Noah Cameron turned “816 Day” into his own stage in Anaheim.
The St. Joseph native was brilliant on Sunday, carrying the Kansas City Royals to a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium while coming within reach of both a no-hitter and a perfect game. Cameron retired the first 15 batters he faced, kept the Angels off balance all afternoon and finished with a complete-game shutout in one of the best starts of his career.
The only crack in the armor came in the sixth inning, when Angels second baseman Oswald Peraza worked a five-pitch walk to end the perfect-game bid. Cameron still had the no-hitter intact after Michael Massy grabbed a line drive off the bat of Angels shortstop Zach Neto to close the inning. The Angels finally broke through for their lone hit in the seventh.
Cameron’s command set everything in motion. He attacked the zone, leaned mostly on his slider and changeup, and worked both sides of the plate while the Angels kept swinging early. The result was an efficient, ruthless outing: eight strikeouts, one walk and just one hit allowed.
Massy gave him plenty of breathing room at the plate, too. He went 3-for-4 and launched his 11th home run in the fourth inning, his second homer in the series.
Bobby Witt Jr. also got in on the power display, snapping a 17-game homerless drought with a solo shot to left field. His last home run came on July 9 against the New York Mets, before his recent stint on the injury list.
Kansas City added another run in the seventh when Carter Jensen, the Kansas City native, delivered an RBI single to end an 0-for-18 skid on the road trip. Cameron then struck out Mike Trout to start the bottom half of the inning before Vaughn Grissom broke up the no-hitter with a bloop single into left. Cameron answered by retiring Jose Siri and Wade Meckler to finish the frame.
Matt Quatraro let Cameron keep going with a three-run cushion, and the right-hander finished what he started. He became the first Royals pitcher since Zack Greinke on Aug. 30, 2009, to throw a one-hit complete game, and he set a career high with nine innings pitched. Cameron is also the second Royals starter this season to toss a complete game, joining Stephen Kolek, who did it on May 23 against the Seattle Mariners.
The win moved the Royals to 51-74 and gave them the series outright. Cameron has now allowed five runs over his last 37 ⅔ innings, a stretch that began when he started calling his own pitches on July 24 against the Detroit Tigers. The Angels fell to 49-76.
The Royals have not announced a starter for Monday’s game against the Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Athletics right-hander Mason Barnett (1-3, 6.16 ERA) will face his former team, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. Central.
In Other News...
Royals Just Made A Telling Decision On A Veteran Outfield Bet
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The more telling move came in the outfield, where Starling Marte was designated for assignment after a disappointing run in his lone season in Kansas City. Signed to a one-year deal, Marte never gave the Royals the kind of return they were hoping for, and the decision suggests the club is ready to move on quickly rather than keep waiting for a turnaround. [Read more 🡒]
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Hoffmann arrived from Kansas City over a year ago in the deal that sent Randal Grichuk to the Royals, but the path forward now looks bleak. Because he is injured and the trade deadline has already passed, Arizona cannot simply send him outright to the minors, which means the next step is expected to be release waivers. For a pitcher brought in as part of a notable swap, it is a abrupt turn that underscores how quickly roster churn can erase a once-promising fit. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Suddenly Have A Late-Season Boost Fans Have Been Waiting For
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There is also a longer-view piece to this moment, because the organizations pipeline still has names worth watching even as the big-league roster waits on reinforcements. MLB Pipelines midseason update pointed to Kendry Chourio, Josh Hammond and Angeibel Gomez among the systems prospects, while former Royal Carlos Santana is back on the open market after getting his release from Triple-A Gwinnett and looking for another landing spot. [Read more 🡒]