Royals notebook: Bloomquist confident he won't wear down with regular duty

BALTIMORE | It’s still July with nearly 10 weeks remaining in the season and, already, veteran utilityman Willie Bloomquist is triggering the performance bonuses in his contract tied to games played and plate appearances. When Bloomquist went three for five with a homer in Tuesday’s 4-3 victory over the Orioles, he set a career high with 286 plate appearances — three more than his previous high in 2006 with Seattle. He went two for four on Wednesday, raising his average to .278.