Kansas City Royals

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have talked with the Kansas City Royals about a possible trade involving Darryl Strawberry, according to a well-placed source. Talks supposedly have centered on outfielder Kevin McReynolds and a couple of other Royals players.The Royals could use Strawberry as a designated hitter to replace the retired George Brett, or as a left fielder, replacing McReynolds, who has fallen out of favor with Royals management after batting .245 last season with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs.

The Kansas City Royals' George Brett yesterday stole his 200th base, putting him into an exclusive club of players with 200 steals, 3,000 hits and 300 home runs:Player.. .. .. ..SB .. .. ..Hits .. .. .. ..HRHank Aaron .. ..240 .. .. .3,771 .. .. .. .755George Brett ...200 .. .. .3,123 .. .. .. .312Willie Mays .. .338 .. .. .3,283 .. .. .. .660

When Dick Williams was finishing off his playing career in Boston, he used to sit at the back of the team bus with the writers.At first, I thought it was the fancy threads, the snappy repartee and the general all-around good cheer that drew him to our midst. Wrong.Williams had played a half-dozen positions for five different teams over the course of 13 seasons, so he pretty well knew what that was all about. He had checked out the style of several managers up close, so he pretty well knew what worked and what didn't work.

* The following is a column written by Alan Eskew, sportswrite for The Topeka Capital-Journal, who was struck in the face Monday night by an object thrown by Kansas City Royals manager Hal McRae. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- I feel a little bit uncomfortable writing this column. My job is to report the news, not make it. I don't seek notoriety.But suddenly and inadvertently, I'm in the news. A UFO, believed to be a tape recorder, was thrown across a room by enraged Kansas City Royals manager Hal McRae and struck me in the face after a 5-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers Monday night.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The season-opening slump of 1993 has reached the point where the Orioles have to take each positive development and savor it, even when it does not come in an entirely positive context.Last night provided the perfect example. The Kansas City Royals scored a 7-6 victory in the opener of a three-game series at Royals Stadium. They knocked left-hander Arthur Rhodes out in the second inning. They pushed the Orioles a little deeper into the American League East cellar. So why was manager Johnny Oates wearing a big grin after the game?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The scouting report on the slumping Kansas City Royals is not complicated. An advance scout could get the message across to his team in just three words:"Get here quick."The Orioles arrived just in time to get a piece of the worst start in Royals history, scoring a 10-4 victory last night at Royals Stadium to win their fifth straight game and equal their longest winning streak of 1991.They traveled all night to get here. They braved the bitter cold that dumped snow all over the region only a day earlier.

Baseball AL -- Named Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad to the executive council.Baltimore Orioles -- Traded C Bob Melvin (.250, 1 HR, 23 RBI) to the Kansas City Royals for former Oriole P Storm Davis (3-9, 4.96 ERA).Cincinnati Reds -- Traded P John Wetteland (1-0 in 6 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers) and minor-league P Bill Risley to the Montreal Expos for OF Dave Martinez (.295, 7 HRs, 42 RBI), P Scott Ruskin (4-4, 4.24 ERA) and minor-league IF Willie Greene.Florida Marlins -- Reached a 1-year player development agreement with Erie of the Class A New York-Penn League for 1992.

BASEBALL American League* Orioles -- Traded Bob Melvin (catcher) to the Kansas City Royals for Storm Davis (pitcher).* Kansas City Royals -- Assigned Domingo Mota (second baseman) to Baseball City of the Florida State League.* Minnesota Twins -- Extended the contract of Tom Kelly (manager) for two years. Named Joel Lepel, Brad Wietzel and Scott Groot scouts.* Toronto Blue Jays -- Signed Kent Anderson (infielder), Julian Yan (first baseman) and Butch Davis (outfielder) to minor league contracts.

Cleveland Indians infielder Carlos Martinez was released from the hospital yesterday after he was hit on the helmet with a pitch during Friday night's game against the Kansas City Royals. The incident touched off a brief bench-clearing shoving match.Martinez suffered a slight concussion when he was hit by a slider from Royals pitcher Kevin Appier in the eighth inning. He was kept overnight at Lutheran Medical Center for observation.Martinez, whose 16-game hitting streak ended in that game, is expected to be available today.

The plot has thickened in the wild, wild American League West, where no fewer than five teams are fighting for the rail as the 1991 season passes the halfway mark.The other division races appear to be shaking themselves out. The Toronto Blue Jays are threatening to make short work of the AL East; the Los Angeles Dodgers are in control in the NL West; and the NL East has become a two-team race. But in the West, only 2 1/2 games separated first place and fifth at the All-Star break. Even the sixth-place Seattle Mariners and the last-place Kansas City Royals are too close for any kind of comfort.