninth

News: Royals closer Joakim Soria struck out the side in the ninth inning on Monday as Kansas City defeated the Twins. Soria's perfect inning earned him his 10th save. His ERA is at 1.93. [...]

Joakim Soria struck out the side against Minnesota on Monday

Joakim Soria struck out the side against Minnesota on Monday to earn his 10th save of the season.

Analysis: The Mexicutioner executes when given the opportunity. Injury issues and K.C.'s anemic offense have deprived Soria of the opportunity to do his thing quite often enough to be an elite fantasy closer, but he sure looks elite when he's out there. He has 23 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings with a 1.13 WHIP and is a perfect 10-for-10 in save situations.

Royals | Soria earns save Sunday

The Associated Press reports Kansas City Royals CL Joakim Soria struck out one over one inning Sunday, June 28, to earn his ninth save in 11 opportunities.

Analysis: A healthy return to form for the Royals fireman, who blew his last save opportunity on June 24 against the Astros. Soria is actually whiffing batters at a more prolific rate than last season's breakout campaign (10.19 K/9 ratio), but his increased walk total (7 in 17 2/3 IP) has resulted in a couple of blown saves in June, despite only three last season.

Mark Teahen doubled, scored a run and plated a runner in four

Mark Teahen doubled, scored a run and plated a runner in four trips to the plate on Sunday.

Analysis: A healthy return to form for the Royals fireman, who blew his last save opportunity on June 24 against the Astros. Soria is actually whiffing batters at a more prolific rate than last season's breakout campaign (10.19 K/9 ratio), but his increased walk total (7 in 17 2/3 IP) has resulted in a couple of blown saves in June, despite only three last season.

Royals closer Joakim Soria retired all three batters he faced

News: Royals closer Joakim Soria retired all three batters he faced Sunday against the Pirates for his ninth save in 11 opportunities. Soria had one strikeout and his ERA is at 2.04 for the year. [...]

Royals | Soria blows save, earns win

The Associated Press reports Kansas City Royals RP Joakim Soria (2-0) blew a save chance Wednesday, June 24, but picked up the win in the process.

Royals closer Joakim Soria blew his second save of the season

News: Royals closer Joakim Soria blew his second save of the season on Wednesday night against the Astros. Soria allowed one run on two hits and a walk in one inning. He struck out a batter and ended up earning the victory as the team took a final lead in the top of the next inning. He is now 2-0 on the year and his ERA is 2.16. [...]

An evening after recording his first save in a month and a half,

An evening after recording his first save in a month and a half, Soria blew the save Wednesday night at Houston. He gave up a bloop single, a bunt and a ground ball single to Matt Kata to tie the game. [...]

Joakim Soria blew a save but picked up a win Wednesday, surrendering

Joakim Soria blew a save but picked up a win Wednesday, surrendering two hits and one earned run in one inning.

Analysis: Soria blew his second save in 10 chances this season but was rewarded with a win when Miguel Olivo hit a go-ahead homer in the 11th inning. Even with the hiccup, Soria’s ERA stands at a minute 2.16.

Berkman playing Wednesday after missing Tuesday

Lance Berkman did not start for the Astros on Tuesday against the Royals after he chose to be late to the ballpark to be with his wife after the birth of their fourth daughter on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

Our View: He did record a ninth inning pinch hit off of Royals closer Joakim Soria, but the Astros still lost 2-1. He is scheduled to play on Wednesday.

Soria's value at the back end of the Royals' bullpen was made

Soria's value at the back end of the Royals' bullpen was made obvious by how terribly the team's substitute closers fared during his month on the DL, but his fantasy value has been diminished since his return by the disappearance of K.C.'s offense. The Mexicutioner is still The Mexicutioner, and his 1.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings speak pretty well of how good he truly is. It would just be nice -- for Royals fans and fantasy owners alike -- if Soria got more save opportunities.

Soria nails down eighth save

Joakim Soria nailed down his eighth save of the season in Tuesday's 2-1 win at Houston. He allowed two hits over one scoreless inning, and had no walks and two strikeouts.

Our View: Soria picked up his first save of June, and only allowed one earned run over seven innings pitched in the month. Keep the Royals' closer active in fantasy lineups.

Royals closer Joakim Soria gave up two hits in the ninth inning

News: Royals closer Joakim Soria gave up two hits in the ninth inning on Tuesday against the Astros but nailed down his 8th save. Soria struck out two in his inning of work. His ERA is 1.72. [...]

Tejada's three hits not enough as 'Stros fall 2-1

Miguel Tejada raked three hits and drove in Houston's only run on Tuesday as the Astros were shut down by the Royals Zack Greinke and Joakim Soria.

Our View: Tejada also snapped a 2-for-19 slump in the process. The veteran shortstop is now batting .337 on the season and could be headed to his sixth All-Star game next month.

Kansas City closer Joakim Soria pitched in a non-save situation

News: Kansas City closer Joakim Soria pitched in a non-save situation on Sunday against the Cardinals. Soria struck out one in a perfect inning. His ERA is at 1.84. [...]

Royals closer Joakim Soria pitched the ninth inning in a blowout

News: Royals closer Joakim Soria pitched the ninth inning in a blowout loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks. He recorded one strikeout in the perfect frame, lowering his ERA to 1.98. [...]

Royals | Soria feeling stronger

The Kansas City Star's Terez A. Paylor reports Kansas City Royals CL Joakim Soria said his shoulder is getting stronger. Manager Trey Hillman is willing to pitch Soria on back-to-back days but hasn't done so since his return from the disabled list.

Soria finished Saturday's 7-4 win over Cincinnati, but allowed

Soria finished Saturday's 7-4 win over Cincinnati, but allowed a leadoff homer to Ramon Hernandez. He settled down to record two strikeouts and finish the game, though it was a non-save situation. [...]

Royals closer Joakim Soria came on in with a four-run lead in

News: Royals closer Joakim Soria came on in with a four-run lead in the ninth inning, allowing one run in a non-save situation Saturday against the Reds. The run was scored on a Ramon Hernandez solo homer. He struck out two in the outing as his ERA climbed up to 2.13 on the season. [...]

Royals RP Joakim Soria was brought in Thursday against the Indians

News: Royals RP Joakim Soria was brought in Thursday against the Indians for a four-out save, but couldn't get the job done. He was immediately greeted by a Jhonny Peralta RBI double that brought in the tying run with two outs in the eighth. Soria did make it through 1 1/3 innings, but still took his first blown save. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one. [...]

Soria tossed 1.1 scoreless innings Thursday night at Cleveland,

Soria tossed 1.1 scoreless innings Thursday night at Cleveland, but wasn't able to preserve Zack Greinke's 3-2 lead in the eighth for his first blown save of the year. He surrendered a game-tying double to Jhonny Peralta with a runner on second. [...]

Soria tossed 1.1 scoreless innings Thursday night at Cleveland,

Soria tossed 1.1 scoreless innings Thursday night at Cleveland, but wasn't able to preserve Zack Greinke's 3-2 lead in the eighth. He surrendered a game-tying double to Jhonny Peralta with a runner on second. [...]

Royals closer Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless ninth inning

News: Royals closer Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless ninth inning in Saturday's 6-2 win over Toronto. He allowed just one baserunner in the inning via walk. [...]

Soria fired a scoreless inning in Saturday's 6-2 win at Toronto.

Soria fired a scoreless inning in Saturday's 6-2 win at Toronto. It marked his second appearance since returning from the DL. [...]

Soria fired a scoreless inning in Saturday's 6-2 win at Toronto.

Soria fired a scoreless inning in Saturday's 6-2 win at Toronto. It marked the second appearance since returning from the DL. [...]

Royals | Soria pitches Wednesday

The Associated Press reports Kansas City Royals RP Joakim Soria recorded two outs in the eighth inning Wednesday, June 3, in his first work since coming off the disabled list.

Royals closer Joakim Soria got into the game on Wednesday as

News: Royals closer Joakim Soria got into the game on Wednesday as the Rays defeated Kansas City. Soria pitched to two batters in the ninth inning and retired both of them. He had one strikeout. He has a 1.93 ERA on the year. [...]

Soria made his first appearance since returning from the DL

Soria made his first appearance since returning from the DL with 0.2 innings against Tampa Bay on Wednesday night. He faced three batters and retired two, with Willy Aybar reaching on an error. [...]

The Royals reinstated closer Joakim Soria and shortstop Tony

News: The Royals reinstated closer Joakim Soria and shortstop Tony Pena Jr. from the 15-day DL on Tuesday. Soria had been out since May 8 with a right rotator cuff strain. Pena went on the DL May 2 with a broken left hand. Also, Sidney Ponson was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a right elbow strain. The right-hander will rest the elbow for a few days before possibly beginning a throwing program. The Royals put outfielder Coco Crisp on the bereavement list on Monday following the death of his great grandmother. He is expected to rejoin the team Thursday. [...]

Soria, who hasn't pitched since May 7 because of a sore right

Soria, who hasn't pitched since May 7 because of a sore right shoulder, returns after intrasquad games in Arizona with no ill effect. When healthy, he's one of the game's top fireman, so be sure to activate him ASAP. Pena had missed 26 games after undergoing hand surgery on May 2. He was 0-for-11 in 10 games but has a chance for his first hit on Tuesday night as the starting shortstop.

Royals reinstate Soria and Pena Jr. from DL

The Kansas City Royals reinstated closer Joakim Soria and shortstop Tony Pena Jr. from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday.

Soria (shoulder) was activated from the DL on Tuesday night,

Soria (shoulder) was activated from the DL on Tuesday night, the Royals' official site reports. [...]

Royals activated RHP Joakim Soria from the 15-day disabled list.

Royals activated RHP Joakim Soria from the 15-day disabled list. The Royals went just 5-16 while Soria was sidelined with a rotator cuff injury, and fantasy owners should go ahead and get him activated immediately. [...]

Royals activated RHP Joakim Soria from the 15-day disabled list.

Royals activated RHP Joakim Soria from the 15-day disabled list. The Royals went just 5-16 while Soria was sidelined with a rotator cuff injury, and fantasy owners should go ahead and get him back into fantasy lineups. [...]

Royals activate Soria

The Kansas City Star is reporting that the Royals have activated closer Joakim Soria for Tuesday's game. Soria had been on the DL with a strained right rotator cuff.

Our View: Fantasy owners rejoice, because the Mexecutioner is back. Soria will be active for tonight's game, so get him back in the lineup tonight. He should be fine going forward, so keep him in unless he aggravates the injury again.

Royals | Soria activated

Bob Dutton, of The Kansas City Star, reports the Kansas City Royals activated RP Joakim Soria (shoulder) from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, June 2.

From The Sports Xchange: Joakim Soria could be coming off the

News: From The Sports Xchange: Joakim Soria could be coming off the 15-day DL on Tuesday when the Royals open a nine-game trip with the first three games against the Rays. Soria, who logged 42 saves last year when he was selected to the AL All-Star team, was scheduled to be on the Royals' charter flight Monday night to St. Petersburg, Fla. Soria indicated he is ready to go after pitching twice last week in extended spring games in Surprise, Ariz. Soria was 7-for-7 in save opportunities before going on the DL on May 10, retroactive to May 8. The rest of the bullpen has two saves in nine chances. "It's just a confidence boost, as well as what he brings physically," manager Trey Hillman said of having Soria back. The Royals have lost 16 of 21 games with Soria on the DL. "We have struggled," Hillman said of the bullpen without Soria. [...]

Soria ready to be activated

Royals CL Joakim Soria has traveled with the team on their nine game road trip and could be activated from the disabled list as early as this week in Tampa according to MLB.com.

Our View: This would be great news for the swooning Royals and Soria fantasy owners, but don't celebrate just yet. It is likely Soria will be eased back in to the closer's role and may not be activated immediately.

Royals | Soria to travel with team beginning Monday

Dick Kaegel, of MLB.com, reports Kansas City Royals RP Joakim Soria (shoulder) is scheduled to travel with the team beginning Monday, June 1, and could be activated from the disabled list for the upcoming road trip.

Royals | Soria ready to return

Sam Mellinger, of The Kansas City Star, reports Kansas City Royals RP Joakim Soria (shoulder) said he is ready to return from the disabled list.